5 thing Friday - curtains, Fall spiffing, Scout, salads, laundry

I used some Kohl's cash, a good sale, and free shipping to order a curtain rod and some sheer curtains for the master bedroom:

You can barely see the tension rod hanging above the blinds.  I am waiting on the curtains to arrive (today?)  I've been wanting to do this for years!   

I added some fall pretty things to the den. Its dark in here, but cozy. Makes me want to stay home and be a hermit. 

 

Picking out a birthday gift for Scout is not easy.  I settled on a wireless charger for his iphone and some seasonal adult bevvies, and he will most likely get some money in his card.  I am hoping that he and Dutch can come for dinner and birthday cake.

Dinner last night was probably the last of our salad nights, as it doesn't seem to mesh with Fall.  I think we will switch out salad night for soup night.  Last night was grilled chicken, roasted honey corn, queso fresco, red onion, tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds on romaine.  I think I can come up with some healthy soups for us and use the crockpot to boot.

It used to be that with all 6 of us here, I could not let laundry slide more than a day.  But some days I don't feel like doing chores and truth be told, I'm still getting used to the idea that there is only two of us here.  

Gina

Progress on the shed, part 1

We left for Highlands as soon as I got home from work on Friday, stopping at El Rancho first to load up on enchiladas. The next morning we hitched up the trailer and headed to Marble Falls to buy this:

After lots of measuring and consideration we settled on the slightly larger storage building (8x12) so that we would have room for the riding lawnmower, and all of the assorted tools and camping gear and whatnot.

Getting it loaded into the trailer was fun - it doesn't look like it weighs 300 pounds, does it?  The people who helped us at Lowe's were so nice, clearing a dumpster out of the way so they could forklift it into the trailer.  And here is where we cleared a spot for it to live:

 This spot is close to the barn, gets shade all day, and is somewhat level as it is on dirt, not giant rocks.

Instead of off-loading it, we are using the back of the trailer as a staging area to unpack and sort the contents.  Everything is numbered, so we sorted it all out.

Within a short time we were ready to start.  I don't have any pics of us building the frame out, but that's what we did first.  Thank goodness we picked this weekend to start it - the weather was perfect!

Bottom frame all built, corners on.  {At this point, I laughed to read in the instructions that from here on out it was going to require "two people and many hours of work"}  We took a short break for lunch and a nap in the lounge chairs.

 Then we added on all of the walls. 

And once we got all of the walls on, we cleared up the workspace and called it a day - we were running out of daylight.

Here is where we left off on Saturday.

Sunday dawned and we were sore!   But we forged on, building the gables and adding on the roof beams.  The instructions were not kidding when they said it was hard work.  

Those beams are steel and quite heavy, and I had to hold them up over my head while Hubby bolted them on. We actually got the roof completely done which was the most ridiculously hard thing we've ever built!  Left to do:

*build the door and install it
*reinforce the bottom of each wall panel
*adjust the building so that it is still level, shore up the threshold
*fill the floor with gravel road base

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #9

We've been noticing how the wasps love this corner of the barn...there must be an enormous nest inside because they kept taking their babies out to the fresh air last weekend.  I guess we will let them live - they don't mess with you unless you mess with them.

Monday - Crockpot Chicken Chili, topped with cheese, sour cream, and green onions
Tuesday - BBQ Pork Chop, peas, chunky mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Veggie Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans
Thursday - Twisted Cobb Salads {grilled chicken, romaine, roasted corn, grape tomatoes, queso fresco, pumpkin seeds, and ranch vinaigrette}
Friday - Cod with herbed lemon butter crumbs, steamed carrots
Saturday - Fondue Night!
Sunday - Vegetarian Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (with black beans and a yummy chipotle sour cream topping)

Gina

Weekend re-cap: Cafe Java, Perisso's, STW, Bill's, Wedding Oak, Highlands

We started our Saturday by enjoying a frou frou coffee drink at a favorite neighborhood cafe.

 We have never been here that it wasn't packed, and we were here early!  No worries - its fun to sit and sip your coffee and admire all of the funky art they have.

 The food is always served hot and the wait is very reasonable.

 Big thumbs up to migas and brisket breakfast tacos.

 We figured it was going to be a loooong time until lunch!

We went directly to Highlands and off-loaded all the *crap* we seem to take each weekend.  It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff gets shuttled up there: miscellany and supplies.

My pics of the wine club pick-up at Perissos were few and far between, but we had a good time.  We enjoyed the "sip and stroll", a brat sammie, and a bottle of Malbec with some new friends we met in the tasting room, Jean and Mike.  Mike kept us fairly well entertained and Jean played his "straight man".  They were a hoot.  We hope to see them again in the future as they are new wine club members.  We picked up our wine and headed over to the Save The World 5th Anniversary party.

We were technically late to this party, but we got there as quick as we could!  We enjoyed our pours on the shady front patio and it was nice to see the owners back from their trip to Belgium.

 And we didn't win any of the raffle prizes, but had a great time.

