Some recent photos:

Whiskeytown Lake at sunset

Mt. Shasta from above Hat Creek

The Pacific Crest Trail marker

Mt.Lassen

My quilt at the baby shower

The cake at the baby shower (it was too cute to cut!)

AJ's room in the pod hotel in Tokyo

The dogs running free (before they jumped in the mud puddle.....)

Alli's new glasses, which she wore for about 5 minutes.

I've put off typing this post.....Mom died last Monday night.  There are no words left.

Happy Easter!!!

I decided to push my luck with the garden this year, since it has been so mild, and plant early.  The locals say not to plant until after April 20th (I've also heard the 15th, but I lost my garden one year on the 19th......) but I decided to go ahead and plant this year.  The main reason was that Turtle Bay had their 30% off sale yesterday at their nursery, and they have some great heirloom tomatoes that I like to try.

I should have waited.  It wasn't that we got a freeze and I lost the plants, but rather I had help.  I brought home the plants from the nursery, and decided that if I was going to plant them, I might as well put everything in at once, so went over to the local nursery for cucumber and zucchini plants.  While I was gone, Luna picked up every single plant I had brought home (and placed on the table, supposedly out of her reach)  and carried out in the yard, and then dumped them - all in a nice little line about 2 feet apart.  Most had little or no dirt around the roots after she finished with them, but the stems weren't broken, so....maybe they'll make it.

Allison had a psychiatric evaluation yesterday.  On Friday, the attorney for her Conservatorship called, and asked if we had the evaluation yet - her court date was April 20th, and that had to be done first.  I had obviously misunderstood Allison's Case Worker last year - I thought that she had told me that all I need to do was let her know when I started the process, and she would order the evaluation.  Since it hadn't been done, I therefore thought that it was something that maybe the court ordered to be done after the case was filed....what do I know about this stuff???  Instant panic mode.  Alli's Case Worker was great though - she called me, figured out that I was confused (which didn't take her long at all), made a phone call, and within 10 minutes of our conversation, the Psychologist was on the phone, and we had an appointment for the following day.   Whew!

The evaluation for Alli turned out to be a bust though - she didn't want to play with the strange man and his blocks.  She wanted to watch Pokemon, nap, or maybe have a snack.  She really didn't want to play with him,  Ralph and I filled out paperwork on her (can she tie her shoes, brush her teeth, feed herself, etc.).  I don't think the Psychologist is going to recommend she not be put in a conservatorship, so it's all good.

Alex spent the weekend at an "ATV/Survival Park" - whatever that would be.  I did get him to send me some pictures.  He is also going to send me a video of the Paint Ball Games (the Survival part of the ATV/Survival Park??).

Another baby project finished:

Since Malorie is going with a nautical theme for the baby's room, I made a whale with bells in it.  It turned out really cute!  Her baby shower is coming up on the 23rd, so I need to get busy!  I don't think the afghan will make it by then - I really don't feel like devoting every spare minute to it to get it done, and that is what it would take I think, so it will be a present for maybe when the baby is born, not for the shower.

Ralph is 3 weeks sober!  What a difference it makes - he's feeling better, has lost a lot of weight so he can move better, and the depressions really seems to be lifting.  Yesterday, he called Direct TV for me and we switched over yesterday afternoon!  Getting a new system is terrible - I can't find the channels I want, etc.  I'll figure it out, and it's good for me to get out of my comfort zone.  I might even find something different to watch!!!

Ralph is going in for an endoscopy this morning - they are still trying to figure out why he can't breath well.  So far, it's all negatives - it isn't that, or that, or that.....which is all good I guess.

Ralph is doing much better - he even attempted a plumbing job (and didn't even need an extra trip to the hardware store!!!) yesterday.  My old faucet had a broken part that kept it from turning off unless you got the handle in just the right spot.  Now I have a brand new one!!!

Picot enjoyed the sunshine this weekend - we were up in the 80's on Sunday, but had a light wind so I didn't get the weeds sprays like I wanted to.  Now I need to find an evening after work that isn't windy....or wait until the weekend,

I finished a little sailor hat and little baby deck shoes for Malorie - too cute!!!  I was going to put the red anchor button on the hat (on the left) and then was going to put the little sail boat buttons on the shoes, but...Now I'm not too sure.  I think that the red one is too red, and maybe the little sailboats would look good around the hat instead.  Decisions, decisions.

Chewie spent the week with us last week while Margene spent Dallas' spring break with him in Vegas.  He made himself quite at  home.

Luna loved having him around - they played and played and played.  Luna is a bit bigger though - there were a couple of occasions where she sent him flying when she pushed him.

Spring is here!  My lavender plant is completely covered in bees.  I think the honey bee population is making a come-back around here.

I've really been wanting to plant stuff because the weather has been so nice, but I think we still have one more (at least) killer frost coming, so I went out and prepped the garden instead.  I pulled out those plants that did winter over, fertilized it, and put some more soil in.

I had help, too.

This is my artichoke plant that I planted last fall.  I have no idea if it is going to do anything or not - the top of it got damaged in one of our storms, but....we'll see!

I pulled out my mustard plant.  It was absolutely gorgeous, but....I never used it, and it was taking up an entire garden bed.

We have a light rain this morning, so it looks like I picked a good time to work outside.  Of course, I should have worked outside more - sprayed for weeds, etc., but.....didn't happen.

