fondue

The theme of the weekend seemed to be dining out. We had breakfast at home, but that was just about it.

Gwyneth had her sewing class in the morning, B went golfing, and I had to set up for a llama pajama party at the Westminster studio. Annabelle got caught up on some much needed sleep. I can relate to her need to stay up all night and then sleep the day away. Her little tween habits are so relatable to me! I still have to force myself to go to bed at night so I don’t ruin my days.

Us gals met up with Connie and Sarah for lunch at Melting Pot. Kids eat free on Sundays (and Tuesdays) and they have a special lunch menu which was a spectacular deal. It was surprisingly inexpensive. It was a special treat for these little ladies and we had so much fun catching up with friends. The dads met up for some street tacos and I think we were all quite happy with our respective choices.

We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for the school/work week. Dinner time rolled around and we figured we hadn’t used the kitchen yet this weekend so there was no sense in dirtying it up now. A new steakhouse opened near our house so we figured we better give it a try. It’s only been open for two weeks and I’m sure they have some kinks to work out but we were pretty happy. I highly recommend the toasted ravioli. They are not St. Louis level, but reminded me of the raviolis we would get in Chicago….which is not something to complain about.

school house kitchen

We wanted to try something new for lunch and got the great idea to head over to Arvada to check out School House Kitchen and Libations. Old Towne Arvada was nuts with people everywhere. Of course, if we would have paid even just a bit of attention to the news we would have known the new train line from downtown to Arvada was opening today and the city was having a big ol’ party. What a bunch of dopes!

We finally found parking and snagged a seat in the bar. School House Kitchen is an old converted school house and it’s a bit kitschy, but also a bit cool and fun. We all thought our meals were ok, but we had a blast people watching and following the NFL draft.

After B’s party at the kitchen that evening, we headed over to Echo for pizza for dinner. Sarah joined us while her parents attended a fundraiser. We love Echo and always talk about how we need to go there more often. Sarah wasn’t so sure at first but she quickly became a fan like the rest of us!

While Gwyneth and Sarah were drawing pictures upstairs, Annabelle helped me sort through the 100 tiles that were painted the previous weekend. She sorted and I packaged. That girl is speedy! I could barely keep up with her!

Mitch and Connie stopped in to pick up Sarah after their fundraiser and delivered us a big ol’ basket of goodies. Of course we busted right in and enjoyed a bottle of wine and luckily they stuck around to enjoy it with us. It was a fun night and we probably all stayed up a little too late, but it was too much fun to call it quits early.

sleepover friday • ruby

This poor guy is still sitting on our counter. We water it often, but we’ve yet to plant it in the yard. Let’s hope it survives until we have some good spring planting weather.

It was a pretty mellow Friday night around our house. B had a party at the Kitchen and I decided I needed a break from work. The girls invited their friend, Ruby over for a sleepover. I spent the night reading which was wonderful, but felt kind of weird. It’s been far too long since I’ve even had a moment of peace and quiet and felt a little anxious about it. It really was fabulous once I decided to just enjoy it! The girls made their own mini pizzas and ran off to the basement for most of the night. I loved the downtime but I think I thrive on the chaos and was ready to get back to business by the next morning.

Such sweet friends!

cats

Many years ago I went to see CATS with my dearest friend, Diane. We both hated it. I tell the story often about how much I hated that show. My girls love to hear that story.

First and foremost, I’m not a cat person. I guess that’s pretty important when attending a show about…well, cats.

CATS was included in the DPAC season subscription and for some reason I really thought my family should experience this. I don’t dislike many shows but CATS (and Les Mis…in case you were curious) is practically painful. Why I felt the need to inflict this on my family…I’m not sure. I guess I have a really weird sense of humor and it tickled me.

We had dinner at Oceanaire before the show and let me tell ya, that was the highlight of the night.

Gwyneth is our seafood junkie. She gave oysters a try tonight and decided they are amazing. Yessss! Her tastebuds and willingness to try new foods are astonishing.

Annabelle and her Cesar salad. The girl has an obsession and could have Cesar salad for every meal…yes, probably breakfast too! She truly loves salads and can point you to all the best in Colorado.

Oysters, shrimp and crab. Gwyneth is quite an expensive date! That college meal plan is going to be a real surprise for her. I’m not sure we’re doing a very good job of her preparing her college life but she sure is fun to go out to eat with now.

