It's Snowing!!!

It is snowing in Missouri City as of 4:45 pm this Wednesday, December 10th. Check out the photos at right.

Here is the official statment from the NWS. More to come!
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGIONLATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF ANYLIGHT RAIN CHANGING OVER TO LIGHT SNOW AND OR A MIX OF LIGHT SNOWAND RAIN. THE SNOW SHOULD BE PRIMARILY CONFINED TO AREAS MAINLYNORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM FREEPORT TO PASADENA TO LIBERTY AND MAINLYFROM AROUND 6 TO 9 PM. TEMPERATURES NEAR THE SURFACE SHOULD REMAINABOVE FREEZING THROUGH MID EVENING. THE SNOW SHOULD BE LIGHT ANDVERY LITTLE IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE ON ANY SURFACE OTHER THAN INFIELDS... YARDS...AND ON THE TOPS OF CARS. NO SNOW IS EXPECTED TOCOLLECT ON ROADS. ANY LEFT OVER WATER ON ROADS COULD POSSIBLYBEGIN TO FREEZE AFTER 11 PM FOR ELEVATED ROADS AS TEMPERATURESDROP TO NEAR FREEZING.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR It's cold!!!

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
As I write this evening, all of the Houston area is under a wind advisory (until 6 am Wednesday morning). This is just to give everyone a heads up that the wind will pose a hazard to safe driving.
This comes from the National Weather Service:
DRIVERS OF VANS...CAMPERS...TRAILERS AND OTHER HIGH-PROFILEVEHICLES SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE DANGER OF THESE STRONG WINDS...ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ALONG EAST TO WEST ORIENTED ROADS.

Cold front moved through Houston this evening and it is going to be a very cold Wednesday with temperatures staying in the 40s. And there will be some rain, but it should taper off in the early afternoon. Wednesday will be breezy but not as windy as overnight. The wind will really add a chill. So be prepared to bundle up.

Elsewhere in the country, there is an ongoing severe weather outbreak from Louisiana and Mississipi and then on to Alabama. Already there have bben several reports of tornadoes, high winds and hail in these areas.

There were a few hail reports in central Texas earlier today. Grayson County had damage and here is a preliminary report from the NWS folks:
THERE IS A SWATH OF DAMAGE FROM SOUTH OF COLLINSVILLE TO SOUTHERNSECTIONS OF DENISON. DUE TO AERIAL FOOTAGE...MOST OF THIS DAMAGEAPPEARS TO BE DOWNBURST RELATED. HOWEVER...DAMAGE ASSESSMENT DOESINDICATE TWO PROBABLE TORNADOES.THE LOCATIONS OF THE TWO PROBABLE TORNADOES AS DETERMINED BY THENWS SURVEY TEAM ARE...1. TWO MILES WEST OF SOUTHMAYD2. SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF DENISON.

Just had a call from my mother and she said it is sleeting in Kerrville. Kerrville is officially reporting a mix (sleet and rain) and Burnet is reporting snow flurries. In Terrell and Killeen, mix and sleet are being reported. Near Austin, Lago Vista is reporting a mix. All of this is coming from a line of precipitation which is heading eastward this evening. This will bring cold rain to Houston early Wednesday.

Elsewhere in the country on Wednesday, look for highs in the teens for International Falls and Ste. Saint Marie. There will storms in the southeast (Georgia, Florida). There will wintry weather from the northeast into northern Louisiana.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do dentist or dentista, pronounced dehn-TEES-tah. For Spanish words like taxista, pianista, and dentista, the article will change according to the gender of the person in that occupation. For example, a male taxi driver would be el taxista while a female pianist would be la pianista. Since my dentist is male, he would be la dentista.

It's official: our DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco is now on the Homeschool.com web site for being one of their Top 15 Educational Products for 2008. This is a huge honor as the they are the number one homeschooling web site on the Internet. Here is the link: Please read their review! It is the 7th item on the list.
http://www.homeschool.com/articles/GiftGuide08/default.asp

You can order your copies today from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, and you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

AND MORE
All I want for Christmas is free dental work.

Went in for a cleaning and told the dentist about my sensitive tooth. Well guess what? It had a crack. No wonder I jumped 10 feet when I drank some cool water. You say that's not normal? Now I know.

