Weekend re-cap: putseying at Highlands

 It was a very low key weekend that started out with tacos and yardwork at Camp Rustown. {yes, I  grated cheese directly on the table...}  I figured it would be easier to order the tacos on-line, then drive over there and have them place them in my front seat.  But when I called the number posted at the parking space, they told me to drive thru.  I could've just done that to begin with!  There were already cars in line.  Oh well.  Note to future self: make your own tacos.

We kept the adult drinking down to a minimum this weekend, but I did enjoy a lemon Pellegrino with frozen strawberries and splash of gin.  It was cool and refreshing - the weekend weather was just regular old summer heat.  We headed over to Save The World with our late lunch after picking up a few things at the bustling Marble Falls Wally World.  {Another change:  you can't bring lunch into the brewery because they have had to reclassify themselves as a restaurant to stay open.  These are such crazy times...the rules seem arbitrary and make zero sense to me.}

We took our beer to go and later we enjoyed it during the cool of the evening at Highlands while Hubby made a chicken and potato Dutch oven dinner.  Everything seems greener at the end of the summer when we get so much rain.

We played cards until bedtime, and both of us were so tired. Since we had put some carpet down in the barn, we slept on the cots in there to see how comfortable it would be for guests.  The A/C kept it nice and cool and the cots are OK, we just need new pillows.  It was a nice Saturday.

The next day we did more putseying here and there - I cut Hubby's hair, he trimmed some trees - and we finally got the swing repainted and on solid ground.  The weekend before, we had capsized it while standing up from it!

We took four of the pavers from up at the barn and gave the swing feet a solid surface to rest on.  We had to sink a couple of them further down to get it to hang level and we spray painted it first since it had some rust here and there.  We also cut back some evil stick cactus that was a little too close for comfort.  This swing is over 20 years old, purchased a couple of summers after we moved into Camp Rustown.

It sits a little lower on this particular hill, but still has a pretty sweet view.

And after we admired it a bit, it was time to head back home.  This week promises some cooler weather and we have a wedding anniversary coming up.  Would I have loved to be on a cruise instead?  Yes, but we will make our plans and celebrate Austin style.  Who knows?  It may be our last one at Camp Rustown! 

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #58

We have been letting our healthy eating habits lapse on the weekends and my recent labwork shows higher cholesterol and 2 pounds gained.  Maybe cut me some slack for the pandemic and all of its ripple effects.  But we both need to get back on track, so I am doubling down on the food planning.  Starting with last week I also "planned" breakfasts to help make it simpler.  It looks like this:

M - oatmeal or cereal, T - 1 egg, fruit, toast, W - oatmeal or cereal, T - waffle with almond butter, F - oatmeal or cereal, Sat - free choice!, Sun - 1 egg, fruit, toast. 

Weekday lunches are leftovers, and Sunday lunch is a sandwich.

Monday - Mexican Chicken Breast with avocado and green onion, cilantro rice {order my produce box}

Tuesday - Tilapia, butternut squash

Wednesday - Pot of Beans (seasoned with bacon ends and pieces because I'm not a monster) with onions and peppers, freezer cornbread {going to Brenham today, chores in the p.m.}

Thursday - Grilled Pork Chop, brussels sprouts with carrots {grocery shop*}

Friday - Grilled Chicken, baked sweet potato, zucchini 

Saturday - Free choice all day - anniversary weekend begins!

Sunday - Sea Scallop Stir Fry with green beans and lo mein noodles

I still have some groceries in there to use up, so I need to cook those things (for example, those pricey lo mein noodles),  and we can't eat chicken breast or fish exclusively, so we have to have a bit of pork or beef now and then.  Dessert is going to be rare, as well as wine or beer during the week.  UGH.  Wish us luck.

*I don't know how Thursday became my day to shop but its as good a day as any, and maybe better than a Monday or Friday.

Gina

5 thing Friday - smoky sunset, weeds, work friends, views, change

The smoke from fires in California made for an interesting sunset last Saturday.  A pink sky and a tiny orange pink sun.  Pretty, but so ominous.

