Happy 21st birthday, Scout!

Today is Scout's 21st birthday.

He was born just after midnight on the 31st!  

Scout was definitely a labor of love - I worked full-time and already had a four year old and an almost 6 year old.  I had just begun a new job, we were climbing out of debt and hard times, and life was slowly on the upswing.  He was like a reward of blue skies after the storm.  He is a gentle, kind, and loving son and I am thankful each day that Hubby and I took a chance on the future during those stressful and uncertain times.  He is a blessing to us, as they all are - the best thing about our life together.

Happiest of birthdays, Dylan Conner!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Tango, home sweet home, Gus, bar plans, schedule changes

Our high school band did an AWESOME job at UIL on Tuesday night, earning Division I and qualifying for Area competition on Saturday!  Woo to the hoo, let's Tango!

 Such a great show - I always plan on recording it, then I get mesmerized...

 Plants in my mother's kitchen window.  I'm sure she is thrilled to be back home, even with her broken arm.  There's nothing like the serenity and comfort of your own home.

I'm sure Gus feels the same.  On Wednesday, he patiently waited for her to get dressed to go to lunch, knowing he would get a peanut butter busy bone.  

He is not the least bit spoiled.

On the way home from Brenham I stopped at Saddlehorn Winery again and enjoyed a glass of cabernet and wide open spaces.

 And I spied this on the patio - a "bar" made of wine barrels and decking planks.  And I was thinking, "could we do that out in Burnet?  We could use cedar planks...hmm...and Wimberley Valley Winery sells the barrels...hmmm..." I can picture a table like this on a bed of crushed gravel, under trees laced with tiny white lights near a firepit.

I don't mind the least bit going to help my mother out, but getting off my To Do hamster wheel always makes me feel a little frantic. Here you can see I am multitasking - breakfast, making out my list for the day, paying bills, making appointments and checking email and the calendar.  I know that going to a M-F shift would change a lot of things for me, not the least of which would be one less day to get stuff done.  But the trade-off is that Hubby and I would be off the same two days.  I promised him I would work on it.  Something to think about...

Gina

Lime Shredded Pork Tacos

Last year I found a wonderful crock pot recipe for boneless pork (or carnitas) to make into tacos.  I included it in a round of freezer meals and it was a big hit!

I placed it frozen, into my crock pot, then headed to Brenham for the day.  This afternoon when I got home the house smelled wonderful.  I picked up some tortillas, cheese, avocados, and pre-made pico from the store and we are going to feast on tacos!  Is there any better way to use the crock pot?  I think not!

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Lime Shredded Pork for tacos
2# boneless pork ribs, country style, trimmed of fat
the juice of two limes
1 T honey
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
Cook on low in crock pot 6-8 hours.

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It's been a long day, otherwise I would show you the tacos we devoured...you'll have to use your imagination and just take my word for it, they were soooo good! I really love my crock pot and every now and then I am reminded of exactly why.  Now to lay in my bed with some new magazines...

Gina

Friday night lights

Tonight is a football game, another chance to see our band perform their marching show,  "Tango".  And, recently they had some excellent high scores in the US Bands marching contest - best music, best overall effect, best percussion, and best visual. 

Our kids have worked so hard!

Gina

5 thing Friday - wine, backyard, flip flops, gifties, handsomeness

This week has been all about the spending.

The closing went off without a hitch - it was all the stuff leading up to it that caused stress!  Hubby and I went directly from the title company to Torr Na Lochs and got a bottle of our favorite, Fion Dearg, to enjoy with our picnic lunch near the barn, on what is now our land.

 And how great is it to have a winery so close to the new place?

As of the writing of this post, here is the backyard, still in the process of getting a new fence.  For some reason it looks even smaller to me.  And when it's all said and done, I will have quite a lot of work to do. Still reminding myself to take it one step at a time, but I am anxious to work in it.

Last summer I got some hand-me-down orthotic sandals from Orthaheel.  I have loved them so much I bought another pair, in black this time.  I think my days of wearing Okabashi's are over.  I know it looks like my chubby feet are spilling out from these flip flops, but really, they are so comfy that I can wear them and stay on my feet for hours.

