Here we are half way through(well, almost half way)another Monday. This Monday thing just keeps happening every single week. I've come to realize however, that even though most of us live for Friday and the weekend, we'd never get to that point without Mondays. It still isn't my weekday friend, and some weeks I dislike it much, much more than others, but knowing it must be Monday in order to get to my beloved weekend, makes it easier. Sometimes....;)
This brings me to autumn. It really is my favorite time of year. I love the days becoming shorter and cooler. It is hard to beat a crisp, sunny morning, looking out at the peak and drinking a hot cup of coffee. This morning I noticed how quiet and still everything seemed. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and everyone's grass is covered in a thick pile of them. This too, is something I love, stepping on them and hearing that familiar crunch. Even raking them is fun and we are always so thankful that we have a home to live in with a yard that needs to be raked. I love dragging out our sweaters and scarves and such. Even sweats to wear on a snowy, cold fall day. All having been stored away for months just waiting to be looked at and worn again. Of course the totally awesome Pumpkin Spice Latte is reason enough to love this time of year. In fact, pumpkin anything is reason enough! I love watching Avery frolic out back. She absolutely loves the cooler weather and would probably live outside if not for the fact that she is a big people dog and loves her people. :) In just a week will come the first of the fall events with Halloween. I love seeing all the little kiddies all dressed up. Some barely old enough to say trick or treat. :) Then of course comes what is probably the biggest food deal event of the year. Thanksgiving. The turkey will be our centerpiece once again this year. Looking back we have had quiet Thanksgivings and noisy, crowded ones. Both have their place and both have their pros. We've even spent 3 in England. Good times. One of our most loved ones was 2010 when we had all 4 kids here and Scott and Sue. We look forward to the day all 4 kids are here, again! Then of course the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will be upon us and we'll dig out our Christmas music and start the baking and decorating. Autumn truly is such a magical time of year. Jason knows about Santa this year making it the first time in a very long time that we've tip toed around quietly on Christmas Eve! Sad? Yes, in a way, but we're excited to watch him growing up.
This then brings me to politics. I do not believe November 6th can get here soon enough. OH.MY.GOSH! First to the Obama supporters, you are not going to sway my opinion and get me to vote for him. It isn't going to happen. I am conservative. He is not. I think he is probably the worst president we have ever had. And that is saying something considering we had to endure Carter! Obamacare has GOT to go for starters. Second, to the Romney supporters, I'm already voting for him. I am voting for him because he is the Republican running and the party at least for now, best fits into my conservative views. It doesn't mean I think he'll be a good president, it means I feel he will do a better job than Obama. It means being conservative I will never vote Democrat. Mostly, I do hope everyone of voting age goes out and votes. You have the right and freedom to do so. Do it.
And with that, I suppose since Avery is scatting up and down the stairs with one of my shoes in her mouth, I should probably intervene and rescue my poor shoe!
October 22, 2012
October 08, 2012
Life in our neck of the woods.....
I haven't blogged since July, possibly longer ago than that. I had good intentions of posting something new, truly I did. It's been crazy super busy as always for us and somehow blogging hasn't fit into my schedule. Such is life.
August found us back to school and starting 5th grade. We spent the first couple weeks reviewing, mostly. Well, that and the fact that I meandered around longer than anticipated and we were waiting for our actual curriculum in various subjects to arrive. In the end however, review is never a bad thing. The month went by super, super fast and before we knew it we had entered September.
September brought the eagerly awaited college football season. Of course if you pay attention, you know we are all Auburn. This year folks, is not our year. Most games have been shall we say, frustrating to say the least? The only game where we looked like a real team was against LSU. Our only hope this year at this point is to be a spoiler for other teams. We truly have really only seen one team that looks darn good and tough and that is South Carolina. They just look dominant. If I were a Bama, or LSU fan, I'd be awfully nervous at the prospect of playing them in the SEC Championship game.
Skip ahead a bit and here it is October already. Time is flying by so fast. Trick or treat will be a distant memory before long and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will be upon us. Our first with Avery and we can't wait. She's already dressing up for Halloween and she will be wearing reindeer antlers for Christmas. :)
Speaking of time flying by, lunch is over and it's time to get back to school for the afternoon. I'm sure Jason would be just as happy if I made a longer lunch, but sadly for him, that is not to be the case today. :)
August found us back to school and starting 5th grade. We spent the first couple weeks reviewing, mostly. Well, that and the fact that I meandered around longer than anticipated and we were waiting for our actual curriculum in various subjects to arrive. In the end however, review is never a bad thing. The month went by super, super fast and before we knew it we had entered September.
September brought the eagerly awaited college football season. Of course if you pay attention, you know we are all Auburn. This year folks, is not our year. Most games have been shall we say, frustrating to say the least? The only game where we looked like a real team was against LSU. Our only hope this year at this point is to be a spoiler for other teams. We truly have really only seen one team that looks darn good and tough and that is South Carolina. They just look dominant. If I were a Bama, or LSU fan, I'd be awfully nervous at the prospect of playing them in the SEC Championship game.
Skip ahead a bit and here it is October already. Time is flying by so fast. Trick or treat will be a distant memory before long and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season will be upon us. Our first with Avery and we can't wait. She's already dressing up for Halloween and she will be wearing reindeer antlers for Christmas. :)
Speaking of time flying by, lunch is over and it's time to get back to school for the afternoon. I'm sure Jason would be just as happy if I made a longer lunch, but sadly for him, that is not to be the case today. :)
July 30, 2012
Ramblings of a tired mom of a very energetic puppy....
I can't believe that we are less than 5 weeks away from college football! LESS than 5 weeks folks. How did THAT happen? Wasn't it just Easter. Wasn't it just Valentine's Day? And really, wasn't it JUST Christmas? I'm not complaining mind you, I think we can all agree that I love me some college football. Specifically some SEC football and most specifically, Auburn football. It always seems like it takes forEVER to be September and then with a blink of an eye, it's all over and you're left waiting til the next September. I love all that college football brings. The excitement, and good ole smack talkin'. It's great. I don't take it as seriously as some, and don't really get into the hard core, hateful talk that some get into, but the "we know it's all in good fun and at the end of the day truly is just a game" smack talk. We even enjoy going to Falcon games every year. It's not as big as other college football events, but it's in our town and Air Force is our 2nd favorite team. And this year....this year will be more than a little entertaining with Manning heading up the Broncos. We'll be keeping an eye on that for sure. Not a Broncos fan really, but Peyton is an SEC boy and we always wish SEC players well in the NFL. Even those pesky Bama players. =o)
Avery has certainly changed our daily life. Things we didn't put a lot of thought into, we now have to put said thought into. She is a chewer. We do have a couple of bones for her and even a plastic bone that you can put treats on. But even with that, if she finds something she deems chewable, especially plastic, she claims it as hers and prances off with it. :) She definitely loves her family. She has to be where we are. She will follow me from room to room as I'm cleaning for instance, just to lay down and go back to sleep. I think it is safe to say she has changed our lives for the better. It's amazing how much love you can have for a four legged animal that you never thought you would have.
I had another birthday this month. Funny how it happens every single year without fail. But I don't mind, it means I'm still alive and loving my life. I don't view 47 as old, which is funny since I remember being 27 and thinking it was super old. I don't miss being 27 or 37, I'm loving where I am now at 47. Not that there aren't things I miss from that time of my life, but I wouldn't want to go back. We had lunch at Olive Garden with Michael. Always good food and wine. Birthday cake was excellent. Kevin had the bakery do it in different shades of pink roses for me. Did facetime with Chris, Michelle, Sable and Bailey on Sunday followed by fried catfish and hush puppies. YUM.
Summer for us has been hot and dry. Too hot and too dry. Tired of the daily 90's and ready for some daily 60's. We are coming to an end of our break as we took July off from school. Starting back in August. We'll take the week of Thanksgiving off, the entire month of December, a bit of time around Jason's birthday, then some time off around Easter. Can't believe we're starting 5th grade. Unreal. AND our 4th year homeschooling. The majority of our curriculum is still christian based which we like. We love not having to be careful or cautious about using the word Christmas, or bible, or God. I know some excellent teachers, our kids have had some wonderful ones, but I love the quote, "I've seen the village and I don't want it raising my child." It's a personal choice for us and one we know isn't right for everyone. We respect that.
And finally, just a wee bit on the Chick Fil A issue. 1)I find it absurd that it even IS an issue. 2)Freedom of speech is just that, freedom.of.speech3)Regardless of what political party you affiliate yourself with, you cannot tell someone that believes something other than what you believe, that they can't have that opinion or that they cannot voice it .4)Not everyone believes what YOU believe, get over it. And finally 5) I do know that I have never and do not intend to start now, eating at or not, shopping at or not, or visiting places or not based on their opinion on gay marriage. It is after all, America and they after all, have the right to voice their opinion? Right? Not to mention I happen to LOVE Chick Fil A. Probably the best fast food out there.
