House Sitting

I am in love with this garden.  When I get home from work I come out and water all the plants and pick things that are ripening.  It was also necessary to share with the world how big Rufus's feet are.  He makes Bella look dainty. 

 I made pesto with the basil leaves from the herb garden.  I'm growing some basil in a pot on my balcony but it's still just a sprout.  This is enough pesto to maybe last till it's full grown.  Also, I really had to fight the urge to draw faces on those adorable baby tomatoes.  I may yet lose.

Dollhouses

For two weeks I have a big back yard to play in - that's something I don't get in an apartment.  Tonight I used Swiss chard from the Keep Austin Beautiful gardent at LBJ High School to make bow-tie pasta with chard, garlic, olive oil, and sliced cherry tomatoes from this backyard garden.  Tomorrow I'm going to make string beans that I picked from this vine right before taking these pictures.  I got eaten up by mosquitoes while taking these, but it seems the trick is to not itch them initially and then they go away.  I'm opposed to spraying bug repellent on myself if at all possible.

It appears that this summer I have taken on too many projects and extra work, and without time to do all of it, I end up in a state where I just want to scream and can't do anything.  This is sad, because everything I'm supposed to be doing, I like.  But I agreed to do too much, all on top of needing to writewritewrite articles to recoup all of my moving expenses.  Being a grown-up is hard.  Maybe that's why I like the doll house look of this workshop.  I gave myself a "vacation" tonight to take pictures and cook, but really, not accomplishing anything just makes me more anxious, (well, not accomplishing anything extra - I did go to work all day).  So, tomorrow will be a day of grinding paces (post-work - arg).

Dress: Blue Velvet Vintage in Austin
Pearls: my grandma's
No shoes: the Arkansas in me

Starlight Station

For the next two weeks I'm playing momma to a basset hound along with my lab, Bella.  He has the biggest feet I've ever seen, yet somehow he makes less noise than Bella does.

Today I start running the teen program at East Club, and I'm finished with Reagan for good - all except for cleaning out my office.  But I don't have my new one at Ann Richards yet, so for now, everything can stay there because I don't want to bring it home and have it clutter my apartment.  The fun thing about East Club is that it's going to be all field trip based, so I'm taking the kids everywhere from the Urban Roots farm to Barton Springs to Caritas (went there last week with Reagan kids - very awesome) to career day at Old Navy to touring the Austin Film Studios.  Today is introductions day, though, and I hate those.  They make me anxious.  I'm going to post these pictures I like and try not to be anxious.

Dress: I can't remember the brand - but it's from the boutique Indigo in Little Rock.  I love orange.
Cardigan: Gap
Shoes: BCBG Girls
Locket: my grandma's
Bracelet: my great grandma's
Railroad car: Starlight Station in Killeen (it was packed Sunday night when I drove by on my way home to Austin!)

so while I was on here, Lennon dropped my sunglasses (he was being sweet and holding them) and stepped on them.  Then they looked like this:

and I also like to pretend I'm an airplane.  Maybe I'll do that now to relieve my first day jitters.

The spring flowers are all gone now and I miss them terribly.  But I'm watering a garden for the basset hound's mommy and daddy, and I get to eat all of the summer tomatoes and green beans out of it while they're gone - that may be better than flowers!

Matt Pond PA + Wintersleep

I really like Wintersleep, and after seeing them play with Matt Pond PA, I like that band too.  I wrote up this review for Venus Zine and took photos as well.  You can read that here.  Now go listen to "Mirror Matter," it's my favorite song!

Wintersleep:

Matt Pond PA:

It was the night of couples at the Mohawk.  I took creepy-spy pictures (that were really cute) of couples cuddling, dancing, dipping, and just being everywhere.  They are always everywhere when you're not one!  Even HEB - I vote they designate a singles shopping day, sort of like senior citizens discount day.

Fireworks & Happy Fourth

Happy fourth of July!  I'm in Copperas Cove/Ft. Hood with my family, eating waaaay too many baked goods courtesy of my step-sister Courtney.  I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing day.  Any good stories?