Super Weekend Shaping Up/Walmart Scam/What-Writing a check?

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Shaping up to be a very nice weekend for most of the country. Only some snow around the Great Lakes and some showers in the Seattle area on Sunday. Highs across the northern states will be in the 20s, 30s and 40s. Down south, highs will reach the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Houston will start out in the 30s Saturday morning. Then, the high will be close to 70. Milder and more humid on Sunday with a few showers the second half of the day. Keep that in mind as you make your Superbowl cookout plans.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do scam or chanchullo, pronounced chahn-chew-YO. Other words used are estafa and timo, pronounced ehs-tah-FAH and tee-MOH. Be sure to read my previous blog (posted earlier today) for information about a diabolical chanchullo.

Kids love puppets. So, they won't even know they are being educated when they watch our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. The content was created by 2 bilingual educators and a linguist. And, it has been recognized as a top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com! Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Be sure to check out the Walmart scam I describe in my previous post from earlier today.

First of all, I want to tell you that I told Megan I would be blogging about her today. We went with my stepdaughter Megan to get some money out of the ATM. Well, it was malfunctioning. So, I had her drive around and I wrote a check to cash and went through another line at the bank. I found out that Megan had no idea how to write a check for cash from a bank. She was very curious to see how I did just that. In fact, I might venture to add, she rarely even uses cash. She mainly uses a debit card for her purchases.

Do you think there will come a time when all of these things are automated and we aren't even carrying cash? I know that we are certainly moving in that direction. But wow...that whole deal today really brought it all home to me.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Walmart Fraud Alert!!!

Hello all -
I am doing an early post to alert to you a scam that will make your life miserable.

It will say it is from Wal-mart and the subject line is: You have been selected.

When you open it, the header will look official with the official Walmart logo. This is the text in the email.

"You have been chosen by Walmart to take part in our Customer Satisfaction Survey.If you decide complete this survey, Walmart will send $150 to your confirmed Credit or Debit Card Account – Just for your time.Helping us better understand how our customers feel, benefits everyone. With the information collected we can decide to direct a number of changes to improve and expand our services.
The Survey form is attached to this email. Please download the attachment, open it, and follow the instructions on your screen.

Walmart, as the party who controls the data collected in this survey, may use your responses together with data it has about you to ensure its products and services meet your needs. Walmart will treat data collected from you in accordance with the Walmart privacy policy. The data submitted by survey form will be transmitted over an SSL encrypted connection (128 bit Secure Socket Layer). "

Then when you open it up, it asks a few questions and then asks for your personal credit care information including pin so that you can get paid $150. Here is more info. about it on a site reporting the fraud:

http://www.orovillemr

Eyes open everyone.
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Houston Superbowl Weather/Groundhog Day Events

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Much improved weather across the U.S. but that doesn't help the poor folks without power...we're talking outages that may as long as 2 weeks, and the poor people are also dealing with the cold! Highs on Friday will be from the 20s to 40s in the hardest hit areas--Arkansas and Kentucky. Highs will be in teens 20s across the Great Lakes and northeast. There will be snow in many of these locations--especially close to the lakes. There will be rain in the Pacific Northwest and Montana with highs in the 40s. There will be very pleasant weather across the southern tier of states with highs in the 50s to 70s.

Houston will start out in the middle 30s (freezing temperatures for outlying locations). Highs will be in the 60s. Expect a similar day on Friday although slightly warmer with highs near 70. Next cold front arrives Sunday, bringing with it some showers--getting the Superbowl cooking out done early or have a rain backup plan. Monday will be cool and windy.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do wind or viento, pronounced vee-ehn-TOW. There will be plenty of viento on Monday.

When I spoke to children at St. Laurence Weekday Children's Program last Friday, I had Paco (the rooster) teach them Spanish words. Then I had them repeat it. Now, keep in mind these are preschool children. Well they repeated the words back with perfect pronunciation. And well guess what? That is what the research shows. Exposure to language at an early age results in accurate pronunciation. And it is almost impossible for an adult to develop the correct pronunciation of new languages. The wiring of the adult brain just does not allow for the oral motor skills needed to develop new ways to make sounds.

So, let them hear our accurate pronunciation. Our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, has correct pronunciation and has been recognized as a top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
We are really getting excited about the Groundhog Day gala Monday evening (Groundhog Day) at the Houston Zoo. Because it will chilly and windy, the event will probably be held in their Education Center. I'm glad, because woman's dress up clothes aren't exactly warm.

If you want information about the gala (there are still seats available), here is the link:
http://www.wxresearch.org/

There will be all kinds of local celebrities there including Mayor Bill White and Judge Ed Emmett. And of course, yours truly will be there and I know you don't want to miss that.

Also, don't forget that in the morning, there is a free Groundhog Day event at the museum itself (located in the heart of the Houston museum district). It is a really fun time for the youngsters.

Happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Rain/Coyote Sighting/Identical Twins

HURRICANES AND WEATHER

Much improved weather for Thursday as the storm that produced so much ice moves into the Atlantic. There will be snow across the Great Lakes and Northern New England and some rain in Florida and the Pacific Northwest. Coldest spots will be northern Plains, Great Lakes states and northern New England with highs in the single digits and teens.

Houston will have freezing temperatures in outlying areas early. Then, it will warm into the low 60s during the afternoon. Into the weekend, mornings will be cool and afternoons will be mild. Look for rain on Sunday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do twins or gemelos, pronounced heh-meh-LOWS. Someone I know is having identical gemelos.


And I just know that they are going to have their children watch our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. They already have their first son watching it, and he loves it. This DVD has been recognized as a top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.



AND MORE

Okay...here's the deal. Ned and Danielle are going to have twin identical baby boys. They already have one cutie-pie son, Teddy. But, taking a look at their Rav4 (which by the way I have seen and it is in excellent condition), they realized that they just could not fit 3 car seats in the back. And I have put 3 car seats in the back of my Honda Accord and they are extremely tight and it is a huge hassle getting kids in and out. But anyway, I digress. So, they are selling that and their table for 4. If you have any interest, please give Ned a call at 713-301-8297. Congratulations Ned and Danielle--we can't wait to meet and cuddle the little guys!

Coyote Sighting in Royal Oaks Country Club Subdivision!!! Not just one but two. I have this information from a reliable source who lives there. If you didn't know, this subdivision is off Westheimer, not far from the Beltway. And, this is a very busy area. I remember years ago, when I first moved into a new subdivision in Copperfield, I kept getting woken up at night by what sounded like women laughing in a field next to the fence behind our house. Lo and behold, I found out it was coyotes that had lived there a long time. One time, one ran across my path as I drove to work. Speaking of that and you all are going to think I am absolutely cuckoo, but about 6 years ago, I was running on the Oyster Creek Trail on a cloudy, cold, drizzly day. No one was on the path and just as I got to a heavily wooded area and came around a bend, I saw what I am certain was a cougar. It was stalking a rabbit crossing the path. Well, I stopped dead in my tracks and the cougar turned its little head and just looked at me and I slowly backed away. As soon as I was out of sight, I high-tailed it out of there and called animal control. They looked for tracks but found nothing. But they did tell me that all kinds of wildlife travels along that creek and that they would not be surprised.

