I love Colorado

Taken from the car (through the windshield) while Jeff was driving down Berthoud. How about that view. Oh yeah, that is why we live here.

Ribbit

She HAD to have this bathing suit from Gymboree. She has it hanging on her closet door and has to show it to anyone who comes over. They didn't have the matching sandals in her size, it was tough for us shoe girls....

Photographic Awesomeness update

Camera Class week #1
Well, it was fun- frustrating at first, but I think I kinda get it.  I am the only Nikon girl in my class, everyone else has the Cannon Rebel, and the controls are harder and more complex on mine. Luckily the teacher is a die-hard Nikon guy, so he helped me figure out some things. I now know what aperture and shutter speed and ISO are all about. Well, kinda. I also have learned that there is probably no way to take a picture of a rapidly moving toddler and dog inside a dark house without a flash. OK, good to know.  I at least have the knowledge of how to try to make that happen. And, the realistic expectation that it probably wont happen and I should just take photos during the day or accept that it will be blurry if I slow the shutter down enough to get light in. Also, good to know.  I have two assignments for next week's class- 1. to take outside photographs of stuff at various setting he assigned. 2. find artistic "architecture" photographs in my house (like close-up the inside of the washing machine, a shag rug, artsy stuff- ya know).  The kicker- you cannot delete any attempts. We have to put our memory card in his computer and project for the class, and he is going to make sure they are in order. So, you cannot delete bad shots or mistakes. Uh-oh. I dont want to be embarrased, so I spent today practicing. I suppose you would expect me to post a picture along with this post, but I am un-inspired right now and dont have anything worth sharing yet.  Stay tuned for the awesome-ness......

Super Bowl, Baby!!

What an exciting day. Not sure what we are doing for the super bowl, but certainly will be interesting. No surprise- I LOVE the packers and Jeff feels the same about the Steelers! I want to have a party at our house and Jeff doesn't want anyone around because he wants to watch the game and not have to socialize (typical Jeff). Whatever we decide.... WOOOOO HOOOO!!

Cake Cups!

I am the new cupcake Diva. I got this pretty cupcake stand for Christmas from my in-laws and a fancy 24 cupcake carrier. Ohhh laa laa!! Here are some pictures of cupcakes that I have made and elegantly displayed recently. The cupcake carrier has been used 3 times already in less than a month- oh yeah! Told ya I was the Diva. I am loving these gifts. If you want to see my other fantastic cupcake creations lately, check these out!

Baby Shower for my friend Laney

Happy Birthday Amy! This is my office- you can see the sunrise from the window in the background, pretty sweet view for a pharmacy!

Berthoud Pass- Still Closed!

We are up in Winter Park for a long weekend, and they closed Berthoud Pass yesterday morning. Our friends who came up to ski with us yesterday had to drive around through Summit County to get home to their dog in Denver. Well, the pass is still closed this morning, and so is I-70 in Summit County, so we are totally stuck up here for now. Jeff is excited because it is still snowing and he wants to hit the slopes. I am a bit freaked out. I have a ton of things that I planned to do in Denver this afternoon and  toddler to get organized.  I am hoping that it opens soon....

Update: we made it back, but had to drive the long way around (4.5 hours vs 1.25 hours) because the pass was still closed for avalanche clean-up. Not the best plan with a 2 year old, but we are back and OK.

Lets go Packers!

I tried to pack Lauren's jersey into her suitcase for Winter Park, but she insisted on putting it on right then. Backwards, of course.  What a football fan!! Can you believe her eyes?? I still cannot and I look into them everyday. What a pretty, pretty daughter I have. Even with a mouth full of chips!

Stock Show!

Last weekend we went to the National Western Stock Show, it was a perfect adventure for Lauren. I was having serious tooth/ mouth troubles so it was hard for me to go, but she LOVED it.  These photos are of the petting zoo- I tell you the girl was fearless. She is so shy and afraid of crowds and people she doesn't know, but will run up and stick her face up on a goat or sheep or calf like its no big deal.  Many of the animals were bigger than her and kind of aggressive looking for food, but it did not scare her a bit, she just loved on each and every one of them.  I think she should be a veterinarian. 
Notice her pink cowgirl hat- this was a must! She proudly fit in with the crowds and had a horsey on her blue-jeans too.  She is a bit more "country" than I would expect from my child, but I respect her style. 
We went into an area (this place is huge and there is just building after building...) with cows getting groomed. There were fluffy, pretty cows getting their hair washed, clipped, brushed, and blow-dried.  It was crazy. The funniest part was that they were not in pens- just tied to something or loose. People were walking them around on ropes like dogs. I FREAKED ME OUT. I am not one to hang amongst large livestock that could kick or trample me. Jeff and Lauren thought it was totally cool and liked to look at the big ones, little ones, mooing ones, etc. Apparently I was the odd man out, one group had their toddlers laying in the hay amongst their (huge) cattle. I had to leave that area as the panic rose up, this is not my schtick.
It was fun none-the-less. And I learned something. As we walked amongst the beer toting, whiskey drinking crowd at 10am on a Sunday. Cowboys like to drink. Jeff said that he never knew anyone who could drink like a cowboy until he moved to Wisconsin and met the people there. Maybe I could learn to like these people.... (just not sure why you live in Colorado/ Wyoming and pick up a southern accent just because you wear a certain style of shoes/ hat.... ahhh ranchers, thank goodness you like beer and I can learn to understand you....)

PS- can you totally notice the camera quality from these pics to my snow day pic? I am having my camera class in 2 weeks, until then I am mostly using the point-and-shoot. The Nikon just isn't working right for me.

Snow Storm!

Photographic awesomeness

Jeff and Lauren bought me a nice camera for Christmas (got the hints somehow, wink- wink) and I just enrolled in a class to figure out how to use it. Stay tuned for some photographic awesomeness!!! (so far, it is just a blurry mess- so nothing to share yet. Gotta fix the aperture or something....

Happy Birthday Casey!

Saturday was Casey's 13th birthday. Lauren helped me make him this cake, and he got candles and we sang Happy Birthday to him (about a hundred times). We were up in Winter Park and it was below zero temperatures (20 below zero with the wind chill) so he didn't even get a walk or anything fun, but he did chow a piece of his cake and some ham, too.  What a sweet, loving little dog he is, I certainly hope he will live forever! He is so extremely patient and sweet to Lauren, we are very lucky. We did snuggle him in our bed this weekend to help him keep warm and show him some extra love (Lauren offered to let him sleep in her bed).  Happy Birthday Casey- I hope we celebrate many, many more!

Vegan Pancakes

1 c. flour
1 T sugar
2 T baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 c. milk
2 T vegetable oil

Mix and make pancakes! These are so yummy, Lauren and I mix several bags of the dry ingredients up at once and just write the milk and oil needed on the outside of the plastic bag with a sharpie. Then I add the wet ingredients to the bag when needed and mix right in the bag- excellent! Our favorite is to add blueberries, Enjoy!