Thoughts for Today and the New Year ~

Thoughts for Today and the New Year ~

I started doing this in 2008, can you believe its been 10 years! It's become my New Years Eve tradition, so here goes...

I'm feeling...Grateful for all that we have!  A warm cozy cabin to live in, a good job, great friends and a loving and caring family!  There is joy and laughter in our home, food on the table and good health.  What more could you ask for :)

I'm seeing...All the projects I'd like to tackle in 2019 and I am confident I will get them done!  One of my goals last year was to take more trips, be they big or small, and I am planning even more for the new year.  I also see myself creating more and enjoying family time.  I'm thinking about taking the summer off this year and that excites me too!  Bring on 2019!

I'm thinking...once again, of all the fun things that happened in 2018!  Our entire family went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, which was fabulous!  Thanks Mom!  A trip to New Orleans with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate my 50th, our 20th anniversary Rogue Camp with over 100 people here (too bad I was sick the entire time) hahahha, Justin and I both turning 50, Jordyn making the Volleyball team and kicking ass!  I started another new position at Stove Prairie and it came with a raise!  Yep...all great things to think about for 2018!

I'm appreciating...My new job!  I love being the new secretary at Stove Prairie!  It keeps me connected with everyone, but still allows time for me to do planning at work instead of at home for my Media/Tech part of the job, so its a win win!  Its been a bit of a learning curve this year, but I really think I'm getting the hang of it and its great to have a job you love!

I'm cooking...Homemade Mac N Cheese in the Instant Pot!  I'm still getting familiar with the Instant Pot, but this is our go-to recipe for it!  Quick and easy!

I'm planning...on learning another language!  I want to spend less time on social media and more time creating and learning new things.  Denise recently went to Paris, and now she's inspired me to go!  I would love to learn some basic French so that we can travel there and not be total ugly Americans!  :) hahahah 

I'm reading...Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.  I started it yesterday and I only have about 35 pages left today.  What a fun ride this book was!  I also completed my Goodreads book challenge this last year.  15 books for the year (I finished with 16).  Always fun to complete a challenge!

I'm wearing...My new flannel pajamas that my mom gave us for Christmas and fuzzy slippers.  I'ts 4 degrees outside right now and dropping fast, so I'm cozy by the fire!

I'm creating...a lot of new things...right now I'm working on a crazy quilt Christmas tree skirt.  I was hoping to have it finished in time for Christmas, but didn't want to rush it and I'd like to add a lot more embroidery to it, so I'm taking my time with it.  I've also made more earrings this year, and I'd like to try my hand at making some wine cork ornaments.  I participated in Inktober this year and made it to 26 of the 31 days before I ran out of steam...not too bad and it certainly got me exploring with my art supplies again :)  Jordyn and I also made another Mask for the Mask Exhibit at the Fort Collins Museum of Art.  The exhibit won't be out until April though, so you'll just have to wait to see what we created!  :)

I'm hearing...the peace and quiet of mountain life, and it is wonderful!  Justin is playing up at the Basil tonight, and Jordyn and I stayed home.  I prefer this to crowds any day!  What a great way to ring in the new year!

I'm enjoying...Jordyn's new Amazon Echo Dot!  We've been requesting tunes from it all day and having fun jamming while working on an puzzle.  Alexa, play Poker Face by Lady Gaga!  Yeah...I'm gonna have to get me one of these!

I'm sharing...a photo of Jordyn and I on New Years Eve!  She's in her room gaming right now, but we're about to head up to Aunt Leann's for a cocktail or two before we come back down here to watch a movie and ring in the new year!

May 2019 be filled with joy & laughter, peace, good health and prosperity to all!

We Love Aquaman!!!

 Met up with some friends in town today to enjoy Torchy's Tacos and Aquaman!  The movie was awesome, and the company even better!  The graphics were amazing in Aquaman, but Momoa was even more amazing!  What a fun day!

Ready for Christmas!

Ran to town today for the last of the shopping...grocery store and liquor store! Came home and cleaned the house, and now I am sitting down with a very tasty Evan Williams eggnog!  Time for some more Christmas movies! Last night it was the Die Hard movies.  Eventually I'll get those damn cookies made...hahahahah

Dinner at Glen Echo ~

 Jordyn and I stopped off at Glen Echo on the way home from school tonight...we miss our occasional visits to the Potbelly, so we thought we would give it a shot.  The place was decorated so beautifully and the food was fantastic!  It's so great to have a nice place just down the road to enjoy...we will definitely be back!

