Curtains done

I always think it will be so simple to hang curtains - simply install a rod, buy the curtains, hang the darn things.  And yet, it never is simple!  I have literally meant to do this in our bedroom for YEARS.  I finally got to it: ordered a nice tension rod and curtains from Kohl's. Hung them up.  Hated them.  Ordered new ones, which are not really wide enough, but I only wanted to frame the window.

I thought, why not live with it a minute and see what I think.  They are a nice creamy white and sort of sheer.   To keep them from dragging I tied a knot in them and left them alone for a week.

 I sort of like them, so maybe I can hem them.

 I let them lay on the floor a day or two until I stopped procrastinating.

 

 And one day when I had half an hour, I hemmed them up to where they almost touch the floor.  

I used a cream colored thread because I didn't have any white and I just wanted to get it done already!

Does this ever happen to you - procrastination on a simple project?

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #12

Monday - Eggs, cheesy grits, pecan pumpkin bread  {laundry, grocery shop}
Tuesday - Crockpot Pork and Apples and Pears, skillet potatoes, corn
Wednesday - Link Sausage with onions and peppers, butternut squash
{hang new curtains in the bedroom if I haven't already done so}
Thursday - Hoisin Chicken, rice, peas and carrots {pull out Thanksgiving supplies, start making out menus and lists}
Friday - Hamburger Soup, corn muffins {payday!}
Saturday - Chicken Piccata, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts {filling day, buy a new laptop, out after dinner - I'm on call til 7 p}
Sunday - Baked Salmon, pot stickers. honeyed carrots {pick up at Wedding Oak winery}

Gina

5 thing Friday: firepits, Highlands, 7 Creeks, Scout, cider

Happy November!
'tis the season of firepits

Its just about my favorite thing out at Highlands.  Normally we burn oak, but I have also discovered that I love the smell of cedar - so aromatic.  A firepit, a glass of wine, some deer wandering through - so peaceful.

The barn is mostly empty with assorted gear going into the newly built storage shed.  Step two of this on-going project is to replace the insulation, then build out the interior walls.  After that, we will floor it.  Then we can get a new A/C and heater combo installed.  

 

We had a nice weekend at Highlands and its always hard to leave.  The weather warmed up to an early summerish temp and besides moving stuff out of the barn we got some yard work done, enjoyed a firepit, and enjoyed a couple of great meals. 

 

Now that Fall is here, I think we should remove the bird nests near Mabel.  When we arrived Friday night, a very confused Bewick's wren was flying around in here.  They don't migrate, but I don't want them thinking this area is home.

We enjoyed a relaxing and breezy hour or so at 7 Creeks Vineyard on our way home to make birthday dinner for Scout and Dutch.  The wine is fabulous and the owners are so friendly.  Side note:  how is it possible that my little goblin is 24?

It makes my heart swell with love and longing for one more day with you as a toddler.  You have grown up to be a caring, kind, and loving man.

Still working on that Fairweather piece for Texas Wine Lover.  Just having a time of connecting with the owner.  I will keep visiting the cidery...all in the name of journalism...until I can snag him for a few minutes to chat. And this cider called "Grape Situation", brewed with grenache skins,  is my new fav!

Gina

Checking in on Mom

A week ago I took a day off to see my mother in Brenham. 

 I'm happy to say that we got everything on her list done!

 When we bought chicken feed, she also picked out some onions to plant.  It take it as a good sign that she feels well enough and can see well enough to be interested in her garden.  Between that and quilting she has creative outlets.

 Even if I worry how she interacts with people sometimes, she managed to be reasonable to most of the people we met that day - she can be rather frank and short-tempered with people.

We enjoyed a lunch of ranch style beans with sausage, sliced BBQ pork shoulder, chips, cokes, and Oreos - all treats that she wouldn't normally eat - in her sunny kitchen.  I was happy to spend the day with her, returning to Austin mid-afternoon.  Taking it one visit at a time, always hoping for peace and comfort for her, and asking for a little piece of mind for myself that she is faring OK. 