The Charlie Madison's lady has such beautiful stuff - I ordered this pretty one of ruby jade for a dear friend.  I'm giving it to her with a box of notecards featuring Scout's work.  

Bubbie is taking his sweetheart to the homecoming dance on Saturday and needed a dress shirt and tie.  I ended up buying him two shirts, and two more for Hubby.  I got some pretty good deals all around. The dance is tomorrow night and I still need to go get flowers!

Bubbie is quite the looker.  When I showed this pic to my mother she said "where did he get those good looks?"  When I replied "genetics", she merely asked me again - she was being a little tacky.  It's no secret that my mother has her opinions.  Regardless, he is one Handsome Devil.

Gina

Saddlehorn Winery

There's not a whole lot to this post - just photos, mainly, of a winery I visited near Brenham.  I don't know why I haven't stopped there before a couple of weeks ago, on the way home from my mother's house.  It was out in the middle of wide open spaces and I was pretty much the only customer!

They grow Lenoir, or Black Spanish, grapes along with a white varietal.  I only tasted the red wines and I liked them all - I took home some of the Black Spanish wine which was very good.  Hubby and I enjoy finding these new places to visit - sometimes together, sometimes on our own. Add this one to the list of places to visit together soon!

Gina

What the week holds, and steady on

A couple of weeks ago my mother fell in her yard and fractured her arm.  She managed to gather her wits and  call a neighbor to take her to the ER.  I didn't hear about it until Monday, but it sounds like she was in capable hands.

One person took the chickens back to her house, the other took my mother and her dog to hers.  I followed up the next week, making sure the trash was taken out, the dishes cleaned, the fridge in order, mail collected and clothes fetched.  I know I am not making the same sacrifices, but I am willing to help however I can.  So I will probably go back there to make sure all is well with the house and pick up anything else Mother needs.

 My mother will tell you herself that she makes for a poor houseguest.  Not the least of which because she cannot seem to get comfortable enough to sleep.  But also because she is rather set in her habits and wants desperately to be back in her own home.  

I want to encourage my mother to live independently as long as she can.  I feel like taking her away from all of her things - her friends, her routine, and her freedom - is not a good thing.  And except for falls hazards around the house, I feel like we can accommodate that.  

What does your week look like?

Gina

Use what you have: frugal apple pie

On Wednesday night, in keeping with my goal of cooking more, I made Beef Stir Fry, as per Bubbie's request.  And also by popular demand, dessert!  It made the house smell especially wonderful and was frugal, to boot.

Dessert is something we have once a week or so.  But I had gotten out of the habit again.  No worries - I have some wrinkly apples and an extra pie crust in the freezer.

Whenever I am tempted to throw away overripe fruit, I think of baked goods.  No one realizes the banana chocolate chip muffins have those brown bananas in there...and no one cares if the skin on the apples for the pie is wrinkled...

I sliced up the peeled apples and added a few orange flavored dried cranberries, about a tablespoon of flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.  I piled it into a greased dish with a crust, and dotted it with butter.

Then I folded the edges of the crust up a bit and stored it in the fridge.  When I left to go pick up my band kid, I put it into the oven, set the timer for an hour at 350, then left the house.  It smelled so good when we got home!

If I were using Granny Smith apples, like I love to do, I might have let the sugar sit on the sliced apples for 20 minutes or so.  It draws out the juices and makes the best pie!

Apple pie with ice cream as a dessert for stir fry night is a good thing, Martha.

What the week holds, and Happy Anniversary!

A quote I read recently said that a spouse is someone who will stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you had stayed single.  Ha!

Cute young things, ca. 1982!

  

This week is mind boggling to me with all that I need to do.  Marching band practice for Bubbie all week with a game on Thursday, physical therapy for my elbow twice this week, Hubby in San Antonio for business for two days, our 31st wedding anniversary on Wednesday, driving to Georgetown to take my mothers some things she requested and feeding her a nice lunch, closing on the Burnet property on Friday. Whew!  Our plan is to stop by Torr Na Lochs on Friday after closing a buy a bottle of wine to celebrate with at our new place.  Still haven't named it so maybe we will do that, too!

What does your week look like?

Gina