I really enjoyed the beer brewed with Syrah grapes from Perissos- Sol Vinum - and my all-time favorite, Jonas Relief which is their pumpkin ale.  Both are technically celebration beers {meaning they are higher ABV and meant to be shared} so I can only enjoy a couple of them at a time!  We got to keep the pretty glasses.

**Anniversary dinner was take-out from Chicken Express - a very low key affair!**

 The next day I took zero pics of the site prep we did at Highlands to get ready to build our storage unit.  The storage unit will house all of the assorted camping and canoeing stuff while not in use, as well as be a safe place to park the mower.  Our goal is to be able to walk completely around Mabel as well as finish out the inside of the barn. 

 

We split a burger, a chicken sammich, and some onion rings at Bill's Burgers for lunch. This place is not full of ambience, but the food is hot and fresh and they do have some of the best onion rings I've ever had!  Afterwards we stopped by Wedding Oak on the square in beautiful downtown Burnet and enjoyed the view, the a/c, and the wine from the members only lounge.

Then we returned to Highlands, spent hours lounging there, and headed home to enjoy some salmon burgers and yellow squash which were both pretty good.  And that was our anniversary weekend in a nutshell!  This coming Saturday and Sunday will be full of hard work, so I don't feel one bit guilty. I just wish the weekends didn't go by so fast!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #8

 I opened my planner for this week, saw empty spaces, and thought "that can't be right!"

Monday - Buffalo Chicken, roasted carrots, side salad
Tuesday - Pulled Pork (crockpot), baked potatoes, vinegar coleslaw
Wednesday - Tuna Salads on Toast, melon slices or fruit salad
Thursday - Schwarma Salads (schwarma slices, romaine, tomatoes, red onion, olives, feta, chick peas)
Friday - Broccoli Cheese Soup with garlic toast
Saturday - Something super easy at Highlands - we are building a storage shed today!
Sunday - Probably omelettes, cheesy grits

Gina

5 thing Friday - creative space, Hubby, friends, nostalgia, anniversary

 This is where I've had to stop on my desk and creative space project:

 It was actually an off-shoot of my Summer bucket list.  Left to do is

*replace the knobs
*Sand and stain the tops of the desks
*add a panel behind both desks so you don't see cords

I replaced the mini blinds in here and washed the curtain panel, as well as steam cleaned the carpet and organized the closet.  But I also want to maybe add a relax chair and ottoman to this room.  

 Hubby at his nephew's dentist organization shindig dinner.  He says his suits are still tight and we are working on getting healthier best we can!  A process, for sure.

 Found this gem in the box of high school memories I was going through.  It is the last school photo of me when we lived in Lubbock, so I was 10 years old.  This "granny style" dress was very popular and one of my favorites.  My mother made one for each of us girls.

A co-worker friend I haven't seen in a long time enlisted in the reserves.  She sent me this sweet photo and it made me feel a little nostalgic.  Friends have a habit of coming and going, so enjoy them when they stay  Its ironic to me that texting and emailing and all the social media sites don't really do all that much to keep people connected.

Hubby and I celebrate our 34th anniversary on Saturday.  It happens to coincide with my 40th high school reunion, and I can't be two places at one time. So we are going to 2 events on Saturday up near Marble Falls, eating out, then maybe putting together a storage unit at Highlands so we can get started on finishing out the barn this fall. 

I am scanning some old photos in to share with my friends so I don't miss out on all the excitement.  I mostly had a great high school experience! and can't wait to see all the pics posted for the reunion!

Gina

We did the Thing

I wasn't really looking forward to Monday, because although I knew I could get my mother safely to Austin and back, 8 hours is a LOT of driving for one day.  However, I left my house at 7:45 and I made it to her house by 9:30, and we were at Olive Garden in Austin by 11:15.  Made good time on the road!

 Olive Garden is one of her favorite places to eat lunch

We both cleaned our plates.  And we even shared a dessert.  Lately I had been taking her lunch whenever I visit because its less chance she will fall anywhere, and I can make her a nice lunch in the comfort of her own home.  Turns out, what she looks forward to is eating out and if she's with me or one of my sisters, she feels safer.   I guess its true you can't truly enjoy life if you think too much about bad things happening - might as well go OUT to eat.

 Members, Clean Plate Club

We were at the eye doc by 12:35, seated in the exam room by 12:50, and out of the door just 30 minutes after her 1:20 appointment time.  So we stopped at Walgreen's for a cold brew coffee for me, and we hit the trail, headed back to Brenham.  And we had zero problems.  She might even have slept a bit.

 Please note that she is reading the label...

When we got there, she wanted to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things - I think she is worried about driving herself anywhere.  After we unloaded everything at her house, it was late afternoon.  Gus was hungry for lunch and Mother was late for a real nap.  And I needed to head back to Austin to do my own grocery shopping!  After putting up all of MY groceries, making dinner, and putseying here and there, I pretty much crashed.  But I was up bright eyed the next morning, well-rested.  We got her to the follow up appointment and everything with her eye is going well, so far.  Next appointment: 4 weeks.

Gina