Christmas Cookies

I have been busy making cookies for Christmas.

I have made Oreo Truffles, Peanut Clusters, Buckeyes, Dream Bars, Fudge (Jazzy's version), Snickerdoodles, Crunchies and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Whoa!

Oreo Truffles This year I made them with Mint Oreos.
Peanut Clusters These I made in the Crock Pot. They were very easy it only took 3 hours and they were ready to drop on wax paper. I do think I'll use parchment paper if I make these again.
Buckeyes I dip them all the way in melted chocolate.
Fudge Jazzy's friend gave her this recipe so I made her make it. We didn't use any nuts. I think I would use walnuts next time.
Crunchies I had these at work. Joanne brought them in for our Holiday Party and I wanted make them also. So easy.

I've spent most of today baking. I did make the Oreo Truffles last week because I needed 6 dozen for a cookie exchange that got cancelled due to weather. Oh well, I'll just give them away and I know they will get eaten.

Christmas Shopping in Branson

I am finally getting around to writing about my trip!

I kinda stalled on posting about this trip because I only took a couple pictures and one of them had my niece Alyssa's Christmas present front and center in the picture. So, I didn't want to give away any of the upcoming surprises.

I was only home for 3 days from Thanksgiving in Missouri to turn around again and fly back out to Kansas City, MO. I flew in Thursday December 4 in the afternoon.

I had a blast with my 4 Sister-in-laws and my Mother-in-law. We were able to see two shows and do tons of shopping! I was the newbie to their annual trip, I learned really quickly what happens on this Girls Shopping weekend. Basically, they "shopped til they dropped", ate well, and saw great entertainment!

I brought and extra suitcase and it was filled with only gifts to take home.

The Pineapple Cheese Casserole

The Pineapple Cheese Casserole was hit at Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure everyone would like it. They did! I think I'll make it again at Christmas to share it with my Brother and Sisters and their families.

Thanksgiving in Missouri

We had a quick trip as usual. We drove out to Kansas City, MO on Wednesday November 26th. Jasmine got to (I'm not sure she thought of it that way, she missed a party) miss a half day of scheduled school on Wednesday. In the past we have left after Jasmine is out of school on Wednesday so, it was nice to get a little of a head start this year.

We had a great time as usual seeing the family. Thanksgiving day was filled with Food, Fun and Family!

Table

We finally got it! It is beautiful and Keith took it to the bus a couple weeks ago now.

I was very impressed with it when it arrived at the house. They also sent a spice rack and paper towel holder made of maple.

I have been a horrible wife, I haven't been down to the bus in so long, I have yet to see it in the bus. Keith says it looks good. I will post pictures soon.

Homemade Mixes

I went looking for a way to make the Pot Roast I posted without using the packets. I am trying to get away from packets because of the sodium and other preservatives in there, I can't even pronounce some of these things. So, when I make the Three-Packet Roast I will probably substitute all the packets. Who knows if it will taste the same, we'll see.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
From Momadvice blog

Ingredients:
½ cup dry buttermilk
1 tbsp dried parsley, crushed
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your food processor and grind until it becomes a fine powder. Store in an airtight container. To prepare the dressing: Combine one tablespoon mix with one cup of mayonnaise and one cup milk.

Homemade Italian Seasoning Mix
From busycooks.about.com

1/3 cup dried oregano leaves
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion salt
1/3 cup dried basil leaves
2 Tbsp. rosemary leaves, ground down to 1 tsp.
1/4 cup dried thyme leaves
Preparation:

Combine all ingredients and store in a tightly closed container. Store in a cool, dry place.

Brown Gravy Recipe
From cdkitchen.com

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Soy sauce
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Sesame oil
1/2 cup White wine

Directions:

Blend all ingredients and cook until slightly thickened.

Three-Packet Roast

This recipe is from Everyday Cheapskate

Here is yet another recipe that I haven't tried yet. I will try it soon although, I think I'll tweak it slightly by putting in vegetables.