Avery has certainly changed our daily life. Things we didn't put a lot of thought into, we now have to put said thought into. She is a chewer. We do have a couple of bones for her and even a plastic bone that you can put treats on. But even with that, if she finds something she deems chewable, especially plastic, she claims it as hers and prances off with it. :) She definitely loves her family. She has to be where we are. She will follow me from room to room as I'm cleaning for instance, just to lay down and go back to sleep. I think it is safe to say she has changed our lives for the better. It's amazing how much love you can have for a four legged animal that you never thought you would have.
I had another birthday this month. Funny how it happens every single year without fail. But I don't mind, it means I'm still alive and loving my life. I don't view 47 as old, which is funny since I remember being 27 and thinking it was super old. I don't miss being 27 or 37, I'm loving where I am now at 47. Not that there aren't things I miss from that time of my life, but I wouldn't want to go back. We had lunch at Olive Garden with Michael. Always good food and wine. Birthday cake was excellent. Kevin had the bakery do it in different shades of pink roses for me. Did facetime with Chris, Michelle, Sable and Bailey on Sunday followed by fried catfish and hush puppies. YUM.
Summer for us has been hot and dry. Too hot and too dry. Tired of the daily 90's and ready for some daily 60's. We are coming to an end of our break as we took July off from school. Starting back in August. We'll take the week of Thanksgiving off, the entire month of December, a bit of time around Jason's birthday, then some time off around Easter. Can't believe we're starting 5th grade. Unreal. AND our 4th year homeschooling. The majority of our curriculum is still christian based which we like. We love not having to be careful or cautious about using the word Christmas, or bible, or God. I know some excellent teachers, our kids have had some wonderful ones, but I love the quote, "I've seen the village and I don't want it raising my child." It's a personal choice for us and one we know isn't right for everyone. We respect that.
And finally, just a wee bit on the Chick Fil A issue. 1)I find it absurd that it even IS an issue. 2)Freedom of speech is just that, freedom.of.speech3)Regardless of what political party you affiliate yourself with, you cannot tell someone that believes something other than what you believe, that they can't have that opinion or that they cannot voice it .4)Not everyone believes what YOU believe, get over it. And finally 5) I do know that I have never and do not intend to start now, eating at or not, shopping at or not, or visiting places or not based on their opinion on gay marriage. It is after all, America and they after all, have the right to voice their opinion? Right? Not to mention I happen to LOVE Chick Fil A. Probably the best fast food out there.
July 08, 2012
Life lately at our house
Our anniversary was incredible. 26 years and counting. We weren't really able to celebrate our 25th with my just having had surgery. Being in pain and still on Vicidin doesn't really scream, "yay, it's our anniversary." Kevin, who just happens to be the world's most romantic husband, ordered a cake from a Lakewood bakery. It got it to look like the top tier of a wedding cake and it.was.delish! Oh my gosh it was so incredibly good.
Michael came and stayed overnight and watched Jason for us. It was nice knowing Jason would be taken care of and that we didn't have to worry about the two of them. We saw "Snow White And The Huntsman" and what a good movie. Not the best movie ever, but it was good. We had a fantastic and very romantic Italian dinner and spent the night in a downtown hotel with views of Pikes Peak. This incredible husband of mine also gave me beautiful roses. I feel so lucky and so blessed to have him. He is my rock and I love him.
We had breakfast at Village Inn before coming home and rescuing Michael. :) We relaxed during the day and went to a Sky Sox game that evening.
We've also celebrated Father's Day since my last blog post. We grilled some mighty tasty bacon wrapped steak and had some roasted, buttered potatoes with it. YUM. Kevin/daddy, also wanted egg custard, so I made one for him.
We also found online through a rescue agency northwest of Denver, a puppy we liked. After going through the adoption process, we now own said puppy. Honestly, we aren't quite sure exactly how old she is or what she is. The vet at the rescue place put her between 7-8 months in late May and tagged her as a Lab. The paperwork we were given at adoption says she is a Lab/Shepherd mix and gives an exact birth date, in September putting her at 10 months. In taking her in this past week for a limp and bringing her home after $89 of puppy Motrin basically for growing pains, this vet also said he puts her around 8 months-ish and both he and his tech said right off, "this dog has Beagle in her", and the vet said and I quote, "I see absolutely no Shepherd in this dog"....hmmmmm, so, what the heck is she and how old is she? Who knows? She points constantly, but we did read where Labs can and do in fact point, not only Pointers, so this could point back to the rescue place thinking she is part Lab. Her name is Avery and she has become a part of our family in the one week we've had her. She has her own little personality for sure.
July 4th we grilled and had a really good day with Michael over and we all went to the Sky Sox game but left because we needed to come let the baby out of her crate. :)
We're pretty sure everyone knows about the devastating and heartbreaking fire in the Springs. We won't go on and on about that. We are so happy to be from a community that is so willing to help each other in times of crisis and are so, so very thankful for the firefighters! God bless them! As of this weekend the fire was 98% contained!
We had a lazy weekend. It has been in the 60's and raining of and off. We don't have a lot of lazy times so it's been nice. Chicken & dumplins last night and beef stew tonight. MMMMmmmmmm.
And now folks I will leave you with this.....55 days til Auburn football! WDE. :)
May 14, 2012
Life lately according to, well, me...:)
Has been rather hectic and crazy. Enough so that I've decided boring and sane sound pretty darn good. After Kevin coming down with the flu and Jason catching it, they were both coughing for two solid weeks. I truly am not sure how I missed out on this lovely illness other than I had something very similar New Year's Day that lasted almost two weeks.
After going back to work and Jason getting back into school, we spent a weekend in Denver. Now let me assure you, my dear gentle readers, that we love Denver, we truly do. It's a fantastic city with everything you could possibly imagine to eat, see and or do. We opted to spend Saturday at the zoo. 87 degrees, sunny, and HOT. I managed to somehow NOT get sunscreen on my left shoulder and ended up with a nasty sunburn on it. YUCK. We had fun, it's a nice zoo and we plan to go back once they get their new elephant deal going later in the summer. We finally ate at Maggiono's and it was awesome! Best Italian food I've ever eaten. Hands down. Back at our hotel I started feeling cold from the sunburn and ended up falling asleep around 8:30. I know, I'm such a party animal.
Sunday we enjoyed the hotel breakfast and then headed to Coors Field. Sunday was not 87, sunny, and hot. Oh no. Sunday was a high of 57, cloudy, and cold. That's right. We had a good time though and the Braves won so of course we were glad we went. There were a ton of Braves fans there. A ton. Almost more of them than Rockies fans. We stopped at our usual Starbucks in Castle Pines on the way home and then arrived home around 7:00. Everything was fine. Went to bed at a normal time. And. Then. Then it happened. Around 10:30. I have not been that sick in a very, very long time. It was violent. Best word to describe it. Around 2:30 I got super, super thirsty and my wonderful husband who I'd already awaken from being sick, got me ice and water in separate cups. I gulped the water down and sucked on and chewed those ice cubes til they were gone! Then I had him get me more. All the while, still being violently ill. At 7:00 he called the doctor and the nurse said water is a bad idea. NOW she tells us. :) Gaterade she says. Kevin went up and got some and once I started sipping it I really did start to feel better. And then. Then he got sick. Exactly the same. Very violent. Turns out we had food poisoning from pizza from the ballpark. Jason didn't eat any, so he didn't get sick. We are jsut feeling normal today, a week after. It was brutal.
This past Saturday night we had date night. We had dinner at Colorado Mountain Brewery and it was excellent! Tried to see The Avengers but it was sold out. Piddled around Barnes & Noble instead and went to Starbucks.
Mother's Day Kevin made buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes for me. YUM. Michael made a throw pillow for me and his friend Kelly, made one for me, too. Kevin got me pink roses and a coffee mug and Jason gave me a card and a coffee mug. Chris, Michelle and Sable did facetime last night. We ate dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery and again, excellent food.
Today Jason and I finally got back to school and Kevin is at work, so hopefully everything will settle down from our illness.
For now, it's time to make dinner because Kevin will be home soon from work. :)
After going back to work and Jason getting back into school, we spent a weekend in Denver. Now let me assure you, my dear gentle readers, that we love Denver, we truly do. It's a fantastic city with everything you could possibly imagine to eat, see and or do. We opted to spend Saturday at the zoo. 87 degrees, sunny, and HOT. I managed to somehow NOT get sunscreen on my left shoulder and ended up with a nasty sunburn on it. YUCK. We had fun, it's a nice zoo and we plan to go back once they get their new elephant deal going later in the summer. We finally ate at Maggiono's and it was awesome! Best Italian food I've ever eaten. Hands down. Back at our hotel I started feeling cold from the sunburn and ended up falling asleep around 8:30. I know, I'm such a party animal.
