Heather’s Handsome Hideaway
April 24th, 2012 § 2 Comments
This weekend I finally FINALLY got to set eyes upon my friend Heather’s gorgeous grownup apartment in Dallas. She’s been telling me tales of her fabulous abode for a year or so now and (because I’m the worst friend ever) I finally got around to seeing it. She wasn’t kidding. It was pretty spectacular. Decor was thought out and premeditated…not purchased on a whimsy like some folk do (moi). Way to go Heather, on being a real deal grownup and having a covetous apartment that I want to tell the world wide web all about.
Good Eats
April 20th, 2012 § 8 Comments
Usually it’s fall that has the reputation for being harvest time, but we’ve been chomping down on home grown goodies for a few weeks now. Here are updates on what’s happening in the back yard:
- Lettuce season is pretty much over.There are a few stragglers, but for the most part we’ve accepted its demise. It’s partly due to heat and partly due to some free-range chickens who developed a taste for romaine. I’m sad to see the fresh lettuce go, but I’m thrilled to have had as much quality time with it as I did. RIP lettuce season. Your memory will live on forever.
- The squash plant has started blooming. T-minus 3 weeks (?) until flower turns fruit.
- Sugar snap peas are ripe for the picking! Not only ripe but the most delicious little green thing ever to be eaten in the history of ever.
- Peppers are fruiting. They are growing slow but hopefully in two weeks we will be able to spice up a dinner or two.
- Tomatoes. Also happening.
- Onions & carrots: not close to bloomsville, but on track for harvesting by early June.
We’re pretty jazzed.
Whip In…an Austin icon in the making.
April 19th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Whip In…an Austin icon in the making.
Ever since Mark and Ranjana took me to Whip In ages ago, I knew the restaurant/convenience store/music venue was one for the books. After my first bite of South Asian Frito Pie, I thought it was one for the books…effortlessly blending Indian cuisine with TexMex culture. I even took my parents there on one of their recent visits to A-town. Curse me for not blogging about it sooner. Fortunately other wiser sources understood the uniqueness that is the Whip-In. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
Was blind, but now I see: A five-minute kitchen fix
April 19th, 2012 § 6 Comments
Mini blinds in the kitchen are just plain stupid. They collect dust and oil and keep out the natural light and are just about the most hideous things ever. So last week I decided to scrap the blinds on the kitchen door for a scarf I purchased for 25 cents at Goodwill. I definitely got my money’s worth out of that one.
Hooray for thrifty finds AND trashing blinds.
And so It begins
April 18th, 2012 § 4 Comments
“It” being the grand plan for the backyard. My genius landscaping mother (who I blogged about here) created quite the master plan for our backyard, and we have just now implemented step one…
This funky little space, before we moved in, housed a shed built by the previous owners, but it was demolished before we came into the picture, and we were left with rocky soil and lots o’ shade. We gave an herb garden a shot in the old space, but it didn’t quite work out. There was just too much shade from both the back patio and heath’s horizontal fence.
So we created what we are calling the zen garden…
Yes, nothing says “zen” quite like empty wine bottles and a whiskey barrel. Perhaps “The Alcoholic’s Garden” would have been more appropriate. (To be fair, we had help collecting the wine bottles for the border and the whiskey barrel planter was purchased elsewhere, though it still smelled of whiskey once we got our hands on it.) The new set up is perfect for the space. The rockiest parts were transformed into a mulch-covered path, and once the bay tree gets a little larger, we will have a spectacular shade tree paradise.
Fun fact: The bay tree has origins in Greek mythology. Legend has it, the roof of the temple of Apollo was covered entirely with bay leaves to protect the Gods from disease, witchcraft and lightening. The leaves of a bay tree are also the predominate leaf used in the laurels of olympians and poets. So…we’re in good shape when it comes to poetry and witchcraft and being Gods.
Things is starting to look real fine.
Acting Irresponsibly
April 17th, 2012 § 6 Comments
Mom to me: So in between all of this traveling back and forth to Denton for wedding responsibilities and working on house projects, when are you finding time to have fun and do your own thing?
Good point, Mom. It is high time I started being way more selfish and irresponsible.(What? That’s not what you meant? Well, that’s how I’m taking it.) I mean, when your own mother points out the fact that you are kind of being a lame 20-something-year-old, you really owe it to yourself to pick up the partying pace. Don’t mind if I do take a weekend off from painting and pruning to indulge in some merriment.
