MY CUPPA TEA

Holy Cow, It's been a YEAR and what a year it was...

2011-09-18T16:53:00.002-06:00

I cannot believe it's been more than a year since I've posted on here. WoW! What a year it has been. It all began with a thought Bill had about returning to the Midwest to help care for his aging parents. We decided to see what would happen and listed our CO house for sale and he took an early retirement deal from his work. Sure enough if God prompts a move it will happen. Both deals worked out and suddenly we were unemployed and almost out of a house. Oh, did I mention that I was also raising money for a mission trip to Kenya? Yup, all this in a "down" economic market! Again, God is faithful. While packing we had only two casualties. Bill packed all his clothes and had nothing clean to change into while traveling and my rain coat which was going to go to Kenya with me instead went on the moving truck. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself as I was packing a household, for a mission trip, and for my gypsy days between arriving home from Kenya and my departure to MO.

Valentine's Day was the day. Bill was off with the doggie and the truck and I remained behind to leave for Kenya with the group. The trip was a wonderful one and it was so fun to see my kids again. About 2.5 weeks later I hit the road aimed East to the apartment Bill had chosen for our temporary home. He did well. It was nice as far as apartments go. After months of trying to respect our neighbors and curbing our night owl tendencies we hooked up with a realtor who would ultimately find our new home. Funny thing... here we are back in Bill's home state and we find a realtor, quite by chance, who comes from my home state and even more interesting she attended high school in the same school building I did before it split into to high schools. Found us a winner! Our seller was wonderful in that she sold us her patio set and washer/dryer for $100 bucks. The patio set was even nicer than the one I sold in CO to lighten the load and pay for the mission trip. God is good.

Our transition has not been without challenge. Soon after my arrival here our doggie got sick and ultimately went to heaven. I had some good time with him but it was all too short. I am very thankful Kibbee is quite the adjustable kittie and she is carrying on and will simply have to live forever as Oz was unable to fulfill that task. I hated to say goodbye to such a wonderful doggie but I would not have wanted him to suffer any longer. I am now working as a covert agent in a field hard to even imagine I could survive :) Just the whole working thing has been an adjustment. For a while I was the sugar mama and picked up as many hours as possible. Now that Bill has found work in his field I can lessen my schedule a little bit and take care of him and the household a little better. My compliments to all who work full time and care for families and homes and etc....! You are to be saluted. Bill's folks are carrying along but they are hitting some health bumps and some plain 'ole getting old bumps. The adjustments have been interesting and I am learning more and more about myself every day.

Though still filled with boxes, our new home is becoming more and more of a sanctuary. I posted pictures from my deck at the old house. That was a nice view however my new garden is even more amazing so ya'll better start praying I can figure out how to keep it flourishing. If the rain stops sometime soon I shall post pictures from my tea sipping spot on the back patio. Here is starting to feel more like home every day. Of course Fall being so near helps tremendously. The last couple days I've started noticing a few of the trees turning those beautiful crimson colours that have been in my dreams since I left the East coast. Just recently I discovered a place to purchase my favourite two English teas and Heinz Salad Creme! Yay. It is not too far away and nearby there is a place for me to purchase bulk spices. :)

Last but not least... it is my birthday season and no I will not tell you which birthday it is! :)

Bill's mom bought us a housewarming gift a a ticky tockey chiming clock and Bill just purchased me a westminster chiming clock for the mantel. We are all about time here in this place! The ticking reminds me of Grammie and Grampie's and the chiming reminds me of home with the folks. Bill promises more pressies to come. Yay! it is a season after all and way too important of an occasion to not extend the celebration beyond the socially acceptable day of recognition! HA!

Happy Fall everyone!

Hugs from Here!

Sometimes you read something that stings!

2010-09-02T19:15:00.000-06:00

3 Consumer Justifications That End In Crap

There are at least three excuses those of us with too much stuff use to justify our excess.

It would be wasteful to get rid of it.
Uh, no. It was wasteful to get it in the first place. Now it’s just plain stupid to allow it to keep cluttering up your life. What’s wasteful is the mental and physical space that the stuff you don’t need and don’t even want is taking up. Stop wasting your life. Get rid of the crap.

I might need it some day.
The moment this justification passes your lips you know it’s not true. Seriously. Here, try this experiment. Go into your garage, find that box you haven’t opened in a decade, dig inside of it, and pull out that graphing calculator. Now go stand in front of a mirror and, speaking out loud, convince yourself that you might need it some day. Liar, liar, pants on fire. Get rid of the crap.

It has sentimental value.
Then why did you bury it in the closet? Besides, you don’t even like the uncle who gave it to you. The nostalgia you’re really missing out on are all the good times you could be having if you weren’t constantly reshuffling stuff inside your garage and closets. Get rid of the crap.

One thing is for sure. If you use these three justifications to keep loads of stuff, at the end of your days you are going to have, well, loads of stuff. Do you want the end to be filled with crap? Purge the things that are messing up your house and dominating your material and spiritual
space. Then go live a joyful life that blesses others.

Guy named Dave - man on a mission paring his things to number 100!
Is the link to his site from where I hijacked the above words.

Up Up and Awayyyyy

2010-08-15T09:42:00.000-06:00

We are flying today. Thanks Southwest Airlines for a great first flight. One down and one to go. Kansas City is currently hosting us until we get on our flight to St. Louis in about two hours. We are looking forward to time with family and hopefully be able to take in a Cardies game.

'Til next time,
K

One Down and 2 to Go!

2010-08-13T22:23:00.000-06:00

Cardies have won tonight. Yay! They are playing a three game series against the dreaded Cubbies. For all you Cubbie fans out there... Sorry... nah....

Lookit' all that red in the stands. Now, that is the Cardinal Nation. They (the infamous they) say that St. Louis has the best fans! We took the picture so we are not one of the red bits you see, but the guy taking a picture across from us has us in his picture decked out in our Cardie red! Like this....

Oh, never you mind that the first picture is in the daytime and the second is at night. It got dark FAST.. o' so fast.. yeah, that's it.

So there you have it.. tomorrow at 18:00 mountain you better be parked in front of the Cardinals game and rooting for the Red Birds.

Fun Thing I found perusing the web

2010-05-26T23:12:00.002-06:00

It's a wordle... This is an example of one that I put together.

I am sure you creative types can find a way to use this type thing for gift's etc.

Enjoy!

what you find when you go blogging!

2010-03-31T13:07:00.006-06:00

I have had fun looking at all the wonderful tips and information on various blogs. It can be a full time job this blogging thing! On a blog I visited I found a new treasure trove of backgrounds. While looking around I stumbled upon this Dallie background. My Oz would be proud especially considering I was going to take his picture today all splayed out on the new couch! If he's there now... you'll get to see... if not I will have to catch him and snap his pic.
Nope, he's on the bed which has my favourite plaid cover on it :)

I am so excited about the new couches. I have one hint... plaid!