Sunday we enjoyed the hotel breakfast and then headed to Coors Field. Sunday was not 87, sunny, and hot. Oh no. Sunday was a high of 57, cloudy, and cold. That's right. We had a good time though and the Braves won so of course we were glad we went. There were a ton of Braves fans there. A ton. Almost more of them than Rockies fans. We stopped at our usual Starbucks in Castle Pines on the way home and then arrived home around 7:00. Everything was fine. Went to bed at a normal time. And. Then. Then it happened. Around 10:30. I have not been that sick in a very, very long time. It was violent. Best word to describe it. Around 2:30 I got super, super thirsty and my wonderful husband who I'd already awaken from being sick, got me ice and water in separate cups. I gulped the water down and sucked on and chewed those ice cubes til they were gone! Then I had him get me more. All the while, still being violently ill. At 7:00 he called the doctor and the nurse said water is a bad idea. NOW she tells us. :) Gaterade she says. Kevin went up and got some and once I started sipping it I really did start to feel better. And then. Then he got sick. Exactly the same. Very violent. Turns out we had food poisoning from pizza from the ballpark. Jason didn't eat any, so he didn't get sick. We are jsut feeling normal today, a week after. It was brutal.
This past Saturday night we had date night. We had dinner at Colorado Mountain Brewery and it was excellent! Tried to see The Avengers but it was sold out. Piddled around Barnes & Noble instead and went to Starbucks.
Mother's Day Kevin made buttermilk chocolate chip pancakes for me. YUM. Michael made a throw pillow for me and his friend Kelly, made one for me, too. Kevin got me pink roses and a coffee mug and Jason gave me a card and a coffee mug. Chris, Michelle and Sable did facetime last night. We ate dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery and again, excellent food.
Today Jason and I finally got back to school and Kevin is at work, so hopefully everything will settle down from our illness.
For now, it's time to make dinner because Kevin will be home soon from work. :)
April 30, 2012
Life lately at our house.....
While it seems like forEVER since I blogged, it truly probably hasn't been THAT long. It seems that long.
We really enjoyed Chris, Michelle, and Sable being here on their way to HI. We were able to do a few things with all of the kids which was very nice. We had dinner at Hu Hot one night(YUM), saw a movie, went to It'Z, ate at Red Robin and also Poblanos.
We had Sable for a few weeks after the kids left in order for her to be able to go right to her new home when she arrived. We enjoyed having her. She is one funny, sweet, and smart puppy. :)
Michael spent Easter weekend with us and as it turned out, it was actually a wonderful weather weekend! No hiding eggs in the snow this year!
Then. Came. Flu. And man did it hit hard! Kevin started feeling bad on his birthday(not fun) and by Sunday we were sitting in the ER. He missed two days of work and probably should have stayed home a day or two longer, but well, if you know him, you know that just wasn't going to happen. By Thursday, Jason had it, but to a lesser degree. So he missed a few days of school. Both are feeling much better now and Kevin's cough is all but gone although Jason does still have some of his. Someone it decided not to take up residence in me. Thankfully.
This past weekend we ran errands and finally got to have Kevin's birthday lunch. :)
We are having quite odd weather out here with above normal temps for over a month. Everything is green and blooming and that hasn't happened since the spring of 2001. We even broke some records a day or two. I am loving it, personally. I love spring. Normally our spring is cold and we get the bulk of our heavy, wet snow. Not this year. We've had rain and thunderstorms and a tornado touch down near us that did some damage.
Weight Watchers is going great for still. I made the decision when I joined again for the 3rd time that I'm in it for life this time. I've lost 15 pounds in a little under 3 months. I still have 10 to go, but I know I'll get there. Jason and started walking each day and were really enjoying it and then the flu hit. Today we are hoping to get back into that. I am very glad as I hate the treadmill!!
Looking ahead, we have a few things planned coming up that we're excited about. Some Sky Sox games for sure, including July 4th. About a month ago we decided that with it being Chipper's final season, we really wanted to see a Braves game live this year. We knew going to Atlanta was out, so we found when they're coming to Coors Field. This weekend as it turns out and let me tell you it is a sold out event. All 3 games. I had to get whatever I could when I got tickets and almost gave up because there were only single seats/tickets available, and then all of a sudden there were 3 seats that opened up. Someone cancel or whatever, I don't know. I didn't care. I snagged them. :) So we'll be at Coors Field this Sunday watching Chipper and the Braves. Apparently, Peyton Manning was at yesterday's Rockies game.
For now, I will close up the blog and look at today's pointing for WW. Have a great week everyone!!
We really enjoyed Chris, Michelle, and Sable being here on their way to HI. We were able to do a few things with all of the kids which was very nice. We had dinner at Hu Hot one night(YUM), saw a movie, went to It'Z, ate at Red Robin and also Poblanos.
We had Sable for a few weeks after the kids left in order for her to be able to go right to her new home when she arrived. We enjoyed having her. She is one funny, sweet, and smart puppy. :)
Michael spent Easter weekend with us and as it turned out, it was actually a wonderful weather weekend! No hiding eggs in the snow this year!
Then. Came. Flu. And man did it hit hard! Kevin started feeling bad on his birthday(not fun) and by Sunday we were sitting in the ER. He missed two days of work and probably should have stayed home a day or two longer, but well, if you know him, you know that just wasn't going to happen. By Thursday, Jason had it, but to a lesser degree. So he missed a few days of school. Both are feeling much better now and Kevin's cough is all but gone although Jason does still have some of his. Someone it decided not to take up residence in me. Thankfully.
This past weekend we ran errands and finally got to have Kevin's birthday lunch. :)
We are having quite odd weather out here with above normal temps for over a month. Everything is green and blooming and that hasn't happened since the spring of 2001. We even broke some records a day or two. I am loving it, personally. I love spring. Normally our spring is cold and we get the bulk of our heavy, wet snow. Not this year. We've had rain and thunderstorms and a tornado touch down near us that did some damage.
Weight Watchers is going great for still. I made the decision when I joined again for the 3rd time that I'm in it for life this time. I've lost 15 pounds in a little under 3 months. I still have 10 to go, but I know I'll get there. Jason and started walking each day and were really enjoying it and then the flu hit. Today we are hoping to get back into that. I am very glad as I hate the treadmill!!
Looking ahead, we have a few things planned coming up that we're excited about. Some Sky Sox games for sure, including July 4th. About a month ago we decided that with it being Chipper's final season, we really wanted to see a Braves game live this year. We knew going to Atlanta was out, so we found when they're coming to Coors Field. This weekend as it turns out and let me tell you it is a sold out event. All 3 games. I had to get whatever I could when I got tickets and almost gave up because there were only single seats/tickets available, and then all of a sudden there were 3 seats that opened up. Someone cancel or whatever, I don't know. I didn't care. I snagged them. :) So we'll be at Coors Field this Sunday watching Chipper and the Braves. Apparently, Peyton Manning was at yesterday's Rockies game.
For now, I will close up the blog and look at today's pointing for WW. Have a great week everyone!!
April 13, 2012
Ballgames, allergies and stuff....
I truly don't know how it got to be April 13th already. Wasn't it just March? The days and weeks go by so fast it seems. And we're actually having some pretty nice weather for CO in April, so I don't want time to go so fast. I want to enjoy spring.
Our week was filled with the usual work and school and such. Our tree pollen is super high and everyone is sneezing with scratchy throats. Ick.
Today of course is Kevin's birthday. :) He worked from home today partly due to his birthday and partly because Sable had an appointment with the vet. We had gotten tickets to tonight's home opener for the Sky Sox and decided to go after all. Not the best weather today. Of course, after such nice weather. Cold and windy. This is not prime baseball weather. No sir. It wasn't helping matters that the Sox were losing 9 to 0 in the 4th inning and the funnel cake fries line was an hour wait. The only real win of the evening was dinner from Chick Fil A. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating the birthday by going out to dinner at The Elephant Bar. :)
Next Saturday is when Sable will fly to be with her mommy and daddy. We are quite certain of two things, "first, she is NOT going to enjoy her day" and "two, she is going to be very happy to see her parents."
Kevin mentioned in passing, sort of, about possibly trying to do the "Bolder Boulder" or is "Boulder Bolder?" in May. We'll see. I've never been up to Boulder and it might be fun to walk in the race. You can do that, you don't have to run it. We'll see. We also found out that Reba will be performing at Frontier Days in Cheyenne this July. Love Reba. Loved her show and she is a pretty cool lady and we hear she puts on incredible concerts. Plus Jason might enjoy a real rodeo and seeing real cowboys. We also want to finally make it to Larkspur in June to the Rennisance Festival and that probably isn't spelled right. :) Jason wants to go camping.
I'm tired internet world and this will therefore end the babbling for tonight. :)
Our week was filled with the usual work and school and such. Our tree pollen is super high and everyone is sneezing with scratchy throats. Ick.
Today of course is Kevin's birthday. :) He worked from home today partly due to his birthday and partly because Sable had an appointment with the vet. We had gotten tickets to tonight's home opener for the Sky Sox and decided to go after all. Not the best weather today. Of course, after such nice weather. Cold and windy. This is not prime baseball weather. No sir. It wasn't helping matters that the Sox were losing 9 to 0 in the 4th inning and the funnel cake fries line was an hour wait. The only real win of the evening was dinner from Chick Fil A. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating the birthday by going out to dinner at The Elephant Bar. :)
Next Saturday is when Sable will fly to be with her mommy and daddy. We are quite certain of two things, "first, she is NOT going to enjoy her day" and "two, she is going to be very happy to see her parents."
