Birthday time again

had a LOVELY Birthday this year.  out to breakfast with Seymour--possibly my favorite meal to eat out. Then a little jaunt to Costco where I picked up 3 new books and  got Tangled in 3D ( we have a 3D TV at home--don't hate me!-- and yes I LOVED Tangled especially in 3D--those LANTERNS  ahhh)  THEN I had a wonderful matinee performance of me show, where my cast mates were so kind.--there is nothing better than having" Happy Birthday" sung by a bunch of actors--3 part harmonies etc.-- sounds so great!

then Dinner with our good friends Warren and Holly at a crazy Mexican Seafood place Seymour found--Where I was sung to by a Mariachi band!!!... and got a shot of my favorite Patron silver ( way better than a cupcake with a candle) while holding a demented wooden monkey..

too...much....fun!!!!! ( and yes..about that monkey...that is what you think it is!)

Most fun I've had turning 61 ever!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year has come and gone and it was really lovely but, alas I have no pictures to share--silly me

It was 3 days of FEASTING,  YES!

Seymour's sister Marilyn came to spend the holiday with us--but Patience and family went to New Mexico to holiday with Matt's family; Seymour's children were going out of town and/or had multiple obligations-- so... we opted to share in Seymour's oldest son Mike's Thanksgiving rather than cooking at home this year. and it was lovely and relaxing to simply bring the sweet potatoes and corn pudding and spend most of the day in pajamas!  The food was delicious nad the complay grand.

BUT ( and its a big butt for sure)  I really LIKE to cook for holidays and got to feeling like I wanted to do something special but NOT another turkey! and then I remembered THIS RECIPE that I read last year and thought that  perhaps I would  try for Christmas sometime.  I decided this was the perfect opportunity to do a trial run--on Wednesday for just Seymour and Marilyn and I--and had the very good Idea to include my sister Stacey. so I made the GOOSE for us and WOW!  definitely will become my new Christmas tradition. so decadent and fab.  just what I've been looking for as a new grownup tradition!

I made a real holiday gourmet menu:

beet and pear salad with feta and roasted pecans with a  roasted walnut vinaigrette
goose with armanoc soaked prune and pate stuffing served with a brandy and port reduction sauce ( to. die. for.)
roasted potatoes  (you have GOT to try them done this way and BTW I used Yukon gold potatoes--perfect)
braised red cabbage
chocolate mousse for dessert

It was a triumph I tell you!!!!!! ( the goose itself-- not the stuffing--needed a little tweaking to achieve total perfection--anybody want to try this recipe for themselves--contact me and I'll tell you what you might need to do differently than the method in the recipe I posted--the meat was tough the way we cooked it)

I had a blast doing it--and we all had a blast eating it and visiting and drinking copius amounts of wine.

so that was Wednesday--then the lovely turkey at Mike and Jennifer's on Thursday and THEN Seymour and Marilyn put in a visit to JENNIFER"S family dinner on FRIDAY!!!!  I had a performance but they did bring me a piece of Jennifer's Mom's legendary pecan pie.  so I am content!!

WHEW!!! now back to your regularly scheduled eating plan!  lol

Halloween

We had the first of our two parties last night-- the adult version first--the grandkids/pumpkin carving will be on the 30th. Music was made. Food and libations consumed!

Warren and Holly...with drums

New friend Rachel Graham as Moaning Myrtle

very poud of the decor this year

rats!

food featured Skully--a skull covered with cream cheese and thin sliced meat-- and 2 brains--one made of shrimp aspic and one a pumpkin cheesecake mousse...delicious

Patience ( as Elpheba from Wicked) singing --"I feel Pretty" LOL  we had the karaoke carnked up --lots of good and fun singing.  "Mamma Mia" was a big hit.

ghosty-(-hint--tulle makes a very spooky ghost!)

Seymour and our good friend Suzanne

it's a new world

well.. lots of changes happening here ...all good!  I quit my job as a framer at Hobby Lobby so that I could devote more time to theatre.   I had several auditions in the last few weeks and got cast in several new productions. so....I'm going to be very busy!!!  first up is  The Man Who Came to Dinner at Spotlight--the little theatre company that I love to work for--small but juicy part. Tthis starts rehearsal in about two weeks and runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Next up is a comedy at a wonderful theatre in Golden, CO--Miner's Alley Playhouse-- that I have been wanting to get hooked up with for awhile.  The play is called " Mrs Mannerly" and I play the title character--big part and very funny. This opens two weeks after the other play closes. THEN.. another comedy at Spotlight The Front Page( which opens the week after Mrs Mannerly closes) another small but  juicy part. This means back to back rehearsals and performances from now to end of March!!!!!  I love it when a plan comes together.  There's no way I would be able to do all this and still have my job a Hobby Lobby, PLUS  I've had plenty of day time hours to work on the house--also something that has been neglected.  win win!

My ultimate goal is to get a reputation as the best comedic character actress in Denver.  LOL

here are a few Pics from my newest play "Murder on the Nile" a delicious Agatha Christie thriller! They are such fun to perform!

In September, Seymour and I took a lovely mini vacation to Vail. An old friend of Seymour's let us use her condo and we had a BLAST! We rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain where we rock climbed and rode horses. we took lots of walks through beautiful country. Took a long drive where The aspens were at their glorious best. We visited a living museum of an old west town in South Park ( yes THE South Park) and ate in some lovely restaurants. Perfect VaCa



Seymour said this looked just like Switzerland