I've just come in from chasing deer - what is it about the camellias that is so tasty this year! - and doing some housework. Although obviously not right at this minute since I'm sitting down in my office ;)

We may make a Costco, Trader Joe's trip this afternoon. An hours drive, and my list is growing. I should probably make, or find something ready to eat, for the ball game tomorrow. Casual event, I may not even go with DH, down the street to a friends. Friend is making chili, another of DHs buddies ordered crab legs. So I should get creative and come up with an appetizer, or dessert so DH doesn't go empty handed.

We have good weather forecast for tomorrow through Tuesday. The rain has kept me in so many days now, I really want to work outside and am not interested enough in either team to plan my afternoon around a ball game tomorrow ;) My tax prep is starting to weigh on me too, I have some work to do before my annual accountants appointment....maybe this evening I could do some organizing there.

I just finished my third coffee and finally took a shower. We got a new grocery store (it's owned by the same "mother" company that owns the store I work at). It's a different type of grocery store, so I'm curious to see it. But it's all the way across the city so not a store I'll shop at often. I just have to dry my hair and get dressed. I"ll come home and colour some more, then go into my home gym and work out again. I want to see my abs again. They're in there somewhere....

I am doing some cleaning.. Then I have to make some chili, ham salad and a cheeseball for church. We are having a money maker for the food pantry. We are waiting for our son to come by. They have been looking at a house to get moved. The realtor they are dealing with called this morning and he wants to show "their" house. They don't even have it up for sale. The Realtor told them their house is just what they have been looking for. Who knows.

This morning my significant other and I made a spinach omelet for breakfast and then went to a dance class. We're doing the fox trot this month. Then I zipped over to a quilt show at the local civic center. We are having our next door neighbors over for supper so I'm busy getting stuff cut up and ready to go. That and tidying up the house so it's presentable. Tomorrow after church, I will collapse until we go out to dinner. Then it's Super Bowl but I'm not too interested this year since my team is not in it.

We just came back from running errands which included a stop at the grocery store. Not only was it packed due to Super Bowl shoppers....but they were out of most of what I needed, all staple stuff that had nothing to do with Super Bowl.. :c(

The weather is cold but sunny which made running errands sort of nice, I love when it feels like we're on the brink of spring. I got our dog a new toy and it was cute watching her prance around the yard with it in her mouth.

Housework here too...always with some crocheting this evening, but tomorrow I'm going to go silk scarf painting with my daughter. They provide the scarf and supplies and you leave with a wearable scarf that you've designed and painted. How cool is that?

I did a pile of laundry this morning before going to the fitness center for a couple of hours. Came home to Robert watching some BBQ cooking competition program and making a list of ingredients while he sat there, lol.

Guess what we're having for supper? ;-)

I'm going to work in the outside garden a little, and get some more seeds planted AND seedlings transplanted in my garage 'garden'. Then, I'll shower and settle in with a new book for awhile.

It's the weekend...doesn't that mean we don't have to do anything?

Kidding. I have to sort and file papers and start to get serious about cupboards. (Yawn.)

Morz, I LOVE camelias! When I was little I'd pick a bud and play with it, peeling off piece after piece, while waiting for the schoolbus. Of course, my experience was tactile, rather than flavor, but oh, so delightful. First there are the fuzzy outer layers, stiff but velvety. Then there are the petal layers, silky fairy cups. Finally, there are the tender little inner bits that are like they were made of stardust and dew. I don't know what makes your camelias more delicious this year than any other, but if I were a deer, I'd eat camelias any chance I got.

This morning I went and picked up two plus size prom dresses for a girl at the school I work at. She lives in a home for girls who are no longer in foster care and money is not available. While I was out I went to 4 estate sales and bought 0 items. Laundry is going, heading to grocery store soon. I am going to prep all my ingredients for my recipes for tomorrow.

Turning warm this weekend. Thousands of Super Bowl tourists will think it's always 75 degrees in San Francisco in February, LOL! Locals are staying away in droves, except for Millennials who are partying at the free Super Bowl City at the SF Embarcadero, which is 45 miles away from the actual game itself.

I'm working on cleaning up my restaurant reviews before I post them to my private blogsite. At some point I'm going to rework that site but haven't even started on a redesign yet. I'm not a web designer, so will just use one of the many free templates available. Just a question of which one and how much work will it take to move everything.

