Hello, friends. We have been really busy this summer traveling to Europe, Chicago and California, and I'm ready to be home for a bit. First, however, we go to California again for 10 days - this time for a vacation. My parents are joining us for 5 of those days. We're staying in a friend's house while they are in China for the Olympics. They live just a few blocks from the beach and you can see the whole ocean from their rooftop patio. I'm looking forward to sunning and reading and cooking.

The wedding was really wonderful - so simple and heartfelt. We really don't like the idea of spending scads of money for one day, so we set a price and let the girls keep whatever they don't spend. You can see pictures from the wedding online. The site is www.audreyhannahphoto.com Once at the site, choose 'view site' and then click on 'clients'. You'll see their wedding listed on 7/16/08 as Kayla and Iain's wedding, the password is 'Andersonwed' and on down a bit at 06/02/08, you can see their engagement pictures. The password there is 'KaylaandIain' The photographer is a friend of theirs and she is really remarkable, I think. Her blog is pretty cool, too.

Iain just got a job as the manager of a coffee shop that some friends of ours are starting up. In fact, they have bought the franchise rights for the state of Colorado and plan to open numerous stores. Iain will be their first manager and they would like for him to one day be regional manager or own his own store (all if he does well for them). He will work in Denver for now, although they probably won't move there because of Kayla's job. They are going to get an apartment just north of the Springs, so they'll both commute a bit. The possibilities for him are worth the commute and the cost!

Kinsey started a new job at the Denver Library. She'll be part of a small group of people that will scan and catalog thousands of documents that relate to Denver. They will be archived by sections of the city. The library is well-known for its geneology records and I suppose this is more of the same. She likes it so much already.

I just finished a large deadline and have nothing else on my plate right now. I'm wanting to practice calligraphy and finally use it to produce some art. It's scarier to do that than it is to work on the stuff I usually do, but I really want to try. We're going to finish off our basement so that we both have a place to work - Don for his instrument building and me for art.

Would love to hear from you all!
Cecelia

pray for Deb

hello friends,
i want to ask you to pray for our friend, deb, over the next couple of weeks. she is having her back surgery this morning. they are fusing 2 vertebrae and doing some other work as well. she faces a long, hard recovery, especially in the next 3 weeks. her address, again, if you'd like to send her a card is:
Deb Strawn
209 Rockledge Ct.
Manitou Springs, CO 80929

Here's the web addres to see more pix of Kayla and Iain's engagement pictures.
www.audreyhannahphoto.com
Click on the web portion; click on clients in upper RH corner; choose kayla and iain's name from the list and enter the password kaylaandiain

Love to you all,
Cecelia

It has been a long time since I have written, but have been thinking about you all and reminiscing about our gathering for Cecilia's birthday and what a very special time that was. Thank you again for that gift of hospitality and friendship. I have also be thinking about you ,Cecilia, and your upcoming wedding and wondering how you are holding up. I am sorry Bill and I cannot make it, I tried to swing it but other commitments got in the way. I enjoyed reading Kayla and Iana's website and am really sorry to miss the food among other things, like seeing the happy couple and my new friends! I also finally finished the photo album from the birthday weekend (could 4 months really have past so quickly?), so Cecilia should be getting that in the mail anyday. You know you all are quite intimidating with your art talents, so remember it is the thought and not the quality that counts. Also, I was not sure about RSVPing for the wedding. I did not RSVP as we are not able to come, did I do that right, it did not look like it was for regrets.

We are having a very wet late spring early summer here, a bit depressing, but the yard and garden look great with all the water. I am still trying to figure out what I can grow here. so many of my favorite plants are Zone 5 and it is only a zone 4 up here in South Dakota. The good news is the soil is wonderful, unlike the hard packed clay i tried to mend every spring in KC.

Kristina (my youngest) graduated from college this spring and is working at a camp on flathead lake in MT this summer before she goes to graduate school in PA this fall. the rest of us in SD have no news to report. Take care dear friends, Kathy

my 35th

I'm scanning pics to put in a digital frame for my folks and came across this fun picture of my 35th birthday. Looks like the Harrises and the Stones keep recycling with my birthdays. Ironically enough, this one and my 50th are among my most memorable. Thanks for sharing girls.

where, oh where is Spring?

