Bigger in Texas

Alas, I have finished off the 56 oz. bag of M&M's. What a relief! We bought the monster bag at Costco just a week ago and I couldn't keep my grubby little hand out of it. So thank goodness that's not haunting me anymore. Now, I just need to work on that 4 lb. jug of jelly bellies. Then I can start my diet.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase "Everything's bigger in Texas". Well, I've only been here 6 months but I'm finding this to be true. Especially when it comes to the flowers.I wanted to share a picture of my hibiscus growing in a pot in the backyard. The blooms are nearly 7" across. They are gorgeous! And my plant has another dozen buds on it so it will be fun to watch over the next several days while we're still here. (Sorry the first picture is blurry. I don't know how to work my hubby's camera very well so the second pic is with mine.)

The other great thing about Texas is we can plant things that wouldn't grow in Utah or New Mexico. The Captain is anxious to plant a palm tree in the backyard. He's always wanted to live somewhere that he could have a palm tree in his yard. Aah, it's the little things. He's so easy to please. :)

Well, I hope you're having a funtastic weekend. We're expecting thunder showers again today so we have nothing planned for outside. But, that's fine with me for now. Makes me feel less guilty for sitting at the computer. And we don't have high-speed internet at our summer place so I've got to enjoy it while I can.

I should have another Word Art freebie for you soon so check back in with me.

Happy Sails!

It's Thursday already!

Man, where does the time go? Sometimes I feel like my life is slipping by me at a pace I'm just not comfortable with. We have been in Texas for nearly 6 months now. We moved here after my husband retired to enjoy a warmer winter climate. It's beautiful and so far, we really love it. It supposedly gets real hot here in the summer but that doesn't affect us much because we plan to spend our summer's in Idaho and Michigan.

Time in Idaho allows us to be with our family (all in Northern Utah). We have a cabin on a lake there (Bear Lake, if you're familiar) and the kids come up as often as possible to go boating. They've all gotten quite good on the wakeboard but the Captain and I favor the sky ski. Have you ever tried this? It's incredibly hard to figure out at first but once you get it, it's a blast. And it's a lot less effort than the wakeboard. It's not nearly as tiring.

Our date of departure is around the 4th of May. So, the hubs has been spending the past few days trying to figure out what we need to accomplish here before we leave; turn off utilities, cancel car insurance, get the mail forwarded, make a pile of things we need to pack. He's very efficient! All I have to do usually is get in the car. Don't you love being taken care of?!

So, this is the joy our retirement allows us. Being able to pull up stakes and take off whenever we choose. We've only been retirees for a couple of years now so it still feels like a dream. So to toast our retirement, I created the next freebie for you. Click on the title of this post to download it. And leave me some cyber love if you like it.

And before I sign off, I want to give a shout out to my newest follower, Wench Melly Bean! She's not only one of my best friends but she's my daughter as well. Love you Mela Bella!

Until next time,

Happy Sails!

Dreamy

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day here in the Hill Country. Temps were in the 80's and there was very little wind. Just beautiful. The Captain took me to the Zilker Park Botanical Gardens. It was really pretty- especially the rose garden. I got some nice pictures of those.

I also got pictures of this beautiful gate. They didn't turn out so good because it was so shady but it made me think of Cinderella.
Some people are so incredibly talented. The detail on this thing was really beautiful. It just amazes me. Sadly, it was tucked away down a road leading to nowhere so I'm sure it's going unappreciated. After the garden tour we had lunch at Chuy's on the patio. The birds were chirping away and the waitress kept the Diet Cokes coming. God Bless her! :)

Alas, the gate was my inspiration for today's freebie, the famous quote from Cinderella herself. Now Cinderella is wonderful for sure but I personally believe the real stars of that movie were the mice. So cute!



Click on the title of this post to get the dowload. If you like it, leave me some love in my comments. Thanks!

Happy Sails,
Julie

Freebie for Mom

It seems lately wherever I go I see cotton swabs in parking lots. They're dirty, smashed and almost unrecognizable. Seriously, I've seen about 12 in the past 3 months. It strikes me as odd and random. Are people honestly sitting in their cars cleaning their ears? Okay, I understand that these things are used for more than just cleaning your ears. But in parking lots? Are they an automotive tool of some sort? I don't get it. If anyone can enlighten me, please do so.

Alright, moving on... my next freebie that I promised you is finished. With Mother's Day coming right up I thought this was appropriate. I hope you find it useful. The colored background is for display only. Your download background will be transparent. And since I have no terms of use, you're always welcome to change the color of the text and elements to suit your needs. Click on the title of this blog to get it.



And, thanks for stopping by!
Happy Sails,
Julie