I made Lucy a fort today. And while I was at the computer, I noticed it had been quiet for a real long time. I went to check on her and she was laying there very still. I asked if she was okay and she said, "I'm just sleeping."
While Owen ate lunch at the table above her.
I hate double-booking the blogs here. But I never know which readers check-in on what. So I'm plugging it here too. Just some recent sewing ventures.....
I'm participating in an online craft competition called S.Y.T.Y.C. (So You Think You're Crafty). Basically, there are 10 crafters. Each week we come up with a "craft" based on a theme. The winning crafter that week gets to post their tutorial on the site and the losing crafter is eliminated. Last week was the first week and.....MADE won! (with the Harvest Dress and Dinner for Two, above). The competition has definitely kept me busier than I planned for the holiday season. But I'm having tons of fun.
We just started WEEK TWO and the voting ends this Friday. So head over and vote for your favorite (the crafts are anonymous). The competition is tight this week, which is really fun. I tell Casey it's like a tight-scoring football game for sewers.
In other sewing news.....I was featured in a UK based publication called: SEW Magazine. So fun! When they asked if they could feature me, I couldn't respond quick enough with, Ummmm, YES! Please! You can find all the details here.
I'm really having a great time with MADE and I try to think of it like my part-time job. It keeps me energized, I'm in contact with a great network of crafters/sewers, and the readership continues to grow (which is really exciting). Of course the trick is trying to find a balance between doing my craft and making sure I give enough time to the kids. Lucy is going to start preschool when we get back in January and that will help (the guilt) a bit. I still don't know exactly where MADE will take me but there are some paths I hope to walk down. And of course, I'm still amazed at how the internet makes this all possible. How else could I become penpals with sewing moms in Denmark, Australia, Canada, even Italy? It blows my mind.
Here's to another week of SYTYC!
This weekend a few girls in the ward and I headed to one of their parent's cabin on Lake LBJ (Lyndon Johnson. He's from here). The views were just gorgeous.
and the cabin was the perfect "cabin", inside:
and out:
As with all cabins, I couldn't stop admiring the kitchy decor. I spotted a totally rad lamp:
matching mug:
bizarre ottomon with pillows attached:
fishing poles in the corner:
a gnome, keeping watch over the dock:
and very cool 70s brown potholders:
It was the perfect setting for a bunch of girls to sit around all day while we chit-chatted, scrap-booked, worked on projects, listened to music, watched a few movies, and never even left the house (except to relax on the deck).
Chris and Tiffany:
Me and Tami:
Lori and Cathy (sisters FOR SURE):
Carri, Heather, and Tami:
Michelle:
With large windows looking out on the lake, I loved watching the sun change throughout the day. Morning:
Mid-day:
Dusk:
For lunch I made my favorite Potato and Corn soup:
with braided bread (and real butter on top):
everyone loved it when I took pictures of us eating....
I got some good hours in on my felt hairclips; which means I should have enough inventory for a craft show this Wednesday night. And when dusk rolled around, I sat on the deck for an hour watching the trees turn gold and listening to the water. Very relaxing.
At some point, most of us checked in at home:
Everything seemed to be fine.
And I couldn't get over this cute cabin next door....and probably only because it was mint green.
Thanks ladies for a very fun weekend! It was so much fun getting to know you all better.
This sunday afternoon as we danced around the house to Disney songs, we heard the rain pounding on the roof. So we went outside to see the pour-down. Lucy tried to gather raindrops in her hands.
and then she dipped her whole head in (now she's sitting in a nice warm bath).
How fun rainy days can be, especially when we're in an actual home. That may sound weird but as we watched the raindrops fall, Casey turned me and said, there's just something about not being in that old drafty apartment on a rainy day that makes it more charming. I totally agree. It's nice to know that water's not seeping in through old creeky windows.
Now I just want to curl up on the couch, watch movies, and eat homemade gingerbread with whipped cream. That was what my mom often had waiting for us on a rainy school day. What a wonderful welcome home after sitting on the stuffy/fogged-up school bus for an hour and walking from the bus stop with our Sesame Street umbrellas. Of course after drying off and eating warm gingerbread, it was back out to play in flooded street gutters. Oh, life as a kid.
