Sign Up for A-Z

Hello, Everybody!

I just wanted to let you know that you have from now until April 1 to sign up to participate in the A-Z Challenge.  Now, what is that one?  Well, if you sign up, that means that you are committing to post every day except for Sundays during the month of April, and that your posts are in alphabetical order.  For instance, on April 1, you post something that begins with the letter "a".   Also, you blog hop and visit new folks and existing friends along the way.  It really is fun, and last year I used it as a tool to show off some of my past posts that others may not have seen yet.  To learn more, please visit Arlee at Tossing It Out.


On to other news:  there isn't much.  I still am not ship-shape after my surgery.  I thought that I was doing fine, but when the pain pills wear off, I still hurt.  When the pain pills are working, I don't feel like doing ANYTHING except being a couch potato who watches reruns and reads her book.  From my phone I can post your comments, and thank you so much for leaving them!  But as far as posting all the stories that I want to do, it just isn't happening right now.

I have big plans though, for when I am back to normal.  I have a bunch of furniture rearranging to do (making a new sewing station in our bedroom, and adding a new desk to our office are a couple of the plans).   Then it is on to serious stuff around here regarding writing and hopefully some sales.

Our new roof was put on yesterday, and they should be starting on the inside of the house in a few days.  Our spare bedroom is filled to the ceiling with furniture, and some pretty cool Christmas presents that are still in the boxes.  Looking forward to making our home look less like a college dorm someday soon. We are getting there.  Good thing that I haven't felt well, or that would really be driving me nuts by now! 

Well, I just wanted to say hi.  I'll post as I can.  I am sorry that I am behind on my visiting and commenting; I am slowly catching up.

Thanks for checking in!

Hugs, 

Kathy M.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

San Antonio Shadow Shots

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

My Oral Surgery and Update:

Source:  Bliss Plan.com

Tuesday Afternoon:

Well, this is certainly one week when I am so happy that I got my homework done ahead of time, and even threw in some extra credit.  By that of course, I mean that I had time to do two Sepia Saturday posts and my Book Blurb Friday entry.  Just scroll down to see them! 

And, why am I so glad of this?  Because in the morning I am going to have oral surgery on my mouth to remove a bone growth on my left rear gum.  I discovered it right before we went to Texas, went to the dentist then, and then to the oral surgeon today.  There was an opening for 9:00 tomorrow morning, so I took it.  Could be I'll be fine by 3:00 Thursday, but perhaps I'll feel like taking it easy and drowsing with pain pills instead. 

So, if you happen to think of me in the morning, please send a quick little prayer my way. 

Thanks and hugs to you guys!  I'll be by to visit you as soon as I can.  

~ Kathy M.


Friday Update:

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Hi, I just wanted to give you an update and to thank you for thinking of me, saying prayers and sending me your kind wishes.  You guys are the best. 

I don't usually give reviews on my medical experiences, but I really wanted to give a shout out to Dr. Shock and the fine women who work at his practice.  Even the building itself was very comfortable, and seemed more like a high class spa than a doctors office. 

Yesterday morning, when Cary drove me in, I was more thinking about my thirst than about what was to lie ahead.  The ushered me back to their surgery room.  All that was in it was a spiffy leather dental chair and a row of closets on one side, a sink and a counter, and a rolling tray covered with a sheet against the wall.  This was of great psychological importance, come to find out, because they had everything they needed, but it was all tucked away as not to further freak out the patient.  Smart! I never did see it all.

I was all hooked up to a blood pressure monitor, had an i.v. easily slipped into my left arm, had heart and breathing tabs stuck to the outside of my body and oxygen tubes slipped across my head and under my nose.  Then they slipped me the anesthesia through the i.v. and numbed my mouth and did their work.  I was awake, but could feel no pain and tried mind when Dr. Shock said, move your tongue over.  That was that.  They took off the bone (called a Tori) that was growing sideways on the inside of my left gum; gave me several stitches that will soon dissolve on their own, and we were done.  It took about an hour.

