Trip To Bountiful

Twice a year, a little event happens in the unassuming area (Round Top/Warrenton/Burton) known collectively by those who attend as simply Round Top, or more recently, Roundtopolis.  Hundreds of thousands of visitors descend upon the place over the course of a week or two that normally is a humble home to maybe a couple hundred or so to hunt for junk and fine antiques alike.  The event itself is generally referred to as Antique Week.  Antique Week is crazy in a good way, like Christmas.  You just sort of jump in and hold on.

Round Top is different things to different people.  For some, it's a place to be seen.  A place where the famous sometimes want to be recognized because (among other things), they want to be associated with the hot swagger of it all.  On the other hand, if you truly don't want to be seen, it's easy to blend in because there are lots of beautiful, cool people who are not famous [hello, it's Texas].

For others, it's a place to people watch.  Their goal is to find the famous people (who may or may not want to be recognized) or maybe just observe the more outlandish outfits & personalities that stroll through, especially on Prom night.  Round Top is a Mecca for girlfriend posses, creatives & celebrities of all stripes, so you never know what or who you'll see. Anything goes.

For a smaller handful [a.k.a. corporate outsider types who want to capitalize], it's a cool backdrop for TV segments, magazine articles and such.  [That's okay, I guess.  We've got enough cool to share and still have plenty leftover.]

There is nothing wrong with any of the things I've mentioned above.  Just different stories.

my grandmother (Loena), great-grandmother (Auguste), and great-great-grandmother (Annie)

For me, getting to Round Top is returning to my roots, not about being a character at a carnival. Driving the highways and byways is going home.  I'm not from Round Top, but my German-Texan ancestors (the Guderians) first settled in the area from Falls County (Lorena, Golinda, Cottonwood) to Washington County (Brenham), which is the birthplace of Texas, and also happens to be the drive I take to arrive at Round Top.  They farmed the land and built some of the first storefronts and generations later, I still feel the connection.  So for me, the Trip to Bountiful (bountiful junk, that is) is a sentimental journey...a sacred pilgrimage.  When I'm looking out over the fields, I'm seeing scenes that generations before me also saw.  They probably scattered some lupine seeds from their homeland among the native bluebonnets, as was the custom with many German immigrants to Texas back in the day.  In the Spring when the wildflowers are in bloom, it's almost more than my heart can take.  This is what I'm always looking to capture and bring home with me from Antique Week.

www.thegoodtexanlife.com

When the cameras go away and the famous people get bored [and there are no signs of happening any time soon] and everyone is moving on to the next thing, I will still love this land and these little towns and all the good junk, just like I did before HGTV was a twinkle in some corporate executive's eye, because it's in my blood.  I'm proud to say, this will still be home.

Once in Round Top, the fields of plunder are a playground for old souls on a Disneyland scale....overwhelming in a good way.  I don't ever remember seeing truly famous people there, even though I know via social media that I indeed rubbed elbows with them on any given Round Top day.  This is mainly because I don't look up, so to speak.  I'm not looking at other people, really.  With tunnel vision, I'm scanning the goods like an artist surveys her palette.  For me (and scores of others), it's all about the "good junk."  

When I go, I'm looking for components.  Sometimes I accidentally find things that are finished or fine on their own.  But more often than not, I'm looking in the trash bins or the scrap heaps.  I'm looking for things the vendors don't even think to price but are happy to get rid of because even to them, it's rubbish.  Here are a few things that caught my eye last time I was there...

vintage curtain panels

vintage trim, King's Crown plates (my weakness), Staffordshire turkey plate

vintage bread board, vintage Parisian trims, purrrrrr

Here's what I saw in my mind's eye when I was foraging...the scraps became one-of-a-kind curtains for my bathroom

Of course, no trip to Round Top (Antique Week or not) is complete without a meal at Royer's Round Top Cafe.  During Antique Week, you need reservations.  My favorite here is the Shrimp Po' Boy & Pecan Pie, but IT'S ALL OMG GOOD!

Royer's Round Top Cafe

The Beloved Bud Royer, The Pieman, holding court.  Love him.

This weekend, I head South once again...driving the familiar terrain, meeting up with loved ones, scrounging the acres upon acres of plenty, and eating a communal meal at Royer's.  Looking forward to every minute.