The Groundhog Day Gala is coming up on Monday, February 2nd and seats are still available. Here is a link to the entire program (and it is really something to read) but please note that it is a large document and will take a minute or so to load:
http://www.wxresearch.org/gala/finalgalaprogram.doc
To learn more about the gala and how to purchase tickets, go to:
www.weathermuseum.org

Here are a few highlights:
Program of Events

5:30 pm – Registration, Cocktail Reception & Animal Encounters

6:15 pm – Welcome……………………..Jill F. Hasling, President

6:30 pm – Awards Ceremony........................Bob Orkin, Chairman

7:00 pm – Dinner
Music by: Cherish the Music

Honorary Chairs
Melissa & Bill King

Co-Chairs
Velma & Neil Frank
Sandra & Fred Pounds
Barbara & Charlie Richards

Some of the Weather Heroes include Mayor Bill White, Judge Ed Emmett, Bill Read--Director of the National Hurricane Center. There will also be several Hurricane Ike heroes honoroed including Gene Hafele, head of the local National Weather Service. Please come if you can! It is going to be quite a night!!!

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Ice Storm/Lead Compliance Hurting Small Business

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
First of all, looking at the figure to the right...here is the color key:
Lavender - Freezing Rain Advisory
Pink - Winter Storm Warning
Blue-Gray - Winter Weather Advisory
Purple - Ice Storm Warning
Green - Short Term Forecast
Beige - Hazardous Weather Outlook
White - Nothing special

As I write this, this evening, Dallas area and surrounding counties are having an ice storm. It is going to be a messy morning on Wednesday as the swath of icy conditions extends from Texas into the northeast. If you are driving northward, please wait as long as possible (for daytime warming) and check road conditions. If you are flying anywhere, make sure you check with your airline as there bound to be a lot of delays and cancellations.

Highs Wednesday will be in teens and 20s from Midwest through the Great Lakes and Northern Plains and into the northeast. There will snow and ice from Memphis to Cleveland to Boston. There will be also be snow, ice and rain for the Intermountain Region and Pacific Northwest.

Houston will have a chilly day. Morning rain will taper off by mid-morning. Temperatures will start in the upper 30s and end up close to 50 with some sunshine by late afternoon. The rest of the week will be on the cool side with lows in the 40s and highs in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do treacherous or traicionero, pronounced trah-ee-see-oh-neh-ROW. The road conditions north of Houston will be traicionero early Wednesday!

I spoke at a career fair today and met a wonderful lady who does medical missions in Mexico. She said that she has some rudimentary Spanish but oh how she wishes she had learned it as a youngster when it comes so easily. She listens to educational tapes etc. but it only gets her so far. We talked about all the benefits of early language learning. You see, the brains of children are inherently wired to help them pick up new languages quickly and effectively. Contrary to popular belief, their minds do not get confused. In fact, there is an amazing ability to compartmentalize, identify and sort language based on structure.

So, help your children learn other languages now!!! One fun way is through our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. This DVD has been recognized as a top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I hope you will allow me to vent...about bureaucracy run amuk!!! In August 2008, the government passed a law that all products sold to children under the age of 12 have to demonstrate less than 300 ppm lead using one of the "accreditted testing laboratories". One of my buyers contacted me saying I have to give such proof by February 1. Now of course this all comes for a very good reason--all the high lead content products coming from China. I have yet to look at the Code of Federal Regulations citation but let me tell you what this means to me. Assuming I can even get a lab to do it in say a short time like 2 weeks, it will cost me $15,000 to do the analysis!!! Well, that is a deal breaker for this small potatoes farmer.

So, I contacted our supplier. He offered that they could give me a copy of testing done by one of the their big clients--with all identifying information removed for their confidentiality. Guess what the test results showed? Only 15 ppm!!!--much lower than the limit of 300 ppm.

I am just hoping and praying that these lab results will suffice. So, please say a prayer for me...I would sure appreciate it!!!

Have a safe Wednesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Winter Weather Travel Trouble/Poll Closes/New Poll

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Be sure to check out the latest winter weather advisories on the Storm Prediction Center's graphic at right. A cold front will move through Texas on Tuesday and there will be some rain behind it...some locations in central and north Texas could have problems with icy roads Tuesday night and early Wednesday. This might also cause some airline delays.

Tuesday will be in the teens across the northern plains. There will be snow and ice from the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys westward into Texas (by late Tuesday). There will be rain in Seattle and in parts of central and south Texas.

Houston will be balmy on Tuesday. Cold front arrives by evening. Wednesday will be a chilly day with lows near 40 and highs near 50. There will be rain early.

SPANISH WORD FOR THE DAY
The word is technology or tecnología, pronounced tehk-no-low-HE-ah. I am enjoying some new tecnología.

Speaking of technology, we have the perfect educational DVD for your family, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. This DVD has been recognized asa top educational product by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Well, I got my new Palm Centro today. Come to find out, Verizon offers Palm products. Yay!!! It was a breeze to download my kazillion contacts and addresses. And the interface is very familiar. I am enjoying this new technology.

Our poll about the Galveston seawall is now closed. 85% of respondents thought it should be rebuilt to specs even better than before. 15% thought it should not be repaired at all and no one thought it should be returned to its pre-Ike state. Thanks to all who participated.

Our new poll has to do with changes in technology and how you feel about it? I guess this poll is a technological enhancement. It is one of the gadgets offered by blogger.

Enjoy! Happy Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Wet Forecast/Economy Looked Good Here/Solar Eclipse

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A wet Monday on the way for much of the country. There will be snow/ice from New York City to Oklahoma city and westward to Reno. Look out for icey roads in Oklahoma. There will be some rain in Corpus Christi northward to Dallas and westward to Los Angeles. Bitterly cold across the northern plains and northern New England with subzero to near zero highs.

Houston will be on the drippy side, at least for the first half of the week. It will be cloudy but warmer with morning lows near 50 and highs in the 60s. Slightly warmer Tuesday and then another cold front brings chilly weather for Wednesday and Thursday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do wet or mojado, pronounced mow-ha-DOUGH. Much of this week will be mojado. Please note that rainy is lluvioso, pronounce you-vee-oh-SEW.

Our award winning educational DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Volume 1 introduces youngsters to terms that make up their world. For example, there are words for family members, parts of the home, food and drink and play. Order it today from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Gordy and I took Sarah to ChuckECheese Saturday. I have never seen it so busy! Some of the machines were running out of tickets...the staff was working very hard trying to keep up. Now, of course, you would expect it to be busy on a Saturday. But I was thinking--gosh, this does not look like a time of economic distress. One nice thing about ChuckECheese is that you don't have to order food. But just looking around, it looked like everyone was eating and drinking. Kind of gives me hope! Also, if you get a kid's cup and bring it back...you can get it filled for free.

There will be a solar eclipse over the Indian Ocean on Monday. The cool thing is that it will be a kind called annular--the moon won't completely block out the sun but will fit just inside the sun's circumference leaving a ring of sunlight on the edges. This has to do with the position of the moon relative to the earth and sun. Well, guess we won't see it, but at least we can comfort ourselves by knowing that skies will be cloudy here anyway.

Have a great week and stay dry!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Cool Weather/Allergy Trouble/School Reopens

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Cold front is moving across the U.S., ending the milder weather. There is some rain across the southeast and the eastern seaboard in advance of the front. Coldest places today will be the northern plains and Great Lakes states and it will be the same on Sunday. Highs over northern Minnesota and North Dakota will be in the negative single digits. On Sunday, there will be some snow from the Great Lakes to as far south as Kansas City. There will also be showers (lower elevations) and snow (higher elevations) from the Rockies through the Intermountain Region and to the west coast as far north as Oregon.

Houston will be chilly all weekend. Highs on Sunday will be in the upper 50s after morning lows in the upper 30s. Monday will be milder. Although there could be some breaks with sun, most of the weekend will be on the cloudy side.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do cloudy or nublado, pronounced new-blah-DOUGH. It will be nublado in Houston for most of the weekend.

We are continuing to move forward with our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, top educational product according to awards from Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. We just ordered another 1000 copies of Volume 1. So, never fear, there is plenty of stock. Tell your friends and family about this fun, innovative teaching video fro youngster. Order it today rom our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I have so much to tell you today.