And then off to the show we went…

I have to admit it wasn’t quite as bad as I remembered. Diane may be a bad infuence on me (which of course is why I absolutely adore her!). There were some memorable songs, but overall it still falls at the top of my “Thumbs Down Theater List”. (I don’t really have a list like that but I’m kinda feeling inspired to create it…)

At intermission I asked what everyone thought of it. Gwyneth replied “well, it would sure be a lot better with dogs!”.

B fell asleep half way through the second act.

Annabelle’s favorite part was the Cesar salad at dinner. Ha!

Even though the show was a bit of a bust we all laughed so hard together. It was a night we will never forget.

easter monday

B joined us for breakfast, but had to head home early for work. I spent the day working from the pool while these little ladies swam their hearts out. It was a pretty quiet day at the pool and they were pretty pleased.

Unfortunately the girls had dance that evening and with recital just around the corner we thought it best for them to not miss class. We had to be home in the late afternoon, but it was a wonderful time and a nice little getaway.

happy easter

It has been years since we woke up on Easter morning at our own home. We’ve had a tradition of going to a hotel to swim. The girls wanted to attend a swimming party with friends last night so we switched up the plans and stayed home for the night. I sure do love a tradition, but it was nice to see these girls so happy and to sleep in our own beds.

After going through Easter baskets and finding eggs at home we met up with Meyers for brunch. We met downtown at The Pig and Sprout which is one of our family favorites.

These kids sure are growing up fast.

The girls didn’t have school on Monday so we spent the night at Great Wolf Lodge. By the time we arrived most of the crowd was heading home. It was a pretty quiet night and we had the place mostly to ourselves.

My fabulously, goofy girls

I booked the hotel through Hotels.com instead of through the Great Wolf Lodge website. We got a better deal, but the view was a little less than desirable. At least we had a patio to enjoy all this beauty… HA!

painting tiles and swimming party

I spent my morning painting tiles with 100 of my neighbors at our Easter Eggstravaganza event. This was first year I worked the event for Color Me Mine and it was a success. Everyone had a great time and we had lots of new painters.

The girls met up with school friends for a pool party. They had a blast and swam for several hours. They came home exhausted with lots of treats!

rockies game

It was a beautiful night for a baseball game!

April weather in Colorado can be a bit manic. Lucky for us tonight was gorgeous. It was the perfect night to sit outside and watch a game. This was our first Rockies game of the season and it didn’t disappoint. We had incredible seats and enjoyed dinner on the club level patio overlooking Blake Street.

B introduced Gwyneth to scorecards and they busied themselves keeping up with each play. How cute are they?

We sure seem to get our money out of our tickets lately. The games we attend go in to overtime/extra innngs! Tonight the Rockies won it in the 12th with a homerun by Blackmon.

parent-teacher conferences

The girls were off school today for parent-teacher conferences. Just as they did yesterday, the girls split up with Annabelle spending the morning at her friend Kierra’s house and Gwyneth heading with me to the Littleton studio. After lunch we all met at the school for conferences which went even better than expected. I’m proud of these little ladies and what they’ve accomplished this year.

We met up with the Tendlers for dinner at Chuys. We discussed some summer vacation plans and I hope we get those on the calendar sooner than late! Always a fun time with these peeps.

And then home to snuggle up and watch Friends with my Annie. She’s become quite obsessed with the show and I’m encouraging it. We started watching together from the beginning. I’ve always been a huge fan and it’s been fun to share it with her.

Mine and Gwyneth’s creation from our day at Color Me Mine

school cancelled

We received an email at 6 am that school was cancelled for the day. Over 500,000 students were effected by the closures across Colorado. A young woman, obsessed with the Columbine tragedy, caught a flight from Florida to Colorado and immediately purchased a gun. There was a state-wide man-hunt and the threat was taken very seriously. I’m grateful that so many schools were closed including our own. Nothing is more important than these girls of ours.

Being small business owners has it challenges and days like these are at the top of the list. Businesses still have to be opened. We can’t call in sick. We always have to show up.

Annabelle chose to go to the kitchen with B and Gwyneth joined me at the Aurora studio. I tried to talk Annabelle into coming with us, but she loves the kitchen and is an amazing help to her dad.

Our morning was very quiet. Everyone seemed to be laying low and those who did come in to paint were very solemn. Around 10:30 am the news broke that the threat had been contained. A relief seemed to spread across the city and the studio quickly filled as parents felt more comfortable leaving their homes with their children.

Gwyneth and I worked our tails off. That girl continues to impress me with her work ethic. She does it all and even better, she does it all with a smile. I could tell my customers were impressed by her too. Many made a point to tell me what a kind and hard-working employee I had with me today. My heart soared.