I know it seems crazy to post without trying it, but this blog has been a good place to save things. Let me know if you try it and leave a comment.

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1 packet dry brown gravy mix
1 beef roast

Place the roast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the dry mixes over the roast. Pour 1 cup water into bottom. Cover. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Update on Pineapple Cheese Casserole

I made this the other night! It sounds weird with cheese and pineapple together in the same dish.

4 1/2 out of 6 of us liked it. Jasmine was the 1/2, she thought it was just OK. Elizabeth wasn't thrilled about it. That is a good average.

I liked it enough to make it again. I think I'll make this for Thanksgiving in Kansas City.

Birthdays at a Nuggets game

My Mom was in town and decided to take everyone out to dinner and a Nuggets game to celebrate every one's birthdays for the year.

My Mom and Dad

Jennie and David

Pineapple Cheese Casserole

I got this recipe from A Latte Moment blog.
It sounds kind of interesting.
I am going to try this tonight, my Mom is in town and my sister and nephew are coming over for dinner. We are having pork chops and baked potatoes. I've wanted to make this, today seems like as good of time as any to make this for a captive audience. I'll keep you posted.

20 oz. pineapple chunks
3 tbsp. pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup shredded cheese
3 tbsp flour
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter
1 cup crumbled ritz crackers

Drain pineapple reserving 3 tablespoons of juice.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour. Stir in juice.
Add grated cheese and fruit.
Mix well.
Spoon into greased 1 quart casserole dish.
Combine margarine and crackers.
Sprinkle over top.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes till lightly brown.

Teriyaki Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I put this in the crock pot yesterday and had Keith finish it. So,he shredded the meat and put the teriyaki/flour mixture back in. I came home later and had it. I liked it and I am guessing Jazzy liked it, she had two sandwiches. Keith still likes the BBQ pulled pork sandwiches the best, of all the pork shoulders I've been making. I find them in the clearance meat section for about $5.00 each.

This recipe is from the Taste of Home website.

SERVINGS: 8
CATEGORY: Main Dish
METHOD: Slow Cooker
TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 8 hours

Ingredients:
• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (3 pounds), trimmed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
• 1 can (20 ounces) sliced pineapple, drained
Directions:

In a large skillet, brown roast in oil over medium-high heat. Cut in half; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the onion, 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce and pineapple juice. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove roast; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour and remaining teriyaki sauce until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 30-40 minutes or until thickened.
Shred meat with two forks; return to the slow cooker and heat through. Spoon 1/2 cup onto each bun; top with a slice of pineapple. Yield: 8 servings.

This coming week

We are so busy this upcoming week, my Mom is flying in Saturday and she'll be here for a week. We are so excited and have lots of plans for this fun-filled weekend especially.

We have a Girl's Weekend planned for Saturday.

We are all meeting for dinner Sunday with a Nuggets game to follow.

Later in the week I am making dinner at my house Monday night. So, I am trying to decide what to make. I think I'll look in my freezer to see if I can use something up in there. That's a whole other story about my freezer, I'll have to write about later.

I think Elizabeth will be making dinner on Tuesday night.

I am not sure what the rest of the week will hold but, I am excited to have my Mom come into town.

Upcoming trip to Branson, MO

Yesterday I booked my trip to Branson. I found tickets on Southwest Airlines for $139.00 round-trip. Yeah. I will be there December 4-7. Every year all my sister-in-laws and Mother-in-law have a "Girls Weekend" to do some Christmas shopping and see some shows in Branson. Last year I didn't go (money was tight) but, this year I decided to just do it. I talked to Keith about it and we decided it could be my birthday present. I am so excited to be one of the Monnig Women and their annual trip. This trip is going to be fast, I fly in Thursday at 1:15pm and everyone leaves Kansas City to drive down there at 4pm. And, drive back Sunday to catch my plane by 8pm.

I'll post pictures and blab on about it soon, so look forward to it!

Homemade Vanilla Chai Tea Mix

I just got this recipe, can't wait to try it.

