But I'm not going to write about that trip until I download the pictures from my camera. All I'll say now is that it is August in Texas and we had a beautiful weekend and a great time in Fort Worth. Etta's Place was awesome lodging and a great location.
I decided that I need to be more active. I'm working out in the mornings, but I also decided that at lunch, I should get away from the office and get a little exercise. I decided I should go shopping so I can be somewhere cool and indoors. Note to self: Bad idea when you are trying to stick to a budget.
I decided it was time to quit playing every weekend and get some work done around my house. For starters, I bought a new chainsaw...and of course, when I get it home and read the directions, I realized I need chainsaw oil. I hate that kind of stuff 'cause then I had to run back out again. I have a pecan tree that had branches hanging on my roof. So, I live on a busy street and I'm sure it looked like the circus came to town. My boyfriend and I didn't have a really big ladder. He's on the top step with a chainsaw while I try to hold the ladder.
We had some branches that were really high. We used an extension cord as a lasso to pull the branches downward. That took him throwing the cord quite a few times. It's not as easy as it looks. Kudos to all those lasso guys out there. I never appreciated how talented you really are.
So then, I reach up and pulled the branches down with all my weight after he lassoed them and got them low enough for me to reach. They were very heavy. I was afraid I was going to be sling shotted into the next yard. My boyfriend got on the ladder over my head and chainsawed them down. All I can say, is that my $50 electric chainsaw was so worth it. The tree 'surgeons' wanted $300 for my two front trees and with a $50 chainsaw, we were done in less than an hour and it looks good.We cut some pretty big branches with that little saw.
Also, I'm finally getting pecans. I'm very excited about that. Last year, I wasn't living in the house yet and the trees never got watered. The pecans all fell off prematurely and were tiny. They are big and green right now. This is what I see in my future.
So the work didn't stop. Sunday, I decided to clean out and organize my garage. Wow. What a chore. I bought some 6-ft tall shelves at Target. OMG!!! I worked on those things for hours. If I were to sell the shelves in a garage sale, I would ask $250 (they cost $26) because I spent so much time putting them together. The directions said NOT to use a power drill. Well I would have never finished them if I didn't. They gave me flat-head screws and not all the wood had precut holes. Ugh.
So the scary part is that when I picked up a throw rug by my kitchen door (in the garage), there was a HUGE dead tarantula under it. Thank goodness for the dead part. I didn't tell Hayley about it. I was afraid she'd never go to the garage again to do her own laundry. I can tell you that I'll definitely be on alert when in the garage.
School started today in Frisco. What a pain. I sent a utility bill with Hayley but forgot the signature page for the handbook so they wouldn't let her go to class. I wasn't allowed to scan and email it....I HAD to fax it. Then, Hayley needed lunch money and it's been months. Couldn't remember my user name and password for that website. Bah humbug.
And of course....the commute today. School buses everywhere...and where did these dang DART buses come from? I don't recall seeing a DART bus in Plano in months....they were everywhere today.
So I'm done griping. It's a great day. I'm going to get my exercise at Willow Bend Mall :)
I'm NOT going to be mom of the year. I'm going to Ft. Worth on tax free weekend and leaving Hayley at home to work. I did however leave her a credit card with a self-imposed limit so she can shop. She is texting me pictures of stuff she is trying on to get my opinion because all her friends were busy or working today. This picture came with "Black or Gold?" Technology at its finest. By the way, we went with gold as it stands out more.
A few weeks ago, I blogged that I almost ran over a grown man on a tricycle. Well today I was smart enough to get proof.
So I'm staying in Sundance Square at a B&B. It had great reviews on tripadvisor so hopefully a good place.
Going to the zoo, botanical gardens, water gardens, Kimball, and a few bars. The zoo has its newest baby on view....a giraffe. http://www.ettas-place.com/
So I saw Rihanna on TV last night and I really liked her makeup. I tried it today. I forgot I'm white. It doesn't look so good on me. I look washed out.
Took my daughter out to dinner earlier this week. I tried a new sushi roll. It was called a Rain Coat and touted as healthy. It was a roll made in a wonton wrapper with tuna, salmon, crab, cucumber, mango, avocado and rice. To die for. Did I mention they had $3 Appletinis and some really good shrimp tempura. So my next cooking adventure is going to be shrimp and veggie tempura.
http://www.saketorotexas.com/
Everyone have a great tax-free weekend. I'll be as far away from malls as I can be.
So I've heard chickens and roosters cackling and crowing every so often when I'm in my backyard. I never could figure out which neighbor had the chickens. Well, I finally figured it out. I was taking the dog for a walk and I passed a house with a big black SUV in the driveway.
Well you know how many people have those stick-figure window decals showing the mommies, daddies and kids? Well, this one had the mommy, daddy, two kids, a dog, two chickens, and a horse. I'm pretty sure the horse does not live at their house since I haven't heard any whinnying.
I got new tires on my car a few weeks ago and they have that chemical stuff in them instead of just air. Well, the tire pressure monitor light keeps coming on so I keep going to Costco to have my tires checked and to add that chemical stuff, but they always tell me the tires were not really low. So anyway, after a month of this, I decided to pull out my manual. Well duh, you are supposed to reset the switch when you get new tires or adjust the tire pressure. So basically I had to push a button for 2 seconds and the light went away. Now I won't have to keep spending my lunch breaks at Costco getting my tires checked.
Yea Rangers! Beat the Yankees. Lordy. My daughter just told me that I need to water my grass. I watered on Monday, it rained on Tuesday, it sprinkled today. She says it's too yellowish....which it is, but its also August in Texas and we've had a lot of 100+ days in the past few weeks.