April Fools Day here and it's snowing and gray. We've had some really wonderful days sandwiched between winter ones. I'm really trying not to complain. I want to live in the 'now' but I'm ready for warmer weather. I'm trying a new creative endeavor - actually two. I've committed to creating and sending out a postcard every day. So if you get one from me, you'll know what it is. (I'm going to try to show one with this post.) I've also got reacquainted and excited about quilting - art quilts, specifically. They're really wonderful pieces of art made from cloth (and other stuff). There's a great new quilting store here that carries wild and crazy fabrics and has great classes. I'm really excited about the whole thing. I miss hearing from all of you! Write soon.

hey friends!

hello dear friends! thanks so much kathy for posting "the list" - debbie, i hope you are feeling better! debra - was so sweet to hear leah's voice the other day. cecelia - that recipe with brown rice and root veggies sounds amazing!!! have been so busy with kids birthdays, bakery, life, etc.... we have just launched our easter menu/offerings on the website (merridees.com) - check it out! feels like spring this week after 4 1/2 inches of snow last weekend! hope this finds everyone well. love to all, marilyn

Spring is on its way...

Hi again everyone,

Cecelia, love roasted vegetables! So good - so good for you. Brussel sprouts is one I haven't added, but I'm gonna now. = )

Gary & I are having a glass of wine by the fire (in our chiminea out back). Digoirno pizza in the oven. Coyotes were a-howling just before I came in to check the blog! We love to hear them- reminds us of the wilds of Wyoming.

That's all for now. Love, Debra

more light

i love daylight's savings time!! i'm composing this at 6:37 and it's still light. i am so looking forward to spring. i know you nashville girls are probably already having spring - that's one thing i miss.

here's a new recipe that don and i are loving for brown rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 cup coconut milk
2.5 cup water (we require a little extra here in colorado, so you might use a little less)
1 teas. salt
2 teas. sugar
cook in rice cooker until done

yummy with indian food or roasted root vegies (recipe also to follow)

any of the following cut into 1" cubes:
sweet potato, carrot, brussels sprouts (whole if small), parsnip, rutabaga, pearl onion

coat with olive oil; season with salt & pepper and basil. i also add mrs. dash, table blend. roast covered in oven at 350 until done (30 to 45 min.) yummy!

bye now!

Hi BD Girls!

I'm wishing I had one of Deb's  biscotti this a.m. to celebrate Daylight Savings time right about now.  = )

  Hey Deb, would you share your recipe? I used to purchase our favorite biscotti from Sam's Club, but they've stopped carrying it. Yours was the closest to that one (but truly better) that I've ever had. While doing my initial Weight Watcher's menu, I limited myself to 1/2  - hard to do.  

   I do enjoy reading everyone's posts. Blessings to all of you! 

check comments

Hi girls,
I'd like to remind you all to check the comments area on each post so that you see what everyone is writing. If you post, you don't have to use these buttons, but you should see if anyone else is.
Cecelia

Hi Cecelia,

It's snowing like crazy here tonight - memories of the wine-tasting evening you threw in Franklin! Hope all is well there. We received - and love - the save the date postcard for Kayla's day - so wonderfully creative!  = ) Love to all, Debra

thank you

hey miss tennis shoe, thanks for giving us that again. believe me when i tell you that it did not lose any meaning since you gave it to us that weekend.

A few of my favorite things

I hesitate to print this as the fond memory and spontaneity of the moment may make it loom bigger in your minds than it ought. Bare in mind that this was very off the cuff and heart felt, but not to be analyzed too heavily. I will be getting the photo album together as soon as Lonnie geta a chance to photo shop-not pressure Lonnie, I know your plate has been very full and challenging.

Kay: You are the marble counter top, beautifully developed through time and pressure. You have substance, endurance, and are not only functional but ornamental as well. You can take the pressure and the heat and hold up remarkably.

Deb: You are the hand made pottery, hand-shaped by God and uniquely one of a kind. You are not only decorative, but you put the ‘fun’ in functional. Your whimsy puts a smile into the ordinary.

Lonnie: You are the color on the walls. You make the non-descript, alive, pulling out the best the room has to offer. You can set the tone with deep rich color or just eye popping brightness.

Deborah: You are the decorative pillow, lovely and tasteful to look at, but more importantly, comfort with which to relax. You willingly lend your support even if it means it puts you in someone’s shadow.

Marilyn: You are the bowl of fresh fruit, full of much life sustaining substance and yet so easy to entreat, sweet and colorful. Your fruit is ‘produced’ from strong trees with deep well watered roots.

Debbie: You are the fanciful water pitcher, delightfully quirky and fun, but of a quality that is unique and timeless. You are as transparent as water you offer, and essential as water is for life, so is the joy and laughter you serve with it.

Cecelia: You are the table, bringing people around you and providing the framework in which friendship and connection can happen. As with fine wood that has served well, has developed a patina with age that has only made her more rich and beautiful, yet unwavering in function and undemanding for attention. You function well for both work and play; practical, stable, essential and productive.

