I woke up to clouds today - they are supposed to clear a little bit today, but the nice sunny and warm weekend is done. It is still supposed to be warm, just cloudy with some rain the next few days. We had company for dinner lat night, and it was so nice to sit out on the patio for dinner - warm, no wind, few bugs (until later - the mosquitoes came out after Pat and I came in!) Ralph grilled ups steaks, and we had coleslaw, corn on the cob, baked beans and cantaloupe with them - the perfect summer dinner!



Alli went to church with me yesterday - and we planted a new tree at the church. Alli was an angel! She was really good during services (I took the noisy toys away) and sat around waiting patiently while I helped dig. I didn't have to dig long - nothing like having a lady digging to get the guys out there! Alli had lots of 'babysitters' while I was busy too. She didn't listen to the ladies, but they were watching her for me!

What a way to start off a Sunday. One of the dogs (probably Koori, but I can't say for sure!) had a problem last night, and I had a large mess this morning. I really wish they had made more of an effort to wake me up!

I did get most of my garden planted yesterday - all of the veggies are in. I picked up some flowers to plant out there too, but didn't get them in yet. I need a couple more rolls of weed block before I plant them. I got the boys out to help me yesterday - Dallas and AJ - and had more fun watching and listening to them than I did playing in the dirt! The weed block I used came on cardboard rolls. The instant the rolls were divested of fabric, they became swords. The boys weren't a huge help in the garden, but they were a lot of fun to hand out with!



I have two rows of beans planted, two cherry tomato plants (one red, one yellow), two squash plants, two lemon cucumber plants, one burpless cucumber plant, and 12 peppers - 6 jalapenos and 6 blushing beauties. (I thought I had picked up plain old green peppers, and when I got them home, found out I had peppers that turn from white to red when they are ripe.) I have cilantro growing in an herb pot in the guest house, so I should be set for salsa this summer!

The visit with the specialist was good - not what I wanted to hear, but it was good. 95% of SVT (SupraVentricular Tachycardia) is 'curable' with ablation - a procedure done in a lab setting. He thinks AJ has the type that is not. It figures! He also said he won't know for sure until they actually go in the heart and measure everything. AJ decided to go ahead and try the procedure. If the doctor is wrong, and it is something they can use ablation on, then they will 'fix it'. If they can't, then we will at least know more information, and where we stand and can make further decisions from there. I know I am bummed, and I know AJ is too - we both wanted the 'quick fix'. He really liked the doctor, and the doctor was very good at explaining what he was talking about to him (and me!)



I think Koori and Picot have settled in quite well together - Koori is very gentle, and Picot is not!

I started a new crochet project - just for me! It is a summer sweater/shrug that I hope to actually get done in time to use this summer. I tried a new (to me) technique - chainless foundations. I actually started this shrug 3 times, and I ended up with my base row wrong each time (too many distractions!), so I dug out my instructions for doing the chain foundation and first row all at the same time. For this particular shrug pattern, I needed something like 158 chains to start. With the new technique, I was able to do the chain 158, turn, sc in next two chains, picot, sc in next three chains - all at the same time! I hate working in the long chain you have to create anyway, so this worked out very nicely. Now to actually finish it! I got the first two rows done yesterday. I also worked on the giraffe toy - I have all the parts made except the legs. I'll get them tonight, and get him put together, I hope.

I did it (almost)! I finished Stephanie's baby afghan, and then....realized I forgot the tails! So, it is all done except for finishing! I took it in to work yesterday to show it off and got raves! One of Steph's good friends stopped by and assured me she will love it (and that she is still decorating with the 'safari' theme - I was hoping so! This would not be a good time to find out she decided to decorate with trains or something!) I started the stuffed toy giraffe last night. I don't think it will take too long. If it isn't too difficult, I may make one out of blue yarn for a baby gift to go along with Amanda's afghan. I think it would be adorable in soft blue with dark blue spots! We'll see!


Too cute! The yarn washed up very, very soft. This is the first time I have used 'Vanna's Choice' and I'm pretty happy with it.

AJ got his Rube Goldberg machine to work - some of the time anyway. It doesn't always go off as planned It is definitely a 'contraption'! He and Conner worked on it Saturday, the he and Dallas worked on it Sunday. Lots of fun! A remote controlled motorcycle hits a post, causing a lever to fall on the fan switch, turning the fan on. The fan blows onto a car with a sail, causing the car to roll into dominoes. The dominoes topple up a ramp and into a weighted cup, causing the lever to lift, dropping a ball onto a track. The ball rolls into another lever, which knocks down more dominoes. The dominoes hit a block, which falls onto another block, which hits a 'trap' on the Lego's, which releases a rubber band, and a Lego man goes flying. Success! (Finally!)