Tonight we're going with some friends to a great little restaurant in Berkeley where one of our favorite chefs is now working. We have followed her from her previous job and are really happy she was able to remain in the area. Chefs move around a lot these days; we have lost some good chefs who moved out of the area to further their careers.

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl so I'm bringing a snack-fest of munchies so we can cheer the Broncos on (the hostess is from Denver). Lots of cheeses, an artichoke heart frittata, meatballs in mushroom sauce, summer sausage, and the usual sliced baguette and interesting crackers. Interestingly, it's an all-women group - none of the men we know are interested in football at all!

Reading a new book, watching basketball, napping, grocery shopping, taking the dog for some walks and cleaning. A very low key weekend.

This morning I went to a summit held by the local police dept. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. We had a speaker from the FBI who spoke about cyber security etc, a session on what to do if you are stopped by a policeman, a session on drugs=crime statistics and lots of information and a session on elder abuse. I learned a lot from each of the sessions. Oh, they had a great little breakfast too.

I am knitting a Baby Surprise Jacket for my son's best friend's baby due in April, and I will be baking James Beard's lemon quick bread to share with my sister when I see her tomorrow. She has a lemon tree that has been prolific the past two years, and I get sacks of lemons when I visit. So I will share the bounty with her when I see her tomorrow. We are going to the Cheesecake Factory for a late Sunday brunch. I also will wash the sheets on the extra beds to get ready for a visit from my daughter's family next month.

ROTFLOL!!! Jakkom, the thought that anyone would think that SF is regularly 75° F at any time of year is a hoot.

Jody and I went to Winnie to the flea market. Started to not go, because it takes so long to get everything taken care....animals fed, etc. I really didn't enjoy it as much as I used to....haven't been for a year or so. We were looking for some light fixtures to go in the hall. Have two, and would like to find two more. Don't expect them to match, but they should go together. Didn't find any....so I will look when I go to Warrenton, later in the spring. We didn't buy anything...except some fudge and ate lunch.

Tomorrow I have to go look at a couple of horses that a "friend" of mine wants to give away. I can't take them, but going to try to get them placed somewhere that they will be safe from going to an auction, and ending up in the slaughter pipeline. I hate that she asked me....I think it stresses me a lot more than it stresses her. I don't believe in not being responsible for your animals. So...in other words, she is dumping these horses for someone else to deal with. About 25 years ago she gave me an almost starved to death half Arabian filly. I still have her. The woman doesn't know how to take care of horses. I don't think these are as skinny as that one was.....I hope not anyway.

I'm going over to my buddy's house around noon. We'll have lunch at a fast food joint and then go to his basement to shoot a few rounds of pool. He's been schooling me in some of the finer points of the game.

Twenty years ago, he was my technician on a project to improve an an electomagnetic power switch. I retired 16 years ago and he's at the same company doing the same job. He'll be retiring within the next 10 years and has a few questions.

He will be watching the Super Bowl later in the day.

This weekend I'm celebrating my "baby's" 3rd birthday!!!

I realize I'm quite a bit younger than most of you but I'm also certain that you all remember experiencing the same/similar experiences.

I have 4 kids but this is literally the first 3rd birthday I've celebrated WITHOUT a baby in tow!!

My "baby" is in a "big girl" bed, she is almost fully potty trained, only wears pull ups at night to spare me the occasional midnight cleanings.

I'm, frankly, ecstatic, to move beyond this portion of my life but....for the first time, I find myself also feeling nostalgia; I'm just now realizing that I'm truly done with "that" phase of my life.

I'm done with the baby phase, done with the sleepless newborn/baby stage, largely done with the potty training stage, etc.

It has basically been my life for the past 9 years.

I've been either pregnant or breastfeeding for close to 9 years now and I'm both happy its done and somehow feeling nostalgic towards it all.

It's quite odd to me.

It's basically been my life for almost 1/3 rd of it and now its done.

I'm not sorry it's done, frankly I don't know how much longer my body and psyche could handle it but still...it is a major life change I'm currently going through and I don't think I previously realized the full effect it would have on me until I "connected the dots" as it were.

