Lilly
We bought this Lilly last year and this is the first flower I’ve gotten from it! We didn’t even know what it was going to look like. It’s really pretty. Looks like there are more to come!! I can’t wait!
New Floors!!!
Floors before we arranged our furniture
Ever since we built our house I’ve regretted not getting hard woods in our family room. I’m not even sure why we didn’t get them to begin with. Carpets get so nasty with all the build up, especially with dogs. Even when my carpet cleaner was being used every week, the carpet would start getting grimy looking.
We finally took the plunge and replaced the carpet with wood floors. We chose bamboo flooring because we heard it’s really strong and that’s good for people with dogs. We decided we wanted to do this about 3 months ago, but I had trouble deciding what to get. We got the flooring at Floor and Decor after going from place to place, looking at options, colors, pricing, etc.
The floor guy came in and did the whole thing in one day. They did such a great job. I’m so excited about how they look! If you need someone to come do your floors, I recommend Scott Feller at 512-801-8966. His crew was excellent! He also does roofing. Now, I’m mad that I didn’t go ahead and replace the carpet in my bedroom. I think that may be next!!
Home again!
I’m back in Austin and everything is starting to get back to normal. The only issue I’m having is with allergies. They are KILLING me. I’m afraid I’m going to OD on zyrtec, because I’m taking as much as I can to keep the allergies to a minimum.
Yesterday I didn’t wake up and walk because the allergies were so bad. I made it a point to exercise in the afternoon. I’m glad I did, because we went to Lady Bird Lake/Town Lake and walked around there. I love walking by the water. Even though there are tons of people there, it is very peaceful. There are small hills there, too, so it’s a little more of a challenge than walking in the neighborhood.
After walking at Lady Bird Lake, we went to Torchy’s for dinner. I’m pretty sure Torchy’s is my favorite place to eat. I got queso and a baja shrimp taco. YUMMY!! It turned out to be a nice evening.
Back to reality
Well, I’m back in Austin after a nice long weekend! I really had a great trip to Dallas! I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends! Saturday night, I went to a party at one of my friend’s house. There was so much food there it was unbelievable! Mike brought two appetizers. One of his friends he grew up with shipped Slovanian Sausage to him from Wisconsin, so he made a little appetizer with that. I didn’t think I’d like Slovanian sausage, but it was really good. He also made bris/apple/bacon quesadillas. These were AMAZING!! I probably ate like 3 of them. I hope he makes those again.
Sunday, we had a perfect Easter. We went to breakfast at Cafe Brazil in Deep Ellum with my family and then Easter dinner at Mike’s parent’s house. We had lamb for Easter dinner that was to die for! I love all the good eating I did!! After I got back to my parents’ house from doing all this eating, I ended up walking on the Katy Trail. I walked from the American Airline Center to Central Expressway. It was a little under 8 miles and took me two hours. After that, I went with another friend to Wing Stop for dinner. I was afraid to get on the scale today, because I’m sure that was a five pound weekend!! I’ll get back on track this week!
Perfect day!
Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I started out the day with a walk on the Katy Trail. That is one of my favorite things to do. One of these days I want to stop and eat at one of the restaurants they have there. There are two. I’ve been to the Katy Trail Ice House once and loved the atmosphere. There is a new restaurant called the Company Cafe that I still have to try.
When I got home, my mom and I went to meet my sister and her family out for lunch. We chose Maple and Motor as the place to go. I had been there once before, but no one else had. It’s a small little burger place at the corner of Maple and Motor Street. I am going to go out on a limb and say that’s where they got their name. They have one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.
Later that day, I went and got my hair cut. I went to Lure over in the West Village. We watched them as they were building the salon and worried that they weren’t going to make it when they first opened. That is definitely not the case now, as they have a loyal following. I barely got an appointment when I called a week in advance. I can see why they are doing so well, because they really do a great job and they pamper you! They will offer you a glass of wine while you wait to get your hair cut. They also have tea and water, but I opted for the wine.