One more afghan block done (sorry it's sideways - I didn't notice until I uploaded it, and then didn't bother to take another picture)  That takes me to 3 finished blocks (out of at least 12 - yikes!!!) We a planning a baby shower on 4/23 - I may not get it done!  I think that I'm going to concentrate of some little project for her (booties,etc.) and then if I get this finished, great.  If not, I still have the quilt and the baby bag that I should have done by then.....

Today is day 9 for Ralph!  We got word yesterday that State Disability has once again reinstated his temporary disability.  They keep starting and stopping it, so I never know if or when he's gong to get paid - not my idea of a good time (it's been three weeks since his last check).  We had also gotten a letter stating that we hadn't paid the medical insurance bill, so they were going to cancel that effective 12/20.  Also not a good time, especially since they had cashed the check....and that he hasn't gotten any disability checks.   But yesterday he spoke with Social Security, and hopefully by next week he will find out if he is approved for permanent disability.  Then we get to start all over - changing insurance over to my work insurance, who do we have to pay back, etc.  The fun never ends around here.

Once again, the best laid plans.....I was all ready to go work out today after putting Alli on the bus, and the bus didn't come until 7:00.  Not enough time to work out and get to work for an 8:00 (and then an 8:30) meeting.  I guess I'll have to update the blog then, won't I?

Tonight is book club and we read Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz - good book!!!  The basic story line is that on the day he was born, the main character's grandfather (as he was dying) predicted the 5 worst days of his life.  The book goes through growing up knowing that 'today' might be a bad day, but it wasn't going to be one of the worst days of your life, and then knowing that 'today' is going to be one of the worst.  At the end of the book, at the time his daughter is born, someone in the hospital predicts the best 5 days of her life....so the bookmark is a 5!

Other exciting news - Ralph is 6 days sober today.....and is doing great.  (I guess I should have posted this yesterday - then he would have fit in with the "5 day" theme......)

I finished the blocks for my quilt this month.   I'm still struggling with my color choices.  This quilt, I am given lots of different fabrics each month, and the only suggestion is that the sky be the same color.  The rest I get to pick and choose what I want.  I think I like it better when they tell me what color to make everything.  Here's the blocks this month:

And here are all that I have done this year (so far):

I also finished up a block in the baby afghan I'm making for Malorie.  They are doing a nautical theme for the baby's room.  I found a pattern of 4 different nautical scenes, and have one done so far.  I also have one solid blue block done, so......if I make the afghan 3X4 blocks, I'm 1/6 done.....

Mom got to the house before I got in from work on Friday, so I just parked behind her, since I would drive everywhere while she was here,  I went out this morning to get the paper, and remembered why I don't park under the tree in the spring.....

Yes, that is pollen on my car.

Mom also brought me the books she was taking to the thrift store.....I may not get any more projects done.....

I managed to knock off an item on my to-do list yesterday, with a little help from Mom (okay, a LOT of help from Mom!!!)  We had the hot water solar panels removed last November, and that left perfect spot for storage shelves where the old water tanks were in the garage. Yesterday, Mom and I went in to town and picked up a 6-shelf unit, brought it home, and managed to put it together and get it set up.  I love it!!

It went together easier than I thought it would, and faster!  Dinner was almost on time- a good thing since I had invited Margene down.

Here 's a project that I finished this weekend - a new bag just for me!  This is theoretically for my work-out clothes.  It is plenty roomy for my work clothes, and even my tennis shoes fit okay in it.  Perfect!!  It may get used for other things, but at least for now.....it's working just as planned.

It has two pockets on the outside with elastic at the top - good for water bottles, and six pockets inside.  The material is little animal footprints shaped like hearts - too cute, though it's hard to see here.

I was also kind of testing this pattern out for a diaper bag, and I think it will work just fine.  Now to find some cool baby prints to use.....

I just checked in with AJ - he's settled back in his dorm and school starts this week.  He only has classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this semester.  Hopefully that means he can do some travelling.

Allison has been having extreme outbursts lately (screaming, hitting, spitting, etc.)  and we've been trying to get a handle on them.  It seems that she can't handle any frustration now - if she wants something and we don't 'get it' quickly, she is in rampage mode.  One bright side?  Yesterday, I kept repeating "I don't understand, show me", and eventually, she first picked up a DVD (I assumed she meant she wanted a  new movie) and then another time, she led me over to the remote controls that we use for the 'big' TV - the one that has Netflix on it and she can watch two movies at once.  Something worked, because she did not escalate into a major issue.  I don't know if it was because I figured out what she wanted, or it was just because she felt like she had a choice......who knows??  I just hope it continues to build into a reliable communication method.

My commitment to Curves isn't as strong as I would like, but better than I hoped.  I would like to go three times a week, but have only made it twice a week since joining.  I missed one day sick, and I missed one day taking AJ to the airport.   (Yes, I could have gone in when I got back, and I should have.....)  But, I have gone twice a week - good for me!  I made up for the missing day by being pretty active on the weekend.  I played with the pool yesterday - cleaning the filters all by myself!  (Well, except for the one step I forgot when I tried to prime the pump, but.....)  Today is lawn mowing day - after I go get gas, which will be after I finish the laundry.....but I'll get there.  I may not be losing weight, but I am definitely more active - which is my primary goal (though weight loss would be nice too!)