Those YUMMY Sugary Cereals!!

Do you know how long it's been since I had a bowl of Honey Smacks???

WAY TOO LONG!!!  I bet I haven't bought a box of these since I had the girls at home!!  Anyway, Kellogg's cereal was on sale last week so of course I was hoping that Special K Red Berries was one of the ones on sale because we always eat that, along with my favorite, Mini-Wheats.

Well, the Special K was NOT on sale - but Honey Smacks were - I noticed the box as I was walking by and thought to myself - I don't care HOW much sugar is in this cereal, I WANT SOME!!

Now the surprising thing is this:  I opened the box this morning and actually ate 2 bowls - that's how good it tasted!!!  And then I pulled out the Mini-Wheats just so I could compare and then I would know that I wasn't allowed to buy Honey Smacks again because they're so BAD for you!!  WRONG!!  There wasn't a whole lot of difference!!!  The main GOOD thing about Honey Smacks is it was 1/2 the calories of Mini-Wheats - HOORAY!!!  But the sodium count was double - BOO!!!

But I learned that I CAN actually buy this cereal again when I get hungry for it because it's not only GOOD for me, but it tastes great - you just can't beat that!!!

Good-Bye To A Dear Friend

Saying so long to friends is always hard!!!  But Clara and husband Gene are just moving to Kansas to be near family so that doesn't make it as hard!!  Witchita is NOT that far away - and with emails and phones, I know we'll stay in touch!!

Saturday morning the "choir" girls threw a going away party for her over at Arlyne's house - we all pitched in to make a yummy egg dish, a coffee cake, a fruit tray with dip and chocolate covered strawberries, along with juice and coffee!  It was a wonderful morning with friends, visiting and just catching up!  Our gift to her was an enlarged picture of the "choir" girls when we went to Mary Ellen's Tea House and were dressed in elegant Victorian outfits!!  She LOVED the picture and frame!

And since our 5th member of the group, Marilyn, has moved to Atlanta, we're now down to three of us - I guess we'll have to rename our group the 3 Muskateers!!!

So long Clara - and may your new life in Kansas be just as wonderful as your life here in Colorado was!!

A Day Trip To Westcliffe

Saturday was gorgeous!! One of those beautiful days when the sun is shining and you HAVE to do something.........

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Plans were already made though because Glenn needed to make a trip to Westcliffe to do more polishing on a granite island and he asked me if I would go along for the ride!! Absolutely!!!

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After stopping at the shop to pick up his supplies, we headed to Co. Springs and stopped and ate at the Village Inn - I had actually requested that we stop because I LOVE the pick and choose part of their menu!! For $6.99 you can pick 4 items from a HUGE list of choices and the sizes are just perfect - not huge - and I can get exactly what I want - which is what I did!!! 2 egg cheese omelet, 2 slices of bacon, hash browns and a strawberry crepe!!! I almost licked the plate clean it was so good!!!

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When I was at the shop, I grabbed a pair of scissors as I knew the lilacs were in bloom at the lower elevation and I was NOT going to pass up a chance to cut a sprig for the car so I could enjoy it all day!!! Glenn stopped at the perfect spot just as we came into Florence and jumped out of the car to cut a piece before anyone saw him!! Oh my - the smell was intoxicating!! I was one happy person at that point!!!

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And then it was on to coffee at The Pour House - now isn't that a cute name?

I couldn't resist taking a photo of a great cup of coffee and my all time favorite flower as we sat out in the sun and enjoyed ourselves!!

As I said before, it was a beautiful day out and the temps reached close to 80 as we headed to Westcliffe - and Glenn even stopped AGAIN to cut me another sprig when he saw another loaded lilac bush - gosh, good company, good coffee, good music and lilacs !!

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We headed to the house and while Glenn worked away, I sat on their deck with a book and read!! And on the way back, we took a different way and ended up in Guffey where we had lunch before we reached home!! What a perfect day!!

April Snows!

Hooray - the snow arrived last night!! Heavy, wet snow that we so desperately needed in this extreme fire danger area!!

I got out of scooping snow this morning!!

In fact, I had my first outing since my surgery - a trip to breakfast!! We headed to Divide as there is a new place we haven't tried - it wasn't open. So on to our 2nd choice which is a great standby - it wasn't open!!! Third time was a charm, even though we had to drive back to Florissant!! Costello Coffee House WAS open and a favorite place for coffee too so I was in heaven!

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It's been an interesting week, being home every day, mainly on the couch!! I found plenty of things to do: emails, finishing ALL THREE Hunger Game books, making special coffee each morning, internet surfing, talking on the phone, more emails, a few easy chores, putting ice on my leg several times a day, you get the idea.............Not once did I venture downstairs to watch TV - mainly because it was nice and sunny upstairs and WARM, but secondly because there just isn't anything great to watch on TV during the day unless you watch a movie!

