Update

I have been MIA from blogland recently due to a much needed rest after hosting 17 young people over spring break.  We all had a good time and lots of catching up was done by friends who are scattered all over the country in college. 

This is the bathroom that was shared by all 17 of them:

We only have one 40 gallon hot water heater.  They were great working through timing their showers.

They helped remove 600 square feet of sod and spread 6 yards of mulch across the back fence so I can plant a garden:



Which allowed my husband and I to make a trip to the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence, Texas for my belated Christmas gift of 7 rose bushes.

More on that in a later post.

After they all left, I washed all the sheets, blankets, towels and pillows.

These are just some of the pillows and blankets.

It wore out the poor dog.



I'll be back soon with pictures of the Antique Rose Emporium and our yard with all the great stuff planted so far.  I'll also include some pictures I took at Round Top where we stopped on the way back to do some antiquing.

Bye y'all!

Cindy

Windsor Chairs and Table

I was in Austin today running an errand and happened to go right by a store in which I had some items consigned so I decided to stop in and see if they had a check for me. 

No check, but I found a wonderful table in just the right size for my breakfast room with a really good price tag.  Not only that, but it included four Windsor chairs that I just love. 

After checking it out thoroughly and exchanging several texts with my husband, I bought the table!

I pick it up tomorrow and cannot wait.  I hope I can sleep tonight I'm that excited.

The set is maple.  The table is 58 inches round with drop leaves and includes table protector pads and two nine or ten inch leaves that store inside the table.  The absolute best part is that this table is almost exactly like the one I grew up with.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can but for now I'll leave you with these pictures of Windsor chairs posted by Elizabeth of Blue Clear Sky and Holly of Holly Mathis Interiors.

Ethan Allan from Blue Clear Sky

Holly Mathis Interiors

Cindy

Spring Break Update

I have 8 young people staying at my house this week.  We're having a great time and they're all getting a much-needed rest . . . well except for the yard work I hooked them all into doing. 

Removing 600 square feet of sod

And moving lots of stone from our driveway to the back yard.

And that's not even all the stone.  They were great.

Then they got to play.  But the water was really cold in the unheated pool.

Last Saturday, we made the required pilgramage for everyone new to Texas.

For the uninitiated, this is the Alamo.

Remember it!

These are the boys at the Alamo waiting while the girls did their shopping.

This is the possum we watched while the girls were shopping.

And the Santa convention we saw at the River Walk after the Alamo.

We're having a great time!

I hope to get back to crafty stuff and decorating next week, but for now, I'm enjoying having all my kids home and four of their friends here.

Enjoy your Spring Break!

Cindy

Spring Break

I have big plans for Spring Break next week.  First of all, my four kids are coming home for the whole week!  That is so cool!

Along with them will be many of their friends.  Friday night is when it starts and we'll have 6 young people ranging in age from 17 to 28; two girls and four guys.  By Tuesday, one will have left and two will have joined us. 

Then to crown it off, on Friday we're having a Par-tay!  I think we'll at least double the number of young people here.

I am so excited!

But to be practical, I've been planning how to sleep that many people.  We have three guest rooms with sleeping room on beds for 5 people.  We'll also have 5 floor pads, a queen size inflatable mattress, some sleeping bags, lots of sheets and blankets and lots of floor space.  Sleeping taken care of.

We have one 40 gallon hot water heater and lots of teens and young 20s here who'll want/need to shower daily.  I plan to have a shower schedule they have to use.  Showering taken care of.

Next to consider is feeding the crowd.  I have a menu planned that includes easy and inexpensive food that kids that age like to eat. 

Here is the dinner menu:

Friday - French Bread Pizza for late night snack after all arrive between 10 pm and 12 am
Saturday - Tacos (I cooked the meat today) with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatos and shredded cheese
Sunday - Pork Loin on the rotisserie, canned baked beans, green beans and rolls
Monday - Sweet & Spicy Pork Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw - recipe found here
Tuesday - Spaghetti, salad, french bread
Wednesday - Bean Burritos, fruit salad
Thursday - Mac 'n Cheese, apple slices
Friday - Party! Nachos and Tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice and popcorn for munching

My boys leave on Saturday so I'll just have three left to feed and I figure we can eat leftovers.

I plan to make lots of cookies and bars for munching and desserts.  My daughter is a cake decorator so will make a cake for the party on Friday. 

I'm planning on making lots of quick breads to have on hand for breakfasts.  I'll definitely make my Grandma's Banana Bread as it's always a favorite with everyone.  I think I'll make pumpkin bread and apple cinnamon bread too.  Then there'll be eggs including boiled eggs for the non-cooking ones.

I'm hoping there'll be dinner leftovers for lunches and I'll expect the kids to serve themselves.

OK, that sounds like the food is taken care of.

Then to keep them entertained - as if they really need me to do that - I have a project planned for the yard.  Since we just moved into a new house we need to add plants to the backyard.  My husband recently planted two apple trees and two peach trees across the back fence.  I plan to remove the grass from the back fence to about 10 feet out and put down three inches of mulch.  That way we can also plant shrubs and perennials there and limit the amount of mowing needed.

Removing grass is a big job, as is picking up and spreading mulch.  My youngest son and daughter have agreed to help with the job.  Two of their friends will also help.  I like to say that hard work is a good use for a young person. 

I plan to post some 'before' pix in the next couple of days and then some 'during' and 'after' pictures when we're done. 

Because of the crowd and the back yard project, I may not post as much in the next week but I'll be back.

What are planning for Spring Break?

Cindy

It's a Small World

I like to check the statistics of my blog on a daily basis to see many different things such as how many pageviews I've had today, this week, this month, who is referring to my site and which are my most visited posts among other things. 

One of the stats I can see is in which countries in the world my visitors live.  Just recently, I've had visitors from the US, Canada, Australia and the UK which I would expect because we are all english speaking countries.  But I've also had visitors from the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Germany, Spain, India and Hong Kong! 

I would like to say a special thank you to all of you who visit me on a regular basis from any other country than the US!  Welcome to my blog and please enjoy yourself while you're here.  I hope I can give you a little peek into how an American lives. 

If you are visiting from another country, please consider leaving a comment even if it's in your own language.  I would love to hear from you!

Cindy