Introducing my friend D'Wana Villines of Mountain Girl Melodies to the awesomeness that is Round Top Antique Week a few years ago.  (Whew!  It was a hot, humid Texas day!)  

Inspiration Mondays

Because Mondays need a little help...

Here are some things that inspire me...

a flea market in Brenham, TX.

treasures from around the world...Italian candelabra, a Nepalese brick key, a Lebanese scarf, a peony from my yard

Cranberry King's Crown

new twist on traditional paisley

What inspires you?

Gathering

Don't give up on gathering, 

face-to-face,

to comfort each other,

to pray with & for each other,

to sharpen each other, &

to motivate each other to love & do good.

This is even more important 

as you see The Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

(Vicki's paraphrase based on the original Greek)

(feel free to look up this verse in the translation of your choice)

And is The Day not approaching, people?

For me, this is the standard for what church is. It's not a specific day or time or style of service. It's not programs or check lists or pot lucks.  (Although...who doesn't love a good pot luck?)  It's not a building or how it's decorated or how many people happen to be in the room.  It's certainly not about a denomination.

The homeschool community we are a part of (Classical Conversations) has a principle that if you can't teach something using a stick in the dirt, you're making it too complicated.  That's not to say that using other teaching tools isn't effective, it's just not necessary.

In that same spirit, the criteria for what constitutes a church meeting is quite simple.  (We tend to make things too complicated, don't we?)  So whether the church is meeting on Sunday morning in a sanctuary or on Tuesday night around your dinner table, this is the standard.

When things start feeling complicated, I think about developing countries.  One thing my husband and I have talked about through the years when it comes to the essentials of faith and the basics of how church is done is...if it doesn't work in a developing country, it doesn't work.  The Bible wasn't written only for North American Christians.  Shocking, right?   Many people we serve in developing countries don't really care what time it is or even what day it is.  They don't do check lists or pot lucks.  What buildings? What decorations? You might have a few people under a tree or thousands in a field.  But they could teach us all a thing or two about comforting each other, prayer, sharpening, loving & doing good every chance you get.

If I don't walk away from a church gathering feeling comforted, prayed over, sharpened & motivated to love better & do good things, I feel like my time has been wasted.  If I walk away without comforting, praying with or for somebody else or inspiring somebody else to love better & do good things, I feel like I've wasted their time & my spiritual gifts.

We all get dissatisfied & burned out with attending church.  Not admitting to this is like a married couple saying, "We never fight."  Denying that both statements are true is dishonest & unhealthy. You know why we get dissatisfied & fight?  Because churches and marriages are made up of imperfect, individual human beings. The only remedy for that is operating in the Spirit, which is an almost lost art of intentional, supernatural discipline & surrender.  This will always be true on earth.

When I get in this spot with church, this verse always comes to me.  This is what it all boils down to. If I'm struggling with wanting to gather with the church, it's probably because I'm not focusing on these basics (or they aren't) and we're too wrapped up in periphery.  

Today, I challenge you to find a group of people (at least 1 or 2 others) to gather with as often as you can, eyeball-to-eyeball, who comforts you, sharpens you spiritually, prays for you & motivates you to love & do good. And when you find them, comfort them, sharpen them, pray for them & motivate them to love & to do good.  That's it.  Because life is coming at us fast...and so is The Day.

Have a restful Sunday, everybody.  And don't give up...

Wacotown

The Suspension Bridge, on the banks of the Brazos River, where Waco was born.

The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Waco, Texas, is my hometown and I've never been prouder to say that.  Chip & Joanna Gaines are mighty awesome Goodwill Ambassadors of Waco.  However, even they would say there is more to Waco than the Gaines family & Magnolia Market.  Wacoans have always known how special Waco is.  Now, the whole world is finding out.  [Which makes me really proud & a little sad at the same time because now we will be overrun with visitors & others attracted by an affordable housing market who may not respect the history & integrity of the town...but I digress...I know you will respect us, right??  Of course you will!]

