Resolution update

Something I love about blogging is that I can quickly look back at what we were up to last year, assuming that I blogged.    So as we approach the end of the year I find myself wondering how we did on resolutions.....usually a mix of good and bad.  How did we do with the 2012 resolutions? 
           
2012 resolutions

Stick with our budget - we did pretty well, I'll admit I feel more secure being on two incomes again and want to really buckle down and work on saving in 2013.

Travel somewhere neither of us have ever been – we did it!  Neither of us had ever been to Tahoe, in fact K had never been to Nevada so we did great on this one and had a memorable birthday for K while we were on our trip.

find quick, easy, healthy meals to cook and get a good group of 'go to' meals we can rotate to have a good mix of meals  fail, we did try some new recipes but we still struggle with what to make each day.  I need to find a better way to approach looking for new meals to try (NOT when I’m trying to make the grocery list).  Something to keep working on in 2013.

Make fitness a regular part of our day – we’re making improvements, as always something to continue to work on.

2012 has been really good to us, K finished grad school and started in his new career.  I’ve continued to grow in my career and we’ve grown as a couple.  We even welcomed a new member of the family – a fish!   I hope that 2013 has just as many good times waiting for us!



I’m becoming more and more of a believer that I should make a change when I want to and not wait for the beginning of a new year. I like the idea of short and long term goals and hope to make an effort to make both types of goals and accomplish them, but still find myself feeling like I should make New Year’s resolutions- if nothing else that dates sticks in your head as a starting point.  I will use some apps because I like to track my progress and they'll keep me honest, also help make it measurable

2013 Resolutions

1) Make fitness a regular part of our days -- we both need to get back into a routine and I need weights as well as cardio in my routine

 - track my workouts and my food on myfitnesspal in an effort to help me finally lose the weight I’ve been wanting to lose for years --- let me know if you're on this service, I need pals to keep me honest!

2) Instead of the vague 'save money', we will set up automatic savings to pull money into savings each month, as an easy start we'll use the money we had been allocating to the car payment since we'll have it PAID OFF next month!  
 - I also plan to set up our finances through an online system to be able to track it more consistently.  I already track with Excel, but want to see what tools these online (free) programs have


3) meal planning - find a different time during the week to look at meal possibilities and:

-          Try one new main dish each month

-          Try a new vegetable (or way to fix it) each month - if we succeed that'd be 12 new ways/dishes

-  find a better way to track meals we like...right now its all paper and excel  

4) Read more, watch less TV - I almost reached the 20 book goal this year (on goodreads), so I’ll use that same goal for 2013 - find me on goodreads!   I picked up a bunch of books on hold at the library today, cannot wait to get into them....I need to stagger them as there is no way I will read 5 books by the time they are due, but I put in a bunch of requests at the same time, if you haven't used your hold system at the library I highly recommend it!
  - K also plans to start his reading plan with the books he already has.

5) Organize one area of the house each month.  We are staying put in this house and so I want to make the best use of the space we have.   I've already started this one over the holiday, and will continue in small chunks - that is how I work best.   I already love the small changes made - a storage unit we had upstairs has been rearranged and is being put to better use in our bedroom closet.

The to do list will get much longer, but for now I have a few items on it:

- call our cable company to reduce our bill – called in Dec but they mentioned a better deal starting in January and gave me a $15 discount per month to hold me over
 - select and start to use an online financial system
- organize (may mean toss and start over) our tupperware collection

 HAPPY 2013!!!

Segways

We’ve have a great break.  We both had the whole week off and just took it easy and spent a lot of time together.  As part of our break we took a quick trip to Galveston.  The primary reason for the trip was to do a Segway tour we’d purchased a while back.    K had mentioned he wanted to ride them (neither of us had) and so when living social had a deal it was an easy decision to buy them.

We drove down in the morning and had time to do a little shopping before the tour.   We had a pretty large group (12 people) and it was intimidating at first – we watched a video that kept showing how easy it would be to tumble off and hit your head, and we’d signed a waiver that we knew the risks and saw the prices we’d have to pay if we damaged them.  After that we each had to get on, with everyone watching, and learn to ride it.  It was strange at first, but you really do get the hang of it after a few minutes -  it’s all about how you lean your weight (after you accept that this thing really can hold you up with 2 wheels) .   After we practiced in the parking lot we all got the hang of it and we were off!   The weather was cold and very windy, so we didn’t go on the seawall as the tour said we would, but instead we went through the neighborhood, which was better I think – we were able to see a lot of houses and scenery and we had no worries about driving off the edge!    Although it was called a tour it was really mostly just the experience of riding the Segways, just what we wanted!   We really did zip along on them.   I am glad we did a short tour as my feet and lower legs were hurting by the end of it, and we should’ve worn gloves.  I also should've thought to zip up my jacket BEFORE getting on, once I was on I couldn't figure a way to stay on and zip it, so unzipped I rode.  We’ll do it again, and I think we’d be ready for a true tour that many cities offer.

