i've been working on

things for the baby shower this weekend.  I started off searching for sugar free punch recipes, then I went with homemade sugar free lemonade and after Paige tasted it last night, I've decided to stick with the original punch recipe (even though I haven't sampled it) and also bring a jug of unsweetened tea.  Cosme originally thought the lemonade was pretty tart but Paige thought it was really sweet while I thought it was fine... considering it was sugar free lemonade.  I'll sample the new punch before serving it but I won't mix it until the day before.  Let's hope it ends well.  Other than figuring out the perfect sugar free lemonade, I've been spray painting and crafting.  One of the hostess gifts was also delivered.  Five minutes after it arrived, Strat claimed it.

Guess what also came in the mail.  Seriously, guess.

A Montgomery Ward catalog.  Montgomery Ward.

I didn't even know that was still a thing.  The Cowboys crock pot is pretty cool but they also have cordless phones, jam boxes, walkmans, Atari, and other high-tech things, in addition to housewares and stuff.  Who knew?  Not me.

I was at Walmart buying spray paint the other day and I saw this.

I thought it was cute.  I didn't buy it because I welcome the little sheets.  Maybe I should have bought it for Mom.

I tried a new recipe last night, Rustic Chicken with Garlic Gravy.  I didn't get a picture but I found it on Pinterest HERE.  I don't know if Eric and Paige enjoyed it (they came over for dinner) but Cosme and I liked it.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I went by it.  I ended up adding more butter, in addition to cream, to the sauce and I didn't cook the chicken in it but added it towards the end.  Oh, I also added mushrooms to the gravy.  I served it with rice and green beans and will have rice and gravy/sauce for lunch today.  I tried another new recipe last week and Paige came by on her way home from work to take extras home for their dinner.  I didn't get a picture of that one either but it was also chicken thighs and we all liked it.  Eric asked last night why I've been making so much chicken lately.  Easy.  It was on sale for 88 cents a pound.  And actually, I haven't only been making chicken lately, but it just happened to be what we had the two times he ate with us.  There's also the fact that Paige is on a restricted diet right now so when I have something that fits into it, I offer some to them.

I also picked up a few more baby items off the clearance rack.  I'm addicted to deals!  It could be worse.  Oh wait, there's Coke too.  And sweets.  Whatever.  You only live once.

why do I even bother

pulling the nut grass from the flower bed?  I took this picture the day after I pulled it all.

Yeah, I know you have to get it by the root and sometimes I do but there has to be a way to kill this stuff.  I did a little research and one article said when it's in your lawn, you can pour sugar on it.  I was tempted to try it for a minute but that would take a lot of sugar and would I rather have nut grass or ants?

I finally made the banana bread this morning.  I didn't feel like it yesterday but today the bananas would definitely have to end up in the garbage.  Speaking of the bananas, this is what I have them in.

I bought it in San Antonio at the market.  On the walk over from the hotel, I told Cosme he was going to have to hold me back because I knew I'd want so much stuff.  It'll be a while before I go back to a Mexican market, if ever, so the market in San Antonio is the closest I can get.  Speaking from experience, when I do go to a Mexican market, I want EVERYTHING.  I saw that wooden bowl dish and knew I needed it.  I bought other things too, including this baby dress.

Once I got it home and checked it out, I questioned the head hole.  Let's hope it fits.  We used to wear the Mexican dresses all the time in the 80's and I thought they were great.  I knew I had to buy that dress as soon as I saw it... and two shirts for myself.  I also ended up having to buy a bag to carry my stuff in.  I'm not big on shopping but I can seriously get busy in a mercado like that.

Anybody need to go to San Antonio for shirts?  I'll gladly tag along.

have you ever been

outside grilling and the hamburgers smelled SO good and then you thought how awesome it'd be if those cheeseburgers had bacon on top?  I hardly ever make bacon cheeseburgers but this weekend was different.

It was good.