First of all, have you been sneezing your head off? The culprit might me a tree pollen--Ash Juniper (and I think it is Ash Juniper Mountain Cedar). According to the City of Houston Health Department measurements at their gauge in the medical center area, tree pollen is high and the majority is Ash Juniper. I know I have been sneezing like crazy--Ah ha! You can get the levels anytime you want by calling their hotline for a recorded message -- 713-247-5846. Please note they do not update on weekends or when there is rain.

Christa McAuliffe school reopened this month!!! As you may recall, this school had a lot of damage from Ike and was shut down for the first half of the year...there will be a big celebration later this month. Thank you Leslie Williams for letting me know and here is a link to her article in the Chronicle, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/6222499.html.

It's that time of year--getting books in order. I am still on a learning curve with Quickbooks and I have determined that I need to be more vigilant. I resolve to do better in 2009!!! It is taking me a long time to get everything in order. I just want to say sorry in advance (to Chuck, my CPA). You are going to need an extra dose of patience and don't laugh at me too much this time!

I got to speak to about 70 preschoolers at St. Laurence Weekday Children's Program yesterday. This is where Sarah went for 4 years and they were just awesome with her. Anyway, as I have mentioned before I have been teaching 1st grade CCE and how challenging that has been for me given that they are just starting to read. Well, it is even harder to keep the attention of preschoolers (especially 70 of them)! Yikes!!! I took along puppets Frank and Paco and they were a big hit!!! I tried to make my voice as deep as the originals (done by my husband Gordy and good friend Raul Feliciano Sanchez). The kids didn't seem to mind. The photo at right is from Stacey Slaughter--one of Sarah's teachers. Nisha Mathur, also one of Sarah's teachers, had invited me. Nisha is an award winning teacher who is always challenging her bridge class students.

If you know of anyone who would like a weather talk with Frank and Paco, the puppets, assisting, just let me know at 713-823-4401.

By the way, congratulations to Stacey Slaughter for completing the Houston Marathon!!! She used the event to raise money for a very special cause. Stacey has a huge heart and is always looking for ways to help others.

I am getting so excited about the Groundhog Day Gala which will be held at the Houston Zoo the evening of Monday, February 2nd. I will be there along with some famous local individuals--I'll have more in coming blogs. http://wxresearch.org/gala/

Now that is not all going on...there also be free festivities at The Weather Museum earlier that day. Here is the official invite!


Come celebrate Groundhog Day at The Nation’s First Weather Museum!

Houston – Meteorologists from The John C. Freeman Weather Museum at Weather Research Center are asking Pacha the Sloth and BK the Owl from the Downtown Aquarium to help in making a forecast on when winter might end.

WHERE: The Weather Museum
5104 Caroline St. in the Houston Museum District

WHEN: Groundhog Day – Monday February 2nd
10:00am – Pacha the Sloth looks for her shadow
10:15am – BK the Owl looks for her shadow
10:30am – Museum Meteorologists issue their forecasts

WHY: Discover the myths of Groundhog Day. Just how often is the
groundhog right? Get some answers on why the groundhog
looks for his shadow while enjoying fun activities at the Nation’s
first Weather Museum!

COST: Free Family Fun All Day at The Weather Museum

If the animals see their shadow then there will be six more weeks of winter, and if they do not see their shadow, then spring should be just around the corner.

Museum
Info: The nation’s first weather museum opened in the Houston Museum District
in April 2006. The museum is open Monday through Saturday 10am to 4pm.
Learning about weather safety is a key element to the John C. Freeman
Weather Museum. The museum provides a fun and stimulating facility for
people of all ages to learn about the weather, its history and public safety.

Contact: (713) 529-3076 or www.weathermuseum.org


Finally, I want you to know that our goldfish, ICarly and Sam are doing very well. But, I have been having trouble keeping that tank healthy (clear). After doing some more research, I found out that you should only have one goldfish per 3 gallons. Well guess what, our aquarium is only 3 gallons. So, we are double loading it with 2 goldfish. Yikes! Will keep conditioning the water, changing filters and doing water changes.

Happy Weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Name Change

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Much milder across the east but now the northern plains are getting socked hard with the cold again. Places like Cut Bank, Montana, Minot, North Dakota, and International Falls, Minnesota will either be below zero or very close to it (and I'm talking about the highs). Meanwhile, it will be nice and mild across the southern states from California to North Carolina. There will be snow around the Great Lakes, the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. There will be rain out west. There could be a few showers in Texas--before an advancing cold front.

And speaking of that cold front, Houston will be might balmy on Friday--highs close to 80. So, don't overdress the kids. It will be a cooler weekend with a few showers...lows in the 50s Saturday and 40s Sunday and highs both days only in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do restaurant or restaurante, pronounced rehs-tahr-rahn-TAY. If you go to a Spanish speaking country, you definitely want to be able to ask for a restaurante.

I have lots of research about the benefits of learning more than one language and here is a sample:
...use of 2 or more languages endows the language user with special awareness of objective properties of langauge and enables them to analyze linguistic input more effectively...bilinguals outpeform th eunilinguals on a number of cognitive, linguisitc and metalinguistic tasks, even when the differences in intellegence are controlled.
This comes from Mohanty, A.K. (1992). Bilingualism and cognitive development of kond tribal children: Studies on metalinguistic hypothesis. Pharmacopsychoecologia. Special issue: Environmental Toxicology and Social Ecology, 5(1-2), 57-66. from PsycINFO database.

Our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, has been positively reviewed by the teachers at Learning Inc. and has been awarded top educational status by Dr. Toy and Homeschool.com. So, what are waiting for? Order it today rom our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE

Gordy and I stopped in at what is now called Lupita's Restaurant on Highway 6 in Sugar Land (near Williams Trace). You may know this restaurant as the former Pico de Gallo. I am just helping get the word out that the restaurant--food--owners are exactly the same except for the name. Apparently, this was not the only Pico de Gallo in Texas--so they had to change the name. The owner named the restaurant Lupita's after his loving wife Lupita. If you go there you will see the family working away. Their son manages the restaurant at night. So, don't be frightened away by the new sign.

Have a Fantastic Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Milder Temperatures/Cecilia Loses 1 Pound/How Giving Blood Helps Donors

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Well the change is already happening. The jet stream is flattening out allowing some milder conditions in the previously frigid northeast. D.C. will be in the 40s on Thursday--that would have been much more pleasant inaugural weather. Trough is starting to dig out west. Checking out the radar this evening--it is raining and snowing. That is such good news for places like LakeTahoe in California. Was just talking to my sister out there--she owns a retail shop and said business has been really slow because there hasn't been any snow. Well, hang on sis, the snow is on the way.

Thursday, there will be snow in the northern Rockies, Great Lakes coastal areas and northern New England. Highs in the northeast will be in the 20s and 30s and highs in the northwest will be in the 40s (cooler in the higher elevations).

Houston will be very comfortable on Thursday with lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s. Next cold front arrives very early Saturday. Highs on Sunday will be in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
The word is blood or sangre, pronounced sahn-GRAY. Read below for the benefits of giving blood (talking about benefits for the donor).

One of my fellow CCE teachers and friends stopped me the other day to say that she had ordered our spanish teaching DVD for her niece who just loved it--it was a big hit!!! You saw the extremely positive critique I posted earlier this week. Trust me! This is an easy and very effective way to get the youngsters you love fired up about language learning. Order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
So from yesterday's post, I guess I caused some confusion in the email with blog link I sent out. In that email I said I was going to lose a pound in 30 minutes and to read the blog to find out how. Well, it was because I gave blood. You see 1 gallon of water weighs about 8 lbs. And 1 pint is 1/8 of a gallon--thus the 1 lb comment.

