shorts thoughts on random stuff

We are finally getting a little cold snap. I think it was supposed to be around 32 this morning. A couple of days ago I was wearing shorts. Such is the way of fall and winter in Texas. I uncovered my arms this morning and noticed the chill in the house, but it wasn’t until I got up that the funny thought hit me. If I had nipples boobs, they would be pointy this morning. I was cold.

The other day I was shopping around for bras for my girl and I had a random thought. I hoped nobody asked if they could help me because I feared I would give them a minutes long diatribe about how *I* get my bras at the hospital because I’ve had a double mastectomy, thankyouverymuch. But of course, nobody actually helps in department stores these days, so I think I’m pretty safe.

The girl and I are both PMS’ing at the same time. I wonder if we should wear special tee shirts or post a flag out doors…or at least text the hubs to warn him.

Fun times…hope you have a great day! : )

Sheer Miracle

In my quest to find healthier products, I’m always on the hunt for replacements for this or that. One of the things I finally decided I wanted to replace was my make-up. I’ve always been a pretty basic girl…Almay or Neutrogena. Simple drug store stuff. But when I read the label, it was loaded with chemicals and things I couldn’t pronounce. And a few things I could pronounce, I knew were bad for me.

I had pretty much just decided I’d never wear make-up again. There are many days that I felt fine just being a natural, sometimes not so fresh-faced looking girl. But then there are the other days, that I want to feel and look a little more put together that made my heart pang a little bit as I brushed past my old make-up basket shoved into a corner in the closet.

So I started researching and found a company called Sheer Miracle. (this is not a sponsored post…they have no idea who I am…just sharing something I like) And now, back to the show…I really liked that it wasn’t loaded with a bunch of stuff and it seemed healthier to use than many similar products I’ve read about. And the prices were pretty reasonable too, which was a great bonus.

So I ordered a sample kit, which I love the idea of, because I could order 4 sample sized products (a two weeks supply if used every day) for less than $10 including free shipping. Score.

I finally got them in the mail last week. In the interest of full disclosure, there was a mix-up on the order and I originally got somebody else’s order in the mail. I had to email them to get it straightened out and then there was another mix-up and my replacements were never shipped so I had to email them again, and promptly after that email, my stuff came. I was beginning to think it would be a sheer miracle if I ever got my stuff, but it did come. And I’m so thankful.

I love this stuff. I bought the equivalent to base, powder, under eye correction and blush. They had several options in those four categories, but no options for other things like eye shadow, but you can order samples of those very cheaply. I plan to do that soon.  And then make a ‘real’ order for regular sized pots of everything.

I have used it one time so far. I’ve never worn mineral make-up before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I read a little bit and then started playing. It only takes a tiny bit to get decent coverage. After applying a thin coat of the ‘base’, I topped that with a very thin layer of the HD powder…the white stuff. It really gives my face a bit of an air brushed look. Very soft looking. (I read that if you get too much it can go into ‘white face’ but I didn’t have that problem). I also used the pink under eye corrector (before the base and HD). It came with instructions which I followed. And got good results covering up the dark under my eyes. And the blush is a very pretty shade…again with the  ‘just a tad’ routine. A little goes a long way. But I came away looking fresh and natural but not overly glammed. I am loving this product. I compared the prices of this with other mineral make-ups and found it’s much less expensive. Will definitely be ordering more.

some shopping love

I heart you Bed Bath and Beyond!

Really. : )

I was in BBB over the weekend looking for an immersion blender. I had the most delicious soup last week and now I have an urgent need to make it at My house…over and over.

And with my limited diet, it’s a big deal when I find something new and healthy. And yummy.

So anyway, I was in BBB over the weekend looking at ‘stick’ blenders. And one of the employees asked me if I needed any help. So I told her what I was hunting for. I was wanting the Kitchen Aid model without all the extra attachments etc. (I already have choppers and whatever else all those weird things do…all I need is the blender) But the only Kitchen Aid they had in the store was the tricked out one for $100. She pointed me toward a Cuisinart brand that was more basic, but I have a personal blender that is Cuisinart brand and it just doesn’t work very well for me. I was thinking out loud mentioning that fact and she told me I could bring it back. I told her I’ve had it almost a year. Doesn’t matter. I told her I didn’t have the box or receipt. Doesn’t matter.

