Frilly Fall Fashions

I have a sickness for DownEast Basics clothing and their new fall fashions aren't helping. Even though they ran out of my would-be favorite bathing suit top, I still love their clothing line. The rich colors and light, layered fabrics are so perfect for fall. I'm ready for the seasons to change! Oh and I'm also ready for my hair style to change, what do you think of the hair style on the last model with the blue top?



Curtsy Coat
This coat might be a little too warm for the bulk of Texas winters, but it's just so dang cute!

L'Amour Coat

I've always had a thing for 3/4 length coats, now I can actually use it as a winter jacket, yay! Comes in Olive too!

School Bell Top
Short Story Cardigan

Wonderful World Dress

Grey Flower and Pearls

Long Triple Strand Pears

Intuition Top
This top would be an excellent layered piece for fall, love that neckline!

I'm also in love with her haircut, what do you think? Pin It Now!

Enjoy the weekend

It's going to be a good weekend! With a Saturday morning starting out with overnight rolls, how couldn't it be? This time around I put part of the pecans on top to make the pecan experience more encompassing. I didn't realize how much I actually had and the rolls ended up falling a little in the oven, but they should be fine. Next time I'll just leave a tablespoon or two.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Pin It Now!

I Love This Town

Just a little ways away from the 4th largest city in the country is a little shopping/antiques/artsy district called Old Town Spring. It has to be one of the cutest little districts that I've ever had the pleasure of walking around. Just take a look at some of the store fronts. Too cute!

Very creative.

How could you not want to go in and look around? Adorable.








I was wishing that I had an extra $65 in my purse. Good bargain for an oil painting and an old wooden frame in perfect condition!

My Jaw dropped when I saw this little slice of heaven. Fantastic prices in there!

Seriously, the name is awesome.






















Beautiful custom chandeliers and other estate-sized items.



















This a beautifully made sign, it's even fashioned after the artist's favorite piece. Pin It Now!

Sloppy Joe's

Better than Manwich, I swear!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
Half of a yellow onion, chopped
Bell pepper, chopped



Brown the ground beef along with the chopped onion and chopped bell pepper. Drain well using this tip!











Mix the remaining ingredients in small bowl. Return the drained ground beef to pan and cover with sauce.






Simmer, covered, on low for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. You may need to uncover and continue to cook a little more in order to thicken up properly.




Serve on a bun, yum! Pin It Now!

Get it!

To all those worried by my last post of Java, here's some concrete proof that he is doing well... very well and exceedinly happy.

Pin It Now!

Rubber band pennant stamp

This is one of the neatest ideas I've seen in a long time. So creative and inexpensive too!

I like the idea of using this to honor my future students with a "Great Job" pennant banner.

Get full directions on Just Something I Made.



Pin It Now!

New Garden Wish List

One of the things that I'm really looking forward to is learning how to garden in my new area. I learned a lot about gardening in Michigan, and that only was in the last 2 years! I'm sure I can learn it all over again, right? I'm fairly positive that all I need are a few books (Christmas wish list to come!) and I will be on the right track to gardening in Texas. So far, I've been looking around my neighborhood to get a pretty good idea of what can be grown here. Here's my newest garden wish list... oh and get this, they can all be grown in pots! Perfect for rental living.

Aloe vera; has saved my fingers from burn scars more times than I can count.

Bird of Paradise; so cool looking!

Hibiscus; the epitome of tropical living.

Night blooming Jasmine; I might actually enjoy waking up early in the morning.

Bouganvilla; these grow in huge bushes.
Reminds me of La Quinta, CA which was my favorite place to live...
I guess that must be part of why I like Houston so much!

Gardenia; these can also grow in huge bushes down here.

This is definitely my favorite; Meyer Lemon tree.

Pin It Now!

Jackpot

Out of a package of double-stacks, you're a triple-stack.

Hope your Monday is special, just like you!

Pin It Now!

Venturing outdoors

It's a rather gloomy day in The Woodlands but at least it keeps the heat down! I decided to venture out into the backyard to photograph some of the vegetation. I can't wait to get a house of our own so that I can plant some of the beautiful flowers that grow in this zone. Until then, this neighbor's hibiscus, peeking through the fence, will have to do.











These are not quite as pretty as the hibiscus but I love the rich green color that they give our otherwise dead backyard. Hopefully, very soon we will have lush green grass covering up all the dirt!



Pin It Now!