Another thing happened this weekend.  A lost dog found me.  I was sitting in the garage waiting on Eric and Paige to come by and this guy showed up.

He was super friendly and sweet.  I tried to put him in the cat carrier so he wouldn't run off and get into trouble but he wasn't having it.  Also, I was only trying to keep him around to give the neighborhood time to see my post so his owner could claim him.  We waited a while and he followed me everywhere.  He wasn't wearing a collar and he smelled really bad so we wondered if he didn't escape but was dumped instead, but on the other hand, he was plenty big and obviously hadn't missed any meals.  I didn't want to hang around outside anymore so I set him up on the front porch with a towel, milk bone, food, and water.  He had water but that was it.  Something was able to distract him long enough for me to get away and get inside.

He found me and started scratching at the door.  That annoyed me.  It annoyed me more when he started barking, setting off ALL of our animals.  I felt really bad for him but there was nothing more I could do.  I let the neighborhood know (63 people had already seen the message) and I set him up with food and shelter in case he needed it.

Then he left and we never saw him again.  I'm hoping somebody took him in or the actual owners claimed him, you know, as long as it was a happy ending.  I didn't end up with a third dog so I guess that's happy enough.

I have nine bananas that are ready for banana bread and I think the recipe calls for 6.  I might could math it out and try to make muffins with a half batch of batter or I could just put those extra 3 in the garbage.  It depends on how confident I feel with baking time/temp and measurements when the time comes... and if those measurements needing to be divided are basic enough.  I'll see what my calculator has to offer.  More importantly, I'll see what my schedule has to offer.

Now I need to make a grocery list and feed the dogs.

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while we were in

San Antonio, the dogs were at the vet for boarding.  They've never been left anywhere before and I felt bad for Archer because he doesn't like going to the vet for a regular appointment, much less a whole weekend.  Anyway, Friday morning I pulled out the leashes and they were so excited.  I got them hooked up and we went out to the car.  I loaded them up in the back and by the time I got to the driver's seat, they were both piled up in the passenger seat.

Oh, happy Archer... if you only knew where you were headed.

They were tumbling over each other and it was a bit crazy.  Then we pulled up at the vet and it was a lot crazy.  I've compared our situation to a circus act and people in the waiting area found it amusing.  They definitely got a few laughs, especially when Archer was trying to creep towards the door and somehow ended up standing there with Maggie's midsection stuck on top of him with her hind legs in the air and two front paws planted on the floor.  It took a vet tech to help me get them untangled.

The show ended and I made it out the door.  They were good and even got a bath while there.

I picked them up Monday and neither one paid much attention to me at first.

Maggie took the usual spot in the front seat.

Archer was done with it all.  He found a safe spot in the very back of the car, hidden under the trunk cover.

They were happy to get home and happier to roll around in the grass to get the freshness of the bath off.  I do love the smell of dog shampoo so I let them hang out with me in the kitchen for a while.

I'm ready for another long weekend, if not to be a tourist and see a new place, then at least to have that clean dog smell again (from somebody else's doing).

i started a post for yesterday but

I got sidetracked with everything else on my to-do list.

We made it to San Antonio and back and now the vacation I wanted/needed is over and I need another one to catch up on rest.  One of the awesome things about the hotel we stayed in was that it was downtown and walking distance from several things I wanted to see/do.  This is probably why I'm so tired now.  We walked a lot.

But first, the room:

Our room at The St. Anthony was at the dead end of the hall.  You can't tell from this picture but the chandeliers were really pretty.

I liked that the room had a foyer.  I accidentally deleted the picture but this is another looking into the foyer from the bedroom.  The door was to the right.

The minibar in the foyer.  Slide those little booze bottles back and there were soft drinks.  Those would be the only two Cokes I would see until Sunday.

Stir sticks because why not...

I really liked the bench in the foyer.

Looking into the bedroom from the foyer.

The bathroom.

