We're Still Here

And it's still spring, just not spring break. Here is what the fence that we share with our neighbor looks like, just dripping with these gorgeous flowers. Everything is in bloom and I love it.

The rest of our break was busy but uneventful and before we knew it, we were off and running on another work week. We've been grilling and enjoying some time on the patio before it gets too hot (reverse winter, urgh). We've also started our landscaping for the season; much of it still involves removing some of the overgrowth left by the previous occupants. I plan on growing pumpkins and sunflowers in the backyard, something that I believe instills fear in Austin of our backyard becoming an overgrown jungle :-)

We have some projects on the agenda for the weekend along with plans for relaxing with a movie and cooking. All in all, life is good at the LundeRoy Lodge.

Spring Break

We're both officially off of work this week, seeking that elusive mix of productivity and relaxation. The weather couldn't be nicer so we've been opening up the house every day (we won't be able to do that in a few months, gotta soak it in now!). Yesterday, we experimented with some combination bruschetta-pizza thingies for lunch to use up some leftover ingredients and ciabatta bread, excellent results.

Our bedroom is also torn apart right now. Austin was crawling all around in the rafters dropping cable and cutting holes in the wall to install two runs each of Cat 5E and Coax. I have no idea what that means other than we can now watch TV in our room (and yes, I know it's terrible to have a TV in the bedroom of two insomniacs but in an open floor plan house, sometimes it's nice to have a TV behind a door!). Over the next few days, the painting may just commence as well.

I made homemade banana bread today and planted some morning glories on our trellises. We ran out for some potting soil and looked at trees and shrubs along with some under-cabinet lighting (teaser for April!). It's been great to take on some home improvement projects while we have a chunk of time off together.

Knitted Wonderland

The Blanton Museum on campus currently has an outdoor installation that features 96 trees all wrapped up in knitted... sleeves? Scarves? Socks? I really enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition of bright colors on the bare trees that have not yet begun to bud.

A Weekend Guest

On Saturday, my cousin's husband flew into town ahead of a business meeting. Being the experienced and adventurous traveler, he gave us permission to take him around and show him a bunch-o-stuff. Our first stop, since he had an evening flight, was a wine bar.

The three of us each got a flight of wines and a cheese plate. We sat outside and, given that the temps were in the low 60s and it was breezy, there were heaters on and chimeneas blazing. There was even a stack of blankets that most customers were making good use of though the two gentlemen in my company declined such fussiness.

As promised, the wine bar had great views of downtown.

After our happy hour, we headed to dinner at a restaurant featuring Mediterranean-esque food and a fantastic wine selection. Customers could walk along the walls and pull any bottle they'd like. We strolled along the walls, read the menu, then asked for a recommendation.

Austin had the duck breast which came with crispy sweet potato shreds and some red grapes. Jeff had the quail and clams and I enjoyed a nice cioppino. The next day, however, fine dining was out the window and naturally we had to hit up the classic bbq dive.

We were so full after, especially the meatetarians, that we decided to pick up some veggies to grill, a baguette, and some cheeses. We thought this might make for a nice, light dinner. Austin was particularly fond of the "Yeti's Best" brand.

We ended up being too full to even grill the vegetables but did a bit of snacking before bed. The next day, Austin had to head back to work so I took Jeff to another wonderful dive so he could try the Austin breakfast classic, migas. Then, after much eating, drinking, and being merry, Jeff was off to work and so was I. The best weekends are the ones that get away from you just like that.

For KP

Blue skies always!

Spring Cleaning

Just for fun, I threw a new template on this blog. If you're reading this through a subscription manager, you'll have to come to the site to check it out (not that it's exactly thrilling to anyone but me).

Last Weekend in February

Austin took a half day last Friday so the weekend kicked off a little earlier here. As is our custom, we had a quiet night and just came down from the week. We felt rested on Saturday and I started talking about how our bedroom is really the last undecorated space in our house. This was intentional given it is not a common area and we tend to be asleep while in it. It will, however, need some revamping before this house would ever be on the market so we decided to start making a few small but significant changes.

We picked up a few paint samples and it is looking like our current winner is a Behr color called Silver Sage (thanks to the Bergfreys for putting us on that track). I'll be painting in a few weeks when I've got some time over spring break. We also wanted to replace the unsightly metal mini blinds and actually hang curtains. Penney's had a good sale on blinds so we got some 2" faux wood blinds in white, Ikea curtain rods, and budget-friendly white sheers from Target. That will all be put into place when we have the time.

While out on our home improvement errands, we tried a new fast-casual Indian place and were really pleased with our lunch. Naan, daal, and coconut curry with vegetables were on our menu. It was also good to steel ourselves before heading into Ikea on a Saturday, a challenge not recommended unless absolutely necessary and with a clear goal in mind (in this case, curtain rods).

Sunday was the usual housework/homework and I made a from-scratch pizza that included pesto, fresh mozzarella, ricotta, tomatoes, and fresh basil. Then, just like that, we find ourselves off and running with the work week and already into March!