That afternoon we were able to meet up with a childhood friend of K’s that he hadn’t seen in about 20 years.  They’d reconnected on facebook and he and his wife came down to meet us.  It was a great afternoon with them and we hope to meet up with them again soon. 

We spent the night at the Hotel Galvez and before heading back home the next day we went to Seawolf Park, surprisingly it was my idea and not my historian’s idea to go there.  We were able to tour a WW II submarine and destroyer.    The submarine especially gave me a greater appreciation for those who served on them, they truly are tight spaces.

As a bonus, I get to play a lot with my new camera - I'm still learning how to use it and what the various settings do.

Christmastime

Our Christmas celebrations continue!    We celebrated with my side of the family this weekend.  It was quite a treat to have someone else hosting :).   We all went to my parents' house, the house where I grew up.

For dinner we have a meal very similar to what we have at Thanksgiving - smoked turkey, rice dressing, cranberries, rolls, 5 cup salad, and sweet potatoes.

This was the most people we've ever had at the table - its really intended for 6 people, we really filled up the table with 8 of us!    During dinner I realized this was the first time all 8 of us have ever been in the same place!  I hope its the first of MANY gatherings of the group - I'd meant to get a photo of all of us, and of course I forgot.....

After dinner and cleaning up we had dessert (pies and a delicious cheesecake) and exchanged gifts.  We have such a variety of interests and gifts, its fun to see what everyone gets and how many gifts have to be explained.   We also have a fair amount of rehashing of prior years gifts and holidays  - my parents are still haunted by having to assemble a Barbie McDonald's (for me) and a He-Man castle (for my brother) in the middle of the night.  So many pieces and stickers, we did each love those toys....I know that is my favorite time of the day, the gifts are open and we can just visit.


Too soon, K had to head back home, he had the Texans game on Sunday and we had a hungry dog at home.    I was able to spend the night and enjoy more time with my family since my sister had offered to drive me home Sunday - Thanks Laura and Chris!  From the way the game went today, I definitely had the better end of the deal and attended the better game.
  
Unfortunately, Chris wasn't feeling well so he spent part of the evening napping.  I really hope this isn't a trend that someone is sick each time we get together - last time it was my hubby, this time it was sis' boyfriend.     

Since he wasn't feeling well, I went with my sister to her friend's party, her stand-in 'date'.    I knew a few people at the party, though I hadn't seen them in many years.  It was a fun, fairly small gathering and they did a white elephant, I played using Chris' gift.    I've found how to get a great white elephant gift, when I am playing with someone else's gift and I know I won't keep what I get - enjoy your pottery barn gift card Laura!   I am so glad we'd eaten before we got there, I nibbled a little bit but did a fairly good job of staying out of the food and I had some punch but quickly switched to water -- trying to keep my holiday calories in check.   I did get to taste the funfetti dip that I've read about on my sis's blog, and tasted (just 1 bite) a jalapeno poppers dip (think of the cheesy inside of a popper).



The extra time with my family was just what I needed. No one knows me like my family and we don't get to spend enough time together.  A favorite image of this year's holidays will be Mache walking around singing Christmas carols, she has a wonderful singing voice...

Chris fits right in and shows us some new ways to spend time together.  I've always thought a 'gamer' meant a videogamer, which he is, but he is also a big boardgamer and has already introduced me to several new games -- and I foresee some of them being purchased so we have them to play all the time.  This weekend we played King of Tokyo and Wits and Wagers.

I keep forgetting its Sunday night since I don't have work tomorrow.   gotta love working at a university that closes this time of year :)   We have some plans for the week - including Christmas with the Tuckers! - and will enjoy the time off together.

wow, busy weekend.....I am nowhere near ready to head back to work tomorrow and yet I wouldn't trade this weekend for anything.

On Saturday, we hosted all of Kevin's side of the family (15 adults + 6 kids) for our Christmas gathering and had such a great time!!!   I loved getting to visit with everyone, and since everyone brought different dishes to share it wasn't too much work for anyone.  We ended up with more desserts than anything else!  Only 2 members of the family weren't able to make it -one cousin was in Washington state with Sam Houston State for their playoff game (we had it on tv and they won!).   I was really happy to meet the newest member of the family, baby Caroline... she is so cute, and our niece was in awe of her -- a living version of her baby dolls!

The kids (ages 3 to 13) even had their own space and spent most of it playing Rockband -- next time we need to teach them how to change songs.  they probably know how to...and yet we kept hearing the same song (The Killers when we were young) over and over and over.  We love that our house is large enough to host everyone, and hope to have many more gatherings - its actually our second time to host Christmas.

We cleaned up a bit last night, including fixing a chair that the rung had come out -- picnic table makes a great work bench!   After that we watched part of "Office Space"  - K can quote nearly all of it, and yet we still love to watch it, and then crashed -- its a busy day being host/hostess!


Today (Sunday) I went to the Texans game with Kevin. Thanks to my mother-in-law for letting me use her ticket!  It was a rainy day when we headed down there (perfect weather to wake up early and read my book, yes I'm a nerd).  We played the Colts, great to win and with that win we are once again AFC SOUTH Champs!

