A bit Run Down

Matt rides his bike nowadays, being a much cheaper form of transportation, and in his case it’s also very convenient. I like to meet him at the front door with a kiss when he gets home.

Today when I opened up the door the first thing Matt said to me was not the usual, “Well hello there!” It was, “I got hit by a car.”

What?

He walked in with a dazed looked, very much still in shock. He was still walking, yes this was good, and I didn’t notice any chunks taken out of him, but hit by a car?!!!

He had been coming down a steep hill, and ahead of him was a car in his bike lane. He slowed down, and the car moved left back into his lane. Matt proceeded forward, and the car, without signaling, turned left right into him. It knocked him down to the pavement, and from what I understand he landed on his backpack and hit his head, then rolled. Thank heavens he was wearing a helmet. (Yet another testimonial of why they should be worn by everyone).

I asked if he had gotten information from the driver.

No.

Had he called police?

No.

Could he describe the car?

Yes, but not the license plate.

I looked him over. He was holding his hand kind of funny, and it had abnormal bumps on it and he was bleeding in several spots. He knee was bloodied, his side looked like it had some swelling, his hip hurt and he was limping and he looked very much confused and still in total shock.

Early that morning as he was walking out the door I thought, “We should say a quick prayer together” as we very often do. Then I thought, “Nah, I don’t want to wake up the kids.” We do live in a very small apartment. I said a prayer after he left, and asked the Lord to bring him home safely to us. We are very blessed that He did. From now on, though, I am going to pray that he travels “without harm nor accident.”

After icing him up and assessing the situation (i.e. him talking me into not taking him right to the ER) I called his doctor and got him fit in for later in the afternoon. Then I called the police.

Unfortunately, because Matt told the driver he was okay (the adrenaline had kicked in, by the time he got home he obviously wasn’t as okay) there was nothing the police could have done. If he hadn’t said that, they would have searched down the driver and charged him with a hit and run. Apparently saying he was fine turned the accident into a “civil matter.”

I looked over my poor sweetie and started patching him up with bandages and kisses. Poor Matt.

His backpack got totally shredded. His helmet has a big gash in it. His palm pilot (in the bag) has a great big ding but still works. Fortunately, the backpack took the brunt of it. The officer said he was lucky he had it on and had rolled.

Later at the doctor he was told that he is a very lucky man. No apparent permanent damage- except to my peace of mind. Maybe biking season should be over; our SUV is nice and safe.

Pen Disaster Update

For all of you concerned parents out there, poison control assured me that Amelia would be fine and that her life would not be ruined by this little incident. ;-)

And, ever more spectacularly, the pen came out of the towels! (They were new cream colored towels. It had to be the new towels and not our 10 year old ones, didn't it?) Hallelujah for borax and washing soda.

I have to admit as well, as soon as I saw Amelia I nearly burst out laughing. (Not at her, because of her). Sometimes it is SO hard not to laugh when kids do something like this. I didn't want to encourage her, after all. We do have lots of sparkle pens in the house!

The Great Pen Disaster of '08

It's really a shame that I don't have a picture of this.

I was in the bathroom washing my hands, when Amelia quietly raced in and made a bee-line for the towels. I turned to see what the matter was.

She had maroon sparkle gel pen on about every available surface in her mouth. All over her teeth, all over her tongue, under her tongue, above her tongue, her tonsils... every single minute spot in her mouth was covered. (Not to mention her hands).

I grabbed a washclothe and started scrubbing.

Thankfully it came off easily, and after a thorough cleansing and tooth brushing, I gave her a big drink and sent her off to bed.


Later that night when Matt got home from work the hilarity of it all finally hit me. She got the whole dang ink reserve in her mouth. I don't think she'll make that mistake twice.

Coincidentally, the pens were made in China and there was no label about them being non-toxic. YIKES. They're a reliable (?) brand, pen-tech, but maybe we'll get her tested for lead for good measure.

Kids.

It's almost over! Finally!!!

