There is an irritating bird outside my bedroom window.

At 5am this morning, I had a few choice words for him.

He was not blessed with a beautiful song;

though I certainly can't fault him for trying.

He sings just one note.

three times, pause, three more times,

over and over and over.

After 2 hours of it,I got up,

went straight to the piano;

the note, still quite fresh in my mind,

is f sharp.


f# f# f#

f# f# f#

f# f# f#


......and so on

for hours.



I need a b b gun.



f# f# f#

f# f# f#

f# f# f#

pow.



I don't want to hurt you, little bird

.....just go sing somewhere else for pete's sake

the roadsides are painted blue








with the state flower,

Texas Bluebonnet

isn't it lovely?

oh, Spring . . . . . I'm so happy you are here!

You know how

they have those City Trash Cleanups every few months?

and people put tons of stuff out on their curb?

And every time you jog/walk past it

you can't help but shop?

and sometimes it's pretty good stuff?

well, today, I came home with this quilt






washed it

twice.

then refashioned it into something for The Boys.

Now, that's an improvement over their old sleeping bag

don't they look happy?

Now you, nor I, would ever dream of napping on refashioned trash,
but since my dogs' idea of a good time is rolling in their poo,
this, for them, represents abundant luxury.

I have been sewing up a storm


in preparation for baby Wyatt.

Who, is currently living here:





We are so excited






I thought and thought

about what I could make that would be a special gift from Meema.

hmmmm, a quilt is always special

he'll need receiving blankets too.

or how about a cute diaper/baby wipe tote?

bibs are a must

and babies never have enough burp cloths.

Oh what to do . . . .

I couldn't decide.

so . . . . . . . .

I made it all


. . . . . in different themes




Airplane
(his daddy is an Air Force Navigator)











hand dyed baby blue diapers for burp cloths



Green Wild Animals





Tote for a single diaper and baby wipes






Western



(The burp cloths are for Wyatt's Erp)



Classic Baby Blue and Yellow





Turquoise and Brown
burp cloths





Dogs and Alphabet









1 quilt, 5 receiving blankets, 4 bibs, 17 burp cloths
and 1 diaper/baby wipe tote later,
I am still not sure which is my favorite;
I had so much fun creating it all.


Can't wait to meet you, Wyatt

March Madness Survival Tip:

Sewing





Making lots of cute things for baby Wyatt

pleasantly passes the hours of basketball.

I can't wait to meet him;

just a few more weeks!

I am almost finished with his layette,

I'll show you soon . . . . .

Vernal Equinox

Today is the first day of Spring !


Near our home, there is a hillside

that will soon be alive with blooms.

It stretches up from the frontage road, near the freeway on-ramp.

Most of the wonder of this hillside goes unnoticed

by the drivers rushing by.







One day, last Spring,

I stopped my car

and hiked up the hill,

camera in hand.

Within an area the size of my bedroom,

I found 10 varieties of wildflowers

Nothing, and I mean nothing,

that I could paint, sculpt, or design

could ever draw near to the majesty

of Our Father's most insignificant creations.


It's like I got a little glimpse of Heaven.

******

Yesterday, St Patrick's Day,

Several bloggers suggested making Irish Shepard's Pie

It reminded me of a recipe my mom used to make

called, Hamburger Pie.

I haven't made it for years, so I decided to revive the old recipe

and jazz it up little (as my dad would say).


Basically,
it is browned hamburger, corn, carrots, onion, garlic, and a can of tomato soup
topped with mashed potatoes and baked a half hour at 375

. . . . and if it is St Patty's Day, the potatoes need to be green




looked kinda gross

tasted good, though

******

******


My latest favorite thing to do with

Michele's Miracle French Bread:



Garlic Croutons

My mother used to make these for her fabulous Cesar Salad

Mom made them from regular white bread

so homemade french bread would be an improvement, right?

right.


Step One:

Cut or press 3-5 cloves of garlic into a cup of oil
(I mix 2/3 cup vegetable oil with 1/3 cup olive oil)

Let the garlic sit in the oil several hours (overnight is good)
If you want it for dinner tonight,
slightly warm the mixture in the microwave to release some of the
garlic into the oil faster) Do not get it hot.





Step Two:

I used half loaf of french bread that was a day old

cut into 1/2" to 3/4" cubes,

toasted in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes





Step Three:

Toss croutons while drizzling the oil over the them, until croutons are coated

drain excess oil

Optional: Sprinkle with garlic salt and/or Parmesan cheese, toss, to taste


******

Put them in your favorite green salad, add dressing.

The only bottled dressing I like these days is Ken's Steakhouse Blue Cheese.

I am very happy with this being my entire dinner.

Simple. Yummy.

******

Use it up, wear it out.

Make it do, or do without.


This phrase was popular when I got married.

Sounds like something a pioneer made up.

Anyway, back then, I had a garden; canned vegetables and homemade jam,
sewed our family's clothing, drapes, bedspreads (you name it), knitted, crocheted, and cross stitched
.
I guess I was out to prove something.

I am pretty sure I can still do all of those things

. . . . . I just don't.

******


I have, of late, been sewing again

and I love the creative outlet.

Have you heard of refashioning and re-purposing?

