Day 9 of 30...Stay up past my bed time

Bryant went out of town to go hunting (he didn't shoot anything, not even a cow) and I did, well, nothing too exciting if you happen to be a single 20 something, but for this 30 year old mom of two who has gone to bed at or around 9:00 for the past 2.5 years, I went to bed around 10, and stayed up watching movies on my laptop, then read about 100 blogs I hadn't read in ages and went to bed in the wee hours of the night wondering when a little blonde baby boy would wake me up for his nightly snack...but, he also celebrated day 9 and slept straight through the night until 7:30 Saturday morning (wow, I wonder if Mrs. McCarty would have given me an "F" for that informative, but run on sentence?).

Happy birthday to me! It hasn't happened since then and since he is around 25th percentile for his weight I don't want to force him to stop is mid-night feeding, so for now, it continues.  And, I haven't slept through a solid night in recent memory (years) and I really doubt I will for the next 20+ years, so I am not sad/frustrated/in denial about it.  Frankly I secretly enjoy the quiet mid-night cuddles I get while sitting in my closet (Caleb's current bedroom), especially since I usually have a crazy toddler wanting attention during the mid day feedings.  Oh the joys!!!

Day 8 of 30...Try something new!

Shoo.  I have been 30 for a week already!  Last night was our 4 year anniversary and I wish I could tell you it was incredibly romantic and we got a babysitter and got away, or even went to dinner... but, alas, we did no such thing...but, after such a crazy week/weekend we are still recovering and needed another night at home.  And it is hunting season in Colorado, which means, I am a hunting widow again.  I am praying hard that the hubster brings home some meat this weekend, and never, ever utters the words, "I could have shot a cow," in my presence ever again! :-)  Doesn't he know that cow meat tastes better then bull meat?  Killing a bull might provide a trophy in the form of horns and boost a man's ego, but since my husband is not a fan of hanging horns in his home, they should not be a factor in his decision of whether or not to shoot an animal in front of him or not.  Please hang on for a second while I step off my soap box.  I am so glad he is out stomping around the woods with his buddies. I really am.  It makes me smile to think about their conversations around the camp fire.  Last year Amy Jo and I snuck up to camp to drop off a warm apple pie when we knew they would all be out hunting and later found out that a fellow hunter and friend from Texas razzed Bryant and Trevor so bad and said, "The only thing worse then a woman in hunting camp is the man that brought her," as he shoved a piece of pie in his mouth.  Dudes. 

But, back to my 30 days of 30. Like I said, last night was our anniversary, and I wanted nothing more then to spoil my husband and say thanks for being such an incredible husband and father... and what better way to feed his soul then by feeding his stomach!  I made him chicken fried steak and mashers with fried okra and gravy...There was a lot of oil and butter involved.  My house still smells like hot oil.  It was my first attempt at chicken fried steak and it actually turned out really good.  So, my way of celebrating day 8 was by trying something new, a recipe that has always intimidated me, but wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. And my husband's Southern taste buds loved every bite of the food and he not only had seconds last night (my quality tester), but he ate the left overs for lunch today.  Success!

Until tomorrow!

Day 7 of 30... A Walk up the Road

Today started with a group of ladies and their kiddos coming over for pray and play.  It was great to have them here and the kids went nuts downstairs while we were able to hang out and enjoy each others company and pray for each other with little distraction.  That sure doesn't happen very often!

Brooks took a nice long nap and Caleb went down for part of it too, so I got to work on my Joshua & Co. project with some peace and quiet.

To celebrate day 7 of 30 today, the boys and I loaded the Chariot and walked up our road to the top just to soak in the view.  It was pretty amazing and we got to watch a storm come in over Snowmass Mountain.  Bryant even caught up with us in his truck on his way home.  It was a nice surprise.  On our way home, our walk was topped off by a gorgeous double rainbow.  An extra treat from God, like He was smiling down at us as we headed up the driveway...

On a side note, I want to share this so I don't forget it.  After Bryant put Brooks in his pj's tonight, he grabbed his toy tool box, came into the kitchen with his lips puckered for a mama kiss and said, "Bye! Love you!" and I said, "where are you going?"  He looks back as he is walking down the stairs toward the front door and as serious as a heart attack says, "work, mama."  Whoever told him he could grow up so fast needs a big spankin! 

Until tomorrow...

Becs & the boys

Pictures are on the way!

On a side note, I have been pretty diligent about taking pictures every day of the fun things we have been up to, but just need an extra hour to go through, edit and post them... So, I will put them on their respective posts soon! 

