A Gal Named Sue

Why did we buy marble for our bathroom now?

2011-08-25T09:39:00.004-05:00

It's a valid question, why did we buy marble for our bathroom? We have yet to start the project and it's not even on the list of shortrange projects (at least, it was not at the beginning of last week.)

However, sometimes you have to seize an opportunity.

This is the marble we purchased. (Note the value price!)

If we would have purchased the same piece of marble across town at the other store location this is the price we would have paid.

Yes, both prices are for a 12x12 piece of marble.

The savings...almost 99%! How can we refuse a deal like that?

Sometimes home remodelers must seize the opportunity - and yes, the bathroom reno is now on the short range list (if only to be able to move the pallet of marble out of the house!)

The home remodeling continues!

2011-07-17T22:17:00.004-05:00

It's true. Just because we finished the kitchen remodel, does not mean that we have ended the quest to remodel our entire home.

For example, a few weeks ago, I left for work and there was a double divided light window in the garage room (it will have a better name eventually - honest!)

The view of the garage room window when I left for work that day...

A few short hours later, the project was finished. :)

I'm assured that yes, it was really as easy as that. Ok, most likely not - I've seen the pile of debris that the project created and the receipts from Home Depot.

This project marked the beginning of our exterior renovations.

In the next edition of the White's "This Old House", the siding gets replaced!

We have achieved completion of the kitchen!

2011-06-11T16:59:00.011-05:00

This is a collection of photos that only tells part of the story of the reconstruction of our kitchen.

View 1 - The Refrigerator Corner
August 2009

January 2010

March 2010

June 2011

View 2 - From the Living Room Entrance
August 2009

January 2010

June 2011

View 3 - Sink Wall
August 2009

January 2010

June 2011

View 4 - Oven Wall
August 2009

March 2010

June 2011

View 5 - Breakfast Nook
January 2010

March 2010

June 2011

View 6 - Cooktop Wall
March 2010

June 2011

The Detail Work

This is a detailed view of the cabinet trim feature. (This might be one of our favorite parts of the kitchen. We both enjoy the subtle graphic detail. Ok, to be honest, there are many favorite parts to this kitchen.)

It has taken two years, but our kitchen is finally (from a construction standpoint) where we want it to be!

To my loving husband, thank you! Thank you for working so hard to make our dream a reality. I love you!

One reason why we need to finish our kitchen remodel

2011-05-31T11:09:00.001-05:00

Kitchen Update

2011-05-30T23:00:00.005-05:00

We are making significant progress on our kitchen remodel. It's true, we might near completion in a mere TWO WEEKS! At this point, all we need to do is install door knobs, drawer pulls, and magnetic catches. Sadly, we are waiting on our online order to be delivered. (I say sadly because it would have been great if those items had arrived by Friday so that we could install them this weekend.)

Anyway, I thought this might be a great opportunity to show you some of the progress our kitchen has made since we purchased the property in August 2009.

August 2009

March 2010

May 2011

Once the cabinet hardware is installed I'll photograph the room in the angles that match our first set of photos taken in August 2009.

TWO WEEKS!!!

Julian is getting bigger

2011-05-25T19:38:00.002-05:00

Julian is getting bigger! He is now larger than my shoe (which is apparently one of his new toys.)

This week brought a small adventure as Julian had to make his first trip to the visit. After a weekend of sneezing and gooey eyes, Julian made a trip to the vet yesterday. It seems he is battling an upper respiratory infection. Julian was a praised at the vet for being so well behaved (of course he is!) and is taking his antibiotics quite well.

As you can tell from today's photo, he is quickly on the road to recovering and is quite playful.

Yahooo!

2011-05-25T17:49:00.005-05:00

The Cabinet Doors are being hung, the cabinet doors are being hung, the cabinet doors are being hung!

Can you tell I'm a bit excited? It's because I am! Yahoo!!!

The cabinet doors have been painted over the course of the past few days. This is the paint booth that was erected in our back yard that made it possible for the process to be complete in spite of all of the wind we have had in these parts.

Soon all we will lack are the door knobs and drawer pulls. If only I would have ordered those sooner! My bad!

Bringing home Julian

2011-05-13T22:08:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but my husband can be a bit of a softie. Yes, this burly man has a soft spot for cats. When I first met Bryan, he had "Cat", however, Cat was not the first friend of Bryan - you should ask him about his other cat friends.

Anyway, I digress.

As you may recall, we are making some changes around here. As part of that change, we are walking every night after dinner. Each night, our walk takes us past the Bivins home on 16th. On Tuesday night, Bryan spotted a small kitten in front of the bushes on the edge of the property. It was clear that this kitten was abandoned and very young.

Bryan spent the next 20 minutes trying to extract this small ball of fur from underneath the bushes.

He finally emerged with a terrified and hungry kitten, and many scrapes and cuts on his own arms and legs.

Inspired by the location of the rescue, we decided to name the kitten, Julian. This is picture of the slightly terrified Julian upon arrival at our home.

It was clear to us that Julian had not eaten in several days. We were able to feed Julian, and yes, even needed to give Julian a sponge bath. (Let's just say this kitten has earned the nickname StinkButt!)

By Thursday evening, Julian was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around us. Julian enjoyed some playtime with us, seems to be eating and "functioning" regularly.

Now, Cat has not been at all sure about this process. Tonight we thought it was a good time to introduce the two. During the day, Julian is staying in our bedroom and Cat is free to roam the house and lawn. We don't think it would be the best idea to have the two meet on their own.

We were a little surprised by how the two reacted upon meeting this evening. Cat approached Julian slowly, and it was Julian who rapidly closed the gap. However, this is all the closer the two got before it was clear that Cat was bored with the whole adventure and moved on. In the house, Cat is avoiding the master bedroom and the idea that Julian might be residing here. In time, I think they will become good friends. (At least they better, or life around our house could become challenging!)

Yes, I think Julian has found a place in our hearts, and a place to live on Bowie Street. Now, say it with me.....Awwwwwww!

Does anyone else think this roofline looks oddly familiar?

2011-05-09T20:34:00.002-05:00

Last Friday, the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa (my one time hometown) broke ground on a new Performing Arts facility.

As I looked at the image, I was struck by the similarity to another performing arts center and it's "wave like" roof.

Is the resemblence there, or am I imagining it?

I remember when conversations about the UD Performing Arts Center began around 2000. It was under discussion when I worked for the Dubuque Symphony, but didn't quite get off the ground.

I'm excited for Dubuque and the possibilities that the UD Performing Arts Center will bring, however, I am also concerned about the fate of the Five Flags Center.

I hope that the City of Dubuque has a plan for the continued use of the historic Five Flags complex. It is a piece of history worthy of preservation and use.

Davide was back

2011-05-02T22:11:00.002-05:00

While last week was a concert week, there was still some time to work in some fun as our friend Davide was the guest artist with the symphony. This was Davide's third visit to Amarillo, and he always provides great company while he is in town.

This visit ended with a visit to Wellington where Davide was scheduled to perform a recital at the Ritz theater.

Here Davide and my darling husband pause for a photo to mark the occasion.

And, further proof that Davide does practice. (Everyone once in awhile - oh brother, I jest, I jest!)

Until your next trip to Amarillo, good-bye, friend! But you will be back, yes? What was that program....Brahms? :)

Making some changes around here...

2011-04-25T11:14:00.002-05:00

It's Spring. A time for a little bit of spring cleaning, a time for refreshing, a time for making a few changes. The latter is precisely what Bryan and I are trying to do. Hmm, might that be prompted by the annual visit to the doctor that o

As you may know, Mr. Bryan is a smoker. He's been a smoker for a long time. In fact, since I have known him, he has smoked over a pack a day. So, imagine my surprise when he says that he wants to reduce the number of cigarettes he is smoking - and so, far, so good!

And, he's not alone is his quest for a healthier self. For Lent this year I gave up caffeine and fast food. Yes, I've been an addict to both for many years. Since Easter was yesterday, I can now say that I was successful in this task and have not had either item in my diet for the days of Lent.

In addition, this Saturday marked the end of week 1 of our diet. The diet is certainly causing a change to our routine, but the benefits are noticeable. We have both lost weight in the first week (which is awesome!). But, more importantly we are eating better! Here's to week 2, and a continuation of our own version of Spring cleaning! Out with the badness!

A sure sign of Spring

2011-04-24T23:03:00.003-05:00

A sure sign of Spring in Amarillo is a blooming Snowball bush. Some say that once the snowball bush blooms we are past the threat of a hard freeze. I hope that is so, because our bush has been blooming for several days. On the plus side, it also smells great. And, since I have yet to do any landscape planting at our house, this bush is sort of "it" when it comes to any interest in our lawn.

Maybe next Spring there will be a few more blooming plants!

Another black tie evening...

2011-04-23T23:09:00.000-05:00

Thursday night was another black tie evening for Bryan and I. We headed to the Amarillo Golden Nail event, an evening to honor the many contributors to the Amarillo arts scene. While not the best picture of the two of us, it's a reminder of a light hearted moment.

Cheers!

Heard at the office

2011-04-20T22:39:00.001-05:00

"It's like an Accoustical Astigmatism"

Photoshoot in the middle of nowhere

2011-04-03T22:05:00.004-05:00

This afternoon, Bryan and I joined the Harrington String Quartet for their photoshoot. These are the first images of the newest incarnation of the quartet. The weather was great, except for the wind. What, wind? Wind in West Texas? Clearly you have us confused wiht someone else!

I look forward to seeing the final iamages that Ralph Duke created today - and two the second part of our shoot on Wednesday afternoon!

Wimps

2011-02-03T21:22:00.003-06:00

Wimps.

That's the word that comes to mind this week. This evening I spent some time catching up on Facebook. A large portion of the posts this week are from students complaining that classes were in session in AISD. Apparently a temperature of -1 is too cold to go to school.

I think to myself - hmm, I went to school in Eastern Iowa. I know I went to school when the temperature was -1. In fact, I think I took my darling husband out for a tour of the Mississippi River in subzero weather. Yes, I think there is even a picture of us on one of those subzero days.

