We got our snow and then some last night! With the drifting, it’s hard to say what our total accumulation is. Officially, the Dayton International Airport got at least 16 inches, which breaks our record of 12.1 inches. My own yard has areas at least 2 feet deep, but some shallower areas. Of course, I’ve got pictures. Heck, I even had dad take a picture of the front of my house and e-mail it to me so I could post it.

Here’s the view outside my back door. As you can see, there’s a bit more snow than yesterday.

Here’s a Leo’s-eye view of the snow. Is it any wonder that he doesn’t want to go outside?

I called dad and asked him to take a photo of my place from his living room window. He obliged and sent the picture to me. Let’s hear it for the Internet!

Good thing that my only plans for today are to work on the family cookbook and eventually get out to help the folks shovel out mom’s driveway. (The mound of snow made by the snow ploughs is up as high as dad’s truck!) judiang, I don’t think you have to worry about not having any snow to shovel when you get here on Monday!

With four inches on the ground already and promise of at least 10 (to 20) inches total accumulation by tomorrow afternoon, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be having a White Christmas. 🙂 The snow is gorgeous, falling down in small and large flakes. Beautiful to look at and to walk in (though I think I need taller boots!) I took a couple of snaps from my back door. (Leo had the chance to go outside if he wanted to. He stood in the doorway, getting flakes on his head, but decided not to test out that white stuff on the back stoop.)

Yes, it really looks like a picture print from Courier and Ives – the common collection. 😉

My garage makes a nice dark backdrop for the cute, white flakes.

Since mom doesn’t work until Friday, all three of us are delighted with the fluffy snow. Mom and I foolishly went out in it this morning to exercise at Curves and for mom to go to her WeightWatchers meeting. It’s good that I went with her because there was only one other person in the meeting, besides the WW lady. Usually there’s 20 people, mom said. But we got home safely and I went off to work at the school for awhile. I’m done with that, however, so I can now concentrate on the cookbook.

Speaking of cooking, I never did state everything that was made by mom and me. Let’s see if I can recall all 11 items:

1. Lindy Cookies
2. Sour Cream Sugar Cookies
3. Cheesecake Cupcakes
4. Peanut Blossoms
5. Floor Sweeping Cake
6. Candy Buckeyes
7. Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
8. Chocolate-Coated Town House Cracker Peanut Butter Sandwiches
9. Aunt Alma’s Ground Pecan Cookies
10. Quaker Oats Cereal & Pecan Munchies (sweet)
11. Pecan Tassies (mini-pecan pies)

Heh, I had to call ’round to mom’s to ask what the 11th item was. Turns out I was forgetting the cheesecake cupcakes, which we made on the first day. I forgot them, probably, because I haven’t actually eaten any yet! They all turned out very nicely and ought to be a hit at all of the family gatherings.

Christmas is coming! Whee! I’ve got snow! Whee! Gonna OD on family soon! Whee! Can you tell that I love this time of year? 😉

A Seventh Doctor/Ace Holiday story for my Holiday Fanfic Challenge
By Trina L Short

Ace was having a bad week. First off, the Doctor was being all mysterious and secretive again. And this after she’d opened up to him and talked about her childhood, her dad, and the divorce. She was supposed to share with him, why couldn’t he share with her?

During the course of this particular bout of secretiveness, he’d commandeered the workshop. She needed to replenish her stock of Nitro 9 (perhaps even modify it to make it even more explosive), which she couldn’t do now that the workshop would open only at his voice command.

And the worst thing was the TARDIS laundry eating one of her socks. It couldn’t have eaten the one with the hole in the toe. No, it had to eat one half of her favorite pair. Stupid TARDIS. Stupid Doctor. Stupid week.

As she sulked in her room, she heard the Doctor call out “Good night, Ace!” The TARDIS dimmed the lights in her room. When *he* decided it was night, the TARDIS complied. Stupid TARDIS, she thought again.

She lay down on her bed and thought about getting into her pajamas. Except that she really wasn’t feeling sleepy. So she listened to the hum of the TARDIS, hoping it might hypnotize her to sleep, as it so often did. After half an hour of boredom, the hum of the ship changed. She sat up abruptly – the TARDIS has landed somewhere!

