It's a dreary day in Texas
Apr. 17th, 2009 09:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
norsegirlMy Mum was very sad to leave this morning. I thought the fact that the weather has taken a turn for the worse would make it easier, but she disagreed saying driving in rain is crappy. I kind of like driving in a light rain, it's less hot in the car without the sun beating in on you. When they left it was just a drizzle. It is now a total downpour. It's actually raining so hard that my neighbour's houses are just blurry blobs through my sodden windows.
I was kept extremely busy throughout my parents' visit. Probably I'll run off and have a nap as soon as I finish this entry. Just wanted to write about some of the things we did before I forgot.
Saturday - My parents pulled in around dinner time, so we didn't do much of anything except unloading the car, eating dinner and having the house tour.
Sunday - off to San Antonio for Jason's birthday dinner. Ended up leaving San Antonio before dinner, don't ask why, and had dinner at a Thai/sushi place around the corner from our house. Spent a very pleasant day at the McNay Art Museum and had a lovely lunch at La Madeleine (it's a chain, try it if you're ever near one). The weather cooperated nicely and overall it was a good day.
Monday - I had to do my damn taxes. That took the vast majority of the day. My parents popped in and out checking up on me to see if I'd ever finish, but I didn't manage to before dinner. They spent most of the day in gardening centers. Not the kind of shopping my Mum wanted to do, but Dad was much more relaxed after spending a day around plants, so it was worth it. Had a simple grilled chicken salad for dinner. Discovered I have no idea how to make lemon-honey marinade that is anything like the President's Choice version, so I'm still working on that one. Unfortunately, frozen, pre-marinated chicken breasts are not really something anyone can smuggle down to me.
Tuesday - got the taxes mailed off, so I guess we'll find out in 4-8 weeks if I did that anywhere near correctly. I don't have much faith. We then went to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, which was lovely, but where I got slightly sun burnt - whoops. It was not as large as I thought it would be, but as it was rather hot out, that was probably a good thing. Had a lovely lunch at their cafe (delicious sandwiches) and a fantastic day. Dad also had a fun time in the shop, picked out a hat for himself (Mum already bought herself one the day before) and a little gift for his mother for Mother's Day. On the way home we hit a bunch of garden centers that my parents had pre-scouted and picked out some new annuals to replace the dead flowers in my front garden. We selected a really exotic African purple daisy and some dusty miller since nothing else flowering seemed to compliment that particular shade of purple. Finished off the day by serving my amazing steak-kabobs for dinner on my new dining room set.
Wednesday - was by far our busiest day.
Dad was itching to get out in the garden and plant. Mum and I made a trip to Ikea to exchange the table top with the big yellow mark. They tried to talk me into taking a slightly scratched one for a slight discount, but I stood my ground and insisted on a new one. Just got it assembled this morning and I was glad I stuck to my guns. It looks great. We also purchased a new carpet for my kitchen (to go under the table so the tiles won't get scratched by my metal chairs) and to pick up new curtains for the dining room and living room because the ones I bought were too short - whoops, didn't think I'd have to buy special curtains because of the 9' ceilings, but apparently I do. We were also trying to pick up the crib for the baby, but they were out of stock, so I have to go back in a month or so and see about getting it then. We did get the mattress at least, because you know when the crib comes in stock the mattress will be sold out. That's just the way of things. We also stopped in Old Navy to grab more maternity clothes because I've realized I can't live in dresses and one pair of pants is insufficient. Apparently I'm Spilly McSpillerson because I'd messed them up and had to wash them in San Antonio and then I dropped marinade down the front of them while carrying the kabobs out to the BBQ on Tuesday too, so to avoid doing a load of laundry every night, a second pair was deemed a necessary expense. Also picked up a couple pairs of non-maternity shorts that will probably (I hope) fit right up to the end as it was starting to get really hot here. And a pair of capri-length maternity yoga pants in case the shorts don't last quite until the end. Might need one or two more t-shirts later, but that should last me through this pregnancy and maybe another as it's all solid colours and classic styles that should look okay through at least a decade.
