Saturday, December 29

"Open Surgical Biopsy"

"Open Surgical Biopsy" was not the answer I was hoping for.
I wanted to hear something like, "It is nothing... you are fine... go home and take good care of yourself."
I would have even settled for, "We need to do a needle biopsy, just to be safe."
But no... I was told "open surgical biopsy."

As you may recall, I recently had a routine 40 year-old mammogram.  The radiologist was concerned about an area of irregular tissue patterns in my left breast.  I was asked to come back for further evaluation.  Sure enough further imaging confirmed her suspicions. I seem to have a (non-tumor) radial scar or lesion on the medial part of my left breast. 

The good news is that these things are often benign, but the bad news is the recommendion to remove the entire area.
Removed with surgery.
Removed with a large incision.
If you have not noticed, I have small breasts. 
I'm concerned that this surgery will permanently scar and alter my breast.
Of course there is also that lingering detail... what if it is cancer?

Clearly, I will need to learn a lot more over the next few weeks. 
I'm remaining hopeful that we can get a second opinion and find a less invasive procedure.

I'm trying to stay brave and put on a happy face for my husband and son.
Inside I am feeling very scared and alone.  I know that there is no point worrying until I have something to worry about, but how can you help but to worry?

Tuesday, December 25

Merry Christmas!

Grandma Patty came to celebrate Christmas with us this year. She arrived yesterday from New Jersey and will spend two weeks with us. She will housesit for our friends until the 30th. Last night she spent the night with us so we could all be together on Christmas morning.  Here is Henry and Grandma racing down the stairs to see if Santa really came.  Sure enough he did...
Henry was thrilled his gifts from Santa - Playmobil airplane and airport. We are currently watching the snow fall. We can't believe that it is a white Christmas after all!
Wishing you much love, peace and happiness in the coming year.
Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 23

Oh the weather outside is frightful!!

With the exception of last year's January snow storm, Our son has never played in the snow. Many of our friends take their kids to Mount Hood for sledding and snow fun.  This morning we learned that our friends were going up to Mount Hood for a snow outing and we spontaneously decided to join them.  We quickly ate some breakfast and packed up our gear. We left the house at 9:30 and started our 2 hour journey to the mountain.  It was raining lightly when we left. I had quickly glanced at the weather for Timberline and it said overcast and 29 degrees.  We thought perfect.  We will try it.
As we drove, the rain increased.  It was pouring!  We continued to drive and eagerly anticipated reaching the snow line.  Unfortunately, the snow never started.  It was 38 degrees at Timberline.  It was pouring and the wind was unbelievable!! 
We barely made it from the parking lot to the lodge.  The wind was so intense.  We met up with our friends briefly, but didn't dare to venture outside. Here is Henry racing to the car.
It was a long day of driving.  Our son didn't nap.  It was not the day we had hoped for, but I am sure we will try it again!

Lots & Lots o' COOKIES!!!

Yesterday was our annual holiday cookie exchange.  Six of us, from the library, got together to share some of our favorite holiday cookies.
I made my mother's jam thumbprints.  I think she got the recipe from her high school friend.
We have been making them as long as I can remember.  I also hope to make my traditional Mustica family Italian cookies before the year is over.
Other made:
Almond Sugar Cookies
Egg Nog Nutmeg Logs
Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles
Peanut Butter Chocolate Kisses
Gingerbread Christmas Trees

Wednesday, December 19

Live Life to the Fullest

I have always liked the expression, "Live Life to the Fullest." I have pretty much incorporated it as my personal mantra. 

Yesterday, I received a very frightening phone call for the radiology department at OHSU. My routine 40-year old mammogram has some irregularities and I will need to go in for further evaluation. Sure... it is probably nothing, but you can't help but to think, 'Shit... is this it? Is this what it comes down to?  Is this when your luck changes and have to enter a much more difficult chapter of your life?"  You never know when your life is going to change. 
Take time to be grateful.  Take time to enjoy  the things that are good in your life.
If your life is not so good, know that life changes quickly - often for the better.
If your life is charmed, don't take it for granted.

As for me, I'll be fine (hopefully).  I'll go back next week for further testing and hopefully I will get more time to be grateful and live life to the fullest!

Sunday, December 16

It's the Holiday Season...

