This past weekend we had several occasions where we had lots of lightning and thunder and yet not a drop of rain at our house.  Some places in Houston did get rain but it was just wherever the storm popped up.  On Sunday afternoon, my husband went out in the backyard to plant some seeds for fall in our pitiful garden.  All of a sudden a little bit of lightning popped up….of course I am the only alarmist in the family who would worry about such a thing!  In a few more minutes there was a very LOUD crack of lightning and I ran to the back door to make sure my husband wasn't sprawled out in the backyard.  He was fine but hurrying to get inside.  That lightning was way too close for comfort even for him!  But it wasn't until later that evening that we discovered that lightning bolt must have hit the chimney on the house a few doors down on the corner! Look at these photos I took this morning of their chimney and roof!

While I catch up with getting some other photos ready to post on my blog, I thought I would share some photos I took in my very own yard of our beautiful azaleas and some bluebonnets.  This is a follow-up to the Azalea Trail and card of a couple weeks ago!  I took these photos the other day before the rains came and I'm glad I did because the azalea blooms are about over now.  Maybe these pretty flowers will inspire you to get out a nice flower stamp set and stamp something for spring!

I left out some photos, honest I did!  This time of year and the azaleas and bluebonnets are a couple of the best things about living in Houston, so we have to enjoy the time while it is here.

Don't forget!  Sale-A-Bration is coming to an end tomorrow!  Tomorrow (March 31st) is the last day to get your free stamp sets, ribbon, or paper for every $50 in product you order.  And Stampin' Up! has such great products, it won't be hard to make it to $50!  And the stamp set "Botanical Blooms" in the SAB Mini would be a beautiful set to stamp some spring flowers like my azaleas!  Contact me or go to my website:  www.karenfontinelle.stampinup.net to place your order online!

Even Flat Stanley is excited about the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog!!

Flat Stanley from California came to Houston, Texas for a visit!  He showed up just when the new Stampin' Up! catalog had come out.  What a lucky guy!  He was visiting my friend and her family and got to go around to lots of places.  We were all surprised when he showed up at our little stamping group!

Here he is admiring some cards and ready to stamp!

We were so happy to have Flat Stanley visiting us!

It is almost unbelievable enough that it would get cold enough in Houston to have to wear a jacket…..a winter jacket, that is….and button it up….but then late this afternoon it STARTED SNOWING!!!!  When I went out to get the mail I thought could feel some microscopic moisture on my face.  A little while later I went out and checked and  could hear precipitation falling.  The next time I went out, with my black jacket on, I could actually see some little flakes or maybe just sleet hitting my sleeve!  You had to stare and squint to see it coming down…..but in Houston, this would be called a blizzard!!  It does not snow in Houston, except maybe once every seven years or so!  But it did snow here just two or three years ago on Christmas Eve.  One weatherman had statistics to show that three dfferent years when there was a hurricane, we had snow in December.  So maybe Hurricane Ike brought this as a peace offering a few months later! 

The next time I went out the snow was starting to stick in the valleys on the roof!

When I went to pick up my husband, the snow was starting to stick on the cars.  When we got home at 6 pm he put the trash out right away for some reason and after we were inside, I forgot about the snow.  Wouldn't have thought it was still coming down anyway!  But, when I looked out, it was still snowing and had accumulated even more!!  This is so amazing!!

There!  That should get even with those of you who have posted pictures of snow scenes from your windows, showing gorgeous trees covered in snow or a foot of snow on your deck or in your yard!  These are blizzard pictures from Houston, TX!

And here are some Christmas lights and decorations while I am at it….

Those white specks are SNOW!