Denver Bound....Soon...Crossing Fingers

Today we were suppose to leave to go Denver. But the weather is too bad to be on the road. We are hopeful that we can leave in the morning.

Since we ended up staying here today we had some time to do our Christmas cards. I got them all done and all in the mail. I think this is the first year in many that I got them done so early. That includes all the business ones too. Michael sat and did those while I did ours and then we swapped piles to sign.

I hadn't planned on us eating at home today because we were suppose to be gone. And our fridge was pretty empty. We had brunch as I had eggs and cheese in the fridge. I had some little packages of ham frozen from the last time we had ham. So I took one of those out and defrosted in the microwave and we had omelets. Michael makes the best omelets. For dinner we splurged and went to a new chinese buffet here. It was really good but I still think I like our other a bit better.

So as I said we are going to head to Denver. We are going to be there until Saturday. Michael's Dad is having surgery tomorrow morning so we are going over for that and we have business the end of the week there too. Please keep Michael's family in your thoughts and prayers. And us for safe travel tomorrow.

Most likely won't have any posts all week - just depends on if I have time at the computer.

Make Service Members Holiday

Here are a few links to send cards, phone cards or packages to service members, veterans and their families....

Cards need to be post marked before December 10th: Holiday Mail for Heros

American Armed Forces Exchange Services: Gift Certificates/Phone cards

America Supports You: Carepackages and a list of other things to give to such as phone cards, scholarships

Cloverleaf Rolls

Bread is really important to Michael and I. We love it and it is obvious! I used to love it when my Mom made cloverleaf rolls. I love pulling the sections apart and smearing them with butter straight from the oven so it melted all over. Yum!

So with the holidays I was thinking about them so decided I would make them for Thanksgiving. So I was fulfilling my craving - by having cloverleaf but Michael likes herbs in/on his rolls. My other requirment was that the dough needed to be mixed in the bread machine. I found a recipe that brushed herbs on the tops and was done in the bread machine.

Recipe: Fragrant Cloverleaf Rolls



They turned out great and everytime Michael has one he ends up going on and on about how good they are so I think they are a keeper.

Thanksgiving....

We had a really nice slow Thanksgiving. I paced myself on everything really well this year. Michael said I should have been taking some notes so that I remember how to do it next year - I might jot some down after this entry for next year. Everything got done right about the same time. Everything turned out. So it ended up being a very good Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a Thanksgiving filled with love. Just as I did. There are so many things I am thankful for and I try to be aware of them everyday as the pass through my daily life. And I will continue with that throughout the next year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Eve

Well pumpkin pie is cooling on the counter. Dough for rolls is in the fridge and I will make first thing in the morning. Everything else (that is non-perishable) is on the counter ready for me to use. So I think we are pretty much ready. It really is going to be a low-key Thanksgiving. I am not decorating and going crazy. Being sick really has put my energy level so low that I can't do more then what I am doing.

One of our cats has allergies. I am sure I have mentioned it before. Anyway, he was healing and doing so much better. All the fur growing back and we actually were starting to wean him off his meds (per vets orders). But tonight I saw him scratching the same spot he had it before that was really bad so Michael checked and sure enough it is back. We will need to put a call into the vet on Friday as we leave on Sunday for Denver for a week. I believe he is going to say up the meds again. Because of the spot we found Caesar had to have a bath. He was thrilled as I am sure you can imagine bathing a cat. But we do know it helps him so we have to stay on top of things.

Really tired so going to go get some sleep!

Overnight

We had an absolutately fantastic time. Relaxing and fun....just wonderful quality time. We saw some of the most amazing scenery. When Michael downloads pictures, I will upload some here. Very tired but so happy. More on it all later.

A link to the scenic byway we took today - San Juan Skyway. Only took a portion of it but it was so beautiful.

Doing Not Thinking Challenge

Here is the update for my Goals for the Doing Not Thinking Challenge:
1. I am at 115 books so passed my goal.
2. Made a loaf bread yesterday so that I could make sandwiches to bring with us. I will be making bread Wednesday morning though for stuffing.
3. Have made buns in a while but going to make rolls this week for Thanksgiving.

I think this challenge is up soon. I am glad I accomplished attempts at them even if I haven't got to where I want to be with the baking yet.

Escaping Tomorrow....