Based on that hint ... does anyone have the best ever Dalmation hair from furniture removal tip?

Ok, so I couldn't wait to show them off...
I love plaid and when I saw these on Craigslist I couldn't help myself. My fingers flew over the keyboard and the email was sent. The best thing... we got our old couches sold for the same amount of the new ... so we just traded. :)

Here's Kibbee... not doing much of anything but she would be sad if she knew Oz got on the bloggie and she didn't! She's snoring right now.

Snow is Cold

2010-03-20T17:07:00.006-06:00

No, seriously, it's cold! Especially cold was the snow yesterday. Penny and I went cross country skiing and had so much fun. The conditions on the Cameron Connection trail were wonderful for 95% of the trail. The open sections, they were another story hoooowwweeee. When we left the temperature was hovering on the lower side of 20 and it was BLOWIE! With it so cold I had my doubts of staying warm. Layers.. layers are especially good even if they make one look wide :) I love trees! Once we hit the trail the trees became our friends and the wind... was no match. It was like a different day :) Knowing Penny as I do, I knew I didn't have to bring a camera. Knowing me like she does, she didn't have to do any research! Pop on over to her wonderfully crafty bloggie to see the pictures! If you are a crafter & especially a sewer/quilter take a look around. O' to have some of the crafty instincts of this lady!

click here ! do it now!

Kittie and I Have a New Best Buddy!!

2010-02-10T09:14:00.004-07:00

When our noses were chilly on the wake up this morning and our
thermostat broke the bad news to us....

this was actually after we started warming again!

We called...

...and our new best buddy Steve came and rescued us!
He was very gracious considering we called him so early.
The diagnosis was made, swift action ensued and a new ignitor was installed. Yay!
Kittie immediately went to her new favourite place..(yes, that is the heating vent underneath her) at least until we stop seeing our breath in here.

Considering the temperature outside was in the twenties, it wasn't that bad, just a wee bit chillier than normal. Downstairs got to 52 degrees. Whooo hooo the middle floor is finally to 55!

Thanks new best buddy Steve for putting us to the front of the line of the jobs today!
Buckhorn Heating & Air is the best.
If you need their services, give them a call, they'll treat you right.

You know those days....

2010-01-28T15:57:00.004-07:00

That call out
SOUP Soup SOUP!
I was just talking to my sis' in law and she mentioned having chicken noodle soup on the stove. The idea was planted and I ran with it. This is the view from my desk and it also inspired me to take action. I had to do something to thaw my fingers from just looking out there! Ha!
Woopsie, no before pictures, but the above became the beneath.
...and soon my bowl was filled with the yummie warm frothiness of Taco Soup.
It took all of 2 min. to boil water, gather & measure the ingredients, and 3 minutes to process. Nothing like instant gratification. 5 minutes to steaming hot soup.

....and about a minute to an empty bowl. YUM!

Yay Vita-Mix. I really enjoy this machine as it can do all sorts of things.
My most recent duh moment regarding this machine was ... onions. Yup, onions. Every time I chop onions (by hand) I cry and cry and cry! DOH, Why don't I let the V-M have a whack at it? Next time I had to chop/dice some onions out it came and may I just say it was a tear free experience!

vitamix goodness
no money has exchanged re: this product review... only a happie girl reporting a tear free experience.. Now, if anyone from Vita-Mix is reading this, feel free to send me a new tamper (hubbie accident-don't ask) and one of those nifty smaller containers!
Thanks in Advance!

The Black and White Cookie

2010-01-21T22:05:00.008-07:00

Oh, the beautiful Black and White cookie!
I have had a hankerin' for these o' so yummie "cookies"!
Have you heard of these? They are the quintessential New York City treat.
I got myself on-line, found a recipe, read the comments, and set to baking! I love to bake cookies and usually do a good job of it. Cakes, now that's a different story, are much more of a challenge for me. This cookie is very cake like and I wondered how I would do so I made only half a batch. Good for me as this needs some altitude tweaking... of course, I should have looked at that first.

This was the result.
The pictures look ok but I can see some of where the vanilla side of the frosting did not quite cover. The chocolate covered wonderfully and is so very very very rich.

Overall I would report this first attempt as a success but I will still try other recipes or tweak this one. I know, I know, on the closeup the icings don't touch in the middle. Chalk that deficiency up to my need for instant gratification.. I couldn't wait to try. One of the keys to getting that good line in the middle is frost the vanilla side and let it set before frosting the chocolate side.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/black-and-white-cookies/
This is the recipe I (kinda) followed. After reading the comments I made some adjustments. Here are my notes for next time: I used the confection sugar-milk-vanilla frosting and it wasn't very white or the frosting I remember. Next time I will use the icing as listed in the recipe. For the chocolate I used the sugar, milk, vanilla, added unsweetened chocolate and melted over a double boiler. I can't believe I am saying this, but wow, too rich for this cookie. I will file it away for something more appropriate as the frosting was oh, so yummie! Some of the comments mentioned there wasn't enough lemon extract. I thought the amount listed was just right or maybe even a smidge too much. Because the cookies didn't raise too much I will try some altitude adjustments. I didn't have cake flour so I used the 2TBL cornstarch in the cup measure and added the rest AP flour substitution.

So there you have it... my first attempt at the nostalgic Black & White Cookie. Seeing as my dad works in NYC it may be possible to have some shipped in for taste comparison when I am further along in my quest for the best recipe.

I hope I don't have the same fate as Jerry Seinfeld!

Global Warming, Phooeeeey!

2010-01-06T20:21:00.008-07:00

It is anti-global warming again in my yard! Translation: Snowing AGAIN! Because of all this I had to choose ~~the green snow background to help me remember what colour the lawn is underneath all the global warming debris!~~ a new background... and again, because I found one I liked better. HA!

HAPPEY

(so, I know I spelled it wrong but I typed it three times trying to fix the misspelling so I've decided to leave it!)
NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!

Seriously, It's Been How Long?

2010-01-06T20:12:00.002-07:00

I am shocked at the length of time it has taken me to get into gear and get a new post on this bloggie. Oh, My, Heavens, I still have Thanksgiving "paper" up here! Eeeek. Moments while I go fix this!

The Difference a Few Days can Make!

2009-10-28T18:07:00.005-06:00

This is the same view (almost, because I wasn't willing to get snowed on to take the same picture) as the other day. Look one entry below. What a difference a few days can make! The news is reporting we could get yet another 10-12" tonight and even more tomorrow! Yay! Welcome Winter :)

Here's another view from the patio door looking out. I should try to snap one of Oz as he blends in except for the black spots! He is quite put out with the snow cold on his feet you know.