I didn't get everything done I had planned, but I rarely do! I didn't get the afghan done. I really worked on it, too! But when I said I only had to sew down one giraffe....I didn't realize how long it would take me to do that! I got that done, and finished the fringe on the bottom. Now all I have left is the fringe on the top, and then I can wash it, trim up the ends, and I'm done. Really!

Ralph got a call this weekend, his sister Katie died Saturday of cancer. He went down to see her last weekend, so got to say his good-byes then.

Once again, a sunny morning, but it is supposed to be cloudy again this afternoon - and it's still cold! I have to admit, I'm glad it's not hitting 100+ already, but it could be just a tad bit warmer! I've got to get motivated today - too many things to do! I lazed around yesterday, so will pay for it today. House cleaning and laundry are on my list, along with a couple of hours at work, if I can fit them in. I missed so much work last week with Alex that I am further behind than usual. I have a funny feeling I will be gone at least one day this week as well - hopefully we can get in to the specialist in Chico this week. And, if the weather is good, I will be taking Friday off to go to Crescent City, but....that isn't looking that great yet. The 10 day forecast still shows rain all weekend, and I don't want to camp in the rain!

At least AJ's stabilized for now. He feels so much better, you can tell by just watching him. He is working on a Physic's project this weekend - building a Rube Goldberg machine. I will get a video of it working today I hope - too cool! Next weekend he has a math project to work on - once again, building something. I don't remember having that much fun in my math classes!

I finished up a baby hat (bottom right) done in Addison's hat pattern, but decided I wanted a white hat. I tried a couple of different patterns, but I think I'm going back to Addison's. The others just don't look like they will fit! One other project I want to finish today - the safari afghan! All I have left is sewing on the large giraffe, and the fringed boarder. I can do it! Then, I need to wash it and trim the ends! I heard that if you weave your ends in, and then wash it before your trim them, they will stay hidden better. I'll give it a try!

Whew! AJ saw the cardiologist yesterday, and he changed his medication. By 1:00 yesterday, his heart rate was dropping, and by 3:00 was back to relative normal! Good drugs! Since AJ's appointment was early in the morning, I just took him to work with me. He collapsed at a table after walking from the car into the bank, using the elevator, and walking to the table! He almost got a trip to the ER right then! He recovered pretty quickly though so I decided to wait. (He couldn't even walk down to the car to go to the ER at that point, I had to wait, or call an ambulance!)

After any excursion, he gets short of breath and exhausted, but recovers quickly once he sits down. By the time the doctor saw him, he had been sitting for a while, and didn't seem too bad. Then, he stood with me while I talked to the doctor (waiting for the prescription, etc.) and he felt so bad, he started leaning on me. The doctor took another look at him, and asked if he was leaning because he felt that bad, or because he loved me. When he found out that it was because he felt that bad, he changed his mind. If the new drugs did not drop his heart rate by 6:00 that night, he was going into the hospital, and he gave me his cell phone to call at 6:00 so he could contact the hospital. Scary! Luckily, the drugs worked, and by the time I got home last night, he was almost back to normal. He must be - Conner and Dallas both spent the night last night. It was quite loud around here - which is a nice change from the last week!

I think my Memorial Day Weekend plans have been put on hold. Mom called last night, and the 10 day forecast for Crescent City is rain, rain, and more rain. You know, there are places that I don't mind being when it is raining (Hawaii!) but Crescent City is not one of them. It isn't a particularly warm place even in the height of summer - which is one of the reasons I like to go there when it is 118 here. This was supposed to be the trial run of Mom's new RV, but....one of these days, I know it will stop raining. I don't know when though. We are scheduled for rain and clouds for the next 10 days ourselves.

My garden, that my brother so thoughtfully rototilled for me, is still unplanted. It is still raining, and cold. We had a low of 39 yesterday - I don't think my tomato plants would be happy out there yet. (I heard somewhere that they do better if you wait until it is consistently above 50 degrees.) I could probably get my bean seeds in the ground, but I don't think they are going to germinate too well yet either.

Picot (the new kitten) has settled in to the house quite nicely. She has made friends with both dogs, and is playing with Rufus. I don't know that Rufus is playing back too well, but he seems to enjoy her. When she gets too out of hand, he just gives her 'the look' and she backs off. He seems a bit 'dignified' when he plays with her. Too cute! I am sure she has grown some since she got here, but she is still very tiny.

AJ's doctor visit went well. My main concern was the amount of drugs he was needing daily, but he is still within the 'safe' limit, so I feel better. (He is taking two tablets a day as prescribed, and then he takes one when his heart rate elevates - sometimes needing another two or three tabs in one day.) The Doctor also talked to AJ about the surgery - AJ didn't know anything about it, so he must not have been listening when the ER doctor was talking - probably too concerned with just breathing at that point! He feels better about the procedure now, too, and we see the cardiologist on Friday.