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla powdered non-dairy creamer
2 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups unsweetened instant tea
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
¼ tsp white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it is a fine powder. Add two-three tablespoons of mix to 8 ounces of hot water or milk.

Our Anniversary Ticker

Jasmine's Birthday Ticker

My Birthday Ticker

Spaghetti Pie

I found this recipe on the Taste of Home website. I really like everything I have found there. I went looking for this because I had leftover spaghetti to use up.

I made two(I probably should have made three smaller ones) , one with foil in the bottom for the freezer,and ate one on Halloween night. The frozen one we had tonight, after defrosting of course. We do like this recipe and will have it again. Now I've got this blog to refer back to.

SERVINGS: 18

METHOD:
TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 35 min.
Ingredients:
1 package (1 pound) spaghetti
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 pounds bulk pork sausage
2 cups water
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain and place in a large bowl. Add eggs and Parmesan cheese. Transfer to three greased 9-in. pie plates; press mixture onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Set aside. In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and Italian seasoning. Spoon into the crusts. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in water and tomato paste. Simmer, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over sour cream mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.

Cover and freeze two pies for up to 1 month. Cover and bake third pie at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

To use frozen pies: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed.

Yield: 3 pies, 18 servings, 6 per pie.

Good Luck Sam's Chapter Meeting

We went to our monthly meeting with the Good Luck Sam's. We went to a restaurant called Bon Ton's Cafe in Old Colorado City for lunch today. We met more new people yet again this time. I do like getting to see all the same people every month to catch up with how everyone is doing.
They give door prizes every time and we won again, second month in a row. This time we won a set of canisters that are black and we're not sure we will use them.

Also, Carol had some brand new rugs to give away, so we picked out a couple for the bus. That was really nice of her. I guess she went to a store that was going out of business and they gave them to her, about 35-40 nice rugs. Wow, and we got to benefit.

HSM3

We went to High School Musical 3!
Jasmine and I met my friend Aleta and her daughter Sarah.
We went out to dinner at Chili's and then went to the movie.
I think the girls had a fun time.

Snickerdoodle Pie

I received this recipe from a email recipe exchange. I haven't made it yet but plan to soon. I'll keep you posted.

From Paula McMillin

1 recipe of your favorite piecrust, or 1 unbaked refrigerated piecrust
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or coarse sugar
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (divided use)
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (divided use)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. In a small bowl, combine turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Brush melted butter over crust. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon-sugar mixture. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, water, corn syrup and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in granulated sugar, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar until well combined. Beat in egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Gradually beat in milk. Beat in flour. Spread in piecrust.
Slowly pour the syrup over the filling. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar. Cover edges of pie with foil.
Bake pie for 25 minutes; carefully remove foil. Bake 20 minutes more, or until top is puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes on wire rack. Serve warm.
Makes 10 servings.
Approximate values per serving: 385 calories, 17 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 49 mg cholesterol, 53 g carbohydrates, 289 mg sodium, 4 g protein, 1 g fiber; 40 percent calories from fat.

Flank Steak

Marinate for at least 30 minutes:
Soy sauce
brown sugar
garlic

grill for 8-10 minutes on each side

Sounds so exciting doesn't it. It is super easy! I have decided recently I like flank steak. OK maybe the fact that they were in the clearance meat section at a great price so a bought a couple and put in the freezer. So, one of my clients gave me this marinade. I am one of those cooks who throws in a little of this and that so, the first time I made I think it had too much brown sugar, slightly sweet. Although I did marinade it for a good day and a half. Tonight I made it again, I tried to find the right combination, aka. not too much brown sugar and only let it sit for an hour. We eat it with horseradish sauce. I use my electric knife to cut thin slices. Tonight Keith and I only ate half so I sliced the rest of it and put it in the freezer, I'll probably pull it out and use it for burritos or steak nachos for a quick fix.

