Slightly Empty Nest Menu #54

By the time I find a space to park at the parking garage most mornings, this is the view I get...on the 4th floor.  Its hot.  Desolate.  And I know I will be out of breath and my leg muscles will be burning by the time I return to my car after 7:30 pm.  The elevator shuts off sometime after the dayshift leaves.  So, enforced stair exercise it is.

Knowing that, I don't feel bad about eating dinner at 8 pm.

Monday - Chicken Taco Salads with homemade pico de gallo and avocado {The Girl will be at our house this week, order my produce box}
Tuesday - Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers, squash
Wednesday - Beefy Eggplant Parm, green beans
Thursday - Sticky Chicky, rice, broccoli
Friday - Turkey Stir Fry with carrot and snap peas over rice noodles
Saturday - Burger Patty, mashed potatoes, pork and beans (Hubby's all-time-requests-it-every-chance-he-gets-because-it-reminds-him-of-college meal {babysitting Teddy for The Girl!}
Sunday - take-out!

Hello, September!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #53

One year of Empty Nest menus in the books.  Well, sometimes they were less than empty, but Hubby and I had a huge year of change with the baby going off to college!

Monday - Pork Chops with onion gravy, chard, garlic toast {order my produce box}
Tuesday - Greek Chicken Salads with spinach,bell pepper, green onion, tomato, avocado
Wednesday - One Pot Taco Spaghetti, squash {off - visiting my mother}
Thursday - Salmon, green beans, (freezer) corn casserole
Friday - Orange Dijon Chicken Bites, carrots, seasoned rice {payday, The Girl is back in town}
Saturday - TBD
Sunday - eat out
Dessert this week is Wacky Cake

There is one more week and August is OVER!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Teddy, Cheeseburger Salad, table, summer, Christmas gifts

The Girl had been super worried about a couple of "bumps" she found on Teddy's paw.  Of course she started googling it like crazy and it made her upset to think it might be doggie cancer and he would lose a leg and yada yada yada imagination overload.  I feel like her initial concerns are valid, and she should definitely ask her vet, but you can't let your imagination run wild and make you mental.  Solid advice from a parent of four humans.

Turns out it was nothing to obsess over - she just needs to watch them to be sure they aren't growing fast.  They didn't even think it was important to biopsy them.  This dog plays a huge role in her happiness so I breathed a sigh of relief right alongside her.

 Cheeseburger salad made with chopped up leftover cheeseburger patties, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion.  Very tasty.  I like mine with bleu cheese dressing!

I never blogged about the little table project because like so many projects such as this, I was over it before I was actually done with it.  We had to shorten the legs, jig them some pegs to reassemble, fill worm holes, sand, paint, put felt pads on the bottoms of the legs...and I never did go get the pretty blue chalk paint for it, opting instead to use some paint I already had.  Whomp, whomp.  At least there is a space here to set your coffee down (instead of the chair arms) which is the ONLY reason I even bought it.

 Creative tying on of a 10 ft piece of trim for that never-ending project in the barn.  I am happy to report it made it through 100+ degree temp day in a one hour trip to Highlands.

Firstborn's girlfriend has this very cute 4 year old!  I "stole" some of her pics off Facebook to make a freebie memory photo game for Christmas because I am sneaky like that.  Yes, I have already started planning the holidays, and buying gifts here and there because focusing on some happy times ahead is taking the sting out of this summer...

Gina

A perfect storm

The pandemic has been hard on college students as well as the rest of us.  Maybe more so for them than us old-timers who can roll a little bit more with the punches - we've been punched before.  Twenty-one year olds are just learning how to be independent and navigate the world, then it goes all wonky.

Bubbie has been in San Marcos since a couple of weeks after Spring Break.  And he's been mostly isolated as his roomies moved back to their homes or to new apartments for the summer.  Sure, we've texted back and forth and chatted by phone a couple of times, but he's on his own on the daily.

I worried about his state of mind when I learned that he was having a rough time passing a class he was taking, the windows in the Baja refusing to roll down, dozens of spam calls on his phone in a short period of time, and issues with the router he was using for his computer, making it unuseable.

