Dairy Free Easter Bunny

This year I think that Lauren should have an easter bunny, but that pesky dairy allergy really makes it hard. I ordered this bunny from Premiumchocolatiers.com - a web site dedicated to making milk free chocolate. It came in the mail the other day and I cannot wait to see how it tastes!! She is going to be so lucky and so excited!!

H&M Denver

Could it be true?? There is a rumor that H&M will be coming to Denver, likely in the downtown area (ie close to my house). I love, love, love that store!! Trendy and cheap-- just my style. I can only hope!!!

Denver Darkroom- BAD BUSINESS

OK, I have refrained for the last few months from naming the photography studio that has been giving me trouble- but enough is enough! You may recall my excitement over the "photographic awesomeness" that I was expecting when I signed up for a photography class, and the ensuing dissappointment when it was repeatedly cancelled with no notice (ie, we all showed up and it didn't happen). In the end the class was rescheduled for dates when I was out of town, so I was offered a refund from the owner of the studio- which is called the Denver Darkroom.  I ended up having to call the owner and email him 5 times before I finally saw a check. I deposited in my checking account, only to have it sent back to me saying he had insufficient funds.  The banked charged my $5 for this. I emailed him- he sent me another check. We decided to call the bank to see if he had sufficient funds (thanks Joe for the tip) - cost us $1.50, but NO - he does not have any money in his checking account.

What to do, what to do.............

Well, I decided to call him this morning and he assures me there will be funds on Friday- the 1st of the month.  There was no apology offered, simply the suggestion to try again friday. Who does business like that? I guess I have learned my lession- the Denver Darkroom= BAD BUSINESS.

Dairy-Free Cheese- Daiya is the best!

Daiya dairy free shredded cheese- LOVE IT!! The vegan guy at Whole Foods told me it was the best, and he is right! It smells a bit funny, but Lauren loves it and it melts just like regular cheese! I make her quesadillas and they are delicious and the consistency is just like regular cheese. I also have made grilled cheese sandwiches, and I sprinkle it on her tacos and all kinds of stuff. YUMMY!! Thanks Daiya for making such a great product! You can also look for the Daiya symbol on the back of prepared vegan foods- this cheese is used on some vegan pizzas and stuff- HIGHLY RECOMMEND this product.

Away....

So, lots going on here. I went to Salt Lake City for a conference on Wednesday morning, and didnt get back until Saturday morning. This was my first time away from Lauren and was good/bad all together.

I love the landscape of Salt Lake- it always seems that I land at the airport on a sunny, blue-sky day- the mountains are right up to the city and all around. It always takes my breath away and I ask myself "why dont I live here?" OK, so I eventually answer myself, and NO_ I will not be moving there. But, gosh- it has to be one of the prettiest cities I have seen. Next, I check in to my hotel. The meeting was at a very nice hotel and I had a beautiful suite (all suite hotel) all to myself. I ordered up extra pillows and I had big king bed all to myself with NINE PILLOWS- yep that's right! Nine of them!! I like pillows, and at the rate I was paying- I could have as many pillows as I wanted.

I was there for the Hematology Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) annual conference- it was pretty good, some talks were great and others were not so great. I saw lots of pharmacists that I know from accross the country and earned credit toward my BCOP recertification. It was good to catch up with people, and I had the opportunity to spend time with my friend Laurie who lives there. She is the mother of Ella, the little girl who had surgery a few weeks ago that I posted previously about. Miss Ella is doing great and if it wasn't for the scar on her head you would never know she had major surgery- she is smart and sassy and energetic- a very sweet little girl. It was so nice to spend time with Laurie and her family- they are the type of friends that are fun to just hang out and chat with. We did a little shopping and a whole lot of hanging out. Laurie is very crafty and has all kinds of neat projects she does with her daughter. She also is an avid blogger and scrapbooker- I just never seem organized enough to do anything like that - she works full time and has a toddler and a husband who travels! I dont know how she does it all, but I want to be better about doing more with my pictures that I take.