Tonight is supposed to be a bike ride with co-workers! We'll see. It has been raining off and on all night, and it is supposed to continue raining today. Since this is 'Bike to Work' week, someone decided we should go for a bike ride on the River Trail after work, since most of us aren't able to really bike to work. AJ is going with me, and has the bikes already to load up in the truck. It should be fun - a little wet, but fun!

Off to another doctor visit for AJ today. His heart rate is still elevating, and the only thing bringing it back down is medication. I called in last week to make an appointment with the Cardiologist, and he is on vacation until Friday. I was concerned about how much of the medication AJ could/should be taking, so I called yesterday to talk to our regular doctor, and he wasn't in until today. I talked to the nurse for the original doctor we saw, and they scheduled me an appointment with his regular doctor today. I'm thinking they are thinking we need to change his meds up if he is needing to take it so often. I know AJ is getting agitated over it. I think he would risk any type of surgery rather than deal with this every day. Mom, on the other hand, is a bit more conservative!

Weather turned rainy yesterday. I still have tomato plants that need to go in the garden, but....hasn't happened yet! Maybe tonight, if the rain goes away long enough!

What a busy weekend! Saturday was filled with running AJ around and chores around the house, and Sunday, Mom and Dave came down and Dave rototilled my garden for my! Thank you David!

AJ had spent the night in town at a friend's Friday night, so I picked him up at 9:30 or so, and took him in to a Jamboree Scout meeting. Since Ralph was out of town, Alli was at the meeting. It is a two hour meeting! She did very well - playing with her toys fairly quietly. There were times in the meeting that I could let her get up and spin around, so she got some activity too. After the meeting, we had about an hour break, and AJ had to be back at the Y for swim test for the scouts. So......an hour to kill.....Wal-mart run! (Literally a 'run'. I wanted Alli to get some moving time in after sitting most of the morning.) Since AJ had spent the night in town, I had to collect his uniform and swimmies and take them in with me. The only pair of swimmies I could find had no elastic left, so it was time for new swimmies! He also needed a larger sweatshirt jacket. All of his other jackets were way too short, and his favorite one also had the elbows ripped out. We made a slash and burn run through Wal-mart, stopped by McDonald's and off the the Y! Alli stayed in the car with me and ate her lunch, and AJ went in and did his swim test. After that, it was finally time to go home. Poor Alli came home, plopped in a chair, and went to sleep. Being good is hard work!

I didn't show off the Mother's Day present I got! Mom and Ralph went garage sale-ing and Mom got a bread rack from our neighbor. Before the weekend was over, she decided to give it to me! On Saturday, I planted a bunch of petunias out in the pool area and out front. Ralph had my camera with him at his sister's so I used my camera phone - not too bad!



Yesterday, I got planters for the rack and more flowers (inpatients) for it, and Mom and I planted them while Dave worked in my garden. A busy weekend! Now, to get the garden planted!

I guess I need to start taking more risks (for me) with Allison! She seemed to have a great time at the breakfast yesterday. There were over 10,000 people fed between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., and I think most of them were there when we were! First, we waited at the bank for about 15 minutes, and Alli spun in circles. Then we walked a few blocks (yes, with no protesting!) and stood in a fairly fast moving line for 20 + minutes. Finally, she got pancakes!

She was happy the whole time, with two exceptions. When we turned the corner while standing in line and she saw everyone sitting at tables eating, and she wasn't, the smiles went away. Once we turned the corner, and she wasn't looking at them, the smiles came back. Then, when we had shuffled through the 'airport security' type of line up to the front, and she could see the Asphalt Cowboys actually making the pancakes, and she didn't have any, the smiles went away again. Luckily, the line moved pretty fast, so she got pancakes soon after that. She did so good!
she not only had her pancakes, she had half of mine too! Talk about a sticky mess! I had brought a wet washcloth with me, so I cleaned her up a little bit at least before I dropped her off at daycare - just in time to catch the bus!

AJ seems to be completely recovered from his last heart episode, except I think it scared him. He has elected not to play soccer until he talks with the cardiologist again, which won't be until next Friday. He was feeling pretty good about playing soccer before this last episode. I think both of us were hoping it was just a fluke. Since it happened again, he is more worried about it happening while he is playing. Poor kid! He mentioned in the ER that he wants "the surgery", so we'll see what the cardiologist and the electrophysiologist have to say. Since Ralph took him to the first Cardiologist appointment, I'm not really in the loop yet.

I feel like I've been neglecting the blog! I have good intentions every morning to add a little to it, and something usually gets in my way. (Best laid plans!) All this week, Alli has gotten up much earlier than usual - probably because it is getting lighter in the morning. I need to get up earlier myself now, just to stay one step ahead of her!