Coming home for a recent weekend was just the ticket, but we didn't know details of all of the troubles until the NEXT weekend, when Hubby told him to just get a good night's sleep, gather his things together, and come home so we could help with these issues before the start of the semester.  I mean, trying to handle things on your own is great and all, but sometimes you need your family to give you a bit of a hand!

And a hug from a sister might help!

Bubbie has a loving family who genuinely cares about him and that will help to keep him grounded.  We remind him often that we are "just down the road" and he should never hesitate to call us for help.  Pandemic or no pandemic, a perfect storm of troubles can knock you off balance.  Even for us old-timers.

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #52

I'm absolutely phoning it in with these menus.  I can barely stand to shop, let alone cook, and I am relying on tried and true recipes here from my own blog. So.  Still winning.

Sunset at Highlands, Summer '20

Monday - Quiche, roasted fingerling potatoes, fresh fruit {Bubbie is at home with us for a few days, order Imperfect box}

Tuesday - Beef Enchiladas, salad with avocado and tomato OR Casserole in a Jiffy, I haven't decided...

Wednesday - Ham Salad on toast, low salt chips, fruit?

Thursday - Green Chile Chicken Bowls with rice and beans

Friday - Turkey Pesto Meatballs with linguini, brussel sprouts 

Saturday  - TBD, but we are picking up a wine club allocation
Sunday - TBD and decorate for Fall!

Gina

A little break from Summer

I feel like its time to decorate for Fall.  I pulled out the pretty PB owl pillow from last year, intending to stuff it with some extra pillow fill and set it out, but there was the issue of the weird flange around it. 

Here's what it looks like after I did a little "editing" to it.  It had unfinished (raw) edges which made it look like someone just gave up on sewing it and called it done.

Why, Pottery Barn?

I thought I could just turn it under a couple of times and sew it, so I pinned and pressed it to check...

Yep.  That will work.

A few minutes later I had a much neater edging!

Looks like it was meant to be this way!

I love the Fall colors in here - I never did really "brighten" it up for Summer.  (Maybe next year - this one feels like a wash...)  I wanted to add a rug and a neutral color throw.  Maybe new pillows.  Never did.

I also pulled this tray out of storage and added some greenery, some amber glass, a candle, a couple of twine-wrapped balls, and that sweet framed photo from my desk - all things I already had.  The table top needs to be refinished and was looking so plain - now it makes me smile to see this little break from Summer.  Its strange that Summer felt so bleak.  I am mentally ready to leave it behind!

Gina

Weekend re-cap: Camp Rustown, The Girl and Bubbie, 7 Creeks, Suds Monkey, 12 Fox

 A rare weekend at home!  I had many things to cross off my to do list, starting with ripping out the salvia in the front beds and planting new hawthorn shrubs.  I think that over time, they will fill the space in a more attractive way and require less maintenance.

I left the varigated lariope but I moved the stepping stones, mulched it all, and watered it well.  I'm not talented at landscaping - I just do my trial and error thing.  {At Highlands I will NOT be doing this.  We will enjoy the rugged landscape of nature with all of its cacti!}

The Girl and Teddy were visiting, so we took a ride over to 7 Creeks Vineyard.  They were releasing a bubbly Rose and having live music - we're in.

Along the way we picked up chicken strips, because we are classy like that.  As you can see, Ted was getting his fair share of bites.

It was HOT but we were under shade and the music and company were fun!

Bubbie came home for the weekend, too!  

These two...

Then we headed home to grill burgers and hang out.

On Sunday I made a frittata and some muffins for breakfast, and we pretty much just puttered around the house until The Girl and Bubbie headed back to their respective apartments.  Then we drove to Dripping Springs for the afternoon to eat pizza and drink some beer!

{Courtesy of a groupon from one of Hubby's co-workers!}  It was wonderful - I highly recommend this place!  We had a plain cheese pizza, garlic knots, and a spicy sweet pizza that featured coppa, red pepper flakes, jalapenos, basil, and honey.  SO GOOD.

There were just a few folks, scattered around at tables, or coming for beer then leaving.  Its so pretty out here, so relaxing.  We didn't want the weekend to end just yet...

But it was time to head home with our leftover pizza!  This coming weekend, we finish the barn project at Highlands (hopefully) and maybe visit a favorite winery.  And we are already halfway there - Happy Hump Day! 

