ONE HAPPY CAMPER

Well, this is the final countdown guys and gals. Less than 24 hours until I leave for Lucky Star, and I'm still in panic mode, trying to get everything done!

On the plus side, all the supplies I had to order for my screen printing class made it here in plenty of time.

On the down side, I'm still scurrying around like mad, hemming my new birthday jammies, which were about a foot too long, and washing, drying and ironing the blouse and bandanas I will be working on in my Indigo-Shibori-Tie-Dying class...

as well as the little onesies and bibs...

and tote bags and towels...

which I want to decorate with screen printing. Not to mention trying to come up with a few ideas concerning WHAT to print on them!

Then there is my Heartsongs Folio class, which is kind of an art journal thingy made with monoprint papers we have created using geli plates. We're supposed to pick a theme and then gather various images and ephemera that might fit in with that theme. I'm thinking...I may go with...

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

a GRANDBABY theme!

Most important decision of all?

Which Happy Shirts to pack!
  

PARING DOWN THE HOLIDAYS

Frequent Visitors Here

Once the kids got older, we started thinking about where we wanted to end up, and how we wanted to live. One thing was obvious -- paring down was going to play a critical role. And, in the process of deciding what was important, and what was just "stuff", our holidays got pared down as well. It was my first Christmas spent here in this house that was the real eye-opener. Ever since, I have become more and more focused on quality, not quantity. These days, I put out just a handful of fall decorations, but the ones I do put out make me go squeeee inside, every time I pass them.

And now, it's on to Christmas! HaHa, I could hear my friend Nicki moaning all the way from Houston, just as she always did when I had to start ordering Christmas stuff in August at the garden center where we both worked. But, the thing is, I love Christmas more than all the other holidays combined, and with us leaving for Sudan before Christmas, and all the craziness that will be going on prior to departure, I fear it might get lost in the shuffle this year. Well, I'm just not gonna let that happen!

Besides, it's actually Hubby's fault. He opened the gates when he surreptitiously added these to my succulent centerpiece.

HO-HO-HO!

LOTS TO CELEBRATE!

Daughter Lex had a little party last night for a few close friends and us. She had three big things to celebrate. First of all, it was Halloween, her very favorite holiday. 

Her Hubby, The Joker (a vintage version)

Her Puppy Dog Izzy

Brother Austin and fiance Areej, dressed in character for the Murder Mystery Party they were heading to after this one.

Another cause to celebrate was the eve of their First Anniversary. Can you believe it's already been a year?

A Smaller Version of Their Red Velvet Wedding Cake With Amaretto Filling

But the most important thing of all to celebrate was...

Curtain Separating Entry and Living Room

I'M FINALLY GONNA BE A GRANDMA!
 

A SIMPLY SCRUMPTIOUS BIRTHDAY

It began with my cell phone screeching into my slumbering hubby's ear, and me racing across the house to grab it. When I saw that it was my daughter calling, I thought surely something dire had happened, and almost had a panic attack. But then I remembered "Oh yeah! It's my birthday!" My daughter just loves calling obnoxiously early on my birthday, so she can be the very first to sing to me. Hate to tell her, but she really has no competition in that area, as her brother usually doesn't get around to calling until mid-afternoon. Like his daddy, he has never been a morning person! To tell you the truth, I'm secretly tickled when she calls that early, 'cause the sooner her daddy pulls himself out of bed, the sooner I get to open my prezzies -- which were positively color-mad this year! 

Can you believe that boy has had, not one, but two gorgeous Happy Shirts stashed away in his closet, ever since our trip to San Miguel? He was planning to give them to me for Christmas, but after I discovered those in Blanco, and was tempted to go back and get one, he decided he'd better not wait that long. Smart boy. I was planning a trip back this week!

But wait, there's more! Check out these crazy flash-back, full and flowing,  Hippy Harem Jammies:

Could there be anything more perfect to take with me to Lucky Star Art Camp next week?

And of course, there was culinary madness as well!

It started with lunch at an old French favorite in Austin -- Chez Nous -- when we went to pick up Little Zippy...

and ended with this cream-cheese-stuffed, cinnamon-toasted-croissant concoction at Hays City Store later that evening.

Warning! It takes at least three people to finish it!

All in all, I'd say it was a simply scrumptious birthday, wouldn't you?

LITTLE ZIPPY

Poor Little Zippy. She's been in the shop since Friday. Went in for a recall, but there were a few other issues as well. Diagnosis? She's gettin' old!

Ah well, at least she's in good company!

WEEKEND RAMBLES

Last Sunday Hubby and I woke up in the mood from some splorin' -- the urge to go somewhere here in the Hill Country that we've never been before, or at least, not in a long time. Blanco came to mind.

When we first moved here we went there all the time but, when I stopped and thought about it, I realized it must have been a couple of years since I was there last! First stop? Arnosky Family Farms, home of Texas Specialty Cut Flowers.

It's a bustlin' place on Saturday mornings, when Pamela is in house greeting all the customers, and selling just picked produce and flowers. One of the daughters, who went off to France to study the culinary arts, is now selling her baked goods there as well. The rest of the week it's a self-serve operation, and there's not as much to choose from, but I still managed to score some of Hannah's zucchini bread and a couple of Pure Luck cheeses!

From there we headed into town, and stopped at Brieger Pottery, another family enterprise. The Briegers started out as a couple of "Hill Country Hippy" potters, but turned out to have quite a head for business. The little shop on the square where they sold their pots is now one of the best gift shops around...

and opens into one of the best restaurants around, Red Bud Cafe. 

Plus, their daughter owns Hill Country Lavender, so we managed to pick up a few yummy lavender soaps to take with us to Sudan as gifts. Know what else they carry? Happy Shirts!

These are a good bit more expensive than the one I picked up in San Miguel, of course, so I talked myself out of buying one. However, the siren's call has been relentless, and my resistance is fading fast!

For lunch we tried Old 300 Barbecue, which went in where Riley's used to be. Not bad, but after chatting with Liz, who runs the leather shop on the square (where we finally found some nice gifts to take the men in Sudan) we realized we'd probably missed the boat lunchwise.

She had the scoop on pretty much everything going on in Blanco (rumor has it that Uptown Cafe has been closed all year, not for maintenance as the sign says, but due to a nasty court battle going on between father and daughter) and told us about two fab restaurants off the square, that we didn't even know about! Has anyone been to Chess Club Cafe or Josie's Kitchen?

Last stop was the iconic Blanco Bowling Club Cafe where they still bowl with only nine pins, which are hand-set (I think you have to be a member to bowl) ...

and serve pies with mile-high meringues, no membership required!

Haven't been to Blanco lately? Well, what are you waiting for?

SUNDAY'S GRATITUDE

Today I'm grateful for the delectable chai latte that I had here in Wimberley at Maui Wowi this week -- my first of the season!

They normally serve everything in cardboard cups, but if you ask nicely, you might get it in a real mug -- one you can warm your hands on, like this one. And, if that real mug just happens to be much larger than the "small non-fat chai" which you ordered, your sweet barista just might offer to fill the rest of the space with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg!

Oh Happy Day!