Family Outing

On Sunday we crossed an item off of my "bucket list" when we went as a family to see the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions perform here in town.

Goodbye, my friend!

She has been such a good friend to me. She was reliable in a far away land without tech support. She has graced my desk for years... I have loved her. She is going to a new home now, to be loved and appreciated by a new generation.

Teaching my brilliant first grader to read and she's having a wonderful time.

Her bright eyes turn to me and she says, "Mom ~ you're a great teacher. You know, you're way smarter than a rock!"

attention to detail

He carefully designed and lovingly made my new desk. He is so careful, attending to every detail... see the keyboard drawer? He outsmarted the carving template that was too wide for the drawer front... look closely and see how he made sure the wood grain matches where the drawer front meets the desk... now he's sitting with me at my computer every day. I love that.

Too smart for her own good...

Have you met Kodi, our dog? She's a great dog... sort of. What I mean is that I love her to pieces and I'm so glad we have her. Still... she's a 60 pound puppy. All body, no brain... sort of. She chews on things she shouldn't and she really hates to be locked up in her crate when we're gone. She hates that so much, that she's figured out how to make the crate collapse in on herself so she can wriggle out and spend her time on my la-z-boy instead.

Hmmmm.

On Sunday when we went to church, I figured I'd compromise. Instead of locking her in her crate, I put baby gates up so that she was essentially trapped on the entryway landing. She had her comfy bed, and her food and water ~ she should be fine.

When we got home from church, she was fine; but she wasn't on the landing. Now, I promise I am not making this up. This dog let herself out into the garage. From there she went through the doggie door to the back yard and let herself IN through the downstairs walk-out so that she could spend her morning in my la-z-boy!!! So, next time I leave her alone, maybe I'll just leash her to the la-z-boy? Ha! Happily, she doesn't seem to feel overly destructive when unattended... as long as our messes are cleaned up, she seems to just kick back and take it easy. She is definitely too smart for her own good!!

So many of you have commented off line about how you've enjoyed the photos of our home... I realized I hadn't sent any photos of the family room. The additional space downstairs includes a bathroom, laundry room, 2 boys' rooms, and school room... none pictured, sorry. :) I guess if you REALLY want to see it all, you'll have to come by for a visit. For now... here is the family room from three different angles.

Circle the wagons...

I love these cold days... sort of. I don't love that it's cold; but I love the fact that life slows down so much. I need for it to slow down some. We've made some choices in the past week that have helped in that regard; but today is just an extra little gift to me. Tonight we will ALL be here for supper. Tomorrow is K's day off and we can all stay home. Maybe we'll take down our Christmas decorations! Maybe we'll get the house all clean. Maybe we'll finish the book we started yesterday for History. Maybe I'll make a list as long as my arm and still spend the day in my chair near the fireplace.

Maybe...