So, how was it to be away from my family for that long?? Well, three nights was too much to start out with.  I enjoyed the first night- I took a bath and enjoyed all my pillows and slept till 7am! Traveling through the airport was as easy as can be- it was a welcome break from the chaos of it all. By day 2 I was already missing Lauren so bad that I wanted to come back. The 3rd night was really tough, but Laurie and Joe were nice enough to have me as their guest so I had to cuddle their daughter a bit for a baby fix.  If I would not have had to go to the saturday session, I would have probably changed my flight and come back on friday, to be honest. I wonder when this gets easier? One day will I just not mind being away from her? Or am I going to cry like a baby every night once she goes off to college or gets married??? I sure hope this gets easier......

Contagious acts of kindness

Check out this story on Laurie's blog. It is a feel good story for your monday morning. How wonderful to know that kindness and charity are so "infectious".

The Carousel

More pictures from the zoo last weekend. She LOVES the carousel!

Fun in the sun

Today was warm and sunny- we went to the zoo and played in our yard. I took a ton of photos, here are a few to start.

Gymboree Glamour Safari

Calling all shoppers!! Jeff's cousin's daughter had this dress last summer and I loved it! By the time I decided Lauren needed it, I couldn't find it in her size. I thought, no worries....I will just buy it at the outlet next year. You see, Gymboree Outlet always sells the prior years clothes, in the appropriate season one year later. Well, I hit the outlet today and they have the Glamour Safari collection in the store (amongst a million other cute things) but not this dress. I really want the dress in a 3T and the matching brown sandals. If you are at a Gymboree Outlet, please look for it for me and I will pay you back!!
I did find it used on ebay, but with shipping and all...i am sure I could get a new one at the outlet.  I really love this whole collection and am hoping more pieces show up in the outlets. I was discouraged by them not having the dress, and I really cannot shop with Lauren because she is such a stinker, and so I spent the day shopping and only got her a couple sun hats (which she really needed). I would like to find this dress before our trip to Mexico in April.I might have to make time to shop without her, she needs some clothes for the trip. Can you believe its almost time for shorts, sandalls and sundresses???

NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Today was a fun day. We got up with Lauren and went to Snooze for a tasty breakfast, played with our girl for a bit and then dropped her off at daycare around 11am. It was so fun to drop her off when all of the other kids are there. They were so happy to see her- they ran up to her and hugged her and shouted, "Lauren is here". She is usually one of the first ones there, so we have never seen this before. Then Jeff and I headed to the Round 2 games for the Men's NCAA Basketball tournament. We saw Moorhead vs Louisville, Vanderbilt vs Richmond in the first session, then BYU- Wofford and St John's vs Gonzaga in the afternoon session.  There were some exciting finishes, and we ran into a bunch of people we know. Our nanny Teri picked Lauren up from school around 3pm and took her to a park, then home and made her dinner, gave her a bath, and put her to bed.  We are so lucky to have Teri, she is our savior!! What a fun day we had, and Saturday is round 3 of the games, and a couples (and kids) baby shower afterward!! FUN, FUN, FUN!!

Love them

When you gotta go...



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Pictures taken with my telephone, looking out the window at my job. Endlessly entertained by the construction going on - the outhouses being lifted 9 stories in the air really takes the cake...

Photo Deals Round Up

Photo Deals Round Up
Check out these deals on photo books and calendars posted by The Krazy Coupon Lady. I am usually too busy to get around to taking advantage, but they are great deals!!

Crib- GONE!

Remember how excited I was when I got Lauren's crib? Well, it is GONE! I listed it on Craig's list yesterday and sold it (for $200) within an hour. Whew, that was easy! So, we had to put together the toddler bed last night after dinner so she had somewhere to sleep, she was really proud and slept all night in it- no problem.  Are we the only people who just up and sell a crib without testing how she will do in a toddler bed? Jeff thinks I am a bit nuts sometimes.... But she did sleep in a twin bed up in Winter Park last weekend and did fine, and I thought that the crib would take a while to sell.  Anyway, I will try to add a picture of her showing off her new bed, it is really cute ($59 at walmart.com).

At the park

Its already 70 degrees this am!

OK, I added a movie I took with my phone. I dont know why they always turn out sideways when I send them to the computer (they are not on my phone)- but it is kinda cute anyway.

Prayers for Miss Ella

See this pretty little girl? Her name is Ella and she is the daughter of one of my best friends Laurie. Today is a big day for their family because Ella is having a huge surgery on her skull bones today, starting around 8:15 this morning. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers today as we go about our daily lives and they sit in the hospital waiting....waiting....waiting.  Ella is the same age as Lauren and is a tough little girl. She is going to be just fine, but the road to get there will be a bit tough over the coming weeks. Pop over to Laurie's blog and leave her an encouraging comment today- she really needs to feel the power of a whole community of people praying for her daughter today. I love you Miss Ella and cannot wait to see you all better in a couple weeks!!!

Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat

Ground control to Major Tom....I love this beer, one of my favorites! It is made by Fort Collin's brewery, so you might not be finding it at home, folks. I am not a die-hard wheat beer fan either, but the pomegranate flavor is very light and it is much more hoppy than a traditional wheat beer. I dont think you can find it in the winter, but it must be spring because my thoughtful hubby showed up with a few the other day and I am enjoying this delightful treat as I type.

Fish Fry - Tasty!

Happy Ash Wednesday- here is a fish recipe that I discovered. OK, well I guess I shouldn't call it a recipe. More of a product that I like. McCormick Cajun Seafood Fry Mix, here is a link with the recipe from the box. I made it using frozen tilapia filets, dipped in milk and then the seasoning mix and placed them in a pan coated in a bit of Lauren's fake butter (Smart Balance Light w/ flax) and then sprayed the top of the fillets with Pam cooking spray. I think I baked them at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes. It was so super yummy, Jeff and I both loved it- just enough spice! I am usually a tarter sauce girl, but I didn't use a drop. If anyone tries this, you will have to leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

The Flood - Part II

Yeah, so we saw the place this weekend. Not really wanting to talk about it, but since you asked.... Our condo in Winter Park is still a wreck. Our belonging are filthy and piled and stashed all over. Some light fixtures are trashed and numerous small things are gone- I tossed out a large black trash bag of stuff and then just couldn't do it anymore.  We stayed in another condo in our building and went down there a few times to work on stuff. The good news, they have painted the whole place and our new carpet is in, hopefully our new laminate floor is coming soon.  The cleaning service in our building plans to clean up and wash linens (many sheets and curtains are trashed by my evaluation) for us and try to put it back together. In all, we are so lucky this isnt our primary residence and that we have great people helping us rebuild, but it still is heart breaking to see it.  I am hopeful that they next time we are up there I will be able to take a few shots and share how well it turned out!!!

Fat Tuesday!!

Happy Fat Tuesday! Did you know that "Mardi Gras" is literally french for "Fat Tuesday"? Today is the day to whoop it up before the beginning of lent (Ash Wednesday tomorrow) and all of the fasting and behaving begins. Another factoid I would like to share with you? The King's cake that is traditional Mardi Gras feasting in New Orleans- well it is sometimes called the Three King's cake and refers to the three wisemen who came to visit baby Jesus in the manger. Yep, and the little baby that you bake into the cake represents the one-and-only baby Jesus himself. It is kind of crazy how religious tradition takes on a new meaning sometimes. I am fairly certain that the Pope will not be tossing beads from his little balcony, and probably prefers a bit more traditional observation of the holy days...

What will you give up for lent this year? I am tempted to give up Diet Coke, but I am not sure that I can make it 6 whole weeks. The withdrawal alone will probably kill me....

Darjeeling the cat

Check out this crazy story about our friends who recently moved to Napa. They lost their cat in their POD for almost 2 weeks!!
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Big Girl Bed

My baby girl sleeping in a twin bed. She had no trouble adjusting, although this morning I found her sleeping on the floor. When I asked her if she feel out of bed, she happily exclaimed "I crashed!". Well, that was easy....

Here we go....

Driving up to the mountains for the weekend..... i am kind of nervous to see what our condo looks like. We cannot stay in our place yet, so we are staying in another one. Stay tuned..

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday- Lauren was sweet enough to sing Happy Birthday to her on the phone. I love my mom so much and am grateful to have her in my life. She is a great support and role model for me, I am so blessed to have a young, healthy mother. I need to keep myself in shape so that I can be supportive of my daughter when she is my age and having kids (OK, I hope she tries it a bit younger than me- but that is a whole other post).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! LOVE YA!

Happy Birthday Dr Suess!

$3.00 Dr. Seuss Hardcover Books at Walmart.com

Today at Walmart.com there is a sale on Dr Suess books to celebrate his birthday. I scored a bunch for 3 bucks each and the shipping was free too!!
Thanks to The Krazy Coupon Lady!