We planned to carve our pumpkins earlier in the week but Casey had a quick 2-day business trip in the middle of that. So, maybe this will be a new tradition: carving pumpkins on Halloween morning! Of course, it only works when it falls on the weekend. Maybe we'll try Halloween Eve like my sister-in-law Nicole does. All in all, we had fun. The kids ate popcorn while the parents did the carving.
Of course neither child wanted to put their hands in the goo. But that's okay. Lucy enjoyed watching me get messy.
The boys. (looking like they just woke up).
But they were working hard. Steady, steady...
I told Lucy to get her face in close to the pumpkin and I would take her picture with it. This is how she interpreted that. Frozen, with this funny face. Made me laugh:
Voila! (or Grrrrr, ooooooo, schreeeech!) Our spooky pumpkins. Mine and Lucy's ended up being Pumpkin 101 (I didn't even cut the mouth out properly and chopped the teeth off on accident). But Casey and Owen stepped it up a notch with Frankenstein.
After the carving we headed out for lunch. But on the way we found this cute little carnival just down the street from our house. So we had to stop.
The kids got to pet the animals,
eat candy,
and go for a pony ride!
while mom enjoyed this:
only for a short bit though cause my appetite was really looking forward to this:
That evening we got the kids back in their costumes and as we headed out the door, I noticed that the candy feast had already begun. I caught Lucy looking like this:
We walked down to our neighborhood park where the HOA had a small get-together and gave prizes to all the kids who were dressed up.
I thought this hot-dog was cute (and I don't even like dogs. The real ones, that is. I like the hot ones).
I couldn't get over what a perfect pirate our neighbor made. His eyes, his smile? Dead on.
The kids played on the park toys for a bit and then we hit the streets for candy.
Lots of fun decor.
One house had a haunted yard that went all through the backyard and they had the coolest smoke bubbles. I'd never seen anything like it. Owen got a little freaked out back there though.
At first people weren't answering their doors. Maybe we were too early? But Lucy didn't seem to mind. She'd just say, okay....let's head to the next one. Great attitude Luce. As the night went on though we found plenty of houses with treats. And Owen really got into it. He totally got the concept of "get the candy and put it in your bucket" and even more-so the concept that "it's YOUR bucket. This is ALL for YOU." At one point we tried to carry his pumpkin for him (since it was getting pretty heavy) and he quickly replied, "no no no!" Already grasping the concept of wealth!
The kids went for about an hour but I could tell that Lucy was getting tired. I asked her, do you want to go to that house over there or do you want to just go home? And she replied, I want to go home. Of course once we were home and I let them eat as much candy as they wanted, she was jumping off the walls (while watching Clifford episodes galore).
Owen and Casey hung out on the front porch with Frankenstein and handed out candy to kids. And that was our spooky night! It was very fun to be in a real neighborhood where we could trick or treat and also give out treats. Ever since we've been married we've been in an apartment or somewhere that's not "knocking friendly". So this year felt like a fun old-fashioned Halloween. It seems that a lot of what we're experiencing in our new life is just old-fashioned American fun. It's really great. Happy Halloween!
Friday morning the Halloween festivities began. Lucy had seen me putting together her Sam I Am costume all week. So when I announced that it was finished and we could try it on (and take pictures) she was thrilled! She was very conscious throughout the whole process, making sure I did everything properly. She told me before I even got started, mom I'm going to need a red hat. Maybe she's a costumer in the making!
And since it's so fun to do an ensemble cast, Owen just had to be the Cat in the Hat. He kept that hat on ALL night long for the Trunk or Treat and then for Halloween. Good job bud!
Would you like them in car? Eat them! Eat them! Here they are!
It's always fun to make a costume that your kids are into. And this year was the most "into" it year so far.
For more info and pictures of the kids costumes, see MADE.
That night we went to our ward's Trunk or Treat at the church building. I was asked to the be photographer for the evening, which is what I love. An excuse to take pictures of your cute kids? Please!
Owen was a little slow at first, not sure what the process was. But by the next night, he was a pro and could have knocked houses longer than Lucy.
Half-way through the Trunking, they both took a break and started digging through the stash.
Keep going Sam!
The Trunk-or-Treating night was full of yummy drink prizes:
some overhead aircraft:
and a big chili cook-off with lots of tasty cornbread.
Some favorites shots of the night....
It doesn't get any cuter than this. His 70 year old wife was decked out in clown gear too.
Not sure what it is, maybe the glitter on his hat? But his expression is clear: he's just seen the most enchanted wizard in his life.