It's the holiday season
With the whoop-de-do and hickory dock
And don't forget to hang up your sock....
I don't know about you, but I can't seem to get enough of 103.3 these days - the 24/7 Christmas music radio station. My son and I have really been enjoying Christmas music. We get these silly songs in our heads and sing them throughout the day.
For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute
Candles in the window, Carols at the Spinet,
Yes we need a little Christmas, right this very minute,
We need a little Christmas now!
So our humble, mostly Jewish home has become a festive Christmas-loving bonanza. We are out of control and having a lot of fun with it.

Wreaths are hung, garland decorates our front porch and stairway, we even ventured to the Christmas tree farm today. Henry got to cut down and decorate his first Christmas tree.
He told the babysitter tonight, "Isn't it beautiful?". We hosted our first holiday gathering last night. About 25 parents and teachers from our son's school joined us for Cosmopolitans and Sparkling wine. Next week my mom will visit. On Christmas Eve we will host a celebration family and friends. Who says it needs to be stressful!? Just tune in and sing along...
City sidewalk, busy sidewalks,
dressed in holiday style.
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

Children laughing, people passing,
meeting smile after smile,
and on every street corner you'll hear:

Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,
Soon it will be Christmas day!

Thursday, December 13

Fused Glass

I took this really fun fused glass class with the moms and teachers from my sons preschool before my trip to Mexico.  I made these ornaments! Jennifer Wells Studio is located on NE Alberta in Portland. What a fun evening!

You can join me for another class... I have scheduled a private class on Friday, January 4, when my mom is visiting from NJ.  It would be great if you could join us.  You can make jewelry or ornaments for $40 or a plate or platter for $60.  The class will be from 6 PM to 8 PM.
Please e-mail me or comment if you want to join us!

Wednesday, December 5

San Miguel de Allende - Day 4

The weather has been perfect. It is sunny and pleasant.
The house is quite lovely and comfortable.
My travel companions are easy-going.
We have all remained healthy.
We have been walking all over and exploring this interesting town.
The town is odd because there are so many American expats and so few Mexicans.
Yesterday, we took a fabulous cooking class. Our instructor, Paco, led us on a tour of the market. We tasted all sorts of interesting things. Later we returned to the beautiful cooking school and Paco prepared a delicious lunch. Tomorrow we have scheduled manicures and pedicures. It would be a perfect vacation if I didn´t miss my family so much.
Click here to see the photos that I uploaded today.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=9zei2jd.cganxfqp&x=0&y=4b0oyt

Sunday, December 2

San Miguel De Allende - Day 1

I made it...
Out trip had a bittersweet start when our fifth travel companion was unable to join us on the trip (We miss you Sarah!). The flight from Portland to Mexico City was very smooth and went by surprising fast. It started to drag out when we had to wait for nearly an hour to get through customs and get our luggage. After that we still had a four hour drive to San Miguel. I left my house in Portland at 5:30 AM and we didn´t arrive here until 7:15 PM - just under 12 hours of travel!
The town is beautiful. San Miguel is a very old colonial style town with cobble stone streets and spanish colonial houses. Our house is nestled into the side of a hill above the town centro. The town is very reminenscent of the towns in Spain.
Everyone is super friendly and helpful. Almost everyone speaks English so the language barrier has not been a challenge. The food has been much better than I expected. The prices seem relatively inexpensive, yet we were told, this is the second most expensive destination in Mexico (after Cancun). Last night I had an awesome dinner of fajitas (combo of beef, chicken and shrimp) and the yummiest margarita for $12.50 with tip. Not too bad!
Today we visited the Biblioteca Publica, a wonderful volunteer run library. We toured two San Miguel homes. One was pretty outragous!
Tonight we may go out to listen to jazz and eat handmade pizzas, not very Mexican, but I can´t resist pizza .-)
I will try to post photos tomorrow.
(Yes... of course I am a little homesick and I miss my family terribly. This is quite an adventure.)

Thursday, November 29

Unspeakable Joy!

How indulgent...  I now get three hours on Wednesday mornings to myself.  My son was able to add Wednesday mornings to his preschool schedule and I get this time to myself.

Yesterday morning was the first day.  I had very ambitious aspirations
1. Work-out
2. Take a shower (and wash my hair)
3. Eat breakfast
4. Buy a baby gift
5. Buy little gifts to mail to my son while I am in Mexico next week
6. Go to Trader Joe's for dishwasher soap and paper towels (we were out of both)
7. Go to Justa Pasta to stock up on some sauces while I am away.
8. Go to New Seasons (buy coffee - we were down to a 1-day supply)
9. Buy some groceries and house supplies
10. Go to the bank to get a new check book register (we are writing on every possible surface)
11. Put gas in the car
12. Go to the cleaners
13. Pack for my trip to Mexico

I made it half way through the list.  In any case, it was absolutely luscious and decant to have this three hours to myself.  I managed to do a short run around the waterfront.  I love my ipod when it works right.  I created this great imix for my runs.  You can check it out by clicking here
I hope you will post your favorite work-out music in the comments sections.

