The Te-Tes

More a home than a house now....

2009-09-12T11:32:00.005-05:00

We've been so busy since school started that we haven't had a lot of time to work on the house. Peter's been dutifully watering and mowing, so the yard looks great, but not much else has changed at the house.

I never took Home Ec in high school, I opted instead to take Band and Drama. Those were fun at the time, but haven't been a lot of help when it comes to decorating our house. I wanted some curtains, but as funds are pretty low, we haven't been able to buy any.

So, I commissioned my mom to help me learn how to sew over Labor Day weekend. "How hard can it be to make curtains?" I thought. (What an idiot).

Let me preface this by saying I've never used a sewing machine before. I'd seen mom do it plenty of time growing up, so I thought I got the general idea. But, seeing and doing are two VERY different things.

We set out on Saturday morning to Hobby Lobby to get material and came back with some really cute stuff. Our kitchen cabinets don't have doors, so I wanted to make curtains to cover them to keep out the dust and for general cuteness. I also wanted to make valances for the two windows.

Before mom and I set out for Hobby Lobby, Peter, mom and I went to Lowe's and Home Depot to check out their holiday sales. We had already gotten an awesome faucet for a great price, so we were in desperate need for a new bathroom sink and vanity.

We found a great one at Home Depot for under $79.99. We'd already gotten our faucet for $16 (it's a Moen and it was originally $128!), so we did our new bathroom stuff for less than a hundred bucks. I thought we did great!

While we were there we also got a new bedroom door (we didn't have one at all. The last renters Peter had got in a fight and punched a hole in it, so he took it down). We also got some cute little lights to go around the stepping stones to our front door.

Since our house has two "front" doors, (and the other one goes into our bedroom), we're trying to do things to let people know which door to come in.

All in all, we did lots of cute things and the house is looking really nice! Pics below!

A side view of our new vanity (with cool faucet) and our bathroom cabinet.

Close up of the vanity and faucet

Our awesome steal of a faucet!

A view of one of the cabinet curtains with the valance.

A closer view of the cabinet curtain (trimmed in the material the valances were made from).
Mom did these curtains, I did the valances.

My first thing I sewed all by myself!

Our new footlights for outside.

More cuties!

2009-08-16T22:35:00.006-05:00

I had to post these! When we have kids, they're going to be so neglected. We'll have used up all our picture taking efforts.

Baxter sticking his tongue at us for telling him to get off the high fence.

Sally with her hand down a hole in the yard (hope something doesn't jump out and grab her).

Peek-a-boo!

Sally and Baxter

2009-08-06T13:26:00.004-05:00

It's now been over a month since we got Baxter (time flies!) and things are much better between him and his big sister. She no longer hisses at him anymore, and in fact they play all the time! They still don't do a lot of cuddling, but she does clean him whenever she gets the chance. We think it's less out of affection, and more because she thinks he's dirty.

Here are some pics to show their frolicking times together.

Look at that sweet face!

He is already very adventurous!

Following big sister around

"This will all be mine one day....."

Investigating Sally's latest catch

Sally escaping out the pet door

Practicing the "rule of thirds" with Sally as my subject

Princess on the prowl

Learning a new craft

2009-07-09T13:13:00.004-05:00

I've been helping Peter at the store for the last couple of weeks and in our spare time, he's been teaching me how to make jewelry from a mold.

So far I've made a sapphire ring and two pendants. It's a long process and when I was working on sizing the mold for my ring (after 2.5 hours) I broke it into a bunch of pieces. The molds are made from wax, so it's a little delicate.

After lots of time and LOTS of help from "the pro," I have 3 lovely pieces of jewelry! A ring and pendant for me, and another pendant for my BFF Lauren. (Shhhhh! It's a surprise!)

Check them out!

The mold for the cross and rose pendants.

The finished product!

Lauren's pendant (it's really small, this is just a zoomed in picture)

Introducing..............Baxter!

2009-07-06T00:45:00.005-05:00

Peter and I have been discussing getting a new kitten for months. Sally's home alone all day and we thought she'd like a friend.

