Get On My Lawn!!

Some of y’all may know, I love flamingos. Every trip to the zoo begins with me taking a photo by my pink feathered friends. I must have dozens of photos, and all of them show my gradual deterioration maturity. Who knew Photoshop™ was relatively new?

Sad to say, I don’t have any flamingo lawn ornaments. My HOA frowns on kitsch, even though a guy down the street has a veritable concrete menagerie in his front lawn. But I guess concrete deer are more realistic around these parts than a flock of flamingos. Anyway, while perusing the social-site-with-faces, a friend posted the most awesome thing since Big Mouth Billy Bass:

ZOMBIE FLAMINGO

Behold the epicness!!

You can not imagine the SQUEES OF GLEE that emanated from me yesterday. Actually, they sounded more like something from a horror movie, but that’s more fitting anyway. There are several different styles, including this one, but I liked the ones above found here. Why? Because they have TEETH, which makes them even more ridiculous. And we always go for the ridiculous here.

This year I am definitely decorating my yard for Halloween. But I’m thinking these babies will be year-round 😉

My Evening as Head of the G-7

And what an evening it was!

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting friends and family, and spending quality time at  The Kemah Steak Company. Situated on a quiet street in Kemah, Texas, the restaurant is vibrant and eclectic, with warmth abounding throughout, from the gleaming copper bar to the settees and mismatched tables. Though most of the areas are set up for cozy conversation, they can also accommodate larger groups as well. That was fortuitous, since there were eight of us that evening. And one of their prized features is the “G-7 Table”.

This table was once the property of former President George H.W. Bush. This was the table used for a G-7 summit, back when there were only seven industrialized nations: the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan. I can only assume the last seat was occupied by Millie. The table is a beautiful discussion piece, but not as awesome as what was placed upon it. The restaurant has an ample wine list which includes imports from all over the world. Trust me when I say there is a wine here for every one.

Ikea™ is Swedish for “Junk”

But what glorious junk it is!

Ikea™ is one of my favorite stores. I love, love, LOVE that place. It has everything. Unfortunately the nearest one is way north of me, about two hours. Hubby doesn’t much care for it because it isn’t solid-wood-to-pass-down-to-our-great-great-grandchildren quality. He also doesn’t like the hugeness of it. Or the crowds. Or the parking lot. About the only thing he likes about it is the view of the store from his rear-view mirror.

Anyway, I have been asking Hubby to stop there whenever we have a road trip up north, but invariably something happens to impede my wishes, be it by accident or design. Well, not this time! There is an Ikea™ on the west side of Houston and I am going to hit it like a screen door in a hurricane during my visit to my in-laws. And all for a few of these frames:

Why? Because they are perfect for collages, and gifts, and pictures, and all sorts of stuff. I had bought several while in Germany, and kept giving them away. So, it’s time to replenish my stash, and maybe pick up a few lamp kits and shades and perhaps some vases to alter.

Because change is good 😀

Random Thoughts on a Wednesday—Scratch That. TUESDAY!!! Afternoon

I took Eldest to the mall this afternoon. She needed shoes for her graduation, and I needed shoes for a promotion ceremony. I walked into Macy’s™, where I seldom shop, and went to the shoes, right through to the sales rack, found the perfect pair, and proceeded to check out. “Shopping Like a Man” level: ACHIEVED.

There is no worse earworm than that of a Zelda game.

Funny how cleaning the house takes only minutes when you know you are having company.

Before I went to see Curtis Stone, I had two different types of vinegar in my pantry. Now I have nine.

Kindness is always free.

I have trained my dogs to want to go out as soon as I sit down. Ok, they trained me.

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how some people claim to be ready for the zombie apocalypse, and yet they can’t manage to kill a spider without the use of five pairs of shoes, several cans of Raid™ and a Bic™ lighter, all the while crying like a toddler who fell off the swing set.

I am never too anything to be hungry.

That does it for today’s randomness. Hope y’all have a pleasant evening!! 😀

UPDATE!!!!!

It has been brought to my attention by Rob that it is Tuesday, not Wednesday. This is what happens when I am on pain meds and have no chocolate in the house.

In Defense of the Cupcake

Yesterday I was perusing food blogs and came across my interwebnet friend Marilla over at Cupcake Rehab for some delicious dessert recipes. As her blog title suggests, she loves her some cupcakes. But that isn’t all she makes. Jams, jellies, pickling, pies, sauces, cookies, breads (ZOMG THE BREADS!!!)… it’s all good at her site. But sometimes she feels the need to clarify her stance on the humble cupcake.

I love cupcakes. I won’t apologize for it, I don’t feel bad when a snobby food blogger scoffs at them in favor of a green tea cookie with local honey glaze or lemon curry marmalade, and I don’t care if the people I reading this are tired of them. I am not. Besides, what is there NOT TO LIKE? It’s a small, individual cake. Just for you. That you don’t have to share (!).

And she is absolutely right! What is NOT to like about a cupcake??

Each one is an individual ray of sunshine, just waiting to send your taste buds into Sugar Valhalla. Honestly, peeling off the liner heightens the anticipation of biting into the velvety sweetness by a factor of twelve and seven orders of magnitude. And think about it: no cutting, no crumbs, no messing up the icing, no fighting over the decorations, no “I want more icing!”, no mess.  Choosing a cupcake is a symbol of individuality. YOU pick the one that speaks to you. That’s totally different than a cake that screams conformity.

