Fall Blizzard '09

If you've been watching the news lately, you've undoubtedly heard about the snow storm that hit Colorado on Wednesday. Many areas are digging out from under more than 2 feet of snow! Here in our part of the metro area, we've gotten about 14 inches and it's still coming down. A high school friend who lives a bit north of us has about FOUR FEET!

When I heard of the incoming storm, I decided to get smart and headed to our local grocery store to stock up on meals and snacks to tie us over until the storm moved out. I'm glad I did because I wouldn't have wanted to drive on the roads (even though the road crews have been doing a great job) or haul my kids out in the below freezing temperatures.

Yesterday, I made crock pot chili and corn muffins for dinner, the perfect meal for a cold winter's day, and the girls & I settled in for some snow day fun. Thankfully, both kiddos are off of school for Fall Break. We watched movies, played Uno and created Mr. Potato Head masterpieces. The girls also braved the cold, briefly, to romp in the fresh snow. They had a blast! Click here and here for some picture of our day. My poor hubby had to drive into work downtown yesterday. A drive that would normally take about a 1/2 hour took an hour. He was, thankfully, able to work from home last night so that he didn't have to deal with the roads at night.

This morning, we woke up to an additional 6 inches of snow (click here for some Day 2 pictures), bringing our two-day total to over a foot of snow! We haven't seen this much snow in such of a sort period of time in awhile. And...it's still snowing! The forecast is calling for another 3-6 inches by this evening and then, gradually, the snow is to taper off and we are to see highs in the 40's tomorrow. Our Halloween forecast calls for a mostly clear evening but chilly.

Our plans for today include doing much of the same things we did yesterday as we are, again, home-bound by choice. I also plan to do some cookie baking with the girls though I'm a bit confused...should I be making Halloween cookies or Christmas cookies? I am so thankful that we have a warm house with a pretty fireplace to stay in and watch the snow fall. What would make it even more perfect is if Ben was here to enjoy it with us. Alas, he trekked downtown again this morning and, having arrived safely, is working hard. We have discovered, however, that his car is in need of new tires. What says Merry Christmas like tires, I ask you?! Haha

Hope that you & yours are happy, warm and dry! Cheers for the white wonderland known as Colorado!

Fall Colors Driving Tour

I wanted to share with my readers some of the beautiful photos that we took as part of a drive that we went on this weekend to take in some of the beautiful colors of autumn. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day. Temperatures in Denver hovered around 80 degrees, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue.

We headed out from our house and decided to follow Highway 74 from Evergreen to Morrison, Colorado. Evergreen's name really does suit it as the roads are lined with lots and lots of evergreen trees. While pretty in it's own right, wasn't exactly the range of colors that we were hoping for.

We continued our drive along Highway 74 until we reached the quaint town of Kittredge and spotted a road-side park. We decided that the park looked the perfect spot for a picnic. We unloaded our car and spread out our blanket to feast on chicken salad, croissants, grapes, chips and peanut butter cookies. The girls had fun playing on the playground structures and chasing their daddy around the park.

I wandered on my own, to get some nature shots, and discovered that a path ran behind the park and down to a lazy little river. I grabbed the family and we all had fun dipping our toes (well, Cara fell down at one point) in the cool water.

We got to talking to other families in the park and discovered that we had just passed a road that promised much more spectacular fall colors--Squall Pass which leads up to Echo Lake and Mt. Evans (a 14,000+ foot peak, able to be reached by car). We decided to alter our course and headed up Squall Pass Road, just outside of Evergreen. The locals were right and the scenery along the way was absolutely breathtaking. We really do live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. I pulled over numerous time just to appreciate the splendor.

At one point in our journey, I pulled over to get some shots of the mountains as well as Denver's skyline from way 5,000+ feet above, and we found snow. That, of course, led to an impromptu snowball fight. How many kids can say that they got to play in real snow in September? We had a blast even if we did come away with some cold fingertips!

We ended our trip with a stop at Echo Lake (at an amazing 10,600 ft) before heading down into Idaho Springs. We had a wonderful, relaxing and very simple day--something that we need to do more of!

You can click here to see an album of the pictures taken on our tour.

My Favorite Time of Year!

Fall is, by far, my most favorite time of the year.

I love the crispness in the air, the cool nights made for curling up under blankets and sipping cocoa.

I love the beautiful contrast between brilliant blue skies and the color of autumn leaves.

I love the colors of fall, the reds, oranges, deep yellows and browns. So very comforting.

I love how fall seems to foster a sense of family togetherness. Hunting for the perfect pumpkin, getting lost in a corn maze, playing in piles of leaves.

I love the foods of fall--apples, cider, donuts, pumpkins and the familiar comfort foods like soups, roasts and casseroles.

I love wearing layers of soft clothes that make me feel warm and safe.

Fall is the most wonderful time of year!

Blizzard? I'll just call it a storm.

**That is a 12" ruler stuck in the snow. I could've pushed it down more but didn't want to get wet feet as I just went out in shoes, not boots.**


**This is the wind whipping up a mini tornado on the roof. At times, we had wind gusts of over 40 MPH!**

We got hit with a pretty powerful spring storm on Thursday. In 24 hours we went from 50+ degrees and sunny to high temperatures in the teens and some wicked wind. Much of the Front Range (and in Wyoming & the Dakotas) was under a blizzard warning as visibility slipped to less than a mile. Pile-ups were a common occurrence on both interstates and surface streets alike while the Department of Transportation set up shelters and closed roads. We had snow days (a rarity here, we had school when the HIGH temperature was -35!) Thursdays & Friday and didn't step from the house except to take out the trash and dig out Ben's car from a drift. After all was said and done, we had over a foot of snow! The girls braved the wind, briefly, to go out and play--throwing snow balls and making angels. Otherwise, we stay inside, snuggled under blankets, played board games, watched movies and just enjoyed being a family.


Spatula Baseball--didn't you know it's all the rage?!

Today, the remnants of this storm are few...dirty piles moved by snow plows, fresh snow sheltered from the sun under trees or in the shade, and the river formerly known as our parking lot. Our high today, a typical 64 degrees.
What can I say except that, that's Colorado for you!

Ikea's Coming, Ikea's Coming!

I'm so psyched! Sometime, in the not-so-distant future, Colorado is going to get it's first Ikea store just down I-25 from us in Centennial, CO! I've been admiring Ikea's stuff from afar (online) as I haven't had the fortune to be able to travel to Phoenix or the Salt Lake City suburbs, home to the closest two stores, nor do I want to order online and pay crazy shipping costs. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can go and just browse, eat at their bistro and make a day out of it. Since an opening target date hasn't been set, who knows how long I'll be waiting, but at least it's coming!