Bubbie's own room

Moving Scout into his own room meant Bubbie got one, too.  The only problem was that I was EXHAUSTED from moving The Girl to college, painting her room, moving furniture, clearing out closets and under beds, shopping for various items...not to mention getting  the boys started in school with extreme temps in Austin.  We've had 79 days of 100 plus heat in a row.  Yuck.  It's hard to work up the enthusiasm to slave away on my house, know what I mean?  But I did manage a bit here and there...

 With the extra dresser and stackable crates moved out, now there's room for his bean bag chair.  He loves that thing.  He sits by the window and  practices his horn in it...

Have you noticed that one project inevitably leads to another?  

I thought I would never come to a stopping point!

I moved decor on the walls, patched and painted over holes, dedicated the bulletin board exclusively to him.  There are still a handful of small things I would like to do for his space, but like I said, I am at a STOP.

I found a cute lamp for his dresser at Tarjay and a red melamine plate for $1.35 - perfect to catch his spare key and other items from his pockets.  I cleared off the shelves of Scout's things (oh! the space now!)  and created a nook on the bottom bunk for him to cozy up to a white tiger and read by the light of his IKEA lamp.

 

Now if I could only get him to settle into the school year.  Having your own room is a lonely thing and takes some getting used to and Bubbie has had a couple of late nights where he couldn't fall asleep.  So I bought some pillow spray at Bath and Body Works and am thinking of getting a white noise machine.  He's also getting his own alarm clock so he can start being responsible for getting himself up in the morning.  

Now to finish Scout's room...

A supernicedisorganized kid

One of the nicest people I know and pretty darn cute, too!

But is there some kind of cosmic rule that says if you are a nice person - caring, loving ,and just plain great to be around  that you have to have something to offset that?  Like your own personal cross to bear?  Something that drives your mother mad?  Like forgetfulness.  Really, if this keeps up, I'm going to have to go to drastic lengths to get this him to remember what he needs to take to school with him....the right notebooks, a fully charged phone, his band music, the water jug.....

Killing me, Scout.  Killing.  Me.  

Now that I have him set up in his own room, I am going to put a plan in effect:  helping and teaching him how to be responsible for his daily business - so when it's time to let go, I know he will swim, not sink.

I'll let you know how that goes...

What not to do when your kid goes back to college

Here is something I learned yesterday and I'm passing it on to you. When your daughter goes away for college the second time, getting an apartment with a one year lease that just about guarantees you won' t see her before Thanksgiving, don't:

 ...get her stuff out of the closets to get it ready for her brother to move into this empty room and then stand too long staring all all the stuff.

  Seeing the doll house she got for Christmas from Santa one year will transport you in time.

Those underbed storage boxes full of her Barbies, Beanie Babies, and other childhood mementos where you can see the contents?  Yeah - don't open them...

 Don't gaze at her handprint from when she was 8.

Pay no attention to how empty her room, and the house, seems without her.  If you do, just grab your tissues, have a good cry, and move on with your day.  

What else can you do?

Gina

Back to school haircuts

Add haircuts to the list of things that make Bubbie cranky.  He's starting to act like an old man at the ripe age of 12 going on 13...

In his opinion he doesn't need a harcut, thankyouverymuch.  He's happy with his caveman-do.  Nevermind what he looks like first thing in the morning - take a look at that rug!  I don't even drag him to Supercuts - it's a quick MommyCuts on the back patio.

The supplies are simple and effective:  A clipper set, some scissors, comb, spray water, baby powder, washcloth, and drape.  And the view on the patio, with it's breezes blowing is quite nice.  

Forgive me for wanting him to look ready to learn on his first day of school!  Geez Louise!  Wish I had my own personal hairdresser...

Fall spiffing on some backyard spaces

I did a little Fall-ifying in the backyard, looking forward to spending some cool evenings out there...

I recovered some pillows that had mildew spots.  The big cushion is from the "Ginamac" - a fishing and ski barge we owned before kids.

 

 

I used a piece of burlap to make a new runner for the table

Hubby purchased this giant umbrella to extend the patio shade. 

And I potted a cactus that might bloom one of these days.