In the foreground of the above pic you can just make out these flowers.  They are Septic Weed (Senna Occidentalis).  Ugly name, pretty flowers.  They are all over Highlands as we have had a wet end to our summer in Central Texas.

I have known a woman for years who is one of those people that you either like or don't like, and I felt  both ways as we had a tricky relationship at work.  For really no reason.  We came to an understanding eventually, and she emails me occasionally.  Its nice to be on the other side of all that work drama.  So when I saw her lunch kit in the window at work,  I froze for a moment!  I sent her a pic of it and she laughed, wondering what had happened to it.  Someone is using it!

The scene from the top of the parking garage.  I am treated to various degrees of beautiful skies at the end of my workday, and for that I am grateful.  Particularly as I can now use the elevator so I park allthewayatthetop just to catch the views.

I planted a tiny thumb of a cactus from Highlands in a pretty pot for another work friend who is leaving.  (and there's a pretty sparkly rock there that will look more to scale as the cactus grows) I feel like that was more sentimental than anything I could buy.  A piece of my future home to a spot in her future home.   Its hard to say goodbye to even casual work friends, and all around me seems to be change and more change.  I feel like I'm still here, and all of them are leaving, and maybe its time for me to decide where to go next...

Gina

Curtains for the Barn

One of the main things I wanted to work on last Saturday was getting some curtains made for the bottoms of these two tables in the Barn.  Underneath both of them is storage that I don't necessarily want to see all of the time - snake boots, first aid kit, and pee potty* to name a few...This little kitchen has everything we need, except a "cute" factor.  So I hauled my machine up there, along with some vintage flour sack fabric.

I didn't have enough of any one fabric to make all of the curtains so I figured I would do sections of all the fabrics - sort of a boho look.  And all of them were already the same size and pressed.

I spread out a towel to press seams on, plugged in my machine and my iron, and got to sewing while Hubby mowed Highlands.  The weather was perfect, so I had the doors and windows open and the music going - it was a nice way to spend a Saturday morning!

So far, so good!  I made one long panel for the first one.  Under this table are boots, the fondue kit, the pizza stone, and a plastic bin with extra water bottles and booze.  We won't have to access it all that often so it can pretty much stay closed.

A short time later, I had the other panels done - these separate in the middle to allow us to access the bucket that the sink drains into, the pee potty, and a first aid kit.  (notice the sub-floor which will eventually be covered with actual flooring)

I used tension rods and stretched them from wall to fridge.  Originally I planned to attach them to the underside of the tables, but the lip was so slick and too narrow for the tension rod foot to get a grip on.  I am entirely pleased with how they came out!

The next day we hung blinds from both small windows - the Barn is starting to look more and more like a tiny home away from home.  

Gina

*the pee potty is a safe way for me to go in the middle of the night, rather than traipse with a flashlight over to the pumphouse.  I empty it every week end and keep it very clean so if you didn't see it, you wouldn't know its there!

Empty Nest Menu #57

Simple is the name of the game with these menus as I focus on a couple of projects and not losing my mind at work... 

Monday - Seasoned Chicken Cubes, butternut squash, small serving of seasoned rice {order produce box}

Tuesday - Tuna Salad on toast with sliced avocado, Hatch chili corn chips

Wednesday - Polenta with bell pepper and onion marinara, green beans

Thursday - Crock Pot Roast Beef with carrots, onions, potatoes {freeze some for later meals}

Friday - Grilled Chicken, chard, baked sweet potato {change out kitchen water filters}

Saturday - Freezer meal - I have many containers in there that we need to empty! {work on the "folding chairs" project}

Sunday - Grilled Shrimp with mini peppers, brussel sprouts

Gina

5 thing Friday - parking, moth, schnitzel, cards, empty nest once more

 After a couple of back and forth emails I was somehow able to convince an administrator that the elevators in the employee parking garage weren't opening in the evenings.  I was always winded when I finally got to my car.

 Glory Be, she saw to it and now I do not feel about to pass out when I reach my car.  And the view is great up there.  Above you can see the old Mueller airport tower from one side of the garage,

...and on the other you can see a pretty sweet sunset.  That is, until the time change, I guess.  (How are we halfway done with September already?) 