A Leisurely Stroll on the Katy Trail
One of my favorite things about staying at my parents’ house is that they live so close to the Katy Trail. From the American Airlines Center to Knox street is right about six miles. Most of the trail has that rubberized surface, so it’s much easier on the body than walking on the concrete. Today I forgot to bring my new headphones, so I had no music, but I had fun “people watching” as I walked. I saw one lady wearing a skirt and shirt and smoking as she walked, there was a three legged dog keeping up with his family, and numerous women looked like they had probably married well. One time I was there, I overheard a woman announcing to her friend that she was pregnant. That one really amused me because she said she hadn’t told her family and one of the ladies she was with said, “I don’t even know you and I feel like I should give you a hug”. How odd to tell a total stranger before you tell your family!
Creating My Own Polyvore Type Picture
It’s official. We are finally going to take the plunge and get new floors in our family room. We’ve been fighting the smell of dogs since we first built this house, so I’m hoping hardwood floors will help us get rid of some of those odors. We’ve decided to go with bamboo floors because they are supposedly very durable. I hope they are right about that! This afternoon, I went by Floor & Decor one last time to make sure I like the color that we have chosen. I think it’s going to work.
Since I was already in the area, I decided to go to my favorite store, MARSHALLS!!! While I was there, I bought two sundresses, a shirt and a pair of sandals. I’ve always wanted a white sundress to wear with cowboy boots. I have no idea if it even looks good on me, but I don’t really care because it’s a look I’ve always liked. I can’t wait to have a reason to wear this cute outfit.
I was about to put my new clothes away, when I got distracted and got on Pinterest. While I was looking on there, I got the great idea to create my own Polyvore type picture with my own clothes. I wish I had something to do a better backdrop, but the carpet really didn’t work. It was kind of fun putting it all together! I wish I had a fancy camera to take professional looking photos. I really love taking pictures! 🙂
Coffee shop
It looks like Manor finally got a coffee shop. I drove by yesterday on my way to UT. There was a lady with coffee out in front of the oil change place waving every one down. It reminded me of a lemonade stand. It’s too bad she is on the wrong side of 290 or I would have stopped.
Cooper’s Day
The teacher at PetSmart told us that we need to put Cooper in social situations. Mike doesn’t really believe in bringing dogs to events, restaurants, or other places, so when Shannon asked me to go to East Metro Park, I was pretty sure that was not somewhere that would be off limits. In all reality, I don’t really want to deal with Cooper in the car, so I’m kind of OK not taking him anywhere.
Shannon’s dog, Pete, quickly taught Cooper how to get on the picnic table, which doesn’t really go with our policy of staying off the table, but I guess it’s not that big of a deal.
The two of them quickly tolerated each other, and had a lot of fun checking out ducks and exploring the area.
Cooper is pretty good, so I let him off the leash, which is really against the rules, but there wasn’t anyone else around. Shannon got to witness first hand how lazy Cooper is when he just randomly decided to lay down right in the middle of our walk.
After his park date, we took him to his puppy class. Cooper hasn’t been in three weeks. We were starting to think he may be a puppy school drop out. We happen to go back to class on graduation night, but the teacher let us stay and take the final exam. Cooper PASSED! Not only did he pass, I thought he was the valedictorian. He sat, stayed, rolled over VERY SLOWLY, and did all the other tricks she required. I was very proud of my baby!!! It was very cute. He got a certificate and got to wear a graduation cap for some pictures that really didn’t turn out. The teacher is going to let us retake the class and make up the classes we missed, so by the time we finish, he should be a well trained dog.
Bluebonnet Beauty
One of the things I love most about my friend, Shannon, is that if we do something fun it becomes an annual event. We have an annual road trip, annual gingerbread house making event, and an annual bluebonnet photo shoot. Because of the drought last year, when we went we found about 3 bluebonnets. It wasn’t a great photo shoot but it was a great time. We went again this year and found a lot more bluebonnets and other windflowers that we could work with. We went to St Edward’s and took blue and yellow flower pictures with our many props. Who doesn’t sit in a field of flowers playing the bongos? It was very normal. We later found a field with some red flowers on the side of the road. We didn’t use props that time.
Once we were done, we went and ate at Galaxy in the Triangle. I really liked my chimichurri wrap, or whatever it was called. We had a great time just enjoying the day. I’m ready for next year’s shoot!!!
Fabulous after FIFTY 