Recipe: Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

When I saw this recipe, I thought of my mother who has celiac. This cookie recipe has no flour or butter...that's right. NO flour or butter. I was afraid that it might not taste very good, but I was so wrong!
Mike and I were watching a movie after having dinner, and I really wanted something sweet to wrap things up. This didn't take me very long to mix up and once they were finished, I had to control myself to keep from eating them all! They really are that good!
My only mistake was not allowing the egg whites ample time to peak. Also, I just saw that I didn't have the eggs at room temperature either...oops! Lesson learned, but it didn't really impact the taste, just the look of them!

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, divided (I used semisweet instead)
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided (I used two cups and it was still pretty sweet)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray, set aside.
Melt 1 cup (I accidentally did 1 1/2 cups) chocolate chips in a small bowl, using the microwave. Set aside. (takes about two minutes)
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they are soft peaks.
Gradually beat 1 cup of sugar. Continue to beat until the mixture resembles a marshmallow creme.
In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch and salt.
On low speed, beat the dry ingredients into meringue.
Stir in melted chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. The mixture will start to become stiff.
Roll the dough into balls, roll them into powdered sugar coating generously, and place them on the cookie sheets.
Bake at 350* until the cookies puff and the tops crack, about 10 minutes. Let them cool on sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cool surface to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Eggnog Pound Cake

I found this recipe on...*gasp* Pinterest...ahaha! Seems to be a theme these days. I wonder what we did before this site? Oh, that's right. We actually looked things up in cook books.
Anyways, the thing that attracted me to this recipe, was not only the eggnog part, but the fact that they said that it was the best pound cake recipe.
It was good, but I'm not convinced it was the best that I've ever had. It's pretty quick to make, so if you need something now, then this is the best that you can do, without having to make things from scratch. I have another recipe that is from scratch, and will try that later, but because we wanted something sweet, I made this quick one.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

16oz pound cake mix (plain)
1 1/4 cup eggnog (I used organic eggnog, but I don't think it matters.)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I used the dry, and used the same amount. FYI dried spices are usually more potent than fresh, so if you don't want it to be too "spiced" then use less)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat all ingredients together at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Increase speed to medium, and beat 2 minutes.
Pour into a lightly greased 9- x 5-inch loaf pan. (I used a bundt pan, because my loaf pan was small!)
Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Enjoy!

Craft Shows, Anniversaries, & Garage Doors

Hey everyone!

I know, it's been a little longer than I had expected in regards to updating!

So, let's see what has happened...

The week before the first craft show here in Craig, I was still waiting for my stuff to get back from the frame shop. The owner had ordered the sleeves, but of course, Sandy hit the East coast, and guess where she ordered them from? Yep...Jersey. She was in the middle of moving, and had not hooked up cable or Internet since it had hit, so she didn't realize the mess that was going on out there. She called them, wondering where her order was, and they explained that they were underwater, working on generators, and would send it out as soon as possible.
They sent it, but forgot to send it out with a three day rush. Needless to say, I was sweating a little bit, feeling as though it was coming pretty close. The day before the show, I was able to pick up my things. This included the framed pieces for the restaurant as well. After leaving her store, I headed to the mall to ask the owners of the little furniture store if I could piggyback on their Internet connection. They were fine with it, gave me the code, and off I went.
I left the mall, grabbing a cookie dough flavored coffee, and went straight to the restaurant to deliver the pictures.
When I arrived, the owner was not in, but I talked to the manager, who ended up calling and waking up the owner. I felt a little bad, but at the same time, no one was told, so that's not really on me. The owner remembered me and had me leave the pictures there for her to look at and hang. When I brought in the five pictures, there were two men inside eating their late lunch. They thought that I was bringing in a pizza. When they looked at the pictures, asking me if I had taken them (This would not be the last time that I would hear this question over the weekend), and were amazed by what they were seeing. One of them asked me if I was selling them, and when I said that I was trying to, they asked me how much for one of them. I had not sat down to look at the cost to get them printed, matted and framed, so I shot out the number 80. I gave him the last business card that I had on me, and explained that if he wanted to go to the site, that he would be able to buy the print for a lot cheaper. I left and headed home, realizing that I needed to spend a lot of time signing my prints for the show. It took me over two hours to do, but I got it done. Signed, labeled and priced. I was as ready as I was going to be.

The set up for the show was at 7am. I asked Mike for his help, in bringing things in, and helping me find power, and the like. We got there, and started to set things up. I was able to grab an outlet, which made me happy, and then I headed home, as the show wouldn't start until noon.
When the time finally came, I headed in much earlier, just to get things up onto the tables, and set up the Internet connection. Once that was in place, I kept tweaking things on my booth. I have since learned that I need to make some signs that state what else I can do, besides prints. I am hoping that the next couple shows will be better in sales.
I can't complain though, as the weather wasn't bad, and that meant that people wanted to either go out of town, or stay at home. On the first day, it was so slow for everyone. People were complaining that they didn't make what they had the years before. I was happy that I was able to sell one print! A lady came up to me, and wanted to buy the 8x12 print of my eagle. I pulled out my little Square credit card reader, and charged her the $65, but with tax, that made it closer to $70.
The next day was a little busier, but it was still really slow. I wasn't surprised by the speed of things, but then again, I was in a wing, and the wings I have learned, are probably the worst places you can be. The next show, I will be in the center of the mall, where all of the foot traffic will be. I'm going to look forward to that one, as I'll most likely have a better turn out.
Right after the second show here in Craig, I will have a one day show in Hayden. I've still got some work to do, but I think that things are going well. Lots of my cards went out, and I was asked a lot of questions in regards to portrait sittings. I also got to meet the "portrait" photographer in town, who tries to say that he is French, but he's not. From everyone that I have talked to, no one likes his work, or him. I told Mike that I couldn't help but feel as though he was just a creepy guy, who tried to talk to me seven times, but when he talks to you, it's more of a rambling that he does with himself, and you are forced to listen. There was nothing that I could add to the conversation. But I am not threatened by him, and I wonder if he is of me. Guess we shall see.

Mike told me that his boss, Kyle and his wife went to the restaurant and saw the pictures on the walls. I haven't been in since dropping them off, so I'm glad that they did hang them up. I've had a few people tell me that they will most likely be getting on my site, and ordering a few things. That brings a smile to my face, as most people have said that they liked my work, and that they'd order things, but never do, causing me to question my ability to take good photos. I know that I do good work, but I'm a little insecure, and I'm only human. I'm learning to fix that about myself, and soon enough, things will be picking up! This I am sure!

After the house warming party, my best friend, Ana had gotten engaged! It was so stinking cute how it all played out. Her, now fiance, made this website and had her answer questions over a course of three days. On day one, by the end of the questions, she was treated to a long massage! After the end of day two, she was taken dress shopping and by the end of day three, she was engaged! It was certainly unique and clever and I must say that I was super ecstatic for her! I can't wait to see the wedding planning and the wedding! Her ring is gorgeous too! Yay!

