beSomething...beDazzling

I'm one of the fortunate employed people who has every Friday off. Yep, that's right, every week I have a three-day weekend. It's not fair, I know, but I certainly enjoy them.

What's often so terrific about my Fridays is that I get to spend them with my sisters and their cutie kids. Take today for instance. My sister Brook and I have started a business venture. We've actually been accepted as a vendor in the Denver Junior League Holiday Mart. As a result, we have to spend some of our leisure time (not that Brook has much being the mother of four rather rambunctious children) manufacturing our product. We gather our supplies, make a smoothie or gucamole (or both), turn on a Sandra Bullock movie, and produce like crazy.


But then we get to relax. My brother-in-law and the kiddos join us, we cook a couple of frozen pizzas, and turn on an instant play movie from Netflix. Isn't that a fabulous way to spend a Friday?

I'm not much of a TV watcher. In fact, I can't even watch TV at my own house because I have have absolutely no reception. However, I do watch a couple shows. And first and foremost among those is Fox's 24.

Now, many people might not think that the hit show 24 is 'dazzling.' But I cannot disagree more. The storyline keeps you guessing, the action keeps your heart beating, and Jack Bauer can pretty much do anything. Two of my sisters and their friends (for some strange reason) like the tv show Lost. I think they've been suckered into a story that creates more questions than it answers, but that is just a personal opinion. But one day my friend Elisa (she's also a crazy Lost fan) sent me some flair on Facebook and I loved it. It reads as follows:


That's classic!


But what will I do when this fabulous show ends? I'm quite disappointed that it's been officially announced as the last season. What will I turn to for solace?

I know....Glee!!


For those of you have yet to watch this terrific endeavor of Fox's, you are MISSING OUT! This show is pure genius. And it will give me something that my mother can DVR for me and can take the place of our 24 nights. Thank goodness for Fox programming.

It never fails in Colorado. Just as the blooms begin appearing...a spring storm blows through attempting to undo all of Mother Nature's careful artistry.

Luckily these storms are generally over and done in about a day, but my mother fears for her bleeding hearts and tulips.

In the spirit of looking for the silver lining in things:

1. We really do need the precipitation and everything is looking more green.
2. The lovely blooms on the bush in my patio seem to have survived this most recent storm. Isn't it pretty?


3. I have good friends who will cozy up at my house tonight and play some Wii.

It was rather dreary all day, but about 4 o'clock the sun decided to make an appearance. By the time I got home from work there was enough sunlight left to go for a run. I laced up my shoes and headed out for my 4 mile route.

It is definitely springtime in the Rockies. And how do I know? During my run my olfactory was continuously bombarded by the aroma of blossoms! Hurray! Things are starting to green and as I passed the various fruit trees and blossoming ground covers, I filled my lungs with their pleasant scent. True, there is the occasional noxious odor from the exhaust of a passing car, but it is so quickly replaced by something better. And then you hit the jackpot of fragrance...something cooking on the barbecue. I love that we are starting to take our lives back into the outdoors.

So, no need for expensive wall plug-ins to get your quota of aromatherapy; just go for a walk, jog or run. Your nose will thank you.

Well....I finally caved and have decided to start a blog.

And the purpose of such blog will be to share the things that I discover (either through my own luck and resources or through the sound advice of others) that make the world a better place. That make it sparkle, dazzle, enchant...

Clothes, food, music, art, events, products, books, thoughts, everything is game. Nothing is to be excluded.

I'll share my discoveries. So please, share with me.

Let me start off:

Pancakes make me happy. They are absolutely my favorite breakfast food. And I rarely make them for myself, which is why it always feels so decadent when I have them. Probably my favorite place in Denver to get pancakes is Toast. Toast is a fabulous little restaurant at Santa Fe and Littleton Blvd. And their food is to die for!

I highly recommend the Bananas Fosters Pancakes and the Santa Fe French Toast. In fact, it's best if you order these two together. My sisters and best girlfriends and I love to have something sweet and savoury -- this way you get the best of both worlds! I suggest that you go with a group because the portions are generous. And I also suggest that you wear some stretchy pants because you won't be able to leave anything on the plate.

Here's the link to their website: http://www.toastygoodness.com/

If only they had a picture of the pancakes. A picture says a thousand words!