5 thing Friday - Mother's Day, corner gallery, meeting up with friends, yard care, car care

Its been another busy week here, with Mother's Day, book club, a calligraphy class, meeting with friends, and car care, among other things.  Mother's Day was lovely - although I worked all day, the workload was relatively light.  I visited with a couple of sweet co-workers who brought me some treats.  Got messages from my peeps.  Bought myself some flowers, inexpensive perfume, and sweets to come home to.  

But I came home to more flowers and a sweet card added to the mix by The Girl. Later in the week, Scout dropped in with a couple of goodies and a beautiful card.  Awww...the notes they wrote me brought a tear to my eyes!

I moved the shoe bench in order for it not to clash with the coffee table. Since all of the furniture in this room is the same style, the small bookcase came back.  But I want to style this little corner and I have the following two inspo pictures:

I like the combo of shapes here and the way they wrap into the corner.

On this one, I like the art choices and the mix and match of the frames.  I am going to thrift or reappropriate most of the art I get for this area.  Slooowww decorating for the win.

Yesterday I met a friend for our every other month "beer and widow talk" at a brewery halfway between both of our houses.  The miles may be many, but we are managing to stay connected and be supportive of each other.  I get a very different perspective from her, and she from me.  One of the things I am really looking forward to as a retiree is being able to connect with others on a more regular basis.  Whenever I meet with a friend to catch up, the hours seem to melt away.  I will be glad to be on my my own schedule some day!

All the rain has been great for the grass and landscaping in my yards.  They still aren't going to win any awards, but they are neatly mowed and edged.  I have lots to do on the outside of my house, but I am trying to do it one small step at a time.  Especially since its a One Woman Project and it feels like summer is here!  

Brigid got an oil change this morning at the dealership.  I love that they have a cafe with free coffees and treats, and plenty of space to spread out while I wait.  This afternoon, she will get cleaned up inside and out.  Also this afternoon: a little bit of tidying in the landscape rocks, a walk in the neighborhood, a nice dinner, a good book, and an early bedtime.

Happy weekend!

Gina

Mid-size project: repairing and painting the hall attic opening

 Long ago - maybe 20 years or so - Mark bought a new water heater for the house, but didn't realize it wouldn't fit in the opening to the attic.  On delivery and set-up day, he made a rushed decision to split the frame opening to allow installation. (I don't know why he didn't alter the attic opening in the garage instead - it didn't matter to me if that one was pretty or not) To say I was dismayed over seeing my attic frame split open, then not even reassembled neatly is putting it mildly. He said he would fix it.  And the rest is history.

The whole thing has looked terrible all this time.  Also of note: random rusted nail spots, a bit of insulation trim stuff bulging out, and a filthy pull string.  And from this perspective you can see how the white walls and trim make the ceiling look dirty, but that's a separate issue.

Looks like he gave up trying to get it nailed into the framed section of ceiling and just screwed it in.  Please note how the ends of the trim do not abut.  I have been horrified about this for YEARS.  I nagged, I asked nicely, then I just gave up and tried not to look up when I was in the hall.  I knew it needed to be fixed, and I figure I could probably just even out the jagged edges and paint it, so I added it to my list of home fix-its.

I'm not going to wash the filthy pull string, though.  So I rooted around in my trims box and found some cord (I only had green cord, oh. well.)  and a pretty ceramic knob that can function as a pull.  A knot and a little dab of E6000 glue at either end will help it stay together snugly.

I trimmed the bulging foam insulation, patched and sanded as much as I dared, and used a magic eraser to clean it up.  Then I paused for the weekend, as I had started this project late in the week.  But already, it looks like the ends of trim match up a little better, right?  We're gonna say yes.

I taped off the lights and detectors.  Caulked around the frame, then painted it, then tackled a fresh coat of paint on the ceiling - by far the hardest part.

But before I tackled the ceiling, I replaced the grimy pull cord.  I used a metal ruler to help hold the insulation up off the hole, then melted the string a bit, and pushed it through, knotting the end a few times.

You know I had to test it out!  Side note: I am not a fan of the attic with its creepy stale hot air and psycho-hiding-waiting-to-kill-you vibes.  I'm working on it, though. 

From my desk, I look over to a clean and neat attic opening.