Cary brought me home and I took the pain meds as directed and dosed all day on the couch.  Last night, I slept like a baby, even missing some of my doses, and I feel great.  It is so nice to not have that Tori cutting into my tongue. 

So, if you ever need to have something like that done, and live in Central Oregon, this is the place to go.  They rock!

~ Kathy M.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

Book Blurb Friday #48: "Baby Girl Pink"

 "Baby Girl Pink"

by Kathy Matthews

Photo by Tammy Goodsell at Message in a Bloggle: The Are of Being Broken

Stella Rose-Anne McMurphy was going to be a grandmother soon, and she could hardly stand it.  There were a few worries about the situation though, due to the fact that her boy Brian had already broken up with Brittany, the mother of the baby.

Stella had just finished crocheting the baby girl's blanket.  Stella had chosen the prettiest shade of pink yarn for the project.  These days, the color pink seemed to symbolize breast cancer survivors, but Stella still considered it a color for baby girls.

Stella was so hoping that Brittany would include her in her granddaughter's life.  Brittany was nice enough, but they hadn't known her well, or for very long.

The phone rang.  It was Brian. "Ma!  The baby is coming early!"  Stella grabbed the pink blanket and her car keys, and headed out the door.  Grandma Stella was on her way to meet Baby Girl Pink.  (150)

I am participating in Lisa's Book Blurb Friday, from over at Writing in the Buff.   It is fun, and you can play too!  Pretend that the picture on the top of this post is the cover of a book.  On the inside jacket, you have 150 words to entice the reader to buy your book.  Lisa gives us a week to think about next week's entry (she's gracious like that).  Please CLICK HERE  to read what everybody else wrote!

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

McPherson Opera House, McPherson Kansas: Sepia Saturday 110

This week's Sepia Saturday theme is old movie theaters, which in my way of thinking includes performance halls and opera houses.  I remembered the neat photos that I had taken of the McPherson Opera House in September 2010.

Of course, my pictures are not old enough to be considered Sepia, so I spent over an hour trying to find old photos of the building online.  I had no idea that this would be so hard to do!  I finally found these four that were on the McPherson Public Library site, and felt fortunate to have even successfully completed that mission.  It really did surprise me that such a fantastic old building doesn't have more photos on the internet.  

 Source: McPherson Public Library

Located on Main Street in McPherson Kansas is the McPherson Opera House .  It was originally built in 1888 for the large sum of  $42,000.  Over the years it became a movie theater, an apartment building and then was restored to its original purpose.  Quite impressive!

 Source: McPherson Public Library

 Source: McPherson Public Library

Here are the photos that I took of it in 2010.  It is a very beautiful building, and it is so nice that they restored it.  They do also use it as a movie theater.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

If you have more photos, or know of any stories, please leave a comment or email me so that I can add them on to this post.  Thank you!

Also, I posted an extra credit Sepia Saturday post about something that means a lot to me this week.  Please click on this link, or just scroll down if you can, to read about The Letsom Letters. 

~ Kathy Matthews
oregongiftsofcomfortandjoy @ hotmail.com  (delete the spaces)

If you enjoy old photos and the stories that go along with them, please join us over at Sepia Saturday.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

