Flowers in bloom

I'm very slowly getting back into gardening in our new house.  It's a big job and it often overwhelms me to think about where to start.  There are so many places where I can plant flowers that it's just too much to handle.  I seriously need to narrow my focus.  I snagged some $2 plants from Lowe's at the end of last season after we had finished up the hardscape around the pool.  So far, only 6 plants but it was a start.

This agapanthus is just beginning to flower.  I'm not really sure what all the plants will end up looking like because this is the only one with many small flowers; the others are sprouting tall buds.  I love how this plant resembles the allium plants that I adored in Lansing.

I am amazed that we built this hardscape ourselves.  We had all the stone already in the yard, we just moved it to this new location to help build up the backside of the pool decking.  It was a tough job but it was so worth the effort.  The company that we hired to lay sod asked us who we hired to do that job, they told us that their company would have charged us $3,000 to do all that.  Jackpot!

We have big plans for this area behind the water feature.  It's just weed infested mulch right now but soon we will have small palms and bird of paradise flowers.  Very tropical!  Again, we had those stones lying around.  It took us about an hour of silent work time to figure out an arrangement and lay them all together.  Estevan and I work very well as a team, it's funny that we often don't even have to talk when we have one goal in mind.

We just need to figure out what to plant here.  We arranged  the stones and laid down mulch but so far, no plans.  It's fairly shaded back here and so far we only have some pink crepe myrtles and one ligustrum.  I'm thinking that we need a thicker layer of mulch to cut down on the amount of weeds popping through.  But at least we only spent $500 on mulch for both the front and back yards, labor included.  I'm sure that as the years go by it will continue to get thicker and more weed proof.

That's it for now!  Hopefully, there will be more to come soon. Pin It Now!

Driving Range

We've been living in The Woodlands for almost a year and let me tell you, there are golf courses everywhere!  On a preliminary search on Google, I came up with at least 10 different courses in The Woodlands alone.  WOW.  About a month ago, Estevan and I decided that we needed to start.  We did some research and found some excellent deals on Craigslist, one of which panned out for both of us.  We went to a house looking to just purchase men's clubs and walked away with both the husband's and the wife's set of clubs.  Boo-ya on taking full advantage of rich people's need to upgrade!  Then, a few weeks ago I went to Ladies Night at a local golf store and scored a bag of free goodies including balls and a $10 gift certificate... oh and FANTASTIC DEALS on clearanced out clothing.  And it all comes together to make this......

Oh yeah.  I'm talking at least $300 in savings in this photo!

What really made the day great was running into these guys at Chic-fil-a beforehand.

We had a great time at the driving range.  Maybe we weren't all that good but it's only going to get better.  

Let's face it, we can't get that much worse!

Pin It Now!

New Place

Holy moley!  What a whirlwind couple of weeks!  We've finally got everything in order at our new place and the rooms are starting to take on that old familiar, homey look.  This is the first flat that Estevan and I have ever lived in and I have to admit, we are are really liking it.  And yes, I'm taking on the European model of calling our apartment a flat.  Sounds so much cooler and sophisticated, right?  =)  We chose a complex that is very freshly built, we are actually the first ones to live in our unit, and it's on a lake!  The transition from house to apartment has been surprisingly easy.  Even Java is adjusting amazingly well!  Java has made many new friends here, one of which is named Belle.  I'll have to take my camera out more often because it's the funniest thing when Java and Belle meet... they stand on their back legs and hug each other!  So funny.

Ok, so on to the main show.... here's some pics of the new place.  Enjoy!

Granite counter tops throughout the flat.  LOVE THEM!

We were so shocked that this table set fit.  Super cute.

Our place faces East.  Awesome morning light and it remains bright throughout the day.

This in one of two built in bookcases.  I think I'm done fiddling with the arrangement.  Maybe.

Pin It Now!

For Sale no longer!

Oh boy oh boy!  We are moving again.  I can't believe it myself!  When we moved down here, we moved into a three bedroom house and completely underestimated the amount of purging that we did while moving from Michigan.  So now we are moving into a two bedroom, two bath apartment just down the road a bit.  Plus, we'll have a pool!

But now here's the kicker... while living in this monstrosity of a house, we filled it up with some furniture that won't exactly fit into an apartment.  So now I'm trying to sell some of it.  I've had some luck on Craigslist but one piece hasn't gotten a lot of interest and I just don't understand because it's so cute!  Take a peek and leave me a comment if you live in the area (The Woodlands, TX 77380) and would like to have this beautiful shabby-chic table set for only $225.  The table measures 5'6"x3'6" and could very easily seat 6.  It fits perfectly!  Snug as a bug in a rug.  =P  Pics to come.