I shared

OK, I just sent everyone I know a link to this blog. Scary. I have been posting without telling anyone for a while and now I just put myself out there to the world. Ahh! I hope everyone is nice.

Table Update

We're still waiting. The company Keith ordered the table from is having issues. They called Keith last week and explained that they messed up and sent someones table to us and our table to that person. He told Keith to refuse it when it gets delivered. Then Friday, while handing out Halloween candy the UPS man shows up to deliver the table and Keith was frustrated. When he placed the order he put in his work address as the shipping address because he is there during the day and would be there to receive it. He did this also because sometimes the UPS man just leaves boxes outside our door, so his work address just made sense. So, not only did they send the wrong table but to the wrong address. Now, we're starting to wonder what shape the table will be in when it arrives! I will keep you posted.

Beef 'n Beans with Cheesy Biscuits

From Pillsbury website
I made this last week and doubled the meat portion and froze half for another meal. I pulled it out of the freezer for something easy to fix tonight.
My family liked it, I added some extra cheese under the biscuits this time, who doesn't love a little more cheese. I'm always tweaking something.
INGREDIENTS

1lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2cup chopped onion
1can (16 oz) barbecue beans or pork and beans with molasses
1can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup
1teaspoon chili powder
1/4teaspoon garlic powder
1can (7.5 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1cup shredded Cheddar or American cheese (4 oz)

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat oven to 375°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.
2.Stir in beans, soup, chili powder and garlic powder. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
3.Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Spoon hot beef mixture into ungreased 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Arrange biscuits over hot mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
4.Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown and no longer doughy.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Do not sprinkle with cheese in step 3. Bake 15 minutes; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.

My Cousin, Martha came to Colorado

Martha came to Colorado with her friend Heidi to visit. Heidi has family in Ft. Collins. We met up with them on Sunday night at Ben and Jenn's and then went to dinner at Picalo's Resturant. The resturant was Italian/Mexican, I thought it was a interesting combination. I liked it though. I ordered a Chili Rellenos and a smothered chicken burrito.

It was nice to see Marf and quiz her about her family (all my dad's side of the family). I just wish I could see all my family in Nebraska more often. Marf got to meet JJ for the 1st time and was amazed how tall Jasmine has gotten. I am too.

Carnitas

Pork Blade Shoulder Roast, trim the fat cap (but necessarily all the way, this gives flavor and keeps it moist)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, quartered

water (I guessed on this, maybe 1/2 cup)

2 tsp. ground cumin

Place the roast with the fat cap up in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingreadients cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

Take the roast out and shred it and remove any pockets of fat. If there is too much juice pour some off but, you will want some of the liquid to keep it moist when baking it. 

Generously sprinkle the shredded pork and onions with garlic salt in a baking dish. The garlic salt is key, keep taste-testing and season to taste. 

Bake 45 min. at 350 degrees occasionally stirring. Towards the end I stir every 5 min. to expose more surface to heat the get more of the crunchy bits. 

Serve on tortillas with cheese and salsa. 

Sometimes I put it in the crockpot overnight so that your not shedding and baking it at dinner time because it does take some time to shred. 

Halloween

Trick-or-treat

Jasmine has been on fall break at school, parent/teacher conferences were this week. She went to school 1 1/2 days this week and had the rest of the week off. I think the school was avoiding anything to do with Halloween in my opinion. She was home all day Wednesday by herself. Wednesday night she spent the night at her friend Kate's house so, Thursday she was at Kate's all day. I felt like I should spend some time with her on Friday so I took the day off work.

We had a nice day, we took our time getting up and going. I made dinner ahead of time so it would be ready for later. I made Spaghetti Pie, I had never made it, I'll post the recipe soon. Jasmine carved her pumpkin all by herself while I made our dinner. She did such a good job with her pumpkin. I love that she's old enough to do it on her own. I know she had fun with it too. Best of all, I didn't get all gooey and gross with pumpkin guts! Although, I did go back to her bowl and pull out all the seeds for roasting. I really like those, I just heard those yummy seed are packed with lots of good nutrients. Yum.