Kevin mentioned in passing, sort of, about possibly trying to do the "Bolder Boulder" or is "Boulder Bolder?" in May. We'll see. I've never been up to Boulder and it might be fun to walk in the race. You can do that, you don't have to run it. We'll see. We also found out that Reba will be performing at Frontier Days in Cheyenne this July. Love Reba. Loved her show and she is a pretty cool lady and we hear she puts on incredible concerts. Plus Jason might enjoy a real rodeo and seeing real cowboys. We also want to finally make it to Larkspur in June to the Rennisance Festival and that probably isn't spelled right. :) Jason wants to go camping.
I'm tired internet world and this will therefore end the babbling for tonight. :)
April 02, 2012
My life....
Life in the CO Lidh home has been fairly busy. March came and went and I'm not sure where exactly it went. :) Chris, Michelle, and Sable arrived in early March on their way from Biloxi to Hawaii. We enjoyed having them here for a few weeks. Especially knowing it might be a while before we see them again. While they were here we enjoyed dinner out at Hu Hot, TX Roadhouse, Poblanos and China Recipe. We also ordered pizza and ate at Village Inn once. We had a party for them the Saturday before they left and enjoyed that day, as well. We've already posted pictures from our month on here, so I won't bother reposting now. Kevin(daddy)took them up to DIA a week ago tomorrow for their flight to Honolulu. We were sad to see them go but so excited for them to be able to experience Hawaii! They were already lucky to experience Japan. Sable is with us until around April 21st. She's a sweetie. She cracks us up daily with her antics. At night she wants to be on the couch wedged beside me. We will miss her as well.
School is going fairly well. We'll be finishing up 4th grade in June, taking July off and starting 5th grade in August. I know I've changed my mind so many times regarding school, but we're thinking now July and December off for breaks and then a day or two here and there throughout the year.
I'm starting my 7th week on WW and I'm down a pants size. WOO HOO! I love that I am never hungry nor do I have to want for something. No forbidden food on WW! Somehow knowing that I CAN have anything, think chocolate....., makes me not want it as much. I could never be on a diet. I hate the word. WW isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I feel so much better and have more energy and sleep better.
That about sums up our March. We are in the talking phases of a Disney trip June 2012 and a trip to Hawaii in 2014. We also are starting the process of doing things to the house to get it ready to either sell, or rent in 1-2 years. So, we keep pretty busy around here. :)
School is going fairly well. We'll be finishing up 4th grade in June, taking July off and starting 5th grade in August. I know I've changed my mind so many times regarding school, but we're thinking now July and December off for breaks and then a day or two here and there throughout the year.
I'm starting my 7th week on WW and I'm down a pants size. WOO HOO! I love that I am never hungry nor do I have to want for something. No forbidden food on WW! Somehow knowing that I CAN have anything, think chocolate....., makes me not want it as much. I could never be on a diet. I hate the word. WW isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I feel so much better and have more energy and sleep better.
That about sums up our March. We are in the talking phases of a Disney trip June 2012 and a trip to Hawaii in 2014. We also are starting the process of doing things to the house to get it ready to either sell, or rent in 1-2 years. So, we keep pretty busy around here. :)
March 22, 2012
Babbles and rambles of a tired mama....
I am in super babble mode right now. I don't know WHY I get like that, but let's face it, I do. I do indeed. :) Usually when I'm tired or sick, or both. I even know I'm babbling, and yet I can't stop myself. The past two nights or so I even had a hard time sleeping. My mind goes nuts as soon as my head hits the pillow! And my thoughts have no particular rhythem. They can go from vanilla ice cream, to weeding the garden to school lessons the next day. Last night it was my hair. I cut it short. Think Jamie what's her name.....Curtis? The Halloween and yogurt girl. Short. Now I'm letting it grow out and it. is. driving.me.NUTS!!
I'm also working on getting the house all ready for the going away luau Saturday. Lots to do. Lots to do. Cleaning. Cooking. Baking. Oh my. And Jason. Oh lawdy. He wants all the decorations up like a week ago. Still can't believe my kids, well, two of them, will be in Hawaii this time next week. I'll miss them but I am super excited for them. What an awesome assignment.
I also was saddened to learn Chipper is retiring. I mean, I think he should have retired a couple years ago, but still I'm going to miss him. He's the last "face" of the Braves we came to love. The great and mighty Braves. I suppose we'll learn to love whatever they bring us in the future, but I can't help but miss the days of Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz. Chipper and Bobby Cox. Even Giles and Furcal.
Now I've rambled on about a gazillion different things and I have a headache. Time to put this blog to bed.
I'm also working on getting the house all ready for the going away luau Saturday. Lots to do. Lots to do. Cleaning. Cooking. Baking. Oh my. And Jason. Oh lawdy. He wants all the decorations up like a week ago. Still can't believe my kids, well, two of them, will be in Hawaii this time next week. I'll miss them but I am super excited for them. What an awesome assignment.
I also was saddened to learn Chipper is retiring. I mean, I think he should have retired a couple years ago, but still I'm going to miss him. He's the last "face" of the Braves we came to love. The great and mighty Braves. I suppose we'll learn to love whatever they bring us in the future, but I can't help but miss the days of Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz. Chipper and Bobby Cox. Even Giles and Furcal.
Now I've rambled on about a gazillion different things and I have a headache. Time to put this blog to bed.
March 18, 2012
Our St. Patrick's Day weekend....
We did wear green yesterday! Yep. While wearing said green attire, we braved Walmart(I hate shopping)and Kevin and Jason got the oil changed in the Nissan. I was smart and put dinner in the crockpot beFORE we left for our morning of errands/shopping. Traditional Irish Lamb Stew. YUM. Oh my it was good. I was a bit skeptical of it as I'm used to regular beef stew with the beef stew seasoning packets you get from the store! This had no such seasoning packet.....
We went for a walk after lunch but it was cool, not cold, and super windy so it really wasn't very pleasant, but hey, at least we went out and got some excercise!
I made Irish Colcannon to go with the stew and the dinner all turned out amazing!! I'll post the recipes on here. So good.
Friday night we finally watched the Tin Tin movie and it was really, really good. We all enjoyed it. :)
This morning Jason woke up sick. Tummy ache, queasy and fever. :( With the morning free, I decided to make a tart which I'd found the recipe for. Aspargus-prosciuto and fintina cheese on puff pasty. YUM!!! Poor baby is still laying around on the couch. Not feeling well at all. We're even still in our jammies.
Hope everyone enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day weekend. :)
Traditional Irish Lamb Stew:
Put 1 1/2 lbs chopped in bite size pieces, lamb(I had to end up using 3 shoulder chops)and 2lbs little carrots and 1 chopped/large chop, onion in your crockpot. Add about a half cup chopped cabbage, a cup of beef stock, 1/2 to 1 cup dark lager, and plenty of salt and pepper. Cook on low for 10 hours. About half hour before it's done, check to see how soupy it is. If it's a bit too much liquid, add some corn starch to cold water, mix well and mix in the stew for the last half hour.
Irish Colcannon:
Peel and chop 2lbs of russet potatoes and boil with 1 head of finely chopped green caggabe until tender. Add plenty of salt while it's boiling. Drain well and put in food processer with 1/4 cup of butter, pepper, and a 1/2 cup of half and half and 1 tsp onion powder.
Tart:
defrost one piece of frozen puff pastry for 40 mins. Roll out to a 10x16" rectangle, roll slightly and crimp edges. Brush 1/4 cup mustard and sprinkle with pepper. Boil 1lb asparagus for 5ish minutes til crisp tender. Drain. Spread evenly 2oz prosciuto(sp?) and arrange asparagus. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 20 minutes.
Now it's time for me to check on the wee one again and see how he's feeling.
We went for a walk after lunch but it was cool, not cold, and super windy so it really wasn't very pleasant, but hey, at least we went out and got some excercise!
I made Irish Colcannon to go with the stew and the dinner all turned out amazing!! I'll post the recipes on here. So good.
Friday night we finally watched the Tin Tin movie and it was really, really good. We all enjoyed it. :)
This morning Jason woke up sick. Tummy ache, queasy and fever. :( With the morning free, I decided to make a tart which I'd found the recipe for. Aspargus-prosciuto and fintina cheese on puff pasty. YUM!!! Poor baby is still laying around on the couch. Not feeling well at all. We're even still in our jammies.
Hope everyone enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day weekend. :)
Traditional Irish Lamb Stew:
Put 1 1/2 lbs chopped in bite size pieces, lamb(I had to end up using 3 shoulder chops)and 2lbs little carrots and 1 chopped/large chop, onion in your crockpot. Add about a half cup chopped cabbage, a cup of beef stock, 1/2 to 1 cup dark lager, and plenty of salt and pepper. Cook on low for 10 hours. About half hour before it's done, check to see how soupy it is. If it's a bit too much liquid, add some corn starch to cold water, mix well and mix in the stew for the last half hour.