Pure exhaustion

This is one pooped out puppy. A simple 2 mile walk in the morning will result in this for the remainder of the day. This has to be one of the best things about moving to Texas. Previously, Java was a go-go-go dog, now the heat just takes it all out him. Awesome. Pin It Now!

Good tip

Ok, I know this is not a pretty topic and the pictures are far from beautiful, but this is a tip that has helped me immeasurably. Try this out the next time you make a meal that calls for ground beef, so much easier than precariously draining the meat with the pan lid and better for you than keeping all that oil in your meals.

Line a wide bowl with a layer or two of tin foil. Follow the shape of the bowl and leave extra tin foil hanging over the edges.

Place a colander over the bowl and tinfoil, then simply dump your cooked ground beef into the colander. You can let it sit there for a few minutes while you prepare other things or you can lightly press the meat along the bottom of the colander.

Lift up the colander and look at all that oil that isn't in your meal or down your sink!

Fold it up into a neat little pouch and pop it in your freezer for a tidy package that doesn't mess up your trash. So easy!

P.S. If you're making pasta in the same meal don't wash out the colander, the little bit of left over grease helps to keep your pasta from sticking.
Pin It Now!

Triptych art

Triptych art has always been a favorite of mine. It's very modern and good things always come in threes! The space I'm currently trying to find some art for is above our low-lying bed which is in a large room with a vaulted ceiling.

I thought that a triptych art collage would be perfect and they are often easy to find. If you're feeling artsy, you could even make a set using 3 stretched canvases and some paint. I've heard of using leftover wall paint from other rooms to tie everything together; too bad I gave away all my extra paint before we moved! (Luisa, if I show up at your house with 3 canvases at Christmas time don't be surprised.)





Wooden triptych by Lisa at Artazon.

Colorful triptych by artist Sondra N. Arkin.

A very modern, blue triptych by artist Hannah Biggs.

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!

Texas house

Ok, found a few extra minutes... here's some snapshots of our Texas house.

Our entryway console, closet and living room peeking from the right. Dining room is to the left.

Our big dining room and teeny dining table. I feel change a comin'!

This pic is taken from the dining room table, looking into the kitchen and living room shining through under the cabinets. Entryway is to the right.

This pic is taken from the kitchen counter top, looking into our HUGE living room with sliding glass door out into the backyard.

Looking back toward the kitchen from the center of the living room, dining room is peeking out from under the cabinets.

Another view from the living room, looking toward the front entryway (on right) and hallway (on left) which leads to the bedrooms and baths.

Guest bathroom. Sorry, the master bath is too messy to photograph right now!

Pin It Now!

Back online, at last

Finally, I can use the internet without stealing from the neighbors! I promise to keep you updated on our new digs, just give me a few days to get everything settled down. I'm looking forward to catching up on all my favorite blogs, see you all in a few days! Pin It Now!

Moving shenanigans

Yet another day in the life of a mover. Today I started to tackle the kitchen with the help of my mother in law and sister in law. Kitchen goodies and pampered chef galore in there! You never realize just how much stuff is packed away into far, out of reach cabinets until you need to pack away the tin which is just inches out of reach and you have no chair or step stool... good thing I'm good at balancing on a wobbly little trash can.

Another adventure for me today was canceling services, one of which happens to be Comcast (my arch nemesis). Here's how it goes:

• I call the toll free number from my cell phone, select the numbers for "canceling service".
• Put on hold... "Please wait while the next available blah blah blah."
• Hold
• Hold
• Hold
• I hold for 50 minutes, the phone is burning up my ear, I'm pacing, packing things here and there.
• I then decide to call the toll free number using a different phone and select the numbers for "UPGRADING SERVICE".
• I get to talk to a person in less than 5 seconds!

I don't think I could accurately describe to you the conversation that I had with the customer service representative. Lots of me yelling hysterically, venting 50 minutes of built up frustration, and her ending our conversation with "You're all set", click.

Pin It Now!

It's party time

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes! We now have little piles all over the house.
Just about everything is boxed except for the kitchen and a few things straggling here and there. Today is our big moving party... best idea I ever heard (thanks Becky!).

I knew that I wanted to have one last party but I also knew that we needed to start packing; with those two ideas combined, my normal clean freakishness went out the window. I'm rolling up the rugs today, taking out the paper plates and plastic cups, shoes are a must, and let the dust bunnies come out!

Wish us luck in fitting everything into a 17 foot Uhaul! Pin It Now!