(Also, the Cuisinart brand stick blender isn’t very highly rated, just an fyi. The personal blender is a great product, but it just doesn’t work well for my needs. another fyi)

So I came home and gathered up all the pieces to my Cuisinart and took it to the store to be issued store credit. And then I ordered my Kitchen Aid stick blender…with a coupon! It will arrive in about a week and I still have almost $40 in store credit.

I heart you, Bed Bath and Beyond. (and no, this is not a sponsored post…just me gushing over great service and friendly employees being helpful and doing their jobs…and making one customer very happy in the process)

such a long day

Yesterday was such a long day. It doesn’t help that it started at 5am when I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep. UGH.

I got up and got it together because I was expecting a crew to work in my back yard. After all the drama we’ve had and all the “we were going to move but we never found a house and now we’re sort of thankful because our needs are different now than they were a year and half ago” stuff, we are getting a new fence. We have had issues with unwanted (bad) dogs getting into our yard for a couple of years. And little more than small patch jobs after the fact. We realized we are going to have to shoulder the responsibility of redoing an entire wall of fence…and pay for it. Not cheap! 

We haven’t used our yard in two years. Let that one sink in. Two years that we have felt like prisoners in our own home.

So after all the waiting and the bids and what not, we finally found somebody to come and do the fence. A metal SOLID fence that is 7 feet above the ground and one foot below. The dogs are diggers (bored most of the time). That should fix their little red wagons, as my parents used to say.

They arrived and started working and then I headed to ‘the big city’ for my onc appointment. 40 miles one way. They were busier than usual and I had to wait a while but that was ok. He was a sweetie as usual and finally I was on the road for home…so tired and sleepy at this point. It was after 1pm when I got home, and I still needed to eat. So I threw my lunch together. And then went to the gym. Did I mention that I was wiped out? But I still managed to do my usual cardio. It felt good and then I crashed in the car and felt so tired I couldn’t move. And then I came home and made dinner. Last night was one of those nights that ‘in the olden days’ I would have called and told the hubs he needed to bring home take out. But I can cook healthier than that, so I persevered.

The only thing keeping me going was knowing I could go to bed soon. And then I went to bed and finally fell asleep. Only to wake up at 3am this morning and not be able to fall back asleep. I finally did get in another nap before time to wake up ‘for good’. Now I’m waiting for the fence guys to come again to bury the posts and dig the trench. And tomorrow, they install the actual fence and we will be able to use the yard again.

I am already asking for a yard swing for our swing set. And some twinkle lights for the patio. We might even be able to take our new-ish camera outside and get a little practice with it.

Vitamin D not from a bottle, here I come. : )

Is it nap time yet? 

semi-scrapbooking {quicker and easier way to get the job done}

The events of the past year have renewed my resolve to do some things. But maybe in a modified way. I have been a scrapbooker (Is that even a word? The squiggly line below it says it’s not a word, but I’m going with it!) since my girl was a baby. I went to a Creative Memories party and went on from there. But just like everybody else, I can’t keep up with how many pictures I need to scrapbook in the time I would like to spend on it.

Sometimes lately I just don’t have the mental energy to spend on it. But I would still like to record activities for posterity. (mainly at this point I just do vacations…right now I have three to scrap book..TN, FL and CO) And it can feel overwhelming with just those to tackle.

But this is where it gets interesting. I meet with a group of girls once a week. We share a meal and then do some sort of crafting. Most of the time it’s scrapbooking. One of the girls did a super big vacation and there were just too many photos to expect to do a layout for every. single. one. So she decided to do something sort of different. She bought the full page layout sleeves (12 by 12) and also bought the sleeves that hold six 4 by 6 photos per page. And this is where things started to stray from the cookie cutter every-page-is-a-full-spread scrapbooking that we all know (and love).  She did some full layouts on the big pages. And she also put her 4 by 6 photos in some sleeves and left some sleeves for journaling or ticket stubs or embellishments or whatever. What she ended up with was just as cute as a regular scrapbook, but it took a fraction of the time to complete, and she was able to include more photos and more stories. Sheer genius, if you ask me.