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| Zena |
I'm trying to get Zena skinnied up by taking her on walks every morning. Hayley is in the kitchen tossing home-made fried pickles into the dog's mouth.
So I have a lot of random stuff to write about today. I'll put in order of my day. Well first off thought my house or front trees were hit by lightening at 2am, but everything was fine...just scary. We accidentally left Billie Jean out last night, but she showed up this morning. She was dry and did not look traumatized by the lightening or storm. She's a cat. She probably could care less.
I was watching SquawkBox this morning. I had no idea that marijuana grows in the wild in Iowa...and sometimes in the middle of the corn fields. The reporter said that is why Iowa is also know as Highowa. That was my first laugh of the day.
Next, Joe (SquawkBox) says they are going to have the guy who is making Fifty Shades of Grey into a NOT x-rated movie on next. He says "Tie yourself to the TV.. You don't want to miss this." That was my next laugh of the day.
So the top was already down on the car so decided to leave it down for the drive into work. I was cold. It is August in Texas. WTH?
So driving around town lately...what is up? Everyone has a new car. There are paper plates everywhere. I'm guessing the dealers are doing a fine job of selling off the 2012s????? Or maybe these are 2013s. I can't tell. Lots of new Volkswagens and Lexuses....they must be really working it.
So today I'm listening to my "Contemplative" music list. You would think that would be classical music, but it's not. It's lyrics that either make me think about things or remind me of things in my life. Here's a few of the songs.
California Dreamin' (Mamas and Papas)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nio1uvozZA
Sing for the Moment (JayZ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rDysbl6fAE
Empire State of Mind (Eminem)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8
So I bought that highly sought out book 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. I've only read the first 2 or 3 chapters. My summary so far:
- A college girl has the hots for a rich control freak that has bought items such as tape, rope, and zip strips which would lead me to believe (after watching too many crime shows) that he's a serial killer.
My boyfriend has heard about this book and is anxious for me to get to the good parts. I believe he thinks this book is going to benefit him greatly at some point. From what I've heard, it most likely will.
So I made the crab cakes and coleslaw (no mayo) version last night. I think the crab cakes were better before I cooked them. The crab mixed with the mayo, mustard, Old Bay,crushed crackers, and cayenne pepper was awesome. Then, I breaded them and cooked them and lost the spicy crab taste....tasted like cooked bread crumbs....blah. Next time, I think I'll make the mix and then eat it on crackers or as a crab salad.
Oh, and by the way, that lump crab meat was regularly $16 at Kroger for 8 oz. It was on sale so I got it for $13....but really???? The butcher told me to buy my own crab legs, cook them, let them cool and then harvest the meat and it would be cheaper.
Well that all sounded good except for the part where I had to go grocery shopping, work out, take the dog for a walk, water my yard with a 'real' sprinkler being moved around, make the crab mix and then wait an hour for the crab cakes to chill before cooking, clean the kitchen, and watch Cowboys. I opted for the $13 jar.
The coleslaw was made with oil, soy, and red wine vinegar and no mayo. It's pretty decent, but I think I like the mayo version better.
I got up and walked the dog again today. The little Ipod Shuffle has got me motivated. Oh, and I worked out. I'm on a roll.
I hope everyone is enjoying these somewhat cool mornings.
So I was leaving to take Cocoa to her daddy's house, but Zena decided she wanted to go for a ride too and jumped in my car. Kind of hard to drive a two-seater car with two dogs, so Zena didn't get to make the ride and there was a Chinese fire drill involved so that I could be the driver.
I cannot believe it is already football time of the year. When football starts, I feel like I should be in my sweatpants and hoodie, but tonight the Cowboys play and it'll be 104 degrees here so I guess shorts and flip flops it is. All my Cowboys shirts are for cold weather, so maybe I'll wear my Cowboys undies....for real...I have Cowboys undies and house slippers.
Football also makes me think about food. I decided not to make typical tailgating fare this evening. I'm making crab cakes with a spicy horseradish sauce and homemade coleslaw. I'm using a recipe that does not use mayo. If its good, I'll post the recipe.
I would really love to be able to sit on my back patio and watch the game, but I'm not really up for trying to figure out how to run cable to my back yard. I think I can watch preseason games online, but I still want to get TV in the yard at some point. Maybe I'll get brave enough to try this cable thing. I think I may even own a cable splitter doohickey....I just don't want to end up having to call TWC if I mess things up, but oh well. I also found a receiver and speakers in storage so I think I'm going to hook them up in back yard too. But then again, I probably shouldn't really sit outside tonight since West Nile has taken over around here.
It's also back to school season. My daughter is a senior this year. Wow. I showed her how to set up online bill pay. I tried to get a picture of her making her first car payment of many last week, but she hid behind a throw pillow. She and her boyfriend went and saw The Campaign last night. She said it was very raunchy, but very funny. I may have to go see it.
This is my Atmos energy guy. He rides his segue right into my backyard to read my meter. I think that is a really good use for a segue. I'm sure it beats walking the entire day.
So the picture to the right is my kitty in the tree. Unfortunately for her, she can climb up, but coming down is not so easy. Fast forward about 20 minutes later, she's meowing like crazy and I'm on a ladder getting her down.
See all my firewood? Isn't that special? Since I don't have a fireplace. I am going to build a fire pit in my backyard as soon as I 'youtube' how to lay bricks, and when the weather gets below 95. I have tons of vintage bricks that came with my backyard....for some crazy reason. They say Globe or Crown. Since I'm waiting on the weather, I may not start the project until November.
I'm in a stock buying mood so of course the market is going to be up. You can all thank me for that!