The first non-home-improvement related activity of the weekend: backyard party and musical extravaganza.
Our friends Tristan (musician) and Monte (intellectual) hosted a backyard shindig to celebrate the former’s birthday. Among other things, their late-night get-together featured a keg-loving kitty and live performances by Your Friendly Ghost. We’ve experienced a healthy variety of interesting party panoramas (including a cheap beer taste test and drinking among living manikins at The Gap to name only two), and this one lacked the grandeur of some of our other weekend romps in terms of food or fanfare, but was nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable evening (completely free of drying Spackle or matching paint colors). After all, it’s not every day you’re granted front-row seats to an exclusive musical performance from one of Austin’s most talented up-and-coming bands. Point, Robinsons.
For day 2 of our vacation from renovation we went to the Live Oak Brewing Company on the East side for the local microbrewery’s 15th anniversary celebration. I attended an eerily similar event last year which I blogged about here. The biggest difference between that event and this one is mostly (and by mostly, I mean totally) in the numbers (14 years vs.15 years). The party was pretty much identical to the previous celebration…from the music talent, to the weird school bus themed bounce house, to the tortilla wrapped bratwurst. But it was free beer (the best in Austin), free food and perfect weather…so not at all something at which to turn up your nose.
From there we wandered to campus to hear Minus the Bear play at 40 Acres Fest. The annual concert is free for all, and in the past has hosted much bigger players like Little Richard and The Roots. This year’s show was much more scaled down than others I had experienced, and probably drew about 1/4 of the crowd, though even then, I’d venture to guess there were 400 or so MTB fans in attendance… mostly (as to be expected) students. Heath and I felt like old codgers in our folding lawn chairs off to the side of most of the concert action, but still had to hand it to ourselves for making it out after several hours of day drinking.
Lucky for us, sound was still pitch perfect from our side seating…AND we got to see the most ridiculously huge Texas flag hanging from the main building and acting as a backdrop to the emo/rock music. So, no curtain hanging this weekend, but definite flag hanging for sure…in fact, I’m fairly certain I’ve met my Texas flag quota for the year.
On Sunday we finally broke. We had to stop at Home Depot to get a few knick knacks for some side projects we have planned for later in the week. After all, we’re only human and can’t be expected to stay away from our calling for long. So I guess the weekend wasn’t COMPLETELY without thought of home improvement projects.
To make amends for our infidelity, we opted to spend the later morning/early afternoon taking in Sunday brunch and cocktails at Nomad. The neighborhood bar has time and time again won awards from The Austin Chronicle for having the best bar staff and being one of the best neighborhood bars, and it’s my prediction it won’t be too long before it gets a nod for its brunch. The brunch, by Mark Rivas Catering, is $13 for all you can eat brunchy goodness that includes a waffle bar, omelet bar, fruit bar and 23480234234 other options that get me in a tizzy. Admittedly, I probably love it so much because it’s walking distance from the house and has an option for bottomless mimosas, but since moving to the new casa, it’s been tough to abstain from brunch binges at Nomad.
And just like that, our weekend was done. We tended to the chickens and watched the latest episode of Mad Men, but other than that the house was unchanged. On Monday morning, the old house looked just as she did on Friday afternoon.
I know when my mother said we should take time for ourselves, she didn’t so much mean “take time to party, and sleep in, and be lazy.” She meant take time to travel and explore and experience new things, which is still on the docket for a weekend in the very near future; but heavens, I did enjoy my weekend of reckless disregard for my status as “homeowner” and drinking adult beverages with child carelessness. Still, I might be a little excited about returning to my rightful role of diligent caretaker to the doodle manor in the coming days.
What do you mean “dog” bed?
April 12th, 2012 § 5 Comments
Every once in a while, as I’m perusing the interwebs for pictures of cute things, I inevitably come across some form of this same image…
A brilliantly eclectic living room accented with a cute beanbag-looking thing covered in some vibrant retro pattern and topped with an irresistibly cute puppy.
“Oh man,” I think. “That is just too adorable! Would you look at how that dog bed matches the room AND creates a perfect perch for that pooch! I MUST HAVE ONE!”
Next thing you know, I’m signed on to Etsy and coming dangerously close to spending too much money on an oversized pillow covered in funky fabric.