Already, Chip & Joanna's tiny Magnolia Market on Bosque hosts close to 10,000 visitors a week. Staggering.  Pilgrimages will only exponentially increase once The Silos open on October 30.  Many of you are planning your road trip now and you'll need plenty of options.  So I thought I'd help you out.  You're welcome.  :)  

If you're like me, you like to hear from the locals on where to eat, where to shop, what to see and what to do.  Not just the typical, touristy things, but what is just off the beaten path.  Of course, interview 100 Wacoans and you may get 100 different sets of answers.  But here are my picks for where to shop, what to eat, see & do when you visit Waco.

Pardon in advance the length of this post, but I wanted to put all the info with links together in one place for you.  (Several of the restaurants have a couple of locations, so be sure to check the links for addresses to map out your itinerary.)

Where To Shop (other than the amazing Magnolia Market/ "The Silos")

Spice Village (near Magnolia Market)
Roots Boutique (near Magnolia Market)

The Findery (near Magnolia Market)

LaSalle Shops (LaSalle Avenue)

Junque In The Trunk (LaSalle Avenue)

Junque Queen's (Austin Avenue)

Sironia (Austin Avenue)

Covet Home & Apparel (Austin Avenue)

Honey's Home+Style (Austin Avenue)

James + Reid Fine Home & Antiques 

Coreopsis

Homestead Heritage

Where to Eat

There are so many excellent local restaurants to choose from in Waco, but I implore you to choose one (or five) instead of going to a chain restaurant.  (If you just have to go to a chain, choose a Texas chain!)

Heitmiller Steak House  I definitely prefer the Lacy-Lakeview's location aesthetic, but great food either place.  Both places have nice little boutiques inside so you can shop while you wait to be seated! 

Jake's Texas Tea House  Nothing dainty about "Texas Tea" (black gold, that is).  This is a family-friendly place that the guys will especially love.  They serve chicken fried steak & burgers, but be sure to try the Twisted Caesar Salad & save room for pie!

Amelia's On The Avenue (Austin Avenue, inside Sironia)  This is a beautiful setting to lunch with girlfriends. My bridesmaids' luncheon was held here.  (Of course, men can eat here, too.)  Sironia is a collection of boutique shops with a tea room in the middle.

George's Restaurant & Bar   The atmosphere, food & drinks are great & un-fancy.  Get the Crazy Wings & a cold beverage.  Trust me.

The Mix Cafe  They have a restaurant and a food truck.  Yummy quiches, salads, sandwiches & more.

La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant & Cantina  This is the Tex-Mex I cut my teeth on - literally.  It's not the only great local Mexican food place, but it's my personal favorite.  They have a drive-through & live music.  Honorable mentions: (local) Casa De Costillo & El Conquistador & (Texas chains) Chuy's & Ninfa's.  (There is no shortage of excellent Tex-Mex in Waco!)

Schmaltz's Sandwhich Shoppe - (Warning: this place will forever ruin you for that Schlotzsky's slop.)  I recommend the Blue Plate Special (a small Schmaltz on original bread with chips & a drink).  I also recommend going at 11:00 or after 1:30, but if you have to wait, I promise it's worth it.

Poppa Rollo's -  I personally prefer the original location on Valley Mills.  They offer whole wheat crusts & gluten-free options.  My favorite pizza here is the classic thin crust pepperoni with jalapeños.

Baris III Pasta & Pizza  Another great, mom-and-pop pizza place.  This is probably the most authentic Italian food in Waco and for a reasonable price.

Uncle Dan's BBQ  Honorable mention: (Texas chain) Rudy's (I recommend the sliced brisket, pinto beans & sweet creamed corn).

Cafe Homestead  Locally sourced & made from scratch.  Worth the drive out to the country.   You can really make a whole day of it here. 

All of the above are family-friendly places.  Should you want a little more upscale experience, I recommend Diamond Back's or 135 Prime.

Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits - great atmosphere.  Take your drinks up to the rooftop at the end of a long day of shopping!

Where To Send The Guys (the ones who drive the trailers, God love 'em) 

Gander Mountain

Homestead Heritage

Texas Sports Hall of Fame

Harley-Davidson of Waco
Weber's Outdoors  This 60-acre outdoor shooting range is in Troy, 25 miles from The Silos.  They offer paintball & skeet shooting, as well as rifle & pistol shooting and more.