Anyway, my dentist is awesome...Dr. Mehta got my temporary crown put in right away. He is in Sugar Land just off Williams Trace close to 59. I think he does great work. I don't know if he liked that I took a little nap...just so relaxing. Those chairs get me every time. I'm the only person I know who enjoys going to dentist even when it is not for a cleaning.

You know I'm of that age where the dentists ground away every bit of tooth that might be decayed and replaced with fillings. That poor tooth that cracked had more filling than tooth. Play music from 6 million dollar man theme "I can't hold her, she's breaking up, she's breaking up!!!" On the plus side, now that ugly old filling will be gone. Hmmmm...wish I could make all the other ones disappear. Be careful what you wish for right?

Well then I picked Sarah up and took her in for a cleaning. She had a little cavity and that amazing girl was thumbs up when he suggested we go ahead and fill it. She just layed back with her mouth wide open and let him do his thing. By golly, it was a Christmas miracle. (It probably didn't hurt that she was sleepy and that she is fascinated by anything medical).

Well, anyway, we are both doing great but I sure wish insurance paid more than 50% of crowns. I still feel blessed that I even have dental insurance. My poor mom used to just cry when we had cavities after going to the dentist. Yep...she'd troop all 6 of us in there at one time. I think she was praying in the other room while he was cleaning.

Stay warm tomorrow. You can have hot cocoa if you brush your teeth right afterwards!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

A Chilly Day Coming/Who Needs Christmas Stamps?

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect this evening for north central and northeast Texas. A line of storms is moving eastward through this area. Houston may get some of the action early Tuesday but it is looking less and less likely.

Houston will be very cold on Tuesday--from the Great Lakes and especially Minnesota (in the single digits for highs) down to New Mexico there will be snow showers. Numerous winter weather advisories and watches are in the effect from New Mexico northeastward to the Great Lakes.

For Houston, it will be one more mild, muggy day before the ccccccooooooolllllddddd returns. A few thunderstorms are possible early Tuesday but it looks like most of the action will be to our north. Some clouds and rain will linger into Wednesday. Those 2 things combined with a big temperature drop will make it very chilly on Wednesday. It won't get out of the 40s on Wednesday. Tuesday, in contrast will be in the 70s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
It is stamp or sello, pronounced SAY-yoh. Don't forget to buy sellos for Christmas cards.

We have developed a work around for selling our English teaching DVD. Please feel free to go to http://www.frankypaco.com and let us know what you think.

Of course, most of you are probably more interested in learning Spanish. I may have mentioned, oh just a few times, that we have an award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. You can order your copies today from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, and you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

AND MORE
Anyone want some Christmas stamps? I love convenience as much as the next person, but here is what happens if you try to take advantage of it while dealing with a youngster like Sarah.

We went to the post office and I felt very smart because I was ready to buy some Christmas stamps out of the vending machine and avoid that awful long line. Well, I only needed 2 more books. Not having exact change, I gave Sarah a $20 and told her to put it in the machine. She happily helped me purchase 2 books. Well you know those machines only give coins as change. So we had some nice new dollar coins as part of the change. Now, they are pretty and all, but they are heavy. And sorry to say, I would rather have dollar bills.

As I'm packing an order, Sarah zips back over to the machine and puts in one of the dollar coins. Okay...just push the button and get the change back. Guess what? The machine won't let you do that. Hmmmm. I have to spend it. What are my options? Well I could buy 2 50 cent books of 1 cent makeup stamps...didn't really need those. All I had in my wallet was a $20...so I couldn't add just a little more money and get one more book of stamps. By the way, all they had was Christmas stamps. So, I went ahead and bought 2 more books. Well, now I have way more Christmas stamps and dollar coins than I need.

So, if you get a birthday card in July with a Christmas stamp, you know why. Ha!

Have a terrific Tuesday.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Forecast/Wine Tasting Fun

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
It is a wintry day in the midwest--central and eastern Iowa, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin getting hit with snow. There are winter storm advisories, warning, watches for Montana, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, the Appalachians of West Virginia, many locations in New England. Monday will be in teens and 20s northern Plains and Great Lakes states. There will be some rain developing in Texas and Oklahoma. Look for some snow mixed with rain in Ohio and parts of the Ohio Valley. The Great Lakes will continue to deal with wintry precipitation.

