AUSTIN'S MINI-MAKER-FAIRE

Today we met up with the kids in Austin for an event that was just so...well...so Austin! (although I'm sure they probably have them in other cities as well) When Lex first asked me if we wanted to go, I thought she was talking about a craft fair of some sort, where people sell stuff, but it was not that at all. Instead, it's where you go to experience things, and make some yourself. Here is a very small sampling of those experiences:

You could ride a bat bike...

or a, well, I'm not sure what this is, but it looks fun!

You could see a 3-D printer in action...

or a MakerBot Replicator.

You could learn how to build your own Tiny House...

build something from Legos...

try your hand at felting, spinning, or screen printing...

or even fly a drone!

There were robots to play with, all kinds of fun summer camps to sign up for, and even some pretty cool stuff to buy, such as neat little electronic kits, and these wonderful True Beauty dolls, which started out as those garish Bratz dolls, but were refurbished to look more like actual little girls. I love them so much!

Last, but certainly not least, there was this:

I finally got to try me some Kimchi Fries and Bulgogi Tacos, and they were goooood!

All I can say is, why didn't they have one of these maker faires when my kids were younger! If you missed it today, live anywhere in the Austin area, and have a kid, or one you can borrow, you really need to head over the Palmer Event Center tomorrow to check it out for yourself. If you do, be sure to say hi to our Alexis, who should be volunteering somewhere in the fiber arts section.

P.S. Won't be able to blog for the next few days, but never fear. I'll be back!

ONE THING I LOVE

Our upper porch, on a rainy day...

and the view of everything below and beyond.

Well, except for this view -- a constant reminder of a job half done.

It's been a long, long time since everything was this green and lush. Oh what a beautiful morning!
  

ON MY TABLE: MORE GELATOS

I was browsing around in our new little craft shop the other day and spotted these.

And, even though I already had a small set of basic colors, I just couldn't resist all this yumminess!

Soooooo, this weekend I pulled out these masks and stencils found on that recent foray to Waxahachie...

along with a napkin or two...

and some glass bead glitter gel...

and this is what I wound up with:

What about you? What's on your table?
 

OPA! WHAT A GREAT MOTHER'S DAY

 
I have loved Mama Mia every single time I've seen it -- from the time Ms. Annamarie Mootz introduced me to the stage version in Houston, to the time I brought home the video and forced my hubby to watch it (he loved it, though he probably won't admit it). But this sing-along version? At the Alamo Drafthouse? On Mother's Day? Well, this was something special!

For starters, it came with accessories...

metallic streamers to dance around with when they played "Dancing Queen", money to toss in the air when they played "Money, Money, Money", and a confetti popper for the wedding scene!

Then, there was the delicious four course meal with wine pairings -- delivered at well-spaced intervals throughout the movie.

Best of all, though, was seeing it with my precious daughter...

who didn't seem to mind at all when I came close to boo-hooing over this song.

As if that weren't enough, I have another celebration yet to come. Mr. Austin has promised to take me out later this week -- a thank-you for not "forcing" him to sit through two hours of ABBA music. There's just no accounting for taste, is there?