Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson's Blog, page 36

Darling Deer in the Snow!

I was going to upload pictures from out latest snow, as per a request from my brother John.





And then this afternoon, I looked out the kitchen window and saw these five adorable little ones, looking for lunch among the bramble.





After I took their pictures and then loaded them onto my computer, I knew today's post had chosen itself.





What is so incredible is that the deer were not bothered in the least when I stepped outside to photograph them.





Mostly, the ignored me.





Except for this little one. Who either really enjoys getting its picture taken.





Or is going to come to my door and ask me for compensation the next time I try to take a picture.





P.S. John, I'll have those 'woods in snow' pictures up tomorrow.

Elk in My Backyard: Part II

Last fall I posted pictures of a small herd of elk in the backyard of the house we were renting on Gray Hawk Drive.







I was so thrilled because I've always considered elk a good luck talisman, so to have them in my yard, was a good omen! Plus, beyond the superstitious stuff they are simply majestic and incredibly beautiful.







Which is why I was thrilled the other day when I saw not one, but three, gorgeous male elk just outside our front door.







These are pictures from my latest sighting. They've shown up twice now. Which makes me feel really lucky!







Instead of the Year of the Rabbit, I'll call this my Year of the Elk.

Congratulations Winners of Mrs. Tuesday's Departure Giveaway!!!!

First, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy of my first novel, Mrs. Tuesday's Departure. I am overwhelmed and thrilled by your enthusiasm for this first giveaway, I truly never expected to receive over twenty-seven responses here and several more on my Facebook account. Thank you!



As a result......



I am giving EVERYONE who entered a copy of my novel!



All you have to do is email me your email address at andsuzanne(at)gmail(dot)com, so that I can contact you and get your kindle version of the Mrs. Tuesday's Departure emailed to you this weekend.



Again, thank you for your great support, it's truly appreciated.

Kindle Book Giveaway!

On Friday, I am giving away FIVE copies of my first novel, Mrs. Tuesday's Departure. All you have to do is leave a comment below and then on Friday, January 28th, I will pick five winners of the kindle edition of my book.



Generating buzz for a book when you publish it independently, and as an ebook, is daunting...especially when like me, you're not great at being 'out there'. (After all, my idea of fun is being a recluse!) But my desire to get my book read is even greater than my desire to hunker down in my bunker...so please leave a comment below and be one of the five winners on Friday.



Thank you!

Re-Thinking New Year's Resolutions

I know, I know, we're more than halfway through January and I'm just getting around to posting my New Year's resolutions? It isn't that I haven't been thinking about them, actually I've given them a lot of thought and gone through more than a few revisions.



At first I thought of writing a laundry list of specific goals: lose 30 lbs., write another book, make new friends, post more often on my blog, get a job, etc., etc. But as I was unpacking all the boxes around here, I came across some vision boards I'd made over the course of the past few years. Not surprisingly, their predominant theme was my dream finding my own place in the mountains.  And then it hit me: now that I have accomplished that dream, which has occupied so much of my time and energy, what's next?



When I left my job on Wall Street in 1994, my goals were two-fold: to find a place in the mountains and to find a career that I loved. It's taken a long time, but I've finally completed the first goal. The second goal still remains elusive, although I've tried a few new careers and made strides in creating one that I love, namely, writing.



While the laundry list of goals I proposed at the start of this post are all valid and will be things I will work on this year, I also realize that I need to give further thought to where I am now and where I want to go next. As to that as yet un-fulfilled goal of creating a career that I am passionate about, I have to ask myself why it's taken me so long to achieve it? Is it unrealistic, do I simply lack the talent to achieve my dreams? Should I settle for something else? Have I now been bold enough, diligent enough? Have I been going in the wrong direction all along?



So that's my new, New Year's resolution...to figure out what's next.

Her Addiction to Romance Novels Continues

Back on August 30th, I wrote a post about my inexplicable interest in historical romance novels. At the time, I thought it would be a short-lived affair perhaps tied to the changing of the seasons, since I'd never before become enamored of a particular area of literature and instead read widely, moving from book to book as the mood struck. However, I did realize that others are fans of a genre, my sister-in-law, Kathy, is a fan of cozy mysteries, and my friend Julie enjoys action adventure. But I was convinced that this interest of mine would quickly pass and I would move on to other books.



Instead, historical romance novels have become my constant companions. Granted, compared to other avid readers of the genre, I am strictly a novice both in quantity read and knowledge of the breadth of authors and the mores of the era. And I am discovering that as with other sub-genres of the broader romance category, there are many 'specialties' within historical romance. Aside from the plot line that focuses primarily on the relationship between the hero and heroine, there are historicals that have insinuated a sub-plot that rivals the primary romance for preeminence, with mysteries to be solved and heroes who are spies. There are hot, steamy novels, and those that are nearly chaste. There are humorous lead characters and my favorite, the broodingly dark hero (the DBH).