I went for a walk around the block a few days ago and found myself reading campaign signs: "Obama”
“Change”
“Obama”
“Obama”
I counted 12 Obama signs and 1 Obama bumper sticker as I walked around one block.
Then the next day I was driving home from the doctor’s office, not very far away, and counted (while still paying careful attention to the rules of the road) 21 Obama signs and 1 bumper sticker.
I did not, on either excursion, notice any McCain signs.
Then tonight I was trying to listen to the headlines on news and I couldn’t help laughing as I saw “Obama” signs being waved enthusiastically in the background. (The news station’s backdrop is a glass wall where passersby often wave.)
I should mention that I heard on the local NPR station that Obama signs have sold 3 to 1 here in this state. The signs are given for a ‘donation’ of $10 whereas McCain signs are $3.
At first thought, this may not seems so unusual. I think that many Americans are waiting for change, hopefully for the better, and have decided that our present Republican leaders have had much to do with our current state of affairs in the world, not to mention local economic conditions.
What struck me as funny about all of this is that this is a very RED state. I dare say this state is probably thought of as one of the most Republican states in the nation. However, the county I live in, which county holds the state capital, is very decidedly Democratic. I think most non-locals don’t realize this.
I have thought that perhaps, for some number of people, supporting Obama is kind of the trendy thing to do. He seems to have more of a presence, and hasn’t distanced himself through bitter politics like McCain has.
In the end there are certain moral beliefs which I hold that far outweigh many of my other political concerns and definitely influence my voting heavily, so for me deciding who to vote for is usually not difficult. Not until this year. I was still up the air until a week or two ago.
So, I’m going to get a good night’s rest so that tomorrow morning I can stand in line, with my 2 small children, for as long as I have to until I get my vote in.

Every Little Thing

Today I was in the car listening to the ‘golden oldies’ station, and found myself singing along to a song by The Police.

I stopped.

The Police? On the GOLDEN OLDIES station?

That station used to be my guide in gauging when someone could be considered a ‘golden oldie’. If a popular song from your young life showed up on that particular station (which station was self proclaimed as ‘oldies’) then dat dat daa! That had to make you a classic as well.

Not long ago I was teasing Mom that I had heard The Who and Pink Floyd on the station. And now. Sigh.

I didn’t think this day would come for another 20 years.

Obviously I need a new litmus test. The ‘golden oldies’ station is clearly stream-lining.

Epinephrine, anaphylactic shock, and other unpleasantries

Every once in a while when I was a kid, my mother would get an 'instant headache'. This usually happened when things were stressful and we were being noisy. Mom would afterward need some quiet because instant headaches were never pleasant.

Yesterday Amelia's allergist's nurse called and told us that we could start giving Amelia cooked milk (meaning dairy products cooked into something) and cheese. Cheese? I was surprised and somewhat apprehensive. For those of you who don't know, Amelia has multiple severe food allergies, and although she is still technically allergic to milk, she has clinically outgrown this allergy and is slowly working her way into trying different levels of dairy products which began with baked milk (i.e. in egg-less cakes).

Today while at the store, I picked up some string cheese, as this had been recommended. Matt was with us, and because we were running behind, upon returning home he ended up taking the car to work. (Our only car, we sold the other). After he left I got out the string cheese, said a prayer, and gave Amelia a little bite.

She loved it. And then her throat started to itch. I immediately gave her a dose of benedryl, and called her doctor but couldn't get through. Ellie started shrieking, and then I saw Amelia itching her throat. I got an instant headache.

I went in and got her medicine bag with her epi-pens. (Actually, they're twinjects. I like them better because there are 2 doses in each pen and it doesn't take as much force to inject them). Amelia noticed and starting running through the house, anywhere she could, to get away. I went and got an alcohol wipe and some bandages.

I watched her a little more, she told me her stomach hurt and I noticed she was wheezing with a slight cough. I wasn't sure if this was because of her running around trying to escape, or because she was in anaphylactic shock. I decided not to take any chances, a mistake could be deadly.

I caught her, gave her a toy, pinned her down, and while talking calmly to her gave her the shot. Epinephrine shots are no joke. You have to pinch little kids' skin so the needle doesn't hit the bone, jab the shot into the thigh, and then hold it in for 10 seconds. Try doing this to a poor, terrified little precious 4 year old daughter. I was worried she'd kick and the needle would come out too soon, or worse, rip, but it didn't. I was surprisingly calm and giving the actual shot wasn't so bad.

I called Matt, told him this was an emergency, and to come home immediately to take Amelia to the hospital. She didn't have any major symptoms, so I didn't call 911. I then called her doctor and got through, and she had Matt sit outside the emergency room with Amelia for a few hours.

