Day Off

Today I picked up a new friend at Toy Joy. He accompanied me on my day off while I ran some errands. I haven't figured out his/her name yet but I'm sure something will come to me soon.

After Toy Joy, we went to Jo's Coffee on Congress for a drink then walked around doing a little shopping.

He was curious about the art cows around the city so he climbed up to get a better view

We had heard that Johnny Depp was at the Continental Club recently so we had to stop by




All that walking made us hungry so we stopped at a newish food trailer called Hill Country Pierogi. I tried the Bacon Pierogi while my little buddy watched. Somebody needs to teach him that it is rude to stare. The pierogi was really good, I look forward to eating there again.

My little buddy decided that he wanted to try driving. This didn't work well since he couldn't reach the peddles.

After the stressful time driving we headed to my massage appointment. While I was taking off my shoes, he decided to jump ahead of me and get on the bed. Ummm... mama doesn't play like that. He was promptly put in my purse for the remainder of my appointment.

After the massage we walked down to the Farmers Market to pick up some veggies for dinner.

It was time to meet the pups. They were a little cautious of him but ultimately they became buddies.

He must have said something to make Chewie laugh

We ended our day with a nice meal at home!! Hopefully soon I'll have a name for my little friend because I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him.

I went to 2 baby Showers in the same month and survived

My friend Vannessa is very close to having her little baby boy. Her mother in law and sister in law threw a baby shower for her about a month ago. It was a great little party, her in-laws really know how to throw a shower! Great food, fun games and good friends!

Opening gifts

Playing a game where you have to reach into a pillow case, feel around, and then write down everything you felt. I did pretty good but the mom's in the group kicked my ass.



I took Vannessa's maternity photos a few weeks ago at Mayfield Park. I love this park! So many great and diverse areas for pictures in a small area. She is a beautiful pregnant lady!!

She was such a good sport... we laughed a lot, I sweated (thanks to a late burst of summer in Sept), and I think we were able to get beautiful shots.

The Mama and Daddy to be!

While at Vannessa's first shower her mom pulled me aside and let me know she was also hosting a baby shower in a few weeks. She would have it at her house with their family. I always have fun with her family so I didn't mind going to 2 baby showers :) The boys got together to play "Poker for Pampers" while we were at the shower. Basically their buy in to the game was a package of diapers. And in the boys eyes, it was a great time to get to have boy time together while the ladies were at the shower.

I failed miserably at this game,,, you had to cut off a piece of string that you think would fit around Vanessa. Let's just say my piece of string was big enough to go around both of us :)

One of Vannessa's friends who got pretty darn close

Did you really think you were going to get through a post without a self portrait?

Lindsay, me, Vannessa (looking gorgeous), Ashley and Whitney

After the baby shower we drove over to Matt and Vannessa's house to meet up with the boys. As you can see, they had a few beers before we got over there.

The poker game was played in 3 stages since they had so many people. Chris is waiving the one finger salute towards me.

The entire night was a really fun time! Can't wait to meet Baby Gavin, he is due in early Nov. I am hoping that it falls on our wedding anniversary so I can remember his birthday :)

Being damn picky is annoying when shopping



I have wanted a new coffee and side tables for quite awhile now. When Jim and I moved in together we picked out a cheap set to get us by, but now I am ready for a change. I have some ideas of what I would like to get but I haven't really found it, or at least I haven't found it in my price range, in Austin.



I searched around Etsy and the internet and I found a few pictures of what I think (would really need to see it in person) I would like. Now I just need to find these coffee tables in Austin :)



I found this coffee table at Crate and Barrel and I am finding that I am drawn to tables that have a mix of wood and metal. I think this table was around $600 or so... more than I wanted to spend for just the one table. I'll be keeping an eye out to see if it goes on clearance :)

I found this table on a website called Etsy.com. It is a website where individual artists sell their work. The only issue is that most of these tables are far far away from me. I like the lines on this table, but I would have to put a piece of glass over it so it would be a smooth surface. Love the color of the wood.

I like the size of this table, the unique legs and the space in the middle to hide remotes and anything else. I would worry about the amount of dog hair that might get stuck in the middle :)

This reminds me of the 2nd table, but without the space in between the slates of wood. I like the variety of color and the metal frame. This table seems like it would be for a dining room table but of course I would want it smaller for a coffee table.

