Taxes....

I just spent the last day and a half in tax hell. I hate it. We needed to get an idea where we stood on our tax situation for this year and to do that I had to do a "mock" tax filing. You really can't do that with old tax software as the rules of the game change every year and you just land up making a "wild ass guess" so you get some kind of number. Because Steve stayed with one company all year and he did some consulting as well, our tax situation was wildly different than it was in 2007. Throw in stock sales, purchases and a wedding to really make things crazy. We bought the Turbo Tax 2008 download but it wouldn't. Must be some kind of time thing that doesn't allow it to download till the first of the year or they are doing upgrades as we speak. The government really needs to go to a flat tax, it would really be much simpler on us tax preparers...

Fordyce Family Christmas or 23 and counting...

What a great time we had! Dinner at my mother-in-laws then a walk across the driveway to my brother-in-law Raymonds for desserts and gift opening. Wow, the family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Not only through marriage; Buck and Lisa, but with the addition of two babies, Stuart and Cash we were getting quite cramped in Norma's house. It had been getting that way for a couple of years now since our grown children had gotten serious sweeties and all were attending Christmas dinner at Grandma's. Raymond came up with the perfect solution to the events and a great "BIG" thank you to him and his sweetie Annette for letting us do these things at their home. After our fill of desserts and gifts we played a really fun game. It required the players to write a name down on a piece of paper and then try to match the name with the player. One person had to read the names out loud therefore couldn't play, the rest of us had to remember the names read aloud which was only twice. It was a scream, when my youngest niece Estelle (age 5) guessed her Grandmas name "hot toddy" on her first try...

ETA: And a shout out of a Happy Birthday to a dear friend, Dale. I hope you had a good one!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

I hope you all had great day. I just spent the better part of the day with my girls and their families and it was great. Good food, presents and lots of laughs. My grandbaby must be going through another growth spurt as he spent the better part of the time eating. We capped off the evening watching a not so "merry" movie, The Dark Knight. It was a present to Steve from Santa. Lisa and Buck had not seen the movie yet. Oops, time to wash the dinner dishes. I don't know if I will get photos posted as we are having our 'Fordyce' family get together tomorrow afternoon and I still haven't decided what dish I am taking...

It is forty degrees!!!

And all of this will be a distant memory by the end of the week. Who would have thought that a couple of weeks ago when the weatherman said an artic front was moving in that it would have lasted this long. While I complain about the fact I can't get out of my driveway, I do really enjoy the look of the land freshly covered in snow. How quiet the road in front of my house becomes when it is too icy to drive on and people actually stay home. I don't know what the actual recorded snow amount for the Salem area is as I have not been able to watch the news since the ice storm hit a few days ago. You see a branch off our maple tree next to the house broke and took out my TV antennae. I am going to have to grab the rabbit ears I have in the spare room...

Man and his dog in the snow...

Steve measured 8 inches off the front porch. I think there is about ten next to my car between the garage and twelve on my patio. And the news said we can expect at least another four to eight inches in the morning!! For crying out loud I think I have had enough. We wondered how Piper would do in this and you can tell by the photo just fine. She rolls around in it, chases Steve while he is feeding the other animals and generally looks like she loves it. I have had enough. I can't get out of my driveway let alone walk to my mailbox. Being as short as I am the snow would go past my knees and the boots I have don't go that high. Sheesh...

ETA: It took Steve three hours to get to work!! Since the news was reporting more snow he left at 3:45PM. As he headed south he heard on the news that I-5 southbound was closed at I-205. He wanted me to verify this. Yep, it was. Rolling closure for snow plows, deicing and gravel trucks. He pulled off the highway had dinner and did some grocery and Christmas shopping. He got back on the freeway. Total time to get home from the time he left work eight hours!! It makes total sense that he would rather fly...

It was lights out....

It happened around seven o'clock last night and the power didn't return till 12:15 in the morning. We had an ice and snow storm that added about a half an inch of ice to everything. We new it was just a matter of time before we would lose power. So I tried to get a bunch of things done in anticipation of that happening. I was almost done when the power went out. So Steve started a fire, we lit candles and he went out to start up then generator. He also surveyed the place for the falling branches we had heard. He had to trim one that was leaning on the power line that led to the house. He couldn't get the generator started so he came back in and thawed out. We read by candlelight and then called it a night. I thought I had turned all the lights off but when the power came back on I found otherwise.

Whoa, that was a SNOW PLOW!!!!

