Focus Pocus

I'm running a contest in my zone based on Focus sales, where whoever sells a Focus from Friday to today will be visited by the Focus Pocus Witch with a prize of unspeakable value. 

She's the bomb.

I'm a professional; albeit a themed one.

Sweater Biz

I found a J.Crew sweater for $2, a swatch of purple velvet for $1, and an orange bedskirt (just for the material) for $2 at ARC.  I needed the latter two for the cloth, which I cut in various sized squares ans sewed Halloween-colored patches on the sweater. I decieded to make my dealership's day by showing up as the Focus Pocus Witch, complete with cookies and milk. 

Using a black dress I already had and new striped tights / witch hat from ARC as well ($6 for both) this has to be the cheapest Halloween costume I've ever had!  Photos tomorrow with the finished product.

He litterally wrapped himself in my scraps.  I couldn't place him like this if I tried.

Just Dance

Mike's girls team, complete with year-end gift.

 But this pretty much endeared him to everyone at the party:

Fascination

Without fail, if someone is showering, Keebs is there to investigate.  He knows he doesn't want to get in, but he wants to be a part of it, too.

Cafeteria Food

Not as bad as it sounds...

Every Day I'm Shovelin'

True winter came a bit early to Quivas!

The puppies love snow!

Fall: a study

With tomorrow's impending snow storm, I thought my lunchtime walk through The Highlands would be a good opportunity to capture the amazing color we've had this autumn before the cold snuffs it out.  A wonderful way to spend lunch!

Puppy Love

It's a good way to start the week.  Kona sometimes has a hard time staying awake for Mom's photos...

Hudsons Host Game Night!

Complete with Dance Dance Revolution and Cranium!  Epic.

Today's Thrift Store Finds

Lafayette Flea Market was good to me today.  Found this incredible hand-sewn quilt for ten dollars.

 The colors are all different, and the fabrics are soft and amazing.

 Suitcase in the mid - a funky aqua blue and brown combination.  $3 at ARC.

But the finds of the day were two vintage metal chairs, complete with multi-layered paint and fun colors, for $24!

Look at these colors.  You can't see the blue on the back very well due to the lovely Colorado sun today, but it is gorgeous.

And finally, a vintage planter for $7.50.  Lots of great porch finds for the back yard (including the new rug as seen in the background - $2).

Buy used, it's so much more fun!

Peachy Keen

Mike made this incredible pork chop dish with peach, bleu cheese, and onion salad and grilled spinach.  It was spectacular, but also looked really pretty!

 Very proud of his accomplishment (as he should be).

 Star Trek: Generations in the background.  Those who Nerd together, Herd together.

Successful Friday evening!

Dark Shadows

My sister and I used to love to watch Dark Shadows as kids, although we could barely follow the plot lines, and really just watched it to see how bad the actors' hair (not to mention performance) could get.  They constantly forgot their lines, had set mishaps, it was classic 60s cheese.  I discovered a remake in progress, that has Johnny Dep as the lead Vampire (yes, I said "Vampire").  I can only hope they try to keep at least some of the kitschy cheese in the remake!

Nar and I must see this together.  It's a Sister Date!

Progress

They've been working on the intersection of Santa Fe and I-25 forever, now.  But I'm finally starting to see what might be going on.  This display has been there since the beginning.  I kinda like it.

Lunch

I've been enjoying Caprese salad for lunch lately, but decided that today required more protein.  BAM!  Caprese omelette, complete with coffe (fat free White Chocolate Mocha creamer - so tasty) and my new issue of Travel + Leisure.  Quite the enjoyable mid-day meal!

Just pour on the egg, add salad greens, cut sweet tomatoes, and some mozzarella.  It melts to perfection and is the perfect, healthy size meal to keep you going til dinner.

Agave

Mike took me to a random Mexican bistro hiding in a strip mall off of 28th in Boulder.  Agave has fascinating food for a Mexican place (we love Mexican, so new things is a novelty).  Incredible spices and flavors.  Very tasty.

 But my favorite part was the way the plates all fit together on the table!  I'm a fan of the square plate.

Zombie Movie Game Night

We had the Couples Sanz Kids over for Game / Movie Night with a theme: Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains.  Between Cranium and Zombieland, it was fairly epic.

 Very sad to Michelle's hand.

Note the pumpkin, complete with guacomole brains.  A huge hit.

 Once again, trounced by the Guys.  I hate that.  But it was still hilarious as usual!

Because I'm Worth It

It continues to floor me, the difference between childhood and adult oncology treatment.  Not the actual treatment, but the way doctors, nurses, and office staff treat you when you're no longer a cute, bald nine year old for whom they feel sorry.  Perhaps they've seen too much of it, or perhaps adults dealing with cancer are tougher to deal with than normal adults (who are just plain tough to deal with anyway).  But the short trip that is my yearly oncology appointment doesn't really leave room for much sympathy.

Five minutes of consultation, two minutes of feeling me up, and a three second "See you in a year" led me to the lab where they would take (as usual) an inordinant amount of blood.  But in an adult cancer center, the lab consists of a closet-like space in which they stick at least two adults needing bloodwork.  This is a problem if you have a chronic inability to look while they're sticking you, much less sticking someone else. 

I was pondering all of this (while not looking to my left - the chosen arm - or at the woman in the same situation in front of me, leaving me to not think about the fact I was staringat a huge container of bio-waste - all the used needless thrown rather publicly into a specified container), when silent tears began to slip down my cheeks at the vulnerability and complete lack of sympathy for people who just need to put on their big boy or girl panties and deal with the fact they have cancer.  It needs to just be alright.  They need to be ok with this.  Really?!

The two lab techs pretended not to notice at first, made incredibly uncomfortable by the fact that I was crying (how are they not used to that in a cancer clinic, I have no idea).  The woman across from me shuffled awkwardly, and finally said "I promise it doesn't hurt, it's just a prick.  It'll be over in no time."  Solidarity, Sister. 

And I know that.  I can't count the times I've had blood taken.  I don't fear needles.  It really doesn't hurt.  But I kept crying all the same.

It's just traumatic.  Facing down the things you've gone through, the possibilities of time.  But it's alright.  And I guess that's what the adults by whom I was surrounded were holding on to as well.  It will be alright.  It has to be.

So Mike took me to Italian tonight to Celebrate Life, like we do every year on this day.  But my favorite part was not finding what we wanted on the dessert menu, and stopping at King Soopers at 10 pm to peruse their dessert wares.  Mike started to give me a hard time about getting two, when I said "I'm a cancer survivor.  I will have my cake and eat my brownie, too." 

He (lovingly) relented.  And it was alright.

Clever

Thursdays are my chance to catch up on news, world events, and celebrity gossip while manning the Gift Shop at the hospital.  I'm constantly impressed with the visuals Time uses for their articles.

Ice, Ice Baby

Is it bad that he sometimes creeps me out when he looks at me like this?  Seriously.  Will not let me out of his sight.