The inquisitive side of me wonders if there is any proof of said cold temperatures. The beauty of Google says, why yes, why yes there is. Weatherbase shares a snapshot of Clinton that indicates an average number of days per year that are below zero. Yes, it happens many times each year. And yes, we do go to school when it is that cold.

Yikes, I'm beginning to think I sound like one of those "old people".

When I was in school, we walked up hill, both directions, in the snow, everyday...

Nah, it wasn't like that at all. But there were some days that I walked. And some days that I walked in the snow.

Except for those days when it really was too cold. On those days it was so cold that the engine blocks on the buses are frozen solid.

Then it would be just crazy to go to school.

Christmas Cards

2011-01-03T19:55:00.002-06:00

Yes, it's true - you are not imagining things. You did not receive a Christmas card from us this year. Why?

Well, because I didn't send any.

Why?

I'm not really sure - I guess I looked up and the days had disappeared faster than anticipated.

So, I apologize.

And, from our house to yours- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Now, I suppose I should start working on the 2011 Christmas cards. :)

Christmas Baking

2010-12-31T16:32:00.002-06:00

Do you enjoy baking for Christmas? I do! Ok, honestly, I enjoy baking most any time of the year, but Christmas gives me an extra reason to spend days preparing delicious treats.

This year, our yard provided a bounty of pecans and thus the inspiration for our baking projects. This year, Bryan worked with me in the kitchen to create pecan tassies, pecan turtles, pecan logs, sugar & spice pecans, three pepper pecans, and spicy pecans. In addition to our pecan treats we created spritz cookies, Belgian waffle cookies, and sponge candy.

Now, I enjoy baking in large quantity, but I know we shouldn't eat baked goods in large quantity. That's we prepared bags of goodies for some of our Amarillo friends and family - to share a little Christmas cheer. If you listen closely you can hear the sounds of happy tummies from all across Amarillo. :)

I'll admit, I haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera yet, so this artful picture of the goodies is from our good friend Janet. Thanks, Janet!

A White Family Christmas Memory

2010-12-24T22:52:00.002-06:00

Bryan's brother Lem decided it would be a good idea to give Gene a special Christmas present this year.

Gene thought it was a fabulous gift. Esther, well, that's another story!

Gene even enjoyed the gift from a far.

Would you like to recreate this memory for a member of your family? Go to www.aMajorAward.com.

Merry Christmas!

KinderKonzerts 2010

2010-12-04T12:34:00.002-06:00

Nothing gets one into the Christmas spirit more than 5,900 young children singing Christmas carols. For the past two days I've been busy with a team of volunteers and musicians entertaining and instructing these youngsters at the symphony's KinderKonzerts.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-29T17:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year Bryan and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for some of the White Family at our home. I spent most of Wednesday preparing for the feast. I like to cook - and I had a grand time cooking in our kitchen.

By Thursday morning, the flowers were arranged,

the table was set,

and I had very little to do except wait for the cooking to be complete.

This was the first time I cooked a turkey, and I must say, it was delicious. I'm usually not a huge fan of white meat, but the white meat is this turkey was absolutely succulent!

I think the key was the brining. I used a brine recipe that was featured on the Pioneer Woman
we also cooked the bird "low and slow" and massaged the turkey with a compound herb butter during the last hour of cooking. Delicious turkey!

To join with the turkey, we made a giblet gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with a pecan crumble, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, cranberries and three pies - chocolate bourbon pecan, pumpkin, and apple.

Doesn't that apple pie look delicious? It's an illusion! This apple pie looked delicious on the outside, but when we opened it we learned that it did not cook well - in fact the bottom crust was still raw. :( Oh well, that's why there were two other delicious pies! Including this bourbon chocolate pecan pie!

Besides good food, we enjoyed spending time with Bryan's parents, Lem and Ken.

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with good food, family and good memories.

Pecans!

2010-11-28T17:17:00.001-06:00

Have you heard? We have a papershell pecan tree. And yes, the realtors were right, this tree can produce a large quantity of delicious pecans. (Not that this was the reason we purchased our home but everyone seemed to talk about it at that time). This is our first real crop of nuts from the tree as last year we saw a measley ten nuts. Imagine our surprise when the tree started dropping these beauties this fall! (If you would like some pecans - just ask!)

In preparation for Thanksgiving dinner I spent an evening shelling nuts. I'll admit, previously I was not a huge nut fan - but I think pecans are growing on me. (Probably a good thing, eh?) I made a delicious bourbon pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner and topped our sweet potatoes with a pecan crumble. I have a feeling that I will be developing pecan recipes for quite some time. If you would like the recipe for the pecan pie check the facebook page, "Sue's Cooking" (the brainchild of my cousin Meg and my nephew, Philip)

And yes, I had to do it (in part because it has been the most popular joke of the week). Here is the picture of Bryan and his rather large nut sack. Er, um, I mean...sack of nuts!

Halloween Festivities

2010-11-27T16:56:00.003-06:00

Yes folks, it's true - and I'm very sorry! I have been a bit of a blogging slacker - there is not a really good reason for this - it's just the truth! So, today (while my loving husband and his brother are busy working on our kitchen cabinet doors) I'm finally clearing out my email inbox and catching up on a blog or two.

I do have a new (to me) camera - and I have been trying to be better about capturing an image or two.

In preparation for Halloween Bryan and I carved a pumpkin for our front porch. (Ok, honestly - Bryan did the hard work of carving the pumpkin because I was spackling the kitchen cabinet doors. Do you see a trend in what has been keeping up busy? You should - it's kitchen cabinet doors!)

Here's a picture of Bryan getting into the pumpkin.

Now, we are creative folks - and this might have been one of our most inspired pumpkin carving moments. A few weeks before Halloween we had been at Austin's Pub and the waitress had given us a few Budweiser Lime rings. The rings included a blinking red light. When we returned after our night out I deconstructed the rings hoping we could find a use for the blinking LED.

And then it came to us, blinking eyes for the pumpkin!

Pictures don't do the pumpkin justice, but it was a spooky effect as the pumpkin's eyes blinked all night long!

Because I am a bit of a geek, I imagine the possibilities.

2010-11-10T17:24:00.000-06:00

White Wedding Picture

2010-08-24T22:10:00.003-05:00

This is Gene & Esther's wedding picture.

Gene and Esther have been married for 60 years. Bryan has looked at this picture for most of his 45 years and believed it to be a picture taken on his parents wedding day.

But, the picture was not taken on Gene & Esther's wedding day.

Yes, Esther is wearing her wedding dress, and yes, she is carrying flowers, but the picture was not taken on the White's wedding day in 1950.

While talking to Gene & Esther about their anniversary party plans, I learned that this "wedding" picture was actually taken nine months later at a college senior night banquet. Esther told a story of how the photographer showed up to their wedding without a flash and there was not a flash available for purchase in her small Oklahoma town - so, the White wedding was one without pictures. Esther decided to wear her wedding dress to the college senior night. There was a photographer at the event. Esther told her story to the photographer and he took a picture that is now known as their wedding picture. Esther's friends made a bouquet from the centerpieces at the event.

Lesson learned - ask questions, family stories are not always what they seem. :)

More anniversary weekend pics...

2010-08-21T22:19:00.003-05:00

The grillmaster.

We knew they were a corny pair.

Bryan likes this picture, not just because of the people in it - but because it showcases our backyard movie theater. :)

Thanks to Steve for sharing these pictures. I was a bit too busy to take pictures.

60th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations

2010-08-21T21:58:00.005-05:00

Friday the 13th was special not just because of it's eery date, it also marked Gene & Esther's 60th wedding anniversary.

Bryan and I hosted a few events to bring the family together to celebrate the event. On Saturday, August 14, we hosted a family cook-out and movie. Sunday morning we joined Gene and Esther for Sunday services at First Baptist. Following church services we hosted a luncheon at our home.

I know that Gene and Esther appreciated having their entire family together. 60 years of marriage is certainly incredible and worthy of celebration.

Communication

2010-08-18T20:32:00.003-05:00

I had to chuckle when I saw this post on Jon Mark's blog today - especially since the sign is in our neighborhood.

I sure hope this person was able to reach David.

Read the story here.

Five Years

2010-08-11T22:59:00.004-05:00

It's true, five years ago I arrived in Amarillo. Honestly, when I moved to Amarillo in 2005 I had no intention of staying this long - there was part of me that believed I would move on in two or three years.

But I didn't.

For a girl who grew up in a small town in Eastern Iowa, I never would have predicted that I would have move 1100 miles away to a place where I knew no one.

But I did.

The seed of an idea to pick up everything and leave Dubuque, Iowa was planted Memorial Day weekend 2005, my brother's wedding weekend. I knew it was time to move on to a new adventure, call it an ephiphany if you will.

On Memorial Day I sat down and my desk and began browsing for job opportunities. That first day I identified a few possible opportunities and began drafting resumes and cover letters. That week friends helped me revise my resume (Thanks to Jason and Bobbi M.) A week after the letters were mailed, I had appointments for phone interviews with 3 different orchestras. Multiple phone interviews occurred during those June weeks and eventually invitations to travel to three cities for on-site interviews. I opted only to travel to one - Amarillo.

A two day interview extended into three (as my flight was cancelled due to excessive air traffice in Dallas) and I spent the Juy 4th holiday in Amarillo.

Earlier this month I was reminded that during one of those many interview panels (July 3, 2005) I was asked where I saw myself in 5 years. The young and optimistic Sue answered, why, I'd like to be the Executive Director here or at a similar size orchestra. The irony was revealed earlier this summer when I was named Acting ED.

Mid-July 2005 I was offered the opportunity to move to Amarillo, and so I did.

Prior to my departure my friend Tori told me that I needed to move to Texas, buy a pick-up, get me a dog, and find me a cowboy.

Well, Tori, I didn't do what you said, but I have found happiness here in Amarillo.

Logic

2010-08-08T16:17:00.002-05:00

No mistake is more common and more fatuous than appealing to logic in cases which are beyond her jurisdiction.

Samuel Butler

A source of chaos

2010-08-01T23:16:00.003-05:00

To say my life has been a bit hectic the past month would be an understatement. I offer my new found level of chaos to be an explanation for my lack of blogging.

