Looks Like Trouble

Don't even show me this picture. I beg you! I'm defenseless against a puppy and I can't stand firm. I'm completely a pushover when it comes to that puppy breath and those big puppy feet.
Big D wants a lab puppy so badly. My fleeting voice of reason says, "Are you insane?". Finally we will have a yard unfettered by trampling children, the "path" around the garden is just filling in from previous dog trampling and we all know who the care and training will really fall on...Mom. However, he's a 13 year old boy. They need faithful friends to tell all their troubles to, run with, grow up with and learn responsibility through. I'm doing this for him. Yes, that's the ticket...it's all for Big D! And besides it's spring and will be easy to housebreak another puppy. I have two dogs, why would I deny him? Besides he has already posted it on his Facebook.
Oh...that face! I can't resist a puppy. We have an appointment to go look at a little guy at 5:00 p.m. this evening. If it's not to be, pray I will have divine inspiration!

Where's the laundry fairy when you need her?

Obviously this is how I will be spending my day. I don't mind the jeans and towels..easy to fold. The underwear and socks are the WORST..we never have the same socks to mate up and I am very particular about the way the undies are folded. I like to hang all the shirts. It is such a sense of accomplishment when it is done but so depressing before it is started. It reminds me of that Elisabeth Elliott quote that I think she quoted from someone else that went..
Be a labor great or small,
do it well or not at all.
If a task is once begun,
never leave it 'til it's done.
I think that's how it went. Sounds good anyway she probably loves laundry! The thing that really burns me up is when I sort it out and find FOLDED underwear and socks in the bottom of the basket. Ugh..excuse me, but when did people start re-folding their dirty underwear? Is it so that it will look tidy in amongst the dirty clothes? Puhleze! Everyone knows the culprits were just too lazy to put it away and threw the dirty on top of the clean. The little beasts.

Monday Morning Blues

I have realized that after the weekend, I really miss my little family. Since quitting work, the hardest thing is the quiet of the house day after day after day. It makes me realize how much I loved the stimulation of people and ideas. I enjoy listening to the radio and really love NPR in the mornings and K-LOVE (Christian radio) after that but I've noticed that on K-LOVE they play the same songs in the morning and afternoon. I guess they figure no one is listening all day. When I was between jobs with Old Splurge and New Splurge...I used to listen to books on tape, especially ones that I couldn't quite stay engaged with in text. One series in particular that I love LISTENING to but can't quite stay with READING is the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters. Love, love, love listening to them when I iron. Yes, that is another horror of not working for a paycheck...ironing. UGH! Maybe I need to get a few books on tape for the afternoons...of quiet.
My library list is long today, my chore list is long today, my laundry pile is so huge it's overwhelming and I want to plan my garden today. Obviously some of those tasks are rolling to tomorrow. Not the laundry and kitchen however...they are immediate concerns!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This recipe is nothing new but it is such a yummy coffee cake (or anytime cake) that I thought I'd add it to my blog. It is fail-proof. Big D seemed to really enjoy it this morning when he finally rolled out of bed at 10:00!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
1 C. butter, room temperature
2 C. sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
For Streusel Swirl
1 Tb. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tb. brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and slowly add it to the creamed butter mixture. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Grease (or just spray with Pam) a bundt pan. Spread 1/2 batter in pan (it will be very thick). Sprinkle with streusel. Spread rest of batter evenly over top. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until a pick comes out clean.
Cool about 15 minutes in pan then invert on pretty plate.
If you choose, you can glaze with the following:
1 C. powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tb. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

I did not glaze mine, it was plenty sweet, but the glaze would have been a pretty finishing touch. Since mine was consumed almost as fast as it was cool...it didn't matter. I listed nuts as optional only because my anti-nut-ites would revolt. I think they are extra yummy in this. Enjoy!!

Alan Jackson Concert

After belly-aching all day about going out in the cold, agonizing over nothing to wear, finally deciding on a sweater and jeans..we ventured out to the brand new Hartman Arena located across the highway from the existing Coliseum. VERY ODD. We drove North on I-135 (is that right...I really just know it as the canal route) and when we got to 61st street exit noticed cars lined up on the shoulder. The Hartman Arena is located at the 77th street exit! Oh my gosh..we were 1 1/2 hours early and traffic was horrible. Jim wisely decided to zip up to 85th and come back South to
77th street in hopes that exit wasn't so bad. It wasn't nearly that crowded but we were still stopped at the bottom of the exit ramp off the canal route. We weren't even close to the Hartman Arena. Finally after about 1/2 hour of creeping up the off-ramp, a police officer came and directed traffic and it got a tiny bit more efficient. By the time we parked (7:00 a full hour after we got off the highway), we heard that the line on the canal route was backed up over 4 miles each direction.

