The Beauty of Colorado

So today the sun it out and it was a perfect day to go out and snap a few pictures. The combination of the bright sun, the blue sky, and the snow on the ground made for a heart warming day when smiling seemed like a natural thing to do.




  





We drove up to the top of Poncha pass and got out and took a few pictures. But they don’t nearly do the scenery justice. It was so beautiful and warm….even though there was snow on the ground we didn’t need coats. It’s so amazingly beautiful here. I’m really glad I decided to come with my husband.

Colorado

Took an amazing trip to Colorado. I didn’t sleep well at all last night, thank God Ma now has internet access in her house because I was able to watch a couple of episodes of Trauma. It’s actually a really good show. I think I will have to make a point of watching it on Monday nights.
So I slept in this morning which is a good thing because it’s a great day to stay in and snuggle under the covers. It’s SNOWING!

This is Ma’s adorable turn of the century victorian in the snow. I love this house with the wrought iron fence, two porches, and transoms over the doors. She even has the original blueprints to the house! 

Now for the exciting part…..We got to go to Sonic! Man, I miss Sonic. Even though it was snowing I enjoyed  a large Cherry Limeade!!! That’s what I call living! It was worth getting out and trudging around in the snow!

Dog and Dishes

Yesterday we had planned on taking a little driving tour of Mt Ranier but it seems that our vet had different arrangements for us. So we took Miss Ginger to the vet because we discovered that the mass in her tummy is not a fatty tumor but lymphoma.  Her oncologist wanted some blood tests done to determine the best course of treatment for her. So instead of scenic Washington we were taking care of the fuzzy child. As of right now, they have switched her back to her original pill form of chemotherapy, Leukeran.

In light of the fact that my sweet Ginger has lymphoma.  I am having a photograph of Miss Ginger stretched on canvas.  It will even wrap around the sides of the canvas structure so that it can be hung without a frame. The photo I had hoped to use from her younger days is not of high enough resolution.  So I decided that I would snap some photos of her to see if I could get one that I really liked that is worthy of putting on canvas. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well she was cooperating during her photo shoot.  This is the new photo of her and I am so insanely happy with how well it turned out.  In the event you were wondering she is laying on a Korean “mink” blanket which I merely push pinned into the wall. This photo is so indicative of who she really is, to include the tongue hanging out and the mussy little tuft of hair on top of her head.  I cannot wait to see how this canvas of this photo will turn out!
I have had a request to post the recipe for Robyn’s Alfredo sauce, which is amazingly yummy. It’s better than Olive Garden’s in our opinion.

Robyn’s Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup sweet cream butter
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Melt butter in medium sauce pan, add cream, garlic, pepper and bring to simmer.  Add parmesan cheese and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Add mozzarella and stir until smooth.

This morning we went over to help a sick friend with a sick son whose hubby is deployed and I must say it’s always nice to be able to help a friend when they truly need it. I wish I could do more but unfortunately, it takes time to feel better. Currently, my magic time wand is broken; so unfortunately, that’s one task I can’t accomplish.  I hope you both experience a very very speedy recovery and until then if you need me I’m here for you! I know for me when Mick was deployed it was a Godsend to have those around me that were willing to help, so it’s nice to be able to pay it forward.



Breakfast Casserole
1 lb. pork sausage – browned and drained
3 cups croutons – whichever flavor you prefer
2 cups whole milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups grated cheese – we use cheddar but default to your tastes
6 eggs beaten
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
small onion – chopped
1 lb bag frozen hashbrowns – we use julienne but diced is fine
Brown sausage in skillet and drain. Set aside.  In same skillet brown hashbrowns over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from heat. In large bowl mix all ingredients and season as preferred. We use garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, and seasoned salt.  Pour into a well greased 9x13 pan.  Refridgerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the center is cooked thoroughly.

This is a photo of the casserole before it goes into the fridge for the night. Now the nice thing about this recipe is that it allows for individuality.  If you like green peppers or mushrooms, feel free to throw them in. This particular time we decided to add a little bacon.  Tomorrow I will photograph it before we eat!

Puppy and Pictures

So Miss Ginger has been doing much better….back to her old self and eating well. But last night we discovered a lump in her belly just below her breast bone and it’s not quite as big as a baseball. Well, needless to say we have been quite concerned about what this could be. We tried to get her back to the oncologists office but she was not available for several days so we took her to see her regular vet.  So we went to see Dr. Mike and he took a needle aspiration of the lump and he said that it looks like a lypoma (benign fatty tumor). However, he going to send it off to the lab for testing. So here’s to hoping for FAT!!!

