Our anniversary date was a hot one ;)
It was so hot that we went out for an early lunch and then had some yummy and refreshing yogurt for dessert.
I love this guy!
Patty
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We celebrated 23 years!
I love this guy!
Patty
La Hacienda RV Resort and Cottages
When we bought the camper in May, David insisted (and did so in a guy-kind-of-way to get his point across about not wanting the camper to just sit around not being used), "We will take this out once a month!"
Well, shoot. He didn't have to tell me twice.
I love to get out and coupled with the fact that I have put all the comforts of home into this little baby, well, it's been a blast so far.
Our test drive (May)
Girls' Weekend (June)
And for July, we headed to Austin and Lake Travis in the beau-ti-ful hill country region of Texas.
Y'all! Texas is so huge it is broken into 7 regions, each having its own distinct geographical feature, (the Hill Country is one region).
Our first stop was at a famous, Texas swimming hole.
Barton Springs is a spring fed swimming hole that stays a constant and cool 68 degrees. That's cold! But when our temps were in the triple digits for almost one week, it felt SO good.
Hard to see, but toward the top right of the photo is the diving board. These swimming holes can run deep! And yes, there are fish in there.
Panning to the left now...
Panning to the far right now...
This is the shallow end.
There are entrance ramps and stairs strategically placed for people. To get to the board you can swim across or walk all the way around.
(That's Stan the man way out there. The sun was so bright, that was the best phone picture I could get of him.)
The dude in the swimming cap in the above photo? I had to chuckle. He never went in beyond his waist. Haha!
I also loaded up two videos of this place because my phone pictures cannot do it justice.
Our bellies were rumbling after a couple of hours, so we loaded up and headed to our the resort we had reservations to camp.
La Hacienda RV Resort & Cottages is on Lake Travis, about a 30 minute drive west of Austin.
We set up "camp" and headed to the pool for the rest of the day.
On day two, we checked out the resort grounds, getting to know the facility a little bit more.
IMG_1876 from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
IMG_1882 from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
The two videos above give you an idea of how much fun they had swimming and looking for the fish.
By noon, we had enough of the sun and headed back to the shaded pool.
I stopped in the resort's store and found these ice creams being sold.
David, "This is not camping. This is glamping!"
We spent two nights away and headed back for home on day three. It was such a fun get-away! I love traveling across Texas (it never gets old).
She was worn out!
Our next trip is in early August when we head (with two other families) down to Galveston Island, and the little ones are so excited to be going to the ocean again.
I am so grateful to have this camper, something that allows us to get away from it all more often (and doesn't cost a small fortune doing so).
Grateful and hot in Texas,
Patty
reade more...
Well, shoot. He didn't have to tell me twice.
I love to get out and coupled with the fact that I have put all the comforts of home into this little baby, well, it's been a blast so far.
Our test drive (May)
Girls' Weekend (June)
And for July, we headed to Austin and Lake Travis in the beau-ti-ful hill country region of Texas.
Y'all! Texas is so huge it is broken into 7 regions, each having its own distinct geographical feature, (the Hill Country is one region).
Our first stop was at a famous, Texas swimming hole.
Barton Springs is a spring fed swimming hole that stays a constant and cool 68 degrees. That's cold! But when our temps were in the triple digits for almost one week, it felt SO good.
Hard to see, but toward the top right of the photo is the diving board. These swimming holes can run deep! And yes, there are fish in there.
Panning to the left now...
Panning to the far right now...
This is the shallow end.
There are entrance ramps and stairs strategically placed for people. To get to the board you can swim across or walk all the way around.
The dude in the swimming cap in the above photo? I had to chuckle. He never went in beyond his waist. Haha!
I also loaded up two videos of this place because my phone pictures cannot do it justice.
Our bellies were rumbling after a couple of hours, so we loaded up and headed to our the resort we had reservations to camp.
La Hacienda RV Resort & Cottages is on Lake Travis, about a 30 minute drive west of Austin.
We set up "camp" and headed to the pool for the rest of the day.
On day two, we checked out the resort grounds, getting to know the facility a little bit more.
"The Original RV"
We wanted to explore Lake Travis, and it did not disappoint.
The lake is really low right now, at least 20 feet, so it was kind of a rocky beach area. We didn't mind.
