Friday, February 19, 2021

Snow-mageddon 2021

I don't know about you, 
but I am tired of living through major historical events!  
This past Valentine's Day ushered in one of the worst winter storms to ever hit Texas.


And while the above picture doesn't look like a lot of snow, it was enough to bring civilization as we know it to a grinding halt!


The single digit temperatures caused enough ice and snow to accumulate that roads were inaccessible, rolling blackouts of 24-72 hours, burst pipes, a failed power grid, and fatalities that affected every single one of the 254 counties in Texas.


That Valentine's Day evening, Doug drove me into Houston to the hospital where I work.  They were asking employees to come in to ride out the storm days since most employees wouldn't be able to make it in.  I stayed there three days and had it better than most ~ 
I had a warm bed, food, and electricity.
I was safe and so very thankful.


And by God's grace, Doug and the kids were able to hunker down at home with plenty of supplies.  Our area on the Texas Gulf Coast made it through the storm with not too much damage and temperatures that were higher than most.

Now we face the aftermath of the storm, 
the clean up, boiling water, the empty store shelves, 
the failing power grid...

I'll take a 100+ temperatures and hurricanes any day of the week, 
you northerners can keep your snow and ice.
The ONLY thing Texans know about ice and salt
is in the form of a margarita!

Friday, February 5, 2021

Tomato Time!

For the past few weeks, I've stolen this corner of my dinning room and converted it to a mini greenhouse.  You won't find shelves of little seedlings under grow lights 
in the pages of 'Better Homes & Gardens' magazine...
and I'm sure Joanna Gaines would not approve...
 BUT
these shelves full of life make me so happy 
during this chilly, dreary time of year!


Best of all, the tomato seedlings are ready to be up potted!
That means they have outgrown their seed trays and need a bigger home for development.  
The way I do this is to up pot them into Solo cups.
It's cheap.
It's the perfect size.
I use them year after year.


Each little seedling gets popped into a cup with fresh potting soil.  You'll want to bury that little seedling up to it's top leaves because tomatoes can send out new roots all along their stem.
It makes for a stronger, healthier plant.


I then put all the cups into bins so I can begin to take them outside to "harden off" as the days become warmer.  By the second week of March, they'll be ready to plant in the garden.


But until then, the little corner of my dinning room is over run with plants.  I'm sure the purple glow coming from my windows is concerning to my neighbors and passers by.  But I assure you folks, it's JUST tomatoes and peppers, nothing illegal going on here!

If you'd like to follow my gardening adventures, 
follow the hashtag #Creamergarden
on Instagram.

Monday, February 1, 2021

January Birthdays

Everyone in the family has a "Birthday Buddy."
We are only separated by a day or two in celebrating our birthdays,
my buddy is Danny.


He hit the milestone year of 16!
That's a BIG one.
We surprised him with an awesome gift this year, 
just perfect for a 16 year old, right?


I also made another trip around the sun...thankfully!
I celebrated year number 52.
We had a wild afternoon of going out to lunch, picking up lumber,
 and getting some wood chips dumped in the yard.
Just perfect for a 52 year old lady, right?


But that evening we had a family dinner where Kyle cooked chicken fried steak and loaded mashed potatoes...


Happy birthday to ME, right?


And my greatest gift this day was celebrating life, happiness, and health while being surrounded by 
the people I love most in this world.
Best day ever!
Now where's the cake and ice cream?!?!?