Wildflower Walk

This morning I had a mission. Wildflowers are in bloom and I wanted some pictures of the beautiful, blooming Bluebonnets. It was an overcast morning so I wanted to make sure I got to the park before the sun decided to beam through. I don't like to photograph in the full sun because it seems to bleed the color out of my photos.

I took Bo with me so we could kill two birds with one stone...a morning run and a photo session. I usually let Bo run off leash when we are at the park because it's so deserted. That said, I was still a little nervous about being focused on photographing with him roaming free. He's like a kid. I can't take my eye off of him too long or he may spot a wild animal or another dog and take chase.

I finally decided that it would be safest to tie him to the park fencing while I was distracted.

My photos didn't turn out as well as what I wanted them to. Next time I will go by myself with no other agenda so I can take more time out photographing...

Indian Paintbrush also

I love to see the people I love happy and Bo is no exception! The happiest I see him is when he is running free in the park or swimming in the creek....

I caught this crow in the tree fussing at Bo...must have been some babies close by...

This is one of the many entrances to the disc golf course. I generally walk this path when I'm in a woods walking mood. You can't tell it from this pic, but when I came upon it I thought of the entrance into the woods of Hansel and Gretel....

Have I told you how much I love this park that's only mere minutes from my house??? It seems that lately I am growing even more fond of it. It just screams peace and quite, something I seem to crave more and more the older I get.

The LOVE SHACK maybe???

After I wore Bo out I took him to a Bluebonnet patch for his yearly wildflower photo....

Yes, I am beautiful. 

On the way back home, there were some cows at the fence so I stopped and took a few photos. This calf was curious and was the only one not to flee when I stopped......

Interestingly he resembles Bo

I enjoyed my morning!!!

Now Where Was I?

Been extra busy lately. I don't even know where I left off with my last post and I certainly don't have time to go back and research. Hopefully I won't reiterate anything.

I'll just begin with the last week. With Nixxin (our artist) temporarily out I've been having to help Toby out at the shop. I feel more sorry for Toby than I do myself but it's all part of running your own shop. I'm grateful that we are profiting but quite honestly I look forward to reaping the rewards of the profit with a nice getaway. Bluntly, I want a vacation and I'm pretty sure Toby agrees he could use one too.

Skye's birthday is Friday the 28th but with Toby having to be at work all day Friday we opted to celebrate it on Tuesday, his day off.

She requested no fancy celebration and was happy to get a couple of cupcakes from Hey Cupcake. Toby can't help her eat a cake and I DON'T WANT NEED any cake....

I think she was super impressed with her gift, the Ipad Mini. I guarantee not near as impressed as I was. I now have mine all to myself!!....

To disguise her gift and bulk the box up I filled it with balloons filled with cash. Cash is always impressive to teenagers....

We also got her a new bike which we gave to her early also. She spent three days straight riding with her neighborhood friends.

Skye likes to bake so she made these (while I minimally assisted) GF Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. GF baking is still a mystery to me but they turned out pretty good. HINT: They taste much better fresh....

I've spent my spare evening hours working on this Beachcomber afghan. I love the colors and the stitch. It's been my favorite to crochet so far.  If I had known I was going to like it so well I would have made it big enough to fit my bed...or Skye's. She called dibs on it she liked it so well....

I got camera happy the other day and took my phone outside.....

Bo spent his time stalking the gecko's that live underneath my yucca's. I don't know how he hasn't put his eyes out yet...

My favorite girl enjoying the sunshine....

I'm a morning person. My favorite time of day is when I get up before everyone else,  make my cup of coffee, turn on my computer and watch the sun rise over the rooftops and contemplate my day.....

Not As Planned

All last night I dreamed about crocheting. I attribute it to the fact that I REALLY wanted to hang out on my Ipad and search a new crochet project on Pinterest but Skye was consumed with it.