We got all cleaned up and finally got out of the house to go get Jasmine's costume, she wanted to be a black cat this year. We went to the mall and found a Halloween store. It is so much fun looking at all of the costumes other people were wearing and buying. We found her some ears, they can be used for a mouse or cat, and a black tail. After that store we wondered around a little and I kept having to keep us on track. I also want to get my early voting done, I knew it was the last day until Tuesday and we finally found the line to vote. OMG the line was ridiculously long. I ended up standing in that line for 2 hours and 40 minutes. By the time I was done it was 5 o'clock. Earlier in the day I had invited Elizabeth and JJ over for dinner to see JJ's costume, they were supposed to be at my house at 5pm. I am glad I voted and got it over with, but I really wished I would have been a little more on the ball. In Heine sight I also wished we wouldn't have wasted time wondering around the mall until I saw how long the line to vote was. Oh well, everything always works and I just called Liz and asked to wait a few minutes. She was fine with it and I walked in the door a few minutes before she did.

JJ was a really cute monkey. How can you resist that little cute thing?

Liz was a Black cat also, they didn't even plan it that way. Jazzy asked Liz to do her make-up for the night. Liz did a great job on her own make-up and Jazzy's also. We ate the Spaghetti Pie I had made earlier, I am so glad I did that. JJ really enjoyed the green beans and a few of the noodles. We got some pictures and they left. He had to make the rounds to others who wanted to see him dressed up.

Jasmine and I went to Carol's house and Keith stayed home to hand out candy, I think he was quite content with that decision. Carol invites us every year and some years we make it and some we don't. The last time we went over to Rich and Carol's was 2 years ago. She always goes overboard with the decorations and she buys gifts for the kids. Michele brought her Mom from Denver and only had Ethan this year. I think Jazzy was a little disappointed that the older boys weren't there this year but her and Ethan had fun going house to house trick-or treating. Ethan dressed up as Elvis, black leather jacket with guitar and all. It was such a beautiful night I brought a sweater and didn't even put it on. I think we broke some temperature records this year. It was unbelievable!

I agreed to watch JJ for Liz and I asked if he could spend the night, she said yes! So, that was a first and he was so good and fun. I slept next to him all night and he woke up a couple times then was up by 6:45am Saturday morning. I took him to my friend's Aleta and Michele to show him off. Also took him to the Salon and a few people got to see there.

Keith's Birthday

So, here is an update to Keith's birthday

The visit with his parents was really nice. They got here Friday before Keith and I got home from work. Jasmine was home from school to greet them. We had BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches. My mother-in-law brought her fruit cups. Yum.

We had a great meal. And of course we had to break out the games. Their favorites are farkel, spinner and pitch. Jasmine loves playing all the games. She learned how to play pitch this weekend. I am glad, I like that game too.

Saturday, Keith's Birthday, we had a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy and a cream cheese braid. I can't say enough good things about Keith's mom's cooking. I love it. We gave Keith his presents. He liked them. I know he understood that the table is the big gift, still on it's way. When I was wrapping the gifts I noticed there was a difference of the two place mats. They said they were the same sizes but they were obviously different. I wrapped them anyway and I pointed it out to Keith. He like them and said he wanted two more just like them. So I returned them and bought two more for a total of four. His parents gave him money for his birthday. His mom made the infamous cake he's been wanting for his birthday since the year I met him. I watched closely so I can replicate it in the future. We went down to the bus to show his parents the bunk beds and other things Keith has been working on. I asked Keith's mom if she'd be interested in making us some curtains for the bunk beds, ones that will block out light. She said she would although we didn't measure for them when we were there. We then took a drive up by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Helen Hunt falls, Gold Camp Road and Garden of the Gods. It was a really nice day we were lucky to have it so nice for the end of October. I think everyone enjoyed the ride. We stopped at Helen Hunt Falls and walk up the falls a bit, but because Keith's dad doesn't do much walking we came back down and drove the 6 miles of Gold Camp Rd. It's dirt most of the way, but an easy road to drive it has a beautiful view of the city from up there. Keith, his mom, Ora Mae and Jasmine found some rocks on the side of the road. Then we drove through Garden of the Gods, it's always a beautiful park to drive through. We were getting hungry, OK maybe just Jazzy and I were, but we went to Edelweiss. A German restaurant that Keith and I have really enjoyed in the past. I order the Rahmschnitzel, I loved it and I am making a mental note (and writing it here) of what it's called. I will order it again, Keith even said he liked mine better than his. It had a mushroom cream sauce with the pork. Yum. It was a good day in all, I hope Keith had a great day, I believe he did.

