5 thing Friday - Tech Week, beer and Deb, butternut squash soup, photo gift, Pena print

 

Radiologic Technology Week is coming to a close.

My current boss believes in feeding us and gifting us!

She set up a table near her office and it was loaded with treats.  And she made plans all week to feed us bagels, BBQ, ice cream, pizza, Tiff's Treats, Taco Cabana tacos, and a ton of candy. Plus, she had games out and awards prizes if you play.  Everyone also got a tote bag with socks, a phone charger, stickers...we were all like little gleeful kids.

I met up with my college roomie this week to enjoy the beautiful weather and beer.

She has a lot going on, but never fails to make time to meet up.  We talk about anything and everything and the hours always go by in a flash. Its been one of my favorite things to look forward to.

No matter how small a butternut squash I buy, it always seems too big.  So I got the idea to toss half of it in the crockpot with onions, apples, chicken stock from the freezer, a bit of butter, and some seasonings.  I cooked it on high for about 6 hours.

I used my immersion blender to make it creamy and it was delish with a grilled cheese and ham sammie on a night I did not feel like eating what I had on the menu.  Some days are like that.

I am putting together a sentimental gift for the peeps - a Shutterfly calendar with rarely seen photos before the digital age.  I say rarely seen because my kids never look through all these old albums.  But man, were we all cutie patooties!  I shed a happy tear or two.  I hope they love them - Firstborn was just telling me he needs a paper calendar to keep up with everyone's birthday, ha ha.

Since that Pena print is hanging in the hallway at eye level I could see how dirty it was - on the inside!  I don't know how that happened, but I was determined to clean it up.

I carefully removed it from the frame - it had been mounted on foam core board.

I think I may have spent more on the frame job than the actual print itself!

I love it so much in here - I admire it daily.  Mark and I bought it at the Pecan Street Festival in Austin in 1988 and had Mr. Pena sign it right then and there.  It will always remind me of when we were young, in love, and building our future together.

Gina

Empty Nest menu #154 and sewing

I hauled out the fabric and cut enough hearts to make 12 more quilted hearts to leave around town:

I think I have the sewing room all broken in...I should find some different things to sew.  I sewed a lot in college - making myself dresses, skirts, even a bikini!  Twice I have sewn dresses for bridesmaids, and I decorated all 4 of my babies' nurseries.  Its a pastime I want to pick up again.  The old Gina liked it a lot.

Monday - kitchen closed {Happy Radiologic Technology Week!}

Tuesday - (freezer) Beef Fajitas, refrieds, rice {11 a.m. appt., new book club in p.m.}

Wednesday - (skillet) Chicken Thighs and butternut squash, peas {oil change for Brigid, on-line CEU class, beer with a friend in the afternoon}

Thursday - Tilapia, bowtie pasta with pesto, green beans {Hospice Austin grief zoom at noon} 

Friday - KFC-ish Bowl (chicken meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn) {prep to paint?}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - treats, firewood, Scout's birthday, ravioli, Black Violin

Lately I have been encouraged to do something nice for myself and practice more self-care.  Does that sometimes translate to baked goods in my mind? Why yes.

(but also naps, a good cry, a long shower, reading, eating a good meal...)

Next week is Radiologic Technology Week and typically we get fed treats so I expect there will be more treats like this at my desk.  This one was some kind of cinnamon roll twist from Trader Joe's and was delightful with my coffee.

I figured I was probably going to get more wood than I had space to store on the back patio, but I let the guy just go ahead and stack it neatly there one afternoon this week.  The whole process of buying wood was painless - from ordering it on-line to getting it delivered and stacked.  I asked for 1/8 cord of pecan (low smoke) double split into 12 inch logs.

The next day, I stored some of the excess in the garage and I thoroughly cleaned out my little tooty firepit.  And not a moment too soon as Fall made its grand appearance in Austin this week.  The lows are in the 40s and 50s and feel amazing!

I love this guest bed so much - it was less than $200, was easy to build, and is a super comfy afternoon nap spot.  Knowing that Scout was sleeping on a handmedown bed with 1982 box springs and a mattress from his freshman year in high school, I offered to buy him one for his birthday and go set it up.

I'm not a young chick but I managed to get it into Brigid and off we went.  It took us about 30 minutes to put the bed together, including putting linens on the new mattress.  He will have more storage space underneath and hopefully, better sleep.

While I was there I gave his rescue kitty Oscar lots of pets and love.

Happy Birthday, Scout!

Since the temps have fallen, I am enjoying the oven for no fuss meals.  This is TJ's pumpkin ravioli with their harvest pasta sauce baked in my little glass casserole dishes.  One for Friday, one for the freezer.  If I didn't cook once, eat twice, I likely wouldn't cook at all....but this and a crisp salad makes it easy to pack a nice lunch for work.

Last night I took myself out again - I have been enjoying concerts and such at The Long Center in downtown Austin.

I saw Black Violin with Anthony Abraham and all three gentlemen are very talented.  The BV guys in particular - think high energy hip hop meets classical violin.  Very cool!  I got to bed very late and will probably do a nice long nap today after lunch with The Girl.  Both are nice ways to begin my work week.  Happy weekend everyone!

Gina

Empty Nest menu #153 and squash casserole

 One day last week I was craving comfort in the form of squash casserole.  It reminds me of Mom.  Now, did she ever make it? No.  But I ordered it every time we ate lunch at a certain restaurant in Brenham and I discovered that I LOVE IT.

This recipe was just so-so, which means I will have to find another one to try and that can be challenging since I am losing interest in cooking again*. If you have a recipe you love for this, please send to me!