Mike and I had our three year anniversary coming up, and I had no idea what to do for him this year. I suddenly became creative! I know, I know, you're thinking...When are you not creative? Anyways, during the first day of the craft show, given how slow it was, I started working on one project for him. We were given a blank journal for Christmas years ago, and it was still left unused. I grabbed it and started to write things about him that I loved in the blank pages. When things got busier at the show, or when I knew that Mike was off of work, I put it away to focus on those around me. After the show, I was at home, writing as much and as quickly as I could, to try and finish the project in time. The other project that I was trying to figure out how to make, was a framed picture that I will post the picture here in a moment.
The book was tough too, as I was feeling as though I was running out of things to say, as I was trying not to repeat myself. Then I had an idea. I started to look up famous love letters, including the one that our vows were from, as well as excerpts from books and movies about love, that I agreed with, loved and felt embodied our relationship. I finished the book, cover to cover, within two days...two and a half if you count the craft show day.
Mike loved the book! He is still reading it, little by little, every day. I'm glad that he loved it, as I was a little concerned that it might be a little lame. He disagreed with me!

The picture was a little challenging. The idea was to take words that were significant to you and your significant other, whether it was your vows, first song, whatever. I chose our song, and copied the words several times into word until it filled the page. After that was done, I searched in the computer program Paint to find a tree picture that I could use as the base image to crop the words into...couldn't do it. My second thought was, 'Hey, just draw a tree on some paper, and cut it out'. Yeah, I've since learned that I cannot draw to save my life...
I had one other option, before using my pathetic looking tree, and that was to ask Ana for help. Ana's creative and is a graphic design artist, so I asked her for help. Sure enough, she could do it, and I was one step closer in finishing the project for our anniversary!

Now, each day, Mike would come home from work, and ask me what I've done all day. Not in the bad way like, "What have you been doing all day?! There is a speck of dust! Wasting your days away!" Not like that, but more in the casual, "How was your day", type of way. Everyday that I was working on the projects, all I would say was "Working on projects". He would ask, of course, what those projects were, but I wouldn't tell him.
On Saturday, once I had most of everything, since I still needed to buy a frame for the picture, I asked him if he wanted to have lunch together. I also figured that since I had talked about coming down to the Springs for a day or two that I would need to get my oil changed, and Mike had been telling me to do it for a while now, so since I was out and about, I decided to do that too.
Now during our lunch in the hospital cafeteria, I looked out the window door and saw this little cat walk up to the door, sit down and stare inside. I asked Mike if I should let him in, as I'm sure that the hospital would like to have a resident cat. It would help patients heal faster, right?! Mike had told me no...lame.

"I know you're in there!" - Cat

We had lunch, then I was calling places in town to see who could work on Mazdas. I found one, and they had no waiting. So I headed over, and they began to service my vehicle. I was in and out in fifteen minutes! Record for me! After that was finished, I headed to Walmart.

Walmart was a cluster of "fun". People were scrambling to grab the items that they needed for Thanksgiving and whatnot. It was loud, people were being stupid, and I was about ready to walk out, without our much needed groceries and the frame that was most important.
I braved it out though, as I got everything I needed. I also picked up some beads and cords to make some necklaces. I had not made anything with beads in a long time, so I was surprised at my sudden desire to do so. I picked up three different beads and cords. I made them within a couple minutes a piece. I even wore one on our anniversary!

I wore this one on our anniversary. It's a heart...in case it's a bad picture.

This has two dragonflies on it, and is pink.

It's blue, and I'm not sure if it is water grass, or peacock feathers...

 

 

When I got home from Walmart, I had no will to finish the picture. I was mentally and physically drained from the store, so I decided that I would finish it up on Sunday, while Mike was watching football, or something. It didn't take me very long to finish. I had to use my sewing kit to stitch in the threads of the 'rope' and attach the hearts to it, but other than that, it was pretty much a done deal. I spent five minutes finishing it up, and enjoyed the rest of the relaxing day with Mike, as he watched football. Yay...Go Quizz! Go Tebow! Go Succop! Those would be the names that I cheer on, as I watch with Mike. He laughs at me, and then the game changes to teams that I don't care about.

 

Here's the picture!

 

 

The morning of our anniversary, Mike and I exchanged gifts. He loved the book, as I mentioned and loved the picture. We're still trying to figure out where to hang it, but I think it turned out really well! I also thanked Ana, several times, telling her that I owed her coffee or lunch or something. If it wasn't for her help, my tree would look twisted and gnarled like something from a haunted forest. Not something that says 'Love'...unless you're twisted and gnarled I suppose....well, I know people like that, so I suppose it could have worked out well...and there's a tangent...sorry!

Mike had given me the complete series of Boy Meets World, as I have been wanting to get it for a while. We watched two episodes last night, and he thought it was cute. I have a feeling it's one of those shows that he will sit through to appease me, but he's going to suffer through it all...Ah, that's love...

 

We stuck around the house for the morning and afternoon, as we tried to play a video game together, but because it's one that we have played several times, I got bored, and Mike was falling asleep. So, Mike got up and took a nap, and I got on the computer to start working on my stories online. After about 30-50 minutes, Mike got up, and we talked about getting ready to head to Steamboat.

When we got to Steamboat, we headed to the movie theater and got tickets to watch Skyfall. The last movie that we had seen together in the theater was Star Trek...in 2009. I had seen a few movies with the girls in the dollar theater. The theater was pretty quaint, and there was a woman holding 9 seats for her family...they hadn't even showed yet. We sat down in a couple seats and when the family showed, they used my chair as a handrail, and then one of the kids smacked me upside the head accidentally as they took probably half of the movie to settle down. Aside from that, we enjoyed ourselves.

Skyfall was a good movie. I haven't seen Quantum of Solace yet, so I can't say for certain if it's the best Bond movie that I have seen, but it was good. I think it could have done with a little more editing, as Mike agreed, but it was still good.

After the movie, we headed to one of the more upscale Japanese restaurants, and I had some sushi, while Mike had some Thai. We ordered a bottle of plum wine, which was really good! Once dinner was over, we headed back to Craig, stopping at the store for some champagne and whatever else we were low on, then to the grocery store for some orange juice, dessert for Thanksgiving our anniversary. When we got home, Mike made some Mimosas, as I was thinking it sounded good at the sushi place, and we had some dessert, finishing up a great day.

 

Yesterday, I got up and started to clean the house, started laundry, and saw that Mike had texted me to tell me that we were going to have someone come by after lunch to work on the garage door, the one that I use that has no motor. I have to manually open the door and lock it. The past few times that I have opened it, it has gotten jammed due to the lock not opening all the way, and getting stuck in the track. It's quite frustrating...So, Mike called a company that was highly recommended by his boss, and they called on our anniversary talking about doing it then, but Mike said no. So, they came yesterday. I finished the house, just in time, to be able to have lunch and wait for them to show up.

As I waited for them to arrive, I started to work on the yard outside. As I mentioned before, when we moved in, the previous owners allowed these weeds to grow into bushes. These weeds look like mini sunflowers. As pretty as they may seem, they attract so many bees and wasps! They also start to build nests into the house's siding...they mentioned when we did the walk through that all we had to do was spray killer on them, then knock them down. My first thought was, "Or you could get rid of all these freaking weeds, and the problem will go away", but whatever. So, now that it's snowed a couple of times, and it's Autumn, they are dead, and have no bees threatening to sting you each time you approach them. So as I waited, I started to pull them out of the ground. From the beginning of the drive way, all the way down to the house, up the side of the house. Once they were all pulled, I started to bag them up.



