Green the New Vanilla

Noticed how a couple years ago or was it last year everything seemed to have vanilla as an added flavor? Vanilla Crunch Cereal, Vanilla Mints (I never understood those), Vanilla Milk and the list goes on. T. & I are always on the look out for the next "Vanilla", curious aboout what the next fad will be (before vanilla it was green tea and right now we think chocolate is it) and if it will taste good.
I have always loved the color blue. It’s been my favorite for as long as I can remember. Lately I’ve been going for green. I wouldn’t call it my favorite, but it’s becoming a close runner up. I have two green jackets, green sunglasses, several green shirts, green earrings, and a pair of green shoes. Anyway, you get the picture of the not quite my favorite color in my life.
While eating dinner the other night I opened an edtion of Bon Appetit Magazine looking for a cupcake recipe and there in bold letters it advertised being the Green Issue. Yep, the Green Issue and they aren’t talking about the food. As I stared at the word Green in bold letters I had a memory flash of all the Biggest Loser contestants wearing green shirts for "Green Week" on NBC, and what about the aricle I read several monthes ago in Runner’s World about the marathoner who reuses his nipple bandaids and carries his own water bottle to stay "green"; I can’t forget about the table at Barnes and Noble selling only "green books". What if green isn’t really kinda, sorta my new favorite color and it’s all a passing fad that I’ve fallen for?


Feeling green around the gills,

Naomi

First Drive!!

Hi all, the "other half" here. If you remember, back in Nov. I bought a little Austin Healey Sprite. Well for the past few months I have been slowly getting her roadworthy.

This involved replacing all brake components front to back, as well as some rust removal and general "sprucing up" for a car that has sat for 5 years. The motor is in great shape though and runs well too. This past Saturday all new parts were in and Aaron, a friend from work, came over and we bled the brakes and clutch. Then, the moment of truth..................

Success!! After the first little run to warm up, it ran and drove great. Now for license and insurance.

T

This is only a test. Do not adjust your television set.

Kaia loves balloons.

What I've Been Reading

I have been reading the greatest books of late. I love it when I hit a stretch of books that I look back on and can’t find a bad one among them ; I find only good stories that I was sad to leave. I have been wanting to write a blog about the books I’ve read for a long time and realized that it would be wrong of me to put it off any longer and not share these stories with you. I can be such a procrastinator at times; it drives me nuts. Anyway here are the books. Enjoy.

Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris
Yes, this is yet another book about the world that Jane Austen created in Pride and Prejudice, one I have to say does a wonderful job following the tone that Austen set in her original story. Pride and Prescience starts at the newly married Darcy’s wedding party and follows them through the first weeks of their marriage as they become involved in a mystery concerning Mr. Bingley’s sister Caroline. I would put this book in the Victorian Cozy Mystery reads, a genre that I find light and fun, even when dealing with some of the supernatural as this one did. I enjoyed this book so much that I went to the library to find book two, Suspense and Sensibility, and enjoyed it as well, though it delved a little more heavily with spiritualism than the first, changing the tone slightly. Still it was a fun read, that I enjoyed.

The Thief Taker by Janet Gleeson
Agnes Meadows a cook for a family of Silversmiths is asked by her employer to help solve a burglary that has taken place, leading her into criminal underworld of 18th century England. I could not put this book down. It felt like I was back in Old England myself with the descriptions of the area and the people. At times I could smell the food that Agnes was cooking or the open sewers of the city. I felt that Gleeson really stayed true to how the people would have behaved, especially the servants towards the employers. My only warning about The Thief Taker is that it can be a bit grisly when a murdered body or two show up. It didn’t bother me, but if one is very sensitive be warned. I can’t wait to read some of Janet Gleeson’s other stories.

A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin
Lynn Austin is one of my favorite authors; I have immensely enjoyed all six of her books that I have read. She brings both other times and places alive in her stories while creating wonderful characters that are real in their life and walk with the Lord. I have purposely not read all of her books so that they are there when I’m at a loss of what to read and just want a good book. Silly I know, but fall backs are very important in the literary world. When I first started A Proper Pursuit I was slightly taken aback, because it dealt with a young woman out of finishing school in the 1800’s; like so many other books both Christian and non-Christian that are in the market right now. I almost didn’t read it; what a loss that would have been on my part. Instead of finding a silly book about etiquette fiascos I found a really sweet, charming story about a young woman in search of a mother that she barely remembers. While searching for her mother in Chicago during the Worlds Fair in 1893 with her Grandmother and Great-Aunts in tow Violet Hayes finds more than she bargains for (with one or two fiascos) in suitors and the reality of life. I really enjoyed this coming-of-age story with it’s delightful ending.

