Hello Collins

I went to the mountains this past week!  After all these years in Colorado, I have come to know fall is fleeting and last week was peak viewing!If you go up in October, the foliage is gone but it's still pretty in the rockies :) boulder canyon aspen scars from the elk and deer nibbling off the bark or rubbing their antlers against the trees I love nature looking down on fall river pass in Rocky Mountain National Park I took a morning to myself and drove up to see the elk and enjoy the weather, it was so nice! Longs Peak, one of the 14 ers in our backyard Fall is full of volleyball Lucy made the JV team, she is #11 playing right side and middle 6th grade volleyball is a little more casual Audrey I feel like I'm at Michaels waaaay too much in the fall  these bozos made it fun though Clay is in Alaska and LA this week so the only work being done is shoveling dirt and making scarecrows The temps dropped so I'

Eight really is great! On his birthday we headed to Curry N' Kabob for his favorite meal At home ready to open presents! We held a football themed birthday party for 12 boys. It was as insane as it sounds. After the party on Friday night we quieted down and I wrapped a ribbon around a set of scriptures inscribed with Chester's name for his baptism pre-baptism hair cut with Dad His baptism was a family affair with Henry and Audrey giving talks, Lucy sang a musical number, Grandma Collins played piano, Clay performed the baptism and confirmation and I guess I orchestrated it all :) So proud of his tender slash tough heart After church on Sunday we took Grandma up to the Peak to Peak highway and onto Brainard Lake.... my favorite spot here to get away to the 2 "fall" ladies Lucy told me this was her new favorite photo of me as I halfway take off my sunglasses, n

Welcome to our big project inside of an even bigger project here  at our Milkbarn (I should really get a good camera) Here is a low quality photo of the end product Now let me tell you how this all came about... wait! a better photo! It's all about crouching down before weeding now, weeded and ready as I started this project it was part dread part anxiety riddled.  My sister Marcie helped me with my anxiety with great advice and the dread was replaced with sweat and a 48 hour workout :) the skinny elm tree that met its fate when I found out they are very bad to have right next to a house. apparently the roots like to make trouble with foundations. And this house has seen enough trouble as it is! So long Elm  I went out to a couple of landscaping places, I had some ideas but the main one was to buy plants and shrubs that are low maintenance and grow all over Colorado because to be honest I can't deal with anything else right