Ace quickly gathered her basic supplies and stuffed them into her knapsack. Then she grabbed her jacket and rushed into the corridor. When she got to the console room, the Doctor was already gone. Damn him, leaving her to go off and have adventures of his own.

She turned on the scanner and saw that, wherever they were, it was pissing down rain. Ace just barely made out a figure with an umbrella and carpetbag wandering down a wet city street. When she noticed the umbrella handle was bright red, she knew that was her target.

Ace grabbed a second umbrella from the stand and put a trench coat on over her jacket. If he looks back, he won’t recognize me, she thought. She zipped out the door, locked it, and followed the man with the bag.

After sloshing though a couple of side streets, Ace realized that she was roaming through London. Could be contemporary (for her) or perhaps a few years previous or after. But it was definitely London.

The Doctor moved down an alley and knocked at a door. After a short wait, it opened and he moved into the building. Ace hurried after him and managed stop the door from shutting and locking. She peeked into the room and saw that he and the person who let him in had already left it. She closed her umbrella and entered the building.

He’s probably answered some distress signal, she thought. Maybe some aliens need a way off the planet. Why didn’t he let me in on it, she wondered? Did he think I’d screw things up? Blow things up? Heck, how could I do that when he locked me out of the workshop all week?

The carpetbag! Of course, Ace remembered now where she’d seen it before. The Doctor had taken it into the workshop at the start of the week and it had been empty. She noticed on the wet walk to this place that it was certainly full now. He’s probably built some alien communication device or weapon or something. Planning the whole thing all week. And didn’t tell her! Stupid Doctor!

Ace listened at the inner door in the room. The Doctor’s Scots brogue was easy to recognize, despite the muffling of the door. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he was talking to a woman, she thought. She carefully opened the inner door and looked around. It looked like a storeroom or something. And it was empty.

Quietly, Ace moved to the next inner door. This time she could hear a lot better.

“How many this year?” she heard the Doctor ask.

“Fifteen. Our most yet,” the woman replied. She sounded frustrated. Maybe these people are always having trouble with alien intruders?

“We’re in luck. I happen to have exactly fifteen in my bag!” She couldn’t see him, but she pictured that goofy smile of his as he said it.

“You’re a marvel, Doctor. I don’t know how you do it,” the lady replied.

“Where shall I put them?” he asked.

“Right over here. They’ll be so excited in the morning when they see them.” The voices moved further away from where Ace was standing, but she was still able to hear what was going on.

The woman spoke again. “Oh wow! Those are wonderful! The children will just love them!”

Children? Ace was confused. The Doctor was rescuing alien children?

“Thank you. I’m always happy to help. But now I must be off.”

The Doctor’s voice got louder as he talked, so Ace started to moved back to the first room. He hadn’t seen her yet and she wasn’t about to let him see her now.

“Must you go so soon? The children will want to thank you for the toys!”

The door to the storeroom opened, and Ace froze. But thankfully, the Doctor was looking into the other room as he spoke. “Just tell them Father Christmas sent them. Knowing the kids will have toys this Christmas is thanks enough for me.” Ace watched as the Doctor raised his hat to the woman in the other room, and she quickly raced out of the building, hoping to beat the Doctor back to the TARDIS.

Curiosity, however, stopped her briefly. She moved around to the front of the building and read the sign above the front door. “Grace Street Homeless Shelter.” She glanced around and noticed the Doctor was walking further into the city and away from the TARDIS. Good, she thought, I can get a closer look.

Ace walked over to look in the window. She saw the Christmas tree (looking rather shabby, but with many handmade decorations, probably by children) and the newly placed gifts under it. All of the gifts were wooden toys. The Doctor makes toys? Ace smiled at the thought. No wonder he needed the workshop all week! She decided to forgive him. This time…

Before she turned to head back, she was reminded of something. The toys… Wasn’t that one a…? It was! A hand-carved top, just like the one her dad…

Ace moved to the front door, intending to get a closer look at the toy, when a hand on her shoulder stopped her progress.

