A Christmas Present....

Lookie what I got....



This pictures does not do them justice....they are beautiful bears! I want to find a little bench so they can sit under the tree together. Thank you Frank and JoAnne for the beautiful bears! I love them!

Merry Christmas!

These are photos Michael took of the tree. We do the tree in all red lights. Under the tree I set up all my Christmas Bears. I have chairs, a little red wagon, and a couple of sleds.

Holiday Pictures

Just a few pictures of the house during the Holidays!

This is a picture of an Angel that I know my Mom has had for quite a long while. If I recall right there were 2 more angels with the grouping and they were broke...by me. In the package she sent for Michael and I us to open during the holidays...the candle and the little Angel were a part of it.


The chair with a pillow...that matches the table runner on the end table that also matches the tree skirt under our tree.

Close up of end table.

The table....the placemats and napkins Mom bought me last year at an after Christmas sale. They are really pretty. They are a natural linen color with then velvet trim in green and deep red. They have embroidery of holly in berries to match the velvet. The Angel in the center of the table Mom and Dad bought me years and years ago. It is a tree topper but I don't think I have hardly ever used it as such as it is kind of top heavy. You can also see all my little hallmark houses in the background...sitting on the counter in the dining room.

An ornament on our tree that Michael's Parent's got us last year. I thought it looked so pretty hanging on the tree - so I took a picture.

Presents! Presents! Presents!

At the beginning of the month my family sent us a big package...inside was one present a day to open up until Christmas! It has been incredible! What a great idea! Thank you Mom, Dad, Michelle and April!

Here are all the presents lined up on the counter!



A few of the goodies we have opened up....

December 2....warm socks for both of us!




December 7th....holiday mugs and coffee!




December 9th....holiday napkins! They are very pretty!

Christmas Cookies

So I am always looking for good recipes that use Cardamom in them. I saw a recipe Gourmet last December that used Cardamom so I saved it.

Well I made them today. First they are suppose to be squares...I tried one batch like that and they did not stay square (altitude I am sure). I added more flour and decided to do cutouts instead as I am not doing sugar cookie cutouts this year and I like cutouts.



I drizzled mocha glaze and then a dark chocolate on them. I played Jackson Pollack with the cookies it was fun! They are yummy!

A Very Nice Saturday Night!

Tonight was the 22nd Annual Parade of Lights for Grand Junction. This is going to be our third Christmas together and so this was our third year attending the Parade of Lights.

We had a really wonderful night...one of those nights that I wished would not end. We watched lights further up in the Parade route then we have in years past. It was actually right across from the judges and mc. It was cold, but not as cold as last year. Michael was thrilled that he had his purchases from Christmas in Minnesota last year - with him. He was bundled up. We watched most of the Parade and then Michael asked if I wanted to go warm up in this new cafe we have been talking about trying. We were standing right in front of it so I think it was calling our names.

Let me say Cafe Biltmore knows food. It was incredible -- it is a foodie's dream. It is appetizers but you can order salad and a vegetable with them too. We started with Parmesan crisps. They were thickly grated Parmesan cheese with maybe some parsley for color baked a little. It was made with really good Parmesan because the taste of them was really that strong good taste. We then had a chiozo sausage panini. It a really delicious bread (thinking a sourdough), thin thin slices of fontana cheese, chiozo sausages sliced in half. It was served with a basil pesto (I think it was basil) and a chipolte mayonnaise. The flavors were incredible. We then decided to try one more item from their menu...it was hard to decide what to get...but we ended up ordering a bacon and potato omelet. It was more a fritta then an omlete to me but it was fantastic. The flavors they had going on in it were so good. We had all this with a bottle of wine from our favorite local winery - Carlson Vineyards. When my parents come in January, I think we should go again with them as I think they would really enjoy it.

After watching a wonderful parade and eating delicious food, we headed back to get the car and decided to take a drive and see if some of our favorite areas had lights up yet. And some did. We listened to one of XM's holiday stations as we drove around looking at Christmas Lights.