THE SOAP.  I LOVE THIS SOAP.  I used bar soap AND shower gel just because it smelled that good.  It's citrusy with maybe a drop of vanilla and it just smells clean.  While it does smell like a woman would have no problem using it, it smells masculine too.  I decided I wanted to buy some so I googled it.  I found the brand's website but not this scent.  They have other scents but I decided I won't be buying any.  Why buy a bottle of hand soap for $65 when I can get Soft Soap for less than $2?  I did stick the hand lotion in my bag before we left though.  Oh, I also went to the bathroom before we left and all the soap was gone.  I asked Cosme about it and he had put the rest in his bag.

They say the hotel is haunted and I believe it.  We had a few odd things happen, mainly with the lights.  I already posted most of it on fb.

The weekend started with dinner.  Remember that non-haunted hotel I wanted to stay in originally, Hotel Havana?  They have a Cuban restaurant, Ocho, and I knew I wanted to eat there.  We had mojitos and appetizers of artichoke dip and empañadas.  Having two appetizers, we decided we'd share the 12 oz ribeye instead of getting one each.  It was good.  We shared flan for dessert with a cup of "Cuban" coffee.  The bartender googled it and said it was espresso poured over a sugar cube.  That might not be how I had it in Miami but it was still good.

We walked back to the hotel and hung out at the pool before going back to the room to rest up for the next item up on Friday's to-do list.  We started our walk over to the Alamo around 9:30 because I wanted to get a picture of it at night.  I got a few and I hope they turned out but I don't know because
I still haven't taken the card out of my camera.  Actually, those are the only pictures I got with my camera.  On our walk over, San Antonio seemed like a familiar place.  Once we got closer to the Alamo, I realized that SA reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans.  It was just the vibe it gave off, I guess.  I got my picture and we headed back to the hotel.

The next morning I woke up pretty early and just laid there and chilled on my iPad but decided to wake Cosme up when the bathroom light came on.  We got ready and went for breakfast at The Original Blanco Cafe. Or is it just the original Blanco Cafe?  Whatever.

I had migas.  They were fine but I like Cosme's better.  They did have homemade corn tortillas and that is something I don't get regularly ever.

I was wearing my "Tacos y Texas" t-shirt.  I felt like their sign was trying to one up me.

We walked back to the hotel to wait for the market to open and then started that walk around 10:00.

We stopped at the San Fernando Cathedral.  I took a picture but my phone didn't save it.  (That's a problem I have with that phone.)  I did get these two pictures that I thought was really cool.

We finished our walk over to the market and I bought stuff.  We were going to grab a bite to eat there but it was a long wait.   We headed back to the hotel after shopping and walking to cool off and rest for a minute.  My toes and legs were hurting and Cosme was just sleepy.  We were trying to think of somewhere to have a late lunch/early dinner.  That was hard.  We didn't want to wait until 5:00 and we didn't want to eat at a chain that we could have in Houston.  We decided to walk a couple of blocks over to the Riverwalk and find something.

We found a restaurant that was packed.  We thought the food must be good.  Wrong.  The sangria was good.  I originally wanted a Bulleit and Coke but I enjoyed the sangria while a case of Pepsi glared at me.

The jalapeño corn dip would have been good if it had less jalapeño so I could actually taste something else.  The beef fajitas were not what we're used to so I'm glad we only shared a plate for one.  We're picky when it comes to fajitas, very picky.  These did not meet our standards.  I always heard San Antonio was supposed to have awesome food but in our whole weekend, Ocho was my favorite.  I will point out two things though: 1. We were downtown near the Riverwalk and that whole area is a tourist section.  So I guess if someone is there from some other state who might not be familiar with TexMex, that food might be okay.  2. Like Lauren pointed out, why would I think the food in San Antonio would be any better than other Texas towns...

We figured San Antonio is a Pepsi town.  Even our hotel had Pepsi on the menu so I can't understand why they had two cans of Coke in the minibar.  I don't understand it but totally appreciated it.

