My Turn:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper - Gifts bags if you're in a hurry.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, However, I am seriously thinking of an artificial because I can't have an Oregon Nobel
3. When do you put up the tree? When we can - usually around the 10th but it is now the 15th and no tree in sight yet.
4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, yum
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My horse when I was 12.
7. Hardest person to buy for? That's alright Lahia - it must be common. I love my father in law but he is hard to buy for also. However, Jeff gets harder and harder each year. He is SO picky about clothes worse than a girl!
8. Easiest person/people to buy for? Stefani, Doug and for Lahia and Jason who give lists! YEAH.
9. Do you have a nativity set? I used to but Doug broke them when he didn't wrap them after Christmas.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm really not good at sending cards.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A juicer - Doug thought that I really wanted one - he didn't listen to me. We were laughing about his grandpa juicing everything and he thought that I wanted one. [Doug] - Here is a small editor's note: She did, in fact, tell me that she wanted a juicer, along with an ice crusher. It was for Mother's Day - not Christmas.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and Elf.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually in November
14. I don't know because I'm not sure what the question was.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sugar cookies with frosting, fudge, eggnog
16. Lights on the tree? White and lots of them
17. Favorite Christmas song? Lots of them - Oh, Holy Night and Santa Baby and everything in between (almost)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I go where my children are. Staying home because they will be here this year.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both - one present Christmas eve, the rest early Christmas morning-unless the children are too young (let them sleep) or older (make them sleep in.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When you can't find the gift you want to buy!
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Silver with about any color and I like a lot of different kinds of ornaments
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? My grandchildren with me all the time and new slippers, wallet, jewelry Stef makes, kisses & hugs from my grandchildren, laughter with my children and did I say fun with my grandchildren?

Here you go Lahia....

Boy's Name: Jesse James
Girl's Name: Jennifer Joan
Occupation: Judge
Color: Jade Green
Something you wear: Jewelry
Beverage: Jamba Juice
Food: Jam
Something Found in Bathroom: Jergen's Soap
A Place: Jerusalem
Reason for Being Late: Jury Duty
Something you Shout: Jump!

Important Announcement!

Christmas Eve, December 24th, at 7:00pm we will have the 1st Annual Ellingson/Barkley Family Christmas Skits. (Remember the Nutcracker? Along that line guys.) Each family is encouraged (please read, expected, or maybe even ordered,) to come up with a family skit. Everyone that wants can come up with their own as well. For clarification, Jason, Lahia, and Jaxon are one family unit. Jer, Stef, Kohen, and Jonas are one family unit. Julie, Jeff, Mette, and I are another family unit. And any other combination can be put together, after the initial skits have been completed. Remember, we are looking for quality here - top the nutcracker - no average, middle of the road stuff now - serious effort has to be put into this. The proud sponsor is seriously putting up a $150.00 prize to the top skit. This is real!

5 New Updates - That should keep many of you happy for a while.

Snow is here!

Here's what was waiting for Julie and I when we got to work this morning. There was just a little skiff of snow on the cars in Fairfield and no snow at all on the ground. But at about Bellevue, we started seeing snow and everything was covered when we got here. Winter is here and the cold is on it's way.

Here are the trees outside the front door of our office. Notice the leaves have not fallen completely off. Fall came late and then winter decided to not follow suit and just dumped snow while the rest of us were not ready yet.

Halloween, 08 Murder Mystery!

I stole many of Stef's pictures as mine didn't come out very clear.)

Here's the entire cast (Top Left:) Stef, Laurie (behind Stef,) Stephanie, Mike, Jer, Jeff, Mark, Doug, Jason (I love how somber and serious he is - reminds me of the old photos taken of the real west.) (Front Row, seated:) Lahia, Angela Kay, Dana, Connie, Julie, and Sally.

Jeff (ala J.T. Stroder,) played a deputy dying to have athority and dying to be in charge. He was rather dim-witted (which he did incredibly well - so well, in fact, that Stef felt the need during the play to let everyone know that he wasn't really that dumb, he was playing a part,) but honest character. At times, Jeff stole the show.
This is me - I played a washed-up, semi-lunatic, "genuine Civil-War hero!! I mean, I was a decorated hero and a Founding Father of the town of Catcus Gulch." That is, until my property was stolen for nickels on the dollar by that no-good theif of a railroad representative and his tramp of a wife.
Julie played a local Indian drunk who owned a trading post. (A little side note here - I am daily amazed at how beautiful my wife is.) She spent hours and hours on this costume. It was detailed, intricate, and beautiful. She won best costume for this. (Spoiler alert - never share a flask of cactus juice with her.)

Jason was the semi-honest (just don't play him cards, sheriff trying to solve this complicated murder. His costume called for a duster overcoat, a cummerbund, a vest, and thena shirt (followed by his garments,) he was about to melt on us. He beat us all at cards and sorted the details out great.

Lahia played a "Good-Time Girl" at the local casino. She grew up not quite acepted by the white community and not accepted by the indian community. Her plight as an outcast made her desperate, so she took measures into her own hands to secure her own survival.
Stef was the owner of the bar we were standing and drinking in and the narator, (as well as the wutho of this year's mystery.) She did an incredible job pulling all the peices together and making it all fit.
Jeremiah was a traveling Preacher/Bible Salesman (or was he?) He won this years best actor. This part was writen for him. Should he ever decide to become a criminal - he would make a great conman.
Mark and Dana (along with Mike) were easily the most sleezy, underhanded characters int he mystery, and they played their parts great. Mark was smooth and oily - it would be easy to believe he would steal a man's property (for nickel's ont he dollar mind you,) Dana was great. She has had three years worth of underhanded, despicable characters and she has nailed each one. Is there a pattern here? Maybe we should look into this.
Stephanie was a barmaid and helper to the bar's owner. She played the part well and added fun to the overall mystery.
Angela Kay was "just passin' through town," but she was certainly involved in everyones business for a stranger to town and she just happened to be in the middle of everything. Coincidence or not?
A lady of breeding and quality stuck, due to the unfortunate murder of her late husband, inthis little backward town. She would love to bring class and dignity to the town, but the citizens just won't let her. She morns the loss of her husband, but enjoys the money he left her. she woiuld love to find out who killed her husband, but she witht he meager clues she has gathered, she is no closer today then when he died.

Sally is the town florist and gosip. She did a great job of spreading rumors and droppig inuendos. She is a true belle stuck in this dirty little town.

Mike was the infamous gun-slinger lawman "Doc" Holliday. This was MIke's first year with us. He was spectacular. As stated above, he played the part of the oily, sleezy gun-slinger fabulously. (Hint: Next years part is nothing like this one - however, it should be fun.)
Laurie played last year with us. Her personality is just so fun that she makes the entire mystery fun to be a part of. She was the daughter of the deceased and was bound and determined to save her inheritance as well as not jeopardize her engagement to the infamous "Doc" Holliday. One thing was certain, she had no patience for her poor uncle that was shorted by that deceptive, conniving railroad man.

The Camas County High School Senior Class has 13 students. I have never been associated with a school this small. The Junior class is even smaller and the Sophomore class is even smaller still.