Winter Snow Hits Carolina

Yeah Boy - it is 2 pm and it is STILL snowing outside! Here are some pics to enjoy. School is closed as is Fort Bragg!

HARNETT COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ON JANUARY 20, 2009
DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER.

"Fort Bragg is closed Tuesday, 20 Jan 09.

Enjoy the view - Lars enjoyed the snow for the first few minutes until he realized it was cold - he wanted back in. I was able to get some shots of him and his dad out walking in the early am! There is always time for playing Go Get The Tennis Ball!!!

Good thing the cocoa motion is getting it's workout today. It was also a great day to clean the electric oven and share the heat shall we say!

Yes, that is the name of our trash company!!!

Christmas a month late

OK I know I am a bit slow here posting these pics. We tricked Sir David this year. We got him a phone but we put a baby phone in Joe's Instinct box and then wrapped his Rumor in paper and put behind a frame. Bill went to Salem and got the shirt for David. Jon and Amy were tired from going back and forth from house to house family to family. That is Mikey behind the mask!

Oh I almost forgot - what family gathering is not complete without laying the game out on the living room table- jon was there in spirit!

I took some sure fine dim sum photos. Yes Mike is about to eat chicken feet!

New 2009

This is a new Year and I have all these great goals to want to achieve! There are the obvious ones we all know and try to make each year!

I was at a recent job interview and the CFO asked me what my goals were for the new year!

Hmm - I feel a little like Dustin Hoffman in that movie .... Kramer VS Kramer where he needs to have a job to keep his kid... You know the scene - interview at office while Christmas party is going on....

Anyway I like my little picture and the words of the wise Swedish Chef!

Uncle Jay Recaps 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWiXy55OHyY

A friend of mine sent this link. Make sure your sound is on- sit back and enjoy!

He is riding on sleigh

I just had to post this picture. A true Blue New England Christmas. Will the post office get through? What about the big man in the sleigh?

Hope you and yours wherever you may be in this world have a happy and safe Christmas full of happy memories that have been in the past that take place in the present and what may come in the future!!!

Project

This is one of my favorite pictures of Daddy/Big Grampa/Dwight. He was in his happy place at the Ocean City condo on the beach with his Redskins hat. I am sorry that the picture is sideways, The original in Picassa is straight - weird that it uploaded on the side. But so it is!

I have taken on the challenge of converting the "slides" over to JPGs to view on the computer. This has been a big challenge and taken many hours and will continue. It is fun to see the pictures and as many of them were taken by Daddy, to see them through his eyes.

The Christmas photos are just about complete. I did not copy all of them as there are many similar shots. Daddy loved to take pictures and them be able to enjoy them over and over again. He loved the holidays and I think especially Christmas. We always had to load up the car and drive down to DC to see the National Tree- which by the way has often been from North Carolina.

As in German? tradition we would always go cut a tree but it was not to come into the house to be decorated until the 15th and then left up until the 15th of January. Through the years we were always required to be at home to decorate the tree- I dont think we complained too much. It was fun and we had cider or hot chocolate and gingersnap cookies - YUM!

Daddy loved to bake/cook and I have found memories of watching then helping and then in later years the roles were switched as we made the Christmas Stolen. The kitchen table was covered with flour and the massive loaves were rolled and rolled and them filled with fruits and nuts and then carefully placed in the oven to bake.

I do miss Daddy and am so glad that he taught us girls so much and I can see it in my adult life everyday.

So Daddy, at this time of year I raise my cider/Glug glass to you sir and wish you a very happy Christmas and to all family that read this to you I send the same. Family: take a minute to reflect on your memories if Daddy/Big Grandpa/Dwight and enjoy this holiday!

Heres to you! Skal!!!! EN skal till du en skal till vännerna och en skal till alla den söt flikarna

A little Southern Christmas Tale!

Bubba Claus Is Coming To Town

A new contract for Santa has finally been negotiated....Please read the following carefully.......

I regret to inform you that, effective immediately, I w ill no longer be able to serve Southern United States on Christmas Eve. Due to the overwhelming current population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by the North American Fairies and Elves Local 209. I now serve only certain areas of Oregon , Nevada , Washington , Montana and California . As part of the new and better contract I also get longer breaks for milk and cookies so keep that in mind.
However, I'm certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement who happens to be my third cousin, Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South Pole. He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls; however, there are a few differences between us. Differences such as:

1. There is no danger of a Grinch stealing your presents from Bubba Claus. He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: "These toys insured by Smith and Wesson."

2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave an RC cola and pork rinds [or a moon pie] on the fireplace. And Bubba doesn't smoke a pipe. He dips a little snuff though, so please have an empty spit can handy.

3. Bubba Claus' sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flyin' coon dogs instead of reindeer. I made the mistake of loaning him a couple of my reindeer one time, and Blitzen now overlooks Bubba's fireplace.

4. You won't hear "On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen ..." when Bubba Claus arr ives. Instead, you'll hear, "On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and Labonte. On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty."

5. "Ho, ho, ho!" has been replaced by "Yee Haw!" And you also are likely to hear Bubba's elves respond, "I her'd dat!"

6. As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus' sleigh does have a Yosemite Sam safety triangle on the back with the words "Back off" The last I heard it also had other decorations on the sleigh back as well. One is Ford or Chevy logo with lights that race through the letters and the other is a caricature of me (Santa Claus) going wee wee on the Tooth Fairy.

7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as "Miracle on 34th Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life" will not be shown in your negotiated viewing area. Instead, you'll see "Boss Hogg Saves Christmas" and "Smokey and the Bandit IV" featuring Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus and dozens of state patrol cars crashing into each other.

8. Bubba Claus doesn't wear a belt. If I were you, I'd make sure you, the wife, and the kids turn the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree.

9. And finally, lovely Christmas songs have been sung about me like Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer" and Bing Crosby's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." This year songs about Bubba Claus will be played on all the AM radio stations in the South. Those song title will be Mark Chesnutt's "Bubba Claus Shot the Jukebox" and "Grandma Got Run'd Over by a Reindeer."

Sincerely Yours,
Santa Claus(Member of North American Fairies and Elves Local 209