5 thing Friday - cracker pie, Chinese lunch, new sandals, yardwork, easy summer dinner

 My sweet tooth is out of control.  I read somewhere that sugar cravings are your body's way of feeding your sugar addiction.  Sounds about right.

Nevertheless, I made something called Lime Cracker Pie. Might as well be called Lime Crack Pie.  Sweetened condensed milk,  heavy cream, limes, Ritz crackers.  Every bit as delicious as you think it is.

On my quest to find decent Chinese food that isn't so expensive, I located this place on Burnet Rd. and gave them a try.  Not bad.

But what is it with my fortune cookie fortunes lately?  Seriously.  Please don't leave me any more land to deal with, thanks.  Money will do.

I am IN LOVE with my new summer sandals.

This is also the only brand of work shoes I can wear.

My sister told me today, regarding yardwork: "you should really hire somebody for that s*** and don't put yourself out there, it is just too hot Gina".  

But it only took me two hours to mow, edge, rake, and use the leaf blower on the driveway and patio.  Then I went inside and took a cool shower before going to buy groceries.

I am strong, and capable.  And I feel a great sense of pride knowing I have mastered this task, and others.

However, I did phone it in for dinner by using HEB turkey salad, bakery croissants, fresh melon, and some spicy chips for dinner.  And I might even have had a beer and the rest of that Lime Crack.

Gina

Monday menus #25

Right where I stood to take this photo is where our future house was going to be built.  A barndominium with three bedrooms, two baths, a shop big enough to also provide parking.  A deck that wrapped around. Garage door "windows" that we could open completely in cool weather, natural landscaping, a red front door...so many dreams and plans. 

But last week, Highlands officially went on the market.  And although I am trying to hold it together because I know it was a good decision, it almost feels like I lost Mark all over again.

Monday - kitchen closed - take-out to the rescue!

Tuesday - Fruited Chicken Salad on rest of the croissants, citrus and cayenne chips, carrot sticks {working a 12 hour day because I am a glutton for punishment}

Wednesday - Stuffed Bell Peppers, the collards I never cooked {on call tonight and might have to work overnight which makes me all kinds of sad}

Thursday - Skillet Chicken with red potatoes and carrots, a croissant on the side 

Friday - Creamy Pesto Shrimp, zucchini

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - Highlands, grilling, painting the back door, fortune cookie, FB

 Today's plan is to run up to Highlands and tie up a few loose ends as it goes on the market. For example: turn the pump back on and open the water main, move the BBQ grill, try to disassemble the swing, clean and freshen the barn and pumphouse, put a "For Sale" sign on the trailer and the canoe, say goodbye.

I hope Highlands will be for the new owners what it was for Mark.  He was so excited to drive me up there and walk me around the property, telling me all the names he planned for all of the spaces - The Barn, Hidden Meadow, Sunset Point, Moonlit Bluff.  What a romantic.

One of my favorite veggies to grill is okra.  To me, the insides get creamy instead of slimy. And I love the flavor!

On Wednesday, I grilled in the afternoon, before it got too hot.  Texas style pork chops, okra, and twice baked potatoes from the freezer.  It was a good thing I grilled early - we had a raging thunderstorm come through at dinnertime!

I also tried my hand at a chocolate chip cookie, but it got a little overcooked in my cast iron dish.  Cast iron keeps cooking even after you take it off the grill so the timing is important.  I'm sure I will try this again!

I'm giving the outside of the backdoor a fresh coat of paint soon and Dark Everglade is the closest I could match the color. Coincidentally its a close match to the kitchen backsplash accent tiles which are staying.  I have plans to have the wallpaper removed, walls textured and painted white, new pendant hung, rug and large wall clock added, maybe a smaller kitchen table and chairs...

On Tuesday, my smashed fortune cookie included this platitude: "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see"

I'm not exactly sure I can agree with that.  I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about the past while trying to envision the future and I think that what I see in the past is holding me up a bit.

my Facebook selfie on a happy day

After deleting many of my old posts, I took myself off Facebook yesterday, temporarily.  I got to thinking about how FB is a place where people appear not who they really are, or maybe they are, who really knows?  Families argue over politics, people you knew in high school plan reunions that few attend, acquaintances are bragging about their kids and vacations, people post things to make themselves look wise or pious... One of my older half-sisters posted something that hit a nerve with me, so I replied, she unfriended me, and I thought how ridiculous it is that on social media we are having this totally unsatisfactory conversation that ends in cutting each other off?  I need to harvest my photos on FB, then deactivate my account forever.

