The Redo Is Complete!

The remodeling is complete. Now I have to start redecorating. The colors are so different. I know, I know... the little hankies on the shelves are crooked but I had a little extra help today and you just can't complain when people are helping out. I have had so many people wanting to know if my project was complete I had to go ahead an post a few pictures.

This is a brief reminder of what things looked like about three weeks ago. The new wood floors had already been put in, but now I have granite counter tops, stone back splash, induction cook stove, new dishwasher, sink, faucet, green wallpaper gone and walls painted. My double ovens have not arrived yet... probably the week of December 1st. The glass front cabinets are going to be reorganized.

So there we have our project almost finished. I guess you're never really done, right?

Shhh... please, don't tell my husband that, okay?

Texas A&M University - Bonfire Rememberance

A bonfire about 12 years ago at Texas A&M University

At approximately 2:30 a.m. on November 18, 1999, the 40-foot (12 m) high stack, consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and former students working on the stack, 12 were killed and 27 were injured. Within minutes of the collapse, members of Texas Task Force 1, the state's elite emergency response team, arrived to begin the rescue efforts. Rescue operations took over 24 hours; the pace was hampered by the fact that many of the logs were removed by hand for fear that using heavy equipment to remove them would cause further collapses, resulting in further injuries to those still trapped. Students, including the entire Texas A&M football team and many members of the university's Corps of Cadets, rushed to the site to assist rescue workers with manually removing the logs. The Texas A&M civil engineering department was also called on to examine the site and help the workers decide the order in which the logs could be safely removed, and, at the request of the Texas Forest Service, Steely Lumber Company in Huntsville, Texas sent log-moving equipment and operators.  Bonfire survivor John Comstock was the last living person to be removed from the stack. He spent months in the hospital following amputation of his left leg and partial paralysis of his right side. Comstock returned to A&M in 2001 to finish his degree.

Our middle son (following in the tradition of his father) worked on building the bonfire. He had worked on the previous shift and was spared this horrific tragedy as far as bodily injury. However, he lost friends and some friends were injured. Our son called us about 5 a.m. just to say, "Dad, I'm okay. There's been an accident on the bonfire. Turn on your TV." That was all we heard from him for hours.

Tuesday night we will attend a memorial service to remember the students who lost their lives, those injured and those who will never forget this terrible tragedy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IffmX6r1h_I

Sister Schubert's Breakfast Rolls

A Friend's Sister Schubert Breakfast Rolls


Ingredients:
1 pkg. Sister Schubert's Parker House Rolls
2 c. diced ham
8 oz. bag of shredded cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1/2 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. poppy seed
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire

Directions:

Partially thaw the rolls and slice the entire pan of rolls in half. Spread about 2 c. of diced ham over the rolls. Cover the ham with shredded cheese. Cover with top layer of rolls.

Mix the remaining ingredients with the melted butter. Drizzle the topping over the top of the rolls and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Check to be sure the bottom of the tolls are brown. To serve, cut into the roll shapes.

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