A Square A Day

Setting: A while ago we took Klay to the Texas Safari. A drive through zoo with many exotic animals. They give visitors bags of feed to attract the animals, and then send them on their merry way to see all there is to see. Toward the end of our day we were passing all the large birds, and an ostrich was in the road going from car to car begging for foods. When it came to ours it stuck its head an neck through my window, and when I didn’t have any food to offer it tried Klay’s window. He shrieked and ran to the other side of the truck…

“That ostrich almost ate my face off!”

Today’s Exploit:

I think I mentioned that I am trying to make a quilt from pieces that my second mom gave me a while ago. I finally dragged it out and started working on it again. I have finished 2 squares and have 15 left. 

So I have a goal: to complete 1 square each day for the next 2 weeks. Then I should be DONE with the first stage of this quilt. 

The next stage will be deciding how to put the pieces together. Should it just be the girlies? Or should it have spacers? If so what colors should the spacers be? How big is this crazy thing going to be? How fancy should I make it? 

Never ending questions.

In the mean time, I am focusing on getting the squares done. A square a day. 

Whew. 

Fall Leaves

Nostalgia

Gramma's tea doilies

Little Flower

I’M BUYING A HOUSE!

Have you ever had chocolate cherry frozen greek yogurt?  

It is amazing. I have been slightly obsessed lately.

Today’s Exploit:

I am buying a house.

Finally.

I have been looking for one for 8.4 months now. It took so long partly because I am NEVER home, even less at the same time as H. And I am slightly picky. I want space, and a KITCHEN and nice rooms and WINDOWS and all the things. 

I have looked at a gazillion houses online and about 50.2 houses around San Marcos and New Braunfels. But nothing was right, or if it was right it was sold by the time I got a chance to ask about it. 

After a slightly disappointing bout of home viewings with one feasible option I decided I wanted to build a house so it had what I want and H wen t back to searching the internet. 

And he found it.

The one.

The coolest house in the history of our house searching.

It is a monstrous Victorian with a HUGE kitchen, a bazillion windows and a very large yard.

I WANT IT SO MUCH!

So we put in an offer and started a contract and loan proceedings. And now we wait. 

Please cross your fingers that they accept the offer and things go smoothly. Because I think I might have to fall apart if they say no. 

It will require a lot of work to fix it up, but it will be the most perfect house ever when it is done. And I think part of the appeal is that I don’t have to live with the “new granite countertops and tile floors”. It will be the way I want and I won’t have to feel bad about ditching something that has just been modified.

This will be my new kitchen. 

12' ceilings. I didn't even dare to dream that it could be possible.

That window? It is so deep I need a step stool to reach the back.
Perfect for an herb garden.

It is so big, and bright. And it has 12’ ceilings. I jumped up and down like an excited 2 year old when I walked into that room. It is incredibly dated, and might need leveled, needs new countertops and requires some tile removal, but it is the right size and shape and has so many counters. Oh the excitement!

I’m hoping I’ll be home in time for the inspection so that I can take more pictures. 

I have so many plans and hopes and SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!

Wish me luck.

Cupcake Had a Birthday

The dd sent me to town for hamburgers.  

Then he came in and started talking about how I’d been goofing around and going to town and being irresponsible since he arrived at the rig.

I know he was joking, but he’s one of those that’s pretty good at keeping a strait face.

Today’s Exploit:

I got to go home for Cupcake’s birthday, but I didn’t make it in time for her sushi dinner.  So we had her birthday the next day.  (She is in town for some interviews.) 

We went for a run, and I made her run really hard at the end.

Then she opened some gifts and was mad at me because I didn’t make her open them before we went running.  I got a fitbit for her, and she really wanted to know how many steps she ran.

Then we made some waffles, that I couldn’t finish because I got a migraine.  

Then I went to bed for a couple hours while she talked to my parents and my mom almost cried about the scrapbook-type pages I made to go with the fitbit.  (But don’t tell her, she claims her eye was running all day. Not that I could see, I was in the other room listening to her choked up voice caused by the running eye.)

When I felt a little better I went back out and talked to my parents on Skype.

Then, when they finished making their cookies, I brought out the birthday cake.  (I stayed up until 1 making it the night before because those tiny little cakes took over an hour to bake, and I only had one pan that size.)

I need a bigger offset spatula, my little one wasn't quite doing the trick.
Also I was trying not to use any frosting because Cupcake is a weirdo and doesn't like it.