I am living in the Northwest not the midwest! I have been working on my class samples for next month all day. While working from my dining room table I have watched the snow fall most of the day. I have lost my internet connection twice which is very frustrating when you are trying to work. Steve was working from home but now he can't because his work laptop has died so if we lose the satelite again it won't be a big deal. He normally would be out playing in the snow with the girls but alas they no longer live here and he is sick. It started sometime Tuesday, and he has gotten worst everyday since, poor guy. He finally had some dinner tonight after missing dinner for a couple of nights. He started a fire in the fireplace and that makes the living room warm but the rest of this drafty house we live in is freezing. I am trying to finish the rest of my work but now I am too cold and I can't concentrate. So I think I will go and sit by the fire and read a book...

Snow, snow, snow....and more snow!!

I love the smell of the air after a fresh snow. I love the looks of the pristine ground before anyone decides to walk on it leaving a trail of footprints. I love that it makes everything look so clean. But... I hate the fact that I can't drive in it. My car does not have four wheel drive or studded tires so I am a shut in till my hubby can take me where I need to go. He did that Wednesday late afternoon. I managed to get some of my shopping done and I still had a bit to do but he has not been feeling good so we came home. Which really was a smart thing to do since it was starting to get colder again. I awoke the next day and after listening to the news I decided to get going and left for town around nine o'clock. The temperature was a balmy 35 degrees. While I was standing in line at Craft Warehouse a mere forty minutes later I looked out the window to see BIG huge snow flakes coming down and they looked to be sticking. Great, was my first thought but I hung in there and went on to finish my shopping. My last stop was Toys R' Us. Boy, I walked in and suddenly I remembered why I don't like shopping there. There seems to be no rhyme or reason how that store is set up. I finished quickly got back into my car and headed home. My Starbucks coffee was now cold but that is why they made microwaves...
ETA: I took this picture off my front porch looking east. The blue sky is but a memory now. We are expecting at least another four to six inches of snow.

Keeping warm...

At least for the most part. But this darn weather is keeping me from getting my Christmas shopping done!! I have more than half still to do and in order for me to get it done I may have to have Steve take me to do it. I don't think we have been shopping together for a very long time, so it should prove to be fun...

Christmas cards, letter and weather...

I have finished addressing all my Christmas cards and I printed a rough draft of my Christmas letter. I hope to get Steve to read it and make any changes so that I can print it. I need to get these cards in the mail this week. The weather here is going to get frightfully cold. The weatherman is calling for rain and snow mix this evening turning to snow overnight. We are expecting 1-3" of snow and temperatures around freezing tomorrow and then around 20 degrees in the evening. Highs are not expected to be more than the mid-twenties and as low as 13 on Monday and Tuesday. You can bet I am staying home till at least Wednesday when the temps will get around 34. Brrr.....

First gifts...

Were purchased yesterday and I still feel pretty unexcited about the season. Most of my young nieces and nephews will be getting gift cards this year as I have no idea what to get them for gifts and their parents are not much help. I will give you a glimpse into my frame of mind, my older kid told me my gift list was boring. Boring, wow that is the first time I have heard that...

Shopping, I am so behind...

It is that time of year and I am SO not ready. I have little or no shopping done yet!! It also doesn't help that my family in California has not called me back with their children's sizes or desires. Sheesh...

Faith shaken...

It takes a lot to do that to me but it happened this week. My dear sweet friend Julie's husband Nathan has found himself without a job come the end of the month. He had been working in California, Willow Glen specifically, at the Willow Glen Baptist Church as the youth pastor. Things took a nasty turn I would say about a year ago and since then the pastor of the church has been trying to find ways to get Nathan to quit or to get the board to fire him. He was finally successful. The details I am not privy to devulge but suffice it to say what the board and pastor of that church did was not treat Julie and Nathan very Christian like. It shakes your faith in the "good" Christians of the world when people do this. It makes you want to lash out at these "good" people, but as I have been taught it its not my place to judge for that will come when they reach the pearly gates...

A fever and a sore throat...

The good news is the preliminary throat culture is negative. When I got the news I sent Sarah a text and asked if I could stop by and give some love to my grandbaby. When I got there Lisa was there entertaining her nephew. He had the most curious look on his face. You know the one, "I know that voice and face from somewhere but something is different." Oh yes, very different! Lisa had her hair cut short!! She donated ten inches to Locks of Love and still had two more cut off. It looks fabulous and of course I didn't have my camera with me. I swear, I need to have that thing attached to my arm so I won't miss opportunities like this one...

That time of year...

The holiday rush is on and this time I am totally feeling it. I haven't done any real shopping and am not really in the spirit either. I hope this changes soon. In the meantime I am also fighting some kind of head cold and it appears I may be losing the battle. So I am staying away from my grandbaby for the next day or two. Which stinks... :(