All Work . . . .

It was wonderful to have Allie home.  I am not a big fan of weeding, but I am a big fan of the results.  Typically the job falls on me and no one ever helps.
But because Allie was home and didn’t have anything better to do . . .

We spent a couple of afternoons cleaning up the weeds near the front door (the entire yard looked REALLY bad before we started.)

It was wonderful having a much neater yard AND spending time with my daughter.
As a reward, I cooked/baked the things she hoped for . . .

and Paul took us out to play!

Life is never dull when Allie’s around. . . no matter what she claims.

Closing Out the Year

Allie had some spare moments before she left for school.  She tested out David’s gift to her . . .

We tried out a new-to-us recipe using our leftover mashed potatoes. 

And we played one of Allie’s new card games. 

And then she left us to celebrate the end of the year on our own.  Apparently it’s more fun to bring in the new year with other college students and NOT your own parents.  We agree with her assessment since staying up that late is not at all appealing!