Thursday, October 27, 2011

Progress ...... mmmm

Have to laugh at my crazy dog. He follows me every time I move. He'll be laying under my desk at my feet on a pillow I threw on the floor but if I get up to put something in the closet or on a shelf he's right behind me. When I'm not home he usually follows David around. David doesn't have a pillow for Dexter but that's okay....Dexter found his own place to rest while David worked at his desk or computer. Well to Dexter's dismay David finished emptying all the boxes in his office and now there's are books on the shelves. There was about an 8 inch gap between the books and Dexter kept putting his nose and front paws in there trying to figure out how to fit in that tiny space. LOL He gave up and now curls up under David's desk on the curved foot rest.

Okay I'm ready to sew or start doing something creative whether the sewing room is in order or not. Now it was full of boxes stacked 2 wide and as high as the light fixture. I took a limited view on the of what the room looked like after furniture and boxes were piled into my sew called sewing room to bee.The chair stacked up there is about a foot away from the ceiling fan light. I have a 12 foot ceiling in this room. I have now emptied all boxes but I haven't actually organized everything.  It has been exciting getting to move to a new place but it has also been very overwhelming. There were a few times I'd sit behind the boxes and cry all by myself. I never realized how much debris (I stole this word from a friend mine's husband. Much nicer than CRAP) I had accumulated after living in our last home for 16 years.                                        
Yes I can actually walk in here but what a disaster. I'm hoping by Sunday this room will be more organized and usable. Pray for me! LOL.

When I emptied a box it may mean I dumped everything on the floor, table or laid on the shelving David bought me.



Very slowly I am organizing and finding a place for everything. You might question that statement when you look at the mess in this picture but trust me it was worse. 
I have decided to start cutting up all the jeans I have saved to make quilts.
Some I have already cut into squares and others I'm prepping so I can run them thru the AccuQuilt Go. Which has various die cut shapes. Makes the cutting go a lot faster.

Here's what I've cut up so far and here's what I have left to cut up.
My friend Carol who is a real quilter came by and told me that 3 pairs of jeans will
make into a nice lap quilt. Damn Darn I'm gonna be making a lot of quilts in that case. LOL  Well, we'll see how I progress.........................

Until next blog.....
The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heav’n of hell, a hell of heav’n. ~
John Milton~
   .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•. Be Happy ✿ .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.  
……………… .... •.Carla.•´…………............…



 

Friday, October 21, 2011

Is my Porch driving me to drinking? LOL

Last weekend was kind of unproductive but
that’s okay. We had beautiful weather but we could still use some rain. We spent plenty of time outside on the back porch. I don’t remember spending this much time outside on the patio of the old house. Of course I posted on facebook at least 3 different times lately that I was having an adult beverage and sitting on the porch.

Well I got comments like “Lush” and “I think your porch is driving you to drinking”. LOL  I love my friends. I am so loving the new house and sitting on the back porch just relaxing. The person who said my porch was driving me to drink….well I noticed he enjoyed sitting out there on last Saturday evening while it rained with an adult beverage or two and his lovely wife too.
 .



You know what it is don’t you…They’re jealous of my country porch. I doubt it but it sounds good. 

Most evenings I watch the 15+ Canadian Geese fly over the house that usually hang out at the opposite end of the small lake behind the house. They are Noisey little honkers. One day I'll be ready and catch a good picture of them. And no they're not ducks. I do know the difference.


In the mornings and in the evenings we have lots of these little guys.
He has a bright yellow breast and a speckled back with a black ring under his neck. I think he and his friends are Meadowlarks. I need a longer lens to get close enough to be sure. New lens is on my wish list.

Back to my weekend. Last Friday when I got home from work I on the back porch going thru the mail and relaxing with our dog Dexter (He too likes hanging out on the porch once he takes care of all his business). The hubby arrives home grabs us a drink (darn here I go drinking again) and we discussed the week and what we had on our agenda for the weekend. Our tummy's were starting to growl. After a short discussion we decided to go grab something. We went to a new place called “The Love Shack.” Or at least that’s what I thought it was called. Come to find it’s now called just “THE SHACK” as my husband so likes to inform me. As I read various reviews I found out that it had just recently changed names. Aha Mr K. so there. ;o)
If you’re ever in the Cypress area go check this place out. It’s off 290 down Cypress Rosehill a couple of miles on the right. You're there when you see the cast iron bathtub with reflectors next to the driveway. Be forewarned It’s all outdoors. They do have Awnings or big Umbrellas and they have fans to keep you cool or heaters to keep you warm and it’s kid friendly. The Menu is limited and they only serve beer or wine and non-alcoholic liquids. They have a variety of burgers and chicken sandwiches and I think at least one brisket sandwich with an asian twist. David had a 1015 Burger with Pepper Jack cheese, Aggie 1015 onions and Zapps BBQ chips on the burger. It was big, juicy and tastey. I had the Bird Next Door , a chicken sandwich with 1015 onions, honey mustard and Jack Cheese. We shared the Signature O-Strings (1015 onion strings with butter milk batter). A little Messy but Droolin good! Are you drooling yet?  The sandwiches and the onion rings were seasoned to perfection or at least we thought so. Keep in mind this is not a fast food place so don’t get in a hurry. They prepare and handmake all the food. Oh and I forgot to mention the buns. Their buns had bits of jalapeno and cheddar in the them and they are so fresh. Go check out THE SHACK.

