My Water Closet

Fancy name for bathroom AND because the space feels more like a closet!  In fact my closet at home is bigger!

The first time I ever took a shower in here and heard a man cough when I  knew I was suppose to be alone nearly sent me into cardiac arrest! Literally!  I am use to it now! (Not that a man always coughs when I shower, but when I DO hear it, I don't panic!) Oh, the joys of apartment living!

So why am I blogging about my bathroom? And why would I think anyone would remotely be interested? We'll this may just have to forever be one of life's little mysteries I guess! But here goes anyway!

I can sit on the toilet seat to put my make-up on. How's that for an interesting tidbit?

There could be plenty of storage in here if it weren't for this thing! Quite the surprise when I opened the door for the first time! Oh well, at least they thought to put it somewhere out of sight! 

Normally I don't like "public displays"! But this time it just couldn't be helped. All the time I waste, spend on Pinterest finally paid off! 

I have a blue night light in here that totally ( trust me when I say totally) illuminates the teeny tiny space.

And that is why in the evenings I sometimes take a bath with only the blue light on!  You know the old saying, "What you can't see can't hurt you"! Semi darkness helps take the "hurt" away!  It and Calgon!  

Take me away, Calgon, to a beautifully decorated and spacious bathroom, kind of like this one! Lol

Snug As A Bug In A Rug!

Every time the walls begin to close in on me here:

And I long to be here:

Or want to buy this:

But know I first need to sell this:

The weather does something like this:

And then I am truly grateful to be here:

Charles Faudree and Walking Canes

I love Charles Faudree's decorating style! Every single thing about his French country flair I love! I only recently learned that he passed away.  It was in 2012 I believe. This made me wonder whether his books may become rare and hard to find at some point in the future.  I have three of them already but now I am on a mission to find and buy the rest of them. 

I also love the fact that he decorates with these:



Walking canes have become our new interest. And as much as we love browsing antique stores and flea markets for any and everything, it's been fun to have something in particular to search for.  My husband and I have turned it into a game. Our goal is find canes that are unique and affordable!  Affordable meaning cheap!!! It's been a challenge!

He spotted the darker one first  and it was only $10.00!  The store owner said she bought it at an estate sale and admitted she did not know its value or how much to ask for it .  I am pretty sure she did not ask enough!

He also found the carved one!

Isn't it gorgeous?  This is our latest purchase but $10.00 it was not! It met our criteria on being unique, but the price was a little high. Still at $80.00 we believe we got a bargain after going home and doing some internet research!

THE GAME IS ON!  So far he's winning, but the way I figure it, either way, I'm still a winner! 

"I'm New To The Area"

And don't think I haven't been using those words to my advantage!

"Hello, Officer, You see I'm new to the area and I did not realize I was going down a one way street backwards!" LOL (BTW that happened to my husband, NOT ME!! And it did NOT work!!) He got a traffic ticket his very first day in Ennis, Texas!!

Before moving to Texas I lived in the same town for 40+ years and because of that you would think the opposite would be true, but I often felt intimidated to venture out and experience new things and new places. I was in a rut as far as where I shopped, the restaurants I went to and even what I ordered from the menu, the clinics I used, the church I attended, and the list goes on! Maybe it was not always intimidation that kept me from venturing out of my comfort zone but rather it was "what" or "who" I knew or maybe what I was expected to know!

Let me try to explain!

Being "new to the area" gives me a slight advantage to explore options and to form opinions that are solely mine!

-I have no way of knowing a restaurant's reputation. It's been fun to experience the local cuisine and find out for myself whether I like it or not!

-And I could not possibly be expected to know what's good or what's a favorite on a menu being "new to the area" so I don't mind asking the waiters or waitresses for suggestions.

-I've visited several of the churches in the area without expectations from someone I know who attends or expectations of my own.  We may never have this opportunity again once we get settled somewhere.

-There are so many churches back home that I never got to visit  even once. It would have been awkward for me to walk through the doors of some of them since I was NOT "new to the area".

-Despite the fact that I have no sense of direction, certainly no one expects me to not get lost since I'm "new to the area"?!!?
-I don't have to be embarrassed to ask for directions in a town I have lived in for over forty years since I'm "new to the area"! 

-My doctors back home have been my doctors for over 30 years. I was forced to find a new one recently only because one of them retried. It's hard to make changes once a thirty year old relationship has been formed.

-I made my first appointment this week here in Texas. It is with an optometrist. I will not feel obligated to go back if I am not pleased with the doctor, staff, or facility.

-It's been fun trying to find all the flea markets, antique shops, and thrift stores in the area.

-And because I'm "new to the area" I have by no means found them all but that's my goal!