Since summer time is kitten time, the Austin Humane Society lowers their fees for adoption to only $35. In fact, this is the same time of year we got Sally almost a year ago.
.
So, we went to the Austin on Sunday "just to look." As soon as walked in the door, we saw a little feisty kitten named, "Nike" attacking the tag on his cage and generally keeping himself entertained.

We looked at one other kitten, but as soon as we were able to play with Nike, we knew he was the kitten for us.

We changed his name to Baxter, after Ron Burgandy's dog in Anchorman. He's a tuxedo cat, so we knew he needed a rather formal name.

So far, Sally isn't a fan of Bax, but we're hoping as time goes by, she'll at least learn to tolerate him.

For your viewing pleasure:

Baxter perching on the console on the ride home from the shelter.

He tried to make it all the way home, but zonked out about halfway.

Baxter plays in his tent while Sally looks on in disdain.

He tries desperately to attack something outside his tent.

Bax's favorite place to take a nap.

Look what Sally dragged in............again.

2009-07-05T23:44:00.004-05:00

We got an early start yesterday when Sally came through her pet door with a BIG, LIVE bird in her mouth. It was squawking and flapping all around.

She (of course) dropped it not long after she came in and it flew around leaving feathers in its wake. It flew under the bed, and finally flew up to the dresser, where Sally sat and poked at it for a while.

Peter finally had to shew it out with a broom. It was not a fun experience at 6am, let me tell you!

Sally eyes her newest catch.

If you look closely, you can see the feathers everywhere!

Sally sniffs at her bird (this is the closest she got to eating it, which wasn't close at all).

Sally: The country cat

2009-06-26T19:01:00.005-05:00

When we lived in the illustrious "big" town of Marble Falls, Sally would occasionally bring in her latest catch to show us/play with/eat. (See post below)

Since we moved to the country, Sally has taken to finding new and different things to catch (like giant, mutant grasshoppers) and bring inside for our inspection. The goofy thing is, she brings them in, sets them down, then leaves them. She doesn't play with them, or eat them. She just drops them on the floor somewhere.

She usually lays next to her catch for a while, but after a few minutes of it laying paralyzed by fear, she'll get bored and leave it where it lays. Then Peter and I get the joy of catching it and releasing it again.

Wednesday alone she brought in 3 grasshoppers between dinner and us going to bed. Ah!!!

Yesterday morning, she trotted out her little cat door to go play. A few minutes later I see her coming in with what I think is a big frog. I yelled at her to take it back outside, but, she is a cat, and they don't follow orders very well.

She brought in the "frog" and laid it on the kitchen floor and then plopped down beside it. That's when I saw it's looooong tail. It wasn't a frog, but a LARGE lizard. Not a gecko, a big lizard that looked like it should be spiky and live on a rock in the desert.

Of course, after a few minutes she got bored and started to walk away and when she moved, it freaked out and starting running all around the kitchen. I finally dropped the mop bucket over it to keep it in one place.

After searching for some stiff cardboard, I finally slid it under the bucket and got it outside. Once I put it outside it sat in the same spot for an hour (no wonder Sally caught it, dumb lizard). So, I was able to take this picture for comparison.

Sally and her lizard (bad cell phone picture)

The lizard and Peter's shoe

Amber and Josh are married!!!

2009-06-23T21:04:00.005-05:00

This weekend Peter, me and my BFF Lauren ventured to Vegas (baby!) for our friends Amber and Josh's wedding. We had a great time at the bachelor/bachelorette parties and the wedding was beautiful!

All of the girls got ready together in Amber and Josh's suite before the wedding which was a lot of fun. (I think we gave our hairdressers a good taste of Texas women).

Congratulations Amber and Josh!!!!

The bridesmaids toast Amber and Josh's future

Me, Amber and Lauren (roomies!) before the ceremony

The guys waiting for the girls to arrive (the only picture Lauren could take before the celebrant nixed the picture-taking).

Peter, Josh, Amber and me
(Peter keeping it classy, as always)

The beautiful bride and handsome groom!

Sally has an ouchie :-(

2009-06-10T16:05:00.010-05:00

We're finally moved out to the new house and Peter got Sally's door installed. Yea! (No more getting up at 6am on a Saturday to let her out!)

