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Is that tree - - - PINK??? Love it!!!!! We're having a deluge of rain right now but we did have a glorious snow Saturday a.m. It was the best kind - big, heavy flakes that clung to everything but didn't stick to the roads. About 2" which is nothing for you folks, I know. But hey - this is TN!!!

I read the Dave Barry Christmas The Shepherd, The Angel and Walter the Miracle Christmas Dog while I was on the treadmill this afternoon. Love that book even tho' it chokes me up every time I read it. The library has The Best Christmas Pageant (or something like that)on hold for me. It's a children's book but some of my buddies say it's a Christmas "must read". And, just started my re-read of Louise Penny's A Fatal Grace.

Dogs & snow - isn't it funny how they react to it?? I just have the cat now & cats seem to find snow to be personally insulting.

Yes Barb, the tree is definitely PINK, but we all like something different every now and then. !! Did a little more shopping today, but was out in the rain, so it wasn't fun. : (( Going to rain all night and tomorrow morning and then turn cold. No snow though here in Georgia. Seems it all goes north of here or west!!
As for reading, I'm reading "Nine Dragons," by Michael Connelly and so far, it's pretty good. Got to get a move on reading it though as it's a library book and I can't keep it long.
I need to be doing more for christmas though as I want to get the presents wrapped that I have bought, (not many) and the christmas cards (not many again)written and mailed. Budget is slim this year.
I am being invaded with lady bugs in the house. There is one crawling around on my computer monitor as i type. I get them every year around this time as they come in from the cold and hibernate. A lot of them die and I have to vacuum them up. Anybody else get this problem?

I'm off to bed to read and get warm and snuggly.

Yesterday was a cold and rainy day in Southern CA; we had 1.34 inches in Corona, which led to flooded streets, but fortunately not much damage. Today it is just beautiful; the mountains to the north of us are covered with snow, lovely to look at, especially when you're just looking and not actually in it. Barb, you wrote about it being 8 degrees in Montrose a few days ago; today our high was 54 degrees, but we were all freezing. We're a bunch of wimps!!

Kitchen remodel is coming along: the new cabinets are beautiful, but the counters won't be installed until 12-18, so I continue with no counter, no sink, and no water in the kitchen. Challenging to say the least!

To add to all this, today I had 2 implants installed (?) in my mouth. That's quite an experience, but my dentist did a fine job, and I am comfortable tonight with no noticeable swelling.

My Jazzercise instructor is raffling off a decorated tree, which would look good with yours as it is a white tree with all green decorations. I wouldn't mind winning it, although my tree is usually decorated with my collection of angel ornaments of every description.

Finally I'm reading Amy Bloom's, Away. The reviews are mixed, but the main character, Lillian is a 22 year-old Russian widow, who fled to America after witnessing the slaughter of her parents and husband. I've just barely started, but I understand she will go on a journey trying to find her daughter. I'll report back after I finish it.

Yep, that tree is definitely PINK! LOL There are also purple and blue ones... I was tempted. :x Have never had a kitch tree, but this one just called to me. We haven't put up a tree for awhile, but do decorate and have two lighted ceramic ones that I made years ago that I love.

You guys are getting tons of rain! We get so little, and the snow we get is usually the dry kind. bopeep, I like the kind you got on Saturday. coronalady, we can see our San Juan mountains from our corner, and I love it in the Winter when they have snow and the air is so clear feel like they're only about a foot away.

Hope those implants do well. My sister-in-law just had 4 and will have another 5. Dentistry has come a long way!

I need to do some Christmas reading, I guess, maybe a children's book, like The Best Christmas Pageant or something would fill the bill...

Have never had the lady bug thing, guess if you have to have bugs those would be nice. :D We did used to have times of the year, in various places we lived, where the moths would be thicker than thieves and then there were the boxelder buts, or as we always called them for some reason, 'democrats'.

Yup, that's a pink tree alright. Waking up and seeing a pink Christmas tree would make me think maybe I had a wee too much beverage the night before.

We aren't doing much. Trish is Christmas shopping a lot and I watch football. Her purse was stolen, but came back in the mail. A postal person called and said that they had it at the post office. All was still in the purse minus the cash. (and she had just made a Christmas withdrawal at the bank) . Oh well, as I told Trish, we'll just call it a non deductible contribution to the criminal element. At least they dropped it in a mailbox and she got all of her ID stuff back, of course we had already taken care of most of it, credit card, phone, credit lock, ect.

We too got snow the other day. I got it before Bopeep did but not quite as much, an inch. We went to see Blind Side last night and really enjoyed the movie, even though they sort of dis UT in the movie.

I'm reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It started a little slow but has gotten much better. I would call it an intellectual "who done it".

slopok, that really stinks that Trish's purse was stolen! Glad you got it back and all, but still... how was it stolen, hopefully they didn't mug her or anything like that...

Have heard good stuff about Blind Side the movie.

Hi all! Finally got all the decorations up here. Even though my kids are out of othe housem when they are here, they want everything for Christmas to look just like it always did! So of course, I put everything up, including the huge tree and the entire 40 building Snow Village! Actually I must say I really love it all too! For actual Christmas, we are going to my daughter's in KY- that's where the cranddaughter lives so we can't wait!

But it is exhausting decorating and wrapping, so it's nice at night to just curl up and read. Right nowI have the 2nd Lee Child book on the floor by the bed along with "An echo in the bone" by Diana Cabaldon (anyone read that?) and "The Help". Trying to choose which to start...

The weather here is miserable - pouring rain but tonite we are going to the Philly Pops Christmas concert so all is well...

Love the tree, Barb. . .definitely girly. Right now, it is sunny here in central OH, but we are expecting 60 mph winds later this day. I believe this weather is related to the big storm in your area of the country. No snow, I hope.

Have plans for lunch today with friends. Hope I get home before the winds hit. I am not overly fond of being buffeted by strong winds while I am driving.

Went to a condo association budget meeting last night. That was fun! UGHHHH! Since we have quite a bit of green space and extensive landscaping, half of the budget is needed to maintain it. It is then difficult to assign money to other necessary items. So, we have to increase our monthly fees next year. Not too many happy residents in the room.

Currently reading "Probable Cause" by Theresa Schwegel. This is the second book in her series about the Chicago Police Department. The novels are well-written and the plots are intricate. I really enjoy them.

Trish left the purse in a resturant. She realized after she was on the road that she left it...no more than 5-8 min; She returned...gone. She felt terrible but all is much better now, but she feels bad about leaving it in the first place..She'll get over it; after all she's married to the world's most forgetful person.

your pink tree is very trendy, barb... we've got the traditional tree up with all the ornaments the kids made over the years... full of memories...

we'e got about 4-6 inches of heavy slushy snow on the ground so far with more coming all day and temperatures dropping with 50-60 mile per hour winds... a good day to stay inside and work on Xmas cards, which is just what I'm going to do...

Saturday my sister (who is living with us this winter with her 2 huge dogs) and I will make our 16 Christmas Stollens like we do every year.

Sorry to hear about Trish's purse being stollen, Slopok. that's got to take a toll on her Christmas spirit... I've stopped taking my puse into restaurants with me... usually just lock it in the car... but of course if they steal the car they'll have it all... YIKES!

I just started Day After Night which someone here recommended and I think it will be good!

I started Too Much Happiness, a book of short stories which Joan (sis) picked up at the library and after reading the first story we both decided to return the book... what a downer... don't know where she came up with the title for that book... maybe she wants to rid the world of 'too much happiness'.