So we had our food and drinks and I could have passed out right there.  I guess walking all day in the heat and then topping it all off with cold sangria will do that.  We went back to the hotel to cool off and rest again and shower.  We didn't make it out again after that and ended up ordering burgers from room service.  Our bathroom ghost must have known we were exhausted and not in the mood for shenanigans because after being on all day, we turned the bathroom light off and it didn't come back on.

We checked out the next morning and stopped at Lulu's Bakery for breakfast and a 3 pound cinnamon roll to-go.  (We heard about in on Man vs Food years ago.)  We have a whole 12 oz cup full of icing that we distribute as needed.

It's good.  We really didn't see much difference between it and Mrs. Baird's.  They should really add more cinnamon filling with all that bread though.

So we made it back home and here I am.  I actually woke up this morning not feeling exhausted.  If I don't go let the dogs out though, my to-do list will grow with a mess to clean up.

let's rewind to when I ordered

the new rug.  A few days later, I went to Walmart to buy a little fluffy rug for the cats.  We decided to get that to maybe keep them off of the new rug so much and let them still enjoy the fluffiness.

It started raining the other day and Strat took to the rug.

Sometimes they both get on but usually, it's only one.  The rug reminds me of the piece of boat scrap from the end of Titanic. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio both could have fit but sticking with the plot, he had to die.  Oh yeah, spoiler.  It really seems like the prop crew would have made a smaller piece of scrap.  Anyway, the rug is our Titanic scrap.

Yes, he knows you're there, Lucille. He just doesn't care.

I heard a joke the other day.  What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?  Halfway.

Okay.  On a similar but more serious note, ever since before the wedding I've been making comments about needing to take a vacation.  I don't need anything major.  I don't need a week in Scotland or anything, just a little road trip.  One place I've always wanted to go is San Antonio.  I've driven through and made a few stops but never spent the weekend.  Cosme and Eric always do their convention every year but because of the animals, I never go.  We finally looked over the calendar at the upcoming months and picked the best weekend.  I knew of a hotel I wanted to stay in that I read about a few years ago.  After doing my trip research, I decided I might not want to stay there.  We decided to leave it up to Priceline.  (We all know I love to name my price and gamble a little.)  We did it.  We booked a 5-star hotel.  How can you go wrong with a 5-star hotel?  Let me tell you.  You start reading reviews and find FREAKING GHOST STORIES.  I asked Cosme if I dare search The St. Anthony being haunted.  I knew I shouldn't but he said to go for it.  I enter "haunted st anth" and the first option I'm given is "haunted st anthony hotel san antonio".  Awesome.  I click on that option and there it is, listed in the top five most haunted places in San Antonio.  Actually, those weren't the exact words but the exact words included the word "evil" and I'm trying to stay positive here.  I'd normally feel really awesome about a 5-star hotel for less than $200 a night but right now I'm feeling like Priceline screwed me over.  Yes, I went on to read the ghost stories.  I also went on to search videos.  I also searched how to keep ghosts away from you.  I'm trying to look on the bright side and came up with a few things:

 ONE.  Cosme said ghosts and things never come around him.  (Whatever, we've both seen an orb float through our room and although asleep, he was still there the night I woke up to our bedroom door opening and then closing.)

TWO.  I've researched and know where the most activity is so maybe we can request to not be put near the fifth or tenth floors... and especially not room 536.

THREE.  I've done more research and already have two bottles of holy water on hand.  I also know where I can get more.  I will be prepared.

Those are the only definite points I have right now but I'm still working on it.  I'll be prepared and if it gets to be too much, we'll come home.  So while I'm preparing myself to ward off spirits, I'm also reminding myself of the people who leave with no ghost stories.  I'm hoping to be added to that list.

you know those days

where you're not sleepy but just tired?  It's like your body needs a rest but you don't need a nap?  It's the other way around for me today.  I'm not tired but I'm so sleepy.  I feel like doing stuff but my eyes just feel so heavy.  They're trying to tell me they want a nap.  The weather is causing the power to flash off and on but I've already decided if it stays off, I'll shut my eyes.