Kathy: I am the tennis shoe, a bit worn and stinky, but always willing to go.

Hi friends!

It's been so long since I've done this that I couldn't remember how to post...hope this works. Kathy, please do write out those words you had for us. We're fine here, the weather warmed way up and is now very cold again, but spring is coming and the robins showed up all of a sudden! I've had a migraine almost every day for 3 weeks and we've been trying to get to the bottom of it, so I could use prayer -- am having a good day today, though and went swimming. Our weekend inspired me to get in shape again, so I've been going to the gym and my pants are baggier! Let's please try to have a weekend once a year at least. Wouldn't it be fun? Love to all of you.
Debbie (Stone)

words of encouragement

kathy - do you think you could type those wonderful words that you wrote about each of us and put them on the blog? i've thought of them often and would love to read through them again. i'm sure everyone else would agree with me!

sunshine and warm

it's so nice to get a bit of fresh, warm air. it makes me hunger for spring. it's supposed to be in the 60's tomorrow and then snow and the 30's for sunday. it's been a wild winter. not much new here. kayla and i continue to work on the wedding, but it's fairly easy at this point. she's doing most of it and it's pretty laid back, so i hope it continues at this pace. hope you all are enjoying some spring weather in 'your neck of the woods'.

Bloggin' in. = )

Hi BD Girls,

It's  been a while since I 'blogged in.' (Looks like the rest of  you are at about my speed. = )  

I had a week away with  my hubby to beautiful, sunny, & crowded (St. Pete) Florida. We were visiting family - another birthday trip! - this time for Gary's brother. 

Hoping everyone is well. Still feeling strength and refreshment from our wonderful weekend, Cecelia! 

Praying for Brad & Lonnie's family. 

Blessings to all, Debra

pray for Lonnie's husband

Brad's mother died last night in Salt Lake City. She found out she had cancer just before Christmas and it was pretty far gone by then. Brad has gone already and Lonnie will leave soon to go to Utah. There are lots of decisions to make about his mother's estate and some past tensions among siblings that may make it an even more stressful time, so pray for them all.

Hello Everyone!
Been busy last 2 weeks trying to get 3 business cards and one spa menu done on a computer that was slowly crashing....now, $1,700.00 later, have new bigger,faster,better computer...but way behind learning new things and trying to catch up.(nothing new here!)

Will try to fill in some holes....yes Kat, send me all pics you have to: wattsdesigns@comcast.net
I can photoshop, and then resize anything that needs to be done, and send them back to you for the book.
Birthdays you're all missing from Colorado are: Kay- yesterday- Feb.21, Deb Strawn-Dec. 2, and Me-Nov.10.
Good job on the cleanse Cecelia! Dinner at Deb's next week is going to be SOOOO Good No?!!?
Off to look at the snap fish pics....
Hugs to all of you, Lonnie

cleansing fast

Hi Girls - Don and I have been on a cleansing fast. We just completed Day 7. It's called Master Cleanse and it involves a salt water flush in the morning and 'lemonade' made from freshly-squeezed lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Some of you have probably heard of it. Anyway, we're almost never hungry but it gets a little boring and I would just love to eat. We are hoping to make it 10 days and then we'll have 3 days to ease back into regular food. The plus is that I'm losing weight and hope to make some changes that will allow me to keep it off when we're done. The purpose of the cleanse is to flush out toxins. Don and I hope to do it once a year, just to keep fit. Hope you all are doing great.

Hello Girls!

Kathy, you have a great eye for special moments. Thanks so much for taking & posting pics! The tornado news continues to be disturbing - so much damage! Thanks for caring about your new friends here in TN. So sweet.

Cecelia, I hope the Broadmoor was amazing, and that your foot/ankle is much better. The weekend was so-o-o amazing - and with lingering effects. A friend at the Y told me there is a castle-like home (now-resort) that serves high tea in the Springs. Next time, eh?  

Deb, the chocolate pie recipe - did you find it? You can find it where I 'commented' on my on blog (mistake =). I'm getting it though.

My life has been filled with music since arriving home. Husband, Gary, and son-in-law, Josh, have been busy putting polishing touches on daughter, Sarah's 12- song recording project. (Only Cecelia really knows how l-o-n-g this project has been under construction.) So (glass of chianti in hand & reminiscent of the great weekend Cecelia so lovingly treated us to) here's to large and small victories and accomplishments. By tomorrow it will be done. Then Gary & I are off to St. Petersburg, FL for his brother's 57th birthday. Looking forward to family & FL sunshine.