This lake is DEEP!!! There are life jackets (all sizes) on a rack for anyone to use. We all wore one!
They were watching all the fish swimming in the shallow area. LOTS of fish!
Okay. So in the above photo? David is sitting on the edge of a cliff. The branches in the water are tops of trees that are at least 20' below. And that's the shallow part!!
Lake Travis was created when they damned up the Colorado River. Hill Country is notorious for its gorgeous cliffs hence the reason why almost the entire rim of the lake is made of cliffs.
IMG_1882 from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
The two videos above give you an idea of how much fun they had swimming and looking for the fish.
By noon, we had enough of the sun and headed back to the shaded pool.
I stopped in the resort's store and found these ice creams being sold.
David, "This is not camping. This is glamping!"
We spent two nights away and headed back for home on day three. It was such a fun get-away! I love traveling across Texas (it never gets old).
She was worn out!
Our next trip is in early August when we head (with two other families) down to Galveston Island, and the little ones are so excited to be going to the ocean again.
I am so grateful to have this camper, something that allows us to get away from it all more often (and doesn't cost a small fortune doing so).
Grateful and hot in Texas,
Patty
Texas Swimming Holes (Belton Springs in Austin)
I shot these two videos because the photos do not do the swimming hole justice. We were camping near here last week, wanting to cool down a bit from the scorching heat.
Y'all! It was 111 degrees yesterday. That should be outlawed - ha ha!
(More vids and pics to come!)
Belton Springs (Austin) from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
Belton Springs (Austin) from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
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Y'all! It was 111 degrees yesterday. That should be outlawed - ha ha!
(More vids and pics to come!)
Belton Springs (Austin) from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
Belton Springs (Austin) from Patty Hughes on Vimeo.
Texas Swimming Holes
Texas is notorious for swimming holes. They are so refreshing and beautiful to behold.
David and I took the youngest two for a little two-night camping trip. The temps down here are so freaking hot right now. When in Texas, you just find a swimming hole and take a plunge in 68 degree water. That's just what we did.
Going through all the photos right, now hoping to put a post together soon.
I love Texas.
Patty
Another Patio Facelift
David has been working hard on updating the patio, giving it a fresh look. The columns and ceiling needed a fresh coat of paint - badly! And after the patio floor was refinished, it was even more obvious that a fresh coat was required.
He went to work on it last weekend.
First up, caulking in areas that had shifted and created gaps.
**In the south near us, builders use hardy board for exterior trim and siding. It is a material made of fiber cement that can be painted.**
My only before picture.
Instead of caulking in all the lines/spaces between each hardy board on the porch ceiling, David placed batten strips to make it look more professional.
New batten strips installed.
New batten strips painted.
This is so much better to look at then a bunch of cracks that would reappear again as the Texas soil shifts (we are famous for that).
I also picked up a new light fixture.
I didn't choose a ceiling fan since we wouldn't use it that much. It is either too hot and a ceiling fan would only blow warm air on us, or the weather is pleasant and no fan is needed.
The finished look ~
I love having that clean look once again!
There's only one thing left on the patio to-do list, and that is the door. For now, he needs a break ;)
Patty
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He went to work on it last weekend.
First up, caulking in areas that had shifted and created gaps.
**In the south near us, builders use hardy board for exterior trim and siding. It is a material made of fiber cement that can be painted.**
My only before picture.
Instead of caulking in all the lines/spaces between each hardy board on the porch ceiling, David placed batten strips to make it look more professional.
New batten strips installed.
New batten strips painted.
This is so much better to look at then a bunch of cracks that would reappear again as the Texas soil shifts (we are famous for that).
I also picked up a new light fixture.
I didn't choose a ceiling fan since we wouldn't use it that much. It is either too hot and a ceiling fan would only blow warm air on us, or the weather is pleasant and no fan is needed.
The finished look ~
I love having that clean look once again!
There's only one thing left on the patio to-do list, and that is the door. For now, he needs a break ;)
Patty
Retail Therapy
Sarah is taking two summer college classes this summer. In between session 1 & session 2, I made her take a weekend off to indulge in some retail therapy ;)
I found a Groupon deal at a beautiful hotel near the Dallas Galleria. We walked the entire Galleria (and stores all around the Galleria), and she shopped for some new clothes and shoes.