The time flew by way too fast, but that is okay... I was happy to have it!

Tomorrow is another packed day.  I will finish the errands that I didn't get to on Monday and get ready for my trip.  I leave at 5:30 AM on Saturday.  I hope to blog from San Miguel.  Stay tuned...

Sunday, November 25

What a FEAST!

Our Thanksgiving feast started with
 
roasted garlic shrimp cocktail and vegetable crudite with a creamy roquefort dip
Homemade mashed potatoes and delicious sweet potatoes
Cloverleaf rolls and a fantastic brined natural turkey

Cornbread, sage and pancetta dressing and cranberry sauce
Carmelized baby onions and roasted Brussels sprouts

This is the 13th Thanksgiving my husband and I have spent together.
We alternate spending Thanksgiving with his family in Montana and our friends in Eugene.
We spent this Thanksgiving weekend with our friends in Eugene. These meals are always extraordinary as everyone in our group of eight loves to cook.  As you can see we pulled off quite a delicious feast! 

Monday, November 12

A November Weekend

It was a perfect November weekend. We worked out, went to the farmer's market, made a big pot of chili, baked lots of cookies (chocolate chip and snicker doodle), raked leaves, had a date-night, played with friends in the park and caught up with our neighbors.

Thanksgiving came early when our neighbors, Carol and Joe, surprised us with a gorgeous homemade pumpkin pie. Tyler mixed-up a few "old fashioned" cocktails - it was nice to have a chance to catch up. The weeks and months fly by way too fast!

We shared some of our yummy chili with Carol and Joe and found this sign in their kitchen window this evening!

Wednesday, November 7

Do you use a slow-cooker? Call for your recipes!!!

Tuesday nights are now slow-cooker nights in our home (at least for the past two weeks).

I bought a slow cooker (also known as a crock pot) last year. I attempted my first recipe and it was bad... REALLY BAD! I put the crock pot away for a year and finally decided to give it a try again.
I work on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays. I pick up my son at preschool around 4:30 and then we get home around 5 PM. We have been bored with countless visits to Justa Pasta and Laughing Planet. We are also bored with pizza and take-out Thai. We have lost interest in grilling on the BBQ and we are looking for alternatives to pasta dishes. I've been craving hot, old-fashioned meals, but I just don't have the time to cook the way I did in the past.

Last Tuesday, I bought a nice chunk of beef (on sale at QFC). I put it in the slow cooker with chopped onions, garlic, salt and pepper. I cooked on low for 8 hours. It was pretty good. We served it with a baked potato and salad.

Yesterday, I made a pork loin roast (on sale at Zupan's). I cooked it with cumin, chili powder, a can of chilies and chopped onion. It cooked for 8 hours on low. We served the shredded pork on warmed corn tortillas, topped with cheese and roasted asparagus.
I hope you will share your simple and easy recipes.

THE BED: Part III (The final chapter - I hope!)

Are you as bored with this story as I am?
I am so tired of thinking about this bed and losing hours of sleep every night.
I'm going to cut to the chase because I'm ready to move on (I'm sure you are too).
So after two months of Henry sleeping great in the bed (potty trained, in underwear and waking up DRY!), he has started to wet the bed. It started slow... one time, then again a few weeks later, and now it has been almost EVERY NIGHT for the past month. I'm DONE!!!
Here is my post to urban mamas.com. I'm buying diapers today!! No more wet sheets, no more wet pajamas, no more wet mattress pads, and no more wet comforters! I'll buy him a special toy and make sure he feels great about this choice.
So that is it. We will keep the bed (for now).
Hopefully we will all get more sleep!

Henry - Six days old

Monday, November 5

THE BED: Part Deux (The nightmare begins!)

