2018 Summer Bucket List

afternoon tea

B had to head into the Kitchen for parties today but the girls and I had a pretty clear calendar. We asked for a late check out and had a lackadaisical morning. We had breakfast in the club and then took turns slowly getting ready while watching tv and lounging. It was truly a relaxing and peaceful morning. 
Gwyneth’s fancy braid
Before check out we grabbed lunch at the hotel. We made the most of our stay and I do believe the staff knows us by name there. I’m not complaining one bit. I hope we go back again soon. It’s definitely my favorite in downtown Denver. 

lunch with a view

We scooted off towards home to pick up girl scout cookies and to meet some friends for afternoon tea.

Our tea date was at the Huckleberry in Louisville with our friends, Randi and Kenna. They live just down the road from us but it takes a tea date to finally get together. Life is busy for everyone. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to meet with them.

Our tea time was perfect and included lots of cucumber sandwiches and valentines inspired tea cakes. We talked and talked and our afternoon tea turned to evening and when we left it was well past dinner time and the sky was dark. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to meet up with those lovely friends.

fairy tale treats camp

Today was the last day of summer camps at Blue Mountain Kitchen. It has been a busy, busy summer in that kitchen and B hosted some really great camps for the kids. They learned a lot and had plenty of fun too. 
Today’s theme was Fairy Tale Treats and it was fabulous. The kiddos made Sword in the Stone donuts, Princess Cupcakes, Snow White Caramel Apples, and Alice’s Mad Tea Party Cucumber Sandwiches and Tea. B gave them instruction and then they set off to make their creations. It was hands-on and they really made their way around the kitchen. Gwyneth pulled me aside and said “this camp is awesome!”.  
It was a smaller group, with only 6 kids attending. Many of the local schools are already back in session. Having a smaller group is pretty nice though and all the kids, AND B, really enjoyed it. 
Snow White’s Caramel Apples…they opted for sprinkled apples instead of poison apples 
that Chef B is pretty fun!
Making tea sandwiches. 
I was so impressed that they all tried the cucumber sandwiches and liked them. 
Sword in the Stone glazed donuts. Yum!!
Super cute cucumber sandwiches….and they tasted great too!

painting, concerts, and more summer fun

Wow! The summer is just flying by and I haven’t had my camera on me to document all the fun. I’ve snapped a few shots on my cell phone and here’s what I found: 
We painted sea shells at Color Me Mine. 

Gwyneth attended an art camp with friends. 

We took the girls out for dinner before a concert and Gwyneth ordered $30 worth of lobster…and ate it all. 

We went to see the Samples at the Arvada Center. It was the first concert that B and I went to together 24 years ago! It was awesome to be able to share this experience with our girls.

We took the girls and their friends to Elitch’s for the day. 
This was kind of a bust because it rained and most of the rides were closed due to staffing issues. They got koana ices though so the day wasn’t a total loss. 

Our sea shells turned out great!
Gwyneth and I had lunch together (Annabelle has spent a lot of her summer at the Kitchen with B). She ordered a footlong meatball sub and gobbled that thing up!

The girls spent an afternoon swinging from the ceilings at Mid Air Adventure. It was all giggles and they wore themselves out.

We spent a few days down at Southlands. We were able to meet up with great friends and the girls enjoyed a trip to Boondocks. They hit a few jackpots in the arcade and got a ton of junk! They were really excited about that!
The summer is just flying by but we’re doing our best to enjoy every minute of it. 

painting with crystals

Another techniques class in the books tonight. It was our biggest turnout yet, but still small enough so I could work with my girls. 
We painted with crystals, which is a bit different because you have to really trust the process. You paint your piece and then wait for the “magic” in the kiln. Tiny crystals explode during the cooking process. Everyone did a great job and I can’t wait to see how they turned out!