Day 6 of 30...Cherishing Our Time Together!

Day 6 was a very relaxing day.  We woke up to rain and fog, which is really rare for summer in Colorado, but the forecast is more of the same all week.  I welcome it, though.  After such a busy weekend I needed a low key day at home.

Kelly and I watched True Grit while the boys played in the play room, then Amy Jo came over and Kelly made delicious potato soup for a perfectly soupy day.  We all hung out for a few hours as Kelly packed to go home, and last night I took the Bucherts to the airport.

So, although there wasn't anything all that exciting about day 6, my special way of celebrating was just relaxing and making the most of the last few hours with Kelly and Ben's company.  It is especially hard to say good bye to both Kelly and Sarah.  They are two of my bosom buddies and neither of them live very close to my family anymore, so it is much harder to get together.  Kelly and Ben just moved to Pendleton, Oregon and Sarah and Josh moved to Kona last Spring. 

Today has been event filled, but nothing noteworthy yet... Maybe I will venture out on hike after Bryant gets home, or maybe I will go sit at a coffee shop and read the paper this evening.  I will let you know tomorrow!

Becs

Day 5 of 30...An Evening with Friends!

Monday was an exciting day too!  We went into town after the guys finished up a mountain bike ride and walked around for a while, had lunch at the Cantina and watched the semi final matches at the Mother Lode Volleyball Tournament. 

That evening we joined the Everetts and Bucherts at Cache Cache, an incredible French restaurant in Aspen.  We had such a fun evening and ate like kings!  After dinner we walked to Paradise Bakery and got cookies all around and hit a few art studios on our walk back to the cars.

I love no kiddo evenings out with close friends!  I love laughing and remembering old times and getting excited about the future too!  It was a lot of fun.

Day 4 of 30...An Outdoor Concert!

Sunday always starts with church, and this week was no exception.  We heard a great sermon from Steve and headed home to get the kiddos ready for their babysitter.

Sunday evening, Trevor, Amy Jo, Ben, Kelly, Bryant and I headed down to the Snowmass Center to see Zac Brown Band.  Want an incredible concert!  I was blown away by their talent and ability to entertain!  They sang "Devil Came Down to Georgia" better than Charlie Daniels Band... It was awesome!

We had a blast and even found a great spot on the lawn for our blankets!  The weather was perfect and so was the company!

I love having such cool events right in our back yard!  This weekend is 12 hours of Snowmass and Oktoberfest in the Village Mall.  So much fun.

Day 3 of 30... A Surprise Party!!!

Saturday we rolled out of bed and Bryant was insistent that we head into town on our bikes, so I geared up, loaded the boys into the chariot and we went on our merry ways.  It was a nice ride, but there was a lot of extra traffic on the normally calm Owl Creek Road due to the weekend concert festival in Snowmass.

Once we got into town, he rushed me to my favorite hideaway in Aspen... Autumn in Aspen, Nature Spa!!!  I have been going to see Autumn for over four years now.  She is not only and incredible massage therapist, waxologist, etc etc... she has also become a dear friend, and is the one who encouraged me celebrate 30 days of being 30.  He purchased a massage/facial for me, took the boys and left me in the very talented hands of Autumn.  I was a very happy, and very relaxed mama!  It was an amazing way to start the day.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Aspen.  I convinced the baristas at our local Starbucks to sell me a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the 3rd even though they weren't supposed to sell it until the 6th!  I gave them my puppy eyes and told them it was my birthday and they were selling it on my birthday last year, and they had sympathy and swore me to secrecy!  It was delicious and worth the pout!  (I am only telling now because they are able to sell it today!)

We got home that afternoon and the plan was to go back to Trev and Amy's for PW lasagna for my actual birthday dinner.  Once we got to the top of their hill, Bryant says "hey Ben (Kelly's husband), I want to show you those huge bucks I was telling you about in this field."  So, we drove down this long dirt road and into a driveway, where I finally clued in and noticed a bunch of cars I recognized and saw my friends under a big party tent waiting for me!  I was totally surprised!  I had no idea who owned the house we were at, but it turns out it was a friend of Amy Jo's and they had been conspiring for quite a while to pull this all off.  The evening was perfect!  The tent felt like the party scene on Hope Floats with white lights and hay bails.  Perfection!

My husband, Amy Jo, Trevor and Kelly did an awesome job pulling everything together and keeping it all a secret!  I am so thankful for them.  It was the perfect way to spend day 3.

