A Trip to The Track

Yesterday I went with Hubby out to our new Circuit of the Americas race track to take a tour. He went to the opening F-1 race in November, and ever since he's been "on a list" of people they are trying to get to buy season tickets for the upcoming events at the track.  I do like watching racing sometimes, but I am not as big a fan of it as Hubby is.  It was quite impressive though, to be there in the stands and see the incredible views.  We were shown several different vantage points, from the starting line where the pits are, and several of the turns, where the grandstands and boxes are.  It was a gorgeous day, even though it was incredibly windy.  The previous day we had 55 to 60mph winds here that snapped a few trees off and did some damage around the entire area.

Blue skies over the race track.

The view from Turn 15 was our favorite. Row 23 or 24.  Mid-price in the range.

The tower and ampitheatre.  There will be concerts held here. They have had a few already but we haven't gone yet. I haven't kept up with who all has played there so far, but I know Aerosmith was there, plus a country band that I don't recall,  and The Lumineers are coming in April.

It was a nice drive out in the country and it remains to be seen if we will become season ticket holders.  I know Hubby is interested, but for me, I doubt that I am going to want to go to that many races.  Still, it is easier to sell two tickets if we need or want to, than one, so that may be the route to go.  

Herding Turtles

  On Thursday night, I was able to take my friend Pat out to dinner for her birthday.  Afterwards we went to one of our favorite Targets, looking for Nate Berkus clearance.  We didn't find much, but bought a few other things there.  On the drive home, we were discussing other Target locations that we might be able to stop at before they closed. The two we knew of were both too far away, since it was already after nine p.m.  I said let's just go home, but she was determined to hit another one.  So we arrived at the one closest to my house.  Now mind you, I had already seen all the Nate Berkus clearance there a couple of days earlier, and there were no tortoise shells.  So, at 9:45, we walked into the store as all the other people were leaving.  We ran to the household goods...and there they sat, 4 of the tortoise shells.   We quickly grabbed them all.  They were 50% off, and we saw a couple other things we liked, however they were only 30% off.  As they announced the "five minutes before closing, please bring your purchases to the checkstand"...we were still shopping.  When we got to the front we were the last people in line.  We were laughing hysterically and I think the check out lady thought we were two crazy old chicks.  We were, but we rescued those turtle shells and got the heck out of there!! We laughed all the way home at our good fortune.

This is the photo from Design Sponge, I got the yellow shell and the gold sea urchin.  She got the white shell and the white sea urchin.   Hubby had found me a yellow shell earlier in the week, at regular price, and the darn thing hung crookedly on the wall.  So anyhow, today I took it back.  

Today between Pat and I, we visited 6 different Targets.  At all but one we found the tortoise shells, but still at regular price.  The one that had them on clearance, had them for only 30% off.  One must really hit a lot of Targets to find the clearance price they want to pay, because they are all different.   We did each get a lamp, that we had liked when it first came out, but not for $50.00.  We got them today at 70% off.  We spent a lot of time texting and talking on the phone while shopping.   I got one Nate towel at one store, and Pat found me two more at another store. It was a lot of fun, but part of it is just the thrill of the hunt. We don't really need any of it, we just like Nate Berkus designs.  I do think we are done Targeting for awhile though.  I feel like I worked hard today, and all I did was shop.

 

This is some of the new Nate Berkus collection that just came in. It is being released tomorrow, but two of the stores already had it set today. Notice in the first photo, the tortoise shells on the bottom shelf that are still part of the first collection. Thankfully, I did not see anything in the new collection that I feel that I really just have to have.

I feel Grey today

 

  For a variety of reasons, February can be a tough month for me. Almost half my family has birthdays in this month, and I don't get to see them as often as I would like.  Both Mom and Dad, and Mom was born on her father's birthday.  Tomorrow is Brother Bob's birthday, and he was born on our Grandmother's birthday.  It is also the birthday month of several people I have loved and lost.  Today has been a very grey day weather wise.  Hubby is out of town and is very busy, so we haven't been able to talk as much as we usually do. When I am blue, he can always make me laugh.   As busy as I have been today, I have felt the creeping in of the melancholy that I struggle with.   I've tried the usual remedies of music, candles, drinking tea, but I finally just gave in and went with it for awhile, then I moved on.

 

I ate an early dinner of Ramen noodles with green peas and green onions.  Not so healthy, but tasty, and I sometimes treat myself to them when Hubby is out of town.  I know I will suffer from all that salt intake, but I don't have them very often. 

 

I've been attempting to make a little something each day since I got all that Valentine stuff out.  Today I mailed this card to an Aunt whose birthday is on the 25th.  I sorted a few more boxes of ephemera, and cut images out of a few magazines. I discovered a file folder filled with butterfly images so will continue to make a few more cards and tags.  The Monarch postage stamps are nice to use on the envelopes, even though they are 64 cent ones. I like to match my postage to what's inside at least by theme or color.

