I Blame it on the Olympics...

.... the sad, sloppy state of my room that is. While my room is full of many wonderful things, it is lacking one essential item for this period of life - a television. When planning my move out to Colorado and thinking of top priority items to bring out or buy upon arrival, a TV was not even on the bottom of the list. Normally, I could care less if the TV is on but these are no ordinary times. Thank goodness I live with someone who gives me access to the Olympic Games because I've pretty much been glued to the tube since they started!

A new garage sale item. Pretty nice, huh?

Finally picked out my snaps, did the necessary cropping and filled this beautiful metal thrift frame!

Oh the cleaning that should be done... in 14 days perhaps!

My Local Grocer

Back in Indy at the Crayon Box, I could get to the little neighborhood Kroger grocery store that we fondly referred to as Kroghetto (for reasons you will easily understand if you pay it a visit) in a mere two minute walk. It was grand. I really enjoyed it. And now I really miss it. 

But all hope has not been lost.

While I can't just hop out of my door to run down and grab a needed item for a last minute cooking or baking venture, this Market & Deli is a delightful gem here in the Divine Redeemer neighborhood of Colorado Springs. It is a little piece of living history at the corner of Willamette & Prospect, surrounded by quaint old homes. When you enter you are greeted with the creak of old wood floors and a friendly smile. This locally owned, family run grocery store is a hub for the neighbors to come grab a jug of milk, cigar, cup of coffee or... a homemade cinnamon roll! (Saturday and Sunday mornings only)

And that is just what Michelle and I did on this fine Saturday morning. We brewed ourselves a cup o' joe and took a stroll on down to the Market & Deli to enjoy our rolls at their outdoor tables.

Reverting to a Classic

Last Saturday I went to the Old Colorado City Farmer's Market with Uncle Jerry and Aunt Kathy. There were some ladies selling the widest variety of pasta I have ever seen... all of which looked outstanding! They had tangerine basil, cilantro lime, lavender, chocolate raspberry, and so many more enticing flavors it was hard to pick just one. But despite the difficulty of the  task, I did leave with just one little bag of pasta. Can you guess which flavor?

If you said lavender, you are the big winner! While all the flavors deserve a try, it would have seemed wrong to not first try the lavender pasta. After all, it was in Old Colorado City that I first fell in love with lavender as a delight to the taste buds! 

On Monday, I whipped up my lavender pasta and some chicken with a recipe I got off of Pappardelle's website. While I was at that, Michelle decided to get creative and got some berries and a candle for the centerpiece and added some peppermint garnish to the watermelon. Michelle and I agree that presentation is almost nearly as important as taste!

Settling In

I assume most of you have already seen pictures of my new abode on Sonya's blog so I figure I don't need to waste time showing you again. If you've not seen them and you care to, here's a little link for you. On Sunday I had a very productive day of organizing and cleaning and thought I would show you the results.

My tidy room. It looks so neat when only half of my junk is in it!

Almost empty, huh?

Clean shoes... so refreshing! 

Each pair was in desperate need of a bath - one having gone through a torrential muddy downpour back in April, another had mud caked on the inside sole, another smelled like stinky pigs and the last was from the glorious Arc and went through who knows what! 

A New Taste Sensation

I like blueberries and I also like basil. However, I would have never thought to eat them at the same time. But someone else did. In fact, they thought about it so much that they decided to make a jam combining these two delightful ingredients. 

Jam is one of those staple ingredients that I had to get stocked in my food pantry shortly after arriving in the Springs. I wasn't feeling very excited about the selections in front of me at Target so we stepped next door to Ross. I was rather dismayed at their small selection and was about to settle for some strawberry rhubarb when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I saw Wild Blueberry & Basil! Now this was something new and exciting. It also sounded a bit disgusting but that only increased my desire to try it out so I snagged it up. 

The other day I opted for a simple supper and grabbed my new jam for a pb & j sandwich. It was certainly the most interesting pb & j I've had in a long time. I haven't decided if the jam is good or bad yet, it's on a trial run right now. I am thinking the peanut butter was not it's best compliment, perhaps it just needs its own platform. I should probably just give it a try on a simple piece of toast with a bit of butter for the base.

A Little Country in the City

It's hard to call Colorado home at this point. For one thing, I've just been here slightly over a week. But what really makes it feel like some temporary diversion is not having a job. Obviously, the solution here is to obtain a job. But to obtain a job, I would have to search for one. This really hasn't sounded like much fun. Therefore I've been dragging my feet about starting this task. I didn't feel a need to start looking the moment I got out, plus Mom and I had people to see and things to do those first four days. And when Wednesday rolled around, I wanted to just relax and get used to the idea of being in Colorado. I decided Thursday would be the day I got serious about this job search. But...

Jill invited me to join her for lunch with her boyfriend and his dad. Someone gave me a bit of advice to never turn down an invitation in the first couple of months after my move. So, following this tidbit, I went with. Besides, lunch sounded much more interesting that looking for jobs. After lunch, Jill and I ended up doing one of my favorite activities... thrift store shopping! I ended up hitting the jack pot at one particular store, the Arc. 

Brenda Dodgen has some of the most amazing quilts I've ever felt in my life, they use them all the time and are therefore perfectly worn, providing a sensationally soft touch. I've been threatening to steal one but decided that wouldn't be so nice. You would think an old, worn quilt wouldn't be too difficult to find at an antique or thrift store. But as often as I frequent these places, I have had no luck... until Wednesday. It was at the Arc that I found two delightfully worn, soft quilts. However, they are a little too worn in some spots, so I may have to cut them both up and piece together the worn but not too worn pieces to get one quilt or just use them for various projects. 

But in the meantime, it makes a nice compliment to the little corner of country in the city by the backyard chickens.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado

Moving? Why yes, I am! And thank you for the welcome, Colorado!

Mom and I rolled into Colorado Springs last Friday. It was really wonderful to have her with for my trip out west and to help me get settled into my new abode. Thanks for coming, Mom!

We made a stop at Garden of the Gods on Tuesday before Mom flew out.

On Wednesday, I decided it was high time to go for a hike. Partly because that's why I moved out to Colorado and partly to procrastinate on the job hunt. I opted for a nice short little stroll on Spruce Mountain.

Spruce Mountain is a pretty short, easy hike that has some fabulous resting spots up top complete with some great views of the Front Range.

Westward Ho!

The day has come for me to move my tush out west! It may have been nearing noon when this picture was taken, and while my vehicle may still be sitting in good old Ridge Hill Trails, it was packed... and I was in it... with a smile on my face... (life is so much better when you don't get up too early)

Success! I left many things behind on my westward journey... but thank goodness I had a spot saved for my basil! 

Mom and I ready to hit the road! Please note the tremendous breathing space in my back seat. I'm feeling pretty good about my paring down capabilities.

1084 miles to go until we reach Colorful Colorado!