A rejected offer and a treacherous drive home....

On Monday, we got up early, had a quick breakfast, and headed to Estes Park....the skies to the WEST were getting quite a bit darker and cloudier....

 As we headed up the canyon, only slight remnants of the last snow remained....

 The big horn sheep were out having a little breakfast, too

 The pine trees were FULL of gorgeous cones

 And we stopped at a couple of rustic shops to browse a bit

 We made an offer on a home.....however, I already know that they countered with an offer not even close to anything reasonable....well, reasonable to us, as we've done our homework and know the work that has to be done to this house.....NO, it's not a log house that we truly want....

 The elk were out and about too....but the skies were getting darker and it started to snow...

 We decided we had better start the drive home as the curves of the journey home can be treacherous

 The wind picked up....sideways snow....

 The roads soon became slippery white...

 The rock ledges that line the highway were frosted with a heavy splash of powdered sugar

 and the canyon became quite dark

 We were traveling very slowly......and truly looking forward to coming home...

 We lit the fireplace, fixed dinner..............and were thankful to be safely home, even if we didn't find a home of our own......we're not feeling very welcome in Estes Park....nothing seems to be opening itself up to us....for now, I've had enough looking up there for awhile......I think I'll clean out a closet or two, do some journaling.....and rethink all of this.  I actually feel very content.....

I'll keep you posted....thank you for coming along on my journey.....  xoxo

Short and Savory (you thought I was going to say SWEET)

We had some pretty unseasonably warm days last week, and the outdoor decorations came quickly down on the warmest day of all....as Friday approached....the weather turned much colder.  It was time for SOUP!  Inspired by SB's latest post on making soup, I knew it was indeed a good idea, so on Saturday morning, I went to the market and bought a rather large fresh chicken, fresh vegetables, and began....Tonight, on Sunday night, we both went into the family room, turned on the gas fireplace, and had a couple of bowls each. 

 It was wonderful.....is that the face of a happy man or what? 



There's plenty for tomorrow, too....

Don't be AFRAID....

I can't eat gluten...however, all of my family CAN, so once in awhile, I make something that they can eat that I can't and I'll improvise with the ingredients to feed myself.  Here's a dish that is super yummy....not LOW in calories, but you'll feel so satisfied, that you'll probably consume far few calories by having a smaller portion of this than a lot of other foods.  AND, it's got a lot of nutrients in it. 

Here's the RECIPE:

1 large sweet onion, roughly shopped

3 T organic olive oil

organic sea salt to taste ( I used approximately 1 t in this recipe)

smoked pepper ( I get this at a spice shop locally)

Organic smoked sea salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 cup 1 percent milk

1 cup half and half

2 chicken breasts

1 pkg smoked salmon

1 small jar capers and 1/3 of the juice in the jar

2 pkgs organic ravioli with squash

2 cloves garlic

OK, here we go:

First, you're going to put the oil in a pan, warm it up and add your onions.  Add 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Stir til clear, not browned.  Next, add milk and half and half.  Good until bubbly but not full boil. 

Cut up two fully cooked chicken breasts.  Mine were baked with herbs de provence and lemon

Cut up the smoked salmon into rough bite-sized pieces

In a separate pot, boil your ravioli with pkg instructions.  Do not overcook.....

 This is the salmon I purchased for this recipe---just delicious

 Add capers, salt and pepper....so now you have the milk and half and half, chicken, salmon, spices and capers....when it thickens, add your ravioli.....heat through....you may have to add a little more milk if it thickens too much but you're all awesome cooks in the kitchen, so you'll know what to do, right?  Add additional spices if necessary....

 After it thickens, the ravioli gets coated with all of the ingredients....

 It is SO GOOD....I made a separate dish for me before adding the pasta and ate it with GF bread....OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're going to love it!!!!!!!!!!!!  You can also add mushrooms, other vegetables, or eliminate lox if you don't like it and just add more chicken....it's fantastic!!  Enjoy!!  xoxo

It will be 60 degrees and the decorations are coming down

Thursday, it's supposed to be 60 degrees; I'm going outside to take the Christmas decorations down, WITHOUT A COAT ON!!  This is really ODD.  The mountains are lacking snow and the ski resorts are hurting for business.  This also means that mountain run-off will be minimal if this continues and there will be summer drought.  It's not good.  But today, I'm making lemonade out of this pile of lemons and I'm taking down all the outside decorations.  The tree will stay up awhile longer because I just love it....sorry. 

Here's my neighborhood stray cat outside two nights ago eating food from the little bowl of food I have for him.  There's milk there, too.....yes, I know.  It's not good for cats....it's also not good for them to be loose at night around here with foxes running everywhere around the neighborhood.  A little milk won't hurt him.  We've named him Tubby.  We have a black and white one, too.  

Anyway, I snapped some pictures of some of my favorite little slices of Christmas....special little things I treasure.....soon, they'll be packed up, too.....so here they are: 

 The dining room has been almost cleared of Christmas...I have a few remaining Christmas dishes on the table looking for 'homes.' I don't know whether to pack them back in boxes or put in a cupboard.

 Plaid; I love plaid...tartan anything with RED.

 My moose lamp.....

 Favorite ornaments....this one that arrived after Christmas from Morwenna in England.....right beside my lighted church and my pixie elf from eons ago....

 A spode teacup.....birds......wooden 'cranberries' strung on the tree

 An adorable white handmade bird from Sandy from last year and a new clothespin ornament she sent this year....real treasures from the heart...

 A spotty be-ribboned ball....

 My oldest daughter got me this teacup and saucer....

 And a log home ornament....oh how I miss our home.....

 2011.....sometimes it felt like skating on thin ice, so these are good reminders of a year that is now behind us....it had some slick spots, but we were blessed to make it through.....thank you God.

 And.....Susan Branch's cookbook can now be put back on the shelf....I made lots of her recipes, but especially the Annie Hall butter cookies....almost a tradition now.

OK, that's it, I promise.  Tomorrow....a new recipe....but not for the faint of heart! Stay tuned!!

Time to Pack up 2011

From special ornaments from special friends....to memories captured in photographs throughout the year....

              Through all the tough times, the uncertainty, the fear....

 Through all the joy, the laughter, the dancing and the singing.....

 Through the eyes of a child....

 Young and old....the magic of the Season....

 And to New Experiences, New Relationships....New Friendships...

                                                             
Thank you for EVERYTHING.....I am so blessed....

 So.....good-bye to 2011....and a warm welcome to 2012................I'm enjoying every minute of it!!

                                                           Happy New YEAR!!