Capture The Image

Snowman Candy Bars

2012-01-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of a couple of the snowman candy bars that I made for the kids to hand out at school for their holiday parties. This picture really doesn't do them justice. I forgot to take photos when I made them, and these were the last two we had. They have ridden around in a bag, so they were a little ruffled. ;)

I got the idea from the turtorial on Kerry's Paper Craft's Blog. If you have not visited her blog, it is a must see. She is a very talented lady!!!

2012.......Here's to new beginings!

2012-01-01T13:57:00.001-08:00

Wow 2012 already! I woke up today with a feeling newness and hope. I have so many things I want to accomplish and improve this year! Very near the top of the list is getting organized. I no longer want to spend hours looking for things. I want to instead spend that time improving the quality of my life. I want to eat healthier, exercise, and spend quality time with my family.

I also hope that this is the year that I learn to really blog! I hope that at the end of this year I will be able to look back at my blog and see all that I have accomplished!

Happy New Year!!!

Michelle

Recycle Reuse Valentine Craft

2010-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

I really like the idea, although I'm not thrilled with the way they turned out. I did get into a bit of a pinch. I was making these for the neighbor kids that my son was playing with next door. When my son came home and announced they were headed out, I had to complete them and ship them back out the door with my son.

More Valentine Class Gifts

2010-02-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

I took advantage of my daughter being home today and put her to work helping me make Valentines for her class at school. She didn't last very long, but she did help me get the little girls colored.

I think they turned out pretty stinkin' cute if I may say so myself. I filled small plastic bags with Hershey's Kisses and some cool valentine glitter I found at my local craft stores. I cut strips of red paper and used my Martha Stewart Edge punch to scallop the bottom edges. I used a strip of patterned paper and pop dotted the little girl on top. The little girl was stamped and we used colored pencils to color her, before we carefully cut her out. The best part is I'm done and had time to spare.

Look what I found at Target.

2010-01-29T21:29:00.001-08:00

I was strolling along in Target today when I spotted these. I love the vintage colors and feel. I stopped and started loading up my cart. Then I remembered I have car tags and insurance due next month. Boo Hoo. :( I did decided that I just could not pass on the spinning utensil holder in the turquoise blue. It spins like a top!! It is going to be great holding scrapbook tools in my room. Now to clean off a spot and load it up. I really had a hard time passing on the 3 piece canister set for $14.99. Oh well maybe next week. ;-)

Valentines

2010-01-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here's what I've been working on. Instead of buying a box of valentines this year, I decided to do something a little different. I went to my local Sams Club and bought a box of Hershey Bars. I was sad to find out that they no longer have the paper wrapper on the outside with a silver wrapper inside. :( Now they have a plastic wrapper. It still worked, but I like the way they used to be packaged. My son is very excited because he doesn't have to sit down and put his name on all of them. They are all down and ready to be passed out at his party. One kid down, one to go.

Snow Day

2010-01-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

I think my animals have the right idea. They know what to do on this snowy day. Even though it is sub zero weather outside, they are both sunning themselves in the sunlight coming in. Maybe just maybe I can dig through some of the clutter in my craft room today. I've got my warm cup of coffee and I'm headed there now. Have a great day everyone and stay warm!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Wow it is so hard to believe that it is 2010 already!! 2009 was a good year, but I just have a feeling about 2010! I can't wait to see what all this year has to offer. I was so proud of myself last year. I had an idea for teacher gifts and I followed through and completed the project. I made a bag full of these for each kiddo to take to school. These were for all of the axillary people who can be easily overlooked for all that they do. The kids had a great time passing them out to the bus drivers, school nurses, school secretaries, specials teachers, librarians, lunch ladies, janitors, etc.... My son was beaming from ear to ear when he got home. He said "mom when I walked into the office to pass some out, they said you must be the soup boy." He was so tickled. It was fun to get the kids involved with the gift of giving.