(continued from THE BED: Part I) If only my story could be a sweet as this photo...
So my husband and I arrange to borrow our neighbors truck. We drove down to Sherwood and picked up the bed. It took several (frustrating) hours to build, but all-and-all things went smoothly. Our son was thrilled and excited about his new "big boy" bed. We did the usual bedtime routine... bath at 7 pm, books at 7:30ish and bed by 8. It seemed too good to be true. Several hours later, as we were all sound asleep, I was abruptly woken by a loud THUD followed by the most INTENSE and Terrifying CRYING. I rushed through the darkness and found my son on the floor. Fortunately he was fine -- Just very scared and upset. We really couldn't understand or figure out exactly how he fell out. As you can see from the photo. The bed is surrounded by a sturdy rail, except for the ladder opening. Once my son calmed down he wanted to go back to bed. We used a pillow and bungee cords to block the ladder opening.
Then things got really exciting a month or so later when our son got a stomach bug and threw up repeatedly all over this bed. I can tell you that changing this bed is a NIGHTMARE and cleaning vomit from between the wooden spindles is a tedious task.

In addition to all of this, we realized that this bed looked ridiculous in Henry's tiny bedroom. I decided that we needed to switch Henry's bedroom and the guest room. My sweet husband had the patience to take the bed apart and reassemble it in the (former) guest room. This DID turn out to be a good decision. Both rooms look much better, but the bed situation has not improved.

My son has thrown up several times since and has also fallen out of the bed two more times. After the third fall this summer, I posted the bed on Craig's List. I was done and wanted the bed out of my life. I started to shop for a new bed (one only several inches from the ground and made of waterproof material!). The timing was awful as (believe it or not) two other "tent slide beds" were also listed. After several luke-warm inquiries, I decided to try to stick it out and keep the bed. Henry told me that he liked the bed and didn't want me to sell it. I also realized that I did not want to destroy his bedroom wall (For his birthday I purchased the wall-mounted book rack and reading light). They would both have to be relocated if we replaced this bed with normal bed. So I pulled my Craig's list ad and you might think that things improved for a while, but they didn't.

To be continued THE BED: PART III

Saturday, November 3

THE BED: Part I

Here is the boy...
Here is the bed...
At first glance, you may think, "wow... what a lucky kid". This is probably true, but this bed has not been lucky for the kid's mom.
It started great... I fell in love with this bed about a year ago. My son was 2 1/2 and we were looking for a bed to replace his crib. I initially saw this bed at a children's boutique in Eugene. It was close to $600 and out of the question for our budget (yes... even then I had a conscience about spending too much). I eagerly searched online and found the bed for as low as $450 with free shipping. If I sold the crib for $150, we would come close to a figure that I would consider.
Then the so-called "miracle" happened. On a whim, I typed in "loft bed slide" on Craig's List. Sure enough I got a hit. A family in Sherwood had the exact bed posted for $150. Their ad had been posted only an hour earlier. They were moving to Bend and didn't want to deal with moving the bed. I quickly arranged to go to work late the next morning and travelled down to Sherwood with my $150 in hand. The bed was in perfect condition, except for the tent. It was pink and it was torn. I was told that I could buy a replacement tent at America the Beautiful Dreamer for $50. I paid for the bed and made arrangements to pick it up that weekend. I rushed to ATBD and purchased the red tent. I was thrilled and felt rather proud of my savvy purchase.
To be continued

Tuesday, October 23

BURGUNDY FRANCE

I did it... I sent a deposit for our apartment in Beaune (located in the Burgundy region of France). We will arrive on Tuesday, June 17th and stay through Wednesday, June 25th. I'm nervous and excited. I hope we like it! We will remain in Europe through July 6th. We fly out of Heathrow. What should we do from June 25th through July 6th?

