Happy Birthday To Me

And this was the highlight of my day and I'm SO not complaining:

Merry Christmas 2009

Every year as a child, I would wake up on Christmas morning and look outside to see if it had snowed.  For the first time in my life, when I woke up THIS Christmas morning, there is a blanket of snow and ice covering everything.  It's my very first white Christmas.

Now I sit here eating a piece of pumpkin bread, sipping my hot coffee waiting on the house to warm up.  I still feel pretty tired from the last few days of baking and other holiday stuff and if it wasn't Christmas morning, I would finish my bread and coffee and go BACK to bed.  I might still if it's early enough.  I only have about 45 minutes of dark left before the sun comes up and sets the snow aflame with sparkles.  I would like to get a picture of that.  But for now... here's some pictures from our "blizzard like" conditions that we had yesterday that led to this morning's white Christmas:

I missed church yesterday.  I got so preoccupied with the turkey and having everything ready to eat that the time got away from me.  Then with the snow and things going very badly traffic wise very quickly I just didn't want to chance driving home in the dark.  Yeah, I know I'm a big baby.  But by the end of the night, all of my family was safe at the places they needed to be, the dinner was a success with my daughter proclaiming that it was the best turkey she had ever eaten in her life (only the second one I had ever made but I proclaim it my first because the only thing I remember about the first one was pulling the packages of body parts out of the cavity) and finally pure exhaustion took over and I  passed out a little after midnight.

All in all... it was a magical Christmas Eve.  The snow will melt quickly this morning once the sun comes out, but for now it's 24 degrees and alls frozen solid outside.  I'm thinking I'm feeling a nap coming on already...

Xmas Eve

Wow.  It's here already.  It feels like just yesterday that I put up the tree.  People have asked me the last week, "Are you done with your Christmas Shopping?" and I always think to myself... are any of us ever REALLY done? 

I have to make a quick trip this morning to Walgreen's.  I was there yesterday and I saw what I needed for something else that I was wanting to do for someone but I needed something else with me before I could get it.  Ah... don't ya just love holiday vagueness?

The last few days have been unbelievably beautiful.  Yesterday, especially.  This morning I awoke to a Winter storm system moving in which has prompted a Winter storm watch around these here parts.  Not sure if it will get cold enough to do much damage, though.  I did notice that just West of here, they are encompassed in an ice storm.  For those that are not familiar with Texas weather, when we have Winter weather it is most often in the form of ice, not snow, although, I can't remember when we had a really good ice storm around here.  I remember one time as a child, it iced so bad that our neighborhood street turned into a solid sheet of ice and that no one could even think about going anywhere.  We ice skated in our sneakers that year.  Our Winter weather watch says we have to watch for blowing snow.  I've never seen that warning before.  Right now it's raining pretty good and the winds are up... we are experiencing blowing rain.  And  as usual... we will not be having a white Christmas. 

If all goes well weather wise, I will be attending a Christmas Eve service with my family this evening.  It's the one time of year that my family can get me into a church.  But if it gets too nasty, like the weather warning suggests... I will not be going.  I will drive in snow covered roads but I don't do ice.  

It's 6:30am now.  Walgreen's opens at 7.  Gotta beat the crowds!  Ya'll enjoy and be safe this Christmas Eve.  

Ninja Christmas Kitty

You Know It's Way Too Cold When...

Definition Of Nom:

Passing Gas

The only person, aside from my children, who I ever felt comfortable farting around left me. It also happened to be the only time a guy ever broke up with me. Well... the only time it mattered. So women, be warned. He may SAY he likes it when you fart around him, but does he really? Really?

When I was growing up, fart was not a word that was allowed to be used. I didn't fart as a child. I passed gas. I also didn't pee or poop. I puddled and pottied. Then I met the father of my children, who's voice will forever fill my head with the phrase, "A fart is always good for a laugh." Needless to say, I took great pleasure in trying to out-fart my children as they grew into the fine, upstanding and gassy young adults they are today. To be honest, though, my daughter seems to have been spared the over amusement of her farts. She's quite the young lady and for me as her mother... well, let's just say that miracles DO happen. But my son... oh, boy. He is definitely his father's son.

I was in Walgreen's the other day just doing a little light shopping. I ventured onto the Christmas isle, which was empty at that moment. I noticed a lady, maybe in her 70's, come onto the isle with me. Then I noticed that she slowly walked up behind me and then she stopped. Let out a very audible fart. Pause. Another very audible fart. Then slowly moved on down the isle. I didn't laugh. I didn't even acknowledge that I heard anything. I just kept flipping through some holiday bows like she wasn't even there. I turned and looked at her as she reached the end of the isle and I know the look on my face would have made for good hidden camera show footage.

Before starting this post I was standing in front of my gas Dearborn heater warming my hands. Two kitties at my feet. I let one rip in the silence of my early morning household and suddenly got scared that it was going to catch on fire because I was so close to an open flame. And that was my inspiration for today's post.

What I Really Want For Christmas

Because jewel encrusted is in right now... and the whole shiny and sparkley thing I have going on.

What I Want For Christmas

Clear And 23 Degrees

This is the time of year where I notice how incredibly drafty my house is. It's 23 outside right now, but it's a warmer 23 than yesterday's 23 because the wind is not blowing this morning. My goal is to get the inside of my house to reach 60 degrees at some point today.

My son is graduating college on the 19th of this month. About a week away. That young man has worked his rear off since he graduated high school. Having a full time job and going to school full time... I think he's not going to know what to do with all the spare time he will have. I've already chosen the box of Kleenex that I will be taking with me to the ceremony.

My visitor count has gone down drastically since I quit blogging. I'm the world's worst about not wanting to keep up with a blog when they don't update regularly. I think things are settling down here and I should be back a little more often than I have been the last couple of months. I'm at least going to try. Thank you for hanging with me.

Holiday PhoTos

                                   PHOTOS BY ME

                                                                 
                                                                 PHOTOS BY FELIX

Days... Daze?

I have an early morning mandatory insurance meeting this morning.  Bah humbug.  I'm leaving extra early because I don't want to have to drive in rush hour traffic... or the least amount possible.  It's bad enough that I'll be out on the roads during the sunlight after the meeting.  I've seen what the traffic going in that direction looks like when I'm coming home at the same time and I don't wish to participate. 

The only seasonal decorating I have done so far is opening a box of holiday Kleenex.  But it is a pretty cool box of Kleenex, if I do say so.  Might have to stop and get a tree on the way home.  Depends on how grumpy I am after the meeting.

The snow didn't keep going yesterday but the weather man said something about some accumulation of snow starting tomorrow.  If anything happens, I'm sure I'll have my camera out.

Guess I'll go get ready for the meeting, now.  Bleh.

It's Beginning...

...to look just a little like the Christmas season.  This is what I drove home in this morning and the view from my windows now.

I don't mind the cold near as much when Nature gifts us with this beautiful scene.  Snow is magical to those who live in this area.  I'm sure it's even more magical to those who NEVER get to see it.  All the way home my radio station was taking calls from people out in the first snow of the season.  That always assures me that I'm not the only one around here who sees snow and instantly has a smile on the face... resisting the urge to go out and dance around in it as I type this.

If this lasts for much longer, I'll upload some more photos later on.  Happy snow day!