BBQ and Bocce

We entertainment my husband's parents on Friday by treating them to lunch at the Salt Lick. I love the vibe of this place especially now with all the renovations and the addition of the bocce courts, winery and the Kids Ranch. We feasted on turkey, ribs, brisket, sausage and all the fixings and then headed over to the Kids Ranch so that Ella could swing and play to her heart's delight (and to her grandparents too). Then, we headed over to the winery for a nice glass of Salt Lick's BBQ White Wine. It was surprisingly really good. I loved the area surrounding the tasting room. Beautiful flowers, a pergola, a gorgeous fountain, and of course, the Bocce court.

Working & Playing in Llano

This morning I had a court appearance in Llano County so off I went for a 3 hour round trip for about 10 minutes total in court.  Afterwards, I decided to take a spin around the square visiting the shops.  It's such a neat little town.  I found a couple of things at Hill Country Gifts & Wild Herbs and Rosy Outlook.  A Rosy Outlook was great - lots of "gypsy goods" - quilted pillows, pendants, t-shirts, cards, and other shabby chic items that I would love to have.  I ventured down further and found another shop Ruby Cowgirl which had great clothes and boots - Lucky, Old Gringo, etc.  It was a bit out of price range for an impulse buy so I browsed and left.  I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't any sale or clearance items.  On to breakfast at Juan Burrito which was really really good.  A young girl apparently out for the summer and helping her folks waited on me.  I had a steak and potato burrito with a root beer to go.  Excellent!  I then hit the road and passed a farm stand and loaded up with goodies - corn, beefsteak tomatoes, cucumber, squash, peaches, sweet potatoes, honey and fresh salsa.  Corn and salad is on the menu tonight!

A perfect Monday afternoon

My husband's parents are in town so we spent the day hanging out around Dripping Springs.  We headed over to Bell Springs Winery to enjoy a tasting and a glass on their grounds.  Ella ran and ran while we sipped and lounged. It's such a relaxing vibe there - a small winery tucked away.  No highway sounds.  Just the music of our laughter watching Ella run with her arms swinging.  I love days like these especially when I reflect on other visits when Ella was just learning to crawl, just learning to walk and now running.  The days are flying by and I can't help but hug her tighter every chance I get to savor every moment of her sweetness.  Moments when she looks at me with her big blue eyes and giggles and runs to me for a hug.

A river.... finally

The creeks have been dry for most of the year however they are now flowing thanks to the recent rains.  Of course, we may only get to enjoy it for a day or so before they recede and become a dry creekbed again.

Hitting the Trails

It's beautiful, sunny and well, hot here this morning.  Seth and Ella are out taking the dogs for a walk on the trails in our backyard (literally).  I'm getting everything ready for the day ahead.  We have family in town and so of course, we need to show them around our favorite spots in the Hill Country.  We're thinking a little tour of Bell Springs winery followed by a nice evening sipping wine and enjoying the view.

When in New Braunfels

Stop by Naegelin's, the oldest bakery in Texas.  The bakery sells all kinds of goodies like cakes, donuts, pastries, cookies, bread, and much more.  I purchased macaroons, german rye bread, and cherry strudel.  Luckily for my family, I resisted temptation on the drive home which was really difficult considering that it was the end of a long day and I was starving.  This morning we sliced into the cherry strudel and were blown away by the flaky, sweet crust and icing.  It may warrant another trip to New Braunfels.  New Braunfels is really a neat little town and is home to lots of recreation like the Comal River (float) and Schlitterbaun.  It also has lots of great restaurants, German style bakeries, and shops.  I would have stayed longer in town shopping if it hadn't been for the pouring rain.

Sweet Berry Farm

Alas, we now have another spring family tradition in addition to bluebonnets.... picking berries at Sweet Berry Farm just outside of Marble Falls.  We had such a delightful time at the farm today with Ella.  She ran up and down the rows of berries, picking them, eating them, and then petting the goats.  She was absolutely mesmerized by the goats.  We picked so many berries that our freezer is now full of them.  I see alot of smoothies in our future!  I loved seeing all the families there.  A sweet elderly lady was there (see pic) picking berries with the best of them.  Love that! We stayed a couple of hours until it began steadily raining. Perfect day.  If you go, you must try their strawberry lemonade and smoothies.  Wonderful!