So I turned this stay inside kinda day into a baking day. :) This is the making of "End of the search Chocolate Chip Cookies" . I found the recipe on a blog I was reading and wanted to try. So far so good. The first batch was yummie. Apparently I will be here a while as the recipe makes 6 dozen :)

I must run and take some cookies off the pan and of course sample because I plan to gift a few tonight at a gathering to honour our Youth Pastors' last night. :)

2009-10-22T18:36:00.002-06:00

Isn't Fall just the best? This is my view from the computer these days. I am sitting at the kitchen counter and looking outside. There are so many pretty colours out there and right in my eye line too! :) While walking today in the neighborhood doggie, hubbie and I crunched crunched and crunched in the many leaves littering the street. I probably shouldn't say littering the street as my first thought with litter is trash and I definately would not call crunchable leaves trash. I would call them cheap fun! :) Take a minute, or several, to crunch your way around the block it is good for the soul and usually makes me remember piling the leaves and jumping... ummm, I mean raking them and putting them out for lawn stuff pick-up.... yeah, that's what we were doing out there for hours on end as children...

Simply Stated yet Profound

2009-08-24T20:10:00.006-06:00

LIFE LESSON

You gotta read this. I couldn't have said it better myself and I didn't. A fellow blogger named Sarah wrote it in her blog Life in the Parsonage.

Enjoy

Bear Grass - from our Trip to Glacier National Park - Such a strange plant but very cool lookin'.

Kayaks and Cardies!

2009-08-24T15:11:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I've been here. Eeek. While I listen to tapes I transcribe I have downtime until I get to the section I need type. So... I am using my downtime to post. :)

After the MT trip and the kayaking fun I had there I found and purchased a new toy! Yay. I found me a used kayak and paddle. There is a pond just North of us that I can put the kayak in for free (yay, free!). The only bummer is that I cannot put the kayak on/off the car without assistance so I have to wait til I find someone to go with. Bill has been a few times with me YAY! His new toy (an Ipod) makes it more fun for him since he sits on shore while I toodle along in the pond. My time on the water has been so great and I am so glad I found and purchased my new toy. No pictures yet but I will get some up soon.

We are preparing for another road trip and guess who's going with us!? Kayak! While I was on-line checking for any local kayak groups I found one in the area where Bill's parents live. Snooping on their website proved to be very fruitful. We were planning a trip to see Bill's parents and low - and - behold - there was a trip idea presented.... would anyone be interested in a trip in Aug.? ME ME ME ME.... I am so excited that the kayak trip was proposed for the same time we were going to be in the area. The trip is a camp/kayak trip. We'll camp Fri. night - go on the river Sat. day - camp Sat. night and return to St. Louis area on Sun. After enquiring about the trip I was encouraged to post a note to the members of the group to see if anyone would have a spare kayak/paddle for Bill to use. Sure enough a kind soul popped up and said he did AND he would bring it to the camp/put in for us! Yay God. We (the me part of we probably more so) are so excited for this trip... Actually I just found and purchased a dry bag for the trip. Craigslist rocks!

While we are in St. Louis we get to go to see the Cardinals Baseball team whip the tooshies of Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 1st. Yippeee. There's something for both of us on this trip! It will be a fun time as we are getting together with other members of the family for this game.

Kayaks and Cardies all in one little road trip. Yay us!

No Internet in the Middle of Nowhere :)

2009-07-25T18:17:00.006-06:00

My sweetie and I have just returned home after spending some time away in the middle of nowhere. Luckily (or too bad) there was no internet connection where we were hiding.

Here's a hint...
There was no electricity at our lodgings...

... and we had other way more fun things to be doing :)We saw so many neat things... climbed, hiked, and even kayaked. I really enjoyed the kayaking.
At the last campsite we stayed in, our neighbors were kind enough to let us use their kayaks for a spin around a small lake. We were able to put in just across from our campsite. It was a lot of fun and I could have spent all day out there if I could have... :)

Now I want a new toy!
http://www.dagger.com/product/index/product_homepage/recreational_touring/catalyst/catalyst_12_8/
I am hoping to find a used one somewhere :)

Ok then, I will share more about our adventures in the coming weeks.

O-So Pampered

2009-06-22T21:28:00.005-06:00

Do you have one of these? Mine sure is spoiled. I caught him napping on our bed. Check out the use of the pillows. As my sweetie says... he does have to eat, sleep and pottie. What a pampered pooch!

Today was a wonderful day for lazing around ... While reading a book Oz and I were hiding under a tree. I was reading he was snoozing. It sure was enjoyable. Isn't he so handsome?
Mom you ready to have him come live with you? He could keep you company under a tree.

Good thing we aren't out there now. There is quite the lightening storm a' brewin' out there. A flash flood warning has been issued for areas near North Fort Collins. We've only gotten sprinkles and a whole lotta lightening so far. Uh oh, it is now a tornado warning for NE Ft. Collins. Not having it here!

Enjoy your at home vacation like days!

Wild Weather

2009-06-15T16:06:00.006-06:00

Oblivious to the weather brewing outside, I was being a busy bee and getting things done around the house. After watching a news report a friend called to say she was glad we are not on our hike today. On Sat. we hiked in NW Ft. Collins and today that area enjoyed some wild weather. There were tornadoes spotted in the area and sheets of rain falling! Phew.

This picture is between our house and the next. The clouds were most interesting but not funneling! Yay!
This one is looking Eastish and again the clouds are looking quite menacing.

another view....

Imagine what you miss when you get things done around the house. Thanks J for calling with the update to look outside!

Finally ... brrriiinnnggg brrrriiinnggg!

2009-06-12T23:21:00.007-06:00

Yup, it's true I am finally hooked up with an active cell phone! It only took a month and a week. After the charger fiasco was sorted out I thought porting my number would be the easy part. HAH! Nothing was easy about this process. I kept calling and being told sorry but the computers are down, we are still waiting, check the info again, and I don't know what is going on. Since Virgin hadn't received my number (or so I thought) I was advised to cancel the port and take a Virgin number. Again and again I called in to check if the port was canceled. Finally I got smart and asked for a supervisor. He looked at things and said no the port was not canceled... wait some more while he sends a message to corporate to get things sorted out. After I left for some errand Bill took a message from "some guy from Virgin Mobile " that said, "port not canceled, you have your number, & you need to re-program phone." Of course I had tons of questions... no answers. Impressed that someone actually called me I sat in a state of shock. Finally I was moving forward. The long awaited text finally arrived that said welcome to Virgin Mobile. Ahhhhh Success! For my trouble I was given presents :) They put me on a plan no longer offered that is less money per minute, I was gifted a bunch of anytime minutes (that don't expire!), and finally instead of $9.99 owed to me from the promo when I signed up I got $20. Yay!

