I'm Getting A LITTLE Better......

at making crepes!! Not a whole lot,, but a little bit!! I tried the other recipe Sunday morning and it was MUCH tastier than the other one I tried so it's a keeper!! I'm sure it's the vanilla and little bit of sugar that makes it so good!!

I did keep the crepe maker at a lower temp this time and that seemed to help!! And I did a much better job at using the wooden utensil for spreading the batter out! Did I tell you that we ate at a crepe place in Las Vegas and that outside the place, there was a continuous video showing HOW to spread the batter out with the utensil?? I watched it again and again and I actually remembered what to do when I came home - yes, it worked MUCH better but I still have a long ways to go!!


No matter, after making a few and doctoring them up with strawberries, powdered sugar, drizzled chocolate and whip cream, they tasted EXCELLENT!!!

Las Vegas

It was a nice evening to walk to the Bellagio - we tried to look at the map and figure out how far it was and of course on the map, it just looked like a little ways!! WRONG!! I'm not sure how far it actually was but it felt like miles on my sore legs!!


The Paris Hotel is right across so I snapped a picture of it, all lit up!!

We walked into the Bellagio and who do we see but a couple from W. Pk that we know - I insure them and Glenn had just finished a granite job for them - small world!! We checked out the conservatory which was done up in a Chinese theme and it was gorgeous!! A lady offered to take our picture and after standing there FOREVER, she finally took it - as you can tell by the photo, Glenn and I look pretty bad - I'm hoping it was because we stood there smiling for what seemed like hours before the lady took the picture but then again it could be because we were SO tired from walking!! I wouldn't have posted the picture but I wanted the background to be seen as it was so pretty, done up in flowers and the cute little horse and cart!!

One scene had this huge bunny in it and it reminded me of Easter!!

And then it was outside to the fountains!! They had already started so we didn't get a good place against the railing but still enjoyed watching the fountain and listening to the great music!!

Yes, it was a LONG ways back to our hotel and we even considered getting a taxi but we walked a lot slower going back and were glad to hit the sack that night!!

Tuesday was the start of the actual Expo - there were many, many booths with lots of information, demonstrations and equipment!! Glenn enjoyed it all - me, not so much!! Our one class for the day was at noon and after it was over, Glenn decided to stay for the afternoon and I decided to go back to our hotel to eat from the buffet and relax in the room - also to take the heavy bag of information that he had already picked up that morning, back to the room!!

We did "buffet" day for Tuesday at our hotel - one price per person for the entire day and you could go in as many times as you wanted - what a deal!! I was thoroughly surprised that our breakfast was so good and equally surprised when I went back for lunch and found it much better than eating at the food court!! I had a tough afternoon ahead of me - emailing and reading a book!!

Our evening was a repeat of the night before - playing video poker with drinks in hand (except Glenn won some actual money this night!!)and eating dinner at the buffet - the prime rib and peel and eat shrimp were great!! Exhuastion set in early that night................

Wednesday was our last day and even though our plane didn't leave till 5:30, we had to check out of our room so packed our bags and stored them for the day!! We each had one class again and because I didn't have a room to read in this time, I spent some quality time just reading out in the huge hallways while Glenn did his roaming around!! Before we knew it, it was time to grab a taxi and head to the airport!!

All in all, Glenn deemed it a successful business trip - and that's what counts!!

Viva Las Vegas!!

Las Vegas - been there - done that - scrapped it!! So that's why I only took a few pics to post - after all, this was a business trip, not a pleasure trip!! But it's always nice to mix a little bit of pleasure into your business, right????

We made the trek to Denver last Sunday afternoon and boarded our Frontier flight to Vegas which arrived about 5:30pm - and as soon as you step off that plane, you know you're in Vegas! Could it be the slot machines at the airport, the weird people you see or the long line at the taxi stand?? Maybe it's the bright lights or the mobs of people - whatever it is, Vegas is in a class all by itself and if you've never experienced it, you need to go there at least once, maybe twice!! Deep down I knew that if we weren't attending a conference there, I would NOT be there!!

