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?

MORE HUBBY ART

I have a thing for anything old that speaks of a time gone by, and we have stumbled upon many of these in our Hill Country ramblings.

Things like rusty windmills and old cisterns sitting on hand-built stone bases; old two-level barns built into the sides of a hills and tall chimneys left standing all alone; weathered out-buildings such as smokehouses, spring houses and root cellars; rambling stone fences and walls; and roads with names like Jacob's Well and Fischer Store Road. 

Which is why I love these photos that Hubby took back when we first moved here, so very very much.
 

SHE TOOK ME AT MY WORD

A while back I shared an article on Facebook touting "experiences" over "stuff", and left a comment telling my kids to take note. Well, I guess Miss Alexis took me at my word, 'cause you'll never guess what she has planned for us on Mother's Day. This! Alamo Drafthouse's Mama Mia Brunch! We get to enjoy a "sing-along" viewing of Mama Mia, whilst being served a gourmet Greek repast. Does it get any better than that?

We thought about getting son Austin to join us, then doubled over giggling at the lunacy of that idea. Mr. Austin has long made clear his less than favorable opinion of ABBA's music. And, to be trapped in theater full of older women who were singing and gyrating to said music? Well, that would be a fate worse than death for my poor son!

As for me, I'm thinking it's time to pop my Mamma Mia soundtrack into the player -- stretch my vocal chords a bit in preparation. It's been way too long!

Mama Mia, here I go again...

BACK ON MY POOPY LIST

Remember all those succulents that I went to the trouble to pot up, haul inside, and baby all winter long?

 

Well, here's what most of them look like now.

I just don't get it. I've planted those same kinds of succulents in that same pot in that same location for several years now, and the deer have never bothered them. Why now? Why decide to go after them when we've had the most consistent rain in years, and everything on our property is so lush and green that it's a veritable smorgasbord for deer? All I can think is that most of those in that pot were pups that I broke off from an older, larger plant. Maybe the young ones are more tender and juicy than the full-size plants I usually got from the nursery and planted in that container.

One thing is for certain though, my dear little deer. You are on my list! (This is me, pointing to my narrowed eyes, then pointing at you!)

You talkin' to me?

Yes, you!