We sang Happy Birthday to her and she told me I had pretty candles and that she didn’t remember that she’d gotten them for me a few years ago for my birthday.

She almost didn't get all six candles out with one breath!

And finally we ate some cake and everyone was happy.

Photo bombing cake pictures

Being the normal girl that she is.

Green is her favorite color, and pink is her signature color.
Duh, she calls herself Cupcake!

The end.

A Sunrise, Wide Angle

Red Jello is my favorite. Then orange. I don’t like the green. 

Also, I don’t like whipped cream on it.

Also again, I just discovered this site, I want them all.

Today’s Exploit:

This color later filled most of the sky.

Wide Angle

Some Pictures on a Drive

I was just very disappointed by a very sugary cup of strawberries and whipped cream. An excess of fake whipped cream and a few over-ripe strawberries are not my idea of an ideal combination. 

Today’s Exploit:

I drove some in Canada.

The rig was an 8.7 hour drive from Calgary. So I took 2 pictures to show you that.

Lots of open space, but trees.

Hey look! MOUNTAINS!

The rig is also 1.98 hours from the nearest city. So I took 2 more pictures to show you. 

You’re welcome.

The Magical Up-Hill Race Loop

Traveling messed up my sinuses. I haven’t been able to breathe properly since I got back.

Today’s Exploit:

I signed up for another race. Another half-marathon. 

I don’t know what I was thinking, but then, the last one wasn’t so bad...

I should have known better when I signed up for a trail run on a mountain. Even a mountain that I had run on before. A year makes your mind hazy and the hills don’t seem so bad and the elevation is just a whisper. When really the hills were nearly vertical climbs and the elevation means you wheeze while walking that flat spot and suffocate on the hills.

A recount, for future reference:

Mile 1: Ack! it’s all up hill. It never ends. Note to self: find more hills to practice on in the flat desert of South Texas.

Mile 2: I give up, I’ll never be able to keep up with Catherine. I need to catch my breath and PS the hill still never ends.

Mile 3: I hate mountains and trails and hiking and running, Oh, wait! I see a level bit of trail!

Mile 4: Oof. Forgot to eat on that monstrous hill I just climbed. I REALLY hope I don’t get a migraine. I have another 6 miles before I get to another aid station. (Lack of oxygen means it never occurred to me that I had the option of going back to the last aid station that was 1/2 a mile back.)

Mile 5: Well, I’m pretty sure I’ll be climbing for ever and ever and ever, but at least it’s not quite so steep. Shoot, I just got a blister.

Mile 6: I made a FRIEND! Yay! She’s doing better than me and she hasn’t run in a long time. This was her way to “get back out the door”. 

Mile 7: The three amigos passed us, and another lady caught us. We are now the three amigas following the three amigos. But we like their pace and we like walking up the hills.

Mile 8: Ooh! Cramp in the calf, I think I’ll walk a minute. Ooh! Cramp in the other calf. Stop to stretch.

Mile 9: We really are going to climb into the clouds. I think this mountain’s magical and our entire race loop will be up hill. PS the cramps are getting worse.

Mile 10: Aid station, woo hoo! And they claim it’s all down hill from here! They gave me a salt tablet and an orange slice maybe the cramps will go away.

Mile 11: They lied. I still have to go up hills. But now walking makes my quads cramp and running makes my thighs cramp. So I have to half shuffle and try really hard not to cramp and make myself fall off the mountain. 

Mile 12: I’m pretty sure that the 50 mile group is going to beat me in this race. At least it’s pretty. "Shuffle shuffle grunt (cramp) shuffle"

Mile 13: I see people! And the cow bells! Yay! The kids are there to give me high five, and I’m turning away from the finish, oh no! another cramp. Ok, it’s only 20 more steps, I can do this. CRAMP! ENTIRE LEG! AAAHHHHH!

I hopped across the finish line and had 5 people attack me to make sure I wasn’t hurt. And then I nearly got tackled by a 4 year old, he wanted to give me a hug and didn’t care if I was stinky and sweaty and salty and falling over on my own.

Amazingly enough, the only part that I wasn’t smiling and having a good time was that 4th mile when I had the migraine scare. The rest was torturously fun. And I got 5th place in my age group. Out of 8, but still...

Sunrise

I found my flyswatter.  Time to do battle with the mosquitoes.

