Man, am I looking forward to the weekend! This week has been rush, rush, rush! Yesterday, I left for work a little after 7:00 a.m., and got home a little before 8:00 p.m.! In between, I did have my nails done and go to an Art Festival at U-Prep - AJ's choir was performing, so it wasn't all work, but I also had to make sugar cookies for Alli's class after I got in last night! (Silly me thought they would do a party on Valentine's Day, which meant I could bake over the weekend, but....school is closed on Monday!) I got everything done that I needed to - thank goodness! I have 5 dozen heart-shaped cookies going to school today, along with sprinkles and frosting.

I didn't get my afghan finished during the game last night, but I did get my taxes done - at least as far as I can until the middle of February. (If you itemize, you can't file until after 2/15 because of recent tax changes - the systems are ready yet!) I also re-read my instructions for my afghan, and I don't need as many leaves as I thought! The instructions call for 15 small leaves of various colors and 10 large leaves of various colors. In my enthusiasm, I read that as 15 and 10 of each of the various colors! Way too many! I got all the leaves done and part of the large giraffe, so I am on schedule to finish the parts at least this week. I also got some yard work done too - a busy day! Of course, I was multi-tasking with the yard work - I was talking to Mom on the phone and pulling weeds - that does make the chore more fun!

Finally - today is a day of "shoulds" not "musts"! We had a BBQ here yesterday, so I cooked and cleaned like a madwoman in the morning, did my grocery shopping Friday after work, so today is reserved for laundry and other assorted 'things that should happen today'. If I get everything done before 3:00, I can just sit and crochet during the Superbowl game, and maybe get the afghan finished up! I have about a third of the leaves done, so I need about 60 more leaves, and the two giraffes and a cloud. Okay, maybe I won't get them all done, but....I'm trying!

The BBQ was a lot of fun - we had friends in that I haven't seen in years - other than at a funeral or two (bummer of a time to talk!) Back when Ralph and I first got married, we saw these people all the time, but...we drifted apart a bit. I think we need to have a few more of these BBQ's throughout the year! I'm thinking maybe again in April??? We'll see.

AJ was such a champ yesterday. Dallas spent the night, so the two of them planned on video games all day, but....two of our guests were in the 10 and under crowd. AJ got the 10 year old boy into a video game with Dallas supervising, so he was good, but that meant AJ had to find something to entertain the 3 year old little girl. I walked down the hallway at one point in the afternoon, and heard him talking to her. "Do you want to play with this doll?" (We raided Alli's room for toys for her.) How cute! What a guy - how many 18 year olds are willing to play dolls with a little 3 year old?!

It was definitely wet camping! It started out cold and foggy, and then was cold and cloudy and then cold and rainy. The rains waited until about 8:00 to come in, so we were all done with dinner and everything, so there was no real reason to have to go out in the rain - and AJ and I just went to bed! It was so loud in the tent, I had a hard time falling asleep. The rains stopped during the night, and it was clearing up by the time we left, and there was sunshine at my house in the afternoon - it figures!

The campsite is beautiful! It is a on a ranch out off of Bowman Road in Cottonwood. It has a decent road into it - if it hasn't been too wet, and two small ponds for the boys to fish. You would think we would see anybody out there, but it was a busy place! The first person to come through was the owner (a friend of one of the adult leaders, and why we got to camp out on the property), and he was out looking for a young bull on the property - they thought it had wondered over to the area we were camping in, and he was going to move it. Shortly thereafter, a couple of cowboys, complete with horses and a cow dog. The owner had located the bull, and they were going to move it away from us. Later that afternoon, the owner's son and grandson came through, complete with bird dog - they were hunting ducks in the area, and wanted to make sure they knew where the boys were, so they didn't run into them - just past the camp was a great reedy area. More people that I expected to see out and the back of nowhere!