Irish Colcannon:
Peel and chop 2lbs of russet potatoes and boil with 1 head of finely chopped green caggabe until tender. Add plenty of salt while it's boiling. Drain well and put in food processer with 1/4 cup of butter, pepper, and a 1/2 cup of half and half and 1 tsp onion powder.
Tart:
defrost one piece of frozen puff pastry for 40 mins. Roll out to a 10x16" rectangle, roll slightly and crimp edges. Brush 1/4 cup mustard and sprinkle with pepper. Boil 1lb asparagus for 5ish minutes til crisp tender. Drain. Spread evenly 2oz prosciuto(sp?) and arrange asparagus. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 20 minutes.
Now it's time for me to check on the wee one again and see how he's feeling.
March 12, 2012
Weekend in CO.....
We started our weekend Friday evening with some pretty kickin Thai chicken burgers! YUM. We were lazy the rest of the evening and only watched some tv. We had some shows adding up on dvr that we needed to catch up on. It was an enjoyable, and relaxing evening.
A glimpse into our weekend: I made some yummy cornmeal pancakes that were gobbled up rather quickly! Pancakes in general, aren't very pt friendly, but these were "manageable". Did some shoe shopping, running shoe to be exact, for Kevin. Finally found some in the mall. Managed a trip to Starbucks......tall nonfat latte DOES count as a dairy serving....=o) We watched some movies we'd put onto DVD, including the one sent to Michelle from her Grandpa Eric of Chris when he was 2 months old. We ate at Hu Hot Saturday for dinner and as always it was awesome! It is always nice when we can spend time with all 4 of our kids. After we ate, we had time to kill so we drove over to Culver's and got a couple of drinks and waited there. Eventually we made our way to the Cinemark for our movie, "The Lorax" and we really enjoyed it! And yep, we did have a wee bit of popcorn. ;) We took Sable on a walk this weekend which was fun. Ended up eating at Applebee's as well which was pretty good. And did a lot of visiting and just basically rested and were lazy.
Now this week we have two birthdays Wednesday! Chris and Jason, which you all know were both born on March 14th, 14 years apart! We have things planned for that and look forward to being with said 4 kids again. :)
And now, since it is Monday morning and all, I should probably get dressed and look at today's school lesson.
A glimpse into our weekend: I made some yummy cornmeal pancakes that were gobbled up rather quickly! Pancakes in general, aren't very pt friendly, but these were "manageable". Did some shoe shopping, running shoe to be exact, for Kevin. Finally found some in the mall. Managed a trip to Starbucks......tall nonfat latte DOES count as a dairy serving....=o) We watched some movies we'd put onto DVD, including the one sent to Michelle from her Grandpa Eric of Chris when he was 2 months old. We ate at Hu Hot Saturday for dinner and as always it was awesome! It is always nice when we can spend time with all 4 of our kids. After we ate, we had time to kill so we drove over to Culver's and got a couple of drinks and waited there. Eventually we made our way to the Cinemark for our movie, "The Lorax" and we really enjoyed it! And yep, we did have a wee bit of popcorn. ;) We took Sable on a walk this weekend which was fun. Ended up eating at Applebee's as well which was pretty good. And did a lot of visiting and just basically rested and were lazy.
Now this week we have two birthdays Wednesday! Chris and Jason, which you all know were both born on March 14th, 14 years apart! We have things planned for that and look forward to being with said 4 kids again. :)
And now, since it is Monday morning and all, I should probably get dressed and look at today's school lesson.
March 04, 2012
Running, Dr. Seuss and smoothies....
Our week went rather smoothly with both work and school. This makes for happy, smiling faces. :) Kevin did run his last snowshoe race of the season, but he's going to try running again on the treadmill or outside. We'll keep our fingers crossed his back allows this to happen! Friday we celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday. Jason enjoyed that a lot. I must say I liked it as well. :) I mean come on, who doesn't like Dr. Seuss?
We've had some pretty nice weather here and there. Getting up around 60. Giving everyone the same false sense of spring that it gives every single year. But it's still early March, and we all know this month and next month are prime snow months in CO! I however, am itching to get started planting and doing yard work.
Not a long blog this time but it is ending with a rather scrumptious smoothie recipe:
Berrylicious Smoothie:
Blend in blender a good handful of ice, a small container of vanilla nonfat yogurt(the once I had measured approx 4.90 oz)1tsp honey, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup strawberries/chopped, 1/4 cup raspberries and blueberries which OMGosh I just realized I forgot to put the blueberries in it today....and blend until smooth. Delish! And pt friendly also giving some dairy and fruit to your day. :)
We've had some pretty nice weather here and there. Getting up around 60. Giving everyone the same false sense of spring that it gives every single year. But it's still early March, and we all know this month and next month are prime snow months in CO! I however, am itching to get started planting and doing yard work.
Not a long blog this time but it is ending with a rather scrumptious smoothie recipe:
Berrylicious Smoothie:
Blend in blender a good handful of ice, a small container of vanilla nonfat yogurt(the once I had measured approx 4.90 oz)1tsp honey, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup strawberries/chopped, 1/4 cup raspberries and blueberries which OMGosh I just realized I forgot to put the blueberries in it today....and blend until smooth. Delish! And pt friendly also giving some dairy and fruit to your day. :)
February 29, 2012
I love Weight Watchers!!
I am realizing again how much I love being on Weight Watchers! It is amazing! I am sticking with it for life this time. I love that they make you keep track of such things as daily dairy intake as well as fruits and veggies. I've never been a fan of "diets" and this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I love eating REAL food. Eggs, chocolate, peanut butter. I'm also wary of diets that eliminate a food group completely. How is that possibly healthy? The plan works, it just does. And I don't have to worry about something like an upcoming birthday, or holiday, or eating out in general. Plan for it and make sure you have the points, and you're good to go! I also forgot how much I love walking. It's a time to clear your head and somehow it is relaxing. Two weeks in and my pants are already loose and I'm feeling so much better and have so much more energy. And I love that what I make the whole family can eat. Weight Watchers, I love you.
February 26, 2012
Testing, weekend and Keurig....
This past week was a long week. It seemed like Friday would never get here. It did of course. Jason tested Tuesday, using CAT. He did extremely well on the test. We were very proud of him. We didn't do any regular school that that day. With testing taking a good 4 hours, I didn't want to push regular work. Wednesday he was a little tired all day and I, too, felt a bit sluggish all day, so we took the day off. Sometimes it is nice to take an unscheduled day off and just relax and regroup. We both were rested and ready for Thursday. As it turns out, we had a system move through and although snow totals would not have been significant, we had tropical storm strength wind making for blizzard conditions. Kevin ended up working from home. Friday finally arrived and we had a fairly decent school day.
Our weekend was busy and productive. Repairs to our kitchen sink and a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I love that store. LOVE it. They had way too many choices for our Keurig. We also dropped by Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. And someone we can never have an outing with it involving Walmart.
Had some pretty awesome blueberry pancakes Saturday morning. Pancakes are so good. They just are.
And speaking of our Keurig......we now LOVE it. It took some time, and playing around with it, but oh my gosh we love it. We found we need to use the smallest option and use only half of the normal sugar/creamer we would normally use. Well, that and we found some pretty kickin' coffees. :) Love the espresso roast, French roast, and Italian roast. There is also teas and apple cider. We think we're in love with our new friend, Mr. Keurig. :)
Now it's time to settle down, make sure things are ready for Monday, then, well, wait for it to arrive.
Our weekend was busy and productive. Repairs to our kitchen sink and a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I love that store. LOVE it. They had way too many choices for our Keurig. We also dropped by Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. And someone we can never have an outing with it involving Walmart.
Had some pretty awesome blueberry pancakes Saturday morning. Pancakes are so good. They just are.
And speaking of our Keurig......we now LOVE it. It took some time, and playing around with it, but oh my gosh we love it. We found we need to use the smallest option and use only half of the normal sugar/creamer we would normally use. Well, that and we found some pretty kickin' coffees. :) Love the espresso roast, French roast, and Italian roast. There is also teas and apple cider. We think we're in love with our new friend, Mr. Keurig. :)
Now it's time to settle down, make sure things are ready for Monday, then, well, wait for it to arrive.
February 20, 2012
Weight Watchers, P90X, school changes and weather...
Things are changing in our home. More to the point, our overall health and school. Both were lagging, but that is going to change!
Let's start with school. While it has gone rather smoothly since we started back from our Christmas break, it became obvious to Kevin and I both, that Jason had become totally lazy with his multiplication. Enough so it was bugging us. And writing. He prints and does cursive fairly neatly, but the boy. hates. to. write! He has a huge imagination, but hates to sit down and write. I decided to take a month off regular school and devote it to math(learned but forgotten things), and writing. It seems to be working so far, so I have not yet regretted this decision. He is a super smart kid and in reading, language arts, phonics, spelling etc, he's a good grade ahead if not two grades. But math. Oh math. And even it is weird. More complicated things, he "gets", no problem, blows right through it, but really simple things like simple multiplication and even addition sometimes, he struggles and could spend half an hour on a single problem.
