Sunset at Las Islas Ranch

As soon as the painters left on Friday (many of you know that I am having quite a "redo" on first floor of our home) my husband and I took off for the deer lease which is about an hour and fiften minutes from our home. We own half of a duplex at Las Islas Ranch which is located in deep south Texas. We desperately needed a weekend of R&R.. the a.c. was on, cable television and all the appliances were working! Ahhhhh!!  A beautiful sunset greeted us as we pulled into our little place. A pleasant weekend of visiting with friends was all we needed to face another hectic week in this torn up home. We do think though that this will be the final week. The backsplash needs installing in the kitchen along with crown molding in the kitchen and breakfast nook. The new double ovens, induction cooktop and dishwasher should complete the job! We shall see... stay tuned.

Who said, "Let's texture and paint?"

This has been an incredible challenge, however, we are hanging in there. Tomorrow the painting will begin.

God bless our Veterans!

My father, Cal Boykin, Jr. was a veteran of WW II. In this picture he is the young man on the top of this armored car. He was a gunner. This picture was discovered many years after the war and was actually the cover of a magazine. The picture was found by my uncle!

To the right is a close-up of my dad. He had just finished his freshman year at Texas A&M University when it became obvious that most young men were about to be called up for duty. He went ahead and enlisted and soon found himself at Ft. Hood in Kileen, Texas for his basic training. Later he was involved in many battles, paticipating in the surge that was part of the Battle of the Bulge.

Yes... I am so very proud of my father who served his country. He passed away October 23, 2008.

My husband, David, served in the U.S. Air Force and was a Munitions Officer during the Vietnam war. He spent four years in the Air Force and then went to work for the family farming business.

These are two veterans that I truly am proud of!

God bless America

and

God bless our men and women who serve our country

The Mess!

My husband, son and I, left behind the craziness of the home "redo" for a weekend at the deer lease in deep south Texas. No hunting this weekend, just some much needed R&R.

But this is what we had to face this Monday morning!

There just doesn't seem to be any way to deal with this mess unless you hire a moving company to come in and pack you up for the duration. I told my husband that if we had been in high cotton this year, that is exactly what we would have done! Actually I am learning that this is a lesson in endurance.

The painters will be back tomorrow, so will the electrician and also the carpenter. Also the backsplash will be put in and hopefully the dishwasher. The cooktop was returned because of some defective spots and a scratch.  A new one is on its way. The BIG deal tomorrow will be staining the kitchen island... something black with copper undertones. We shall see....

Thanks to my sweet neighbor, Laura, who came down and settled my nerves and helped get me on the right track with the paint.

No Pictures

There are no pictures tonight, friends. The mess is so incredible I cannot bear to record it. The project is growing... painting and a little fix here and a little fix there. I am moving "stuff" from one room to the next, trying to stay ahead of the workmen. When will this be finished?

The latest on the granite

This evening I we had a dinner meeting to attend and when I walked into my kitchen I just could not get over the difference this "redo" is making.

We had our first glitch today. The stove top has a scratch in it. I should have opened to box when I signed for it. How foolish of me! Anyhow, it is getting worked out.

The project is going to take longer than we had planned (they had said five working days) and that is only because I keep adding to the things I want done. I am sure that is typical. Well, if you have the workmen there... might as well get some painting done and a few light fixtures replaced... ya-da, ya-da, ya-da.

Off to bed!!