Hmm, that's probably a fairly pathetic excuse for a lack of blogging. There are many folks who would say that I should blog regularly to find an escape from the chaos.

I'll work on that.

In the meantime, you my blog reading friends are probably wondering what caused all of the extra chaos in my world.

Well, I can't say much - but you should read this as a start to understanding what's going on. I'll try to keep this blog free of the work stuff. But, it's the work stuff that is causing the more chaos than normal type existence.

Here's to a new month, and new experiences.

The real reason Bryan enjoyed our trip to Santa Fe

2010-07-29T22:05:00.005-05:00

The real reason Bryan enjoyed our trip to Santa Fe - sure, there was the escape from Amarillo, the delicious food, the slower pace, the time with his lovely wife...

But there is part of me that acknowledges that all of those fabulous experiences may not have been the highlight of Bryan's trip to Santa Fe.

You see, deep in the heart of every sound man is the desire to have more gear. More speakers, more microphones, more power amps, bigger sound consoles, more power...

Until one day, they realize that they need a stage. Yes, Bryan has entered that phase of his sound career that tempts him to want to purchase a stage of his very own. So much so, that he tried to detour our weekend getaway to the town in Colorado that manufactures a particular brand of stage so he could see one up close.

While, it's true that this desired stage is simple (so simple an 8th grader can assemble it in one hour) to assemble and thus appealing to an aging sound man - it's not a likely purchase in the near future for this newlywed couple. But a boy can, he dream.

So, imagine the sound man's delight when after hours of travel, and hours of roaming the international Folk Art Market he eyed the object of his desires.

Yes, I think we may have centered in on the reason that Bryan enjoyed our trip to Santa Fe.

I love my sound man. :)

International Folk Art Market

2010-07-26T22:22:00.005-05:00

Earlier this month, Bryan and I took an impromptu road trip to Santa Fe. If the trip had been less impromptu we might have known that the International Folk Art Market was being held in town - causing a shortage of hotel rooms, a massive activity on Museum Hill, and leaving few people in the plaza.

The display of artisans at the market was incredible.

And every bit of Museum Hill was festively decorated. the volunteers must have spent many days decorating the grounds in preparation for this event. (And found a good deal on tinsel after Christmas last year!)

Dining Recommendation in Santa Fe

2010-07-25T20:01:00.004-05:00

On our recent anniversary trip to Santa Fe we were lucky enough to receive a recommendation to dine at the Chocolate Maven. True, it was not easy to find the Chocolate Maven (who would expect to find such chocolate delicacies in a warehouse style building nestled between a car repair shop and an Akido studio?) Once we entered the Chocolate Maven we knew the search was worth the brunch we were about to eat.

Believe it or not, Bryan ate a sandwhich for breakfast - he claims it was delish. I enjoyed Eggs Blackstone (Free range eggs poached to order, layered with avocado, locally grown tomato, chipotle chile sauce, and hollandaise sauce.) Yummy, Yummy, yummy in the tummy.

Ok, but honestly, how could we eat at an establishment called the Chocolate Maven and not eat something containing chocolate.

So we did.

Belgian Chocolate Torte.

Goodness gracious, o mio, o myo.

Eat it. You must.

Next time you are in Santa Fe, go to the Chocolate Maven.

Top Layer of Our Wedding Cake

2010-07-06T21:37:00.005-05:00

Before our wedding, Bryan and I had heard the tales of many other couples sharing a bite of their wedding cake on the evening of their first wedding anniversary. The tradition seemed like a fun idea to us, so we made plans to preserve the top layer of our cake for our anniversary.

Many couples had told us that the cake was not so tasty a year after the event, but the tradition was worth it. Our cake tasted so delicious on the day of the wedding that we figured even if it tasted a fraction as good as the original it still probably couldn't be a bad thing. After we finished working on our anniversary, we returned home to sample some of our wedding cake. Perhaps we were a bit excited (hmm, or maybe it was the excitement of reclaiming that precious space in the freezer that had been occupied for a year?)

Sadly during the thawing process the icing slid off of the cake. We were not discouraged, we carried on and took a fork to the cake.

If the icing had not slid off, you would have been able to read that the top layer said, "Dare to Love Completely."

For the record, 1-year-old icing is tasty. ;-)

The cake looks a bit destroyed, because we quickly realized that the top half of the cake and the outside of the bottom layer was not so tasty - but the inside of the bottom layer was still quite delicious.

Oh, the things we do for the sake of tradition. Here's to many more anniversaries my love.

Anniversary Celebrations

2010-07-04T23:24:00.001-05:00

Bryan and I selected our marriage date of July 4 for a few reasons - some of which may seem silly to y'all. Our first date was on November 4, 2007. While we were dating, Bryan always tried to do something special on the 4th of the month, in fact, he proposed on November 4, 2008. When we thought about a date for our wedding, Bryan thought it might be a good idea (and easier for him) if we married on the 4th of a month. We also thought it might be best to marry in the summer because it would be easier for my family to travel from the midwest in the summer.

So, the calendar search began. It didn't take long for me to discover that the only 4th in the summer of 2009 that fell on a weekend was July 4. I asked Bryan if he thought that it would be crazy to marry on the 4th of July. We thought about it and both agreed that there would be no better date to celebrate our marriage.

At the time, we also had an honest conversation about how we would be spending our anniversaries for many years to come. Bryan is a sound man, and wanted to make a go of the audio company. We agreed that we could do this - but knew it also meant that our anniversaries for many years would be spent with Bryan doing some sort of outdoor event. In fact, we joked that if he did not have a gig on the 4th of July that there would be bigger problems in the marriage - July 4, is the one day every sound man should be able to find a gig.

And so, we spent our first anniversary as husband and wife - doing what we do - providing a sound system for a 4th of July party in the Colonies. I worked as Bryan's stage hand for the day. :) Honestly, I loved this gig - it was an easy, low stress kind of gig. Precisely the type of gig needed on our anniversary.

We enjoyed the music of local band AFK, and eventually (after a several hour delay) enjoyed the Amarillo Fireworks display.

Not a bad way to celebrate - Bryan jokes that the whole country celebrates with us.

Here's to many more celebrations!

My wonderful husband

2010-07-03T23:08:00.002-05:00

My wonderful and loving husband, he spoils me.

Every day. He reminds me of how blessed I really am. I am so grateful that he is my husband, my partner, my soulmate, my everything.

I love you hun.

The Not so Lonely Jimson Weed

2010-06-27T21:21:00.005-05:00

Our back alley is filled with many varities of native wildflowers. (Ok, honestly, many of these wildflowers are not so much flowers - and are more accurately weeds - it seems one of our neighbors is a connoisseur of the fine weeds of west Texas.) One of these wildflower varieties is the Jimson Weed.

The flowers open after dark - during the cool part of the day. I'm sure they are also open in the cool early morning hours, but let's be honest, I'm not the most high-functioning gal in the early morning hours. And if I was, trekking to the back alley is probably not where you would find me.

I suppose it would be best to capture these blooms in the early morning sunlight that will be a project for another day.

You might recognize the flower, the Jimson Weed from a Georgia O'Keefe painting, Jimson Weed. O'Keefe was commissioned by Elizabeth Arden to paint this image for Arden's New York Spa. Bryan and I saw this painting at the O'Keefe museum in Santa Fe on our honeymoon last summer.

By Request: Coconut Cream Pie

2010-06-21T22:06:00.004-05:00

When I was at Gene and Esther's house a few weeks ago, I ask Gene if there was any dessert he wanted in particular for the Father's Day dinner we had planned at our home.

Gene asked if I would be so kind as to make a coconut cream pie. Coconut cream pie with a meringue is his favorite dessert.

Gene then told me how when he was growing up his grandmother always had a coconut cream pie for him when he came to visit. It seems, as the only grandson he was spoiled from time to time.

I explained to Gene that I had never made a coconut cream pie, but I certainly was not afraid to try.

This weekend it was time to make good on my promise to Gene; it was time to bake my first coconut cream pie.

My grandmother once told me that everyone should have an old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, as the recipes are better in the older cookbooks. There are no shortcuts taken. And, I'll have to agree - if you want to make a recipe the way grandma used to, use the cookbook grandma would have used. I pulled my BH&G cookbook off the shelf (copyright 1953).

Sure enough, I was able to find a recipe for a coconut cream pie.

If you would like to make the pie, here's the recipe:
1/4 cup corn starch

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk scalded (ok, I used 1 cup milk + 1 cup coconut milk)

3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup moist shredded coconut + 1/2 cup for the top of the meringue
1 baked 9 inch pastry shell

Mix cornstarch, 2/3 cup sugar, and salt; gradually add milk. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Cook 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Add small amount to egg yolks; stir into remaining hot mixture; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly. Add butter, vanilla, shredded coconut; cool slightly. Pour into baked pastry shell. Cool.

Yes, the perfect meringue. A proper cream pie should be topped with a perfect meringue.

1. Beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon salt till frothy. Whites will whip fluffie if they're at room temperature. Now you're ready to add sugar.

2. Beat in 6 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. The meringue is ready for the pie when the sugar has dissolved and the meringue is stiff enough to hold a point, yet still looks moist.

3. Cover pie with meringue. Sprinkle 1/2 cup coconut on top of meringue. Bake at 350F for 12 - 15 minutes.

4. Enjoy!

This is the finished Coconut Cream Pie. I hear that it was very tasty, but I didn't get to try a piece myself - it was all gone by the time I got to it!

I also made a lemon meringue pie, which I learned at dinner was Esther's favorite pie. Must have been my lucky day!

Not every baking adventure is a success

2010-06-14T22:22:00.002-05:00

Not every baking adventure is a success.
If a recipe calls for self-rising flour - one should really use self-rising flour.

I'm just saying...oops!

Western Swing and Other Things

2010-06-13T22:27:00.002-05:00

This weekend Bryan's biz took us to a gig at a ranch on the canyon rim. The Western Swing Heritage Band played for the party goers.

Luckily, the high heat of the week was lessened by the cool Amarillo breezes.

Ha, did I say cool Amarillo breezes? That's only true if cool breezes means gusts of 30-40mph. At times we felt like we were being pelted by a sandblaster. But, I'll take the gusts of wind over the 95+ heat.