Saturday we had someone come out to look at pouring sidewalks, new driveway and some more patio area which took a couple of hours. Then our friends Russell and Melissa called saying they were in the area and would it be okay if they stopped by to check out our new digs. They had their boys with them who loved running from the porch to the lake. Especially when Dad said let’s see who's faster. Dad and Mom may have been tired but I don’t think the running slowed the boys down at all. ;o)

I have decorating plans for this table in the future
After our friends left David and I went to look at a rustic table he found on Craigslist for the porch.  I do believe it will work. Sold! We got a good deal on the table and 4 chairs. We brought it home and placed it on the porch and promptly sat down and started discussing possible patio layouts.



As it got closer to dinner time David told me to call our friends Ross and Sheryl to see if they wanted to grab a bite to eat and we’d come by their house to check out their new outdoor patio kitchen area that Sheryl’s brother contracted for them. It was her brother who came out to take measurements this morning to give us quotes on concrete and structures. They said sure so we cleaned up and headed that way. I had never realized how big their yard was. Wow the free standing patio cover and patio area was really nice. Can’t wait till we get one from whoever. We sat outside for awhile and had drinks. Well they had drinks I did not so maybe it is my porch that does make me drink. hmmm

In last Sunday’s Parade section of the paper they had a woman’s health quiz and 2 of the questions caught my attention. See if you know the answers.. You might be surprised. You'll find the answers at the bottom of my post.
  1. How many hours of shut eye per night does a woman need on average for a long healthy life?   A 6 hours          B 7 hours            C 8 hours               
  2. A daily glass of what beverage can help a woman stay healthy?            A milk      B  beer            C cranberry juice           D diet soda                             
Sunday we had breakfast on the porch at our new table.  So Nice. Then I took off around lunch time to run a couple of errands and headed to Quilter's Crossing (a cute friendly quilt shop in Tomball) for an EQ Bee. I'm the so called Queen Bee of our little group but definitely not the teacher. EQ is a software where you can design, recreate and play with quilt designs. Now if only I had my sewing room ready to actually sew. Maybe soon.
That evening we grilled and again ate at the new table. David grilled some tastey pork chops and I baked sweet potatoes. Only we had unwanted visitors...   "Houston we have a problem." Big ones! Fromthe rain a couple of weeks ago the mosiquitos have become active, big and hungry. Normally there's a good breeze so we don't notice the mosiquitos but not that night. I looked down at the concrete before we finished dinner and saw all the dead blood suckers and thought Holy Cow I think we picked the wrong night to eat on the porch.  When David got home Monday night I asked if he'd like to eat outside again since there was a nice breeze but he declined.

So maybe this weekend we can eat on the porch again.
Until Next Blog.... "Who among us has'nt envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely?" ~Karen Bradmeyer
.•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•. Be Happy  .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.  
……………… ....
•.Carla.•´…………............…

answers to
#1 is A) Women based on a study only need an average of 5 to 6½ hours of sleep. Any more or less could shave time off their life. So relax if you don’t get that 8 hours.
#2 is B) A study found that women who sipped 1-2 glasses of beer a day were less likely
to gain weight than those who abstained completely. *this does not mean more beers would be even better. ;o)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

To Be Long or Not to be Long that is the question...

To Mouse hair or Moose? I know goofy title but I couldn't help myself.
LOL  I sent out an email to my so called friends along with this picture
 asking "what do you think about me cutting and styling my hair this way" I  think it would make my eyes pop".  I got all kinds of  comments. Here's a just a few.
³ I thinking something Lady Gaga might work…don’t like this one
³ It may make u look too tall
³ Why not ....... your eye will pop when your husband whacks you on the side of the head
³ If you can look yourself in the mirror, then I am sure we can look thru you or past you.  Just remember you have to wake up to it.
³ I promise as your friend  I WILL NOT LAUGH.


      Of course my loving husband said sure go for it. I don't care if you look like the little mouse next to your email signature but I may act like I don't know you in public". Mmmm they do have the same shape but the more I look at it I'm think maybe it more like moose antlers. It would definitely be a conversation starter. What kind of person cuts their hair like that? I guess a model is the most obvious answer..
So this past Friday Morning I went to work with long hair and that is almost all white these days. May be a result of being married and having a daughter. Both of which I love dearly but they can stress me out some days. I remember in college when I used to pay to have my hair frosted to look like it does now and now today, I want more color. Amazing We're just never happy.
I tend keep my hair long in the summer so I can pull it up in a pony tail. I like being able to pull it up in a pony tail to stay cool. By fall I'm usually ready for a change and start looking forward to cutting my hair shorter or short. I like to wait until I have 10-12 inches of hair to cut off so I can give it to Locks of Love. So I kept asking what should I do. Get a trim to shape it up and maybe add some color?