Stay-at-home mom (a la 1950?)
If you'd like to see all the photos I took that night, click here. Yes, I started another blog. But it's just for moments like this, so I can upload a bunch of photos and share them with others.
Happy Hallow's Eve!
Last Saturday morning was one of those Perfect Outing type of days. Most things went smoothly, we had fun, the weather was perfect, and hey, it started with donuts. It was destined to be perfect. There are two donut shops on the main road by our house so we stopped at the closest one: Daylight Donuts. Lucy knew hands-down that she was getting chocolate glazed with sprinkles (she always does). Cinderella got in on the action too.
Owen, however, stood at the display case for a good 5 minutes, carefully eye-ing each one of them.
Hope you picked a winner buddy! You look a little tired from all that browsing.
Verdict? He picked THE BEST donut in the shop! While Casey and I branched out to the more sophisticated bear claws and cinnamon twists we concluded that Daylight Donuts is only good at one thing: Glazed donuts (with or without sprinkles). Owen's Simpson's donut was amazingly soft, sugary, and yummy. Wow, I uh, never knew I was so into donuts. Huh. Maybe I am?
Casey thought we each needed a picture of ourselves, gorging on a huge bite.
Thus, the only photo of me from the day is with half a donut shoved in my mouth. Lovely.
And I always laugh when looking at picture of me next to a picture of Lucy because it only makes her look more porcelain. My skin has lived 32 years of ultra violet rays, adolescent acne, pregnancy sun spots. And hers is just.....pure. Isn't childhood bliss? A face like a doll and a huge donut to munch on.
Ahh. Totally satisfied. She should be since she ate 2 of those suckers. Impressive for a girl who eats like a bird.
Next on the agenda: Art In The Square.
The city we live in is truly charming. It has that small-town atmosphere yet we're close to Austin when you need it. And compared to other cities in the area, the downtown square is just adorable. Events are often held here and everyone comes down to enjoy the fun. There is a real sense of community here and we're really enjoying that.
The County Courthouse sits in the middle of the square (some of the buildings date back to the 1800s).
It's stately and gorgeous.
The four streets surrounding the courthouse are lined with quaint shops and restaurants. There's even a local Theater where me and some of the girls are going to see Annie on stage in a few weeks. Fun!
Today the streets were only open to foot-traffic with beautiful art exhibits up for display (and purchasing).
The kids had fun wandering around and playing tag at one point.
Lucy cast a few magic spells with her stick wand:
and we enjoyed some cool looking stuff. I'm sure I wasn't supposed to be taking pics. But I'll share their beauty with you anyway.
This guy's art was our favorite. Something that Casey and I both liked.
This being my favorite variation of his trees.
At the end of the exhibits there was a kids art area where they could create their own paintings. Hooray! A cool craft for my kids that I don't have to set-up or clean-up?! YES please!
I knew Lucy would get into it but I was surprised how much fun Owen had with it too. By the end his entire face was covered in paint.
He took it all pretty seriously. But he let Lucy drop-in for a brush stroke.
Very fun morning in The Square.
On our way home we drove through the charming neighborhoods surrounding the downtown. I hope you don't get sick of me posting pictures of houses (there's more to come in another post down the road). This house is currently on the market and oh....it is so cute and dreamy.
A peek inside. Love that old-fashioned architecture. Could use some slight updating and it would be gorgeous.
A porch! With a porch swing! And pillars.
And the cozy backyard with a built-in firepit. 
Don't get me wrong....I love our little house. I'm so happy that we are where we are. It's the perfect fit for us right now. But it's okay to dream about the future right? Especially when in the past something like this would have been a $3million pipe dream. But here in Georgetown, it's a possibility! Maybe. Someday. For now I'll enjoy Today. Because it was a really really good one.
Fall has been here for a month but now it really feels like it. I'm relieved to know that there is a colder season in Texas! So with cooler temps in the air, here is my ode to the season. Here's what we've been "harvesting":
Pumpkins (still waiting to be carved); One for Lucy, one for Owen. When we picked these out at the store Lucy was on the verge of tears because she said now we have to find hanging pumpkins so we can get treats! and I had no idea what she was talking about. I finally just said, okay let's go in the store and see (hoping it would jump out at me). And finally, it did! After buying real pumpkins, she also needed a plastic jack-o-lantern pumpkin to put her Trick-or-Treats in! Ah. So we picked up two of those also. The moment we got home from the store she grabbed that hanging pumpkin, ran out the front door and headed to the neighbor's house. Come on mom! Let's get treats! I heard as she ran off. I quickly explained to her that we had to wait a week and then I let her trick-or-treat at our house a couple times. Oh she's gonna love the holiday this year!
