What can you say about August in Texas?  HOT!  We are trying to stay out of the heat as much as possible. We do have some little rain showers, but they only seem to make it hotter, with the higher humidity.

            The month started off with finishing up the little projects in the TS.  Dick got his shelf finished and also added a shelf to the cabinet in the bedroom next to the TV.  It is a very small cabinet, but with a shelf will work very well for storage of books, videos, etc.

He had a piece of shelving left over from the shelf for the satellite receiver that was just the right size for this project.

            I got one of the flower beds weeded and the roses deadheaded and cut back a little.  With the rain, they will come out again really fast. 

            We also had Ann, Mary and Frank over one evening to enjoy the pool and have some pie.  I made a lemon icebox pie and it was really good.  We had a nice evening cooling off in the pool and just visiting. 

            I checked with Lazy Boy and our new recliners were in so Dick picked them up after work on the 9^th.  We got the old recliners out of theTS and the new ones in.  Dick likes a big recliner and I am short and need a smaller one, so these are just right for us.  The ones that came with the TS were not comfortable to either of us.  We got different styles but in the same fabric so they look nice together.  Millie also ordered a new quilt and shams for the bedroom.  The comforter we have now is a dark print and makes the room seem dark.  It was purchased to use until we decided what we wanted in there. 

            We have had several lookers on the house so far, but no takers. It is so hard to be patient!

            We have been looking at other websites of full timers who have budgets and expenses listed o their sites.  We are working on estimating a budget for us and these sites are a great resource.  We want to have somewhat of an idea of income needed for at least our first year, and then we will be more able to have a clear idea of our expenses and income requirements. 

            Friday, the 16^th we met at the bank after work and inventoried our safe deposit box.  When we finished there, Dick needed togo into Houston for a computer cable and I went to check out the new Hancock Fabrics store.  After wandering around there, I drove up to the Michael’s craft store.  Dick called me when he got back down to Chili’s and I met him there for dinner. 

            On the 17^th Millie picked up Ann and they headed to Rosenberg for a day together.   First stop was the new quilt shop in town.  A really nice shop with a good selection of fabrics.  I had a hard time keeping myself in check and not purchasing any fabrics.  We had lunch in the new Tea Room. It was wonderful, I would highly recommend it if you are ever in this area.  After lunch we wandered through a few of the antique shops.  I have decided that if we could sell all our “stuff” for the prices they were charging, we could buy a new RV!  Saw a lot of things that are in our closets and cabinets.

After I took Ann home, Dick and I headed to Katy to visit Debbie and family and deliver Rikki’s birthday gift.  After visiting with them for a while, we headed to Fuddrucker’s to eat. We then drove to the Lazy Boy Store to see if they make an ottoman with storage, thinking that may be a possible solution as to where to store the sewing machine and serger.  Alas, the ones they make are too large and not deep enough.  Back to square one, will keep looking, maybe we will come up with an idea.

            Sunday after church, we came home and sorted laundry.  Then Dick did some projects and I puttered in the sewing room, getting some projects done that I haven’t had time for in the past few months.

            We attended the Open House of the new Reliant Staduim on Tuesday, the 20^th.  It is the home of the new NFL team, The Texans and will also house the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo held every year.  Quite an impressive facility!

            We had a couple of heavy rain days later in the week and some local flooding.  Our street was flooded when we got home from work on Friday but it drains off pretty fast once the rain stops. 

            On Saturday the 24^th Ann and I attended a sewing class for 6 hours.  It was a great class on Heirloom techniques taught by Carol Ahles.  Carol lives in Houston but we seldom have the opportunity to attend one of her classes, she teaches all over the country, not often here at home.  Ann and I were both tired when it was over but had an enjoyable day.

            After church on Sunday we did a few things around the house and in the 5er, then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just relaxing. 

            The last week of the month was a busy one for me.  My company ends our fiscal year on the 31^st of August, so there is a lot to do.  We finished up by taking inventory on Friday, the 30^th.  After a lunch to celebrate another banner year for our Houston branch, we all were able to leave early.  Dick and I had loaded the 5er on Thursday night and when he arrived home we hitched up and took off for Bandera for another relaxing weekend. 

            We arrived at Skyline Ranch RV Park about 8:00 and got set up.  After a quick dinner of sandwiches, we watched the news and headed to bed.  Saturday morning after breakfast Dick assembled the Pet Patio for the kitties.  It was a hit with Missy, who immediately took it over and refused to share with Ming.  (Sorry, I didn’t get any photos, will try next time.)  We lazed around most of the day, reading, watching TV and napping.  We also took the walk down to the river.  It is about ½ mile walk and we kept seeing what we perceived to be piles of trash.  After getting to the river, it dawned on us that we were seeing debris from flooding on July 4.  It was amazing to see how far up in the trees the water had been.  The force of water is awesome.  Dick did hamburgers for dinner on his new grill and we had some cake for desert that I had made earlier in the day.  Come back next month and I’ll tell you more about our weekend.