And moving on to getting healthier....Kevin has been doing P90X for months now with very noticeable results. I decided it is time for ME to do it, so I started the program over the weekend. I won't be doing it daily as he does because I'm looking for different results. I'm starting with 2 days per week. I am also beginning a walking program(again)that starts at 3 days per week. Kevin is currently doing the snowshoe races up northwest of Boulder every week. Also, Weight Watchers, our friend, has been started up again. It works. I don't know why we always go off it when we reach our target weight. This time a purposeful decision has been made to NOT leave the program but actually stay on it for good. It is working as it always does and I personally have lost 7lbs the first week. I know it seems harsh, but the first week and really the second, the weight just falls off. Litterally. Then it slows down, at least for Kevin and I to a healthy 1-2lb a week.
Our weather is very typical CO right now. Days in the low 60's and days in the teens all in the same week. Heck, sometimes all in the same day!
Here's to a fantastic week for us all!!
Let's start with school. While it has gone rather smoothly since we started back from our Christmas break, it became obvious to Kevin and I both, that Jason had become totally lazy with his multiplication. Enough so it was bugging us. And writing. He prints and does cursive fairly neatly, but the boy. hates. to. write! He has a huge imagination, but hates to sit down and write. I decided to take a month off regular school and devote it to math(learned but forgotten things), and writing. It seems to be working so far, so I have not yet regretted this decision. He is a super smart kid and in reading, language arts, phonics, spelling etc, he's a good grade ahead if not two grades. But math. Oh math. And even it is weird. More complicated things, he "gets", no problem, blows right through it, but really simple things like simple multiplication and even addition sometimes, he struggles and could spend half an hour on a single problem.
And moving on to getting healthier....Kevin has been doing P90X for months now with very noticeable results. I decided it is time for ME to do it, so I started the program over the weekend. I won't be doing it daily as he does because I'm looking for different results. I'm starting with 2 days per week. I am also beginning a walking program(again)that starts at 3 days per week. Kevin is currently doing the snowshoe races up northwest of Boulder every week. Also, Weight Watchers, our friend, has been started up again. It works. I don't know why we always go off it when we reach our target weight. This time a purposeful decision has been made to NOT leave the program but actually stay on it for good. It is working as it always does and I personally have lost 7lbs the first week. I know it seems harsh, but the first week and really the second, the weight just falls off. Litterally. Then it slows down, at least for Kevin and I to a healthy 1-2lb a week.
Our weather is very typical CO right now. Days in the low 60's and days in the teens all in the same week. Heck, sometimes all in the same day!
Here's to a fantastic week for us all!!
February 13, 2012
Most romantic weekend EVER, yummy greasy diner food, and snow....
https://plus.google.com/photos/105466260500521201276/albums/5708386157586113889?authkey=CNj0kuforfjKjgE
All of the pictures from our weekend are on my phone. We got them downloaded to google and hopefully the above link will take one to the pictures to view.
Friday was a bit of a dreary looking day outside. Cold and cloudy. We managed a good bit of school and Kevin worked from home which was nice. We finished school around 3:40 and he finished work at 4:00 and thus our weekend started!
We enjoyed a French picnic while Jason played Wii. :)
Friday evening we made pan seared(and then oven baked at 500 degrees, that's right)steak for dinner. The 1st picture is searing the steak on the stovetop in cast iron. We seared and baked ours to be medium-rare. YUM! It was so, so good. The 2nd picture is of the roses my wonderfully romantic husband had ordered for me for our romantic weekend. :) The 3rd is of the empty bottle of bubbly. YUM!!!!!
Saturday morning we woke up to freezing fog, 2 inches of ice and almost 2 inches of snow and it was snowing. HOW perfectly romantic....snow for our weekend. It was great! There are a few pictures of the snow and also one of our French breakfast. YUM!! So, so good. Not AS good as the breakfast we had on our 5th anniversary IN France, but pretty darn good. We(okay, "I") decided I didn't want to cook lunch so we opted to go to Gunter Toody's and there is a picture or two of Kevin and Jason playing pinball there. Food is totally not good for you, but we only go once every 2 or 3 years, so.
There is a picture of our chocolate covered strawberries and bubbly and chianti. YUM! Strawberries=yum, chocolate=yum. Win....win! Probably another picture or two of the roses. I really like my roses. :)
We ended our weekend with slow cooker beef stew which was amazing and there is a picture of it with some sweet iced tea. And then finished with Tiramisu and some really strong coffee! What a wonderful, and romantic weekend. We truly, truly did not miss Denver AT ALL!
This week we will be studing the Gold Rush as well as President's Day in school. Jason is pretty excited about the gold deal. :) Kevin is working from home tomorrow this week. We aren't doing anything special tomorrow because the weekend was our Valentine's celebration.
And here's to a brand spanking new week! Hopefully we will all be productive!!
All of the pictures from our weekend are on my phone. We got them downloaded to google and hopefully the above link will take one to the pictures to view.
Friday was a bit of a dreary looking day outside. Cold and cloudy. We managed a good bit of school and Kevin worked from home which was nice. We finished school around 3:40 and he finished work at 4:00 and thus our weekend started!
We enjoyed a French picnic while Jason played Wii. :)
Friday evening we made pan seared(and then oven baked at 500 degrees, that's right)steak for dinner. The 1st picture is searing the steak on the stovetop in cast iron. We seared and baked ours to be medium-rare. YUM! It was so, so good. The 2nd picture is of the roses my wonderfully romantic husband had ordered for me for our romantic weekend. :) The 3rd is of the empty bottle of bubbly. YUM!!!!!
Saturday morning we woke up to freezing fog, 2 inches of ice and almost 2 inches of snow and it was snowing. HOW perfectly romantic....snow for our weekend. It was great! There are a few pictures of the snow and also one of our French breakfast. YUM!! So, so good. Not AS good as the breakfast we had on our 5th anniversary IN France, but pretty darn good. We(okay, "I") decided I didn't want to cook lunch so we opted to go to Gunter Toody's and there is a picture or two of Kevin and Jason playing pinball there. Food is totally not good for you, but we only go once every 2 or 3 years, so.
There is a picture of our chocolate covered strawberries and bubbly and chianti. YUM! Strawberries=yum, chocolate=yum. Win....win! Probably another picture or two of the roses. I really like my roses. :)
We ended our weekend with slow cooker beef stew which was amazing and there is a picture of it with some sweet iced tea. And then finished with Tiramisu and some really strong coffee! What a wonderful, and romantic weekend. We truly, truly did not miss Denver AT ALL!
This week we will be studing the Gold Rush as well as President's Day in school. Jason is pretty excited about the gold deal. :) Kevin is working from home tomorrow this week. We aren't doing anything special tomorrow because the weekend was our Valentine's celebration.
And here's to a brand spanking new week! Hopefully we will all be productive!!
February 09, 2012
Valentine's Day, family time and romance
Here we are having arrived at Thursday already. It truly seems like the week just started. We realized this past weekend that we would have to cancel and postpone our fun family, quiet/romantic weekend in Denver. Life happens and you therefore must go with it. After being a bit "hinky-tooky" about it, I realized that you don't have to give up everything, you simply must look at it a different way. We can still do something fun for a family thing and can still have some quiet couple time. The only difference really, is we won't be in Denver or at a hotel. Family time is important. It is something your kids need and should have. Couple time is equally as important and you and your husband/wife need and should have. It is important for your kids and your family to have couple time. And yes, it is important for alone time. Sometimes you just want to go on a long walk and leave the spouse and kiddos at home. Guess what? It's OKAY to do that. :) I adore our family time and I love and cherish couple time with Kevin. I also enjoy a little quiet alone time here and there. Friday evenings seem to usually be our family night. Sometimes it might be Wii, sometimes a movie or two. Date night is something we always look forward to. It is so nice going to a nice dinner and talking to each other without wiping spills or correcting bad behavior. And alone time can be as simple as a half hour bubble bath. All of these things are so, so important. I can't imagine life without them. I love my kids and and I love my husband.
It isn't Valentine's Day, but, "Happy Valentine's Day", I hope you all find time for doing something cute for your kids and something romantic and thoughtful for your spouse. And yes, don't forget yourself, either. :o)
It isn't Valentine's Day, but, "Happy Valentine's Day", I hope you all find time for doing something cute for your kids and something romantic and thoughtful for your spouse. And yes, don't forget yourself, either. :o)
February 06, 2012
Giants win!...and inappropriate halftime events AND commercials!
Well, yet another football season and Super Bowl have come to an end. :( This is sad for us football fans. This marks the saddest time of year for sports fans(well, most sports fans), football is over but baseball hasn't started. BORING time of year indeed!