One of my favorite authors, and a master of the DBH is Anne Stuart, particularly her House of Rohan series, which I devoured in a week. I was so enamored of Ruthless, the first book in the series, that I wrote my first ever fan letter when I emailed Ms. Stuart to find out if she would be writing any more historicals in the near future. Not only did she write back, she informed me that the next installment of the House of Rohan, Shameless, will be out in June. I can hardly wait...



In the interim, I've started subscribing to the wonderfully snarky and informative blog of all things romance, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and I continue to read across the genre in search of not only the type of historical that most appeals to me, but also to learn more about what appeals to other readers. I've just finished reading my first novel by the grand dame of historical romance, Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades, and immediately started on the sequel, Devil's Cub. There is a motive apart from my current literary infatuation: I'm hoping to work up the courage to write an historical romance of my own. Granted, I still have so much to learn, but I do love having something to work toward. If you have any suggestions on how I can further my historical romance education, please leave a comment below!



So there you have it, an update on my addiction. I don't know where it will lead, but I'll keep you posted...for the time being let's just consider it in the realm of my New Year's resolutions...which I'll be discussing further in my next post.

How to Get Unstuck: Change Your Perspective, Change Your Mind

In the comments section of my last post, my friend and fellow blogger, Larramie, asked how my brother John changed my mind about choosing this house. I thought I'd share that process with you because it taught me an important lesson about getting unstuck.



I first saw this house, my new house, back in September. I rejected it because I thought the ceilings were too low compared to the very high ceilings of the house I was renting at the time. However, I also sent my brother John an email brochure of the property since he was interested in our house hunt. He immediately liked the house and encouraged me to give it further consideration. So over the following months of October and November I went back to the house about five times, each time convincing myself that this was not the house for me. In particular, I didn't like the small room off of the living room that was being used as a dining area, because of its low sloping ceiling.



By mid-November, John was calling almost daily for house hunting updates, since the landlord of the house we were renting had informed us that he was going to move back into the house by mid-December, which meant that we needed somewhere to move. Finally, John suggested that he come out to Evergreen from Tampa for a couple days to look at the house with me. I accepted his offer, certain that if he saw the house in person he would see things my way (John and I have a looong history of sibling rivalry that makes Cain and Abel look like Laurel and Hardy).



So on a Sunday morning in late-November, the week before Thanksgiving and three weeks before we had to move from our former home, John flew into Denver and I drove him straight to the house. After he looked around for ten minutes, he sat down on the steps and said, "I don't want to influence you, but I'd buy this house." He then proceeded to go through my list of objections one by one and offered actual solutions that would fix the problems (Don't like a sloping ceiling? Build a gabled roof! Don't like the master bath? Put in those pebbled floors you've always dreamed of!). Did I mention that John is also a building contractor with a great deal of experience with home remodels?



Suddenly, instead of seeing that house as a source of frustration, I was giddy with ideas to create a place I would really love. Yes, it will take time and money...and it may be years before I am able to accomplish everything. But instead of frustration, I have new projects to dream and plan! Suddenly, something clicked in my mind and I was able to shift my perspective and see the house differently. Instead of focusing on its perceived faults, I was able to see its real beauty. That's probably why I feel so at home here now.



Two days later, as I was driving John to the airport for his flight home, I received the call that my offer on the house had been accepted. Which is why I was able to write that cryptic post in November, thanking John for his help with that 'un-named' project.



While on one level, this is a post about what a great brother I have (and I do) and how my family offered wonderful advice and support during a very stressful time (which they did, thank you Kathy!).... it's also a post about how to get unstuck.



It occurred to me that at times we can get so enamored of our opinion, of our need to be right, that we can become mired in a situation, when simply shifting our perspective would allow us to move forward. After the dust had settled, I asked John how he had known what to say to me. He said that he listened to my objections to the house as he would listen to a client. Then, when he saw the house in person, he was able to counter my 'feelings' about the house with concrete solutions. Luckily, because I respect my brother's superior knowledge of houses, I was able to allow myself to look at things differently and thus move forward, from a limited belief to excitement about new possibilities. The irony is that of course the house hadn't changed a bit in the two months I'd been looking at it, only my perspective.



So that's my most important lesson of 2010, and one I hope to incorporate as I move into 2011. When I face what seems like an insurmountable problem, or when I feel myself getting stuck by one view of a situation, I will remember that if I am willing to open my mind, the solution will appear from another perspective.



As to that dining area that caused me such frustration? Until some future day when I raise the roofline, I've redefined the space, from dining area to 'reading room,' and it's now one of my favorite places in the house.

Finally...Welcome Home!

