Hammock

I ended up ordering a travel hammock due to the size constraints of my exsisting posts. It came in only a few days! Here is the before:

and the after! I tried it out after mowing, but had dirty feet and didn't read the instructions on how to get in the thing, so I didn't spend much time and it wasn't very comfortable because I didn't know what I was doing!! I'll have to go back out later this afternoon and give it another whirl.

Giveaway.....

Fun giveaway today over at The Inspired Room....but I don't want you to enter because I want to win!! :-)

Weekend

Who ever said the weekend was supposed to be restful?

So, last night I decided to go ahead and start painting that trellis from last weekend....it was as close to cool enough as it gets in August in Texas, so I set up shop in my garage. See those nifty things under my trellis? Folding, plastic sawhorses! So great. I've been *needing* sawhorses for a while - they just make solo projects so much easier. But, I didn't want to buy big heavy bulky ones. And I think my grandpa made my dad's eons ago - I sure didn't want to do that (or even know how!). So, when I saw these, I knew it would be exactly what I needed.

Another recent find is these Tornado hooks that screw straight into drywall without having to use anchors or find studs. Perfect for my garage. I got a hook for my push broom several weeks ago and it is perfect. So, when I bought my sawhorses, I went looking for hooks to hang them on the wall....voila! Perfect size. Measured the span that would be right (used painters tape to get them reasonably level) and hung them while I was waiting for paint to dry.

See how perfect they are hanging up?? This is why I have a garage. Plus, of course, to house my car.

The other project of last night was to illuminate my gazebo. I've flirted with the idea of hanging lights for a while. Even bought a ton of cuphooks last Christmas intending to hang lights out there (because that is how lights are hung on my parents' house). I abandonded that idea as too labor intensive. Finally, after seeing some cute dragonfly lights on my friend Cindy's patio hung with staples, I decided to just bite the bullet. So, I bought some basic round lights and stapled them up around the perimeter. Yes, I ended up with slightly more length than I needed, but I just pulled out the bulbs from the doubled over section and have them as spares (which is good because I did break one while hanging them!). Ever try to hang lights by yourself? Thank goodness for a long extension cord and electric staple gun!

I also decided to hang one row of cuphooks on the front and use that for seasonal fun lights....these little chinese lanterns jumped out at me and I couldn't resist. I'll probably see what fun lights I can find at Christmas time - and might even see if I can change out every other bulb in the regular string to be red or something.....we'll see.

And on to the fun of today. I unintentionally woke up early and just decided to get up. So, I was out the door about 8:30 to run some errands and find what I could find. Lowe's was the first order of business. I've been wanting a hammock to hang between the two posts in my yard for a while....found one (on sale 50% off!) and got it home, but it was too big. Boo. So that goes back to the store.

Then down to Target to get another string of lantern lights - one wasn't enough. En route to the estate sale that was the ultimate goal, I found a thrift store and scored several treasures. A set of white shelves that are very sturdy - the openings are about 15x15x6 and it is about 30" high. Could be great scrapbook paper storage, except that I have mine stored in other ways. Basically, I don't know how I'm gonna use it yet, but for $4.94, I couldn't pass it up. I also got a pair of ice cream sundae dishes for $1.91.

The estate sale was a bust, but as I was driving aimlessly pointed in the direction of home, I stumbled across many more garage sales. I don't usually stop just because of the hassle of in and out of the car and I'm usually on more of a mission. But today, that was my mission. I found a couple other treasures - a fun snowman to add to my collection for $2 and a ribbon plate for $1. Plus I bought a book for 50 cents.

Once home, I unpacked all my treasures, hung the second set of lights, tried to hang the hammock (which required a trip back out and all around town because I didn't have the right hardware), repackaged the hammock to return, painted part of the trellis and salvaged boxes with chalkboard paint, painted a spot on the bathroom ceiling that was damaged when I had a A/C vent installed earlier this summer, and unloaded the dishwasher.

Now, I am gonna go season my steak for dinner, then chill for a while.....probably pay some bills and maybe run a load of laundry. Maybe I can rest tomorrow afternoon!!

Sunday finds

After church today, while killing time before a wedding shower, I ducked into one of my favorite shops, Junkadoodle, that I, of course, discovered through my friend Kelly.....it isn't antiques, it isn't quite junk, it is just fun stuff that has been repurposed or reclaimed to serve whatever creative juices are drawn in. I've been thinking for quite a while that I needed to do *something* over my sofa in my living room. I already have a big mirror on the other end of the room by the dining table, plus the whole facing wall is windows. Artwork, shelves for knick-knacky stuff, .....nothing was striking me. Plus I kinda hate to be too stuck on a color palette.....