Don’t get me wrong: I like cake, too. But the cupcake appeals to the rebel inside us, telling the rest of the world, “THIS ONE IS MINE, ALL MINE!!” And sometimes you need to have something that’s only yours, even if it is a cupcake 😀

Can’t Stop Me Now

Last weekend we cleaned out the garage, and let me tell you, it looks AMAZING!! Well, technically half of it does. We couldn’t clean out the other wall because it has all of my stained glass stuff, and we need protective gloves and eye goggles to clean it out. Still, the garage is a vast improvement over the trash dump site way it was before.

But now I am itching to reorganize something. Some people finish a project and sit back to admire their work. I tend to want to channel that satisfaction towards another problem spot. The problem is, there are too many problem spots.

And Legos come in handy for this.

Picking one is like a Lay’s™ potato chip. You can’t stop at just one.

So I guess I better go get a bag of potato chips and finish that off. That’s something I can certainly achieve today.

Glad I found a way to channel my productive side 😉

Another Dreaded Day

Well, I don’t dread holidays. I only dread those where gift giving is involved. No, not gift giving for others. That’s always awesome (when I get around to shipping gifts, that is. STOP JUDGING ME!!). No, I mean when I am the recipient.

Me: You know, Mother’s Day is only four weeks away.

Hubby: Oh, my God, you ruined my day.

Me: If I wanted to ruin your day, I would have reminded you the Friday before Mother’s Day.

Hubby: Good point.

It’s not like I don’t give obscure hints.

Seriously, I go out of my way to let them know what I like.

I don’t exactly keep things a secret, you know.

I am not a difficult person to buy for, but you would think it’s along the lines of solving the next digit of Pi. But no matter. I know this Mother’s Day will be awesome, because all of us will be together and they always go out of their way to make sure I am well-loved, especially when serving me breakfast in bed.

Of course, if I get that sweet Le Creuset™ pot I won’t mind making them dinner 😉

The Value of Your Word

When I was very young, I think I was maybe six or seven, I promised my mom I would pick the cilantro in our backyard. She looked at me and said, “You made a promise. That means you have to keep your word, ok?” I was confused, because I didn’t know the concept of “keeping your word”. She explained that when you make a promise to do something, that means you WILL do it, end of discussion. I asked her what happens if I can’t keep my promise for some reason. And she said that if I have any doubts, then I should only promise to try.

Anyway, I was listening to XM a few days ago in my friend’s car. She was listening to the Oprah Channel (personally, I don’t care for Oprah Winfrey, but some people get something out of her shows). There was a break in the ongoing sob story, to promote Dr. Robin Smith’s new show. And that’s when I had a very bad wake-up call. Here was a psychologist, so-called, telling people that it’s ok to break a promise if you don’t feel you can fulfil it. She went on to say that it was best to put one’s needs first, and be relieved of the burden of keeping that promise.

I was appalled. It took me a long time to figure out what the value of one’s word is. I understand the failure to keep it, and have hurt others because of it. But that has taught me that making a promise is a bond. It stems from your character. It’s part of what makes one trustworthy and reliable. But here is a professional telling others that a promise is not worth keeping. Yes, there are certain circumstances when you can’t keep a promise. But not keeping it because oh, it’s just too hard???

Sorry, no. My word is my bond. If it is too difficult to keep a promise, don’t make one. That’s simple enough.

Now, if y’all will excuse me, a friend asked that I acquire some lavender mint tea for her from our local supermarket. They have been out the past four times I have gone shopping, but I made a promise to her to get it, and I aim to keep it. Here’s hoping fifth time’s the charm 😀

By Popular Demand

Well, not really. But some of y’all wanted to see the flowers I was going to make from my wondrously wonderful felt.

It’s a dahlia. I am loathe to wear them because when I was little my grandmother taught me one of the Languages of Flowers and dahlias were considered the Flower of Death. But I can fool myself into thinking this is like a chrysanthemum, right? Anyway, I was going to make it into a brooch, but I think I will just make it into decor for my purse. Now I need a black purse so I can put this on it.

I can always find some way to justify anything.

Anyway, the sheet of felt was large enough to make this four inch beauty, plus plenty left over for another few flowers, as well. Which by the way, have been claimed by Little One. But not this behemoth. This one is all mine!!!

As soon as I get a purse for it 😉

UPDATE:

The tutorial on how to make this gorgeous flower can be found here.

Is It Spring Yet???

Nope, not complaining of the weather at all. For once. But for some reason I find myself itching to get home improvements started.

This is highly unusual. So much so that Hubby still can’t picture my vision. And it’s a GRAND one. This is my To-Do List for next weekend:

• Paint the main bathroom.
• Frame bathroom mirrors with stone tiles.
• Hang antique mirror in foyer.
• Update light fixtures with paint.
• Finish making light fixture for Little One’s room.

This does not include cleaning out and reorganizing the garage, which is a constant battle, truth be told. But I am making progress slowly. I took several garbage bagfuls to Goodwill, and thrown out crap that had been boxed up since North Carolina.

That was before Germany, which was ten years ago.

I am NOT a hoarder!!

Anyway, this week I will be prepping rooms and light fixtures and even wall decor. Hopefully things will be ready by next Saturday. But if I know Hubby, he’s hoping the majority will be done before then 😉