Day 21: A Working Saturday

Astros are on the minds of Houstonians, at least those we hear screaming joyfully in the back grounds of our lives.  Aaron, coming in from outside even can hear fans watching the game in their garage man caves.  Winning is a great feeling even for fans.  Me: waiting to watch a recorded version of the Houston Rockets.

Gotta say, I think we indeed hit a "home run" today with our clients' love for our selections for their Harvey damaged home.  Already on the mend by Old Crow Renovations with construction and demo already cleared out, we are moving in with the beauty.  This couple is expecting their 2nd child and is now so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I can hardly wait to see the end results.

While passing 1960, stopped off and found 2 end tables for our patio project. High five!

While on I45, we headed down to Clear Lake Regional to see a sweet lady in our Heartstrings Ministry Ladies Group.  I am not good at hospital visits, but after being in the hospital myself this past Spring, I have a new appreciation for someone stopping by even if its just a brief time, which is preferred.

Dinner tonight for my cravings for Italian cuisine at Olive Garden.

Now, moving on to an important project, clearing my schedule next week for World Market happening next week end.

A little happy spot in my day... yes! we were right!  We now have a new Starbucks about 5 minutes from us on Fairmont Parkway.

Not pictured, Duke and Bella, the boxer and the lab

Have a Great Night and Tomorrow!

Day 20: My Little Bundle of the Day

Puttering around the house until my little bundle arrived for MeMe to babysit.  I have looked forward to my little Jack Louis to arrive while Mommy had some "me" time.

OMG, can he get any cuter??  I know it's coming from me, but he is one sweet perfect baby.  We got to feed him some baby food and bottles and change some pretty serious diapers. : /

Looking forward to an 11:00 a.m. presentation in Kingwood in the morning.  We completed all of the presentation and ready to roll.  Fingers crossed, they will love it!

Super happy that Kast Fabrics is donating fabric for 6 pillows in any fabric of my choice PLUS down inserts.  We will make these to sell at our upcoming World Marketplace at the Church Triumphant this coming weekend, the 28th and 29th,  If you would like to place your order now for 2 of them, let me know your color preference or send a photo of your space and we will pick a color for you, surprise!  I am thinking of $20. per pillow as custom pillows sell for several hundred dollars and even good ones at stores like ZGallerie sell for $89.  Your thoughts please.  I will show a photo of some of my favorite designs that would go with a lot of people's stuff.

Tonight, Roast, Rice and gravy and spinach.  Just topped it off with a pinnaple/coconut smoothie with a ton of healthy stuff in it. Delish.

Just a worthy note:  Houston Rockets games are starting off extremely exciting.  Playing the most difficult team on their first real game resulted in an EXCITING end with the Rockets winning at the last second of the game.  Last season we were blessed to get free front row court side seats at a New Orleans game, enjoyed with my brother, Kenny and his wife, Missy.

Jack Louis Kennard

This fabric retails for about $60. a yard so someone will get a great deal and, 

every penny will go to missions.

Good Night.

Day 19: Launching my Days

After I wrote my blog post last night, we actually did a lot more work before the night was done.  I am somehow better at night and my thoughts clear and I start prepping for my next day or week.  So when I am not an early riser, as my husband is,  it's because I can't go to sleep until I have my priorities in  place the night before.  We are exact opposites.  He has the ability to go to sleep and wake early and get his necessary work done that is time sensitive.

When he went to college and taught classes at a Christian school, he was up super early to do his lesson plans, study and create whatever handouts he needed before leaving.  Me:  I can not sleep if I had that hanging over my head!  I would be creating those handouts in my head, worrying I would not get it all done in time, etc.

So that being said, I had a late night.  Finally, getting the tall ladder out of the garage, a big deal for me, I got all the light bulbs replaced in my office motivating me to get a lot done.  Had I done that one day before, I could have raised my hand when pastor asked at church last night if anyone I had unexpected $ come to me.  I found a check I did not remember having! 

Today, I worked on completing color solutions for a home to go with flooring, etc.  I can not reveal yet as I have not had my presentation with my client yet.  It's a bit different from any other projects.  Fingers crossed they will love it as much as me.  Listening to my clients, I think I have nailed it.

Pictured is a new leather 3 ring binder that matches my logo and has kept me organized.  I keep all jobs that I am presently working on along with an ongoing to do list for each job.

Tonight, Abbey is with us.  Per her request, I made her favorite dish  that I make, chicken and rice casserole.  I will share the recipe.  She surprised me by setting the table.  We loved it!  She was proud of herself.  She ate her food and then was able to enjoy her cookie dough ice cream for dessert.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Via Jan Madden

• Boil chicken tenders in water with 2 bouillon cubes till tender
• Pour 2 cups of instant rice into a 9x12 casserole dish
• With the hot broth from cooked chicken, add about 2 1/2 cups of the broth 
• Let chicken cool a little then cut into bit size pieces
• Add the chicken, 1 small can of mushroom, stems and pieces and 1 small can of green chilies along with about 3/4 of a bag of grated sharp cheddar cheese, 2 cup size bag.