Things are fine now, but I'll still go in and check on my sleeping angel. What a traumatic evening. No matter how difficult and hectic life becomes, some things can make your head spin and still stop everything else in a flash.

And when there's a moment of peace, I kneel down and thank my Heavenly Father for my precious blessings.

High on the Mountain Top!

5 New Temples! YAY!

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/

Bringing in the Harvest!

A few weeks ago cousin Em and I helped Gram bring in the peach harvest. Here I am in the top of the tree (stradling branches that I'm not sure won't snap). Amelia and Emily are on ladders.

Here I am in my harvesting regalia, which I obviously save for special occassion only.

Amelia and Ellie had all the peaches they could eat, and man did I reap the whirlwind in Ellie's diapers the next day. I was reminded of that part in The Grapes of Wrath where they're all working in the orchards...

By the time all was said and done, Gram probably had about a thousand peaches in her utility room.

We took one huge bag home, and that next morning as Amelia said our breakfast prayer she pretty much summed it up, "Dear Heavenly Father, Oh, what are we going to do with all these peaches?"

We dried them.

Yay for Matt

So yesterday I had a moment of economic clarity.

I cancelled our internet service.

We'll see how I survive on Net Zero dial up. ! Plus, we can get service at the library on our lap-top when we go.

I suppose that sometimes I have something to show for my economic degree. My mom laughed and reminded me about my t-shirt fiasco last year.

I had bought some really cute Halloween shirts in November, which were half off. I thought about what a great deal they were, until my economical side popped in for a visit.

"You know, you saved $5 off a $10 t-shirt. But at the interest rate you're getting, if you had left that $5 in the bank it would have earned enough interest to buy that shirt new next year, and you wouldn't have had to store it in the basement for 11 months."

I won't go into the whole cost effectiveness of my decisions. I just got those shirts out a few days ago, washed them, and thought only fleetingly of unpredictable inflationary factors.

Matt's in grad school now. He has his undergrad in biology, and is doing mechanical engineering for his masters. Consequently, he has to take some undergrad courses because he obviously didn't take any engineering classes for his biology degree. So life has been super busy, but he is loving his studies and was able to switch to a different department at work.

Now he works 3 to 9, so we don't see him much with him at school in the mornings, busy at lunch, and at work the rest of the day.

I am reminded through this sudden new schedule about God's love for us, and for the importance of cheerful patience. Lots of cheerful patience.

And, I am grateful for such a hard working husband. Yay for Matt.

Stilted

There was a primary activity at This is the Place Heritage Park today.

Shortly after we got to the first cabin, Amelia ran over to one of the pioneers and asked if she could try the stilts:

She wobbled around a bit and was, as usual, super cute. As I watched her, I had a flashback to a lesser moment of glory from my childhood.

We had some scrap wood out in our barn, and I had decided that the only thing in the world worth doing that day was to build some stilts. How hard could it be? So, I got about the longest pieces of wood I could find, cut some triangular wooden foot rests, and found some old screws. I pounded and twisted those screws in until they were sticking out every which way while still holding the wood in place, and then I went and recruited my younger sister Eileen with my promises of sure fun.

I couldn't get up on the stilts well because I had placed the feet rests about 4 feet off the ground. (If I was going to walk on stilts, they were going to be stilts!) I climbed up some bails of hay and told my sister to kind of just hold the stilts while I got on. "That," I told her, "is the way you play with stilts". She dutifully did so, with the pointy screws sticking right at her, followed by my inevitable tumble towards her defenseless ankle.

Let's just say it did not end well... and that my sister may still harbor a bit of a grudge.

A sad, sad day- Zim's has gone away

!

I have just had some of the shocking news of my life.

We all went downtown to buy some glow in the dark paint and some styrofoam balls. We're going to make stars, comets and planets to hang in the girls' room. As we walked up to the doors of one of my most beloved places on earth, Zim's, an ominous sign caught my eye: 'Going out of business'. Nevermind that everything in the store is 40% off, the mecca of all craft stores will soon be gone.

Some of my fondest memories as a child are when Mom would take us to Zim's and give us $10. We were free to roam the isles, dreaming of the fun things we could make with each item. We would carefully choose our treasures to buy. No trip was complete without beads, pipecleaners, google eyes and pom poms. That place was a wonderland of endless fun.

