Rocky Mountin Toy Train Show

Yesterday, our family went to the Rocky Mountain Toy Train Show at the Denver Merchandise Mart.

When me and my sister were little, my dad bought us a small train set that went around the Christmas tree. Brian also had a bigger, better train set, that's still in his parent's basement.

We knew that, along with his best friend Elmo, Sam was interested in trains (especially Thomas The Tank Engine). We purchased him an adjustable Thomas the Tank Engine engineer's hat, which he promptly threw on the floor. He will love it and never want to take it off within the next few years (I guaranty).

We headed to the show with a couple of our friends that have a 1 year old. She wasn't old enough to fully enjoy the trains, but Sam had a blast. There were trains of all sizes and for some, he was able to get pretty close. One exhibitor even let Sam hit the button to activate the train's whistle.

 

There was also a Santa that didn't charge anything for pictures. Sam wasn't interested (even while holding Daddy's iPhone.

Making a run for it.

Hopefully, Sam lets us get a better picture of him at "Breakfast With Santa" downtown on Saturday.

After the show, we decided to eat at The Red Rooster Cafe, which received 4 stars on Yelp. The review said that they were best know for their breakfasts, but I was in the mood for lunch.

I ordered a chicken sandwich and, by looking at the plate of food that was put before me, you would have thought I ordered the entire chicken. I ate half and still had enough for a full dinner last night.

The sandwich was a good as it was big. If you are ever near 57th & Washington, stop by. I wouldn't make a special trip, but their food is pretty good.

Our Black Friday

My husband, Brian had to work, so me and Samuel went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. We got there right at 9am (when they open) and it was almost deserted. We went to the T Rex Encounter exhibit. It was really neat. Sam kept a hold of my hand most of the time, but wasn't visibly worried. He definitely liked the triceratops better than the T Rex, but liked the whole thing.

We also visited the Discovery Zone, Wildlife Exhibits, and Space Odyssey. the only bad thing was that, somewhere during the morning, I lost Samuel's jacket. I stopped by the Lost & Found and left a description and my contact information. I hope that someone turns it in.

Here are some photos that I took.

This was Sam's addition.

Fiction VS. Reality and Apple Crinkle

Here is the look that I was hoping for for our first Thanksgiving at home. I also just love the centerpiece that I put together from items that I found while cleaning out our basement.

Of course, with a 2 year old, this won't be the reality. First off, remove the wine glasses. If he gets a hold of anything, my next post will be on Shit My Kids Ruined.

Next, take off the place mats.  Anything that would be on the place mats would end up on the floor. Then, remove the glass plates, the candles and full set of silverware (at least in front of Samuel).

While dreaming of a "perfect" table setting, I have been cooking up a storm. By "storm" I mean that my MIL made a sweet potato casserole that I just had to heat up and I had to cook the 4.5 pound boneless, skinless turkey breast and heat up the veggies.

I also made my Grandmother's Apple Crinkle recipe that will only be passed down within the family. Here are some photos of it's making, but I'll never reveal the recipe.

4 cups of apples, pealed.

I had to use the mortar and pestle to grind up Allspice.

Uncooked oatmeal and a lot of other ingredients.

Here are some other pictures that were taken of Sam today.

Sleeping while Dad and Grandpa walked around Bass Pro Shop

 Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wordless Wednesday- Another Black Eye

Thank you Samuel!!

Mommy really likes being close to you, but stop getting so close, so fast that you give Mommy a black eye.

Sam Was Hungry

Yesterday morning, Sam and I were playing on the floor and he decided to dive on me, head first with his mouth open. At first it was bleeding. Here is what it looks like this morning.

Queen Bed Set- SOLD!!!

I'm giving up the garage (again) for a good cause. My husband's cousin is going to buy the full bedroom set, including box spring and mattress from us. YEA!!

That means, that the entire set is being moved into our garage so that we can have a clean house for Thanksgiving.

Brian and his dad moving all the
items into the garage. Thanks guys!!

Box spring and mattress off the ground.



This will also count as removing items from our home. 13 Items.

• Queen Size Headboard
• Queen Size Footboard
• Queen Size Mattress
• Queen Size Box Spring
• Queen Size Fitted Sheet
• Queen Size Top Sheet
• Queen Size Bedskirt
• Dresser
• 2 Nightstands
• 2 Lamps
• Bookcase

Along with those items, I was able to donate 47 items to Goodwill and throw out 33 items clogging up our basement.

1,770 Items GONE!!

That still leavs 241 items to go, but when I was in the basement, I found a bunch of pint size glasses that haven't been touched that we can donate and I still need to find my old cassette tapes that should more than make up for the rest of the items need to complete my goal.

Giving Up the Garage- Again

I have to give up the garage again, to house our Queen Bedroom Set (headboard, footboard, 2 nightstands, dresser and hutch with mirror) that we need to sell/donate. We also have a 4' x 4' oak bookcase to sell It's all taking up way too much room in our Living Room and Loft.

Help Take It Off Our Hands!!!
Make an offer, any offer!!!

If you don't like oak, don't worry. These items can be easily sanded and painted any color you want. Here is your winter project.

Please do everything that you can to help me. I really want my garage back, quickly.

Winner- Photo Holiday Cards

I won something again. I rarely have time to get on Twitter for more than about 90 seconds, but I really wanted to win a set of 25 photo holiday cards- And I did!!



Tiny Prints has such beautiful cards for every occasion. Check them out HERE.

