It's a Fog Delay Day

I didn't take the above picture but this is what it looks like at my house today. We are socked in with fog. Fog days are not uncommon for us this time of year and as a matter of fact, kids and teachers welcome them.

The fog gets so thick you literally cannot see across the street. Last night it rolled in about 8pm and caused a "fog delay" for the schools this morning. On fog delay days, kids start school 2 or 3 hours later in hopes that the fog will have lifted and it will be safe enough to bring your kids to school. The news stations will broadcast early which school districts are having fog delays. I used to love fog delays when my kids were in school. It was always so nice to be able to sleep in and lounge around for an extra 2 hours in the morning.

I enjoy days like this when I don't have to be anywhere and today happens to be one of them. I had to go out of town Monday and on my drive back late that night I hit fog that was so thick and dangerous. Today I have no where to be but home!

The perfect day to bake, iron, watch TV, and snuggle with Jake!

Feeling A Little Guilty...

This past weekend was our monthly camping club weekend and we had the best time. We always have fun but some weekends are just better than others and this was one of them!

Saturday night after dinner, some of us girls played Catch Phrase and just sat around a picnic table talking. We had candles all over the table and even had to use a flashlight to play the game but man what fun! We finished up the game around 11:00pm but 4 other insomniacs and myself stayed out by the campfire until 2:00am talking and laughing (and with NO drinking being done I might add!) I enjoy all of our camping friends but I find that times like a 2:00am campfire are when real bonds are formed and wonderful memories are really made!

All weekend long I kept saying how guilty I felt because the weather was absolutely phenomenal...


Yes, it really was 80 degrees outside, in the middle of January! I felt so guilty wearing shorts, watching people water ski on the lake, and knowing that many people in the United States (and lots of blogging friends) were stuck inside their homes due to bad weather. I know that many of you have literally been home bound for days and I'm not kidding, I felt guilty! I guess on weekends like this past one I can see why my husband doesn't want to move out of California. Not only do we have beautiful weather but we have beautiful friends and boy with a combination like that, it would be pretty darn hard to say good-bye.

Really and truly, I'm not trying to rub it in, but on the way home last night we had the most incredible sunset too. So incredible in fact, I pulled off the freeway and snapped a few pictures...



I've said it before many many times but I am continually amazed by God's artwork! We just need to take the time to notice it!

A Little Of This and A Little Of That...

It's a cloudy, dreary day here today and rain is in the forecast. As my friend Jill puts it, it's the type of day where you just want to "stay in the cozy!"

I went out yesterday looking for replacement items for my kitchen shelf. Do you remember my recent shelf disaster!? Well, we bought some very sturdy hooks and re-hung the shelf without difficulty. That baby is going nowhere now!

A few years back, I bought 6 of these beautiful green Bordallo Pinheiro plates, hoping that I would eventually have a shelf to display them on. They are the cabbage design...


I happened to find these plates when I was out of town and I got them on sale for some ridiculously low price. All of them broke when the shelf fell and wouldn't you know it, now I cant find a single one anywhere. I know Bordallo Pinheiro dishes have become popular and Ebay shows it. I thought about buying some on Ebay but they're much more expensive these days. Fortunately, we go out of town at least once a month so I'll just bide my time until I find more.

I had a green, white, blue, and silver theme going on for the shelving. I had more blue/white things at home plus I found a few things yesterday so I'm starting to decorate it again...


Just a funny story about this flower arrangement. I bought this a day or so before the disaster. It went well with my idea of white and the green in it matched the Bordallo plates nicely. Well, as you can see it got a little damaged in the fall...


What's so funny is that my husband told me I should just spray paint the styrofoam green. I told him he's thinking like a true blogger! Really, painting the styrofoam is a great idea! I'll go to Michael's this week and find a green paint that matches.

While I was out and about yesterday I noticed that the stores are in full Valentine's Day mode. I jumped on the bandwagon and picked up 4 cute burlap bags. They're just perfect for a Valentine's Day gift project I'll be working on soon. Aren't they cute!


Well, that's about the extent of the excitement around here! We did do a few little fun decorating projects last week that I hope to share with you soon.

Within the last few minutes, as the weatherman predicted, it's started raining. I love the rain and we need it here in CA.

Oh, and before I forget, Macey is back in the hospital again. We took dinner over to them on Wednesday night and Macey was complaining of a headache. They had the lights turned down low and we're trying to keep things very quiet for her. Yesterday she told her mom Robin that her left side was going numb, she had a bad headache, and her ears hurt. They called her doctor who was in San Francisco and he told them to bring her back to the Long Beach Hospital and he would fly home today. He fears she has an infection due to the flap recently being sewn back on her skull. Please keep Macey in your thoughts once again. Her time at home was short and she's scared, but she's clinging to her favorite Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

A Little Rain and A Very Strange Dream

I woke up this morning to light drizzles and thinking about a really weird dream I was having. I love that I'm not at work today and can stay at home and enjoy the weather. We've been on the go for the last month and we're leaving again tomorrow. Being able to lounge around today is heaven. This weekend is Parents Weekend at Arizona State so we'll be leaving for AZ in the morning. Parents Weekend is always fun and we love attending the ASU football game on Saturday night. GO SUNDEVILS!


