BAHHH HUMBUG!

On Friday night, we had plans to head downtown and have a steak dinner at The Keg followed by "A Christmas Carol" at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. The snow started just as we were heading home from dinner and was so pretty. By the time we got back from our evening downtown, we had a nice covering on our lawn. FUN!

The Feast!

Around mid morning, I took the bird out of the brine bucket and herbed him all up and put him in his roaster, ready for the oven.








Riley got an early Christmas present from his Grandma since he's not coming home for Christmas!



















A wiggly jiggly ball!!!!




















I set the table while everything was cooking.















The green beans with shallots and garlic!













The rue for the gravy...mmmmmmm














Tom is done!!!!!! Juicy and golden, mmmmm....













The spread - kept it simple, but had all the essentials. Brian carved the turkey and did a fantastic job.








The finished product - YUM!!!! I ate every morsel (and Riley got a bite, too!).

Thanksgiving was a success! More pictures coming of US on T-day along with Brian's mom and her boyfriend. We were able to enjoy the day in our own home cooking, chatting, drinking wine, walking Riley, watching football, playing dominoes, watching Fred Claus and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Thanksgiving 2008, I was most thankful for my supportive family, my loving husband, my steady job, my strong health and my cuddly pooch!!

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie

So today was a day of preparation for tomorrow's feast. I went to Whole Foods and got the rest of my veggies, chopped everything for stuffing and green beans, and of course baked my pie. I usually use the recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin for my pie, but this time I was sure I needed a little Paula Deen. I found this recipe on http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and my pie looks great - let's hope it tastes as good as it looks tomorrow.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/pumpkin-pie-recipe/index.html

I saw this idea online and thought I'd try it out - I used a maple leaf cookie cutter to add little leaves to the crust.

Here's what my pie crust looked like before baking.

The filling was tasty! Kinda hard to get really smooth.

I covered my edges with foil so they wouldn't burn because pumpkin pie takes longer to bake here so far above sea level.

My leaf cut outs bent over and looked like stars when the pie was done...probably won't do that again, but other than that my pie looks great!

Now we're off to the airport!

2 Surprises

The first surprise of the night was a call from Hobby Lobby, "Hello Gina, I'm just calling to let you know your picture is ready to be picked up". SWEET!!!! 4 days early and just in time for Debbie and Mitch's visit!















The second surprise of the night occurred when I got home from Hobby Lobby...my mom sent us a pretty little flower arrangement for Thanksgiving - this will look so great on my table. Thanks, Mom! Wish you were here for T-day!

T Minus 2 Days

I am so excited to cook our Thanksgiving feast in 2 days! There will only be four of us, but it will still be fun. I picked up all of dry goods on Sunday and tomorrow morning I'll head to Whole Foods for the veggies!

MENU

- Roasted Turkey brined in salt, sugar, orange peel, spices, juniper berries, shallots and pink peppercorns with an herb rub of salt, thyme, savory, sugar, onion, lemon pepper, peppercorns, garlic, rosemary, parsley flakes and marjoram

- Sausage and Sage Stuffing

- Turkey White Wine Gravy

- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

- Fresh Cornbread

- Roasted Green Beans with shallots

BOOTS!

I decided to at least try to bargain shop for boots this weekend at DSW before splurging on the $200 pair I found at Nordy's....I founds these:

They're cute, aren't they? THEY ARE AEROSOLES and I'm not even joking. Make fun. I don't care. Call me 80 years old - they are comfy and cute and stylish and I don't care. I almost thought someone had moved this fantastic display boot to the wrong area - I thought, these can't REALLY be Aerosoles! But, alas, they are, ha!

Cutie Patooty

Today, at the dog park, my little peachy king barely ran and played at all! Why, you ask? Because three little boys were admiring him so much, he wouldn't leave their sides. They were petting him, and kissing him, and throwing the ball for him. He even snuck in a few wet kisses and looked at me like, "can we get one, Mom?". One day, buddy.

The boys' mom asked them, "whose your favorite dog at the park today?" and even though they had two dogs of their own, they all three said "Riley!"....the little one called him "Riwee" - so cute!