Gina

Monday menus #24

EVEN THOUGH my sprinkler system is fully functional and my lantana get plenty of sun, they were looking wimpy on one side of the mailbox.  So I purchased four more plants, moved a couple of them that had lighter flowers (a different variety?), aerated and mulched, then watered the heck out of the whole thing.

And I guess I will need to continue giving extra water until they are well-established.  The heat has been brutal lately!

But I do love lantana.

Monday - kitchen closed - working early today

Tuesday - Linguini and meaty marinara, freezer veggie {meet with realtor at Highlands}

Wednesday - Grilled pork chops and okra, twice baked potatoes {going to get labs drawn, errands}

Thursday - Quesadillas, broccoli cheese soup {yardwork in the morning, on call in the evening}

Friday - Grilled Chicken, Garlic and Herb Eggplant skillet {taking things up to Highlands for the realtor, chores at home}

Gina

5 thing Friday - baked potatoes, the deck spiff, Teddy, hard drive, hearts

 Its waaay too hot here to use the oven, but one of the last times I did was to make giant stuffed baked potatoes with whatever toppings I already had.  Sometimes its hard to make menus out because nothing really appeals to me...

These were delightful and included the rest of a roll of pork sausage, purple onion, cheese, butter, with a Chik-Fil-A sauce.  And now the oven is on vacay.

 

I should have taken a before shot of the deck when I was about to clean it.  But the above photo on the left is a wet and newly scrubbed deck, and the photo on the right is it drying.  My plan for Friday is to seal it before it gets blazing hot. 

I will post a follow up "after" photo. 

Its a tiny deck, but I love sitting out here.  I'm giving the patio set a fresh coat of black spray paint, too.  And dreaming about what color to paint my house.  I think black would be nice!

*update*

It feels like it dried really fast, even considering the humidity.  I also hit the patio set with black spray paint and put it all together well before lunchtime! I really like the natural look of this - doubtful I will ever stain it.

Teddy is here for a couple of days.  He spent the first hour or two of me being home on Thursday pacing around and panting, then climbing onto my lap as I was reading.  I would like to have him spend as much time in the yard as possible, but I need to get the deck done, so we'll see.

I found most of the photos I was concerned about losing - they are on a very old and outdated hard drive.  So I purchased myself a smaller one that has more storage space, and I am going to work on "harvesting" photos from Facebook, Google, and the old hard drive.  This will be a good project for 100 degree days which we are just beginning to have.

I have 4 or 5 more hearts to leave in various places then I will sew more of them.  I love it when someone finds one, then posts about it.  All of my fabric scraps have some sort of history, just like the ones in my mother's quilts.  This is a fun project to do that costs me nothing and adds a little happy to the world.

Have a great weekend!

Gina

Monday menus #23

 In addition to cleaning out closets and such at my house, I have been freshening things up.  Spring sprucing is happening in spurts, and here we are, in summer.

But there's really no time limit for that.

I'm realizing as I go along that making this space more inviting and comforting for me is a process, not something I can do in a day, or even two.  Its more than just changing out linens and purging decor and such.  Its about claiming my space and having what I want.  The menu is a reflection of that, too!

Monday - kitchen closed, but I want to pick this up on my way home

Tuesday - Chicken and sweet potato hash, collard greens

Wednesday - Turkey Burger on potato bun, chips (sliced tomato, purple onion, cheese)

Thursday - Trader Joe's Mushroom Ravioli, steamed broccoli

Friday - Taco Night (beef, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese) 

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - big cookie, pipe fixed, nail gun, coffee tables, college loans

 I've been really craving sweets every day after dinner.  At first I tried dried fruit with a few chocolate chips mixed in.

Then I thought, "why am I denying myself something good?" like a reasonable person would wonder, and I found a recipe for a giant one to two person cookie in 17 minutes.

It makes exactly enough for Scout and myself and is so delicious when warm from the oven.  A basic recipe and high quality chocolate chips is all you really need.

{2 T soft butter, 2 T brown sugar, 2 T white sugar, creamed.  Add one egg yolk, 1/4 t. vanilla, dash salt, 1/2 t. each baking soda and cornstarch, 1/3 c. flour, chocolate chips, 15 minutes at 350}

The saga of the broken pipe from New Years Eve is complete.  It cost me $200, hurt my relationship with my daughter, and was on my to do list for 5 months. I came across a name in Mark's handwriting for a handyman.  Long story short, I called him, he fixed it, he was very weird, made me feel uncomfortable, I'm never calling him again.

