Cat Nap

Ridiculous cats. Hank and Dolly have the whole nap thing down.

Meet Marshall

My brother and I are real suckers for stuffed animals, particularly of the bear variety. So we made Mr. Marshall above at the local Build-A-Bear and shipped him to my brother in exotic Thailand. A little western swagger was probably needed and Marshall is now there to add it. There is nothing better than sending some stuffed love to someone special!

Looking Forward To...

I am sure that I can't be the only one that loves to look forward to things! So much so that I start countdowns to events/trips/special occasions way before they are necessary. I mean I've started months out from upcoming things, marking each day off in my planner, just so I can cross out one more day. I think I took a personality test once that pegged me as "futuristic" meaning I'm constantly looking ahead. I know, I know not always a good thing, but you can't convince me that looking forward to and anticipating something fun is a flaw.

Anyway, I depart on a mom/daughter weekend this Friday (followed by a work trip for the first half of next week), but I am so, so excited! Arizona here we come! Crossing fingers for mid-seventies and sunshine. You can bet I'm counting down.

P.S. - I think the idea of featuring a "Looking Forward To..." on here more often, so you may see more countdowns soon!

A Little Bit of Colorado

 A little show-shoe fun on our day off from the slopes

He is a talented cross-country skier - such a difficult sport

Have you ever used the jumbo marshmallows to make a smore? Insane. So much gooey deliciousness.

Our ski trip this year was well, absolutely incredible. We ventured to Steamboat Springs, CO, a place that the majority of us had never been to. I'm not quite sure that I can put my finger on what made it so wonderful, but the pile of snow they had was part of it! I wish I could have snapped more photos of the crazy snow drifts that blanketed every surface, but alas, it was very, very cold and difficult to take my dslr out. We plan another trip soon, so I hope to capture the magic.

Happy Friday!

Just for My Brother

Big brother, can you believe we forgot about these two? We brought them out today. I hope it brightens your day!

Westward Ho

This morning we set off Westward. Our family has a special love for the mountains and the state of Colorado. We are lucky enough to get all four of our schedules to coordinate for some much anticipated skiing. I am especially excited that where we are going this year is getting socked with the white stuff. Goody! 

Here's to a snow filled, coffee fueled, family centric weekend. I hope yours is equally wonderful.

(Almost) Home for Christmas

As I type this, my big brother is traveling over 8,000 miles home. 8,000! I am so excited to see him and truly start the Christmas celebrations. I never feel it's the real deal until we're together. Will you get to see your loved ones this holiday? I certainly hope so and that you are surrounded with those that care for you.

Cookie Day

Thumb print and peanut butter dough

Ready to press into the peanut butter cookies

 

 Cinnamon bread for the lucky neighbors

Today was cookie baking day for the Christmas 2012 season. I know this is a tradition for so many families, but I think, as I am sure everyone does, ours is so special. 

It was a very relaxed day. No rushing, no harried feelings to stress the special tradition. We tied on our aprons, mom poured herself a whiskey sweet (inappropriate? never), we turned on our mellow Christmas tunes and began the process. It is a wonderful process with the best results. Warm, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth results.

With more than a week from the big day, we are waiting on the sugar, baklava and biscotti, but the thumbprints, peanut butter, fudge and cinnamon bread are ready for delivery to some very luck neighbors.

Have you baked your cookies, yet?

Technically it's still fall

I didn't want these pictures from our wonderful annual trip to Nebraska City to be forgotten in my iPhoto files, so here is one last hurrah to autumn.