Close-toed shoes. Nothing new but it's cool enough to wear them. Yay!
Acorns. Gathered at the park the other day. Destined to be a craft.
Fall Felts. Same as the above. Such pretty colors.
Riding Boots for Lucy. Found at Target. Cute with a dress.
Crust-less pumpkin pie. So that I don't feel as bad about eating it for every meal?
Deliciousness. But yea, I missed the crust.
Brach's. The only way to go for Candy Corns.
Festive ice cream flavors. Cinnamon Vanilla Pecan. Sadly for the non-Texans, it's a local H.E.B. grocery store thing. I loved every bite.
Halloween art. I admit: I don't often craft with the kids. I hate the mess. I hate the prep time. I admire those of you that do it. But on a rainy day, we did it and it was fun! (for me and Lucy mostly). More info about the Halloween Garland on MADE.
What a wonderful season of color and scents. We hope you're loving yours too. Embrace the orange! Christmas red will be here so soon.
Just when Owen's hair started to get a bit DriveShaft/Noel Gallagher-esque (and in a kind of good way)...I decided we should probably cut it.
I'm getting a little better each time at trimming his hair.
But I never really love it till a few weeks down the road.
Once I can spike it up just a bit, it's perfect.
This little guy is really growing up. I was just thinking back to last Halloween and realized, he couldn't even WALK then! What?? Now he's on the verge of turning two and has the opinion to go with it. He's still such a cuddler and a goofball. I really love it when he sits on my lap, gives me a cheesy grin and then comes in for a kiss (which is a slow lunge for my mouth/nose and no other movement. He just sits there with his face right next to mine and then busts up laughing. Let's hope he improves that in the next 16 years.) Cute little Owen. I never tire of that smile.
The one truly bad thing about living in Texas is....bugs; specifically....mosquitoes. Yuck. I've become a crazy woman in our house. If I see anything out of the corner of my eye buzzing around, I can't sit still till I smack that thing dead (and watch my own blood spill out. Gross). At any given time I have about 3 bug bites on my body. Right now there are 5 on my leg (I'll spare you those photos. Lucy's face is much cuter than my leg). We try to keep the screen doors closed and if I'm working in the garage, I spray repellent all over myself. But man, one pesky bug can make life horrible for the whole family....for a whole week. I'm hoping that with the cooler weather the bug craze will slow down. Cause poor Lucy could use a break.
Too much scratching:
Inspection:
Now I know what she'll look like as a teenager. Poor thing. THREE on her face. The reddest one right in the middle of her cheek:
Oh well, that's life.
At least she doesn't seem too bothered by it. How old is this little girl? She's really developing a natural smile for the camera.
After two months of home improvement projects, here's what we've done. None of the bedrooms have been touched yet and there's a long To-Do list for the backyard. But we feel pretty good about the progress we've made. I really love walking in the front door and coming Home.
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The only change to the outside: We painted the front door and the "shutters" a charcoal gray. They were both unfinished brown wood and pretty ugly before:
A few pumpkins and some flower pots make it feel slightly more homey. Down the road: I hope we put some wooden rails between the pillars and I can hang the flower pots on those instead:
Freshly painted door. Come on in!
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The front room.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
The original flooring in the house was carpet. The week before we arrived, we had a company pull it all out (except for the bedrooms) and they laid nice Oak wooden floors. We absolutely love them. Probably our favorite part of the house (next to the kitchen that is).
I hate that ceiling fan. Such an eye-sore. If we had more money I'd love recessed lighting in the front room and the kitchen. But....something for the future.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
As you can tell, not much decor in the house yet. That will come in the future. After living in a small space with red walls and too many things (for the small apartment), it feels so nice to have the big open emptiness. Not cluttered. I used to go to our friends Nate and Erica's house in Pasadena and say "it feels so clean in here!" (they have minimal decor also). Now I feel the same way about our place! It's kind of fun.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
These are our new couches. We bought them from this company, based out of California. The company can do ANY style or customization you want. They even have Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn catalogues you can order from. The prices are great and our couches turned out beautiful. But I have to admit, this time around (I also used this company 7 years ago and my sister and brother have used them too) was a bit of a nightmare. They made the back cushions 2 inches too short (we had added extra height to the couch arms and they didn't account for this) and we had it shipped from LA to Austin for only $185 but it took MUCH longer than we were quoted and it was all ,well, annoying. I'm sure if you live in OC/LA they are great to work with.