-It's been freeing to meet shop owners, company owners, bank officers, etc. without knowing how much clout they carry in the community, their reputation, or something about  their past.
-I look forward to finding new friends in Texas.
-New experiences await me in Texas and I am feeling truly blessed to be "NEW TO THE AREA"!

TIME TO BUCKLE DOWN & RANDOM RAMBLINGS!

1. I'M BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN. 
Well...not really in the saddle!  But I AM back in Texas!

2. OUR APARTMENT SHRUNK WHILE I WAS GONE.
 Just kidding! It just seems like it. 

3. THE SCALES ARE NOT MY FRIEND RIGHT NOW.
 As a matter of fact they are out of sight and in the closet! Maybe that's where the cookies should be too! 

4. I WANT TO JOIN A GYM
It intimidates me.

5. I NEED TO BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONE TIME!
My daughter misses me when I am here ( I miss her too) and my husband misses me when I am there. (and apparently so do some of our nosy neighbors, that I have never met, who don't mind asking B.J. where I am and when I am coming back)   

6. IT'S NICE TO BE MISSED 

7. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT UNTIL IT'S GONE".
 I experienced that this week when ye ole laundromat at the apartment complex was closed due to maintenance. I hate not having my own washer and dryer but I took the convenience of having one nearby for granted. In my book sharing a washer and dryer is the equivalent of sharing serving spoons at a buffet style restaurant except you don't need quarters (and lots of them) to use the serving spoons.  I will try not to complain "too much" anymore because it IS nice to be able to walk to the laundromat and not have to sit and wait on the clothes to wash and dry OR to have to load them in your car! 

8. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT UNTIL IT'S GONE".
Not to sound braggadocios or any thing, but my tree WAS pretty this last year and I miss it!
          

9. CRIME SCENE

Here! At our apartment complex! Yellow police tape and everything!  Seems they found a body!  Yikes! Don't know any details yet. So far it is an unsolved mystery. ( at least it is for me aka Gladys Cravats)

10. I GOT LOST YESTERDAY.

But that was not an entirely bad thing because I found my way home (with a little help from B.J.)  I also made a discovery while on my little "adventure".  My favorite coffee is McDonald's coffee! I've tried the "other" expensive ones and in my opinion McDonald's is the "cake"! The price being the "icing"! The McDonald's here is located inside Walmart and I have hated having to go inside Walmart every time I wanted a cup of coffee. Low and behold if I didn't find another one (McDonald's) yesterday while trying to find my way home.  Funny thing is: You can see it from Walmart.  Why did I never see it before now? Another unsolved mystery!    

11. NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

When you don't make them you don't have to worry about breaking them.  New Year's resolutions stress me to the max!  I beat myself up over them!

12. MY TO DO LIST

I may not have made any resolutions but I DO have a list of things I need to get accomplished this year. They are all related to establishing our life here in Texas.  This list stresses me out waaaay more than any New Year's resolution list ever has. 

-church

-beauty salon

-new apartment or house (hopefully one that is crime free)

-family practice doctor

-gynecologist

-ophthalmologist

-dermatologist 

-sell the house

-veterinarian

- pet groomer

-bank 

-gym

-accountant (for taxes)

13. CAN CHECK OFF MY TO DO LIST

-church (maybe)

-beauty salon

-bank

14. THE FLU

The death toll is rising here in Texas and it is scary.  Young, healthy people have died even after taking a flu shot. 

15. ANTIQUES

They make me happy!  Going to Fort Worth this weekend to shop. Can't wait. I dream of turning my love of antiques into a part time business somehow, somewhere, and someday.  

16. MY POODLE

She is here in Texas with us.  Good because she helps to keep me company.  Bad because we are not sure what we will do with her when we go out of town.  We also live upstairs making it inconvenient to take her out. 

17. SPRING-TIME

I am ready for it! I don't like cold weather!  After the holidays, I am ready for winter to be over.

18.  EATING OUT

Also makes me happy!  I love to decorate, like to clean, and hate to cook!   We have found some great restaurants here in Texas and I can't wait to go back to them.

19. CLASSES

B .J. wants us  to take a class offered here that would give us a license to chase storms.  I think I am going to need more than a license to chase a Texas Tornado!  I also want to take a camera class that starts next month.    

20. WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

Blue jars and rabbits? These are a few of my favorite things! That and struggling for #20 because my OCD will not let me stop on #19!

    

UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAVE A GREAT DAY! 

ENNIS TEXAS

More and more each day Ennis Texas is feeling like home!  My first few weeks here were pretty tough.  I cried, I kept my suitcase packed at all times in anticipation of  leaving, and my security blanket was an airline ticket in hand for a return flight home.