New Hot Spots in Wimberley

I found two new places in Wimberley that I will have to visit when I go through Wimberley - the Sugar Shack and Wimberley Stitch Studio.

The Sugar Shack is on RR12 between Dripping Springs and Wimberley.  My husband and I stopped there on our way to San Marcos for breakfast to go.  We were blown away by the variety of delicious pastries and finally settled on croissants, cinnamon rolls, and coffee.  I had the raspberry filled croissant and my husband had the jalapeño, bacon and cheese croissant.  They were AMAZING.  Warm and light.  Delicious.  This will be a new must stop every time I go to Court which is quite a bit!

 The Wimberley Stitch Studio is a relatively new quilt shop that opened in 2013 and is across the street from the Market Days.  It is very small but adorable.  I love the fabrics they offer and it was a pleasure meeting Linda who was working away on a quilt on the Long Arm machine that resides there.  Truly a studio.  I of course couldn't leave without purchasing some fabric and a couple of patterns.  They also offer classes and a block of the month program is starting soon.

A Sunday hike

Sunday was much cooler than Saturday.  Ella helped her Dad with the garden which culminated in a pre-dinner hike on the trails near our home.  Ella loves this backpack and practically jumped into it when Seth brought it out.  I am so amazed by this child's love for the outdoors and for adventure.  She has no fear which is a good and scary thing for me.  She is going to test the limits of the this helicopter momma.  She's almost outgrown this backpack and I wish it was a forward facing one instead of backward facing so that she can see what's ahead.  She doesn't seem to mind though. Just look at that face!

Planting a salad garden

Now that we have our entire yard fenced we are ready to put in a salad garden since the deer no longer frequent our backyard.  We are using raised beds due to our rocky soil.  Seth built this raised bed out of cedar planks yesterday.  Today, he's adding PVC pipes so that we can cover the garden.

Next weekend, we'll install a rain barrel on the far corner of our house which will provide easier access to the garden and also plant tomatoes, cucumbers, leaf lettuce, and some herbs.  We'll start with transplants this year and seeds maybe next year. Once we get our salad garden done, we'll then start planting flowers and doing other landscaping in our barren desert of a yard.  I love how accessible this garden is.  I can walk around the garden and weed without breaking my back.

A hike with the littles

 One of Ella's good friends, Will, came over yesterday for a sleepover while his Dad was out enjoying SXSW.  We did a host of outdoor activities to include flying kites, playing horseshoes (or throwing horseshoes), light saber fights, and a finally a hike on the trails in our backyard.  Obviously, it was a short hike but a fun one as the kiddos loved spotting flowers along the trail which were few and far between.

Rollin at Thyme & Dough

One our our favorite places in Dripping Springs is Rollin in Thyme & Dough on 290 near RR12.  It's a mom and pop bakery and cafe where you can get coffee, pastries, cakes, breakfast and lunch.  My favorite item on the menu is the Chicken Tango which is chicken salad with mango on a croissant.  It's made with a tangy mustard which perhaps inspired its name.  It's also super kid friendly.  Lots of space to run around outside with tonka dumptrucks for the kids to load up rocks.  Ella was a true rock loading and dumping champ. I will say that the menu is not exactly toddler friendly but we make do with the available juice boxes, pastries, and a fruit cup.

Walnut Creek Revisited

It's been over a year since my husband and I have ridden the trails at Walnut Creek.  So, we decided to take our munchkin and "hike" the trails.  The weather was beautiful and there were SO MANY PEOPLE on the trails.  Ella played on the playground for a few minutes and then crawled into her backpack.  The trails were fairly easy. We took a loop toward the creek which was neat and we saw lots of families and their pets.  I didn't realize it was essentially a dog park.  It was a great hike but probably not for the mountain bikers.  Lots of slowing down and yielding to dogs, hikers, kids.  I'm guessing it's probably better to ride in the early morning hours versus mid-day to late afternoon.