The back cushions are being remade and we're just waiting for them to arrive.
moving on....
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The Office and Sewing Room.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Gotta do something about those cords (someone in the comments just recommended this. PERFECT!) Our "desk" is a dining table from Ikea and I love it. We went to Houston to pick it up because our Ikea was out of stock for 2 months.
My own sewing space!!! Dreamy. Oh, it is so wonderful to be in my own nook and not be taking over the kitchen. Of course I could still use an entire room to myself. But I'm perfectly happy with what I have. The pendant lights are those cheapy ones from Ikea and they are perfect. They really light-up the area and make it feel like a "work space".
This little dresser I found at a garage sale and gave it a face lift. It was dingy off-white.
BEFORE:
I sprayed a layer of Behr Ultra Pure White paint on top (and turquoise spray paint for the accent), found at Home Depot. Ultra Pure White is my favorite white paint. It is so clean and bright. My sister introduced it to me and I've used for everything white in our house.
AFTER:
Casey made me these little shelves and they house my sewing trinkets perfectly:
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The Kitchen and Dining Room.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Sometimes I'm off with the paint color of a room first time around. But this yellow (Behr's "Desert Lily") I absolutely love. It's light, airy, and just beautiful. There have been other things in the house that I've second guessed. But not this paint. Hooray! The table still needs to be painted with the Ultra Pure White. The pendant light is from Ikea and the medallion wasn't really intended (we were trying to move the light over and hide the cords) but I like the look of it afterall. Down the road: French doors for the back porch. Sliding doors like these are always atrocious.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
* We removed the dreadful florescent light boxes and (until we can afford recessed lighting) Casey installed track lighting. Much better.
* I repainted the pantry door and windowsills/frames in Ultra Pure White.
* The countertops are Sile Stone/Quartz. We are very happy with the updated and nicer look. We greatly regret however, getting the rounded edge. I think it looks kinda silly and cheapens the over-all look. But I'm getting past that. Such a small detail. Next house we'll do it right.
* A new single-basin sink is awesome! I can fit an entire cookie sheet in there to soak. What a dream.
* We still need to add a backsplash. I really like this or this.
* The small bar above the sink still needs to be painted. It used to be cheap formica up there. But we bought wood and made our own "countertop".
The kitchen was very brown and boring before. So, I also repainted the cabinets. It sounded easy at first but ended up being an 8-step process (sand, prime, flip and prime, paint, flip and paint, 2nd coat, paint edges, touch up edges). Phew. Worth the effort!
We added new handles to all the drawers (Ikea) and wow, what a difference.
more BEFORE:
AFTER:
We extended the island countertop by a foot, so that it works as bar for the kids to sit and eat. Still need to get bar stools.
And since Casey knew I wanted to take After photos of the house....he showed up with these pretty white flowers. The perfect touch! And white seems to be my favorite house color these days....
Our bodies (and budget) are worn out from all the projects. But it's been really nice to make the home our own. We feel very blessed. Of course I miss the charm and character of older homes. And two things I find SUPER annoying in newly built homes:
* rounded corners on all the walls. Dumb. Ugly (in my opinion). Makes it hard to do molding, painting, and edging stuff.
* Off-white walls and off-white everything. Why do home builders do this?? They all chose this slightly dingy off-white color. Thus, I've been painting any doors and window frames, baseboards, etc. in WHITE as we go along.
And that wraps it up for now! Friends and family are always welcome to come visit and stay with us. We just got a trundle bed so there's a guest bed ready for you!
Thanks for stopping by.
Five years ago today Casey and I were married in the LA temple. And what a wonderful adventure it's been so far. I knew he would be a fabulous husband. And with all his energy and ideas, he was destined to be a totally fun dad. He is both. And I sure do love him. Five years is just the beginning!