I have so many resolutions for this year. I want to continue eating better and getting to my healthy weight. I had been doing so well and have had several pounds creep back on through the holidays, but I have no fear that I can't get right back with the program again. I also want to get back into my craft room again and take the time to create!!

Here's to a fabulous 2010!!!

Fun at The T-Bones game

2009-08-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great family night out at the T-Bones game. Joe was really excited that it was Star Wars night. Can you believe these costumes!! They were awesome. The cherry on top was the T-Bones winning the game too!!

Zebra?????? Yep a Zebra!!!!

2009-06-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

We were driving down the road and Joe told us how he saw a zebra. We all told him he was seeing things. Then a day or so later when we drove by the same place, Katelyn said she saw a zebra. Joe flipped out and told us how we never believed him, and how we had told him there was no such thing as a zebra in Colorado......well he was right. There is a zebra!! LOL

Rainbow

2009-06-13T19:57:00.000-07:00

We saw the most amazing rainbows heading into Woodland Park, Co a couple days ago.

Horseback Riding

2009-06-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to start our ride. Someone is very happy!

We are headed towards the first trail.

This was not your average trail.

Look who is leading the way, and is very happy about it!

Katelyn is in heaven!!!

What a view!

Yeah a rest stop!!

Quite an impressive view!

The horses enjoyed their break too!

Back in the saddle again!

We're off again. 4 hours!!! What was I thinking????? Oh yeah the things I do for my daughter. :)

At least Joe is still smiling!!

I guess that Katelyn was not happy at all when daddy passed her.

Katelyn is back in the lead and very happy!!

It is hard to tell from the pictures, but we are riding on the side of this mountain. It was a very weird feeling.

Yeah!!! We get to stop for lunch!!

Joe is helping collect and pile wood for the fire.

Back at the barn!! I didn't take any pictures during the short ride from the lunch spot to the barn. I was so sore!!!!!! I can not believe how bad I hurt! Thank goodness it was a short ride!

Katelyn looking at the other horses.

Just a cute photo I took of Joe in the barn.

Katelyn and I saw a Mountain Lion today!

2009-06-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

We were at a distance, but on our way down the mountain today, we saw a Mountain Lion. It was slinking along a dried up creek bed. I wish we had been just a tab closer for photos. ;-)

Today Was A Day Of Changes.

2009-06-08T22:24:00.001-07:00

We started the day out in Guffy, CO. We were going to take a 4 hour trail ride and then have lunch. When we got there we found out that this is a 4,000 acre ranch. We also found out that it was just going to be the 4 of us and a trail guide. In the past we have always had other people in our group. We were pleased to find this out. Since it was a 4,000 acre ranch and we had made plans short notice, he was unable to locate the horses. We did not stress though, because we are on vacation. We just changed gears today and will return on Wednesday for the horse ride.

On our way back we saw a lot of Pronghorn. We later learned that this is the fastest animal in North America.

We stopped at the visitor's center at Wilkerson Pass. This is a view from the center.

Katelyn enjoyed reading their informational boards.

We stopped and had lunch at The Hungry Bear in Woodland Park. $42 plus tip and our bellies are now full and wallet empty. LOL

Then we headed into Manitou Springs and did some shopping. This used to be my absolute favorite place to shop in Colorado, but times are changing. We made a quick run through the stores we wanted to see, and then we stopped for a treat of Ice Cream. YUMMY!!

We still had a little bit of time to kill before going to The Flying W Ranch for dinner. We ran down into Old Colorado City and did a little more shopping.

On our way to The Flying W Ranch, we made another stop at the Garden Of The Gods Visitor Center. The kids wanted their picture taken with the Bobcat

Here's Katelyn with a Turkey.......Being a Turkey.

Here are the kiddos with a Mountain Lion. This was the whole reason for the stop. Last time we were here, Katelyn wanted her picture taken with the Mountain Lion, and it didn't turn out well.

