Holiday Poinsettia

The lovely poinsettia comes in many different hues.

We usually just think of white or red,

but, a visit to the nursery revealed

shades of pink and a beautiful speckled-red.

This is still my favorite - deep red.

Boulder Sunset

The sun is setting behind the scenic Flat Irons west of Boulder.  Despite this beautiful view from the CU campus, the girl who wanted to get out of Fort Collins has decided to attend CSU after touring both universities.  Interesting how things work out...

Frosty Beauty

This little piece of beautiful Colorado
was found in my own back yard. 

Merry Christmas

My 17-year-old has yet to outgrow

gingerbread decorating :-)

NORAD Is Tracking Santa

Doubling up on the posts today because you NEED this info!  

Be Good and Happy Tracking :-)

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Dear Santa...

What Really Happened...

More Christmas Candy...

Growing up on the Western Slope of Colorado 

meant Enstrom's Toffee at Christmas.

Moving to the Front Range meant making new traditions.

If you've been following this blog,

you know I've already made a trip to Hammond's for Candy Canes...

Vern's Toffee is a small, family owned company which 

has been in business since 1976.

Talk about yummy!!  

Enjoy a box - they ship :-)

Holiday Traditions

At our house,

it's just not Christmas

if my husband hasn't made a mess...

Err...  

I mean a batch Peanut Brittle :-)

iFunny

iFunny is an app on iPhone where
folks can share their ideas of what is amusing...
I thought this was seasonally apropos -
I just wish we'd get some snow :-)

Candy Cane Kisses

My daughter announced her
addiction to seasonal candy...
Valentine's Hearts
Fall Candy Corn
Christmas Candy Canes

I think I'm beginning to understand
from whence her addiction came...
These are awesome :-)

It's Movie Time!

After seeing the Lord of the Rings Trilogy,

of course I have to see the prequel!

Hoping for Snow

We were holding out hope for snow this past weekend to fall in the Fort...

The mountains got some of the much-needed moisture;

however, it appears to have stopped there with no movement east.

Once the temps move up a bit,

I'll be dragging the hose around to give my trees a relief

from this extra-dry weather we have been enjoying

(I do like the warm temps, but this is Colorado).

As I am not aware of any "Snow Dance,"

I'm going to rely on good ol' Bing crooning White Christmas.

Think Snow!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4cjCJZFX04

December Birthstone: Turquoise

If cold December gave you birth
The month of snow and ice and mirth
Place on your hand a turquoise blue
Success will bless whate'er you do.

Turquoise is actually a mineral that comes in shades ranging from blue to grey-green and is formed when water leaks through chemical-infused rocks.  The shade is determined by the amount of chemicals in the rock formation.  Blue is the preferred gemstone color.

Turquoise represent the properties of prosperity, success, good fortune and happiness.

It is frequently used in Native American jewelry.  

Politics and Holidays...

Found this circulating around the internet yesterday...  

You gotta love Maxine!

December Birth Month Flower - Narcissus

The Narcissus comes in white, yellow and orange.  My favorite combination is white with an orange center.

This lovely little flower represents the virtues of respect, modesty, and faithfulness.  In the Victorian language of flowers, giving your loved one a bouquet of narcissus told her that "You're the Only One."  How romantic <3

A Little More Light Bright

I realize I've committed the artistic crime
of centering my subject,
but I like it anyway...
I loved how this tree looked -
just simply lit, no decorative lights.

Light Bright

The Gardens at Spring Creek in Fort Collins are decorated with thousands of lights for the holidays.  Last night, Santa was listening to childrens' wishes and the Sugar Plum Doggies were putting on a show.  As I couldn't get close enough to either of those, I made do with photographing some of the beautiful light displays.

Famous Last Words...

With the possibility of snow just around the corner...
Here's a little common sense reminder - lol! 

And Another One...

Several years ago, we decided to get each child their own tree

as their personal ornament collections were getting

to be too extensive for all of them to fit on one.

This is from Ryan's :-)

Christmas Trees...

One of our Christmas traditions is to give each child

a new ornament every year.

Often it represents a vacation or special event.

This one is several years old as it is from

Miss Bee's 5th Christmas :-)

Hammond's Candy

When the holiday shopping gets to be too much,
I'd suggest a stop by Hammond's to sweeten your attitude
with a peppermint buzz...

If you have little ones, or are a kid at heart,
they offer free factory tours Monday through Saturday
(I believe they are closed on holidays).
They are easy to find - right off of 58th and Washington in Denver. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful that my Beloved World Wanderer 

is on the homebound leg from his latest travels

and that I will (barring airport delays) 

have him back with me before the day is over :-D

I LOVE OREOS!!

Especially...  double-stuffed holiday oreos!

The winter version features a red creamy center

with snowmen, snowflakes, ice skates and gingerbread men

decorating the crunchy chocolate cookie.

Got Milk??

Indoor Tropical Oasis

This area is it's own little oasis at the Botanical Gardens.  

With the water flowing as background noise,

to would be a very peaceful area to relax or sketch.