By the time Mum and I were finished our retail therapy Dad had made some significant progress on the yard. We sat outside with him and helped out on the light stuff while he finished up. By the end of the day my front bed was all re-planted with new plants, all the existing plants were trimmed and under control, the bed was edged and beautiful, the two dead trees were pulled out, and all that was left was to toss down some mulch and find something to edge the garden with so that the grass doesn't take over again. It looks like a different garden. This weekend, if the rain ever stops, I'll head out and find some big rocks to put around the edge and plant up the stuff we bought yesterday to go in pots and it should all be done.
We ran out to pick Jason up after work and hit Mandola's for dinner. Lovely Italian food eaten outside next to a fountain. It doesn't get much better than that. Everyone's food was fantastic and dessert was even better. We then booted it down to the South Congress bridge to check out the bat emergence. Got there a mere 10 minutes before the show (which is always hard to time, as it's not like the bats have wrist-watches) so we didn't have to wait long. Mum wasn't too enthused before she got there, but the show was spectacular as always. It really is something you have to see if you visit.
Finished off the night with a quick drive past the shops on South Congress and off to bed.
Thursday - Dad finished up the mulching and I bought a broom to sweep the dirt off the front step and the garden looks fantastic. We then headed out to the Zilker Botanical Garden that I had been to before, but which was a lot bigger than I realized. Rain threatened all day, but we were saved from actually getting wet. This did mean that it was pretty hot and muggy though, so we were thankful to be in the shade of the relatively forested botanical garden rather than out in the fields at the Wildflower Center. I bought a cowboy-style straw hat for myself on the way out, and it looks awesome. We toyed with the idea of hitting another museum but the garden, being larger than I realized, took longer than we'd planned, so we'll save that for next visit.
Stopped to check out an Austin institution for lunch, Hut's Hamburgers. It's a busy little diner that's been there since 1939. Lovely burgers, but probably not good enough to merit a drive to the other end of the city, we just happened to be there. Also really hit the spot as we were starving after walking around the gardens for hours.
We stopped at Lowe's on the way home and got a few more plants and some planters (lots of plants on clearance - yay!) which I have to deal with this weekend. Then we ran up to Ikea to pick up a few things I'd forgotten to get earlier and to return the too-short curtains I forgot to put in the car on the first trip. We then hit the outlet mall so Dad could get some new shoes and Mum also found a fabulous purse at Fossil. If you're ever near a US outlet mall and you need a purse, Fossil is by far the best deal out there. Sensational, genuine leather purses at WAY LESS than any other designers. I'm pretty sure everyone I've taken there has left with a new purse now. I saw t-shirts I liked at Roxy and shoes that were fantastic at Bass, but I was really well-behaved and came away empty handed.
We picked Jason up (late) from work because the shopping took longer than anticipated. Headed to Chuy's for dinner where everyone else had a great time but I ordered completely the wrong thing (apparently I hate tomatillos). I ended up eating a third of Dad's meal instead, which was fine as his was WAY too much food anyway. New rule for me when ordering Mexican - fajitas only. No weird sauces that way.
Despite leaving late we made it to the theater with plenty of time to spare. We had nose-bleed section seats for Avenue Q. Dad was a little miffed about how far back we were (he's used to the tiny, intimate theaters at Stratford), but the show was good anyway. The songs aren't as catchy as most of the tunes from the old musicals, but the lyrics were really fantastic. The first half was far better than the second half and I'm not sure I liked that it all tied up with happy endings for all. I kind of feel like the songs were so brutally honest, that maybe it would have been good to have a kind of "shit doesn't always go just right" kind of ending rather than the typical fairy-tale musical ending. That said, I would definitely recommend seeing it if it comes to your town.
Friday - got up early to make bacon and eggs before my parents got out on the road. Also finally got around the putting the new table top back on. Watered all my plants, wrote this note and now I think it might be nap time.