It pays to keep after people. AT&T canceled my account because they had forked over my number not because they were rude... oops, sorry stinky 'ole AT&T! I am glad I stuck it out because after a while it became a quest.. Bill didn't quite get it, but I had to see it thru... Bet those reps were glad they were talking to me and not him. So after all this was it worth it? Yup, tho I haven't actually used the phone yet.

:)

Argh... Do I Really Need a Cellphone?

2009-05-12T14:24:00.004-06:00

Wow, I just got off the phone with a friendly Virgin Mobile worker who wanted to send her computer out the third floor window. Apparently they have had computer problems all weekend & it's continuing!

Ahhh, but I am jumping ahead in my story. As a refugee from AT&T Wireless I am a little touchy about customer service and dealing with reps on the phone. AT&T got on my last nerve so I used all my money that was on my account (except 15 cents!). They weren't getting any more than that! My phones were re-homed and I was finally free, or so I thought... To port my number from AT&T (yuk!) to Virgin I had to obtain my account number (not the phone number as I thought), a password, and find out if my account was still active. It was, I got the account number, and the password was finally obtained. You see, I talked to a lovely rep (who didn't pay attention) who said he would be glad to send the password to my phone. Yes, my phone that I had told him 3 times that I'd given away. Arrgh! Most companies, in my experience, when they hear someone is leaving their service because of dissatisfaction with their product say something like sorry you are not happy (or whatever), try to find out more, or try to entice you to stay. AT&T nah, they don't do that... just don't let the door hit you on the way out. In order to plug in my sim card & get the password I borrowed a phone. Finally, I think I am DONE with AT&T.

Now, I am ready to get my service going with Virgin Mobile. Or so I thought... The phone arrived and I tore into the packaging only to discover that the charger they sent is not the one that fits the phone I received. To the phone I went to get this taken care of and they send out another one. Yay... getting closer... or so I thought. That packaging goes flying only to discover I got a charger to a different make of cell phone. ARGH! Again to the phone to get this sorted out ... after an hour on the line and on hold the lady says I am going to get this sorted out for you but I am not going to make you wait on hold anymore. Hopefully she will call and say it is all set and your charger will be on the way! Here's to dreaming big ... and she will say I put a few other pressies in the box too (headset, etc.!).

At least the Virgin Mobile rep's have all apologized and whether they care or not I hung up the phone feeling like they cared about me as a customer. :) Hopefully things will be smooth sailing from here.

Update: Virgin Mobile called back and said the charger, the right one this time, should be on the way shortly!

Who knew such a small thing could be such a big pain?

Have I ever told you...?

2009-04-27T19:30:00.002-06:00

Have I ever told you about this amazing blog I found last year...? It is the bestest crock pot bloggie ever. In this country there is a lady who loves her crock pot enough to use it every day for a year! She is posting about her experiences, the good, the bad, and the flop. One day she posted a recipe for Macaroni and Cheese... could you imagine? Some of the comments said it tasted like the out of the oven REAL mac and cheese... not like the blue box kind. That kind has it's special place in my heart as it helped me to afford living while attending college. I had to give it a try. Today is one of those days where comfort food is calling hence... dinner (pictured below) I know... it doesn't look all that appetizing... however, it is O so yummie! I've been stirring and of course instead of the utensil dripping on the counter I had to prevent it by licking the potential drips. :) The sacrifices I make. So here is the link to the best crock potting bloggie ever: crockpot365.blogspot.com
Page down til you see her version of the Mac. n' Cheesie goodness. Can't wait to make the crock pot granola! YUM!

I am off to go stir again and serve... hopefully!

Winter Wonderland

2009-03-27T12:48:00.004-06:00

It is funny that my last post included the thermometer saying 68 degrees outside and that outside was warmer than inside. Funny how things change.. it is not so anymore. That same thermometer is showing 41 degrees in the sun and my thermometer on the computer says it's 20 degrees outside. We are enjoying a winter wonderland. I saw someone skiing by the window while I was visiting a friend who is doing battle with cancer. Such fun! The skiing part, not the battling part. This is the cornice that awaits some unlucky door opener! It is right above the sliding glass door we let Ozzie in and out of :) Any bets on who gets it?There is much snow in front and on top of the tub of hot. Ozzie isn't climbing up there any time soon... or maybe he will use the snow as a ramp!? We hope not to give him any ideas! The BBQ shows it all! That is the deck. As I shoveled yesterday I was wondering if there is a weight limit for this deck. The snow was very wet and gushie until late last night when it got so cold and then it was light and fluffy.Sure is pretty tho. Another cornice on the roof of the part that juts out. This one isn't likely to catch anyone beneath it. I really enjoy the snow.

I wish I had my new car to give the AWD a good test in the white stuff! We have a chance for more later next week... maybe then. I am enjoying the snow as I vacation at home! :) Some people pay lots to see, stay and play in this much!

Vacation at Home: Inside and Outside

2009-03-19T14:47:00.010-06:00

Yup, here it is again. The panoramic view from where I sit. It is the most beautiful day and I came outside to get warm. You heard correctly... outside to get warm. Right now it is warmer outside than inside my house. And this here is the proof. The calendar still says March but is should be June right? The 68 you see is outside and the 67 is inside temperature. I've had a wonderfully slow day. This morning, upon my arrival downstairs, I discovered a pressie for ME! O' happie day! My sweetie brought me this lovely yummieness all wrapped in the colour of the sun.
Yay... he doesn't think I am wide if he brings me this! Right? Tee hee hee! I had a tea & bagel for breakfast. Next up, I read some more of the book Driven by Eternity by John Bevere. Wow, what a eye opener. Let's just say, I thought my eternity was for sure. This book is inspiring and challenging me to take a closer look. I would recommend this book be read by every Christian and pre-Christian alike! I am still chewing on a bunch of things I read this morning. Hopefully, I will get things sorted out and remember to let y'all know. A bit chilly, I decided to move the operations outside for a snack... (see above) and a soak in the sun! Well the sun got a little toasty so I drug out the umbrella that was just longing to see some sun. I gave it it's wish and voila.. here I sit getting warm and typing. There are a number of things I could be doing, but I've decided not to, and so I sit admiring the beauty of almost Spring :) while enjoying Summer temperatures!

This is another book I am reading.
Ok, so maybe I should have the Butterfinger before I jump into this one huh? This book is also wonderful. In it, the author, shares her experiences and the things French women seem to know instinctively or are so natural they are easily overlooked. From the dust jacket: ".... now, in simple but potent strategies and dozens of recipes you'd swear were fattening, she reveals the ingredients for a lifetime of weight control - from the emergency weekend remedy of Magical Leek Soup to everyday tricks like fooling yourself into contentment. Emphasizing freshness, variety, balance, and always pleasure, Mireille shows how virtually anyone can learn to eat, drink, and move like a French woman." The author uses great stories and has a suck you in writing style. I am enjoying this book. However, I do need a French dictionary to figure out what some of the ingredients are. :)

Better close the computer before the Butterfinger dust flies. Here's to enjoying vacationing at home!

