5 thing Friday - parking, moth, schnitzel, cards, empty nest once more

 After a couple of back and forth emails I was somehow able to convince an administrator that the elevators in the employee parking garage weren't opening in the evenings.  I was always winded when I finally got to my car.

 Glory Be, she saw to it and now I do not feel about to pass out when I reach my car.  And the view is great up there.  Above you can see the old Mueller airport tower from one side of the garage,

and on the other you can see a pretty sweet sunset.

 I spied a giant moth above the barn door last Sunday.  Huh.  Neat. 

I forgot all about it until it fluttered down to rest at my feet and scare me half to death.

Does it not look like a creepy cat face?

 Pork Schnitzel, sammich of my dreams.  The meat is too big for the bun!  Its glorious and I ate the whole thing.  I have only ever eaten them at Fiesta Winery.  I hope that particular food truck stays there forever.

Hubby and I created a makeshift coffee/cards table out of an old scout camp locker and played cards at Highlands last weekend. We munched on M&M's and enjoyed the a/c.

Coming home to an empty house is something we had to get used to all over again, as The Girl headed back to Houston with Teddy last Friday.  I will miss pestering her when I get home from work.

Gina

Vintage folding chairs, take two

Years ago, a friend gave me the cutest owl-patterned oilcloth she had ordered off Etsy for a project and decided not to use.  I used it to re-cover some chair seats on some very old folding chairs so that we could have extra dining table seating that was easily stored.

I loved how they came out!  And we did use them at home up until a couple of years ago when we took them to Highlands to use.  And that was a big mistake...

 I figured the chairs were indestructible, making them good candidates for using around a round metal table we had in a shady spot.

 Dumb of me, I know.  The rain, the heat, and the bugs {not to mention about 5 years out there} did their thing and now the chairs are a DISASTER.

 UGH.  I am so annoyed with myself.  So it looks like I have a Fall project to keep me busy.  I will need to remove the seats, unstaple the fabric, sand and seal the wood, add new fabric, and give them a coat of Rustoleum.  Then they will live at Rustown, safe from the elements.

As luck would have it, the Etsy shop that sold the fabric to my friend still has the material and she and I are working on the details of getting it to me.  So by Thanksgiving I will once again have some cute folding chairs to use for extra seating.  Wish me luck on this project - its going to be messy!

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #56

 At this writing, it looks like a calm and empty kind of week.  Not that I miss the stress, but I kinda like my weeks to be full, so I will try to add in some activities!

Monday - Baked Chicken Breast with stuffing, squash

Tuesday - Italian Sausage Eggplant, green beans

Wednesday - Cheesey Olive Bread, tomato soup

Thursday - Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with bell pepper

Friday - Tuna Salad on toast, cantaloupe

Saturday - OUT or Stuffed Peppers from the freezer

Sunday - Pizza at home
Dessert this week is dark chocolate peanut butter pretzel nuggets

Gina

Barn progress and stopping point

 Hubby and I ran up to Highlands last weekend to see if we could work on the barn a little bit more.  We had intended only to finish nailing up the remaining trim and caulking but we ended up painting it, too.  We still aren't finished with all that we want to do on it, but we have made real progress!  

Above is where we started just after the first of the year - Hubby got the walls and ceiling prepped with insulation.

We removed the A/C, built a box inside the cabin for the portable A/C vent, and added beadboard.

Now the window is empty to let light in, has a bigger sill and there is beadboard, trim, and paint.  Stopping point.  You can see the extra panel of beadboard we have leaning against the wall and I know the lighting isn't great but I will post full (and better) after photos when we get done!

The above photo is the opposite corner of the room.  All we added there was ceiling trim.  The next weekend we work on this we will likely touch up the paint and put the outlet covers back on, as well as re-hanging the TV.  I'm also going to make "skirts" for the folding tables in here and we will do blinds instead of curtains - just easier to secure privacy that way.

This was the corner of the room before (with some sunshine and shadow from the screen door opposite)...

