Rick's 61st Birthday!

Here is Rick with all of his cards.  What a very special birthday.  Thank you for remembering this special day.  We had dinner at Sinodino's steak house and Italian Cream Cake.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK!

Today Clark is playing at my house. I left him in the bathroom drying his hands but then I heard the water. He came running out saying, "Look, I have Billy Idol hair!" and he did have a fresh new style!

He is always good about trying new foods and likes most of them. He has tried soymilk and vanilla soymilk before but today I happened to have 4 milks at the house so had to do a taste test. 

 Clark liked all of them! He did have a clear favorite, can you guess? 

Soymilk plain, Soymilk vanilla, Coconut milk or Rice milk?

Coconut milk!

Now, can you guess who is loving being a grandma?

Quilts in Bloom Quilt Show

Yesterday I went to a quilt show in Silverton Oregon, about an hour away. It was at Oregon Garden which is likely beautiful any time of the year except January. The quilts were great. Pictures you say? Why yes, I have a couple. 

 This quilt won second place in a challenge to use a certain fabric. My friend made it.

 Simple yet nice.

 Tiny tiny pieces of fabric to make the bark, slivers of fabric to make the leaves.

Famous Terry Grant Quilt that I really like, you can just hear the sparks coming off the fire. Well, I can.

Jewell Wildlife Refuge

Yesterday Paul and I went to view the elk in the refuge about an hour away from us. We didn't realize we would run into snow....still not used to that. We had a great time. The host at the refuge is a guy from Redwood City. He told us about a great park close by called Fishhawk Creek. We walked  back to the waterfall there. Excellent day.

There were about 60 elk in this herd. They get fed and protected here although they are free to leave. 

Christmas at the Shepard's 2012

 Clark loves him some Martha Washington Fan. I didn't realize I had gotten him mid chew but he is happy as were we all!

 We gave Clark a Leap Pad for Christmas. Here is Mommy playing with teaching Clark to use his new toy.

Ticket to Ride is my current favorite game. Not just because I won by several trains last night. Look for yourself!  I want to play again today but I can't get any takers.

Mom/Grandma/Great Grandma's 93rd Birthday - 11/24/12

Mom's 93rd birthday was spent in very sunny and warm Mission Viejo, CA with Phil, RuthAnn, Ana, Mark, Kristin, Rick & Franny.  We toured Mission Viejo, checking out the consignment store, WalMart and Costco, and Lake Mission Viejo.  We had a delicious, by request, ham dinner with candied yams, bean casserole, stuffing (left over from T-day), birthday cake and pie, if needed.  The cake was a white cake with fluffy frosting with coconut.  RuthAnn did a fabulous job of the cooked white frosting (making sure as she cooked the sugar mixture that it "threaded" and was done at just the right time - with the birthday girl's expertise coaching).  She received the Snoopy Christmas glasses and various other clothes items. A very blessed 93rd birthday!

Bob's Birthday Card Contest

Bob opened his cards this morning at breakfast. He was very impressed with all the entrants. Two of them had 3D effects and one an olfactory surprise (very stinky) from Julia and Paul. Bob awarded the Best Card of 2012 prize to Mother's entry, which had a 3D fish on the inside and bright colors all over. T's entry got a big laugh because of the sour look of the lady on the front of the card. A card from our neighbors, John and Donna, was particularly timely since Veronica continues to bring us "gifts" of geckos, birds and rats (yikes!).
We're going to a P.E.O. potluck this afternoon, scheduled not for Bob's birthday (surprise, surprise) but because we've got a special guest visiting the chapter. So we'll wait for Bob's birthday dinner until our friends Carol and Bob arrive later in the week.