Love to all, Debra

thank you kathy!

those pictures are amazing! it made the whole weekend come back for me. such great closeups. can't wait for lonnie to get hers up so we can see kathy some more.

don and i had our weekend at the broadmoor. it was very good, although too much food and wine. we think don actually got food poisoning on the last night - yuck. anyway, we are now on a fast, so looking at all that good food we had on our weekend was kind of hard!

i've never gone on anything like snapfish, so again, another new experience gleaned from the marvelous 8!

Kathy's pictures

Hi girls,
Aren't Kathy's pictures fabulous?! What would we do without people who remember their cameras? Look at picture #125 (in the slide show) especially--it's worthy of a big print. Also the ones of Cecelia looking like a model laying on the couch. I'll have you know I looked up "lying" and "laying" because I didn't want to publish a grammatically incorrect blog, and it says it is a transitive and intransitive verb meaning "to produce eggs." Well, I hope she wasn't.
Kathy, thank you so much for the album. It brings back such a good time.
Love to you all and an extra thank you to Kathy,
Debbie

snapfish pictures

My little lovely ladies,

I put all the pictures (note that they are redundant ones and unedited) on snapfish. Just go to ceceliabd.snapfish.com/snapfish. The password is 022008 (the month and year of the party). Lonnie, can you photoshop these pictures from snapfish? Let me know if this works as I am a novice at this. Well, it is 5:30 and I need to move this old bag of bones. Later, Kathy

slow as molasses in SD winter

Hi my little dearies,

First of all, Cecelia, I am still so awestruck by the dreamy weekend and humbled to have been a part of it. Your energy, creativity, thoughtful details, and of course the money it took to pull this together is truly mindboggling. It was the best birthday party I have ever been to including my own. It has been a wild and busy week for me so I am a bit late in joining in on the conversation here. I did toon my ear to the devastating news from TN, and since I have newfriends there , it took on a personal touch. I am so thankful you all are all right, but nonethess I suspect you are very much effected by this destruction being so close. I am anxious to try some of the new recipes you all have shared and am going to try to post a few pictures as well from time to time. I have not yet started on the book as it will take some focused time, but will let you know when I am done and I think you should be able to get them off snapfish.com. I will keep you posted. Oh, my birthday is September 10 (just one day short of the infamous 9/11) and let me recommend staying away from those rascally peddlers on ebay. You gals are the best! Kathy

edit on the roast

hey cecelia. yes, i do add a bit of water (maybe a 1/2 cup - unless i want lots of gravy then maybe closer to a cup) ... so sorry for the brain lapse on that one! enjoy your fabulous weekend.... will be praying for that foot/ankle.... did you get it checked out?

editing a post

hi guys - if you decide after publishing your post that you need to change it, click on the yellow pencil that appears under the post. you can change whatever you like and then repost. thanks for the recipes so far. i'm copying them into a folder called 'toila' where i'll keep birthdays and such.

don and i are off to the broadmoor this weekend for my second birthday treat. it's a rather fancy place and i think we will be on our feet a lot (doubt my danskos will look so hot with my black dress) - not sure how that will work with my gimpy foot. i really thought it was almost new but after some shopping yesterday, it was screaming a bit.

Cocoa Tofu Pie Recipe

Hi Everyone,

 Deb requested this recipe. It's just like chocolate mousse w/o the guilt. Hope you enjoy it. Love, Debra

recipe question

marilyn, do you brown the roast before you put it in the crock pot? Any liquid added? I was telling Don about this tonight so I'm glad you sent it.

blogging is just too fun!

ok, so this blogging is way too fun! so, three new colorado friends... post your birthdays as well please :)

recipe i love is for the crock pot:
1 chuck roast
1 bunch of kale
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
cook on low 8 hours and toila! you have meat and a veggie! drippings make great gravy too!

just finished baking cakes - jim and my best friend share a birthday tomorrow.... one ordered triple layered chocolate torte and the other a white cake.... can you guess which ordered which?! :) hope this finds everyone having a great day..... remember last thursday this time debra? :) (we were enjoying a guiness at the pub in the airport since our flight was delayed)

go-to recipe from cecelia

I am so glad that you two are okay. I hate tornadoes so much - especially in TN where most folks don't have a basement. Here's my go-to recipe:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (can use other chicken, just adjust cooking time)
2 sweet potatoes cut into 1" cubes
1 yellow onion cut into 1" cubes
2 T. olive oil
3 T. real maple syrup
3 sprigs fresh thyme

Place chicken, sweet potatoes and onion in shallow roaster. Drizzle olive oil on top and toss to coat everything. Drizzle with maple syrup and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook until nicely browned.