Anyway, I did give blood today. Interesting data published by the American Medical Association--giving blood is actually beneficial to donors. You see, many Americans get too much iron in their diet. Research shows that by regularly giving blood, you help restore the iron to proper levels--this has been shown to reduce the number of strokes and heart attacks. Now, of course we know that it is good to give blood--every pint donated can save 3 lives. So, go ahead and save some lives today. You'll be glad you did. And one more thing--they tell you not to do any strenuous exercise and to eat plenty for the next day or so--so you can kick back, eat well and not feel one bit guilty!

Happy Thursday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

3 Month Temperature Outlook/Giving Blood/New Cell Phone

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
The big 200!!! Woohooo!!! Yeah! This is the 200th post of HurricanesSpanishandMore from yours truly, Wonder Weather Woman! And my gift to you is the 3 month Temperature Outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (posted on January 15th)--see at right.

Notice the south and southwest through the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys are supposed to be above normal. The Pacific Northwest is supposed to be below normal. There is also a prediction of above normal temperatures for northern Alaska.

It is interesting to see the shift that will begin in another day or two. For the last week, the jet stream has been digging deep over the eastern U.S., allowing very cold air to sit in place over the northeastern U.S. Now, that jet stream is going to start to flatten and then a new trough will dig over the western U.S. This will allow a nice warmup over the eastern U.S. Eastern trough returns in another 8 days.

Wednesday will be chilly across the Great Lakes and the northeast with highs in the teens and 20s. There will be snow along some of the Great Lakes coastal areas. There will be showers in San Francisco.

Houston will start cold with temperatures in the 30s. Highs will be in the 60s. Temperatures will warm slightly into Friday with a weak cold front passing on Friday. Still, the weekend will be pleasant with cool mornings and mild afternoons. There will be a few scattered showers over the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do telephone or teléfono, teh LEH foh no. I ordered a new cell teléfono.

If you already have a copy of Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, do me a favor, pick up your teléfono and tell all of your friends and family with youngsters about it and how early language learning enhances cognitive development. Come on, you know what to share that important information!!!

Order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Okay so here's the deal. If you sign up for another 2 year contract with Verizon you get $80 back--well I was going to sign up anyway--so I got the refund. Of course, you have to talk to them to get the refund and then they start reminding you that your phone is just a dinosaur. Okay, I admit it...mine is but I haven't changed until now because I want to get the kind that holds all the addresses of contacts etc. Well, the problem is that I have a palm pilot that took me about 7 hours to set up (with addresses) some 6 years ago. And I would guesstimate that it would take me about 15 hours to re-set it up. A couple years ago, I called Verizon about what to do and they didn't have any answers. But now I think I can create a csv file and upload it somehow. Well, I am going to try--so wish me luck. I ordered a cool touch screen phone, but I got one with a keyboard for entering all that contact info. fast. I'll let you know how it all turns out. And, I will take suggestions.

Gordy and I watched the inauguration this a.m. I can't imagine how cold everyone must have been but I did notice that once the address was over, a lot of people were getting out of there. I used to do weather on the roof at FOX when I filled in during the mornings. I was only up there for an hour, but I can tell you that my feet were completely numb by the end of that hour. When I moved to Connecticut at the end of the 80s, I didn't have any winter clothing to speak of. I made the stupid mistake of wearing open-toe shoes while I scraped ice off my car. For months after that I had terrible pain in my toes whenever they got cold. Oh yes, I was glad to be in a nice warm house watching the inauguration.

Lexington Creek Elementary is having a blood drive tomorrow, Wednesday from 8 to noon. I will be in there giving blood at 11:30 (after cafeteria duty with Gordy). So come on by and give some blood with me. Walk-ins are welcome.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Poll Closes/New Poll/Big Weather Pattern Change

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
It is going to be a cccccoooooollllddd inauguration--broken cloud cover, upper 20s and breezy (feeling more like 15 degrees). There might even be a snow flurry. Glad I can watch it on TV. BRRRRRR!

The northeast, Ohio Valley and Great Lakes will be in the teens and 20s. There will be spotty snow showers in these areas.

Houston will start at about 40 and end up in the low 60s. It will be breezy. Temperatures will be in the 30s on Wednesday morning with a slightly warmer afternoon. And that warmup will continue as the amplified trough on the east coast flattens and then a new trough develops to our west, allowing the Gulf to open up (the moisture and warm air will return by the weekend).

SPANISH WORD FOR THE DAY
Let's do review or reseña, pronounced ray-say-NYAH. Check out the reseña of our spanish teaching DVD for children.

Learning Magazine reviewed our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco and here is what they had to say:

Did you find the product interesting or motivating for children? Please explain. Yes. The DVD presents Spanish in a colorful way. Examples are shown along with the spelling of the word. It is then repeated several times and allows children to repeat with the actors. I did find the product to be motivating for children. The children love speaking in another language. Now they are speaking words in another language and they can understand what they are saying. For younger children, yes, this DVD is motivating and interesting. Young kids would enjoy the characters, colors, and simplicity of the video. Did you find the product interesting or motivating for children? Please explain. Spanish (speaking and writing), Feminine and Masculine pronunciation and spelling differences. The product taught to children to learn in words in a new language. It also helped with the children's short term and long term memory. Children are going to learn Spanish (both pronunciation and vocabulary) if they watch this video. In addition, they will sharpen their English skills as they brush up on common words and phrases. If funds were available, would you recommend parents buy or use this product to with children at the appropriate grade / age level? Please explain why or why not. Yes. The words taught are very basic and are great for beginner learners. I would recommend this product to parents. The children will have to learn another language once they get further into school, so this is a great tool for them to start with. For younger children, between preschool and probably first grade, I would recommend this video for purchase. I think it would be a great learning tool to teach Spanish as a second language, or even teach Spanish-speaking students English. It would work well both ways.

So there you have it...don't miss out!!! Order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Our poll for inauguration plans is closed. 33% plan to watch it live. 50% plan to read about it on the Internet. 33% plan to discuss it with friends. 16% plan to read about it in the newspaper. 16% plan to listen to it on the radio. And 33% said none of the above. Please note that more one answer was allowed. Thanks to all of you who responded.

The next poll has to do with the Galveston seawall. The front page of today's Houston Chronicle had a fascinating article about the damage which has been done. There is a concern that the very foundation will erode away if not repaired soon. The cost will be very high. What do think should be done--make it as good as it was before Ike, make it even better than it was before Ike, or don't rebuild at all? Note, only one answer is allowed on this poll.

Just some background on the seawall--the seawall was built after the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900. There had been talk of building one for many years, but it was considered too expensive and unnecessary because there was a widely held belief that all major storms would hit Texas further down the coast--but not around Galveston. The Great Galveston hurricane still stands as the worst weather disaster in U.S. history with as many as 12,000 people killed all together. In 1902, work on the seawall began and was completed a few years later. According to the Chronicle article, nothing has been done directly to the seawall since it was completed (that was more than a century ago!)

Speaking of hurricanes, there were a lot of heroes during Hurricane Ike, and The John C. Freeman Museum Gala on Groundhog Day (Monday, February 2nd) will honor many of those heroes. It is going to be a night of fabulous music, great food and entertainment at the Houston Zoo. Tickets are still available. For more information, click on this link http://wxresearch.org/gala/. And please spread the word. This gala will benefit the educational outreach efforts of the museum, which helps encourage students to pursue careers in math and science.

Today is a very important day...one where can reflect on the life and example of Martin Luther King Jr. As Sarah and I played at the park, we interacted with our neighbors, people of many races. We frolicked and laughed and enjoyed the day--together--all of us. I think Reverend King would have smiled.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

More Cold Air/Way to Give New President Suggestions

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Happening to notice the game in Pittsburgh this evening...snow was picking up -- they are under a Winter Storm Watch.