 I spied a giant moth above the barn door last Sunday.  Huh.  Neat. 

I forgot all about it until it fluttered down to rest at my feet and scare me half to death.

Does it not look like a creepy cat face?

 Pork Schnitzel, sammich of my dreams.  The meat is too big for the bun!  Its glorious and I ate the whole thing.  I have only ever eaten them at Fiesta Winery.  I hope that particular food truck stays there forever.

Hubby and I created a makeshift coffee/cards table out of an old scout camp locker and played cards at Highlands last weekend.  I won.  He got mildly annoyed.  We munched on M&M's and enjoyed the a/c.

Coming home to an empty house is something we had to get used to all over again, as The Girl headed back to Houston with Teddy last Friday.  I will miss pestering her when I get home from work.  As the only girl with three brothers, she used to scream bloody murder when anyone went near her room.  Now she welcomes the company and I can lounge in there all I want...my how things have changed.

Gina

Vintage folding chairs, take two

Years ago, a friend gave me the cutest owl-patterned oilcloth she had ordered off Etsy for a project and decided not to use.  I used it to re-cover some chair seats on some very old folding chairs so that we could have extra dining table seating that was easily stored.

I loved how they came out!  And we did use them at home up until a couple of years ago when we took them to Highlands to use.  And that was a big mistake...

 I figured the chairs were indestructible, making them good candidates for using around a round metal table we had in a shady spot.

 Dumb of me, I know.  The rain, the heat, and the bugs {not to mention about 5 years out there} did their thing and now the chairs are a DISASTER.

 UGH.  I am so annoyed with myself.  So it looks like I have a Fall project to keep me busy.  I will need to remove the seats, unstaple the fabric, sand and seal the wood, add new fabric, and give them a coat of Rustoleum.  Then they will live at Rustown, safe from the elements.

As luck would have it, the Etsy shop that sold the fabric to my friend still has the material and she and I are working on the details of getting it to me.  So by Thanksgiving I will once again have some cute folding chairs to use for extra seating.  Wish me luck on this project - its going to be messy!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #56

 At this writing, it looks like a calm and empty kind of week.  Not that I miss the stress, but I kinda like my weeks to be full, so I will try to add in some activities!

Monday - Baked Chicken Breast with stuffing, squash

Tuesday - Italian Sausage Eggplant, green beans

Wednesday - Cheesey Olive Bread, tomato soup

Thursday - Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with bell pepper

Friday - Tuna Salad on toast, cantaloupe

Saturday - OUT or Stuffed Peppers from the freezer

Sunday - Pizza at home
Dessert this week is dark chocolate peanut butter pretzel nuggets

Gina

Barn progress and stopping point!

 Hubby and I ran up to Highlands last weekend to see if we could work on the barn a little bit more.  We had intended only to finish nailing up the remaining trim and caulking but we ended up painting it, too.  We still aren't finished with all that we want to do on it, but we have made real progress!  We can take a weekend or two to sit back and admire our work.  One day I will post all of the afters...

Above is where we started just after the first of the year - Hubby got the walls and ceiling prepped with insulation.

We removed the A/C, built a box inside the cabin for the portable A/C vent, and added beadboard.

Now the window is empty to let light in, has a bigger sill and there is beadboard, trim, and paint.  Stopping point.  You can see the extra panel of beadboard we have leaning against the wall and I know the lighting isn't great but I will post full (and better) after photos when we get done!

The above photo is the opposite corner of the room.  All we added there was ceiling trim.  The next weekend we work on this we will likely touch up the paint and put the outlet covers back on, as well as re-hanging the TV.  I'm also going to make "skirts" for the folding tables in here and we will do blinds instead of curtains - just easier to secure privacy that way.

This was the corner of the room before (with some sunshine and shadow from the screen door opposite)...

...and this is the after.  Basically, the barn is a tiny home or efficiency, so the white walls were key to it not feeling cramped.  All that's left to add is flooring, then baseboards.  We will leave the lavender ceilings for now - we aren't sure if we can paint that material, but I would love for it to be black with tiny white lights strung up.  Its coming right along and will be a cozy little space!