It is going to be a delightful day in Houston...sunshine...mild temperatures. Look for rain to return as early as late Monday with some thunderstorms on Tuesday in the morning and midday before the next cold arrives. It will milder and more muggy Monday and Tuesday before the front arrives.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
It is wine or vino, pronounced VEE-noh. Enjoy the vino but be careful not to drink too much. And never drink and drive.

We continue to work on the work around for selling our English teaching video in countries besides the U.S. We are trying to offer the purchasing instructions in Spanish. Our web site is in Spanish but how can they order if the instructions are in English. Sounds so simple but no vendors offer an automatic setting for this. Will let you know when we get it worked out.

In the meantime, for all of our English speaking friends who would like to give the gift of Spanish language learning to their little ones, check out our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. You can order your copies today from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, and you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

AND MORE
Had fun at a wine tasting party last night at the home and Doris and Roy Hood. Wayne Baggett brought wine he had made using grapes he grew himself...delicious. He is a meteorologist but he got a degree in wine making by attending a college program on weekends for 2 years. Wow! I was amused by a little contest they had to see how people would vote their preference for 2 wines--one was expensive and one was not. Both were covered so you couldn't see the label. Well, at first the low budget wine was winning but at the end of the evening the more expensive wine pulled ahead in the voting. The total was very close. Interesting!!! Maybe agonizing over the expense isn't so important. Maybe you can get away with a less expensive wine sometimes.

Don't forget to participate in our new poll about what makes you happiest during the holidays!

Have wonderful week everyone and enjoy the weather.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Paypal Limitation/Poll Results/New Poll

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Highs on Saturday will only be in the single digits around International Falls. Highs around the Great Lakes will be in the teens and 20s. There will be snow showers around the Great states. winter weather advisories are in effect around the edges of the Great Lakes and in upstate New York and the northern Rockies. There will be rain showers in Seattle.

The sun will be back out in Houston on Saturday. On Friday many locations did not get out of the 40s. Saturday, highs will reach the low 60s and morning lows in the 30s (light freeze for outlying areas). Temperatures will be slightly warmer on Sunday. Look for some thunderstorms Tuesday as the next cold front approaches.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Yesterday we did hot chocolate or chocolate caliente. Well, Sarah said we forgot the marshmallows. So, our word today is marshmallow or dulce de consistencia blanda, pronounced DOOL-say day cohn-sees-tehn-SEE-ah BLAHN-dah. I love dulces de consistencia blanda in my hot chocolate.

We are definitely seeing an increase in the sales of our award winning language DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. People know that language learning tools are wonderful gifts for youngsters. Don't worry...we're keeping up!!! So, order your copies today from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, and you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

By the way, we are seeing a lot of interest in our English teaching DVD for Spanish speakers. But here is something frustrating. I am trying to get Paypal to give us a tool so that they can see their ordering instructions in Spanish. Our web site for the Spanish customers is completely in Spanish, but when they go to check out, they see all of the instructions in English. Well, believe it or not, the only way to get this is if I am from a Spanish speaking country (setting up an account with a foreign address). So, the customer service person said they would add that to the list of wanted changes.

Well, I just can't believe they don't support that. So, I did some research and guess what...there don't appear to be any gateway providers that support Spanish checkout. There are plenty for other countries (like Europe, Russia, China). I did see a lot of posts from frustrated computer programmers who were trying to resolve this same problem.

Anyway, we are probably going to do a work around using yahoo business. I'll let you know how that goes.

AND MORE
Our poll about the aggressiveness of shoppers is now closed. (the poll was inspired by reports about tramplings etc.) The results are 40% thought they were just desperate to get a good deal, 40% thought they were caught up in the moment, 20% thought they had forgotten the true meaning of the holidays and 60% thought they were just plain mean and selfish. Please note that respondents were allowed multiple answers (thus the percentages DID NOT add up to 100%).

Our new poll asked what gives you the most happiness during the holidays. Don't forget to share your answer.