Deep trough over eastern U.S. will dig southward enough to give Houston another shot of cooler air on Monday. It will be in the teens and 20s across the Great Lakes and much of the northeast. Tuesday will be about the same. Highs in D.C. on Tuesday will be about 32. Look for snow Monday around the Great Lakes and from the Midwest through the Ohio Valley and into the northeast.

Highs Monday will be close to 70 but then temperatures will be 40s Tuesday morning with a high near 60. Wednesday lows will be in the 30s with highs in the middle 60s. Showers are possible starting Friday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do transition or transición, pronounced trahns-see-see-OWN. Just one more day until the formal transición of the presidency. Speaking of that, don't forget to vote in our poll about how you are planning to observe the inauguration.

The mind is a terrible thing not to stimulate--but there are easy ways to just that and do it in an entertaining way. Order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
This information comes from my good buddy Lew Fincher...thanks Lew. It is a place where you can tell the Obama team just what you think he needs to do for our country.

President-elect Obama's group has a website where you can go and share your ideas with the transition team and also vote on other people's ideas. They will take the best rated ideas and include them into the "Citizen's Briefing Book" , which will be given to Obama for review after he's in office. <http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/home>http://citizensbriefingbook.change.gov/home

So check it out everyone!!!

Be back tomorrow!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Forecast/Marathon Weather/Jury Duty Scam

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
My mother-in-law emailed to say it was 15 below zero this morning in Council Bluffs, Iowa...fortunately no wind but certainly cold enough. Still very chilly but moderating slightly over the weekend in the northern plains, Ohio Valley, Great Lakes states and northeast. Highs in these locations will be in the teen and 20s on Saturday. The exception will be northern Maine will highs will be in the negative single digits. It will be warming up even more in places like Council Bluffs.

Houston will be moderating...lows on Saturday in the 40s with highs in the middle 60s and on Sunday, lows will be in the 50s with highs in the upper 60s. There could be a few showers on Sunday...mainly early...keep that in mind marathoners--roads might be slick. By the way--good luck marathoners!!!

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do marathon or maratón, pronounced mah-rah-TONE. Good luck and don't break a leg at the maratón.

Just like the muscles of our bodies, our minds need to be challenged and worked. One very stimulating way is through language learning and research shows it is of tremendous benefit to children. So stimulate your child's mind--order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
My friend Stephanie Beardsley (veterinarian in Austin) sent me this important information about a jury duty scam. Beware!
From: Daily Log <listserv@civicplus.com>Subject: Jury Duty ScamTo: newlifehutto@yahoo.comDate: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 8:58 AM
Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING !
This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.
The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.
The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, and Colorado. This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

Happy weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Frigid Conditions for Plane Crash/Weekend Forecast/Science Fair

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
That US Airways plane crash was really something...thank goodness everyone got out okay. The temperature was about 20 degrees when the crash occurred and it was breezy--felt like single digits. So, it was an extreme situation that turned out amazingly well. The human body can succumb to hypothermia very quickly. If it is even as warm as 50 degrees outside and you are wet, you can die of hypothermia. So, this was a very dangerous scenario indeed (of course the fact that the pilot had the skill to land the plane on top of the water was miraculous too).

It really is cold across the northern plains, in the northeast and across the Great Lakes States and New England. The low this moving in International Falls, Minnesota was 42 below zero--tieing the old record from 1972. That should send a shiver down your spine!!! The chilly air will be locked in place across this same area for a few days...with a slow moderation. It won't be a fun week to be up north and northeast.

Friday highs in the northern Maine will be in the negative single digits. There will be a few snow showers around the Great Lakes and the northeast. A shower or two is possible in Florida and south Texas.

Houston will be chilly with a high near 50. Overrunning clouds will try to move into the area and that would make it even colder. There will be at least one more freeze tonight (Thursday) into Friday. On Saturday--an increase in temperature with highs in the low 60s and Sunday, after morning lows in the 40s, highs will top out in the middle 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do pilot or piloto, pronounced pee-low-TOE. The piloto did an amazing job of landing the plane on the water. Of course, that pilot probably had lots of training and education that enabled him to do his job so well-even in an emergency.

We all know that education is good and some types of learning offer tremendous benefits. Learning languages at a young age improves skills required for optimal scientific hypothesizing. So, give your little Einstein that edge--order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Speaking of hypothesizing--I had the privilege of judging a science fair today at Lexington Creek Elementary. The science coordinator there, Harriet Mantini, is doing amazing things!!! Hands down, this is the best science fair I have ever judged and believe me, I've judged a lot. Nearly every child had a hypothesis, well executed experiment and conclusion. I always learn a lot at these fairs. Would you believe that cheddar cheese gets moldy faster than swiss, mozzarella or white American? Now you know!!! And don't water your plants with milk--they'll die and turn moldy! Yuck! Good work, science fair students at Lexington Creek!

Happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

More Freezing Temperatures/Franchise Tax Frustration

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Northern Minnesota and Northern Maine are going to be the two coldest areas in the nation on Thursday with highs of about 10 below zero. There won't be a lot of snow around the country. Look for some snow showers around the Great Lakes and in the northeast. Memphis (western Tennessee) could also get a snow shower. A few showers are possible over the northern plains.

Houston is getting a second shot of chilly air. Highs on Thursday will only be in the low 50s. There will be another freeze Thursday night...so don't forget to protect the pets and plants. Earlier today, Sugar Land bottomed out at 26 and Conroe and Tomball got down to 25. The highs on Friday will be close to 50. The trend through the weekend will be a slight warming.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
I think with all this talk of cold weather, it is only appropriate that we do shiver or tiritar, pronounced tee-ree-TAR. Tiritar is normal when the temperatures drop so low!

Worrying about your children's future? Well the statistics show that people who learn more than one language end up earning more money. So give your youngsters that advantage...order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Here's something that drives me crazy. I filled out my state franchise tax electronically last August. Never mind that my company is not even remotely close to earning $300,000. I still have to fill out the report and do the calculations. Well, anyway, I get this notice in the mail that I did not file and that they are estimating my tax due to be $1000 and they are fining me $100 for not filing. So, of course I called the comptroller's office. The man who helped me was super nice. There was no record of my filing and even though I had a printout of the calculation form, I had no confirmation number. So, now I get to do it all again. The man at the comptroller's office said I should print out the form and take it directly to one of their offices. Ooooohhh...that gives me confidence. Well anyway, just another fun thing that takes away from doing business.

Here's some good news. We made it to the recently reopened First Colony Library. It is all cleaned up with new carpet and some new display cases for their videos. It was good to be back there. It wasn't very busy. I think a lot of people still don't know it has reopened. As you may recall, the library developed a leak due to roof damage from Hurricane Ike. Heavy rains caused a major leak that made a big mess.

ICarly and Sam (our fish still alive now Day 4) swam by to say hi.

Happy Thursday and stay warm!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Two Main Freezes/Special Softball League/Fish Update

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! We're walking Sarah to school this a.m. and it is windy and cold and I'm thinking about those poor folks in North Dakota and Minnesota who were below zero. Ooohhhh...I'm shivering just thinking about it!

Well it is just going to be downright bitterly cold in North Dakota and Minnesota with highs Wednesday in the negative single digits--that's the highs!!! It will also very cold in the northeast, the Ohio Valley and midwest. The southern tier of states will be in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. There will be snow from the northern Rockies through the northern plains, the Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes and northern New England.