Gina

Christmas in September

 I know that Hubby thinks I have lost my marbles when I start talking about the Christmas tree in September...But the last couple of years, I just remember feeling so over it by the time we got home from the tree farm.  So much mess, so much expense.  And it just doesn't make sense to me to have a "kid's tree" any more.  So I got him to agree to no tree farm, but I really don't want to spend ANY money on a new tree or new decorations.

From my stash I pulled out all of the evergreen picks that I usually use around the house, on the mantel and such.  Found the sparkly $1 reindeer and located one string of LED lights.

Then I pulled the "kid's tree" out from its nook in the garage and stripped it of its red lights.  I fluffed the branches and pulled some of them forward more,  since this tree will live in a corner of the living room. {no tree in the den will seem strange...}

With lights on and fluffed, I think it has potential. {This tree is ca. 1970!}

I turned off the lights so I could see where to place the picks of evergreens.  If I buy anything this year, it might be more of these, but I'm making no promises.  I think that once I put ornaments on it, it will be fuller and sparkly-er.

I wired the reindeer onto the top and added some random sprigs up there, but I'm not sure if I will leave that as is.  I'm tempted, though.  It makes me feel gleeful that all I will have to do is pull this into the living room and add ornaments and a tree skirt!  Let the holiday season come at me - I am going to be frugal and ready.

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #55

I took today off since Hubby would be off and no one else had spoken for it.  Anymore its hard to work those 5 day weeks.  Maybe its the weather.  Maybe its the pandemic.  Maybe its because our nest is empty.  But I dislike Mondays at work so this will be a nice break.

Monday - Grilled chicken, chard {Labor Day, I'm on call M-Th, order my produce box}
Tuesday - Pork Chops, sauteed squash
Wednesday - Beef Tacos with avocado and tomato
Thursday - Link Sausage with onions and peppers, corn on the cob
Friday - (freezer) Spaghetti, brussels sprouts
Saturday - OUT {The Girl is 29 today!, pick-up at 7 Creeks and Fiesta}
Sunday - Italian Roast Chicken Thighs, roasted potatoes and carrots {pick up at Esperanza}

Gina

5 thing Friday - feets, coffee, rain, Sticky Chicky, the weekend

Most days my feet hurt so bad by bedtime.  I thought I had solved that issue by buying new insoles for my favorite work shoes.  But no shoe out there will save your 60 year old feet from walking most of the day, and standing for hours wearing a lead apron.  

ooof.  So swollen.

When I worked retail, they hurt much, much worse.  Eight hours of being on my feet on wooden floors, usually wearing low heels or flats.  At the end of the day I could not even walk across carpet, they hurt so bad.  So I should be happy that by morning now, they feel pretty much back to normal and ready for another day.

I've gone back to drinking creamer in my coffee every day, not just weekends.  I can do black coffee, its just not my favorite.  I know I shouldn't have all those additives, fake flavors and sugar but they sure do make my cuppa taste great.  Chemicals for the win!

I spy a small wet bird taking shelter from the rain on a palmetto at the hospital, but getting wet anyway.  Come on rain!  We sure could use all we can get of it in Central Texas.  Its supposed to rain through Saturday and it feels a bit more Fall-like outside.

Sometimes getting off early means I get to enjoy dinner while it is still hot out of the crockpot!  This was Sticky Chicky, rice, and broccoli with carrots.  On a rainy evening it sure hit the spot. {there appear to be lots of recipes on-line for Sticky Chicky, so pick your favorite version and try it - most, if not all of them, feature peanut butter - SO GOOD}

This won't be our Sunday breakfast view like it was a couple of weeks ago.  

Isn't it pretty?  I love it.

Instead we will be dog-sitting Teddy this weekend and maybe catching live music and tacos for lunch at a local winery.  But I am also off on Monday!  So maybe Hubby and I will go, see, and do.  Hooray for September - the month I always think kicks off Fall and birthday season for the Cannary family.  Starting with The Girl on the 12th!

Gina