Restoration, Times Seven

2009-03-10T17:52:00.007-06:00

Hey all. I wanted you to be aware so you don't set yourself up to be a victim or someone else to become a criminal. Let me explain.... This weekend our church held a conference on Thurs. & Fri. evenings and all day Sat. During the conference I had stashed my tote bag, with my purse inside, in one of the rooms we used throughout the conference. There were always people around the area but not always in the room where I left it. Apparently it was not stashed securely enough as someone came in, looked in my bag, looked in my purse, found my coin purse, and stole $60 dollars.

If you would be willing to stand with us in declaring a restoration, x7, of the money it would be very much appreciated. A report was made with the police department and to our pastor. It will be a miracle if the thief is caught. This declaration is based on:
___________________________________________________________

Proverbs 6:30-31 (New Living Translation)

³⁰ Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
³¹ But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.

___________________________________________________________

I hold the enemy responsible for this act and also for the restoration of the money! Also, pray for the person who took the money.

Beware of leaving valuable possessions, especially purses, jackets, wallets with cash, unsecured. It doesn't matter if the item is somewhat hidden (ie: covered/not visible) because my incident was the second time this happened and both times the items were stolen from a purse that was not openly visible.

I believe what our money says, In God We Trust!

Yup, It's Time...

2009-03-05T15:18:00.012-07:00

I think I was the last holdout... I have thrown in the towel with the rest of you... I am ready for Spring. Yesterday did it... The hubbie and I went on a bike ride. Sorry no pictures, apparently I need a larger purse & to get into the habit of carrying my camera everywhere I go. I'll go get it and put it in there now. I'll be right back. (enjoy some music while you wait)

The deed is done. The camera is handy again. Digging up a free SD card was a bit of a trick as I've not done anything with the Africa cards. I best get my tooshie (sp?- anyone know how to spell it?) in gear. Well it seems Blogger didn't want me to post any pictures (even if I had them) as their uploader is not working...

It's working now and here is a picture of the bag that went with me. As you can see it is plenty big to hold the camera... so the habit must set in... The sun is out today but it is a bit cooler. The wind is still whippin' tho. It's not quite a re-creation of yesterday but some elements are still in place.

Back to yesterday's festivities. We trucked the bikes to Ft. Collins and parked the truck where softball practice was to be later. Jumping on the bikes, we headed North to our destination, the Ft. Collins Museum. Using the bike paths we made it pretty far without having to take our lives in our hands on the roads. A bunch of miles later we arrived. When we began, I forgot to set the trip-o-meter (oops!). The museum was a good place to poke around and, for the $2 suggested per person donation, it was a cheap outing. It had to be as our cash supplies were running low. Banks, I know there are banks but we were trying to stay low budget and not visiting said bank forced us to succeed! :)

On the bike ride I realized something. Here we were riding along in our shorts and short sleeve shirts, working up a sweat, the sun beating down on us, the wind whipping through ~~our hair~~ his hair - my helmet & enjoying the Summer day. Only... it wasn't Summer. It was Summer-like. I noticed we had all the elements of Summer with one exception, the trees didn't have leaves on them. I don't know if something like that strikes you as odd but it did me so I decided to mention it. See, no leaves.

We returned, a minimum of 5.9 miles later, to the truck & loaded the bikes. I remembered sometime on our ride to set the trip-o-meter. :) Hubbie joined the boys for practice and I did my best not to giggle as they worked out the softball cobwebs that had formed over the Winter. Actually, they did well. I am looking forward to the season starting.

So there you go. A lot of words just to say... Spring ... come forth!

MY Blog... So I start with MY Kids!

2009-02-25T15:24:00.004-07:00

My kiddos! AREN'T THEY SO PHOTOGENIC? How do I explain leaving CO and having no children to coming home with eleven? These are the kids of "Heroes of the Nation" Orphanage in Nyhururu, Kenya - Africa. They are the most amazing children ever! I decided that someone forgot to tell them that they are orphans. I've never seen so many smiles in one place. Each child here has their own story to tell. Many (not all, thankfully) were abandoned, their parents died, or were left with elderly relatives who were unable to care for them. One of my girls (Mary- pictured above & below) is not an orphan but attends the school as a day student and returns to her family in town each evening.

Our bus pulled up to what I thought was the gate of the orphanage. There were so many children around and they were soooo excited to see us. Later I learned they had been waiting all day for our arrival. We arrived close to 3pm (ish.). The bus began to move again and I realized we were not there yet. The children were now running along side, often while holding hands with our team, for approximately a mile back to the campus. Mary was running and holding my hand (at altitude - making it look easy I must say...). She was the first child who chose me.

Allow me to explain. Once the bus parked and it was time for us to get off (finally ... many many hours of travel and my legs were aching for some exercise) we made our way to the steps and looked out into a sea of children in orange and purple uniforms. The moment our feet hit earth there was a group of children surrounding each team member. We were chosen and ushered away from the bus. I use usher loosely as while we were ~~walking~~ being manuevered away there were more children than I could count attached to any available part of me. We made our way to a spot on the field they use for athletics and more. They wanted me to sit. One skill I learned was to sit while attached to many children and without using hands. We introduced ourselves and I did my best to learn each one's name. Wow that was a task.
Hannah, above, was one of my girls. She was a little different in the fact that she was always around but wasn't always touching me. Most of the other children were always touching one part of me or another. Hair on arms/legs was a big thing to them as their skin there is hairless. Often my hair was "fixed" by the girls (or boys) depending on who was around at the time.

Bill and I were chosen by different groups of children. Bernard is one who floated between our two groups. He is a wonderful young man. Each child is so very thankful for all they receive at Heroes and Bernard is one who expresses that thankfulness in such a gracious way. Along with other children, he worked his way to a permanent place in our hearts. Bernard was the first to write me a note and share his story with me. I hope to keep in close contact with each child.

Now... Samuel. He is a most wonderful young man with a charisma about him that is almost unmatched in one so young. Leadership seems to come out of his pores. It was often that he was the one re-directing my path when I wandered away from my ~~keepers~~ children. I will share lots more in the coming days but... allow me to leave you with this one. He said something to me that I am still pondering and 'chewing' on. "Samuel, are you ever sad?", I asked one day. Remember in your mind who an orphan is and what society says about them. Often they are abandoned, or their parents have died and they are left on their own with no one to care for them. They are left to fend for themselves. Back to the question, "Samuel, are you ever sad?" His one word answer still is running through my head. He answered, "Why?".

We're Back....

