Did You Know What We Did On Our Beach Holiday?

Did you know what we did on our beach holiday?

I promised the kids we would do nothing, no museums, no tours, no planned outings. Just sit on the beach and relax! First thing, the kids wanted to eat at the "original" Whataburger.



My husband and I skipped the fast food and went to eat at Pier 99 once the kids were done.

We spent two days at Whitecap beach. My cousin had recommended this beach on Padre Island. We preferred it to Corpus Christi Bay. Very clean, nice sand (not many shells though), great waves and not too crowded. You do have to have a parking permit to park on the beach, but it's good for the rest of the year.









On our last morning, the kids were able to jet ski (you can only do this on the bay, not the National Seashore.)


It was their first time and they really enjoyed it!





I even saw dolphins a couple of times (enlarge the picture and look very close on the right for the fin!)

Did You Know About Iraqi Bundles of Love?

Did you know about Iraqi Bundles of Love?

I just learned about a great project that is quickly drawing to a close. I am not much of a sewer (not at all in fact!) but do have lots of craft supplies, including fabric scraps. My mom sews so I thought between us and a few friends we could help out with the project.

A soldier in Iraq will be leaving in September. He is wanting to distribute fabrics and other sewing and kitting supplies to the people in his area (which now includes much of Northern Iraq) before he leaves. He will be accepting bundles until Sept. 7.

If you want to help out with this or know someone who might, please go to his blog to get all the details.

Did You Know About the Windmill Farm in Corpus Christi?

Did you know about the windmill farm in Corpus Christi?




I had no idea there was a windmill farm in Corpus until we saw it while driving out of town the other day. I tried to get some photos. They are not very good, but you can get an idea.

I looked up some information about it and found there was and perhaps still is a big debate going on about it. There are to be 240 windmills put into acreage in the area. Here are some of the issues being debated over:

Wind Energy in Kenedy County

What it is: Wind farms generate electricity by using wind to turn giant blades that rotate on turbines, an alternative to power created by utilities using coal, natural gas and other sources. The following projects will place roughly 240 turbines on thousands of acres of Kenedy County property.

- A $400 million Peñascal Wind Farm on property owned by the John G. Kenedy Jr. Charitable Trust

- A $800 million Gulf Wind project by Australia-based Babcock & Brown Ltd. on property owned by the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation.

Environmental Issues

- The Coastal Habitat Alliance contends the projects and infrastructure to support them will destroy critical wildlife habitat.

- Wind farm developers are working with scientists to study the environmental impact of the farms. Data so far contradicts the alliance’s statements, developers say.

- The alliance says the turbines are a threat to birds that migrate through the region.

- Developers cite studies that show a majority of bird migration occurs above the wind turbines which tower more than 3,000 feet into the air, and that the rotors are large enough to allow incoming birds to avoid them.

- The alliance says the roads and impermeable surfaces at the facilities will thwart the flow of groundwater and fresh water inflows that feed the Laguna Madre.

- Developers said they have scientists and data including hydrology analysis and storm water planning to negate that claim. They say the project layouts also identified and avoided wetlands.

Source: Coastal Habitat Alliance attorney Jim Blackburn and Babcock & Brown

-taken from Caller.com/news, March 2008

Did You Know We Found a Condo for this Week?

Did you know we found a condo for this week?

We actually stayed for three nights in a condo on Corpus Christi beach. It was a small but cozy place, just right for our family. There were bunk beds built into the entry way in which the kids slept, a small bedroom with a queen sized bed for us, one bath, a kitchen area and den area with a tv. There was also a balcony with a great view. We were on the top level with no one on the left side of us. It turned out to be a nice place to stay. The beach area was ok, but we preferred driving about 20 more minutes to Padre Island for a cleaner more enjoyable beach. Here is the view from our condo.

Did You Know We are Off for a Last Summer Fling?

Did you know we are off for a last summer fling?

We are actually taking off for a couple of days to spend at Corpus Christi beach. We will stay in a condo on the beach (ok, my husband says it's not on the beach as it's really on the bay, but it is called the beach and it's on sand with water coming up, so I say it's a beach!) Anyway, we just want to hang out on the beach doing nothing. I am not sure we will even visit any of the sights and must-sees in Corpus. We just want to relax and do nothing! The kids do want to jet ski, so we'll look for that. Otherwise, a last minute get away to relax!

Did You Know My Computer is Slow?

Did you know my computer is slow?

I don't really know why. It takes forever to do anything on here. We have high speed internet so that is not the problem. We probably have too much stuff on here which adds to the problem. Maybe we need more sdram. I don't know. I just know that it takes forever to get booted up and forever to get anything done on here!

Did You Know How My Wonder Woman Costume Turned Out?