Our taxi driver dropped us off at the Excalibur where we were staying and it's interesting that you have to walk through part of the casino to even check in!! It's also quite irritating when you walk in the door and immediately are hounded by the time share people!! I can't tell you how many times we told them "NO" during the next 4 days!

Have you ever thought about how many thousands of rooms there are in Las Vegas??? I would hate to even venture a guess!! Our room was on the 23rd floor, right off the elevator so that was great - and our room was very nice, considering the low price we had paid!! We even had a view out of our "Tower One" room!!

We hurridly unpacked and listen to this: I DID NOT OVERPACK!!! We each wore a pair of jeans and took ONE other pair, along with 3 tops apiece for the next 3 days, a pair of comfty pants apiece and our socks and underwear!! THAT WAS IT!!! I was so proud of myself for just bringing exactly what we needed and it was just fine - I didn't have a meltdown due to NOT having a choice of what to wear - I had no choice but to wear what I packed and I discovered it was not bad at all!!

Glenn had decided we were going to eat at Dick's Sports Bar after looking at the brochures in our room - he said it looked like a fun place and was right on the casino level so we wouldn't have far to go!! We found it and took a seat - I wasn't impressed but decided to give the place a chance anyway!! No menus except what was posted on the WALL in several places and I was totally shocked at the prices!! I must have forgotten for a minute that we were in Vegas!! To make a long story short, we each ordered a pork BBQ sandwich and a drink apiece and the bill was $43.00 - and the entire time this loud, pounding music was playing with a bass beat that was making my entire body shake - I was never so glad to get out of a place!!!

Since we both had classes the next day, we did hit the sack pretty early and actually slept great! The "Stone and Surface Expo" didn't officially start until Tuesday, but we were signed up for classes all day on Monday!! We had decided the night before that we had better find the tram to ride since the convention was at Mandaly Bay - you could catch the tram at our hotel and then ride to the Luxor next and then end up at M. Bay - perfect!! We actually ended up walking to the Luxor through the hotel system and catching the tram there, thinking we had it all figured out when we rode it back to our hotel!!

The Luxor is a really neat hotel and the photo below is taken right where you get on the tram - it was a beautiful day outside although we didn't get to spend any daytime outside, due to our classes!!

I couldn't believe the walk to the Convention Center after getting off the tram! We walked and walked and walked, following the hordes of people heading there!! I'm guessing it was about a 1/2 mile walk and at that point, I realized just how BIG some of these hotels are!! Glenn and I each found our rooms and since mine started an an hour and a half after his, I was forced to just sit and relax and read a book until mine started - such a shame..........

We both enjoyed our morning classes, grabbed a bite of lunch ($10.00 hamburgers) and then both attended the same class for the afternoon and it was NOT good!! The first 2 speakers were so dry and boring that we finally got up and left!!

After winding our way back through the hotels and trams, we headed to the casino at our hotel and had a great time playing video poker and getting served free drinks!! My $20.00 lasted a LONG time!!

I got to choose where to eat dinner and had my heart set on Italian, a restaurant on the upper level of our hotel - but it was closed for a private party that night - darn!! Because we hadn't researched anywhere else, we just decided to eat at the Steakhouse that night - it was excellent - extremely pricey though!!

After dinner, we headed outdoors to walk to the Bellagio to see the fountain - our hotel was all lit up (as everything IS in Vegas) and made for a neat picture as we walked outside!!

To be continued...............

Scrapbook Stories!

Truth be told, we always get a little silly at Suite Retreat!! And why shouldn't we? No kids, no husbands - and doing something we all love!!!

Now Happy Hour was interesting in the fact that Jill couldn't drink - I had one each night and Jessi and Jaime just kept downing the drinks like there was no end in sight!!! Just kidding of course .........

Last year, I had special t-shirts made for each of us to wear to our scrapping weekend - but Jaime forgot hers and Jill of course could not fit into hers so just Jessi and I wore them!

We ordered pizza in for Saturday night!! Jessi was playing around with her pizza while we were laughing up a storm, especially when she showed us this!!!

And Jill was using Jessi's prize of the dragonfly punch when one disappeared out of her hand and this is where it landed!! Guess baby Savage wanted to be part of the fun too!!!