We wrapped up our day with takeout deep dish pizza from a great local place.   We were planning to eat there but they let us know they were only doing take out, actually worked out better - we could spend a little time at home with Smokey (he spent Saturday at my in-laws).

12/12/12

Its the last repeating number date of our lifetimes, 12/12/12. Odd to realize it since we've had one every year since 2001....which means, the whole time K and I have known each other we've had one...its the end of an era...not really.


On the news, the date has been made a big deal by many people - weddings, casino openings, even lottery numbers (a lady at work bought her tickets!).

I've never been one to make a big deal about the date, though I do love my birthday :)  The one repeating date we did like was 7/7/07 and we thought about getting married that day, though we thought of it about a YEAR later than anyone who did get married that day.

We didn't do anything really memorable for the day, but did have a great dinner out, which always makes for a fun Wednesday.

It will be memorable for Kevin that he finished grading his finals today, a great accomplishment!

Happy happy birthday to my big brother!

I'm so glad I'm finished Christmas shopping and can really enjoy the season.  One day I will learn to start earlier,  who are we kidding -no I won't!  I think we did pretty good on selecting gifts and even had some new people to buy for this year.   Online shopping is a godsend, and I even got Kevin to help me in picking out a few gifts.

We have get-togethers planned with both sides of the family that I am very excited for, and are even planning to meet up with a childhood friend of K's over the holiday.

Tonight I'm off to a gathering of my bookclub, so glad we don't do a book in December!  I'm STILL trying to finish my Game of Thrones book - lost where I was and turns out I was even further than I thought I was...i WILL finish it by the end of the year.

I found a new discovery on youtube today -- there are videos on how to pronounce certain words, very helpful so I can learn to pronounce a name I've seen in print but never known how to say!  Always good to do your homework :)

Christmas randomness and a few tips

Its no fun being sick....I definitely got the cold that Kevin had over Thanksgiving.   So this weekend consisted of a lot of time sitting in my chair, sneezing and dosing up with meds.   I am so happy we live in an area where we can get food delivered and that I have a sweet hubby who will pick up food.  We had to delay seeing "Lincoln" another week, hopefully we can get there next weekend and it'll still be in the theaters.  

I have a lot of Christmas shopping I need to do, but it'll just have to wait until I feel better.....more time to get ideas, right?!?!?  I'm so glad I already decided not to do Christmas cards this year, that is already making this busy season less stressful.

We did get out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree, and for the first time have some outdoor lights (we actually did the lights over Thanksgiving).   I'm slowly learning how to pack the decorations up to make the following year easier, things I did last year that helped us out:

• packed the tree skirt with the tree
• labeled the boxes containing the lights - meant we didn't have to open the rest of the boxes to find them
• have the lights rolled up with both ends sticking out to easily be able to plug them in and make sure they work before putting them on the tree

Improvements to make for next year:

• pack the wreath hanger with the wreath
• make sure all rolls of lights have the correct end on the outside
• label the rest of the boxes 
• pack like things together - I'm getting better at that but still have instances of ' put it wherever it fits'

I always mean to buy an ornament when we travel and nearly always forget...I really wish we'd bought one in Tahoe, but I never seem to think of it when we're ON the trip...oh well, something to strive for on our next trip.   I do find some random ones at the store, I love my new Homer ornament.

Its hard to believe that is the LAST week of classes for the fall semester!

No millions for us

We did not win the Powerball, we knew we wouldn't but it was fun to daydream about what we'd do if we were suddenly multi-millionaires.   First on my list, after getting set up with a lawyer and a money manager -- take a fabulous trip!  I do hope the people who won the money put it to good use for their community and that they are able to manage it well, its amazing and sad how many stories you see of people who become very wealthy and then lose it all through mismanagement and excess.

I'm getting sick, I'm trying to beat it but I am pretty sure I'm coming down with what K had over the holidays.  Sore throat, congestion, so far I have sneezing not coughing.....not sure if its better to know whats ahead of you or worse -- at least this time its not a stomach bug, those are the WORST!

The Christmas lights we put in the bushes make me happy, they are already on when i get home from work in the evening.  'Net' lights are the way to go if you want to put lights in the bushes.  They look pretty festive and keep us from looking like the Grinch of the neighborhood.  They are nowhere near as elaborate as many of our neighbors, but we like them.    For our own safety we'll probably NEVER have lights on the roof.  I remember walking around on the roof at my house growing up to help my dad, as a kid it was no big deal, now I'm like hell no...I'd fall off (if I ever managed to get up on it in the first place).  We'll enjoy their lights and put ours up where we can do so with 2 feet on the ground.

Thanksgiving recap

We had a good Thanksgiving with my family.  Poor Kevin hasn't been feeling well most of the weekend so it was more low-key than most years.