2009-02-14T16:13:00.004-07:00

.... and adjusting to the local time zone. The trip was amazing and went, almost, without a hitch. After one missed flight, lots of time zones skipped, many snoozes, and airplane meals we arrived in Kenya ready to work. Lots more about this later. We took many photos and have lots to share. Although this trip was amazing and beyond all we've done before we are glad to be home. Our animals are happy we are home as well. In our absence, D took great care of them and it always puts ~~our~~ my minds at ease that they are at home instead of doggie/kittie jail. Yay!

KENYA HERE WE COME

2009-01-28T11:59:00.002-07:00

We are all ready (hopefully) and about ready to walk out the door. Kenya here we come. More when we return... not sure what type of access to computer we may/or may not have.

Hugs!

Most helpful HTML site

2009-01-27T12:21:00.004-07:00

I must say I am learning a lot by doing this bloggie and one of the things that I am working on is learning all sorts of html tricks. One of the things I ~~have~~ am learning is how to make a link.. AND have it open in a new tab. So here's a way I can show off and give you the link to the site that helped me ooooo soooo much! So here IT is. I hope! Thanks to Dave!

TTFN!

Almost on Our Way!!!

2009-01-27T11:52:00.004-07:00

We are almost ready to go. It is hard to believe, after so much work to fundraise, get shots, etc. , that we are leaving tomorrow to go around the world to Africa. The bags are almost packed, the house is almost clean (for the sitter), and the "children" haven't been told yet, but I think they may know something is up. They usually do. This is an amazing opportunity. One of the Pastors at church gave us a word... don't mess with the lions. Interesting.... I think I will heed that one! :)

Our travel days are about 20 hours (ugh!) but we can't wait to get there and give those kiddos at the orphanage hugs and greetings from America (and all who have helped us to get to them!). http://www.htn.org
is a link to the website for the orphanage where we will be.

When we ALL Get Along

2009-01-22T15:27:00.004-07:00

Don'tcha just love it when we all get along? Lookit' these two... who woulda figured it would be almost 9 months after introductions were made before they could peacefully coexist with one another. If they can do it so can we. Is there someone in your world you've not contacted because of "stuff" in the way? If so, why not clear the stuff and give them a call or drop on by?

On another note, lookit' that window, it's open! Isn't it January? Why yes, it is. After lots of prayer and petition...we've been experiencing the BEST weather ever. So much so I think we are all spoiled. Today's temperature at this very moment 15:32 is 63 deg.F Crazy huh? Some of the shrubs are trying to bud and the bottoms of my roses are greening a bit. It's a bit early for that tho.

The above being said .. the other morning when I was out with the poochie I came across the most beautiful sight.
It was soooooo pretty and suprisingly hard to capture the beauty by photo. See, I had to share this with you all, lest you come and try to steal our upper 60's from us.

Lots of news. Yesterday we found out that we have the money raised for our Kenya mission trip's expenses! Yay! Any money we collect now can go to pay for the vaccinations and/or to be donated to the orphanage with the money raised by our church. THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!!! TO ALL who have contributed or are praying for our trip. The countdown is less than a week. EEeeek!

Spare Bedroom now Serves Double Purpose

2009-01-14T12:20:00.005-07:00

I was inspired by The Nesting Place and went a little crazy in my spare bedroom. I did forget to take before photos. Most of the time, guests aside, the room was not being used for much. Inspired by bloggie ideas, I dove in head first and decluttered, moved everything out, rearranged, & put it back together. After ~~stealing~~ relocating a chair (used only for clothes DH one is not wanting to deal with hanging up) from the master bedroom. I now have a sunny spot to curl up and read. Take a look at the final result... final for now as rooms in my home are all subject to change!
View from the door way... you can see I've already settled in...

The view from my command post in my nice relocated chair!

My beloved bookshelf. To move it I had to empty it. Instead of reloading all the books I pulled some to go to Kenya (books are very expensive there) and some to go to the thrift or used book store. It looks pretty nice, eh?

Wow! Has it almost been a Month?????

2009-01-12T18:40:00.006-07:00

I could try to come up with all sorts of excuses why I've not been on here for a month but I just made a declaration to quit excuses... So, may I post a picture instead?I've had my hands full ... need I say more? My lap, velcro, co-dependent doggie is adorable isn't he? Things sure are interesting around here with our animals. As I type kittie is sleeping at my feet.

Before you ask... yes, she is on a diet, but please don't tell her :)

Both "children" know the sound of a tuna can opening and come running from whatever sunny snoozing spot they have tucked themselves into. Today was no exception. As soon as the pop of the first cut into the can was heard it was all about who got to me first. Being the wonderful human I am I drain the tuna water into bowls to share. No wonder they are so very trained to run to me at the sound of the can opener (and various other sounds). Mmmm there may be some training knowledge to capitalize on here...

Christmas Day was wonderful and shared with friends. Lasagne & Stuffed Shells was on the menu. Attendees brought various other sumptuous goodies to share. Fun was had by all.

Ringing in New Years with friends & enjoying an evening of more goodies, what more could one ask for? As if we didn't get enough calories in the Christmas and pre-Christmas baking/eating frenzy! :) Shouts rang out while we played games and competed for prizes.

We've been staying busy on the mission trip fundraising trail. To the wonderful, generous and amazing donors.. THANK YOU can not even begin to express how much your donation has meant to us! It has been a lot of work raising the money but I am glad to post that we are almost there. The gap is closing between being left behind and getting on that plane. As the days count down we are getting more and more excited and cannot wait to see the kiddos!

My First Turkey

2008-12-17T18:03:00.003-07:00

I am so impressed with my efforts today. At Thanksgiving we got a turkey (on sale, yippee) and since we ate with friends we did not cook it right away. It had been thawing in the fridge for a couple days and today was the day. Out of the fridge it came and into a bag (thanks "H") to cook. I'd never used a bag before.. heck I never made a turkey before... My DH, ever so brave pulled the items out of the birdie, and into the fire it went! Three hours later, concerned about the timer thingie not popping out... thoughts of cardboard, turkey jerkey, and various other deserty objects...I checked the birdie many many times til.. finally POP the thingie went. Out it came and it looked great but the test was still ahead. DH carved and sampled as the job was completed. The birdie passed the test not a dry bit in mouth! Yay. Mashed potatoes and stuffing completed the meal. "H" I forgot to use the potato water in the gravy. Doh. The gravy turned out great too. Yay! So needless to say we ate well today and the remains are on the stove simmering away making stock.

I am thinking soup tomorrow or the next. :)

Now I've got to run and make peanut butter cookies for a Christmas meal tomorrow at DH's work.

Remind me to tell you about a score I made yesterday at Goodwill!

Progress

2008-12-14T20:00:00.005-07:00

Wrapping is done. Yay! Now the packaging and mailing. I am on the hunt for one more box. My mother, at Christmas time is a menace, as she always tries to guess (and often is correct) her presents before she opens them. This year I predict I have her... she will have several that she will not be able to guess I know it I just know it!

