After work tonight, I stopped by Wal-Mart - to pick up drugs for AJ, who now has Alli's cold - and when I came out, I took this picture of the sunset - gorgeous! It didn't last very long, but it sure was colorful!

What a week! I feel like I am still trying to catch up! We had our bank's computer conversion on the weekend of President's Day, and the following week (last week), we had conversion people on site to help us. The actual conversion was almost no problem for me - I got called in to help for about an hour or so, but most of the weekend work was the accounting department. The rest of the week however, was a different matter. I am the so called "expert" in the system, and was fielding questions all day, everyday. My loan counterpart (from Eldorado, Arkansas) of the conversion team was called off of loans and into a different area because of problems, so I had little direct support from the on-site staff. And, as of Friday, they are all off site now. I am still relying on e-mail to get answers to my questions, and it is a bit slow going that way! I think we are over the worst of it - now to just get familiar with the system and work out the little bugs! Needless to say - I have been just a bit stressed lately!

I didn't even really update much of my blog lately - and that was because my brain was tired! I did get some pictures up - don't you just love the hail? Ralph was almost beside himself with worry because he thought my Rav was going to get a dent from that storm. Poor guy - he needs a new hobby. His obsessive/compulsive issue has fixated on my Rav. He has been "accessorizing" it for me - sometimes without me knowing about it! We had a "discussion" last night over the license plate frames he bought for it - not my style! He needs to find something of his to accessorize - not mine!

Poor little Alli came down with a cold last week, and now I think AJ has it! I think Ralph started it, and rather than take to his bed and isolate himself, I think he has spread it around! Alli missed two days of school, and AJ will probably miss at least that, if not more - since Alli got sick just before the weekend, and used Saturday and Sunday to recuperate. She isn't 100% yet, but she is better. She didn't even get bronchitis this time!

We just had a major hail storm go through! It has been raining and very windy all day, and then about 5:00, we got the largest hail I have seen in Redding. I took some pictures of some that we close to the porch - I wasn't going out in it to get some of the larger pieces! Once it started hailing as hard, Ralph went out and one that had already melted some was about 1 1/2 inches across!

Here is my latest doily - called Pleasures, and it is about 20 inches across. I started it in red, thinking I would have it done by Valentine's Day, but, as you can see, that didn't happen! Maybe for Fourth of July?

I finished my project! Here are a couple of pictures of my side yard from last September, and then ones from today! I pulled out most of the large bushes and separated some out, replanted them, and put in new bark.

Yesterday, Alli decided that is was time to go swimming. I don't know if it was because I had been out back most of the morning, going in and out of the pool area (planting some pansies) or what, but she wanted to go swimming. Since I had checked the chemicals in the pool (gathering water about a foot below the surface) I knew that the water was too cold for her, but...if she wanted to get in, not a problem for me! Rather than put her in a suit (knowing she was not going to get wet) I just took her socks and pants off and walked her over to the steps. She put one foot in the water and spent the next few seconds trying to figure out how to get out of there without getting her other foot wet too! She doesn't have the leg strength to step up backwards out of the pool, so there was no way she could get out without getting her other foot wet. She thought about it for a long time though! She finally put her other foot in, turned around and I helped her out. She then tried "testing" the water with her toe to see if it warmed up - quite a trick for her - she doesn't quite have the dexterity, balance or leg strength, but she tried! When the water at the steps was still too cold, she walked around to the other side of the pool to see if it was warmer over there. She finally gave up and let me take her back out of the pool area, but she really wanted to swim yesterday! I wish I had my camera with me, just to catch the expression on her face as she was trying to figure out how to get out of that cold water!

Today was a productive day! I took AJ to a friend's house to go snowboarding today, so we were up and about early. I got a lot of chores done in the house this morning, and then quite a few outside, too! I spent quite a bit of energy on the little "corner" garden between the house, pool and guest house. I trimmed (rather - cut back very forcefully) my rose trees there, and pulled out the mats of day lilies and Lady of the Nile plants that have been there for years. Poor Koori lost one of her favorite places to lie! My plan for tomorrow is to plant some of the roots I pulled out back in, lay down chicken wire and then cover the area with bark. I am hoping that the chicken wire underneath will keep the dogs (okay, keep Koori!) from digging in that area. I also got my new car washed yesterday, the laundry done, the taxes done and a whole bunch of other chores that needed to get done! It was a good weekend, and I still have at least part of tomorrow, too! I do have to go in to the bank at some point of the day for some conversion issues, but they shouldn't take too long.

We have nice, spring weather - it was over 60 yesterday. I didn't get a lot of time to enjoy it, though. Work was a zoo, and my lunch "hour" was spent running home and picking up AJ and bringing him to work with me, and then leaving a little bit early from work to take him to an orthodontist appointment. After that, we went home and I fixed dinner and we went to scouts - just about that fast! Scouts ran late, so we got home after 9:00 last night. A long day! Today may be longer!

Alli has a dentist appointment this morning at 8:00, so I will get in to work late today, and today, the conversion team is arriving at the bank. We are converting the computer system to a new system at work on Friday night - so we have all weekend to work on problems. Ralph got home yesterday from Sacramento after working on his computer conversion, so he is going to be in charge at home for the weekend - I may just run away from home, even if I'm not needed at work for the conversion!

It's beautiful! Check out my new ride! It is a 2007 Rav4, with under 5,000 miles on it. I wasn't planning on getting it yet, but...the best laid plans! It got the seal of approval from my sister and her husband as well - we took it to town tonight when we went to the Ron White show. Lots of room in the back for adults! Even AJ fits in it!

I thought January was rainy! In the paper today, it said we got 9.98 inches of rain at the airport in the month of January. That is a lot of rain! Just above Redding, it came as snow. I took a couple of pictures (from the car) of Lassen with all the snow - gorgeous!

Willey helped me with my crochet projects the other day. I eventually just gave him the thread to play with - I didn't want to use it!

I was able to get some projects done - a few book marks and a 12 inch doily - done in light yellow.

It looks like today is clear to partly cloudy! I guess all the wind last night blew the rain away. It was howling last night! Ralph was worried we would loose power again (though he probably secretly wanted it to go out so he could play with our new generator!) Last weekend, he bought a lightly used generator, about the size of the one we borrowed when we lost power. He wants to eventually get a big generator, powerful enough to run the entire house, including the well, and hard wire it in so it kicks on when the power goes out automatically. He priced it out, and just the generator and parts works out to about $3,000.00. We agreed to buy a used generator ($325.00) until he can start working on that project. Personally, as often as we have to use a generator, the $325.00 will work just fine!

Yesterday I signed AJ up for Spring Soccer with the Redding Youth Soccer League. He didn't make the school team last fall, and the head coach encouraged him to play spring soccer to hone his skills for the next season. Practices should start around the end of February, and the season runs up until the end of May. What fun! I am thinking of starting an afghan project to do while I wait at practices and games. I have a cute granny square project picked out, and the squares would be a nice, easy portable project! (I "only" have to make 600 of them!) Hmmm......

I made 12 of the heart bookmarks yesterday - ready for Valentine's Day. I still have to put the tails on them - I starched them last night, so they will be ready to finish up today. I will probably make a few more - they work up very quickly!

Alli had a rough day yesterday. She fell after getting off the school bus, and landed on her knee on concrete. She was pretty gimpy last night, but seemed a little better this morning. Poor thing! It doesn't slow her down for walking, but she is very hesitant about standing up.

I finished another doily - this one is about 16 inches across, done in an off-white and pale green.