“Ace,” the quiet voice said.

She turned to the Doctor, tears in her eyes. “The top. That’s the top I told you about, isn’t it?”

“It may be. I’ve made hundreds of those over time.”

Ace sniffed as she said, “What? Hundreds?”

The Doctor gestured towards a café that was still open this late. Neither said anything on their way to get out of the rain.

Once they both had a cup of hot chocolate, the Doctor sighed.

“I wish you hadn’t followed me.”

“Yeah, well, I figured you were up to something. And, as usual, you were.” She stared at her mug. “Why didn’t you tell me you were playing at Father Christmas? I could have helped.”

“Actually, I would have. Several of my companions have helped over the years.” He paused and took another sip. “Why do you suppose I didn’t involve you?” he asked, with a knowing smile.

“Not another initiative test!” Ace shook her head. But she thought about the top, and the emotions it pulled up in her mind.

She was seven years old the Christmas she’d been given the top. Her dad was so excited to see what she’d do when she got it. And what did she do? Tossed it over her shoulder and went on to the next present. What did she need with some lame, old, wooden top? It was all scratched up from use – it wasn’t even new! What’s up with that?

At age 10, when the divorce happened, her dad gave the top to her again. He said he’d saved it “for a rainy day” and asked Ace to read the letter that came with it. Dad was going away and who knew if she’d ever see him again.

Alone in her room, later that day, she read the letter, written in her dad’s messy handwriting.

“Dearest angel, I want you to have my favoritest toy. It’s kind of silly, I know, but when I was your age, it was the only Christmas present I got. And I treasured it these many years. It always reminds me that when things get bad, there’s still hope. So never forget that, kiddo. You probably won’t understand this now, but maybe someday. Love dad.”

Lame? How could she have thought the toy lame? Even with her 10-year-old eyes, she could see how nicely the toy had been made. She’d spun the top, using the old string, which had come with it. The top had perfect balance. Ace had played with it for hours, thinking about her father. It quickly became her favorite toy.

Ace was still quiet, thinking, when the Doctor gently tapped her hand.

“Your chocolate is getting cold,” he said.

She chugged the rest down and then looked at the Doctor. “Have you given him the top yet?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I rarely see the children who receive the toys. I prefer to not destroy the illusion of Father Christmas, if I can help it.”

Ace shrugged. “You were afraid I’d get after you to take me to him or something.” It wasn’t a question.

“Or something.”

She grabbed her knapsack and put it over her shoulder. “Well, come along, Santa, you’ve got more toys to deliver, haven’t you?”

He smiled, as he picked up his carpetbag. “Indeed, there’s a few more stops tonight.”

It was nearly dawn when they returned to the TARDIS. The Doctor unlocked the door and gestured for Ace to enter first. She did a double take when she noticed the fireplace. And then the Christmas tree in the corner where the coat rack usually stood. Christmas music was playing in the background.

“Merry Christmas, Ace!” the Doctor said, as he followed her into the console room.

She went over to the fireplace (a fireplace in the console room? With a fire blazing? The Doctor really was a marvel) and noticed the sock hanging from the mantle.

“My sock!” she said, astonished. “That’s my favorite sock!”

“Is it?” the Doctor asked.

She carefully removed the sock from the mantle and emptied it of its contents. An orange, a candy bar, and few wooden toys. There was a rubber band-powered car, a small catapult, and a large top, just like the one her father had given her years before. She ran over to the Doctor and hugged him.

“Thank you, Father Christmas,” she said.

“And thank you, chief elf” he said, tweaking her nose.

Ace laughed as she bent down to examine the gifts under the tree. This was the best week ever, she thought to herself as she started opening presents. And probably the best Christmas ever.

Big thanks go to elsaf for her constructive comments. If you liked the story, that’s all thanks to Elsa. If you find errors or didn’t like it, well, that’s my fault. 🙂 judiang and my folks were also beta readers/listeners as well. Thanks to them too!