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #51

I thought about not even making a menu for this week because I am so over this summer. Its hot. We're getting our hours cut at work. I'm sick of Covid-19 and all of the changes it has wrought on me. I've got too many projects I want to work on and not enough time. I haven't written a thing for the wine blog in months...yada yada yada. We're just going to eat out of the pantry and freezer this week because I am also over grocery shopping.

muffins I made on Sunday

Yesterday - Cheeseburger Salads (everything but the bun)

Monday - BBQ Chicken Thighs, broccoli, twice bakeds {order produce box}

Tuesday - (freezer) Chili Beans, cornbread

Wednesday - Beefy Gnocci, green beans

Thursday - Tuna Salad on Hawaiian rolls, chips I hid from Hubby

Friday - Crockpot Chicken Breast with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, peas

Saturday and Sunday are TBD, but I will likely grocery shop on Saturday morning - against my will

Gina

P.S.  I am not a fan of the new Blogger interface...

Five thing Friday - work lately, Tex Mex breakfast, plants, shrubs, cooking

Things at the hospital may be slowing, patient-wise, but the march of "progress" moves on.  Work has a very different feel, overall.

The view from the door leading out to what was once our employee parking lot is now pretty full of a building in progress.  We can have our hours cut but there's still money for construction.

Ironic.

And even though they say we are not busy enough to justify all of us on the clock during the day,  by the time I get home and relax a little, my legs and feet still ache.  Somehow I manage to stay busy and wear myself out - is that a good thing?  I would hate just sitting in a chair all day.

Which is pretty much what Hubby does.  Especially if my desk faced a corner of my wife's sewing and crafting room...I don't think that working from home is doing him any favors.  He isn't getting getting enough interaction with other humans and he isn't exercising and I am done nagging about it.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this meme was my boss asking me, back in 2015, where I saw myself in 5 years as he was basically marginalizing my contributions.  Wonder if he saw himself hanging on to his own job for dear life in 2020?  I remember telling him that I planned on doing exactly what I am doing right now - working hard.  Boom.  I actually got it correct.

OK enough of all that.

I underestimated the time it would take to get my tires rotated one morning this week, and with the extra time I took myself to breakfast and it was delightful.  {Tex-mex is my go-to breakfast!}  This is a tiny restaurant with good service and decent food just trying to make a go of it in these weird times we are in.  I had the machacado migas, beans, and potatoes with homemade tortillas. YUM.  I will return with Hubby in tow.

My mother gave me these airplane baby cuttings from her row of them along her garage.  I have only ever planted them in pots, but she has managed to use them as a border.  Hopefully I can keep from killing these - I haven't had much luck with the last two or three airplane plants!  I will let them sprout some roots first, in my fancy margarita glass for good luck, then find a place for them in a sunny window.

I am going to rip out the salvia in the front beds and add more hawthorn bushes, clean all of the late spring leaves out of the beds and mulch the whole thing.  I am aiming for a cleaner landscape that will look better from the street.  That's on my list of things to do this weekend.

Tried and true comfort food dinner last night:  Cowboy Casserole with a side order of brussels sprouts.  I prep the meals in the morning and either Hubby puts them on to cook, or I plate it up.  I haven't really felt like cooking all that much lately, but I really believe we need to stay in some sort of routine with dinners and not just give up and eat take-out during the week.  I am still ordering veggies from Imperfect and I think we are doing a good job of balancing the healthy with the delicious and keeping our food budget within a reasonable range.  

Maybe the title of this post should have been "trying to handle the summer doldrums"...things seem dreary.  I am so ready for cooler temps and happier times.

Gina

Weekend progress at Highlands

This last weekend, Hubby and I decided we would go ahead and purchase the beadboard for the barn's restoration.  {"The Barn" is the name we've given to the tiny apartment-like room under the metal building at Highlands, so named because its painted red.}

We got a late start on the morning, so we didn't make it to Home Depot until after lunch.  Burnet has one family-owned hardware store, so if you need something more, you have to travel to Marble Falls or Lampasas.