Kevin didn't start feeling bad until Thanksgiving day, so we were able to enjoy a great night out on Wednesday night.   I'd seen a sign that a Beatles tribute band would be playing at a bar near our house, and knew it'd be a great date night.   Kevin is a HUGE Beatles fan and the show was great to see.   We had no idea that it would be as popular as it was, we were lucky to get a table in the back.  The band was playing on the outdoor patio and we also lucked out that I had a couple of jackets in my car.  It had been warm that day, but cooled off once the sun went down.    We had a great time watching the band (and occasionally singing along) - they were in costume and had different outfits for each of the 3 sets -- to go along with the different time periods of the Beatles.    Houston area people - they are called the Fab 5.

We decided to have our Thanksgiving meal on Friday since we both had work on Wednesday and so that we could fully enjoy the Texans game on tv that day (overtime?!? again), it also gave us some extra time to get everything ready.   It worked out really well!   My parents came up on Thursday and watched the end of the game with us (we had a casserole -something easy since the main event was the next day) and we did a lot of the food prep on Thursday (including smoking the turkey), then while everyone else was shopping til they dropped on Friday we had our big meal.  It was 6 of us this year, my sister and her boyfriend drove over late Thursday after spending time with his family.  We missed having my brother and his wife with us, but completely understand why they couldn't make the trek - their work schedules just wouldn't allow it, and his school schedule is keeping him running as well.  We have fingers crossed that Christmas plans work out for us to all celebrate together.

We had a pretty lazy weekend, and ate more than our fair share of desserts....

grocery cart hospital

Yesterday morning I had to buy gas and so I went to my local Kroger (my gas station is in the parking lot).   Driving through, I saw that all of the grocery carts were gathered up next to a big truck and two guys were each working on a cart that was flipped over in front of them.   I'd never thought much about when or where they fix the grocery carts, its hard to find a time they aren't in use.   Now I know -- early in the morning, and right before Thanksgiving (I'm sure EVERY ONE of them will be in use today).  I hope that they fixed  the stuck wheels that I always seem to end up with....

I did my shopping on Sunday and went to another store to grab one item on Monday.  Both stores were busier, just put on your patience hat.  I really hope I can avoid the craziness of the grocery store today.

We're each working today.  Kevin is one of those mean professors, he's holding class today....but now he knows better for next year.   I'm hoping that it'll be quiet and I can get a lot of work done!


Our turkey is already brining and we'll be welcoming guests and fixing food tomorrow, and watching the Texans game!  

I probably won't get on much this weekend, so HAPPY early THANKSGIVING!

Color Run

I had a great time today at the Color Run.  It was my first ever 'color run' (or in my case: WALK) and I was able to participate with my sister and her boyfriend (aka gourmet and gamer).

We were a little unsure of the weather, since it was raining when we drove over, luckily the rain stopped and it was cloudy for the walk. Cloudy I can deal with, walking 3 miles in the rain I cannot.

The atmosphere was so much fun as we got ready to walk - music and dancing all around us - and the fun continued throughout the course.   I loved seeing all the outfits - tutus galore, and Laura surprised me with some fun socks.

Each kilometer was its own color and we would get doused with color as we walked through the color zone.   I went up to people to get sprayed/splashed with color, and we saw some people making 'color angels' -- I did not need that much color.  In the yellow section Chris rolled through the color -- very effective, if I tried to do that I'd somehow hurt myself.  We were towards the end of the pack of walkers/runners and so as much as we got i think the people at the beginning got even MORE (we had PLENTY -- they had so much they were picking it up with SHOVELS).

We were able to take some photos, ignore the really blurry ones -- Note to self:  you canNOT take a photo through a plastic bag if you want the photo to turn out.  Had the camera in a bag to protect it from the powder.

I was covered head to toe (even under my clothes) in color, and while it felt good to get cleaned up it was a little sad to wash it all away. 

Its been a great day all around - I made spaghetti for us for dinner and now we're watching the Texans on Sunday Night Football.  Beat those bears!  Kevin took it easy today since he's been feeling a little under the weather...

This day must be noted.....Kevin decided (on his own) to cook vegetables as part of our dinner, and not just any safe vegetable - butternut squash and green beans with pine nuts.   The green beans were good, the butternut squash was great!  They both accompanied pecan crusted fish.   Kevin outdid himself and I think he may need to become the cook of the house, though I'm not sure he'll go for it.

He baked the squash, scraped it (my contribution to the meal) and pureed it with some syrup and a pinch of salt.  We needed spoons more than forks to eat it, and he liked it!

We have such different approaches to cooking, he just 'wings it' and I want to try that approach more often..

He was inspired by his meal at Backstreet cafe a while back.   If this is the result of a nice meal, we may have to treat ourselves more often :)

Getting excited about the Color Run this weekend and the Texans on Sunday night football!

November

How are we already almost a week into November?    I'm in denial that Thanksgiving is in TWO weeks.....only partial denial since we're working on the menu (we're hosting!) but denial.

Its election day and so we are watching returns. I'm so tired of elections that I'm tempted not to watch it at all but have to see how it all turns out.

I have no real news to share, so here is a list of randomness


- putting our lamps on timers has changed my world.  Its not as big a deal since with the time change it gets light earlier, but Kevin's great idea and $12 mean the room is lit when I wake up and I don't have to creep through the dark to turn on lights. A good thing since I am clumsy.   I've been enjoying them for several weeks now.