I don't ever have the heart to ask her for it when she's using it. She would give it over willingly without a fuss but I'm self-sacrificing in that sort of way. In my mind the thought is that I'm taking her pleasure away so I can have pleasure. It would just seem rude.

In addition, she has a lot of useful/educational apps and sites that she devours on it. I certainly don't want to take her knowledge away from her.

That's okay, I sort of made up for it today. It didn't really matter anyway, I have so many project ideas running through my head that I'm pretty overwhelmed with making a decision at the moment.

Toby called me from work today and informed me our one and only shop artist is going to be having surgery this week. Over a year ago he was in a motorcycle accident that did some pretty extensive damage to his hip so he will be out for a week or two from hip surgery - which means Toby will have to work his hours while he is out.

We decided that since the shop is closed on Tues. and it is suppose to be beautiful weather tomorrow we would take the day for a fun outdoor activity. Since I'm the activity coordinator, I decided that kayaking Town Bird Lake would be fun for us all....well, most of us anyway.

Even though Town Bird Lake is calm and no motorized boats are allowed in the lake my fear of water has me imagining all sorts of boat capsizing scenarios.

We will see how well it goes tomorrow.

UPDATE: Blogger glitched and I never got around to blogging this post. No, we didn't end up going kayaking. I was really wishy-washy about going when I awoke the next morning because it was really windy. Maneuvering a kayak on a windy lake just seemed a little more effort than I felt like putting out.

It also helped make my decision that Robin had offered to bring over her tiller for us to borrow. I really am looking forward to getting me a garden started this spring. Nothing big or fancy, but functional.

It wasn't a wasted day. Toby and I got ran some errands and picked Skye up a bike for her birthday. We gave it to her early so she could take advantage of this nice weather we've had lately.  She has rode it for three days straight.

Cooking Queen

Yep, that's me. I cook a lot. Sometimes I like to cook a lot of food in advance. I feel like it keeps me one step ahead of the game when it comes to meal prep.

So this morning after I took Bo for a run and got Toby off to work I began my prep. Most of my time is consumed by chopping veggies. I REALLY need a good SHARP knife. Equipment is very important when you spend as much time chopping veggies and fruit as I do.

The first thing I tackled was my Pico De Gallo. Toby and I both love Pico. We use it on most everything. Mexican food is one of the few cuisines that is mostly gluten free so aside from the fact that it's my favorite to prep we eat Mexican food a lot!

I guess you could say Pico is Pico, but this is the recipe I use. It must be pretty good because Charlie ate the whole batch by himself while he was here!

We like spicy so I use a little extra jalapeno. I can remember when I was young my grandparents had a garden. Papaw was always out in the garden tending it. They grew their own jalapenos and would eat them with their meals. Not sliced up and seeded mind you, but taking bites of them along with their food. I remember thinking how horrific that was but now I have an affection for jalapenos myself...maybe not to that extent.

Next, I started on my Fat Flushing Soup. Lord knows me and Toby both need a little fat flushing.  I have to admit I love soups with lots of veggies in them but I don't think Toby is real crazy about them. He never complains, but I know by his lack of enthusiasm when I prepare them their not his favorite...

After I got the soup in the crock pot I started on Toby's lunch, Spicy Bean and Tuna Salad. It looked and smelled so good I had to sneak me a few bites before I packaged it to take to him....

After a couple of hours I was sick of being in the kitchen. I didn't mind the the break to take Toby's lunch to him. I took a quick shower and asked Skye and the dog if they wanted to ride with me to deliver Toby's lunch to him.

On the way home as we turned into our neighborhood there were two guys crossing the street directly in front of us on their horses. I'm assuming that Bo has never seen horses up close because he went BALLISTIC when he saw them. Mental note: Never take Bo around horses for the riders and HIS safety.

It was a busy but productive day.

WALMART

After years of doing my grocery shopping at Walmart I discovered HEB for grocery shopping when I moved to Texas. Discovering HEB made me feel like I had died and gone to grocery store heaven. There was no turning back to Walmart. Unfortunately, I have to drive 12 miles to both the nearest HEB AND Walmart...until recently.

