Happy 4th Birthday, Annie

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby girl. I can't believe you are growing up so fast. I love your cute and silly personality, you make me laugh. I love the joy and excitement that you bring to others. I love the little girl that you are becoming. Happy 4th Birthday, Annie Elizabeth!

Annie sitting in a tree.

Annie's silly grin.

Annie striking a pose.

Annie hamming it up for the camera.

My little 4 year old.

More Pictures

My house is twice the size of my old house and has taken time to get organized and to take pictures of it, so I can share with my wonderful readers. My house was built in 1950 but has been completely remodeled. In fact, I was told at some point during the sale that the floor plan is completely different than the original design. I heard that the master bedroom used to be the kitchen area, which makes sense because of where some doors are placed in that room. I will follow up with that room on a later blog. Anyway, today I am showing the formal living room and family room.

Below are pictures of the formal living room. Like I said this house was twice the size of my old house, so there is a lack of furniture in this particular room. I am not sure what we are going to do in this room, but if I find a nice couch at a reasonable price it will go in here.

This is my Texas room, aka the family room. This, so far, is my favorite room in the house. I love the textured walls, wainscoting, fan, decor, just everything that gives this room the special feel of being a Texas room. The furniture in this room is everything we had in our other house. It all fit in this room. The shelves in the corner are built-in and came with the house. I have a set of longhorn horns that I have not put up on the wall yet. To me that totally adds character to this Texas room. They will be hung over the doorway.

I am looking forward to having friends and family come out for a visit. Our first overnight guests will be here in May. I am looking forward to spending time and entertaining in my new house. We will have to have some good old guitar picking and singing for the entertainment and some good barbecue to fill our stomachs.

Easter 2010

Here are some Easter pictures I thought I would share. Rebecca went on 3 Easter egg hunts and Annie went on 2. They had so much candy, we still do. We do remind the girls that Easter is about Jesus and not the Easter bunny.

This first picture is of the girls waiting while Matt hides the eggs outside. I did have to keep Rebecca from peeking out the window a couple of times. Silly girl.

This picture is of the girls hunting Easter eggs. Rebecca had to wear her boots on the hunt. I think it is her way making a fashion statement.

This picture is the girls showing off their eggs they found. And wishing everyone a Happy Easter.

So, this is my 4th post since I have started blogging again. Not sure if I am getting any readers. I am trying to think of some interesting things to write about. I am still doing some research on where I am living. Seriously, this place has history, I just want to get my facts right. Besides, it gives me something to do.

Wordless Wednesday

The History of Gustine, TX

Gustine, in southeastern Comanche County, was settled about 1873 by H. H. Blankenship and M. B. Odell. The first settlement, which was called Old Evergreen, was about three-quarters of a mile northeast of the present site. The post office was established on January 6, 1888, with Samuel Gustine, for whom the town is named, as first postmaster. Religious services were held under a tree until a union church was built. The first store was built in 1889. In the early 1890s the town was moved to its present site to take advantage of a newly opened road between Comanche and Hamilton. By 1895 the town had eight or ten residences, a school, a cotton gin, a corn mill, and a general store. Aided by the arrival of the Cotton Belt line (officially known as the St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas) in 1911, Gustine thrived; its three churches, two banks, one newspaper, and other businesses served a population of 900 in 1914. The next year Gustine was incorporated. In 1940 its population was only 409, but it remained at roughly that level through the mid-1960s. The community's population reached a low of 324 in 1980, but by 1986 a population of 416, a bank, eight other businesses, and a post office were reported there. In the 1980s Gustine was an agricultural community with an economy based on cattle, goats, hogs, grain, peanuts, pecans, and fruits. In 1990 the population was 430.

This is main street.

This is the First National Bank in Gustine.

This Union Cemetary is about 2 miles from my house. It has some very old graves and is home to several Confederate Soldiers.

This building is vacant but was built with petrofied wood and rocks. And apparently it was Christmas when this photo was taken because of the sleigh and reindeer decoration.

As you can see this building is vacant as are many down Main Street. Not sure what used to be here.

My next post will be about Comanche County. There is a lot of history in this county. I will do some research and blog about my findings. Stay tuned for your next history lesson.

It's About Time!

I am sure that is what you are thinking. It has been such a long time since I have sat down and blogged. Once you get into the habit of not blogging, it is really hard to get back into it again. So, I have decided to change the look of my blog and to start reading some blogs that I used to really enjoy reading. What do you think about the new look? I like it.

My last blog I left pictures of the outside of our new house. Here is some pictures of the inside. Not too many to show. I need to get some more pictures taken and get them on here.

This is the dining area.

This is Annie's room.

This is a different angle of Annie's room. No window, but she's okay with it.


Rebecca's room.

Different angle.

This is all for now. I have to ease back into this. I will be thinking of all the great things I can tell you about Gustine, TX. I will have to do some research. It is not the most flattering town in Texas.