Grand Junction does this thing called The Cup of Cheer Home Tour. I just found out about it tonight. You buy a ticket and the money goes to the Grand Junction symphony. You then get a map to go tour Christmas decorated homes throughout Grand Junction. A couple of the houses in the sections we really like had signs in the front of their homes showing they participate. This tour thing is only one weekend and it is this weekend so we won't have time to attend this year. But I do want to look into it for next year as I think it is something both Michael and I would enjoy.

We really enjoyed our Saturday night even though we had things at home to do that didn't get done -- it was worth it to get out and have such a nice time.

World AIDS Day....

Showing support for World AIDS Day by wearing the Virtual Red Ribbon...

Pass it On.....Please

This is not a hoax:

Please take 30 seconds, go to the Bristol-Meyers Squibb (BMS--a drug company) site below and light a candle -- the company will donate $1 towards AIDS/HIV research...

http://www.lighttounite.org/

By going to this web site and "lighting" a candle you can help raise MILLIONS of dollars for HIV+ / AIDS organizations around the world. This is at NO COST TO YOU! Bristol-Meyers Squibb has capped the donation at $100,000 but each candle is a show of force.

It's as easy as 1-2-3. Simply …
1) go to the site - it will start with an ad for 'Reyataz', a drug
2) wait for it to load an animation which forms the continents of the World
3) click on a continent to "light a candle". You will be asked to which you want to dedicate your candle: strength, hope, health, love....

For EVERY candle lit BMS will donate one dollar. The donation will be made on World AIDS Day, December 1st. The event will be televised on the TODAY Show (NBC).

Fattigmanns made it to the WWW

I am going take a wild guess and say that Pillsbury decided to put a Fattigmanns recipe in a holiday cookbook last year. You know those cookbooks...the ones on the supermarket check out lane...the kind that my Mom has tons of....and that I also really enjoy. I am going to say it came out last year thus appearing on the world wide web after Christmas last year. As I remember doing a search for Fattigmann recipe last year and only coming up links to Norwegian type sites (ie: Sons of Norway). But this year I did a search and it came up all over the place but all referencing Pillsbury. And they called them Fried Diamond Twists Fattigmanns Bakkels.

So wondering if I should try to make them again this year. Last year the altitude won the war on baking them. They tasted good but they did not look like a traditional Fattigmann. Although they tasted good...they will never be as good as my Grandma's...hers are always the best.

Links to Share....

Just sharing some links.....

It is from Diabetic gourmet. They send daily recipes. I am not diabetic but I get them because I watch sugar intakes and often the recipes are just over all healthy. http://dailydiabeticrecipe.com/

Esty - a place to buy and sell all things handmade. A wonderful artist I know just started listing there. I had never heard of them before. Oh also his lovely partner has a beautiful assemblage listed on Ebay. And I am thinking of maybe listing some things on Esty...eventually.

The Daily Digest of Arts, Culture and Ideas.....ArtsJournal.com

The Collage Machine....it is fun! Make your own collages. I just wish I had the pieces come together like that on real paper in front of me.

A Mouse in the House?

Okay so Michael left to go out of town yesterday afternoon. He will be back later this evening.

I am doing some art last night and needed a bottle of water.....I come out of my room heading towards the kitchen when I see....Caesar our male cat sitting in the kitchen with his head in the space between the dishwasher and fridge. My heart skips....as I know what this means and of course Michael is out of town!

Yes, folks, I think there is another mouse in our house. Our female cat Chessie had been acting a little odd for a few days but she at times is just a little odd. But seeing our male cat as I did last night pretty much guarantees there is a mouse in the house because he is the type of cat that until he sees it even if he can smell it - he won't go after it. It is waste of his time.

Needless to say I did not get much sleep last night.

But on the other hand....I do have to say I am much calmer then I was last year. But of course I have not seen the mouse -- so that might change if I do.

I told Michael about it in a phone call this morning. I think he envisions coming home to me sitting on the middle of the bed -- having been there all day. But so far I have been very productive in my day.

Some random tidbits of life....

This month I was very busy and it seems like that is coming to an end - at least for this project. So now I need to get busy on Michael's website which actually the design is already started and the coding is too. I also need to get busy on Christmas cards and presents.


• I was going to get my own domain name with my name in it and so I did a search on godaddy.com a few weeks ago and it came up available. Last week Michael was going to go buy it for me and it ended up not being there. So that does not mean good things about godaddy to me. So now I am back to trying to figure out a domain name or just getting a subdomain on Michael's site.