She was having a grand ole' time going in and out until she lost her collar and fancy magnet that lets her (and only her) go in and out the door. Luckily, the door came with 2 magnets. So, we put the other one on and off she went. The next day she lost ANOTHER collar and her other magnet.

We ordered more magnets and went to the store and bought her a different kind of collar, which she managed NOT to lose.

Until Sunday morning....she ran in and out to her heart's content until she finally ran in for the last time at 9:45. Peter sat up and said, "Is it my imagination, or is she limping?"

Poor Sally had cut her leg open and it was bleeding badly. Later the vet would tell us it looks like the kind of injuries that horses get when they get stuck in barbed wire. She had to get four stitches and has to wear an e-collar (cone) for 2 weeks.

And the worst part is, she can't go outside until she gets her stitches out. Sally is an outside ADDICT and she is totally miserable (see the pictures below).

Sally in her collar (she is not happy).

Staring longingly at her new pet door that she isn't allowed to use for 2 weeks.

Her new favorite past time (all she can do without running into things).

More house pics!

2009-04-25T23:40:00.006-05:00

Last week we had a frenzied "almost buy" on a different house in Burnet. The price was low and the house was in decent shape. We got excited to live so close to work and to have internet access (which we're thinking is going to be spotty at best at the lake). We made an offer, and unfortunately were turned down. But, we're OK with it. Now back to the original plan!

We got to work today painting the living room at the lake house. It was a pretty, light blue, but so was the dining area, kitchen and now the bedroom (read below) . We wanted to break up the color a little bit. We found a really pretty red at Lowe's (Oops! paints, only $5 a gallon!). We love the way it looks!

The finished living room!

A view of the new color and the old color. We're still trying to decide if we want to paint this wall that leads to the kitchen.

We've also painted our bedroom. It was a dark, sandy color, which wasn't bad, but definitely didn't brighten the place up any. So, we used another thing of Oops paint that Peter has been saving for a few years. We thought it was lavender, but it ended up being light blue (see why we wanted to paint the living room?) It turned out really nice and I think will be a lovely room to wake up to.

The bedroom after being painted. The walls were the color of the door. Yick!

Our biggest challenge (read: P.I.T.A.) was painting the bathroom. It was the same tan color as the bedroom, and it's so small that the color didn't do it any favors. So, we painted it a light, sunny yellow.

These aren't the greatest pictures. It's hard to take a picture in the bathroom. We're getting a new vanity to replace this tiny one and we're bringing a cabinet we already have. It'll be tight storage, but we'll make it work.

This is our tiny shower. Notice how low the showerhead is. We're not the tallest of folks, but even for us that's pretty low.

It was a pain to get around all the nooks and crannies, and we'll probably have to go over it a bit more with touchups, but it's pretty much done. And it definitely brightened up a lot!

We're hoping to move out there in mid to late May. We've been packing since last weekend. Our house is a wreck!

It'll be interesting to see how Sally adjusts to her new house. I hope she likes it! There are lots of other kitties in the neighborhood, and she likes to be social. I guess we'll see!

Sally's first catch

2009-04-17T22:31:00.004-05:00

Most of my friends that blog are posting things about their babies "firsts." First step, first world, first solid food, etc.

So, I'm going to tell you about one of Sally's firsts....

This past weekend was the annual Burnet Bluebonnet Festival which is the biggest thing since Kool-Aid if you live in the Highland Lakes area. It's like homecoming in other towns. People come from miles around for the foot-long corn dogs, funnel cake and tater twisters.

Nelly was one of the pilgrims who journeyed to Burnet County in search of some food for the soul (and to hang out with the fam).

On Sunday, when we had our fill of all the fried goodness the festival had to offer, we decided to journey out for a "fresh" breakfast. As we were getting ready to leave, Nelly made it downstairs first and let out a scream.

"Oh my god! Come look at this! Ewwwww!"

We ran downstairs to find Sally, who had brought us a little treat. If you can't tell, yep, it's a bird. Ick! (Doesn't she look evil here?)

She was so proud of herself!

Sadly, her aunt Nelly picked the bird up and threw it out (after informing Sally's mom that birds carry many diseases). Thanks Aunt Nelly!