The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
Emma Bau becomes a spy for the resistance during World War 2 masquerading as a gentile secretary to a high ranking Nazi official. Written in first person this story does not go into a lot of historical detail, but more into the moral decisions and stresses that Emma has to make to help her people against the devastation of the Nazi’s. Her job places her marriage vows and the people that she loves on the line. While I didn’t agree with all the choices that Emma made in her life, I found the story to be interesting, bringing to light situations that I hadn’t thought about concerning World War 2. I don’t think that Pam Jenoff created a really strong, memorable character in Emma, at times I felt that she really didn’t grasp the seriousness of the war and what was going on around her, but then does one really understand what they are in the middle of each day, while trying to survive. Maybe in writing about a character that felt lost, confused, and a bit selfish Pam Jenoff created a real person. For me personally I wouldn’t call this a great book in writing style or characters,but an interesting read all the same.
There are other books that I would like to write about, but I have been catching up on email and other computer stuff all day and am going a little cross eyed. I will have to write more later and share a little about our daily lives too.

Happy Reading,

Naomi

Terran's New Career

Terran and I have been talking about him pursuing a different line of work. You know how it is when you have those "what if" conversations. While in Ireland Terran found, quite by accident, his new career. Here for your eyes only is a little peek into what the future holds for us.




Aah, very natural





GQ Pose




Wow, really working it now




Let me introduce you to America's Next Top Model, or is it Canada's?






On second thought, maybe he'll stay in aviation,

Naomi

PS My Husband can be such a clown and I love it.

Superbowl Snow

Terran and I had a delightfully lazy Superbowl Sunday last week. Our favorite aspect of the day was the food and this year featured an Ale we had in Ireland and Mackeral in tomato sauce that Tamara introduced me to over there.

We ended the day by taking a walk and playing outside with the dogs in the snow. We got about four inches that evening. I love it when the flakes are big and fat. It felt like an adventure being out in the dark with the snow falling hard and fast.

After such a great snow fall Sunday I had to get out Monday and do a little crosscountry skiing. It was way too beautiful of a day not to.

The Turds catching their breath.

Enjoying the day to the fullest. It couldn't have gotten much better, other than not having bruised my tush ,when I fell going down a hill.

Hoping for a quick recovery,

Naomi

THE LAND OF THE IRISH

We had a wonderful time with Mark & Tamara, Wes and our friend Greg in Ireland. The place is beautiful, with a surprise around every corner. I feel as though we barely scratched the surface of what there is to see.

Naomi

I DREAM OF IRELAND

I have been dreaming of Ireland these last few night. Beautiful visions of the Emerald Isle fill my head or getting lost in the fog as I look for my hubby causes my heart to pound and then I awake to realise that I am in my own bed and that our Ireland adventure has not begun yet.
Hurray for today, because in about an hour we will be riding in a car with family and friends over the mountains for Denver and then boarding a plane tomorrow that will carry us to my beautiful dream of the Emerald Isle. I refuse to believe that I am going to lose Terran in the fog.

Back in 10 days,
Naomi

Flowers

The last week and a half I have had a cold, a pretty bad one that has worn me out. Last Thursday the door bell rang with a delivery lady holding this lovely bouquet. When she told us they were for me Terran and I couldn't figure out who they would be from, then I opened the get well card. My parents had sent me flowers to help me along the road of recovery. What a wonderful surprise on the worst day of the whole thing.
Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!!!!

Yours,
Naomi

A GLANCE AT NOVEMBER

I feel like I haven’t done a real post for quite a while, though I’m not sure what a "real post" consists of. I guess it depends on what you like to read about other peoples lives. The past month went so quickly for T & I, it was incredibly full of a lot of big , busy things; including several road trips, lots of visiting and some running.

We started off by running a 3 mile race together that supported our local "Girl’s on the Run" program. I loved seeing those elementary girls there running their little hearts out and seeing their pride as they crossed the finish line. I think it’s great that they are teaching girls to set a goal and to meet it with hard work and training. I also think of the great health benefits they are going to have in their life starting to exercize at such a young age. T ran the race in under 24 minutes. I am so impressed with him running faster than an 8minute mile, it may be because I ran an 8:02 mile. The roughly 24 minute run put me in second place in my age group, so now I have a cool orange bag to carry books in and a red ribbon that says "Second Place". I was pretty happy, especially after I saw that the first place girl in my group ran the race in 18 or 19 minutes. A tad fast for me.

We also had a housewarming to go to for Tamara and Mark, T’s sister and hubby that afternoon. It was a fun, fun time visiting with them and their friends. Mark and Tamara are two of the most hospitible people that I know. I love going to their house, because I know how welcome we are and feel. If you ever get a chance to visit them I highly recommend taking the offer. You’ll have some good conversation, see some sweet kitties, and get to drink excellent wine and coffee. Thanks guys for a great afternnoon!!!

The next weekend we were off to Las Vegas with some family and friends for an airshow at Nellis Airforce Base. We had the joy of picking up T’s brother Arls from the airport, he was just returning from China. It was SO good to see him after 5 1/2 monthes.

Because Arl’s had been out of the country for several monthes and really wanted to go climbing on our minivacation T found a place outside of Vegas that we (I use "we" as a very general term,because it should be "they") could climb at.

The Three Amigos and the boulder that they beat. I was really proud of my 30 something hubby keeping right up with his young 20 somethng and alsmost 20 something brother. I have got quite a stud!