What To Do (other than shop) & See

Waco Hippodrome Theatre (downtown) - This place is awesome!  First of all, it's an historic movie theater that first opened in 1914.  This is where my grandparents, parents & even Elvis! went to the movies back in the 40's & 50's.  It's beautifully restored and modernized into a dine-in theater.  The food is really good (not your typical concession stand fare) and is delivered to you before the movie or whenever the spirit moves during the movie.  They do show select current movies, but the thing I love is they also show classic movies on the big screen (I saw Rebel Without A Cause here with my Mom & daughter and another time we saw the new Star Wars movie - classic or new, it's awesome).  They also have live concerts & theater productions.

Hawaiian Falls Water Park - family friendly

BSR Cable Park - A more intense water park!  They have a restaurant, bar & cabins for rent, as well.

Cameron Park Zoo the best time of year to go to this zoo is in the Spring when it's cool enough for the animals to be active.

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame

The Bill & Eva Williams Bear Habitat (The Baylor Bear Pit)

Armstrong Browning Library (Baylor campus)

The Suspension Bridge - iconic Waco landmark, on the National Register of Historic Places, built by same company that built the Brooklyn Bridge

Waco Mammoth National Monument

Dr Pepper Museum

I'm just going to have to stop here because I could go on and on.  Waco is awesome!!!  

(Waco peeps, if I'm leaving your favorites out, be sure to add it to the comments below!)

Inspiration Mondays

Because Mondays need a little help...

Here are some things that inspire me...

The wallpaper...and Elizabeth (The Last Time I Saw Paris, 1954)

The wallpaper...the tufted leather...the dark wood...the boots with a skirt...and Elizabeth (Giant, 1955)

I don't always like wallpaper...but when I do...it's usually damask. 

What's inspiring you right now?

Never Forget

Photo Cred

Never forget.

Always hope.

A Time For Sentimentality, A Time For Practicality

The actor Steve McQueen's former home in in Santa Paula, California, built in 1892.  We vacationed here a couple of years ago.

Every generation has its' rules & trends about decorating.  Our great-grandmothers & grandmothers had "parlors" at the front of the house where things were kept spotless to receive guests for tea.  Our mothers had formal living/dining room combinations.  Many women in my generation live much less formal lives but may live in those older homes.  Many have home businesses and little time to entertain, so their formal dining rooms have become home offices or studios. However, they may have a killer outdoor kitchen/eating area for casual, family-friendly entertaining.

Don't be afraid to turn your home's floor plan on its' ear to make it work for your family.   Don't feel bound to use a room for a certain thing just because that's the label on the blueprint.  The only rooms  you can't change (at least not easily!) are the ones with plumbing.  

In our house, the laundry room has also been the home office and is now a sitting room.  The living room changed into the dining room.  This week, our son Caleb left for school in California.  So we've done a fruit-basket-turn-over...Drew moved into Caleb's bedroom and I'm going to turn Drew's old room into my office.  

There's a time for sentimentality and a time for practicality.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to turn Caleb's room into a shrine to visit when I miss him (daily)...but that wouldn't be functional.  Both boys definitely have my sentimental gene, but they are also great about letting go of things that don't work for them anymore.  (Caleb was totally fine with all the switching around.)

Look around your home.  Is there a room that doesn't get much use?  Is there a room that has basically become a storage unit or dumping ground?  Maybe it's still telling your grandmother's story or your mom's story.  Maybe it's time to rewrite that room to tell your story.

Inspiration Mondays

Because Mondays need a little help...

Here are some things that inspire me...

my favorite flour sack

first autumnal leaf siting

my team...Whoop!

What's inspiring you?

Sunday Thoughts

Children are a blessing.  I am one humbled-yet-proud mama with three amazing kids.  What a joy!  Today, I want to tell you about my middle child...Caleb.

Caleb was my easiest pregnancy & delivery.  He's always been my "easy" kid.  The first time I felt him flutter was when my whole extended family was gathered in my parents' living room, excitedly opening Christmas presents.  He is the good lookin' life of the party.  He's my only extroverted child.   His Dad made over. 

He didn't just pretend to be a cowboy when he was little.  He was "James Arness as Matt Dillon."