All in all it was one great time!! Unfortunately I had to leave early on Sunday to race home and unpack the car and then repack it for our flight to Vegas (upcoming blogs on that!!) but the memories of last weekend will be with me forever!! Thanks girls for ONE GREAT WEEKEND!!
(Note - Jaime didn't get the "green" memo either I guess!!!)

WSR - aka Winter Suite Retreat!!

I look forward to WSR every year, not only knowing that I'll get a lot of scrapbooking done but also knowing I'll have fun with whomever gets to come that year!! This year was an exception - all 3 girls came!!! They planned it a year in advance with their hubbies to make sure the guys each had the weekend off and could babysit the kids!!

We also booked an "executive suite" for the weekend which basically means it's a HUGE room to set up the scrapbooking tables and we all LOVED having the large room to spread out!! Jaime and Jessi had the tables up by the time I arrived and before we knew it, Jill had arrived too and we all got set up and started in!!

We always love the Happy Hour the Embassy Suites puts on and it's always a good time to see the other scrappers and do some visiting!!

Our consultant, Stacey, always provides dinner the first night so after eating our subs and yummy chocolate cake, we really got down to business!! Jessi and I were in the FIRST batch of winners that night for prizes so basically got our choice - Jessi picked a dragonfly puncher which is cute as can be and I picked a puncher that has 4 tiny objects - a frog, a butterfly, a clover and one other which I can't seem to remember - anyway they're darling and I'm so glad I picked that prize!!

We scrapbooked and ate and then scrapbooked some more and ate - fruit and nuts and caramel popcorn and little sausages and homemade cookies and M & M's and hot apple cider and more chocolate...............we were stuffed by the time we headed to bed about 11:00 PM! And we all had a good night's sleep.........To be continued.............

3rd Time IS A Charm!!

They were there!! I rounded a corner on my way to work on Friday and there were the elk, standing there in all their glory!! Not a great place to pull off as there was a guard rail so I drove up a little ways, whipped the car around and then parked across from them!! Grabbed my camera which of COURSE was in my car, walked across the highway next to the guard rail and started taking pictures!!

It was freezing out - the wind was blowing and cars kept zipping right beside me but I stood my ground and soon there was a bunch of cars doing the SAME thing I was doing!! The elk were all spread out but I counted close to 100 as I stood there watching them!! What a fantastic way to start out my Friday!!

Third Day's A Charm - I HOPE!!

2 days in a row now I've missed it - 2 days in a row I could have had some great shots - but my camera was sitting at home, once again............ When will I learn??

Yesterday I headed into work and between our house and Divide, there they were - the herd of about 80 elk - standing in the field RIGHT BY THE HIGHWAY!! It COULD have been a perfect shot because 1) they were right next to the fence line 2) there was NO ONE behind me so I could have easily slammed on my brakes and pulled to the side and 3) the sun wasn't up yet over the mountain so there was no sun glare, just perfect lighting.

Did it cross my mind to bring my camera this morning?? Absolutely not - I just headed out that door this morning and was thinking to myself that it sure was cold out (try 16 below) and I turned the corner at Twin Rocks Road and there they were AGAIN - the huge herd standing in this beautiful snow covered field RIGHT BY THE ROAD!! A perfect spot to pull off - but what was the use???? I was so close to them that I slowed way down to watch their steamy clouds of vapor release as they breathed in that cold, cold air!! It would have made an awesome shot!!

Tomorrow - my camera WILL be with me as it's already packed in the scrapbooking supplies - the chances of the elk just waiting for their photo to be taken?? Time will tell...............

Pack - Pack - Pack!!!

Although I LOVE to travel - I don't like packing!! I think it's because I like clothing CHOICES - and when you're trying to do a carry on bag, you're really limited on what you can take!

This week I'm packing for 2 trips - Suite Retreat at the Embassy Suites this weekend and then it's on to Las Vegas for a "Stone Expo" with Glenn!!

Packing for Suite Retreat is pretty easy - but let me tell you, there's a LOT to pack - I always end up taking my scrapbooking roll suitcase, a fair sized bag that's especially made for scrapbooking materials, 2 clothes baskets full of stuff, my laptop computer, and my clothes bag!! It's a good thing the Embassy Suites has those large rolling carts to put everything on!!