I even replaced the switchplate cover with something pretty that coordinates with the ceramic pull knob.  I ordered a matching one for right across from the laundry nook.  Might as well have little touches here and there that make me smile.

You cannot tell it was repaired, and if you do, you get a cookie.  (:

The light fixtures were cleaned and replaced, too.  It was a bigger job overall than I assumed it would be, which often happens.  But now, I am crossing this off the list.  Oooh - imagine how it will look with new carpet!

Happy Good Friday!

Gina

What the week holds and fish tacos

 I am on a serious soft taco kick that has lasted for months.  HEB has really delicious bakery tortillas in plain, butter, southwestern, and whole wheat.  I eat them with whatever filling items I happen to have. Its not particularly healthy, but it is so easy to cook.  And bonus: this week I made my own refried beans from a pound of dry pintos, some bacon fat, and chopped onion.  

So. freaking. good. I eat these once a week.

I'm not going to learn how to make my own tortillas and why would I?

This week I am:

*working 12 hours on Monday

*spiffing the attic opening and hall ceiling

*having a check-in with my therapist

*maybe doing some yard work

*seeing Firstborn for dinner one night

*walking each day

*and planning a nice Easter lunch to take to work

Its going to be a pretty springy last week of March, full of pollen and possibility.  What does your week look like?

Gina

5 thing Friday - light bulbs, savings account, spray paint, yard tasks, relax

 This week feels like its been one misadventure after another.  Maybe the universe is telling me to sloooowwww down.

Thinking I was being efficient, I replaced the flood lamps out on the patio one day.  Then came out the next day to discover that one of them had exploded.  {I had ignored the little voice in my head that said the bulbs I used were not the right ones.}

these are in fact, the right ones

Usually I will take the broken/used thing I am replacing to the store with me to get the right one.  This time I had merely used what I had on hand.  Big mistake.  A trip to Lowe's to compare bulbs and buy the right ones was was what I should have done to begin with.

I did find the right ones - and the spray paint for the bathroom fixtures. Side note: Lowe's is where you should go for spray paint.  They have a huge selection, you can peruse the colors at will, and some old grumpy dude in the paint department won't have to come unlock the paint "cage" for you.

Once I was back home, I turned off the breaker to the patio, carefully carefully unscrewed the remains of the bulb, and replaced it with the right ones.  Crisis managed.

It was past time for me to deal with two old savings accounts that had minimum deposits in them, languishing and about to go into dormancy.  Closing one of them felt surreal.  Mark and I had used this account for 8 vehicle loans.  The closest branch to me was Round Rock, and was not worth the drive or the extra paperwork/memory to maintain it.  Turns out that closing an unused savings account does not impact your credit score.  The other savings account is tied to a refi we did on this house many years ago.  I could use that one as an emergency fund.  Or not.  I make the best financial decisions I can on my own, after all. 

Ok, this is the exact paint color I was searching for the re-do the lights in the master bathroom.  Its a beautiful shimmery cross between silver and gold, called Satin Nickel.

I think it will be perfect for spiffing this light fixture.  Again, I will cut off the power, pop off the light cover, spray it, then replace.  And now that I have my handy dandy ladder, I won't have to stand on the actual bathroom counter to reach it.  This might be on my short list of things to do today.

I have been doing a repertoire of spring tasks in the backyard: repotting plants, wiping down patio furniture, sweeping, replacing the garden hose, adding soil to the raised beds,

raking tons of leaves.  Yesterday during all of that I lost my one functional hearing aid, then spent a frantic 20 minutes on my knees in the lava rock section frantically going over every square inch.  Finally found it sitting atop a pile of leaves to be scooped up.

I accepted that as my nudge to stop for the day, built a firepit, then sat with my wine to decompress as dinner was cooking in the oven.  There are only so many tasks I am going to get done in one day.  Today I will clean and store the firepit and make me a spot to relax in my anti-gravity lounge chair.

My sweet potato experiment is going well.  She likes her pasta jar and spot in the window, apparently.  I will leave her here and just watch her grow.  Yesterday I potted an agave and whenever I am done with cleaning up the oak leaves and pollen out back, I will move all the plant babies back to their spring/summer homes.  But for today, the To Do list has been scaled back, and I am looking forward to some reading time in my lounge chair out on my swept patio.

Happy Friday!

