Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Brown Trim

Last week we made the trip home for Thanksgiving and worked in some Little House renovation time.
My project Wednesday was to re-paint the trim and cabinets.  Before we began the extensive renovation process, this is a peak of what it looked like.



A little spackle (my favorite!) and paint...




It was a MAJOR improvement...but being a girl someone who would like things to be the best they can be, I wasn't satisfied with the color I had picked out.
So, that's what I needed to take care of last Wednesday.
I found black bread color from Kilz, but just had it mixed up with latex semi-gloss paint instead of Kilz primer.
It took longer than I thought it would, but it turned out great!
Just a tip, dark paint is much less forgiving...



We also added a piece of painted trim to the back of the countertop.


I found a strip under the cabinets that had gotten missed during our painting before...



Perhaps leaving it 'sun-burst' yellow wouldn't have been so bad...

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What I like about Texas Part 2

One Sunday morning about 6 months or so after we moved in, Mr. Z and I got ready to go to church.

We were dressed in our Sunday best and headed down stairs.

We walked to the Ranger and found this.



What do you do?

All we knew was that Mr. Z could not drive around with a swastika on the hood of his truck.
Just driving it to the car wash was stressful.

After scoping out the perimeter we discovered we were not the only victims of vandalism.
I don't know which one was more offensive.
Poor girl, she had giant genatalia on the side of her lime green VW Beetle.
We did not discover the culprits but at least we had a better idea that it was a prank and not a threat.

For the record, WD40 will remove spray paint as well as the top layer of exterior paint.
But, hey, if you are in a pinch, that doesn't really matter.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

These boots were made for walking...in chicken hockey?

One of the top priorities for Momma on The Crew's visit was to find boots.
Not just any boots.
Rubber boots.
Rubber boots with zebra print.
Rubber boots with zebra print to wear on muddy days to the chicken pen.
Because you know how judgemental those hens can be.  If she doesn't look good, she will be the talk of the hen-house.

We searched high and low, near and far for such boots.
Finally, at our last stop, our quest was over.

There they were. Perfect. And perfectly priced.
We searched madly for a size 9. There were none.
We asked a sales-lady to get the last pair off the top shelf.
Size 7.
In manic desperation we sorted through the ones we had already deemed too small or too large. Just as we had given up hope, the first pair we had looked at had transformed into the perfect size.
It was just like Cinderella.




And because I was shopping with my Momma, of course I got to pick a pair too.



This is not the only time Momma and I have been on a quest for boots. Oh, no.
Several years ago I was determined to find Momma a pair of go-go boots.  We found many boots that were were stylish enough.  That was not the problem. 
The problem was the loss of vascular circulation.
These boots were like putting on control top panty hose that were 2 sizes too small. Made of leather.
At that point in my life, young and naive as I was, I was certain that somewhere in this giant supply-and-demand world we could find boots that would fit the legs wearing them.
Poor Momma.
She had zipper indentions on the side of her legs for weeks.
Every store.
Every boot.
Momma was surrounded in a sea of boxes and tissue paper.

Do you know what does not help squeezing a calf into a boot?
Sweat.
Do you know what does not help squeezing a calf out of a boot?
Sweat.
There we were, in the middle of a department store, our size 2 sales-lady gone to find us another pair of boots and we are stuck.
Not figuratively.
As Momma's pinkie toe is turning blue, we can't get her loose from the non-zippered boot I made her try.
It was stretchy. It was logical at the time.
Now it was comical.
Two women playing tug of war with a foot. I was holding her foot while Momma held on the the bench lest she was to go flying across the floor.
After a few minutes of hysterical laughter and a few seconds of panic *SLURP*
Her foot was free of the leather death-grip. 
Her toes lost their cyanosis and regained their pink appearance.
Eventually she did find a pair but I think it was only to satisfy me and to save her abused legs.


 

Monday, November 15, 2010

Alegria

Last Wednesday night, Mr. Z and I went to see Cirque du Soleil: Alegria.

From experience we learned we do not need to risk our lives to get to an event, because inevitably it always starts late. This particular event did not. And we wrote the time down wrong. We were 20 minutes late.

We didn't miss too much.  Cameras and camera phones were not allowed, so do not ask where I got the pictures. I have my sources and they will not be revealed.


That is a metal hula hoop. He's pretending to be spokes in a wheel. Don't get any ideas Momma.


I couldn't help but think about the integrity of their ligaments. And the position of their organs. And if I had to adjust them, would I be able to?



All of the music and singing was live. So much talent.


Alegria means jubilation in Spanish. It was quite incredible.


Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Weekend with the Crew

Last Friday, Momma, Lucy, and Ethel came out for a visit.