Mix together and arrange evenly in dish

Top off with the rest of the grated cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until all cheese is melted and getting a little brown.

Just be sure there is enough broth to make it not too dry, but not soupy.

Note:  I used about 6 or 7 tenders.  This recipe is great for a budget.  It's an easy one to stretch if you don't have a lot of meat or if you like it more meaty, you can add more.

See you tomorrow night.  

Day 18: Flooring, Shopping and Cupcakes

Priority of the day was locating flooring.  Once checked off of my list, I can complete my design plan with fine tuning color selections.  So, check!  Tomorrow we put the entire plan into motion for a fabulous ending and prep for a Saturday presentation.

Next, 2 outdoor rugs needed.  I was happy to find both of them in one trip!  I also lucked up on some other great finds I needed for both jobs.

Tonight's early evening appointment was a little treat as we met at a nearby "Something Sweet" bakery while the client's son was in practice at a near by field.  While enjoying a great strawberry cupcake, we had a great presentation with both husband and wife with our design plan for them.  I love when I can get both husband and wife on board as in the end, they are both indeed a part of the decision making.  I do believe we hit a home run.  : )

Church tonight and now a look at the Rockets first game taped with my hubby.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Mood board starting for patio design.

One of the flavors I saw today at Something Sweet.

Thank you Something Sweet for allowing us to meet in your seating areas.

Day 17: Home Styling Day

I had to use Gary's van to get my collection of items to this job today.  That meant I had to get Gary to work first, then back home, load the van and get to my destination by 11:00.  We arrived at 10:45 and was done by 2:15.  I will say I was a tired puppy by that time even though the day was still young.  I am happy that everything turned out just as I envisioned.  I choose every item knowing in my mind exactly where each item will go in the plan.  That means my style day goes much faster.

We had assistants that helped with upholstery of chair cushions, unloading the van, hanging some heavy items, his wife helping with minor cleaning and prepping, etc.  That made our day much faster.

See Complete Post with All Photos Here

Day 16: India Kick Off and a Bunch of Other Stuff

Ever have a day that you finally get a lot of loose ends done?  It seems these loose ends become a nagging weight that keeps trying to pull you under until you finally pull the trigger and get them done.

Ah, breath of fresh air.  Still lots of stuff to do on the home front but I don't feel completely defeated at this point.  I mean stuff like putting something in a box, finding the address, making the label, sealing up the box, driving to the post office, waiting in line and handing it over to the post man and walking away with one more item off your list.  whew.  I know you've been there.

Now for a bag of stuff that has been nagging me at my front door to go to the Goodwill store and some stuff to go to the garage for storage, etc. etc.  Please tell me I'm not the only person who can tolerate this kind of stuff.  Then, I go crazy and the perfectionist comes out of me and the place gets a total detail and I expect everyone to keep it that way.  lol

Enough transparency! Tomorrow is a big day, styling 3 rooms and getting all of this countless stuff from my home to the makeover.  But, it's my favorite part!  Going to be absolutely transforming!!

Made some tweaks on the floor plans I did last night and set an appointment for Wednesday. 

I am getting excited about our Heartstrings Ministry department heading up a India booth for an upcoming Missions Marketplace and Family Day the last week end of this month.  Since Harvey, we had to postpone this event and the decision was made to make it in conjunction with our Family Day already on the calendar. 

I am thrilled that a family from India plus a client of my husband from India will be making authentic Indian Cuisine along with one our ladies who has a great recipe to share.  We will have some India flare going on to open the imagination of our members to the culture.  Most of all, it will give God a chance to open our minds and hearts up to a whole world that needs our prayers and support.

I appreciate all of the ladies in our department that have offered their time and talents for our booth.  We still need more help if you are reading this and would like to give us an hour on the 28th or 29th of this month.

Tonight was Baked Salmon, with my newest spice loves, Mexican Red Pepper and Ground Curry, and creamed potatoes and a chopped salad.

Now to bed with fresh sheets and pillowcases, (I wish were ironed as my mother does) and a good night's sleep.

Good Night.

Day 15: Hope You're Enjoying a Fresh Brew

Thank you for an average of 112 views per post on this year's 31 Days of Writing in October.
It will be morning for most of you when you open this, so I'm hoping you are enjoying your morning coffee and catching up on your week's calendar and musing events from the weekend.

Today, Sunday, I decided to arrive for church in time for worship service only.  My body was trying hard to keep me in bed.  Ahhh, one of those days.  Gary had to teach a class.  Thank God my bug is out of the shop and we again have 2 vehicles.

I decided to pick up Luby's for lunch to take home.  I enjoyed so much with no guilt a nap that was so needed.

Tonight I worked on 2 floor plans for 2 clients.  I am anxious to share my patio idea we kicked off on Saturday.

This week, be sure and take time with a friend or someone you love and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and good conversation.  If all else fails, love yourself enough to enjoy a favorite drink in a pretty cup or stemmed glass and make it a ritual that brings some self worth.  You deserve it.  The more you can learn to love yourself, the more capacity you have to love others.

Have a great week!

Some of my favorite coffee pics:

Smiles.