I'm starting to really like the idea of freelance flight instructing. It's going to be more lucrative which pings my goal oriented personality ... meaning; before, I really wasn't thinking of it as a business. The guys at the flight school net somewhere around 15 bucks an hour (they are billed out at significantly more, but the flight school keeps the rest for overhead ... the CFIs are building time while they instruct ... so everyone is happy with that arrangement sort of). Freelance CFIs around here are billing their flight and ground time at 40-50bph. Gotta love that! So ... somebody has a very nice little Cessna 152 that is IFR certified and he is going to rent it to my students at a very competitive rate. I am loosely partnering with one other CFI in this airplane, so everything is on track there to start instructing after the first of the year.

Yesterday I spent some time with the City setting up a ground school program that will be offered through our local Parks and Rec. Pretty cool. It'll start the first week in March and run for ten weeks ...depending on how many folks sign up, that can pay pretty well ... and be a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed instructing in the University environment, but I am energized by this new challenge. We're also thinking about some jacked up test prep type weekend courses ... probably would be appealing to the local business men. That's about as up and running as it can be this time of year ... the Christmas bells are ringing.

Five and I are making Gingerbread houses from scratch. My little 200 watt handheld mixer said, "uh uh ... no way". It is fine for whipping cream or blending cake mix ... but this project required a lot more muscle! Combining the ingredients to produce gingerbread was an act of determination that could be featured on "Man vs Wild" ... I cook a wide variety of dishes pretty well ... but, I avoid baking (except for chocolate chip cookies and the occasional batch of oatmeal raisin for those who are very dear). My girls have piping bags and tons of little silver tips ... and they know how to use them ...they didn't get that from me (thank-you Food Network). I have learned a few things from this experience ... . It takes about $38.00 worth of candy to decorate two gingerbread houses (and nine cups of flour to make the dough!), milk duds with kosher salt taste exactly like carmel enrobed in dark chocolate with sea salt(delicious, and my version is a fraction of the cost!), and little girls love creating Gingerbread houses almost as much as their big brothers enjoy swiping the building supplies. One had the cool idea of secretly placing a surprise inside the house before the roof goes on ... pretty sweet.

There is still shopping to be done ... I am not a big fan of shopping ever ... but I am a huge fan of delighted faces on Christmas morning. Four, has tapped me for an afternoon review of consumerism 101. I will be driving the sleigh while she fills the big red velvet bag. If it becomes too much I will sit on the benches with the old guys and talk politics and skin cancer. Ho Ho Ho ... !