Gordy and I saw the most hilarious thing this morning as we were taking our walk. We saw a man with dreadlocks on a motorcycle. He had an incredibly loud stereo and he was bouncing on his seat and dancing. Then as we got closer, we realized he had on a cap that had the dreadlocks. And he was laughing and laughing. Everyone was cracking up. I wonder if that was a one time thing or he does it all the time. And just where do you buy such a cap.

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Cold Weather/FortBendNow/Groundhog Day Gala

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
It was delightfully chilly today in the Houston area...at least I thought so. But brrrrrrrrr, they have to be shivering in North Dakota, Minnesota and the Great Lakes states--highs there on Friday will be in the teens and 20s. There are various winter weather advisories for Michigan and upstate New York as well as the Rockies of Colorado.

On Friday look for some snow around the Great Lakes and northeast and some rain in Florida.

It will be another chilly day in Houston with lows in the 30s and highs in the 50s. The weekend looks very nice...lows in the 30s Saturday and 40s Sunday and highs both days in the 60s. There will be a light freeze for outlying areas early Friday and early Saturday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
I know I've done chocolate before, but Sarah just suggested hot chocolate and how perfect is that on a day like today--so we are doing hot chocolate or chocolate caliente, pronounced choh-coh-LAH-tay cah-lee-EHN-tay. There is nothing like chocolate caliente when it is chilly outside.

You just can't do enough for the minds of our youngsters. I gave a talk to the 2nd graders at a local elementary today and their minds are just amazing sponges. Early language learning is especially easy for young ones. So give them the gift of language while they are so ready for it. Order our double award winning spanish teaching DVD from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, and you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

AND MORE
Check out http://fortbendnow.com/Friday. They will have a story about the talk I gave today. They have been in business since about 2001 and they have about 11 editors. I had the pleasure of meeting John Pape, one of their wonderful mobile reporters. Just so you know, his name is pronounced pahhhh(like you are saying ahhhh at the doctor's office)-pee--it's German. He said he gets all kinds of interesting pronunciations. Well, now we set the record straight. I'm doing a story on a story. Tee hee!!! Be sure to check out his article!!!

Had a board meeting of The Weather Museum today--we are gearing up for the Groundhog Day gala on February 2nd at The Houston zoo. Bill Read, National Hurricane Director, Mayor Bill White, and Judge Ed Emmett will be honorees. I will have more on this in coming weeks. Dr. Neil Frank is one of the chairs. There are still seats and tables available. Hurry and get your's (get your company to get a table). It is going to be quite the event!!! Go to http://wxresearch.org/ for more information.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Chilly Forecast/New Web Site for Spanish Immersion

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Brrrrrrrr!!!! I am so glad not to be in North Dakota or Minnesota where many locations will not get out of the low teens on Thursday. Look for snow over the Great Lakes States and the upper midwest and parts of Colorado and Wyoming over the next 24 hours. Winter weather advisories are in effect in these areas and there is a winter storm warning for northern Michigan.

It is going to be much cooler in the Houston area on Thursday--lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s with windy conditions. Another chilly day is on the way for Friday with warmer afternoons over the weekend. Next cold front arrives on Tuesday.

Line of showers (and a few thunderstorms) are moving through the area right now...cold front is almost to Houston as I write this blog.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Today's word is shipping or envío, pronounced ehn-VEE-oh. Note that the v is kind of a v along with a b sound at the same time. Try to say both letters at once...kind of weird I know. I often have to use envío by mail.

And if you order our double award winning spanish teaching DVD from our web site, www.frankandpaco.com, you will get shipping within 24 hours. You can also order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank and Paco from www.venturaes.com, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, www.bestbuy.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

AND MORE
We finally got our Spanish web site fully operational. This site sells our English teaching DVD (for Spanish speakers). It is called Aprendamos Inglés con Frank y Paco. You can check it out at frankypaco.com. We have Spanish clips and everything on there. You can immerse yourself fully in Spanish, when you go to that web site.

I set up the international shipping for Aprendamos Inglés con Frank y Paco. It was amazing how complicated that was...but hey, I'm on the learning curve. I was amazed at how many people in other countries were searching for the term, Aprendamos Inglés, which means Learn English. There really are opportunities in the global market.

Stay warm tomorrow!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman