LOVING AND LEAVING AUSTIN: part 5

S-I-G-H-H-H... Do we really have to go? Yep! And, the two little girls are already at our house and waiting. In a bit over a week we drive to Omaha to be with JA + LE. Life is good.

I am up way too early this morning. I went to bed before 11:00pm--finally re-acclimated to CST. I was actually awake and thinking about blogging about Cain's Version. I finished it last night and am still processing it. I will admit that I kind of skimmed the last few chapters--something I just don't do when reading. Durham is just too wordy. He's a wonderful writer, but so, so many words of description and I am a dialogue-kind-of-girl. I've concluded (WOW progress in my writing. I can't usually (there, look there are two contractions at 4:00am) do contractions on the first go-round. I don't catch the formality of my words until the first or second edit.)) that I will go back 20 - 30 pages and read every word on the flight today.

I do really like this book. It is clever and thought-provoking. Maybe, a bit too much about Cain, and Eve and her sisters and not enough about Lindy... More later. (Visited amazon.com and read the reviews. Seemed my take on the book was in-line with others. Still a marvelous read.)

So, this double trip (Hawaii/Austin) has vaulted me into my busy, vibrant, creative mode. Just in time for the holidays! CA and I reneged on our plan to make a banana/macadamia nut/coconut cream pie for TL, but I have imagined a replacement treat. I am using my standard shortbread cookie recipe and adding macadamia nuts. I'm making just 1/4 of the recipe--1/2 cup of butter, 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, handful of nuts. These nuts are salted so I am going to rub a bit of the salt off and add not even a sprinkle to this version. (Turned out spectacularly!)

TL is in the midst of having the interiors of his house painted, so he will work at home this a.m. to meet the painter. The great room and hallways are already done--a green/brown, very masculine color. The dining room will be red, and the jury is still out on what colors go into the bedrooms. He has a creative friend at work who is his decorating consultant and color-chooser. The decorator wanted a grey/blue for the green/brown walls, but TL overruled because he's more of a green/brown kind of guy.

All this has inspired me to go home and paint the outside of my laundry room door (faces the interior of the garage and is grey and a bit streaked at the moment) the same red as our kitchen. I love red! And, I'm emailing a painter that it's time to paint our guest bedrooms and bath.

I think both bedrooms will be the same yet-to-be determined color (thinking a light lavender/grey, maybe 7595 Sommelier or 7579 Alaea), but I'm stuck on what color for the bathroom. It has to be a good flow from the Sherwin Williams blonde 6128 in the loft... The bathroom is kitschy with some weathered white wood, beach-themed art, and this great swimmer shower curtain. The walls are builder-white at the moment and the accents have touches of bright blue and a bit of yellow, which won't flow with the rest of the interior colors, but I want to keep the existing fun decor. Cool color visualizer on the SW site, but their representation for the blonde is so off that will need to look at my SW color wheel and maybe even a sample quart.

Re-invigorated about the cookie business, but may not start it up before the holidays and if I miss that window... Too much going on at our house this Fall and Winter with house guests and new baby arriving in early January.

It's barely 6:00am and the shortbread is not only mixed, but chilled, and as soon as the oven preheats will be baked. I need a nap.

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I, of course, am exhausted from my 4:00am blogging/shortbread making. I sleep for a bit after the cookies come out of the oven, but JE calls to chat as she drives to work and I drag out of bed just before 9:00am. I’m chatty with TL until CA reminds me that the reason TL is using his laptop at the kitchen table is because he’s WORKING at home. So, I actually manage to shower and pack and be ready to leave the house by the 10:00am we planned.

At Austin Bergstrom we share a BBQ brisket sandwich and experience our first travel delay since leaving home on Sunday, October 18th. Don’t know why but the AA flight from Chicago arrives about 2 hours late full of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Band, arriving for Notre Dame vs. Washington State football game which is being played in Austin tomorrow. Just before boarding I score an Amy’s Belgian chocolate ice cream —mixed with peanut butter cup candy—waffle cone.

The flight is full, but we’ve have bulkhead seats—Row 7, aisle and middle of a 3-seat block. The only thing in front of us is First Class. DM and LG meet us at O'Hare and I have a charmed drive home, sharing the backseat with LG. She is asking about presents... Now, why would she think there would be gifts in our suitcases? Conditioning? I retrieve some Hawaiian paper dolls and then a purple t-shirt... At this point I cannot remember what all we have purchased for the little ones...

Later... we discover string bracelets and (a gift item I will not mention because JE reads this blog). MK has prepared wonderful chicken salad with apples and grapes and lots of chopped pecans for our dinner. We are all glad to be home from Texas. They had a great time in Houston, and CA and I were dazzled by Austin.

I fall into bed at 9:30pm (and don't fall out until 9:30am on Saturday when CA and LG come home from Country Donuts with Halloween-appropriate donuts and cookies).