Brighton

Words cannot describe the conditions we experienced today!  Oh my goodness!  Pure heaven.....fresh snow, warm temperatures, exceptional company!  A day of pure bliss...yes, I am completely exhausted but it's nothing a delicious meal at California Pizza Kitchen and a fabulous massage cannot cure!  I must admit, I live a very blessed life!

Me and the guys....I think I did pretty well keeping up with these shredders!

Oooooops, he blinked!  But, the scenery says it all!

kiss, kiss....love this guy!

Fine Dining at Cocina Toscana

It's no secret that we love fine dining!  One of our favorite places to indulge in delicious Italian food is at Cocina Toscana.  We try to get here a couple times a month and this time we brought along Doug and Michelle.  We LOVE the food along with its dramatic atmosphere and high level of service.  One of our favorite things to see here is the owner, Valter Nassi, greet the diners and I love to hear his authentic Italian accent above all!  He is so friendly and happy....he makes me giggle.  

Of course, I HAD to capture a photo with Valter....he's so awesome!

We eat ourselves sick EVERY TIME!  You'd think we would learn our lesson, BUT (and that's a BIG but!), no matter how full we are, there is ALWAYS room for dessert!  Amazing!!!!

I MADE BRIOCHE!

Yep, I did it!  I made Brioche!  And...I was crazy enough to mess with a recipe I found (taking out this, adding a little of that...what was I thinking?)  Anyway, it all worked out beautifully!

Not sure about the dough...very sticky!  I was prepared to let this one fail and try again....

But, it looked like it was raising ok...hmmmm....maybe this would work after all!

Holy Cow!  It worked!  I was so impressed with myself.  The inside was so soft and tender, the outside crispy and brown. And...it was delicioso!

Okay, another picture...I'm proud!  Sorry!  I can't wait to make this again!

I was inspired to try Brioche by a friend who said she could never find this bread.  And, because her birthday was coming up I thought what a wonderful birthday gift this would be for her!  I wrapped it in a darling dish towel I found at Target.  The presentation was beautiful!

Along with the bread, I gave her and some other friends having a birthday some homemade lemon, orange and fresh ginger marmalade.  Watch out Martha!  

The dreaded SCIENCE FAIR

AHHH, the Science Fair. Ugggghhhhh, although this is something we do not look forward to, this year it wasn't too painful and here's why:

Aspen did her project entirely on her own!

Atallia ALMOST did hers on her own, but she dedicated a lot of her time to subject knowledge and her presentation which was flawless!  Both of these beautiful girls are exceptional public speakers...we are so proud....and, so glad IT'S OVER!

Atallia's project:  NOT ALL NUTRIENTS FOUND IN FOOD ARE HEALTHY

Aspen's project:  TEMPERATURE AND BACTERIA (Aspen didn't want me to watch her presentation so I'm not sure how it went, but knowing MISS INDEPENDENT I'm sure she did amazing as ususal!)

Mommy/Daughter Ski Day

Originally, we were supposed to have a "family" ski day until Aspen pointed out the fact that she still has a sprained finger!  Since beginner snowboarders pretty much need their fingers because they fall down so much, we re-thought our day.  Dave had gone to Brighton the day before, so he volunteered to stay home with Aspen and send Atallia and I up to the slopes!  What a fun day we had....looking forward to many more!

Atallia getting ready for her lesson!

Warming up in the lodge

Looking good little sister!

Beautiful scenery...it was C O L D!!!!

WARMING UP!

My very tired baby girl!  She's a die hard skiier!

Valentines Day 2012

Dave called me and surprised me with a morning at Sego Lily Spa for a wonderful massage and pedicure!  He knows what I LOVE!  Next, he surprised me by coming to town early....so I picked him up at the airport after the spa, then we went to Cafe Rio for lunch.  We came home for a bit and I started getting ready for a girl's night out with Angelina, Heidi & Robyn for the Lady Antebellum concert!  What an amazing show and INCREDIBLE seats!  And....more importantly.....what an amazing Valentine I have to provide me with such a wonderful day!  I am blessed indeed!  Here are some photos of everything "Valentine" we have done from crafts to dances to celebrate this wonderful holiday of LOVE xoxoxo

 Aspen gets ready for her first Valentine's dance!  I'm so not ready for this!

 Jeremy gives Aspen a necklace at the dance....did I already say I'm not ready for this?

 My girls and I made a Valentines wreathe out of coffee filters!  I think it's pretty cute!

 Atallia and a few of her friends....

 I made these super cheap but darling gift platters for V-Day.  I gave plates of cookies as gifts.

 I framed and gave these adorable printables as birthday gifts.

 Aallia and I kill time while Aspen is at her dance....we had so much fun spending "girl" time together!

 Atallia's valentines...Pop Rocks!

 Teacher Gifts

 Aspen's Valentines!

Atallia's Valentine's box she entered in a competition...she took 2nd place!

Sugar cookies are a MUST during Valentine's month!

 Cute crafts :)

 

 Aspen and Atallia woke up on Valentine's morning to some overnight bags filled with special treats!

For Dave

 Me 'n my gals...great seats, great fun!

 Who loves me????

Oh!  And Darius Rucker...fantastical!

I'd say I captured a pretty decent photo of the most incredible group ever!!!

Angelina LOVED the bus...so of course, we had to capture a photo!

So, as you can see...we had a very eventful, fun-filled Valentines Day!  

SUPERBOWL!

 It's all about the food!  We are house-less this year, so Steve and Mary were good enough to host the party this year!

 The Fam!

 Who's playing again?  I'm only here for the food and commercials!

 Daddy surprised everyone by flying home Superbowl Sunday!  What a treat!  We have missed you so much as you have been traveling so much lately....So fun!

We cheered on the New York Giants and they won!