Katelyn wanted a picture with just her and the Mountain Lion.

Can't leave Joe out and his newly purchased Webkinz Eagle, Harley.

Joe is very happy with his purchase.

We finished the night at The Flying W Ranch. We walked around the town and shopped at the shops. Then we had a cowboy dinner and watched the show. It was a good night. This was Joe's pick for our vacation To Do List.

Horse Thief Falls

2009-06-08T07:13:00.001-07:00

An old railroad tunnel near the trailhead.

We have started our climb.

We are walking straight up!

Dad with his walking stick that Joe found.

Joe with his walking stick.

We are still going up.

Joe was willing to stop for a photo.

Katelyn is ready to turn around and give up. LOL

Our first creek crossing. It was so tiny it was easy to jump, but not my kids, they walked straight through it.

We are still going up!!

The kids see SNOW!! They are excited now!

Katelyn says the hike is worth it now.

SNOW!!

More snow!

These are the main falls, and part of them are still snow packed.

The pictures do not do this place justice. It was awesome!

The kids were happy to just chip away at the snow.

Starting to make our way back down.

Snow!

We're still going the right way!!

My hiking gang!

We made it!!

Hike Back To Waterfall

2009-06-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

Playing Around Outside

2009-06-07T14:54:00.001-07:00

Phantom Canyon Road

2009-06-07T09:33:00.001-07:00

Phantom Canyon Road was once a railroad route through the mountains.

One of the two old railroad tunnels you get to drive through.

2nd tunnel.

Coming out of the tunnel.

The only remaining actual railroad bridge is seen behind Katelyn. A wall of water came through and took out all of the other bridges and that was the end of the railroad coming through this route.

Joe got one of the new Mountain Dew flavors that is blue before we headed in. Drinkers beware, it has quite the stain. LOL

Driving across the railroad bridge.

As we go towards the top, the Aspen Trees were amazing!

Shelf Road

2009-06-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Shelf Road from Cripple Creek to Canon City.

Joe struck it rich at one of the pull offs.

Approaching Window Rock.

Shelf Road was a toll road when it was first put in. The guy who collected the tolls lived in this cabin.

Palace Hotel

2009-06-07T00:39:00.000-07:00

Katelyn was super excited that we found the Palace Hotel in Cripple Creek, after she read about it being haunted.

Garden Of The Gods

2009-06-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

We had some fun hiking at the Garden of The Gods. Katelyn and Joe had a lot of fun filling out their stuff to become Junior Rangers here too.

More Shots of Graffiti Falls AKA Cascade Falls

2009-06-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

We hiked back to Graffit Falls which is also known as Cascade Falls. It was a short hike, but worth it! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed looking at all of the artwork.

Graffiti Falls AKA Cascade Falls

2009-06-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Quite the artwork!!

Love this shot!

Someone had quite the sense of humor.

Blowing Bubbles

2009-06-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Blowing bubbles out in front of the cabin.

Hiking at the Florissant Fossil Beds

2009-06-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Our two proud Junior Rangers. They completed a course and were dubbed Junior Rangers.

Here is the trailhead we started on. It says 2 miles to the Hornbek Homestead, but using the GPS, it was really 2.74 miles. That is 2.74 miles each way.

Starting the hike through the first grassy meadow.

I loved the Aspen trees here.

We couldn't talk the kids into an extra 4 miles by doing the Twin Rocks Trail.

You can't really tell by this picture, but it is raining!!! We got wet. LOL

A Pikes Peak view through the rain.

We are on the downhill slide here and the kiddos are excited.

Everyone is looking at a deer carcass we found along the trail. We also found old Mountain Lion poop not far from this.

We made it!!!

Adventures Of Day 2

2009-06-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Joe standing in front of one of the petrified redwood stumps at the Florissant Fossil Beds.

A storm moving in over the mountains.

An Abert's Squirrel we saw in the Florissant Fossil Beds.

