Mini road trip to Austin

On Tuesday we had to drive up to Austin to pick up C lovebug who will be spending six weeks of her summer with us.  Traffic on I-35 can be a bear and the rain was in the distance so we decided to leave early to allow us plenty of time to get up there to find the airport and relax before her flight came in.

The traffic was fairly light; we hit the bulk of traffic around the airport and on the I-35 S headed home.  We arrived with plenty of time so I googled "things to do in Austin." On the first page were a lot of trails, the University of Texas-Austin (hook 'em horns!) and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  We opted for the LBJWC.  I plugged the directions into Apple Maps and we were led in the most roundabout way to get there.  It's no surprise that I have a love/hate relationship with my phone and its gpsing capabilities, or lack thereof. When we arrived, Lo was fast asleep and hadn't been asleep for very long.  We thought that she'd be cranky but she was rather happy to be outside and walking around!

We went to the entrance to pay the admission fee and found out that it was free for us because Mr. Lovebug is active duty Air Force and LBJWC was participating in the Blue Star Museums program running from May 27 through September 2, offering free admission to military members and their families.  Lo couldn't wait to get started on the "tour." It's a self-guided tour and there are lots of flowers and trees to see.  There is also a building, The Children's Little House in which the little ones can play and learn.  Lo found a pot with sand and a shovel in it; she immediately picked up the shovel to start digging.  I think that was her favorite part.  We had two hours to spare but to fully enjoy the LBJWC, I'd give it a full day.  There is so much to see and do.  Another favorite spot for Lo was the insectary; she loved seeing the caterpillars!

After double-checking the itinerary, we found that C's flight was coming in an hour earlier than we thought so we cut the visit to LBJWC short and trekked over to the airport. Parking was a mess and it was quite a walk to the terminal.  Just as we entered the terminal, she called us to let us know that her plane had landed.  Whew! Made it just in time! We picked up her bag and headed home with a stop to Sonic for happy hour.

It was a wonderful trip to Austin and we are excited to plan another visit!

Summer shuffle

The last few weeks of May were busy with end of school year/summer shuffle prep.  Testing, recognition ceremony, field trips, and school programs. OH MY! It was a whirlwind and there was a lot going on.  I mean, there was hardly a moment to breathe.  STAAR results came out and A. lovebug scored as well as were anticipating.  I find that she has so much test anxiety that I'm not as concerned with her test scores as I am about her daily work scores. Her daily work scores tell me so much more.  She ended the school year on the A Honor Roll and I am so proud of her!  She has had a rough year and she continued to thrive in spite of everything. She is an amazing girl. AND she promoted to fifth grade which she worked really hard for.  I'm glad that the school year is over and the summer vacation has begun.

Summertime brings the "summer shuffle" where we send one child off to the other parent and the other children come in to spend the summer down here.  We had to drove A to Dallas so she could fly out from there. We stayed at a hotel for the night and enjoyed breakfast at The Original Pancake House.  We arrived at the airport four hours early and A started her anxious pacing and worrying that she wasn't going to make it to the gate on time but it all worked out okay in the end! We met up with friends of Mr. Lovebug and had dinner and drinks at the Meddlesome Moth.  It was a bit fancier than we were expecting and not really kid friendly but it was nice to get together and chat.  It was the first time that I had met this particular friend.

The drive back to San Antonio was much quicker than the drive up to Dallas.  We arrived home just before 1 AM.  We were all tired and spent the day resting.  Now it's just hanging out and doing our thing until we go up to Austin to pick the other child.  Ahhhh, bless the summer shuffle and the opportunity to spend time together.

The summer will be busy but we'll have plenty of time for R & R.  I'm really looking forward to it.

Anticipation

The promotion to Msgt list comes out this week.  This is Mr. Lovebug's first year testing for it so he is skeptical that he made the list.  I'd like to think positively.  This promotion would be a good step in his career and he could ride that out until retirement.  If he doesn't make it, he could test again next year but he risks hitting high year tenure.

All of these things are important when making decisions about retirement, the future and financial planning.  I'll be on pins and needles until the list comes out.  I am proud of him, no matter what.  He is diligent, loyal and focused.

Picnic with my lovebugs

Yesterday we took a day trip to the Guadalupe River; we had a picnic lunch.  It was a lovely day of exploring.  I snapped a few pictures but as many as I usually do.  It was nice to get out and about!