So I am learning to work this technique, semi-scrapbooking as I like to call it, into my scrapbooking routine. I think it will be a big help as I try to get more pictures in books while keeping my sanity and my patience somewhat intact. ; )

A full page ‘spread’ to introduce our time at Garden of the Gods…(definitely not my best work here, but you get the idea)

And then individual pics with a journaling slot left open…

I think you get the idea. Much easier and quicker. Not near as much cropping needed. But of course, you can still crop to highlight a certain photo and mount it on paper to make it stand out etc. The possibilities are endless. : ) Happy scrapping!

*I know we didn’t invent this..I’ve seen it in magazines, but for years I hunted for the special pages etc featured to pull this look off to no avail. Thankfully now these things are showing up more in stores and making it easier for us girls to git’r done. Hobby Lobby is my happy place! : )

I’m linking this post to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

the workout pants

I have never worked out quite like I do now. In the past, I’ve taken stabs at cardio. And before L got sick, I had gotten myself in pretty decent shape using resistance training. But that went down the tube when he got sick.

Basically everything I’ve done has been short lived. Until now. Because I don’t have a choice. And oddly, because I want to. I feel better. I’m beginning to look better, too.

And although I wouldn’t admit this to anybody face to face, sometimes I check out my biceps in the mirror. Cuz I have some now. : )

I have resisted workout wear. I don’t know why..I just have. I hate the thought of spandex stretched out over my less then perfect body. But I am always a fan of the oversized tee shirt. But I’ve noticed that lately I’ve been tempted to skimp on things because I’m already “dressed” for the day. Some days I come home from the gym (cardio days) sweating and feeling gross. Already wearing my regular clothes. Albeit it’s only shorts and a tee shirt…but still, it’s the uniform of choice for me most days. The laundry and the home schooler don’t really have high fashion hopes for me day to day.

So yesterday I had finally had enough of coming home feeling all icky and not wanting to dirty up more regular clothes. Oh yes, you heard it right…I took the plunge and bought some workout pants. They are actually more like capris, which will be nice, as I can wear them through the winter and not freeze to death walking to and from my car. And since they are capris, they cover my back side, thankyouverymuch. And dare I say…they are a bit flattering. It took me a while to find flattering…for a while I wanted to have a cry-fest in the fitting room. But I finally came upon something that doesn’t look scary on me. And they are comfortable too.

I put my new pants on this morning and felt myself doing my warm up (weight day) with a little more gusto….trying harder to get all the moves just right…remembering those biceps. Ha!

I’m hoping this little boost helps me push even harder to reach some unwritten goals I’ve set for myself. Some involve weight, endurance and let’s face it…shape.  

So today I feel a bit transformed by a new pair of pants. : )

Back to the work out…warm up is over…and it’s time for kettle bells! Woot!

birthdays…his and mine

There were two birthdays last week. One to celebrate a 15th year that he never saw.

And another to celebrate my birthday, two days later. And I ain’t tellin’ how many 47 birthdays I’ve seen. ; )

I thought about letting Landon’s birthday pass without a word on the blog. When the day rolled around, I was busy thinking other thoughts intermingled with many thoughts of him. We went to Chili’s. We colored a pepper. I wrote on it about watching kids his age going to high school. And yet he is still four. It’s a strange life.

I am thankful for all his birthdays and thankful I could be his mommy here on earth, even if it was only for four years. And many more in heaven…I still wouldn’t trade it.

And then two days later, my birthday rolled around. Not much fanfare which is the usual for us. And that’s ok. But the mixture of his birthday and then mine and all that’s happened in the past year along with thoughts of my one year cancer-versary (coming up in about a month) left me in a very pensive mood.

