~biscuits~

One night last week we decided to have breakfast for supper. A favorite meal in our household! My guys like breakfast foods, and, me? I like it because it is easy! And Stephen is usually eager to make the eggs. :)

On this occasion, we decided we wanted biscuits so I pulled out my favorite cookbook, Cookin' with the Chicks, and found Jenny's recipe for Baking Powder Biscuits.

After adding all the dry ingredients to the bowl, we added the shortening and Stephen got busy "cutting it in."

After the cutting in, and adding the rest of the ingredients, Stephen gently kneaded the dough.

Flattened it to about 1/2 inch and cut out the biscuits. He used an alfredo sauce jar to cut them out so they were kind of small!

Small.....but delicious!

If you would like a copy of Cookin' with The Chicks, leave a comment and I will let you know how you can purchase one. Everything I've ever cooked from this book has been wonderful!

~crappy picture~

A crappy picture from my cell phone to display my plant stands! They were a rusted mess and I painted them these lovely pastels. I'm quite smitten.

~my dinner date~

I had a very special dinner date this evening. My son. Just him and me. Virgil worked late, and I had a case of the Mondays and didn't want to cook. When I walked in the door I said, "Let's go to dinner. Just you and me." And he said, "Ok!" We decided on Italian only to find out that the little Italian restaurant in the neighboring town had closed. Our choices were then limited to pizza, Sonic, McDonalds, the chicken strip place or mexican food. We decided on Mexican. We talked about school, the service of our waitress, funny restaurant experiences we've had {V- reminiscing about the shouting waiter in Austin and your reaction to him got the most laughs!} and how he's glad I'm not one of those Moms who go without a bra in public. [thank you very much!] Nothing earth shattering, yet altogether perfect. A delightful time spent with my son. I like him. A lot.

~boredom~

~twinkle~

That twinkle in my eyes tells one story...I've been to JoAnn's on my lunch break! WOOT! And I found fabulous fabric for {alliterate that!} the napkins at Colleen's reception. double WOOT!

~district track meet~

Stephen's district track meet was today and I was finally able to attend one of his meets! BUT, I forgot my good camera - so these are all with my el cheapo cell phone. No iphone for me! LOL

{waiting around to throw}

{Junior High boy cluster}

{Stephen throwing} {Markers after the last throw}

Stephen got 1st place! His throw was 36 feet 6.5 inches! He placed first in every meet this year!

Good work Steezle!

~weekend in Austin, TX~

Last weekend we took a quick trip to Austin, TX. It was a beautiful, delightful weekend. I just love traveling with my guys. {The puppies were naughty on this trip. We left them in the hotel room in their kennels for a short time so we could see the bats of Austin. We got a phone call from the owner of the hotel...our little doggies were fussing major and 5 separate guests had complained about them. Ah...the joys of traveling with pets!} ~ We took a little walking tour on the capital grounds:

We traveled down to Lockhart, TX to feast on some famous BBQ. Awesome brisket and turkey breast. Virgil and Stephen said the pork ribs were fabulous too. I personally could do without the sausage, but Virgil liked it alot.

OH my...making me want more brisket.

My sweet guys!

That evening we went down to Lady Bird Lake for a tour of the Lake which is located on the Lower Colorado river {not the same river that goes through the Grand Canyon!} The tour leaves at 7 p.m. We enjoyed a lovely evening on the lake which culminated in viewing the bats come out from the Congress Street bridge as they headed out for their nightly feeding.

This tower used to be the highest building in Austin. I'm not sure what it was originally, but it became a tower that fireman trained on. Meaning fires were set in the tower and the firemen in training put them out!

This is the Congress Street bridge that the bats live under. In the peak of summer up to 1.5 million bats reside here. It is a female colony and this is where they come to have their babies.

This is another bridge that crosses the lake. I just thought it was a pretty shot!

Kayakers! I don't know them...I just liked the shot! :)

Swans that nest on the lake. I think they will be heading north soon.

These are people lined up on the Congress Street Bridge waiting for the bats to emerge.

Those smudges are bats!

and more bats...{These are Mexican Free-tailed bats, BTW.}

The bats flying out over the trees. Heading out for a night of insect munching!

Austin is a cool town with a great laid back vibe. If I weren't such a country bumpkin, I could probably live in Austin.

Stephen says he's going to UT for his Master's Degree...maybe I'll just visit him there and remain a small town girl.

~a certain teenage boy~

I’ve been the mother of a teenage boy for a little over 5 months now. Here are some observations:

Teenage Boys:

• like to comment on their Mom’s gray hairs


• and on the size of their Dad’s stomach


• enjoy spending time with their parents, except when they don’t


• define clean way differently than their Mom’s do


• make jokes out of their (or anyone else’s)bodily functions ·


• don’t want you to ask them if they have a “crush” on anyone


• have odors. All.Kinds.of.Odors.


• eat constantly


• ask, “What if..” (yes, STILL)


• hate to wake up


• are empirically funny


• like to laugh, and laugh, and laugh


• frown on their parents acting silly in public


• enjoy practical jokes


• Want to be taller (even if they are already tall)


• are independent – when it suits them J


• are completely, utterly enjoyable…most of the time


• shhhh…{still like to be tucked in at night}

-I had to come back to edit this post to include loud. In my experience teenage boys are LOUD! ;)