Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!!!

TOM JONES is coming to Seattle in May. I LOVE Tom Jones. I realize this makes me a complete dork, but I just can't help it. How can you not love someone when the sound of one of their songs just makes you smile and want to jump up and dance like an idiot?

NOT a good day

Lots and lots of lovely snow fell over the weekend, and it was very pretty. Last night, all that snow falling became rain. Between midnight and 7:00 this morning, we had received just over 7 inches of rain. Are you following me? This is on ALREADY completely saturated ground.

This morning, I walked down the steps into my basement to get to the washer and dryer. I came off the bottom step with a SPLASH into freezing cold water, about 3 inches deep. Now, that will wake you right up, for sure. It wasn't too bad yet, because a few years ago we put a little board in the doorway and sealed it just in case this little area at the bottom of the steps got wet again (it only happens in really severe flood weather).

Fast forward a little . . . I took my daughter to school, my husband got called in to work because they need all the help they can get in this mess. In the time I was gone, the amount of water in my basement has at least doubled, probably tripled. Roads are completely flooded. People's entire houses are flooding. There are major mudslides. Keeping things in perspective, I shouldn't be so distressed about my basement. But I am. Because I'm here by myself, scooping it out using a trashcan, and I'm not even making a dent. Oh, and the rain hasn't slowed down at all, and it's not supposed to until later this afternoon. If you need me, I'll be wading around in my basement. Bring your lawn chair and visit a while, we'll need margaritas later.

See what I mean?

THIS is what they got less than 20 minutes up the road from me. I got nothin' but slush. Life can be so cruel.

This year, she has outdone herself. She managed to find another "crystal" star, this one slightly larger than last year, with a fancy spiral for hanging it on the tree. I think we've started a trend. I wish I could make these . . . . if only I knew someone who was really talented at beading . . . Oh, yeah! Hey, Grandma, we've got a project for next Christmas! :-)

My Favorite Things, Part II

Each year, Haleigh picks out a new ornament for the tree. It started with Christmas the year she was born. She actually arrived the day after Christmas, but we had already picked out a beautiful ornament and had it engraved with her name and the year. I just kept things going after that, picking up something to mark each year. About three years ago, she started selecting her own, and this child of mine has remarkable taste. Well, first she picked matching Dora and Diego ornaments. :-) Last year, she picked this beautiful beaded red & gold star. The beads (she calls them crystals) catch the lights in a way that looks so lovely on our tree. It has become one of my favorite ornaments, too.

My Favorite Things

I LOVE Christmas. Probably my most favorite tradition is trekking out to locate the perfect tree to cut down and bring back home. I love every bit of it . . . the agonizing indecision, walking out in the beautiful countryside with my family, getting the monster in the house (and in the stand!), and beginning the decorations. Every year, my husband and I have had Haleigh put her special ornaments on right before she goes to bed. Then, we turn on the Christmas music (always Martina McBride and Garth Brooks . . . . every single year), drink lots of eggnog and finish trimming the tree, and the rest of the house! This year Haleigh stayed up and put lots of decorations up with us. She's getting older now, so she actually likes this part a little more! Here's a picture of this year's winner.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This was our trip to Lowe's last night. The snow started coming down pretty hard yesterday. Haleigh and I were driving to Wal-Mart, and everything started getting very white. While we were inside, a winter wonderland was constructed. Wal-mart sits between some rolling hills, and when we came out they were beautiful! All the pine trees had a dusting, the ground was a solid blanket of white, and it was still coming down hard! Unfortunately at my house, it was not the same story, but that didn't stop these guys from trying their best to have some winter fun.

The snow never sticks very much at my house, but you can drive less than a mile up the road and everything will be covered. I have to say, I admired the persistence of these two . . . they were determined to sled before everything turned to slush!

Today the snow was supposed to be gone. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find everything turning white again! It has mostly turned to rain now, but my husband says that 4 or 5 inches fell just up the road. I might have to go check it out later! :-)