Thanksgiving Weekend and a Monopoly Sleepover ~

 We kicked off our Thanksgiving weekend with a trip to the movie theatre with friends on Tuesday after school to see the new Fantastical Beasts movie!  Justin joined us there and we all enjoyed it and had a great time!

Thanksgiving was spent in pajamas all day!  Jordyn slept till noon and Justin and I enjoyed a bloody mary while she slept!  I made lasagna and salad this year...and sadly took zero photos but this one of us in the morning.  But the break was spent relaxing the whole time!

 Jordyn had her friend Hunter and Sophia over for a sleepover as well and they had an absolute blast!  They played games all night, then hung out on the trampoline for hours in the dark (and cold).  You could hear them out there laughing and having fun!  I can't believe they were out there so late when it was 30 degrees out.  The next morning they played games all day...monopoly was the favorite and it was funny to listen to them barter and banter over properties.  Jordyn had never played before so she was really enjoying it!  These three play video games online all the time together, so it was fun to finally get them all together for a sleepover.  I was happy to see they never got on the computer once, but just played all day!  What a fun bunch and a great way to spend Thanksgiving weekend!

School Halloween Dance ~

Jordyn went to the first school dance of the year tonight, which of course was Halloween themed!  She had a sleepover at her friend Madeliene's house afterwords with Willow and Andrea.  Tabby chaperoned the dance and sent me this photo of these clowns!  Jordyn and London have switched cloaks in this shot!  hahahahah!  Thanks for the photo Tabby!

Catch and Release ~

 It was time for the annual catch and release of the trout in our pond.  Every fall the river drops down and we capture the fish that are trapped in our pond to set free in the main drag of the river.  If we don't do this, most of the trout trapped in our pond will die.  This year there was a really large stubborn fish hiding under this rock.  Justin couldn't reach it so Jordyn submerged herself in this freezing cold water (around 35 degrees), to reach back there and try to catch it.  While these two were "fishing" the cats sat by and curiously watched.  They ended up catching 16 trout, including the stubborn one, and they relocated them all to the main channel of the river.  This is by far one of my favorite family traditions! 

I had some hot cocoa waiting for them when they came inside to grab dry clothes and warm up!  What a perfect Sunday!

Artwork ~

 Jordyn had her student led conference today and her artwork was hanging in the hall, so I snapped these photos.  Now we are headed down to Denver for the weekend for Boo at the Zoo fun!  Stay tuned...

Marshmallow Lovers ~

Rascal stopped by with some friends today and they enjoyed some marshmallows!  We aren't sure if this is her litter or if she adopted them, but they all hang out together now.  Baby raccoons are soooo cute!

Wintery Wonderland ~

 Well, I knew we were getting snow, but I thought it would be a dusting...not 5 inches worth!  hahaha

 It looks funny to see all the white snow around with splashes of Autumn underneath!  I was hoping to get some photos of Jordyn in her Halloween costume, but it looks like I might end up taking them in the snow instead!  What a perfect day to stay inside curled up with a good book!

Pumpkin Patch with Friends ~

 The weather was perfect for a trip to the pumpkin patch today!  We started out at Tabby's house and enjoyed a late breakfast of quiche, pancakes, donuts and mimosas!  Then we headed out to the pumpkin patch!  The whole gathering was a last minute plan, but it turned out to be awesome!

 The teens ditched us in the corn maze, so we relaxed and took our time walking through it.

 I busted Tabby and Sharon texting while walking the maze, so they stopped for this silly photo!

 After the corn maze the little ones hit the playground, while the older ones ran all around, playing fussball, getting lost in the corn maze again, and checking out the pumpkins.  Meanwhile, I ordered another batch of roasted green chilies...  I love having a stash in my freezer, and it lasts me the entire year!

 We wandered out into the pumpkin patch and found 3 perfect pumpkins for carving!  Then we headed back to Tabbys house to decorate pumpkin cookies!

This kids enjoyed decorating the cookies, but enjoyed eating them even more!  What a messy good time!

 We watched the Avengers movie until it was time to head home.  There is talk of snow tonight, which seems so silly since the weather was so warm, but Colorado is always full of surprises, so we shall see what happens!  What a great day!