Day 2 of 30...A Relaxing Birthday

Friday, my actual birthday was perfectly relaxing.  I woke up to a great breakfast prepared by my best guys, and Kelly and I walked up to the village to get a birthday latte and do a little shopping...

Kelly joined Amy Jo for a trip to Glenwood (to prepare for a surprise I didn't find out about until Saturday).  So, while she was gone and Bryant finished up some "work" (also preparing for above mentioned event, but using work as a guise) I decided to give myself full permission to chill out on the couch while the boys slept and read.  It was perfectly perfect.

That evening, we ordered bbq take out from Smoke and ate it on the Everetts deck, which is always a treat! 

I felt very special on my birthday and loved that it was very relaxing, and I had no idea what was in store for the next day!!!

30 Days of 30...

 kelly and I at her wedding almost 7 years ago!

Today marks a big milestone in my life... I am three decades old... Shoo, where did the time go?  I have two beautiful boys, and Bryant and I will celebrate our 4th year of marriage next week!  A good friend challenged me to celebrate 30 days of being 30 by doing something small, but special every day in the month of September... So here I go. (although my birthday is today, I started yesterday, so I can celebrate every day in September!)

Day 1: Stay in my pajamas until late in the day, for no good reason at all and top if off by (getting into normal clothes) and going to a great dinner in the Village on a beautiful night!

Yesterday, my cousin Kelly (who is visiting from Oregon) and I stayed in our pjs most of the day, and enjoyed every second of it!  No pictures of this day because well, we were in our pjs, but I promise to start cataloging the rest of my days as I continue on my adventures of 30 days of 30!  A side note about my great cousin Kelly, she is 9 months younger then me and we have grown up together, gone to college together, were in each others weddings and are having kids at the same time together... I just wish we lived closer to one another!  She has been there for several monumental birthdays, but one of my favorites so far, was 9 years ago when I turned 21 and she went sky diving with me!  Love that girl and her adventurous spirit and I love doing life with her... truly one of my bosom buddies!


Today has been great too, but I won't write about it until tomorrow in case something even more great happens before midnight! :-) 

An oldie, but goodie,

Becca

More Misc Pics From the Past Couple Months

Snoozing on Mama's bed

Spring Swinging in Snowmass Village

10 Weeks

Spring Cleaning

Birthday Boy!!!

Happy 2nd birthday to my biggest boy, who never ceases to make me laugh hysterically and keep me on my toes.  I love you Liam Brooks Ragan!!!

Catching Up...

The three musketeers...

Bryant's Baptism

 The Man

 The Dunk

The Blessing

I am so proud of Bryant and his relationship with the Lord.  Watching him grow and get excited about Jesus is incredible, and so is he. God is so good...

The Best Breakfast Bryant has EVER Had...

This week I had to make breakfast for Bryant's elder meeting.  I ran across a recipe that looked pretty tasty in Mary Jane's Farm Magazine and decided to give it try.  Even though I didn't get to taste it, all of the men who did, said it was great, and my dear husband, who is somewhat of a breakfast connoisseur said it was the best breakfast dish he has ever had!  So, I won't make you wait any longer. Your friends and family might even love you a little more for introducing this to their taste buds! :)  It was really easy to make and you have to put it together the night before, so all you have to do in the morning is pop it into the oven.  I even made the sauce the night before and  Bryant heated it in the microwave before serving it.  Bon Appetite!

Blueberry French Toast Casserole with Blueberry Sauce

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Serves: 12

12 Slices day-old bread (I used a french loaf)

16oz Cream cheese

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

12 eggs

2 cups milk (I used whole because that is what we have on hand for Brooks)

1/3 cup maple syrup

1. Cut bread into 1" cubes.  Place half of the cubes in a buttered 12x9x2" glass baking dish

2. Cut cream cheese into 1" cubes and layer on top of the bread.  Top with blueberries and remaining bread. 

3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, and syrup.  Pour over the bread mixture.  Use a spatula to press ingredients down into the liquid and make sure all of the bread pieces are coated.

4.  Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.  Remove 30 minutes prior to baking.  Preheat oven to 350

5. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown and mixture is set in the center, about 25-30 minutes. 

6.  Serve with Blueberry Sauce

Blueberry Sauce

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Makes: 1.5 cups

1/2 cup Sugar

1 TBS Cornstarch

1/2 c water

1/2 c fresh or thawed frozen blueberries

1 tsp Nutmeg

1.  In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Add water and boil for 3 minutes. 

2.  Add berries and simmer until they burst, about 8-10 minutes.  Stir in nutmeg.