Has It Really Been a Whole Week?

Yes, yes it has. Yikes.  And we missed How-To's Day... All I can say is I'm sorry.  This is a family project, but I'm really the only one who does the writing, so when I get busy, my extracurriculars suffer.  Here's the 60-second update on all things us:

• The dog has been diagnosed with a chronic eye problem known as pannus.  He'll be on special eye drops for the rest of his existence.  Wonderful.
• For Halloween, we participated/volunteered at a festival at our church.
• For All Saints Day (Nov. 1), we went to Mass.  It was also the last day of deer hunting season; unfortunately, we didn't get anything this time :(
• We spotted a mountain lion on our property.  We've heard of mountain lions in the area before, but actually seeing one is more than a little alarming.

We are currently snowed in following the first blizzard of the year, doing our best to stay warm.  I have received several suggestions that I write poetry about snow, but I'm not sure I have it in me today.  Instead, we have a few of Beena's original artworks to put on display.

Here we have Princess in Red.  Notice the gold petticoat under the gigantic, flowing skirt?  That's detail for ya!

Second, we have Family and Stone House.  Again, gorgeous detail and colors, but I guess I'm sort of biased :P

Finally, Peaceful Lawn.  This one is a pencil sketch, but just notice all the shading and dimension, especially in those rocks!

What did I tell you?  Beena is a wonderful artist, and she's only 11 years old!  She loves to draw.  She likes to practice on the whiteboard, but notebooks, drawing pads, and even scrap paper can be found all over our house covered in beautiful art.  Her creative muse is never idle!  Now to hire an agent...