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #11

Inspiration for the Thanksgiving table:

Monday - Grilled Chicken, a baked potato, salad, laundry
Tuesday - Pork Chop, seasoned corn, mac and cheese
Wednesday - Gyros with yogurt sauce from here, sliced tomato and purple onion, kettle chips
Thursday - Crockpot Chili, corn muffins {Scout's 24th Birthday! Mammo appt. early in the a.m., then work late}
Friday - Ravioli with sun dried tomato alfredo sauce, green beans {working late again, getting my driver's license renewed today}
Saturday - Fondue Night {put up summer clothes, pull out Fall and Winter decor, visiting Bubbie for breakfast and visiting a new winery}
Sunday - Some kind of fish, baked sweet potatoes, spinach {pick-up party at Bent Oak Winery}

Gina

Mead Saturday in Seguin

Last weekend we asked Firstborn if he and LA wanted to visit a meadery nearby and they said yes, so to a meadery we were bound! Along the way we might also have picked up some BBQ in Lockhart.

Even through a dirty windshield, it was a beautiful day for a drive.

Seguin is about an hour or so out of Austin, just northeast of San Antonio, and that's where we visited Texas Mead Works and Blue Lotus Winery - actually one and the same tasting room.  We shared two tastings between four people and tried a variety of meads and wines - all great. They were running a crazy case special - 12 bottles of wine, mix and match from Merlot, Primitivo, and Muscat for $60 bucks.  Five dollars a bottle, so yes, please.

For about half a minute I thought about writing about our experience for publication.  Then I thought, nah, we are here to relax and enjoy the company of Firstborn and LA, so that's what we did.  Opting out of living in my phone for the afternoon.

They had a beautiful light and plant-filled tasting room and the most amazing fiddle leaf fig tree.  The wine steward was very nice and full of information about the wines and meads they make.  They happened to have a paint and sip class going on, so we had the whole tasting room to ourselves for quite a long time.  It was good to sit and chat with these two who seem to enjoy each other's company:

We played cards and a dice game, ate our BBQ and assorted snacks, and enjoyed just generally socializing.  It was a super relaxing and pleasant afternoon. And just like that *snap* the weekend is here again!

Gina

Progress on the shed, Part 2

We took Saturday off to take Firstborn and LA to Seguin for some BBQ, snacks, and mead.  We had a good time but it seemed like a lot of driving!  We ate a couple of Flyrite sammies for dinner, and got to bed early so we could go to Highlands on Sunday and finish up the shed.  Here is what we were starting with:

 We left it sitting with no doors and had just placed our work tables and tools and such inside.  It looked exactly the same a week later.

 

It was a dreary morning, but the day warmed up fast.  We built the doors in about an hour, then headed down to our rock pile to gather up roadfill for the interior. Many hours and four truckloads of roadfill later:

I do not kid when I said that we about killed ourselves on this "little" project.  We did take many water breaks, however.  It was ridiculously hard:  Shovel the gravel into the truck, take it back up the hill, shovel it into the shed, rock rake it in, repeat.

We also shored up the threshold with a 2x4 underneath, then filled around it with roadfill.  Works like a charm in making it easy to get the riding lawnmower in.

We took a break to eat lunch and sleep in our lounge chairs - best decision ever.  Then we cleared all of the crap tools and gear from around Mabel and neatly stored it in the shed.  Next weekend we may move some stuff out of the barn onto storage shelves in the shed - depends on the weather.  I didn't get a pic of the inside with all of the stuff.  But there is lots of room to store things.

Breaking camp, I went out to the truck to put some stuff in the backseat, and when I turned around...hang on...what is that by the wheel?

 

A tarantula was lurking around the truck - I have no idea what he was after, but he kept circling around underneath it, freaking me out.  When Hubby started the truck, he moved away, amazingly fast.  And with that, I hopped in and we left for home.  And just in time, as thunderstorms were all around us on the drive in.  We had dinner and just generally collapsed.  I am hoping that won't be the trend for weekends.

Gina