Here's a picture of our tree. By day....By night.... Oh so pretty.

It was too cold to spend any length of time outside today. We saw a variety of temperatures on the way to church... anything from 10 above to 14 below... who knew what it really was. It is saying -9 now. Brrrr.. It sure is pretty tho - we got some snow :)

Africa Update

2008-12-13T20:27:00.002-07:00

I should be wrapping my pressies but alas I am on the computer instead. I had to update the background. Fall seems as tho it has flown by and the snow about to be falling outside is signifying that even tho the calendar doesn't say Winter yet... Winter is here :)

A little more than one and a half of us can go to Africa now! Yay. I had a fund raiser jewlery party last night. Four lovely ladies attended and I think all had a wonderful time. Money was raised for the mission trip AND some shopping got done. "S" was our jewler and she donated her time and profit for this show to the mission trip. She has been so very generous as is her company, Premier Jewlery. Please support them if you can. http://www.premierdesigns.com/index.php
Sparkles Sparkles Sparkles galore.

Today I helped a gal who is working on a Christmas party for approx. 70 senior residents of a nursing home in the area. We packaged up pressies for each and lots of goodies! I sure hope each person likes their gifts and can feel the love that went into choosing and wrapping them.

Thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed to the Kenya fund so far! We could not do this without you.

Let it snow!

ok, I've been busy...

2008-12-06T22:57:00.007-07:00

Not much of a great excuse but I have been busy.

On a completely random note... we've been buying limeade from the store already mixed and ready to pour. Yum! I got to thinking.. I bet I can make some of that and do it for cheaper... so I am now armed with recipes and I will be getting some limes tomorrow.

I think I will be trying this one:
http://laylita.com/recipes/?s=limonada

Limonada
2 limes (or lemons) (or mixed) quartered
8c cold water
1/2 c sugar
--in blender: toss in limes and 4c water and sugar - blend til frothy/foamy - strain - add remaining 4c water -- serve over ice MMM good.

the runner up is a recipe for concentrate: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/66/Limeade

to make the Limeade Concentrate:
1c lime juice (about 6 limes)
1.5c sugar
1.5c cold water - mix sugar and water while heating - then add to 1C lime juice
this is your concentrate

the Limeade
add 1c concentrate to 2c cold water - mix and serve.

I will report back!

Day After Thanksgiving (in the U.S.)

2008-11-28T15:12:00.008-07:00

Hi everyone. I sure hope your Thanksgiving was great. We had a wonderful day spent with friends and new friends. Bill didn't get called in to work until later in the afternoon ... yay! We were hoping to spend lots of good quality holiday time with him and we got it. A lovely couple from our church invited us to dine at their home & fun was had by all. We are so thankful to have the abundance we have in this country. Abundance was discovered and conquered yesterday as we stuffed and then waddled :)

Never underestimate the power of an invitation for someone to join you or your family for a holiday or even just an everyday meal. It meant so much to us to be able to spend our time with others instead of by ourselves or by myself had Bill been called in to work earlier. You never know what your invitation may mean to another person. So why not invite someone (or a family) to a meal this month, and/or, for Christmas?

I am also so very thankful for computer programs and generous friends who shared theirs with me. Because of their kindness I was able to create a 'work of art' (in my world of computer learnin') for my Craigslist ad. We are selling items in order to raise money for the mission trip coming up. See what I put together... it only took.. well, I am not telling how long it took, I was just glad to be able to get it done! :) I've actually had a couple calls on the items too! One man contacted me to say he didn't want any of the items but wanted to donate! How wonderful is that? God bless him!
Update on Craigslist sale: Jacket sold today and the buyer knew the cause and donated an extra $3 dollars. Yay! and God bless her too!

Faithfulness and Thankfulness

2008-11-22T17:08:00.003-07:00

How cool is our God? We are truly seeing blessings as a result of our decision to go on the mission trip to Kenya. A friend was sharing about our trip to a neighbor of hers and this neighbor pulls some money right out of his pocket and gives it to her to pass to the Kenya fund! Wow! Many thanks to both individuals. There are many many stories like this that I could, and probably, will share.

I gotta go and get baking. We have a "spudraiser" fundraiser after church in the morning. Betcha never heard of a spudraiser before, huh? We are selling baked potatoes/fixins, dessert and drink for $6/adult and hot dogs, dessert, & drink for those under 11 years old for $3. We are also auctioning off various scrumptious goodies. One of my apple pies will be auctioned and I am hoping it will bring in a good donation.

If you are in the area of Loveland, CO stop in and you could be a part of the spudtastic extravaganza.
10am service starts and by 12pm the festivities will probably be underway at
Message of Life Ministries
605 S.W. 18th St.
http://messageoflife.com/

Come help us help the orphans in Kenya, Africa.

I have had success! The pie looks good! The crust was a bit ornery but I beat it into submission ;) I was a little bummed that the crust shapes got a little higglety pigglety as they were supposed to represent the orphans. Each one was a little person shape. Some got cracked and misshapen. As I am typing this I am thinking we are all a bit off from perfect? This pie is a better representation of the orphans (and those of us going to help them) than I thought. mmmm.

It's Never too early...

2008-11-19T20:09:00.016-07:00

Anyone who knows me well (who am I kidding?.. anyone who knows me...) knows that I am not a morning person. This is not of what I speak...

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I, for one, have many many things to be thankful for.

I must say I am thankful for pressies recieved from a friend. They are a perfect match for my dinnerware AND I was getting bored with my plain glasses. I will bless someone with mine and enjoy these new beauties.

I would be remiss if I didn't say I am also thankful for clean water right from my faucet inside the house. Apparently, in Kenya, the water is a lovely shade of brown orange! I can't wait!

I must remember to be thankful for computers... I must I must... I've just put the picture back in the post for the 4th time...now 5th time! I keep erasing it. I am sure there is an easier way to set the layout... If there is, I haven't found it. I keep erasing the picture with one touch of the delete or backspace button. DOH!I wonder if there is a limit to how many times the same picture can be loaded and re-loaded? I really do not want to find out Argh!

More to be thankful for in upcoming posts.

Dontcha wish you were in my kitchen today?

2008-11-12T22:23:00.010-07:00

MMMmmmMMM did it smell good! We are fundraising for the Africa Mission trip and are hosting a lunch at the Sheriff's Office. Part of the lunch is a bake sale. So many lovely ladies helped me with baking (THANK YOU LADIES!) and my kitchen smelled so yummie while I was wrapping goodies. On the plastic wrapping note do I ever recommend the "restaurant" style plastic wrap you can get at Sam's Club. It comes in this ginormous roll and has a slider/cutter (no more sliced fingers or stretched wrap! wooo hooo!) It was so easy to package all the goodies into individual portions.

