5 thing Friday - cooking, trees, socializing, a coffee cup, gallery wall

Its been an OK week, overall.  I have gotten a few small things done around the house, read a book, worked on my family history, bought groceries, etc. and so forth. 

I've been shopping at Trader Joe's more often and making simpler meals.  The panko Tilapia is pretty good, as are the BBQ pork fried rice and the grilled chicken strips.  I haven't used the oven much.  I'm not as into salads as I was last summer, but maybe next week I will switch that up.

I had an arborist come take a look at my trees and make recommendations.  Of the four live oaks, this one I am most worried about.  This long scar is an actual crack from when the tree froze in the terrible ice storm we had a few years ago.  I thought my trees had escaped damage. It healed over the split so only time will tell if I am able to keep this 1/3 of the tree.  I'm trying not to obsess over it.  The tree company comes in a couple of weeks to give all of my trees a good haircut.

I met a friend for a beer and gab this week - 4 hours went by in the blink of an eye.  We went to a place where Mark and I used to go long ago.  They spruced up the place and were doing a good business - looking around I saw lots of folks my age and a friendly doggo or two.

She's the same one who gave me this mug!  I use it often and remind myself that grief and hope, crying and laughing can all exist sometimes in the same day.  Its nice to talk with her about everything.  We met 46 years ago as college freshmen at UT.

At this point, she's been in my life longer than Mark was.  He would have approved of the mug, and he did love his coffee.

OK, I finished the wall that was supposed to be a corner gallery. I changed up a lot of the art I had originally chose, opting for things that really spoke to me.  I thrifted some things, pulled some pieces from elsewhere, filled in with stuff from Hobby Lobby.  Its nice to gaze at as I sit on the couch, sipping my wine. Its gonna be one of those things I change up now and then.

Just on the other side of the front door, and it's prettier in person. And that's all I have for today - thanks for reading along and have a great weekend!

Gina

Crafty key art

I saw these cute shadow box framed keys at an antique mall in Burnet:

I thought, well, I have some old keys I could use for a craft.  They were on various keyrings of  Mark's so they have sentimental value to me.  Who knows?  They may have been to our first apartment, first house, the Galveston home he grew up in - I have no idea exactly what each one went to, only that they were important enough for him to hold onto.

I didn't have a small frame, but I do have several embroidery hoops.  I laid out the keys I wanted to use: two big keys for parents, four smaller ones for kids.  Six in all, to represent our family.  I stretched some burlap into a hoop, and trimmed off the excess on back. Then I added a dab of hot glue on the back of each key and set them on the burlap.  Done.

I kind of love the meaning here: each person "key" to the family that we built.  This was a very sentimental craft.

Symbolism was always big to Mark, as well.  Two peas in a pod we were.

Gina

5 thing Friday - Tech Week, beer and Deb, butternut squash soup, photo gift, Pena print

 

Radiologic Technology Week is coming to a close.

My current boss believes in feeding us and gifting us!

She set up a table near her office and it was loaded with treats.  And she made plans all week to feed us bagels, BBQ, ice cream, pizza, Tiff's Treats, Taco Cabana tacos, and a ton of candy. Plus, she had games out and awards prizes if you play.  Everyone also got a tote bag with socks, a phone charger, stickers...we were all like little gleeful kids.

I met up with my college roomie this week to enjoy the beautiful weather and beer.

She has a lot going on, but never fails to make time to meet up.  We talk about anything and everything and the hours always go by in a flash. Its been one of my favorite things to look forward to.

No matter how small a butternut squash I buy, it always seems too big.  So I got the idea to toss half of it in the crockpot with onions, apples, chicken stock from the freezer, a bit of butter, and some seasonings.  I cooked it on high for about 6 hours.

I used my immersion blender to make it creamy and it was delish with a grilled cheese and ham sammie on a night I did not feel like eating what I had on the menu.  Some days are like that.

I am putting together a sentimental gift for the peeps - a Shutterfly calendar with rarely seen photos before the digital age.  I say rarely seen because my kids never look through all these old albums.  But man, were we all cutie patooties!  I shed a happy tear or two.  I hope they love them - Firstborn was just telling me he needs a paper calendar to keep up with everyone's birthday, ha ha.

Since that Pena print is hanging in the hallway at eye level I could see how dirty it was - on the inside!  I don't know how that happened, but I was determined to clean it up.

I carefully removed it from the frame - it had been mounted on foam core board.

I think I may have spent more on the frame job than the actual print itself!

I love it so much in here - I admire it daily.  Mark and I bought it at the Pecan Street Festival in Austin in 1988 and had Mr. Pena sign it right then and there.  It will always remind me of when we were young, in love, and building our future together.