-  whoever decided where light switches should go when they built our house was a moron.   The ones you come to first control the garbage disposal and dishwasher --- the first one should control LIGHTS, I shouldn't have to walk in the dark to the far side of the kitchen...

- the time change will probably get to me later, but for now I love that it is light earlier in the day - no more leaving for work in the dark.

- I attended my first Texans game of the year on Sunday, and loved it.  It was appreciation day for Veterans, a great game to attend.  They released an eagle that flew through the stadium and down to a handler before the game.  So majestic.   They also honored Veterans and active service members throughout the game.

Happy Halloween!

After years  of saying I wanted to carve a jack-o-lantern and letting the season come and go, I finally did it.   I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I took some shortcuts because it was a lot harder than I remember it being.....

Have fun on Halloween, we are stocked with candy (minus a few that my loving husband couldn't resist eating -- my own fault for buying his favorites) and are ready for the trick-or-treaters.

Birthday bash

My birthday has come and gone, and it was a great one.  K likes to say that girls celebrate their birthdays for a week, and I say - why not!  I hadn't really intended it, but my celebrations did go on for a full week.

We started with a great dinner at Melting Pot with my sister and her boyfriend last weekend.

The day before my birthday K and I went out to dinner and split a free dessert for my birthday - the loyalty cards give you great birthday bonuses, and thankfully don't sing the song at you :).

On my actual birthday (Thursday), work took me out for lunch - delicious Cajun food - and that night Kevin and I went out for sushi.

My present to myself was a vacation day from work.   I may make it an annual tradition, it was so nice to have an extra day off and to get to sleep in the day after my birthday.  Its a busy time of year at work but if I wait for a 'good time' to take off I'll never get a day off and I really did need it.  It worked with K's schedule too since his class days are earlier in the week.   We spent the day together and treated ourselves to a movie: Argo -- GREAT movie and I can see why they're talking Oscars.   It was a pretty serious movie, but they also had some great one-liners that we've been repeating since the movie....

Saturday we spent the day at the Renaissance festival, the weather was *perfect* (cool and sunny) and we had a wonderful time spending the day outdoors and were able to meet up with some friends who had decided to go that same day.   We go each year and see something new every time - this year we watched a 'fire whip' show - along with revisiting some of our favorites. The theme this weekend was Halloween and so there were even more costumes than normal, and we loved seeing them all.   One really impressive one was Freddy Krueger, it was so good that K wanted his photo with it.  I'll add the photo as soon as I download it from my camera.   (Edit: photo added!) Looking online today, it was record-setting attendance, we could tell it was crowded while we were there - everyone wanted to enjoy the weather.   Here is the site where they put up the attendance numbers, being a number cruncher, I love that they post it, and so quickly after the event.


Kevin threw me off the trail of my birthday gift.  He'd said he couldn't find what he'd talked about getting me and then surprised me with it on Friday and, even better, he set it up for me today.   I now have an ipod and all I have to do is load up my music to it, and make all sorts of playlists.  Thanks sweetie!


Its been a great birthday weekend, and I'm not ready to go 'back to reality' tomorrow.  I am happy that my day tomorrow should be 'normal' and I'm thinking about everyone bracing for Hurricane Sandy on the east coast.

weekend recap

We had a great weekend!

Our a/c is still out and its getting warm again...Kevin's brother saved the day by bringing over a window unit that he owns.   We set it up in the bedroom and have been able to sleep in a cool room -- very good so that we can all get a full night's sleep.  I'm sure it looks hilarious from the outside, but don't really care - it gets the job done!

Saturday evening we met my sister and her boyfriend at the Melting Pot for my birthday dinner.  Since my birthday falls during the week we decided to celebrate early.  It was a great evening!  The Melting Pot is a special occasion place to me, kind of pricey but worth it occasionally for a special night out.  We easily agreed on a cheese, cooking style and chocolate and each had different salad, drink and entree choices to make the meals exactly what we wanted.    Jill - Thanks for suggesting the bacon and brie cheese, delicious!

The restaurant was taking complimentary photos, so we have a cute photo of all 4 of us to commemorate the evening.   Very good since even though I brought my camera I often forget to actually TAKE photos and K is usually behind the camera (where he prefers to be) so we have very few photos of us together (something we need to remedy).

The green box is my gift from them, a salad spinner!    It'll help me to eat more clean veggies.  I know I need to clean my greens and this should help me thoroughly clean them.

Hint: Join the fondue club -- no cost and you get coupons, I redeemed a coupon for 6 chocolate covered strawberries and we'll enjoy them all week.

Sunday was another great day.  Kevin and his family attended the Texans game.  I watched from home, I wish I could've been there.  The stadium was fully BATTLE RED and they kicked Raven-butt!

Sis started a blog of her own, you can read about their adventures on the new blog Gourmet & Gamer, cute title!

no a/c

Our a/c hates us....I don't know why, but this is the second time we've had to have the same parts repaired in just over 3 years. Thankfully this time the parts are under warranty, but its still no fun.

