Monday, Monday....Dah-da, Dah da-da-da

Helloooo, all! I hope this blog post finds everyone well and without the crazy swine flu that's been all over the news. (Don't you just love how the media dramatizes everything? I mean, c'mon....)

I haven't posted since this weekend, have I? Logan, Weiss and I took a fun little trip on Saturday to Johnson City, Stonewall, and Fredericksburg. We had quite a time. We had been wanting to eat at the Hill Country Cupboard in Johnson City for a chicken fried steak, so we finally got our wish! We had chicken fried steak, fried green tomatoes, and the works. Very good, I might add. Weiss got to get his first toy out of the old fashioned toy machines (that were EVERYWHERE in the '80s) where you put the coin in, turn the knob, and get the toy out of the plastic bubble... So he got this little slimy baseball...(You all know....like the sticky hand/foot???) He played with it all the way to Stonewall. But before Stonewall, we stopped at LBJ's birth home there in town. He lived there until he was 10, and we didn't want to take the tour because we knew Weiss would not stand a 30 minute tour at this age, especially where you are standing still for several minutes in one room of the house at a time... (Thankfully, it is only 20 minutes from home, so we can do this when he is a bit older and will appreciate it more...)

We then proceeded up the road to Stonewall, where LBJ's other home was and the state park is located. We went to the living history/working farm of the Johnson's neighbors, a German immigrant family that had lived there since the late 1800s. This was AWESOME!!! I had heard about it from friends, but had not been... They are open every day of the year except Christmas, New Years, and Easter, and people dress in period clothing and do everything on the farm as they did in the "old days..." There are sheep, turkeys, pea hens, chickens, roosters, cows (and calves), horses, and pigs, and most of the animals are roaming on the property as they would have years ago, in a perimeter fence around the entire property. Weiss LOVED this!!! We had fun whistling to make the turkey gobble.... Funny! He also had fun with Logan on the porch swing of the house and looking at the gigantic garden, which they use to make meals each day on an old coal stove. The foods were very interesting and looked great; they serve the workers a meal each day, and they even can for the winter, milk the cows daily, and make molasses! Super interesting! There's a smokehouse, blacksmith, and many other demonstrations on the property. And best of all, it's FREE to the public! We will definitely be back....soon! Logan and I--and especially Weiss--were super impressed, entertained, and learned alot!

We then drove down the road to Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg and wandered around there. It is HUGE!!!! They had a huge field of red poppies (they just finished the bluebonnets, so there were still some left) and we took some pictures. I'll have to upload some soon... Weiss had a blast running in the trails. There was live music, which was really good, and lots of food. We ate some homemade peach icecream and all shared a cherry cream soda. They had a great plant selection and great gifts for anyone who likes plants, birds, or Texas stuff in general. Of course, we spent plenty of time with all of the food sampling and displays they had and brought home a bunch! They had a chuckwagon making homemade biscuits to eat with the samples....YUM!!!!! I got a few plants, and then we headed in to Fredericksburg....

We got there just as most of the stores were about to close, and we just got to go in Zertz and Weiss's favorite--and a SUPER cool vintage toy store--Spunky Monkey. Weiss got some cool stuff and I got some stuff in Zertz, which has super funky and cute clothes, shoes and jewelry.... We tried to go to Hill Country Outfitters for Logan (he loves that place), but they turned their sign around just as we crossed the street....MAN.....

We took the scenic route home.... We took Willow City Loop out of Fredericksburg back to 281. We knew it was a popular route for motorcyclists, and NOW WE KNOW WHY!!! Absolutely one of the most breathtaking roads I have been on in the state. The road is narrow and windy, and the views are incredible. If you've never taken this route, it is stunning. There are places on the route were people have made areas to pull over and take pictures of the views because they are truly incredible. We will definitely be back down this route.

We got home and had a bite to eat. Logan and I were zonked and went to bed early.