• It was my birthday last week and I was dreading turning 38. I did the same thing when I was 28. (2 years from big 30 and now 40.) I was depressed and didn't want to celebrate. And this year was kind of the same. I had told Michael a few weeks before my birthday that I wished I could just be a little girl again and so that is exactly what he created for me. After talking to my Mom on my birthday, he had me cover my eyes and led me into the dining room. There he had set the table with little kid happy birthday paper table cloth, paper plates, cups and then presents wrapped in little kid wrapping paper. It was very cute and a lot of fun!
  
  Michael gave me much art goodness! Ultrecht had canvas' onsale a few weeks ago and so he ordered me 19 of them and they arrived on my birthday. He also gave me a several collages packs. Plus a bunch of other fun stuff.



• I received some gift certificates to Michael's Arts and Crafts from Mom and Dad and so I went and spent some of those yesterday too. So I am really stocked with lots of exciting materials to use. It is my hope to get in there and create some things this week. I also added the piece I did for my sister April's birthday to my Art Blog.



• I have been hooked on tea lately. Tazo Chai Black Tea is very good. It has cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper and other ingredients that make it not only taste great but smell incredible.



• We had a new wine from Carlson Vineyards the other night. It was their new Laughing Cat label and it was Sweet Baby Red. It was not too sweet and really a great dinner wine. I had made chicken, rice and vegetables and it really complimented the meal nicely. I have a recipe for Red Wine Risotto I think it would be really good in also.



• Michael had me go to the Doctor's office to just get a check on my blood pressure and it is going down! It was really great compared to the scare I had at the beginning of the month with it. Both he and I were really happy it is going down.
  
  
  

The last few months

What a fall it’s turned out to be!! I know a lot has happened that I haven’t really blogged about, but it’s been a very busy end of summer/start of fall period of time.

We managed to make it to Conference with nice colds – the yucky crud that it was. Since we were close to 9500 feet up there, let’s just say that it provoked the symptoms to a new level of misery. Still, we survived and I had the privilege of getting an honor of being Investigator of the Year – the highest achievement I could’ve received. Needless to say, I was humbled and honored. It’s still a little challenging for me to say that I was investigator of the year – because I know there are so many other deserving investigators.

In other news, my sister is participating in an arts & crafts show this weekend where some of my photographs will be up for sale.. Needless to say I’m a bit nervous even though everyone has said that the photographs are incredible.. As soon as Darby is finished with her current web design project, we’re going to get cranking on a new design for my site: Reflecting Time. I’m excited about this prospect and since this latest project is a clear indication of the path I’m going, it’s looking like the business maybe starting to take flight on its own – without me! *laughs* Still, it’s exciting, a bit nerve-racking and just nervous in general.. Still, I have faith – and when it appears that I carry a talent with it – then I’m inclined to believe that it’s the right path…

Last weekend, my folks not only helped out with the assembling of my photographic prints, but we took them on the now famous “Loop ride” covering 265 miles all along the western central part of the state.. We were gone for about 9 ½ hours and during that time we saw some of the most incredible scenery around.. Here is just a sampling:

Fall Catch Up

Well obviously time has slipped away from me again as I haven't updated in a while. I have just been very busy with work and other appointments going on as well. The "girls" trip was a lot of fun. The only problems were hang ups at the airport. I wouldn't mind ever going into O'Hare again.

This past weekend Michael's parents, Frank and JoAnne, were here. We had a really exceptional weekend. Friday we spent the day running errands. We went to lunch, then to pick up some wine from our favorite winery. They have a lot of new kinds out so it was hard to chose. We ended up getting our favorite FatCat Musecat and then they have a new label called Laughing Cat and we got the Sweet Baby Red from that. Maybe we will save them for my birthday.

After the winery - later that evening we went to buy frames and mats for some photos. Michael's sister is going to be doing some Art and Craft shows and offered to put up some of his photos. Michael and I were really in sync on communicating that night and I think we had our own little language going on. We knew what we were looking for and what we wanted without having to use very many words with each other.