So, when I saw this reclaimed trellis, I knew instantly that it would be perfect. I need to decide if I am going to paint it -- I'm afraid it would just blend into the creamy walls right now (and I'm not up for painting my living room at this point).....so the dilemma over color begins to rage. Freshen up the white? I've got brown paint left from my office re-do last summer ...... I've sent photos to Kelly to get her take as she is often my decorating guru, but I'm gonna throw this out there for you as well...... any thoughts??

Then, while driving home, I swung down a street in my neighborhood to check out a "HUGE SALE" -- it wasn't all that. BUT, on the way down the street, I saw these interesting items out for the bulk trash pickup. I stopped, got out to examine, and folks, these are some prime boxes. Sturdy and in extremely good condition. Could be transformed into shelves, toy boxes, planters.....who knows?! And for free? You know I had to pick them up. So, while I've got you brainstorming......any ideas? I'm thinking possibly planter(s) on the front porch, but I'm not sold on that yet......

Well, I think I'm off to put away clean laundry and then relax for the remainder of my Sunday before that ugly "W" word comes back into play tomorrow.....

Another random meme.....65 questions this time

65 Questions You've Probably Never Been Asked.....

1. First thing you wash in the shower? body

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? don't wear hoodies

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? yep - Emily kisses are just right!

4. Do you plan outfits? sometimes

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? annoyed

6. What’s the closest thing to you that's red? message light on my telephone

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I don't remember the last dream I remember....

8. Did you meet anybody new today? nope

9. What are you craving right now? garlic bread

10. Do you floss? not often enough

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? ick

12. Are you emotional? at times - I ususally hide it, though

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? not that I can remember

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? lick it

15. Do you like your hair? depends on the day

16. Do you like yourself? most of the time

17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? probably

18. What are you listening to right now? iPod on shuffle, fan blowing

19. Are your parents strict? in the past - yes

20. Would you go sky diving? yep

21. Do you like cottage cheese? absolutely not

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? yes

23. Do you rent movies often? not anymore

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? my cut glass business card holder is as close at it gets

25. How many countries have you visited? actually spent time in? 6, I think

26. Have you made a prank phone call? yeah, before caller ID

27. Ever been on a train? yes

28. Brown or white eggs? doesn't matter

29. Do you have a cell-phone? of course

30. Do you use Chap Stick? yes

31. Do you own a gun? yes

32. Can you use chop sticks? not very well

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? me, myself and I

34. Are you too forgiving? probably not forgiving enough

35. Ever been in love? not with anyone other than family

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? probably enjoying the end of their summer break

37. Ever have cream puffs? I don't think so

38. Last time you cried? yesterday

39. What was the last question you asked? "Are you ready to work on _____?"

40. Favorite time of the year? winter/spring

41. Do you have any tattoos? not yet

42. Are you sarcastic? ummmm, yeah

43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? nope

44. Ever walked into a wall? almost daily - it's sad

45. Favorite color? this week? orange

46. Have you ever slapped someone? yes

47. Is your hair curly? not really

48. What was the last CD you bought? Aerosmith (at Half Price Books)

49. Do looks matter? some

50. Could you ever forgive a cheater? depends

51. Is your phone bill sky high? no - pretty much the same every month

52. Do you like your life right now? mostly

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? yes, go to sleep with it on timer every night

54. Can you handle the truth? usually

55. Do you have good vision? yep - after LASIK

56. I'm deleting this question b/c I don't like it. don't know what the original question was here.....

57. How often do you talk on the phone? every day at work

58. The last person you held hands with? probably Emily

59. What are you wearing? black pants, green shirt, black sandals

60. What is your favorite animal? none

61. Where was your profile picture taken at? New York City

62. Can you hula hoop? nope

63. Do you have a job? Yes

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? stuff at The Container Store yesterday

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? Not that I can recall

It's been awhile....

Rain

It is thundering and lightening here tonight.....maybe enough rain will come with it to help ease our dry summer!

New 'do

Sweet fellowship

Whew......cRaZy insane busy day at work......but what a sweet ending.

My church sponsors missionaries in Chiang Mai, Thailand and they are home this summer on furlough. I know lots of people that have gone through their internship program, but had never really spent any time with David & Michelle because they were already gone when I moved here.

So, one of the things our missions committee is doing while they are home is coordinating schedules with folks from church that were interested in hosting meals for the family and spending time with them. Since I have COMPLETELY slacked off on hosting people in my home this year (well, really since mid-2008), I decided this would be an easy thing to do. Signed up and tonight was my night.

