A girl's best friend

With every week of busy season that passes, I am thankful that The Girl has Teddy.  The long hours, missing your family on holidays, and working under deadlines has got to be no fun.

One dog to cuddle at the end of a long, exhausting day at work.  A best friend to take on walks and runs.  A going to the park or running errands friend.  Someone who is near to her in just about every photo we get nowadays!  She's stressed and under a time gun when it comes to tax season, but Teddy is there to soften life.  Being an adult is hard - most days I don't even want to do it.

I'm glad she has Teddy over there in the Big City.

Gina

What the week holds: Easter Monday

Easter happened - I can hardly believe how fast the year is going!  (Wasn't it just New Year's???) The dinner table was set for four as I thought Hubby was going to serve Easter lunch, and The Girl and I would not be here.  But it turns out that they waited for me to get home from work, so dinner was verrrry late.  Makes for a long day, but everything was delish and the boys kept us entertained as only boys can do...

 This week we are juggling: Pre-UIL concert, maybe a day trip to Brenham, shopping for Scout some clothes, and getting some stitching done.  The Girl is up to her chin in busy season, but hopefully she will be able to come home soon for some much needed family time.  Hubby is on week two of his new job and so far, he loves it.  My job, however, is another story for another blog...

I think I will leave all my bunnies and the "Happy" banner out this week to enjoy the Easter season a little longer.

How is your week shaping up?

5 thing Friday - Brenham, humor, heels, Spring, giving the lists a break

 Reflections more than anything, really.

 I've been making good on my resolution to visit my mother more often.

  She was happy, really.  I take her to do shopping errands, do smallish projects and cleaning around her house.  In exchange she gives me eggs and spends one-on-one time with me. So all of that is good.

Brenham is a nice little town - probably the perfect spot for her, as she is a big fan of Bluebell ice cream! 

 

 Using up little pieces of aida cloth

 

with snarky humor.

I am making peace with the limitations of my knee, but I refuse to give up feeling pretty. On a recent rainy day, I braved wet ramps and sidewalks to wear heels to a Happy Hour at Roaring Fork.  Go, mom!

Spring is here!

This week I have given the To Do lists a break. I don't get everything done, there's always next week.

Gina

Boy bathroom - updated

I would say the boys' bathroom is about 95% completed.  

It looks so much bigger now!  Left to do:  frame out the mirror, replace the flooring, get another small rug, and some art for the walls. 

Here are some shots during the painting progress:

 

I picked a satin finish because I wanted the walls to be cleanable.  That left a very shiny look to it as it was drying.  That and the lavendar look to the gray left me feeling a tad panicky.  But Scout came in mid-way and said it looked light gray to him...this color is Silver Bullet by Behr.

I ended up having to paint the ceiling, too, which was not really a big deal.  The pad painter came in handy to get close to the edge up here, and I also had my trusty angled paint brush for more detailed edging.

Still lighter than I anticipated, but the lighter paint makes this little bathroom seem bigger than before.  

After the wall paint dried, I painted the white doorway trim and scrubbed the floor and shower area.  I installed the other splash guard and hung a new rod and shower curtain. I might have to take myself and my Kohl's cash over to get the last couple of items to call this project done, then I will post one final pic and call it done!  Whatcha think?

Gina

What the week holds: Spring Break at last

It's hard to believe that Spring Break is actually here. All of us need a break from the morning routine, the afternoon routine, and the evening routine - if you get my drift.  

This week includes Hubby's last week at his current job, a doctor appointment for Bubbie, a possible overnight trip for Hubby and I in Mabel, a trip to Round Top to visit a college friend, and catch up on lots and lots of leaf raking and bagging  Still busy, just not routine.  

Gina

Prep to paint

A paint color has been chosen, supplies purchased, and I did a little cleaning prep work on the boys' bathroom in advance of the actual painting. 

Hubby removed the door to the shower/potty area.  In 10 minutes it was like gaining another few feet of space!  Plus, now the towel bar is accessible, as is the tp.

He nailed some slats into the door frame to completely cover where the hinges and knob plate were.  I caulked all around it and will paint it white.

Under the sink was a mess.

 Easily updated.

I wiped down all of the cabinets and tidied up the cleaning supplies. Each bathroom has it's own basket of supplies and this bathroom is where I store the tanks for the carpet machine.