As I was doing this, the garage door guy had come and started working on the door. Three hours and seven bags later, we were both done. Yay! Clean yard and a working door! Mike had stopped by the store on his way home, and when he got home, he didn't notice the yard. I had to point it out to him. However, in his defense, he was thinking of the garage door, and not looking at his surroundings.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and we've scaled back on how much food to prepare. It's going to be the first Thanksgiving in the new house, and I'm hoping things go well. We shall see.

So, I'm thinking that about sums it all up. Not much else is going on. I'm hoping to be able to head down to the Springs in a week or so, but I'll have to see for certain.

Until next time!

Recipe: Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole

My picture does not do this meal justice! I'll admit this now!
This meal was simply to make, and tasted amazing! I think that I will play around with it next time, by adding some more spices to it, as well as perhaps some tuna?

The best thing is this: It can be a great side dish, or a main course. It can be made gluten free, or filled with as much gluten as you want, and it will still be healthy!

Ingredients:

10oz can cream of broccoli (or any cream of soup)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese (whatever flavor, I used a colby mix)
1/2 teaspoon splenda (I didn't use any sugar)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I didn't use this either)
Dash of nutmeg
2 cups cooked broccoli
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To cook quinoa:
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup water

Rinse quinoa until water runs clear.
In small saucepan, combine the quinoa, water and dash of salt. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover.
Cook for 18-20 minutes or until fluffy. Fluff with fork.

Preheat oven to 350* and coat a shallow 8x8 casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, milk, cheese, splenda, pepper and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in quinoa and broccoli.
Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle Parmesan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly on edges and golden.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I don't know why I didn't think of this before! I saw this recipe online, and thought, oh, well, it could be good, or it could be okay...I loved it! I foresee making this again very soon!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup panko crumbs
2 teaspoons canola oil
1.5-2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 egg
2 oz cream cheese (I used 4oz and it was still really tasty!)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used more, simply because I used more cream cheese)
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and ribs removed (I used all of it, to give it an extra kick)
2-4 chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375*. Spray a baking dish with cooking oil.
In a small skillet over medium heat, combine panko with the canola oil. Cook, stirring often, until the panko is crispy and golden brown. Place in a small bowl, add taco seasoning and stir to combine.
In another shallow bowl, lightly beat an egg.
In another small bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese and jalapenos.
Cut a small pocket into the side of each chicken breast until it is butterflied. (I just had flat chicken breasts, so I didn't do this part.)
Divide cream cheese mixture among the chicken breasts.
Dip each chicken piece into the egg, followed by the panko mix, to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken on the prepared dish and cook 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Note*: Because I didn't butterfly my chicken breasts, I dipped one side into the egg then coated it with the panko mix. I laid them flat in my dish, filled it with the cream cheese mixture, then rolled them up, leaving the seam side down.

To make your own taco seasoning, instead of buying it, use the following spices:
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!

Recipe: Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

When I saw this recipe online, I knew that it was worth trying. It was simple and easy, not to mention, I already had the ingredients. The only thing that I needed to get, was a bundt pan because apparently, I never used one.

Between Mike and me, we ended up eating over half of it the afternoon that I made this. Mike finished it off the next morning. Needless to say, it's extremely good! You've been warned!


Ingredients:

2 small tubes canned buttermilk biscuits
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup pancake syrup
1/3 cup light brown sugar (I sort of guesstamated this)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I added to taste)
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) {I didn't use this}
1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional) {I didn't use this}

Spray a bundt pan with non stick spray.
Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts(if using).
Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan, followed by half of the brown sugar mixture on top of that.
Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges to form a ring.
Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixes.
Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
Cool 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter.

Enjoy!

Snow, Parties, Shopping, Kamikaze Deer and Crock Pots on Fire

Hello everyone!

It's been a long while since I've updated...and for good reason too!

So, let me see where to start....

A week before the house warming party, I had people RSVPing, and I was already feeling the pressure, as I needed to get the house in order, figure out what to make and start making it, on top of making sure that I took care of the everyday things too.

One of the things that I wanted to make sure that we had in time for the house warming party, was a few things to help make the home, ours. For example, we have so many lids to our pots and pans, that it's a pain how we've got it set up currently, so I ordered a lid rack, a 5 tiered pan holder, and a decorative hanging wine rack that I wanted to use in the guest bathroom for towels. I also ordered a couple of cds too....seems like things would be fine right? Wrong.
Silly me, had gone onto my account online, deleted the old house address from my shipping address, but because I have the Amazon Prime account, I didn't realize and it didn't occur to me that I would have to go in and change my "1 Click Shipping Address". See where this is going?
So, here I am, thinking, "Yes! These things will arrive in plenty of time for us to get them in, and organized...." I get the email that things have shipped. I didn't think about it. Suddenly, I get an email stating that another item is being shipped to this address....Guess which address? Yep...the old one. Crapola! I frantically got online with UPS to talk to them about changing the shipping address, but they told me to contact the sellers and that the sellers could do it. Each one of them, told me that they couldn't do it, or it would cost me an additional $X. They said that if things are returned to them, they would refund me and I could order it again. This is after I had emailed each seller personally, explaining the error...Thanks Amazon!

So, long story short, I reordered everything, and triple checked my address,(Fixing the mess up from before), and I got most of the things, the important things, before the party. I have been refunded for everything that was sent back. At least the new owners of that house in the Springs were kind enough to return to sender and not keep the items for themselves. My bad!

One of the items, as I mentioned above, was a hanging wine rack. I loved this idea when I found it online, and begged Mike to let me get it....okay, so maybe beg is too strong of a word. I just asked him, and he said yes. *shrug*, So I like to make things a little more exciting....

It came in a big box, already assembled, and I stuck it on the wall, and placed the new towels, hand towels and washcloths that we bought to match the theme of the bathroom. Mike was concerned about hitting it, each time someone was to use the bathroom, but it seems to be working out just fine. Another thing that I loved for the guest bathroom, we had bought when we first moved into the house, when we bought the towels, shower curtain, and bath mat. It is a soap holder, that I personally think is freaking cute!

 The towel rack...nice, right?

How sticking cute is this soap holder?

 

 



The party went really well, aside from the fact that we were missing a few people who said they were coming, but overall, it was super fun! We busted out the Guitar Hero on the Wii, followed up with EveryBody Dance on the PS3, which was ended by Disc Golf and Bocce on the same system. During those games, one of my friends, Beth, was super entertaining to watch as she busted out lyrics that she didn't fully know, and was narrating her dances in the most hilarious ways! I ended up recording her antics on my phone, and played them back for people. I think that I have seen them each time I am having a bad day, and it turns it around so fast, it was as if I was never upset. I would upload them, but I have difficulties trying to mail videos from my phone...