A (long-awaited) budget update

Well we are into five months of this project to reduce our discretionary spending by 50%. By most accounts we have been successful. According to my husband, by using cash (instead of our frequent flier credit card) we are spending approximately 50% less than we were over the past year. He is thrilled to be contributing to savings again, rather than dipping into it to cover our excessive monthly credit card bill. There have been a few exceptions to this: there has been some manipulation of numbers, we have pretended that certain expenses never happened, and the debit card has found its way into my wallet several times.
Here are some things we have learned and observed:
#1. Do not carry the debit card!
Here is an example... Recently, I had to buy Advantage (flea medicine) for our cat. This was urgent as I woke up with 6 suspicious bites. I explained to my husband that this could not wait and I grabbed the debit card because I knew I would not have enough cash for a 7-month supply. Sure enough it was over $80 so I was glad I took it along. I "forgot" to remove the debit card from my wallet when I returned home. The next day I spent
$3.75 for parking
$30 at Chevron
$44.75 at Justa Pasta
$9.50 at Laughing Planet
$43.62 at Trader Joe's
and $16.69 at the dry cleaners.
It was fast... in a matter of hours, I quickly spent over $150! It is really a dangerous temptation. If you really want to stick to a budget do not carry a credit card or debit card. It is too easy to spend and not pay attention to how much you are spending.
2. Travel will blow your budget out of the water!
Our trip to Montana in August, Tyler's trip to the Duck game in Michigan, & my trip to Mexico cannot be paid for with our modest weekly stipend. By spending less overall, we were able to pay for these expenses without taking money OUT of savings -- An improvement of sorts.
3. Avoid BIG shopping trips!
I used to go to New Seasons every weekend... I'd take my time and stroll up and down every aisle. I'd buy whatever tickled my fancy. Lately, I have been making very deliberate shopping trips (e.g. I need milk, so I run to Zupan's and buy milk; I need cereal... I run to Trader Joe's and buy cereal). I end the week with 3-4 trips to the grocery store. I find I need to make a big shopping trip now about every 3-4 weeks. I'm certainly spending less on groceries and it seems that we are eating out slightly less.
4. Delay purchases as long as you can
In the past it was all about immediate gratification... If I saw a cute pair of pajamas (or whatever), I would just buy it. I didn't take the time to think, "Does my child NEED a new pair of pajamas TODAY?". My husband and I have all created on-going lists of items that we want, think we need, or will have to purchase in the near future. This gives us time to plan, save and look for sales or special promotions. We are not sacrificing quality. We are still buying exactly what we want, just not always WHEN WE WANT IT. The lists are getting long!
All in all, I can hardly complain. I feel more grateful than ever. I find that I appreciate all that we have and feel pretty happy and lucky.

Monday, October 22

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

It was a perfect October weekend... Nana Karen flew in from Montana and joined us for my son's preschool field trip to Lee Farms. We were so lucky to get a break of sushine for our visit. We saw lots of animals, sampled fresh apple cider, ate cider donuts, took a tractor ride around the farm and picked some pumpkins.
Later that evening, we all carved Jack-o-Lanterns and toasted pumpkin seeds.

On Saturday, Nana joined us for spin class and then we took her on her first trip to IKEA. Nana will return in December to watch Henry when I am in Mexico. We are lucky to have such a nice Nana!

Sunday, October 14

A big pot of Italian "Gravy"!

I grew up in Belleville, NJ -- A working-class Italian-American neighborhood, about 10 miles west on New York City. Many episodes of the Sopranos were filmed in my home town!

Every Sunday, Italian families would have a big pot of "gravy" cooking on the stove. "Gravy?", you may ask. Isn't that a brown, meat sauce that goes with turkey or meatloaf? No... It is a rich tomato-based marinara cooked all-day long with meat (meatballs, sausage, short ribs, etc.). Traditionally, this is not a fancy or expensive meal... just a basic Southern Italian staple. Gravy is served with piping hot pasta and grated Locatelli cheese, and followed by a simple green salad, it is a delicious meal!
I always loved this meal and longed to be invited to my friend Gina Mustica's house because her mother made the best meatballs and gravy. I would help to finely chop the garlic and/or fresh parsley. To this day, I make a pot of gravy and meatballs one to two times a year. I try to make enough to freeze some, and stretch it out for 4+ dinners.

Yesterday I shopped for the ingredients. I was horrified as I totaled up the cost of this "simple... poor man's meal". Can you believe that I spent over $75 for the ingredients?! I was outraged. What has happened to make this simple meal so expensive? A can of crushed tomatoes is suddenly $2.99 to $3.99 ($28). I needed 8 cans. 3 pounds of ground veal, ground beef and ground pork ran me almost $25. Locatelli cheese was $7. Two loaves of Paesano bread was $7. Then there were onions, garlic, red wine, olive oil, and parsley. Suddenly Justa Pasta's sauces at $5 per pint don't seem so bad!!!
In the end it doesn't matter. It was delicious and I loved watching my son devour two large servings. He told me they were the best meatballs he has ever had!

Saturday, October 6

Elevating Fitness

Strollercize Class - 2004 (not much exercise since!)

We did it... We joined a gym!

As you may know, the goal of my blog is to consume less... Buy less, spend less, waste less, use less, and eat less. Eating less is NOT EASY especially when you have a three year-old and consider yourself to be a bit of a foodie. As I'm getting older I find it more and more difficult to feel good about my body (and fit in my clothes).

I didn't start exercising until I was an adult. It didn't come easy. I worked my ass off for months to run my first consecutive mile at the age of 26. As much as it was difficult, I found it euphoric. An intense cardiac work-out, a good sweat, and an endorphin release really makes food and drink so much more enjoyable.