This afternoon I may tackle the downstairs curtains. The ones for the family room are pre-fab, but need to be shortened to the right length. For the dining room I'm making my own, but I've got the fabric all pre-washed, so that shouldn't take a long time. The place is starting to look like we've moved in, but there's still lots around here to keep me busy.
I was kept extremely busy throughout my parents' visit. Probably I'll run off and have a nap as soon as I finish this entry. Just wanted to write about some of the things we did before I forgot.
Saturday - My parents pulled in around dinner time, so we didn't do much of anything except unloading the car, eating dinner and having the house tour.
Sunday - off to San Antonio for Jason's birthday dinner. Ended up leaving San Antonio before dinner, don't ask why, and had dinner at a Thai/sushi place around the corner from our house. Spent a very pleasant day at the McNay Art Museum and had a lovely lunch at La Madeleine (it's a chain, try it if you're ever near one). The weather cooperated nicely and overall it was a good day.
Monday - I had to do my damn taxes. That took the vast majority of the day. My parents popped in and out checking up on me to see if I'd ever finish, but I didn't manage to before dinner. They spent most of the day in gardening centers. Not the kind of shopping my Mum wanted to do, but Dad was much more relaxed after spending a day around plants, so it was worth it. Had a simple grilled chicken salad for dinner. Discovered I have no idea how to make lemon-honey marinade that is anything like the President's Choice version, so I'm still working on that one. Unfortunately, frozen, pre-marinated chicken breasts are not really something anyone can smuggle down to me.
Tuesday - got the taxes mailed off, so I guess we'll find out in 4-8 weeks if I did that anywhere near correctly. I don't have much faith. We then went to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, which was lovely, but where I got slightly sun burnt - whoops. It was not as large as I thought it would be, but as it was rather hot out, that was probably a good thing. Had a lovely lunch at their cafe (delicious sandwiches) and a fantastic day. Dad also had a fun time in the shop, picked out a hat for himself (Mum already bought herself one the day before) and a little gift for his mother for Mother's Day. On the way home we hit a bunch of garden centers that my parents had pre-scouted and picked out some new annuals to replace the dead flowers in my front garden. We selected a really exotic African purple daisy and some dusty miller since nothing else flowering seemed to compliment that particular shade of purple. Finished off the day by serving my amazing steak-kabobs for dinner on my new dining room set.
Wednesday - was by far our busiest day.
Dad was itching to get out in the garden and plant. Mum and I made a trip to Ikea to exchange the table top with the big yellow mark. They tried to talk me into taking a slightly scratched one for a slight discount, but I stood my ground and insisted on a new one. Just got it assembled this morning and I was glad I stuck to my guns. It looks great. We also purchased a new carpet for my kitchen (to go under the table so the tiles won't get scratched by my metal chairs) and to pick up new curtains for the dining room and living room because the ones I bought were too short - whoops, didn't think I'd have to buy special curtains because of the 9' ceilings, but apparently I do. We were also trying to pick up the crib for the baby, but they were out of stock, so I have to go back in a month or so and see about getting it then. We did get the mattress at least, because you know when the crib comes in stock the mattress will be sold out. That's just the way of things. We also stopped in Old Navy to grab more maternity clothes because I've realized I can't live in dresses and one pair of pants is insufficient. Apparently I'm Spilly McSpillerson because I'd messed them up and had to wash them in San Antonio and then I dropped marinade down the front of them while carrying the kabobs out to the BBQ on Tuesday too, so to avoid doing a load of laundry every night, a second pair was deemed a necessary expense. Also picked up a couple pairs of non-maternity shorts that will probably (I hope) fit right up to the end as it was starting to get really hot here. And a pair of capri-length maternity yoga pants in case the shorts don't last quite until the end. Might need one or two more t-shirts later, but that should last me through this pregnancy and maybe another as it's all solid colours and classic styles that should look okay through at least a decade.