...and this is the after.  Basically, the barn is a tiny home or efficiency, so the white walls were key to it not feeling cramped.  All that's left to add is flooring, then baseboards.  We will leave the lavender ceilings for now - we aren't sure if we can paint that material, but I would love for it to be black with tiny white lights strung up.  Its coming right along and will be a cozy little space!

Gina

Christmas in September

 I know that Hubby thinks I have lost my marbles when I start talking about the Christmas tree in September, but the last couple of years, I just remember feeling so over it by the time we got home from the tree farm.  So much mess, so much expense.  And it just doesn't make sense to me to have a "kid's tree" any more.  So I got him to agree to no tree farm, but I really don't want to spend ANY money on a new tree or new decorations.

From my stash I pulled out all of the evergreen picks that I usually use around the house, on the mantel and such.  Found the sparkly $1 reindeer and located one string of LED lights.

Then I pulled the "kid's tree" out from its nook in the garage and stripped it of its red lights.  I fluffed the branches and pulled some of them forward more,  since this tree will live in a corner of the living room. {no tree in the den will seem strange...}

With lights on and fluffed, I think it has potential. {This tree is ca. 1970!}

I turned off the lights so I could see where to place the picks of evergreens.  If I buy anything this year, it might be more of these, but I'm making no promises.  I think that once I put ornaments on it, it will be fuller and sparkly-er.

I wired the reindeer onto the top and added some random sprigs up there, but I'm not sure if I will leave that as is.  I'm tempted, though.  It makes me feel gleeful that all I will have to do is pull this into the living room and add ornaments and a tree skirt!  Let the holiday season come at me - I am going to be ready.

Gina

Empty Nest Menu #55

I took today off since Hubby would be off and no one else had spoken for it.  Anymore its hard to work those 5 day weeks.  Maybe its the weather.  Maybe its the pandemic.  Maybe its because our nest is empty.  But this will be a nice break.

Monday - Grilled chicken, chard {Labor Day, I'm on call M-Th, order my produce box}
Tuesday - Pork Chops, sauteed squash
Wednesday - Beef Tacos with avocado and tomato
Thursday - Link Sausage with onions and peppers, corn on the cob
Friday - (freezer) Spaghetti, brussels sprouts
Saturday - OUT {The Girl is 29 today!, pick-up at 7 Creeks and Fiesta}
Sunday - Italian Roast Chicken Thighs, roasted potatoes and carrots {pick up at Esperanza}

Gina

5 thing Friday - feets, coffee, rain, Sticky Chicky, the weekend

Most days my feet hurt so bad by bedtime.  I thought I had solved that issue by buying new insoles for my favorite work shoes.  But no shoe out there will save your 60 year old feet from walking most of the day, and standing for hours wearing a lead apron.  

ooof.  So swollen.

When I worked retail, they hurt much, much worse.  Eight hours of being on my feet on wooden floors, usually wearing low heels or flats.  At the end of the day I could not even walk across carpet, they hurt so bad.  So I should be happy that by morning now, they feel pretty much back to normal and ready for another day.

I've gone back to drinking creamer in my coffee every day, not just weekends.  I can do black coffee, its just not my favorite.  I know I shouldn't have all those additives, fake flavors and sugar but they sure do make my cuppa taste great.  Chemicals for the win!

I spy a small wet bird taking shelter from the rain on a palmetto at the hospital, but getting wet anyway.  Come on rain!  We sure could use all we can get of it in Central Texas.  Its supposed to rain through Saturday and it feels a bit more Fall-like outside.

Sometimes getting off early means I get to enjoy dinner while it is still hot out of the crockpot!  This was Sticky Chicky, rice, and broccoli with carrots.  On a rainy evening it sure hit the spot. 

This Sunday we will be dog-sitting Teddy this weekend and I am also off on Monday!  So maybe Hubby and I will go, see, and do.  Hooray for September - the month I always think kicks off Fall and birthday season for the Cannary family.  Starting with The Girl on the 12th!

Gina