Anyway, the place was pretty empty for the first hour of the concert (so many people were stuck on the highway) and so we moved from our VERY squished seats between the big man in the Harley shirt with the lip piercings and the couple intent on producing a pregnancy that evening. Yikes, I obviously don't get out to many concerts. We moved over to what was probably considered the complete nosebleed section but was actually great! Able to see the stage head on, we kicked our feet up on the seats in front of us and really enjoyed the show. Alan sang all his greatest hits and everyone sang along, it was a lot of fun. Kind of a mixed crowd...young cowboys and lots of middle aged and older folks. We fit right in there somewhere.

We left during the encore thinking we'd beat the HIDEOUS traffic out of the place. Uh, no luck. I was driving and while we quickly backed into the LINE, the line was so long it would have been at least an hour to get out of the parking lot alone. Jim convinced some people to back up and so that we could cut through a line of cars and go the opposite direction towards another exit. That worked and we were on our way in about 1/2 hour. There had to be people still sitting there an hour later. The Hartman Arena's parking plan stinks. Anyway, had a lot of fun, AJ was great and Jake Owens (the opener) was pretty good too.

Puppy Perfection

Are these not the cutest dogs ever? Pup Pup, the Pomeranian, is perfection. She is a almost two year old Pommie and super naughty but oh-so-cute! She's my super snuggle bunny. Tiki, the Chihuahua, should be known as "the nester" for obvious reasons. She can usually be found wrapped up like a burrito on the couch or on her super big dog cushion lying in the sunshine. She's just a sweet old girl.

A Snowy Snowy Day

Is anyone tired of hearing me complain about how much I hate snow? Yikes, I hate it! Why are these two out instead of in?

Alan Jackson Concert

Poor Alan Jackson! He probably thinks he picked a pretty crummy date for a concert in Kansas. I guess he only has to walk across a snowy parking lot. We actually have to drive there, park, walk across a snowy parking lot, stamp off boots, shed coats/gloves/scarves, and then do the whole thing in reverse to go home. UGH.

The Tattered Cover

This bookstore, which is located in the LoDo area of Denver, is a gem! The prerequisites for most bookstores are as follows:
*at least two floors
*great seating
*areas laid out like a real store, not a book grocery store
*coffee/tea
*some sort of scrap paper for writing down ideas and free pens
*quiet
*good bathrooms
The Tattered Cover meets all the above criteria. It is located in a huge, old building downtown and although the parking is sketchy...it's worth the search. The sections (Architecture/Cooking/Fiction/Art,etc.) are clearly defined. Each section has seating that matches its theme. For example, the religious section has a church pew, the history section has old wing chairs, the travel section has an old fashioned buckboard from a wagon. It's just as charming as can be.

The coffee and tea is great and Sweet Baby M and the Big D really enjoyed the soup which was served in homemade pottery bowls and mugs. Very cute!

I could have CLEANED up on books but instead bought a few I didn't think I'd find at home and wrote down TONS of titles for the library.

Alan Jackson Concert

Jim and I have tickets for the Alan Jackson concert tonight. I was excited about going when we bought them but then this stupid ice hit and I'm not so hot on the idea. I hate going out in the cold and if it's slippery too...yuk. It doesn't sound very fun to go in snow boots and a heavy coat. Not to mention, who wants to go get in a FREEZING cold car afterwards. AJ is one of my fave performers but still....

The Big D

This absolutely darling boy is 13 years old! I can't believe that time has flown so fast that he is no longer a toddler with Curious George in tow. He has even gotten a little large for his very favorite gift ever, The Panda. His voice is deep, he's shaving occassionally and he longs for a "big dog of his own". Nothing is as wonderful as a 13 year old boy!

Sweet Baby M

My 17 year old, Sweet Baby M, is a rockin' volleyball player. She is such a natural and we love spending time watching her play and traveling to tournaments. These pics are from a recent tournament in Denver.

Beginnings

I'm finally ready to jump into this blogging world. I need an outlet for all the thoughts jumbling around in my brain. Blogging seems to be the perfect answer.