Dinner dash

I've lost the kitchen mojo.  It's no secret that cooking and I have had a rocky relationship.  I had no desire to learn how to cook as a young girl.  My early twenties consisted of quick boxed meals.  I'm sure that my first husband would tell you that he did 95% of the cooking; he'd be right. When I became a single mother, I thought that it would be prudent to learn some kitchen skills so that my daughter wouldn't starve.  It was still fairly basic, but, it was something.

Fast forward to August 2008.  I met my husband and he showed me how to enjoy cooking.  Since then, spending time together in the kitchen is soothing.  We'll open a beer or a bottle of wine and work together on a new recipe.  It's therapeutic.  We share the trials and triumphs of the day.  We laugh at the silly things the other does.  We dance.

Even though I've come a long way with my skills, there are times when I have nothing prepared.  Call it being in a slump, I just have no desire to cook.  Maybe it's the weather? I don't know.  I do know that I am hit with the dinner slump more often than not lately.  On days like that I have to do what's called the dinner dash.  Find something that will defrost quickly and find a recipe that will be a crowd pleaser.

Last night's dinner dash resulted in Crispy Onion Chicken and Golden Parmesan Roasted potatoes.  The bulk of the prep was spent defrosting the chicken.  Normally I'd pull it out in the morning and let it defrost during the day and cook it in the evening.  Clearly that didn't happen yesterday.  I didn't let that stop my mojo from happening.  And, I'm glad that I didn't.  Dinner was a success! Even my toddler enjoyed it.

I'll call this a DINNER SUCCESS.  Thank you very much.

Budget-minded, craft-oriented and F3 adventures

It's no secret that we were not financially prepared for the PCS from HI to TX.  Of course, there is a lot that I could have done in hindsight but it doesn't serve any purpose for me to berate myself over the coulda/shoulda/woulda. With that, I think that I might change the focus of this blog to budgeting and fitting forced family fun into that budget.  F3 should not have to suffer because the money coming in is less than it was.

I've realized that I let the stress overwhelm me to the point that I just can't find a solution.  That's not who I am.  I am stronger than that. I can get through this "dry" period and be stronger for it.  I can teach my children the value of a dollar.

So, with that, I'm going to be sharing recipes, crafts and F3 activities that our blended family has done/will do together.  Also be on the look-out for "Cooking with Princess Cranky Pants" video segments.

35.

In honor of my upcoming birthday and celebrating 35 years of life, I'll share 35 things about me. This may be difficult.  I don't know that I will be able to finish them all.

1. I am the middle child of five.

2. I am an Aries, though I fit the characteristics of a Taurus far more often.

3. My favorite color is pink.  It used to be purple and I'm starting to lean toward blue as a favorite.

4. I am my father's daughter.  I think that I am the female version of him.  I miss him a lot.

5. I have had three pregnancies that lead to two live births.

6. I am afraid of elevators and avoid them if at all possible.

7. I have the same aversion to grates on city sidewalks.

8. My favorite food of all time is mashed potatoes.  I could eat mashed potatoes with almost anything.

9. I had severe hearing loss as an infant/toddler.  This was corrected by an adenoidectomy at age 2.

10. I don't like chocolate and will consume it very rarely and in extreme circumstances.

11. I've been married twice. God-willing, this will be my last marriage.

12. I have lived in six different states: MN, WA, NC, CO, HI and TX.

13. I have one sister and three brothers.
14. Red Velvet Cake is one of the only chocolate cakes I will eat.
15. My favorite cake is angel food cake.
16. Escalators are evil and I try to avoid them if I can.
17. I have three girls and one boy.
18. I am predominantly left-handed but I write with my right hand.
19. I have had my driver's license for 19 years.
20. I have never broken a bone.
21. I disliked beer until I moved to SATX.
22. I won't drink "cheap" beer and I prefer a hefeweisen.
23. Spending time in my kitchen is cathartic for me.
24. I didn't know how to cook/bake very well until I met my current husband. We love to cook together.  It's a way for us to reconnect at the end of the day.
25. I am 5'2" which means that I am only about 2" taller than my nine-year-old.
26. I am a reality TV junkie.  I can't help it.
27. I bought my first "brand new" vehicle last year.
28. I am a loyal Apple user.
29. My last pregnancy was not a pleasant experience and it lead to the decision that we were done having children.  I am sad about that from time to time.
30. My favorite number is 4.
31. Mayo is my condiment of choice and I will have mayo as a side for a lot of things.
32. I love to read and have been known to read 20 books in two weeks.
33. After living in a warmer climate for so long, I think it would be difficult to go back to cooler weather.
34. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.
35. I love being a mom even though I'm not very good at it.