As I look at this picture from the evening at the ranch I have to chuckle. What sign is there of the wind on the ranch - if one were to believe this windmill they would think it was a completely calm evening! I think this group of musicians were genuinely excited to have a sound guy to to look after them. These guys were certainly a chatty bunch - sharing many stories of years gone by.

The jamming continued well into the evening providing many hours of dancing for the party goers. Honestly, I had never seen a party quite like this until I moved to Amarillo. Western Swing dancing is not exactly common in Eastern Iowa.

Bryan enjoyed mixing audio for this group. The plus side is that Western Swing is not very taxing on the gear.

I was excited that the gig was big enough to warrant a load-out crew - this meant I had to move less gear. And that's a good thing!

Until the next big gig...

Chicken Fajita Roll-Ups

2010-06-11T01:57:00.000-05:00

While in college and for several years afterwards, I worked at Applebee's in Dubuque, Iowa. My favorite food to order at the end of my shift was a Chicken Fajita Roll-Up. After moving to Amarillo I decided to recreate my favorite dinner treat.

I made this roll-ups for our dinner gathering this week and thought I'd share the recipe I've developed. Perhaps someday I'll remember to use a camera to document the steps PW style.

Chicken Fajita Roll-ups
The recipe may for these may seem a bit complicated, but it's really not. Divide the tasks into 4 parts.

Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
Fajita Chicken Marinade Recipe
2 cups Water
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons White Distilled Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Ground Chipotle Pepper
2 teaspoons Hickory Smoke Flavoring (Liquid Smoke)
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Marinate 4 chicken breasts in marinade for no longer than 2 hours. (I also use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts).

Step 2: Prepare the Pico de Gallo
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to build roll-ups.

Step 3: Prepare the Mexi Ranch Dipping Sauce
(this is essential to the enjoyment of the wrap - do not skip!)
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 Tablespoons diced tomato
1 Tablespoon buttermilk (or milk)
1 Tablespoon White distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon (or more!) canned green chile peppers
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
healthy pinch dried dillweed
healthy pinch cumin
healthy pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Step 4: Prepare Chicken Wraps

1. Grill marinated chicken (I use our George Foreman Grill).
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.
3. Heat tortilla on grill pan. Melt a handful of cheese on the tortilla (I use a Mexican Shredded 4 Cheese blend). Add chicken. Once cheese is melted remove from heat.
4. Top meat and cheese with pico de gallo and shredded lettuce. Roll wrap. Slice on diagonal.
5. Serve with homemade mexi ranch.
6. Enjoy!

At Wednesday night's dinner, Bryan shared that this was one of the meals that I had made for him when we first started dating. He shared with his friends that if this is how I cooked - I was probably a pretty good catch. :)

And a final note, if you serve the wrap with french fries (this would be a good idea!) Mexi Ranch is a fabulous dip for your hot french fries.

Bryan's reason to be excited about Wednesday night dinner guests

2010-06-10T22:51:00.004-05:00

Yes, ladies and gents, this might be the reason that Bryan was so excited to have company for dinner on Wednesday night.

Ok, it's probably not the only reason.

Ok, I know it's not the only reason.

Wednesday night we had a pair of our good friends over for dinner. We enjoyed an evening of conversation, dining and sharing the story of our home remodeling.

Bryan was very excited that I stayed up late on Tuesday night to prepare our Triple Chocolate Cheesecake for our dinner party.

After the guests had left Bryan was eager to share another piece.

Very eager.

If you'd like to make the dessert that Bryan smiling on Wednesday night - I can't take credit for the recipe - check out Martha's recipe here.

High Noon on the Square 2010

2010-06-09T23:23:00.001-05:00

Today the symphony sponsored a string quartet to perform as part of the Center City High Noon on the Square series.

My loving husband gladly stepped in to serve as my partner in techiness today. And, I think he might have actually liked it! It's a good thing he enjoys a bit of audio work - today was a toasty Amarillo day and we certainly invested some sweat equity into this afternoon's performance.

Several string players in the symphony agreed to play for today's performance despite the incredible heat.

The quartet serenaded the audience with some wedding favorites. Perhaps it was a little marketing for future wedding gigs.

And, yes, there was even a bit of audio gear to entertain Mr. Bryan.

Yes, I'm trying to take a lot of pictures - I'm trying to learn more about my new camera!

My brother, the Artist

2010-06-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

Did you know that my brother is a visual artist? It's true! There's a reason I don't have much creative talent, my brother got most of those genes.

My brother currently is an artist living in South Dakota. Recently he's had an extra bit of well deserved recognition thrown his direction. Late last month he received notice from the South Dakota Arts Council that he is the recipient of an artist project grant. With these grant funds he will work to create a new body of work that explores the landscape of the South Dakota Badlands.

In addition, this summer his past work will be featured at the Figge Art Museum in the Quad Cities. If you are in the area you should check out the exhibition or, if it works in your schedule check out the artist reception on June 19.

We are lucky enough to have several pieces of his original artwork in our home. All of our pieces are from the earlier periods - maybe someday we will have a new piece.

If you are interested in seeing more of Chris's work you can check it out on his blog here.

New toy and weekend projects

2010-06-04T22:41:00.003-05:00

This week I was the lucky recipient of a new (to me!) Nikon D100. This is my first DSLR camera. I had an SLR that I used for many years, but I had stopped using my Nikon N70 shortly after moving to Amarillo when it became more time consuming to use traditional film. In the years since all of my photography has been with my little Kodak point-n-shoot.

So, now that I have a new toy I hope to spend some time this weekend learning how to use it. I know I won't be able to master it in a weekend, it will be a source of entertainment and a new hobby for many years to come. Now I need to dust off my knowledge of aperatures and shutter speed and....

While I'm learning to use the new camera Bryan is resuming some work on the kitchen drawers. We have taken a long enough pause on the kitchen and now would like to have a place to store our silverware!

Hopefully some significant progress can be made in the coming weeks!

Luckily I have a husband who loves me very much and is amused by my random antics. Thank you sweetie!

Guacamole

2010-06-03T22:35:00.002-05:00

Yummy.

My husband makes delicious guacamole. I waited a year for a batch of guacamole. Hopefully, I won't have to wait that long for the next batch.

Fruit Dip

2010-06-02T22:21:00.003-05:00

Another recipe rooted in the theory that every recipe is better with a little bit of liquor.

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 tsp. Grand Marnier

Mix, chill, enjoy with a variety of fruit.

Sausage Mini-Quiche

2010-06-01T07:07:00.001-05:00

sI prepared these Sausage Mini-Quiches for a recent baby shower. The preparation work was worth the deliciousness!

Here's what you need:

1 roll Phyllo Dough

1/2 pound country sausage, sage

1/4 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 clove finely minced garlic

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/8 tsp dry mustard powder

1/4 tsp ground sage

1/4 tsp ground thyme (I didn't have ground thyme, so I used fresh thyme)

1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt

Dash of hotsauce
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
2 eggs
Shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese

Makes 24 mini-quiches

1. Prepare the Phyllo Dough according to the package instructions. Alternate a layer of Phyllo dough with a layer of melted butter. Build five sheets for one set. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut shells for the quiche. Fit each circle into the mini-muffin pan.

2. Saute pork sausage, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic together until the meat is no longer pink. Break up the sausage into small pieces as you saute. Let pork sausage mixture cool to room temperature.

3. Spoon 1/2-1 Tbs. of the cooled pork mixture into each mini-muffin cup.

4. Blend cream cheese, dry mustard, sage, thyme, onion powder, salt, pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until incorporated.

5. Spoon egg and cheese mixture over sausage in each cup. Top with a sprinkling of Gruyere or Swiss cheese.

6. Bake 10 minutes in a 400F oven.

Enjoy!

White Trash Orange BBQ Chicken

2010-05-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

For our Memorial Day Cook-out we prepared White Trash Orange BBQ Chicken. The secret was in the sauce!

Here's the recipe:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (truth be told, we ran out of white wine vinegar and I supplemented with some red wine vinegar

1/4 tomato paste

1/2 Tsp ground ginger
1 Tsp dried onion powder
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp butter
Salt & pepper
zest of one orange

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until sauce becomes a thin syrup.

Grill chicken 20 minutes on first side, 10 minutes on second side, baste with sauce and finish cooking final ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Thanks to White Trash BBQ for the recipe.

Memorial Day Weekend BBQ

2010-05-30T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today, Bryan and I invited several friends over for an evening of fun, food, and friendship. Bryan donned his finest apparel to cook up a batch of White Trash Chicken.
Our friends, Randy, Kim, Nick and Carol joined us for the evening. Randy and Nick told many a tale of their life in various bands that played in the Amarillo area - and farther - from back in the day.

Each tale of mishap seemed to end with the line, "and we played the gig". "And we played the gig" became the theme for the evening.

Here, Nick tells us tales of a band that was the Amarillo version of the Partridge family, there was a band house, a band bus, kids from one family playing together and a mom that booked all of their gigs.

For dinner, I was able to show some of our patriotism with our patriotic colored Fiestaware.

I channeled my inner Iowa girl and shucked some corn for the dinner. I'm a bit proud of the way the prepared corn looked - the husks were tied with single husk and prepared for grilling - a pretty sight, don't you think?

The corn was grilled alongside the White Trash chicken and the Margarita shrimp skewers.

For dessert we served strawberry shortcake. I made the shortcake from scratch - and yes, it was tasty!

Bryan and I learned that we are not capable of cooking a meal for only six! We probably could have served 20 people with the spread we had prepared!

The conversation lasted well into the evening. And, we are gearing up to do it again on Monday!

Baby Shower

2010-05-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

This weekend I co-hosted a baby shower for a friend here in Amarillo with two other symphony ladies. The weather on Saturday morning was grand for our mid-morning brunch. Karen was showered with many fun gifts for the baby to be.

These are the fun animal shakers that we gave Karen. (Our gifts had a strong musical influence!)

And this, the Croc-o-Glock. The pitch was fairly pleasant - but, as Casey indicates, the mallets were a little stronger than we needed.