I think I've told you that we are in the midst of a major software upgrade at work. I'm very involved with that and we are one week in to the new software. So, it is the first accounting cycle through everything. We are doing lots and lots of checking and double checking to ensure that the processing is working correctly. I've been struggling through pieces of one calculation task this week. Our consultants are officially rolling off the project tomorrow and pushing us to their support team going forward. So today was kinda D-DAY for getting through the process. Yikes. (and it was our monthly staff meeting as well)

I decided that I needed to leave by 5:30 to ensure that I had time to get home and do the last minute things like empty the dishwasher, set the table, make tea, etc.......Well, 5:30 came and went and we were smack dab in the middle of the last part of the process. So, I didn't end up leaving the office until 6:00......chicken spaghetti was made, but in the fridge....needed 30 minutes to bake. My purple juice salad is very easy, but does take some last minute prep, as does the sauteed broccoli. So, I get home at 6:25 and they were scheduled to arrive at 7:00. Somehow I made it getting all the stuff done that I needed to and everything was ready when they arrived a few minutes after 7:00. Whew.

Brielle (5th grade) fairly well tackled me with hugs as she walked in the door and was a great helper getting things on the table and taking drink orders. Brianna (7th grade) was quite interested in my Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss books on the bookshelf. Conversation was easy as David, Michelle & I got to know each other better through dinner. It was even nice enough to sit outside for a bit after dinner. What a blessing to have that nice fellowship to end a crazy hectic day.

701

So, apparently this is post 701......kinda crazy.

I know it has been a while - please don't give me any grief for my brief bloggy hiatus. It's been kinda crazy in my neck of the woods. See, we are having this big project at work to upgrade our accounting software and I have been very very busy. Like working hard and fast and long hours. We finally went live on the software this week and so far, things are going as well as could be expected. Things are working mostly right, but it is a tedious chore to make sure that everything is processing correctly - all my stuff plus everyone elses!

All that to say, that is why no blogging from me lately.....

My family came out for the 4th of July weekend....these photos are a little out of order from the actual timing of events, but that doesn't really matter:

We went to Babies R Us and Emily was able to have her birthday celebrated by receiving a crown and balloon....she LOVES balloons!!

We went up to my office to work on our Family Tree notebook project and Emily enjoyed running around and exploring - especially standing in the windowsill.

We also celebrated my Daddy's birthday (only one week late).....and Heather unearthed these vintage candles from when we turned 5 & 8!

So that's a little catchup on me.....ta ta for now......off to relax this evening and then to go see Harry Potter tomorrow.....

Chillin Squirrel

caught this squirrel just chillin in the tree.....he actually let me walk out on the deck and get real close......

Spring Reading Thing Wrapup

I didn't have much of a list to start with .....so here is just the recap of what I did read:

The Shack by William Paul Young

--interesting read - my prior reading of Frank Peretti made it pretty easy to embrace the imagination of a different perspective of God

Heath Ledger: Hollywood's Dark Star by Brian J. Robb

--I have loved watching Heath Ledger since 10 Things I Hate About You - it was an interesting read with lots of fun pictures

Tribute by Nora Roberts

The Villa by Nora Roberts

--definitely found a new favorite author. saw the TV movie of Tribute not long after I finished it and was reminded why I prefer reading books to seeing movies of books (it was a lot different with lots of missing pieces)

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

--another new author for me....not sure what I think. Her books take me longer to get into than I ususally prefer, but they are not bad.

Amazonia by James Rollins

The Last Oracle by James Rollins

The Judas Strain by James Rollins

Excavation by James Rollins

--another new favorite author, courtesy of my Phillip-in-law......mystery, thriller, medical, spy stuff, etc

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

--chick lit, but not very uplifting and had more language and sketchy scenes than I usually prefer

Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs

--I love the TV show Bones, which is based on these books. I like the TV show better.

Memory in Death by J.D. Robb

--Nora Roberts writes under this nom de plume.....this one was a futuristic cop drama. Didn't love it so much. Probably will just stick to Nora Roberts writing as herself.

Currently I'm reading The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough. It was recommended to me by a friend at church and since I work for a descendant of one of the 4 men profiled in the book, thought it might be especially interesting. So far so good, though it is a slower read than normal for me.

That's it for now.....tune in come Fall for more book reading posts!

Emily's birthday

Spent the past weekend out in the country to celebrate Emily's first birthday.....can't even believe it has been a whole year already!  Enjoy a glimpse into our Saturday!

and for those interested......here is what I made for Emily's present.....a repurposed cardboard box.....and of course, it was full of toys and clothes! :-)

Stormy Weather

Almost 4 inches at rain at my house in the last 24 hours.....lots of wind and maybe almost a tornado in my part of the state.

