Inspiration

I am SO EXCITED to have a link from Susan Branch's website.....so I wanted to talk today about inspiration for just a moment.


This will be worth it....so stay with me....INSPIRATION: what is it?  For me, it's that light of fire, that spark, that nudge, that WOW, that's it....I KNEW IT ALL ALONG....that's ME!!!!!  That's inspiration.  (for me)

A L-O-N-G time ago, I came across one of Susan Branch's books....I read them over and over like old magazines; honestly there is so much inside each one, you don't get it all in one sitting.  It's not a recipe book...well, there's recipes in there, but there is so much more.  Her life is in those books....she lets out bits and pieces of it each time she writes....those pictures are all pieces of her life.  The old vintage stove, kitties, pottery, teacups.  You know what I mean, right? 

                                                                
Anyway, one thing led to another and soon I'm interesting my middle daughter in her calendars....and guess what?  She loved them and she's just like me....reading every bit of them like a story. 

Well anyway...ONE Christmas I was looking for an SB calendar for my daughter and I couldn't find it anywhere.  I drove from store to store, made phone calls and it was just a few days away; what was I going to do?  Finally, I found one, the last one and it was hers.  For years, I didn't get myself a calendar; they were expensive as I was a single mom raising three girls on my own.  I wanted them to know good things; I could get a free calendar somewhere.  They deserved their own favorite calendar and now this middle daughter was 'hooked.' 

                                                                 
Two years ago,  I got myself one for the first time.....they are pretty special....I know Susan inspires so many of us, each in our own special way.....but for me, she inspires me to be myself.  I LOVE to cook, clean, garden, make my house inviting for family and friends.  I LOVE to iron my pillowcases and my napkins. 

I'm an old-fashioned girl and for a lot of years, before I 'met' Susan in her books and calendars, I struggled with who I was, always trying to be 'more modern.'  But guess what?  That's not who I am......in fact, I WANT to own a b&b.  I want to decorate it and cook and clean and put handwritten notes on their pillows when they arrive....

The Girls Gets Real is about just that....being ME, no matter what.  That's what I'm best at....I've been a teacher pretty much all my life, so today's lesson is this:  Be YOURSELF.....and be darn good at it, too!!

This past Christmas, I also got my middle daughter a copy of Susan's first Willards that were hand-written.  Here she is on Christmas day opening it up....see that smile?  Inspiration in the making.

                                                                           
Thank you Susan Branch for being one of my greatest inspirations.....

I love you,

Joann....The REAL GIRL in Colorado 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!!

Going to the Broadmoor for Easter Brunch

Easter Sunday, April 25, 2011

      The Broadmoor Hotel is one of those very special places you just don't see every day.  In 1884, an investment land company was formed that became the grounds for the hotel you see today.  In 1890, construction began and it officially opened in 1918.  Clear mountain spring water filled the lake and it was stocked with trout that the guests could catch and bring in for the chefs to prepare for them.  If you are more interested in the history of the resort, please click on the link below the photograph and you can read more about how this opulent place came to be.

Celebrity guests range from John D. Rockefeller in 1918 to Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and both of the Bush Presidents.  Walt Disney has stayed there, as well as Bob Hope, Ted Turner, Jane Fonda and Joe DiMaggio! 
 And guess what?  Our own beloved Susan Branch has been there as well!  She did a book signing there some years ago.....

 It's been about 5 years since we've been there and my youngest daughter's husband had never been there before, so we all decided we'd have a splurge and drive the distance and go.  My oldest daughter lives about 30 minutes from here, so it was a nice change for her to have a short drive rather than the long drive to our house for dinner.  It was fun getting together and best of all, there were no preparations on our part and no dishes afterward! 

                                                     This is a relatively new section of The Broadmoor- new parking garage; you can see the dark skies of the day

lots of 'heads' on the walls, even with ornate ceilings and such; the paintings and artifacts come from the many travels of the Penrose Family all across Europe and the Orient

Coming in the front door.....Historic Registry of the building

the front lobby and where you would 'check in'

My middle daughter heading up the escalator to head out across lake to brunch.  She's carrying one of the Easter basket I put together for the granddaughters

Once we got to the top of the escalator, there are doors leading outside across the lake to the building you see in the distance.  The mountain behind The Broadmoor was covered in 'powdered sugar' snow....

Once past the above doors, this is how the outdoors looked.  In the distance, you can see the outdoor fireplace ablaze.  A lot of people began to 'huddle' around it to keep warm.  Temps were in the 40's F.

It was also quite foggy and this was mid-day.  Our brunch was at 1:30 PM

The trees around the lake were in full bloom in spite of the rather chilly temperatures

As we crossed the bridge to get to the other side, you can see a SWAN in the distance on the lake

This is the room we had the brunch in

This was our table; I think they got a bit 'cheap' on the decorations this year.  A blow-up 'peep'?  Really???

Left to Right: Middle Daughter, youngest daughter, son-in-law (married to youngest daughter)

Tea service

The buffet is divided into sections....seafood, carving station, breakfast foods, breads, fruits, desserts, vegetables/sides

My oldest daughter getting some mashed potatoes, my FAVORITE food!

youngest and her hubby deciding on what to choose

Ice sculptures, fresh flowers everywhere

Chefs in their attire

even caviar with toast points

these roses and lilies were so beautiful

My oldest granddaughter.....what a look! I can't have any ice cream?

and the youngest, playing with a little calculator I had placed in her Easter basket

yummy crab claws

and almost everyone made their own ice cream sundae

I think her ice cream was more delicious than her orange juice

After brunch, it was time for pictures.  I hope they'll always be good friends as well as sisters

from left to right: oldest (32 on May 4) and mom of the two above, youngest (28)  who just got married in September, and middle daughter (30)

and here's the family.  Hubby's children were not here for this event as his son is working on his master's degree at UC Berkeley and his daughter chose to ski in one of the last ski weekends of the season in CO; his son is 25 and daughter is 20.

I LOVE the color of the blossoms....they last for such a short time!

Heading back from the building in which the brunch was held....here is the back view of the front of the Broadmoor

The flowers were amazing; I'm certain they have wonderful gardeners who braved the cold temperatures to make sure everything looked beautiful for Easter Sunday

and here's how we ALL felt afterward....so full!!

When we walked across the bridge back to the main building, we warmed ourselves by the fireplace

The architecture is just stunning....from the ornate woodwork to the elaborate painting, carpets and lighting

The chandeliers were enormous

a main hallway on the top floor

the main dining room

inside one of the ballrooms where many weddings are held

and here we are....waiting for the car to be pulled up to the front by my son-in-law who drove us to Colorado Springs that day.  It was an almost 3 hour drive there but an almost 4 hour drive home as the weather turned horribly worse on the drive north.  There were many accidents on the highway.....we brought magazines to read in the car but we talked most of the way

the main desk up close where you check in if you are spending the night.  This is at the bottom of the stairs you see in the above photograph

and here's the car....and one of the hotel's attendants opening the door for us to get in

Bye-Bye for now....maybe we'll see you in another 5 years!!

If you are ever in Colorado, I hope you'll go see it, walk around the ground and throw a penny in the fountain....it's a very magical place!