Casey shared her collections of hats with those in attendance. Little Anna was very fond of this hat/wig combination.

Kellie even toasted Karen with a special champagne toast. The toast was special because Kellie included a special opening of the bottle of champagne - she used a sword! It's a trick that she learned in GQ.

And yes, there was food!

This is the fruit platter that Bryan helped me create. The recipe for the fruit dip will come later this week.

And these, these my dear friends, these mini-breakfast quiches are nothing short of divine. Savory and splendid!

Kellie channeled her inner Martha Stewart by cutting the cheese into these charming duck and heart shapes.

The showere was a delightful way to spend the morning with lovely friends.

Congratulations, Karen!

Midnight Stroganoff

2010-05-12T12:14:00.005-05:00

Late last night Bryan and I returned home after a day at the GNC for load-ins and symphony rehearsal. Around 11 p.m. Bryan announced that he was really hungry for prime rib stroganoff.

At first in shock, I said really? Then agreed to whip something out with the contents of our fridge. I'm still to sleepy to say much, but here are some images from Bryan's photo essay.

A tasty treat for sure!

Bronc Riding in Clarendon

2010-05-05T22:32:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Bryan had a gig running audio for an event in Clarendon, Texas. The event included music from 3 bands - and in the afternoon a bronc riding event.

I traveled with Bryan to this gig so that he would have a stagehand - once I had provided the necessary muscle (Yes, I am the muscle behind Digital-One, at least I was for this gig. I had the entire trailed unloaded - except for one speaker - by the time Bryan returned from connecting the distro to the generator), I went exploring and found myself watching the bronc riding events.

These are not pro-rodeo guys, these are honest to goodness cowboys practicing some of their crazy cowboy skills.

The afternoon also included a shetland pony bronc riding event. I didn't know a Shetland could bronc until today - some of those ponies were vicious! One kid was trampled pretty good - left the arena under his own power - but his white shirt left the arena in pieces and red.

There's something about the 5 and 6 year old crowd in chaps that just gets to me.

This young rider was a little sad that he couldn't ride - but he did have cool boots. Check out those spider webs!

Yes, I had a camera all day - and only took pictures of the cowboys - sorry rig! You are just not as photogenic as a pair of chaps.

I'm a firefighter!

2010-04-26T23:45:00.002-05:00

It's true - during the chaos of last week's concert festivities I channeled my inner firefighter.

On Wednesday of last week, this was the site outside of my office.

What's not clear from that image is that almost 10 minutes earlier I had returned to my office and smelled smoke. I asked Chip if he could smell the smoke - he said yes, but he thought it was something burning outside. I continued to sniff out the source of the smoke - I was seeking burning plastic - that's what I could smell.

Then I saw it - the fire was definetely not outside. At this point, if you were within earshot (and even if you weren't) you could hear me scream in shock. I stepped outside of my office and saw 18-24" flames on the catering table that had been placed near the conference room.

I ran down the hallway and grabbed the fire extinguisher. I thought back to my RA training at Loras (yes, we did learn a thing or two!) I worked quickly to use the extinguisher to put out the fire. The flames continued to re-ignite and Chip used the broom to help swat out the flames.

Once we had extinguished the fire Chip and I retreated to the fresh air of the loading dock.

Oddly, it was several minutes before anyone in the building noticed that there was a fire in the hallway. By the time the firetrucks arrived we had been outside for quite a while - but it was a quick response time following the call they received.

The fire caused a bit of excitement during an already hectic concert week and one gnarly piece of art.

The lesson for the rest of you - do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is - in your home and in your place of work? On that day I learned that most of my building mates had no idea where the fire extinguishers were located in the building. I find that a bit scary. Take a moment tomorrow and find where the nearest fire extinguishers are located. It could save a life.

Weekend of small projects

2010-04-25T22:53:00.003-05:00

This weekend was a weekend for accomplishing small projects that have been on my to-do list. In sum, the projects have a fairly sizeable effect - or, that's what I keep telling myself.

Saturday was spent concurring the battle against construction dust. Ugh. I'm not sure that I will ever win that battle, but I did make a strong attack. All of the floors are swept and mopped - remind me, why did I think it would be a great idea to have hardwood floors throughout the house?

Today I tried to tackle a few small home improvement projects. I repainted a two mirrors that I had found so they will match our new home, painted the door that hides our waterheater, touched up paint in a few places, and, and, and...

Here's the mirror that I fixed up and repainted for the spare bedroom. I thought the circular shape complemented the pattern in the curtains rather nicely.

We also finally hung our kitchen art. It looks like the painting was designed for that wall. My brother, Chris, actually painted this for my first apartment on Cardiff Street in Dubuque.

And, since you haven't seen it yet - we now have an island in our kitchen! It's true! Bryan has wanted a pot rack and a kitchen island - and now we have it. This temporary island is the handiwork and imagineering of Mr. Bryan. The countertop is constructed from the scrap pieces created by cutting out the hole for our sink and cooktop. The countertop is currently set on our old microwave cart. There are plans to build a cabinet to set the countertop piece on (the pieces have actually been purchased) but for now we are enjoying the convenience of having a kitchen island.

We are both exhausted after a weekend of working on the house - more progress to come this week - hopefully!

Tonight's Dinner

2010-04-07T23:17:00.005-05:00

Forgive me, it has been so long since I have been able to enjoy cooking in a real kitchen. Perhaps that is the reason for my enthusiasm about cooking and desire to blog about food.

Tonight I made an impromptu dinner out of ingredients found in our kitchen. I had purchased some asparagus for Easter ambitiously thinking that I might be ready to cook in our kitchen for Easter Sunday. Let's be real...Ha!

Anyway, I had some fresh and tasty looking asparagus - so I roasted it in the oven using PW's recipe.

While unpacking the kitchen I rediscovered our boxes of Penzey spices, so I used the Jamiacan Jerk seasoning on some chicken breasts. Tasty!

And finally, we needed dessert! It had been a long time since we had baked any sweets, so it was time to make Sue's Brownies. Yummy if I must say so (I don't have to though - Bryan will agree!)

This time we made a substitution for the Hershey's cocoa and used - another of our Penzey collection - NATURAL HIGH FAT COCOA. Who knew? And, I offer - how can natural high fat cocoa be a bad thing in a dessert? I submit to you that it is absolutely not a bad thing, and might actually be a wee bit sinful. We will need to add more of this to our baking goods collection.

Out of everything accomplished in the kitchen last night, I think Bryan was most excited that he got to use the high power tool of our kitchen - the KitchenAid Professional Mixer. Yowsa, this thing has some power!

Now, on to plan dinner for tomorrow night - any ideas?

Hobo Tilapia

2010-04-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

Now that we have a functioning kitchen, it's time to start having fun cooking again! Last night I prepared this tasty and simple dish, Hobo Tilapia. Why Hobo Tilapia? Well, it's easy, didn't require a lot of prep work, and used dry ingredients that I already had in the house so an additional shopping trip was not necessary.

Here's how to make your own Hobo Tilapia.

First, gather all of your needed spices and some tilapia. (I used frozen tilapia fillets that I had thawed earlier in the day).

Next, combine the spices in a bowl large enough to dredge the fish fillets in.

Then, dredge each fillet in the spice mixture.

Here are all of the fillets ready to cook.

Heat a heavy skillet, add olive oil and heat until the oil is almost smoking. Cook the tilapia for 3 minutes per side, or until the fish can be flaked with a fork.

Once finished you could squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top - I didn't because we didn't have any lemons.

If you would like to make your own Hobo Tilapia, the spice mixture recipe is:

Hobo Tilapia
3 Tablespoons Paprika
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1 pinch garlic powder (ok, honestly - I use more than a pinch)
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt

This is enough spice mixture for 1 pound of tilapia fillets.

Only in Amarillo

2010-04-01T16:55:00.003-05:00

Only in Amarillo can sunshine, high winds, fire warnings and freeze watches all be part of the same forecast.

We have a functioning kitchen!

2010-04-01T00:29:00.000-05:00

It's true! As of tonight, we have a functioning kitchen. There are still a few more projects to tackle, but we do have a functioning kitchen.

Can I get a yahoo? For the first time in seven months we can use a kitchen. Yahoo!

The most amazing part of this? Most of these projects were completed today. Amazing - who knew two weeks would end this week?

Tonight we painted the breakfast nook. The color is called Honey Pot, we like it with our Honey Milk trim.

...and today, Bryan installed the plumbing for the kitchen sink, garbage disposal, and dishwasher...

...and they installed our double oven...

....and they installed a new light fixture...

...and they set-up our new refrigerator. It's fabulous!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a kitchen. If we keep on pace I should be able to cook a delicious Easter dinner!

Did I mention, my husband rocks? Yes, my husband rocks.

We have countertops!

2010-03-28T23:23:00.002-05:00

It's true! We have countertops. The process didn't take the two hours that was predicted for the installation, but the countertops were installed today and they look fabulous. We have decided to add an additional backsplash and that will happen on Friday of this week.

After the countertops were installed, Bryan couldn't control his enthusiasm and also wanted to install our new vent hood. The task was no easy project, and lucky his handy nephew, Phil, was here to help us install it. There is still some electrical work to be done, but we tried the unit with an extension cord, and it looks fabulous.

Bryan also wanted to see what our cooktop would look like on this section of counter, so, he set it in place. You can see what our cooktop area will look like in this image - hopefully the gas line will be connected later this week.

Does this countertop look big to you? Well, it should - it's 13 feet, 1 inch long. That's a lot of countertop! The sink is an undermount that has a seemless transition from the sink to the countertop - it's a pretty slick feature.

All this to say, we are making some significant progress on the kitchen and it's a great feeling.

Two weeks!

I'm an Aunt! (Again!)

2010-03-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

Hazel May
8 lbs, 10 ounces
22 inches

Suicide Run to Dallas and a Hotel Recommendation

2010-03-22T23:09:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday and Friday, Bryan and I made our second suicide run to Dallas to claim the symphony's contrabassoon from the bassoon repair man. The run was aptly named because we were only absent from our Amarillo home for a mere 34 hours.

