Brian said he's missing snow.... so here you go, B...........
A few backyard shots of the overnight 8" snowfall :) ........untouched in all its glory....... 
We're due for more tonight... maybe another 4-6", if that happens.... I may mail you some :)
Enjoy, my friend.....
Cat
Being the procrastinator I am, I figured I needed to get these in now.. before its Easter and time to post new pictures. 
Then they knocked down some bowling pins in elf costumes with a wooden ball to win a treat bag... again with the convincing thing because this bag was full of candy! I finally decided I'd had enough chasing kids down before they got theirs opened, so I stashed the candy bags inside their respective school totes.... out of sight, out of mind :)
So, all and all, it was a good time. There are two kids in her class that I am especially fond of... Jake and Kailee. Jake and I bonded at the field trip to the park.... he was my climbing buddy :) And Kailee, I fell for on the dog grooming field trip... she is such a sweetie. Wonder if its wrong to like other people's kids more than your own sometimes?!
Am kidding, of course. More likely its because mine would much rather play than hang with her mom :) I'm sure these two 'angels' aren't really what they seem to be... but I just eat 'em up every time I'm in her class.
That wraps up the Party entry.
Two days and counting......
Cat
I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh
And looked across the table where the bills were piled high.
The laundry wasn't finished, and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Packers lost by six.
And so with only minutes til my son got home from school,
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.
The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
And so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.
I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.
And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
Eight Hummers ran a column right behind an M1A.
A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens.
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.
They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.
Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.
There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.
They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see.
They didn't need an ornament, they lacked a Christmas tree.
They didn't have a present even though it was tradition.
The only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."
I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side.
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.
I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
And kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.
"There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight.
Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right
To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall."
He looked at me as children do and said it's always right,
To thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.
And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
To thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:
"God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.
The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty, and that we can't repay."
~ Author Unknown
This via Sara's place and Bernadette's, too....
1. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? Dad, Mom, Me, Grace, and animals
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Dragonriders of Pern, for the umpteenth time....
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? An Eagle looking at the US flag
4. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? Risk or Stratego
5. FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? Redbook or Parents
6. BABIES? A 3-yr-old girl, no more (I think)
7. FAVOURITE SOUNDS? Grace singing and silence
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? My kid being sick or hurt.
9. FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IN THE MORNING? Damn, its morning again... where's the coffee?
10. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? 3
12. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? Elizabeth Chantal or Charles Patrick (family names)
13. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE? Happiness.
14. FAVOURITE FOODS? Greek/Middle Eastern
15. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Mmmm....... chocolate.....
16. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST? Sometimes, by myself on country roads
17. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? No, 2 real cats....
18. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY? Cool, if they're not close....
19. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? I first drove a '66 Chevelle (not SS), 3-speed on the column. The 1st car I bought was an 87 Grand Am.
20. FAVOURITE DRINK? Alcoholic--White Russians, non-alcoholic--hot chocolate
22. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN? Libra :)
23. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI? Yep.... yum
24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE? Congress woman....
25. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR WHAT COLOUR WOULD IT BE? I have dyed it every normal color.....
26. EVER BEEN IN LOVE? Yes. Returned... not yet....
27. IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? 1/2 full, of course
28. FAVOURITE MOVIE? Tombstone and LOTR trilogy.
29. DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? Not even close,,,,,
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE NUMBER? 6 and 10
32. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PROGRAMME? Too many to choose...
33. BEACH, MOUNTAINS OR CITY? Mountains, with a beach view....
34. TECHNOLOGY OR ART? Both
35. COMEDY OR HORROR? More of an Action / Drama movie person
36. FAVOURITE TIME OF DAY? Late evening
37. WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN THE FILM OF YOUR LIFE? Nicole Kidman.... LOL.... but more realistically, Kathy Bates. I love them both.
Have a good night, everyone....
Cat
Make sure you all tune into ESPN tonight (football fans).