By the time Mum and I were finished our retail therapy Dad had made some significant progress on the yard. We sat outside with him and helped out on the light stuff while he finished up. By the end of the day my front bed was all re-planted with new plants, all the existing plants were trimmed and under control, the bed was edged and beautiful, the two dead trees were pulled out, and all that was left was to toss down some mulch and find something to edge the garden with so that the grass doesn't take over again. It looks like a different garden. This weekend, if the rain ever stops, I'll head out and find some big rocks to put around the edge and plant up the stuff we bought yesterday to go in pots and it should all be done.
We ran out to pick Jason up after work and hit Mandola's for dinner. Lovely Italian food eaten outside next to a fountain. It doesn't get much better than that. Everyone's food was fantastic and dessert was even better. We then booted it down to the South Congress bridge to check out the bat emergence. Got there a mere 10 minutes before the show (which is always hard to time, as it's not like the bats have wrist-watches) so we didn't have to wait long. Mum wasn't too enthused before she got there, but the show was spectacular as always. It really is something you have to see if you visit.
Finished off the night with a quick drive past the shops on South Congress and off to bed.
Thursday - Dad finished up the mulching and I bought a broom to sweep the dirt off the front step and the garden looks fantastic. We then headed out to the Zilker Botanical Garden that I had been to before, but which was a lot bigger than I realized. Rain threatened all day, but we were saved from actually getting wet. This did mean that it was pretty hot and muggy though, so we were thankful to be in the shade of the relatively forested botanical garden rather than out in the fields at the Wildflower Center. I bought a cowboy-style straw hat for myself on the way out, and it looks awesome. We toyed with the idea of hitting another museum but the garden, being larger than I realized, took longer than we'd planned, so we'll save that for next visit.
Stopped to check out an Austin institution for lunch, Hut's Hamburgers. It's a busy little diner that's been there since 1939. Lovely burgers, but probably not good enough to merit a drive to the other end of the city, we just happened to be there. Also really hit the spot as we were starving after walking around the gardens for hours.
We stopped at Lowe's on the way home and got a few more plants and some planters (lots of plants on clearance - yay!) which I have to deal with this weekend. Then we ran up to Ikea to pick up a few things I'd forgotten to get earlier and to return the too-short curtains I forgot to put in the car on the first trip. We then hit the outlet mall so Dad could get some new shoes and Mum also found a fabulous purse at Fossil. If you're ever near a US outlet mall and you need a purse, Fossil is by far the best deal out there. Sensational, genuine leather purses at WAY LESS than any other designers. I'm pretty sure everyone I've taken there has left with a new purse now. I saw t-shirts I liked at Roxy and shoes that were fantastic at Bass, but I was really well-behaved and came away empty handed.
We picked Jason up (late) from work because the shopping took longer than anticipated. Headed to Chuy's for dinner where everyone else had a great time but I ordered completely the wrong thing (apparently I hate tomatillos). I ended up eating a third of Dad's meal instead, which was fine as his was WAY too much food anyway. New rule for me when ordering Mexican - fajitas only. No weird sauces that way.
Despite leaving late we made it to the theater with plenty of time to spare. We had nose-bleed section seats for Avenue Q. Dad was a little miffed about how far back we were (he's used to the tiny, intimate theaters at Stratford), but the show was good anyway. The songs aren't as catchy as most of the tunes from the old musicals, but the lyrics were really fantastic. The first half was far better than the second half and I'm not sure I liked that it all tied up with happy endings for all. I kind of feel like the songs were so brutally honest, that maybe it would have been good to have a kind of "shit doesn't always go just right" kind of ending rather than the typical fairy-tale musical ending. That said, I would definitely recommend seeing it if it comes to your town.
Friday - got up early to make bacon and eggs before my parents got out on the road. Also finally got around the putting the new table top back on. Watered all my plants, wrote this note and now I think it might be nap time.
This afternoon I may tackle the downstairs curtains. The ones for the family room are pre-fab, but need to be shortened to the right length. For the dining room I'm making my own, but I've got the fabric all pre-washed, so that shouldn't take a long time. The place is starting to look like we've moved in, but there's still lots around here to keep me busy.