Houston, this is the coldest night yet this year (winter season). Outlying areas will have 4 to 9 hour of freezing temperatures. For places like Conroe, it will be about 12 hours. Houston metro will have 1 to 3 freezing hours. So, cover up the tender plants and make sure the pets are nice and warm. This is NOT pipe freezing weather. Always, however, be aware of exposed pipes/valves on sprinkler systems.

Another shot of cold air arrives in Houston early Thursday. Be sure to take the same precautions Thursday evening. And Thursday daytime will stay in the 40s most of the day. A shower is possible Sunday but rain chances are low.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do the verb protect or proteger, pronounced pro-tay-GAIR. It is important proteger plants and pets during freezing weather.

Now suppose you moved to Ecuador and lived in the Andes...wouldn't it be useful to speak Spanish and ask questions about how to proteger your plants? What if your kids end up doing business in Ecuador or some other Spanish speaking country? Help your kids get a headstart...order our award winning DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
First of all, the fish, ICarly and Sam and doing just great! They are more like swimming pigs...you should see them eat...much different from the last fish. And they eat up every little scrap...there is nothing left.

Today I signed Sarah up for a special softball team called The Dream League. This is for disabled children. My friend Cindy Villarreal told me about it and her daughter is one of the star players. The games begin in March. And here is the part I love--no practices!!! Please check it out--they need volunteers and other support. And also send this on to anyone you know who might be interested.

www.fcdreamleague.com

I can't wait to see Sarah play!

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Cold weather arrives/Poll Results/New Poll/Fish Update

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Poor International Falls, Minnesota will have highs in the negative single digits on Tuesday. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! It will be very cold in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and northern Illinois. There will be snow around the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley and rain along the eastern seaboard.

Another cold front is arriving in Houston overnight. The day will start in the 30s on Tuesday. Secondary shot of cold air arrives very early Thursday. Look for freezing temperatures early Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Friday's highs will only be in the 40s. Next rain will be Sunday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Whoops! When I did animal the other day, I had the accent on the wrong syllable--thanks Mom. It should be ah-knee-MAHL.

Today's word is inauguration or in the instance of the upcoming presidential inauguration-- día de la toma de posesión del presidente -- DEE-ah DAY LAH toe-MAH DAY poh-seh-SEE-own DEHL prehs-ee-dehn-TAY. It is almost día de la toma de posesión del presidente. See our new poll to say how you will observe it.

Our president elect is a big proponent of learning more than one language. One thing we have in our award winning DVD is a section just for parents and caregivers--an appendix that goes over all of the vocabulary (in about 3 minutes). You can order the DVD from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
The results of our poll question, How do you feel after the holidays?
36% glad to get back to normal
9% blue
18% tired
18% refreshed
0% relieved
18% can't wait until next year
Note: More than one response was allowed.

The new question is about how you plan to observe the inauguration. Again, more than one answer is allowed. Happy poll responding!

Update on ICarly and Sam, our new goldfish. They have made it past the 24 hour mark and look good. Their energy is high and they are eating well. I am very hopeful that these will be long living fish. Did you know that goldfish lay eggs rather than giving birth to live little ones like guppies? I wonder if my fish are boy and girl. Hey, the name Sam can go either way! Note: we bought these latest fish from another pet store. But I admit to major cockpit error in how I handled the aquarium.

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Warming Up in Alaska/New Fish/Ike Conference/Sweet Peas Crop

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
It's finally going to warm up in Fairbanks, Alaska. Check out the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
TODAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. PATCHY ICE FOG. HIGHS 25 TO 40 BELOWZERO...EXCEPT AROUND ZERO IN THE HILLS. LIGHT WINDS. .
TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 25 TO 45 BELOW...EXCEPT AROUND5 BELOW IN THE HILLS. LIGHT WINDS. .
MONDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHSZERO TO 15 BELOW. LIGHT WINDS.

Wow! Monday's high will be zero to 15 below zero (instead of the 25 to 40 below zero it was today).

There has been a lot of talk about that cold air diving southward...but the good news it looks like the main thrust of the cold air will pass to the east of Houston. Sorry everyone in the Ohio Valley and northeast and Great Lakes!

Monday will be very cold for North Dakota and Montana with highs in the low single digits. There will be snow from the northern plains through the Great Lakes states. Look for rain in Seattle and Florida.

Houston will be mostly sunny and cold in the morning. There will be a light freeze for the most of the area except the coast. There will be only be about 1 to 2 hours of freezing temperatures for the Houston metro and 3 to 6 in the suburbs. A couple more reinforcing shots of cool air arrive early Tuesday and early Thursday. No rain is expected until the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY

Let's do pet--animal, doméstico or de compañía, pronounced ah-KNEE-mall, doe-MEHS-tee-coh or day cohm-pah-NYEE-ah. It's fun to have a doméstico.

Today I spoke to the children at the Kid's Church at Brentwood Baptist Church. Frank and Paco the puppets joined me as we taught them some Spanish and meteorology. It was a blast and I really want to thank Reverend Barbara Jordan and George Micheaux for the invitation and warm hospitality.

Of course I brought our winning DVD called Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. You too can enjoy it by ordering from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I really enjoyed my visit to Brentwood Baptist today. I had met Reverend Thomas at The Little Gym where her daughter and mine were taking classes. Barbara Thomas is also the author of The Melanin Factor and you can purchase her book through Amazon.com. Here is a description:

Jared, a medical researcher, develops a serum that stops the progression of the HIV virus. His discovery, which should have resulted in universal praise, instead places him in deadly peril.
The pharmaceutical company where Jared works leads its field. Bret, son of the company's founder, will do whatever is necessary to preserve the company's wealth and power. But the company profits more from keeping Jared's serum off the market. Colleagues die, intrigue thrives, and a series of odd incidents, convince Jared that he needs help. His friends-a newspaper reporter, a computer expert, and a professional bodyguard, all close since their high school days-bring their experience to the table to help him. Their discoveries confront Jared with surprising revelations about his family. Secrets exposed, each person comes face to face with the truth.

We bought 2 new goldfish today...see photo at right. Sarah named the orange one ICarly and the spotted one Sam (from the show ICarly). Hopefully, these two will make it!!!

And check out my sweet peas. Last summer's crop was okay but this batch planted around November 1st is growing like crazy. We love to open the pods and eat the sweet peas right on the spot. I really should have planted them October 1st, but as you can see, the Houston winter is very agreeable to them.

Our latest poll, about how you feel now that the new year has started, will close on Monday. So be sure to vote!!!

Well I learned a lot at the post Ike Hurricane Conference that I attended on Friday. There were speakers from the energy sector and they said that 60 platforms were completely destroyed. Another 31 had major damage. I also learned the difference between rigs and platforms...rigs are something in the act of drilling. Although Ike did a lot of damage to the platforms, Hurricane Rita of 2005 did much more because it moved over an area with more of them.

I think this kind of workshop may become an annual event put on by The Weather Research Center/The Weather Museum. Don't forget to check out their web site (I have a link at right). There will be a big gala on Groundhog Day on February 2nd at the Houston zoo. Seats are still available. I will be there and my mom and stepdad (Cherish the Music) will provide the musical entertainment, a medley of weather themed songs...very creative!!!

I'll have more on the gala as we get closer.

Have a wonderful week everyone!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Forecast/Unexpected Toad/Ike Conference

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Snow/Rain are moving through Iowa and parts of the midwest this evening. Saturday there will be snow from the Great Lakes to New York City. There will be rain in Texas and Louisiana and in the most extreme northwest states. Look for a rain/snow mix for St. Louis and Cincinnati. Highs will be in teens from the northern plains to the northeast.

Houston will be cooler by mid-morning as the next cold front arrives. There will be some showers and skies will be overcast until around midday on Sunday. It will be cool through the weekend. A stronger push of cold air arrives Thursday...stay tuned for developments--possibly the coldest so far this season.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do workshop or taller, pronounces TAH-yair. I attended a taller today.