Gina

5 thing Friday - bathroom spiff, paint storage, keychain, going out, Spring

I didn't spend a lot of time feeling sad this week - too busy with things here and there.  I feel like this week's To Do list will not get completely done - and that's OK.  We are "springing forward" this weekend and I want to make sure I get a nap in today!

The light fixtures in my bathroom, repainted by me many years ago, are showing their age and a bit of rust on the corners.  So I will be spiffing them up with a little spray paint in this pretty silvery champagne color.  Which encouraged me to do a bathroom refresh all around.

I took everything off the vanity, cleaned it up, put back only the things I wanted sitting out, added a couple of faux plants.  I also stored all of the personal care things that were sitting on the ledge around the tub and added a pretty 3-wick candle (not shown). 

 A calm and clean uncluttered space was just what I was after.  Even faux plants can soothe!

I don't know if I ever showed the method I have for saving touch-up paint from those big painting projects.  These screw top plastic containers work well to organize the bit of paint with product info in case I need to buy more.  Each container has a small stainless steel mixing ball inside, too.

I had one more to add from the last big paint job.  They all live in the cleaning closet just off the kitchen.  Hopefully, they will stay fresher in here than their original can in a hot garage.  {every time I open this closet I am newly pleased with the fact that it isn't stuffed full of crap I don't want!}

I pulled out my clear crossbody purse to go to a show downtown and I found this silver keychain clipped onto it.  I polished it up and discovered "Jim" engraved on the back.  I had picked this up when we cleared Mom's house - I don't remember if she ever told me where it came from, but I suspect she bought it for him as a gift.  It lived in a small dish in her office for years.

With my '60 penny and a silver "evil eye" charm, it made the perfect talisman to navigate an evening out at the Paramount Theater to see the Vitamin String Quartet.

I found parking nearby, walked alone to the venue, found my seat, and enjoyed a show.  The music was all contemporary and the show was high energy.  Music of  Bridgerton, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and more - a varied mix with some music I did not recognize.  These solo dates have been a lot of fun, but I think I will change them up.  I have one more symphony to attend, then will look for things closer to North Austin that are budget friendly.

Beer and talk time with a friend at Meanwhile yesterday.  The weather has been unreasonably pretty with average temps in the low 80s.  Everything, and I mean everything, is blooming.  March winds are knocking all of the oak leaves and pollen out of the trees, so pretty soon it will be time for me to re-rake and clean the yards.  But not today.  The rest of the day I have:

*a meeting with retirement team to talk pre-planning

*lunch with Grayson (peep #4)

*pick up a few filler groceries and meal prep for three days at work

*get gas, do light housework, change out two floodlamps on the deck

*nap

Happy Friday!

Gina 

Cleaning up the back patio for cooler weather!

Working on the back patio area is something I've been meaning to do for a couple of weeks now.  It kept getting put off due to shoulder pain and major lack of get-up-and-go.  The list of things to do out there seemed long: trim up Lariope and re-mulch it, clean the table and chairs, move the plants around to accommodate the firewood holder, blow the leaves out of the red rocks, power wash all. 

But yesterday I decided I had reached a point where everything was prepped and there was no time like the present to haul out the power washer.  You can see the line marking the dirty slab from the newly power washed - what a difference!  I also hit the deck a lick or two and took care of lots of spider webs.

The day before I had leveled out the pavers with paving sand, so all that was left to do was blow the leaves out and wash the pavers.  Here they are drying.

And as for this small area, those Lariope needed a good haircut, new mulch, and a watering. The ones under my bedroom and bathroom windows got the same pampering.

done! Now to water the grass, which I also raked.

The point of all of this was to create a clean space to enjoy the firepit when cooler nights roll around.

Its not perfect (in some places the slab is stained), but its very clean! No more bird poop or mold. And my shoulder did not hurt at all!

I moved the Ficus tree to make space to set up a firewood holder.  In the process I disturbed a large nest of yellowjackets that had made their home in the branches.  I murdered every one of them, not sorry.  I will likely leave the Ficus here until spring rolls around.  It is way too heavy for me to keep moving it and I can just protect it with a tarp for winter.

I got this firewood holder from Amazon (easy to put together) and ordered a load of pecan wood cut small enough for my little firepit.  It should be delivered in plenty of time for Thanksgiving.  I am so looking forward to sitting out here on cool nights with a glass of wine.  Simple pleasures after a bunch of hard work! 

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