The area we were at is called Red Rock Canyons which is a beautiful nature area.Quite worth the 20 minute drive outside of Vegas. I laughed when I realized that this is the only picture of T & I from our trip. We spent time on the world famous Vegas strip and come home with a pic of us outside. I guess you can tell what holds our interest.

After we got home from Vegas it was almost time for us to start preparing for our trip to Washington to have Thanksgiving with my family and pick up a special something.

I was so glad to have the Holiday with my family. This was the first Thanksgiving we have had with them since we were married. It was a great visit, though very short at barely 48 hours.

Playing around at the Boeing Air Museum.

Every holiday has some kind of fiasco and I was the cause of ours. I started a fire with the marshmallow covered sweet potatoes in the oven. I thought they needed to be broiled to finish browning them. It was a pretty good one with flames filling the oven; my Dad had to be the hero and took them out for us. At least it was the only dish of food left in there and was the only casualty of a wonderful day.

Here is the "special something." Terran about a month ago bought this little 1963 Austin Healey Sprite over E-bay and my dad has been storing it for us after picking it up in Oregon.

We are very excited about our little 2 seater joy ride. It does run, but needs brakes and some other work. It wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t need some TLC. T is hoping to have it on the road this spring for some cruising. I’m very excited for him/us, he’s wanted a classic car for along time.

Well, now I feel like I have written a real post and am feeling much better about my blog. Amazing how a little rambling can make you feel so much better.

Naomi

Kaia's Blankey

Little kids aren't the only ones that need their special blanket. Kaia sleeps each night on this blanket in our room and on trips. It's so cute to watch her make it in the evening and then find her all curled up on it in the morning. If she could I think she would drag it around with her during the day.

2 MILES, 2000 FT. in 2 HOURS

Mt. Garfield is our desert mountain; standing 2000ft. above the valley with a 2 mile trail going up the side. It's very steep quite unlike any other trail I've hiked. Terran and I took a beautiful, cool Saturday morning a couple weeks ago & made the climb. It's something that locals can't help but do once in a while. There is even a running race up and down it in the Spring.

A little breathless, but we conquered the mount.

Trying not to let the unease show.

Kaia didn't like being that high in the least bit. Aside from being slightly cross eyed in the picture she had a panicked look on her face while we were on top. While...

Kojo the daredevil just had to see what was at the bottom.

The highlight of the hike was the wild horses we saw on the trail. They were absolutely gorgeous. We love how strong and healthy they looked.

The Horse Whisperer.

This guy looked a little sad we were leaving, or maybe he's just playing peekaboo.

Kojo the Ghost Dog

Playing the Tourist

Hanging Lake about an hour and 1/2 drive and a mile hike up a steep hill. Well worth the walk with this at the end. It's a huge tourist hike in Glenwood Springs boasting of 80,000 people a year.

Wes and Terran living on the edge.

My Honey and I

For All You Coffee Lovers

I have never been a huge fan of low fat foods, especially desserts. I was raised with the motto if you’re going to eat it, it should be the real thing and taste good. No substitutes!! Well, as I grow older and those real foods I enjoy so much try to stick around longer than I’d prefer and in places I’d rather they didn’t, I’m a little more open to light foods. It was with a bit of hesitation that I tried this recipe and found that it is great. It tastes yummy and is gentle to the waist line. Ahh, you gotta love that.

Cafe con Leche Cream Pie

3/4 C. Chocolate Wafer Crumbs (about 15 cookies, such as Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers or Chocolate Grams work)

4 tsp Butter, melted

Cooking spray

3/4 cup extra strong brewed coffee

1 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

1 (8 ounce) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 (8 ounce) block fat-free cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

3 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine chocolate wafer crumbs and butter, tossing with a fork until well combined. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan coated with with cooking-spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; cool completely.

3. Pour brewed coffee into a medium microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle that gelatin over coffee; let stand 10 minutes. Combine cheeses and milk in a food processor' process until smooth. Microwave coffee mixtures at HIGH for 20 seconds. Add coffee mixture to cheese mixture, and process until well combined. Pour cheese mixture into prepared crust. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Spread the whipped topping evenly over filling; sprinkle cocoa powder over pie. Chill one hour before serving.

Yield 10 Servings

Spacial Notes: This dessert needs to be prepared the day before serving for chilling purposes. When I first read this recipe that did not register and our pie didn't set all the way. :)

Bon Appetit,

Naomi

VISITORS

I am excited as my family is here for almost a weeks visit. My mom, my brother Tim, and niece Kaitlyn drove down from Washington for a end of summer visit. I could not think of a better way to end summer and celebrate the Labor Day Weekend. :)

Kaitlyn was excited to see me and Uncle Terran, but it was nothing compared to her excitement to see the dogs. She and Kaia are best buddies, one following the other every where. You can't see Kaia in the picture, but Kaitlyn would blow the bubbles and Kaia would run after them trying to bite them. Quite cute!!

Naomi