 

The same week before the party, I woke up to a dull day outside. When I mean dull, I mean that it wasn't sunny...which usually means two things...rain or snow. Guess what...we had snow. It didn't stick around for long. It might have lasted for a couple days, but overall, it was gone just as quickly as it had started. By the time the party happened, there wasn't any traces of snow left. We even had a doe and her baby making their way around the house, in search of some grass still sticking up from the snow. Of course, each time that I send pictures of the deer to my mom, she tells me that they would come out when she's not here...Needless to say, none of the deer ventured close to the house when she was visiting. Maybe if she comes out for Thanksgiving, they will be more inclined to coming up to the house.

 

Good morning, sunshine...I mean, snowshine...?

Where's the green stuff? Where's my watermelon?!

 

 

The day after the house warming party, Mike and I took our parents, in two separate cars, to the Dinosaur National Park in Dinosaur, Colorado. We had brunch first, then we took off. It was a lot of fun to be able to talk to the folks, as we drove up. Mike joked that I was in the "fun" car, because we were having conversations whereas his car was pretty silent for most of the trip.

Once we arrived, we drove up to the visitor center first, then we headed up to the dig site. After spending some time there, we did the mile loop back down to the visitor center. Mike and I wanted to do the scenic drive around the other section of the park, but the timing was tough, as the sun was setting. We were able to get to one of the look outs before turning back.

The drive back, however, turned out to be much more exciting than the drive up. I was the lead car, and it's open country, so there are a lot of wildlife, and not many lights to brighten up the roads. As we were heading down the road, a deer ran out in front of my car. Now, at the time, I didn't think that time slowed down, but after talking about the event, everyone had told me that the deer didn't just "walk out" in front of my car, but was sprinting across the street. Everyone told me that I handled the situation very well, as I didn't panic, and I reacted quickly. I had slammed on my brakes, aiming for the hindquarters of the deer (because if you do, more than likely, the deer will have moved out of the way). I missed hitting the deer by inches. I started to drive much more cautiously, and was gripping the steering wheel so hard, that I had lost blood flow in one of my arms. I kept asking my parents if they were okay. We even joked about it, until we reached town. When we got to the restaurant that we were going to have dinner at, I realized that I was shaking pretty violently. Turns out that I was in shock over the whole ordeal...go figure, right? I ended up having a big drink, and then I couldn't stomach the food, as my nerves were still unsettled. I even broke down a few times in the restaurant over it. My mom had comforted me, telling me that everyone was fine, including Bambi, and that I handled things well. I understood all of that, but I was in shock. I also couldn't help but think of all of things that could have gone wrong. I was thankful that I was wearing my glasses, as I think that I wouldn't have been able to see the deer, had I not been wearing them. I also was very grateful that I was the lead car, as I'm not confident that the second car, which was lower to the ground, would have been able to stop in time, and the deer would have caused some major damage, not only to the car, but to Mike and his parents. I know that you're not supposed to think or dwell on the things that could have been, but I kept thinking those things.

My mom had offered to drive me home, and after thinking about it, I agreed to it. I gave her my keys, and we headed out. I told her which lane to get into, and I didn't think to tell her that the street that she was going to turn onto was a one way street. So, I tell her that after she turns, she will want the right lane. My mom takes a wide right. Of course, as she is making the turn, I inform her that there was a cop at that red light when she turned...then I look up to see that she's driving in the shoulder/parking lane of the street. I tell her that and she corrects her position on the road. Guess what? The cop put his lights on, and pulled her over. She explains the situation to the cop, who was really nice, and was laughing at her. He took my registration and her ID to his car to run it. My first question to my mom was," You didn't do this just to make me forget about the deer incident, did you?" She laughed and told me that was exactly her plan. She was afraid that she would get a ticket, but since her record is clean, and my record is clean, we would be fine. She did get a written warning, however, and I did offer to keep the evidence, but it was a good laugh to have regardless.

To make the night even better, when I opened the garage door, (the one that you have to open manually) for my mom to park, the door jams. All my mom can see of me, as I am frustratingly pounding my foot on the ground, and she thinks I'm dancing. Um...no...not dancing. Mike fixed the door with the help of my step dad, and once everyone was gone, Mike hugs me, and I break down...for two hours.

I realize that it's a silly thing to get so worked up over, but again, I was thinking about things that could have been...not the things that had happened.

 

The next day, my parents headed home, and we took Mike's parents to Steamboat Springs. We had lunch and started to do some shopping. We walked into a jewelry store, and I found a ring to fit my index and middle finger that I loved. It was made of silver, which I'm allergic to, but rings are usually pretty safe, so I asked Mike if we could buy it. He said yes, and on my finger it went.

Elephants marching, for "Michelephant".

 

Mike joked about how "Michelephant" got her elephant ring. Har har...For those of you who don't know me well, I like elephants. I had once looked into going and volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. Obviously, I didn't go, and that's okay.

We went into several others stores, and when we started to pass by a candy store, I stopped as something caught my eye. Holy cow, I thought, there is Hobbes! Hobbes is the tiger companion of Calvin, from Calvin and Hobbes. We walked into the store, and I picked him up, along with a stuffed googley eyed monster that talks for Willow, and some Sixlets, as Mike has never had any before, and I've talked about them to him on numerous occasions. When he finally ate some, his comment was," Now I can die, fulfilled..." Um, okay? Whatever floats your boat. =) I had originally thought of my brother when I picked up Hobbes, but I became so attached to him, that I decided to keep him. He's pretty soft and cuddly too. He is currently sitting on the night stand next to the bed. Tigers frighten away monsters, right?

Hobbes.

 

 

After we finished our shopping, we headed to a location in Steamboat Springs, where a waterfall was. It was a short hike, 1/4 mile, and we got there to see it. I'm curious to see what it will look like when it isn't winter. I grabbed some good pictures of it, however, I haven't gotten around to downloading them to work on. Be patient, I've been busy!

 

The next day, everyone had gone home, and things were back to normal, for the most part. I spent some time cleaning, and coming up with shopping lists for food, as we only had party food leftover. There's only so much dip and sweets that you can have before you need normal food!

 

As I have mentioned before, I had printed several pictures out, and took them to the local frame shop. I'm still waiting on them to finish up my stuff. The hiccup is due to the fact that they ordered the bags to place my matted prints in, from New Jersey...and they're under water. Perfect! So, they called me today, and told me that they should have them tomorrow. I'm starting to sweat a little, as I need these things before 7am on Friday! I think we'll be okay, but it's going to be tight!

 

Friday is the first day of the craft show. I'm hoping that things go well. Fingers crossed!

 

So, last Monday, Mike and I headed up to Steamboat, to have lunch at our normal place, and grab some buckets for my shows, as well as some receipt books. We also did our grocery shopping there at the new Natural Grocers. We were looking for lamb and fish there. Of course, finding those things is a challenge in itself. I had to dig for the meats, and I found some bison, which I picked up, and then I finally found the lamb. It took me forever to find, because they packaged them in rolled packaging, instead of normal ones. Now I know...