Wednesday evening we heard a strange sound - sort of a rhythmic thumping. It was a brand new sound since our house (minus the tv) is usually pretty quiet. It was coming from the attic and it was the a/c. We let it run for part of the night but then turned it off and didn't get much sleep that night since it was warm out. I got it in my head that it could explode (doubtful I know) and was freaked out and just wanted it off for sleeping, thankfully I have a very understanding hubby -- thanks for being understanding of my irrational fears!

Luckily for us a cool front came through making it cooler and drier so its not too bad. We've got the windows open and are making do.

The repair man came on Friday and confirmed its the same thing we had fixed before - blower wheel and motor. The part won't be in today like we'd hoped, so we'll have to wait until Monday to get it fixed and so we're a/c-less for the weekend.

Having the windows open is interesting, I keep hearing sounds I'm not expecting and have to figure out what they are -- this morning I hear running wate (fountain in the backyard) and we can really hear the planes coming in to the airport near us.    The planes remind me of my grandmother's house.

Its  probably the best weather of the year to be without a/c if we have to be without it...

listy list

Its been a hectic week (read: month) at our house, so you get a bullet list :)

• I'm already thinking about Christmas, I shouldn't be I want to just enjoy this fall but I can't help it.. we already have 2 family gatherings on the calendar and I am still wondering where to put up our tree. We've put one up 2 of the 3 years we've been at this house and I still don't feel like i have a good place for it. We skipped it one year since we wouldn't be here at Christmas.
•  I want to make my life easier at Christmas so I'm really thinking no Christmas cards this year (I may change my mind, not sure).
• We sent the kids in our lives some little Halloween cards I picked up at Target (hello impulse buy!) and I really want to know if they got them, I don't want to ask since they are a surprise to almost everyone we sent them to. I say 'almost' because I had to ask mom-in-law for an address and told her what I was up to, so niece and nephew's are a surprise to them but not to their daddy. One card is there the other isn't, come on post office! 
• I am getting excited about my birthday, and as K says ...I WILL celebrate all week!!! 
• K is a grading machine this week, he gave all 3 classes midterms and so has been grading them all week, and breaking up the work with his new kindle....the paper white is very nice, makes my old-style kindle look older than it is.....

Finbaby

There is a new member of the Tucker family!  We may never see this member of the family again, so I took a picture before we put it in its home.

It’s a plecostomus.   We got the fish to eat the algae in the pond we have as part of our backyard landscaping.  The fish eats algae and there is LOTS of food available to him (or her?).   The lady at the store was right, it looks prehistoric.

We put the fish in the pond last weekend and haven’t seen it since, but the pond is beginning to look cleaner.   When it gets cold we'll get a heater for the pond, don't want the poor thing to freeze- though that isn't much of a worry in Houston..

We’ll give it a name, right now we’re calling it Slimer, like Ghostbusters.

Since Smokey is our furbaby, I guess this one would be our finbaby.

Happy October!!   I love this month, the weather is cooling off, football is going strong and my birthday is coming up soon!

We had a great weekend.  On Saturday, I did a little shopping and found some burgundy capris that I am loving!   They were on clearance even though in TX I can wear them for probably a few more months this  year.   I got to wear them on Sunday to a brunch with my good, good friends -- thanks to Gwendolyn for hosting and Delena for getting us organized!   It was great to get together with my favorites ladies and to celebrate the good, healthy steps we've taken with our September challenge.    I'm even thinking about a new October challenge - setting the goal and telling others keeps me honest!

A bit of fun news for Kevin -- he's on a committee for work.   He went to a meeting and was one of only a few adjuncts that attended, and so he's been pulled into the committee work.  He's excited about it, and I'm excited for him.  I remember when I wished I had meetings at work, boy to go back to those days!   Just today I was appointed to another committee.  I know its important work we are doing and am happy to pitch in, I just wonder how I'll fit it all in, and my first thought was more of a groan than a yippee..

Here is a funny image I saw (and pinned) about meetings.  Its my first time to share a pin, here's hoping it works....

Source: 36ohk6dgmcd1n-c.c.yom.mail.yahoo.net via Carol on Pinterest

you really do share everything

Marriage means sharing everything...including colds.  At least this one is a very mild one.
  
Last weekend my throat was hurting and nose was running and later in the week I was sneezing up a storm.  Its finally gone away  for me - though K heard about it while I had it.  As of yesterday afternoon, he has it.

Its weird to see how and when the same sicknesses hit us -- I just warned him about the sneezing that is to come, and there have been times we he's been able to list out what I'll get and how far into its course.   Its reassuring and also annoying to  know what ailments you're about to suffer through.

The worst sicknesses we catch seem to come from the kiddos in our lives (looking at you nephew and at you Gabriel - his first birthday party knocked 12+ adults out for a good day and a half with a stomach bug), *knock on wood* we haven't had one of those in a while.

Good thing we're already making soup today, that will help a sore throat!

