5 thing Friday - plant babies, bins, tea cups, shoes, parking

I took Wednesday off to get my mother back to Brenham from Austin in the afternoon.  And since I had the morning free to do as I pleased, I worked on my plant babies.

 They got some fresh soil on the tops, a good watering, and some readjustment in the sun.

This little grouping makes me smile.  The landscape light had a broken base, but works great in my ficus tree, which really loves living here.  I bought a creeping fig to see how it would do in a pot, added some clam shells that The Girl brought home from Ireland, and set it in that antique milk crate we found at Highlands.   I'm still using my eleventy billion corks as mulch, too.

I also potted an asparagus fern, and gave my olive tree a bigger pot - both at the front door.  Since asparagus ferns like partial sun, I also planted a couple of them in big pots that were near my mother's front steps.  They will spread out a bit and look so lacy and pretty.

 I saw these stacking bins at Home Depot and thought they would be useful for the storage unit at Highlands.  We have small tools, cords and hoses, paint cans, and other bric-a-brac that these are perfect for.

I think Mark will try to dissuade me as we are on an economy drive currently, but I am penciling them into my plans as they are only about $15 apiece.  I noticed he threw a bunch of stuff in there after finishing out the barn and I for sure don't want the storage unit to look like our garage at home!

 When I pulled down all of the winter stuff around the house, I noticed these tea cups in the china cabinet and thought they would be fun with some faux ivy in them. {I guess I could have dusted the shelf}

They are ca. 1950 from my late MIL - a gentleman and a lady.  Kind of creepy and cute all at once.   

 I bought some fun Clark's cork wedges with money from my change jar and my Rakuten rebate check.  Plus they were on sale.  So they were $6 total!  They are a shabby pewter leather and I love them.  Not so great with jeans, but I think they will be cute with spring dresses or skirts.

Last week was so dreary.  I took this photo of the employee parking lot, totally emptied out.  The parking situation at work was already awful so this makes it much worse.  Our parking garage will not be complete until May so it will suck to park at work for at least a  couple months longer.

Gina

Weekend re-cap: home, 600 Degrees Pizzeria, Wedding Oak, Highlands, home again

On-call weekends are generally not exciting, and this one was no exception.  

I had a long list of things to do around the house, trying to stay busy until 7 p.m.  

 I finally took down all of the pinecones and winter decor and pulled out my bunnies and some fake ivy I bought last time I went thrifting.  

I just keep recycling wreaths, changing them up a little bit and using what I already have.  I also spent time doing some baking, which I almost never have time for nowadays. 

 I made an exception for Saturday:  Walnut Raisin Pie for dessert this weekend, Pumpkin Pecan Muffins to freeze, and White Chocolate Peppermint cookie dough for when The Girl visits.  Bonus:  the house smelled delightful.  

 For dinner on Saturday night, we went to Georgetown and ate at 600 Degrees Pizzeria.

We sat outside at a table for two and enjoyed some beer while we waited for the pizza.  

 Our pizza did not disappoint.  Hubby likes to order it with fresh squeezed garlic on top.  We called it at night around 10 p.m.  

Around noon we headed to Burnet for our last wine club pick-up at Wedding Oak.  We have mixed feelings about dropping this wine club.  But, as I remind Hubby, we can stop in any time to visit without being wine club members.  While we were there, we had BBQ sammies from Bohemian BBQ food truck, which were very good.  After lunch we headed where else? - Highlands.

 We filled up our water buffalo, but had zero plans to do anything else there but relax.

It was a grey day, but we built a small fire in the firepit and enjoyed one of the wines we had just picked up - a Petit Verdot that was excellent.  There were LOTS of deer - 11 at one time which is unusual to see up there.  They didn't seem particularly bothered by us.  Around 7 we headed home to enjoy a grilled pork rib chop, loaded baked potato, and a salad with sliced pear - all good.  This week is a doozy, but we are halfway to our next weekend already!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #27

Monday - BBQ Turkey Meatballs, Sour cream and onion baked potato, lemon pepper broccoli {customize my produce box}
Tuesday - Salmon Patty, stir fry bok choy, carrots, and sugar snap peas,
Wednesday - Chicken Sausages, cinnamon sweet potato, sauteed brussels sprouts {off - return Mother to Brenham from eye doc appt}
Thursday - Mexican Tilapia, skillet chard, creamy corn {Gina doc appt.}
Friday - Italian grilled Chicken Breast, summer squash with shallots {get the guest room ready for The Girl}
Saturday - Out - we are going to see Kool and The Gang! {buy paint for next week}
Sunday - Pork Rib Chop with onions, carrots with cabbage, seasoned brown rice {Happy 90th birthday to my mother!}

Gina

Weekend re-cap: beer, firepit, Mexican food, home

Hubby and I have a plan to spend less money on the weekends. This last weekend we enjoyed dinner and a movie {The Invention of Lying} at home on Friday night.  On Saturday morning we headed to Marble Falls. 