Friday Morning I had a doctor's appointment and had a little bit of a scare. My blood pressure was extremely high. And so they had me stay and just try to relax (which of course was hard when I was so upset that it was high) so that they could retake it and see if it came down. It did but not as much as my doctor would have liked so she put me on BP medicine. I am not thrilled about that but it guess it is better then having it so high.

Saturday we went on a day trip and I do mean a day trip - a full day. We went on the Gateway Loop as I call it - I am sure Michael might have another name for it. It was a GREAT day! We had a marvelous time! Michael and his parents took tons of pictures. There are some areas on the loop that are not very good for parking the car so we took our walkie talkies and I dropped them all off to take picture and went and parked elsewhere while they took pictures. And then after they were done they would call me and I would come pick them up. It worked out good.

In Gateway, they now have resort...well kind of resort. It is almost a little village. It has a BEAUTIFUL hotel, several restaurants, a grocery store, a gift shop, and then they are adding an auto museum and several other things. The architecture and landscaping reminded me of Santa Fe so much...and made me miss it even more.

The loop has every type of terrain....from desert where you see red dirt, catcus and red desert mountains to mountains that look like the Swiss alps with snow on the tops, rocky rivers, fall colors, deer and elk. We had sunshine and were comfortable in short sleeves and then by the second leg of the trip it was raining and we were bundled up in sweatshirts and coats. But it all was so beautiful.

Sunday we worked Michael's parents. We had a whole team effort in framing the pictures. Michael cleaned the glass and put the pictures together. Mom was quality inspection and handing Michael photos and mats. Dad installed the hardware on the backs to hang them. And then I touched up a few frames and then made up all the labels, signs and business cards. After working all day we had dinner at the Rockslide Brewery.

This week I have been working on websites - yes multiple sites right now. But it is all coming together very well and I am happy about that. I was very nervous that the one site would not be done by the deadline but it is coming together just right. (feel like I should knock on some wood as I say that.)

Today is one of my Grandma's birthday's! And then Saturday was the other. I hope they both have/had wonderful birthday's.

I better get back to work. I will ask Michael to post some pictures of the day trip tonight.

Out of Town Update

We left on Friday morning for Denver. It feels as though we have not rested though yet. For the first time in a year of using Airbourne, it is not working. We both were sick and now just feeling better. I think it felt like it was not restful was because we were sick and our time away has gone by so fast.

We had a couple days with Frank and JoAnne and then left for Michael's conference. It was also very hurried - it felt like - but with very good outcomes for him. One being he was given an award...the best of his field. So, all his hard work and efforts are noticed and appreciated so that was a wonderful thing. I am very proud of him and blessed to love such an amazing man.

Tomorrow I leave for my Girl's Weekend! I will be back Monday. I am very excited about seeing friends and having a fun with them.

Life Update

I can't believe it has been so long since I did a post. I thought I was keeping up with this good. Seems it slipped by me. I got a letter from my doctor and the area of cancerous mole has been completely removed. So that was some good news. But I do have to say this summer has been a hard one for me. I have had quite a bit of bad news and then add on top of it the health problems - just makes fall look so very good to me right now. I have been busy with art this summer though and that is a positive. Recently made a piece for one of my best friends...it was for her big 3-0 and then made another piece for my sister Michelle. They both were very happy with the pieces they received...that made me feel good.

The end of August we had some traveling but mostly for Michael's work. We went to Denver on Wednesday the 24th and stayed until Saturday. It was good to see Michael's parents, Frank and JoAnne, and then some friends of ours in the area but it was hard trip also as we just had so much to do in a short time.

On Thursday we were up early and off for the day. I hung out in Barnes & Noble while Michael went to his first meeting. I spent my time looking at cookbooks mostly. I saw a few that would make very good gifts. I bought a Starbucks coffee - first one I have ever purchased for myself. I had no idea what Michael usually gets for me so guessed. It turned out good, but I know it was not what he usually gets me. Michael had to leave his meeting before it was done so that we could get on the road to his next destination. He taught a class that afternoon. While he was doing his session, I had tea with a very good friend that I wish I could see more. The tea was marvelous.

