Spring comes in like a Lion

In Texas, we really do not have a noticeable change in the seasons and after a mild Winter, Spring actually appeared to be here earlier than normal. Actually there were a few days the temperatures felt more like Summer. We received a brutal reminder today that it is certainly Spring..rain, hail and tornadoes came down hard on the Dallas/Ft Worth area. The National Weather Service confirms 12 tornadoes in the area. Please Pray for those who lost their homes and businesses as a result.

It was only a few days ago that I dug in, literally, and worked in my yard for the first time this year. I LOVE planting flowers and completing my outdoor projects. Let me elaborate..

We had purchases some beautiful, large blue vases while we were in Florida for the area around our Gazebo. When we moved we were unsure where we wanted them and contemplated out by our new pool. But, quickly realized the scale of them was not right for this. ok..on to the next plan & in true Colmenares form, it couldn't be simple.

We wanted them on both sides of our front door. In the past, we have always had a porch and we were really missing having one to decorate. Our new house has a small covered area and a walkway coming out of it and a dirt flowerbed on each side.

The only way we could accomplish what we wanted was to add onto the sidewalk which meant having forms built and stone aggregate concrete poured. Then, because I am often out of town and I have had numerous flowers which were dealt a horrible death due to not being watered, we needed irrigation. Then our secret weapon..styrofoam peanuts, which we use as filler, dirt and plants. Here's the finished results..

Eureaka!!

For a while, I have been racking my brain (what there is of it) and attempting to come up with a new Blog name which really reflected who I am, what I like and etc. I think I finally found it..

I grew up in a small Texas town named Terrell, which is the Gateway to East Texas. It is your typical small town with a historical Main Street and older store fronts that have changed way too many times to recall.  I still remember a few..Merritt's, Rutledge Drug Store (they had an amazing soda fountain and I always got an orange-aide while my rx's were being filled), The Country Store, and way back the Candy Kitchen. The houses ranged from small frame houses to huge plantation style homes which date back to the first settler's in town. 

I grew up in a few different houses but must say that our house on Melody Lane is the one which I consider home. From my early teens to way beyond college was spent off and on in this home. It is somewhat small house for today's standards but there was only three of us..my Daddy (yep, I said Daddy), my Mom and I. We have shared many Birthdays, Holidays and lazy days in this home. We have also struggled through the tough times there. My parents still live in this home and now it bursts at the seams when we fill it will our Families and Love.

That is why I have chosen Melody Lane as the name of my blog...it is where life truly began for me and my heart still resides there.

Counting down the days until Spring/Summer

I Love Springtime and can not wait for it to be here again. I know that once spring is gone, we are on to the horrible-hot days of Summer with 100+ temps but this year I plan to cool off in our new pool.

We actually had our First home with a pool when we purchased the Fort Lauderdale house. We soon realized we really enjoyed it and probably wouldn't ever live in a house without one. On our home search in Texas we looked at countless homes with pools but couldn't find the right house/pool combo. So, we decided to find the house and then build the pool. The only problem was finding a pool company that understood we wanted a pool in our yard, not a yard which was a pool. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the yard before the pool construction began. However, I have alot of the process and completed pool.

The dig begins-notice the fence to the left for future refernce

Just add H2O

Time to dive in..

We have added a few details since these photos were taken but I need to take photos and add them. The pool isn't what everyone would want and we know that..But for us it is perfect. And I can not wait to enjoy it this summer..

Inspiration Needed

I really enjoy my blog and the possibilities it presents..I continually promise to blog more but can't seem to actually do it. I think some of my problems come from my dissatisfaction with the "name" of my blog. I started as the Frugal Flight Attendant, but that really didn't fit where I wanted to take my blog. So on I went to Butterflies and Beehives, but that isn't a catchy enough. I really want something that encompasses who I am, what I think and things that catch my eye. Basically, I am open to ideas..let me know if you have any. Until then, Enjoy!

New Home

When we moved back to Texas, my precious Husband wanted a newly built home. I really Love older houses but he didn't want another renovation project.  We purchased a Showcase home, meaning it was already built by the builder. We were able to make a few cosmetic changes to it before we purchased it but basically it was move in ready-cough, cough...that isn't how I saw it;)

I will post all of our projects in the following weeks. The first of many is below.

Before we left Florida, I purchased a Wine refrigerator from my Florida BFF.  I had the perfect spot for it in our new house, but I thought it would be better if it was built into cabinets.

The niche in our Breakfast nook

Cabinets 

Doesn't the Wine Refrig look Great

Beautiful and it looks like it was always
part of the house

Cupcakes, Cupcakes and More Cupcakes

I had a moment of insanity which led me to make 300+ mini-cupcakes for my son's rehearsal dinner.  My sweet daughter-in-law to be had requested we bring dessert for the dinner.  She really didn't want a cake since we would have plenty of that at the Wedding. I happened to think, "Cupcakes would be great." I should have promptly went and ordered them from a local bakery.  But being the overachiever that I am,  I really wanted them to have something Special and chose to make them mini-cupcakes to  complement their Fajita menu.

 I searched all my favorite blogs and narrowed it down to making Dulce de Leche, Margarita and Cinnamon cupcakes. I purchased all my ingredients and decided to try the Babycakes Cupcake Maker.

Cupcake Batter in Babycakes Cupcake Maker

This nifty little machine makes Excellent cupcakes. They cook in minutes and each one has the same shape to them, thus making them easier to decorate. I got them all cooked on one night and decorated the next day.  They looked Gorgeous and tasted even Better...if I do say so myself;)

Dulce De Leche

Cinnamon Churro in Front
Margarita in Back

Done! no not yet....how in the heck was I going to transport them to the rehearsal dinner? did I mention this was the middle of June in Texas?? ha!ha! I searched the internet for options and actually found some that would have worked but, actually Thanks to Facebook, found friends who lent me their cupcake and jello shot carriers...Problem solved.

The Cupcakes Displayed at the Rehearsal Dinner

After a Big Renovation

The Front-after we Painted the faux brick exterior

Great Front Porch After Update

We added the Arch-Before it was a regular doorway

After the Travertine Patio and Pool resurfacing

Renovated Patio, Pool and Cabana

This work was completed in several different Projects.  We had the floors, texture, paint and arch done prior to moving in.  We chose to do the Patio in the next Reno because we knew we would practically live out there.  It included adding the travertine pavers, complete pool resurfacing, new pool tiles, new pool equipment, staining the cabana, lighting and landscaping. Next it was replacing the old windows and adding Hurricane Crank out Windows (which we called, Bullet proof windows). Whew! that was costly, so we did planned to do the front ones and side windows first. It isn't too obvious in the photos but made a huge difference to the front of the house, we didn't get the back windows in before we moved. And right before we put the house on the market, we had the exterior painted. The ugly faux pink brick didn't match the gorgeous pavers we put in and once done, we wished we had done it as one of the previous projects.

The sale was a heartbreaker for me.. I really Loved this house.  However, we were fortunate enough to sale it to a couple who Loved it as much as I did. They have already replaced the back sliders and a few interior renovations to meet the needs of their Family.  This makes me so very Happy.