We did in fact watch this year's Super Bowl. You all know Kevin is a Viking's fan, but, well, they didn't go to the Super Bowl, so....We do like Eli Manning so we did watch and rooted for the Giants. And, YAY!! What a game. Love to see the Patriots go down as well. It was beautiful. :) I must say that Brady was pretty gracious in his speech post game. Not all players, teams, or fans are gracious winners and or losers. :)
As for the half time deal, this is, for the record, "MY" take on it. Madonna probably did a decent job, I don't know, we didn't watch. To be fair, we NEVER watch the Super Bowl halftime show. And I, too, was a huge Madonna fan in the 80's. Loved her! The incident with this M.I.A. person who I personally didn't even know existed(I know, I know, i'm so "out" of it) :), was sad. A very sad event indeed! I've read this morning on Fox News that both NBC and the NFL have apologized, and that both are basically pointing at the other for who is at fault. Lemme tell ya both, you BOTH are. As long as questionable performers(and I use that term loosely)are allowed to be part of shows like that, these things are going to continue to happen. It really doesn't take a genious to figure that one out!
As for the commercials, OH my. First of all, thankfully we pause the tv during commercials, always, especially during football, because we just aren't interested in watching them! We wanna see the game, not commercials. And second, thankfully Jason wasn't even in the room. He was down in the basement playing his Wii. But again, OH MY GOSH! I have seen now online some of what was shown, well not actually seen, but seen pictures and read the article. It's not like the game was broadcast at 2:00 in the morning when kids would be asleep! There were some commercials aired last night that are just. NOT. Appropriate. Period. I wonder how parents explained, or tried to last night to young kids about some of the commercials. I certainly wouldn't know how to. Again, I didn't watch them, but going by what I've read they were just not appropriate. There are times and places for certain things, and a Sunday evening, prior to even 8:00 mind you, on network television, is NOT the time. I assure you seeing a naked lady being painted on in a godaddy.com commercial is not going to make me go out and use godaddy.com. And again, this is my take on this. Not trying to speak for anyone else.
And now we start a new work and school week. :) Hoping for a good week for both.
We did in fact watch this year's Super Bowl. You all know Kevin is a Viking's fan, but, well, they didn't go to the Super Bowl, so....We do like Eli Manning so we did watch and rooted for the Giants. And, YAY!! What a game. Love to see the Patriots go down as well. It was beautiful. :) I must say that Brady was pretty gracious in his speech post game. Not all players, teams, or fans are gracious winners and or losers. :)
As for the half time deal, this is, for the record, "MY" take on it. Madonna probably did a decent job, I don't know, we didn't watch. To be fair, we NEVER watch the Super Bowl halftime show. And I, too, was a huge Madonna fan in the 80's. Loved her! The incident with this M.I.A. person who I personally didn't even know existed(I know, I know, i'm so "out" of it) :), was sad. A very sad event indeed! I've read this morning on Fox News that both NBC and the NFL have apologized, and that both are basically pointing at the other for who is at fault. Lemme tell ya both, you BOTH are. As long as questionable performers(and I use that term loosely)are allowed to be part of shows like that, these things are going to continue to happen. It really doesn't take a genious to figure that one out!
As for the commercials, OH my. First of all, thankfully we pause the tv during commercials, always, especially during football, because we just aren't interested in watching them! We wanna see the game, not commercials. And second, thankfully Jason wasn't even in the room. He was down in the basement playing his Wii. But again, OH MY GOSH! I have seen now online some of what was shown, well not actually seen, but seen pictures and read the article. It's not like the game was broadcast at 2:00 in the morning when kids would be asleep! There were some commercials aired last night that are just. NOT. Appropriate. Period. I wonder how parents explained, or tried to last night to young kids about some of the commercials. I certainly wouldn't know how to. Again, I didn't watch them, but going by what I've read they were just not appropriate. There are times and places for certain things, and a Sunday evening, prior to even 8:00 mind you, on network television, is NOT the time. I assure you seeing a naked lady being painted on in a godaddy.com commercial is not going to make me go out and use godaddy.com. And again, this is my take on this. Not trying to speak for anyone else.
And now we start a new work and school week. :) Hoping for a good week for both.
February 05, 2012
Snow, birthday and Super Bowl
We've had a rather pleasant weekend here at the CO Lidh establishment. After Thursday evening's storm that lasted well into Friday evening. We ended up with just over 12" at our house. We've heard reports around various parts of Falcon anywhere from 7-13". A town, Calhan, which is I think about 20 miles northeast of here on hwy 24 got 22". Yikes! No one did much traveling around which was good. Not as many accidents as usual during inclement weather. Not that there weren't some really bad ones. Denver got wallopped with a good 20" as well. Most folks were happy to get the moisture as we've been so super dry!
Kevin worked from home both Thursday and Friday. Thursday was scheduled and Friday was due to the weather and road closures.
We had Michael's birthday cake yesterday but his actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. We celebrated by going to Hu Hot for dinner and it. was. AWESOME! We are definitely going back there.
Have a couple of recipes to put on here since I like having some of my recipes in more than one place if they are a hit with the family. :)
Potato-cheddar-beer soup:
SO easy. Melt 2 TBS butter in a large pot. Mix in one pouch of instant potato flakes(usually a box comes with two). Stir in one can chicken broth 4 drops tabasco sauce, and 1/4 cup of beer. I used lager. Then finally mix in between 1 1/2 and 2 cups shredded cheese. I actually used cheddar-jack today. Simmer for a good 15 minutes and enjoy. Kevin really likes it and again, SO easy to make.
Hot & spicy chicken legs:
Put 10-12 legs in crockpot and put little cubes of butter all over the pieces. About 1/3 cup total. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garlic and onion powder, no set amount here, just sprinkle to taste to your liking. Sprinle cumin powder, smoked paprika and roasted ginger powder. Put little bits of dark brown sugar all over the pieces, about 1/3 cup total, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup hot sauce over it all. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
Happy cresent rolls:
Open 2 cans of Pilsbury cresent rolls and spread them out on cookies sheets. Mix together 1/2-1 cup cream cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, 1TBS chopped green chili or a chopped jalopeno pepper, and browned sausage(I use turkey sausage). Spoon mixture onto cresent rolls and roll up. Cook by the instructions on the cans.
Kevin worked from home both Thursday and Friday. Thursday was scheduled and Friday was due to the weather and road closures.
We had Michael's birthday cake yesterday but his actual birthday isn't until tomorrow. We celebrated by going to Hu Hot for dinner and it. was. AWESOME! We are definitely going back there.
Have a couple of recipes to put on here since I like having some of my recipes in more than one place if they are a hit with the family. :)
Potato-cheddar-beer soup:
SO easy. Melt 2 TBS butter in a large pot. Mix in one pouch of instant potato flakes(usually a box comes with two). Stir in one can chicken broth 4 drops tabasco sauce, and 1/4 cup of beer. I used lager. Then finally mix in between 1 1/2 and 2 cups shredded cheese. I actually used cheddar-jack today. Simmer for a good 15 minutes and enjoy. Kevin really likes it and again, SO easy to make.
Hot & spicy chicken legs:
Put 10-12 legs in crockpot and put little cubes of butter all over the pieces. About 1/3 cup total. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garlic and onion powder, no set amount here, just sprinkle to taste to your liking. Sprinle cumin powder, smoked paprika and roasted ginger powder. Put little bits of dark brown sugar all over the pieces, about 1/3 cup total, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup hot sauce over it all. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
Happy cresent rolls:
Open 2 cans of Pilsbury cresent rolls and spread them out on cookies sheets. Mix together 1/2-1 cup cream cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, 1TBS chopped green chili or a chopped jalopeno pepper, and browned sausage(I use turkey sausage). Spoon mixture onto cresent rolls and roll up. Cook by the instructions on the cans.
January 30, 2012
Weekend and crafts
We had a *sort of* quiet weekend. We ordered pizza Friday night and rented "Mulan", "Bolt", and "Cars II" to watch. We actually own the first two movies but can't find them. It doesn't do much good to only find the cases. It was a fun and restful way to spend a Friday evening. Saturday we woke up and decided to use a Cracker Barrel gift card we'd received for Christmas and went for brunch. We did some shopping at Sears for more work clothes for Kevin and then ran in Barnes & Noble. We did manage a stop at Starbucks and then had to run in WAL*MART for a few things before heading back home. We decided on the pizza again for Saturday night and watched Mulan since we'd only watched 2 of the movies Friday. Sunday evening I figured why bother with cooking NOW.....so we opted for burgers and shakes from Culver's and watched some of the Pro Bowl, and then various other stuff before calling it a weekend.
The picture is of our first attempt at making/weaving a pot holder. One of the projects/crafts from the primer. We're pretty proud of our little pot holder. :)
And now we have a new school week ahead of us that looks to be pretty busy. Guess I should probably get off here and look at today's lesson plan.
The picture is of our first attempt at making/weaving a pot holder. One of the projects/crafts from the primer. We're pretty proud of our little pot holder. :)
And now we have a new school week ahead of us that looks to be pretty busy. Guess I should probably get off here and look at today's lesson plan.
January 25, 2012
What I love about winter
I recently read on another blog, things about winter that make a person happy. Here then, is my list of what I love about winter:
1)snow falling
2)freshly fallen snow with no animal or human footprints
3)roaring fire in the fireplace
4)walking outside when it's snowing lightly
5)the pinkish tint to the sky as it is clearing after a snow
6)watching Jason try to shovel
7)staying in our jammies all day reading a good book
8)hot tea
9)popcorn(it somehow smells and tastes better in cold weather)
10)snuggling with my husband while watching tv
11)an unexpected kiss while out in the snow
12)fleece anything
13)a big pancake and sausage breakfast
14)Valentine's Day
15)Colorado
I'm sure there are plenty more things I adore about winter, but these are a few that top my list!!