It was a complete girly tea....table linens, beautiful tea cups/saucers, little plates, a pedestal filled with delectable treats....including mini quiches, little cucumber sandwiches, mini cream puffs, cranberry scones. Everything was so wonderful. I ate far to much, but I just could not contain myself with all the wonderful treats set before my eyes. I am not a big tea drinker. I have never found a tea that just makes me want it more. I did like it with the milk and sugar. And I am now eager to try some more. After tea, we sat and talked and talked. She is a dear friend and I appreciated her listening!

Michael then joined us and her husband for dinner. Before dinner we got the tour of their wonderful home. They have been doing some remodeling and it looks so good. Michael even admitted he liked the Eggplant color...which I thought might be a hard sell for him. Dinner was fairly short for us all...Michael was tired and all of us had a busy day ahead of us on Friday.

On Friday I had to go with Michael to his office to help him film. The filming went good but the office time was not all that great. Michael did great though with the work he did. Friday evening we had a good dinner with Frank and JoAnne. It seemed like we had just got there and not had much time to spend with them. Saturday morning we had a late brunch...more like a breakfast at lunch time before heading home. After arriving home Michael picked up some Chinese take out for dinner - it makes my whole world better! And then spent the rest of the weekend trying to unwind from our busy quick trip.

Since being home I have been cleaning and taking it easy. I wanted to do a little art but just have not had the brain power for it but think I might try to do something tonight. We went to Michael's Crafts today. Frank and JoAnne gave me a gift card and so I used it up today buying quite a bit of cardstock, a puzzle piece punch, paint brushes, and metal eyelets. It was really nice of Frank and JoAnne to give me the gift card - they are always so thoughtful. And I know I will enjoy all the goodies I got with it today.

Pictures of the Cats

I have a longer post started....but wanted to just post a couple of kitty cat pictures!


Cheesie taking a snooze on the couch...saying "do you have to take a picture NOW."




Caesar sunning in the doorway....

Fast, very fast planes!!

Our airshow was this past weekend.. Wow!! A little history first.....

About 4-5 years ago, I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden a low flying plane rocked the heck out of the house.. Caesar and I jumped up to figure out what had happened.. When I was able to figure out that it was the Blue Angels flying overhead, I quickly snatched my camera and out the door I went..

As I took the pictures from outside the house, I was soooooo very disappointed that my lens simply did not get up close and personal the way I would've liked.. So I went on a mission and bought me a big ol' zoom lens that didn't set me back and arm and a leg.. Bound and determined, I was going to wait as long as it took so that I could get the pictures I wanted..

Each and every single time the airshow had been back since, I was either out of town, or at our conference.. I became distraught.. Watched several motivational videos and ate yogurt for comfort (ok, I'm exaggerating...) Except for the fact that it's taken me 4 YEARS to have my next shot at catching these guys in the air again..

Yesterday - after 4 years of waiting, the opportunity came .... and I took advantage of it!!

In a span of two days, I took over 500 images of these and other planes and I had a ball both days!! So despite almost dehydrating, catching a wicked sunburn on half my body, and feeling as though I've been hit with a boat paddle, I can say that I FINALLY got the pictures I've been waiting for - for the last 4 years.........

10 Years!

Today is Michael's 10 year anniversary with his job! So he has reached a milestone with them and done good public work for the community. I am very proud of him!

Granita

Made granita yesterday and it was very tasty! A good summer time treat!

Here is what I did...

Coffee Granita
2 cups coffee
1/3 cup sugar
Whipped cream

In a bowl combine the coffee and sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Transfer mixture to a baking dish. Put in freezer and freeze until ice granules start to form around the edges (30 minutes to 1 hour). With a fork, stir and break up the granules. Freeze again and stir every 20 minutes or so until the mixture becomes and icy slush (about 2 hours). Serve in shallow wide-mouthed glasses or ice cream bowls -- top with whipped cream.

We really enjoyed it.

Relaxing Saturday

I realized I had not posted in a while...Michael has been so busy with work that I have been feeling a little sorry for myself -- down in the dumps so I have not posted. We had some quality time today though so that was nice.

I started the day off making muffins -- Michael was happy to smell the baking coming through the house to the office where he was on the phone with his parents. He was giving them their next computer lesson. They are doing so good! I am very proud of them.