Sunday we got up and had another great breakfast this time cooked in part by Keith. He does a good job too :) We kinda sat around for a while in the morning then finally decided to go play mini-golf. It gave us something to do. Keith was the winner, how appropiate. Then came home and cooked the ribs hand-delivered from Bandanas BBQ in Kansas City, MO( this is the place that catered our wedding). Ken and Ora Mae brought the ribs and a bottle of BBQ sauce, it is the flavor "spicy". She also made cheesy potatoes to go with our ribs. That was so nice.

His parents left early Monday morning and got home safely. We will get to see them at Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see the whole family.

We had great food and fun with the family all weekend.

Keith's Birthday presents

My Mother and Father In-law are driving in today from Kansas City, MO for Keith's birthday tomorrow. He will be 44. For his birthday present he wanted a table for the bus. He picked it out himself online, he ordered it about 3-4 weeks ago and I wondering when it will be here. He had it shipped to his work. So, he'll get to see before I will. I know he is looking forward to getting it and seeing it in the bus. With all that said, I wanted to give him something to open on his birthday so I picked up a couple of things that are little but go along with the theme of his table if there has to be a theme that is. So, I got him a couple of place mats, a candle and a new travel coffee mug. Jazzy picked out a cozi for a beer bottle, it's a Hawaiian shirt cozi. He wants to decorate the bus in beach themed decor, so the place mats I picked out are bamboo and light colored enough I think they will go with his theme. I know what your thinking, what man is going to want a candle and place mats for his birthday? I know, I know, I was at a loss of things to get just in the name of having something to open. We'll see if he likes it all. I just hope he remembers that the table he wanted was the main gift. And, the table cost of lot once we paid for shipping. But, I did get a wonderful Kitchenaid mixer last year for my birthday from my wonderful husband.

October 12-14 2008, Our Weekend at Pikes Peak Rv Park

I believe I have mentioned in the past that we were interested in joining The Good Sam's Rving group. We actually had to be voted in and we were. Yeah! I am excited to be a part of this group, they seem like they are going to be a fun group. I am probably the youngest of the adults. Jasmine was the only child, everyone else has grown children in fact some of their grandchildren are Jasmine's age but, I don't think she was too bored. She read a lot this weekend(Not like her, but she was happy). We camped at the Pikes Peak Rv Park in Manitou Springs, CO. We brought the bus up from Pueblo to Manitou on Friday at about 5 ish. We stayed in site # 50/51, Keith always wants to remember which site we stayed in so if we decide to go back we can stay in the same spot if it was a good one. We liked this spot it was perfect for us.
So, Friday night there where "heavy appetizers", everyone was supposed to bring something. I did not realize this, so we ate all the food and I mentioned to Jan, a Good Sam member, that I didn't realize I was supposed to bring something. She made sure I knew it was OK, "because there is always enough food".
Saturday we were on our own all day to do what we wanted, they did have a scavenger hunt to do in Manitou, we didn't do it. We watched Boris with his lathe make a beautiful bottle opener of ebony wood, among other things and he let Jasmine help him make it and keep it. By the time we were done watching his wonderful work, it was so interesting, it was after 1pm. Plus, it was so cold and spitting rain so I think we had stood outside long enough, at one point I brought Jasmine some Hot Chocolate. Brrr! We then went to Amanda's Fonda Mexican Restaurant. I love that place. In fact, I've decided they have the best salsa in town. I had Carnitas, I liked it. I may try something else the next time I go there. Saturday night the Good Sam's had a Chili/Gumbo/Soup cook-off. We made our Jambalaya, we didn't win, but had wonderful warm food perfect for the weather. Everyone stayed inside on Saturday night, ok maybe we just stayed inside because it was too cold outside. I will be glad the rest of the campouts are summer months, so they'll be warmer.
Sunday we made breakfast meat to share and brought fruit and the "Wagon Masters" supplied the pancakes. I am guessing there will not be a shortage of food on these fun weekends. We visited for a bit and then packed up and left. All in all it was a fun weekend. November 8th we are meeting in a restaurant and will continue to do that until the camping resumes in April or May depending on weather.