My 101 Things in 1,001 Days

On September 28th, my My 101 Things in 1,001 Days project ended

IN COMPLETE FAILURE

I was only able to complete 34 items. That only a completion rate of 33.6%. Not only was I only able to complete 34 items, I failed at writing about those accomplishments and posting them to the blog.

Therefore, I'm starting another one on January 1, 2012 with a revised list.  Here is what it looks like. Wish me luck!!

Personal

1. Get a massage- 5 times
2. Get a pedicure- 5 times
3. Get acupuncture
4. Win a photography contest with a cash prize
5. Take a Photoshop class
6. Buy and drink an expensive bottle of wine (> $100)
7. Get another tattoo (if #61 is completed)
8. Get a new job


Activities
9. Go to a concert
10. Have 2 no TV weekends
11. Try at least 10 new wines
12. Take a cooking class.
13. Attend a dinner theater
14. Make a Christmas tree ornament
15. Make Christmas cookies from scratch for Brian and Sam
16. Make Christmas cards
17. Plant a tree
18. Drive a convertible with the top down


Crafts
19. Sew blackout curtains for Sam’s room
20. Sew child blanket that I’ve had for years
21. Make Sam Christmas jammies one year
22. Complete at least 1 art project with Sam each month


Family
23. Fly a kite
24. Produce at least one scrapbook page of our family once a month
25. Update family blog once a month
26. Go on a picnic.
27. Go GeoCaching
28. Go to a theme park
29. Go horseback riding
30. Go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs)
31. Go to a Broncos regular season game
32. Visit 6 different museums
33. Take Sam to the park at least twice a month during nice weather
34. Get a family portrait done each year


Friends
35. Make 5 new friends
36. Go out with friends 10 times
37. Entertain friends at our house five times

Financial
38. Pay off more debt
39. Get a safety deposit box
40. Make a will
41. Max out Roth IRA at least 1 year


Fitness
42. Get down to 170 pounds
43. Run a full marathon
44. Snowboard at least three times
45. Take a self-defense course

Healthy Mind & Body
46. Shop for fruits and veggies at our local farmer’s market once a month during the summers
47. Floss every day for a month
48. Volunteer once a week for three months
49. Donate blood twice

Organization/ House
50. Have Brian build basement shelves
51. Have Brian build a patio
52. Install double sink in upstairs bathroom
53. Clean out basement- Purge items & Build shelves
54. Have Brian build craft area for sewing and scrapbooking
55. Complete Command Center in Kitchen
56. Paint family room
57. Organize DVDs and put away those that are too old for Sam
58. Clean and organize pantry quarterly
59. Organize master bedroom closet
60. Organize coat closet
61. Organize garage and have Brian build shelves


Travel
62. Get back to OH for a visit
63. Visit my sister in Philadelphia
64. Visit my father outside of a holiday
65. Ride the Durango/Silverton train
66. Go rafting
67. Visit one state I’ve never been to (AK, AL, IA, MS, ND, VT, WI)
68. Renew my passport with my married name
69. Take Brian and Sam to NYC
70. Go away for one of our wedding anniversaries
71. Go camping 6 times
72. Road trip to just take pictures
73. Visit 8 State Parks or Forests


Watch American Film Institute Movies
74. Lawrence of Arabia- AFI Rank 5
75. The African Queen- AFI Rank 17
76. Chinatown- AFI Rank 19
77. High Noon- AFI Rank 33
78. Doctor Zhivago- AFI Rank 39
79. The Birth of a Nation- AFI Rank 44
80. A Clockwork Orange- AFI Rank 46
81. Amadeus- AFI Rank 53
82. All Quiet on the Western Front- AFI Rank 54
83. The Third Man- AFI Rank 57
84. Stagecoach- AFI Rank 63
85. An American in Paris- AFI Rank 68
86. Shane- AFI Rank 69
87. Wuthering Heights- AFI Rank 73
88. The Gold Rush- AFI Rank 74
89. City Lights- AFI Rank 76
90. The Wild Bunch- AFI Rank 80
91. Modern Times- AFI Rank 81
92. Watch Mutiny on the Bounty- AFI Rank 86
93. Frankenstein- AFI Rank 87
94. The Jazz Singer- AFI Rank 90
95. My Fair Lady- AFI Rank 91
96. The Searchers- AFI Rank 96


Wedding
97. Complete scrapbook of advice cards from wedding
98. Complete scrapbook of all wedding activities


Other
99. Donate $2.00 to charity for each task that isn’t completed (charity to be determined and updated at a later time)
100. As I complete each task, write about my accomplishments, set-backs, experiences, etc.
101. Make a new list of 101 Things to Do by the time my 1001 days are done.


If you want to follow my progress, please visit http://my101things2012.wordpress.com/.

Meatless Monday on Sunday

I had some vegetables that were going bad, so I wasn't able to wait until tonight for Meatless Monday.

Vegetable Pizza

1 can artichoke hearts
1 green pepper
8 oz. package of sliced mushrooms
Mozzarella cheese
Pesto
DiGiorno pizza crust

To Complete Before Thanksgiving (And Beyond)

Here are some projects that I would like to complete before Thanksgiving.

To put above kitchen cupboards.

Then I get to move onto Christmas crafts.

I'm going to make this from a small end table that I already own.

Made up of important dates (birthdays, first house,
wedding day, etc.)

Random Items I Found on Brian's iPhone

These are in no particular order.