Ooh, where did this come from?

Total surprise snow. The weather channel is still reporting 70% chance of rain. HA!

Don't you just love the sound of snowfall? It's so quiet and calm. You can't buy it and you can't control it, so when you get the surprise chance to experience it...well....it's.... lovely! So I sat on my porch, watched and listened to the snow.....until H and Daughter pull in the driveway and I hear her scream with excitement. Another sound I absolutely love.

Now, all I hear is, "Momma!" Then boom(!), a snowball hits the front window. Giggles. Fenway is going ballistic trying to get in the middle of everything. (Side note: below is a pic of the t-shirt I ordered as a Christmas gift for myself.....this is my mantra).

Good times. I hope we can still make our ski trip to Bend.

And the branches were hung from the ceiling with care

For at least a year this idea has been hanging out in my head: big branches suspended from the ceiling with white lights and various decor hanging from them. Whenever I would tell someone about it I would use grand, sweeping hand gestures and I could feel my pulse quicken. So, finally, I get it together and on Christmas Eve (no less!), H hangs them for me (he's a really good sport and has a knack for helping me implement my big plans).

Here's a pic.....but, trust me, it's better in person (because you can't see the white lights and the glittery snowflakes in this photo)!

But see, we both agree the scale is off (we have high ceilings here and a pretty big room)....so it's back to the flower market for me at the New Year for a bigger branch.....I am already planning for Valentine's day.....I think there will be....ummm, hearts!

I hope you all had a lovely day holiday.

Merry, merry dreams!

If we just took Burnside....

Yeah, I know, this should be a post about egg nog, tinsel, Santa Claus, and sugar cookies, but LOR-dy, did we ever have a not so lovely experience today (but the lunch was really good!). So, we are on our way to our annual office holiday lunch here and I am being an oh so good back seat driver giving H directions* to the US Bancorp building (take the Sunset Hwy, turn L here, take this street, etc.) when we get to Oak and holy smokers, there are at least 4 SWAT team members with MACHINE GUNS approaching a citizen and hollering, "Stop right there." I am all, "Hit the floor" (to avoid random gunfire) and H puts it in reverse and gets us out of the area. That's one of those moments where you are all, "is this really happening?" Yup, it was real. Ummm, of course we are all a bit shell shocked at lunch, and I suggest, "Perhaps they were just shooting a movie?" It did seem like a scene out of a movie......

*Ok, so tonight we recap the experience and H says, "If we just took Burnside like I originally thought, we would have avoided the whole thing." Ha! But would we have this good of a story?

Ooh, I should add a picture, because as we all know pictures are worth a thousand words....., of course, I don't have pic of the afternoon drama, but here are a couple of good ones (of my darling drama queen's 9.5 birthday celebration....in case you are wondering, Fenway always sits like that on the stairs. It's bizarre, we call it Fenway Style.):

And the winner is..

Gloria V. from Grants Pass. Thank you to everyone who participated in the Cake for a Cause drawing. Tickets sold out 10 days early (the drawing was to be held on Dec. 12). Ooh, she is so lucky. Total yummy goodness.

Tick Tock with smiles all over

Only 9 days until Christmas. Love, love, love how daughter tells me every early morning how many days until the BIG day (in her puffy, just woke up face) while opening the door to her TJ chocolate advent calendar FIRST thing every morning.

So busy....but in the best way:

Rushing around as ambassador of all things good for family and business. Smile.

Fine layer of glitter all over the house. Smile.

Family coming to visit. Smile.

Clever gifts to give. Smile.

BIG basket of goodies arriving in the mail. Smile. And tasty!

New screensaver on iphone (compliments of computer savvy daughter). Smile.

Fa la la la la la. Ooh, and merry dreams.

Wicked, bigger, and more glorious than expected!

NYPD assembled to get ready for the tree lighting ceremony. Nary a crime took place around here!

Recently returned from a business trip to NYC. Even though I tried to avoid THE tree lighting ceremony, I found myself smack dab in the middle of the event while on the way to dinner here. I don't have any pics of the tree, but believe me, it is spectacular enough for gazillions of people to line up around Rockefeller Center to see it turned on (saw it as H and I ran 10 blocks from Wicked to our hotel in the rain. GO see this play if it is anywhere near you!!!!!).

Since I'm big right now on appreciating the first sighting of places I've been, the first view of Times Square at night exiting a cab is exhilarating. Doesn't matter how may times you have seen it before.

Here's a 360 degree view:

Luckily, I had a little time to do some lovely sightseeing. Museums and shopping are always at the top of my to do list when traveling. GO see this exhibit if you find yourself in NYC. It's quite.......unique. Here's a pic of my favorite piece (it's not so great since I surreptitiously took it when the security guard wasn't looking). You can't read all the words down the center, and of course I can't recall them, but they captured my attention at the time.

P.S. Only weeks before Christmas. the second loveliest (after Thanksgiving) of holidays. Ooh, busy decking EVERYTHING for Christmas...not just the Halls.