I think we bought something like 8 sheets of the stuff, plus various widths of trim.  It was a process just to purchase and load it - that should have been my first clue that we were in for a hard weekend.  But this project is a big one and we need to get moving on it  so we can finish well ahead of winter.  Hubby has already done so much to the space - completely re-working the electrical and plumbing, installing lights, a TV, water filtration system, storage... 

When we are done, all of the walls of the barn apartment will be white with white trim above and below, the floors will be a light grey, there will be a sleeper sofa against one wall, and the A/C will vent out through the building itself so that we can free up the window.  One half of the apartment will be sleeping and relaxing (bedroom), the other will be eating and storage (kitchen).  There are screens on the doors and windows, plus a ceiling fan,  so cool breezes can be enjoyed in fair weather.  The view from our barn apartment is lovely and there is space for Mabel {the T@B trailer} out back.  And eventually, we will be able to live here on site as our new house is constructed, if only for a month or two.  And afterwards it can be guest quarters or Hubby's home office.

The shower and potty are in the pumphouse just a short walk down the road - it will have to do for now!  Anyway, as usual I do not have loads of photos of the process this weekend - it was very very hot out and there was a LOT to do, meaning we spent most of the time actually working.  Summers at Highlands are brutal with 100 degree temps.  We took lots of breaks to stand under the outdoor shower to cool off and drank gallons of iced tea and water.

But a fire was built and enjoyed at sunset on Saturday.  

Two full days of building and nailing and lifting took its toll on us - we are not spring chicks any more.  We left the place picked up and clean, but breaking camp seemed to take us forever!  We ate take-out cheeseburgers for dinner on Sunday and called the weekend done at 10 p.m. - late, even for us.

Every now and then a weekend really wears me out and gets me off on the wrong foot for Monday - this was such a weekend.  Though we have loads of work to continue at Highlands, I have a list of things I want to do at Camp Rustown and my peeps will be here for dinner on Saturday, so I am staying put at home this coming weekend.  In a couple of weeks, we'll be back at Highlands and I will have more photos to share of the process.

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #50

We've had these vintage Tupperware canisters forever.  Hubby's mother gave them to him for college and they were even vintage then!  Over the years they have held crayons, hot wheels, Lego pieces, and sometimes even flour and sugar.  But their newest use is a makeshift pantry atop the storage lockers in the barn.  Its our Highlands Snack Stash!

It's the little things...

Monday - Meatballs and Rice Skillet (with carrots), dinner salad
Tuesday - Lemon Garlic Chicken Bites, chard, maybe a baked potato
Wednesday - Cowboy Casserole (using ground turkey), brussels sprouts
Thursday - Link Sausage with onions and peppers, scalloped potatoes, broccoli
Friday - Hamburger Patties, Overnight Mac and Cheese, Arkansas Green Beans
Saturday - TBD
Sunday - Take out!

Gina

The source of some trouble

This is Gus, my mother's Norwich Terrier.  He is 12 years old.  Don't let this innocent face fool you.  He's a pain in the neck.

  He has a habit of walking in front of Mother, causing her to trip.  He likes to pee on everything, including the upstairs carpet.  He loves to race out of the yard into traffic when someone opens the gate and will not come when called.  He jumps down from the bed in the middle of the night and asks to be let out.  Or he wanders around the house and that freaks my mother out.  And, he will scooch behind the couch so she can't haul him out and return him to bed.  So now he gets put directly into his crate at bedtime.  Sorry, not sorry, Gus.

This dog is ridiculously pampered.  He eats pricey dog food and still gets table scraps.  He gets regular grooming and expert medical care (something none of our pets ever got as I was growing up)  He has a special stool to help him up on the couch.  He has a spot on her bed.  He has a treats jar that is never empty.  He is, as my mother will say, her "only friend in a cruel world", which is not exactly correct, but he is her constant underfoot companion.

His recent behavior caused her to fall and injure herself, so now she gets to pamper him one-armed while living alone and fending for herself, too.  

This does not make me happy, Gus.

I worry about her being lonely and I also worry about her losing her treasured pet.  I visited her yesterday (hence, no post) to help her do some tasks around the house she cannot do for another 6 weeks, and she told me she had been so lonely, so it seems that even Gus cannot fill the void.

Trouble as he stays, trouble when he goes.

Gina