So even though I was posting vacation pics last week, very often my thoughts and heart were far away…and not in Colorado.

I have felt the usual cloak of sadness creep in during this time of year, but there is this added layer this year. I will be honest here and say that there are fearful moments for me. What if’s hang heavy over me sometimes.

But I was reading in Hebrews today and I love it when I read a verse I’ve read over and over and He brings it to life again and gives it fresh beauty.

Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” NASB

Chapter 4 is talking about finding rest, and I think often we tend to think about ‘rest’ meaning when we die…RIP sort of thing. But the writer is talking about finding rest now. So thankful that even in the midst of living here, we can draw near to the throne of grace…aren’t those beautiful words???..and receive mercy and find grace…aren’t those things we look for all the time, even in things that won’t satisfy??? So thankful that when we do, He will help us in our time of need, which hello, is all the time.

Always so thankful when I read something I’ve read before…underlined even…and hear a word for today…right now…in them.

Hugs and love, my friends. : )

it’s the heat

I think I’ve mentioned it before…it’s never good when my kid comes to my bed at 1:30 am and does the ‘holler whisper’ to let me know there is a problem.

And last night was not an exception.

Mom!

What?

I gecko just fell from my ceiling.

Where did it land? (I’m thinking…her head…her bed…)

A gecko just fell from my ceiling.

I heard that…WHERE DID IT LAND?  (what part of where did it land could you not understand, kid?)

Oh, on the floor.

Oh. Go back to bed. It’s fine. It will not bother you…go to sleep.

I heard a rather loud THUD a few minutes later and knew what had happened. It involved a text book….RIP little gecko. : /

Hubs went in this morning to move the book and take our dearly departed little friend to his final resting place.

Dear Summer,

I am officially sick of you. I am so tired of hot weather. And insects and lizards. And not being able to go outside lest a mosquito bite put me in the hospital (or worse)…I’m talking to YOU, West Nile Virus. I am so tired of not being able to enjoy being outside, or inside for that matter. Going on vacation just ruined me for the rest of our summer, because the weather was just so nice. I want to move. Thanks Colorado for being so dad-gum perfect in the summer.

Signed…Burned Out in Texas

around Estes and RMNP part 2

I am hoping to wrap up the trip with this post. So hold on, it might be a bumpy ride long post. : )

So Tuesday rolls around and hubs has been behind the wheel, well, A LOT. So I had read about an aerial tramway in Estes Park. Right on the middle of town. It was family built and owned there for many years. I am not a huge fan of this sort of thing. I can’t decide if I’m scared or I just don’t want to think about dangling from a wire in the sky. But anyhoo, we rode it. And it was fun. And the scenery was great.

I met a lady on the tram when they were doing the “where are y’all from” chit chat as we headed up the mountain. Lo and behold, she is from my neck of the woods…as in just a few miles from here. So we ended up exchanging street intersections near our homes to tell what we are close to. Very weird. Reminded me of riding up Pikes Peak in the cog and the man directly across from me worked at the elder care center three houses down from me. So this was déjà vu all over again. : )

Anyway…pictures!

There is one on the way back…

And here we gooooo…

It was pretty at the top. : )

We walked around a lot and hung over all the platforms taking pics of every possible angle of the skyline and the mountains. Just so pretty. There were little walking paths along the top of the mountain and we enjoyed the birds and chipmunks too. It was nice up there. But after a little while we were ready to come down. We decided we would eat lunch and piddle around town a bit. So we looked in all the little shops, bought our souvenirs and had a bite to eat. We saw this pretty sight at the edge of ‘downtown’ Estes. 

And then we wondered what we were going to do with the rest of our day. So we looked in the guide magazine for Estes and the surrounding areas and took two scenic drives. One takes you through so very pretty countryside and some small towns. And the other goes along Big Thompson Canyon…a stunning drive I’ve been through a couple of times as a kid.

Big Thompson.

St. Malo Catholic Church. Dates back to 1935. Pope John Paul II has visited there.

