Hi all! Patty! Thanks for sharing those pics. I hadn't seen them before. I think I need a few more tree's to try different ways of growing. ;-) Hi Josh! Yes, I know you do :-) See, another tree, and I could do as you do, and then let this one go to see what happens. I really want the pink variegated I saw at HD! It even had a nice size lemmon! 5gal. for about $25 if I remember. It does have several side branches, but short now and they blend due to the leaves. Mike~ Tree seems Ok today. Just checked. We had a hard freeze last night and I forgot to cover it(I'm sick and was in bed by 8pm! :-( ). But I have it under a shrub which is a pretty warm spot (micro climate) compared to the rest of the yard. It has a few yellow leaves, i'm assuming not fed well or at all by grower/wal mart. I will give it a shot of MG today till I can get better. Is it ok to move it to gritty mix this time of year? Or weather is so flip floppy! But it's been a warm winter with spring like days and cold nights. Yesterday was high of 51* but water in dishes outside froze. lol.. Today will be high of 53*. Warming up to 60's next few days. Or just pot up and put some 5-1-1 around it for now, just to get it in a bigger pot. Right now it's in a tall narrow one. A slip I think it's called. I'll put a link below of what our week will look like. Please don't hate me if you are where it snows. ;-) JoJo Here is a link that might be useful: Tucson Forcast

Merry Christmas to you, Glenda! We had a total of 14 inches of snow in OKC - unprecedented. This is definitely one for the history books. I hope you are doing okay in SW Missouri. I am very familiar with that area having grown up in Neodesha and Independence, Kansas, where my family still resides. Are you near Joplin? So pretty there and in SE Kansas. Wish I had paid more attention to the local wildlife when I was young. My birds were still consuming food yesterday amidst all the rain and snow. I have somehow got to make it outside to feed them today and give them some fresh water. I got some popcorn to pop for them. Figured I could just toss some around in the yard for the ground feeders. Once this all starts to melt, the plants and trees will get a very nice drink of water. Here's hoping the best for you and yours this Christmas and New Year's. Susan

Merry Christmas Everyone!! Suzanne, I am glad that you got a chance to spend some time with your sister on her birthday. I love sitting in the quiet by candlelight too. something almost magical.. I just got contacts too! Maddie, I laughed so hard re those cookies. Sounds like something that would happen to me! I like Bj's suggestion about making a layered dish with them and vanilla pudding. What a clever idea! Relax and enjoy the bourbon.LOL Bj, I am not sure that I would have had as much patience if I had all that extra work sprung on me at what is always a very busy time. I would have helped you too, if I were there. In fact we could all have had a party! DeeMarie, the Good Carb Cookbook you sent is WONDERFUL!! I will be using it to plan my meals starting Monday. Thank you so much! Your Christmas party sounds like a lot of fun. I am making a large seafood platter for tomorrow as well: Jumbo shrimp, King Crab legs, scallops, crab salad served in a huge clam shell with bruschetta on baguette. I hope all is well with your DH and his kidney stones. No counting calories till Monday so don't worry about your MD appointment. Marci, I have been licking my fingers for 2 days! LOL How many cookies do you think we consume just licking those fingers, hmm? Raeanne, I am making bread today too. My kids got me a bread maker for my birthday and I am eager to try it out. I'll be thinking about you. I hope your package comes today... Enjoy the time with your DDs. Lynn, I like your positive attitude about that job! Life IS too short to be miserable. Better things are ahead for you I am sure (especially w/ such a great attitude) Patti, I can't believe that family won't climb over hill and dale to spend the holidays with you and Dave! I wish you were here to spend the day with us. We are going to church this evening as well and then on to look at some lights. Big hugs to Dave! Well, I am finishing the baking ( bread and cheesecake )and the wrapping. Almost done! I got DS tickets to see a concert up in San Francisco this March. He's never been there and I look forward to showing him around.These were very hard to get tix and he has no idea! I told his friend and he said "You are the COOLEST Mom!" Ha HA! I feel vindicated! After 2 weeks w/ no prednisone and a 5 day juice fast, I checked in at the Doc and am down 7 lbs!! I feel better than I have in a year. Wishing all of you, my friends, a wonderful and memorable Christmas ! Tikanas

Rosa, I'm so happy you can relax and enjoy Christmas! My DH's family has been having a harder time getting together, too. They aren't even having a whole-family gathering for Christmas this year. I told DH I wasn't hosting - I'm too sad/stressed/angry about stuff at work and am in no mood to socialize. His sister works at Disney so can't host; his dad has just started serving as pastor of a church again, so he's busy, his cousin who hosted Thanksgiving said she wasn't doing Christmas, too...well, you get the picture. So, we'll see my mom in the morning and his dad & sister in the afternoon and have ourselves a quiet little Christmas (hey, that sounds like a song title! LOL) Donna