I'm back to working my famous doubles. A different manager has started taking over making the schedule so I begged for my doubles back...I'm so excited!!!

Now I have a set availiabilty and I'm on the 2nd job search!!!

Wish me Luck!!

-Sha

Seal-y Annie or Silly Annie??? Definitely Silly Me!!

These pictures are from about a week and a half ago.

I love playing with my baby cousin - and I love being Ornery in general, LOL.


Annie just started Rockin' the Sugar-tail pony this month - ain't she a cutey??

xoxo.

Laguna Gloria

Mel and I visited the "Laguna Gloria" on Tuesday, June 9, 2009.
(last week - yes, I know I'm late posting it!!).


"Laguna Gloria" is the former home of Clara Driscoll and site of a 1916 Italianate-style villa on the shores of Lake Austin in Austin, Texas. It was the original home of the Austin Museum of Art and still houses some of its collections. Today it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Before the influx of white settlers, Native Americans visited the site for its nearby spring (today underwater). The land that includes the property was originally owned by Stephen F. Austin, who in 1832 (seven years before Austin was founded) wrote that he wished to build a home there. This never came to pass.

In 1914 the property was purchased by Hal Sevier, editor of the Austin American, with his new wife Clara Driscoll. They completed their villa two years later, inspired by a honeymoon visit to Lake Como in Italy. Clara, an avid gardener, spent many years planting native and foreign plants around the site and designing the terraced gardens that remain to this day. In 1943 Driscoll donated the homesite to be used as a city museum.

In 1961, the site was converted to the Laguna Gloria Art Museum and became an important part of the Austin arts scene. Soon after, the museum began offering art classes, and in 1983, a 5,300-square-foot (490 m2) facility was built specifically for the growing art school.
In 1992, the institution changed its name to the Austin Museum of Art, and four years later, moved its primary exhibition space to 823 Congress Avenue, in the heart of downtown Austin. Laguna Gloria remained the site of The Art School, and in 2003, the Driscoll Villa was renovated and again became an exhibition space, focusing on local and regional artists.

The site is immediately adjacent to Mayfield Park, also on the National Register of Historic Places.

-pamphlet-

Tuesday was my one day off last week so Mel wanted to do something FUN! with me. So, she researched what art museums were nearby. Mel decided "Laguna Gloria" wasn't too far away and that we could make a short day-trip of it.

Fountain at the entrance of the "Laguna Gloria"

*It's of a little boy holding a fish*

(TOO CUTE!!)

A Native American statuary.
I can't remember the name...pretty though.



There were a few pieces of art inside the house...

* And also some photographs of how the house looked during the time Ms. Driscoll occupied it. (really neat!!)

This is the FRONT of the house .

(the "Entrance" to the museum is actually the back of the house!!)

The Front of the house over-looks Lake Austin!!


A fountain in the front of the house

Me standing in-front of the view from the House - Lake Austin is behind me.

There are stairs leading down to trails that circle the lake...

Lake Austin...view from the house.

Some of the statuary on the side of the house...

pretty flowers

Little critters...

This little guy was sooooo cute!! He got sooo close to me

(I think he wanted treats!)

The Love Temple, Ms. Driscoll had it made for her and her husband...

Me: we're right near the lake...there was a pier to the right of me - a guy had just caught a fish!!!

Mel and I had a really good time. It was really hot though...definitely should go when it's cooler out!! LOL.

Once we were done exploring - we went home, had smoothies, then hit the pool!! We try to stay cool in our family!!!

My NEW "Used" Car

My Momma works with a newspaper company in Virginia. She's been with the company since I was a 1 year old.

Anyway, they have company cars and when the cars hit a certain mileage the company sells the cars at a low price.

Well, Michelle and I have been down one car for a while now, so my Mom decided to make a bid on one of the company cars up for sale.

She got the CAR!! They accepted her offer and my Mom drove the car down to us!! - she got here on Sunday!!!!

My Mom will be spending the week with us - celebrating birthdays!! Mel, Michelle, and I all have birthdays in the same week - the 18th (Mel), 21st (Michelle), and 25th (Me!!).
**Mom has to go back home on June 21st, though.

We got the title of the car put in my name today!!

Here's a picture of my car :

(it's a 2003 Ford Station Wagon - good for Pups!!)

Cheez-it

How Old Do I Have to Be Before I'm Allowed to Eat These??

Annie's hands!!

You might have to be in my family to truly understand and appreciate this Posting.

I have been watching/playing with this cutie alot lately and one of my favorite things she does is "fold her hands" (like in the below pictures).

Why I find it so adorable --> is because her Momma (my aunt Mel) - does this -ALOT. I just think it is too cute!!!

Monkey see!! Monkey do!!

Amy's Ice Creams!!!

"Amy's Ice Creams" is kinda similar to Coldstones (I think they have Coldstones here in TX - but I'm not sure. Coldstones was one of my favorite places to get Ice Cream in VA).

Anyways...

Amy's is a little hole in the wall ice cream shop in the Arboretum.

It is very popular and is very small.

Basically you go in one door - order - and go out the other door. It doesn't have much seating room. But the ice cream is delicious and the crew that works there are really fun and nice.

Mel, Annie, and I beat the girl scouts to Amy's and decided to go ahead and get in line.

**We warned the guys working that a herd of 10 year olds' were headed there way!!! They were happy about the warning!! LOL.

Mel was giving Annie a bottle so I took some of the pictures (usually Mel has the camera!!).

I love the decor, it's very fun and bright!!!

When the guys working saw the camera they decided to preform!!

**One guy tossed my ice cream across the room and the other guy - Missed it!!!

It got all over the counter. LOL.

Later when the Girl Scouts were there. The guys tried again (switching places: The guy who originally threw it did the catching and vice versa.)

This time they caught it!! And it was a farther toss!!

P.S.

I got the Belgian chocolate with coconut "crushed" in.

Mel got "Death by Chocolate"

Jamie got Chocolate with cookie dough "crushed" in.

***Can anyone tell we are a chocolate family???

Austin's landmark marble cow scupltures!!! in the Arboretum!!

When Mel, James, and Jamie lived in Austin before (back when Jamie was 2!!!) Mel worked near the Arboretum. She would take her lunch break by the Pond at the Arboretum - never knowing that this little Cow Sculpture Area Existed!!!

Well now we do!!! And boy did we have a good time!! The Girl Scouts had soooo much fun climbing on the cows (oh to be 10 years old again!! just for a few minutes!!)

I had a great time putting Annie on the Cows!!!

Ride 'Em Cowgirl!!!

(Look how happy she is!!!)


The Black Cow was the Easiest one to climb up on, according to the girls!!

I thought the white one was the prettiest.

I think Annie agreed!!!

SUNDAY FUN!!! At the Arboretum!!!

Jamie had her "girl scout meeting" at the Arboretum.

**something fun to do since they will only meet once a month in the summer!!

**They played on the cow sculptures for a little while.

**Then they wrote letters to the Brownies who are about to become Juniors (bridging)

**They did some other activities, but Mel, Annie, and I headed UP! to the Barnes and Nobles while they had the bulk of their meeting. They are Juniors after all and don't need or want "parents" hanging out the whole time. LOL.

Mel and I (with Annie) had a good time browsing Barnes and Nobles' journal section and of course the kid area.

**I saw a journal with a gorgeous cover on it by the fantasy artist, Josephine Wall. (Beautiful!!!)

Then we met the girl scouts at Amy's Ice Cream Shop for some yummy dessert!!!