Winter Weather

In the month of February, I have had the opportunity to get out in our state a bit.  I was in Billings recently for the annual 4-H Update.  Billings is our largest city in Montana, and the only city with more than 100,000 people. Billings has a beautiful landscape feature in the Rimrocks that surround it.  

Hopefully finding Montana Treasures will
be easier than spotting this bunny!

Winter day at Teton Pass.  

When I returned home to Choteau, my brother-in-law called to invite me to Teton Pass for a day with my nieces and daughters.  They enjoyed skiing, even though the winter winds were whipping enough that the lift was closed for the day.  I thought some of our winter scenes might be interesting to our colleagues in the south. 

Winter scenes captured by John Pfister,
MSU Extension Central Region RDH.

I would doubt we will see this much snow in Big Sky in September!  Thank you to John Pfister for sharing this photo.  

Speaking of winter scenes, my supervisor, John Pfister, who makes his home in Roundup, Montana, shared these beautiful winter photos.

Of course, in Montana, as I suspect is true many places, the weather can be unpredictable.  This past weekend, I was in Bozeman on the MSU campus for Montana 4-H BioScience.  It was 70 degrees in the middle of last week, and yet, while we were doing our Montana 4-H BioScience activities there was a healthy dose of snowfall. The snowfall made me recall the time I stayed at BigSky Resort, close to Bozeman.  It was September, and as a Montana girl, I’m a little embarrassed to say that I failed to pack a winter coat, gloves or an ice scraper.  Sure enough, there was snow … in September.  I should have known better!  I even remember on Fourth of July in Choteau when we wore winter coats to the local rodeo!

As you get ready to come to Montana next fall, remember to check the weather reports, pack warm clothes and think about layers. It is hard to predict weather, particularly when it is so unpredictable. But, I do think I’m safe to predict cool mountain evenings.

Use the comment box below to tell us about the weather in your area.  You can send photos to share to jwolery@montana.edu.  We had a conference call this morning with colleagues from Cornell who said they had 20 inches of snow in 18 hours!  Wow!

Congratulations and THANKS!

At the recent NEAFCS conference in West Virginia, the Montana delegation invited participants to drop off their business cards at the Montana booth to be included in a drawing for a three-night stay at Big Sky Resort.

The winner of that drawing was Lorrie Coop with Texas A&M Extension.

We very much appreciate the donation from Big Sky Resort and a shout-out to Brandon Bang with Big Sky Resort for his assistance.

We also had a Montana sapphire necklace that we sold raffle tickets for this fall and at the NEAFCS conference as part of our fundraising to cover some of the expenses of hosting the conference.  We appreciate all who purchased and contributed toward this effort.

The winner of the sapphire necklace was Susan Routh of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension.

Thank you to Tara Andrews, MEAFCS and Jewelry by Monte in Miles City, Montana for selecting the beautiful sapphire. If you are driving through the eastern part of Montana to get to NEAFCS, you might want to add a stop in Miles City, home of the world famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.  

If you are looking to mine your own sapphires, Philipsburg, Montana might make a nice pre- or post-conference excursion for you.

Dining In

Dining In

with Dr. Sandy Bailey

Family & Human Development Specialist
baileys@montana.edu

Do you ever wish that time would slow down for your family so that you could enjoy each other’s company? The idea of gathering the family together in the same place at the same time in the 21st century may seem impossible for many, but it can be done. Try planning family time around a meal. Eating together as a family may not look like Sunday dinners of a generation ago. However, the goal can still be the same. Family mealtime provides an opportunity to spend time with family members and talk with one another. Eating meals together can help families feel closer and provide better nutrition – two ingredients for happy, healthy families.

Flickr Photo CC by Paul Schultz

Family mealtime can happen with any meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a snack! The meal does not need to be fancy, so don’t worry about bringing out the china – paper plates are fine! Research shows that eating a family meal together helps family members make better choices in what they eat. Children learn a broader vocabulary as they listen and talk with other family members. They also learn social skills that they can use in other settings. Family mealtime also sends the message to family members that family time is important!

December 3 is National Family and Consumer Sciences’ Day and this year they are promoting an activity of “Dining In.” Please help spread the word to families across Montana!

The theme is, “Dining In” for Healthy Families, and the goal of the campaign is to double the 2014 results and receive 200,000 commitments to “Dining In.”  December 3rd was chosen as Family & Consumer Sciences Day to honor family and consumer sciences pioneer and AAFCS founder Ellen Swallow Richards (December 3rd is her birthday).  Make your ‘Dining In’ commitment today!

For more information on family mealtime see the MSU Extension publication at http://store.msuextension.org/publications/homehealthandfamily/mt200403hr.pdf

Montana Treasures!

We just wanted to share with you some of the scenic treasures we have discovered in Montana!  We look forward to connecting with you as you make your own Montana discoveries at the NEAFCS Conference in 2016 in Big Sky, Montana.

Big Sky Resort

We are very excited to welcome you to Montana!  We believe many of you will fly into Big Sky Country likely into the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.  The airport is just a few miles away from the beautiful Montana State University campus and home to MSU Extension.

The conference will be held at Big Sky Resort, which is just a scenic drive away from the airport.

If you have questions about transportation, you may find the answers here, or you can contact our conference liaisons Tara Andrews and Sheila Friedrich.

Big Sky Resort is a renowned area among skiers, but there likely won't be enough powder for skiing during our NEAFCS 2016 conference; however, it is not uncommon for there to be a skiff of snow, even in September.  We recommend checking the weather forecast and packing for cool Montana mountain evenings.

Big Sky Resort offers amazing lodging opportunities from hotel rooms to condominiums to cabins to homes.  You can enjoy western comfort and style during the NEAFCS 2016 conference in Big Sky. The different lodging choices each have their own amazing amenities.  Look for the situation that suits you from private hot tubs to fireplaces to kitchens.  Some states may even want to all stay together in a home, condo or cabin to really connect during the conference.

We'll See YOU in Montana!

Coming Soon!