Ralph is off this weekend to see his sister. His niece called this week, Katie isn't doing well (cancer). She is still at home, but she didn't know how much longer she would be there. It's about a 7 hour drive down, so he is leaving this morning, and coming back Sunday.

AJ and I made another trip to the emergency room yesterday - his heart decided to play tricks again. It was much easier this time, as they knew what meds worked last time, so it felt kind of like a drive through - he shows up, they give him drugs, he recovers, they send him off, with directions to come back again if it happens again. In the mean time, we have an appointment with the Cardiologist next week. I think we are going to be looking into surgery for him, rather than drop by the ER once a month!

The kids and I are off to Roaring Gulch for a massive pancake breakfast with coworkers. I think they feed over 10,000 people breakfast in downtown Redding. This is the first year I have taken Alli since she was little - wish me luck!

One thing about kittens - they are always doing something cute! I caught the kitten playing in Jasper's food bowl - just too cute!

I woke up to rain this morning. I was hoping for another nice day, maybe a nice walk or hike somewhere, but...I woke up to the rain. It didn't rain long, but it is clouding and cool today. Mom left this morning, hoping it wasn't snowing up in the mountains. Before she left, I took her in flower shopping with me. I am plant impaired, and am just sticking with petunias this year, I think. I may branch out and get a few other hardy plants, but...petunias are very forgiving!

Alli got her hair cut yesterday - just in time for summer! It felt so nice this morning to run a comb through it and be done! It is very cute, but I think I need to work on the styling. She had one side flipping under and one side flipping out yesterday. She laughed and giggled all the way through the hair cut, so we may be able to keep it styled this time. I cute it short a couple of years ago, and she didn't really like to sit and have it cut every few weeks, so I let it grow out again.





We're still waiting for the kitten to choose a name for herself. I thought for a while yesterday we wouldn't need to! I took Alli in for her hair cut, and then picked up AJ in town (he spent the night at a friends) and came home to an empty house - empty of people and kittens at least. Mom and Ralph had gone garage sale-ing (huge neighborhood garage sale this weekend) and the dogs had opened the sliding screen door. The back door was open, the dogs were inside, and no kittens in sight. Anywhere. Period. AJ and I hunted high and low inside and out. Ralph and Mom hunted inside and out. Everywhere. No kitten. We had convinced ourselves that she wouldn't have gone outside, so she must still be in the house.....somewhere! We had been inside for probably an hour after giving up on finding her, and she woke up from her napping spot and demanded petting and food. She had climbed up in between my plants behind the couch (Mom and I both swear we looked there!) and had been napping the whole time. She is so tiny when she sleeps - she curls up into a little tiny ball of fluff.

We have a new addition to the family! After loosing both Lucy and Willey to poison, the house with just Rufus was awful quiet. We fixed that! Mom came down for the weekend, and we went for a drive to Haven Human Friday afternoon. We left there with the smallest kitten I have ever seen! She is 8 weeks old, but...too small for us to even adopt yet. (They have a weight minimum of three pounds, and she doesn't weigh that much yet!) We are 'fostering' her until she is big enough to adopt. She goes back in about 6 weeks for a weigh-in. If she's 'made weight', they'll keep her and spay her, and then we can officially adopt her.

She is the cutest thing! (I know, all kittens are cute!) She is helping me type this now, so any typos are her fault! She is full of hiss and vinegar, and voice box! For such a tiny thing, she sure is loud! She doesn't have a name yet - we'll see what she grows into.




Here are a couple of small items I've finished lately. My main project has been the baby afghan, and I have all the parts down - now to sew it together! That is going to be a bigger project that just making all the pieces, I think.

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, and I got too much sun! Alli had a game at 9:00, and it was already getting warm by the end of the game. AJ had a game at 1:30, but the wind had picked up, so it was a little cool in the shade. I should have stayed cool! I have a nice sunburn on my arms, legs and neck from watching his game! It wasn't even his team playing! His coach has two teams, and his other team was short on players, so he called a couple of AJ's team members in to help out. They lost 6-3, but since they had no one on the team that had every played as a goalie before, they did pretty good! The team players kept reminding the goalie he could pick up the ball - poor kid 10+ years of being told to never touch the ball with his hands, and then for one day, he is supposed to! The game was close most of the game - 4-3 until the last couple of minutes.

Alli decided she wanted to go swimming yesterday. I told her over and over that it wasn't nearly warm enough to swim, but, as usual, she never listens to me! I put her in a suit, and let her go, thinking she would get her toes wet and want out.


She crept in a little at a time. I think she waited until each new part got numb, and then would move on to another step.



At one point, she was standing on a step, bending over and splashing in the water, and she lost her balance, and in she went! Then, since she was already wet, she really did go swim! I really wish I had the camera out at that point!