The Wolf of Wall Street

Roger and I are enjoying a quiet week so we decided to check out the new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio.  It's three hours long but it held our interest the entire time.  A warning, however, to those of you who may be offended by language or nudity - this movie has lots of both. 

Movies, of course, should be followed by dinner so we headed over to Serrato where we enjoyed fabulous food.

PSU is on break for two weeks so it has been a good opportunity for Roger to get lots of rest and spend his days painting in his new studio.  Bella and I have been spending our time in front of the fireplace.  That's her favorite place to sleep and my favorite spot to read.

This week we're hosting a New Year's Day brunch and then driving to Bend for three days to finish off the holidays.

Happy New Year to all.................................

Christmas Wishes From Portland............

Roger and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  We're enjoying a quiet day and we're thankful for regained good health and our many blessings. 

Bella has learned that she can "toast" one side at a time.  In a short while she'll turn over to get the other side warm.

Girl's Night Out............ Ivories Jazz Club

Allison and I just returned from an early dinner at Ivories Jazz Club in the Pearl.

It's out first time at a jazz club but, definitely, not our last.  We enjoyed delicious food and drink and great music plus the necessary "girl talk".  A great way to start the Christmas week..............

Zells For Breakfast..............

 Zells was the first café that Roger and I ate breakfast when we were dating so it remains one of our favorite places to eat.  Roger is in love with German Pancakes so today his came with fresh sliced pears and a warm fresh ginger sauce.  His smile says it all......................

Tis The Season.............

December has been a "mixed bag" starting with my eye issues that finally ended just as a cold introduced itself.  Finally, I've recovered from both so we're enjoying a little shopping and the festivities of Christmas.  Today, Ann and I treated Allison to a birthday lunch at VQ where we all caught up on each other's activities and learned about Allison's new "baby", a Doberman puppy expected to be born in February. 

Roger is busy working on a portrait of his daughter and I'm spending time reading and cuddling with Bella.  She had a bath today so she's white and fluffy and tired from all the activity.  I'm currently reading "One Thousand White Women" by Jim Fergus and it's one of those books that is hard to put down. 

We hope that you're all enjoying the festivities of this special time of the year.  Merry Christmas !!

Christmas Came Early For The Hatefis...............

Brian, Carolyn, Rachael and Chris are in Portland this weekend so we enjoyed a Christmas lunch with them before they head to another party.

Grandpa acted as Santa and we had a lot of festive food and laughs.

I don't think that we've ever gotten a picture of Brian with his eyes open so this is the best we could get..................

Ken's Artisan Bakery in Portland

We have many excellent bakeries in Portland but Ken's is definitely one of the best.  I make a trip there at least twice a week and today I really went crazy, buying much more than I intended to. 

Tomorrow morning I've promised Roger raisin and nut bread French Toast from one of the loaves that I purchased.  Yum........

It's too cold to be outside so today I'm cooking a huge kettle of red sauce that will simmer for about eight hours and we're staying inside a warm condo and just enjoying the beauty of the season.

Sunglasses and Snow..............

So, why would I be wearing a warm fuzzy hand made sweater, an early gift from Pam and Lori, and also wearing sunglasses??

It seems that I've either encountered an eye infection or an allergic reaction so my eye lids are swollen and I look like something from a science fiction movie.  I'm finding, though, that the winter clothes and sunglasses look is kind of original so maybe I'll start a new trend........................

Christmas Wreaths at "Our House"

"Our House" is a Portland charity that both Allison and I endorse.  Their fund raisers are in the form of gourmet dinners, musical events, and other entertainment.  Our favorite is the Christmas wreath making at a local wholesale floral warehouse.so this afternoon we enjoyed making our "one of a kind" wreath.  Another florist assembled and donated the wreath greenery this morning so they are really fresh.  We each had a glue gun and we could choose our own ornaments, pine cones and ribbon so each wreath came out different; and all of them beautiful.

Much to our surprise, after finishing the wreaths we were seated and served a three course late lunch by the Chef/Owner from Mingo Café.  It was a great way to spend a cold Sunday afternoon.

Christmas, at last...............

Finally, the windows are painted, furniture is moved in place and Christmas decorations are done.

Roger is doing well after his chemo so we're grateful.

Sorry there weren't any snow photos from yesterday.  Here in downtown, the snow was more of a "dusting" and not worthy of a picture.  Maybe later in the week........

Watching it snow in Portland..................

This morning we woke up to a light blanket of snow, but now it's starting to come down again.  Both high/low temps will be under freezing so it will be interesting to see how much we get.

We're leaving here soon for an appointment with Roger's oncologist and then Roger will have a "mini chemo", as a precaution.  Fingers are crossed with the hope that all is well.

More later.  Maybe even some snow pictures......................

Happy Birthday, Orlan

Happy Birthday to the Patriarch of the Friedli family.  This picture was taken about ten years ago and it was one of the last photos of Orlan, Gary and their mom, Alma, together for Alma's birthday celebration.  A few days later Alma had a stroke and her life was forever changed.

Today it's Orlan's turn to celebrate and, dear one, we celebrate YOU.  Enjoy the day and treasure every moment.

A Busy Thanksgiving.............

From the moment Lori and Pam arrived to the trip back to the airport this morning, there has been non-stop activity so now it's time to take a short rest.  The girls arrived Thursday afternoon and Lori took charge of finishing the Thanksgiving dinner. 

We spend Thanksgiving together every year and it's a special time that we all look forward to.

This year we decided to go to a couple of movies so Friday (along with some "small box" shopping in downtown) we went to Living Room Theater to see "The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza), an Italian film.  Sunday we went to the downtown Regal Theater to see "Philomena", a British film that stars Judi Dench.  We were able to get to both via streetcar.  The only surprise for Lori was when she went to the snack bar to buy a small bottle of water and charged $5.00.  (Next time we're taking our own in a big purse).

Saturday we spent time shopping on Hawthorne Street and the girls also enjoyed touring the Pearl District where there are many unique boutiques so it was the perfect holiday - lots of good food, Christmas shopping and just enjoying our time together.