300 Days of Sunshine

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." -   George Eliot Happy first day of fall!   For those of you who missed my last few posts, let me tell you something about myself… I am crazy about fall!   I am so in love with falling leaves, autumn temperatures, pumpkins and apples, and everything else this season has to bring.   I was in Minnesota a few weeks ago, where I enjoyed my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season.     Photos borrowed from Caribou Coffee's facebook page Unfortunately we don’t have Caribou Coffee here in the wild west, but check out this little treasure I discovered. This morning I also enjoyed a delicious Salted Caramel Mocha Frappucino from Starbucks.   Yum! The leaves are beginning to change on the hiking trails along the Santa Fe ski basin and in the Pecos wilderness.  Everywhere you look you ...

One of my good friends is hosting a baby shower next month and has asked me to help with the baking and cupcake decorating.   I consider myself a good baker primarily because I can follow a recipe without burning the house down, am usually able to adjust recipes for the high altitude, and look pretty good in an apron.    So when my friend sent me the link to the fancy, piped-rose petal cupcake design she was going for, I thought, no problem !   Maybe I’ve never used decorating tips in my life, but with a little practice and a few You Tube videos, we should be able to nail this.     Martha Stewart's piped-rose cupcakes The first attempt delivered some sad, pink, doggie doodoo-like designs.   Here was attempt #2... This one looks like a cerebrum Thankfully these mistakes are yummy ones!  I like this design that my friend came up with... Our masterpieces: I know, I know,...

September has always been my favorite month.   Growing up, September always meant back to school, football season, the start of classes and sports and activities, and a month of change and new beginnings.   Now that I’ve been a non-student for over a year, September doesn’t necessarily signify the start of something new, but is does mean that fall is on its way.   I love everything about fall - the colors, the feel of the air, the smells, and the cooler temperatures, allowing us to trade in our bikinis and tank tops for cute sweaters and scarves.   I love the fresh apples and pumpkin spice lattes and leaf piles, and mittens and bonfires and hot apple cider.   I’m so ready! I already noticed a few changing leaves on my hike yesterday morning along the La Vega trail.   Seeing that it is Labor Day weekend, the trails were heavily populated with families hiking together, boy scout troops backpacking, vacationers exploring the g...