Snow Day

Austin and the Hill Country experienced a SNOW DAY yesterday in which all schools were cancelled, flights cancelled and all government offices were closed.   It's amazing how just a little snow and ice can shut down an entire city but I'll take it if it means more time with my sweet girl.

Ella and I played a bit outside in the less than an inch ice/snow. She walked around and kept touching the snow.  So funny.

Twisted X

A local brewery, Twisted X Brewing Company, here in Dripping proved to be worth a visit.  We sampled each of their Tex Mex beers.  Seth was particularly fond of "Fuego", a jalapeño infused pilsner whereas I especially enjoyed Twisted X lager.  It reminded me of a Negro Modelo.  A pleasant surprise was there Michelada - beer with a splash of bloody mary mix.  Micheladas are popular in the Austin area.  It hasn't really been a favorite of mine but it's always worth a try.  We liked the vibe - lots of couples, lots of people stopping in.  We'll be back.

Pedernales Fall State Park

Pedernales Falls State Park is a beautiful place! The three of us hiked down to the Falls and spent the morning exploring the pebble beaches and rocks.  Ella loved it  - the rushing water, the pebbles, the sand, and watching other kids running around.  After the falls, we hiked the Nature Trail down to Twin Falls which was a nice little peaceful spot especially since we had the trail to ourselves.  After hiking, we drove over to Johnson City for lunch at Pecan Street Brewery & Restaurant.  I had the Pecan Street Chicken, Seth had fish & chips, and we of course we couldn't resist a "sampler" of all their beers.  I highly recommend the Chicken and the Ten Penny Nail Ale.  A nice amber.  We'll definitely have to come  back to the park and to Pecan Street.

Sunshine in January

It was a beautiful Saturday here in the Hill Country.  We grabbed our "pack" and hit the trails in our backyard.  Afterwards, we went to Stanley's Farmhouse Pizza for a late lunch - Caprese Salad, Beatrice Pizza and Lil Heifer with Pepperoni pizza.  Of course, we had to hit Jester King for the beers on tap - Wychtmaker, Mad Meg, and Atrial Rubicite. We spent close to the 3 hours there and Ella had a great time running around with a lot of kids there.  It's such a great thing to have such a wonderful family friendly place a stone's throw from our house.

Founder's Day Park

I'm a little late posting about our New Year's.  We spent the "Eve" at the Founder's Day Park enjoying the sunshine and the new playground.  I welcomed the New Year in my dreams.  Ella and I were fast asleep by 10:30 p.m.

Pieous and Argus Cidery in Dripping Springs

Today was a new adventure for us and Miss Ella. We love discovering new places especially if they're in our neighborhood! So, off we went to the one of the new pizza places, Pieous, which has been open for about a month and is a stone's throw from our home. My husband ordered the Pastrami plate and order the Rocket pizza which had prosciutto, arugula and fresh mozzarella. Both were amazing! I also loved the vibe. Chalkboard walls with cool art drawings. A wraparound bar around the pizza oven so you can watch the action. And it's family friendly. We'll be back for sure. After lunch, we headed down Fitzhugh dropped off some groceries and back out again. On our way to RR12 and downtown Dripping, we passed a sign that read "ARGUS CIDERY". We turned in of course and was excited to discover this sweet gem of a cidery that makes 'hard cider'. The owner gave us a tour and we tasted two of the featured ciders which were actually really good. I loved the decor - vintage sofa, farmhouse tables, big sliding doors, and a custom light fixture. The owners were there and behind the bar. It was great chatting about the experiences they had developing the ciders and opening the cider in Dripping. We're anxious to see more from them.

Going to Luckenbach, Texas

Last Sunday, I celebrated my birthday in Luckenbach, Texas with my husband and sweet baby girl. We enjoyed good ole pork bbq sandwiches, pickles on a stick, fried potatoes (thin crispy potato chip style) and of course a shiner. We lunched at the picnic tables under the big oak trees just off center stage where the picker circle was going on -- three singer songwriters taking turns singing and playing. They were really good. It was such a relaxing day and perfect with all the things I love about Texas, including sunshine in February. One of the funny things about the day was listening to the roosters that were perched on the roof of the bar and were clucking and crowing away.