Yes, we have a kitchen to work on, but sometimes we need to take a break (or more accurately, I need to provide Bryan with an opportunity for a break. This is an even better opportunity when the expenses are covered by someone else, especially work!

Prior to our departure, I browsed online seeking a fun hotel option. I saw that Le Meridien Dallas North was conveniently located near the bassoon repair man. After a quick call to the hotel, I learned that they had a room available online for a mere $75 and that it was a suite - SWEET!

So, I made plans for a fun stay at Le Meridien. The Meridien is a chain hotel trying to be a boutique hotel at a modest price point. We certainly enjoyed our stay at the hotel and learned that if you want a deal, search online - and the day of your arrival and you are bound to find a good deal!

After we checked into the hotel I treated Bryan to his first dining experience at a Cheesecake Factory. Delicious! We had dessert (of course, how can you not?) Silly Bryan ordered chocolate cake, and not cheesecake and I had the wild blueberry cheesecake.

Oh, before we checked into the hotel we saw Bryan's brother Lem at Lem's house.

On Friday, we met Bryan's high school chum, J-Hole. Yep, that's his nickname. J-Hole and his wife Karen are Bryan's pals from way back. Luckily, J-Hole brought some photos to prove that Bryan once had hair. Who knew?

After our leisurely lunch we claimed the contrabassoon and began the roadtrip back home. Midway through our journey the temperature began to drop and folks back home advised us worsening road conditions. Sure enough, once we arrived home the snow began to fall. After a week in the 70s it was time for a weather change. 9 hours and five inches of snow later, Amarillo had another day of winter on the first day of spring. Have no fears, the weather has changed several times since then and the snow has all melted (except for a few piles in our yard!).

Phew, and that's a 36 hour trip to Dallas.

Accent West: Symphony Ball Edition

2010-03-20T16:45:00.005-05:00

Ladies and Gents, I have further proof that my husband is indeed a gentlemen. Bryan and I were included in this year's Symphony Ball spread in Accent West. Yes, he cleans up, wears a tux, and ends up in the society pages. Not bad I say, not bad at all. (In fact, this is not the first time!)

Yes, Mom, we will work on getting you a copy of this issue.

Phil's new guitar

2010-03-15T22:46:00.003-05:00

Philip bought a new Taylor guitar today. We were lucky enough to be serenaded this evening by the very happy guitar strummin' young man. (We may have had to dodge a button or two).

Congrats Phil, it's a beaut.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2010-03-14T00:25:00.004-06:00

It's another weekend of home remodeling projects. We are ready to begin the finish painting in the kitchen. In an effort to protect the tile in the kitchen we spent a good portion of Friday evening covering every square inch with paper or tape. Bryan was quite fond of the finished product - think of it as our version of abstract art.

We got off to an early start today. Bryan's primary project was applying a primer coat to the interior of the cabinet boxes. The project began and Bryan felt a little loopy - this is perhaps because of the fact that we are using a lacquer undercoat and the fumes are a bit much (even with all of the windows open and several fans to help with the exhaust. I convinced Bryan that it was time to head to the Home Depot (because really, what day is complete without a trip to the Home Depot?) to purchase a respirator. Bryan quickly learned that he was a fan of this piece of equipment and even was now all smiles.

Here Bryan is mixing the undercoat to apply to the cabinets.

Cat enjoyed another rough day resting in the sun. Despite the fact that the screen door was propped open for her she preferred to use the entrance she created in the window screen a few weeks ago. She's so smart.

And really roughing it. :)

Ok, two weeks.

2010-03-11T19:43:00.004-06:00

Ok, so maybe we are a few weeks farther into the project than two, but I can assure you that progress has been made on our home.

Last month we were cruising through kitchen rennovations. At the end of the two weeks, Bryan's brother left town for new adventures. Bryan and I were left to finish the project on our own.

So, of course - I had to complicate the situation. After progress had been made in the kitchen we knew we could step it up a notch. We made the decision to texture the walls in the breakfast nook. (The previous texture looked like an unfortunate accident). We had observed Bryan's brother shoot texture on the walls in the other rooms in the house with a hopper - how hard could it be?

And clearly, if we were going to make the mess to texture the walls in the breakfast nook, it would make the most sense if we also textured the walls in the utility hallway and the half bathroom.

Before progress could be made in this scenario there was more demolition in our future.

I was tasked with tearing apart the half bath and Bryan worked on the utility hallway.

Underneath the first layer of painted over wallpaper in the bathroom I discovered this cheery second layer of wallpaper. The paper is so cheery it even has it's own bluebird.

And with the bluebirds are acorns, and oak leaves on a pink background, what was someone thinking?

Did you know that our bathroom used to have a window to a hallway? Why? Even more amusing is that the hallway originally connected to the garage and even more interesting is that the bathroom used to be a closet - so, why was a window needed? We were not sure either. No worries, Bryan fixed it!

Once the wallpaper was removed and the walls were prepared for texture, I set to work removing the linoleum tiles. A heat gun makes quick work of that project.

Today our tile man came to work on the bathroom floor. We have a new ceramic tile floor in the bathroom. He will come back tomorrow to finish the grout work.

The kitchen has seen progress since the last round of photos. The cabinets have been caulked and readied for a coat of laquer primer.

During the February kitchen push we decided to use beadboard instead of tile for the backsplash. This decision created a lot of extra work for our carpenter and expanded the scope of the project. Beadboard was added to several walls and in the breakfast nook to a chair rail level. We also used the old picture rail from the living room to create a chair rail.

Our carpenter left a few projects for Bryan. Bryan has honed his carpentry skills and was able to install this beadboard and crown molding. I think it looks pretty good, don't you?

Maybe in two weeks we will have a finished kitchen.

Two weeks!

Two Weeks!

2010-02-14T19:41:00.002-06:00

Have you ever seen the movie, the Money Pit? Bryan introduced me to this movie shortly after we purchased our home last fall. One of our first date nights after purchasing our home was to watch this movie.

If you are familiar with the film, you know that the common response to finishing any of the projects in the home is "two weeks!". Bryan has also taken to using this phrase when providing a timeline for completion of projects in our home.

Tonight I am excited to report that the work to complete our electrical service is finished! This particular project has been a source of frustration for Bryan and I as we have been at the mercy of multiple electricians and extremely delayed completion.

Tonight, that is a concern no more. I can finally turn on multiple lights in the bathroom, as well as the wall heater, and the fan. :) It's the little things in life.

In honor of the completion of our electrical work, I thought I'd share this fun clip from The Money Pit.

Symphony Ball 2010

2010-02-13T22:38:00.003-06:00

Bryan and I attended the 2010 Symphony Ball sponsored by the Amarillo Symphony Guild earlier this month. It was an opportunity to prove that every once in awhile we can clean up and look fairly decent.

The theme for this year's ball was Carnaval - Rio de Janiero. The Heritage Room at the Civic Center was festooned with bright colors and many, many feathers!

Vote for us!

2010-01-28T21:04:00.002-06:00

Come on, vote for Bryan and I! We could win a fun little prize package. Besides, it's a snow day - I had to find a way to entertain us!

It's snowing!

2010-01-28T13:40:00.002-06:00

It's true! It's snowing in Amarillo. Weather folks started predicting this storm early this week. This morning we received almost a 1/2 inch of ice followed by sleet and eventually snow. The interstate is closed and travel is strongly discouraged. All of the schools in the are closed, including the university. Our office is even closed for the day!

I took this picture out our front window, I had intended to go outside, but our front door has a snow drift covering it - making it impossible to open (until i head out to shovel).

We are expecting a bit of snow this afternoon (8-16 inches!)...so it's time to bundle up for a cold winter's day.

1994 Royal River King Marching Band

2010-01-04T06:47:00.000-06:00

Rough Life

2010-01-02T00:57:00.001-06:00

It's true, she has a very rough life.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T00:20:00.003-06:00

From our home to yours, we wish you great joy and happiness in 2010!

A fresh blanket of snow fell on New Year's Eve providing a fresh canvas for the New Year.

I'm currently without a New Year's resolution, not sure where to start...do you have any New Year's resolutions?

Over one's head

2009-12-30T23:09:00.006-06:00

Bryan and I worked hard to find a small gift for all of his immediate family members. Bryan is particularly proud of this random find. It's a coffee mug, with a ceramic giraffe attached to the bottom.

Why is there a giraffe attached to the bottom of this coffee mug? We are not exactly sure. But it does amuse us greatly and we thought it to be the perfect random gift for Bryan's coffee and tea drinkin' nephew, John.
I suppose we wanted to remind John that if he ever felt over his head, he should have a cup of tea with this mug. Then he would remember that there is always someone worse off than he is.

Thanks for the pic, John. We are glad you are using the mug!

House Update: Kitchen

2009-12-28T22:30:00.002-06:00

Bryan says that I have been remiss in updating everyone on our home remodeling projects. Perhaps it is true. So, tonight's post features pictures provided by Bryan.

The majority of our house is currently in good working order, I'll have to post pictures from these areas later, as it seems that there are no pictures on my camera from the rest of the house. Our current area of massive renovation is our kitchen. And to be honest, it has been no small stressor. Most of the components for the kitchen are purchased and ready for installation once some major preparation has been done in the kitchen.

As long as we were working on the kitchen, we thought it would be a good opportunity to remedy some of the bigger issues in the house. So, the kitchen is currently being prepped so that we can do an overhaul of the electrical system. The house is wired with tube and knob with 6 circuits providing the service for the entire house. That might have been ok in 1950, but today we have a few more appliances that are a steady drain on electricity. Our goal is to increase to 24 breakers.

While Bryan is working on the electrical project, I'm supposed to be working on the kitchen cabinet doors in the garage. We are both making equal progress.

Here's a few shots of the kitchen in it's current condition:

While we are living in the main house (and no longer in the back house - woohoo!) we have had to improvise a kitchen. The spare bedroom was complete - so we decided to set up our kitchen in that room. We are able to prepare meals with our microwave oven and George Foreman grill. We recently dug out the crockpot hoping to expand our meal options.

This bookshelf and rolling carts comprise our current kitchen.

Hopefully January will grant us time to make significant progress on the kitchen.

