So, from the week before Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas, the average temperature around here was somewhere in the twenties. It seems like it snowed every other day.

Then, Christmas comes around. The average temperature for the past week has been in the forties. I’m not quite sure what the weather’s doing, but it sucks.

In more exciting news, Christmas has come and gone. Ahh Christmas… good times, good times. Deuce had a ball opening presents (even some that weren’t his, he really liked ripping into everything) and playing with all his new toys. The clothes he got were nice, but you would have to ask Mom for the details. Dad was more interested in the toys: two GeoTraks trains, some Little People sets, a Police Car, a basketball hoop, and the piece de resistance: the “My First Craftsman” circular saw.

For me the week has been full of work.  Dana took this week off since her schools are closed and she can’t do much.  Luckily it’s only a three day week for me.  I have tomorrow off for New Years.

So while brainstorming for what to get my parents for Christmas, Dana and I thought of getting them a new stove. Why a new stove? Well, they had one of those glasstop models, but only three burners worked and the top was cracked. I’d say that qualifies for a new one. While it’s a bit pricey, divided between my sister, my wife, and myself, it’s not all that bad.

Then, Emily thought that it would be nice to get them a new dishwasher as well. Why? Maybe it’s because they have to put a funnel over the one water spout to get it to work properly. Ok, so the new dishwasher is in too.

So we went out and bought the stuff last week and had it delivered yesterday so that they could use it for Christmas Day (plus the “shock and awe” factor is always a plus). The best part was that we were able to keep it a surprise right up until my Dad got home from work. He promptly yelled that it was too much. Aside from that, it went over well, although they now have to re-time their recipies for an oven that doesn’t loose heat.

Give or take an hour or so. I know, Christmas isn’t for 6 days, but for us it starts Christmas Eve at my grandfather’s house. Although, the five day countdown just isn’t what it used to be, considering that Christmas started about 4 weeks ago, right after we packed up the Thanksgiving turkey into leftovers.

As you can imagine, this is a pretty busy time for everyone, and the last thing I will be thinking about is posting. If I get a few posts in before the holidays I’ll be lucky. So, if I don’t see you, have a good Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or… Ok, forget it. Have a great holiday season!

Apparently, Ol’ Man Winter decided to play “Name that Precipitation” with our area. The forcast was “Snow, maybe sleet, rain, maybe sleet, Snow.” And somehow, they got an accumulation total out of that.

So I’m a bit fearful of my ride home, especially if everything starts to turn to ice. The temperature on the bank sign outside my window says it’s 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but they are always notoriously high (I think it registered at 99 once this summer, and it definitely was not 99 degrees out at all here this summer).

So wish me luck.

It snowed here Thursday night into early Friday morning, dropping about 6″ of snow at our house. Being so quick, most schools were closed or had delays, so Dana stayed home and took care of Deuce.

The weathermen had called for some snow yesterday, but made now mention of the fact that a squall would hit, drop about 2″ of snow, and make the roads look like the ice rink downtown right around 5:00 pm, about the time we were heading home from my parent’s house. After taking 45 minutes to get from my parent’s house to the turnpike (typical drive time: 10-15 minutes), we found the turnpike to be wet but still snow in the middle of the lane.

After seeing two accidents (and almost getting into one thanks to some lady who decided to ignore the “Opposing Traffic Does Not Stop” sign that was attached to her stop sign.. Let’s say I had a few choice words for her) we made it home in a little under two hours.

So thank you, weathermen, for letting us know that it was going to snow enough to make from Grandma and Grandpa’s a nightmare. Jerks.