When I brought my treasures to the counter, the clerk mourned as she rang them up.
"Where else can you buy tiny baskets?" She rhetorically asked as she held up a basket the size of my pinky nail, "Nowhere! Who else sells these? No one!"

Gram put it well when she lamented, "Zim's is a historic landmark!" Oh historical preservation society, where art though?

Geography Quiz!

Random places I'd like to know a little bit more about: (in no particular order, and this list is not all-inclusive)

Baku, and the Abseron Yasaqligi area of Azerbaijan

Arusha, Tanzania

Ufa, Russia

Gouyave, Grenada

Whangarei, New Zealand

Southampton, United Kingdom

Natitingou, Benin

Sitrah, Bahrain

Does anyone want to share what they know? Maybe we'll be lucky and find some people from these places who can tell us a bit about them. If it works out, perhaps we'll make this a regular topic.

"Talk is cheap - except when Congress does it." -Cullen Hightower

So I'm a registered Republican.

I admit it. Here's my reasoning. In this state, you cannot vote in the Republican primaries unless you are a registered Republican. The Democrats have open primaries. (This isn't always the case, but has been of late). This way, depending on which race I'm interested in, I can vote Democratic or Republican. (We're talking about primaries here, in the general election you can vote for whoever you want to). I think that it's important to be involved. I am concerned about my community and want to have a say for what I think will or won't work.

I try to go the caucuses every year. This last year, I was the only one there in my precinct that wasn't going to move. (This is a heavily Democratic area, so not many people show up to Republican caucuses). Consequently, I was elected as precinct chair, county and state delegate. What does this mean? Political meetings, calls from those running for office, free t-shirts and an active hand in our democratic process.

I mostly agree with the state's Republican platform (before you knock it, you should read it). That said, now I can vent about what it means to be associated with any one party.

AUGH!!!

In my view, we should be electing those candidates who are best qualified to do the job. I think we should vote for someone based on shared ideals, morals, views and, MOST OF ALL in my mind, WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO while in office!

I will not vote for you because of party affiliation.

I will not vote for you because of your race, gender, religious affiliation or origin.

I will not vote for you because of your looks, your money, your associations, your status or where you shop for groceries!

Tell me what you are going to do for our community. Tell me what you plan to do about health care and education. What do you think about alternative energy? Do you think farm bills work? What about school vouchers? What do you think about bailing out private companies? Insurance companies?

I'm tired of name calling, mud slinging, propaganda, finger pointing and false camaraderie. Give me the meat!

I mean, really. Isn't government supposed to be bipartisan? Isn't right right? (Okay, I'm treading on thin ice now, but that's what I think). Let's just get along. I believe government should work with the people.

That's all.

"He who loves, flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free and nothing holds him back." -Henri Matisse

We went to the Monet to Picasso exhibit yesterday.

I am so inspired!

Some of my favorites were Giovanni Segantini's Pine Tree, Amedeo Modigliani's Portrait of a Woman, Auguste Rodin's The Thinker, Claude Monet's Wheat Field, and my very favorite was Gabrielle Munter's Future (Woman in Stockholm).

We also saw Renoir, Cezanne, Van Gogh and many more. It was thrilling.

I was especially excited to see some of Matisse's works. He didn't paint things as they were, he portrayed things as he "felt them". (That's my kind of style). Although his paintings aren't my favorites, he as an artist definitely is.

He lived a beautiful life full of trials. For instance, his wife and two of his children were arrested, tortured and deported during the Resistance. The thing that to me is most inspiring about him, is that despite the harsh realities of life, he looked for happiness and beauty. In the [translated] words of Marie Sellier, she said, "...because he seeks to transform all into joy, he finds happiness even within his misfortune."

In his own words:

"I desire an art of balance and purity which neither disturbs nor troubles. My wish is that the man who is tired, worn out, and overworked should taste peace and calm as he stands before one of my paintings."

As I looked at Interior with an Etruscan Vase, I certainly did feel at peace. Thank you, Mr. Matisse.

Lately . . . last July.

While in New York we went to Howe Caverns with Mike.

Here Mike and I are doing a promotional photo shoot. We make compelling models.

Matt and the girls. Who were carried. By Matt.