 If you don't know, southern people plan their adventures around when and where they are going to eat. Our itinerary had been in the works for weeks now. We knew that they wouldn't be leaving until after noon so they would eat a late lunch. Cracker Barrel. Every proper adventure or task involves Cracker Barrel.
 

By the time they made it in, Mr. Z had 'the shakes' from near starvation. We met them at their hotel and played the part of their bellhops. 
Their hotel room was almost the size of our apartment... we are thinking of seeing if they offer a monthly rate.

We got them settled in, they touched up their lipstick, and we went to Panera.

I found out that they had gone to a garage sale before they departed on their adventure. A young woman that goes to our church who was getting rid of some clothes she didn't need any more because she has worked hard and lost about 70 pounds. This particular young woman is known for her love of shopping and sense of style. And guess what size she is not anymore? MINE! I tell ya, they hit the jackpot! These clothes were in as-good-as-new condition and just in time for jacket weather.
Saturday morning we scheduled IHOP for breakfast and a trip to The Guild.


In the words of Ethel, "they got all kinds of junk in that place".


Lanterns. How I love them.



If only The Little House had a solid ceiling... Maybe it's best it doesn't because otherwise each room would have a chandelier. And that wouldn't really be functional since the ceilings are about 2 feet high.



 This place has just about anything you could want.


And some things you might not...


We ended up leaving with a quilt rack.
It had to ride in Momma's armpit.


After The Guild, we dropped Mr. Z off and shopped until we dropped.
Ethel said we had to get her out of those stores before her pocket book really got into a bind. Then asked where to next?


Momma grabbed some Spanx and got in line.


Massage chairs...


While we got our shop on, Mr. Z worked on cooking us up some of his heart warming tortilla soup.



After a long day of shopping and walking we settled in with some hot tortilla soup for the soul and some homemade cheesecake. Then we curled up on the couch and watched Toy Story 3.
A wild Saturday night! I told you, with these women, you have to be careful! No wonder I had to check their blood pressure periodically.

Sunday morning we loaded up and headed to church.

We started attending Houston First Baptist Church a few months ago. Of course we attend the traditional service with the senior crowd. That's just where we feel more comfortable. The choir and full orchestra is incredible. That many voices singing in unison is so powerful.
That will definitely go on the list of things I will miss.

Five Guys was next on the itinerary.

With shopping bags and full stomachs, we had to send them on their way.
On their way back back to a world where they don't have a huge hotel suite that rivals the size our apartment. A place void of Mr. Z's soul healing tortilla soup (except the little bit we let them take home with them). Back where there aren't skyscrapers speckling the horizon. To a place where you are always guaranteed a parking spot at your home. 
To that home not too far ahead in our future.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

What I like about Texas Part 1

I cannot express the amount of joy I have about moving back home.
If things keep going as well as they have been for me in school it may be possible for us to move back home 2 months before graduation!
So, in about 4 months God's country will be our home again.
We will be able to live at The Little House.
It will be a gift from Mawmaw and Pawpaw and we will remember them everyday.
In the mean time, we have made many memories, many friends, and realized no matter where we are, if we are together, we are home.

When we were getting ready to move here 3+ years ago it was a grand adventure for us, the newly weds.


We packed up the uhaul and made a leap of faith.


(The scary bird didn't help my nerves.)

After making 1000's of trips up our stairs to our new apartment and Mr. Z was almost murdered by our washer and dryer, we were finally moved in.
We moved in on Labor Day weekend of 2007. We found out that the Houston Zoo had free admission on holidays, so what better to do than go to the zoo, right?

That particular day, just 2 rosey cheeked kids, we attempted to make it to the Houston Zoo. By the time we made it to the interstate, it was raining so hard we couldn't even see the front of the car. So we turned around only to discover the roads were quickly filling up with water. Water started coming up over the hood of the car so we picked a parking lot that was a little higher ground and waited.


And waited..
And wished we had picked a side of the road with a taco truck or something.


And watched people try to get through the water.


And fail.


In the middle of it all, I decided to call Momma to tell her about our adventure. Well, Momma didn't think it was so funny. Her daughter and new son-in-law who had just moved 5 hours away were stranded in a parking lot in South Houston. She told me next time not to call her until it was over.

It did stop raining, but it took over an hour for the water to drain.
We had already invested so much, we decided to still try to make it to the zoo.

Once we got there, we quickly realized that not paying for admission was a steeper price than paying the 11 bucks on any other day.  There were SO many people. And you know how we are with big crowds of people. We loathe them. But that's another in-depth story for another day. For a therapist. With ink blot pictures. And a comfy couch.