cake boss

We decided at the beginning of the summer that we were not going to have birthday parties this year. We went on two long trips already and celebrated lots. We agreed that we would do a family birthday night on each of our birthdays and save the friend parties for next summer. 
Well, that Gwyneth is a sneaky one. She kept dropping hints about having her friends to the Kitchen for a cake boss day. The hints turned into begs and we agreed to host an event for her friends. Well, without much work she transformed that gathering right into a birthday party for herself! To her credit she did ask that no one bring gifts….but her friends showered her with presents anyway. 
We invited lots of sweet friends, B made pizzas, the girls decorated cakes and we had a blast in the Kitchen celebrating that silly 10 year old that we all love so much. 
Fondant time!
We had cakes, cakes and more cakes!
Gwyneth’s team made a a breakfast cake…chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, etc. 
These sweet little ladies have been friends since kindergarten. They make my heart happy together! 
An “underwater artist” cake! 
Fabulous friends since 2nd grade. They have all moved on to new schools, but come together as though no time at all has passed. Oh my, how they’ve grown! Gwyneth truly has a gift for picking amazing friends. 
Sisterly love! 
Annabelle’s team made a pig cake for her…I like the pig that ended up face down in the mud. Ha!
Sisters, new friends, neighbors and cousins. Loving all these girls!
A little cake walk to pick their favorites. 
Happiness!
This is one of my favorites!
A little cousin love before calling it a day!
After we cleaned up, B and I headed downtown for a night of theater. We went to see Les Mis, which neither of us had ever seen before. Oh boy, we had been warned, but that show is a DOWNER! It’s a great story of resilience, the music and production is beautiful, but everyone dies. They even kill off a few of the kids. CRIKEY! I’ve heard many people say this is their favorite show and I was surprised. It was beautiful, but beautifully depressing! I’m grateful we were able to see it finally and will someday attempt to watch the movie. 

gwyneth is 10!

Gwyneth Grace is 10! 
Oh boy, this girl was really excited for her big day. She had a countdown going on and reminded us daily that her birthday was just around the corner. 
This girl could not wait to get her phone. She had waited over a year since Annabelle got hers and could hardly wait. She opened it up with a scream and received lots of birthday messages from friends and family. 
She requested Ooka for lunch. That girl loves her Chinese food. 
The new phone!
Two orders of crab wontons. She shared, but she sure does love those things. 
After lunch the girls headed off to photography camp. 
We picked up two friends after camp and headed down to the American Girl Doll store. 
Their dolls each had a turn at the salon.
We had dinner at the White Chocolate Grill and then ended the night with a sleepover at our house. Gwyneth had a pretty great day and we were so happy to be able to celebrate with her. We love that girl so much!
Some of my favorite pictures of the birthday girl….

swim, movie, and birthday party

Woah – what a weekend! We had a lot of swimming events on the calendar, but it was the last weekend of it so we didn’t want to miss a thing. 
Friday night we joined the team for Spirit Night. BMK catered the event so the food was really good! Each participant received a certificate and a gift card to sweets for Ice Cream. 
Saturday was the last meet and the girls had the most fun of the entire summer. They teamed up with friends and won first place in both their freestyle relay and medley relay. I’m so proud of them and it was so fun to watch. I volunteered to do the ribbons at the tournament so I wasn’t able to get pictures but I had a great seat for watching them. Loved it!
We had some pretty tired ladies so we had a low key night at the movies. 
Sunday night was the final night of the swim season. We celebrated with a swim team pot luck where the girls received the rest of their ribbons and celebrated with friends. 
We had to sneak out of the pot luck a bit early for a birthday party. We celebrated Ruby and Mason turning 10 with the Billeras. It was such a fun celebration with great friends. 

sweets

After our long trip, we were all pretty happy to be back home. I love to travel, but it’s always great to be back in our own beds. 
Gwyneth invited her friend Ella over for a mellow sleepover and we decided to get out for a bit and grab some ice cream. We are definitely taking our time getting back in our groove.