Snow! Snow! Snow!

It FINALLY snowed last night... a full 4 inches I'd say!

The dogs had a blast... so much so that Pepper couldn't resist making some yellow snow. It's 5pm and it's mostly gone now, but it was sure fun while it lasted!

Thanksgiving Pictures

What we are grateful for:

Laura - Lilly, and Sam & Lynn
Mike - Laura and Lilly
Sam - a roof over our heads and a delicious meal
Lynn - a job that I am happy at for the first time in years

Laura Cooking Turkey

Sam Cutting Sweet Potatoes
Mike and Lilly watching FootballLilly's First Turkey - that she can't eatOne Happy Couple
One Happy Family

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Five on Friday

It's the day after Thanksgiving and I'm still going to hold to my agreement.... Five on Friday...yay!

1. Thanksgiving was low key and delicious. Turkey (a la Laura) with Cranberry Maple glaze, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes with Laura's famous garlic gravy, Green Bean Casserole (a la Mike), Hawaiin Roles (yumo), Candied Sweet Potatoes (with Kahlua sauce) Thanks G'pa Bob - those were YUMMY - even though I forgot the Marshmallow Creme, Sparkling Pear Cider, and of course, Pumpkin Pie.

2. I braved the mad rush today... Woke up around 7am; washed my face, threw some sweats on and drove to two different Petsmart stores. I received an ad in my email a few days ago for 50% off X-large dog beds. I've been wanting to get a few more so that we can try to kick the dogs out of bed permanently. Well sure enough I get all the way to Petsmart and the X-large turn out to be just Large; the X-large weren't on sale. figures. The associate at the store tried to tell me that they didn't sell anything larger; I quickly informed him that I have 2 Great Danes and knew for certain that they sold larger beds. So I picked up 4 of the Larges anyhow. (@ $20 each - not too bad for 36x 45 microsuede and fleece beds).

3. It is officially the day after Thanksgiving which means we can officially begin to ring in Christmas, Sam started by hanging the Christmas lights today. Sadly, we ended up a strand or two short from last year - not sure how that happened the house hasn't grown (at least not on the outside). Mike was kind enough to lend his hands and spend some time in the fresh Colorado air. The weather cooperated for most of the day - high 50's, but once the sun dropped behind a cloud bank it was COLD. I fixed this by a snuggler in a thermos - and warned Sam not to get drunk and fall off the roof. 4 hours later - the lights are hung, 2 new strands included, the boys are off the roof safely.
4. I decided to do a little outdoor work of my own and got a jump start on the stripstone on the side yard. Spent nearly an hour looking for my hand trowel, which Sam eventually found on the other side of the house. I only had about an hour of warm weather to work in - didn't get too far, but tomorrow is a new day!

5. Leftover Cooking... while I can't enjoy them (b/c of the Turkey)... We watched a great show yesterday on FoodNetwork - with a great idea for making Pot Pies out of the leftovers (mostly Greenbeans and Turkey)... Laura, the great chef, was ambitious today and gave them a try. They smell delish! The fried dressing balls are next :)

Disposable Diapers

For all of you new parents out there.... (not that I'm planning to join your ranks - but if I were, this would on my registry as well). I recently found this website through a friend's blog. Check these things out...I might want kids just to get these deals.

http://www.gdiapers.com/includes/vid_pop4.php
http://www.gdiapers.com/

Night Out....

Darts at Wynkoop... followed by two line dances at The Grizzly Rose... that was about all the country the boys could stand...

Five on Friday

I'm not sure if I will be able to get a Full Five out today.


1. My mother flew to town on Wednesday night to visit. Her three objectives for the trip are to Watch Lilly, photograph Lilly, and cook :) I'm sure there will be many pictures to follow.

2. We are taking advantage of my mother's desire to watch Lilly in order to have an adult night out. Who knew that having a baby restricts you so much from going out on the town. We haven't decided on the plan for the night yet, but I'm sure it'll be fun just to get away. Laura and I are pushing to line dance, Mike would like to go to the casinos and Sam just wants to do something.

3. It's very cold outside; but just won't seem to snow. Colorado weather is just bizarre. Tuesday the high was 78 - almost 80 degrees in November! and by Thursday the high was a mere 38 degrees!!