 

So, today, I got up, called the frame shop, and was told they would contact me later to let me know if they got the bags in or not, turns out they didn't. As I got off the phone with them, I tossed the ingredients for dinner tonight into our new crock pot and turned it on. I texted Mike, to see if he wanted to have lunch together today, and then I called my mom, to answer her text. I grabbed some water, and figured that since Mike wanted to do a later lunch, that I would grab a snack to hold me over. While I'm on the phone with my mom, I get up to grab that snack, and I sniff. Something's wrong. The air smells sulfur-ish. I look around, and my eyes land on the new crock pot...it's smoking, like it's on fire. Frick! I put the phone down, and I immediately turn it off, unplugged it, and pulled the crock out....My mom is on the phone, wondering what is going on. I'm just lucky that I was still at home when that happened. I told Mike the incident, and he could do nothing but laugh.

 

After lunch, I headed to Wal-Mart, and grabbed a few things that I needed for Friday and things that we just needed. One of those things was a clock. A clock, you ask? Well, when Mike and I are in the living room, there is no clock there to tell us what time it is, aside from the Playstation, which unless you stop playing whatever (game/movie) you can't see what time it is. So, I found a nice clock and placed it on one of the pre-existing nails.

 

 

The new clock!

 

Another thing that I picked up, was some pseudo flowers and grass for the nice vase that we have. I picked some nice things out, that I liked anyways, and of course, they had metal in the stems, so it took me some time to bend and manipulate them so that they would break down to the size that I needed/wanted.

 

I think they turned out well.

 

 

I also grabbed a bundt pan, as a recipe that I am going to try, requires it, and I don't have one! Well, I do now, and the other thing that I picked up was some pajama bottoms. I have some that are so old, that I've had since I was 14 or 15, and I've been wearing them. Mike would come up behind me, poke my behind, and say, "There's a hole there." Um...thanks...I think? At first, I thought he was being facetious, as my first train of thought is," Yeah, you're poking me in the butt, of course there's a hole there", but then I realized that he meant the tore hole kind...oops. Silly me. So, I found some nice fleece bottoms at Wal-Mart, and now I can toss out the "You've got a hole there" bottoms.

 

After leaving Wal-Mart, I went to get my flu shot, and the Pharmacist at Walgreens stuck me hard! I wasn't impressed with the technician, as the Pharmacist girl had to micromanage the tech, but everything was nice. I told the Pharmacist girl that I admired her ability to work in a retail pharmacy. I had to explain to her that I worked in a hospital pharmacy, and that I couldn't do Walgreens. She laughed and said that some days she wished that there were four of her, and that some days her patience runs thins, but I laughed and said that I knew that feeling too! I hoped that I made her day a little better, but who knows? Oh, and get your flu shots! It's going to be a particularly bad year for influenza!!

 

So now...I think I've caught you up. Thanksgiving is still up in the air, as far as what we are doing. I've sent the invite to family to come out here, but who knows what will happen. I've got several craft shows coming up, and we already know that we are going to Portland for Christmas.

 

Um...so yeah...

 

Until next time!











Recipe: Loaded Baked Potato Dip

For the house warming party, I wanted to make sure that we would have enough food to go around. I didn't realize that I would be making so much food, that Mike and I would have to eat most of it. When I found this recipe, I thought that I would like it...I loved it! My mom even liked it! This was a cinch to make, and everyone seemed to really like them. After looking at the ingredients, I was laughing, as I thought that I would have to add some potatoes into the dip...guess not.

Ingredients:

16 ounces sour cream
16 slices (12-ounce package) bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions or chives
 

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to allow flavors to meld together. Garnish with extra shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, and chopped chives. Serve with your favorite potato chips or pretzel crisps. Dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Biscuit Donuts & Donut Holes!

 

 

 

Now, I have to admit, when I saw the recipe for these Biscuit Donuts, I had my doubts. I figured that they would taste like sugared canned biscuits...not the case!

 

They are so super easy to make, and the creative sugar combinations that you can come up with, are endless! I foresee making these often!

 

Mike hasn't tried them yet, and I've only had one of the donut holes, but it's SO good! I encourage you to try them!

 

 

Ingredients:

Canned biscuits (not flaky) {I used buttermilk}

4T per 8 biscuits melted butter

Vegetable oil (fill your pan to about 1/2 inch or so)

Sugar & Cinnamon*

 

Heat oil in the pan on Medium-High heat; a couple minutes or so.

Cut holes in the biscuits. (I used a small shot glass, but cookie cutters work too!)

Place your biscuits into the pan. Cook until the side is golden brown, flip over and repeat.

When both sides are golden brown, place them on a paper towel lined plate, to drip off excess oil.

When they have cooled enough to handle with your fingers, dip one side into your melted butter, followed by the dipping of the sugar/{insert spice} mixture. Turn over, repeat for other side.

 

 

Note*: For the donuts, I used a combination of sugar and cinnamon, and for the donut holes, I used a combo of sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Be creative, and try other spices, such as apple pie spice, all spice, and more! You never know what will happen when you try! Also, think about melting some chocolate, for the frosted kind!

 

Enjoy!

Foxholes, Broken Fences, Small Steps for Business

Hello everyone!

So, as I mentioned before, Mike had only a few days to get the spot ready for the spa's arrival, since it was delivered to the shop early. When we got back from Cripple Creek, Mike had a nasty migraine that left him out of service for a few days, then he got some stomach bug that had been going around, and was out of commission for another few days too. He was feeling better by Friday, (the spa was to come to the house on Monday) so he started to work on the space that he already cleared rocks from. He started to dig the outlines, and haul them out with the wheel barrel, until there was no more light to work with.
Knowing that he was feeling quite pressured and wondering if he would have to call and reschedule the delivery of the spa, I decided to help out. On Saturday morning, right after Mike went to work, I got up, and headed outside to start digging. The weather was exactly 22 degrees from 8am to about 10am. Cold with wind! It might have gotten to 45 degrees by the time Mike got home. I was out there from 8am until 5pm when Mike arrived at the house, fully prepared to be digging in the cold clay.
I started by digging up all of the dirt and clay, placing it into one corner of the grid. Once things were dug up, I started to load it into the wheel barrel and head down the yard to the opposite side of the fence to dump the stuff. Early on, when it was still really cold, I kept laughing to myself, thinking that I was digging a foxhole in World War II. I told that to Mike, who didn't catch on at first, but then finally got it.

My dug up foxhole.

Each time I tried to get the wheel barrel over the wood borders of our yard, the wheel barrel wouldn't budge, but instead give me some nice bruises in the same spots on my shins. Yay, bruises!
Getting annoyed and frustrated by the wheel barrel, I headed into our garage, in search of something that I could use as a ramp up and down the wooden borders. The previous owners had leftover siding from the house, so I grabbed two smaller sections and placed them down. Success! It worked!
The work gloves I had to use, were way too large for my hands. They were Mike's gloves, of course, and I had no idea where I had packed my work gloves, so I had no choice but to use his. It made doing this task difficult, as I had no real grip on things.
During this event, I could feel my body tightening and getting to the point of being too painful to continue, but I pushed myself to do it. It had to be done, and I didn't want Mike to feel like he had to get everything done by Monday, meaning he'd be out there all day Sunday, trying to rush this.

