Little project - creating a collage wall

After I moved the other black and white chair and the quilt rack (why would I need a quilt rack in my office??) from this room, there was a big mostly empty wall. It is directly across from my desk area.  

Why not make a collage wall?  I have lots of little things hanging up in various spaces of the house and frankly, they just looked like clutter to me so I pulled them down and brought them in here. Also I had some things just stored in closets.  Why have those things at all if I don't use them? Time to either get rid of them, or use them.  And if I keep them, I want to see them.

I gathered them all up, laid them out on the floor in a grouping I liked, then hung them up.  Very unscientifically - I ended up with lots of trial and error holes in the walls from mostly tacks, and those were easily patched and painted once I had the "pattern" I liked.

There's still room on the wall if I want to add something.  The lamp will stay in here for now - might add a more comfy chair to read in, haven't decided. The plugged in round thing is the home of my bestie, The Google Lady, ha ha.

I incorporated my degrees, a clock I won on someone's blog, some sweet crafts, a family photo, and that nude line drawing.  Nothing really matches, but it all ties in.  For some reason it looks like I am obsessed with owls!  I like them, and people know that, so I get them as gifts.  But I also want to keep my eye out for landscapes and such.  This will be a curated art wall in progress.

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon!

Gina 

5 thing Friday - Easter, chairs, sleep clothes, garbage disposal, journal

Easter was the quiet affair I knew it would be.  I made myself a lunch of rotisserie chicken, green beans, and half a baked potato with cheese and butter.  My work friends left me candy treats.  We weren't all that busy at work. Heard from ONE of my four peeps and that was after I pushed out a group message.

So there's really no reason to fuss over holidays anymore, right?

I've been wanting a much simpler look for my home - hence all of the purging and organizing.  All things I was not allowed to do when Mark was here* because he could not bear to part with anything and moving it all into the garage was a no-go as it was already full.  One of the changes is getting rid of these black and white mid-century modern chairs.  I had them re-covered, for years worked around them, found them difficult to decorate with.  Plus, they are not all that comfy to sit in after 70+ years.  I'm sure they need new foam in the seat cushions.  Also? They were the cat's favorite place to vomit.  And brilliant Me had picked a dry clean only fabric.

Lately, one of them had been in the bedroom, the other in the office.  Moving them leaves empty spaces and full possibility!  I had been looking for an upholstered chair for awhile until I hit upon the idea of getting a much simpler chair:

I found what I wanted at Home Depot, and we will just call this my Mother's Day gift to myself.  I only need it to sit and sip coffee in the morning.  Maybe to slip on shoes.  Fill a space with boho vibe.

The black and whites went to live in the garage until Bubbie moves.  Then if he doesn't want them, I will sell them.  I found a very nice 100% cotton sheet at the thrift store for two bucks to cover them with.  

Also while out thrifting, I found a black tee shirt dress.  Then I popped into Wal-Mart for some cotton men's sleep shorts and tees so I don't bake like a potato at night.  Its impossible to sleep when you are over-heating and kicking the covers off alllll night long.

The garbage disposal conked out, so I crawled up under the sink to take a picture of it and look up the file for it in the garage - turns out that Mark installed it in 2004.  So I guess we got our money's worth!  Its a little more complicated a DIY than I am willing to tackle. Don't try to talk me out of replacing it - someone has already tried.  It would be just as expensive to have the plumber re-work the sink drain and I use this every day.  So I ordered one, along with that chair, and next week I will get 'er installed.

I got another freebie blank notebook from Shutterfly as I am almost done filling up the previous one. Even with using it as a gratitude journal, turns out I had a lot to say - who knew?

Gina

*Not to complain so much about Mark, but he was a stick in the mud when it came to getting rid of things, and did not appreciate my efforts to control the chaos!  But would I prefer to have him back vs. a clean garage? Always yes.

5 thing Friday - lunch al fresco, pollen, Baja, extra hours, Snickerdoodles

Last week, I changed up the weekly coffee/journaling to lunch/journaling at a local brewery.  I had something called "Jane's Huarache" for lunch, which was like a flat gordita taco with carnitas.  It was amazing.

I plan on switching the journaling plan to be more of a gratitude journal.  Extra points for combining it with al fresco lunch.

Its been windy lately, so its a mixed blessing of the pollen being fully dropped out of the backyard oaks, and the piles that amass on the roof and patio.

