Finder doesn't show .numbers files (at all)

Question

i'm running mac osx 10.6 (snow leopard) and am having a strange finder problem. in finder, my .numbers files never show up. i can type in the exact name and it just gives me zero results. i can search using part of the name, nothing. if i open numbers and a .numbers file is in my recent docs, i can open it and use it there, but if i try to open from .numbers and it's not in the recent files and so numbers has to use finder, still nothing.
it has always been this way; this behavior is not new.
please help!
(i'm using iWork '09, btw)

Answer 1

I just experienced the exact same issue Julie.  I had never had this happen to me before (that I'm aware of), but it just happened now. 
The one thing I did differently (which I thought might have a bearing on it), was after creating the spreadsheet, when I went to save it, I wanted it to appear at the top of a long list of files in a particular folder I have on my desktop, so I began the filename with three spaces.  The filename I actually used in this case was "<space><space><space>Timeline".  The file does not appear in Finder, nor does it come up in a Spotlight search.  The only way I can access the file now is by using Numbers "Open Recent" command. 
I then renamed the file without the leading spaces, putting it in the same folder, and it too is invisible to Finder. 
On my third attempt, again without leading spaces, I altered the name slightly (calling it" Timeline3"), but this time selected the desktop as my destination, and it appeared just fine. 
Now I'm stuck with two invisible files in a folder that I cannot access via Finder. 
I tried to duplicate the problem by creating another file (which I named "   Can I make this invisible?" i.e. again putting 3 spaces at the beginning of it), directed it to the same folder as before, but it shows up okay.  Thus, my "leading spaces" theory may be shot down, but I still wonder.  Strang behavior. 
I just tried one other thing.  I opened my "   Timeline.numbers" file (using the "Open Recent" capability, and this time decided to save it to the desktop (with the same three leading spaces in the file name).  It appeared just fine!  I then took this visible version, and put it in my folder (where the invisible version sits).  I thought I may get a warning about and older version of the file existing, but that didn't occur.  However, when I do the "Open Recent" command, both appear.  Here's a screen shot...
Thus, if you wish to retrieve those files (if they are still available on your "Open Recent" menu), try saving them specifically to your desktop.  It may work. 
In the meantime, I hope they figure this bug out.  And if anyone can tell me how to delete those invisibie files, that'd be great. 
I'm running Mac OS X Version 10.6.8, and Numbers '09 version 2.1 (436).