From Etsy Artist, Puppy Pillows Plus
From bradybunchremodel.com
From Sew Darn Cute
From Lilly and Abbie Dog Beds
From Apartment Therapy
Wait. Wait. Tap the Breaks. Kelsey, what are you doing? The dogs already have a bed. It’s called Every Piece of Furniture In The House.
Oh yeah. That’s right. I’m a terrible (or awesome?) dog owner and let the dogs lie wherever the heck they want….which is usually on the exact part of the couch, chair, or bed that I was hoping to chillax on. So what am I about to shell out $50 bucks for? Much as I might like to think it true, I’m not so sure the doggies would prefer a posh pillow over their existing spot—the couch.
Yeah, for some reason, I think I might wind up spending more time on the dog pillow than they would.
One day, I’ll demonstrate the will of a warrior. When they look at me with those puppy eyes and tilt their head in a way that reads, “Come on, there is room up there on the bed for us, too,” I will put my fist down and say, “NOT TODAY YOU MUTTS!” But until then, I will just scoot over and make room for my little beasts… because sometimes you’ve just got to give in to the cuddling.
Ain’t nobody here but us chickens (and a creeper with a camera)
April 11th, 2012 § 6 Comments
The chippies aren’t really chippies anymore. They are more like chicken teens….chikeens, if you will. No eggs or anything yet, but they are getting pretty close to rivaling Frannie Sue in size. They’re big enough now that we’ve taken out the barrier that separated the chippies’ side of the coop from Frannie Sue’s side, so now they can all live in chicken harmony. They also get to roam the yard for bugs and steal lettuce from the garden every afternoon. Yep, it’s a pretty good life for the chickens these days.
Chickens are sometimes cute, but sometimes they look like raptors on the prowl.
Garden Guru
April 10th, 2012 § 7 Comments
Seeing as how spring is in full force, the trees have budded and beautiful blooms are taking over the city, Heath and I have really started to kick gardening into high gear. After all, we don’t have much time until our current pleasant weather patterns of moderate temperatures and weekend showers turns into 100-degree heat and harsh drought the Texas summers are famous for. Better get that garden in top condition ASAP.
And while I like to scour the net for design inspiration for both the indoors and out, my favorite source for backyard ideas to emulate is my mom’s garden. The woman has not only got a green thumb, but a remarkable sense of space, color and texture. She is gifted in creating colorful bursts of life in unexpected places and pairing native plants together in exuberant bouquets that stimulate the senses. What’s more, is she creates outdoor rooms and social spaces in areas that, before she gets to them, seemed void of any real function or purpose. She’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to gardening, and every visit home reveals some fantastic new discovery in landscape design.
Not only does she practice fastidious attention to detail and preparation on her garden, but she has set her sights on ours as well. Over the past few weeks she has spent hours upon hours crafting a master landscaping plan for the gardens at the doodle house. And yesterday, we began work on phase one. I foresee big and beautiful changes in our garden future…inspired by our favorite garden guru.
Surprise! Special art for a special occasion.
April 6th, 2012 § 6 Comments
This Sunday, Heath and I will celebrate 5 years of couple-dom. Not 5 years of marriage, but 5 years of deciding that we kinda like each other. It deserves a nod, for sure. I’ve spent more time with Heath than I have spent living in any house, attending any school or working at any job. So dang it, I want to celebrate!
To tell Heath, “Thanks for putting up with me for this long” I wanted to surprise him with something special. On a recent visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, I got a little carried away pretending to be a photographer, but Heath fell in love with three of the photos I took. He tolerated me obnoxiously snapping photos of every tiny thing over the past few years, so I wanted to do something special with these nature photos he said he was particularly drawn to.
I headed over to Canvas Pop to have the images blown up and printed on heavy-duty canvas. The graphic designers there did a terrific job cropping and creating the prints, and Heath was Über excited when he opened them. I selfishly have had the final word on what art we get and where we place it in the house, so I gave Heath free range when it came to deciding where to display his new goodies. He decided the dining room was the ideal spot to showcase his favorite photos, and I agreed. It definitely gives the dining room some oomph.
I’m so thrilled Heath liked the prints. The photos remind us of the natural beauty of Austin—our city, a place we’ve explored together from our first days as a couple, and of a wonderful spring day spent walking through the Wildflower Center just appreciating nature. Heath’s even started picking out other photos he wants to have printed to add to the display, so it looks like this gamble paid off. I’m lucky to have such a sweet and supportive mate who loves me and my silly little hobbies.
Happy 5 years, Heath. I love you tremendously!