We're taking the motorhome this time and staying at an RV park that we've stayed at many times before. We're taking the RV so that Jake can go along with us. We boarded him last week while we were in Colorado and he did great but Courtney wants to see him and we're just used to taking him with us wherever we go.

This time last year we flew to AZ for Parents Weekend and boarded Jake at the kennel in the vet's office. We came home only to find out that he was having serious problems and needed surgery, or as was recommended, to be put to sleep. He had the spinal cord surgery but has been paralyzed in his hind legs since that time. The day I took him home from the doggy hospital I cried all the way home which was 3 hours away. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to express his bladder properly or care for him like he needed, and I was afraid that maybe we had done the wrong thing by him. I felt so overwhelmed. I really can't believe it's been one year already but we've all managed just fine and we absolutely did the right thing for Jake. He is one happy and loved little dog!

O.k....now about the dream. Do you ever have dreams that seem so vivid but when you wake up you can't remember them? We'll mine was vivid but I remember every detail.

I had been at work but came home, opened up the door, and found my husband on a sofa bed in the living room. I remember not thinking too much about it until the pretty, much younger, foreign speaking woman quickly jumped out of the same bed NAKED! Naked as a jay bird! I remember her beautiful figure! No cellulite on that husband stealer! I remember following my husband as he walked her to her car and knowing it was over. After 29 years it was over. Even in my dreams, adultery is a deal breaker!

I told Howard about the dream and the young, pretty foreign woman. He got a big smile on his face and said "I should be so lucky to have that kind of dream!" Yep, that's my man!

Only In California

The last 2 days have been extremely gorgeous outside. Not too cold, not to hot, perfect. Yesterday I had a dental appointment in the morning and I wore a zip up jacket. By the time I got out at 10:45, I had to take off the jacket because it had warmed up already.

Today was even prettier. Look what I was up to this afternoon...in the middle of January! To tell you the truth, I felt guilty. I kept thinking about how the weather is FREEZING in certain parts of the country and here I was hanging out in the backyard.


One of my favorite things to do is hose down the patio and sidewalk. Like I've said before, I love watching the dirt roll away! What can I say, the littlest things make me happy!

I also did some window cleaning and hosed down screens. Don't look at the chipped paint on the door behind the screen. That's on my to-do list for spring.


And look who was enjoying the sunshine and fresh air too...


The house gets so dusty during the winter so I took a few things outside and gave them a good washing down. It felt like spring cleaning.


Then I picked lemons. Yes, you read that right! I love putting fresh lemons around the house for decoration...and they make the rooms smell good too.


I'm proud of the productivity so far this year. I'm making good use of my time and it's paying off. Our house has been a whirlwind of activity and it feels good. It feels like old times. I knew I needed to limit my computer time!

Everyone loves California due to the great weather and beautiful people...but we do have to have some sort of consolation for living in California because all.the.nut.cases.live.here! Wonderful weather is our reward.

Soup Weather

When we were in Washington not to long ago, we stopped for lunch at Ivar's in Seattle. From the looks of it, Ivar's is a popular place...and I now know why... The.food.was.fabulous!

Look at this tasty bowl of clam chowder soup. I had fish for lunch but hubby said this was one of the best clam chowder soups he's eaten. Don't you just love soup served in a bread bowl!?!


The food is so good at Ivar's even these guys stand in line to get a nibble...


This is a picture of the famous Space Needle. It's a pretty good picture considering I took it from the back seat of the car.


Seattle is a happening place, with lots to see and do. If we had been there longer we would have signed up for the Duck Tour. The Duck Tour is a guided tour where you sit in a tram type car that's outfitted to look like a duck. I think these things even go in the water. It looked like alot of fun and will certainly be on the agenda on our next visit.

Speaking of soup, colder weather sure has hit and nothing sounds better right now than a bowl of soup. I think I just may have to organize a soup exchange this winter! Have any of you ever participated in a soup exchange before? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

Rain, Rain...Please Don't Go Away!

It started raining today around 5:00 pm. I was busy cooking dinner for the girls and heard it on the roof of the motorhome. Nothing to write home about, just some light rainfall.

It again started raining about an hour ago and this time it's pouring...I mean It's.Pouring.Down.Rain!

Rain, rain...please don't go away. I think you're helping to drive away some of this sweltering heat...or you're at least taking it down a notch!

Today was a relaxing day for hubby and I. It was the first day of classes for Courtney and her roommates. Things went well. I told them yesterday that I'd make dinner for them tonight in honor of their first day back at school and in celebration of their new apartment. I also wonder when their next nice home cooked meal will be!?!


Courtney taking dinner home to her roommates. I hope you enjoyed it girls!