Mike finally arrived home, saw how much I had done, and thanked me over and over again. He got me something to drink, and ran me a nice hot bath, to help my muscles. He went outside to start carting the dirt out of the pit. He came in later to tell me that he had broken the makeshift ramps. Apparently, I didn't load my barrel nearly as heavy as he did. He also said that he had to lift the door to the fence up over the rocks that are too high, and the gate came off the hinges. Great, yet one more thing that we need to fix!

By the time Mike was done for the night, he said that the only thing that was left for him to do on Sunday, was to bring the sand that was delivered earlier that morning, into the pit, level it out, and lay the pads down. All in all, it saved him a ton of time on this project.

Monday morning came, and while I was still sleeping, Mike helped the men with the spa, laying the pads down, and getting the spa in place. We ended up getting cleaned up, and going to the new steak house in town to have lunch. While we were there, the owner of the resturant came out to take our orders, congratulated Mike on looking young, when he ordered his beer, and then when we were signing the check, she was asking us what brought us to Craig, what do we do for a living. When I mentioned that I was a freelance photographer, and Mike half jokingly suggested that should she need pictures for her resturant, and she asked me if I had anything outdoors. I told her yes, a lot in fact. So this lady told me to bring some samples of my work by tomorrow, before they opened at 1130am. Holy cow! I was surprised. It's so tough in the Springs to try and get any sort of business, and yet here in Craig, I seem to be getting a lot of business!

The next morning, I headed over with my prints from the pseudo craft show from two weeks ago, and drove back to that place. She greeted me at the door, and I began to show her what I had with me. She was blown away with my work, and told me that she didn't care which pictures and that I could pick them out, as long as they fit her theme, which is kind of western and country with animal skins. Okay, I can do that. So, I have the task of choosing 4-5 pictures, getting them matted and framed, and delivered to the resturant for her to hang. This is great, especially due to hunting season. Hopefully, this will get my name out there, and get my photos selling!

After leaving the resturant, and feeling kind of confidant, I headed to the newest bakery in town. It's a weird combo, but it's a Hawaiian and Mexican bakery. The owners lived in Hawaii and they are Hispanic, so I guess it will work? The owners were not there, so I gave my card to the girl working, explaining myself and then I decided that since I am meeting Mike for lunch, that I would bring some cookies for everyone, since they had asked me last time if I had been there, and if I had, to let them know how it was. I selected an empanada and 5 cookies, since there would be 5 of us there. I instinctly reach for my credit card to pay, looked up and saw a sign that said that they don't take debit or credit. Crap. I asked her how much my selection would cost me, to see if I had enough to pay her, and she rang me up and said $2.68. I must have looked at her like she was growing three heads. I had to ask for clarification, because I didn't think that I heard her right. Sure enough, it was only $2.68. Sweet. I have that!

I left there, and headed to the store, to get a few last minute things that we didn't find at Wal-Mart, and headed up to the hospital to have lunch with Mike and his crew. I got to the hospital early, so I decided that I owed a lot of phone calls to people. I started with my grandmother, and had a good conversation with her, and right on time, we ended it. I texted Mike telling him that I was here, and headed inside, where I waited for him.
During lunch, I told him the good news about the photos being hung in the restuarant, and then after eating, I pulled out the cookies. Mike had no idea what an empanada was, which I had to laugh at, because I thought that everyone knew. For those of you who don't know, an empanada is like a mini pie. It's a crust filled with different things, some have apple, like the one I bought, or they have vanilla custards, or other fillings. They are really good. I told Mike that I got cookies for everyone, and after he ate his cookie and most of the empanada, he reached in for the last cookie. I scolded him, as that cookie was for his boss. He tried to tell me that he already fingered it, but I wouldn't let him eat it. Almost on cue, his boss came in to eat, and when he joined us, I dutifully informed him that I saved his cookie from Mike. That got some laughs, and we had a good rest of our lunch.

When we finished lunch, I had looked at my phone and saw that I had a voice mail. It was from the bakery. Turned out that the owner came back, and wanted to meet with me. I left the hospital, and headed straight there, with some mail that Mike wanted me to mail at the post office. At the bakery, the owner was more than willing to allow me to display my work to sell, without even seeing my work. I told her that I had some samples, if she'd like to see them, and she did, but I think that she didn't care. She told me that as long as it's not offensive, that she didn't care what they were or how many, as I was the only person to come in to offer to display work. Sweet, now I have more photos that I need to print and hang, but I need to hear from her first about if her display boards will hold the weight of framed prints. If not, then I need to think of something else.

The past several days, I have been unable to move most of my right side, due to my efforts with the foxhole. Today is much better, but it's still pretty tender and stiff. The bruises are now ugly yellow, and healing as well. Mike is starting to cough again, which makes me worry that he's getting sick again. I hope not!

I have a few more new recipes that I will be trying this week. I'm hoping they turn out, as I didn't have all of the right ingredients, but I will just have to improvise.

During my inability to do much, because of my work in the dirt on Saturday, Mike has taken over the dinner task the past two days. He got some free fish from work, and was making sushi for us. Rolling sushi rolls takes a lot of patience and practice, as they don't looks so nice when you're done and they fall apart on you. They tasted great, but they didn't look as fantastic as Mike's first rolled up ones.

Mike's first ever hand made rolls!

 

 

On Saturday, after Mike took over for me, I noticed that there were a few boxes on our front step. Before my bath, I pulled the boxes inside, and after my bath, I opened them. One was our new electric toothbrush, as our old one broke. It lasted a good 8 or so years, so far past what they normally do, so that wasn't too big of an issue, and the other box had our new towels, and the surprise that I bought Mike. I was a little jealous and looking back, might have ordered two of them, one for me, but I think that I am glad that I didn't, just so that we didn't look like freaks if we wore them at the same time.

 

My Sheldon.

 

The surprise was a shirt that says, BAZINGA!.  Now, for those of you who are looking at that, and wondering what the heck that is about, it's from a popular TV show that is super funny. It's called The Big Bang Theory. One of the characters is very witty, sarcastic and kind of high on himself, (not suggesting that Mike is high on himself, though he fits the rest of the bill) and this character, after a practical joke, will say BAZINGA! We both love the show, and we really like that character, who is named Sheldon. At first, I wasn't sure how he would react to the shirt, but as you can clearly see, it was a hit.

 

For my business, and especially for the upcoming craft shows, I had gotten a free credit/debit card reader, so that if someone buys something, I can just run it through my phone. This little reader plugs into my phone, and connects to my account, so that when I run their card through it, I get paid immediately! Yay! I'm still waiting for the reader to show up in the mail, and I'm hoping that I get it soon. I just have to remember to carry it with me at all times, and not lose it!

 

We have a few more things to accomplish around the house before the party, like hanging pictures, but that's not so important. I know that I want to get the decorative shelf that my dad built up on the wall, so that I can unpack the final two boxes that have Mike's collectible and breakables in them.

 

For the party, I'm really excited! I have some friends coming up from the Springs, as well as family, and even Mike's parents are coming! I told Mike that I'm excited to get to know his co-workers better to, as we seem to get along pretty well during our lunches.