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But Saturday, Glenn had to work again all day and because I was in between books and was ready to do some Swedish weaving, I took to the WARM downstairs (because Glenn had a nice cozy fire going) and made it a movie day!! (after getting the laundry done of course!! I watched 3 movies: The Family Stone (where I cried and cried and decided that was TOO much so put in a HAPPY movie!!), Sweet Home Alabama and Out Of Time. And the great part was I got a lot done on my blanket!!

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As much as I love being home, it's just not the same when you're recuperating!! So tomorrow I will venture into work for an hour or so before I head down to the doctor so he can check the stitches and see how I'm healing!! As long as the doctor OK's working some, I will try to be in the office a little bit this week when I know Glenn will be doing an install!

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But for today, I'm OK with just hanging out and watching it snow!

Surgery!

So last Monday was my surgery day - I was apprehensive which is to be expected I guess!

Even though we arrived early, they took me back to the room and started in on the locals - why do those darn locals have to hurt like they do? I'm not sure how many the nurse gave me but apparently it wasn't enough because once the doctor started cutting, he had to give me more as I could feel it - NOT fun!!

The worst part was the laser cauterization - that part felt like I didn't have ANY numbness in my leg and I cried out 2 different times as the pain was so intense - not something I want to repeat!! 50 stitches later the doctor said he was finished.........

After an hour, we were out of there!! Glenn stopped at the store to pick up some painkillers for me and I hit the couch once we got home!!

Now, 4 days later, I am doing good - stairs are a little tough for me yet and mornings are the worst as it feels like a lot of tugging and pulling when I first get out of bed! But I'm sleeping well and will probably be done with the drugs today!!

The couch and I have become good friends!! I have everything I need within reaching distance and spend my time on the computer and reading!!! I've finished the 2nd book of The Hunger Game series and am now on my third book - excellent stories!!

Glenn brought me home 2 beautiful plants last night - one from him and one from my two sisters, Patty and Teri - they certainly brighten up this room!!

Until next Monday when I return to the doctor, I'll still be taking it easy. My leg has started to bruise so I have vivid shades of purple and red to look at! But it's over and done and life goes on!!

Easter Day

We don't look TOO bad after a night of partying now do we??? Unfortunately, Gary was not feeling too well so he stayed home while we attended church with Jessi and the kids. The Smiths and the Savages went to the Lutheran church and then we all met back at Jessi's house, along with Courtney, Matt, Audrey and Ashley!!

The kids all looked so cute in their Easter outfits!!

After a delicious lunch, the Easter egg hunt was on!!

Aleah decided she liked eating what was INSIDE the eggs, better than actually finding them!!

Can you believe this is the ONLY picture I got of Parker toddling around??? Since they stayed over at Jaime's house, I didn't get any early morning pics of the family!

Little Miss Princess here - she LOVES to pose!!!

And I finally coaxed a smile out of Aleah - she was all about eating that candy out of her Easter basket!! The kids all enjoyed their baskets while us adults started in on the pistachio dessert!!! YUM!!

It was truly a wonderful weekend with the kids and the grand kids and one that won't be forgotten for a long, long time!!! But after all the activities of the weekend, it was time to pack up and head home to get ready for Monday !!

Glenn's SURPRISE 60th Party

Can it be possible that Glenn is turning 60 years old???? ABSOLUTELY!!! But technically not till May 22...............

The girls and I started talking a long time ago about what to do for his birthday - he had already told me he did NOT want a big party!!! HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM - I thought and thought and then decided on 2 things - a limo and a fishing trip to Mexico!!!

Because Glenn has to know his schedule a ways in advance to get all his jobs lined up, I KNEW I couldn't wait till his birthday to surprise him with a trip - so we decided to celebrate the night before Easter - mainly because that would give him plenty of time to get his business in order for the trip AND because all 3 girls and their spouses would be around for Easter!!

Saturday late afternoon I FINALLY pulled Glenn into Jaime's dining room (where the decorations were hanging and HAD been hanging for quite a while - yes, men ARE clueless!!) and said, "Guess what we're celebrating tonight!" and he looked at me and said "our anniversary????" And I said no, look around!!! He FINALLY noticed the "60" decorations hanging from the light fixture and was thrilled that we were going to have a nice steak dinner and go dancing!!! (Only we WEREN'T going dancing at all.............)

I got my bag of goodies out and dressed up Glenn in some of his 60 decorations!