We enjoyed a fish lunch at Captain D's, followed by the Cherry Scotch Ale release at Save the World.  Truthfully, we could have stayed there all afternoon, playing dice games but we were looking for relaxation, not crowds, and the allure of the firepit at Highlands beckoned. 

I hope I never get tired of it!  We hung out until dark, then headed home to have leftover meatball soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, which were both delightful.  And I think after that we crashed!

The next day we had lunch at Tex Mex at Rosie's Tamale House. Afterwards, we stopped by Family Business and drank a beer out in their shady yard, listening to live music and playing cards.  Then we headed home around 5 to let Teddy out and enjoy dinner.  I estimate that we spent a little less than $70 for the weekend, versus the $200 we had fallen into the habit of and I am sure that we will have no problem finding fun on the weekends for less!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #26

Monday - Grilled Soyaki Chicken, kale with kimchi and shallots{customize my veggie box}
Tuesday - Italian Stuffed Peppers, mashed garlic potatoes
Wednesday - Mexican Tilapia, summer squash {I need to go get a haircut after work}
Thursday - Deli Turkey in sweet potato wraps (lettuce, tomato, avocado), Cabo Chips
Friday - (freezer) Black Bean Chili from last week, cookies as a treat! {Gina on call}
Saturday - OUT {still on call - work on taxes, filing, leftover yardwork from Sunday, groc shop}
Sunday - Salmon "Burgers", Brussels sprouts, veggie crisper clean-out {last pick-up at Wedding Oak Winery}

Gina

5 thing Friday - work, oatmeal, plant babies, parking, eyesight

The sunset view from a stairwell at work:

Working late on Tuesday was not as big of a chore as I thought it would be.  {My energy level is holding steady}  I got everything done that I needed to do and got plenty of rest.  It wasn't ideal, but it got done. 

The Oatmeal Chronicles:  whole oats with a chopped apple or banana, some walnuts or pecans, and a sprinkling of candied ginger or baking spices.  Sometimes I go wild and add a splash of half and half!  I do not love oatmeal, but I have to improve my cholesterol and my BP.  Still drinking coffee black.  Still eating loads of veggies and very little red meat.

That's not to say I don't falter now and again.  Onion rings are my kryptonite.  

 I repotted my $1 poinsettia and it is still hanging on.

 You would think this window would be ideal for my indoor plant babies but they don't seem to be thriving.  Maybe some plant food would help.

 This is the view from the (rainy) parking lot at work.  Gradually, the lot is being emptied out - people are being reassigned to off-site parking in prep for building a new medical office building that will go right here.  Parking is already terrible so its about to be 1000 times worse.  Even on fair weather days it will be a pain in the neck - add to that rainy Spring weather.

The saga of mother's eye surgery continues.  This last graft seems to be healing better.  We have a follow up in a couple of weeks and she is hopeful that her eyesight will be good enough to allow her to get her driver's license renewed.  Looks like 2020 is going to continue bringing lots of change.

OH!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Gina

Weekend re-cap: wine, firepit, bluebonnets

Hubby and I have dropped 3 of the seven wine clubs and hope that will free up the budget to explore new places.  You don't have to be a wine club member to sit and relax at a winery, after all.  We can't drop two of them that are essentially new to us (so we still have 3 club memberships) and there was a pick-up to attend last weekend at one of those.

  The owner's son remembered us and was very gracious.  And, it turns out that I won on their cork-guessing contest, so we took a complimentary bottle outside to sit and relax.

Even though the skies were grey, it was pleasant to sit out in their yard listening to live music while wrapped in a Mexican blanket.  We took some cheese and crackers with us and chatted with the musician while he was on break.  He's a young guy who we've seen many times before and is very talented!

 By the time the sun broke through, it was time for us to mosey over to Highlands and check on things.

 And look what I found - baby bluebonnets!

 While we were there, we decided to stay awhile and build a fire.  Some deer wandered through and we sat and watched them.  It was very peaceful.

 Sunset added a touch of gold to everything.

We headed home to Teddy afterwards and fixed dinner.  The next day we putseyed around the house, getting things done here and there, including solving the mysterious appearance of small black bees in the den - turns out they were some sort of wood boring bee that hitched a ride in some logs we had in the fireplace.  Mid-afternoon we grabbed a lunch and hung out at The Growler Room for a bit, playing games and relaxing.  At home we made creamed turkey and watched a movie until bedtime.  It was good to get some down time in prep for this week. 