PS dark_pheonix: do you do commissions? I need a piece of art for this piece. 🙂

Today is the shortest day of the year. The first day of Winter. The promise of longer days. The knowledge that the pattern of life continues! Celebrate! Light a candle in the darkness, knowing that you’ll not have to light it quite as long the next day, and the next!

Mom and I started the day by getting ingredients for Baking Day. We didn’t get to actual baking until 11am and got halfway done with our list, more or less. Things baked today: Lindy Cookies (mom’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies), sour cream sugar cookies, “pecan caramel dreams” aka floor sweeping cake (it does look like it’s covered in floor sweepings, but it’s just pecans and Heath Bit O’ Brickle chips), and peanut blossoms (the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey’s Kiss on top – AKA nipple cookies) were all finished today. I rolled about four billion peanut butter balls for the buckeyes we’ll be dipping tomorrow. And mom made the dough for her icebox cookies (which we should call “back porch cookies” since we’re keeping them cold in the back porch, not the fridge).

Tomorrow, we finish the buckeyes and also dip some peanut butter between Town House crackers in the chocolate (mom’s had ’em and says they’re great). We’ll bake the icebox cookies and also make Aunt Alma’s ground pecan cookies (my favorite, but sticky as all get out), and four other things which elude me at the moment. One thing is a munchie that’s damned addictive and sweet. Great for playing cards by. 🙂

So far, I’ve gotten 22 catapult reports graded – woohoo! Only 10 more to go. I’m ahead of schedule there. Behind schedule on the cookbook updates, but I’ve still got recipes coming in. (My cousin Shelly sent in some today – woohoo! And another cousin, Patty, has snail-mailed me some others – woohoo!) Still waiting on Aunt Becky (& Granny & Deanna), cousin Mick, Amy & Rachel, and Aunt Charlene to come through with some recipes. judiang owes me two and elsaf said she’ll think about contributing a few (definitely her Bailey’s Irish Cream ice cream recipe – woohoo!) I’m thinking Thursday will be my biggest work day on the cookbook. That way, Friday I can try the printing and cutting and whatnot.

Not sure I’ll actually do any web work this break. It’s low priority on my To Do list. There are other things I’d rather do and I don’t get paid for the web work (yet). Hoping that once I get caught up on my summer tasks at school (Wednesday?) I’ll be able to spend some time researching ASP and writing the website.

On Nov 30, I challenged everyone on my flist to a Holiday Story Challenge. The good news is that I actually have completed a story for it – woohoo! So far, folks who have decided to give the challenge a try are warinbabylon (who is done and written a good ‘un), timjr (who has written a Halloween drabble – I never said it had to be Xmas – write for ANY holiday), mojober (who has started, she says). There may be others whom I have forgotten. (elsaf has set herself upon a holiday fanfic challenge independently of my own – hopefully she’ll be able to get it done!)

If you have completed the challenge or are still hoping to try something, let me know! I’ll be posting mine later this week, along with links to all of the other challenges thus far completed. Then after January 1st (the deadline) I’ll make a more complete list of links. In case you didn’t want to link back to the challenge, here it is again:

Write a holiday-based fan fiction from one of your favorite fandoms (or least favorite fandoms if you’d rather). You pick the holiday, the length, the characters, etc. But it must be done by January 1st. Post it in your LJ when you’re done. Give it a try – you know you want to!

Happy Birthday, bossythecow! I sympathize with anyone who has birthdays this close to Christmas! (Mine’s the 1st of January – joy joy!)

Today was the first day of my Winter Break. Woohoo! I had a relaxing day of Christmas music, grading chemistry tests and physics catapult papers (tests are now done and got 7 papers graded – trying to get at least 5 done a day), and tormenting the cat. Leo, the cat in question, is currently sleeping on my computer desk, worn out from his day of intensive napping. Poor bebe!

