Deer in the Yard

This has certainly been a year of firsts for us. One of the more interesting first was a visit of some deer to our front yard. The visit occured sometime during the night, leaving only tracks behind as evidence. I think our dogwood and other bushes and trees in the front yard were the draw, but we were shocked. This has never happened before! Pretty cool though. Bailee was thrilled and had to go out and document the event.

Regional Robotics Competition

Yesterday Bailee had the opportunity to participate in the First Lego League Regional Robotics competition. Her team, the Raging Raptors, won in the "Teamwork" category and now have qualified to go to the state competition in Nampa next weekend. Sadly, Bailee won't be able to attend because of prior commitments to dance, but she is sure that her team will do great at state. She's pretty bummed, but conflicts happen when you're as involved in life as she is. Luckily, we hashed through this possibility well in advance, so she knew she wouldn't be able to attend beforehand. They beat the boys' team from their school, and I made a comment about "girl power" to Bailee, which she waved off - "The girls ALWAYS beat the boys in robotics." I guess that qualifies as MAXIMUM GIRL POWER! Whoa! Later, she qualified her comment by adding that the boys always fight too much and goof around too much.

It's another gray day in Idaho, with snow predicted for every single day. Our temperatures are supposed to be in the 30s, so that is great news. Those single digits really are the pits. No doubts about having a white Christmas this year.

We're slowly putting up Christmas decorations at our house. It can be a long process since we're all so stinkin' busy, but we're doing a little every day. I'm really enjoying the Christmas music, which is definitely my favorite part of the season. I'm hoping we can start watching our holiday DVDs today ... "White Christmas," "Christmas in Connecticut," or "The Bishop's Wife" sound perfect.

Back to work tomorrow. Weekends pass all too quickly it seems. Only two weeks of school remain before the holiday break though. That sound great on one hand and terrifying on the other. How can Christmas already be so close? I have to start BAKING! What about those Christmas cards? Oh my!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here we are, and it is Thanksgiving again. I have a great deal to be thankful for, even though I sometimes dwell on the frustrations of life. The economy has been rough and our financial situation could certainly be better; but we have secure and stable jobs. We don't have to worry about being unemployed (unless the Idaho Tea Partiers succeed in doing away with public education). I have a wonderful class this year, and good people to work with. My job is difficult, but there are very few people who have a job as important as mine. Despite what the legislators think, I have a job that really matters and changes the world. I am thankful for that opportunity to touch the future.

I have been blessed with a wonderful family. Mom is still in good health, Diana is doing better with her back fusion all the time, and Bailee is a delight. We couldn't ask for a better child. She has wonderful friends, varied interests, and she makes great choices in her life. She keeps us all very busy, but that is a blessing as well! Living together as we do, things could be so much more complicated. I am thankful that we have found a way to make this multi-generational household not only work, but work well. We love one another, and we support one another. What could be better?

We're safe in our warm home today. Preparations are being made for our dinner. The blizzard is over, and we came through just fine. Granted, I don't get to enjoy much of the feast today thanks to a tooth extraction that had complications, but I am thankful for drugs that help me to endure the pain and discomfort. I am also thankful for a tolerant family that takes care of me. After six days of this, I am sure they are sick of me. Heck, I'm sick of me!

The holidays are about to start, and we seem assured of a white Christmas. I'll be able to get into the dentist to deal with my dental issues (as opposed to dealing with the symptoms) next week, so I can see a light at the end of this painful tunnel. We have some ideas on how to make the most of our finances, and there may even be a way to get Bailee her dream Christmas gift. Life is pretty good all in all, and I'm pretty thankful.

Blizzard!

Schools have been cancelled all week. Roads are closed all over the state. I have to say, I don't remember EVER having a blizzard in November before! Something tells me that this winter is going to be a whopper! This is the view from our front door, looking northeast up Eagle Pointe. I took this during a lull in the storm, when you could actually see across the street!
This is a shot of our backyard. You can see our poor plum tree, which was a victim in the first heavy snowfall. It hadn't lost its leaves yet - so it didn't stand a chance. We tried to knock off the snow, but as you can see - we didn't get to it in time. We're all SO sad, as this tree was our heaviest producer.

This is the view of our back deck. This table gives you an idea of how much snow has fallen. Whoa!

This cold weather is perfect for making applesauce though. Bailee and Grandma have done several batches together.

She loves to run the food mill, which really helps her grannie out. She's becoming quite the little chef.