Nearly a year to the day that I first moved to Evergreen, I've finally moved into my 'forever' home. Which is why I've been off-line for the past several weeks. We had the closing and then the moving (we're still surrounded by boxes) but the wonderful news is that after moving three times in one year (and looking at hundreds of houses), we've finally found a home of our own. This is a picture I took this morning after our first big snow.





This is a picture from the front door looking toward the driveway. As you can see, the driveway has been plowed. The magical thing is that it was already plowed when I looked out this morning. Some very generous soul plowed the six inches of snow that covered our very long driveway, without my knowing about it.





This is a view of the hill behind our house, aka, my new backyard.





This is a view from the deck, aka, my front yard. As you can see, we are surrounded by beautiful trees and the mountains beyond.





And this is the view from my upstairs bedroom window.



Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, know that this house hunt has taken years. My real estate broker, Alice, joked that it's actually been five years that she has been showing me houses in Evergreen. The more astounding reality is that I've been looking for a 'mountain home' since I left my job on Wall Street in 1994. My mother has always said that I'm a late bloomer, and this house hunt has certainly been evidence of that assertion. But after all that searching, I'm very happy to have a place to call home. The funny thing is that Alice first showed me this house in September and several times after, each time I said 'no, it's not the house for me'. Finally, when my brother John came up for a visit and helped me to see it through new eyes, I was able to say 'yes'. The funny thing is, after all the houses I've looked at, it's not the house I would have thought I'd end up with, and yet, now that I've moved in, it absolutely feels like home.



Today I've been reading the year-in-review posts from some of my blogging friends and thinking about how grateful I am for all that I've learned from what you've shared from your lives, about how your goals for the past year shaped up, and anticipating your goals for the coming year. In fact, I can't wait to read those posts of your new goals over the coming days.



I've also been thinking of how much my own life has changed in the past year, moving into this house being the most important accomplishment. I want you to know that I am so grateful for all the encouragement I have received from all of you throughout this journey.



I've also been thinking about what my next goals will be. I'm mulling them over and will write about them soon. In the mean time, thank you again.

Merry Christmas!

I'm going to be 'off-line' for a couple weeks, but I didn't want to leave without wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!



I hope you will spend the next few weeks enjoying all the fun associated with the Christmas holidays, the baking, the cooking, the parties with family and friends.



And of course, taking a moment to remember the reason for this most important holiday....





Luke 2:9-14
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

1000 Ingredient Chili

I've never met a chili recipe I wouldn't try...but then again, I've never met a recipe I'd follow to a T. So when I read country music star Zac Brown's recipe for Camfire Chili in last week's Parade magazine, I knew I had to try it. But I also knew that it wouldn't be long before I started to improvise....I've never been good at following directions.



You can click on the link above to get Zac's original recipe. What follows is my interpretation, with rifs from the Foodnetwork's uber chef Bobby Flay (love his Throwdown show) and hottie chef Tyler Florence (woot!).





Okay, so there's not really 1,000 ingredients...maybe 950.





One of the reasons I wanted to try this recipe was the use of three different kinds of meat. One pound each of: ground pork, ground bison, and cubed beef. Next time, I'd keep all of the meat cubed rather than ground, I think it would add more to the flavor of the chili than the ground meat.



Anyhooo, begin by browning the meat.





Next up, is the addition of a jalapeno. As you can see, I've seeded it to take some of the heat out of it. Then I diced it.





I enlisted Mom to dice the onions because they make my eyes water and because Mom never thinks I get the dice small enough to her liking.....so have it, Mom!







Once the meat it browned we added a can of green chilies, the jalapeno, and the onions. Oh, and that bottle of beer you see in the background.





Next up was the addition of the spices you see in the background: cumin seed, chili powder, garlic powder, a pinch of sea salt, and ground black pepper. We also added a couple cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes. I like the fire roasted taste, perfect for chili.





Zac's recipe called for something I haven't tried before: the addition of beef stock.





His recipe also called for masa flour as a thickener. Which I didn't have. So I crumbled up some corn chips and achieved the same result.





And now begins our deviation from the recipe. Mom has a thing for peppers so she diced up yellow, orange, red, and green peppers and briefly sauteed them in a separate pan and then added them to the chili.





Then, with inspiration from Bobby and Tyler, I added a couple tablespoons each of chipotle peppers in their smoky adobo sauce and some unsweetened cocoa powder to add a chocolatey richness often found in Mexican sauces.





Next up is the addition of beans. We've got four different varieties here....the more beans the better in my book. They're a great source of fiber and make the chili go further if you're cooking for a crowd.





So here's what the whole mess looks like after you've added all the ingredients.





And here's what it looks like after it's cooked for a couple hours. If the chili is too thick, just add more beer (or another liquid of your choosing, we prefer beer.)





And here's what it looks like on my plate. I've added a dollop of sour cream and shredded an aged goat cheese which adds a different, but complimentary flavor than the usual cheddar. Of course, chili is not complete without Frito corn chips.



Enjoy!