How Sweet it is!

So, we're learning about plants at school...what plants need...what plants have...etc.




Two weeks ago we planted tiny seeds in a tiny green house for mother's day presents. The kids are AMAZED at the little green sprouts that have emerged. So, being the over-achiever that I am we've added some plant stuff to the classroom!


Our sweet potato is on day 11 of development and boy-oh-boy is development slow! But we're excited because 'Sweetie' now has two little root shoots and just the beginnings of purple nubs where the fine vine will sprout from!

Our avocado pit looks good...it looks like an avocado pit. From what I've read we won't see much for many more days and then we have a short window within which to plant the sucker in some soil before deterioration begins!


But today...today is exciting because we've started a mini-kinder-garden (Earth Day...how appropriate)! I nabbed an old aquarium from the science lab and we laid river rocks on the bottom for drainage, covered by a potting mix and we inserted some black eyed peas, Lima beans, pinto beans, black beans, and kidney beans! The beans are right up against the glass so we can observe the growth of the root system once the seed hull breaks loose! Yes, that's my reflection in the glass of the aquarium.


So, hopefully as things grow and provide unlimited observations, I'll be able so share them with you!

Cameron Park Zoo, Waco

The littlest map reader started us out at the Gambon Monkey enclosure. We stopped at the photo opportunity and found some spotted ladybugs!

Little M chilled out in her stroller when we entered the lakes and streams exhibit. It was nice and cool inside the exhibit. After this shot we drove over to the aquarium windows and checked out all the big fish!

The aviary was neat because the birds were so very close to us! The 'bird on a wire' was literally right above us as we exited the lakes and streams exhibit. He just sat there surveying the area. I was just glad he didn't give us a special souvenir to wear home ;)

One of my favorite animals of the day was the Jaguar. He was napping next to the plate glass window and had his huge paw up against the glass. So many kids marvled at how small their hands compared to his!

Lovey carried our exploration magnifier with her a lot and examined the Jag very closely.

One of the exhibits was of the night creatures of central Texas. We got to see skunks, raccoons, bats, and of course, barn owls. The lighting inside of the exhibit allowed me to take some photos without disturbing the animals.

I don't know what kind of bird this is but I thought he was magnificant!

This gentleman as well! What an amazing creature!

Clearly everyone on this family trip likes to take photos! Missy, Mom and me!

The Austin Kite Festival

When Missy and the girls came to visit this Spring Break we had a week of fantastic Austin weather! The annual Zilker Kite Festival that had been rescheduled the weekend before was in full swing and after twisting through some hilly Austin neighborhoods we found ourselves parked in front of the Austin Nature Center, which happened to be closed for the day, and just feet away from the beginnings of a beautiful day in the park with kites (and kite eating trees) all around us!







Little M enjoying a Pineapple Basil pop from Austin's own all organic "GoodPops." Pretty good stuff actually!







One area of the kite show was roped off for the super-sized kites that must have been in excess of 20ft!








Lovey and her superstar sunglasses taking in all of the "flags" she could see in the air.

Hundreds of 'flags' flew on a perfectly windy day in Zilker park. Lovey word for 'Kite' was 'Flag' until the kite festival...she now knows exactly what a kite is!

Is that a drip I hear?

Well, I didn't hear a drip but I did see what appeared to be a wet spot on the ceiling. Dan and I bolted up to the attic (where the water heater is housed) to see what the problem was. After taking a photo of a blue canister suspended kitty-corner over the water heater we made a trip to Lowe's and got an education in "potable water expansion tanks". Apparently, the blue canister that sits above the water heater is a "bladder" that controls the pressure when water is turned on and off in the house. Supposedly without this "bladder" the water heater would make a knocking sound like one might hear in the pipes of a much older home.

We discovered that the "drip pan" that was holding up the PWET (potable water expansion tank) was entirely rusted and had disconnected from the drain spout. More than one of the metal strips holding the drip pan to the beams in the attic had rusted through and had broken loose.

So, here are some Before, During and After photos of our exciting Saturday morning home repair adventure.

As you can see here the 'drip pan' is tipped forward, away from the existing drain spout.

Sorry for the rotated angle, however it shows just how far away the drip pan was from the drain spout!

The outside of the Potable Water Expansion Tank had to be cleaned off and inspected for any damage or cracking...

The original drip pan caked with layers of rust...!

We had to get creative in our repair as Lowe's doesn't carry or even know of any small (12"x12") drip pans with drain spouts. So, we used a plastic storage box and a 1/2" wood bit and made our own hole.

We independently suspended the PWET to hold it up out of the drainage container. We then positioned the plastic drainage container and used liquid nails to attach and seal the hole in the box to the existing draining spout.

We'll have to check on the seal after the glue has seasoned overnight. We had to remove some insulation from the attic and treat several wet boards. There is no mold or mildew but I'm just overly concerned with such possibilities. My super-sniffer has not picked up on any indication that there is a growth in the boards up there.

We thought we were out of the woods, so to speak, upon completion of this project. However, when Dan went outside to turn the water back on, the pressure jolted the pipes and I then noticed a small drip on ANOTHER pipe connection. You cannot really see the small pool of water around the base of this connection.

The leak is where the copper piping meets the plastic ring...there is evidence of rusting in the copper pipe. I thought copper was sturdier than this! The house is 7 years old! I'd expect pipe degradation in an older home but not here!

Painting Party

Dan and I have been having fun adding some color to our lives...and by that I mean we've been painting!

The color on our living room accent wall is called "cinnamon stick". Dan did a fabulous job of taping off the arch that leads into the hallway for the two secondary rooms and guest bathroom.


Initially we were a little worried about how we would transition from the cinnamon stick wall but we thought we'd try taping off instead of wrapping around into the hallway.


As you can see, the taping job was beautifully done and we have a crisp line.


The cinnamon stick color wraps around from the living room into the kitchen and really sets off our new floors!


Next on our list of things to do is replace the window treatment in the living room and finish refinishing the end tables and coffee table to better coordinate with our new floors!


We are LOVING how good the kitchen furniture looks against the new paint.


We are considering wrapping the cinnamon stick around the rest of the kitchen...and might even resurface the kitchen cabinets a clean white!


Our entry way has been painted as well. The color here is called "Warm Caramel" and we've really "warmed" to it! Dan was the one who picked out this color and initially I was a little wary of it but now I just love it!


I love how our moulding and white trim just pops now! If we didn't have such angular ceilings I'd want to put crown moulding in.


Even the furniture looks new in front of the new color! The chairs currently are covered in a cream backed birdie pattern but we want to change it out to either a solid blue that will pick up on the area rug and stoneware dishes we have OR maybe a taupe that would be more neutral (would have to coordinate with the walls otherwise it might clash...) or even a cream to go with the curtains... lots to think about!


More shots of our beautiful wall! The color inspiration is Dan's couch. The blue-red area rug in the foreground will be leaving as soon as we find a replacement...

I especially love the new wall when we have the wall sconce lit and the lamps on...the red glass in the Tiffany lamps glow beautifully and really pick up on the cinnamon stick tone! Hmmm, looks like we need to center the couch...!