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?