Earlier today, when I wasn't sleepy, I went over to the park for a walk.  It was a little cooler this morning, only 88 degrees and I decided to take advantage of it.  While I was out there, I remembered Jeannine was recently moved to the nursing home I walk next to.  I called Cindy to see if she thought it would be okay to stop by and visit and maybe take her for a spin around the walking trail.  (It's connected to the nursing home parking lot and people do that quite a bit.)  She said sure so I went over there to visit, still in walking clothes and all (but not wearing my usual "kill a commie for mommy" shirt).  Having never been, I stopped at the desk and gave them Jeannine's name so they could point me in the right direction.  "There's no one here by that name."  I repeated her name and asked if she's sure because I know my aunt said she was there.  She repeated herself.  I thanked her and walked out.  On my way to the car I called Cindy to make sure I was at the right place.  Cindy said she's not at the front part but in another section.  She called to make sure for me.  A few minutes later Cindy called and said she was moved back to Lake Jackson.  I didn't visit Jeannine this morning or take her for a spin around the walking trail but I did see something cute.  Someone drops little piles of corn along the trail for the squirrels.  They're always crouched over eating and when you get too close, they hurry off to a tree.  I walked around the curve and saw this guy.

Do you see him running along the side of the trail?

I was too slow with the camera and only caught him running away but right before this, he was sprawled out there in the middle of the trail ON HIS STOMACH eating corn.  It was so funny.  I've never seen a squirrel so chill and lying there eating his corn like somebody wasn't about to walk up on him.  I just googled it to see if it has been caught on camera and it has.  Oh well, at least somebody was quick about it.

I'm going to get some stuff done while I can.  The weather's getting a little worse and I'm thinking I should go charge my stuff in case the power goes out again.

i was so ready for

yesterday.  All week I'd been thinking about quiche and a big Sunday breakfast or brunch.  I found a quiche recipe HERE through Pinterest.  I was trying to follow it but I kind of went off on my own.  The recipe called for onion powder but I just went ahead and chopped up some onion and cooked it.  I also added chopped mushroom to the skillet, even though the recipe didn't call for any.  I don't know how much spinach I used but it was about three handfuls of fresh spinach.  I don't know how much bacon I used but it was more than six strips.  Now that I think about it, I probably used a whole package minus five strips.  I bought two regular pie crusts and should have bought deep dish.  I transferred one of the regular pie crusts to my pie plate and then tore the other one to pieces so the sides would extend up.  Once I had all the vegetables cooked, I realized it might would have worked in the regular pie crust.  I went ahead and layered the veggie mix, bacon and then cheese just like the recipe instructed.  Oh, I also added a little parmesan and have no idea how much cheddar I ended up putting in.  I was afraid that five eggs would be too much but ended up using six.  I doubted how it would taste after all my changes but when the timer went off and the quiche was served, we were happy.

I'll definitely follow that recipe again.  I ended up slicing the rest into servings so that I can see how well the leftovers freeze and taste reheated.  That's the bad thing about having a quiche.  The two of us can't eat a whole one so some always ends up in the garbage.  Oh well.  In addition to the quiche, I made blueberry muffins, potatoes o'brien, sausage, and we can't forget the drinks.  Instead of using orange juice with the champagne, I bought raspberry lemonade like I'd had at Paige's bridal shower.  Cosme didn't want any... until he tried mine.  After breakfast, it was a nice day of lounging and tv.  I love days like that.