Wish I had a Santa hat for him – I’d put it on him now and take a picture. judiang, when you come next week, bring your Santa hat! We’ll get Leo to pose! 🙂

As you can figure, I have the entire week before Christmas off. So what will I do with myself? I have a number of tasks:

• Hide the wires for my 5.1 speakers so they don’t show in the front door
• Finish grading the physics catapult reports
• Work on the family cookbook update (must be done by Dec 26)
• Spend a day at the school working on getting caught up from summer tasks
• Pick out Baking Day recipes
• Bake lots of goodies on Baking Day with mom
• Work on the school website EDIT: not a priority at all
• Vacuum and dust the place (gonna have visitors)

The goal is to complete all of these tasks by Christmas (or earlier). After Christmas, I’ll be doing family & friends 24/7, pretty much. Mom’s side of the family will gather on Boxing Day. My cousin who is a Marine and his wife (whom we see every other year or so) will be there – yay! They’ll be the first recipients of the updated cookbook. judiang and elsaf will come on Monday (hopefully Elsa will be able to come – hope her mom gets well and fast!) and we’ll have our gift exchange then. Tuesday, I intend to take the girls on a tour of Tippy City and maybe we’ll catch a movie. Wednesday, we lose Elsa (*sniff*) but gain Amy & Rachel (yay!) That evening, we’ll be having “Christmas Eve” at Granny’s (dad’s side of the family). After a number of all night card playing sessions, Judi’s as much family as the others, so she’ll be joining in the gift exchange and merriment. Judi and the girls will spend the night with me (Amy and I have spent every “Christmas Eve” together and intend to maintain the tradition at least one more year). Thursday morning will be “Christmas” and we’ll have the family gift exchange. Judi will attend and I hope to get Leo over (again) for at least a little while. He LOVES playing in the wrapping paper and boxes. And Grammar & Gram pa’s house is fun to explore.

We have some ideas for how to spend Thursday evening and Friday day, but who knows what will transpire. Friday evening, however, is the preserve of Trina’s New Year’s Eve Party! Judi, the girls, the folks, Granny, Becky, Deanna and possibly her boyfriend Tim and friend Abby, will all come over for a night of cards, food, and fun. We’ll welcome in 2005 with gusto (and sparkling grape juice) and I’ll turn 34. Saturday is Trina’s parade (which airs live and uncut on HGT again this year – wot!) Mom’s gonna make pork & kraut (much the way her mom always did every New Years) and has invited her side of the family to join us. Alas, that evening, Amy & Rachel head back home. I get Judi for one more day, at least. But on Monday, I return to work.

So this week off is a good thing. After the week is over, I get to OD on family & friends. One of my favorite holiday experiences. 🙂

— Sylvester McCoy in The Secret Policeman’s Ball

A few years ago, I discovered that there’s something even better than receiving presents. And that’s giving presents. And seeing the faces of the people as they receive presents. So now that I’m Independently Wealthy^TM, I can dote on my friends and buy lots of gips (as we call ’em in my family.) I was wrapping presents last night and finished them tonight. Once I got them under my tree, I realized I might have gone a bit overboard. But, nah, my family and friends are worth it!

Here it is, my tree with far too many gips under it. Excess! That’s what this act’s about!

Tonight I went to our school Christmas concert. (It might be called something more PC than that, but that’s what it is, let’s be truthful here.) Back when I was in school, the Christmas concert consisted of singing from 1st grade on up through 12th grade. The bands (6th grade, junior high, and high school) always had their Winter concert the week before us. Two traditions took place during this “all-in” concert. The first was the singing of the 12 Days of Christmas. 1st through 6th grade got each of the first 6 days of Christmas. (It was always a treat to be in the 5th grade cuz you got to sing FIVE GOLDEN RINGS! really loudly.) The junior high got the 7th day, the high school got the 8th, and they divided the audience into 4 groups for 9, 10, 11, and 12. This particular tradition no longer takes place because they divided the elementary and high school programs up. Now the choirs and bands perform at the same concert.

The other tradition that took place when I was in school still takes place today. That’s the finale with the high school choir singing “The Hallelujah Chorus” where they invite alumni who’ve sung the song before to come to the stage and join in. When I was in elementary, I used to watch the high school choir with awe. They were AMAZING! They wore formal clothes and they sang beautifully and there was usually a humorous song that they did, which was fun to watch. My freshman year in school, I got to be a part of that choir and I was extremely emotional about it. But I didn’t cry until my mom (and uncle, even) came to join us in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” That was one of my most precious memories from high school.

