boo.

it was a brilliant night to go trick or treating. another warm halloween in these parts. lots of tricks and lots of treats. lots of drama, too apparently.


argh. matey.


and of course. it wouldn't be halloween without a princess queen.

6.

this little one.

is turning 6 today. i really can't believe it. it doesn't seem like that long ago she came into our lives. and changed them forever.

a little light she is. always seeing the glass half full. always laughing. and smiling and hugging. and always happy. you're a joy. little one. a true joy!

happy birthday! hope you get your barbie, six-wheeler (??), puppy and lots of hugs and kisses. xxoox, mommy

uh. oh.

we have a party on sunday. sunday. yes. in 4 days. i have no cake. my cake decorators/artists extraordinaire. are now. not available. eek. what's a girl with a party for 30. with high cake expectations to do?

a simple home baked cake just won't do in this case. just won't. oh dear.

delay. delay. delayed again.

like. i mentioned yesterday. we've been traveling. investigating. thinking.

but today. we were coming home. well. let's say trying to come home.

we were delayed. and delayed. and rerouted. and delayed. and delayed again. and again.

but we did see this person. on our flight. i guess delays happen to everyone. but maybe they're easier to take when they're also upgrading you to first class.

out of town.

we were out of town today. back tomorrow. doing a bit of investigation. of a new a different place to call home. we'll see. lots of talking and decisions to be made.

loved this sign.

you see. it's the name of some near and dear.

werewolfs and mummies and pumpkins. oh my.

why hello there.


a little baking going on around here today. have you ever checked out this site? unbelievable. she is so talented. with cake and frosting. wow.

and these little cake pops? so good. i mean really. can you go wrong with cake, frosting and chocolate? i think not.

i've made these little guys before. remember these? but ventured into the halloween genre this time around.

some (messy) werewolfs. they look fierce. though. right?


what are you doing later? should we attack the pumpkin patch?


but. wait. i match the wall. was that intentional?


i think i like the mummies the best. you?

where've you been?

somebody decided to pop back out today. break through the gray. and the muddy skies. and the rain. and the clouds. and beam down.

and gosh. it's about time. we thought we were just going to shrivel up around here. he's been gone so long.

and let's hope his vacation from this part of the country is over. we'd like him to stick around for awhile longer. perhaps it was the big win last night. big win. (sorry friends.). but 'twas about time that that team showed up. that made him giddy. and want to come back out. maybe it wasn't. but whatever it was. it was about time.

welcome back. mr. sun. welcome back.

just a reminder.

lost.

i've lost my voice. not my real voice. but the little voice in my head. the voice that tells me what to write. the voice that tells me what to ponder. the voice that tells me what to think about.

and my blog is suffering. and my to do list is getting longer. nothing is getting crossed off. and i'm not sure why. or where it's gone. i think i've just hit a wall. a wall that is. right. smack-dab in the middle of my creativity. and dang. i just don't need this right now.

too. too much. to do. i know i tend to do this. put too much on my plate. and when i do this. i tend to just shut down. until the panic ensues. and the procrastination kicks in. and i work. work. my fingers to the bone. i wonder. where this comes from? perhaps the maternal side? just perhaps????

so come back. voice. please? i need a kick to get going!

thift thursday.

back at it. goodies to be found. gathered up. and enjoyed. sorry for the bad pics. just not on my game today.

manners are important. so are people. love vintage books.


and these flash cards. cool. cool. cool. maybe some should be framed?


and old patterns. i especially love the man's pants pattern. don't think that my husband would wear those. but maybe i should make him a pair and guilt him into it?

hoot. hoot.

i've been on a hunt. literally. a hunt. for owls and birds and creepy creatures.

and this little guy is a sneak peek at why. a cheesy tchotke and some black spray paint. eek. instant scary halloween decorations. he needs some creepy eyes, though. i think. so more to come. but this is a little of what i've been up to lately.

up for air.

i'm off track today. but these have to be the most interesting (albeit useless) thing that came out of paris fashion week last week. from alexander mcqueen. based on darwin's the theory of evolution. i think it's more the theory of painful footwear.

hmmm. let's see. where could i wear these? to starbucks for coffee? parent teach conferences?, target?, art fairs, or better thrifting? back at it tomorrow.

not so reasonable for the average american female. i would love to see someone actually find a way and reason to wear them.

lots to think about these days...

lots of thinking to do these days. debating. wondering. pro and conning. should these boots head down another path?

