The Villa on Lava Lane

I feel so blessed to have spent a weekend away with four amazing friends! Joanne so graciously shared her "villa" in Haxtun (northeastern Colorado) for a much needed getaway. We ate so incredibly well... oaty pancakes with carmalized bananas and pecans, garlic rosemary chicken, pastries from Das Mayer and this simple plate of brie, blueberries and crackers was a perfect match with our wine selection (or rum and coke...whichever you prefer!).
This is from my favorite little store The Oak Tree in the little town of Holyoke.
An oasis in the plains! I always come away with little treasures and good snacks.

It wouldn't be a trip to the Villa without a stop at Walmart in Sterling.

No, are not playing Rook... but instead, "Tough 14" or "Rough 13" or "totally frustrating huge stack of cards in my hand at the end of each round and I am going to lose because it is really late at night and we finished a bottle of wine" card game...watch out Jill - I have...well, nothing.

Jessica, Joanne and Laura

No, not my sister...but Cheryl (close enough!).

a new favorite book

I really love this new book I found at the library, Cooking with Whole Foods by Nicola Graimes. We are not completely vegetarian, nor do we eat all organic... so this book really seems to be a nice healthy balance. I could add meat to many of the recipes if I feel so inclined. My daughter G is excited to try out some of these recipes before it is due back to the library. We just might have to break down and buy a copy...

We are going to a dinner party on Sunday night and I am in charge of bringing an appetizer. I think the Courgette Fritters with Chili Jam sound great! (Courgette's are zucchini...I didn't know this until I read this recipe.)

I had a great picture, but once again, my computer doesn't want to upload photos. Time to call in the guru...

The Princess and the Pea

The girls took part in a production of The Princess and the Pea with Missoula Children's Theatre. Sweet A was a Dust Bunny (you know...there need to be dust bunnies under the princess's bed!) and G was the Pea. It was a full week of rehearsals and two performances on Saturday. They had a blast!!!

out-of-order

My blog is currently out-of-order. I am not able to upload photos for some reason. I will consult with the computer guru and be back soon, I hope.

Handmade gifts...

We made these cute bags for a niece and nephew this Christmas. They are library bags! G embroidered their initials; A helped pick the bag fabric; and I sewed the bags together. We had a lot of fun making these...and hopefully they will love them and use them frequently.

I have so much fabric in my "collection". I think the need for large amounts of scrap fabric is
genetic. My mom has it stashed all over her house...and my sister has yards and yards also. I am a fabric junkie!

December in review...

Oh my, it's been a long time since I posted! Thought I would catch up on what's been happening in December.

This year I finally decorated two trees. I have always wanted a second tree in the front room. This year we started making Chrismons ornaments and hope to finish all 25 for next year! We had a lot of fun decorating for Christmas. Notice in the nativity that St. Nicholas came looking for Baby Jesus, too!
We also had fun with a lot of extra outdoor lights! We were so excited to host my sister and her family for the holidays and we went a bit overboard (by our standards at least)! We were so blessed with 7 1/2 inches of snow the day before Christmas. You should have seen my 7 year old nephew from Florida... he ran out in the snow to make a snow angel in his pajamas!

G participated in the school production of The Emporers New Clothes. She was a narrator and did a great job singing and dancing, too. (G in blue dress, lower left on floor)

We also had a piano recital where both girls played Christmas songs for residents of an assisted living facility. They played beautifully!
More December fun to come later...

...seven year old wisdom

"Love makes matters better!"