Finally, after 6 long years Walmart was built in our little neck of the woods just a mere 3 miles from my house. I have to admit I was a wee bit ecstatic even if it was Walmart. You can talk all that noise about Walmart's policies and business practices until you are inconveniently located  from an affordable 'loaf of bread and milk'. First hand experience tells me it REALLY SUCKS to get home and discover you have forgotten a pertinent item on your list or you just need a couple of items but you have to drive twelve miles and waste a half tank of gas for basic items.

As much as I hate it, since Walmart arrived I have leaned on them a little more than I logically prefer. That said, I still have almost a full tank of gas 3 days after it was pumped. I'm a city girl. A girl of convenience. I like it that way. I hardly think that part of me will ever change.

So this morning I begged strongly urged Skye to go with me to Walmart. Her birthday is just around the corner and she has requested a bike. I wanted to make sure the bike she had in mind was the same one I had in mind. Don't want to make any mistakes for a 13th! She doesn't know it yet but she is also getting an Ipad Mini. I have spent the last couple of years sharing my Ipad and I WANT IT BACK ALL TO MYSELF!!

Somehow when she goes grocery shopping with me I always end up coming home with more junk food and a bigger purchase receipt than what I typically do. I make a mental note of this at the register.

On another note, coincidental things happen sometimes. Just the other day I was looking for a particular picture I had of me and Skye when she was a baby. Her birthday is coming up and since it's her 13th I'm wanting to make a picture collage. I searched everywhere but I couldn't find the particular picture I was looking for.

Here is the coincidental part; Years ago, I had given my dad a copy of the picture I was looking for. Ironically he sent me the picture via e-mail the other day...the same day I was looking for the pic. No words. No explanation. Just an attachment of the picture.

I think the reason I always loved the picture is because my dad liked it. My dad is one of those people that it's hard to impress so I always figured it must be a pretty impressive pic. Daddy calls this picture 'classically artistic'. I ordinarily wouldn't take much stock in the label but since it comes from my dad I appreciate it....

Me and Skye Year 2001

Skye trying to teach me how to do 'selfies' while we waited in the car for Toby while he was in the bank....

I think I have way more fun than what I deserve...

Finished Up

I have a bad habit of dipping my hands into too many different hobbies. I've always been like that. I bore easily, so I move from one thing to another without truly perfecting an interest.

I'm trying to change that. Since it's crocheting I've been doing the longest I decided that would be the one that I perfected. I love the rhythmic feel of crocheting but I have to admit I have a problem comprehending the instructions to more novice crochet projects. Therefore,  my projects are usually simple in nature....beanies, afghans, pillows, tote bags..that sort of thing. I would never torture myself by tackling a garment project.

While Charlie was visiting I was working on a small baby blanket. Because I was using leftover yarn I couldn't be too choosy about the color combinations. I did the best I could with what I had on hand. My ever so honest brother-in-law let me know that he didn't like the colors. All the Ackerman men are afflicted with blatant honesty. Sometimes I find it useful..other times not so much.

Here is the finished piece....

As I've said before, I spend a lot of time cooking these days. Most the time I don't mind. Cooking is creative and I like creativity but sometimes if I have been busy or we are in a rush to get somewhere it can be a bit stressful.

My solution has been to try and come up with simple GF meals when we are in a pinch or if I just don't feel like putting out a lot of effort for a meal.

This isn't necessarily one of the easiest meals to prepare it's not hard and it's one of our favorites for breakfast. Skye even eats this MEAT POTATO QUICHE without balking. If you want to make it vegetarian you can omit the meat. I also use freshly grated potato and fresh parsley in mine...

These peanut butter cookies are a favorite of Toby's and Skye's. I can only imagine why. They are FULL of sugar. I don't particularly care for them and only make these PAULA DEAN MAGICAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES every so often because of the sugar content. In my defense, I do use the 'healthy' peanut butter....

