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 - not two, as she had recently tried...}  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.

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?

Attack of the oaks

Bubbie and I spent a couple of hours raking bags and bags of leaves up from the backyard.  Our oaks are out of control every spring!  The next day I was planning on raking the front.  Then this happened:

 

It's like the trees let out an enormous burp of pollen!  You could stand under and listening to the popping of thousands of little buds.  Some of the spots look like they were teensy bombs that hit my car.  The next day, the little crackly things fell, and well, no raking out there for me.  We've had a couple of days of rain and wind, so it's very slowly getting cleaned up by nature.

 

What a mess!  And everything has a fine coating of yellow on it, including my floors inside the house.  But it's Friday and I will work on the rest of my spring yardwork starting next week.  Because everyone but Firstborn will be here tonight - and maybe I can get him over here, too - for a Good Friday family meal.

******

Happy Easter Weekend, everyone!

Boredom busting with burlap...

Hubby and I were given one of those gift sets last Fall like you find at Ross or TJ Maxx.  You know the kind?  Usually full of questionable or expired random candy and olive oil and crackers?  Only this one had all things Austin in it - pancake mix, nuts, salsa, BBQ sauce, etc.  It was given to us by the mortgage company as a thank you for the refi.

Anyhoo...I liked the little tray thing it came packed in and decided to cover it in burlap because boredom during Spring Break had set in.  (I'd love it if we were one of "those families" that vacation on a cruise or on a Florida beach every March, but sadly, that is not the case)

I used my bag clips and mod podge.

Nothing fancy.  Just folded and tucked and glued.

It holds the wine aerator, the electric corkscrew, and a bottle opener.  Not fancy, and maybe not all that improved.  I really need to get a serious craft here - I had plans to sew cute stuff for Easter, but that didn't happen.  Time to peruse my Pinterest idea page and get some creativity going!

What the week holds: A family at Easter

I bought some daffodils last week at Trader Joe's, and while they were short-lived, they were lovely when they bloomed!  Thought I better get going thinking about what to serve for dinner on Easter.  I think I will prepare a Garlic Herb Pork Tenderloin, Glazed Carrots, Loaded Mashed Potatoes, Heavenly Hash, Deviled Eggs, and bake a coconut layer cake for dessert.  I might make them all a sussie - but I don't promise.  Still thinking of something meaningful - not candy.

 

The food I can prep in advance.  Hubby can just load it into the oven and follow a timeline, which I will dutifully write down.  On Friday, the boys can sleep in and I will get the house cleaned.  then The Girl comes into town and we will be Ladies Who Lunch!

Here and there I decorated the house a bit  - put a Spring wreath on the front door, set out my bunnies, ironed a tablecloth... I will be at work that day, but that's not always a bad thing. I like what I do for a living, and I like the people I work with.  Maybe I will make them a sussie, too!

I think that the prep and anticipation for a holiday is the exciting part!  Would it be lovely for all of them to go to church together?  Yes, but there's no expectation from me that they will.  And if they don't, it doesn't change a thing about Easter.  I'm sure that they will carry with them the warm feeling that lasts after being back together for a day.

Grown folk can wear pretty thin on each others' nerves, even as they love each other.  Especially if they are all together under one roof and aren't quite used to that anymore.  It takes so much energy to strike out on your own - going home seems like going backwards in time.  I remember the feeling well.  The last thing I want is for everyone to feel stressed when they are visiting "home" on a holiday.  As they get older, I want them to want to come home because it is meaningful for them to be here, not because Mom and Dad are guilting them into it.

 

Families are a hard thing to figure out sometimes, no?  Life is hard with them, life is hard without.  But Spring is here and there are lots of things to look forward to.  And I think even Firstborn enjoys a little bit of Spring on the table...

5 thing Friday - Brenham, humor, heels, Spring, lists

 Reflections more than anything, really...

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

 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, which is something I never had growing up.  So all of that is good.

Brenham is a nice little town - probably the perfect spot for her, but I know there will come a day when she needs to think about being closer to one of us.  She has no family closer than and hour and a half away.

 

 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.  Sensible flats don't do it for me.  Long live wedges!  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.  They can get out of control.  There are times that I feel they take away from the joy of unplanned time.  And that's where I find creativity.  So, if I don't get everything done, there's always next week...

Boy bathroom almost done

I would say the boys' bathroom is about 95% completed - well, the stuff I was going to accomplish before getting the flooring replaced, that is.  Painting it was more of a hassle than I remember from last time, and I am happy that's over. 

It looks so much bigger now and almost spa-like!  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:

 Couldn't get the darn light fixture lifted off the wall, so I had to carefully paint around it.

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.  Worked out great.

Drying time!  Still lighter than I anticipated, but the lighter paint makes this little bathroom seem bigger than before.  That and removing the door to the potty room!

After the wall paint dried, I painted the white doorway trim and scrubbed the floor and shower area half to death.  I installed the other splash guard and hung a new rod and shower curtain - the old one did not go well with the new paint color at all (avocado green - what was I thinking?)

******

It's Sprink Break and I really want to get out and do some yard work this week.  But 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?

What the week holds: Spring Break at last

It's hard to believe that Spring Break is actually here.  I'm sure I will say the same thing about Easter when it rolls around.  All of us need a break from the morning routine, the afternoon routine, and the evening routine - if you get my drift.  The lull after Christmas always seems to be the hardest to slog through, and yet when it gets here, we're all thrilled that it seems so sudden.  Doesn't make much sense, but there it is!

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 as the recent storms have done their job in cleaning out the oaks.  Still busy, just not routine.  And the To Do lists that seem to rule my world lately?  I'm giving those a Spring Break, too!

Friday is going DOWN

I always feel a little sad on Friday - it's my Sunday night.  Not just because its back to the work week at work, but also because there are a multitude of things to do before the weekend.  It boggles my mind how much stuff there is leftover to do this week.!  One project can take up the bulk of it, then I feel under the gun.   Last week, Hubby's clothes situation.  This week, painting the bathroom:

Left to do on the list:
Paint the trim in the boys' bathroom, replace hardware and switch covers, install splash guard, re-hang the shower curtain, tighten the toilet seat.  Buy the trim for the mirror.
Go get Hubby's suit and blazer - I have Kohl's cash and these are the last two things.
Get my watch battery replaced.
Ironing
Do some filing, check into refund from ACC.
Set up my visit with Carol in RoundTop
Review our summer trip plans in Mabel.
Find Hubby a place to stay for his meeting in Dallas next month.
Fix my lunches for the weekend, get dinner for the boys planned
Meet Hubby for happy hour and dinner (going away HH planned by his boss)

******

Better get up from here and get junin' as my Mother would say...

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.  I know who I am - I will want to walk away from this bathroom after painting knowing I am DONE.  So, the grunt work comes first.

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 - just need to paint it white now.

Under the sink was a disaster.  You'll thank me for not showing you the mess, but here is the very old and grungy shelf liner.

 A new print to coordinate was in order...

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.

 

 Mostly used by Bubbie, it has a small basket of first aid items, his toothbrushes, and such.  I tossed a LOT of old dental floss and stuff leftover from years of 4 kids having braces.

Lastly, the linen closet was in pretty good shape, so all I needed to do was tidy up.  No shelf liner here as I am super lazy...that small trash can on the bottom perfect as a hamper for dirty towels.

 ******

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!