This & that...

Hello.  This little blog has been so ignored lately.  These days it's so much easier for me to quick click on IG and go about my day.  Time to sit and blog regularly is not fitting into my very busy schedule of working part time, homeschooling full time and taking care of our home.

Last month we visited NJ and NYC and had so much fun.  The weather was unseasonably warm- so light jackets were all we needed.  Spending time with family and friends was the perfect way to kick off the holidays.

Millie...

Hunter and Millie...

At my neice's house...

My sister's dog, Millie...

Subway...

St.Patricks Cathedral...

Central Park...

at the 9/11 museum...

We found great Aunt Clara's stone in the pauper's section...

I'd never been to see my grandfather's headstone...

he rests in a beautiful Jewish cemetery...

We toured the Eldridge St. Shul...

At my sister and brother in law's garden center...

Best book I've read in such a long time!

Vintage sale find...

at the 9/11 memorial...

Another vintage sale find...

My best friend's mom always makes pizelles when I come up to visit...

We came home and put the tree up...

It's nice to finally getting to do the traveling we planned on when making our move to downsize...

This and that...

I have a confession to make- I don't really read blogs anymore.  The days of waking up and logging in to check on my favorites have long since ended.  What with working, homeschooling, and this strike nonsense, I just fell out of the habit.  I'm pretty sure that not too many venture over here to read this blog either, but for some crazy reason I still feel compelled to post.  I do like that I can post whenever I feel and not under some sense of schedule.

Travis finally got back to work last week.  156 days of work stoppage for basically nothing.  We are just thankful that it's over and we are so ready to move on and get to the business of traveling.  One of the first things we did was book our trip to Disney in January.   The kids are so excited, even if they are on the grown up side, and I have to admit I am already dreaming about a day at Universal Studios.  If you hear about a woman who disappeared on the Hogwart's Express- that will be me.

The patio/atrium is finished, and it truly is my happy place.  I have never spent as much time outside as I have in this tiny space.   We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this month so we bought ourselves The Big Green Egg.  Oh-M-Gee.  I have never tasted food as yummy as what we have cooked on this thing!

Father's day was spent at my parent's house with all the kids...

We took a quick day trip to Round Top...

Caught an Astros game...

Celebrated the 4th...

We are all doing well and settling into our new normal routine.  Life is good...

Checking in...

Hello.

Things have been much better this month.  Hunter is continuing to undergo testing, so at least we are a step closer to knowing what's going on with him.  He's in good spirits about it all- even the upcoming colonoscopy/endoscopy.  14 year olds and their bathroom humor.

Travis is keeping busy, and yes- the strike is still going on.  It's very close to ending, but he's not back at work yet.  I'm not even going to get into the corrupt politics of what was going on with the union, but suffice to say it was really horrible.  The emotional roller coaster Travis and our family has endured due to this unnecessary work stoppage was unforgivable.

I'm working part time still and absolutely love my job.  I get to have creative freedom and I am teaching teachers, planning curriculum- all while still being able to homeschool our son.  My dream job trifecta.

Travis finished up the atrium cover outside and is working on the decking.  We replaced the old 1970's slider door with the double French door we had ordered before the strike.

This was my Pinterest inspiration picture for the shade cover and the decking...

Here is the finished shade cover...

Our little atrium is a closed in 10x? square.  No ventilation, which in Texas means- small closed in hot box.  Adding the shade structure and an outdoor fan will help a lot.

Travis stained the boards in the same Dark Walnut as the corbels in the front of our house...

Then it was time to prep the ground and build the supports for the decking...

Travis also transformed this old pallet into a vertical herb container for me.  I gave it a coat of stain and then did a little hand lettering...

The lemon tree is doing very well.  Someone on IG suggested that I feed it tomato food, and presto,  Lemons galore!

These are words that I have kept close to my heart over the past few months.  It helped to read them when things seemed really bleak...

Thanks for understanding my feeling the need to quit blogging.  I still want to blog, but at my own pace and when I have something to share.  Thank you also for all the lovely comments and messages- it meant more to me than you could have ever known.

Limbo...

We are entering week 11 of the strike.  This was not something we saw extending much past a month/month and a half.  It's been stressful, but like every other storm we have weathered- we are making it.   Negotiations continue, and we are hopeful that they will come to an agreement very soon. He should be hearing about an interview with another company next week- we are definately not going to be sitting around waiting for the next strike in four years...

In the meantime we have been working on small projects around the tiny tudor as well as contract jobs for some of my clients.  Travis has been hard at work in his workshop...

The laundry room wall is tiled and we are calling this project finished...

Spring has made for a lovely courtyard garden...

As soon as the strike is called off we will have two weeks before Travis returns to work.  I think we are going to take advantage of the time and go ahead and start revamping our atrium.   French doors are going to be added to the atrium room leading to the little atrium outside, and we are still debating what to do in the atrium itself.  Right now it's a half and half hot mess of tile and dying grass...

Funny story behind that rock- it's a POND.  Yes, underneath there is a pond.  

I've started a new part time job.  I really can't give the specifics out yet, but I am very excited about the possibilities this may have and the opportunity to combine my love of learning, children, organization, creativity, and design.  I am giving it a test run for 2-3 weeks to see where it may go...


Thank you for all of your emails and messages about Hunter.  We are waiting on the return of health insurance to run all the needed tests.  Until then, he is busy with learning and just being a happy kid.

Have a great week...