 

 

One of my best friends birthday is tomorrow, same day as my brother's.  I won't be able to take her out for breakfast till the week-end.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT!

 

Our weather forecast is for more rain and cold tonight, probably just in the 40s.  I think it will be early bedtime for me, with the window open and lots of blankets.

Chasing Wild Geese

That's what we call it when we go on a search for something we shoulda bought when we first saw it, then decided later we just had to have it, and it no longer is easy to find.  Everyone knows I am a die hard Target shopper.  Well, back in October, when they introduced the Nate Berkus home collection, I was one of those first in line to check it out.  Now, here's my M.O.  I go look, and first, determine which items I can't live without.  If there are a few I buy them right off.  If there are some I like but think they might not be popular with other folks, I figure I can wait till they go Clearance.  I seem to have a habit of liking the odd stuff that I see some folks rejecting.  Sometimes NOT. Well, it seemed that the Giant Tortoise shell was going to be one of those things that stayed around forever, since each store had plenty of them.  In not so great colors.  Deep green, white, and a Yellow, which I only saw online...that on my screen looks really yellow. So when I saw IRL the yellow one and it turned out to be that "acid green chartreusey" color that I love, then I wanted it.  I was so excited last week when my friend who works at Target e-m me to tell me the Nate Berkus was on clearance.   So I went running over there and guess what...NO tortoise shells! They had only had the green one anyhow.  Later the Hubster called me and told me he was right by a big fancy Super Target and he would check the Nate Berkus.  He called a bit later all excited...He found the tortoise shell.  The sign on the end cap said 50% off.  Even better, as at my Target it was only 30%. Hub finds a couple of other things he thinks I might like, plus the shell.  Gets up to the check stand, and you guessed it!  The rug and the trinket box were 50%, but the shell was NOT on clearance, even though it had been on the same display end cap, all along, ever since they put the stuff out.  Now there is a slight to huge discrepancy as to the timelines that different Targets clearance things.  Soooo.. the hunt begins to find the one who has the shell on clearance.  At this point, the rarity of this thing makes me realize that even if it is only 30% I will get it.  After hitting 2 stores that only have the dark green one left(Regular price of course) Hub remarks that if we find the yellow one we are getting it REGARDLESS.  Regular price is $40.00 but that was too much for me.  But now it becomes a challenge to find one!  Where I was lukewarm about it before,  now all of a sudden, I want it in the worst way.  Before I didn't really think I had a place for it, now my every thought is of several places I could put it. I had not even taken a photo of it.  Here's what it looks like. Nate Berkus tortoise shell

My friend and I had looked at the white one a couple of weeks ago, and remarked that if we could get them at 70% off, a real score, we could cover them with rusty tissue paper  or decoupage something over them, and it would look ever so cool.  But I am thinking that the tortoise shell may just be one of those things that got away.  Time to move on.  Although...Hub is in San Antonio today and he drives by at least 2 Targets on his way home.  He is always thoughtful, but lately with my distress about all this house stuff, he's doing extra things to try to cheer me up. I probably won't even have to ask him to stop and check.

Oh I almost forgot.  He did find this item that was the right color, even though I'm not sure where I'll use it.  Right now, here's where it is living. I added the tag for the photo so you could see it is a Nate Berkus "decorative object".  Ha! Actually it is two chains.  We always say if one is good, two's better!   They looked kind of lonely on the plate by themselves, so I added the metal sphere that was sitting in the plant tray.  Hmmmm..it dawned on me just as I uploaded the photo.  Ball and chain.  Oh, I crack myself up sometimes.

Valentopia

This sign at Target made me laugh. 

I've been trying to make a few Valentines.  Of course I haven't created anything in such a long time. At least way before Christmas when all the plumbing issues started with the house.  I had to pack away so many of my art supplies to get things moved for the foundation people as well.  Did I label things...Nooooo.  So trying to make a few Valentine has become more of an exercise in frustration, than any kind of fun. I am serious, things are such a mess around here, I could barely find a thing to work with.  I had to unpack at least a dozen boxes, and still could not find what I wanted/needed.  With much gnashing of teeth and a few tears and woe is me's, I did get a few done.  Mailed several yesterday, and Hub just left with the last few to drop in the mail today.  They will be late, but peeps will be so surprised that I even did them, they won't mind.  Now to clean the mess and get to work on making one for Hub, at least I don't have to mail it.

 

For the last two, I used the wonderfully drawn birds from a free download from Zoranaland. zoranaland blogspot com

 

One photo is too dark, the other too light. Sorry, my brain is stressed, I think I need a nap.



Happy Birthday to my Daddy!