Sunday came and went--too quickly. We went to church and Lo watched Mr. Weiss while I did some homework. I managed to get Weiss down for a short nap. Our Lifegroup went bowling at the local bowling alley. We had never been there before, but we all had a great time. Weiss bowled for a little bit, but quickly lost interest. He had more fun sitting in the seat of the race car video game that had a big "out of order" sign on the black screen. Haha!!! Our silly son.... He started getting cranky, so Logan and I ordered some yummy, greasy, bowling alley food. It was good going down the hatch, but I knew I would regret it later.... And of course, when we left, I was saying to Logan, "I never should have eaten that food.... I feel like Shamu...." Logan beat me one game, and I beat him one game... We definitely need to brush up on our bowling skills, but we had a good time....

We got home, and turned on the bubble machine. Logan got out this giant bubble wand and we went out in the front yard to blow bubbles. Zoey LOVES bubbles.... she loves to pop 'em and bite 'em. (If I can figure out how to do a video of that, I'll have to sometime, because it is so funny....) So of course, we let her in on the fun, after she ran halfway down the block. (That dog runs like a gazelle.... she's crazy....)

And in the middle of the night, there was an awesome storm. It was lightning so much, it was like God had turned on a strobe light. I got up to go to the loo, and I didn't even need the light. I went to check on Weiss, and normally I would have to turn on like three lights or so. I could even see his face in his bed, asleep, from across the room. It was lightning so severely, I just knew some electronics were going to be fried... I was worried about our new "electronic" in the house getting zapped... The lightning was CRAZY!!! Logan and I couldn't fall asleep for a long time....

It continued to rain. Weiss and I went in to Bee Cave/Austin to Target. Bee Cave has a new Target, and it was nice, but I am a VERY discriminatory Target shopper. If it is a regular Target and not a SuperTarget, it already has point deductions in my book.... And there was absolutely nothing--NOTHING--for Weiss in the children's department. (And for me, either, for that matter.) So despite the "flashy" appeal of the new store and its cleanliness, that Target didn't cut it for me. (Kind of like the Target at the Rim in San Antonio that is always picked over.... And the new SuperTarget at SA on 281.....don't even get me started on how picked over it is.......).

(NOTE: I am a BIG FAN of the SuperTargets on Blanco and Fredericksburg Road in San Antonio.....they always had what I needed....Or the De Zavala Target.....)

So---I was looking for a certain item, and the dude at customer service said the Mo Pac Target was the only Target/SuperTarget in the Austin area to have it. GREAT. So he gave me directions, and after a quick stop to pick up Chick-Fil-A, Weiss and I were off to ANOTHER Target.

AND I FOUND A GEM!!! Although it is an older Target and NOT a SuperTarget, it has a HUGE clothing section that is EXTREMELY well-organized. I found what I wanted for me, and found the motherload of clothes for Weiss..... They even had stuff on sale that the Bee Cave Target didn't.....I know which Target I will be hitting up in Austin now..... YIPEE!!!!

Okay. Enough about Target. (I know. I love that store and everything about it.) We headed to Central Market, and got drenched---even with an umbrella. Weiss helped me get groceries, and we are trying out some new Rachel Ray recipes later this week. (I love her mag and always try her new stuff...) When we got back to the car, it was raining so hard, I literally looked like I had showered.

The babysitter came later in the afternoon while I went to meet Kim Edwards to go BACK to Bee Cave/Bee Creek for our monthly Emmaus gathering. It is not always there; it is normally in Marble Falls, but the Bee Creek United Methodist Church was BEA-U-TIFUL. Kim and I will be doing music on the ladies Walk to Emmaus this coming October, so if you have never been, you should go. You will be richly blessed!!! It's like a retreat on major steroids. No---WAY more than that. Bloggy friends, let me know if you are interested. It is a non-denominational retreat that focuses on the many elements of God's love. There is also an Emmaus for men, and versions for college students and high schoolers. I would love to sponsor you or anyone you may know.

De Colores!