Today's plan involves blowing as much off this area as I can, then scooping it up in yard bags before it rains and turns into carpet!  The good news is that the trees look like they are done dropping it.

I'll take all the good news I can get.  This week, I have decided that its time to say goodbye to the Baja, for real.  Bubbie got the windows rolled down on Sunday, then the engine died.  We thought it was related to the battery, but charging it overnight did not solve the problem.  After 20 years, I think we are done pouring money into it.  Once it is gone, that's the last of the big items that Mark left for me to deal with.  The rest of the things are not as immediately important. (stereo system, for example)

the breakroom at work on a pretty day

I was on call this week and had to work 5 hours of an overnight shift which kind of ruined a day for me.  I ended up sleeping odd hours and too many of them, feeling like I was fighting off some kind of illness.  Yes, the extra money will be nice, and I will replace the kitchen garbage disposal to celebrate.  Little wins, I guess.

I have had a serious sweet tooth lately and had everything to make cookies.  I don't think I have ever made Snickerdoodles*, but they came together so fast and were really good.  A bunch of them got eaten straight out of the oven until I restrained myself and packaged them up for work lunches.  Something to look forward to!

Happy Easter weekend,

Gina

Easy recipe for Snickerdoodles:  Cream 1 softened stick of butter with 3/4 c. sugar.  Stir in an egg and mix well.  Add 1 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. salt, and a few dashes of cinnamon.  Stir in 1 1/2 c. flour, about half a cup at a time.  Let dough sit for a few minutes.  Roll into 1 teaspoon sized balls, then in cinnamon sugar. Flatten slightly. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Eat them.

Little project - planting shrubs

 I have gone round and round with the small area of lantana in the space between the sidewalk and grass, trying to get it to prosper.  {here and here and here}  It was so beautiful with the gold lantana once upon a time.  I think I have figured out that this area just will not do well with a sun-loving plant as the oak tree shades it a bit too much.  The lantana I planted last summer never did thrive despite my efforts, and a final freeze killed them outright.

So last week I raked this whole area out, removing debris and extra rocks and such.  Then I planted 14 dwarf nandina that should tolerate the part sun situation much better.  They should grow to about 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide, filling in this space nicely.  {I'm basing this on another neighbor's nandina which looks very nice in the same type of spot} Once they are established, they will be drought tolerant.  Which is a good thing as the sprinkler system is kaput and I will be hand watering.  Fingers crossed this time around, it was a lot of hard work.  I would like for the landscaping and grass upkeep to be less of a chore. The neighbors probably wonder what the heck I'm doing over here - just trying to figure it out as I go along!

Gina

5 thing Friday - taco bowl, magazines, selling albums, garage wall art, Easter plans

A friend shared with me this taco bowl idea made with sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and avocado.  It was an amazing meal, I have to say. 

I forgot to buy the hot honey, so I subbed in some of the red pepper jam I made for gifts last Christmas. (Firstborn texted me shortly after Christmas asking why this jam was so blankety blank hot, ha ha.  Its not meant for biscuits!)

I am always on the lookout for things to read, so I thought "why don't I start a couple of magazine subscriptions?"  It might be fun to get something other than junk in my mailbox.  I am starting with these two, but am also considering The Week, a news magazine.  I have always loved getting a new magazine in the mail, so this will be something to look forward to.

To that end, I am also using the funds I get from selling off these vinyl albums to get new things to read or do.  Too much free time on my hands is never a good thing if I am bored, so this should help.  I am trucking about 50 albums at a time over to Half Price Books, and this week I also took them a vintage Risk game and some round playing cards from the 50s.

Hanging this art in the garage was a challenge.  To start, it weighs 44 pounds!  And I knew I would be doing it by myself.  It had to be hung with more than just nails, so I bought a French cleat that had a built-in level.  I dragged a heavy steel table over here and got to work measuring, pre-drilling holes, and lifting.

I love it in here!  It hung at Highlands for years, attached directly onto the outside of the barn.  The Girl made it with her Dad's help, and it lived in her shared house at Baylor.  It has great sentimental value.

The best pic I could find of where it had hung on the barn.