Today is back to the usual routine.  I have errands to run in Lake Jackson and Archer is trying to tell me he's ready for breakfast, the bathroom, or both.

every so often I do

little technology-related things and have to pat myself on the back.  I am no computer whiz and never have been, ever since day one of Computer Science in junior high.  I hated that class, along with the inner workings of computers. :A/, :C/, RAM, ROM, or something and all the lines of symbols and letters to issue a command... yuck.  My style falls in line more with the ease of pointing and clicking on the internet.  Anyway, my computer illiteracy aside, I've been having an issue setting up the wireless printer with the iMac.  I was about to give up on it all and this morning I sat down, deleted everything I'd already installed and tried, and tried it all over again.  It worked.  That's setting the tone for the rest of the morning.  I'm ready to conquer now, right after I print out a few more things.

Anybody else need some labels?                                                                

i've been meaning to pick up

a cover thing for my windshield.  I finally did it the other day.

I thought the "fits most cars" would be too small so I got the one for trucks and SUVs.  It's a little too big, assuming I'm doing it right.  I was a little amused with the directions on how to fold it.

I never really fold tacos.  I tend to roll mine.  My crispy tacos are always folded but they come folded.  I don't actually do it myself.

And here are the directions in Spanish.

I don't think I've ever seen directions make reference to tacos.

I don't think I've ever seen bright, pink, shiny worms before either.

I was sitting out with the dogs and looked over at Maggie.

Wait...

Eww.  Yuck.

Bright, pink, and shiny, it really was an unusual color but ewww.  I hate worms.  I had to get a picture because I've never seen one like that.  Maybe I'll get lucky and never see another one.

Okay.  I've got to TCB now.  I went to Houston yesterday when Paige had her 4D ultrasound done and I am kind of behind on things.  I'm expecting prints in the mail today that need to be looked over and mailed out.  I also need to find a dessert to make.  I found a recipe for this thing that's a cross between a brownie and cookie but when I saw the recipe called for cheddar cheese, I wanted to vomit and erase that image from my head.  There are a couple of other possibilities but I need to check to see how much buttermilk I have.  Wow.  The cheddar cheese thing might have messed me up a little.  I'm trying to think of other things and I can't seem to get past it.  The big image of that worm isn't helping anything.

we said goodbye to

the best rug ever.

It wasn't a special rug, I'm sure any other Costco had something similar, but it was a good rug.  For being so light in color, it seemed to have stayed pretty close to its original color.  For all the shag, it seemed to have stayed pretty fluffy.  It was a good quality, heavy duty rug.  As for the upkeep, if the situation was too bad to come clean, I'd pull the scissors out and the rug just got a little trim.  Well, those days are gone.  Say hello to the new rug.

There's no fluff and it's printed, the total opposite of the last one.  I sure hope it works out well.  We like it so far.

I made ice cream for the first time yesterday and I think my second serving might have been too much.  There were some belly pains.  Mom told me which recipe to use and a few changes to make and that's what I was going to do until I realized that I had invited Eric and Paige over and I had read something somewhere about pregnant people and eggs cooked certain ways.  I decided to find another recipe without eggs.  I found one.  I was good to go.  I talked to Paige and she said they wouldn't be able to come.  No problem, I'd just make the ice cream with eggs now.  Wrong.  I didn't have all the ingredients for that.  I had one can of sweetened condensed milk and no evaporated milk.  I went ahead and stuck with the no egg version I found HERE.  I did make a couple of changes though.  I took Mom's advice on the other recipe and used half-and-half instead of milk.  Since all the other recipes had sweetened condensed milk and I did have that on hand, I added three tablespoons.  What could it hurt?  Well, I found out it didn't hurt anything and I probably could have added more.  That stuff was pretty good.  We had some as soon as it was done and then a little more later on.  I wasn't worried about the recipe flopping because this only made a small batch, just enough for a few people.  I think I'll try it again another weekend.  It goes really well with these 100 degree temps.

I need to put my sheets in the dryer now... and maybe sample the ice cream to see if it's as good the next day.

they came to do our

flower beds and tree trimming yesterday.  I asked them to mow while they were here.  