Two of these adorable chairs.  I seriously love these chairs.

And two of these with the cushions.

Pin It Now!

Out and About

Today was my first day of spring break and what a wonderful day it was!  It's about 75 degrees and sunny.  While enjoying the day at one of our outdoor malls, I found an amazing home store called Z Gallery.  I could have spent all day browsing around, looking at all the beautiful things.  Click on the photos below to shop along with me.

P.S. I don't know what's going with my font either and I'm now waving the white flag of defeat.... Blogspot you've outsmarted me again!

 

Caprise Pilla Holders $9.99 (Holy steal of a deal Batman!)

Cyperus Stems, 6 for $23.70 (Z Gallery has some amazing faux flowers)

Sassolino Pillar Holder $39.95

Twig Coat Rack $139 (I'm going to stalk this one for a sale)

Chloe Vases $29.95-49.95

Ceramic Parrot $39.95 (ridiculous and awesome and at the same time)

Pin It Now!

And it begins....

Something has been missing in my life over the past few months, that missing piece is gardening.  I absolutely loved my little garden in Michigan and probably became too attached to some of the plants.  I even had a dream last night about going back to my garden and being absolutely heartbroken that the new owner hadn't watered anything for the whole summer.  No flowers, no hostas, no hydrangea... just dirt and twigs.  I woke up very upset.  Yeah, I became way too attached. 

It's about time to start a new garden down here in Texas.  I've been doing some research today to find where to begin this task.  Literally, I know nothing about gardening in Texas!  It's like starting from scratch all over again. 

This is the book I will need:  Neil Perry's Complete Guide to Texas Gardening

This is the place I will go: Montgomery County Master Gardeners Association

And this is the blog where I will get all my ideas:  Donald's Texas Garden

Pin It Now!

Life

Life is an interesting experience, sometimes you just have to sit down and take prospective.


Estevan and I have had some exciting turns in our life over the last few months and I am very thankful for all of them. The very first turn was our trip to Texas where Estevan interviewed and was offered a new job; on that very same trip we received an offer for our home which we very quickly negotiated to our selling price. Our home was on the market for 4 weeks and we sold it without having to pay the bank. That, in itself, is a miracle in Michigan.

Next, we moved and got settled into a beautiful city that has every amenity that we could ever have dreamed. In that same city, I have found my niche as a substitute teacher. The friends I have made in each school are the most amazing people and are willing to go above and beyond to help me find a permanent position. Just the other day I received a letter of recommendation from the entire first grade team at one of the schools. I'm so proud of what they had to say that I just have to share an excerpt.....

"Erica is an exceptional teacher. She’s a 'natural' when it comes to interacting with young children. She possesses and demonstrates strong classroom management skills. She conducts herself as a seasoned teacher when dealing with behavior problems and academic needs. Erica has a calm, but firm, manner when engaging with students. Naturally, they respect her and trust her."

Their letter still makes me a little choked up when I think about how much they mean to me and vice versa. I'm blessed to have found such truly wonderful people here in Texas. It occurred to me last night that I'm trying to find a teaching position in a school district where it's about who you know... and I know a lot of people! The very next turn will be finding an open position and 'wowing' their socks off in an interview.

That next turn in our life is coming upon us very quickly and it's looking good. Most of the foot work has been done; me resume is ready, my portfolio is full, my experiences are plentiful, and my connections are speaking highly of me. It's time to sit back and wait for what life has in store. Pin It Now!

Come and visit

Get ready for a little dose of shameless, new city, come-and-visit-me, self promotion.

As you already know, I have left my cutest little house in town and have moved across the country to live in Texas. My new city is The Woodlands, not be confused with just Woodlands. This city was named perfectly! All you see as you drive down any street are trees because of the unique laws of this city. Along main roads there is a 25 foot eavesment for natural foliage, no trees can be cut down without a permit. No building can be taller than the tree line (except for one, see picture below). And the best law is that no business can advertise along the street using anything other than a small, painted, wooden sign... no more sensory overload! Although it is harder to find businesses, all these laws make for a beautiful drive no matter where you are going.




This is tallest building in The Woodlands, it holds many business offices and is right next to the highway at the entryway to the city. Makes it very easy to know where you are on the highway since you can spot it from miles away.
















This is the Waterway which runs through the mall and business center of The Woodlands, very beautiful at night. Pin It Now!