We enjoyed a great steak, baked potato and Caesar salad dinner with JUST the adults as we had fed the kids earlier!! Brad did a great job of smoking and grilling the steaks!!

And then it was a rush to get ready as the limo was arriving 15 minutes earlier than planned!!!

At 7:15 sharp, the doorbell rang and I opened the door to see the limo driver and was shocked to see what was in the background!!! I had ordered a black stretch limo that seats 8 to 10 people - what was parked outside the house was a white (which I originally wanted until I saw the price!) stretch Cadillac Escalade that holds up to 14 people - WOW!!!

I told the driver to wait a minute, shut the door and called Glenn over - told him we weren't REALLY going dancing and opened the door - he was TOTALLY shocked!!! It was SO much fun to surprise him!!!

We got the grand kids put in the limo - Rayna, Evan, Kenzie, Kylan and Aleah - and took them for a ride first!!! I think they were so shocked at riding in such a large car that they didn't even know what to do!!! It was fun riding with them for about 15 minutes!!! The company had even put a bunch of balloons in the limo that said "Happy 60th Birthday" and each child received one as they got out!!

And then the adults were off!!!

The limo was amazing!! There were 4 flat screen TV's, a 1500 watt stereo with an IPOD attachment (that Jessi and I could NOT get figured out but no matter, I had brought CD's) and of course the LONG bar along the one side that had the prettiest colored napkins in each glass, soft drinks, water and a decanter each of vodka and whiskey!! We had brought an ice chest full of beer and wine coolers so we were set for the evening!!

Our first stop was to go get yogurt at Zookie's!!! It's one of those cool ice cream places with different flavors of soft serve and EVERY imaginable topping you could think of!!! The owners were fun and got right into the birthday celebration!!!

Here's Glenn eating his ice cream!!!

I was originally going to give him his gift and cards in the limo but because it was so dark in there, I decided we better do it in the light of the yogurt place - our "old" eyes just aren't what they used to be!!

First Glenn opened the 3 cards from the kids - and because we were doing a "Mexican" theme, they all gave him money for his birthday with instructions to use it for a bottle of tequila, fishing equipment for Mexico and a nice Mexican meal!!! Unfortunately we were NOT in the limo to have the Mexico music playing in the background!!!

Then I handed him my card and inside I had written the words from the chorus of his favorite song: "Women are made to love, money is made to spend. Life is something buddy, you will never live again. Oh I've got to admit it, GLENN sure knows how to live".

And then I reached in my bag and gave him his gift!

He was quite surprised to say the least!!! Inside his billfold was a travel itinerary for a fishing trip to Loreto, Mexico in June!!

Back into the limo for a trip up Lookout Mountain which is located in Golden!! It was HIGH as my ears kept popping!! A couple of times the limo driver had to stop on the switchbacks to let the oncoming car go by as the limo was so long, it could hardly make the corner!!! It was BEAUTIFUL at the top, looking at the lights of Golden and Denver along with a beautiful almost full orange moon!!! WOW - it was spectacular!!!

One last toast - a few more songs and then it was back to Jaime's house!!! What a fun, fun night to celebrate Glenn's birthday!!! And I believe it's one that he's going to remember for a long time!! Happy Early Birthday!!!

Easter Egg Hunting & Decorating Cookies

I often feel that Easter weekend is sometimes more busy than Christmas!! This Easter was no exception as we not only had all the Easter festivities but we also had a surprise 60th birthday party for Glenn - but that will be in the next blog!!

Saturday morning we headed to Peace of Christ Lutheran Church for breakfast and the Easter Egg Hunt!! Since Jaime had to work and Brad had to take Rayna to a volleyball game, Kylan came with us!! Even though Kylan and Mackenzie are only cousins, they could be twins in this picture - check out their same facial features!!

Of course the Easter bunny was there!

And leave it to Glenn to be looking fashionable!!!

The kids enjoyed the egg hunt and of course had baskets full of eggs and candy!!

We headed back to Jessi's house where Robby, Jill and the kids joined us to color Easter eggs!! I'm not sure who enjoys that more, the adults or the kids!!

Soon Rayna arrived and she was happy we had saved the dye so she could do her eggs!

After coloring the eggs, the kids decorated Easter cookies - I took a great picture of the frosted cookies but somehow it didn't make it in this blog so I'll have to post it in another one!!

It was a fun day with all the kids but nap time is always appreciated while we prepare the food for Easter day - and for the surprise party that night.........To be Cont'd

The Hunger Games

It's pretty rare that I EVER see a movie twice in the theater ( although I think I saw Mama Mia 3 times!!) but when I walked in the door Sunday late afternoon and started telling Glenn about The Hunger Games, he said he wanted to go see it!!

