Oregon City, Oregon, Week 52 - December 27 - December 31, 2022

Ahhhhhh - the last week of the year!  And...it was snowy and cold the whole week long!

These boys enjoyed the hot tubs and snow activities.

Jude spent a lot of time outside and got really cold - at least cold cheeks.

Tuesday evening we went with WWandFam went to the Grotto to see the lights and enjoy an organ concert.  turns out the organ concert was a recorded concert, so even though it was lovely to listen to, knowing that it was recorded was a bit down heartening.  When the organ was switched off, a quartet came on stage to sing.  They were really good!  I asked an employee where they were from, thinking maybe a choral group or a music class at PSU.  Turns out they are professionals that work at the Grotto.  I stayed in the chapel listening to the music while the others went to look at lights.

We went to Travis new house to give him (them) a hand.  We needed to return the trailer to them and while we were there, we enlisted the help of Ann and the three kids, and loaded up the trailer with all of the old torn out carpet and foam padding.

Jude and Jane came over one afternoon and played with the bunnies.

I try to walk in the woods everyday.  On Thursday I was out walking and listening to an audio book. when I heard screaming in the distance.  Luckily I even heard it.  I stopped and walked toward the shouting.  I realized it was Jane who had come out to find me and was lost.  We finally met somewhere in-between and she walked the rest of the way with me.

New Year's Eve was nice...not super exciting.  We met at Jessica's and made dough-boys to go along with all of the other goodies that Bev and Jess and WW made.

Sunday we began the new 2022 schedule at church.   We now meet at 11:30 instead of 9:00.  Sigh, I prefer the 9 am meeting time.

Sunday night we celebrated Tyler's 15th birthday and Copeland's 2nd birthday.

Oregon City, Oregon, - Week 51 - December 20 to December 26, 2021

We started out this Christmas Week - by redeeming Ruby's Christmas Activity.  She said she wanted to cook again - last year we made a cake and some cookies.  So, we made two kinds of candy.  The first was from a recipe for Cracker Candy which we got originally from Narayne Rouget who Warren knew from his mission.  The second was Elder Donovan's fudge which we got from Elder Donovan whom we met in Georgia (the country) while we were on our mission.

 

Now for the fudge!

Two big pans full of candy 

Ready to take home.

Tuesday was our Family Secret Santa Activity.  I had drawn Jessica's name, and Dad had Malcolm.  I gave Jessica a 5-year journal, and thought that it was such a good idea, that I bought one for me too - a purple one for her and a navy colored one for me.  Dad got Malcolm a specialized pair of pliers and some replacement blades for a drone.  I had asked for a 10-ince frying pan and got a beautiful one from Travis...also two potholders.  I was prepared to buy one for myself....but, obviously didn't.

Tyler had drawn Dad's name, and Dad received a long and a short sleeve shirt.  We had a super fun time that evening.

Christmas Eve was our traditional, "Buy and Bring The Take-Out of Your Choice".  Dad and I got Orange chicken from Panda Express, mainly because that is what Warren and Whitney got, and they picked up our order along with theirs.  Then we had a nice and simple Christmas Eve program with a prayer and a song and a story and so forth.

On Christmas Day we started early and went to the Louthan's to watch the children open their presents and play with their toys.

then to Travis's which was special because we went to his new house to open the stockings.  It is a great house.  Same number and size of bedrooms and bathrooms, but the kitchen is bigger, the living room is bigger, there is a family room, the garage is three times bigger, and the back yard is huge with nice landscaping and a beautiful patio.  They made a good choice.

Then to Warren and Whitney's

And finally to the Scott's

Dinner Christmas day was night - Mexican and we made sopapillas which kinda "popped".  Spent the evening just relaxing, by playing games, doing puzzles watching a movie.

for Christmas I got a Solo Lite Stove that burns twigs and little branches.  I'll use my old pot.

Sunday morning it snowed enough and it was cold enough that church was canceled.  There was a complete snow cover everywhere but nothing really deep.  by noon everything has pretty much melted away.  I took my one hour/2 mile hike in the woods and took these photos.

These are the branches from Mr. Majestic's huge limb that snapped off in the ice storm.

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 Oregon City, Oregon  Week 50 - December 13 - December 19, 2021

This was "the week before" the first week of Christmas Break.  That meant we began to give the Christmas Activity Gifts to our grandchildren.

Monday - The first was to Logan....for which I have no photographs....Logan said to me once, "I just want to go to a Smoothie Place and order whatever I want.  That was it - - his gift.  We took him first to Gladstone to a Smoothie Place, but it was closed, which made it an easy decision to to to Jamba Juice at Clackamas Town Center.  All three of us chose something yummy and then we sat a table and made up fanciful stories about the people sitting nearby.  I was kinda hungry for real food, so Dad got an order of orange chicken.  With the Cinnabun kiosk right there, we treated ourselves to four mini buns.  Logan had never had one...hard to believe... so he was happy.  It was a good outing.   Logan was very pleasant.

Tuesday - The second was to Tyler who had requested a cooking experience - specifically how to make sushi.  This was a bit tricky because I had never made sushi before, However, after watching several YouTube videos and ordering specially items from Amazon, I was ready. We had a bunch of ingredients - smoked salmon, sliced cucumber, avocado slices, cream cheese strips.  We liked all but the smoked salmon was our least favorite.

Friday - this was Jane and Holland's turn.  We decided to make it easy and go to a frozen yogurt place.  We told them that they could have anything they wanted but to try to take only as much as they could really eat. They were so cute!  The favorite condiment was colorful sprinkles and sour gummies.  They did take more than they could eat, but Dad and I ate the surplus.

Wednesday was Jessica's birthday, and she, Bev, and I went to The Little Grill for brunch, then to Pips for mini doughnuts, and then to a movie theater for the movie, Belfast.  It was a good day with my two favorite daughters.

Friday was the  day we chose to celebrate our anniversaries - ours - the 54th, Jessica and Ryan's - the 28th, and Warren and Whitney's, - the 8th.  It was our choice of where to go - Redland Cafe.  No photos....what is wrong with me.?

Saturday was our annual trip to downtown to visit the festive city.  Took the TriMet train and first visited Saturday Market, which was a bit disappointing - maybe because it was the last day for SM and it was cold and misty, and dismal.  I didn't see anything I wanted to buy, but I seldom do.  Dad got a Polish dinner which was yummy, and I was going to buy an empanada but ended up eating one of Jessica's.

Then we headed up to Pioneer Square.

We ended up at the big shopping mall where we spent most of the time in the food court watching kids while their mothers went off to different stores.

 Just for the historical record.  In the woods on Water Pipe slope there were two rolls of fence wire embedded into the bank of one of the springs.  I finished taking it out!!!

Before

and after.....applause is not necessary