That oak tree on the left was way out of hand.  It was to the point where I had to duck to walk under it.  It was seriously out of control.  I'm so excited now.  Yes, it's nice to have the trees and yard cleaned up but when I saw how much better the trees look, all I could think of was how nice it'll be with Christmas lights wrapped around them.  I think I might've even thought out loud with Antonio standing right there.  I'm also happy about not worrying whether or not the HOA is going to call us out.  Next up, I just need to get some mulch to put down.  That won't get done today because my back's a little stiff.  I ordered a new rug for the living room last week and I wanted us to get the old one out last night for big trash pick up today.  We forgot.  I remembered this morning after Cosme left.  I rolled it, taped it, and dragged it out the front door.  The new one should be here on Friday and I'm hoping it looks okay.  It might be a little bit smaller and it's also got a print and isn't shaggy.  I was about to order a crazy colored one but then I walked through the living room and remembered that printed chair we have.  It wouldn't have matched at all.  I ordered a neutral one.  Oh well, moving on to new things.  I really liked that old rug and it was a good quality but it had seen better days.  The new one didn't cost as much as the old one because I didn't want to feel bad about when I eventually have to throw it out too.

Okay, time to get busy.  I've got to go to the church today and I have things I want to get done before I leave... like staring out the window at the pretty trees.

today got off to a

rough start.  I had another headache and even though I was sure it was sinus related, I also needed more sleep.  After I put a pork roast in the crock pot, I took a Benadryl and tried to go back to sleep.  I turned on the tv and stopped at the first black and white movie I found.  That worked.  It was The Mudlark.  When I woke up for the second time, Jane Eyre was starting.  I was tempted to go back to sleep but I knew the dogs were hungry and I was too.  I put a little peppermint oil on and had my breakfast (pb&j with Cheetos) and feel like I have enough pep to go get a large Coke.  I'm not going anywhere but seriously, that's all I need.

Now that I'm feeling better and carnitas are cooking, all I need to do next is think of a dessert to make.  I was going to make a cheesecake but I should probably pull the cream cheese out this evening to soften.  Those things take all day to chill and set in the refrigerator so if I wait for cream cheese to get soft and then have to wait for the cake to chill, yeah, I'll just pull the cheese out tonight.  I have a little bit of chocolate frosting leftover from some cupcakes I made the other day.  I think I'll make a batch of brownies and frost them.  The frosting really needs to get used.  Every time I open the refrigerator I see it and think it's refried beans.  Yum.

Dodo's azalea is blooming again.  I can't believe it.  I haven't been paying any attention to the potted plants so I guess it really doesn't have anything to do with me.  I think I'll water them today.

The blooms have inspired me to take better care... until something comes along to distract me.

Speaking of being distracted, all I can think about now is Coke.  I need one.  I think I'll go pop one open and enjoy the fact that my head isn't throbbing.

i was outside for a few hours

on Saturday evening doing pictures.  I woke up yesterday morning with the WORST headache EVER.  Actually, I woke up with a bad headache and it turned into the WORST headache EVER.  At first it didn't feel like a sinus headache but I figured taking Zyrtec D wouldn't hurt.  We got a donut from Shipley and were sitting on the couch watching tennis.  The cheering on tv got to be too much.  It was only around 8:30 so I figured crawling back in bed was an option.  I put peppermint oil on and took a couple of Advil.  I got into bed, pulled the covers up, put headphones on with chill/headache-curing noise videos on YouTube, and covered my eyes.  That worked.

I dozed off a couple of times and about an hour or so later, I was MUCH better.  I'm sure it was sinus issues.  I wondered later if it was from being outside the night before with all the African dust that's blown in.  It might not help my head any but the sun looked pretty cool yesterday.

I also thought yesterday was a good day to let Maggie investigate in the garage.  I left Archer inside with Cosme and let Maggie sniff around.  She stopped a few times with her ears perking up like she found something but no luck.  Is it really no luck though?  Maybe it means there isn't a critter.  I didn't have a crime scene to deal with so I guess that could really be good luck.  I don't know.  There has to be a critter though because of the droppings.  I haven't heard it since Maggie was out there yesterday so maybe it got scared and left.