For our first month here in Texas, Casey had the whole month off of work. So we got busy on home improvement projects. And though it may not seem like a lot to show for it, we installed a ton of crown molding:
painted, and painted, and painted....
and put in a whole lot of base boards:
Casey has been the master carpenter and I have been the painter. We bought this handy paint gun to go with our compressor and it has been dreamy. I've learned a lot about painting (with a gun and a brush) and my arms, wrists, and body have been sore for days at a time from working in our sweatshop garage:
We've stripped and re-finished furniture:
We certainly got sick of relaxing in office chairs:
and sharing slightly cozier chairs:
We've eaten a TON of corn on the cob. For some reason my kids are going nuts over it. I buy it every time we go to the store.
We've set up the train a few times on our garage sale coffee table:
Perfect fit!
Lucy watched a movie in her room, while we enjoyed some General Conference.
I found these awesome scooters at a garage sale. One for each kid. Of course, they still fight over riding the same scooter all the time.
There's been dress-ups:
sippy cups:
and plenty of cuteness.
It's been a busy couple of months! With Casey now back at work, our Saturday projects are growing. But that's just life as a home owner. Before and After pics of the home coming soon!
Lucy's favorite book these days is Green Eggs and Ham. She requests it almost every night. And often I wake up hearing her reading it in bed. It always makes me smile.
Here she is "reading" the second half of the book. (She's also watching a show, so she's distracted a few times). At one point she wiggles her finger over her mouth to sound like she's underwater (something Casey and I taught her).
I was going to be boring and dress her up as Cinderella for Halloween since I know she'd love it. But then Casey said, "how about Sam I Am?" So we asked her, and she liked it! Time to get some fuzzy yellow fabric....
And the kids enjoyed running up and down the ramps, watching the marching band, and well....
Today while cutting Lucy's fingernails I remembered that I threw away all my nailpolish before our move. So I assured her, "Next time we go to Target we'll buy more nailpolish so we can paint your nails." She quickly corrected me, "No, no. You don't buy paint at Target. You have to go to the orange store."
You're so right little one. I guess we've been spending way too much time (and money) at Home Depot.
we went and did this:
New stone countertops are being installed as I type! And all the cabinet doors are in the garage drying, from a layer of light gray paint.
I certainly won't miss this old thing:
and who needs backyard toys? Laminate and an old sink will do just fine thank you.
More photos to come...
Summer is officially gone. And looking back, it was a good one! Pasadena was hot and so we did fun hot things. We played with friends and family, ate lemon cream pie, celebrated the 4th of July, went to the beach, graduated with a Masters degree, and devoured 2 huge boxes of Otter Pops.
It's still fairly warm here in Texas but some of you have said it's in the 40s or snowing in your area. Wow! Sorry to hear. Maybe a summer recap will make those white flakes melt. From us to you, here are our Favorite Summer Pics, 2009:
Favorite Summer Pics of 2008 here
Favorite Summer Pics of 2007 here.
Till next year!
I often forget that we live in a "small town". Because we're only 20 minutes from Austin, it doesn't seem real at times. But that's the life we're living! I guess that's why I find the outdoor/country scenery a bit foreign yet so endearing. I just want to take a bazillion pictures of it all! And on Sunday there was plenty of opportunity.
Casey and I have noticed that there seems to be a Lake in every town around here. Though we live a mile from Lake Georgetown, for our Sunday Night outing we ventured to the next closest lake in a small town called Granger. The 20 minute drive looked like this:
What gorgeous country! In fact, the entire outing felt like a photo-shoot set-up. Everything around us was just too beautiful and picturesque.
The plan was to drive 20 minutes to Granger, drive over the dam and walk around the lake. Lucy of course told us the entire drive that she was going to go swimming in the lake. I replied with that motherly response, "we'll see."
I was hoping she'd forget about swimming once we got there because I hadn't brought any swim stuff nor was I sure you could even swim in the lake.
When we pulled up to the lake, the "swimming beach" road was closed so we headed over to the boat drop-in. It was just us and one other group at the drop-in. They were headed out for duck hunting at dusk. We chatted for a bit and let the kids put their feet in the water. But there was no chance Lucy was going to stop at just her feet.
So.....we went trashy style and dropped the clothes.
and the kids had a ball! It wasn't the most comfortable walking on the cement boat driveway but the kids didn't mind.
Lucy splashed,
and swam,
and I joined her, till I swear a fish nibbled on my toe. hmmm.
Owen was Owen and had the most fun walking up and down the hill over and over again.
And he wanted nothing to do with picture-taking (he was too busy watching some Kayaks come to shore)
We tried.