I am heading downtown to the RCA Dome to watch Manning & Company (hopefully) crush the Ravens. I did say hopefully. So, watch for me... I may make it onto National TV if I pull some daring stunt like take my shirt off (Too bad we don't have an open stadium or that might actually work).
GO COLTS
Have a great night, everyone!
(I'll try to whisper in Peyton's ear to get him to say "Hi, Bernadette!" )
Cat
I'll keep answering, if you keep asking.......
From Heather:
1. You are told you MUST give up either sight or the ability to talk. Which do you chose? I know how to write and American Sign Language, so the ability to speak, no doubt.
2. Favorite line out of a movie? (Don't laugh, Vernae!) "I'm your Huckleberry" from Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday character.... it cracks me up everytime!
3. Guilty pleasure you could never give up? CHOCOLATE
From Bernadette:
1) If you could fulfill a dream that you've had but now seems unrealistic, what would it be? Finish med school and a ballerina.
2) Ice-cream sundae or ice-cream cone?...what flavor? Sundae, chocolate ice cream with peanut butter topping...yum!
3) If Gracie could be any age right now, what age would you want her to be and why? Part of me wishes she was a baby again because I feel like I missed out on a lot and it went by so fast. Partly wish she was around 7 or 8, so I can really enjoy sharing things with her. Right now it seems like a battle over power and control, which she doesn't know yet that I'm going to win :)
From Angel:
1). What is your favorite all time movie? 'The Color Purple' and the LOTR trilogy.... its my favorite series of books, too.
2). Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why My Spanish teacher, Mr. Rice and my Homeroom teacher, Mr. Montgomery, both men gave me insight on my future and I still heed their words to this day.
3).Do you see anymore children in your future? Wow, Angel, I would like to have a son... but my time is running out. And I'd prefer to be married before I had another one.
Anymore questions out there???
Ask away.....
Cat
Busy, busy day planned for today. Mom took Grace to see real reindeer and take a carriage ride at her workplace today (my old place, as well). I try to avoid going back to that hospital at all costs.... yeah, I still hold a grudge against them and their policies..... so, I didn't want to go. But they had a great time even if the line to see Santa was too long.....
The Steelers play today against the Giants. Would love to see Eli Manning (NY's QB and Peyton's younger brother) have a great game, but NOT today :::evil grins:::
I want Roethlisberger to set a high Rookie QB win record.... and for him to have a perfect season... well, it doesn't get much higher than that! Kick-off 1:30 pm on CBS.
Mel is coming over so we can start on Christmas yummies. She's making her awesome Peanut Butter Fudge.. YEA!
My Aunt Lauri (aka Aunt Zombie) made her scrumptious seasoned mixed nuts ::::drooling:::: She slipped me some extra because I told her I wanted to make Aztec Chocolate Bark.... it's my own concoction combining chocolate with spicy seasonings and nuts, of course... from a recipe I adapted of an Aztec drink called cocao (pronounced ca-cow). Its yummy! But one either loves it or hates it.....
I'm making Grandma Fran's toffee recipe, handed down from her grandmother... it is divine :) I am also making some mock toffee bars with graham crackers, butter, chocolate and nuts.... as good as the real thing, without the fuss!! If you don't have this recipe already, I'd be happy to point you in the right direction....
Next on the agenda are sugar plum pops. These I got from Food Network's Sandra Lee on 'Semi Homemade'. Simple as pie! Frozen cheesecake scooped into balls, stick inserted, and dip in melted dark or white chocolate, maybe some caramel and nuts added. I got sugar-free melting chocolates and sugar free caramel from my local cake supply place and a sugar free, fat free cheesecake at Meijer (grocery).
As if that's not enough, I'm making truffles.... full of luscious chocolate ganache flavored with Bailey's Irish Creme, Gran Marnier, or Brandy. I've got some flavored oils I may also use.
And of course, cookies of all kinds.... but they will be made on Wednesday or Thursday... so they'll last ;)
So, I'm off to indulge my fantasies......
Cat