Some of my day sure was a challenge... I got cream cheese spread instead of cream cheese, I got waay too many rice crispies (note to self... rice crispie treats for me!), the pie crust dough sure was obnoxious!.. the list could go on. I must say I got a lot accomplished. I did succeed in not having the oven empty for too long. Yee haw!

Going to sleep now. sssssnnnooorrre!

Here are some pictures... from mid-event! It was a wonderful success and a BIG THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED US IN ANY WAY! We could not do this mission trip without you!

Aren't National Park Service Sites Great?

2008-11-10T21:04:00.009-07:00

My hubbie & I enjoy spending time exploring the National Park Service sites. National Parks are his favourite & his goal is to get to each one. I think, at last count, he is half way there. On this last trip to KY we hit several sites .. 7.. I think. Here is some of the evidence. The park service does such a great job maintaining & preserving history & beautiful lands. I used to work for
the NPS & I enjoyed contribuiting to the mission.

This was our favourite park. There were surprise showers there. Yay for cleanliness! We were tent camping on this trip and didn't realize the campground we stayed in had showers and not only had them they were SUPER clean! :) To say the least I was very very happy.
We did a lot of things at this park. I wrote about puppie friends and the hike we did .. I think that was my favourite.

This is in the Louis area. It was a beautiful day and a neat glimpse into family life of a historical figure. We shared a tour with only two other women so we got to get lots of questions answered by our guide :)

Here is our campsite at Mammoth Cave NP. We did not get a picture of their sign. I do not remember why. We did a cave tour here and there was a great bike trail. Check it out if you are in the area.

Our next travel will be coming up at the end of January into early Feb. We will be traveling with a group from our church to Kenya Africa. Never been to Kenya before but we are very excited to go on this mission trip. I will probably post here more about our preparations. We need to get our shots... eeek ! Not so much a fan of shots... am more of a fan of not getting sick or dead... so must get shots! :) We are going to be working in an orphanage and with churches in the area. Pray for us as we are raising the money to go. Not sure where it is all going to come from but we are believing it will come in. :) More another day. 'til then.. ta tahh! Here is a link to a map of the area we will be in :
http://www.maplandia.com/kenya/rift-valley/nyahururu/
The town is called Nyahururu and I will have to learn to say it too!
More in the future...

Wow! Where have I been?

2008-11-10T00:14:00.010-07:00

Wow. I have been in hiding apparently. Eeeek. We did finally return from vacation. Our time away was great and here are some pics.

This picture is us in our truck on a ferry crossing the Green River. The car ferry is needed because the road is interrupted by the river or vice versa. It was cool to go on. I wonder how many times the man who runs the ferry goes across in one day!? We were in Mammoth Cave National Park, KY.

This picture is of my doggie friends. On our last day in Cumberland Gap we hiked the White Rocks Trail. At the trailhead there was a man and two dogs and he asked us did we want them. It seems these dogs have adopted him and hike with him each day. They show up a the trailhead and hike with him or whoever gives them attention. They met up with us several times on the hike. The trail was recommended by a few people and rightly so, it was great! In many places it was steep but well worth it for the views.
Yup, here is the view from the top. It was a grunt to get there but you can see forever. It was really nice. There was one other person up there and we asked him to take our picture. This way we have evidence we were really there and this was not someone else's picture.

A little baseball anyone? On our way back thru St. Louis we got to see the last two Cardinals games of the '08 season. :( They didn't go into the post season but we did enjoy the games. This was our first time to the new Busch Stadium. It is very very similar to Coors Field in Denver. Obviously there is a different view. Check out the Arch in the left side of the picture. So cool!

The view from our seats was great. It was a beautiful day in St. Louis.

On the Road

2008-09-18T18:58:00.014-06:00

We are currently on vacation. On Tuesday we left Colorado at 4:30 am it was dark dark dark. We drove to the light.

On the way through Kansas we stopped in Topeka at the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site. While we were there we met a couple who were moving from Aurora, CO to Indianapolis, IN. There were very nice and we enjoyed a nice chat. They were off to Kansas City, MO to the Negro Baseball Museum and some BBQ and we were off for points East!

The traveling went well and the trip seemed really fast. We got to Bill's parent's house near St. Louis at about 21:30 .

We went to Pujols 5 Restaurant to celebrate our niece's birthday. It was a fun evening. A fun time was had by all.

We are leaving tomorrow (Fri.) for Land between the Lakes. I am looking forward to a week of camping and roughing it :) It will be fun :)

Step by Step

2008-08-27T14:41:00.006-06:00

I have this wonderful digital camera. I have access to all things photographable (word?, it is now). I don't have to worry about film waste (bad pics. etc.). Why is it that choosing what to photograph is quite overwhelming to me? I remember the internet being like that for me (still is, to a point). One solution I will employ is to narrow the photographic field by breaking it down to into smaller bits or focuses.

Example: House cleaning - instead of spending an entire day cleaning the house top to bottom - I choose a few duties for each day - Meals Monday (meal planning/shop), Tub & Trash Tuesday (inside tubs, outside tub, and trash gathering), etc... I take care of a few focused tasks per day and it keeps me from freaking out about the enormity of a disaster home needing cleaning/straightening.

This does not mean that the whole works breaks down if one item or day is missed. It does, however, mean a bit of juggling is in order to work in the missed tasks or just let them go that week :) Like today, for example, I didn't do the outside tub yesterday (Tues.). I am working on it now (Weds.).

Taking things in manageable chunks works for me in my quest for an on purpose life. I need to remember and apply it to more things!

p.s. I know I spelled vacuum wrong... dear husband pointed that out and I didn't feel like re-writing the list! :) Funny thing is... I spelled it wrong again typing it... Spellchecker you are wonderful!

Breakfast on the Deck

2008-08-22T12:15:00.009-06:00

My dear Daddie sent me a new digital camera that I will be doing my best to learn to use. Here are some shots from this morning's breakfast. Often I sit out on the deck and eat my breakfast while sipping on a pot of tea (a cup at a time of course!) It is one of my favourite things to do. This morning I was reading a book called Jimmy written by Robert Whitlow. It is a slow moving book about a family living in the South.

Today's tea choice : English Highgrown from http://www.specialteas.com/.

My favourite is Typhoo (English) and Red Rose (Canadian).

Have a wonderful day!

Welcome to my Entrance into the 20th Century!

2008-08-18T20:55:00.004-06:00

I do realize I said the 20th century. When it comes to all things technological it seems I am always behind. I am doing my best to change this.

Welcome. Sit. Sip a mug of tea (a cup...just not enough). Enjoy your time spent here. Laugh with me as I sort out the how to's. My plan is to post pretty regularly about anything and everything. I guess that since I told you this ... I will have to follow through. Next up... who am I ?