 

Sometime today, the electrician for the spa is suppose to come by. He told Mike that he was going to come by yesterday, but he never showed. Guess he got busy? So, I'm letting the cats roam, until I get a call from him, as that's what he said he was going to do before showing up. He's going to set up the copper and other wiring so that Mike can get the spa up and running, and then he can relax and enjoy it. He really needs it too!

 

I've been writing again, and posting them online, and I know that I have visitors reading them, as well as members from the site, but no one has been commenting on them. Is it true that "no news is good news"? Makes me worry a little that I haven't heard from anyone, good or bad. Hmm...Makes you wonder if you should continue...Oh well, I enjoy writing, and I am coming up with some good ideas, I just wish that people would be a little more proactive in letting me know how I'm doing!

 

Well, I don't think that there is much else to update you on. 



Until next time!

Recipe: Homemade Frosty

When I saw this recipe, I grew estatic! I love frosties, and I know that it is something that my mom can have, since it is gluten-free. I decided to give it a shot, and see how well it really tasted.

At first glance, everything seemed like it would be fine. However, when I went to read the actual recipe, I couldn't find it on the site. It just had a picture, and the list of ingredients. Hmm...okay. This should be simple, though...right?

My first problem, was my intial thought process. I dumped all the ingredients into my mixer and was ready to turn it on. Hmm, looks a little full...I hope this doesn't splash out. Oh, I'll just run the mixer on the lowest setting...

SPLASH! I turn the mixer off, clean myself and the counter and floors up. Okay...um...oh, I know! I have a little mixer lid that should help with the back splash. I dig it out, place it on top of the bowl, and turn the mixer on again, on the lowest setting.

SPLASH! Sigh, okay, let me clean up again....Hmm...what should I do? Guess I will just have to mix this by hand.

Mixing by hand was much better, not ideal, but no splashage. I finished mixing, and placed it into the freezer, thinking that it will be ready for dinner.

Dinner has come and gone, so I pull the bowl out from the freezer. I took a spoon and tapped the top of it. Seems pretty frozen to me. I pushed the spoon down, to start serving...

SPLASH! Crap! Well, at least the mess was just on the spoon and my fingers. Guess it's not quite frozen. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

The next day, we pulled it out for dessert, and had to wait about 30 minutes or so, before it was semi scrapable. Mike had to do that, because I was still hurting from my 9 hour hole digging. The taste was pretty good! I think that I will make some adjustments, to make it more frosty like, but I think that it's a pretty decent replication.

Ingredients:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (Carnation is usually the best)
8oz whipped cream
1/2 gallon chocolate milk

Mix ingredients together.
Freeze for 24 hours.
Serve.

Enjoy!

Train Rides, Men Who are Sick, and Grime

Hello everyone!


It's not as long this time! Yay!


So, as I mentioned before, Mike and I headed down to the Springs, last weekend to go to Cripple Creek and use our free train tickets. I drove, as my car has much better mileage than his. I know understand his frustration when he is driving, and I'm in the passenger seat, saying," Oh! Look at that!" "Oh! How pretty!" "Oh! Look! There's a horse!" "Oh...so sad, there's no water there anymore." "Look! Those trees are so pretty!".....You get the idea yet?

Mike was pretty good though, he would say something, but follow up with, "I know you're driving." Um, thanks?

We got to Cripple Creek, and traffic was okay. Not fantastic, and it got worse the closer to Cripple Creek we got. The people were still driving around that area to take pictures of the changing leaves, but you always get that one person, who loves to slam on the brakes to take a picture, maintaining the slowest speed of 5mph, instead of pulling off onto those convenient pull off points. Really?

When we finally got to Cripple Creek, we checked with the ticket agent about what time the train was going to leave, as we noticed that there were a lot of people already seated. We both needed to use the bathroom, as we had traveled all day. With about 8 minutes to spare, we had plenty of time to go and pick a spot.

When we sat down on the train, there were hardly anyone near us, as most people were hiding under the covered car, because the weather was threatening to pour. Within a couple minutes, we were surrounded by a huge family, or group from India. There had to have been 6 adults or so, plus 10 kids? Mike was doing the math on how much they had to spend on tickets, as it was $13 per adult, $12 for seniors and $8 for children. They were fine for the most part, but the beginning was tough, as each time our conductor was trying to give us some history of the area, they would start yammering away, taking pictures. Mike said that they had to have taken over 500 pictures.

The train ride is pretty short, all things considered. It is about 45 minutes total time, round trip, four miles total? Perhaps less. Pictures were passed around, and when the sun finally came up, and the sky cleared, I was able to get some nice pictures, though I still need to download them off the camera.

After the train ride, Mike and I were starving. We had dinner plans with friends in a few hours, but we both agreed that we'd need something now. We walked down the main area, and finally settled on a nice pub and had great food!

When we were done eating, we headed into one of the casinos. I've never gambled before, so Mike had to be the one to teach me. We started with video poker, and the machine wouldn't take my money, as it was a new $5. Okay, fine. Take a couple ones... Mike was doing really well, and me, okay. We decided to move on, so we cashed out, and got our tickets.

You can tell which one belongs to whom.

 

 

We moved onto slots, and that's where I did better. We stayed in our little casino for about an hour, and then we decided that it would be best to head to the Springs, as we still needed to go to the hotel, check in and go to dinner.

 

The drive to the Springs, was much smoother than the initial drive to Cripple Creek!

 

We checked into our hotel, cleaned up a little from all of the soot from the train, and headed to dinner. We had a great time out with friends, and of course, we decided to end the dinner early, as we were hoping to jump start our shopping, since we had a ton of it to accomplish, in addition to our little trip.

 

By the time we left, all of the stores had closed, because it was Sunday. We decided instead, to go back to the hotel, and go swimming. What we didn't really realize was that the pool was a "heated" pool, outside. With how cold it was outside, the water didn't seem to be all that heated. Once we were in, and moving around, things were fine.

 

Of course, what is the first thing that Mike does when we get to the pool? He dives in...ignoring all of the posted signs, painted markers on the cement that clearly states NOT to dive into the water. Oh well, he didn't kill himself, so that's good. It had been a really long time since either one of us had gone swimming, and we felt it. By the time we were thinking about getting out, the wind picked up, and it started to rain! Yay....let's make it more difficult to get out because it's cold!

 

The next morning, Mike and I got up and had breakfast at the hotel. We checked out, and began our shopping. Of course, the mall wouldn't be open yet, so we headed to Barnes and Noble, a dangerous place! I needed to get a planner for my business, and they had some journals on sale. We even did a little Christmas shopping there too!

 

Because we were in the same shopping area as Best Buy, we stopped there too. Mike had a coupon that said to bring it into a store to have them scan it and tell you how much you'd get. Anywhere between $5-$5000. What do we get? $5. What has everyone else gotten? $5. =) We were walking around the store, looking at cds, when Mike got a phone call. Turns out the hot tub arrived. Great...we're not even close to ready for that to be here. We both thought that we'd have at least another two to three weeks to prepare it's arrival, get the spot ready, before it arrived. Nope. It's here...now. Mike talked to the guy at the small spaced place, and discussed a series of things. Mike of course, was happy that it was here, but the timing sucked. We paid for our cds, and headed out to our next shopping stop.