AJ and I decided that camping with the scout adults is fun - they camp often (usually once a month) and have been doing it for years, so they have everything needed, and lots of experience. We had good food, lots of fun stories, and a lot of fun.

This is camping!

Cooking lunch

One of the ponds

The boys caught three fish between them I think, and cooked them for dinner.

The view from our tent in the morning - we had to chase them away - they were so curious about us!

The rain pooled under our tent - at least it wasn't in the tent - we were nice and dry!

We have had beautiful weather this week - cool nights, warm days, clear skies, and now that I am going to be camping over night, it is supposed to rain! It figures! Oh well - we have tents and rain gear, and it isn't supposed to start raining until tonight, so the boys will have all day to run around out in the woods.

Ralph got word back from his sleep test - he does have sleep apnea (??), and is going in next week for the CPAC. Bummer for me, but good for him. I hear from other wives that you do learn to go to sleep with the CPAC going, but it takes a while. I may be on the couch a few nights!

I got a call from Alli's teacher Thursday. "Wasn't Allison coming to school? She didn't get off the bus." Since I had taken her to daycare, I wasn't quite panicked, but....it still stopped me for a second. It turns out Alli's diaper had leaked, and she had to be changed right when the bus got there. Sandy was by herself and didn't see the bus come, so no one went out and told the driver she was running late, and....the bus left. Sandy took Alli to school, so no worries, but....my heart did skip a beat or two!

Woohoo! I got a reprieve! A few weeks ago at an adult Scout meeting, I promised AJ that I would go snow camping with him next weekend They needed more adults for the camping trip, and he wasn't comfortable about being one of two adult leaders yet. Since then, more adults are able to make it, but I still stuck going. Last night at the scout meeting, they decided to camp outside of Cottonwood instead of up in the snow. Of course, the real reason is because there isn't much snow any more up at Eskimo Hill, due to the beautiful weather we've been having, but I'll take it. Instead, we are now camping on a 400+ acre private ranch with two ponds on it - much more to my liking than in the snow! Hopefully the weather holds out and it is a nice weekend. I don't like snow camping, and I don't like wet camping. (Yes, I am a fair weather camper!)

AJ is responsible for one meal while we are camping, so I am fixing dinner Saturday night for 6-8 adults. Hmmmm - how does that work out?? He's responsible, and I'm doing the cooking?? He had better be helping me! AJ suggested I make French Dip sandwiches, so....I am off tonight to pick up a roast, so I can get it cooked and sliced up. Not too bad for a menu item - everything is already cooked, so it will just be a matter of warming everything up there. (French Dip sandwiches, garlic bread, salad - easy!) The camping spot is beautiful, so I hope to get some good pictures while I am there.

Is it too late for a New Year's Resolution? I've been sleeping in lately, and haven't had enough time to do things I want to do - only those things I have to do, and the blog has suffered. I'm enjoying my 'quiet time' this morning, and I need to get up earlier so I have it every morning. I need to get up when the alarm goes off and enjoy the morning.

AJ got to be a huge helper this week. Alli's daycare was closed Thursday and Friday, and he got to go pick her up from school and babysit her until Ralph or I got home. What a help! As it was, I had to take her to work with me Thursday morning, and Ralph took her Friday morning, since her school day doesn't start until 9:00. She did very well at work and kept everyone entertained by her twirling.

Ralph also started off on a new adventure this week - he is going to the health club after work! So far. so good! He has a one month trial membership, and if he thinks he will continue to go, I will get a family membership and cancel AJ's membership at the Y. I might even stop by once in a while! The club is on the way home, and has a lot of things to do - tennis courts, heated pool, etc., along with the normal cardio and weights. I've been good this week too, walking on the treadmill at home. Now, to keep it up! I want to hike Lassen again this summer, and I'd like to be a little stronger this time!