We'll still have a great day and are ready to cheer on our Texans against Peyton!!!

best patio in Houston

Its starting to feel like fall and we could not be happier!
 
K and I had plans to meet for dinner after work, and when I saw how nice it was this morning I started thinking that we needed to go to eat somewhere with a patio.  He agreed and we both put our thinking caps on....

Too funny, we both separately looked online for what places have the best patios and came up with the same answer:  Backstreet Cafe

Neither of us had ever been there, but we will definitely be back!   The patio is pretty wonderful - large with plenty of seating, and with it being walled in you don't realize you're right off a busy Houston street (Shepherd).   Its large enough that the wall doesn't make it feel too closed-in.   We were there early (good since we didn't have reservations) and didn't see it all lit up - they lit candles and lights were coming on in the fountain and trees as we were getting ready to go, but I'm sure its pretty at night.  


The food was outstanding as well!    We each had a seafood dish - his was pecan crusted trout and mine was a special of the day (grouper).  The ingredients were all very fresh, and I was amazed that K ate (and liked) some butternut squash that came with his meal.   I may dream about what I had, and saw several other things I want to try.  

I'd read that they have an award-winning sommelier, so we had to take advantage and get a drink.   The wine list was long, but instead we each got a specialty drink called "what the angels drink" - wine and moscato, lime juice, bitters and cointreau and watermelon ice cubes....it really might be what they serve in heaven, and strong WOW.

Neither of us wanted to leave.

House projects

We had a VERY productive weekend for house projects.

We found a great wall hanging for the living room , a must since the big empty spot on the wall had been starting to bug me.  We put it up in record time (for us) and got a great deal on it - thank you Garden Ridge lady who came up with a price out of her head since it had no price tag.  It complements our other wall hangings really well, and K even found the sailboat on the mantel also at Garden Ridge.  I never shop there but think I should start.

We also finally replaced our bathroom towels, bathmats, and soap dispensers (which were dying).   It looks like an entirely new bathroom!   We were overdue to replace the towels, I am pretty sure the ones we were using were the ones we'd registered for.

I like small projects that we can do in an afternoon.

Sitting in my chair now I can look over that the wall hanging instead of the empty spot and it makes me happy :)    I can even see it better now.  I'm back to my old glasses for a while.  I was not happy with my new glasses and went back again to get them adjusted, it turns out the pupilary distance (try saying that 3 times fast) isn't right so they'll have to get new lenses made for me.  Here's hoping this new set does the trick.   I wish I could buy glasses online, but with my prescription and bifocals and all, I am so glad I have a brick and mortar store to go to with any issues, and I love that they are open on Saturdays!

Sunday was also great since we had a big Texans win!    

Wonderful weekend

We had a great weekend!

Saturday was spent running errands and taking care of some overdue chores around the house.
 
Thank goodness for opticians!  I'd been having problems with my new glasses - splitting to see double - and went to get them adjusted...I can already tell that I can see better and will be able to wear them without getting a headache.  I cannot believe that my new glasses are J Lo brand.  I bought them not because of that, but in fact despite that fact.  Luckily as the lady at the store said, once you take the sticker off the lens it doesn't say JLo anywhere on it.

We finally put up the Texans flag that's been hanging out in our garage for longer than we should admit.   K has had the flag for years and had displayed it at his house 2 houses ago....I don't think we ever put it up at our last house and had started the project but never finished it at this house.  We bought the flag pole almost a year ago, and didn't get to it, than when we did the starters were getting hurt and K didn't want to jinx it.   It took 2 trips to Ace hardware, and we ended up using glue and duct tape to finish the job (tools of champions), it looks great and is up in time for the new season!

Today (Sunday), K went to the Texans home opener and what a game it was!   I didn't watch it, but I know he had a great time.   It was White Out day so he wanted to wear head-to-toe white, including a white baseball hat.   We cleaned it up on Saturday -- the key, drown it in Spray N Wash and put it in the dishwasher in a frame to keep its shape.  It looks like a new brand new hat!  

I spent Sunday with my parents and sister at my parents' house and we went to the bazaar at the church for a BBQ lunch.   They could not have asked for better weather, the cool front came through and it was just gorgeous outside!    While we were there we went to see the newly renovated church.   It was closed for renovations all summer and just recently reopened.  The new flooring and pews look really bright and beautiful , though I wonder why they put tile under the pews, easier to keep clean I guess. I wonder if it will be louder and I'm not sure why the new doors and the door to the cry room don't have doorknobs.   I could not believe they didn't have bingo.   The live auction was happening while we were there, how a person talks that fast I'll never know.     We each bought one raffle ticket, I have my fingers crossed for the
Austin getaway.

Challenge accepted!

Its time to get serious about getting healthy!   With 3 friends I'm doing a September challenge.  

Here is what we are challenging ourselves to do:

1. 30 minutes of physical activity at least 5 times a week
2. Eat out only twice a week
3. Drink alcohol moderately twice a week

What I love already is that they found a way to do a group text message so we can keep each other motivated!  especially important since we are pretty spread out - 3 of us are all over Houston and one (the organizer) is in Atlanta.  Thank you Delena for getting us motivated!   I'm posting about it here since the more vocal I am with it, the more likely I am to stick with it.  