The Letsom Letters: A Sepia Saturday Post

On our way home from our Texas trip a couple of weeks ago, my Mom came and picked us up from the airport in Eugene, and we spent the night with her.  In her living room there were two old cardboard barrels and a box full of hundreds of vintage postcards.  Mom said, these are The Letsom Letters, and I want you to take them home, because I know that you will do something with them.  Oh! Thanks, Mom, that is quite a vote of confidence, and for me, a gold mine of information on family and early Oregon pioneer history.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I didn't even know about these, for some reason, so this was all really a surprise.  They were never a secret, and I can't figure out how I missed the fact that Grandma T. and Uncle John had been keeping them safe before they made their way down the generations.  Mom talked to my aunties, and they said it was fine for me to have everything at our house.  My Nanny is busy gathering the stuff that she has to make it's way over here soon.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I haven't even dug down to the bottom of the barrels yet.  There are thousands of newspaper clippings, tons of letters, many receipt books, and all kinds of other stuff!  I could easily get overwhelmed with the task of organizing, scanning and, mostly, putting things into some kind of chronological order.  But, instead, I am so excited! Also, I've given myself the gift of time; the letters have made it here all in one piece after 100 years, and I don't have to get this project finished in two weeks or anything.  It is good to have goals though, and I think that I will aim for some sort of family book/CD package by this Thanksgiving.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I did sort through the postcards by name, and most of them were sent out to my Great-Great Grandfather, John Letsom; sent to him as birthday cards.  There are many postmarks for 1906 and 1916.  He turned 87 in 1916.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I found the surnames of many cousins that I had never heard of before.  That should come in handy someday.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Because my Great Grandma was Talitha Letsom Hedrick, there are some letters in there written to her husband, my Great Grandpa Benjamin E. Hedrick in the mix as well.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Check out this telegraph postcard and handmade wedding/party favor to celebrate a special occasion on March, 6, 1909.  This is all so cool!  

I have written about some of these family members over the past couple of years, and have submitted the stories to Sepia Saturday.  This is my extra credit post for this week.  My other post is about The McPherson Opera House in McPherson, Kansas.

Here are some links to my stories about The Letsoms: 

 Early Oregon: John Letsom of Yoncalla, Oregon

• Letsom: Postcards to Litha #1 & #2
• Letsom: Postcards to Litha #3
• Letsom: Postcards to Litha Letsom #4

Sisters Martha and Talitha

Early Oregon Pioneers: John and Louisa Hedrick

To read wonderful posts from my friends over at Sepia Saturday, please "CLICK HERE".  If you enjoy old photos and historical stories, please consider joining us!

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.
 

Down With This Sort of Thing: Google Is Closing More Programs

Source:  Bart King's Blog

Well, here I go again, complaining about the free products that I like to use disappearing.  Closing down.  Potentially leaving gaping holes in my blog posts.  Google has been buying up other companies and then taking them off the internet.  Dang it.  They are also shutting down some of their own programs.  I have learned that Google is working on improving Google+.  I haven't even checked out it yet, but maybe I should because that is what they really want us to use.  I just hope that they will leave Picasa 3 alone, or I am really sunk.  It really makes me sick to think of how my blog is going to look, me being sort of a perfectionist and everything. 

As I have mentioned several times, Slide.com will be shutting down in March.  I have 82 slide shows with at program, and even a separate blog where I have gathered them together.  Here is the link if you would like to visit it: "Slide Shows by Kathy Matthews".  You have about a month and a half to check it out, and after that, there will just be 82 gray boxes to look at, along with some Jimmy Buffett videos.  I may redo some of them through Windows Movie Maker and post them on You Tube, but it is just too much work to try and recreate them all.  I have also liked how they served the purpose of being an online back-up, but I will just put more photos on Facebook now.

Here is an example of a blog post that took me forever to make and will be effected by the changes soon. It was of our trip to watch Tyler at Nike's "The Opening" event last July, and includes over 600 photos.  "CLICK HERE".  Now, just imagine it without the slide shows! 

The latest programs scheduled to shut down include Picnik.com, a fun and easy way to add special effects to your photos.  For now, Picnik is letting you use all of their premium features for free, so I think that I'll take advantage of that until April 19th, the last day.  I don't think that what I have created with Picnik and have posted to my blog will disappear.  I don't see how it would, because I am saving the end results to my own computer.

I added the daisies to the photo at the top of this post using Picnik.  Here are a couple of other ways that I have used in the past:

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

To read more about what else Google is closing, and to learn about some other photo-editing options, you might want to read this informative article: by CLICKING HERE. 

Have a great week, 

Kathy M.


P.S. - Remember to delete your cookies every once in a while.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.