He's the laughter, the sunshine, the one who always believes, the lover.  He could never get enough snuggles as a baby and toddler.  God knew I'd need that, as his "lovin's" comforted me greatly through two miscarriages and a stillbirth until a baby sister finally arrived.  He also was a huge help and comfort during some turbulent years with his older brother [who is turbulent no more, praises be!].  

He loves his siblings fiercely.  He loves to instigate, pester & tease them, but is also their second-biggest cheerleader & champion (after their Dad).

In Marfa, TX, at the same hotel where James Dean stayed while filming Giant.

He's the noise & the funk.  The levity.  The one who can always make me laugh, even on the hard days.  He's the drama, the storyteller, the character, the actor.  The one with the eyes.  He's got a classic, old school way about him.  The one who never meets a stranger.

He's the confidant with the strong shoulder from whom his peers want advice.  He's the peacemaker, the bridge.  The good-hearted, loyal friend who cares deeply underneath all the silliness & shenanigans.  The dependable, stand-out leader who goes the extra mile & gets called on when the boss is in a pinch.  He's got big dreams & the stuff to make them happen.

He is the one who slept on the kitchen floor and in a cargo trailer for a year until his bedroom could be built.  And then he helped us build his bedroom (and the rest of the house).  He loves his mama.  Nobody's perfect, but he's the textbook definition of "a good kid."

Today is our last Sunday together as a family before Caleb heads to Dream Center Leadership School in Los Angeles for the next 9 months+.  He is going to knock it out of the park.

 

Caleb, Tori & Drew on El Matador Beach in Malibu a couple of years ago, when the dream was planted to attend DCLS.

We are so proud of Caleb.  We are so grateful that we actually get the chance to send him off into the world.  A year after the above beach picture was taken, during his senior year of high school, just before Thanksgiving, the unthinkable happened.  We've watched him overcome & bounce back after a life-threatening car crash.  

Almost two years ago

Leaving for prom, 6 months after the crash

When we look at Caleb, we see a miracle & an overcomer who solidified our family's values by reminding us forever of what is really important in life.  Watching him bloom (again) this year is going to be all kinds of fun.  And we will miss him dearly everyday.

Remodeling can wait.  Decorating can wait.  Flea markets can wait.  Art can wait.  Jobs can wait. Cramming all those projects in before the work week starts can wait.  Stop.  Look up.  Those other people under your roof and who share the table with you at Thanksgiving?  Loving on them everyday, cherishing every ordinary minute with them...can't wait.  Life is too short.

Love on your people.  Be safe & have fun this holiday weekend, everybody.

Beauty In The Transition

Have you sensed it yet?  That whiff of Autumn in the air...the "perfect" weather days...the pumpkin things on the shelves in the stores...the marching bands practicing right out loud...ah, we're on the cusp of my very. favorite. season.  But we're not quite there yet.

The last few weeks of whatever season I'm in, I'm always ready for the next.  I have to remind myself to slow down and finish enjoying this season.

I currently find myself in a season of sending one of my kids into the world.  I look forward to it and it can make me sad, too.  Yes, the next season will be mostly wonderful, but there will be other #notfabulous aspects which will tempt me to fear, dread or be disappointed.

But what about right now, in this moment?  What beauty will I miss if I throw myself into the trappings of the next season too soon or spend every spare moment anticipating or dreading what is coming?

Enjoy every drop of the last fleeting moments of summertime...

Inspiration Mondays

Because Mondays need a little help...

Here are some things that inspire me...

 Amy Grant in concert with the Texas flag flying in the background...my heart may burst

old galvanized tubs

Spice Village in Waco, Texas

Sweet Leaf Tea Grannyisms

What is inspiring you right now?

Behold, The Power of Black

Never underestimate the power of paint, and specifically, the power of black to transform a space.

I was asked to help a church update their building on a shoestring budget.  The 80's hunter green trim did nothing to help the taupe on the exterior.  Because it was less expensive to repaint the trim instead of the entire building, we started there and I decided on black.

A coat of black paint later...and voila!

The exterior instantly looks updated, classy & pulled together.  The taupe even looks better!

Most of the time, you don't need a drastic, expensive change to make a dramatic difference.