 This small cabinet houses the bulky Christmas tree skirts that I can't find space for in the linen closet.

 

 I did the same with the small drawer under the vanity.

 

 It has a small basket of first aid items, toothbrushes, and such.  I tossed a lot of old dental floss and stuff leftover from years of kids having braces.

Lastly, the linen closet was in pretty good shape, so all I needed to do was tidy up. Now I can paint!  After that, I will wash the shower curtain, replace the liner, scrub the shower area, tighten the toilet seat, then work on what to put on the walls. I bought a nice new bath mat, too.  It's going to rain all week, so now is as good a time as any to get 'er done!

Gina

What the week holds: Operation Clotheshorse

Hubby's wardrobe needs help.  

 Step One was the Big Purge.

 This is his shirt rod in our closet after I pulled out about a dozen things or so.

The pants rod was not as bad, but it turns out that about half of these no longer fit, so he actually pulled them out.  The rest of them got washed and pressed.

He owns a million lot of ties.  

 

 The holiday/fun ties went to live in a zippered ties storage bag, and the rest of them fit on this hanging tie rack.

I hauled everything out of the closet that I knew was going to go and just started making piles.  Almost all of it will go to Goodwill, but I wanted him to go thru it, before I tossed in the back of my car.  And it's a good thing I did - there were a couple of things he had a particular attachment to.

He owns so many tees that the drawer wasn't closing properly.  I "archived" all of the cub scout tees that I knew he wouldn't part with. Then I refolded the rest so that they would fit into one drawer.  When I put folded items up, I tuck in a bar of soap here and there. 

 I finally reached a point where I could sort and fold the stuff that was going.  And I actually went through my stuff, too!

An old gallon ziploc got stuffed with about two dozen ties.

 Sweaters from the 90's.

 

I took pics of his shirts and ties and made a plan for what to buy.  The list includes a couple of new suits, a blazer, shoes, and shirts.  I am going to shop places where I will get discounts for using the store charge card, or special offers and cash back.  But almost all of it will be new, both because he needs to look sharp and he's worth it.  What a job!  

Operation Clotheshorse has begun!

Gina

5 thing Friday - grits, linens, wreath, rug, bathroom re-do

I'm not saying we've given up healthy eating around here, but grits made with butter and cheese, topped with an egg, is so good!

Don't let its blah appearance fool you. 

 I popped over to Kohl's and bought this colorful sham for our bed - might go on-line to find another. Its a pretty pop of color paired with a similar quilt.

Some new sheets were purchased, too.  

I spy with my little eye, a bird's nest in my front door wreath.

Well, the dead giveaway is the debris that falls out every time we go in and out of the door.  I have removed four of them from this wreath in a week's time. I resorted to placing a plastic statue of an owl nearby.  So far, it has seemed to do the trick at discouraging nest-building.

 IKEA has some fantastic rugs!  This one is made from scraps of antique Turkish rugs, all patched together.  I can picture this in the den, but I need to get other projects done first.  Isn't it pretty?

As of last Friday, this was all I had assembled for a bathroom spiff.  

 But look at what IKEA has in the way of sink vanities.  

The perfect size for that tiny bathroom!

I do seem to have a love/hate with this place, ha ha.

Gina

One Pot Pasta

Happy March!

This recipe comes from Plain Chicken.  She has a lot that are easy and very good!  One of my favorite ways to cook pasta is in the sauce itself.  It thickens up the sauce so nicely and takes much less time to fix.

One Pot Pasta
1 pound spaghetti (I used linguini)
1 package smoked sausage (she says to use andouille -  I used some smoked Texas sausage)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 c. halved grape tomatoes
2 c. fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
S & P
1 c. grated Parmesan

In my large cast iron dutch oven, I combined everything but the cheese and added 4 cups of water.  (I used a bit less than the whole package of linguini) Season with salt and pepper.  Brought to a boil, then gently simmered 8-10 minutes.  Stirred in the parmesan. Chow call!

It's not fancy, nor does it contain a lot of spices, but it was such a flavorful pasta!  You could use the andouille, but we don't happen to love that type of sausage. I didn't even serve a side dish, unless you count garlic toast.  This one stays in my recipe box! 

Gina