Husband Gone = Wife Productive

Wow, I am quite impressed with my productivity this weekend while Brian is busy winning beer pong tournaments and going to the Chargers game in San Diego.

On Friday night, I went to Nordstrom Rack and DSW...picked up some stocking stuffers for Brian at the Rack and two pairs of CHEAP shoes for myself at DSW.

On Saturday, I went to Hobby Lobby and had our wedding picture framed and bought frames for various Christmas gifts. Then, I took Riley to the vet and hit Costco really quickly. Went home, rested a bit before heading downtown to shop at Cherry Creek where I was successful in finding a dress for my company Holiday Party - woohoo! Then met Katie for sushi at Sushi Sasa - very, very good.

Today, I've done 6 loads of laundry, baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, went Thanksgiving Day grocery shopping, took Riley to the dog park, cleaned the house, stripped the bed, washed the dog, took a quick trip to Kinkos, fixed my iPod, organized wedding photos and......watched Thirteen Going on Thirty!

Man, it is COLD!

Well, folks....it was 68 degrees yesterday - sunny and pleasant. Today's high is 38 degrees, icy drizzle, snow and fog! That's a 30 degree drop in a mere 24 hours! Welcome to Colorado.

Boots: I Really Want These

I really want these boots. I have a short pair and they are so comfy. Why aren't they on SALE?!? Can I wait until Christmas for Santa to bring them?

Shopping Finds!

A quick trip to Banana at lunch yielded a new dress (above), a new sweater and a new pair of slacks - all work appropriate AND all 30% off - score! I will have to go again this weekend when I have more time and when Brian is out of town - muahahahahhahah! I love Banana Republic.

Grouchy Pants Rogers

Dear Husband,

I think we need to switch sides of the bed because you seem to wake up on the wrong side of the bed every morning. Getting up early sucks, but it's not my fault, I promise. Doesn't the Christmas music on the alarm clock make you happy and want to start a bright new day?

Love,
Wife

'Tis the Season to Do a Good Deed!

As I've been listening to Christmas music since Friday now, the holiday season is officially kicked off for me.

We're having a canned food drive at work this week and I went to Safeway at lunch and bought 10 boxes of Mac N' Cheese to donate - the Rocky Mountain Food Bank said it's a high-demand item.

There's my good deed for the day!

Pre T-Day Dinner - Success!

Dinner with our friends was a success. Brining was definitely the best way to cook a turkey, can't wait to do it again for Debbie and Mitch's Thanksgiving visit. Thank you, Crate & Barrel for your gourmet gobbler kit.

Although the tables were a little small and the chairs were mismatched and semi-ghetto, everyone was comfy and the tables looked lovely.

Here's our new mirror, a la Hobby Lobby - love it!! Brian also did a fantastic job carving the bird....the gravy was a hit, too. Thanks to Katie for constant stirring! Now, it's time for bed...the tryptophan is hitting me big time.....

Cooking Tip - Brian Style

We're having some friends over for a Pre Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow and tonight we were doing some prep work....Brian had a fantastic idea for chopping onions....nice goggles, Bri! Ha, ha!

Date Night!

My loving hubby took me on a fantastic date tonight to an amazing restaurant - a new one to us, Oceanaire Seafood Room. We had shrimp for an appetizer, shared some clam chowder and he had Costa Rican Mahi Mahi and I had King Crab Legs - YUMMMMMMM!!!!!! The best part - he ordered flowers to the restaurant for me! Thanks, Bri, love you!

But it's for a good cause!

A bunch of guys from my work are participating in a fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club - by growing mustaches! "Mustaches 4 Kids", check it out http://mustachesforkidsdenver.blogspot.com/.
Anywho, on Friday our boss agreed to wear a 'stache all day long and match any donations.....
What a great sport!!!!!! Way to go, Laurie!

IT'S SNOWING!

YAY! The snow is here! Definitely one of the Top 5 reasons I love Denver. This is our house at 7am this morning as I was driving away heading downtown to work.

Ode to Hobby Lobby

I owe one of my BFFs, Alia, big time for introducing me to my new favorite store - HOBBY LOBBY. Or...does she owe me because now I have a new place to spend money? This place is like the love child Michael's and Home Goods' on steroids. California doesn't know what it's missing.