Monday - Kale salad with (freezer) rotisserie chicken (when I get home from work)

Tuesday - Romaine salad with pickles, cucumber, tuna, red onion, vinaigrette {date night to the movies with myself and I know I will eat popcorn!}

Wednesday - Stuffed Bell Pepper, baked sweet potato, green beans {taking gifts and lunch to Scout}

Thursday - Pumpkin Ravioli with harvest marinara (probably will add chicken or beef), more kale salad {therapy appt. in afternoon, Black Violin concert in p.m.}

Friday - Crab cakes, spinach, sweet potato {Happy Birthday Scout!}

Saturday and Sunday - leftovers for work

Gina

*And next week I will cook far less!

Cleaning up the back patio for cooler weather!

Working on the back patio area is something I've been meaning to do for a couple of weeks now.  It kept getting put off due to shoulder pain and major lack of get-up-and-go.  The list of things to do out there seemed long: trim up Lariope and re-mulch it, clean the table and chairs, move the plants around to accommodate the firewood holder, blow the leaves out of the red rocks, power wash all. 

But yesterday I decided I had reached a point where everything was prepped and there was no time like the present to haul out the power washer.  You can see the line marking the dirty slab from the newly power washed - what a difference!  I also hit the deck a lick or two and took care of lots of spider webs.

The day before I had leveled out the pavers with paving sand, so all that was left to do was blow the leaves out and wash the pavers.  Here they are drying.

And as for this small area, those Lariope needed a good haircut, new mulch, and a watering. The ones under my bedroom and bathroom windows got the same pampering.

done! Now to water the grass, which I also raked.

The point of all of this was to create a clean space to enjoy the firepit when cooler nights roll around.

Its not perfect (in some places the slab is stained), but its very clean! No more bird poop or mold. And my shoulder did not hurt at all!

I moved the Ficus tree to make space to set up a firewood holder.  In the process I disturbed a large nest of yellowjackets that had made their home in the branches.  I murdered every one of them, not sorry.  I will likely leave the Ficus here until spring rolls around.  It is way too heavy for me to keep moving it and I can just protect it with a tarp for winter.

I got this firewood holder from Amazon (easy to put together) and ordered a load of pecan wood cut small enough for my little firepit.  It should be delivered in plenty of time for Thanksgiving.  I am so looking forward to sitting out here on cool nights with a glass of wine.  Simple pleasures after a bunch of hard work! 

Gina

Empty Nest menu #152, back at it

 The last time I put together an "empty nest menu" was December of 2022.  Mostly because my nest became not so empty the following February.  I renamed the menus, then stopped posting them altogether three years later.  But I've been writing my menus down because that keeps me on track and helps plan out the week.  And my nest has been truly empty since the end of August.  

So, with all that said, here is the EN menu for this week!

I bought paver sand a while back, hoping to balance out these pavers when the weather cooled.  I'm also going to power wash them!

Monday - Will likely eat a leftover something I can just heat up {work today, thaw the pork roast}

Tuesday - Skillet Tilapia, 1/2 recipe of squash casserole (freeze leftovers in portions), small sweet potato (bake 2) {11 a.m. CEU webinar, on call in p.m.}

Wednesday - Pork Roast in the crockpot with carrots and mini potatoes (freeze the rest of the pork in individual ziplocs) {grief webinar at 7 p.m., on call in p.m.}

Thursday - Mini meatloaf, (freezer) mashed potatoes, green beans {paver project, therapy appt.}

Friday - Crab Cakes (1/2 recipe), creamy spinach, sweet potato 

Saturday and Sunday - leftovers for work

Gina

5 thing Friday - walking laps, Thanksgiving sammie, bathroom organization, new couch, spiffing

 I have been off the last couple of Mondays, giving me 5 days free in a row, so I am trying to use them well.  One of the things I am doing is walking at a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes a day.  I have mostly been going up to the park about a mile from my house and walking the gravel track.  Each lap is .78 mile and I do 3 laps.  I usually listen to Brene Brown or something similar.

Its still hot here, we need rain and everything is dry and crunchy, so I go early in the day.  By the first of November I want to be up to 4 laps here, so that the Turkey Trot doesn't seem like torture by the time Thanksgiving day rolls around.  The trot itself is a total of 5 miles and I'm not going to time myself, but I would like to walk there, do my laps, and be home within 2 hours.

Last year I made a Thanskgiving sammie that was essentially Stovetop stuffing layered with turkey and sliced cranberry jelly on a bun.  You know I had to do it again this year.  I got four big sammies made until I ran out of turkey.  This year I am roasting a turkey and making my own stuffing and I am rather looking forward to it.

One day last week I was rooting around under my bathroom counter for toothpaste and didn't find any, so I bought more.  Well, guess what I found when I was putting it up? So much toothpaste!  I'm all set for a couple of years...

I hauled those stacking bins up to the counter and went through all of them, replenishing what I needed elsewhere and making a mental note for the rest.  I even cleaned out the vanity drawer.

My mother used to do the same thing with toilet paper - she would forget that she had enough to last through the End of Times.

I also cleaned up the medicine cabinet because I was on a roll.

The new couch is here!  I bought a small side table from Target to set my book/glasses/cup of tea.  Moved the silk rug into the den, along with the faux fiddle leaf fig.  A quilt and a few pillows and I am all set for comfy reading!  I love it.

I also purchased this pretty brass and wood clock for the bookcase.  Everything got dusted and swiffered and I lit my wax tart burner and dang if its not COZY.

I moved the Turkish rug into the front room, knowing full well I will have to move it again when I paint, but since my shoulder is still acting the fool that won't be anytime soon.  Sigh.  Maybe after Christmas!  I think that's enough putseying and chores now, its time to go read.  Have a good weekend!

Gina