Well, it's gone now...

On a hot sunny day, Firstborn came to unload the GT engine that was sitting in the van, back into the GT in order to get all of it's parts together for the tow truck.  The City of Austin and it's dead vehicle law won.

 

Though there are still random car parts in the back of the van, he might one day be able to fit the seats back in.  But for now, they sit in my garage.

 Firstborn wasn't in the mood for photos.

He was actually kind of snarky.  
And hot, sweaty, tired, and mildly angry.

There you have it: a car engine in it's own backseat.  You saw it here first.

Oh, and an extra bumper.

The tow truck driver handed him a check for $250 and drove off with a prized possession. A hard lesson learned.  Death of a dream.

And on a rainy day not too long afterwards, Bubbie had room in the driveway to do some bike repairs. 

******

 I realize I'm not posting recipes lately - I haven't been cooking much.  That will change now that the boys are back from camping.

Gina

Busy

The spiders at my house are always busy.  When The Girl and I cleaned the patio, we cleaned so many old webs off furniture, walls, plants.  Some of them were full of leaves and dirt.

It's a losing battle - woman against spider.  The teensy tiny ones get into the house and build intricate cities underneath chairs and around cabinets.  Overnight, webs will sprout up in tiny pockets of the house.  Yes, I clean them up.  No, it doesn't hurt my psyche at all. 

But I have to admire the big ones made outside.  This one is attached to a tree on one side, wind chimes on the next.  Wind chimes!  They move constantly!  What a talented spider to be able to work around all that clanging and movement to create something tranquil and beautiful and strong.

 We could all learn a lot from how a spider goes about it's business.

The webs are lacy and pretty out here on the trees.  I'll let them stay.

One word Wednesday #25

Studious

Gina

Tiny office

You wouldn't know it to look at my tiny nook of an "office" but I actually get a lot of work done here:

I pay bills, blog, work on various computer tasks, etc.  It was a mess, nevertheless, and I felt like it needed a lift.

 Far too much crap on that bulletin board!

 It's functional for me, but some day I want a real office - like the pretty ones I see on some other blogs.  A space to get really creative! 

For now, I can switch out some of the fabrics.  I already have the cute new lamp, why not go with a touch of blue?

 

 Fifteen minutes and a heavy duty stapler was all it took to spiff up the chair.  I really love this print I found at JoAnn - half off.  I had enough to make a couple of toss pillows for the living room chairs in here, too.

 About the same amount of time it took to sew a new liner for the binder basket underneath the desk.  The blue lampshade - I love it. 

 Clearing off the clutter did wonders.  Emptied the file pile and the trash, cleared out the drawers a bit, dusted underneath it all...

...and unloaded that bulletin board.  I still might paint the top of the desk, switch out the hardware, and choose a blue burlap to re-cover the French memo bulletin board.  But what a difference a little spiffing made.  (Now if I could only take better pictures of it all)

5 thing Friday - eggs, martini, cat, rainbow, ladies

My mother has some super laying chickens.  Some of the eggs are so big you have to worry about the chickie - OUCH.

 Remember that old Bluebell slogan?  The cows think Brenham is heaven?

 Maybe chickens do, too! Or maybe they're just super spoiled and well fed...

 Jack Allens' Kitchen makes a fine Mexican Martini.  I highly (hic) recommend it.  Hubby and I are all about trying new places, but some some deserve multiple visits, and this is one of those places!  We had some delish chorizo stuffed tenderloin and some barbacoa enchiladas, too.  No room for dessert!

 My kitty seems to be losing weight.  Plus, she regularly roams the kitchen looking for food bits on the floor.  She's gotten quite bold about hopping up in your face when she smells you eating something good.  And when she hears a pull tab being opened she thinks it's canned food even though I stopped serving her that over a year ago. I need to move her nap pad out of the kitchen.

On Sunday we were treated to a rainbow that went from one end of the hospital...

to the other.

When we looked out of the stairwell, there it was!  Even bigger and so vibrant.  It was a great way to start the day, no?

Mini-reunion with ladies I worked with 25 years ago.  All still beautiful and lively and fun.  How can it have been that long ago?  Seems like yesterday...

One word Wednesday #24

Wonder

Gina

Happy hours in Mabel

Lately I fantasize about Hubby and I emptying our savings and running away from the children in Mabel. but for now, she's a perfect place for date night when we can't leave home.  Or for him to study.  Or me to read...

So here's a mini tour of Mabel, our home away from home when we finally escape from Camp Rustown, with a mini fridge stocked with wine and some cool jazz on the iTunes.  She's tiny, but mighty.

  She has lots of seating and a table to eat at.  Or whatever. The table folds down, the cushions fold in,  and she makes a king size bed.  Just behind and under the back cushions there is more storage - we keep pillows and blankets there. 

There are a lot of windows, and a skylight.  A/C and heating, too.

The mini fridge.  We will stock her with wine, some steaks or salmon to grill, and some fancy stinky cheese.  Hubby added these tiny tension rods in there to keep things from moving around while Mabel is in transit.  "Goodbye, kids.  There's a pizza in the freezer, see you Sunday night.  Maybe."  Not even kidding.

There's a large pantry with our cooking utensils and other crap. All over the inside of her there are nooks and crannies to store things.  Plastic wine glasses, cards and dominoes, WiFi router, Texas flag (Hubby's idea)

The kitchen is plenty big for cooking for two.  There is a cooktop and a sink above the fridge, and also more storage below.  We added some battery operated candles here and there...

Hubby installed a motion light near the step, in case we need to get up during the night.  There is also a never-used port-a-potty so I won't have to leave the camper in the middle of the night to pee.

We I have yet to take Mabel on her maiden voyage, but that doesn't mean we can't practice hanging out in her.  After all, there's a mini fridge, comfy couch, and air conditioning. 

A bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers, a laptop for a movie, or some cool jazz.  The perfect place to start planning our escape.  Inside the trailer it's been mostly him sprucing it up here and there.  But I added a dry erase board from a tip I saw on Pinterest, and some vinyl lettering that was on clearance at Joann.  I'd like to put one pic of the kids in here, but mostly I want to leave it uncluttered.  I am anxious to hit the road with she and Hubby - maybe Garner State Park can be our first stop!

Clean and pretty patio

The backyard was in a terrible state, and truth be told, it still needs a lot of work.  But one day last week, The Girl and I went on a powerwashing frenzy and got a lot of mold, mildew, and general funk cleaned up from the patio area.   Scout helped blow the leaves and twigs out of the red rocks and move some plants around.  I bought a couple of new toss pillows and some new succulents.  It wasn't a huge makeover - mostly cleaning.  But it's so much nicer out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 P.S.  I've found that rocks in the potted plants discourage the squirrels.

 

 

 I'm ready for spending time out here hanging laundry, reading a book, or sipping my afternoon wine.

There's still a lot to do, like I said, but clean and pretty are a start!

One word Wednesday #23

pool

Gina