How I love that little head!
We waded in the water for a bit and then headed back to the truck to dry off.
Lucy: "Naked shadows!"
Once clothed we walked to a different part of the lake through this gorgeous field of grass. Seemed like something the pioneers may have waded through on the plains.
It was the perfect spot to play Tag.
"You're it!"
There were plenty of flowers to be picked.
And lest you think it was all Little House on the Prairie, there were a few 2009 moments as well.
The grassy field ended at this pretty spot. The hour couldn't have been more perfect:
The clothing came off and Lucy was back in the water.
I'm amazed at how much fun this girl has in her own little world. I never heard exactly what she was saying but there was a whole conversation going on between her and the pebbles from the shore.
I'm sure they were going to the park together or having a tea party.
Casey and Owen had their own fun tossing pebbles into the water or shooting for a hole-in-one into Lucy's shoes.
I said to Casey at one point, there is no way you would find this back in LA. I couldn't believe that we were completely alone at this gorgeous spot. I mean, there is still amazing beauty back home....but to have the moment all to yourself as a family? Too cool.
Another successful Sunday Night outing.
Lucy:
the gnats:
On the drive home, we took an alternate route down the main drag in Granger. Seriously? This stuff is real? The back-lot of Universal never looked this good.
We'll be back again little Granger.
We've been doing a lot of home improving lately so on Friday we took a break. We hopped in Casey's truck...
and went on a road trip to:
Houston is a few hours South East of us. We thought it would be 2 hour drive but the highway stops in every small town (with stoplights), so the drive was more like 3 hours. At one point we finally saw a mileage sign for Houston and we were both certain it was going to say "Houston: 10 miles". Instead it said "68!" WHAT? Thankfully the kids were good sports in the car. Owen slept for an hour of the drive and then hung out while Lucy watched Mary Poppins.
Casey was a fabulous navigator. He had looked up all sorts of free and interesting things to do in Houston. And with his GPS, we found our way around fairly easily.
Our first stop?
Um....the Beer house. Isn't that everyone's first stop? This house was in a normal neighborhood but covered in beer cans.
Pretty impressive and actually kinda beautiful (especially this part):
that took someone a lot of time (and a lot drinking).
Next up, into the downtown and to the Art Park. It started at the skatepark (where our kids seemed kind of in the way):
dude, awesome wipeout:
How many parks do you know of with this kind of view? Stunning skyline. And yes, in case you were wondering....Lucy danced her way through Houston.
And then the park curved down a hill with a hiking/biking trail that runs along the river, known as the Buffalo Bayou. How cool is that name?
Houston definitely felt more like "the south" to me. Much more humid, more green, and slightly different vegetation than Austin. As we walked along the Bayou, it felt like a freeze-frame from the the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It was just the same buzzing, swampy environment you'd expect.
This place is called The Art Park because there are art pieces along the way.
"3 people in a house"
Unfortunately we realized that most of the art was on the other side of the river. So we kept walking, looking for a way to cross over. But after a mile (with a non-cooperative Owen) we decided to turn around and head back.
It was a warm hike but still fun. And it only made us more excited to get back in the truck and blast the A/C.
After the hike, we drove around Houston and stumbled on some gorgeous neighborhoods. I mean, GORGEOUS. I'll take this please:
or maybe this. Wow, if I could have my dream house, it would be this and in a neighborhood just as charming (too bad we looked on Zillow and these go for $millions!):
Next on the agenda: food. Casey found a fabulous local spot for us called Goode Company BBQ:
it had a similar vibe as Rudy's.
but Casey couldn't get over their "Austin Baked Beans". He's already hoping there's one of these back home:
Owen and Lucy ate bread:
and Owen stayed entertained with Salt and Pepper shakers.
Success!
Though it was getting dark, we couldn't leave without seeing the famous WaterWall. In a swanky shopping part of town....
...we found this completely impressive wall of water. These pictures do little justice and are blurry since it was getting dark. But it was absolutely gorgeous. Walking through this arch, you find yourself inside a semi-circle wall with gallons and gallons of water streaming down. It does strange things to your eyes and almost feels like the world is moving around you.
from the outside:
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
and lastly, we made a quick stop at IKEA because our IKEA was out of the desk we needed. Owen and I hung out in the truck while Lucy slept and Casey ran inside.
Then back in the car for a few hours and we were home by midnight. A quick 12-hour adventure!