I’ve since been one of the alumni who has come to sing with the choir. And I noticed something this year… Now, I’m a second soprano (to my mom’s first soprano and my sister’s alto), so some of the high notes in the Chorus are a bit of a strain. But for the most part, you gradually make your way up to those notes, and I was usually able to hit all but one or two. Tonight I discovered that I can’t hit even more notes. I really should learn the alto part! Eep! Maybe Amy can teach it to me.

The Christmas concert was the ending to a fun day. After school, the high school staff had a carry-in of snacks and sweets instead of our monthly staff meeting. That was quite pleasant – it’s fun to talk to my co-workers. And the eats were good. Then a few of us went off to High Marks (a school-themed restaurant in Troy) for supper. After the snacks after school, I opted on getting a nice Oriental chicken salad instead of something heavier. Then we returned to town for the concert. For some of my co-workers, this was the first time they’d been to it. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!

Only two more “real” days of school this week. Physics are working on toothpick & glue bridges and tomorrow and Thursday they’ll have their catapult contest as well. (Normally this is held earlier in the year, but I’m really behind this year in both classes). Chemistry will have a test tomorrow or Thursday (depending on their lab day) and both classes are making Gak on Thursday. And Friday is Christmas Fun Day Spirit of Giving Day, so I’ll be watching over a room full of kids playing Euchre and other card games. (And I’ve got one student who’s promised to be my partner, so I should get to play as well – woot!) Yeah, yeah, hard week, no? Let’s hear it for having the ENTIRE WEEK OFF BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Hooray!

This morning at 10am, I drove next door to pick up mom. We stopped at the gas station (for gas & cash) and the post office, and then went on to exercise at Curves. After being good girls, I drove us to the shops across the street from WSU to the “new” Indian place. (I’ve no idea how long it’s been there, but it’s new for me!) It’s called Jeet India and, as we discovered while sampling their lunch buffet, they have really good food. And mom discovered that she loves Tandoori chicken. 🙂

After our lovely lunch, we headed onto the Sam’s Club near the Mall at Fairfield Commons. I found some Welch’s sparkling grape juice for the NYE bash I’m throwing and a bottle of Risling for mom (which I got for the way cool bottle) to enjoy at her leisure. After Sam’s Club, it was time for the Mall. Which was nearly full, but we still found a parking place, eventually. We shopped there for about an hour or so (and even saw my cousin working at the pretzel place, but she was too busy to even notice us). I didn’t find anything that I needed, but mom got a few items.

I’m on the lookout for something for Granny and thought that Lowe’s might have it, but after shopping there, I discovered that they didn’t. No matter, we decided to check out Best Buy just for fun. Only it was filled up even more than the Mall, so I just headed on to the Bookery instead. Got my DWM and Dreamwatch issues. Then back north to Troy to Walmart. Got a few more things off my list there (including windshield wipers – yay! I’ll be able to see again!) We finished out the shopping spree at the Little Professor Book Center. Thanks to mom, I found two books that will be PERFECT for Granny – yay! She ordered me a vanilla steamer and she got a (sugar free) caramel latte.

While we were drinking our beverages, mom’s cell phone rang. It was dad, curious to know where we were. She told him we were nearly done. He asked about supper and I suggested getting him a sub at Cassano’s, which had just opened up in the little shopping center where the bookstore is. After we finished our beverages, that’s where we walked. Mom ordered dad the “original” sub (which she figured she could share with him) and I got a cheese calzone.

Once we got home, I went back to my place to pick up my DVD of Elf and the three of us ate our Cassano’s food and watched the video. We finished up the evening with our little Advent ceremony, and now I’m back home, with Leo. A very fun day for me and mom! And while we were out, dad got the prototype made up for this year’s physics toy! Those of you who will be getting one will LOVE it! I ain’t telling you what it is, neither!

Tomorrow should start out fun as well – dad’s preaching and mom’s singing at the UU church in New Madison. Should be a good ceremony at that!