My Scout

My sweet Scout  will be 20 on Halloween.  Best Treat I ever got, no Trick!  Born just after midnight on Halloween morning 1995.

He is a great guy - loving and warm, easy going but a deep feeler, quick to hug or smile, not too organized, lives in the here and now.  Scout is an artist type; a free-thinker, if you will.  Doesn't see a need to freak out about the future.  Remembers the past fondly.  Likes to shoot nature, compose dub step, strum a guitar, hang with friends.  Thinks Halloween makes for the coolest birthday.  Friends, and siblings, mean the world to him.  My curly blond, blue-eyed  baby is growing up and coming into his own.  I can't wait to see where the future takes him.

5 thing Friday - steaks, healthy habits, cross stitchin', chores, mariachis

Hubby and I recently celebrated our anniversary in style.  A fabulous dinner was had at this place in downtown Austin.  Wish we could eat there once a week!  I'm thinking about asking to go there on my birthday, too.

 I may have put on heels and a dress and wore makeup!

 After I went  for my walk yesterday, I realized I need to be prepared in case I am out and about and want to do a few laps.  So I put together a box I will keep in the car - tennies, socks, ear buds, Gatorade.  All I need is my phone and a lanyard for my car key and I'm ready to GO!

 ha ha

I made my friend Carol a cross stitch of a saying her hubby likes to use on her.  It's hilarious!  It's also not perfect.  But as we all know, it doesn't have to be perfect to bless her. I sent it to her with chocolate.

The situation in Camp Rustown's kitchen has not changed.  My island looks like this at least once a day.  I would choose to do laundry over dishes any day.  And now there's only four of us, so how we make all these dirty dishes is a mystery.

One day last week, I had the car serviced.  After sitting at the dealership, without breakfast, for two hours, I was ready to gnaw my arm off.  I stopped in to the first little Mexican restaurant I came to for the lunch special, closely followed in by a mariachi flash mob.  

Gina

5 thing Friday - Getaway, stitching, mums, furniture, walking plans

Hubby and I spent some time in Dripping Springs with Mabel. 

 We have her pretty much ready, we just hook up and hit the trail.  We stayed at a very rinky-dink trailer park, visited a winery, bought steaks and salmon to cook on the camp stove, and just generally chilled.  It was fab.  On the way home we stopped here for live jazz, brunch, and $2.50 Bloody Mary's.  Lots of food all weekend!

 I'm not cross stitching as much lately as I would like to.  But I will catch up.

 I found some very cute decorated clothespins that I will use to mount my creations with. I have a lot of scrap wood in the garage that will be put to good use, too.  Stay tuned.

It's just not Fall without mums.  I found some $4 ones at Wal-Mart and put them into terracotta pots at the front door.  I didn't add dirt, didn't put moss around the edges, just PLOP.  Done.  They seem to be thriving!

 A long overdue carpet cleaning and repair in our bedroom led to this mess, as I had to empty the room of furniture.  Some it migrated to the front room, too:

However, I did get all of the drawers purged and reorganized, and all of it got cleaned.  Plus, I decided I could live without the giant twin mirrors on my dresser.  It makes the room look less cluttered and slightly bigger.  

 Me like.

Hubby and I saw The Martian at Alamo Drafthouse to cap off our weekend of fun.  We had 512 Pecan Porter on tap, and a couple of small pizzas.  Mine had carmelized onions and mushrooms...YUM.  Then on Monday night we went to Perry's Steak House for the best pork chop I have ever had.  Ever.  And now, dear readers, it's time for me to diet.  I also have to get walking as Turkey Trot is just a few weeks away.

Gina

New wine club members

In honor of our anniversary, and because we'd been tempted at other wineries to do this, we joined the Silver Spur Wine Club at Driftwood Estates.  It was the first time we'd been to a tasting where everything seemed to come together - the quality of the wine, the price, and the ease of getting there to pick it up and attend special events.

 We enjoyed a bottle of Red Rhythm, some gorgeous early Fall weather, and a wood fired pizza for two.  Plus, the views were none too shabby as the shady picnic area looked over acres of grapevines.

I'm sure we will still visit new places, though.  So much fun to discover!

 I think it's going to be great to plan a getaway to the country to attend the wine parties and pick up our wines.  Not sure if we will take Mabel, or just find a B&B, though I like the idea of not having to work so hard for set-up and take-down on Mabel.  Kills the wine vibe!

Such a pretty area - can't wait to go back!

*I know this is a happy post - we had a really good time.  And I realize that today's post on It's Just me, Gina sounds like I am in the depths of despair.  Welcome to my roller coaster!

Babies suck

Tonight we are doing a baby shower at my house for a co-worker who is having her second baby. The shower gave me the perfect excuse to do another of my subversive cross stitch pieces.

It was tricky finding an appropriate frame - it needed to be square, with a square mat.  I found one at Michael's, but sadly did not have a coupon.  So the most expensive part of this little gift turned out to be the frame!

Also, the double white mat was sorta blah around the white of the cross stitch, so I mod-podged some pretty fabric onto the front of the mat, then just trimmed it up with my rotary cutter

I used my embroidery scissors on the little detail-y corners . I think it turned out cute!

The mom-to-be told me not to make her this one - too late, I had already done it, ha ha.  

While I was at it, I stitched one for her two year old.  His favorite phrase is "aw, dang it", but he pronounces it "niggit" which is both hilarious and cute.  I found a little wooden sign with a jute hanger and figured I could just mount the cross stitch with upholstery tacks.

First I sealed the edges with some mod podge.  Then I centered it, pushed the tacks in, and was done.  I think it's a fun way to mount the little small projects - I will be making more of those come Christmas.

This house is clean, the food is awaiting prep,  and I am pooped - time for a nap before the ladies arrive!

Gina