The next day, we headed to IKEA and TJ Maxx for some items she needed for for her (college) apartment kitchen. I think she checked off almost everything on her list and what she didn't find I knew I had lying around the house. She is so excited for her first apartment :)
I'm so blessed to be the mom of this young lady and enjoy watching her walk the path of adulthood.
Patty
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I found a Groupon deal at a beautiful hotel near the Dallas Galleria. We walked the entire Galleria (and stores all around the Galleria), and she shopped for some new clothes and shoes.
The next day, we headed to IKEA and TJ Maxx for some items she needed for for her (college) apartment kitchen. I think she checked off almost everything on her list and what she didn't find I knew I had lying around the house. She is so excited for her first apartment :)
I'm so blessed to be the mom of this young lady and enjoy watching her walk the path of adulthood.
Patty
What's for Sunday dinner?
I haven't made this dish in awhile and forgot just how mouth-watering it is! Your entire house smells good while it's cooking in the crock pot. A blog friend summed it up like this, "My house smelled so good I could've eaten the walls."
Crock Pot Zesty Chicken BBQ is what's for dinner tonight!
With a side of steamed broccoli, this a winner.
And dessert is a recipe that needed to be baked tonight. I was reminded of it when my blog friend Billie sent me a pic of the ones her daughter baked. (I'm so proud of you, Peyton!)
Creamy Blueberry Pie is, hands down, the most delicious blueberry pie recipe you'll ever sink your teeth into!
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday with family, friends, traveling, or at home in the a.c.
Patty
reade more...
Crock Pot Zesty Chicken BBQ is what's for dinner tonight!
With a side of steamed broccoli, this a winner.
And dessert is a recipe that needed to be baked tonight. I was reminded of it when my blog friend Billie sent me a pic of the ones her daughter baked. (I'm so proud of you, Peyton!)
Creamy Blueberry Pie is, hands down, the most delicious blueberry pie recipe you'll ever sink your teeth into!
I hope you are enjoying your Sunday with family, friends, traveling, or at home in the a.c.
Patty
DIY: Patio Facelift
I really disliked how our concrete patio had been looking (stained and marked up). My hubby had planned to paint it, and we were in the store looking at concrete paint samples when I came across a different product.
Granite Grip Concrete Coating (Home Depot)
Over the course of two weekends, my hubby worked on the patio.
It needed (and was recommended for better bonding) 3 acid washes.
On the second weekend, he started the coating process. It had to be applied under 90 degrees F. So you can imagine how early he had to get up to beat the Texas heat!
At $50 a gallon, needing two gallons for 110 sq ft, we were keeping our fingers crossed!
He ended up putting on three coats. I'm glad he did.
I LOVE the finished look and feel!
It looks like paint with a non-slip texture, but it isn't paint. It doesn't hurt to walk on, in fact, it feels so good! You can easily sweep grass and other debris from the surface. There was a multitude of colors, but we went with a standard tan color.
I'm hoping it wears well! We have a lot of traffic on the back patio.
Next step, we need to get that door painted this weekend. It never ends!
Patty
reade more...
Granite Grip Concrete Coating (Home Depot)
Over the course of two weekends, my hubby worked on the patio.
It needed (and was recommended for better bonding) 3 acid washes.
On the second weekend, he started the coating process. It had to be applied under 90 degrees F. So you can imagine how early he had to get up to beat the Texas heat!
At $50 a gallon, needing two gallons for 110 sq ft, we were keeping our fingers crossed!
He ended up putting on three coats. I'm glad he did.
I LOVE the finished look and feel!
It looks like paint with a non-slip texture, but it isn't paint. It doesn't hurt to walk on, in fact, it feels so good! You can easily sweep grass and other debris from the surface. There was a multitude of colors, but we went with a standard tan color.
I'm hoping it wears well! We have a lot of traffic on the back patio.
Next step, we need to get that door painted this weekend. It never ends!
Patty
Things That Make You Go Hmmm...
This exquisite thunderhead was truly something to make us take pause last evening. The pink was from the sun setting in the west. The storm skimmed along to our south, so we were able to just be and admire God's magnificence.
Happy Monday!
Patty