Hubby also extended the patio, removing a small fence.  The result is a longer patio, with breezes that blow across the length of it, allowing the wind chimes to make their pretty music.

But the biggest change was a new space for the smoker and two bbq pits.

 I still have to work on the yards a bit - but they are discouraging people in Austin from planting new landscaping due to the on-going drought and temps.  For now, it will have to be enough that I water the grass every three days or so...and I need to clean up the red rocks and power wash the patio slab.

And what to do about the cow heads?  

Moving right along...

This is the state of the dining room as The Girl gathers her things for the move to her college apartment.

 A drop in the bucket.

 

Just a small portion of her tennies collection - but she will have a huge closet there and she won't part with any of them.  We have taken two giant trash bags of clothes and stuffed animals to Goodwill!  Hopefully, through our somewhat careful planning and prep, she will have all of what she needs.

I've been using coupons and sales to get her supplies together - cleaning and personal items among them.  And she went back to IKEA to get her dishes and flatwear in purple. Can you tell she's a purple and pink girl?

T minus two days and I think we have our work cut out for us...

Next up:  cleaning this up and making it a private space for her 16 year old brother who desperately needs his own room.  By the end of August it will be a different color and I will so miss my girl.

So refreshing!

Will summer ever end here?  Really, we've had over 29 days of 100 plus temps in a row....and no rain for the last three months or so.  Like living in Death Valley.  I guess.  I've only been thru DV once in my life and I was 14....but I remember it being HOT.  But I did discover a way recently to make my daily glass of vino a little more refreshing.  Sparkling water!

I truly love my daily glass or two of dark red wine.  It gives me something to look forward to and helps me feel more friendly - less tired and grouchy.  And hey, that makes everyone happier here.  Plus, according to my doctor, it's good for my health!  This past week, I added a half glass of the sparkling water to my half glass of wine and it mades it fruity and hydrating and wonderful.  Try it!  Your bladder may thank you!  And possibly your family, if it changes your outlook on life after a very hot day...

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Sausage and Potato Skillet

My mom used to be able to whip up a meal in just a few minutes after a long day at work.  No recipe, just common sense and patience.  If she made that same meal a couple weeks later, it would be different somehow - I guess that's because since there was no recipe, it was different each time.  Duh, me.  Anyhoo....I did the same thing a couple nights ago and was quite proud of myself for being so frugal-minded.

I started with a pound or so of Bratwurst marked down about half price...score!  I bought two to go into the freezer.  I don't think I've ever even had Bratwurst...it was pretty good!

Took the casings off, cut into small chunks and fried it up to reduce the fat.  Drained it and set it aside.

To the drippings I added diced onion and red bell pepper, a few diced potatoes.  The bell pepper was also frozen - no need to thaw. Then I seasoned it all up!

After the potatoes were browned a bit, I stirred in the sausage chunks.

I put the lid on the skillet, reduced the heat, and cleaned up the kitchen.  'Cause I'm OCD like that.  And I hate having to get up all fat and happy from my chair and do a lot of housework...

I made a fresh spinach salad and we had brownies for dessert, courtesy of a family friend.  

(Thank you, Renee!)

It took just a few minutes and made the house smell good. 

Not to mention, our tummies happy!

Getting ready for college - take 2

The Girl and I went to IKEA last week to find bed linens and kitchen items for her college apartment.  We had time to savor IKEA's coffee - free and really tasty with a cinnamon roll.  If you shop there - don't you love their cafe?  Yum - real half and half with sugar.

Maybe it's just me - I really love the coffee.  I actually got the girl to sit with me and make a plan about what we wanted to look for since we had limited time.  They have a lot of reasonably priced dishes - she picked some in a plum color.  Pretty!  We are making a master list, though, so we can comparison shop. 

While we were sitting there finishing up,  they made the announcement that the store was open.  Time to shop! We bought more of the fabric I used in sprucing up her room this time last year.  I'm making a couple of toss pillow covers to match her room and look sweet on her bed.   We also bought a few items for her very own bathroom - I don't know who is more excited about this, me or her...

Wait for me, Coco!  

I didn't bother walking that morning - IKEA is huge and I figured I would get plenty of exercise inside, which I did.  Still so much to get ready before the big move-in day, but we will be ready!