Basically, it is about taking clothing you no longer use in their current state
and re-making them into something you will use.

My first attempts were made last Christmas

******


I have a couple of things I rarely wear:

a pink silk blouse that pulls open at the bust





and an outdated olive green knit top






my blouse solution:


cover the problem area with a ruffled bib

that can be removed when I am tired of it

because the second those ruffles are out of style,

I am going to want my tailored shirt back







I used 2 slightly different shades of pink chiffon

torn into strips (raw edges are in these days)

folded, then stitched them down every couple of inches







Next,

a torn strip of taffeta

is sewn around the neckline of this knit top







. . . . and just like that, I have

two updated tops

I really love them!

and it was super fun to do


******

Random Stuff

Yay!

I got some takers on my request for company.

Mike, Marci and the 3 cuties are coming tonight

thank heaven!

I was traumatized,

by seeing my dust bunnies online.

they are officially gone.

leaves and blue socks too.

Company is like magic!


(but don't look under, or behind, anything)


******

spring is coming!

the tree near my driveway couldn't wait

I love the hum of my neighbor's lawnmower this morning

and the aroma of fresh cut grass that follows close behind

. . . . haven't smelled that since late October

******


Don't you just love the cowboys on the Amazing Race?

I am rooting for them.

Besides being great competitors,

they are funny

and cute in their big hats and belt buckles



******


A couple of days ago,

I got a letter from Chloe's Middle School

telling me she is nominated for membership in the NJHS,

National Junior Honor Society.

They select students who

"demonstrate scholarship, character, leadership, citizenship, integrity, and responsibility".

When I asked her about it she said,

"It's stupid"




. . . . . probably won't be getting the Mother of the Year Award this year.


*******

My house can't handle this much longer

tax season is tough on my house

. . . . and my family


******


I enjoy doing taxes,

but sometimes, it can be stressful . . .

some people get angry at the messenger

when they owe the IRS.

And certain office managers can be very overbearing

It's draining.

So I don't feel like doing much after I get home from work.

Steve makes dinner fairly often;

he is wonderful that way.

I walk in the door, go straight to my room and come out in my robe

ahhhhh

my robe says, "you're home dear, relax"

then, I read blogs and watch TV


******


I took a photo tour of my house today,

it wasn't pretty

the dogs were in a lot this winter, because it was freezing

hence, furry dust bunnies,

plus, we have leaves that blew in the back door

and green thread bunnies from a sewing project.

if you look closely at the dog photo, the leaves are in it,

and a pair of Chloe's blue socks

I have no idea how long they have been there;

I haven't deep cleaned since David and Walt visited in January.

For a truly clean house, I need visitors at least once a month

You know . . . . there's no clean like company's coming clean.

Will you come and visit ?

. . . . please




******

My honey and I celebrated our Anniversary

Tige and Doo style.

When we were dating,
(back in the days of peace and love)
our two favorite things to do were

explore country roads in the truck

and go out to eat

Without planning it, exactly,
that's what we did on Friday.

We knew we wanted to go out to breakfast
at our favorite little German bakery/coffee shop in Fredericksburg.
So we headed down the I-10,
(which tempted us to keep going till we got to California
but we were too hungry,
so we turned onto highway 87 instead)
for German pancakes, potatoes, eggs & bacon

After breakfast, which did not disappoint by the way, we wanted to sight see.
It was too cold to stroll so we got in the car and headed down Main street

Steve laughed at me because I kept taking pictures of myself.
Other bloggers do it all the time, and my mom used to do it too
which, in both cases, I always thought was weird
but here I am doing it

. . . . and who cares


This is me wondering why I always look so great in the car mirror
and not as good in a photo of exactly same thing.
It's got to be that warm lighting.

See my dumb expression?
that is what happens when you take pictures of yourself.





We purposely drove past the turnoff for San Antonio
and headed out of town on an adventure
. . . . Main street turned into a highway.


Under gray sky,
we wound around through oak trees and over flowing streams.


we saw deer and sheep and cows
and 4 zebras . . . . honest. . . . they were gathered around a drinking trough





We bought a Pepsi in Stonewall
then headed down Ranch Road 1376

and now, I want to live on RR 1376,


in this house







with this fence out front






these would be my neighbors





There is a song we like, about Luckenbach, Texas
so we had to see it.
It 's nothing more than a tiny tourist stop
and it is sooooo Texas . . . . we loved it
. . . . . and so do Waylon, and Willie, and the boys.




And who writes all over a building?

Everyone who ever visited Luckenbach, apparently.
















Steve bought some souvenirs.
The cute cowboy behind the counter
(who had more one liners than Henny Youngman)
said, "you wanted that gift wrapped, right?"
as he slapped our brown bag down on the counter.
Then chuckled like he loves his job more than anything in the world.


I wish for everyone to be as happy in their life

as that cowboy is, working in a gift shop in Luckenbach






As we headed home, we passed through Sisterdale
(where all of the stone in our courtyard came from)

then, through the town of Boerne
(pronounced Bernie. crazy Germans)
(I can say that because I am one)

Then home



It is interesting how the simplest things

. . . . . the same things I liked at 16 . . . . .

are still the best things.

This is, and always will be, my idea of a perfect Anniversary.



. . . . or going to Paris