I walked in the shop this past Friday with a picture in hand of what I thought I wanted but I still wasn't positive. I was able to cross off the moose antler look but what about the color. While I have colored my hair an auburn color and even lavendar by accident. With that said a Word of warning be sure to read the labels on the hair coloring box. So if the box says don't use if your hair is 50% or more gray DON'T.
But even with that warning I proceeded. You see I had been coloring my hair for so long I didn't know if it was 10 or 50% gray.
This is what happened....
In this picture the lavendar doesn't show as much but by the next day when I went to work it did. I worked as a secretary in the assistant principals office at a middle school at the time. Oops. We've sent kids home for this kind of thing. On that Monday morning in 2006 One of the AP's walked and said good morning, stopped, turned around, stared and said "Don't even think about it...I'm not sending you home" About that same time 3 students walked in and told me my hair was "cool". Oh and did I mention I colored my hair right before going to my Godchilds college graduation party that particular weekend. No time to correct. Everyone definitely noticed.

So as I sat in the saloon salon chair my stylist asked what we were going to do today. One thing I was sure of , I wanted to try putting some low lites in my hair. Back in March when he tried he was cautious and the colors he chose didn't show up at all so I walked out with a trim only. To be fair He didn't charge me for the color. I showed him the pictures of cuts I liked and he questioned the length. They were too short he felt.
Well here's the final result of my salon visit........  4 inches shorter and not quite so white headed. My stylist said next time we'll go for more darker highlights low lites. I already have the highlights and definitely more than 50%. LOL   I think I might need more layers and slightly shorter bangs but that's the next cut..

I almost scrapped this post because who wants to read about my Hair Adventures until I read Less Cake More Frosting Blog  post on her new short cut.  Major difference in our post is she is younger and much cuter but this is my story and I'm stickin to it. Come to think of it she's a better writer but that's okay too. ;o)

Today I tried curling it. Definitely takes less time to dry when it's shorter. Just have to get used to styling it. I'm not so good at these self portraits. Need to work on that. Actually took this one with my cell phone because right now me and my Nikon are not one when it some to using the self timer.







Also before I forget Go check out my friend
Amber's blog called Texas Tales. She's one talented person. Takes after her mom. Anyway Amber writes, decorates, is very crafty, energetic, and well she's makes jewelry. She's having a give-away that ends tomorrow.  Don't miss your chance to win these nifty bracelets to the right. She'll announce the winner Friday.


Well Until next blog ...
The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or
touched - they must be felt with the heart ~ Helen Keller

.•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•. Be Happy ✿ .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.  
……………… .... •.Carla.•´…………............…

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Little Bit Country

 Okay so since I've been on this Green Acres/Country Living thing since our move so I figure I'll throw in a little Country Music too. Yes I know these's a few of you who read my blog that aren't country music fans and cringe at the words country music so bear with me. Maybe you just haven't heard these guys I'm gonna mention.
If you are ever in the area of Old Town Spring on Wednesday nites you need to head to Puffabelly's for some good food and live music. There is a cover charge but the show/music is worth it. And if you're so inclined to have an adult beverage or two to get you in the mood okay but if you're not so inclined there's always water or soda..

Back on Wednesday, September 24th my husband and I met up with our good friend Tim to listen to Davin James, Texas Songwriter, singer and guitar picker whose a Wednesday nite regular at Puffabelly's.

That night his guest was Jesse Dayton from the Austin area.  These two have known each other for a quite awhile. In fact they even roomed together back in their younger carefree days so they have history which gave them plenty of material to banter back and forth between songs. You put these two together and you get entertained to the max. They put on a kick ass show that night so I was not disappointed. 

They played their own music and songs but threw in a some George Jones, Johnny Cash and some Elvis Presley. These guys are good.
George, Johnny and Elvis would a been proud.

Right now Davin is giving Jesse a bad time for not getting him a part in The play “Becoming Kinky… The World According To Kinky Friedman” that Jesse stars in.








I was so busy eating and being entertained I didn't take pictures of the food. We had a sampler platter with fried green tomatoes, fried jalapenos, onion rings and fried pickles. Finally I got to try fried pickles. Not bad but I couldn't eat too many of them. I wanted more of the fried green tomatoes. Yum. Then we ordered sandwiches. Way too much food!
Jesse Dayton (L)  Davin James (R)

If you get a chance to see one or both of these guys do it you won't be sorry. Now I have to admit a  part of the entertainment for me is watching all the facial expressions that Davin has when he's singing.

Anyway until next blog.....  Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.  ~Ronald Reagan

.•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•. Be Happy ✿ .•*¨`*•. .•*¨`*•.  
……………… .... •.Carla.•´…………............…