November Birthstone - Topaz

Who first comes to this world below
In dreary November's fog and snow,
Should prize the topaz amber hue,
Emblem of friends and lovers true.

The Topaz comes in many hues,

but the November babies I talked to

preferred to consider the amber color

as their official birthstone.

The Topaz represents the qualities of

constancy, faithfulness, friendship and loyalty.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

Having just arrived by horse-drawn carriage,

Santa Clause greets the little ones in Old Town Square!

Botanical Gardens - Denver

Bee and I were doing another photo shoot at the Botanical Gardens 

(I'm the assistant/pack mule).  

While she was busy focusing on her own photos, 

I found these happy little flowers in the green house.

I took this with my iPhone and then transferred them to Instagram - 

a fun photo app I have just discovered :-)

Melting Snow :-)

You know it's been cold when 

I consider 45 degrees a warming trend...

We only have snow left 

in the shade and on the deck.

Veteran's Day

"As we express our gratitude, 

we must never forget that the highest appreciation

 is not to utter words, but to live by them."

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

My Most Beloved WWI Veteran
Ralph Albert Richel

Saturday Snow

And so this weekend's storm begins...

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the snow is actually coming down pretty good - falling straight like a slushy rain.  It's hard enough that it making itself known as it hits the windows.

November Birth Month Flower: Chrysanthemum

I should get a bonus just for being able to spell it...

November's bright Chrysanthemum comes in a variety of happy colors:  Pink, Red, White, Yellow, Mauve and Orange.  No wonder you see it in so many bouquets at this time of year :-)

Sending chrysanthemums to a friend tells them the bouquet comes "With Love and Cheerfulness."  During the Victorian Era, the secret message was "You are a wonderful friend."

 

Did You???

Although I feel like I voted for the lesser of the evils,

I am still happy that I live in a country which gives me that right.

Horsetooth Autumn

This photo was taken during the photo shoot I did with my daughter on Saturday...  I really liked the baby Aspens sprouting up in front of this rock formation.

Horsetooth Reservoir reached record lows this summer as the city had to draw it's water from there instead of the river.  The Poudre River had been over-loaded with pollutants from the summer's fires.

Varsity Cheer 2012- 2013

I didn't care for Studio 5's team pics this year, so I re-shot them.  

Not bad, if I do say so myself :-)

Do You See/Hear What I See/Hear???

I was out running errands, and, sure enough, 

Christmas merchandise is going up in the chain stores...

I'm okay with it in the craft stores, for obvious reasons,

but I'd like to finish my Halloween candy before

I have to think about holiday shopping!!

What??

What is this mysterious object on my front porch?  

Perfect!!

This is EXACTLY what I want on my front door!

October Snow

So often in October, our area gets heavy, wet snows, but this storm brought light, fluffy flakes which didn't overly burden any of the trees or shrubbery.

Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter, I love to view the sky through tree branches.  

More Snow...

We got more snow over night...

It looks beautiful, but it's got a

layer of rain/ice underneath.

Drive safe - 

it's like a skating rink out there!

First Snow of the Season

Our first snow of the season

started last night with rain,

then turned into beautiful, large, 

soft flakes gently falling. 

It made for a delightful site this morning!

Pink October

Now I'll definitely have something PINK to wear every day this month :-)

Please remember to keep up on your self-exams

and schedule that mammogram!

High School Football

Collins over Horizon 20 - 17

Close game with 3 of the touch downs
(two by Collins and 1 by Horizon)
being made in the last three minutes of the game!

The games were played at Adams 12 North Stadium
Talk about a snazzy stadium for high school games!
Check it out:
http://www.adams12.org/athletics_north_stadium

More Colorful Colorado

Just another beautiful reason

to love living here!

This is the view from my front yard :-)

Something Fluffy...

I'm not sure what type of flowers or weeds these were, 

but I like the way they look now :-)

October Birthstone: Opal

"October's child is born for woe,
And life's vicissitudes must know,
But lay an opal on her breast,
And hope will lull those woes to rest."

The opal is the traditional birthstone of October and represents hope and purity.  The term opal means to "see a change in color" and that is exactly what you get with this beautiful stone as it comes in a variety of base colors.  The stone's base colors are White, Black, Crystal and Fire - from their base, they sparkle with a rainbow of color as if it is glowing from within.

October Birth Month Flower - Marigold

The Calendula, more commonly known as the Marigold, is the official birth month flower of October.  It's colors are yellow and orange - perfect for the Autumn season :-)

In the language of flowers, the marigold represents sorrow and sympathy.  Accordingly, in the Victorian secret language of flowers, they send the message "My thoughts are with you."

Lazy Daisy

It's been chilly the last few days...

Daisy is snuggling up with me - 

we both stay warm that way :-)

Lone Sentinel

This lone tree, just off the beaten path,

is hinting of Winter's approach.

The Good Earth's Bounty

Before the frost hit, my neighbor picked her tomatoes...

This is just a small portion of her harvest!

She shared - that's what friends do :-)

Tumbler

This tumbleweed tumbled straight into a barbed-wire fence.  The sun had just barely come up to warm it's branches, so the tips are still frosted over from the overnight cold spell.