It's the first time in YEARS that all 3 girls and I are ALL going!! And we've got the big executive suite booked so there will be plenty of room for us!! Of course we're all bringing lots of food and drinks and with the "free" happy hour each evening and the breakfast that's included, we'll be set!

Our trip to Vegas is a "working" trip - both Glenn and I have signed up for several of their free classes - most of mine involve marketing while Glenn's are all granite based!! And any free time I'm sure will be spent looking at all the booths that will be set up displaying granite and marble!

So we won't need to pack any "dressy" clothes at least, just jeans will do the trick I'm sure!! And good walking shoes - and some type of jacket - and the computer to catch up on emails in the evenings - and a book to read when I'm waiting on Glenn - and the list goes on and on and on!!

I finally got wise a couple of years ago and got a basket to put all the "travel" items in that I sometimes take: the camera charger, a mini flashlight, a mini umbrella, my IPOD case and headphones, an extra cell phone charger to name a few - I got tired of trying to remember where I put each item so it's just easier to have it all in one spot!!

Also laid out to pack are all the hand-out materials that we had to print out for all of the classes - I printed and printed and printed! Between the 8 classes for both of us, there is at least a ream of paper - I think Glenn will get to pack that in HIS suitcase!!

Suite Retreat and Las Vegas - HERE I COME!!!

French Crepes Anyone???

Jessi had my name for Christmas and got me exactly what I wanted - a crepe maker!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CREPES!! Especially when they're filled with fruit and topped with lots of whipped cream!! One of my favorite places to eat in town is the Hungry Bear and everytime I go, I order the same thing, Strawberry Crepes and a side of bacon!!

So before Christmas, I started researching crepe makers and it wasn't hard to pick out the one with the best reviews - and that's what I received!!

This morning was the day to try out the crepe maker!! The recipe in the instruction booklet said the batter had to sit 30 minutes (guess that is because there is no baking powder in the batter) so I decided to go ahead and make it, since I had to first follow the instrctions for the FIRST time usage which meant turning it on high and then letting it cool back down!

After the allotted time, I started cooking the crepes - wow - they REALLY cook fast!!! I would hardly get the batter poured on the thing before it started cooking and yet, I still had to use the "special wooden tool" to spread the batter out!! I kept turning the maker down but it STILL cooks pretty fast!!

I had visions of beautiful huge round crepes - but that's just what they were - VISIONS!! In reality, the batter does NOT go to the very edge (you would NEVER have time to get it over there before it'd be done cooking) and unless you're extremely quick with the wooden utensil, they don't come out round, but every shape in between!!

No matter - it's the taste that counts - right??? I think I had 6 crepes done within 3 or 4 minutes and I had Glenn scramble some eggs up to put inside - the result - good, but not fantastic!! I have another recipe that sounded SO much better but I opted to try the manual one first - next time I will definitely try the other one as it has a little bit of sugar and a couple tsp. of vanilla in it and I do think that will give the crepe a much better flavor!!

But after the egg crepes, you can bet I HAD to have a fruit crepe - I didn't have any strawberries on hand - they're hard to get this time of year and super expensive so I just opened up a can of cherry pie filling and piled some on and topped it with whip cream - yum, yum!!! With the fruit crepes, this recipe tasted JUST FINE because of the sweetness of the fruit!! I was in heaven..........

So come on over anytime you want and I'll fix up some crepes for you!! No guarantee what they will LOOK like, but guaranteed to TASTE GREAT!!!

It's COLD Out.........

and I'm ready for some warmer weather!! This 20 below stuff is for the birds - well, not really!!

I was feeling a little "blah" yesterday so when I went to Walmart after work, I picked up a "beach" calendar and just hanging it at work this morning made me feel better!! That white sand, the turquoise water, the palm trees - can't you just feel that hot sun beating down on you while you lie on that beach chair with a pina colada in hand??? I'm counting the days down till we'll be doing that - just one more month and Mexico, here we come!!