Today’s Exploit:

I Blame the Bulls, Okay?

I found some new measuring cups that I need.

And they come in the non-traditional/odd sizes as well.  And they’re actually not orange, for once.  

Also, Happy October.

Today’s Exploit:

The other day I ran 6.6 miles.  

Ok, I only actually ran 6.1 of those miles, but still.

It only took me 75 minutes from start to finish.  

And 6.6 miles is a long way, I normally only run 4.2.

And I spent a longer time walking where the bulls were right next to the road.  

I’ve never been that close to them, and I’ve heard stories about how they can be mean.

I talked to them.

I told them to go on with their business and ignore me.  They did a better job of that on my way back.  

I think I like cows better, they tend to run away from me.  That means that I have more room, and it’s less smelly.  Mostly.

The Search

Cabin? Cabin.  Kay, good.  I hope it gets cold tonight.

Today’s Exploit:

Searching for steel toed boots is a cinch.  

Searching for steel toed boots that will make as big an impact as my hideous pink ones is almost an impossible task.  

1. The same ones: 

Hideous.  And every one wants them.  Everyone.

B 1/2. The pretty ones:

They’re not quite so horrid without the blue.

Green. The Camo ones:  

Eh, they’re kinda boring.

C. The CATs:

They make me think of elementary school when everyone wanted Doc Martins, but settled for whatever looked closest.

Triangle. The Flowery ones:

The only ones I found that actually had any red at all.

O. The Moon Shoes:

Holey Freaking Awesome!  I would definitely wear these.  If they were slip-ons.

Purple. The Not-Boots:

They actually sell steel toed Hush Puppies.  I don’t think they’d let me wear these.  They don’t look like “real” work shoes.

Final. The Ones I Want:

These are amazing.  The only thing that would make them better is if the studs were rhinestones.  Too bad they’re Steel Shank instead of Steel Toed.  Turns out that’s a pretty big difference. 

Family Dinner

Today’s Exploit:

Last night we had a family dinner.

At the rig.

With no family.

Well, the DD had family, his wife and dogs came.  

But the rest of us just pretended.

We cooked all day for this special dinner. 

In the morning we made ice cream.  Well, Beth made ice cream, I supervised.  She brought the ice cream maker, so I made her do it.  Now, hopefully, she can do it at home whenever she feels like it.  

After it froze we smushed it into a tupperware for later, and licked the bowl.  Matt got to lick the spoon.  Beth and I each got one scoop.  The dogs got the rest.  

Spoiled little pooches.  

One of my new buddies: We were best friends
because I always ‘itched’ their heads and smelled like food.

Then Matt went and let slip to the roughnecks that we’d made a treat.  Naturally they thought it should be for them.  So we made cookies to go with it.  

In the middle of the cookies they told me they were making steaks and beans and corn and broccoli for dinner.  So I had to offer to make dinner rolls.

I like playing with squishy, sticky bread dough.  

When it was all done we filed in to fill our plates and all sat together at the table.  Like a real family.  And we sometimes talked and sometimes stuffed our faces.  And they gave me wine, but  don’t tell anyone because it’s not allowed.  

And then we ate ice cream for dessert.  

Smooth, Like Santana and Rob

I saw a cougar.  Either that or it was the dog from the last rig and she’s been in hiding.  Or it may have been an even-more-than-usually-stunted Texas deer.

I’m thinking it's the big cat.  

Yikes.

Today’s Exploit:

I made a cake yesterday.

It was supposed to be round and have 3 layers.

I couldn’t find the third round pan.

So I borrowed a square one.

Then I didn’t have a timer, and I forgot about it.  

Ack.

So the bottom layer was slightly misshapen from me hacking a square cake into a circle, and slightly dry from the extra 5.2 minutes in the oven.  

But it’s edible.  And it smells like almond.

And it looked kinda pretty.  

"Just like the ocean under the moon." -Smooth

I was kinda impressed with my frosting job.  It ended up really smooth, for using a butter knife.

I WANT!

Today one of the roughnecks made a sno-cone for me.  

It was more syrup than ice.  MAJOR SUGAR RUSH.

Today’s Exploit:

Basil and chives and lemongrass and pansies and carrots.

I want this in my reading corner.  And I want it to be filled with herbs and grass and pretty flowers.  And nasturtiums.  I NEED nasturtiums here.

I will be attempting to make it as soon as I have a window with a space around it.