March 31, 2012

Pictured is a courtyard garden in Mexico City
that Mr. B and I visited several years ago.
Beautiful day lilies!

Tonight should be fun. Mr. B and I are invited to a neighborhood party about four blocks away. Everyone is supposed to bring a bottle of wine and an appetizer. I don't think we know anyone except the hosts. I love meeting new people!

It's Day Four of the yard crew. I think so far they have screwed up just about as much as they have fixed. The yard is supposed to be finished today, but I don't see that happening. The big boss knows he is behind and has been here all morning. Maybe if he had spent more time supervising the crew earlier in the week they wouldn't be behind.

Today I'm creating a trip to the garden center. I've made my list, checked it twice, and now I'm ready to buy some new plants. Merry Christmas to me!

March 30, 2012

I loved this planting bed on Woodhead. Lots of butterflies.

Day Three of workers in the yard. As usual, things get worse before they get better. Today they pulled out all the flagstone in the back yard and leveled the ground before replacing the flagstone. Big problem is that the sand didn't get delivered today like it was supposed to. And when Mr. B called to check on the delivery, the company lied to him and said I cancelled the order. What? No way!

I did some driving around this afternoon looking at yards and getting some ideas. For now, we are recycling some of the plants from the back and side yards to the front, but there is one bed in front of the house that needs flowering native plants.

Today I'm creating a landscaping plan for the front yard. I've asked Mr. B to buy some lottery tickets. We could buy lots of plants with the winnings! We could buy entire garden centers with the winnings!

March 29, 2012

I need oil cloth for garden aprons. Lots of
pockets for tools and gloves.

It's an early morning for me. Mr. B called my cell phone around 8:15 a.m. I had to get up, get dressed, and move my car before delivery of sand, gravel, and flagstone for the yard. Before 9 a.m. the door bell had rung twice. Without my beauty rest I'm going to be grumpy for the rest of the day. Plus it's going to rain and then the yard crew will leave, which will also make me grumpy.


I had an email chat last night with the very crafty Kiki Neumann. I'm very jealous because she is on her way to Round Top this morning for the bi-annual antique fair. She has a booth. (Mitzie and I usually go to Round Top for some shopping, but not this year because of my foot and her aching back.) I emailed Kiki about a donation to the Houston Heights Association's auction. She not only said yes, but is donating more than requested. At the end of her email to me she wrote, "Love your blog writings and musings ... keep on doing what you do so well ..." How sweet it that!


Today I'm creating three clean rooms and taking a trip to the fabric store. As long as I'm awake, thank you Mr. B, I might as well be productive.

March 28, 2012

Happy birthday, Bill!

Happy birthday to friend and realtor Bill Baldwin. He's a very busy man who I wish would slow down before he burns out, but I don't see either happening anytime soon! I looked everywhere for a fun energizer bunny to give to him, but couldn't find anything I liked.

The workmen arrived just a few minutes ago to start the yard makeover. There's nothing I like more than a well manicured yard. I got that from Daddy, who always had the best looking yard on the block! Even when his body won't allow him to spend hours in the yard, he would sit in a chair and instruct the yard crew about what he wanted. Miss you, Daddy! I read this morning on Facebook that a college friend's father died last night at age 87. I predict she'll now think about him everyday for the rest of her life. I've found that a daughter, no matter what age, always needs her Daddy!

Today I'm creating aprons out of oilcloth that can be used while gardening. It seems appropriate!

March 27, 2012

Delicious turkey meat loaf. Yummy!

Wish fulfilled. Yesterday I made a delicious turkey meatloaf. Unfortunately I can't post the recipe. As I told friend Shirley last week, I never stick to a single recipe. When I start cooking I add and substitute spices and ingredients based on past experiences. For instance, to the meatloaf I added garlic and chopped onions, as well as a yellow and orange bell pepper. Then, the recipe I was using called for milk, but I substituted tomato sauce for it. Anyway, it was delicious and I have leftovers for tonight.

Cooking dinner last night was only one of my accomplishments. I also washed four loads of clothes, ran errands, AND followed up on some Bayou City Art Festival business. Our executive director, Kelly, commented yesterday that she was in her post-festival funk. After months and months of planning and hype for the festivals, in two or three days everything is over. I understand, Kelly!

Today I'm creating marketing materials for my Tuesday client. It seems like forever since I've been here. A cancelled meeting one week, Spring Break the next week, and last week it was flooding. Now we're back on schedule.

March 26, 2012

Apron with ruffles. I really dislike making
the ruffled layers, but the outcome is fun!

I had such an adrenaline rush last night from the exciting weekend with Bayou City Art Festival that I didn't go to sleep until 5 a.m. That's without a nap yesterday. Instead of sleeping last night, I watched Bourne Identity and Bourne Supremacy from about 1-5 a.m. I had started watching the morning news at 5 a.m. when I finally fell asleep.

It's hard to regroup now, but looking at my calendar makes me realize that I need to move on. This week is busy with projects around the house. The first week of April is busy with preparing for my nieces wedding shower and Easter. The second week is all about the annual Houston Heights Home Tour. Along the way, I've also promised aprons, pillows, tote bags, etc. to upcoming fundraisers. But first ...

Today I'm creating a clean kitchen and washing clothes. Time to spend the afternoon being a domestic goddess and doing some housework. The bright spot in my day will certainly be watching Dancing with the Stars tonight.

March 25, 2012

Retiring my badges and name tag until October when
Bayou City Art Festival will be downtown.

I couldn't be happier yet more tired. It was another great day at Bayou City Art Festival. Lots of sunshine. Lots of people enjoying the great artwork. Then a fabulous party organized by our terrific special events committee (Marcus Carter, you rock!). And a special thank you to Capital One Bank, which is the title sponsor for Bayou City Art Festival. I feel very fortunate to  have such a rewarding partnership between Capital One Bank and Bayou City Art Festival!

I got home just in time to watch Ina Garten (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa) on the food channel. She is one of my cooking idols! She just talked about the best thing she ever ate. Not one of her own recipes, but the most delicious looking meatloaf I've every seen. (Oh how I want a scratch and sniff television!) I so enjoy a good meatloaf, but can't make one. I can't believe I'm even hungry today because Mr. B and I ate Mexican food last night with friends Kelly and Keith. When does the healthy eating begin?

Today I'm creating cocktails for Mr. B and me to drink during the premiere of Mad Men. I wasn't that excited with the last season, so I hope since the series has been off the air for so long that the wait is worth it. Or as Mr. B says, I hope "the juice is worth the squeeze."