Workships are opportunities to learn. We all know that learning new things stimulates the mind and helps it work even better. Research study after research study shows that early language learning is very beneficial to kids. It even helps them hypothesize better in science. Wow!!! Well it just so happens that we have and award winning DVD called Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco that kids love to watch. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Sarah and I walked to pick up our mail this evening and what did we find?! A toad!!! On January 9th!!! Well, it was almost warm today. At first we named him Taylor because Sarah's cousin Taylor was coming to visit. But then Sarah decided to name it Fun-Tiki after a local place she loves which has arcade games, miniature golf etc. We enjoyed visiting with Fun -Tiki for a while. Don't forget you can see any of the 14 TOAD HUNTERS videos on www.youtube.com. Just type in TOAD HUNTERS in the search field.

The Weather Research Center/Weather Museum Post Ike Hurricane Conference went very well today. The speakers were fantastic and of course the moderators were unbelievably wonderful too (note I was one of them). I learned a lot including that 60% of homes in Houston were damaged. Wow!!!

I'll have more on the conference tomorrow. Right now...I want to visit with my nephew Taylor.

Happy weekend everyone!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Wildfires Report/Fate of Wanda #2/Weekend Forecast

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Coldest air Friday will be over the northern plains with highs in the low teens. There will be snow across many of the northern 2 tiers of states. There will be a few spotty showers in the south.

Houston will be mild and more humid with highs in the middle 70s. Cold front arrives early Saturday keeping temperatures in the 50s during the day...expect a shower or two. Sunday will be cool in the morning and in the 60s in the afternoon.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do sad or triste, pronounced tree-STAY. I am triste today as I am grieving.

There is nothing sad about our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. Kids love watching the lively puppets, Frank and Paco as they discuss words and phrases in Spanish. Your kids will love learning while watching it. So order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE

This report comes from my friend Dr. Brian Pettigrew--he is talking about wildfires in the Boulder area.

"They started yesterday when a powerlines were knocked over by our continuing onslaught of near-hurricane force winds down the lee slopes of the Rockies. I live about 8-10 miles outside of Boulder and I could even see the smoke from there. It was quite amazing."
Thanks Brian for that report!!!

Well I am so sad tonight as Wanda #2 didn't make it. I am mulling over the next step to take with the aquarium.

I am excited about tomorrow as I will be the Session Chair for Session 1 of a post-Ike workshop being given at the University of St. Thomas Scanlan Room. Hope to see you there!!!

Happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Next Rain/Fish Tank Sage Continues/Great Photo Deal

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A nice day on the way for much of the country--especially the southern tier and the central plains. There will be snow around the Great Lakes, the northern plains and northern New England. There will be rain and snow for the northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest.

Houston will enjoy a delightful day...cool morning and mild afternoon. Friday will be a bit more humid. Saturday will be cooler with a few showers. Upper trough sets up to the northeast starting Saturday and that keeps us in a mild to cool pattern for several days.

SPANISH WORD FOR THE DAY
Let's do picture or fotografía, pronounced foh-tow-grahf-EE-ah. I have a bunch of fotografías from the holidays.

The visual elements of our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards, are colorful and fun. Your kids will love learning while watching it. So order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Some gardeners have black thumbs...some fish owners (like me) have a black fishnet. But I'm learning. My dear friend Barbara from Sitka sent a suggestion about some medicine to put in the water. I picked some up and started the treatment today! Unfortunately, Cosmo didn't make it! And Wanda2 is looking bad. I do have a plan for what to do if Wanda2 doesn't make it. So stay tuned for further developments.

Looking for a good deal on prints...go to shutterfly.com. For $20, you can get 200 prints...that's 10 cents each!!! Don't make the mistake of using the 30% off prints deal...you would have to order 1250 prints to make up for the 200 prints. The reason--they charge $29.95 for the 30% off deal.

Happy photo developing!!!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Sunshine for Houston/Goldfish Shock/Library Reopens

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Some severe weather is possible over southern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Those little diamonds in northern Alabama indicate Flash Flood Warnings. Snow/ice is falling to north of the rain but most of that will switch to plain rain as a warm front passes.

On Wednesday, there will be snow for all of the Great Lakes states and northern New England. Look for a rain/snow mix in Boston and rain with thunderstorms southward into Florida. There will be a rain/snow combination for the Rockies from Colorado north and west to the Pacific Northwest. The coolest spot will be North Dakota with highs in the single digits.

For Houston, delightful weather is on the way...sunshine with cool morning and mild afternoons the next 2 days. Saturday, there will be rain with a weak cold front.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do fish--the kind you eat is pescado, pronounced pehs-CAH-doh. The kind in an aquarium is pez, pronounce PEHZ. I'm having some trouble with my pez.

Children love pez and they love learning languages. Little do they know that learning languages makes their brains work even better. So, let them be entertained and educated...buy our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE

The photo at right was taken on December 28th...we hurried to get the shot as the weather was turning warmer. The snow you see there had already melted some and refrozen...it was rock hard...no snowman making with this stuff...more like ice skating. But Sarah got a kick out of it anyway. Last winter there was lots of snow on the ground. Other winters, there has been none at all.

In case you didn't know, the First Colony Library is back in business! Here is the official statement:

First Colony Branch Library has re-opened for regular business, after a lengthy closure to repair damage from Hurricane Ike. Area residents are very happy to have the resumption of library service and the library staff is glad to be back to business as usual. The library's regular hours are: Mon 12:00 noon - 9:00 pm; Tue - Thu 10:00 am - 9:00 pm; Fri 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm; Sat 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sun CLOSED.

Now I don't remember having this much trouble with fish when I was growing up...I had them all--guppies, mollies, swordfish (those little ones), angelfish, neons and yes, even goldfish. Well I couldn't stand it...the water was looking murky--some accidentally large feedings with the help of Sarah. So, I cleaned the water today. I was very gentle with the fish and gave them time to transition. Well, now I think Cosmo is on its last leg...or should I say fin. Looks like we'll be heading to the fish store again tomorrow.

Anyway, I looked up information on goldfish and couldn't believe all that I read. I never had to de-chlorinate the water. Maybe the water was different in the valley. They talked about antibiotics, changing out water 10% at a time, goldfish being territorial and adding new ones at night etc. etc. Wow! It is so complicated now!

One useful thing I read is that you should have 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. We have a 3 gallon tank so with 1.5 inch long fish, I think 2 is just the right amount. Now, if I could just keep 2 alive. Wanda #2 is doing great--knock on wood or the plastic tank anyway.

Stay healthy everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Wet Weather/Poll Results/New Poll/Dry Skin Remedy

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
You know I can check who is reading this blog and we have readers from other countries like India, Pakistan, Spain, South Africa and China...welcome all of you and sorry if I left anyone out! I guess I should consider doing some international weather. What do you all think?

Rain is causing flooding concerns for the Tennessee Valley (see graphic at right). And to the north of the flood zone, there are winter weather advisories/watches in effect all the way to Boston.

Tuesday will be in the teens across the northern plains. Balmy weather continues in Florida with many locations in the 50s. Look for a wintry mix from DC to St. Louis and rain from Norfolk south to Atlanta and into Texas and Louisiana.

Houston will be cool again with highs in the 50s. There will be rain mainly in the morning. Warmer with sunshine on Wednesday--highs in the 70s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
It's time to clean up and that is just what I did most of the day...so let's go with clean up or limpiar, pronounced leem-pee-ARE. Don't procrastinate--limpiar.