The coloring and the legs of this bench would look awesome as a coffee table

Can you sense a theme here? Dark wood, pieces of wood, metal frame? Yes, I believe i have found my style I am looking for.

I did come across a few side tables that I liked. I like the color difference between the top of this table and the bottom. I am drawn to the clean lines and having a top and bottom shelf.

I love the shape of this side table, but not in love with the color.

While I was looking at Crate and Barrel's website, I saw this side table and liked the simple shape of the table, but not sure it is very usable as a main side table. Not enough room for a lamp to sit on

There are lots of great options out there... just need to find the right shape, color, size, style and have it be near Austin. :)

Day Trip

One day while looking through the internet I saw that Round Top was having an antique fair on my day off (http://www.roundtoptexasantiques.com/) and I thought,,, why not! Round Top is about 1.5 hrs away from Austin but it is a very easy drive. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was hoping that I was going to find a coffee and side tables. I don't really like our tables and would love to get new ones!! But I am picky as hell which means it takes me way longer to find items that I really like and are willing to pay for.

When I was driving into Round Top there was what appeared to be a flea type market on both sides of the road so I pulled over and checked it out. There was full booths on both sides of the road with plenty of really neat items.

One side was a ginormous tent full of booths and the other side of the road was made up of smaller buildings with items inside as well as out on the grass.

Hellllooooooooo!

I thought these were really cool, but didn't really have any where to put them. Almost every dealer that I came across on this portion of the fair let me know that they were flexible with pricing. I honestly wish I came across something that I just couldn't live without, but I didn't.

This little building had a lot of colorful cabinets of all shapes and sizes.

It just wouldn't be a antique fair without an old bathtub (which was pretty cool) filled with old beer cans. :)

I moved over to the Big Red Barn to check out the fair inside. This area cost $10 to go in, and I heard people talk about being charged for parking, but I accidental drove into the section for vendors only and didn't have to pay for parking :) The Barn had more expensive booths, AC and rest rooms so I was pretty happy to pay $10.

I did find a few items that I would have loved to buy but they were just to damn expensive or I didn't have a place to put them. But I did find a lot of items that inspired me to either make stuff of find like items around town that wouldn't cost so much.

I came across this chair... made of horns.... seriously... horns.... and they wanted over $1500 for it.

LOVE this photo! This artist was told about a machinist that was selling his warehouse in Missouri. She took his equipment, cleaned it and then either buffered it or painted it. There were lots of great little parts that she took and created different pieces of art. She also refurbished the guys drawers and tables. They were pricey but not to out of reach. I just didn't have any use for the tables.


Another favorite picture that I took while at the fair. These were all of the saw bits that the machist used.




This was another booth that I liked. They had a lot of refurbished furniture that had a slight country feel to it.

After the Red Barn I left and ran into another shopping area. These tents had a mix of new and old items. I loved almost all of the items in the tent below (picture). Loved all of the dining room tables and cabinets. I found a couple of tables that I would have wanted as a coffee table, but they were either way to big or way to small. GRRR. Oh well, I'll just have to keep shopping while looking for a new coffee table! :)

In case you would like to go to a show, here are the next years show dates: (HINT: Mom- one of these dates would be good to come and visit :)

WINTER ANTIQUES SHOW
January 14, 15, 2012
Big Red Barn
9AM to 5PM Saturday
10AM 4PM Sunday
Admission $5 Good for all days.

44th ANNUAL SPRING ANTIQUES FAIR
April 4, 5, 6 & 7, 2012
Big Red Barn & Tent, Continental Tent
Carmine Dance Hall
Admission $10 Good for all days
and all locations

SUMMER ANTIQUES SHOW
June 23, 24, 2012
Big Red Barn
9AM to 5PM Saturday
10AM 4PM Sunday
Admission $5 Good for all days.

45th ANNUAL FALL ANTIQUES FAIR
October 3, 4, 5, & 6, 2012
Big Red Barn & Tent, Continental Tent
Carmine Dance Hall
Admission $10 Good for all days
and all locations