I may even get K on board!

I know that #2 will be the hardest for me....just today I had an unexpected lunch outing at work.   I did make good food choices and so I consider that a win!

Labor Day

September already?    It'll be a while before cooler weather comes to Houston, so we're not done with summer yet.   It may not mark the end of summer for us, but I'm still loving a 3-day weekend.
    
We've had a great weekend.  We had a 'day date' on Saturday.  We finally made time to use our museum membership (won it at LAST summer's neighborhood casino night).  I wanted to see the new paleo hall and when we got there we realized that the Titanic exhibit was there for only a few more days so we went to see that exhibit first.   We were really impressed with the exhibit.   Its hard to believe that so many of the artifacts that spend nearly 100 years on the ocean floor were so well preserved.  Coincidentally we were there on the anniversary of the ship being found - Sept 1, 1985.

So much of what I think I know about the tragedy is based on the movie, so seeing the reality was very interesting, and my historian learned some things too.  At the entrance, we were each given the information on a real person on board the Titanic and at the end were able to see if they survived or not - mine did, K's did not   I had no idea that many people (including the man that K got) were on board because a coal strike prevented their original ships from sailing.  His person had to take the Titanic to get to the US in time for his brother's wedding, only 18 years old.   They had artifacts from K's person, and the one I was surprised at was a perfume manufacturer whose perfume samples STILL SMELL.     They had an iceberg we could touch to get an idea how cold it was, and a piece of the hull that we could touch as well.   A great exhibit.

We did see the paleo hall briefly -- if you go, go to the second floor so you can look out over the entire hall.   We didn't stay long (we got hungry), but will be back soon to check it out.   I was surprised with how the wording of the displays is written, its a whole different style - more engaging, includes references to movies - then the museum display information I grew up with. It will take some getting used to for me.  I know it must be based on research and anything that gets more people to read about the dinosaurs is a win in my book!

I'd been debating whether or not to renew the membership and now I definitely will - the shorter line for members is reason enough!  They also took really good care of us, and even walked us up to the exhibit (the second floor overlook idea came from the docent).   

After leaving the museum we got some dinner and checked out a local wine bar.  It is literally down the street from my old apartment and I'd never been there before.   We wish we'd just eaten at the wine bar, we'll have to go back to sample the food.  Sonoma Wine Bar


We had a relaxed day at home yesterday.  We made fish, baked potato/sweet potato, and sauteed carrots (loosely following this recipe).

Today we are going over to a friends for a Labor Day BBQ.  Enjoy the day!!

New Orleans restaurants

I found this in my drafts from the trip in June.   I know the local area is dealing with Hurricane Isaac aftermath now.  The city overcame so much after Katrina and we were happy to go back and support them.  With the record K and I have of going there, we may be outlawed from going there.  We went in May 2005  and 3 months later - they were hit by Hurricane Katrina.  We haven't been back and they've had no other hurricanes, and and now we go in June 2012 and they get hit (on the anniversary of Katrina) by Isaac.   Before we went and while we were there we even talked about it, thinking it can't happen twice....but oh it can.

I've also realized that when I leave Houston is when hurricanes come here, it happened with Rita and with Ike.    I'll be staying put for the remainder of Hurricane season....

On to the original topic for this post.  New Orleans food.    There are so many good places to go, here are just a few of the ones we enjoyed:

Pascals -- they invented BBQ shrimp., the best place to go to have them.   K had been here once before and wanted me to taste it.   The BBQ shrimp ar not what you picture,  more like 'buttered shrimp.   They are messy and worth it.  They put a bib on you and go to town.  The shrimp are HUGE, so you don't have to peel too many, good thing since they are served whole - heads and tails and everything in between.   You peel them, dredge them in the sauce and eat them.    After you finish the shrimp, dip their delicious bread in the sauce.  K had a special - soft-shell crab and smaller BBQd shrimp (his were already peeled).   Another good choice.

Chartres House Café - our first dinner in the city, we each had delicious fish dishes.  K had a cashew crusted redfish that he said was delicious.   Interestingly, he said that you can't get this type of fish in Texas, so when he saw it on the menu he had to get it.  I had a stuffed catfish, delicious, and i loved the veggies.  we had the place to ourselves, it was nice and cool...great after wandering in the heat.

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen - we had quite a swap, I had pizza and beer (a local one) and K had pasta and wine, we'd usually get the reverse.  I had a veggie pizza (craving veggies) and it was all very fresh.  A great neighborhood place right across from the French market.   As many Italian places as we saw in that area it must've been the Italian section, which was interesting being near the FRENCH market.

Nola - Emeril's restaurant -- it was delicious.  I did not write down the details of what we ate, but it was all delicious and I am pretty sure I had a decadent dessert there...

We did have one terrible meal.   We'd been exploring and were just hot and ready to sit.  I'd have to look up the name of the place - it had a bird in the name....steer clear of it.