Look at all of the snow still on top of Pikes Peak.

More Hiking Photos From Yesterday.

2009-06-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

More Photos From Our First Hike

2009-06-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

First Hike

2009-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is a view of the cabin, looking back up at it from the property.

These are some of the views from our deck. We decided to take a hike around on the property today. The kids had a great time climbing on all of the rocks. According the the GPS, we hiked a little over a mile.

Fancy Feast

2009-06-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

Daddy smoked up a brisket for dinner! We had quite the gourmet feast! The brisket was sooooo good!

Our First Visitors

2009-06-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

We had three deer visit us last night. While we unpacked the truck they were grazing on grass just about 50 feet away. We also saw a huge pack of Elk on our way back into town to get groceries. On the way back to the cabin we saw a huge Buck Mule Deer and a doe. The buck was as big as a small elk. I love seeing all of the wildlife.

Quick stop to stretch our legs.

2009-06-01T20:18:00.001-07:00

We came across a neat Point Of Interest pull off just inside the Colorado state line. We decided to check it out and stretch our legs. It was a well needed break.

Vacation

2009-06-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

We headed out today for Colorado. The windmills outside Salina are just amazing. They are huge! There are stretches where you can see hundreds of them. It is quite the sight.

Lake Time

2009-05-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

We made it out to the lake for our first visit of the summer. It was a quick trip, but we all enjoyed our time there. Personally it is still too early in the season and the water it too cold for me, but it did not stop the kids from doing some swimming.

The Girls Are Enjoying Their Big New World

2009-05-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how well the ducks are doing. They go out to the lake every morning and spend the day out there. Everynight they come in to be put up for the night. Hopefully in doing this we can save these from the wild animals out there. Today they had a Goose and her little ones come for a visit. They are not sure about that at all.

School Carnival

2009-05-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

You've got to love a good school carnival! So far we have not missed a year. We really have a good time going as a family. My son loves playing the games, while my daughter really enjoys socializing more than anything. Who can pass up the chance to put some color in their hair.

Happy Graduation!!

2009-05-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

I went and watched my Nephew graduate from high school tonight. It is so shocking how fast time flies. I'm sure I will blink and we will be watching him graduate from college. I'm very proud of my nephew and the young man he has become. Happy Graduation to all of you Seniors out there and best wishes for the years to come.

Ready For Summer

2009-05-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

My son is so ready for summer! He can't wait to get back out there on his dirt bike. We have had so much rain, so we need some sunshine to dry things up. He was so cute. He suited up one day and insisted I come outside for a photo shoot. How awesome is that?? :)

Happy Graduation!!

2009-05-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

It does not seem possible that my nephew is graduating this week. Wow where did the time go?? I'm so proud of him! I know that he will do great things!

Happy Graduation to all High School Seniors!! Life is just begining! Go out there and be great!

Going through past photos

2009-05-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

I was going through my photo files trying to organize them, and I didn't get very far. I did however have a great time looking back on all of the fun times. I love what a photograph can capture and save for eternity. I for one do not think you can ever have enough photos. ;-)

You've got to love spring sports.

2009-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

I love going to watch my kids play soccer. I'm still learning all the rules, and I'm shocked that they continue to change with age. Go figure. ;-) I have really enjoyed the challenge of getting those action shots. If the rain holds off, I hope to get some more photo ops this weekend.

It's Raining......Again!

2009-04-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

It's raining here again. It's been doing a lot of that here lately. I decided to post a picture of some of my spring flowers that I took the other day. With all of this rain, May flowers should be spectacular.

Spur of the moment shoot.

2009-04-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

I had my camera out and my daughter was agreeable to pose for some photos. What more can a gal ask for??

A Fresh Start

2009-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have refreshed my love for photography. I especially love this digital age!! I love being able to snap away, with no worries about the processing fees. I am so glad to see the sun and all of the signs of spring! Life is good! :)