So many lessons learned.

I know I said I wouldn't lend anything again.  And I may be sorry I did lend this nail gun.  But the trade off (hopefully) is that I will foster goodwill, get some tips on how to use it myself, and help another single lady with limited income to learn to do for herself. What good does it do to let things rot in your garage when they could bless someone else, if only on loan?

I was so proud of myself for doing the kitchen cabinets that I also did the ancient coffee table in the den, ca. 1989.  I don't have a before shot but it had seen some things, man.  Its older than all of my kids...

It really needs a rug in here to break up all that brown.

The before on the living room coffee table - dated April 1960 on the underside.

The after.  Less impressive results than the den table.

But since it was an "add on" project, it cost me nothing and it looks nicer than it did.

Aaanndd this room could use a rug, too.

12 years ago, The Girl was accepted to Baylor and just this week, she told me her student loan to the State of Texas is paid in full.  Through scholarships, grants, part-time jobs, and parents she did finish at Baylor and is a full-fledged CPA.  But yes, sadly, there is still an outstanding student loan.  I have no doubt it will be paid off, too.  And it was well worth the investment.

Gina 

Monday menus #23

 Its getting hot outside, but one of my favorite things to do each evening is sit on my patio. Might as well get heat acclimated, as well as some fresh air.  Its not fancy by any means, but it is clean and set up exactly as I want it.

I light a citronella votive and an Off! mosquito coil, ask the Google lady to play some music, then park myself in my lounger and just relax.  Sometimes I make plans for the next project at my house (cleaning and sealing the deck is next), and sometimes I enjoy an adult beverage. 

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Gorgonzola Gnocci with grilled chicken, sweet potato {Scout and I are going to Highlands today}

Wednesday - Garlic Herb Tilapia, brussels sprouts, corn

Thursday - Crockpot Korean Beef, sauteed bok choy, mashed potatoes {on call tonight}

Friday - Stuffed Baked Potatoes (crumbled cooked sausage, cheese, purple onion, sour cream), cucumber salad {after today, I think the oven will remain off}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - dough bowl, purging, jewelry, scrubs, cabinets

 I was on the hunt for a long and low flat-ish bowl to use with some vase filler I already had and place on an empty (and dark) bookcase shelf.  Then I remembered I had this dough bowl languishing in a cabinet.  And I thought, why can't I just paint that?

And it turns out I could.  With wall paint of all things.

This dough bowl from DaySpring was originally dark brown.  I won it in a blog giveaway 11 years ago and have used it mainly on this bookcase, but it pops up all over my house.

I rubbed a little paint into the spaces on the end pieces which are some sort of stamped metal with a religious theme.

It cost me nothing but a few minutes since I had everything already and it was a fun little creative thing. Without the paint refresh, I likely would have purged it.

In my quest to continue death cleaning, I came across these ceramic tiles that my mother insisted I take home a couple years ago.  She bought them in China, but decided she couldn't use them.  Rule #1 about your house: don't purge, clean, and organize your home just to let someone else give you more things to store!  My sister is now the proud owner of them and she is delighted.

I took some things to James Avery for free cleaning and polishing. Whenever I do this, it feels like I'm getting new things and I want to wear all of it!  I don't wear a lot of jewelry to work, but I have always been a fan of jewelry - even as a very young child. That being said, my jewelry box might be the next thing I purge.

I bought four new scrub tops in a size too large, thinking they were at least comfy and would shrink, so I washed and dried them.  But every time I wore one of them, it looked unflattering.  So I posted them on the Buy Nothing group and they were gone from my house in 30 minutes.  This is the danger of buying scrubs on-line.  A frugal fail, but the lady who picked them up was thrilled.

 I am a fan of this product, which I used to refresh my kitchen cabinets.

It was hard to get an "after" and I forgot to take a "before".

I followed the directions to a T and as happens a lot of the time, I wondered what took me so long to finally get it done.  You can barely tell the cabinets had as much water damage as they did.  And this was a thousand times easier than painting them, not to mention less expensive.  Which inspired me to make a plan for more sprucing in my kitchen! 

Happy Weekend!

Gina