Tomorrow we are going to escape....just for overnight. We have some free hotel nights to use up before the end of the year. And we just can't seem to get away for a whole weekend so thought why not just an overnighter. Our first choice was Ouray but they are booked. So another place I have always wanted to go is Durango. Michael went to college at Fort Lewis in Durango so I have always wanted to see it. We are both looking forward to unplugging and just enjoying our time.

We are doing it on the cheap - with the free night. And then today I baked a ham and also made a loaf of bread. So we can bring ham sandwiches with us so we don't have to spend money going out to eat.

It is just so nice to get away from it all - even over night.

Art & Food

Today we were up early and out of the house for a Saturday. We had to go do some errands before going to The Gallery B&B's Art Show. It might be the last one of its kind as they are closing the Bed and Breakfast and 2 of their in house artists are moving to a new studio. So we really wanted to be there and support all of them as we have always loved all the art shows they have put on and they are just good people. I picked up a little bowl for Michael's office for his birthday - which he knows about since he was there and said he liked it. And we also got an art piece by Mary Mansfield. I really beautiful mixed media piece that we are probably going to hang in our bedroom.

They always have food out there at the shows one thing was ham with cream cheese spread on it and then wrapped around a pickle. It was really good. So I was telling the ladies there about something I made for a meeting that Michael went to...BLT Roll-ups. The BLT roll-ups was new for me. I was reading another roll up recipe that had bacon and thought why not BLTs. They ended up tasting pretty good. But I never can make my roll ups look perfectly round like most photos I see of them. Anyway....I mixed 1/2 cup of cream cheese (I used low fat cream cheese), 1/4 cup ranch dressing (also light), 1/4 cup mayo (and again light), 1/2 cup diced tomatoes and spread that on tortillas (used 8 tortillas total - I think). I cooked up a whole package of bacon but didn't use 5 slices. I broke the bacon up into little pieces and sprinkled on top of the cream cheese layer. I then chopped some greens up and sprinkled that on as the last layer. Rolled up and cut into bit size pieces - securing with toothpicks.

Here is a picture of them...



Side note: I love that plate I got it for $1 when we were out shopping while my parents were here for my birthday.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful....
1. For the hours of entertainment Buffy the Vampire Slayer brings me
2. For orange juice - tastes so good when I have a cold
3. For an amazing friend that gave me a gift more then one...the book that will give me self-awareness that I have been seeking and for the note she included that means so very much to me
4. For fuzzy sock to keep my feet warm in bed...where I am going in a moment
5. For finding all sorts of good images online for collages

Blog Hopping

I am a menu planner so this blog has 3 Mom's menus for the week. I always like looking through others menus to get new ideas for ours.

Because as I stated last week I love pumpkin...I found this at Simply Stated - 10 Pumpkin Cocktails and Desserts.

Free Thanksgiving tablescapes from Paper & Cake. Free download button on right sidebar top.

At Poppytalk decorating....Pumpkin Time. They are really unique.

Soul Collage

A very dear friend of mine, Jessica had been doing Soul Collage. I have seen her breathtaking and moving cards. She inspired me with them. It was one of those things that I thought someday I will get the book and do the work for it. Right now I am still in that "I am 40 years old (41 years old now but started when I hit 40) and what do I have to show for my life and where do I want it to go the next 20 years" phase. So doing that kind of work probably would be very good for me but as always things just get put aside.

Well after yesterday I don't have an excuse anymore. Jessica gave me a gift of the book and brought together 4 of us friends to do this together. I am looking forward to exploring all that comes with it.

Here is another link about them too that talks about how to make them.

An Email 6 Years Ago

So yesterday was an anniversary of sorts. It is the day I wrote Michael back.

The story...

I had been out of town helping a friend set up a store she was opening and really hadn't been able to check email. On my way back home I stopped at another friend's home. I was telling her about an email I got before I left and said let me just pull it up and read it to you. While online at her house, I checked my email and there was an email from Michael. I was blown away by it because it was so REAL. When looking for a match online, it is usually email after email of nothing. They are the same three types of emails and none of them stand out from each other. But that was not the case with Michael's email. Reading his email was truly refreshing. And so I had to answer him right away. I was gushing with my friend how great the email was and she was like "umm it is just an email Darby." It just felt different to me. I knew this man was special.

So that was November 17th, 2002 that I wrote him back at K's house.

From there we did several emails back and forth. And in the emails I found out he had dated a friend of mine. But they decided they were better as friends. She told him that she had a friend who would be a good match for him and I was that friend. She gave him my email address. He didn't contact me for a while. But finally did after reading some things I wrote online he felt I was really a good match for him. But really this is his words - he thought I was out of his league so that he would never hear from me.