1)snow falling
2)freshly fallen snow with no animal or human footprints
3)roaring fire in the fireplace
4)walking outside when it's snowing lightly
5)the pinkish tint to the sky as it is clearing after a snow
6)watching Jason try to shovel
7)staying in our jammies all day reading a good book
8)hot tea
9)popcorn(it somehow smells and tastes better in cold weather)
10)snuggling with my husband while watching tv
11)an unexpected kiss while out in the snow
12)fleece anything
13)a big pancake and sausage breakfast
14)Valentine's Day
15)Colorado
I'm sure there are plenty more things I adore about winter, but these are a few that top my list!!
January 21, 2012
Homemade bread with homemade butter!!
Today was our butter and bread making day as a project in The Prairie Primer. We looked forward to it all week! We started the butter making around 10:30 this morning. I personally wouldn't say it is easy, but it isn't hard. We used a Prego spaghetti sauce jar and lid that had been washed in the dishwasher. Needs to be clean and cooled. We used a pint of heavy whipping cream and there was probably an 1/8 cup left after pouring into the jar. You need to leave a couple inches from the top of the cream to the lid. Kevin and Jason took turns shaking it for about 16 minutes. It turned, or started to, into cream but we could never make it do more, so we turned to our ever handy stand mixer to complete the job. Using the whisk attachment with the cream in the bowl, turn it on high and let it go. The process took a good 20 minutes, maybe a little more to get the butter stage. It gets really, really thick and you think it's the butter. It isn't. It will "appear" to thin out a bit and liquid appear. That my friends is what you've been waiting for. Liquid and what will appear to be little clumps. Using a spoon, pour off all the liquid. This liquid folks, is buttermilk. Real buttermilk. You can put it in a container with a lid and make pancakes or biscuits etc. Now, holding it over a bowl, turn on the cold water. We use a Brita filter for drinking and cooking so we used that for this part as well. You run it under the water and then away from it and squeeze. Hold it under the water, then squeeze, over and over. Eventually it will look like butter and no clumps will fall off. Your butter is now ready. OH, and before putting the cream in the jar in the first place, use between a half teaspoon and teaspoon of salt. Put it in the jar first. We loved the taste of the butter. Very fresh taste. It won't keep in the fridge like store bought, but it will last several days(unless you use it all the first day).
We used this recipe for bread:
Egg Bread:
In a large bowl, dissolve 2 packets of yeast in 2/3 cup warm water at a temp of 110 degrees. Stir in 3 beaten eggs and 6 egg yolks, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. We used the mixer again for this with the dough attachment. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead an additional cup of flour into it. Dough needs to be smooth and elastic, takes about 7 minutes. Place dough in a well oiled large bowl and turn to coat both sides. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 12 inches long. Braid the 3 pieces together and seal edges. Place on a well greased cookie sheet. Beat one egg and add a pinch of salt and brush on dough. Let sit for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 40 minutes, but just until golden brown and cooked through. It tasted great and was amazing with the butter!
We used this recipe for bread:
Egg Bread:
In a large bowl, dissolve 2 packets of yeast in 2/3 cup warm water at a temp of 110 degrees. Stir in 3 beaten eggs and 6 egg yolks, 1/2 cup canola oil, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. We used the mixer again for this with the dough attachment. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead an additional cup of flour into it. Dough needs to be smooth and elastic, takes about 7 minutes. Place dough in a well oiled large bowl and turn to coat both sides. Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 12 inches long. Braid the 3 pieces together and seal edges. Place on a well greased cookie sheet. Beat one egg and add a pinch of salt and brush on dough. Let sit for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 40 minutes, but just until golden brown and cooked through. It tasted great and was amazing with the butter!
January 12, 2012
My Chili!!
Found a new chili recipe that I must share. Mind you I have NOT tried it, but it is currently simmering in my crockpot for tonight. We had purchased some red wine for a roast recipe we love and had some leftover so I went searching for recipes using red wine. This was the first I came upon and it sounded good(and smells good)so I chose it. It DOES make a lot but I suspect it freezes nicely for use in the future. There was no real name for it so I will call it "My Chili" =)
2 lbs lean ground beef(I use 96%)
1/2-3/4 cup dry red wine
1 box beef stock(not broth)
1/2 of a large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of dark red kidney beans(do not rinse)
3-4 tsp chipotle chili in adobe sauce, just the sauce
2-3 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground garlic
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 T chili powder
I love recipes like this because you literally throw it all in the crockpot and mix! You do need to break up the beef a bit, but that's it! Cook on low for 5-6 hours. It smells good just mixing it, I cannot wait to try it. It says you can serve it with crackers, cornbread, biscuits, grits, or over rice. Also you can of course put shredded cheese, sour cream, whatever on it in your bowl.
We do not use a lot of sour cream, so when we do, I do usually use the whole fat. Sometimes I use Greek Yogurt instead. Same with cheese, none of my recipes use a whole lot of cheese so I tend to use full fat. I like the flavor better. I don't fall into that a lot, as I use things like fat free or 1% milk, but sometimes in recipes if it doesn't call for a lot, it really does make a difference to use whole fat. As for rice, I like to use either brown or whole grain. Grits, well, you don't mess with that! They are made one way, period!
2 lbs lean ground beef(I use 96%)
1/2-3/4 cup dry red wine
1 box beef stock(not broth)
1/2 of a large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of dark red kidney beans(do not rinse)
3-4 tsp chipotle chili in adobe sauce, just the sauce
2-3 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground garlic
1 medium onion chopped
3-4 T chili powder
I love recipes like this because you literally throw it all in the crockpot and mix! You do need to break up the beef a bit, but that's it! Cook on low for 5-6 hours. It smells good just mixing it, I cannot wait to try it. It says you can serve it with crackers, cornbread, biscuits, grits, or over rice. Also you can of course put shredded cheese, sour cream, whatever on it in your bowl.
We do not use a lot of sour cream, so when we do, I do usually use the whole fat. Sometimes I use Greek Yogurt instead. Same with cheese, none of my recipes use a whole lot of cheese so I tend to use full fat. I like the flavor better. I don't fall into that a lot, as I use things like fat free or 1% milk, but sometimes in recipes if it doesn't call for a lot, it really does make a difference to use whole fat. As for rice, I like to use either brown or whole grain. Grits, well, you don't mess with that! They are made one way, period!
January 09, 2012
Creeping into the new year
It is already January 9th and I really haven't done diddly in those 9 days! The holiday season seems like a blur to me. It's like we had turkey day and then it was New Year's Day. I don't know how that happened! Of course we have been sick for a couple of weeks so that probably played a part in the blur. Fever can do that. :)
We are jumping back into school today for the first time since before Christmas. Jason will be reading "Winnie The Pooh" and then learning to write a book report. He will also be planning a "vacation" to WDW for a math unit. He will be told he has $3000 to plan a trip for 4 people. Curious to see what he comes up with. Also starting a new spelling curriculum from "Rod and Staff" that I'm excited about.
While being sick, we tried to be smart and think of things that could be easily made and could be made in amounts for leftovers. The crockpot is your friend. I've said it before and Imma sayin' it again. This is one of the things we tried and it was excellent so I will share it for my first recipe of 2012.
Crockpot Beefstew
spray cooking pot with cooking spray
put in a package of beef stew meat, small bag of baby carrots and a small bag of potatoes of some sort. Since we were sick and didn't feel like messing with it, we used both pre-peeled carrots and potatoes that were microwave ready. We only needed to cut the potatoes a bit smaller. One onion chopped large. In a large bowl mix 4 cups of beef stock(not broth), 1/2 cup dry red wine, and two packages any brand beef stew seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. That's it. Simple, filling and good. Especially with cornbread. :)
We are jumping back into school today for the first time since before Christmas. Jason will be reading "Winnie The Pooh" and then learning to write a book report. He will also be planning a "vacation" to WDW for a math unit. He will be told he has $3000 to plan a trip for 4 people. Curious to see what he comes up with. Also starting a new spelling curriculum from "Rod and Staff" that I'm excited about.
While being sick, we tried to be smart and think of things that could be easily made and could be made in amounts for leftovers. The crockpot is your friend. I've said it before and Imma sayin' it again. This is one of the things we tried and it was excellent so I will share it for my first recipe of 2012.
Crockpot Beefstew
spray cooking pot with cooking spray
put in a package of beef stew meat, small bag of baby carrots and a small bag of potatoes of some sort. Since we were sick and didn't feel like messing with it, we used both pre-peeled carrots and potatoes that were microwave ready. We only needed to cut the potatoes a bit smaller. One onion chopped large. In a large bowl mix 4 cups of beef stock(not broth), 1/2 cup dry red wine, and two packages any brand beef stew seasoning. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. That's it. Simple, filling and good. Especially with cornbread. :)
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