I was just reading a Hints from Heloise and she was talking about various activities which stimulate the brain. One of the ones she mentioned was language learning. A language teacher I know told me that sometimes she gets elderly students who have precriptions from their doctors to learn language--the stimulation is so beneficial to their brain function. The biggest winners with language learning are children--benefitting in a multitude of ways including improved cognitive development. So, don't delay--help them learn languages.

One good way is through our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Our resolutions poll is closed...note that more than one answer was allowed. Here are the results:
63% get more fit
9% make more money
54% spend more time with family
27% do more things I enjoy
27% devote more time to my faith
0% I have no resolutions

Thanks to all who participated. The next poll has to do with how you feel after the holidays...again more than one answer is allowed. Don't forget to vote!

Every time I go to Iowa I get very dry skin and Sarah gets eczema...we're just not used to the drier air. If you have trouble with that, I highly recommend using Eucerin cream...not the lotion! You can get a generic version of that at places like Walgreens...for about half the price. We had such trouble with Sarah's skin when she was little. I used to coat her with the Eucerin after her baths. It helped so much. And even if you use it only once, it works so well.

Remember my family members who had to fly and drive all night to get to the Iowa game in Tampa. Well they spent the weekend in the area and just loved the beaches. They said it was even nicer than they had envisioned. They are safe back home in Iowa...the return trip went much more smoothly. Happy Birthday Joni!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Wet Weather Coming/Cherishing Every Moment/What Sarah Named Her Fish

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Well I hope everyone is tucked in at home...back from their holiday travels, refreshed and ready to get back to their "normal" schedules.

At right, I have the latest watch graphic from the Storm Prediction Center. Remember that the brown counties are ones with wind advisories.

Monday will be bitterly cold in Minnesota with highs in the low single digits. There will be thunderstorms for the lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley and rain for much of Texas. Look for showers in Atlanta as well. There will be snow along the eastern Great Lakes and over the Rockies and Intermountain Region. Look for rain in the lower elevations of the Pacific Northwest.

Houston will be cool, cloudy and wet with temperatures hovering in the 40s. Expect more rain on Tuesday with warmer temperatures but still cool. It will be back to mild and dry by mid-week.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
It is a relief to return to normality or normalidad, pronounced nor-mah-lee-DAHD. After the holidays are over, we welcome normalidad.

Less than a day left to vote in the poll about resolutions--don't miss your chance to voice your opinion. And don't forget the most important resolution, order our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

By the way, we are starting to get some orders for the English teaching version for Spanish speakers...I appreciate you passing the word!

AND MORE
Santa brought Sarah an aquarium and today we got the fish for it...2 goldfish, one mostly orange and the other orange and black. Sarah named them Cosmo (orange) and Wanda (orange and black) from the Fairly Odd Parents show. I didn't even know she had ever seen that show. Anyway, Cosmo and Wanda seem to like their new home.

The weather turned cooler mid-afternoon but it was a delightful day...we went to the park with many of Sarah's neighborhood buddies. It was so nice to be outside, running and laughing. We really missed them while we were away. After reading about John Travolta's experience, I just want to hug my family even closer. My resolution is to keep treasuring each day, each moment--loved ones are so very precious!

Got the Christmas decorations put away this evening. Welcome 2009!!!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Travel Weather/Personal Travel Saga/An Old Friend Encounter

HURRICANES AND MORE
Winter Storm Warnings/Watches/Advisories are in effect for many locations along the Rockies (included the mountains of southern Arizona). New Mexico also has several warnings in place. And the western Great Lakes states are being hit particularly hard this evening. Thunderstorms are moving along the states bordering the northern Gulf (from Louisiana through Alabama).

On Sunday, it will be very cold in North Dakota with Minot staying below zero all day. Meanwhile, it will be balmy across the southeast with Florida in the 80s. Look for rain and some thunderstorms from DC to northern Florida. Look for winter weather in the Great Lakes states and in New Mexico and Arizona.

Houston missed the thunderstorms today...the development occurred just to the east. Next cold front arrives midday Sunday but highs will still be in the 70s (during the afternoon). Expect it to be much cooler on Monday with rain as overrunning sets up. Tuesday will likely also be wet and cool.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
I set up my 2009 calendar today thanks to my wonderful CPA Chuck Newton. He sends some pocket sized ones every year. I have a PDA but I just want to see it on paper. Anyway, the word for today is calendar or calendario, pronounced cah-lehn-dar-EE-oh. It is satisfying and exciting to see your plans written on a new calendario.

You can also make notes for your resolutions on that calendario and here is something to write down...vote in the poll (at right) about resolutions because we only have 1 day left before it closes. And mark one more thing down...order our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. You can order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Let me tell you my travel saga and some refreshing results.

First of all, we were supposed to leave Omaha (across the river from Council Bluffs, IA-hometown of my hubby and where his family lives) at 6:50 pm yesterday. After visiting with family and friends, including Gordy's former teacher, Father Paul Monahan, I ventured downstairs at about 3:50 pm to finish packing. I just happened to pick up my cell phone and look to see if there were any messages. Well, there was one from Southwest. They had left a message wanting to know if we could catch the 4:55 pm flight to Chicago and then on to Houston as there would be a long delay for the flight to St. Louis and we would have to spend the night in St. Louis. So, it was either catch the flight through Chicago or fly home on Saturday (weather permitting). Well, I was concerned about weather for the next day...so I yelled to Gordy "Let's go!" I have never packed that fast in my life. But my trusty brother-in-law David delivered us to the check-in at 4:25 pm.

Well, we got on the plane but barely! I had my trusty Zebra postage printer in my carry-on and security just didn't know what to make of that. (Note: I had trouble with it on the way up too). I brought that for any DVD orders we had during our time away. Finally, finally the security official offered it back...he asked me if I wanted him to repack it in my stuffed bag and I said no thanks and grabbed it and raced to the gangway. This guy was like Tim Conway's old man character on the old Carol Burnett show.

We all got on (and I am leaving out a few other mundane time consuming details but you get the picture). So, we land in Chicago. We are supposed to have a 3 hour layover--leaving Chicago at 9:10 pm. So we check the flight information...the flight is delayed to a 10:40 pm departure. Yikes!!! Would there be any possibility we would have to stay the night? We had no idea where our luggage was...I had left some of it in check-in in Omaha because the computers weren't allowing our late arrival. Oh well...I did have a change of clothes for Sarah...most important thing.

So, Sarah and I headed to the bathroom...Sarah was bumping into a lady at the sink and she turned around and I realized almost immediately that it was a college friend of mine (from the meteorology program at A & M) whom I had not seen seen 1987--Patrice O-Raheiley--now Sharkey. She still had those same sparkly eyes and beautiful long hair. Patrice is the one who got the weather job in Bryan when I tried out too. Well anyway, she was super smart and I always admired her. We had had some fun times too. It was as if 22 years had gone by in the blink of an eye. So, I dragged her over to meet Gordy and Megan. Now, I ask you, is it a small world or what? And what were the odds of us meeting at the time at that airport in that bathroom. We weren't even planning to go to Chicago originally! Wow!

Our plane finally left at 11 pm or a little thereafter. We landed at about 1:30 am. Sarah was wide awake and asked to play some games we got for Christmas. But we finally managed to get her down at about 4 am. My wonderful husband watched her after she awoke bright and bushy eyed at 8 am...I slept in until 11 am. When I ran into several friends at the store they all commented at how well rested I looked. I didn't tell them I had just woken up...Ha! Thanks Gordy my love!!!

One more thing...at HEB, one of our friendly helpers said the store was just dead on New Year's Day but he said now everything is getting back to its crazy busy schedule.

Oh yes...they had an ice storm in Council Bluffs today--sure glad we got out last night!!!

Safe travels and happy first week of January!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman