birthday weekend in Austin

Austin City Limits

a rOck'N time with Nathan celebrating the BIG 3-0!!

we had so much fun we have our tickets for the 2012 show already!!

check it out

we drove from Friona, with  just a few stops (antique stores of course..i can't keep Nathan away..OK maybe it is me) it took us about 10 hours. plus we took the "scenic" route in the hill country but due to severe drought it was dry.

pray for rain.

the entrance to the festival taken place at a HUGE park, Zilker Park.

sitting in the grass, having a beer and great live music.

we were lucky with sprinkles of rain drops, overcast weather and a new hat to control my frizzy hair due to humidity.

3 day music festival= lots of people watching

personally i am out of touch with any "cool" music. my play list, scratch that idea, i ONLY listen to kid music (usually the same song on repeat) or whatever comes through on my radio..lots of country or the occasional Bob Marley. 

THANKFULLY Nathan has not lost touch with the music scene, has our i-pod fully loaded and i feel a little more assured or "cooler" with my new found love of music that is from this decade.

some of my favs that stirred up my musical soul...

-cults

-cold war kids 

-sanitgold

-foster the people

this was just ONE of the many stages at the festival.

happy birthday to you!!

we munched on good eats.

 almost found on every corner.

celebrated at a fancy-schmancy restaurant.

peaches with basil and ice cream.

sounds crazy but the taste buds likey.

the other place we drove to..i wasn't about to bike in heels.

we even took a field trip to the Capital.

we had to..

we are Texans.

we had such a great time spending time together..

and i wore my new hat everyday!

best way to get around this city..biking. we only drove our car twice the 4 days we were in Austin, THIS GIRL needed to get her Nordstrom and Anthropologie fix. plus great exercise going up those hills and even better going down those hills. i have had my cruiser since college..o the memories!

we just strapped my bike to the top of the car and away we went.

until next time,

Austin.

xoxo

like all good things they come to an end..

but we did find this delish BBQ place in Brady, Texas on our drive back up the Pan Handle.

i have never seen so many windmills in my life.

just outside of Sweetwater, Texas.

o Texas you are a BIG state.

daddy turns 30

The day has come, the day Nathaniel Patrick Moroney entered his thirties. I met Nathan when he was 15 going on 16 (sound of music song..anyone...) therefore i have been his one and only girl for half of his life. lucky him i know or lucky me? either way we are both lucky to have each other and even more lucky to have such a MAGNIFICENT family..you will see why in just a moment.

let's pretend that this picture is rotated correctly...sometimes the computer works against me. just lean your head a little to the right..thank you for understanding.

...THE  COW PATTY CAKE...

The cow patty cake has a memorable meaning in our family and the women behind it holds a very special place in our hearts. Nathan's Grandma Vena, has been making her famous "Cow Patty Cake" for years. It is only baked with love for all those birthdays that have a big fat zero at the end to celebrate the next decade of life. It is sure impressive to see this cake in person let me tell ya. Even the boys called it "poopy cake".  Grandma Vena knows her cow patty's!! 

Jan (Nathan's mama) and Grandma Vena drove out to stay with us for a week to help watch the boys while Nathan and I went to Austin and to celebrate Nathan's 30th birthday!! Amazing how both Jan and Grandma Vena wouldn't miss out on Nathan's special day and prepared our entire family a exceptional birthday dinner. We will never forget our fun party for Nathan and turning 30 isn't too bad when you have Mom and Grandma there with you!!!

This was truly a blessed night, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU Jan and Grandma Vena for all your hard work watching the boys and giving Nathan one heck of a party!!

i never had a chance to take a picture of Grandma Vena's famous Chicken & Noodles. Soooooo good even my mom is writing down the recipe in the picture above. Once you have had Grandma Vena's Chicken & Noddles..life is never the same, it is that good!

After the cake things got a bit crazy.

max before cake........................max after cake
my brother justin made max into a cake frosting warrior.

max was definelty the life of the party!!

Nathan is my home brewer. he keeps us well stocked with his kegs of beer.

chalkboard taps for the birthday boy!!

a trip wouldn't be complete without some junking. Jan and i hit up a place just down the road and let's just say she will be back with her truck next time!!

He's got the whole world in His Hands...the boys room.

ta-DA..the room for boys. i have pretty much completed this room for now. as a "collector" or whatever crazy word you call someone who hunts for antiques while driving or even in their sleep.."crazy" could be the word some people would use. it takes lots of looking before i find just the perfect, got to have without a doubt item, that will be loved by me and will come alive again in the hands of boys. we have lots of different themes going on here but all have one very important thing in common..vintage, thrifted, old, used, picked and my saving grace...Target (the red store called by natey) to pull it all together. i realize i should of took the bed rail down for staging purposes but that obviously didn't happen. max is ready to go in his "big boy" bed as soon as we put together the other bed rail. it has been in the box for over a month.  

-headboards- pottery barn kids (but FOUND at one of my fav. consignment stores Little-Jewelz in Phoenix).

-bedding, lamps & shades, curtain valance, turtle night light- all Target

-metal letters-one bought in AZ and the other TX.

-dresser- my mom brought back from Wheaton, IL...yard sale..but FREE to me i still haven't decided to leave it as is or give it a fresh coat of paint. i kinda like it just the way it is, the detailing of the wood and the original hardware.

-John Deere Oil canister- FREE & FOUND from a farm shed.

-Fisher-Price Light Globe from the 80's- FLEE

vintage tennis racquet's from goodwill and bible maps from a antique store.

metal globes that are also money banks and their own little mailbox. they love getting mail but who doesn't!!

light from pottery barn kids.

as you can see we have a lot of globes. i have found them all in Texas!!

"HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS"

has been the ongoing theme for this room.

the vintage finds for the room are changed out, moved around from other places in the house or buried in a toy box. the alphabet blocks are never on the shelf but in the Boy's playroom for shoveling up in their tractors. that is one of many great things about older toys, they are so durable even after 20 plus years. just about everything has ended up outside in the yard, all i do is wipe it off (or maybe just a good shake)and put it back on the shelf. the boys are always welcomed to play with my fun finds unless it is breakable and they could injure each other or poke an eye out. i pray that never happens. 

here are some BEFORE pictures..

the fan light had to go!!

i dislike my ceilings but not worth the mula..i rather redo the bathrooms!!

 the air vents are so retro..i do like those and the chain pulls.

i took this picture right after i painted the white walls to

"London Fog" by Benjamin Moore. in love with this color. the perfect neutral for any room. time to paint the rest of the house with a fresh coat of  "london fog". i like fog unless i am driving then i don't like fog. either way fog is coming to town on my walls.

i have noticed that i have a difficulty posting pictures of my house, sorry for that. i am constantly rearranging and never feel like a room is ever complete. so i hope you enjoyed the boy's room because overtime i guarantee it will look different!! 

now i will leave you with the lyrics to the song and hopefully it will not be stuck in your head all day like mine:)

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He's got you and he's got me in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody there in His hands,
He's got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

Traditional, Written By: Unknown, Copyright: Unknown

nothing but the truth

let's be honest here..
i haven't been a good blogger.
i have been a bad blogger.
 thank you to those who push me to be the blogger i should be.
i am the blogger that WILL.
but i found this cute saying in the meantime...


taken from: chris piascik
{you must give credit where credit is due..i learned this the hard way from unknown peeps on blog land..the rules i tell ya of blog etiquette}

that is the absolute truth to how i feel these days.
not necessary all my ideas but there are just so many ideas running in my head. i must narrow my focus, get down to business on my house, my life, my blog...

i have been distracted by all sorts of things lately..mainly my boys, going to the gym, tanning and laundry..OK so i watch, i mean WE (my hub & i) Jersey Shore (i don't know how i feel about this season..not as entertaining..). but really, i am in my best friend since 3rd grade wedding in November and want to look killer or just better than normal. i know tanning beds are bad but it feels so good to have a slight bronze glow. hitting the gym or my new thrill of running around my neighborhood in the late hours of the night has been cutting into my "blog" time or my talking to "lindsay" time as well.
i am sorry for this.
and laundry..well we know that never ends.

but let's move on... it's getting late and i must run..really.