Though it was a gross discovery, we were pretty proud. She's been trying to catch a bird since we first starting letting her go outside. Her collar is so loud that she's not exactly stealth and she's still learning how to pounce and catch her "prey" on the first try.

The move is on!

2009-04-05T21:20:00.005-05:00

So, we made our big decision. We're heading out to the lake sometime in the next month or so. We'll be about 15 miles out of town, and about 30 miles from where we're living now. It'll be a jaunt to go to the store or to a restaurant (but maybe that'll discourage us from shopping/eating when we should be hanging at home).

Here are some pics of the house(s). I meant to take pictures while we were at the house working today, but I forgot my camera. These are pictures from the realtor's website.

Our new home

Our kitchen, we may be getting new cabinets soon. (We'll see).

The view from the living room into the dining area

Our property. Our house is on the right, garage in the middle, guest house on the left.

We did some painting today. We thought we thought we were painting our new bedroom lavender, but, it's more like light blue. So, now almost everything inside our house is blue. It's pretty, but not what we were aiming for.

I'll try to post pics of the inside next time we go out there.

To Lake House or not to Lake House...that is the question.

2009-03-24T21:50:00.003-05:00

Peter owns a lake house (actually, there are 2 little houses on the property) outside of Burnet. They have been sitting vacant for about a year now, with nary a buyer in sight. Now that we both work in Burnet, we've been looking for a house to buy.

We haven't found a house we're madly in love with. And there really isn't anything within our price range (which is pretty low as it is).

So, we're considering moving out to one of the lake houses. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros
1. Free rent! (Well, sorta). We've been paying the mortgage on these houses AND rent. So, we'd be saving a lot of money per month. Which leads to:

2. Saving money for a down payment! We'll have a nice down payment in a year if we did move out there.

3. Sprucing up the lake house! While we're there we plan on doing some fixing up of the house which will make it more livable and hopefully help it's resale value.

4. A cat door for Sally! Our kitty loves to play outside, but she has to wait until we get home in the afternoon to be able to do it. We live in a rent house now, so we can't exactly cut holes in the doors. If we lived in a house that we own, we could do that!

Cons
1. We're nervous for Sally. This area is a lot more "wild" and I'm worried that she'd get into something or that some big animal would come get her. Though, most of the animals in the area are cows and deer. I don't think they like to eat kitties.

2. The drive is dangerous. The road between the lake house and Burnet is very twisty and turny with no shoulders, and there are a LOT of deer out there. So driving at night can be hazardous.

3. The houses are little bitty. There are 2 houses on the property, and according to their real estate listing they're 1600 square feet, together. So, seperately, they're probably about 900 and 700 square feet. Right now our duplex is about 1200, so that would take some getting used to.

4. The cost of "amenities." The cost for having internet and TV is a lot more than we're paying now. It's hard to get those things when you're 12 miles outside the city limits.

Well, it's neck-and-neck with the pros and cons. I don't think any of the cons are undoable for the amount of time we plan to spend out there. And I dont' think any of them outweight what we'll save for a downpayment (except for Sally. But, hopefully she'll get used to her surroundings).

The idea is looking better and better, but there are still things to think about.

Barb's Baby Shower

2009-03-22T23:31:00.008-05:00

My darling friend Barbara is going to be blessed with two children in a few short months. So, we gathered this weekend to "shower" her with gifts for the wee little ones.

Barb's friend JoDee and I painted our butts off on Friday, and got the babies room almost completely painted. (Don't worry, we made Barbara stay in the other room. No fumes for her!) I meant to take pictures of the work in progress and I completely forgot! I'm sure Barb will post pictures when it's done.

On Saturday a lot of us old THS girls and some of Barb's college friends and moms had the brunch shower. Here are some pictures from the day:

This is the wreath I made for the shower (I have to brag, this is the craftiest I've ever been).

Barb showing off her new wipey warmer.

Our friend Mary had never heard of wipey warmers and thought they were hilarious. Barbara's mom, Susan, is in this pic with Mary. Can you believe she's going to be a grandma? No way does she look old enough!

Barb reading her card from us. She loved it and may hang it in the babies' room. Yea!

