Winter Ball arrives concurrently with Winter!

Grandpa Bob calls her Easy Money from the many poker games the family played while Lex was in AK staying with he and Grandma for a couple of months the last couple of summers. We call her Lex. She is in no way way camera shy.She and the BF and a GF tripped the Winter Ball lights fantastic last night. Not so much fun they said, with a 50s theme...with same music none of them could relate to. Oh well...no matter what....it is good to be 17 with life and the.big world waiting for you!

It is snowing and icing outside as I write at 5 in the morning. 21 degrees. Winter arrived nonsensically just as the weathermen in the area promised us. See next:

Radar Page 1 - Our original Regular Updated LIVE Radar Map Links... http://www.emergencyemail.org/weatherradarmap.aspSevere Weather Map Link . . . . http://www.emergencyemail.org/weathermap.asp MAJOR WINTER STORM TO CONTINUE IMPACTING THE AREA WITHSIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE REGIONTHROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT HAS MOVED THROUGH THEREGION. THIS WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO MOST OF THE REGIONTHROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. NORTHERN BLUE MTNS OF OR-NORTHWEST BLUE MOUNTAINS-INCLUDING THE CITIES OF.MEACHAM.TOLLGATE338 AM PST SUN DEC 14 2008 WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING. A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THISMORNING. HEAVY SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST THIS MORNING. TOTALSNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 24 INCHES ARE LIKELY BY LATE MORNING.BLOWING & DRIFTING SNOW DUE TO GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ATTIMES. A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SIGNIFICANT SNOWACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. SNOWFALL INTENSITIES WILL BE HEAVYENOUGH TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE VISABILITIES AT TIMES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION.CHECK OUR WEB SITE ATWWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON.

James is looking at generators for back up heat.

I am looking for a new dining room set.

We spent a little of yest. in some minor holiday shopping. Ended up mostly with ingredients for baking bad for you lemon bars, ginger cookies and more. That is mostly the plan for today. Still don't feel too sharp but must be the weather.

Did go out last night for an hour to do our parental "get lost" duty while Lex and her beau ate their salmon dinner at home before their dance. Wanted to sip a hot buttered rum to toast the first snow of the year. The local bar was out of HBR mix. I drank what I think the nice bartender called a Ski Jump - peppermint schnapps and hot chocolate. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Came home and fell right to sleep that is how exciting I am not.

I promised myself today to finish decorating, bake, clean up all unncessary piles of stuff, sort the xmas gifts for wrapping and read a little. We will see how much really gets done...

TTFN

If I feel better will my holiday cheer return?

I woke up this December feeling sooo...holiday cheery...had the ER incident and now sick with other crud---all boxes bursting with holiday decor are out of the garage in the house, waiting for my feel-better attention, I am hoping that my natural happiness for the season returns.

Youngest daughter said last night: "Hey Mom...you are slacking here in the Christmas department. The house is hardly decorated..." She noticed and that was the one thing I was trying to avoid.

To the MD again today. Hoping for a magic pill to reverse aging, cynicism, laziness, sloth, overeating, pettiness and low energy. :)

The goal today: take all pertinent holiday stuff out of boxes and place around the home. Be cheerful no matter what so daughter can feel some of her anticipated holiday joy. She did admit last night, she has no clue what she wants for Xmas. So that makes shopping easy. Most of the adult kids are getting $ and something fun. I need to shop for the grands. I have most of their stocking stuffers...stocking stuffersx9 = alot of shopping and imagination for just that part of it! But I sincerely love it! Grandson #2 always loves a jar of maraschino cherries in his stocking; granddaughter #3 loves any type of bling; granddaughter #1 loves words and thinking toys; granddaughter #2 loves nature, outdoors, shells, rocks and so its great fun....

Daughter's Senior Winter Ball is tomorrow night. From what weather.com says, the dance and the first ice and snow storm of the year should converge about the same time. But the dance is mere blocks from home. No worries. My better half and I are cooking the on again, off again couple's fancy dinner de jour at home--we inherited some fantastic Copper River salmon from my mom and stepdad who live next to the famed AK salmon-running river 3/4 of the year. Mmmm mmm goood. Salmon, rice, fresh frozen Walla Walla asparagus, salad with raspberry vingagrette dressing, cougar gold cheese topping, cheesecake with fresh raspberries.

There are quite a few holiday gatherings coming up in the next week. We will see how many the fairly we the anti-social couple will actually attend. For sure my sister in law who is having "light hors d ouerves from 7-10 p.m., followed by a sit down candlelight champagne dinner at 10 p.m." soiree on the 20th. My older brother is the luckiest sot on the planet to have won her hand.

Coffee aka the holy grail is cooked; the reluctant Internet which was toast this am, is back up so...TTFN