Wednesday October 8,2008

Today is Wednesday.

Since Jazzy goes to Church with her friend Katie every Wednesday night, Keith and I have been going out to dinner. But, we all went out last night to a pizza place here in town I've been wanting to try, NYPD Pizza. Good Pizza. Because we had never been there we were excited to find out that every Tuesday there's a deal, buy one pizza get one free! Score. I think we'll go back although we have another local favorite we like also. It is Boriello Brothers Pizza and it is another New York style pizza. We seem to like that style.

I watched a little TV last night. I have to admit I am addicted to TV. I have contemplated stopping my watching but I am not sure I can. So, I caught up on Oprah. I also watched a new show this season called Privileged, it's on the CW network. It's a cute show, the main character Megan is so quirky, I love that about her.

I am working two jobs right now. I am working so diligently on getting out of debt. Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I go to Denver to work for a company, they are a contracted company with a gas company, I walk in neighborhoods checking gas meters for corrosion and rusting. Not a hard job, I bust my butt and can get the job done early. So, the second half of the day are mine to do with BUT, I am stuck in Denver. I like the pay, for what I do.
Tuesday and Thursdays and every other Saturday I am a hairstylist at a good salon. I love what I do and the people I get to make beautiful all the time. My clients keep me going I love them. But, I am tired of the politics/cattiness at the salon among the other stylists. This business I've been in for 10 years has it's ups and downs

I like the concept of writing a blog, I'm just not sure I have enough to write about. I will post pictures about life and experiences.

We are going Rving with The Good Sam's Club this weekend. This will support my love of traveling and meeting people. We are going to Manitou Springs at the Pikes Peak Campground.
I am excited to update later about that.

This all new to me

I am not a writer!! I do have thoughts to get out, but I am no good at the getting them down. I am trying to decide what to write about, I think I'll get down some recipes, pictures, and experiences. I am just testing this out.
I think I'll use this forum as my new way of scrapbooking.

Father Daughter Lock-in

Colorado Samboree

Keith has been working hard on the bus. He had almost finished the bunk beds before we went to the Colorado State Samboree.

Jasmine and Kate got to sleep in the new bunk beds for the first time this weekend. I think they really liked them.

Colorado State Samboree was in the Salida, CO fairgrounds, September 10-12, 2008. There were a lot of RVs at the Samboree, I think the total was at 230 rigs. We met a lot of really nice people and got invited to join a chapter meeting. We are thinking of becoming chapter members. We need to go to another meeting to voted in. This seems like a fun group.

We didn't know it at the time but there was a tracker pull the the Salida Fairgrounds.

On our way home from this wonderful weekend. We stopped along side the Arkansas River to eat lunch.

Chad and Diane Adams

Chad, Diane, Kelsey and Collin came out to Colorado to visit from Kansas City. They camped a couple of days near Woodland Park at the Lone Duck Campground before we met them at Mountaindale Campground to camp with them.





We went to the Royle Gorge in Canon City. They hadn't been there in a long time.

Tucker-Brown Family Reunion

Yachats, Oregon July 2008

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July 4, 2008 at the Cabin with friends

Jennie's graduation May 2008