Bag Completed.

I finished a bag today. I love it. It is so cute and little. It is white with a light blue/seafoam/turquoise trim. (I don't remember the official color name). It stands about 7 inches high and is 9 inches wide. I am willing to mail it to anyone who wants it. I would appreciate $8 to cover yarn and shipping. I know I think it is cute and even I don't have a use for it. I understand if this is just too much. I enjoyed making it and might start another one. Maybe a red one? Who knows.

This Week

I made this gift bag this week. It is white with red and green speckles. I think it will be a cute Christmas bag. It needs a ribbon to complete the whole bag.

Yesterday I arrived at work at 6:20 am. I needed some cash and ran to the ATM about 3 blocks from my office. Downtown Portland streets are covered in homeless sleepers at this time of day. I had to step over some to get to the ATM and prayed I would be safe. I get my cash and head to my office. I look down the street and see this.

It is really quite beautiful and peaceful in person. I am not a photographer and cannot capture the emotion of the scene.

I have really really enjoyed working in downtown Portland. It can be full of crazies and weirdos but what city doesn't. And what I like even more than the wee hours of the morning lights is the fall colors

This is the view from my op. There is fog on the West Hills and it is just lovely. The leaves are vibrant and wonderful.

I am so happy to be working in an office with such an amazing view. It really is wonderful watching it through out the day. Watching the marine layer of clouds burn off as the sun comes up. I love watching the sun hitting the West Hills as the sun comes up. It is completely wonderful.

I am in a conflict. My office has been slow. I am only working 3 days a week and usually go home early. I love my office. Everyone there is perfect. We are a great team. I need more. I have been trying to find a Monday job and have not been successful. Do I quit and take a full time position with a dentist who is not as great but I get the hours? Do I stick out the slow times in hope that they will get better? I have sold my truck and cut back my personal expenses. I am trying to make things work. I do not want to quit. My mind wonders if I should move to Utah. I miss my family and friends. I am alone here in Portland. The job market in Utah scares me very much. How can I survive in that environment? I am not a cute skinny Utah perky woman. I feel I would be passed up on jobs because of my looks and not my skills. So I guess I will stay here in this great office and ride out the slow times. Unless anyone knows of an office who wants a great hygienist!

I love self portraits. I am a salt shaker. Pepper was missing. Hmmm where is he?

This is my friend and visiting partner Janice. She has been my therapy for many a sad day. Together we made 40 lbs of apples into 6 roasting pans of apple crisp.

I am on the activities committee with Janice. We had to start setting up at 9 am for a 6 pm party.I helped assemble this scene. It is hanging from the ceiling with fishing line. I was the helper to a contractor who is one of the sexiest men in my ward. I am so happy to report he is happily and lovingly married.

I also hung two spiders from the ceiling, and several umbrellas with spiders and bats and beads hanging from them.

I did not put the pots on the tables full of sparkly easter grass type stuff with spiders and skeletons on top of cheese cloth.

I was in charge of homemade root beer since I was the only Utah mormon on the committee. Everyone was fascinated that I knew how to make it. And that I had the recipe in my head. I was shocked they had never had it before. Weird Oregonians. I can find anything I want in the grocery store from gluten free flours and mixes to natural toothpaste and churizo so it did not occur to me that root beer flavoring was not available. I drove around forever trying to find it. Janice found it at a cake decorating specialty shop. It was hard candy flavoring. So I had to do math since it is 4x as strong as extract. It was still really strong. I ended up watering my first batch down. The worst part of it was since it used little flavoring it was a pale dirty brown color. Not a rich color. It looked like watered down soda but it was not. It was full of flavor and was a big hit. Most of the ward members had never had homemade root beer. Children were fascinated with the dry ice effects and the adults were intrigued with the overall concept and product. It was a hit.

I enjoyed this party of over 250 people. Almost everyone dressed up-adults included. It was so much fun even though I was chained to the root beer table making sure everyone had 7 oz of drink. Yes, the committee chair is a little OCD or something. Last party they had to measure 150 balloons with a tape measure to ensure they were all identical. We had to measure the umbrellas and beads on the ceiling. It was time consuming. Then I was told to get 9 oz cups and put 2 oz ice and 7 oz root beer into each cup. Hilarious! I so did not. I gave people what they wanted even refills! We did run out but not until the very end so I feel good about it. Overall it was a fun party and I am glad I went. I usually avoid ward family parties being single and alone.