For all you hoarders, i mean COLLECTORS, out there you will enjoy all things about these 2 BOOKS.

i have devoured them page by page and even had to send one to my mom-in-love! 

http://www.foundfreeandflea.com/

i will be more than happy to honor the "FOUND, FLEA & FREE" way of living, thinking, buying, decorating, thrifting, junking and gifting!

wouldn't you want the "things" in your home, your life, that tell a story other than "made in china". trust me i have that too, but i cherish my vintage pretties so much more!!

http://www.averymodestcottage.com/flash/index.html

this book is preserving not only an old cottage but a piece of her heart...awwwe.

these TWO book's have given me loads of inspiration!! aware for my like of all things old... i found a even deeper reason to continue the madness. my husband will be thrilled when i tell him the news..i am pretty sure he has already figured this out :)
on second thought let's just keep this our little secret!!

isn't she adorable!!

this is the author Tereasa Surratt .

 there is more........

 

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/picker-sisters

 and then there are these 2 girls, to whom my mom introduced me to via their TV show. in my neck of the flat lands of the great

pan handle of Texas it a picker's dream or it is to me at least. these ladies take junk and make fabulous furniture out of it....plus they look pretty cute doing it too!! as you know i like me some threads..whoever their stylist is send me their info!! 

 i personally think they pay way too much for their junky finds but who i am to judge. just watch and learn folks.

it is that time..

time to run..really i am not kidding!!

 

dog days of summer

Saturday we danced, danced & danced to Florence + The Machine Dog Days Are Over. the boys have some pretty spectacular grooves going on in their little bodies. i must mention the head bangs are unreal with all the locks of hair on their heads.  these boys can dance!! the hot summer days are ending, the leaves will change, the crisp frigid air of winter will be here before we know it. which reminds me, we have almost been Texans for a year, can you believe it. we have done so much, i have blogged so little...but that is life. doesn't matter in my mind, i have tons of photos & memories of US in my heart and on costcophoto.com.

this is what we have been up to in the last week...

the Del Rio garden is producing more than we can eat.
we planted: sweet corn, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, green beans, okra, a variety of lettuce, roma tomatoes, black eye peas and getting ready to plant more for fall.

zucchini anyone

the squash is out of control

lettuce..it can't get any fresher than this

this whole row is okra..it is about a week away from being picked.

it is going to be good!

nathan & i have taken Lil overnight trips down to Lubbock lately.

JUST THE 2 OF US!!

my new favorite tapas and wine bar in Lubbock, La Diosa.

it is my Postino's back in Phoenix.

it has a Spanish bohemian vibe, with i will have another glass of Sangria and it was so good i will lick the plate clean.

we will be back!!

need i say more...YUM

of course this guy makes it all more fun!!

what a big smile!! i told you it is OUR new favorite place!!

our summer days are full of playing outside.

swimming with sharks..

natey has been a little obsessed with sharks since shark week on the Discovery channel. 

he takes all 101 sharks with him everywhere, even to bed. 

bless his little soul for reenacting the Shamu show while introducing Great White Sharks for big "Splashes" & the occasional shark attack. 

I find it very entertaining.

...like our pool..i do...low maintenance!!

JAWS

when you look at this picture just imagine Max saying "CHEEEEESSSSSE" cause that is exactly what he does when he sees the camera.

showing the camera his tractor

my.baby.boy
dirt & stained Popsicle cheeks
the perfect summer treat

this picture captures the real Max..full of life!

my sunflowers

most of the blooms face east..i wonder why. to greet the morning sun perhaps.
i feel like i am living in Strawberry Shortcake land with Sunflowers and i pretend they have big HAPPY faces.
You are never too old to pretend.

summer isn't over yet.

i think we will do this again tomorrow :)