My car is absolutely filthy after driving home Sunday from Ft. Collins!! They used this black stuff on the interstate and besides my car being totally iced up around the tires and the running board, it's covered in black stuff!! Of course yesterday I wore my off-white jeans to work and the bottoms were NOT clean when I arrived home from work, just from getting in and out of the car. Today I wore light tan pants (wouldn't you think I'd learn??) and sure enough, black stuff around the knee from leaning into the car, even though I really tried to be careful!! But I can't get it washed because it hasn't got above 15 degrees!! Maybe tomorrow???????

After being gone 3 weekends in a row, we're STAYING HOME this weekend!! HOORAY!! In fact, Glenn even asked me if I would like to see a movie on Friday night! Whoo Hoo - a date night!! But I was disappointed when I came to work and looked at the marquee for the theater and the movie I want to see, The Tourist, won't be there after Thursday!! Hopefully something else good will be playing! Should I ask for dinner out too???? I think so...................

Getting Ready For Baby Savage!!

In just a little under 2 months, Baby Savage will be making his way into the world so it was time to head to Ft. Collins to help Jill get the nursery ready!!

Aleah was excited to see us and I enjoyed playing with her while Glenn and Robby went ice fishing that evening - no luck either!! Jill and I watched an unbelieveably BAD movie - it was so bad we didn't even finish it!! Because I rate the movies from Netflex after I've seen them, I always check the list of the movies that I will "love" and this was one of them - NOT!!! It's called The Long Kiss Goodnight and I don't recommend it at all!!

Glenn got up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 to go ice fishing and after clattering around in the kitchen for awhile cooking breakfast (we were sleeping on a mattress in the living room as Robby had just painted the nursery and the smell was too strong in there), I could NOT get back to sleep for a long time and couldn't believe when Jill came down at 8:00 and I was still sleeping!!

We went shopping for a little while to try and find some decor for the baby's nursery walls but didn't come home with a thing!! But we had fun looking and after getting some coffee, we headed home to start sorting clothes - and sort we did - between all the clothes from Jessi and Jaime, there was a LOT to sort through - we sorted and matched and washed and dried and folded for what seemed like hours!!!

And then we headed to the kitchen to make some meals to freeze that Jill can use after the baby is born!! Aleah had fun just sitting in her chair watching us!! She looks SO CUTE in the outfit that Jaime gave her for Christmas!!

Glenn came home with FISH - 25 perch - yes, they're small little things but really tasty!! Because we already had a ham in the oven, he cleaned them and brought them home for Sunday night's dinner - and yes, they were great!!

Saturday night's movie was MUCH better and it was enjoyable just to relax after our busy day!! But Sunday didn't turn out as fun as we woke to SNOW coming down pretty good!! So much for Jaime and Brad bringing up the load of furniture for the nursery!!

While Glenn cooked us a huge breakfast, Jill and I scurried about doing the few last things she wanted done and then it was out the door for a treacherous 4 hour drive home on the snowy roads!!

And to think the next time I'll be in Ft. Collins, it will be for the birth of our 3rd grandson - we can't wait!!!

The DREADED Chore!

Does anybody dislike putting Christmas decorations away as much as I do??? Because I decorate the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving, I'm always ready to take them down right after the first of the year!

And every year the same thought goes through my head - why is it SO FUN to put them up and such a chore to take them down?

I usually try to pack it all in a weekend and be done with it - but since we were gone New Year's Weekend this year, it's been strung out all week!! I have found that the easiest way for me is to gather all the Christmas items and put them on the pool table (and the floor, and along the side of the wall!) and THEN pack them away in the tubs - and actually, it doesn't take that long to pack them away either - it's just the THOUGHT of it I guess!

So I've reached the "packing away" point and tonight is the night to finish it up! After all, I need to get that done so I can start on Glenn's business books - once again, I have the ENTIRE year to input on the computer along with typing out 1099's for his workers during the year - any volunteers?????

New Year's Eve -2

We woke up to another cold, cold morning outside so the hot coffee tasted good!! It was time to pack up and head out - after much fumbling with my camera, we FINALLY got a group shot on the timer, only the lighting was not great because of the sunshine - of course we weren't complaining about that!!