Frank's Christmas Jam 2009

2009-12-27T00:24:00.002-06:00

Bryan and I spent Saturday night enjoying fun with friend's and music at Frank's Annual Christmas Jam. At this yearly jam members of various Amarillo bands get together and do that...jam. There are never too many guitars or drummers on stage. It's a time for these musicians to kick back, relax and play for the fun of it.

Only four guitar players? Nah, clearly - that is not enough!

Cat's favorite hang-out spot

2009-12-26T12:14:00.002-06:00

We have a cat. Her name is Cat. (Truth be told, she was Bryan's cat before he and I met and he is very creative with naming his pets.) Cat has a very rough life, she can go where she wants, when she wants. However, she is also a creature of habit.

For example, on Sunday evening's Cat is treated to special cat food (her normal diet of dry cat kibble is replaced with a plate of Whiskas moist food). Cat is very aware of this routine. Early in the afternoon on Sunday (and only on Sunday) she will begin rubbing on your legs. By dinner time, one cannot finish prepping dinner without first preparing her plate of special food as her talking gets to be a bit overwhelming.

Her other habits are sleeping. Yes, she is an excellent sleeper. If one is looking for cat she can usually be found on our bed curled up on the extra blanket at the foot of the bed. For some reason she only curls up on the extra blanket and not the main comforter (for this I am grateful as it makes the clean-up much easier - only the extra blanket needs to be washed frequently).

On these cold winter days (yes, winter has arrived in Amarillo) cat be found in a new relaxation place. This is a picture of cat enjoying some down time in her new nap place:

Cat has developed a certain fondness for this wall gas heater that is mounted near the back door in the mud room (someday a family room, but today it's a mud room). I have mixed emotions about this open flame gas heater - it does provide a nice warmth when entering from outside but I have concerns about future small children and the open flame. But that's a question for another hypothetical day. In the meantime, my hubby and Cat both enjoy time in front of this heater so for now it stays.

Yes, Miss Cat you have a very rough life.

A bright idea...

2009-12-25T19:19:00.002-06:00

Bryan was especially delighted to find this ball cap in one of the packages under the tree. The techie possibilities are endless.
I think this gift really allows us to shine a little light on the subject. Thanks Leona and Ron!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

It's been a crazy month for the White's in Amarillo, so I thought I would take a moment and share some of our Christmas cheer with you.

The first two weeks of December are filled with symphony performances and events. (6 KinderKonzerts, 8 Nutcracker performances and one Beethoven Society Dinner). During all of the hectic symphony holiday oriented performances, neither Bryan or I had much of the Christmas spirit to decorate the house for the approaching holidays.

After the performances concluded, on December 14, Bryan and I headed to the local tree lots to find our Christmas tree. We decided that this year we would have a real tree. We both thought a real tree shouldn't be up for more than two weeks (avoiding all of those pesky fire hazards) so surely there would be trees left.

We thought wrong. There were only a handful of trees left at the time we were searching for our Christmas tree. We decided on a 7 foot Noble Fir. This tree has a bit of character, sporting a rather crooked trunk and everything!

Here Bryan utilizes his manly tech skills and is busy attaching the tree to the roof of our car.

Here's a picture of our tree once it was decorated and in our living room. It's a cheery sight!

Bryan even decided to surprise me by making a Christmas wreath out of the extra pieces from our Christmas tree.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

From our house to yours, Bryan says, "FLEECE Navidad"!

It's true, he actually said this - I can't make this stuff up. Merry Christmas!

Royal River King Marching Band - 1997 Mardi Gras Parade

2009-12-07T12:22:00.002-06:00

From the old home movies collection:

We are making progress...honest!

2009-11-03T23:28:00.001-06:00

Pirates of the Canyon Balloon Rally

2009-11-01T12:09:00.003-06:00

After a late night of working on projects around the house, Bryan and I headed to Palo Duro Canyon to watch the Pirates of the Canyon hot air balloon rally.

First Snowfall of the season

2009-10-29T23:52:00.000-05:00

Turn your head and you can watch the first snowfall of the season in Amarillo. Scary but true!

Punchlists

2009-09-24T15:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my husband, our home is currently filled with punchlists like these. We have lived at our new house for a month, but we are still not living in our home.

We have undertaken a larger than anticipated set of remodeling projects. Our home will ultimately be better for it, but in the meantime our life is dominated by punchlists and many, many projects.
Folks have been pestering me for an update about our house, so in honor of the punchlists that currently decorate the walls in our home I thought I'd give an updated tour complete with punchlists.

THE FAMILY ROOM

Ok, honestly, at the moment it is more accurately the mud room, or that area where everything needed to complete any project lands. We have not tackled a single project in this room. (In fact, we don't even want to think about what needs to be done in this room yet!)

SPARE BEDROOM

What's been done so far:

- hardwood floors refinished

-icky wallpaper removed

-walls re-mudded and textured
-baseboards sanded and prepped for painting

-icky smelly carpet removed
-wall heater removed and appropriately patched

What needs to be done:
-paint the walls

-paint closet interior

-replace light switches and outlets

-replace light fixture? (maybe someday!)
-install quarter round and new crown molding

THE KITCHEN

What's been done:
-Flooring replaced

-and since the last photo update - the ceramic tile on the cooktop counter has been removed

To be done:
Everything! The appliances are arriving, the backsplash tile has been selected, the countertops are selected - but we need to finish the rest of the house before we tear up this room!

The background for this picture is our new ceramic tile. The small subway tiles are what we have chosen for our backsplash, and the top sample is our countertops.

THE HALLWAY

What's been done:
-The floors have been refinished
-The walls have been repainted
-the light switches have been updated
-doors are painted (mostly!)

What's left
-Install crown modeling and quarter round
-Install new hardware on linen closet

THE MASTER BEDROOM

What's been done:
-The walls have been painted (Faded Clay)
-The trim has been painted (Honeymilk)
-The floor has been refinished (Golden Oak)
-the outlets and switches have been replaced
-The doors have been painted

What's left to be done:

-install crown molding, baseboard, and quarter round
- replace the light fixture? (maybe someday!)

This room is not in bad shape at all

By the way, our home has true divided light windows. Might I interject to say, that these are fabulous - until you have to prep them for painting and ultimately paint. What a pain!

THE BATHROOM

What's been done:
-Trim painted

-icky wallpaper removed

-walls textured with a Venetian Plaster application

-Walls painted (Violet smoke)
-cabinets painted and the odd 1970s swoop removed from the bottom of the cabinets - that has been replaced with more modern lines

What's left to be done:

-regrout the floor :(
-install new cabinet hardware

We are making progress, slowly, but surely - maybe we can have most of the projects completed by Thanksgiving....maybe!

Need your help!

2009-09-22T23:55:00.003-05:00

Help!

I need to post our wedding announcement in our respective newspapers, and I can't pick an image. In case you didn't know, I'm a bit indecisive.

So, help!

Here's the link to our wedding images.
http://www.pictage.com/712199

Which one would you choose for publication of our wedding announcement. There will be at least two postings - one in Iowa and one in Amarillo. Leave your vote for the picture to include with our announcement in the comment section.

Thanks!

People of Walmart

2009-09-15T23:45:00.000-05:00

This is funny stuff. I can't make it up.

Check it out - you will laugh.

www.peopleofwalmart.com

Be the Floors

2009-09-10T23:29:00.002-05:00

Bryan is the floor.

I mean that in a good way, well he does. It has become his mantra over the course of the past few days. I wish there was something I could to help with the project. But, my rockstar husband insists that he has it all under control. The floors are looking great, honey! Thank you!

Days of Labor

2009-09-07T22:20:00.001-05:00

Friday evening when I got home from work I had the brilliant idea to do a little bit of cleaning up around the house. Hey, I was in a mood for a bit of destruction - pulling down weeds off the side of the house seemed like a good way to vent this energy.

First of all, folks, if you think it is a good idea to plant vines to grow up the side of the house. Please, think again. While the vines do have a certain "charm" the havoc the wreck on the exterior of your home is tremendous. My personal issue with vines is the number of creepy crawlies they allow to hide in their protection. We found (and eliminated) one mouse - eeber geebers! Weeds on the side of the house - no more please!
While the weeds growing up the walls of the house have been removed - there are still many roots to remove. Bryan started the process on Friday evening and had to stop when he broke the shovel.

My wolfie, that's a big stick you have! Folks, these are some serious roots to remove.

After Friday evening's festivities (which required yet another trip to Lowe's to replace our shovel and purchase other remodeling necessities) we embarked on the great mission to finish our hardwood floors. Many, many, many hours have passed and we are still not finished with this project. Bryan is now one with the buffer and has sanded and screened and buffed every inch of the floor. I have stained every floor board. There is more buffing to do before we can begin sealing the floor. I'll post pics from the floor project once we have achieved completion. Until that point, must continue on.

Renovations: Day 12

2009-09-01T23:35:00.005-05:00

It has been awhile since I have been able to post updated photos of our home. I went through the house a few moments ago and captured these images to help tell the tale of our renovation.

This first image is of the back bedroom, or the office, or whatever we decide to call it today. Last time you saw it was decorated with an atrocious layer of wallpaper (pink and floral - disgusting!). Bryan's brother, Ken, has finished applying a layer of drywall mud and texture to the walls and now they are ready for a fresh coat of paint.

This is the west wall of the master bedroom. These walls have also been floated with a fresh coat of mud and textured. Bryan was curious and wanted to see what our paint colors would look like on the walls so he applied these test patches tonight.

The color for the master bedroom is called faded clay. It's an orange tone without being agressive, but it is still an earthy color. The colors we have picked for the interior of the home are all earth tones. In this picture you can see how the master bedroom color works with the hallway color.

This is a shot of the south wall of the living room. Bryan also tested this paint tonight. I can't remember the name of the color at the moment and I'm too lazy to walk back to the house to look at the paint chip. We will save that information for another day and another posting.

Front entrance with view of the dining area, hallway and kitchen

The big project that has been completed is our kitchen floors. We now have a new ceramic tile floor in the kitchen. So long icky yellow, green, peeling linoleum! There is more work to be done in this room, but it is nice to see some definite progress.