This is the super cute cake Remica got. It was yummy!

Mommy and the cake!

Tami, Barb, Mary and me
Seriously, if you hadn't seen the other pictures, you'd never know Barb was pregnant! She looks great!

Sally's New Toy

2009-01-28T22:10:00.004-06:00

Since we got Sally this summer, there have been a stack of boxes in the hallway that have been her play area. She climbs all over them, pulls out the packing paper inside and has a good ole time.

Well, the day finally came that we were sick of putting the paper back in the box, and sick of the boxes in general. We decided to get her a proper play-tower.

It took her about 30 seconds to warm up to it. She's been having a great time!

This is literally about a minute after we brought it in.

She loves being on top of the tower!

Sorry this one's blurry, but she was moving so fast, it was hard to catch her!

Tagged- Thanks Remica!

2009-01-28T22:01:00.002-06:00

Here's the deal:

*Go to the place on your computer where you store all your pictures and open the 4th folder.
*Open the 4th picture.
*Post the picture and give an explanation of what it is.
*Tag 4 people.
*DO NOT CHEAT!! You cannot edit or crop the picture!!

This is a way goofy picture from my 27th birthday. We were at Shady Grove (my favorite restaurant in Austin). For my birthday I got my favorite dessert at the restaurant. 3 large chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. And yes, I shared with my friends.

I tag Sarah Quiara. I don't have anyone else to tag because they've all been tagged already. :-(

I got the job!!!

2009-01-04T17:24:00.002-06:00

Starting tomorrow, I will be teaching at Burnet Middle School! I'm nervous, but excited to start my new position. I'll be teaching 7th grade English and this will be the first time I've taught a "real" subject (meaning not an elective).

BMS is the the middle school Peter went to and some of his teachers are still there! And some of the teachers are people he went to school with which is pretty funny.

I'm sad to leave my kiddos and my fellow teachers in Austin, but I'm sooooo not sad to leave the drive behind. Nelly, my sister-in-law, and I figured out yesterday that I have 5K more miles than she does on my car and her car is FIVE years older. Urgh!

For the next two weeks I'll be in the classroom with my friend Bonnie who just happens to be the long-term substitute who's been covering the class since the former teacher left. So, it's good because it'll ease me (and the kiddos) into the job.

I'm also teaching one class of 8th grade yearbook, so that's exciting! I've heard the girls are drama queens, but what girl isn't at age 14?

Wish me luck! Goooo Bulldogs!

Merry Elfin' Christmas!!

2008-12-14T19:26:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas time is here....

2008-12-04T22:19:00.006-06:00

Christmas is here! (Yes, I know, it's just a few weeks off, but it's close enough for me). This week we've been having all manner of merriment, we bought our tree and decorated it and tonight we decorated the outside of the house.

We also got Sally all festive and ready to see Santa Claus for the first time. (She put up with us dressing her up, but just barely). She's surprisingly not been attacking the tree or ornaments, but she's had fun running around the bottom.

I also stumbled upon a website that makes really cool personalized ornaments, so I got one to commemorate our big year, and the wedding!

Yea for Christmas!!!

Our pretty, little tree (before we got our new tree skirt).

Sally in her stylin' Christmas gear.

Our fun ornament with our wedding party.

Pumpkin Pie...mmm....

2008-11-04T10:21:00.003-06:00

It's official. November has arrived and thus it is time to begin the fattening tradition of holiday cooking.

This weekend I decided that I NEEDED to break out the KitchenAid mixer for its maiden voyage. It's one of my favorite wedding presents that we received and I'd never even used it!!!

So, I decided I was going to bake. At the request of my darling husband (who is a fanatic for it) I made a pumpkin pie.

I used the pie crust recipe passed down the generations from my Great Grandmother (super easy and I love rolling pie crust!) and followed the directions on the back of the can o' pumpkin.

I haven't made pumpkin pies very often, so I (mistakenly) grabbed a can of HEB brand pumpkin (thinking only of the budget and not of taste) and followed the recipe provided on the back.