Wisdom and advice are always appreciated, as are extra hugs. ;)

Texas Gem, yes, I remember connecting the dots when I hit the no more baby milestone. I have three daughters. When the third was born I had 3 under the age of 4. I thought that being over the diaper stage would be so freeing, but I was also feeling a bit let down. Contrarily, the next stage was just as busy, thrilling, and at times exasperating. I can tell you though that every phase of motherhood is exciting and rewarding even when the baby is almost 40. Once a mother always a mother!

I enjoy the threads about what we are doing. I am struck at how linked we are as we shop, cook, explore, try new things, visit with friends and family, and in Jim's case prepare for a new adventure. So this weekend, DH worked on the kitchen remodel. He had to use a jack hammer to cut a concert slab away from the walls because it had shifted on one side. I am probably not explaining this correctly. Poor guy, it was hard work and unpleasant. He was covered head to toe in dust. Anyway despite precautions to keep the dust from the rest of the house, that insidious fine, oh so fine dust, still drifted in. I got rid of most of it. My daughter and her two sons visited for a bit after haircuts and before basketball game. I went to the market to pick up provisions for week and food for Super Bowl. Today I am cooking King Ranch casserole, Glenda's buffalo chicken dip, and hot dogs and beans for the family Super Bowl party at my other daughter's home. Other than the franks and beans, I learned about the King Ranch and buffalo dip from the people on the garden web.

Didn't do a whole lot of anything yesterday. Put a fair amount of time into a really fun jigsaw puzzle. In the afternoon I called my "beautiful sister" and talked for an hour. When she had her 80th birthday, I told her that I would allow her to be the "beautiful sister" and I would take over being the "smart" sister. She has held up her end of the deal for 5 years. I hope I have done as well.

I did put a little effort into supper, roasting some baby Yukon gold potatoes, marinated some already cooked chicken breast strips in Caesar dressing and gave it a quick sauté to brown a little and intensify the flavor. Dumped the potatoes and chicken on a plate of mixed green salad and called it dinner.

This morning we went out for breakfast, came home and read the paper over a cup of coffee, sorted dirty clothes and have the last of 3 loads washing now. Just ate a clementine and that is enough lunch after the big breakfast out. Next I have lettuce and romaine to clean in prep for whatever else I find for supper.

Did some shopping yesterday and bought some beautiful hanging baskets of flowers for the atrium. Today I have spent time clearing out the atrium, dead plants and branches and leaves. PuttingPutting the new colorful plants in sure perked it up. Nice to see color!

Beautiful flowers, raven.

I saw some color today too! Check these out:

I have some dragon fruit plants that I grew from a dragon fruit just like the ones above, that I bought at an Asian food market. They have a million tiny seeds.

My granite counter top installation was delayed due to the snow storm. It was rescheduled for Saturday, first thing! It's called Gran Valle.

Then....cut & set the tile for the entryway. Demoed the old floor in the utility room....

Shopped JCP for DH. They had GREAT sale racks & I had a $10 off coupon...

Enjoyed a Chinese New Year dinner Saturday night, went on a challenging but fun hike Sunday, 9 miles including bouldering. Feet and legs are tired. Excellent weekend.

Marilyn, I hope your "friend" will put her horse owning days to an end. Good luck re-homing them.

Texas, we love your participation. I always loved the kids' school days, their programs, the stories they would bring home from school, their friendships. I know you will too.

Socks- thank you! This fall I will have 3 in school and only one at home. I have already started mentally preparing myself for that. That and the fast approaching "none at home" stage that is quickly approaching!

Thought I would share a pic of her cake. She FINALLY told me what kind of cake she would like, 2 days ago. She requested Elmo and chocolate cake. I made her an elmo cake in red velvet with cream cheese icing.

She was happy with the cake. Here she is inspecting and giving her "approval"

(Notice those curls of mine that I previously mentioned my daughters inheriting). Here is the cake itself.

Not too shabby I think, considering it only took me 20 minutes to decorate it!

Texas Gem, I know JUST what you're talking about! I've been an empty-nester for several years and for the most part I'm ok with it, but there are days when I'd sure like to have my babies back. Sometimes I just can't look at their childhood pics. BUT....it's so nice to sleep again and not be in a constant fog. Like others, I love, love hearing stories about posters' kiddos!

Such a cute little girl! That is a very sweet age.

What a cute little girl. Enjoy!!! Good job on the cake, too. (and thanks for sharing and bringing back such sweet memories)

Love that cake decoration!