The ranch has a cute little "town" that I'm sure the kids have a ball playing in so we stopped to take a shot of it before heading up the road!

As we headed toward Agnes Falls, there is a field where the sheep are fed and sure enough, there were a few Dall Sheep hanging out - they weren't too close but it was still neat to see them!

And then it was off to the falls - kind of a treacherous hike for almost a mile in the snow and ice but the result was well worth it!!

The frozen falls were certainly pretty and we could hear the water running under them - I'm excited to go back in the summer and hike up there as I didn't even know they existed!!

After a stop at the Coyote Cantina for a Mexican lunch, we headed home with the hopes of doing this again another New Year's Weekend - it was ONE great time with friends!!

New Year's Eve

After having to call in sick on Thursday because I had no voice, I was a little worried that our weekend plans wouldn't happen!! But between the hot tea and the vicks, I felt MUCH better on Friday, even though my voice was pretty cracky!!


Glenn and I packed up on Friday morning and picked up friends Martin and Joleen by 12:15 and headed over to Buena Vista - the roads weren't great in places but we still made good time and checked in at the Deer Valley Ranch!

I had booked a 3 bedroom, 3 bath cabin and one NEVER knows what to expect when you're booking a cabin - they're usually very cute but sometimes quite rustic and that doesn't bother us since we're easy to please!! But this place was NICE - VERY NICE!! An extremely well-stocked kitchen with an eating area that led to the living room where you walked down about 4 steps into a huge room with a nice fireplace!! 2 of the bedrooms were huge - I picked the one with the tall, tall ceiling that had skylights set into it and that was neat!! Each bedroom had their own bath off of it and ours had 5 towel sets - FIVE!!! Needless to say we were very impressed with the cabin!!

We unpacked and played some Mexican Train and soon our other couple, Lonnie and Dawn arrived! It was time to start eating and drinking!!! Martin cooked up a "seafood boil" which consisted of crawfish, shrimp and crab and we ate and ate and ate - so much in fact that this "appetizer" actually became our dinner because we were so full, the thought of eating a full meal was just too much!!!

Here's a shot of all of us playing "Mexican Train" - and then it was on to The Newlywed Game and Left, Center, Right!! We had a ball playing games and laughing!!

We did end up later on eating the next day's "lunch" item which was French Dip Roast Beef but it worked out perfectly!! Yes, we even made it to midnight!!!

Because of the horrible cold and wind outside, we had opted to NOT go to the hot springs on Friday afternoon and were really hoping to go on Saturday - but we woke up to below zero weather with the wind whipping around once again and there was just no way that we could imagine sitting in those hot springs, especially since 2 of us were still sort of sick!!

It was fun to wake up the next morning and have Glenn cook us a huge breakfast and then sit around in our pj's and drink coffee and visit..........how relaxing!!!

We did bundle up Saturday morning and take a short, EXTREMELY cold walk to some of the different buildings at the ranch - we saw their outdoor swimming pool which is kept about 85 degrees (brrrrrrrr) and their outdoor hot tub (which needed cleaning but it was too cold to even think about that too) - they had a sauna inside one of the buildings but even that didn't peak our appetite!!

They have a huge lodge filled with couches and chairs and a large fireplace - just like you would imagine a dude ranch lodge would look like!!! On one side of the building was their large dining room (closed in the winter) and it was just a nice building that would be fun to sit and relax in!! Here's the outside of the lodge - the chairs are all facing the mountains and the view you see is the next picture!!

The last building we checked out was the game building - ping pong tables, pool table and upstairs a huge room with lots of chairs and a large TV - we figured the guys would want to be there watching football in the afternoon but they actually chose to stay with us in the cabin!! Outside on the deck, was this neat arrangement of antlers!! We were all impressed!!

Saturday afternoon we all piled into our car (we have a 3rd seat in the back) and took a drive over to Salida, a nearby town where we stopped at a cute coffee place for coffee and sandwiches - nice and cozy!! But we were all happy to head back to the cabin for a great spagetti dinner that evening and another round of games!! What fun!!! It's been years since I've played so many games in one weekend...............To be cont'd...........