I had a day of frustration yesterday which pales in comparison to the angst and trials of the Kim family who got lost in the Oregon wilderness on Thanksgiving week-end. Those who read my daughters’ blogs know that Kati is a friend. She owns Doe, in San Francisco, the boutique where Lisa has shown her work. Kati asked Steph and Lisa to do a joint show in the coming spring.

I have such admiration for Kati and how she kept her  self and the children alive and well. She is one amazing young woman. Her husband, Jim, in a heroic effort, left them on Saturday in search of help. Our prayers go out for his safety.

This will be a post without photos. I have nothing photogenic to share!!

I spent yesterday looking for curtain rods with  the clip on rings for my kitchen. Every store we went to had something I liked, but not a complete set. If they had a 6 ft, they didn’t have an 8 ft or vice versa. Or if the had both rods, they didn’t have matching rings. So I am venturing out this morning to try another target and Bed Bath and Beyond.

I ordered two new fleece vests because I have discovered these are perfect for layering under a jacket on a cold windy day or for wearing in the chilly basement studio. They arrived and are XL men’s and too big so now I have to return them – one of the problems of Internet shopping.

I have been working on my Christmas card which does not involve the amount of work that I did last year. I am printing my Mt. Hood quilt on a card.

Mr C got all the lights on the Christmas tree so now I can finish the interior decorating. I’ll work on that this afternoon and maybe have a photo.

On a happy note, I received this e-mail which really brightened my day and it is one of the reasons I keep blogging!

Dear Ms. Gerrie Congdon,

I’ve been reading your blog "Crazy for fiber" for over a year now. I found you via your daughter’s blogs. Thank you for sharing your art and life. It has been so wonderful to read your posts. It therefore seems so odd to write your whole name and address you officially, I’d like to write Gerrie only. I’ve known you for a year now – at least a bit 🙂

I’m a working mother of three. Balancing between family, work and crafts. We live in northern Finland, Oulu. I don’t have a blog, but have thought about the idea.

Thank you for enrichening my life with your art and posts. All the best to you and your family!

– jaana

Please keep good thoughts for Jim Kim and his family.

Last night, before the Pre-school Art Show reception, we had dinner at the Bistro Montage, near the gallery. The Cajun restaurant has long tables which are shared by patrons. Hanging over our table was this rendition of The Last Supper. The view from the window is of Mt. Hood, with a UFO flying in the background. Jesus is holding the check in his hand. It was quite amusing. (click for larger image.)

The portions are huge so almost everyone goes home with leftovers, which is part of the experience because the leftovers are wrapped in elaborate foil creations. Stephanie’s was a squirrel:

Mia’s was a long necked cat:

Miles’ was a long stemmed rose which he promptly turned in to a sword:

I didn’t take mine home because it was too spicy!

We then went down to the art show reception. Here is the quilt which was silent auction item # 1. I put a value of $500 on it and it sold for $250, which made me and the school very happy.

They had many nice items to bid on. I won a nice African basket. They also had artwork by the kids displayed which you could buy for a donation.

Yesterday, Mr C and I drove over to a lovely nursery on the west side of Portland. I had seen a tree shaped wreath in Sunset magazine and it said they were available there. We bought the wreath, a tree and a poinsettia plant.

Today, Mr C put lights up around the house. I tried to take a photo. Here is the result.

Today, I received a package in the mail from Heidelberg, Germany. Kristin sent me an early Christmas present. At Tahoe, I kept teasing her about wanting some German indigo fabric. Here it is with some German candy and the flier for her solo show which opened this week-end at the Bourgeois Pig. I hope it is a huge success for her!!

I finally decided to buy this retro fabric for curtains in the kitchen. Don’t you just love it. Well, I suppose many of you think I am nuts, but Mr C and I love it. We were going to go to California next week-end, but have postponed it until after the week-end. We are afraid of dealing with bad weather. So, now I have extra time on my hands – guess, I will make some curtains. The background is greener than it looks in this photo.

Tomorrow evening, Steph, Jack and M & M are joining us for Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral, one of our favorite Christmas services. I guess the Holidays are in full swing.