 

Once we were done at the bookstore and Best Buy, back to the mall we went. We were there for a while, and ended up realizing that we would need to order what we needed to online.

 

Looking at the time, we realized that we wouldn't have the time to get anywhere else before meeting up with my mom and step dad for lunch, especially because we were meeting them at the Trading Post in Garden of the Gods. Mike had no idea where this building was, and I told him that it was in the middle of the park. Yay...now we have to be stuck behind tourists who can't figure out the one way streets and yield signs. Sighs.

 

When we got there, Mike and I stopped to use the bathroom before grabbing a table. I found my parents wandering through the gift shop, and we headed to order our food. Looking at the menu, I decided to be a creature of habit. When Mike and I were in Cripple Creek, he mentioned that we should grab something light and quick like a hot dog. Now, when he said that, I thought that sounded amazing! We hadn't had hot dogs in forever! Of course, I ordered the chili dog at the place in Cripple Creek, and it was to die for! Now, I was still remembering that meal, when I decided to order the same thing here. It was so-so. Definitely not great.

 

We sat outside, and watched the squirrels take fallen fries and other food. After lunch, mom gave me a few things to take home, including some tools for us to borrow to get the yard taken care of for the spa placement. Mike and I also looked around the gift shop and found a couple of things.

 

Looking at the time, and realizing that we had to drive home still, that we wouldn't be able to make it to the last few stops. So, we decided to just head home. Traffic was nice, and oddly, it was relaxing.

 

The next morning, I headed to a thrift store, one of many, here in Craig. I realized later that I was in the store that wasn't entirely organized. I did manage to find some things to decorate my table at the upcoming craft shows, and some garden tools for pretty cheap.

 

I left there and stopped by a local small business that is a frame shop. I talked to the owner for a length of time, and decided to stop by later with my prints to get matted and framed. She's even going to cut me a little deal too, as I'm going to be working with her often.

 

During my talk with the frame shop owner, Mike texted me to tell me that they were going to lunch early and that he would see me whenever I got there. I left and headed over to the hospital to have lunch with him. It was at lunch that I realized that Mike was suffering from a migraine. Great, I thought, It can only get better or worse.

 

Worse, it got. He ended up coming home at noon or so, the next day, feeling miserable. He stayed in bed the rest of the day. The next morning, he got in the shower, but still was feeling so weak and sick. He called out. I felt bad for him. I couldn't do anything for him, but make sure that he was comfortable and eating and drinking fluids. Thankfully, we think we've figured out what the problem was. Not only was it a migraine, but he had some old pumpkin puree left over from when I did the pumpkin mousse over two weeks ago in his breakfasts. He's doing much better now, and I'm glad. It's tough when someone you love is sick, and you can't really do much.

 

A couple nights ago, Mike and I get ready to head to bed, and we see Lola, our middle cat, lying in front of the front door. What the heck? It's not in the sun, and it's not really near anything...so this behavior made us laugh. Of course, she's been talking up a storm lately too. I think she is pouting because she wants into the basement. But who knows...?

 

Lying by the door. Waiting for someone?

 

 

One afternoon, I happened to be cleaning and organizing more things for the house, and decided that I needed to replace the steps in the back, as the insurance people stated that it was unstable and needed to be done. Well, yeah, duh. We know. We'll get there. So, I went to the garage, brought up the old spa steps and camp stakes and headed to the back door. I put the steps down in the laundry room, looked out the window of the back door. Great. There goes that idea of replacing the steps. There was a deer and her baby lying in the back. Of course, I thought they were moving on, as I had seen them walking past the kitchen window earlier, which is away from the door. Scared me at first, especially when they were looking into the window.

 

Hello neighbor...where's our watermelon?

 

 

Because I realized that fixing the steps would have to wait, I suddenly remembered the previous owners...the wife, say that she would feed the deer watermelon and other random tidbits. I remembered that we had some watermelon left over from when we bought some about two weeks ago, or so. I could tell, just from looking at the bottom of the container, that it was starting to go bad...like slimy, bad. I walked out the sliding glass door, into the fenced back yard, and chucked the bad watermelon over the fence. The deer, of course took off into the little field, glaring at me. I just fed you, ungrateful... I guess I don't have the disconnected vibe because the deer don't trust me. =)

 

The next morning, however, the watermelon was all gone. Someone ate them. I'm not in a habit of feeding wild life, as I believe that they need to feed themselves, for many reasons, but because the watermelon was going to be tossed out anyways, why not give it to the animals. I'm certainly not going to be doing this again anytime soon, if ever. I'm not that person. Be self sufficient Miss Deer!

 

Today, I started to clean the house. I started with reorganizing the basement, for the umpteenth time, and sweeping out the boxelder beetles. I told Mike it was kind of sad. I'd fill the pan, open the door in the basement, and toss the dead bugs out the door. There are still more! I swept that place clean, and somehow they are still getting in! Crazy! I think that finishing the basement should help with the bugs. I hope. Fingers crossed.

 

Next up, replacing those steps...finally! Now that there are no hoofed visitors sleeping in the back yard, I could go out there. Little chilly, but hey, I expected this to take longer. Nope. I pulled on the top two by four, and the whole step set up came out. That was easy! I replaced the steps with the spa steps, and secured them in. I'm very grateful to my mother for teaching me at a young age, how to use tools, and that I don't need a man to fix things, or whatever, like I've known others to be like. I love Mike to death, but honestly, I don't think that my life will be "over" if I have to actually get dirty and do things, like replace steps or install fire detectors, etc. I'm not that simpleton woman who only shops, and raises the kids. I could do it all.

 

The house, as I have quickly learned from cleaning it, was filthy! No offense to the previous owners, but my god! They were disgusting people! Mike and I are not dirty people. I clean the house often, and because we just moved in, and finally have some space to start cleaning, and I don't mean just laundry and dishes, but really cleaning...ugh! How do people live in squalor? I'm not saying that this house was that bad, but...there was something crusted onto one of the bathroom faucets, that I had to scrap off with a pair of scissors! It smelled awful too! I cringe just remembering it! The other thing that I've noticed, is that they must have loved playing with caulking. I am finding it everywhere! Things like sink stoppers are so stained, that they are clean, but don't look it....really?? Really, people? I shake my head once more!

 

We have our house warming party date set up, and we're looking forward to it. It's going to be fun. Rock Band/Guitar Hero, board games, food, music, dance games, and more....We're already getting some good people coming! I'm also not expected the out of state people to show up, as that's not feasible, but I know that there are some people I know aren't coming and I invited out of politeness. If they show up, that's fine, I'm ready for the reticule, but I know that I'm going to be too busy playing hostess and talking with those that really matter to even be bothered by it. Will I get upset, probably for a moment, as most people do, because we're human, but I think I'm passed it all now.

 

Mike is home now, and outside getting ready to work on the spot for the spa. I think that I better end this tirade and go help him.

 

Until next time!