Did you know how my Wonder Woman costume turned out?




When my husband told me he was doing a youth event based on superheroes and he wanted everyone to dress up, I wasn't sure if I would. I looked at a few costumes and knew they were not for me. But after finding a site online where other women and girls had made their own Wonder Woman costumes, I knew I could do that! So I headed for the thrift store. I found everything I needed there. A shiny red tank top, A blue skirt, boots, ribbon, red and white material and a foam visor.

I* put the ribbon in the shape of a W on the shirt. I** spray painted the boots red, then added athletic tape along the top and down the front. I** cut the visor into the shape of a crown, spray painted it gold and added a red glitter star. The skirt did not work for me, so I found blue athletic shorts at Academy and cut and glued white stars to them. I also used spray painted foam for the wrist bands. I put "No Fray" along the edge of the red material and attached it as a cape.

I think the whole thing came together just right! And I only spent $15!

*my mom
**my husband

Did You Know About My Custom Made Costume?

Did you know about my custom made costume?

Next week we are hosting a youth activity at church in which everyone is supposed to come dressed as a superhero. I found a website that showed several gals' custom made Wonder Woman costumes. I figured I could do that too. I found the perfect pieces at the thrift store and my mom is helping me to put it together. For the bottom, I was going to use a royal blue taffeta skirt. The one I got was ankle length but knew my mom could cut it and hem it. I tried it on and she measured it. When I went back to try it on after that, I could not fasten the skirt! It was only two days later!! It's been a long time since I felt like I needed diet pills, but after that incident, I felt horrible! Instead of coming home and going on a crash diet though, I found a pair of shorts that will work just fine!!

Did You Know How A Locust Sheds Its Skin?

Did you know how a locust sheds its skin?

Though I've seen locust shells many times since I was a kid, I doubt if I could explain how the insect sheds its skin. Since a picture says a thousand words, I thought these would suffice to show the process:

Did You Know Where to Find a Free Notary Public?

Did you know where to find a free notary public?

Since I needed to get an affidavit notarized to claim an insurance refund check, I called my mom. She used to be a notary, but she said she is no longer doing it. I asked her if she knew where I could go. She said our bank should have a notary. So I went in to our bank and sure enough, the first lady in the lobby is a notary. She just verified that I have an account there and she was happy to notarize the document free of charge!

Did You Know How to Fix a Leaky Faucet?

Did you know how to fix a leaky faucet?

My husband finally realized that we will have to replace the whole fixture to our kitchen sink. It's not that old, about three to five years. It seems that whenever folks do work these days, it cannot be counted on to last. Anyway, he has it on his list this weekend to change that fixture. I guess I will be looking at Moen, Delta and Kohler fixtures to see what best suits us, and our budget.

Did You Know How to Obtain a Copy of Proof of a Former Address?

Did you know how to obtain a copy of proof of a former address?

We received a letter from the Texas Dept. of Insurance saying that money is owed to us. We do have to prove that we lived at a certain address from 1991-1992, which we did. But that was so long ago that we don't know if we have any documentation from that time. All we can think of is to look for old tax returns. My husband is supposed to look for that this week. Other than that, I don't know how to prove we lived at an address 15 years ago!

Did You Know We Still Have a Swing Set?

Did you know we still have a swing set?

It seems as if swing sets are a must in yards where young kids live. And even though our kids are full fledged teenagers, we still have a swing set in our yard. We have young friends who come to visit and young nephews too, so I am not ready to get rid of it just yet in spite of the fact that some of the accessories need attention and we have to mow around it. And it's not unheard of for my daughter to go out and swing or play on the rings.

Did You Know You Can't Make Ice Cream Without Rock Salt?

Did you know you can't make ice cream without rock salt?

My husband wanted ice cream last night. He had been gone for over a week, so I was happy to oblige. I went to the store to get the necessary items. But I did not realize I was out of rock salt. So I consulted the trusty internet and found folks saying you can use table salt in place of rock salt.

This did not work at all for me! I left the ice cream maker running for two hours or more. And it never turned to ice cream. So I put it in the fridge til today when I could go back and get rock salt. It seemed to work out ok. It did set up though my husband said it was still too creamy.

If you find yourself without rock salt and wanting to make homemade ice cream, I suggest either go back and get it or wait. Or you can experiment like I did and have a blog topic!

Did You Know About Walk In Tubs?

Did you know about walk in tubs?

I have seen commercials for these. They are tubs installed that nearly look like a hot tub, as the sides are higher than normal bathtubs. They look to be the perfect thing that would be great for an older person or someone with an injury. You can get in and out of it easier with the door that is located in the side. That way you don't have to step up and over the side of the tub.