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Just completed my CET practical in Toggle (Case Evaluation Thrust) about an hour ago. Was very nervous and really messed up two important aspects: I selected the wrong listing to adjust (I picked the C1 listing instead of the C2 listing) and I also should have decided, based on the information given, to NOT adjust instead of TO adjust. However, I did perform the thrust satisfactorily and got the points for that. The bad part of this is that it makes the final even more important in Toggle.

I've been trying to put most all of my time into studying for PNS. Trying to get the info into my brain in a way that I can recall it instantly. Hoping to quiz with friends this weekend and next to prepare for the final (not next Monday, but the following one). Have two finals next Friday that I'll need to review for as well this weekend.

Sadly, Jon's grandfather passed away Sunday evening. He will be missed; he was such a sweet man--you could really tell how much he loved Jon's grandmother. He had a great sense of humor too. We go to visitation tomorrow night and the funeral on Thursday. We'll miss most of our morning classes, and possibly our afternoon classes. Thankfully, we don't have tests that day, so it is not so much of a concern. I will be going to PNS that morning, because there is the possibility that Dr. Schmiedel will give the last quiz that day and I do not want to miss out on the possible 2 points, which could really make a difference for me. After I get home from that class, we'll hit the road to Galesburg, Illinois.

This past weekend, Jon and Dartagnan worked outside most all of Saturday and Sunday, digging out the base for our patio install. Sunday afternoon, they finally got the 9-inch deep, 14-feet by 14-feet area dug out completely and added the first crushed gravel layer, which comes about halfway up. Next weekend, Jon will rent a compactor and compact the first layer, then he will lay the second gravel layer, compact it, then the 1-inch sand layer, then the Purington Pavers http://www.historicalbricks.com/?gclid=CLvKjNaovKQCFQpV5wodL2cWxw get set into a really beautiful herringbone pattern on top. There will be no morter, just a bit of sand between the bricks. We are excited to have a patio with a little local historical significance. It will be really great to have the space for entertaining and for just enjoying the Spring and Autumn weather, too.

I harvested the rest of the tomatos from my plants. I had 3 areas with multiple plants that were all volunteers from last year (which is great, since I didn't have to buy plants again!). There was a really sweet yellow grape, a smaller, equally sweet red grape, and a pink Thai egg tomato plant. Delaney loves to just pop them in her mouth. They make a good snack for her when I am out of brilliant ideas.

I also pulled up all the tomato plants after harvest because the weather is changing and it has been cold enough to kill the really tender plants outside at night. I brought in our Christmas tree, our little (about 4-foot tall) Norfolk pine (which is really a tropical plant and can't handle our winters here) this weekend and put it in our sunroom. It really grew over summer. We decided that we didn't want to purchase Christmas trees anymore because it is not environmentally friendly, so we re-use our little tree each year as our Christmas tree. Dartagnan doesn't like that, because he grew up with a tree.

Also tried three new recipes this weekend from www.allrecipes.com: an awesome buttercup squash casserole (with apples, pecans, brown sugar and butter, oh my!), alla checca (tomatos marinated in fresh basil, garlic, salt & olive oil over hot angel hair pasta-we threw some tomato-basil reduced fat feta cheese on the finished product as well-YUM!), and oatmeal chocolate chip bars (added pecans and dried currants to the "adult" half and left the "kid" half without). The bars are especially delish warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave, then topped with a scoop of Breyer's chocolate chip ice cream. I'm making myself hungry!

Delaney is loving her Saturday morning swim lessons. She is a little fish, just like Dartagnan. He loved his swim lessons when he was little too.

Gotta go get a bit of lunch before I head back for Sys Path (last class of the day!).