After all the driving, we chilled out back at the cabin. My peeps favorite thing about the cabin..an old school Nintendo system. Duck Hunt!

Wednesday morning we had a decision to make. According to the web site for the park, one of their most popular scenic drives is closed most of the days because of road construction. But they will let you in before 9am or after 4pm. So Wednesday morning we high tailed it into the park way before 9am so we could take the Bear Lake drive and hike. You can see we weren’t the only ones with that idea. : ) We had to be in before 9 but could leave throughout the day. So once we were in, we were good.

We are not big hiker people. But we hiked Bear Lake..which was a whopping half mile (and almost no vertical gain) all the way around. But it was lovely!

Oh, snap.

In case you’re wondering if we saw any bears…no. We did not. Thank you God, for no bears. But I follow the park on twitter and this past Sunday, there was a two year old black bear in the parking lot looking for food. So we only missed him by four days. Whew.

Y’all, we walked around this lake and I could post 20 pictures just from that. Every place there was a small clearing, the girl and I were snapping away with our cameras. The water was clear and the sky was so blue and it was just gorgeous.

We took a couple of other walks along the same trail head that were labeled moderately easy. Bear Lake had almost no vertical gain, but the other two were huffer and puffers as far as I was concerned. A lot more ‘going up’ time on the other trails. But I did ok.

There go my peeps..up the hill.

From the trailhead. We were resting in between hikes. : )

A total poser…he was so happy just to sit there and be photographed.

Smiling, even though we were walking hard there for a little bit.

After we completed all our hikes and our picnic lunch, we drove back part way UP again, to see if it was less hazy and let me hop out and take a few more pictures. And that was the end of our time at RMNP.

We went back into town to rest a bit, then found a place to eat dinner. Rock Inn Tavern. Best meal while there and of course, I did not take my camera and the place was adorable. Just exactly like you think it should look…rustic and dark. Great food.

The weather while we were there was great. 50’s when we were waking up to 70’s in the middle of the day. Niiiice. : ) But of course, being in the mountains, it was pretty unstable. It sprinkled or rained every day, but it never ruined our plans. I kind of enjoyed watching it come down on our patio…it smelled so clean. Loved it.

I will say that I am much better shape this year than last. Our cabin was at a higher elevation than the high point in Tennessee last year. And I was huffing and puffing in Tennessee. : / I just ran right up the steps to my girl’s room without giving it a second thought. I did have to stop a few times and regroup when we were hiking. But because of the way I do my cardio…intervals…I recovered nicely and could continue on quickly. Woot.

It was nice to get out of our every day routine and experience something else for a little bit. But I am realizing that I carry my recent health issues with me where ever I go. And I guess that is ok. I just see life through a different lens now.

{on a funny note…the foobs got bubbles in them when we went up. It took them a couple of days at home to return to normal. We joked that if we went any higher, I would turn into Dolly Parton. Well that didn’t happen, of course, but it was a good laugh. Ha!}

And with those little notes, that brings us back to where this started.

RMNP…day one

The biggest reason we went to Estes Park was to go into Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). But the funny thing is, we’d read a little bit online, but we didn’t have a clear picture of what we were going to do once we got there. Basically we were flying be the seat of our pants.
So that picture you saw in my last post of my hubby sitting at the table…that’s pretty much a daily scene. Looking at the map or the magazine or the guide book and plotting our next day/move. And believe it or not, it worked out pretty well for us.

I know I have been to RMNP, but I was very young. So this was all new stuff to me. I love going places I’ve already been, but experiencing something new is exciting for all of us.

I can’t say enough amazing things about the park. It’s stunning. It’s got it’s own weather and it’s own vibe all the way around. And the people in the park are so friendly to each other. It’s like we all stand there looking at those mountains and realize we’re all a tiny part of something very big. And it changes us. Even if just for a second.

Enjoy the pics…and the narration. Ha, I can’t help myself. : )
We encountered a bit of a bummer on what I call our ‘high’ day..the day we drove past the timberline into the tundra. There was haze in the air from wildfires elsewhere. (no idea where..not in RMNP)  Anyhoo…made the scenery very dull. But after many years of vacationing in various mountains, you get what you get…weather there is it’s own thing. So on this day, we got haze. : /

We used to be driving on those roads….waaay down there!

