The rain has final come to Redding.  I have missed it, but....I'm done now.  Yesterday, it started raining just as Alli and I left the house for our errands.  It was pouring when we got to Walmart (and Alli does NOT hurry in parking lots!) and pouring when we left.  It was pouring still when we got to the grocery store, and just raining when we came out.  It was pouring again when we got to K-mart, and raining when we came out (with 4 new pairs of pants for Alli) and still raining when we got to Hokema's and pouring when we left, and then it was raining when I had to unload the groceries from the car.  We were both a bit damp around the edges when we finished our errands.  I think I'm done with the rain.

The Celebration of Life of Aunt Inez was very nice yesterday.  Pat had Inez's old photo albums, and unlike most of us, Auntie had actually put names and places on most of the photos.  The first album started in 1933 - how fun!  I had no idea that Auntie was such a great huntress - she had quite a few photos of her deer - some slung over a horse.  That brought up a few 'camping stories' - a lot of fun to listen to.  There were quite a few pictures of Ralph's dad and his father, which I had never seen.    We were able to show AJ pictures of his grandfather and great-grand father together.  I think AJ's build (tall and thin) came from his grandfather as well as from Ralph's mother's (her brothers were all 6'6 - 6'8) and my side of the family.

Larry and Pat's granddaughter (Auntie's great granddaughter) Angela was there with her son (Auntie's Great-great grandson) - Talon turned 1 in January.  Such a sweetie!  Angela and Kevin announced their engagement, so we have a wedding in the family soon, and we found out that  Larry and Pat's grandson Danny is leaving this week for a job in Des Moines!  Good for him!  It will be odd not to have him there at our family gatherings, but it sounds like a wonderful adventure for him.

Some one that reads my blog (and shall remain nameless) commented via e-mail that I mentioned all sorts of things I was doing yesterday, but not what I was doing today (this was a not so subtle reminder that I needed to be going to church today!)  When I got up this morning, and wandered through the dark house to let the dogs out, I wondered to myself what WAS I going to do today?  When I turned the light on, I knew what it was - clean up this pigsty!  With me being gone part of the week and busy the rest of the week I was here, the house need some serious attention.  I also need to do the laundry (not even started yet, and usually I have a couple of loads done by this time on Sunday) pay bills, finish my taxes, and get things organized for the next week, and other assorted odds and ends (including setting rat traps in the garage - the rain has moved at least one inside!!!)  I also have some paperwork I need to get done for the scouts, balance the checkbooks (yuck!).  Somewhere in there, I need to fix breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Sunday is also my day to work on my quilt - I don't see that happening today, but....I'll try.

And - if I have the time - I have an order in for a couple of pairs of baby booties.  I need the booties by Easter (which is coming up fast) so I need to get them done.  I also have a plan building in the back of my head for a baby safari blanket.  I would like to do one for a co-worker, but the afghan itself takes me a few weeks to do, and then I have to make the tree and giraffes, etc. to put on it.  I don't have that much time!  I've been thinking about making the afghan itself out of fleece, and sewing the embellishments on.  I'm still thinking about it, but....time is ticking, so I need to get started if I'm going to do that.  I also got a new toy - a 'skip stitch' rotary blade.  It is designed to cut holes in fleece so you can crochet a border on it.  I want to try that too!!!  There just isn't enough time in the day anymore.  At least the next week should be calmer on the home front - I'm not going anywhere or doing anything but the normal scout meeting.  Yippee!