On a different note we did have a little excitement while Charlie was in town. Skye had been out playing basketball with the neighborhood kids next door when she came running inside telling us there was some weird clouds circling the sun.

Her tone and manner let me know it was something worth getting up and taking a gander at. Toby, Charlie and I all ran out to see what the matter was.

We all watched it for awhile contemplating what it could be that was rotating the sun. We finally grabbed the binoculars to see that it was random numbers, letters and symbols. Because the sun was so bright and it appeared to be forming right around the sun we couldn't see there were planes forming those letters, numbers and symbols. It appeared from the visual senses to be forming from thin air.  I have to admit that for awhile I couldn't come up with a logical explanation...

PI in the Sky!!!

Only in Austin.

The Visitor

It's been over 5 years since we have seen Toby's little - not so little anymore - brother Charlie. Last time we saw him is when he flew to Austin for a short visit when we first moved here.

I consider Charlie to be one of the few close extended family members we have. When Toby and I were first together Toby, Charlie, Lucas and I lived together as a family for awhile. We also spent a lot of time together when we all lived in Mobile. As annoying as I may find him to be at times, he's as much my brother as he is Toby's. That said, I can take him only in small doses because of his lively personality.

He drove from North Alabama where he had over a 12 hour drive. He was understandably pooped by the time he made it to the house.....

By the time he arrived, Toby was still at the shop working. I made us an adult beverage and we caught up on family gossip and reminisced on old memories.

Charlie spent most of his week in Austin searching out job prospects. Like us, he came to the realization that Alabama has nothing big to offer in his line of work. I have my fingers crossed for him.

Toby on the right, me in the middle, Charlie on the right

It was a pleasant visit. I have to admit I miss his presence a bit...just a bit.

Fair February

Most of February was spent dodging cold weather. I regret to say that I have grown to let the weather dominate my agenda.

Now that accessible technology makes it possible for me to accurately predict what the weather will be for the week - or day - ahead of time I find that I have become a prisoner to it.

Not many years ago, before the use of my weather app, I lived a more spontaneous life hoping for the best on an outing.  If it was winter I brought along a coat, spring and fall would warrant layered clothing, summer..well, for me a tank top, flip flops, shorts, and sunglasses did the job.

Heck, I'll be honest, I just find sitting inside my cozy home on a cold day more comforting than romping around in Austin traffic. Although cold, February did have its pluses. Gridlock Tattoo is holding its own and gaining more new customers and recognition as the months pass thanks to my very talented and personable hubby. We also received an unexpected check in the mail with a substantial mortgage decrease. Surprises in the mail are always welcomed with a sense of gratitude.

Other February happenings....

Although we don't officially celebrate Valentine's Day, Skye used it as an excuse to make a chocolate cake..we made it gluten-free so Toby could partake also....

I crocheted this basket with some scrap yarn....

.....and experimented crocheting an "Easter Egg"...

Bo and his odd positions. He never ceases to entertain....

An early morning meander in the park. I'm in love with my solitary walks in the park...

Toby is a master at finding 4 leaf clovers. He got double lucky finding a whole patch of 5 leaf clovers on one of our morning walks......

I can't resist a sunset....

More crochet. I just found out my Houston cousin is "with child" again. I have to admit I cringed a bit and was more glad it was her than me. Despite the fact, I will delight in my role as the avid baby gift giver....

crochet lovey

We had a lot of ice this year. I won't miss it when the winter is over. It practically killed every form of vegetation in my yard...but the weeds, of course.

Oh yeah, I got an inkling to sew on my machine one evening and whipped up this quick and easy plastic bag dispenser from fabric scraps. I mostly use reusable shopping bags but every once in a while I 'forget' them so I can stockpile the plastic ones for garbage can liners.

I'm ready for March which will bring spring and mini vacations.