Cuteness. : ) There were chipmunks all over the place and we had so much fun watching them.

allrightythen. {gulp}

It was a wee bit windy..or a lot…and a wee bit chilly…or a lot. : )

We late lunch at the Alpine Visitor’s Center…and it was UP THERE.

And you should be so proud of me…I got a veggie sandwich on whole wheat bread..but it tasted awful…so I had brought {emergency} food and ate from the trunk of the van. I wasn’t going to eat unhealthy stuff. Even there. Ok..I did eat that bag of bbq chips…and they were so good. But I got some other things to make a healthy meal from the van. And notice that bag of chips…very puffy stuff. This kind of altitude does weird things. Science in action. : )

More elk.

Evidently they draw a crowd.

At one time there were two ranches owned by the same family. The land was turned over to the park system with the stipulation that the oldest ranch would remain intact as a museum. The newer ranch, with slightly newer buildings etc, was demolished to return the field to it’s natural splendor. The ranch that is only alive in pictures was called The Never Summer Ranch…clever name. And back in the day, way back when, people would spend money to go there and enjoy the weather and pretend to be a cowboy on a dude ranch.

Site of the newer ranch. A gorgeous meadow area.

And this is the museum. It has volunteer docents from the parks service acting as guides and telling about all the buildings on the ranch and the family that made it all work. All I can say is they were very hardy individuals. The eldest lady of the family continued to come and spend her summers there way on into the later parts of her life. Amazing and hard working.


I can’t imagine these sorts of homes in the middle of summer…much less the middle of winter. This was almost like a little town. The husband did a mail order course and got a degree in taxidermy and would mount things that their guests killed. Just a fascinating life.

Check out that elevation. Woot.

Yes, it was cold when we were in the tundra. Every time we stepped out of the van it was colder than the time before. Very cold and very windy. We did not spent much time taking pics before hopping back in the car. Brrrr.

It was gorgeous in a barren sort of way. Amazing how it was a whole different eco system at every elevation.

We pretty much did the high road scenic drive in its entirity. And it took us the better part of a day. But we were taking our time. By the end, we were glad to head ‘down’ into Estes as the altitude was beginning to give hubs and I a bit of a headache.

That was Monday.  Stay tuned for Tuesday and Wednesday. : )

Co Springs and Estes Park

So we went to Estes Park, Colorado, which took us two days to drive. On the second day, we knew we were running a little bit early to be let into our cabin, so we stopped in Colorado Springs for a little bit.

On our last visit to the Garden of the Gods, we didn’t have very long to get out and walk around, so we feel like filled in those gaps last week. 

Enjoy the pics.

Tiny red dot in the middle of the pic below is a rock climber. Crazy.

WE on the other hand, stayed on the sidewalk. ; )

We arrived in Estes around 2 and were able to check into our cabin. We stayed at a small group of cabins/resort sort of thing called Solitude Cabins. In a word, they were great. Super clean and comfortable. With everything we would think of needing plus a little bit more.

The kitchen from upstairs.

Dining area…and hubs mapping out our day.

Living area…the only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the direction our cabin was situated…the sun was a bit much sometimes.

Our cabin was called…

…Black Bear Cabin. And the owners carried that theme subtly throughout. Cute.

Our little cabin from the outside. : )

Mule deer are common around town. I spied this little sweetie right outside our cabin.

And so are ELK. This pic was taken a couple of blocks from our cabin. And the next one was taken in the yard right outside. There were several mule deer and elk together, but this one was content to just lounge in the yard. 

And that doesn’t even count what we saw in the park!

I walked around to the front of the resort to take the pic from this post, and had to be careful not to step in elk poo. You know you aren’t in Texas Kansas anymore when you have to watch for elk stuff.

We stayed in Estes but several of our days were spent inside Rocky Mountain National Park. More to come…