Us on a boat in the cave! Cool. Even cooler? We took an elevator to get into the cave.

Now, what you can't tell in this photo is that my head was nearly knocked off by the outcropping of rock above me. You can see the terror on my face.

Amelia posing next to a giant brain formation. She is utterly fascinated by its beauty.


Me. In a cave.



Amelia on the love rock. Now she has to get married within a year. You can tell she's thrilled at the prospect.

Ellie kept trying to touch the cave wall. She just laughed a laughed. She's a hoot.

Cute! Matt and Ellie. This spot reminded me of the narrows. It was called "The Winding Way".

Afterwards we bought bags of dirt with gems and fossils and did some prospecting. We practically made a fortune.

The great garbage tragedy

Scene 1: a lovely afternoon

I cooked a lovely herbed chicken with herbs from our very own garden. I threw the chicken package, along with some unsavory chicken refuse, into the garbage. There were also some rotten potatoes in there that I had found earlier in the day.

Scene 2: the next morning

Stinky kitchen garbage! Eww! This stuff is going out to the bin right now!

Scene 3: the tragedy

On the way out to the garbage, about the time I get into my newly cleaned living room, the sack spills over and stinky, rotting garbage slops all over the wood floor!

Scene 4: the bleaching

Oh the humanity!

Tune in next time for our upcoming thriller: Kinked neck!

Here Fishie Fishie Fishie!

While we were in New York, we went on a fishing trip to Black Lake for a week. Me contemplating the wonders of the universe.

Black Lake is about 20 minutes from Canada near Odgensburg. It is beautiful country, known for good fishing. We stayed in a cute little cabin:

Here we are on the cabin's porch. Michael (Matt's brother) is on the left, and his mom is on the right.

And down below is Matt and Amelia outside with a spectacular view.

The weather in New York was beautiful. Very humid, but much cooler than back home.

Heading out to the boat to fish.

Here we are on the Party Barge! WooEEE! So fun. Take note of Matt's signature Bill Dance polarized fishing shades. Watch out fish!

Our captain.

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And a few of our catches:Amelia caught this fish all by herself! She reeled it in and everything before anyone noticed. "Help! Look! I caught a big, spiky fish!"

She caught quite a few. What a cute little angler.

Mike caught a 20" Northern Pike! He caught dozens more fish than any of us, hands down. Here he is with 2 fish on 1 line. A sunny and a perch. He put us all to shame.

And here below (cough) is my (ahem) fish:

Marion also came with us. She's a friend of the family that used to go to the same branch. Here she is with Amelia.
She told us that this is her "dream home":
Where would you park?

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We saw lots of cool things. Like this:

What the heck is this thing? We saw it frequently circling the lake.

_
Here's Amelia with another fish:

And

here is Ellie looking out for sharks.

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What a fun, fun trip. Thanks Mom and Mike!

Lady Liberty on the Fourth of July

New York: part 1


We had a red eye to New York which left at 12:01 a.m. on the 4th of July, with a 7 1/2 hour layover at JFK.

So, what more practical thing to do than zip out to see the Statue of Liberty?


I calculated travel time and feared we wouldn't make it back in time to catch our connecting flight, and every time I expressed such doubtful comments Matt sang, "My Country Tis of Thee!" Followed by, "Kathryn, be patriotic!"



Conveniently, JFK has a new Air Train that connects the airport to the subway system.

So, we got off our flight, hopped a train, got on the subway, navigated the underground and voila! There we were. I should mention that it was early in the morning and Matt had to carry both of the kid's heavy car seats all through the city. Classic. I wish I would have gotten a picture. (You can see the heavy car seats in the above picture on the bin seat thingy.

We also got to see Ellis Island, but only from the boat. We figured we didn't have enough time to go onto the islands. Matt's great (gr. gr.?) grandfather went through Ellis Island and even has a name plaque on the wall there.

After our cruise to Lady Liberty, we went to find a letterbox hidden in Battery Park. There was one problem, though. The park was completely gated off for an Independence Day concert. I had to talk my way past some security guards into a gated area. The first conversation was funny. Here's the gest of our conversation after I explained why I needed to get over to some trees:

Guard: "Ah ya gonna dig up da trees?"