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”

―Rosalia de Castro

where are you?

summer? where did you go? it seems that we left town for just a few days. just a few simple days. and you left, too.

why? why oh why? i wasn't ready for you to say goodbye. to just up and leave like that. my flip flops aren't ready to be packed away. my flowers aren't ready to say goodbye. my littles aren't ready to be bundled up. i don't want to wear socks yet and hats and mittens and coats and sweaters for that matter. i don't want to shiver and shake and be cold all the time.

couldn't you have bought off mother nature for a few more weeks? bought us some more time together?

it seems i write to you like this every year. and every year it's the same old answer.

maybe you'll come back around for one last weekend of fun. i can only hope.

proof.

that for just a few fleeting minutes. we were actually winning. deep in the heart of texas. it was short-lived. but was nice while it lasted.


so. despite the game. or the score. the game was fun. good crowd. good fans. but the stadium. bejeesus. that stadium. huge. over 101,000 fans were at the game. while i see tons of similarities between boulder and austin. the size of the stadium. and everything else in texas, for that matter. doesn't compare. the saying that everything is bigger in texas is definitely true. huge tailgates. huge trucks, huge stadiums. everything is big.

but it was all fun. good fun.

black and gold.

so we made it to texas. it was a long haul. and the cars. got bigger the further south we got. bigger and more aggressive. haven't seen crazier drivers than in texas. i must say.

but we're here. and we're having a good time. catching up. relaxing. getting ready for the big game tomorrow. it will be a spot of black in a sea of burnt orange, i'm afraid.

tonight we headed out to a pre-game celebration on sixth street. a crazy place. so many bars. so much music. good buff fans and a nice party put on by the alumni association. go buffs. and look a picture of me. these are few and far between (which is fine). with chip. celebrating before tomorrow.

keeping it weird.

we're headed to austin today. austin, tx. that is. can't wait. to see my good friend. to see a football game. (well. there is still hope there.) and for a change of scenery. in coolie-o austin. if you haven't been there before. you should go.

really. you should. great food. music. shopping. weather. spas (amazing). spirit. weirdness. it's fabulous. i love visiting there. i try to go at least once a year. it's not like the rest of texas. austin-ites. pride themselves on well, ok. UT. but more so, i'd like to think, keeping it weird. haven't you seen those "keep austin weird" shirts. love it.

so. a long drive today. but a good end point. more to come on keeping it weird in austin.

hi ho silver.

have i ever mentioned cath kidston? i love this store. wish there was one here in the states. it's just so english and vintage-y. right up my alley.

i love this bag. love the cowboy theme. great christmas present. hint hint.

and this keyring. cute. cute.


and this scarf.

i guess i'm all about cowboys today. maybe our trip to austin tomorrow is spurring this on...

i've done it.

after well. let's say 4 years. plus. i've finally gone and opened up my shop. you can check me out here. just a little bit now. but more to come. thanks for all your support and love.

falling.

the mums are blooming. the leaves are starting to turn. the sky is that beautiful deep blue that i only seem to see in santa fe. it's beginning to look a lot like fall around these parts.

we started out on a good note. after an evening of the yuckies at our house, everyone felt well. little one was up and dressed in her new twirly dress early. ready to go to church. it was a normal sunday. church. coffee. football. playing outside. we even planned on going on a bike ride. because. well. more on that note later.

but then. i was working. watching a little football. little one. came inside. sat down on my lap. i could tell she wasn't feeling to right. i just happened to touch her calf.

huge bump. rock hard. boiling hot. deep, red-ish purple. clearly she had been bitten by something. and something not good. dh and i decided we should take her to urgent care. i mean these things that spiders can do are not nice. not nice at all. so. after three plus hours. at urgent care. we left. bite. infection. immediate antibotics. watch for drainage. ick. ick. ick.

you'd never know that was what was under these cute tights at her ankle. so we watch. we keep asking her how it feels. it hurts. it started to ooze. so we'll be off to the dr. poor kid. such a beautiful day. why can't those darn spiders just leave us alone?

tdf.

look what i found when i opened my email this am. is this fair to do to a person at 4 in the morning? probably not. but i am so. so. going to make these.

Ingredients

Makes about 2 dozen

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally
• Chocolate Frosting for Surprise Cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.
3. Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

From Martha Stewart Kids

this weekend.

adventure. adventure some more.

no football. our game (and disappointment) already happened on thursday night this week.

pack for an upcoming trip.

celebrate. relatives in town. anniversaries. birthdays.

enjoy. the cool (already) fall weather. but this little guy is still hanging out in the garden. go figure.

meet with my group of lovely creative folks.

and get back at it. orders to work on and complete....time to get back at it.

shhh.

we're not talking age. we're wishing someone a happy birthday today.

happy birthday, to the guy we call daddy around here. we're all pretty darn lucky, we think. love you.