During all of this construction our family room is serving as a workshop and storage area. This room is a long ways off from an update.

We had to move all of our belongings from the rental house to our house. Thankfully, we have a double car garage. We are literally stacked to the rafters in there - with a narrow walkway down the length of the garage. Unpacking is not in our immediate future!

While we are living in the middle of a construction zone, we really aren't living in the construction zone. Luckily, our new home has a back house and we have been able to set up our bachelor pad style home here. It's our bedroom, living room, bathroom, laundry room, kitchen, general utility room. For now, it's home sweet home!

Our relocation is complete

2009-08-31T22:56:00.004-05:00

I can't say that our move is complete, because it really is not; however, we have successful moved all of our belongings from our rental house to our home.

That process was no small task - and there were times when I wondered if we might not succeed, but we did. Everything is moved here and we have established our bachelor style living quarters in the back house.

Back house? Yes, it's the official White family term for the apartment or extra room attached to the garage. It is not an apartment, or garage room, or a bonus room - it is the back house. Well, we have a back house now, just like Bryan's parents and brother.

The original scope of our home improvement plans has been substantially increased. This is no longer a small undertaking. Currently, Bryan's brother, Ken, is working to retexture all of the walls in the living, dining, master and spare bedrooms. Yes, fresh mud on all of the walls. There are more projects to tackle in our future and the home will certainly become more than we had imagined as possible.

This is the first night that I have had access to internet in several days, so I apologize for the blogging hiatus. I will do my best to take pictures tomorrow to post so you can the progress that has been made.

This is a picture of Cat. I don't think I have posted any pictures of her previously on my blog. Bryan had a cat when I met him, her name is Cat. So, now we have a cat. She is certainly not the most social of creatures. In fact, if you were at our house for the wedding you probably didn't even know that we had a cat (except for all of the hair that is everywhere, no matter what we do!) She does not like new people and is excellent at hiding anywhere.

Cat is not happy that we moved. In fact, she is quite pissy with us. She hid for the first few days that we were here, and even managed to run away. She came back after a 24 hour disappearance and became very clingy and wanted to hide even more. This is a picture of her after her return. She managed to climb on our bed and wiggle her way under the blankets so she could hide even better.

Today is a good day. In fact, as I sit here on the bed she is sitting at my feet purring. Perhaps she will forgive me for moving. This is probably more likely to happen once we move into our house and she learns that there are cat doors so she will be able to come and go as she pleases.

Tomorrow, more pictures of the house, and perhaps even a few of the calmer Cat.

Pictures are on the way

2009-08-31T18:51:00.004-05:00

Our wedding pictures attracted the involvement of random tourists.

And now, our wedding pictures will soon be eligible for online viewing very soon. If you would like to create an account to see these pictures follow this link:
http://www.pictage.com/712199

Day 4: The renovation slowly continues

2009-08-25T01:16:00.002-05:00

Today's changes at the house are a little less visible than some. We have many projects on the punch list and a great deal of which we would (in an ideal world) like to have completed before we relocate this weekend.
Look familiar? Perhaps not - last night this was a giant hole in the floor where a furnace had once been. Ken was busy fixing our floor this evening.

I finished painting the hallway (still have the trim to do) and painted closets in the master bedroom.

Bryan worked very hard to make our hardwood floors look amazing. This is the floor in the spare bedroom. It's amazing what a buffer can do.

The tile guy began work today. This is the hardibacker board that goes down underneath our ceramic tile.

The bottom layer in this pic is a sample of our floor tile. The top rectangle is a sample of the countertops we ordered today. They will be ready in several weeks for installation.

Buying a house certainly makes for late nights and much exhaustion!

Day 3

2009-08-24T03:01:00.003-05:00

Today was another whirlwind day of work at the house. We are both beat, and ready for sleep but I thought I'd post a few things.
This is the floor furnace that was in the living room area. An unused eyesore, it had to be removed.

Underneath all that old stinky carpet we have some fairly impressive hardwood floors. But first, Bryan had to remove staples and tack strip.

Steve and Bryan managed to remove the floor furnace and no one was seriously hurt.

A view of the floors from the southeast corner of the room. Bryan has removed most of the staples from the floor when this picture was taken.

A picture of the den with it's hardwood floors. Bryan will work on removing the staples and tack strip tomorrow.

As for me, today was filled with more painting. I painted the ceiling in the hallway, spare bedroom and master bedroom. I also worked on removing the wallpaper from the east wall in the master bedroom and began to paint the walls in the hallway. I had to stop painting when I ran out of the hallway paint color - more fun for tomorrow I suppose.

Ken worked on the north wall in the master bedroom. Yes, there is a wall again, that's a good thing!

Perhaps tomorrow I'll have more energy for a more extensive blog posting.

Home Ownership: Day 2

2009-08-23T02:37:00.003-05:00

Today, Bryan and I continued our adventure into home ownership. We both had busy days as we both had other gigs (aka jobs) to complete before we could work on our home projects.

I spent the morning and afternoon working an instrument petting zoo for the symphony at the Discovery Center. Bryan spent the day running errands and gathering additional materials for the current house projects. Tonight he had a gig running sound for a music video shoot.

After we finished our paying gigs, we were able to focus on the list of projects at our house.

Tonight I was able to paint the ceilings in the living room, dining room, kitchen and utility nook as most of the hallways. Bryan was a rockstar and helped me a lot with this project. Here he is even cleaning up after me. Thanks, hun!

While I was busy painting the ceilings Bryan and his brother completed the demolition of the north wall in the master bedroom. Once the wall was down to the studs, Bryan and Ken added insulation to the wall and installed new sheetrock.

North Wall of the Master Bedroom
Tomorrow there will be a door in this portion of the wall.

All of this progress comes with great mess.

I took this picture to prove that I accomplished something this evening. However painting the ceilings is not the most visible improvement to a home (at least in a picture).

On tap for tomorrow - more painting, more drywall, removal of carpet and tack strips and possibly beginning the sanding of our hardwood floors!

Home Sweet Home

2009-08-22T00:54:00.007-05:00

It's official! We are homeowners. Late this afternoon we signed the papers and became owners of our very first home. We arrived at the home late today find this handy map of the keys from the sellers.

The sellers also left a copy of the original title for the property for our safe keeping. Those familiar with Amarillo will be curios to see that the original title was signed by Julian Bivins. (The home is in the Bivins neighborhood, so that makes sense). There are also a set of architectural drawings for the home. They are currently at a blueprint shop being copied.

Our original plan was to take care of a few relatively simple projects this weekend before we move in next week. (You can start to chuckle now if you know anything about home ownership.) Our goal was to paint the master bedroom, hallway, and living room this weekend. With this in mind we took some before pictures of the master bedroom.

The West Wall of the Master Bedroom

The East Wall of the Master Bedroom
Note the presence of the fabulous wallpaper *sarcasm*

The South Wall of the Master Bedroom

Before our trip to Lowe's we decided to try and remove the wallpaper on the East Wall to determine how difficult it would be to remove. The top layer peeled relatively easily (we removed all of the top layer in less than five minutes, heck - it was almost fun!) so we were able to plot the further supplies we would need to remove the wallpaper paste.

The East Wall with the top layer of wallpaper removed

Bryan is very proud of our rapid handiwork. This weekend will be stress free.

After our trip to Lowe's and a few more errands, we returned to our project in the master bedroom. It took quite some time to remove the outlet covers, old phone jack covers, antenna jack covers, the stash box, the curtain hardware and all the doorknobs. We decided that we were on such a roll that we should remove the wall heating unit while we were redoing the walls - so that we would be done with the master bedroom renovation.

Our decision to do things right, or not do them at all may come back to haunt us.

During this demo project we learned that when the heating unit was installed the previous owners installed a second layer of thin sheet rock, rather than fixing the wall the right way the first time. This explained why part of the trim was more covered in half of the room than the other. In our quest to do it right, we decided to fix the situation by removing the extra sheetrock and replacing the sheetrock so that it would all be one level.

During this demo project, we also learned that the exterior wall has ZERO insulation. That's right, ZERO. I know we are in Texas, but really? No insulation? That's a bit odd for me.

North Wall during demolition.

North wall during demolition
This is the wall that had the wall heater - Bryan will cap the gas line tomorrow. The box cutout was apparently a plumbing access at some point in the homes history, but no longer grants access to plumbing, so it will also be removed during this project and made to look like a regular wall.

At least the demo had the added benefit of allowing Bryan to release some of the tension that has built up in these past few days as we jumped through the final rings of fire to purchase our home.

There will be more adventures from our home on Bowie, this is the first of what I'm sure will be many home improvement blog postings. If you have suggestions, or want to help with our project - please - feel free!

Bryan and I look forward to many years of home ownership, and all that it entails. The projects may be many, but it is our house.

My part time job

2009-08-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

Recently, I acquired a part-time job. This part-time job demands hours each day without any predicted schedule.

However, unlike any other part-time job I have ever held, this job costs me money rather than earns me money.

No one ever tells that you that buying a home becomes a part-time job. The visits to the bank, to the realtor, to Lowe's, to the bank, to the realtor and on and on and on.

Thankfully our house hunting process has been relatively short compared to the process some must endure.

Still hoping everything goes well and we can close on August 21.

Movin' on up?

2009-08-08T11:21:00.001-05:00

The inspection has gone well. The appraisal is complete - and meets the levels the bank requested. I think we are well on our way to home ownership! That means we should hope to close on August 21 - which means I have much packing to do. Perhaps I should start today...oy!

What could possibly be our neighborhood

2009-08-06T21:39:00.003-05:00

Bryan found this website while searching for information for what could possibly be our neighborhood. (If all goes well with the purchase of the property that we would like to be our home).

We were intrigued to learn that Julian Boulevard was once an airstrip. Who knew? (Well, someone did - just not us!)

For more about the neighborhood, click here.

Pictures from our Honeymoon, Part 2

2009-07-29T20:47:00.004-05:00

If you enjoy a margarita on a hot summer day, you need to try it Santa Fe style. We were lucky enough to enjoy a few of these margaritas in Santa Fe - who would have thought that a jalapeno could enhance the flavor of a margarita in such a way. I'm a believer!