Vacation {December 19, 2015 - January 3, 2016)

Our vacation was a combination of a staycation, a road trip and a day trip. We did some work on the house including the hallway. After all, a hallway is a room too. That will be a separate blog post.

{Most of the loot from road trip to Granbury, Texas}

On December 23, 2015, we went on a road trip to Granbury, Texas stopping along the way at a few old town squares. We first stopped at Georgetown, Texas. I absolutely loved this square and want to return in April for the Red Poppy Festival. There were several antique stores. And, I was pleasantly surprised to discovered that Thundercloud Subs popped up on the gluten free radar. So, we went there for lunch.

We also stopped by Salado, Texas. I am not going to lie. I was disappointed with the town. There didn't seem to be a legit square! However, we did find two antique stores and a quilt shop.

We took off from there going through some small towns along the way (not stopping). We went through Meridian because they supposedly had a courthouse. Let me tell you, they did have a courthouse; but, the town itself was depressing (dead). Maybe the atmosphere had something to do with my initial impression of the courthouse; but, as much as it is a nice old building, I was not impressed.

We stayed in Granbury, Texas over Christmas and shopped the square. I loved their town square. They had a variety of shops including a quilt store which I will not be returning to due to the fact they snip and tear their fabrics instead of cutting them. I know there is tons of debate (pros and cons) on this method of cutting fabrics. I am not going to argue or debate about it here; but, it always makes me cringe inside. And, I dislike all the little strings it leaves behind not to mention one of my fabrics is now skewed from the force of tearing. I just prefer cutting with scissors or rotary cutter.

Anyway, did you know that Granbury, Texas has a beach? Yes, a beach! I was shocked. I made Dan stop by on the way back to the hotel Christmas Eve. We walked along the shore for a few minutes and it was peaceful. There is just something about being by a body of water that brings peace to my soul. A beach is a plus!

We visited my brother and his family on Christmas day. I had an absolutely wonderful time and was so happy to see the young kids again. My oldest grand-niece (11-years old) gave me a lovely little candle she made herself.

We returned home on December 26, 2015 stopping along the way at a few places. We first stopped in Clifton. Texas. A town square was not present; but, old style town buildings existed along with a couple antique shops. I picked up a cheap bench that I plan to re-purpose for the cats. Once we put it in place, the cats immediately started getting on top of the bench and looking out the window. And no, it's not going to look like this when I'm done.

By the way, I love looking in storefront windows. One of the shops in Clifton. Texas had this humorous Snowman scene. It just made me laugh and I had to snap a picture.

We had lunch in Waco, Texas. While there, I went searching online for antique and quilt shops. I discovered there was a quilt shop called Tomorrow's Quilt nearby and their facebook page indicated they were having an after Christmas sale. So, I told Dan that we are going and I am so glad we did because I ended up purchasing fabrics for 50% off which included clearance fabrics!

And then, we went to McGregor, Texas. There is a store called Cedar Chest Antique Mall. Holy Moly! That place is HUGE!

I ended up grabbing a three legged table for $20 at a booth in "The Market" part of the antique mall. I plan to clean, strengthen and either paint/stain the table. In the meantime, Dan is using it for what I intended which makes me happy.

By the way, I found a mini lane chest that had an image by Patty Butters with a 1996 copyright by Lane. It was Dan who saw the tiny copyright and determined that was legit. I never seen anything like this before and assumed someone ruined the box. You can see a hint of the image on the box between the his and her signs in the top picture.

We arrived home real late but happy. At least, I was happy. Dan was just tired. Ha!

We took a day trip on January 2nd to Lockhart and New Braunfels on January 2nd. Again, the purpose was old town squares and antiquing.

I don't know how I ended up with six mini lane chests from our adventure of the day. But, both Dan and I were shocked! I often would never see one on trips like this one. And, all of them were reasonably priced!

There are subtle differences among them. Some have feet. Some have what I called a slightly raised bottom and others are extremely plain (no feet or ridges on the bottom).

I need to document what I have and share the history I have found on the chests in the near future.

We also purchased the above confusing item for $36. We cannot figure out if it is a nightstand or an end table because it has a weird cutout hole for electronics in the back of the item. but, we plan to replace the backing, sand everything down and paint the item re-purposing it in our house.

And on the last day (January 3) of our vacation which also happened to be Dan's birthday, we went to a RV Supersale Show. It was a fun adventure!

What I've Been Doing Lately IV

It has been awhile since I last did a "What I've Been Doing Lately" post. I have procrastinated long enough and since I am feeling poorly, I thought I write up the latest update.

• Finshed the DIY Foldable Craft Table. I am pleased with the end result in spite of the terrible plans we used. I have already started using it by cutting up a brand new t-shirt to covert into canvas art. I need to do more soon and take pictures of the process.

• My oldest grand niece was in a major accident late in August pursuing a passion of hers. When I first heard the news, I cried and was so scared for her and the family. I cannot imagine what went through the Momma's heart. I cannot imagine what my grand niece went through when the accident occurred. By all reports, she (my grand niece) is recovering nicely even though she is going crazy not being able to be active. Her mother is keeping her distracted by fostering animals. First, it was a baby goat. Currently, it is a sweet dog. I think they are fostering animals until she can go back to actively pursuing her passion which will be for several months. Yes, she wants to return in spite of what occurred. She is one brave girl and honestly, I am thrilled she wants to return. I just don't want any more accidents to happen!


