All in a weekend!

This weekend was one for the records! We got so much done! I can say that I am really proud of both of us. Friday night was the only exception. It was a cold and rainy night, so it was perfect to stay in, relax, and make a nice pot of soup, which is just what we did.

Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed out for a day of shopping. We hit up several places, including the Harley store in town (not the best neighborhood) and going up to Rancho Cucamonga to Victoria Gardens. We had an extra good time there, as it is technically a mall, but no one from the Midwest would call it that. The "hallways" are actually roadways, which people can drive on, which makes it a bit hard crossing from one side to the other, but we were able to do just fine. We had an extra fun time in Crate and Barrel buying some gifts, among other places. We ate lunch there at the "Food Hall," where I was excited to eat at a Mongolian grill. For some reason, here in California,the only Mongolian grills (or barbeques) that we've found have been in food courts. So, I gave it a try and it wasn't too bad. I was wishing I was in Iowa for a second so I could be enjoying Hu-Hot, but then I realized it's probably about 10 degrees there! I'll take the outdoor mall and not so great Mongolian Grill, thank you very much. We then headed back toward home and hit up Target and Michael's. Upon returning home, I made some peanut butter blossoms and wrapped all the presents. Finally, we are making progress, but we are still not done!

Sunday morning came and we did our usual errands with an additional stop at the post office to get some stamps. This is another area that is not one of Riverside's finest, and there were several people loitering outside as usual. As I was at the self-serve kiosk, Nick was walking around and informed me there was someone sleeping on the floor in the corner! I guess it is a good place to stay warm and safe, but too bad they feel like that is their only option! After coming home, I cleaned and treated the leather couch, as I have been meaning to do this since we moved down to Riverside. It really needed it, but it wasn't a bad job. The first time I did it was much worse, so it must pay off to clean it. Now, that is ready for company. After hitting up Starbucks for a Peppermint Mocha (warm this time), we headed up to Sycamore Highlands park, as it is a high point, and you can see a lot of snow on the mountains. It was cold up there-probably lower than 60! I went and waited in the car. Upon returning home yet again, I took up the ambitious task of making krumkake, one of my favorite holiday treats. It takes forever, as you can see in my video, but it is completely worth it. A full 2 1/2 hours later, I was exhausted! They taste good so far, and I am hoping they will stay crispy, as it was nice and dry here today. Last year when I made it Napa, it was raining and it ended up being soggy and we had to put them individually in the oven to make them crispy. Hopefully, that will NOT happen this year. This evening, I was going to tackle some charts, but I am not sure if I'm going to. I might just reconcile to be super behind this week. I hate to start the week off that way, especially this one, as I am booked seeing 4 and 5 patients per hour. We have no time for paperwork and we are paid hourly, so I hate staying at work any longer than I have to! Anyway everybody, have a great week, and I am sure I will have more tales later in the week!