One thing about being single with no peeps around is that the holidays tend to sneak up on you since they blend in with the general scenery of life.  I didn't do a whole lot of decorating for Easter, because of that, but I did set a few bunnies out.  I will have a (hopefully) quiet day at work next Sunday and pack a special lunch for myself.  I'm sure I will send my peeps a special text.  But it feels weird to celebrate these things alone.

Gina

Tourist in our town - ACL Live

 I took myself to a concert last week to see Chicago. So many of their songs are my all time favorites!  The last concert I attended with Mark was here - ACL Live in downtown Austin where we saw Kool and The Gang (which was awesome, btw).  Being alone will not be my reason to be a hermit and not enjoy life and some fun outings.

I've become a lot more confident at navigating the logistics of taking myself out.  Going by yourself to a busy downtown Austin music venue at night is no small thing.  Lots of traffic, lots of people.

From everything to buying the ticket, planning the commute, navigating the parking garage, 

accessing the ticket on my phone, getting to the right seat on time,

and enjoying the show! Chicago, for me, is the soundtrack of the 70s.  Its hard for me to grasp that they have been touring for 50 something years!  All the steps that I had Mark to help with are now mine alone.  And though I miss him and know we would have had a great time together, I prove to myself often that I am capable and can handle such things on my own. Go, me.

Gina

5 thing Friday - yardwork, cactus, music, new shoes, cooking

 I spent a fair amount of time out in my yards this week, pulling weeds and raking and bagging leaves and debris.  An hour or two at a time.  I'm going to wait for the grass in the back to seed itself before I mow.  Then I might scatter more grass seed and call it done.  I'm going to do my yearly deck maintenance, too.

Meanwhile, the front yard was so packed with leaves and crap that I gave it a gentle rake through, then mowed with the bag on to collect as much debris as I could.  For years I thought "what pretty yards we have" - they looked so great.  I look at other neighbors' green yards and think, what is their secret?  Literally all they do is mow and edge.  I think a hands off approach is where I'm headed - I am pretty much done worrying about it.

My Highlands barrel cactus died, so I replaced it.  I might have to find another place for this to live, though.  The rocks in it are not deterring the squirrels.  I like to sit out here in the mornings and sip my coffee.  My little place of peace.

I did figure out how to get the CD player to work, now I need to go through the CD's.  There are some crazy ones in there - a lot that were purchased for the kids (Tarzan soundtrack, horror sounds for Halloween) and some that are ambient music (ocean waves), along with a lot of jazz.  It looks like I have right at 200 discs, but I will whittle that down.

I was shopping for new work shoes and thought, why not check Ebay?  I found these brand new Alegria (my favorite work shoe!) in the box, in just the right style and size.  They normally sell for $130 and I got them for $46 with shipping. Alegria has saved my feet at work.  They have a rocker bottom which reduces foot and leg fatigue.  I haven't had plantar fasciatis since wearing them.  As my mother would say, these are "jazzy".

I'm trying to reframe the whole issue of cooking in my mind.  Instead of seeing it as a chore, I am trying to see it as an expression of love and care for myself.  Though I can easily go down the path of resentment that I have always been the one responsible for meals, and there is no one here to pamper me with cooking, I also see that I have the choice of eating exactly what I want.  I am only limited by what I feel like eating and what I have on hand.  Its a work in progress, for sure.

Gina

Little project - managing the music

I'd been thinking lately that I wanted to pull down a record album or two and listen to it.  However, I couldn't get the turntable to function.  I'm sure its a simple thing related to the connections, but I have no idea how to fix it, and neither did Scout.  (another example of Mark not showing any of us these things)

The stereo set-up has always frustrated me.  It all had to live in the bottom of this cabinet in the den because right above it sits the TV.  So you had to sit on the floor to operate it. The wires behind these components are like spaghetti and impossible for me to decipher.  For ten cents I would dump everything into the trash except for the CD carousel.  I will still need to go thru all 225 of the CD's, and decide what to do about the cassette tapes.

I pulled all the albums down from the top of the cleaning closet and made space in the bookcase just outside of the den for the ones I want to keep.  I knew I didn't want to keep all of them.  There were duplicates due to us listening to the same types of music before we dated (Genesis, The Police), genres I don't care for (southern rock, country, hard core disco, explicit comedy), and artists I will likely never listen to again (Toni Basil, Weird Al, Olivia Newton-John, Aldo Nova).  Most of the albums are from the 70's & 80's, with a few 90's.