I am not sure why he thought that because I am truly thankful he did write me. As my first instinct after reading his email to me was right - he was different and special. So I am truly thankful that 6 years ago Michael wrote a really extraordinary email that touched me so much that I couldn't resist writing him back as soon as I read it.

Doing Not Thinking Challenge

Here is the update for my Goals for the Doing Not Thinking Challenge:
1. I am at 115 books so passed my goal.
2. I want to make up a batch of Artisan bread this week. Might do that tomorrow.
3. Probably not get to making any buns for a couple weeks.

Recommended Reads

Kate asked me what books I would recommend from my list of books I have read...

The links below are to posts where I write about the book.

My favorite for 2008 so far...
1. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - I have read it 4 times this year. It really was an inspiring and touching book for me at this time in my life when I am uncertain of who I am/what I want.
2. Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - This book on my goodreads.com list is only 4 stars but really it is a 5 star book. I gave it 4 stars because I wasn't thrilled with how it ended. But once I got away from the book/characters because I was so attached to it/them - I can see it is a 5 star book. This book really got me invested emotionally and mentally. I wanted to keep on going with them for a long time and sad it ended.
3. I really like all books with vampires or werewolves so the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers was a favorite. This series also got me really invested in the characters. I wanted to know what happened to Edward and Bella. And so I kept on reading the whole series. Good, interesting page turners.
4. Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn - which is about werewolves mostly but also vampires. The first 2 books were just okay - enough to make me want to read the rest but not developed enough. But the last 2 books including the one I am linking to have had really good character development. And I can't wait for the next on to be out.
5. The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlian - I really enjoyed the plot and characters of the book. I have actually read many books by Diane Chamberlian this year and know she will be my list to always read. Her books are easy reads but interesting plots that make them page turners.

Last year had some really good books too...
1. Outlander series by by Diana Gabaldon - I started it in 2007 and finished it 2008 and loved the whole series. It is about Claire Randall who on her second honeymoon touches a stone goes back in time. It has adventure and romance throughout the whole series. How it is written with some Scottish words in it was hard to get used to but then the story just captured me so that you get into it. And I couldn't wait to see what happened.
2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - How it is told - the view point is really interesting. Good story and emotions that come with it.
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - I really don't say much about the book in this link but it was a really touching story that made me laugh, cry and just made me feel a part of the story
4. He, She and It by Marge Piercy - a sci-fi with legends and romance
5. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due - Basically a thriller that I read in one night.

We have Colds....

A little life update...

Michael and I have been sick. He was sick and I thought I was getting spared but then I let up on the airborne for one day and...the next day I woke up with it in my lungs. And of course that was yesterday, the day we were doing the live broadcast in Denver. So I was pretty much muddling through it. I looked horrible and wasn't very social or with it.

After we got everything loaded up, I couldn't breath. I was having a pretty bad asthma attack. Michael asked me if I wanted to go to the ER and I shook my head no as I couldn't talk. Not enough oxygen. Michael stopped and picked me up some things to help me. Just went out of his way to do everything he could to make me calm and better. As I said in yesterdays post, I am very grateful for all him and all he did to make me feel better.

The live broadcast went so well yesterday. Michael invested in a new piece of equipment that allows for really high quality streaming. And being the technology geek he is he was in heaven how well it rocked everything he gave to it.

Today we just really were taking it easy. We needed to go to SAM's for more airborne and a few other things. And also Tuesday Morning as they had a good sale ad. We picked up a couple packages of pillow cases there.

Tonight we watched National Treasure 2 and had take-n-bake pizza. So just taking it easy and trying to get over our colds.

Gratitude Friday

I am thankful...
1. for the new piece of equipment we got for our business that ROCKED! Today was really extrodinary and the possibilities of where we could go with this is something I truly express gratitude in.
2. for all the people that have stood behind us for this change and really supported and believed in us...really Michael being able to give them quality.
3. for coming home after being in Denver and being able to sink into our bed that has clean sheets on it and extra blankets
4. for apples and crisp fall days - this past week I enjoyed our crisp fall days and bright red juicy applese too. Thankful for the beauty in those simple autumn reminders.
5. for Michael who truly is awesome in so many ways. Tonight after we loaded the car with all our equipment in Denver, I had a really bad asthma attack as I have a cold that moved to the lungs. It was to the point I almost said bring me to the ER. But he calmed me down, stopped and got me cold medicine, water, a little cute Christmas cup (because I requested airborne too so he wanted me to be able to take it right away) and just everything I needed to feel better. He pulled over and talked to me and held my hand - and just did everything he could to make me feel better. I am so very grateful to have such love in my life.