After breakfast, we kind of lounged around for a bit before going out to do some errands. We grabbed lunch at Bear Rock Cafe...which has really good sandwiches. We ate and talked a bit before heading to our next destinations...Borders for Michael and Michael's Arts and Crafts for me.

Michael bought me 3 rubber stamps - a sun, a butterfly and then a bigger one that looked like a collage. It has 15 squares each with a different design. They are interesting and beautiful. I am having trouble describing it -- so a picture is to the right. I can't wait to use it (probably tomorrow as I have some art swaps that I need to get done).

I made a card the other day . With encouragement from family and friends -- I am thinking of making some more cards. I really want to find some handmade paper cards in natural earthy colors. The one in the picture on the link is a set of cards I bought that are handmade paper with silver specks in them and the envelopes are made from the same paper. And I really like those cards, but of course I bought them several years ago and can't remember where I picked them up. They are in bright colors that work, but with natural earthy colors I think they will go with anything I design. I did see some ivory card stock with envelopes in the size I needed today, but they were kind of pricey and not well unique enough for me. So, that is something I am looking for online is handmade paper cards -- if anyone knows where I can find some at a good price please let me know -- thank you!

So back on track of the day....after a few more stops we headed back home where we started watching Seven Years in Tibet. For dinner Michael made a pitcher of margaritas and I made nachos. We watched the rest of the movie while eating dinner. It was a nice relaxing evening -- which we both needed.

Computers and Hawks, oh my!

It's been quite an adventure lately.

A couple of weeks ago my folks went out and got themselves a computer and basically learning how to make these darn contraptions from the ground up. Everything from turning on the computer, to how to run the mouse, double click, drag, the enter key - everything. So far, they are mastering the art of the mouse by playing solitaire and other games on the computer. (which ironically was the original design of the games to begin with - but everyone tends to forget that when they master the art of navigating using a mouse.)

I figure I touched my first computer in 1982 - so - now almost 23 years later, I didn't realize *all* of the things I've long since packed away in the book of knowledge -- a lot of things that I took for granted.. I've found myself backing up, re-thinking a section or two when I get the sense that I was talking a bit too geek.. I've been most impressed with how well they've picked it up!! (Yes, they get a really big gold star for all that they have learned!!) I'm really proud of them - as I know that much of this really seems daunting if not completely intimidating..

This week has been pretty stressful with work and then with meetings in Denver Friday, I didn't get a really good chance to give my folks any really good lessons that I did the week before.. After tweaking my back on a big box that I had to deliver to my car, having only slept for a small handful of hours the night before, we managed to get up early this morning so that we could attend a photo-op class near the foothills of the front range of Denver.. Hawkquest is a non-profit group, volunteer driven membership to further the education and awareness of some of the prettiest birds I've ever seen.. The early wake up call was well worth it.. I saw
four of the five birds in the group before my body couldn't take anymore and I began the trek back home..

More pictures to follow - including some shots I recently took over the 4th of July weekend.. I've been just a bit busy to work no anything other than the larger fires that seem to be creeping up..

For now, I'm drained - pretty darn tired and in need of sleep...

Link....

I decided to make a dedicated blog to my art....

Darby's Art

I have went back and put in archives showing when I created some pieces -- so they go back to April.

Cookies Yay!

I have never been able to make chocolate chip cookies here in the altitude. But today I made Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies and they worked! They did not do what all the other chocolate chip cookies have done since being here in Colorado -- which is become so flat and crumbly that I can't get them off the pan.

Health

We went to Michael's parents last weekend and we head back tomorrow. But I will let Michael tell about the adventures of the new computer. I will say they did very well for first time users!

I have had a 3 day migraine cycle that seems like it is not going to let up. My rash came back and so we are slowly narrowing down things that might be causing it. I also got some bad news about one of the moles that was removed. It came back having cancer cells...and they are not sure they got it all. So the doctor will have me come back in 3 to 4 weeks and she will take more area around where the mole to make sure they got it all. This doctor I have is the best I have ever had...she has incredible skills as a doctor as well as a wonderful bedside manner. I am very lucky to have found her.

So hopefully soon I will be all better!

Neat Link...Our Names on Flickr

A friend gave me this link....I thought it was cool...