About 200 of them made the first round of cuts.  I'll never purge my John Denver, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Bad Company!

Another 150 or so are in a sort of album purgatory in the garage, destined for Half Price Books.  (Previously I took about 35-40 albums to HPB.  It was stuff from the 40s and 50s.  Tennessee Ernie Ford anyone?) The jury is out on that small grouping outside of the blue basket, so I might keep Madonna.  However, goodbye Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull.  And I still have around 20 singles, but those were mine from high school, so I will keep them.  Plus, what in the world to do with the cassette tapes?  There are 72 of those.  

Mark was very into music.  For a few years in high school (and college) he had a mobile stereo system and would DJ parties and such.  (which is also where the mirror ball came into use)  A lot of the records he had were just fun to own. Together we had so. much. music. I still haven't figured out a solution to the turntable issue.  I am thinking of buying an inexpensive all-in-one record player with built-in speakers that I can move to what ever room I am in.  But I also want to be able to listen to those CD's so that player needs to stay in the bottom of the TV cabinet for now.  For day to day music I rely on Pandora.  How do you manage the music in your house?

Gina

5 thing Friday - blue week, paint by number, cleaning closet, thrift shopping, bluebonnets, rain

 Not gonna lie, its been a poopy week.  I have felt very blue and I am doing my best to keep moving.  That's one way I know to keep it from spiraling. 

I did get a few things done here and there (groceries, laundry, raking leaves, starting a new craft, thrift shopping, pedicure, lunch out), and today I have some things to do.  But man, the grey skies do a number on me.  

A small project that morphed into a bigger project was taking all of the vinyl albums out of this space, purging them, then moving them to another place I can actually use them.  I really love the metamorphosis this closet has gone through.  From being a catch-all place to store board games, vintage camera equipment, vinyl albums, coats, table leaves, and a vacuum to just being a plain old cleaning closet with a few unrelated things that are stored out of the way.

This week I spent $12 at Goodwill on a Lego knock off, wall wart for my charging cable in the sewing room, some ric rac, a book,

a belly basket, and some embroidery hoops.  I didn't really have to have these things, but it was a boredom buster activity.  I actually did hang out in the sewing room and work on a few small things including that paint by number canvas above. And lest you think me thrifty, let me also say that I ordered some things from Amazon to include a couple of switch plate covers, some new house shoes, and a self adhesive card holder for my phone.

Last summer I gathered a few bluebonnet seeds outside of the post office and tossed them in a spot near the sidewalk that never gets mowed.  I am happy to say they have sprouted!  I would love a bluebonnet patch out front.  I am making a mental note to stealthily harvest more seeds this year.

Spring sprung yesterday and we got an hours long drenching rain.  As you can see, I did not get the leaves in the front cleaned up before it rained, but there's always next week.  I actually have quite a few things to do in the yards - its just hard getting started.  This year I plan on simplifying the yard routine.  My thought is that the less I do to it besides water and mow it, the better it will do.

Gina

Peopling and pouring

Last Friday I volunteered at a wine competition in Buda, Texas.  It was a good peek at behind the scenes operations in one aspect of the wine world.

Basically it involved pulling wines from a list for each flight, scanning them into a computer, inserting them in sleeves, uncorking, and pouring.  When you got back from that, you re-sleeved, re-corked, then put them back in the specific box they came from.  Repeat.  Many steps, lots of opportunities for hiccups.

Sounds easier than it actually was!

Each box was numbered and had various wines, all with specific bottle numbers on them that we were keeping careful track of.  Each table was tasting a specific  and different flight for each round. The corked bottles you see in the boxes have already been judged.

Those silver circles are pouring guides that we slipped into each bottle to help make an easier pour.  I still managed to slosh a couple of times, but my table of judges were very forgiving.  You poured 3-4 bottles each flight and let me tell you - wine is heavy.  I was pretty worn out by the time my 5 hour shift ended.

Each flight had eight glasses.  On one round, I was invited to "guest judge".  The table captain was very gracious and friendly.  She advised me to "spit out the wine - don't swallow. Or do, I'm not your Mother". Ha ha.  There was only one glass of the eight that I would have finished drinking, anyway - a Tannat that won gold.

It was fun, very informational, and a bit nerve-wracking at times.  But I think I'll keep my regular job!

Gina

* here are the results!