A New Cousin!

Joe's cousin Laura has moved to Houston from Wisconsin. She is participating in a research fellowship. We were so glad to finally get to see her face-to-face and spend some time with her. She and I have been facebook buds for a little while. Don't know what happened with Joe's camera.

Happy 7th Anniversary to Us!

What a fun time to think back to what we were doing then. Who needed to be picked up at the airport? Would Joe's family flying stand-by make it or not? Would my laptop work with the church's projector? Would the cake taste good? Lots of great memories thanks to family and friends. July 19th, Joe and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary by having dinner at Vargos. It had rained and the grounds looked so beautiful from our table by the windows. If you ever want to feel like a big shot and have a "private" dinner, go on a Monday night. We had the place to ourselves, really just us in the dining room.
We exchanged funny and touching cards, enjoyed french onion soup, salad, filet of salmon (with lots of honey mustard for Joe), veggies and creme brulee for dessert.
Thanks Sweetie for 7 great years!

What did you do over summer vacation? Part 4

When I watch HGTV programs, I always wonder what the other part of the house or room looks like when they start emptying and sorting things. I guess a little like my mess. What a great feeling to declutter.

The Quiet Area
You know everyone needs a spot to just sit and think. You can read or just stare into space. I decided to reclaim the spot I once had in our bedroom. I spent a day taken down the aquarium and cleaning everything. I now remember why I had put if off for so long. The next day darling Joe, help me set it up in my classroom. I spray painted an old patio chair glossy black, added a $5.00 pillow from Target and one of the great finds from Garden Ridge.
Let the solitude begin...

What did you do over summer vacation? Part 3

Bedding
-Large and small pillows from Garden Ridge- $30.00
-Pillowcases I made - $20.00
-Coverlet I already had- $0.00
Having the bedding and bathroom match harmoniously- Priceless

What did you do over summer vacation? Part 2

The Shower Curtain

Since the gold/mirrored shower doors can't be replace right now, I thought the next best thing would be to cover them. So the hunt was on for the perfect shower curtain. Lots of black and white to choose from, but didn't want a floral that I would get tired of to quickly. Nicole Miller's Rosewood was pretty, but too expensive, $49.99 and the bottom band was a grayish black and not solid black.

I tried a black curtain with silver circle details and sheer at the top (would need
a liner to hide the doors. It was so so.

Thanks to Anna's Linens, I now have the exact look I wanted for half the price- black and white damask with a bottom black band. Don't tell Nicole. I love a good buy!

What did you do over summer vacation? Part 1

As summer began, I was looking forward to tackling some decorating projects that have been put off way too long. When we were recently in Home Depot, I asked Joe to give his preference on several blues. Appearing confused as to why I wanted to paint the bathroom, he didn't recall the three colors splotches that have been in our master bathroom for over a year and a half. He asked me if I needed to think about it some more. Absolutely not, we have been in limbo so long that I don't remember what my inspiration was for the original colors on the wall.

After seeing my sister's ideas for her new place, I came home with a new direction. Black and white with a punch of blue. The secret was finding the right blue... not too light, not too navy, something happy. Also, I had to deal with the givens that are not in the budget to be changed- black sink, white counter tops and cabinets, black and white linoleum squares, gold/mirrored shower doors.

Exhausted from searching for linens that would match what I had in mind and coming up empty, I put a combination together myself. Thanks JoAnn's Fabrics for gray on black swirls, black and white checks and a happy summer-all-the-time blue. Also thanks to the ladies from the quilt show that showed me how to do "tubed pillowcases".

I will try to upload some before and after pictures of the bathroom. Can't promise how inline they will be, I've deleted them and reloaded so many times, so frustrating, I must find a tutorial...

If only... Happy 50th Mom and Dad

Today, March 13, 2010 would have been my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. You might not know, but my parents were married twice. Lester, “L. C” and Gloria, “Glo” grew up in the same town, Ringgold Louisiana. They knew each other, but didn’t date. When mom finished high school at 16 years old (ahead of dad because she had skipped two grades), she moved to Los Angeles to join her mother and a host of other relatives that had left Louisiana. When dad graduated, he went to Kansas City to be with his brother, Joe. He joined the Marine Corp and was sent to boot camp at Camp Pendleton. Through some mutual friends, they reconnected and began dating.
Mom and Dad were married the first time in Tijuana, Mexico, January 9th. The Marine Corps said the union was not legal. The attached picture is from the “legal” ceremony, March 13, 1960.
Happy 50th Mom and Dad!

A little baking goin' on

I had the bakin' bug yesterday. I found my Mom's recipe for Poor Boy Cookies. My house smelled like Mom was visiting. I kept thinking the batter didn't look right, but then realized I was using the golden raisins I had on hand and not regular raisins. The recipe, of course, didn't have exact measurements for the powdered sugar icing. I could hardly wait for the icing to thicken to cut them.
They turned out pretty good, if I say so myself. Each bite brought back so many memories of her late-night-forgot-I-needed-something-sweet-for-tomorrow-baking. Does anyone know why, they're "cookies" when they are actually bars. I even made Banana Bread. I got to share some cookies with a neighbor. I know Mom was smiling. She loved feeding other people. Joe is hoping that I'll find my way to the kitchen more often. We'll see... maybe the new year will bring a joy of cooking.

Poor Boy Cookies
Oven: 375 degrees for 15 minutes

Boil together for 20 minutes:
1 cup raisins
1 ½ cup water
½ cup shortening (I used Crisco’s Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Sticks)

Mix together:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup nuts

Combine dry ingredients. Add in the “boiling” mixture. Pour on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Apply icing while it is still hot.
Icing:
Powdered sugar and milk


Banana Bread
Oven: 350 degrees for 50 minutes

1 cup sugar
1 cup banana (thinly sliced)
½ shortening (I used Crisco’s Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Sticks)
2 eggs
1 ½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ nuts.

Blend the first four ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a prepared loaf pan.