colorado christmas

a vintage christmas

I put up my vintage aluminum Christmas tree this year , on top of a table my grandfather built many years ago

Had to add my spooky Halloween tree to the mix this year...every year grandmother gives me a new Halloween ornament. This year I had enough to hang on my black tree.

Prada is desperately waiting to get the show on the road as she watches daddy filling up the gas tank. Our little family traveled to Colorado this Christmas, which meant that we were on the road by 6am!

Prada laying with her new grinch Christmas toy, that grandma Jenny brought for her.

The first morning in Colorado I took this beautiful picture of the sunrise hitting the Colorado Rockies

Snow puppies at play

 With the first snow of the winter season, Prada and Sergeant are engaging in some high energy snow play.

 Prada has her "Santa's Little Helper" outfit on, and Sergeant, his army jacket

Happy Turkey Day!

In lieu of making a big turkey and mashed potatoes, my mother and I decided to create a vegetarian Thanksgiving dish that everyone could appreciate at the big turkey day feast. Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we went, where my family joined in food, wine, and this unique crudite idea. We popped the champagne open for the return of my cousin, Maggie, who had recently been living in Morocco for the past two years, while in the Peace Corps! She brought me authentic argan oil, which I am now obsessed with and believe that this should be the number one item to get every person this Christmas Holiday. So many uses, including dipping sauces for food, moisturizing your hair and skin, and works great on the dry spots on my face, left over from the harsh winter air. SO many things to be thankful for this year!

Happy Halloween

The pupsters (a.k.a. criminals/canines) wanted to go trick or treating, but it was too cold outside for their little paws to handle. We decided to stay in on this crisp fall eve and dress them in their spooky best!

 Princess Prada picked out a lady bug costume. She was a bat last year...she felt that she needed something a little more "girly", as daddy puts it, for this year's costume.

Sergeant was a horse. He secretively got to the head of the jockey without me noticing, hence the giant rip :) Prada and him enjoyed playing tug of war and hide-n-seek with their new owl and spider Halloween dog toys!

Fall Fun!

Fall is truly my favorite season of the year and because of that, I opted for the more adventurous Terra Cotta orange sofa, instead of the easy neutral route. I needed some color to spice up the living quarters here at the manor :) Therefore, I give you my new mid century modern couch with my canine, Sergeant, perched atop, spying on our little friend out the window, Rupert the squirrel, who lives in the tree by our outside balcony.

My great grandmother's china cabinet, revamped with a little elbow grease, paint, industrial hardware, and the finishing touch....(drum roll please...) Halloween decorations!! My favorite holiday! Plus, I have to add in  the prized Blue Bird Dishes (my very own personal set of china located on the top/bottom right of the cupboard), thanks to mommy dearest.

 Some more orange and black uniqueness that I have collected and/or made over the past years

 The sarcophagus is a great compliment to the Halloween season in this household

And, I can't decorate the house without having something brewing in the kitchen...not a witch's potion, but indeed, homemade chicken noodle soup. Just what the doctor ordered, since everyone else in the household seems to have their own spell of the cold bug.

September heat wave

 We visited our good friends, the Priddy's, last weekend, while they were on vacation in Kansas City. It was over 100 degrees that day! James and I decided to get a pic of us under the shady magnolia tree, before we got too sweaty from the infamous humidity that Missouri is all too well known for. It was baby Rex's birthday, he turned 1 year old...can't believe how fast he is growing!!

Had to take some snap shots of the puppies (kiddos). They come in the office while I'm working in the morning...I would like to think that it's because they want to keep me company, but it's now evident that they absolutely love to just bask in the sunlight that comes in from our big bay window...crazy kiddos...it doesn't matter how hot it is outside, even when we go on walks, they usually take a brief pause and lay out on the grass to sunbathe. :)

hot off the grill - farm to table

 I picked fresh veggies from my grandmother's garden this week and decided to grill some yummy kabobs.

 Organic chicken and gluten free pasta with homemade pesto makes this a healthy, fun, and tasty dinner.

Homemade chicken pot pie...I made this from scratch last weekend, minus the puff pastry top, with a little help from Martha Stewart. Delicious!!

Fourth of July in Colorado

 Fourth of July on the rooftop of the Rio Grande, in Boulder. Best Guacamole tostadas and margaritas!

 Karaoke night at Carelli's, in Boulder

Camp Finbrooke Girl Scout Picture, I'm the one second from the top left

moving to a new city

We moved to a new city this past month...finally got everything moved in and put into it's happy little place :) The pups love the new carpeting, but I'm not sure it's helping with my allergies :) All in all, we are happy to be in a new home, as long as we are together, and much closer to family! 

"A house is a home when it heals the body and comforts the soul" and this is precisely accurate at our new place! Happy July!

 My homemade hummingbird cake I made for Father's Day. I will never buy another store bought cake or cake mix...for all of you non-believers out there...homemade cakes are usually just as easy, at least all the recipes that I have utilized...I dare you to try it and be amazed! Now that I have been baking homemade desserts for the past year, I can actually taste all of the chemicals in store bought cakes. Yuck!

 My great-grandmother's china cabinet...I re-vamped it by painting it grey and yellow, and adding modern hardware. A great place to display my Bluebird China Collection

Instead of overpaying for a tv stand that isn't properly designed in the first place, my fiance and I just decided to design and build our own stand for the new tube. Just enough room in between the slats for the Blue Ray disc to open and close - i.e. "smart design" (Having a degree in Interior Design and my fiance, an Engineering degree, I can actually say "Great design minds do think alike")

 My fiance and I at a hot spot in Boulder, CO - Carelli's Italian Restaurant..yes, we did take a much needed vacation after moving!

Graduation Time!! Congrats James!!

                                                         James - The Graduate! 2013!

Me and Grandma Nita!

                                                                  Me and my mom!

 "Sister" Natalie and "Sister" Tatum at James' Graduation Party! She wanted to be a college graduate, too!

                                        Parker with "Miss Natalie" at James' Graduation Party!

                       The entire College of Engineering, listening to the Commencement Speech

                                                    James was eager to receive his degree!

                     So excited! All those late nights, long reports and projects, and  hard work finally paid off!

                                                  You did it James!!!!!! So happy for my fiance!

 Around midnight, the girls wanted to stretch out on the green couch and have James tell them silly stories!

                                       So cute!! This is one of my favorite pics from that evening

                                                                          Me and Jen

                                             What is James doing? Apparently I'm amused :)

2 A.M. - A perfect ending to a perfect party -- enjoying some of Grandma's homemade German Chocolate Cake -- delicioso!!!!!