Blog Hopping

This post I know I found via another blog but I can't remember where but it is a good one by Casaubon’s Book about Patriotism.

With the holidays coming upon us I am gearing up for all out baking! I love to bake for Christmas...for parties, for family, for gifts and just to have around the house! So in my blog hopping I found this recipe for Festive Bark. It looks so yummy! I know it would make a good gift in a pretty box or tin.

And then this one just looks fun Free Vintage Transfers for handstitching. But I see them for even painting on flour sack towels for gifts or on to a gift tag for a handmade gift. I am sure the could be good patterns for many things.

100 Things | Art Classes

14. My art classes were good for me and bad for me as an artist.


When I was in college my major changed several times but I always had art classes. Most of the art classes I took were set up the same way. We sketched - did some specific assignments for about a week and then we had to bring in those works plus a sampling of any previous work. To give the professor a preview of what we did - who we were as artists. I don't remember the words said but always it was a form of rejection of my talent to out right brutally "honest" opinions that I did not have it as an artist.

One semester I took, another nude figure drawing class - as those were my favorite because I love drawing the form...curves, softness, roughness - so much to a body. I took this class however because I knew it was going to be a little different as the professor was an artist from NYC. I had seen his work and liked it. The university I went to owned a building downtown that they converted. It was one of those old brick buildings that had a lot of character and had probably been a textile mill or something of that nature. The first floor of the building was a gallery, second had about 5 or 6 studio classrooms and then the top 2 levels were studios and apartments for visiting artists. They could live and use the studios to work and show work with the condition of teaching an art class.

The start of his class was not different then any other. But this one still really stands out over all the others that told me I did not have talent. He was polite but basically said it was a hobby for me. He told me I probably would never sell anything (proved him wrong several times over by now). I had heard it over and over again. I always just gave it something - not enough really to me. But I didn't give up completely even with the comments. At the end of the semester for that class we had to do the same thing we bring in works from the class and anything outside of class we felt was significant. I arrived and he had long tables set up where I laid out each drawing. He got to the third drawing out of like fifty pieces. He looked ahead a little and then looked back at the 2 before and then again at the 3rd. He said, "I'm sorry." I said, "pardon?" I was so scared I did something wrong and he was going to fail me - as this was like a final for art. And he looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry....I should have spent more time with you."

See what the art professors I came in contact with did use that first viewing at the beginning of the semester to pick out the the students they think have talent to work with them and push them more one on one. The others just get skipped over or glances with passing one or 2 word comments. That is what he did to me all semester.

So he looked over the final portfolio and explained to me that he saw something that I should explore more. He went on to explain where he should have been pushing me more. We talked about each piece. He wrote down lots of stuff for me to remember and learn from. He had me explain what I felt and thought. We had a wonderful conversation. He wrote up a letter to give to my next professor. He told what pieces to put in my next portfolio for my next class. And sat and talked to me about my art in a positive way.

All those that came before him said things horrible - things that could have stopped me from taking art....from making art. Of course I let it affect me but I didn't stop or give up. It slowed me down. I didn't always push myself at times because of the things said. But still I have had it in me...that passion for art. And if I had let the previous professors stop me I might never have gotten that chance to stand there with a professor and artist that saw something.

So I had this positive happen with my art...I needed to work full time so I could save for my wedding. So I had to quit school to work full time and never got my degree in art - yes by that year I was an art major. So I gave it up. I worked on my art here and there through the years but I never gave it what I should have or wanted to give it. Mostly fear stopped me of course. Fear and doubts in myself. I then came to be with Michael and he not only encouraged it but insisted on me pursuing it more. I still don't give it what I should but I am so grateful for all he has done to support and encourage this passion. And glad that I have been able to create.

(top image: charcoal drawing from the class I talk about in post. just a rough sketch. middle image: mixed media on paper that I made for friends a few years ago - bottom image: mixed media on canvas that I did for my parents a few years ago)

Really Amazing Special Comment...

A moving commentary by Keith Olbermann only this time it is on love. As this issue is a matter of love, equality and honoring our fellow human being.