After you make this once, you won't need to use the recipe. Bon Appetit! Cecelia

more chocolate bars

hello all! we too survived the storms last night but i was camped in whole foods for a while where i had gone to purchase more of those chocolate bars!! oh no....cecelia.... what have you done?! :) hope you had an awesome birthday!

kay, my birthday is december 7th.... easy to remember - pearl harbor day. debbie, you are so very funny.... i smiled as i read your post! debra, glad you are safe and sound... pretty sleepless in franklin, eh?

hope this finds you all so well. off to cook for the fam. .... recipe swap anyone? would love to know everyone's absolute favorite recipe - the one you always "go-to".... of course mine are all kid friendly at this stage of my life... and somewhat boring i might add. :)
marilyn

Hello Fab 8!

Toila!~ It's me from Tennessee! Still gloating over all the fun I had with all of you in CO last weekend. I'm so happy to have you new friends. Cecelia, thank you for putting it all together. - I hope your birthday year is an amazing one! So happy you wanted to share some of it with us.

Believe it or not, this is my first-ever blog entry, so bear with me. I'm learning something new. 

Two of the addresses (Lonnie & Deb) came back to me. If  you e-mail me, maybe I can figure where I went wrong. That's all for now. Next entry I'll have the book list from Sunday at the table.

Blessings, Debra

birthday

Kay, my birthday is October 19th and I really like presents that are huge, expensive and difficult to ship. Just so you know.
Debbie

Smiling and giggling

I am still smiling and giggling and basking in the warmth of our fabulous Cecelia's party. Seems to me that we were the ones gifted beyond belief. I would like the birthday dates (ok,ok, not the year)of my new four friends. As if we needed an excuse to get in touch. Cecelia, you continue to enrich our lives encouraging us to blog. A first for many of us. It's not hard at all after the tutoring session. Thanks

Kay

adding pictures part 2

I'm giving this a try. I only took 4 pictures and this is the only one that wasn't blurry but even this one looks as though Debra has a weird arm attached the wrong way on her body! Thank goodness for Lonnie and Kathy.

adding pictures

Lonnie, I added 'toila' by editing the template for the blog, but anyone can add pictures to their posts. When you are in the box where you make your post, look at the light brown border just above the writing area. The second button from the right is a landscrape icon. Click on it and you will see that you can add an image either from your computer or an online image. Then it will give you options about where you want your image to be in the post. So Lonnie you can pull in pictures from a file on your computer or probably even from the memory card you have plugged into it. Let's see pictures from everyone!

now I am blog savvy woman

Wasn't that the best weekend we've ever had? It's a bit hard getting back to normal, but we must all tackle our work once again. Cecelia, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and happy birthday today! My new goal is to lose enough weight so that I can wear all three of my new jackets at once, thus tripling the shopping memory. To old friends, Kathy and Cecelia (and Don) and all the new ones, I love you all!
Debbie

Happy Wonderful Birthday Gorgeous!!!

WHOOO HOOOO !!
I did it, how did you get the pointed brush lettering on the page cecelia?
I hope your day is wonderful and that you and Don have a great time at the Broadmoore with your food and wine tasting, and that you can pull off a gorgeous dress without too much limping on your gimpy foot!
I Love You Friend....thanks for "giving" us 4 new and incredible friends....wow! It looks like tho it was your birthday, you ended up giving the best gifts, 4 unbelievable woman.
You make 50 look SOOOOO Good!
Love you, Lonnie

a gift beyond words

hey all!
cecelia... i so looooove the name of the blog! this is the first "blogging" i've done and i'm so very excited! :)
i echo cecelia's sentiments of this amazing weekend.... thank you for being the "table" at which we all met!
as kathy and i discussed on the way back to the airport, this weekend was an incredible gift and one that i will cherish for a long time.... even as i have re-entered my life of four busy young children and a bakery this day i am basking in the after-glow of a wonderfully authentic time of fellowship, joy, laughter and love. thanks to each of you for that! my heart is full..... marilyn

My Chocolate bar

just had my chocolate bar this afternoon with my chocolate hazelnut tea - yummy. i am motivated to exercise but can't right now with my foot. (very convenient)

when you all get on and start to post, write your posts as a new post every time, rather than commenting on a specific post. i think that will work best - we'll see. let me know if you like the title of the blog.

Afterglow

By now all of you have reentered your real life. I hope what we had together last weekend will go with you. I want to say that you all blessed me more than I can say. It was a wonderful, special time and I think that perhaps what happened during our weekend goes deeper than we may all know. I look forward to seeing how this laughter-filled beginning plays out in our lives. Let me know if you have any problems with the blog.
Love, Cecelia