SNOW! It SNOWED! SNOW SNOW SNOW!! SNOOOOW!! IT SNOWED!!!

Did I mention that it SNOOOWED!!?! Snow snow snow!! Not too much--about an inch at our house. We had already planned to drive to work (time is of the essence this week!) so didn't get the chance to trudge through it. Definitely next time! SNNOOOOWW!!

Weekend Work!

It was super duper amazing and wonderful to have 4 days off to rest and recharge.

We used the rest of Thankgiving weekend to get some important work done! My husband got three rounds of mudding done. It's amazing how mud takes it all from "construction" to "room."

And I hung up the holiday lights! We don't have a ladder tall enough to hang up them on the house, so I decorated the front walk and the trees. I love the lights!!

Happy Thankgiving!

OK, my well-wishing is a little late, but I hope your Thankgiving was all that.

We had leisurely coffee and watched the Thanksgiving Day parade. Then we went on a little hike up Camel's Back.

I made a cranberry pecan pie. It wasn't very good. We each had a piece and offered low reviews, so I threw it out, and made another, this time without the cranberries. I'm not a big pecan pie person, but the plain pecan was much better.

I made horseradish mashed potatoes with green onions. Probably my most successful dish.

To accompany our tatoes, we did a sirloin roast baked in a salt crust. Mmm.

Hope your Thankgiving was sweet!

A Few Last Coffee Night Pics

I found these pics of Poo's last night in Boise when we walked down and got coffee. But not new hats. Despite my pleas that I need this furry ear-flaps hats, Sister assured me that I did not. Hmph.

Sunday: Sun Valley and Stanley

When we woke up Sunday, it could not have been a more gloriously gorgeous day in Sun Valley. We decided to return home via Stanley for the breath-taking views and to check on the snow levels there this time of year. First, breakfast and coffee at the Sun Valley Lodge and a stroll around the grounds.

A small sidetrip to Redfish Lake was snowy and gorgeous. I love love love the way the snow glitters when the sun shines on it. It's kinda like nature's stripper dust... ;)

We also stopped at Pettit Lake, which was more frozen over. Miss Ginger saw that I was on the rocks and decided that meant it was safe, and walked out on the ice!! GAH!

A short run in the snow in an attempt to locate a hot spring rumored to be nearby. When we found it, it was small and full of little kids, so we trekked on without a soak.

After a short tailgate lunch of olives, goat cheeses, spicy salami, and tiny sourdough breads, we returned home to a frenzy of laundry and online chats with school teammates. A super quick trip, but fun fun fun.

Three weeks left of the-course-that-may-kill-me, then three weeks off! Whoo-hoo!!

A Pirate Looks at...39!

Even though my husband's 39th birthday is on Tuesday, we took the opportunity of the weekend to celebrate early with a quick overnight trip to Sun Valley!

We left around noon on Saturday after assorted schoolwork and house chores. I had to be back the next afternoon to wrap work on a group paper for school, but the short break was lovely!

Here are the Captain Black's grog-flavored pirate mints I got him.

The panoramic view from our funny little room at the Tyrolean.

A few gifts to observe the occasion...including a new down vest and a book on hot springs in the Pacific Northwest!

Miss Ginger loves herself some motelin' and vacationin', the only time she's allowed to sleep on the bed.

Happy 39th!

Tiffany Visits!

Apologies for the lapse in updates, I've been off doing my very best to flunk out of grad school...

Anyway, Sister was here! Sister was here! We were all pleased to host the vacationing Tiffany here in Boise. She popped over on Friday night and stayed through Wednesday midday. Per her request (and my energy levels) we didn't traipse around the country seeing the sights, but instead stayed local and mostly just enjoyed down time.

Miss Ginger was soooo pleased to see her Auntie Poo!

We walked almost everywhere we went, except when we went to the mall and out to BBQ. We went to breakfast at Bungalow in Hyde Park where Sister and I shared the oh-so-delicious giant breakfast samich on Saturday. OK, and it's so good, we did it again on Sunday. We know a good thing when we see it.

Sister read a lot while she was here, getting up super early to read and make coffee for the whole family. So nice!

She has this weird phobia about fried eggs that have gotten cold, so when I found these tiny apricot-flavored fried egg candies, I had to get them. I did my best to hide them on her plate, her book, her pants, her can of soda, but mostly they didn't scare her that much, she just ate them.

I was able to take Monday off and Sister and I got my craft supplies and stamps out and spent the whole day making greeting cards, watching DVRed Oprahs and the CMAs, and having coffee. SUCH fun.

She was able to walk in my thrift-store-find Jimmy Choos a lot better than I am. Plus they fit her slightly better too. Despite this, they will hopefully be on Ebay by the weekend.

Plus, she was able to take this cute pic of us at the Poetry Slam.

We gabbed and gabbed and gabbed. My husband appreciated having the TV to himself to play Fallout on the Xbox while we walked downtown to a coffee shop in the evening. Sister returned home on Wednesday after a fun visit.

Thanks for the visit, Sister!

Thanks, Veterans!!

As is my usual protocol, I took the opportunity of Veteran's Day to thank my two favorite veterans: my husband and my dad. I also thanked anyone at work who might have served. Regardless of your stance on conflicts, or whether or not a veteran participated in a military event, I always figured he or she signed on the dotted line, and that's a lot.

Instead of making Veteran's Day a federal holiday, I think if you are a veteran, you should get the day off, and if you aren't, you shouldn't. That would make more sense.

Anyway, thanks!

~ Your favorite freedom-lovin' cake-eater.

Walking to Work Together

Have I ever told you how much my husband loooooooves it when I snap snap snap pics of him walking to work on his first day?

We walk a mile together, then he goes right half a mile, and I go left a mile. There hasn't been much canoodlry yet, but there was a little hand holding. :)