Me explaining things: "Blah, Blah"

Guard: "Hey Maury! Dis lady's wit' an intanationawl owganahzayshon a lettaboxas an needs ta get ova ta dos trees."

Big burly guard escorts me so I can poke around in some trees. The box wasn't there. Then I realized it was probably in another part of the park, and after talking my way past some other guards, I found it!

I love New York. Especially the accents around Long Island and Manhatten.

After that we were back on the subway.

The subways are a bit dirty:

Then, after another bumpy flight, we made it to upstate New York and were reunited with Matt's brother and Mom.

So good to see them!

Next installment:

Area Attractions.

A return from hiatus

Time to break our long blog silence.

We've been in New York the last month, which I didn't mention because I didn't want to tip off any unsolicited and potentially ill intentioned inquirers. ;-)

We were supposed to be back last Thursday. Here's a quick run of why we weren't:

Us: Get in van and drive for over an hour an a half to an airport in Syracuse.

Airline lady: "Oh, it's too late, too late."

Me in my head: "NO!"

(We were a hour early, but maybe that wasn't enough?)

Airline lady: "You'll never make your connecting flight!"

Me: "Um, so are you saying that we didn't get here in time to catch our flight?"

Airline lady: "Your flight is still at JFK and its passengers haven't even loaded yet. It will never get here in time to pick you up for your connecting flight. Sorry. I have a 6:00 am tomorrow."

Me: :-(


We were told that the conflict arose from weather related delays, so the airline wouldn't compensate or pay for hotels. I asked nicely if she could fly us out Sunday instead of Friday (Matt had to be back to work on Friday because he was out of vacation days. When you're stuck in New York anyway and have to miss that one day of work, why not enjoy the weekend, too?) She said yes, and very compassionately re-routed us through Cincinnati instead of JFK for our return flight Sunday. So, we got an extra 3 days out in beautiful, green, WET New York.

FYI: Some lady the next airline worker down was going beserk over having to pay for a checked bag. She was screaming up and down as far as her angry octaves would carry her. She eventually got what she wanted, I guess.

It's not airline employee's fault when there are departmental or company-wide rules and regulations. I guess the squeeky wheel gets the grease.

However, after being told the airline doesn't compensate for weather related cancelations and delays, the nice woman behind the desk gave me a $100 flight voucher. It wasn't her fault our plane was late.

So, the moral of the story is:

When life gives you lemons, it doesn't hurt to be nice.




I'll tell you about some of our adventures when I find the camera and download our pictures.

"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am." - Toby & Eileen Green

Last Sunday, the girls and I chose a pew near the back, set down our bag, and went to get a drink of water. When we came back and sat down, we were surprised to see that a Great Dane had chosen a seat right next to us.

!!!

The sign out front says, "Visitors Welcome." I hope this dog felt at home.

It was really good throughout the whole service. (Good thing, too. That dog was a tall as the pew. It's the second largest dog I have ever seen). It had a service dog's shoulder strap, but its owner didn't appear to be blind, although she did have a PICC line. I said hi and started to chat with her, but everyone wanted to talk with her, so I didn't find out much.

Afterwards, Brother Merrill commented on how funny it is that Ellie growls. (She thinks it's funny to growl, and it is. At least it is when she does it).

The gal next to him, Sister Hogan, said, "Oh good, I thought that was the dog!"


So, if all dogs go to heaven, does that mean they're exempt from church?

Matt's Broccoli Slug

I think Matt has a future in food-art. Matt didn't actually purposely sculp this little guy, but perhaps it can be credited to his subconscious genious.

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ... - Louis Hector Berlioz

I'm sick. Again.

Blech.

It's not so bad, though. I was supposed to get an upper GI (EGD) today. So I guess blowing my nose and moaning is better than swallowing a camera hose.

Now I have a whole extra month to look forward to it. :-

Recently

We found the dream location for our future home. Location, location, location.

(Kennecott Copper Mine).

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Ellie picked out the next set of tires for our car.

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Enjoying the romantic vista.

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Amelia ponders a future in agriculture.

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Fresh air.

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Getting acquainted with the local poultry.

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Ellie and Matt rehearsing for their upcoming Tupperware® commercial. (Letterboxing at the farm!)

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Ellie pondering the wonders of the universe while Matt tries to remember where we parked the car.

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I made Mom a bead-woven library card holder for her birthday.

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