I am SO bummed. They had this spectacular "Holiday House" that timed all these lights to music. Anyway, I think it has been around a few years; but word really exploded about it last year. We went to see it 3 times last year (each time was considerably more crowded). So today BM and I discussed it on the way home, that we needed to get there early this year. So when I got home I looked up to see when it started. I did warn BM that they could be gone; because of cranky neighbors. Anyway, I called it.

Looked up the website and they just updated today - no show this year. I am so bummed, but I certainly don't fault the neighbors. IT wasn't the light or the noise but the traffic that made them cranky. Lord knows I wasn't going back there, close to Christmas.

Anyway, they are looking for a commercial location to setup next year. I don't imagine that would be hard to find. (Free spectacular light show that brings in too much traffic??). So I hope they work out something for the future.

Anyway, we were watching their videos from last year and they had one song from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is also very spectacular. On a whim I looked up the CD and was listening to some of the audio files on their website. LM just LOVED the music so I went to Amazon to add it to the wish list. Which is fine, except it was on sale for $8.99. Really not bad at all - eligible for free shipping. I also noticed all the books on my wish list were on sale for $4.99. So I bought 3 books and that. Of course I was short like 50 cents for the $25 minimum for free shipping. (Shipping is $6 or so). I was perusing stocking stuffers, but of course the $1 stuff doesn't apply for free shipping. Bah. I finally just bought another book I had my eye on. It was $10 though. Oh well. I'd rather pay $10 for a book than $6 for shipping.

I told dh if he wanted to wrap the stuff up for his family to give to me; whatever. Good deals. I can't complain!

I also downloaded credit card expenses - updated. We leave Wednesday for Vegas and so pretty much paid all our bills and bought all our gas and groceries for the month.

Credit card bill will be about $1350. Well in the budget, christmas and all. PHEW. Following some spendy months.

There is Vegas, but I am getting birthday cash and $130 refund of deposit from the time share company.

I think we can budget around $200 for eating out (mostly all we will spend money on). We'll use the credit and cash. We also figured we'd go to the movies (matinee I am sure. ).

Dh, very sweet, tells me today he wants to splurge on my birthday. I am like, and a trip to Vegas isn't enough??? He just said he wanted to go out to a nice dinner or something on the actual day. I just say, duh. We had already been talking all the places we were going to eat. Truth is, really, we just got to Vegas to eat!!!

In other new I am under a pile of mandarins. LOL. That is the fun thing about Sacramento. Is it city or rural? Becoming very city, very fast. Historically very rural (as is much of California really). So my coworker has an orchard of mandarin trees and she gave me 4 buckets. She said she'll give me 4 more next week. Gave one bag to each fam and will give one to preschool. Will keep the last. Kids love them.

I am always pawning off unwanted food at work and I have to keep remembering not to lug a back back to work. That is where they came from. LOL. But they disperse pretty fast between all our family and all.

Which reminds me, we don't have a garden and haven't really thought much about it, but dh wants to get an apple tree. Our main tree died (lord knows why). The one planned to block the sun in the summer and shed its leaves in the fall to let the sun shine in the winter. Anyway, the tree never got very far. Dh wants an apple tree. He said his parents had a dwarf tree and never got too out of hand. We'll have to plant one in the spring. Kids will love it.

Things have warmed up a bit here. Weather went straight from summery to wintery. It was a little crazy. It is settling on autumny. Much chillier than it was, but not freezing... Phew...