Back from a short vacation! Mom and I went to Crescent City for the weekend - and it was a wet weekend! I knew it was going to be wet - it is winter on the coast - but I was hoping we could be outside more than we were. At least it wasn't stormy - just wet. It was a good weekend - very relaxing for me, as there was nothing to do but sit and watch the rain on the beach (our hotel looked over the beach :D) and read, talk, knit, etc. I even slept till 8:00 the first day!

Finally a minute to post! I seem to be sleeping that extra couple of minutes in the morning that I need to post. I need to go to bed earlier, I think!

I'm off this weekend to Crescent City with Mom - just the two of us! I haven't traveled much without a kid in tow, so this should be fun! We are headed over to celebrate the birthday of a friend of Mom's on Sunday, and a whole bunch of relaxing in between! I haven't walked on the beach in quite a while, and I am looking forward to it.

I finally got around to posting a flyer at work for my scarves, and have orders for 8 more scarves - of which I have only completed one. I also am still working on the baby afghan (for the baby due next week, I think!) I only have about 30 more rows on the afghan to do and then I can start the applique parts - the tree, giraffe, leaves, clouds, etc. I won't make it before the baby arrives, but...I will get it finished soon!

My "baby" is 18 today - Wow! I don't know how that happened, but....I guess I'm getting old! He is ready to be 18 and 'out' - he's not sure where, but he is ready to start testing his wings, I think. He is looking forward to college next year, and living in the guest house, out of Mom's eagle eye.

I think we are getting back into the 'normal' routine again. The kids are back in school - which means I am back to packing lunches and backpacks for Alli in the morning and making sure AJ gets up and off to school. Hopefully work has slowed down - at least until the end of the month! I don't know why the 'end' of the month should be any different that our 'middle' of the month, but it is!

AJ had his last meeting as a boy scout last night. We have an Adult Leaders meeting this Thursday, and he is going with me to that, so I hope to keep him active. One of his teachers told him that the teachers had talked about his Eagle Project in the staff meeting on Monday, and she was proud of him. This was right before he handed her his request to transfer out of her class - bummer! AJ said she tried all day to get him to change his mind about dropping the class (Statistics). So far, he hasn't - and instead of taking another class, he has 'study hall' at that time, and he is in her class! So, he isn't taking her class, but he still is in her class. I don't think I quite get it!

Maybe I spoke too soon about not catching a cold! I feel kind of yucky today - but that may just be lack of sleep. Since I slept in yesterday, I stayed up too late last night! I woke up at my normal time with a headache, so I had to get up. I know better than to stay up late, but....I did finish a doily I've had started since August! Most of my crochet time has been taken up with Christmas and scarves, etc. so I put this aside. I'm glad it is finally done - I hate unfinished projects just sitting around, nagging at me to be finished.

Happy New Years! I'm a little late getting the blog updated today - nothing has gone as scheduled - no surprise there! I actually slept in today until after 8:00! Wow! That means that Alli slept in too - something that doesn't usually happen on a weekend. I felt like I was coming down with a cold last week (and it is running through the bank) but a good 10 hours sleep seems to have helped me.

When I did get up, it was to a dusting of snow in the yard and on the cars. That was a total surprise too! We hardly ever get snow here, even when Redding gets it. AJ had a couple of friends spending the night last night, and they, of course, stayed up till midnight (and probably long after.) Dallas got up all by himself, and I offered him waffles, which woke AJ up (Waffles? Yes, please!) When I told AJ that it had snowed last night, Conner woke up (Snow! How cool!) They were all pretty disappointed with our little bit of snow. I talked to Mom today, and she said my little brother had two inches at his house, and he lives in Arbuckle - 2 hours south of here!

AJ got his last Christmas present - a kind of congratulations present too - he turned in his Eagle Project last Thursday - a full week ahead of the deadline! He wanted a special type of shoe - I don't even know what they are called, but he has to have special socks for them too - toe socks!

I'm not sure if they are the ugliest shoes I have ever seen, but if not, they are a pretty close second! He loves them, so all is good!