4. Hallie did an impression on Bambi yesterday morning. 38 degrees made for an icy deck - which of course she didn't understand. I tried to warn her to go slowly but about halfway through the deck she splayed out on all fours. This didn't phase Hallie at all, Pepper on the other hand, turned tail and ran back in the house. I had to accompany her outside to reassure her and to protect her leg from an accidental fall.

5. I've been fighting a cold for the past few days. I lucked out in feeling mostly better by today and also getting the day off work to visit with my mother. It's 230 in the afternoon and although I've showered (and brushed my teeth I promise)... I'm lounging in pajamas and playing with blog designs. I'm helping Laura get a new blog started for everyone to see Lilly.

Five on Friday

Some old friends of mine - friends from a long time ago, not friends that are old in age :) have a habit of posting Ten on Tuesdays -this is 10 things about their lives that they want to share each week. This is a bit too ambitious for me - I'm boring afterall; so I'm shooting for Five on Fridays.



Without further ado...



1. We got our first dusting of snow this morning. It's long overdue - typically the first snow falls before Halloween although it rarely sticks. The weatherman was reporting this morning that the dusting has to be at least 1/10th of an inch to be considered officially the first snow. Thankfully, its still cold and overcast outside, so it is sticking on the rooftops - like powered sugar in a book diarama that I made when I was a kid - beautiful.



2. The dogs are finally healthy again; at least according to the yard. This has been one of the worst rounds of sickness yet - three courses of meds and $350 later - at least they are well. The final drugs were Tylosin which treats for various parasites. This was after the first two rounds to treat for Giarda specifically didn't work. We may never know what the parasite was, but at least it's gone! I was initially concerned by the bottle of Tylosin which says right on the front - for Use in Farm Animals Only - including Chickens and Pigs. I know people joke about the girls being as big as horses; but they are still of the canine family. After a little online research I found this is a common drug for dog parasites, its just not endorsed by the FDA.



3. I have a Big City Date tomorrow. I have lived in or near two major metros in my life San Diego and Denver, and I very rarely spend any time in the "City". And yet, when I watch shows like Sex and the City I always have this urge to live in a big city, without any appreciation for the fact that I already do and don't realize it. So, this Saturday I'm meeting up with an old Junior High friend who lives in Colorado springs. We're going to have lunch, window shop, and likely end up at Fado's for an afternoon Irish Coffee... It's supposed to be sunny but cold... believe it or not I'm actually eager to get bundled up and walk the city.



4. Bluegrass Central. My friend Gabe (who consequently is also my boss - i know its a rarity but an awesome thing) is learning to play the Banjo - he's got one of his girls learning the Mandolin as well - a true bluegrass family. We share a wall between our offices at work, and on most Thursdays he can be heard practicing through the office before his evening lessons. His instructor is part of a two couple quartet that is playing locally tonight. http://www.findersandyoungberg.com/index.html We've been invited to dinner and a concert. A fall chili fest at Gabe's house, followed by some good ol' bluegrass. Sam is not a huge country fan like I am, but he does enjoy bluegrass; especially in a quaint enviornment like this.



5. Lilly has been a joy to have in the house. Sure she has her fussy times, but the good ones make it worth while. Her cuteness has not altered the way I feel about having children (I'm still on the fence) but this has been a great 'live vicariously' opportunity. I've been greedy about holding her in the evenings after her bath and feeding. So she's soft, warm, and happy and falls asleep easily in my arms. Somehow, I've managed to escape diaper duty so far - I'm sure that won't last forever. :)

Skiing in Style

The original plan was to hit the Vail ski swap in - you guessed it - Vail. A few coworkers started looking at me funny for being willing to drive up there late on a Friday night in inclement weather. At which point Whitney mentioned that the Ski & Board Exhibition was going on down at the Denver Convention Center. We opted for the shorter drive downtown. Several sales men, and a few hours of analysis paralysis later, I made the ultimate decision - my first pair of skiis. The picture doesn't quite do them justice, they are vivid colors, a dark black, a stark white and my two least favorite colors - orange and pink mixed together... and yet somehow it all looks good together. The bottoms are bright orange - which should be good when I fall :)