Peter liked it, but said it was "really clovey" and it didn't get as solid as other pumpkin pies (like my Aunt Betty's who makes the BEST pumpkin pie). I think my mistake was not going with the tried-and-true "Libby" brand. Everyone knows that's the best.

I found a Paula Deen recipe that I'm going to try out for Thanksgiving. It's so bad, but sounds so, so good. (It involves lots and lot of cream cheese). MMMMmmmmm......

I'll get a picture of the pie when I get home. (Yep, I'm blogging from school).

Happy Holiday season everyone!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T22:29:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween from the Te-Tes! Sally was NOT excited about wearing this costume, but she kept it on just long enough for us to take a couple of pictures.

Although we had no trick-or-treaters tonight, we still had a fun Halloween (our first Halloween as newlyweds!).

Enjoy!

Revisiting a past I never knew....

2008-10-06T21:58:00.005-05:00

When my grandmother passed away, she left a treasure trove of 8mm family films. (Literally over 150 reels!) My darling sister in law works at a video production studio and told me that she has the capability to transfer them to DVD.

So, my dear uncle (who's been keeping them safe since my grandmother's passing) brought them to me at the wedding.

The DVDs are from as early as the late 60s. My mom's 17th birthday is on one of the reels! It's amazing to look back to a time when I wasn't even a "twinkle in my mama's eye."

Some of the most amazing footage is of my grandparents and great-grandparents. My grandfather and great grandmother died when I was 3 and my great grandfather even before that. Needless to say, I have virtually no memory of them.

These films are like a (soundless) time machine. I've seen pictures, but it's amazing to see them smile and laugh with everyone.

The Sunday Blues....

2008-09-28T18:55:00.002-05:00

As a teacher, I feel like I look forward to the weekend just as much (if not more) than the students. It's nice to have a break after 5 days (as I'm sure it is in every profession).

Since school began I've found that I have the "Sunday blues." I wake up on Sunday mornings happy that it's the weekend, but sad because it's my "last" day before I have to return to the grindstone.

I've tried to combat the feelings today by doing fun and relaxing things. Peter and I cleaned his rent houses. I talked to my friend Amber on the phone for a while about our crazy men and our crazy little (fur) girls. I watched the Sex and the City movie on DVD (with and without commentary, very fun!) And I took a bubble bath. All in all, a good day.

It's nice to have a day to relax and unwind, especially because I don't feel like I get to spend enough time at home with my 106 mile (roundtrip) commute every day.

Any thoughts on combating the Sunday Blues?

Sally- the Secretary o' Cute

2008-09-27T22:53:00.001-05:00

Peter and I have always talked about getting a cat. We didn't want to get one before the wedding because we knew we'd be gone to Cambodia and we'd have to leave him/her in the care of others (and that's no fun).

Upon our return we started researching the "kitten project." The Austin Humane Society was running a summer program for kittens that had their shots, were spayed and had a microchip for only $35!

We visited the shelter twice before we found our perfect kitty. She had to stay for a couple of days and get her "no kitten" surgery and then we got to take her home!

Sally has fit right in with our crazy household. She has taken up residence in our bed every night (with the added bonus being barely 3 pounds but taking up the WHOLE bed) and loves to play outside, which we only let her do for about 30 minutes a day, supervised. We don't have any fences and she's so cute we don't want someone to snatch her. (Not to mention all the other calamities that could befall her).

She's been a nice tiny preview of having kids. Where in the past if we wanted to be gone all day or go out of town we would just pack up and head out, now we have to play ahead for Sally. This dilemma allowed for a trip to Grandma and Papa Bear's for Labor Day. She had fun when she got there (as did her grandparents), but the car ride was an adventure (see pictures).

One of Sally's favorite past times is jumping on the keyboards of computers. We can't figure out if she is trying to catch our fingers, or our attention. She has also become quite the World of Warcraft fanatic like her dad. She tries to attack all the guys on the screen and chases the mouse cursor all over. She's a funny cat!

I can't remember our house before she took it over. She's such a great little girl!

I wanna blog!!

2008-09-27T22:49:00.001-05:00

So, it seems that all of our friends are writing blogs so that they can update their friends and family on their daily lives. I guess I think our life is interesting enough to blog about also. So....we'll try it for a while.