It’s an insanely beautiful day here.

The leaves are just starting to turn on the trees and I can’t wait to get some great pictures of the fall colors.

 

This amazing spot is just a couple of miles from my house and I can honestly say that I probably don’t appreciate it enough. I needed to pick up a few items to make homemade alfredo sauce (thank Robyn for the recipe…it’s awesome!). So I went to the grocery store downtown just a couple of blocks away from the capital and it offers some of the best views in town.

The board walk wraps around the side and the back of the store. I live at the top of the hill you see in the background of this picture.

 

You can see what an absolutely beautiful day it is here today. The sky is an amazing shade of clear crystal blue, a rare treat for these parts!

I even made a new friend during my afternoon outing!

On clear days you can even see Mt. Ranier just down the street from my house. I wasn’t quite ready to head for home so I took a little detour down the road where we like to go bike riding. I spotted this amazing view of Ranier over the top of someone’s house.

It’s a much prettier view without the power lines in the way!

 

This picture was taken on the other side of the peninsula. These last 3 photos are all taken within half a mile of my house. It’s easy to forget how beautiful it can be here because the majority of the time it’s so gray and gloomy.

Cute Small Town Shopping

Katie, I hope you don’t mind but I “borrowed” the photos from your blog.  I must show off the adorable live scarecrows!! Since it’s football season I am free to spend my weekends as I choose and this past weekend Katie and I had the pleasure of attending the Autumn Evening event in a nearby small town.
The kids from the local high school were dressed up as scarecrows and could be found all over main street. The first one that we spotted, Katie’s son, Jonathan immediately recognized as being a real person.  Katie however did not believe him and when we approached the scarecrow and it moved it made Katie jump! It was quite humorous.

The scarecrows were all soooooo adorable and Jonathan got a big kick out of trying to scare the scarecrows. He would sneak up on them and jump at the unsuspecting scarecrows. He managed to make a couple jump!

It was such a great trip and we had lots of fun. It was nice to get out and just have fun and enjoy life.

We found this great store that sells the most amazing stuff, Tyler candles, Brighton, Burts Bees and most importantly Vera Bradley! And the Vera Bradley rep was in the store that evening. Katie and I thoroughly enjoyed going through all the patterns and styles and we both walked out with new Vera Bradley purses!
It’s the brand new pattern called Symphony in Hue. It’s Pink and Paisley….it almost could not get any better but it does!!!!! It’s reversible!!!!
I am officically in LOVE with this purse! I love the colors, the paisley, the fact that it’s two purses in one! Vera Bradley is officially a genius in my books! The BX really needs to carry a bigger selection as it’s a bit cheaper there and it’s tax free!

Washington Shopping

So it was time to take the day off and  go check out a local attraction which I had not yet been to.
The most famous of the shops within in the market sells seafood and they throw the fish. Now we did not see any fish throwing today but we enjoyed the market none the less. 
In addition to several fresh seafood merchants there are plenty of merchants selling beautiful  fresh flowers.

The colors are amazing and so vibrant! It’s so refreshing to see bouquets that are full of unusual flowers. Dahlias are in season right now and they are so incredibly beautiful!

We had lunch at the market at Lowell’s and it was sooooo good.
The booth we sat at overlooked the inside of the market. We could see a produce vendor with fruits and veggies that were so colorful and beautifully displayed!

They have strings of peppers hanging over the produce.  Now I don’t care for peppers but these look really appealing!

The sign that sits atop the market. It’s a familiar landmark to all the locals here and it’s a beacon herding the tourists in to this amazing attraction.

Across the street from the market one can find great views of Safeco field home of the Seattle Mariners; as well as, Quest field where Matt Hasselbeck quarterbacks for the Seahawks.

 

It also has a lovely view of the harbor leading to the ocean where the cruise ships set sail to Alaska.

     

The market is not just one building it’s a series of buildings. There is a great Russian bakery where we purchased several pastries. The Chocolate Hazelnut roll didn’t even make it home. It was consumed in the car on the way home and it was YUMMY!

It was a great way to spend a day off with my darling hubby. It was nice to experience one of the great local landmarks here.