I said I'd love to see it again - that's how much I enjoyed the movie!!! It was playing in Woodland Park so we didn't have far to go!

So what's my take on this movie???? It was dark, thought provoking and imaginative! It was the type of adventure thriller that had a lot of dramatic violence, raw emotion and was often brutal in parts where it needed to be!! But it was purely captivating..............I wanted it to go on and on - I wanted to know how the districts came to be - I wanted to know what each district did for a living - and the list of questions went on and on!!

Luckily, Jill had read all 3 of the books so answered many of my questions but I couldn't wait to get my hands on the books!!! I am now reading The Hunger Games and just today purchased the other 2 - I'll have plenty of time to read next week while I'm recuperating from my surgery next Monday!

Friends have asked me how I could love a movie like this when the theme is actually 24 teenagers, fighting and killing to be the last one standing! It's not the killing that pulls you into this movie - it's the "story telling" of how this came to be and the everyday lives of people in the future - it's the expressions on the teenagers who are thrown into this bizarre game, not because they wanted to be there but because they were chosen to be there! It's the thought that because this takes place in the future, could something like this actually happen?

If you haven't seen The Hunger Games, I recommend it - and if you love to read, I'm already going to give a recommendation on these 3 books - right now I can't WAIT to get home and read some more............

It's DEFINITELY Spring In Ft. Collins!

After getting out of the hot tub Thursday night with Jaime and the kids, I hurriedly packed my bag for the next couple of nights as I was heading to Ft. Collins at noon on Friday to babysit!

And after I arrived, I realized that I had totally packed wrong!!! Even though it's been very seasonal in Woodland Park, it's not quite time for shorts and sandals - but it IS in Ft. Collins as I soon found out.............and when Jill asked me which church service I wanted to go to on Sunday since it was Palm Sunday, it dawned on me that I hadn't even packed church clothes - duh!!!

But anyway, Jill and Robby were headed out for an afternoon wedding so I got there just in time to babysit - the kids were excellent! Neither one cried - they ate a great dinner with me - and bedtime was a breeze!!!!

And then Saturday morning came...........the kids certainly knew their mom was around then because they both were out of sorts!!! Funny how kids can be SO good for grandma but then when mom is around, look out!! We did go out shopping for a little while and the kids were just fine doing that!

We dropped the kids back at the house for Robby to watch while Jill and I left to go see a movie!! We both wanted to see "The Hunger Games" and we both thoroughly enjoyed the movie - more on that in another post...........

Did I forget to say it was HOT out in Ft. Collins??? Luckily I had brought t-shirts to wear with my jeans but didn't have sandals and my t. shoes were downright hot!!! The kids had a ball playing outside!!
Parker is toddling all over the place now and brings you his shoes when he wants to go outside!!

I borrowed some capris and sandals from Jill so I would look presentable in church on Sunday and by 2:00 was back on the road home!! But first I stopped at Target to buy the book "The Hunger Games" - I knew after seeing the movie that I wanted to read the book!!!

The long drive home was just that - LONG!!!

Spring Break

I remember spring break - but it sure wasn't a week long and it always fell over Easter! And then my kids had spring break and that did turn out to be a week and usually did NOT fall over Easter!! And now the grand kids are going through spring break............and the cycle continues!!

Because Jaime and Kylan had not been to our house since last June (can you believe it????) we tried to find a time for them to come down on a weekend but that just wasn't happening. Between Kylan's t-ball and Rayna's volleyball, weekends are OUT!!! So they decided to come down during the middle of the week and I took a day and 1/2 off to be with them!

I met Jaime and the kids for lunch at Wines of Colorado on Wednesday! It was SO nice out that we actually sat on the patio - gosh that sun felt nice!!! I had a $40 groupon to spend so we enjoyed our hamburgers and grilled chicken sandwiches plus the 2 desserts we ordered - yum!!!

Jaime had never been to Glenn's workshop either!! So we toured that next and finally ended up back at the house! Rayna and I made cookies!!!

The weather was perfect again on Thursday and we went to the play park for awhile and the kids got in the hot tub and "fished" for a LONG time!!! I played the good Nana and let Jaime take a long nap while I played with the kids!!!

They were SO excited when the deer came!! I grabbed some deer food and told Rayna to hold out the container to see if they would eat out of it and sure enough they did!!!

Then it was Kylan's turn and he was all smiles!!!

After a nice manicotti dinner, we ALL hit the hot tub!!! Glenn, as usual, was goofing off so ignore the weird expression on his face!!!

It was a great time and hopefully Jaime won't wait almost another year to spend some time at our place!!!