Today I'm making up for everything I didn't get done yesterday.  I have a list of things and I've already started on it.  I'm also hoping Antonio can make it over to do the flower beds.  He was supposed to have come last week and if they aren't cleaned out soon, we'll probably be getting a letter from the HOA.  It's bad.  Really bad.  He's also going to trim some trees for me.  He's not cleaning behind the fence yet.  We need to arrange that so Cosme can be home and ready to hang pickets.  Oh well, for now we just need the flowerbeds done.

I went out to feed the dogs this morning and saw a huge spider.

I wondered why it looked so big and puffy.  I zoomed in and saw that it was one of those that when you step on it, the babies go everywhere.

I don't want to say I sprayed it to kill it.  But I did.  Yuck.  The spider wasn't so bad, it was all of the babies it was piggy backing.

Enough of that.

I'm going to work on my to-do list now.  The dryer has finished and I'm pretty sure the chicken I'm boiling for chicken salad is ready.  TCB.

i don't want anyone smoking in

the house but I'll buy a candle that smells like a cigar bar.

I found this at Madeline's and had to get it.  I only lit it once.  When burning, I start to smell a spice.  Maybe it's something like nutmeg or clove or both (which can be a little much for me).  I leave it on the counter in front of the sink with the lid off.  Maybe I'll light it today.

There's something in our garage.  I hear noises out there off and on.  I just heard one again.  It all started after I found droppings in there.  That makes it sound like a roach or rat.  This is a turd.  I found a turd in our garage.  I think it might be from a possum or raccoon.  Since I've never seen any raccoons around here and possums are everywhere, I'm leaning towards a possum.  Or maybe I never see raccoons because they're all hiding in the garage...  About a week after I found the turd in the garage, I found a similar one in the driveway near the garage door.  I've gone out to the garage after I heard some of these noises and I haven't found anything yet.  I actually hope I don't.  I don't need to come face to face with a critter.  I especially don't need for it to scar (yes, scar but I guess scare would be appropriate too) me to the point of not wanting to go out into the garage by myself.  That can't happen so I guess I'll just quit looking for the noise.  Oh my gosh.  There's the noise again.  I think I need to leave the room before curiosity gets the best of me.  It'll be like the time I went to Brazoria by myself and heard claws trying to get traction on the floor.  I screamed and I'm sure the cat would have too.  We were equally scared but he had the sense to run off.

Oh well, I'm going to go use the massaging back cushion and try not to doze off.  I'll be in another room and as a bonus, the noise will drown out our houseguest garage guest.

Update:  I heard another noise and couldn't take it.  I looked out in the garage and only found a new turd.  I cracked the garage door a little.  Maybe he'll run away and not consider that an invitation for the rest of his friends.  The next step?  I'll release the hounds.  More specifically, Maggie.

I had to go out and take a look at

a park in WC the other day.  I was sending pictures to someone so they could get an idea of the location for portraits.  While there, I was being haunted by something from my childhood.

Banana Spiders.

The pictures aren't the clearest because I had my phone and it's a little hard to focus in on something so small while standing way back.

As a kid spending time in Brazoria, and needing to get to a friend's house, the fastest route from the house at the dead end of one street to the house at the dead end of the next street over was cutting through the yard that separated them.  That's what we did and it seemed like banana spiders were everywhere.  We always paid attention to where we were walking even though they were hard to miss.  Banana spiders are huge and so are their webs.  I'm mean sure, there are bigger spiders but compared to what I see in the house, they're huge.  They always kept us on guard.  I don't think I ever walked into one as a kid and I'm hoping that when I go back out to the park for pictures, that won't change.  I would hate to freak out right there in front of people.

Okay, time to think about other things...  I don't know what, but just other things.

Laundry.  That's a good start.  I'm going to do laundry and get these spiders out of my head.