Gina

5 thing Friday - Cava dupe, crafting supply, Luby's, chairs, work today

 I ate al fresco at Cava one day this week, and while it was good, I am reminded that I can make something very similar at home myself. 

Like this beef topped salad with lemon stuffed olives, romaine, grated cheese, zucchini, cottage cheese, and lemon vinaigrette.  I don't know that I can really recommend these Middle Eastern style kebab patties from Trader Joe's, tho.  Unless you like a very earthy beefy kind of taste.

Since I gave the last one away, I visited the thrift store for sewing bits and bobs to make more hearts.  For ten bucks I got three good sized pieces of fabric, some thread, elastic, a notebook and some all-occasion cards, and a bonanza of ribbon.

The bulk of ribbon was in a zip loc marked 50 cents.  I weeded through it, discarding what was un-useable.  Lots of good colors!

Then I neatly folded the rest of it and organized my trims box.  Now I'm set for a few more hearts, and maybe some bookmarks for our reading library at work.  Cheap thrills.

After thrifting, I took myself to lunch at Luby's.  One of the things my mother loved is a visit that included lunch out.  We would go to K-Bob's, Volare, or On Deck in Brenham. Sometimes in Gidding's at Reba's or City Meat Market.  We always ate a big lunch!  All that to say, its been 2 years and I still miss having ladies lunch with her.

I still am a member of the Clean Plate Club - I can always just eat a salad for dinner.  By the way that was liver and onions, fried okra, and sweet potatoes.  Best lunch ever, $10.

Luby's is one of my favorite places - so nostalgic.  Both my mother and Mark were big fans. They were doing a good business that day, the place was packed!  Eating here brings back so many memories.

I listed the black and white chairs on Facebook and so far no takers.  I will give it a month, then contact a charity shop to donate them.  Seems a shame as all they need is a good cleaning, maybe some arm covers, or even reupholstering.  They are in good shape for being 75 years old.  Hopefully someone will give them a good home and love them back into glory.

I'm going to be working today as I switched shifts with a co-worker.  The trade off is that I have been scheduled off for four Mondays in a row!  My co-workers and I like to play word puzzles and quote each other's ridiculous sayings.  They are all younger than me and have different perspectives.  It takes a little of the stress out of the job and makes it fun.  I feel as though I need to distract myself - Sunday would have been my 40th wedding anniversary.  Work will definitely do that for me.

Gina

5 thing Friday - concert, plumbing, bonus room, front door, Chloe

I took myself out on Tuesday night.

Jeff Goldblum and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra were performing at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus.  Finding my way to the theater from the parking garage should have been easier, but there is a lot of construction and I exited the garage on the wrong level!  I went to UT for 2 years and was a tour guide with Alpha Phi Omega, so you would think I could find my way around?  I guess not!

He entertained the audience with his quirky wit before the show.  My tickets got upgraded to the orchestra section for free so I had a great view.

And they were very talented.  They were joined by a singer from the Broadway cast of Wicked and she was really good, too!  I didn't get a photo of her because I was livin' in the moment.

I kept hearing a sound that I thought was the toilet running.  Couldn't figure out how and why...turns out, it was the faucet in the tub.  Running a steady stream of hot water, no matter how far to COLD it was turned or how hard I pushed it in.  At least 5 days of that - I will hate to see my water bill.

So, $355 later, it was fixed by a guy my plumber sent over, who informed me that I could "get one of my sons" to caulk around the tub drain until such a time as I could buy a new tub insert.

Look.

First of all, no sir. That, in fact, does not require whiskers. And stop calling me Miss Gina.  Second of all, no one takes baths in here, so I'm going to caulk this my damn self and go on living my life.

I spent HOURS this week trying to hang mini blinds in here.  Twice, I brought the wrong size home, even after I felt like I had measured it correctly.  Then I had to use the new hardware that came with the blinds, so I had to remove the old brackets and install the new ones which was a pain in the rear, and then it was so hard to get the new blinds snapped it.  I also discovered that the casing for the curtain was too narrow for the curtain rods I bought.  So I adjusted that with my trusty sewing machine, cleaned the curtain, and FINALLY called it all done.

I have steam cleaned this carpet 3 times.  I don't know what all Bubbie spilled on it, and I'm trying not to complain about it so much but it was also a giant pain in the rear.  All I wanted to do was get this room cleaned and painted and set up nicely. Sheesh.

I took a break from working on the guest room to put together a Fall basket for the front door.  Cost was zero dollars.  I guess it will stay this way until I decorate for Christmas.  Doesn't that seem far away?  Its only 105 days away, folks.