Today is my Fathers 98th birthday.  On his birthday he loves to go to IHOP or Denny's for a pancake breakfast.  Being 98 is a pretty momentous occasion isn't it? My niece Kelli let her two kidlets, Nathan and Emma,  skip school today so they could go to breakfast with their Great Grandparents!  During breakfast, I sent him a TEXT via my sister's phone.  He just shakes his head at all this technology. He has seen a lot of changes in the world in his years.  He can still tell you what he paid for a gallon of gas or a bale of hay in 1935, and exactly where he purchased it.

 My Mom will be 90 on Saturday the 9th, so it will be breakfast at Denny's again that day.  Last year Hub and I were able to go be with them on their birthdays.  We had a big family reunion, with all the Aunts/Uncles/Cousins and celebrated both their birthdays.  It was such great fun.  They are the patriarch and matriarch in my very large family.

Mom and Dad, I love you both and feel so very fortunate to still have you in my life.

This is my Mom and Dad on their anniversary on Christmas Eve 2012.

It's a Three-Way Tie

I've been living in Homeowner's Hell since before Christmas.  I was so glad to finish the month of January with all the stuff that was going on.  With the water being turned off for at least 6 to 7 hours each day, I haven't been cooking, or doing laundry.  So yesterday morning I began to tackle the laundry.  First load..........I'm talking on the phone with my Sis and I hear Hub screaming from downstairs.  The water is flooding out the downstairs commode again.  Just like it did in the beginning of this problem.  So now I am scrambling for towels to soak up the water, and have a washer full of wet clothes that didn't spin all the way out. We call the plumber...the FIRST one, who worked on the sewer in the beginning and did the tunneling under the house.  They showed up 5 hours later.  They ran the camera scope, cleared the clog, found another break.  Same story as the first time. They also made comments about the work the second plumber did, which was on an entire different system, the water, not the sewer. But both plumbing companies have actually worked on the water system.  They ponder about the work the city did last week, since it was also on the sewer.  We call the city again, hoping they can send someone out Monday.  They had a crew in the area and they were here in an hour.  They camera scoped as well, took photos and video, and say they don't think they broke anything.  Of course the 3 techs criticized the way the other 5 guys had done the previous city work.  Ha Ha   They gave us a contact at the city so we could get someone with more authority out to take a look on Monday and see if it could possibly be their responsibity.  With the entire side yard being dug up by three different parties, it is going to be a contest to see who really caused the problem or if it was just another coincidence. 

Oh, and I read that Darn Phil did not see his shadow.  I know peeps in most parts of the country look forward to early Spring.  But here in Texas, I want winter to last as long as possible!   It's supposed to be 72 here today, which is just about right for me.

Last night Hubby had to run to Office Depot and dragged me along and ordered me to buy something fun to try to get me out of this blue funk!   Look..Scotch brand masking tape.  They had lots of different designs and colors.  I chose these 4.  Maybe I can tape some stuff today.  I'm going to try and do some Valentines, and tonight watch the Super Bowl with the hubster.

Early this morning Hub sent me this photo from the golf course.  Nothing like a sunrise to put life into perspective.  I resolve...NO thinking about house problems today!

Since I last posted, the plumbers have been here 5 times and they are coming again today. A new problem crops up each time they are here, but they assure me they will be done today.  Yesterday from 9 to 6 there were carpet guys tearing up the carpet, a drilling crew, the insurance adjuster, the engineer who was camped at my kitchen table with his computer most of the day.  I had to take everything out of the china cabinet and find places to put it so they could move the cabinet. I wrote a long post yesterday, amidst all the drilling and pounding, but when I went to post it, blogger ate it.  So, a catch up here, if you're at all interested.  The photos tell the story, somewhat. I tried to put together a cohesive timeline.  At one point yesterday I lost it, and cried for a few moments, right in front of the adjuster and the engineer.  But I got over it. I went to sleep at 8 last night and slept till 5, which was nice for a change.  I've been sleep deprived throughout this entire month.  A lot of the time Hub has been able to be here, but I have been dealing with these men myself, most of whom are nice, but there have been a couple of them who, if I say they were horses A's it would be an insult to the horse!  The carpet installer came back this morning to retack the carpet and move the china cabinet and table back. The plumber told me he thought they would be able to close the trench today.

Plumbers, January 25th and 28th

CITY CREW, JANUARY 29TH

 

 

 

 

 

PLUMBERS AGAIN, JANUARY  30TH

 

 

 

DRILLING, JANUARY 31ST 

 

 

This drilling and extracting of soil samples was repeated in 3 other rooms, and twice in the garage. The boxes you see in the 4th photo
above are mostly books and art supplies that I had to get out of the area in the family room so they could get to that corner. Hubby had a huge telescope there also that had to be dismantled. And the last photo I'm going to show you is all the STUFF in the living room. We had to move things from the other rooms so they could do this drilling. Then I am going to try to post this because I am having serious issues with blogger today. I think I need a nap already. What a week this has been.