• We took a short vacation (9/17 - 918) to Padre Island. I took a few pictures and I will post them soon if they are good enough to post. We also went to Fredericksburg Trade Days (9/19) and the San Antonio Home and Garden Show (9/20) where I finally got a telescoping flag pole I have been wanting for several years. It was a nice long weekend and I think Dan was glad to return to work to get a vacation from a vacation. Ha!
• I discovered I lost a 30+ year old filling in one of my back molars back in August. I knew I was going to need a crown and went to see a dentist. While at the dentist, it was discovered that my wisdom tooth, over the years, cut into the tooth that lost the filling. As a result, it is impossible to put a crown onto the tooth. Due to the fact that the roots extend into the sinus cavity, I will need to see an oral surgeon to extract the teeth. Speaking of which, this is probably why I kept having recurring pain in my lower sinus cavities. Anyway, I have yet to schedule an appointment. They are not bothering me at the moment; but, I know it will need to be taken care of in the future. I am just scared to death of the process.


• We took a long weekend (9/25 - 9/27) and helped with my folk's estate sale. Two of my brothers and their wives were there. One of them did the vast majority of the work and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. All in all, it was a successful sale (and weekend). The house was officially put on the market this past Tuesday (10/6).


• I am still working on the UFO (Unfinished Object) Cross Stitch project. I am so thrilled that I am on the final leg – the tedious back stitching. I was hoping to be done with it by my birthday – October 13. But, I think it will be finished later than I planned. {You can see the progress via past "What I've been Doing Lately" posts.}

Vacation

This is what I have been doing...

Camping, relaxing and tubing...

I am back and have been back for a little while; but, I am feeling mighty lazy. I do not desire to do much in the way online. So, I am also on a hiatus of a sort from blogging. I am also learning to use new photo editing software; so, that will take time.

Note: The above picture was stolen from my brother on facebook. But, it is me. Thus, I felt I had the right to steal it. Ha! :-)

Galveston Island, Texas

We spent a little time in Galveston on October 30, 2014. We finally just went to Houston to take care of some personal business along with my wanting to go to the Houston International Quilt Festival and visiting Galveston Island. I grew up in the Houston area and Galveston will always be my first love. However, this most likely will be the last time we go to Galveston as Padre Island is closer to where we live.

Anyway, here are a few pictures I took while wandering a bit on the beach. By the way, the first picture is of the Historic Pleasure Pier.

Snapshots of Christmas Break 2012: Part II

On December 28th,

We met up with my youngest niece, and her family (including her Mother) at IKEA. I had fun looking at all the stuff!

We visited for a bit and had a lovely time.

On December 29th,

We met up with my oldest niece and her family. This little girl is happy all the time. She is such a joy to hold and watch.

And, I enjoyed watching this girl play with a little toy she received. She really enjoyed this silly thing.

On December 30th,

We went to the Ft. Worth Stockyards. This is the view from above Love Shack -- a really good foodie place that accepts cash only.

And, Dan surprised me with a little side trip to the...

Fort Worth Water Gardens. One area of this garden, the Active Water Pool, is awesome!

I had injuried my hip; so, I could not risk taking a trip down into the "center". However, I took some pictures of Dan going down.



It is really deep, huge and loud!


We spent some time with my eldest brother and his wife on December 31st. I really love their little piece of property -- it is so much like what I wish for when we get a house of our own.

Life sort of returned to normal when we returned home late New Years Day.

It was a wonderful Christmas break. And, I hope we can do something like this again!

Snapshots of Memories (2010/2011)

We traveled up to the Ft. Worth area and stayed with my sister-in-law over the New Year. I really enjoyed this visit. It was just what I needed. A bit of relaxation and a bit of playing tourist.

Weatherford's Courthouse
This is the coolest little town and it's thriving. This courthouse amazed me because it was like an island unto itself. There is an oval roundabout completely encircling it. I loved the architecture of the building. The square really does not exist as most of the buildings are gone/replaced. But this courthouse is gorgeous in my humble opinion.


Fort Worth Stock Yards
We went to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a day. I had a very good time just browsing the stores, wandering the streets and watching the people.





We had lunch at the Love Shack. When I saw the name while we were looking for a place to have lunch, I immediately started singing "Love Shack, Baby" by B52s. Yeah, that sort of dates me. Let me tell you, the food is delicious and the place is downright quaint. I loved it. We sat at the very top of the place and nearly froze to death when the wind started to pick up.


Cowgirls and Cowboys




The Slowest and Shortest Cattle Drive Ever
The stockyards have a cattle drive twice a day. I thought it was the saddest thing ever to witness. Those longhorns seems soooo bored. The cowboys and one lone cowgirl seemed bored too. Ha! :-)

We took a short trip to Sundance Square to check out the place and see if we'd like to visit again in the future.

Art on Building depicting the Chisholm Trail 1867 - 1875

Another Beautiful Courthouse

Bass Performance Hall

One of the many "art" inside storefronts. This is one of my favorites.
I also went to Grandbury with my sister-in-law to visit a quilt shop. I loved the downtown square. Don't ask me why; but, I do love the old timey squares with stores around a courthouse. I didn't take any pictures as I didn't feel like it.

The quilt shop itself was located right in the heart of the square. It was a small shop; but, loaded with fabrics and the like. We shopped at several antique stores (another favorite hobby of mine) and had lunch at a tea room. I had a very good time.

We also visited my niece and nephew-in-law and her baby and had lunch at Rosa's. I wish we had a Rosa's Cafe here in San Antonio! It is decent food for the right price. And, they have Taco Tuesdays!