And, finally.

Today is The Girl's Birthday.  These are photos from her first morning at home. Her name is Chloe Erin, aka Coco, aka Coconut.  She is my smart and beautiful only girl and I cannot believe she is 34.  Mark and I looked so young, but we were about 30 years old and thought we had a lifetime ahead of us.  Seeing him with her wrecks me a little.  She was Daddy's Girl.  Its a bittersweet day here, for sure.

Gina

5 thing Friday - coffee dates, rattan chair, hat, Galveston, Austin

 This may be an extra random Friday post because I am dragging along at the end of five days off.  Which is nice, don't get me wrong.  But I tend to get the same amount of stuff done in a 5 day week as a four day week, due to extra couch laying and some blues here and there.  It is what it is.

This week I met a friend for coffee at a new to me place close-by.  Of course I didn't take photos of us, because I never think to do that.  But three hours went by in a flash and we talked about anything and everything and are meeting again in a couple of weeks to repeat at another new place.  Its a win for me to get out of the house and see a friend.

My cute chair arrived and I set it right into its place and it looks like it always belonged there.  I sit here briefly - but the weather and sunlight now are such that I will probably take my coffee on the backyard deck like the Queen of Sheba that I am.  I also picked up the new disposal and a downspout extension.  Exciting stuff happening over here.

As expected, I am already tweaking that collage wall.  I added one of Mark's hats as a reminder of him. (I saw an idea on someone's blog - a wall of hats displayed like a collection)  I want to make this home my own, but I don't want to forget how he was a big part of home for me.  Another widow I chat with says she did the same thing with photos and mementos.  Not erasing him from her home, but "relocating" him.

I joke about how Galveston always seems to crop up in various ways.  Mark called it "The Rock" and we rarely visited after we made our home in Austin.  Turns out The Girl loves Galveston and has plans to spend a weekend there with Teddy soon.  Recently HEB gave me a free shopping bag, and it was Galveston themed...  Also this week, Scout got me a Partner Card (he works in the bakery) so I can save a few dollars here and there on HEB brands.  I don't buy a huge amount of groceries but every bit helps.

outside of The Long Center

Every time I go solo to an event and navigate traffic and parking, and just generally find my way, I pause and take a photo of the city from the entrance to the venue.  I'm not the world's best photographer, but the reason I take that photo is to remind myself that I do love where I live.  And I can manage The Big City and this Big Life just fine.  And every time I venture out, to learn or see or do, my world expands just a bit.

Gina

Monday menus #92

Saturday was our 39th wedding anniversary. 

On the advice of my therapist, I typed Mark a letter, printed it, added it to my notebook of letters, and went on with my weekend.  Someday I may come across it and read it.  Or maybe I will just throw it away.  Who knows.  Life goes on and so do the weeks.

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Pasta with Italian Sausage, kale (make a plate for Friday) {buy groceries, work on car files, make a fall projects list}

Wednesday - Burger No Bun, O & P, BBQ beans {telehealth appointment}

Thursday - Greek Chicken Salad {dermatologist appointment}

Friday - Pasta with Italian Sausage, green beans {replace air filters}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

Little project: wires and cords

 I feel as though I have written a lot about my closet, which is pretty silly.  It has taken me a long time put it back to being an actual closet.   

This bundle of wires and cords stretch from a hole in the ceiling, where they originate in the attic, attached to various antennas.  Down below they were connected to ham radios and other equipment.

At one point, I tied them together to make them easier to bundle and manage.

Then I coiled the rest of the length on the shelf under my coats.  But it always bothered me to know they were there, serving zero purpose. (remember, all of the ham radios went bye-bye, as well as the steel shelf in here that they were sitting on.)

Back then, this was so cluttered and ugly it made me want to cry.

Armed with a sturdy ladder and Scout's help, I trimmed the wires, then pushed them through the hole up into the floor of the attic.  (None of them are plugged into anything.)  Then I found a rubber chair leg protector that fit the hole and we shoved that into the hole.  Lastly I painted it white to match the ceiling.  Here it is drying:

You don't see it unless you know its there.

No more cords to hide.  I like it.

I finished it all up, vacuumed, and stood back to admire it.  I did feel that same old "he would be so mad at me" feeling, like I was destroying something I knew that he worked hard to set up.  (I know he would forgive me) Would I rather have Mark here with me, ham radios and all?  Yes, A thousand times over.  But that's not reality, so instead I have a clean and neat closet with a few tears shed.

And I won't have those cords reminding me daily!

Gina