Thankfully, I never lost power (there are still 250,000 people without power) and only had two casualties in my yard.

A tree branch from the neighbor's yard is hanging into mine.....

and the most sad.....my new wind chimes snapped. I think I can fix them though - just some good wood glue should do it....

Vacation!

Done!

Emily's first birthday present is finally done!!  Can't wait for her party to pass off the loot!!

I fought the holly bushes.....and WON!

So this morning, I worked in the yard.  Mowed, edged, and weeded.  Then the fun began.

When I moved into my house, this is what the front looked like.  See that wall of holly bushes?  They have bothered me for quite a while......they are too big for the house, too prickly, to hard to keep up.  So, today, while it still isn't quite summertime hot, I decided to do something about them.

Here is the pile of trimmings mid-project:

And the view of the house, mid-project. 

And the finished front view......the 7 holly bushes are gone, as well as a sick tree that was being taken over by honeysuckle.  A huge thank you goes out to my neighbor Scott and his son Dylan for helping with the final cleanup.  Scott trimmed down remains to stumps and cut down the tree for me. 

and the HUGE pile of brush remains ready for pickup.

Now all that remains is finding someone to dig out the stumps and prepare it all for replanting.  Oh, and deciding what is going back in.  Something smaller and easier to maintain.  I've got some ideas, but do any of you?

Facebook

There is one reason that I really enjoy Facebook ..... reconnecting with old friends.

I have lots of friends from high school and college now living in the Austin area.  One in particular, Marc A, I hadn't seen since January of our senior year of high school.  That is over 15 years ago.

So, when we reconnected on Facebook a few months ago, I knew the next time I got down here I needed to see if we could catch up.  So, tonight I met Marc, his wife Wendy and beautiful boy Benji at Guero's. It was a great time of reconnection over some yummy Tex-Mex food.

Thanks for meeting me tonight, Marc, and thanks for dinner.  It was great to catch up!!  We definitely can't let another 15 years pass.

Hotel comparisons

So, now I am at the Hyatt in Austin. A pretty nice hotel, with a fun feature in my room --- look at this alarm clock (iPod not included with the room)! They have done some upgrades in the past couple of year and now have sleek furniture and a flatscreen LCD TV that is probably 32". The beds are tall and soft. The valet and bellmen practically tripped over themselves to take care of me coming in. The bellman even remembered my name when I came back down to go out for dinner last night!





















I stayed at the Intercontinental in Houston earlier this week and couldn't even figure out how to reset the alarm clock so it would show the correct time! For a nice hotel, they could stand to do some of those upgrades that people have come to expect. The TV was an old-style 27" and their reception was awful. The beds were hard and low to the ground. The valets barely spoke English and I wasn't even offered help to my room by a bellman. The towels were nice and fluffy though.

Funny what you notice and come to expect when staying at different hotels.....of course, I am also very accustomed to staying at Holiday Inn Express and that is almost as good as these fancy schmancy places!

Thank you Urban Spoon, part two

Interesting airport find

Thank you, Urban Spoon

One of my favorite new apps for my iPhone is Urban Spoon.  If you aren't familiar, basically it is a restaurant finder that works like a slot machine (shake the phone to roll the wheels).  You can set neighborhood, type, and price range.  

So, while in Houston for a conference, I decided to really use Urban Spoon to choose my spot for dinner tonight.  I try to eat at local (or at least not national chains) places and tonight this was my find.....wasn't the best Cajun Chicken Pasta, but it was pretty good.

Estate sale finds

Bought a springform pan for $2. Couple other items of interest, but
will go back this afternoon when they lower prices to see of they are
still there.

---------------------------------
Jenni
jennipearl.blogspot.com
---------------------------------
Sent from my iPhone
Please understand as a result, it may be brief and to the point

Mowing, part 2

Still no juice to the mower this morning.....guess it is going to get a visit to the lawn mower doctor.....

Planning to visit an estate sale in my neighborhood this morning when it opens, take the mower in, and run a bunch of errands. Make a couple of treats for class at church tomorrow and a Cinco de Mayo potluck for work on Tuesday. Put away clean laundry, straighten up the house.....all just basic Saturday chores.

Mowing

Well, it has been raining quite a bit, so my yard is quite full of weeds. I was going to mow tonight since it is supposed to rain some more this weekend. Alas, I couldn't get my mower to start. Possibly I flooded the engine. I don't know. All I know is that the weeds will continue to grow while I enjoy a nice evening inside.