Since my son was born, exercise has really taken the back-burner and I've been feeling it. Underlying anger and frustration has been building. I love my life but why do I feel like something is missing? Last weekend we had dinner with our super-fit (and childless) friends, and they confirmed that they work-out EVERY DAY. I was so envious! I decided it was time to make a change and elevate fitness in our lives. We took the plunge and re-joined our old gym. I'm hoping that my son is old enough to enjoy the club and benefit from the children's play room, swim lessons and other family-related programs and activities. I'm thrilled that we can put fitness first and make a commitment to spend several hours a week at the gym. It is not going to be easy, but I believe it will be worth it. Wish me luck!





Thursday, September 27

Thought for the Day

"Here is what I think: that being grateful for what I have makes me want less. Wanting less makes me consume less. Consuming less makes me treat the planet more kindly. The equation goes, therefore, gratitude equals kindness." -- Colin Beavan, No Impact Man

For Colin's full post click here

Wednesday, September 19

I'm so lucky!

10 years ago Tyler and I were married at the Cannon Beach Community Center. It was a delightful ceremony - shared with about 65 family members and friends. A very eclectic and spirited Rabbi married us. It was a splendid September evening... It was warm, dry and the autumn evening sunlight was magical. In some ways it seems like just yesterday and in many ways it feels like we have been together a lifetime.
We enjoyed a simple celebration this evening... An hour and 15 minute walk to Ken's Artisan Pizza. We got to talk about work, our lives, and our hopes and dreams for the future.

Wednesday, September 12

L'Shana Tovah ("A Good Year")

Ours is not a religious home, yet I have always been drawn to the Jewish faith. I especially enjoy the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah is a time of renewal. It is a time to get your affairs in order. It is a time to clean out your drawers and closets and make a trip to Good Will. It is a time to organize your life. It is a time to catch up with friends and family. It is a time to reconcile any bad relationships. It is a time to get your hair cut and buy some fall clothes. It is a time to plan for the winter and think about how you hope to live in the months to come. It is a time to be grateful for how far you have come.

One of the symbolic rituals of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram's horn. The sound of the shofar is intended to awaken the listener from his or her "slumber" and alert them to the coming judgment. What a lovely notion to take 10 days every autumn to reflect on these things.
I prepare a special Rosh Hashanah meal every year. Apples and honey symbolize a "sweet new year". This year I tried a new recipe (Apple Coffee Cake). I also made a big pot of matzoh ball soup.

Monday, September 10

It Takes A Village

As many of you know, my husband was away for the past five days. He cheered on the Ducks as they took down Michigan in the big house. Henry and I spent a glorious weekend at Belknap Hotsprings - on the McKenzie River - in the Cascade Mountains. Our friends Helen and Dennis organized a lovely wedding celebration for their daughter Brooke. It was a glorious three days of eating drinking, basking in the sunshine, chatting, visiting, catching up, swimming, playing, etc.
I was so grateful to be surrounded by such caring friends. Everyone was so generous and helpful with my son. He had an amazing time and connected with so many new and old friends. I'm looking forward to creating more community outings for our family.

Monday, September 3

Goodbye Summer!

It's hard to believe the summer is over...
This was certainly not Oregon's finest summer. We had so many cool and cloudy days.

This past weekend was glorious and we made the most of it. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Eugene. Tyler cheered for the Ducks as they beat Houston in their home opener at Autzen Stadium and Henry and I played at the Saturday Market and that lovely park at Skinners Butte. We enjoyed the afternoon with friends and then had a really fun playdate with Callia and Delah. Yesterday we got to wish Kelly Fitz a happy birthday with a delicious homemade birthday cake that her mom made, and today we spent the afternoon at the Wilson Pool.

We really enjoyed participating in the Summer Reading program this year.

We loved the preschool storytimes at Northwest and Sellwood Libraries. We enjoyed getting free passes to the Wilson pool as our prizes. We especially loved the outing to Oaks Park with an unlimited ride bracelet for only $3.50!
Here are some of the books we enjoyed most this summer...
A BAD CASE OF STRIPES (David Shannon)

ROLLER COASTER ( Frazee)

HI PIZZA MAN (Walter)

A CAMPING SPREE WITH MR MAGEE (VanDusen)

MERCY WATSON PRINCESS IN DISGUISE (Dicamillo)

EVERY FRIDAY (Yaccarino)

IF (Perry)

Thomas the Tank Engine Story Collection (AWDRY)

Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen)

IF I BUILT A CAR (VanDusen)