We got.....a huge mirror for our dining room, a multi pack of tea light candles, a whicker pumpkin, 2 fall leaf garlands, a mosiac hurricane lamp, 3 5x7 frames, a sharpie....all for $163.

T-Day

GOBBLE, GOBBLE!!!!

Last night, we went to the store and bought our turkey for this weekend....we're having a few friends over to watch football and have a pre-Thanksgiving feast. Mmmmm! He's about 19.5lbs and ready to be brined and roasted. Any good gravy recipes to share?

Dogs get razor burn?

Poor little Ry Ry has been licking the base of his tail nonstop since Thursday and has a big old sore on it. Brian took him to the vet yesterday and he has RAZOR BURN ON HIS ASS. Really? That's possible? For a dog? I guess the groomer's took the sanitary cut too far.

I <3 Wildlife

Even though the forecast was calling for a high of 16 degrees, we still ventured to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday. Luckily, it was worth it. The elk were out in full force! We got this shot as we drove by....no zoom going on here....he was this close.

It was kinda scary to turn our backs on the elk.....but the picture was worth it.

The four of us in the park....

Erin and I with the meadow in the background.

Such a fun weekend!!!!! What a bummer that tomorrow is Monday and Erin and Todd have to leave and I have to go back to WORK!

E&T are coming to town.....

So excited for our friends, Erin and Todd, to visit!!!! T minus 30 minutes until landing....dinner is in the works, the house is clean, the dog is brushed and washed, the fridge is full, the wine and beer are flowing.....

5 THINGS I'M MOST EXCITED ABOUT THEIR VISIT

5. Showing them why we love Denver (but miss HOME)

4. CATCHING UP

3. Going to the mountains

2. Drinking wine and laughing about when "we were kids" and did stupid things like fooling my dad into letting us hang out with older boys while camping or riding our bikes on a dangerous road all the way to subway to pay for sandwiches with change.

1. Potentially playing Pictionary and kicking the guys' asses

The Blue Room

HOORAY, IT'S DONE!!!!

Well....kinda. Still needs a second coat and some touch ups near the ceiling, but it's done for now.

Here is our guest bedroom - new bedding, new paint, new placement of furniture, etc.!

The flash made a weird ring thing on the wall......
What's our next project, you ask?
Perhaps, our bedroom...or maybe just a bathroom....

Officially OVER painting...

I officially hate painting and am definitely over it. My arms are
sore, I have paint in my hair that I can't get out, I got paint on the kitchen floor, paint is stuck under my finger nails, Riley has pant in his fur. UGH.


I haven't even done the majority of the work and I wish for it to end.

Real plants that don't die....

While at Lowe's shopping for painting supplies, we noticed their plants were on clearance....I got two succulents. I'm thinking I'll give raising plants yet another chance. They were only $0.50 if it doesn't work out - no loss, really.

Bri Bri got me a pretty green pot today to plant my succulents. I'm hoping since these are desert plants that I won't kill them by scarce watering....

Painting Update!

We are getting there!

The living room, dining room and entry way are done - all the way!!!

Here is the dining room side of the green wall (the new bookshelf is not full yet)

Here is the living room side. That is Riley's pig's ear chew on the floor...

HOORAY!!!!

Now, I started the guest room (yes, ambition got the best of me). Brian is now painting the kitchen. I plan to take a half day off on Thursday to get the house back in order for Todd and Erin - TIGHT DEADLINE!!!!

World Market - A Fab Store

Today, I went to Cost Plus.....

I found a ton of cute house stuff, but they're sending out 25% off your entire purchase coupons on Nov. 7 - holler!
But....I did buy this candle for our guest room. Erin and Todd come on Thursday and I'm obsessed with doing up the guest room as much as I can. I bought paint at Lowe's today to paint it.....too ambitious? Maybe.

Still Painting.....

We are almost done...about 80% of the way there. Brian has done most of the work, but I've put in some time, too. The green is quite bright, but we're hoping with the TV back in place and other wall hanging things it will look more subdued. We shall see. The dogs are quite a handful in a house with wet walls (we're dog-sitting Kona this weekend).