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #25

The lantana I planted near the pump house died.  So I made a cactus garden!  

Monday - Crockpot Black Bean Chili, corn muffins, chopped onions and bell peppers {customize produce box}
Tuesday - Schwarma-seasoned Chicken Breast, Tomato Chickpea Salad {pick up Mother in Brenham to bring to eye doc in Austin, work late}
Wednesday - Tuna Salad on whole grain toast with sliced cucumber, chilled pan-roasted red pepper strips, and low salt kettle chips
Thursday - Mushroom Ravioli al Fredo, broccoli, streamed carrots
Friday - (freezer) Meatball Soup (add extra veggies), leftover corn muffins from Monday
Saturday - OUT {release at STW!}
Sunday - Pan Fried Trout, spinach salad with red onion and lemon vinaigrette, corn {working extra hours?}

Gina

5 thing Friday - clothes, Winter decor, mother, wineries, produce

Does anyone else borrow their Hubby's socks?  I know it seems strange.  But he has colors I would never buy for myself because I just don't think about it. 

One of the things I like to do for Spring is closet cleaning.  We need to go through our wardrobes and look at what we may need to replace/repair.  That might be part of our Sunday morning before we go and do.  I need to take all of his slacks to the cleaners, too.

So exciting.

I still have my Christmas wreath up - I just took off the sparkly reindeer and added some gold berries.  I think it looks rustic glam with the burlap ribbon against the chocolate brown door.  

I also left out the pinecones because they look like Winter to me.  I know it feels like Spring here lately, but there's no sense in replanting this pot just now.  Typically we get snow or ice in February, and true to form, we woke up to a lightly snow covered backyard yesterday morning. 

 Last week my mother got another partial thickness transplant of her right cornea.  I hope this one heals better than the previous one.  Its very hard on the elderly to undergo so many procedures and stress.  And she is constantly worried about her vision, driving, and living independently.  Really all I can do is help her troubleshoot some situations so that she is intentional about her own safety.  

When I am with her, I try to encourage her to be careful, but not fearful.  I want her to feel as confident as she can.  People who are worried about falling are more likely to fall.  Park near the cart return, grab a cart to steady yourself up the parking lot to the store.  It will help you return to the car safely, too, making you more likely to be seen.  Also, bright clothing helps!

Driving home from her house last week I stopped by Rising Sun Vineyards.  The drive up to their property is so lovely.  {see what I mean about the weather?}  One of the owners was there pouring and she remembered me and thanked me again for the article I wrote for the website back in November.  I enjoyed a glass of wine on her porch and got to meet her marketing lady, too.  Such a friendly winery and such beautiful views.

We were eating so much kale and though we really like it, I wanted us to have more variety in our produce boxes.  Enter Rainbow Chard - so mild, easy to saute, and so delicious.  I paused the Imperfect delivery for the week because I had plenty of veggies, but we will start back up on Monday.  Its been great at keeping us accountable for eating fresh veggies and we get to try new things!

Gina

Weekend re-cap: Real Ale, Vista, Desert Door, Perissos, Highlands, lots of music

We started our Saturday at Real Ale in Blanco.  They were having a BBQ cook-off to benefit the Lone Star Paralysis Foundation. 

  I'm pretty sure that's not on my healthy eating plan.

 What a gorgeous day it was!

We walked all around the place, listening to live music.  We had plans to visit Esperanza Winery afterwards, but we headed to Vista Brewing in Driftwood next.  Time to explore!

The yards just outside of the tasting room were fairly packed so we sat inside and I enjoyed a tasting of Dark Skies (a black lager aged in Sotol barrels), On the Grounds (a brown ale with Spokesman Coffee), Lorenzo (Imperial Stout with Mexican hot chocolate spices), and Grato (Lambic-style ale aged with Italian plums in Bending Branch wine barrels).  

Inspired by the beer with the smoky Sotol taste, we popped over to Desert Door.  

We each had a bartender's choice cocktail, which ended up being raspberry lemonade with Sotol and fresh mint.  We planted ourselves on the patio, listening to live music and enjoying our snack of cheese, crackers, and pistachios.

 

We listened for a bit, then headed home.

The next day we had a pick up at Perissos to attend.  We enjoyed a tasting of all of the wines.

And ended up sitting in our lounge chairs for a bit, and napping.  We headed home at sunset and made pizza and salad, then laid on the couch and tried to keep our eyes open watching TV.  And now its hard to believe its already Wednesday.  I think this weekend coming up we will take Teddy with us, especially if the weather is nice.

Gina