I have been back here since October 20 which is the longest time yet!  But two weeks from today we will turn our car towards home and drive to Petal, MS to spend Thanksgiving with our family!  I can't wait to decorate my house for Christmas, shop with my daughter, see my parents, and spend some time with my son and daughter-in-law!  Oh yea, and the dogs!

In the meantime and before I begin to take some of the things that intrigued me when I first drove into this town for granted, I wanted to share them with my family and friends.  Here is a glimpse into Ennis, Texas:

1. The bluebonnets are spectacular in April.  They hold a Bluebonnet Festival every year. I asked God as we drove here for the very first time to let me fall in love with Ennis and this is what He gave me,  (By the way, it was in May and everyone told us it was unusual for them to still be blooming)

  

2. There is a donut shop downtown called Heavenly Donuts.  And they're not kidding.  The best I have ever eaten!

3. The Veterans Memorial Park is new.

4. I want to live in this old grain silo! It's in the middle of town.

5. Evidently this is a big deal here if you're into racing, which I'm not, but B.J. is, so we've been! Texas Motorplex Speedway:

6. Very little shopping, but of course there is a Walmart.

7. Can't wait to go to  the drive-in movie!

8. Disappointed when the man sitting in a vacant lot beside Walmart is not there singing!  He kinda sorta sounds like Willie Nelson.  I have not figured out why he's there.  I think he has Cd's and wants donations.

9. I got a personal tour of this beautiful house:

10. Ennis has a Czechoslovakian heritage.  Chek people and their influence are still here.

11. What-a-Burger's are the McDonalds! There is a McDonalds here, but What-A-Burger is more popular.  They have great food!

12. Sunsets are beautiful!

13. Sunflowers are gorgeous!

14. Flea Markets every weekend close enough to drive to! First Monday, Canton; Second Monday, Bowie and Waxahachie TX; Third Monday, McKinney TX

15. Home Sweet Home!

HAM HOCKS AND HIGH SOCIETY

Initially I intended to write this post for the sole reason of giving my friends and family back home a little insight into my new hometown.  But then yesterday happened and I could not resist sharing the humor surrounding it (at least I found it quite humorous)!  So I will tell you about my day yesterday and then on to my original intent!

Let me start out by saying there is not much in the way of fun places to shop here in Ennis Texas.  With the exception of a few little antique and specialty stores there is just not much else!  One of the shops, Interior Ideas,  happened to be having their Christmas open house yesterday and I was invited to go and have lunch in their restaurant.

(Sorry for bad pic. Taken with my phone)

The lady who owns the company my husband works for has been very gracious and hospitable.  She has gone out of her way on several occasions to make me feel welcome and to introduce me to some of her friends. She is extremely wealthy and extremely influential in this small town and so are most of her friends!   For those of you  who know me, KNOW that hanging out with high society is not my "cup of tea".  Don't get me wrong!  I met many down to earth and  lovely people at the luncheon!  I could probably be friends with some of them, including my husband's boss but yesterday morning I was pretty much out of my comfort zone!

Considering where we were and why we were there, decorating their homes (mansions, I'm sure) for Christmas seemed to be a popular topic over lunch.  As I listened to these ladies talk I could not help but to laugh (silently of course) as I wondered about a couple of things.

B.J. likes to cook beans.  He likes all kinds of beans: Navy, Black, Great Northern...! He soaks them over night and then adds onions, seasoning, and ham hocks before letting  them simmer for hours. I thought about the pot of beans and ham hocks on my stove and wondered what the ladies at my table would think if I invited them all over for supper dinner!? Would they think they tasted delicious or would they turn their noses up? What would they think about my tiny sparsely furnished apartment and the aroma of beans cooking when they walked in?

They may not have found the apartment inviting or the beans tasty, but with complete confidence I can assure you they would have found at least one thing suitable: a clean toilet! And I know this to be a fact because while I was in the bathroom yesterday morning getting dressed for this luncheon I glanced over at the toilet and decided it needed a good cleaning!  I reached over, grabbed the bleach and toilet brush, and within a matter of  seconds Voila!  Quick, simple, done!  As I looked around the table, I wondered how many of the ladies cleaned their toilet while dressing for their lunch date at Interior Ideas?

Well, I guess I will have to save the "sights and sounds" of  Ennis for another post.  I hear Maintenance ringing doorbells in our building.  Better go make sure toilet is still clean in case they are checking plumbing in the bathrooms!

And by the way, I plan to put up a Christmas tree tomorrow.  I'll share pictures of it next week. Maybe! It's going to be very small and will be interesting to see how it turns out.  But if all goes well with the decorating it's quite possible I will consider hosting a luncheon. I can always talk B.J. into preparing a pot of his famous beans and ham hocks!  Whatcha think?