Visit to Fredericksburg (Columbus, TX)

The following photos are from December when our son was visiting us during his holiday vacation.  We wanted him to see our favorite German town in Texas.

We have visited Fredericksburg often over the years.  I have taken and posted a lot of photos of this town, so this time I decided to focus my lens on smaller unusual things that caught my eye.

Except for photos of the two story Christmas Pyramid which is my favorite German Christmas decoration.  

Looks like this truck is loaded and ready for Christmas!

This is the first time we have noticed this little courtyard.

Walking into the courtyard, I felt like we had returned to Europe...

..with statues, water fountains, and little shoppes.

Back out on the street - a bicycle ready for the holidays.  Notice the plant is still alive and green.  The weather has been crazy with a couple of warms days followed by close, if not below, freezing temps at night.  Apparently, it has been warm enough to keep this plant blooming.  I'm certainly happy that we decided to stay in Texas instead of returning to Oregon for the winter.

I found this Gallery's sign to be very unique.

The two steeples belong to St. Mary's Catholic Church.  The old steeple is in front of the new steeple in the background.

I know this is getting a little long...so just a few more street scenes, okay?

On The Cutting Board
I have been staying very busy.  I have been getting all sorts of new ideas from browsing the internet. (like I need more projects, right?)

I had to stop surfing the web, so I could finish my last custom order.  Thanks to this customer, I have received three more Happy Camper orders!  She did a shout out on "Glampers on the Loose" Facebook group.  I had joined the group after she had told me about some of the groups she followed.  I'm getting all sorts of new ideas from the photos they are posting!

I did manage to finish three more Happy Campers before the new orders came in.  I will try to list the ones below soon.

Back in November, I started working on a new baby quilt using a pattern from one of my old magazines.  I have used the fast sew and rotary cut method a few times over the years with no problems.  This one turned into a nightmare!  The measurements for the flying geese were so far off that the finished length was over an inch too wide.  I had already cut out all the pieces, thinking (or not thinking) that the pattern had been tested since it was published in a well-known quilt magazine.

After consulting the internet, trial and error on downsizing the flying geese, I finally got the correct size.  Very frustrating, but lesson learned - make one block BEFORE cutting up all the fabric.  I might  not be so lucky next time.  This time the measurements were too large...next time they might be too small.

Well, I need to get back to the custom orders.  I also have a request in for another Black Cat in the Pink quilt!

Happy Quilting!

Good-bye 2016 Hello 2017 (Pipe Creek, TX)

I hope everyone had a nice time over the holidays.  I spent most of December being lazy and just getting use to our new home.  I managed to get a little organizing done with my stuff that I haven't pulled out for months.  During our move, I found quite a few things that I forgot that I had sitting in my storage bins.  Goodness, so many ideas, so little time!

Okay, a little catching up time....
We spent most of December near Waco, TX.  This time, we decided to visit The Magnolia Market in downtown Waco.  Both Dan and I enjoy watching the HGTV show the Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines.  The houses they fix up are well done.  Chip makes sure the house has strong bones and good wiring.  Joanna does a wonderful job of keeping the character of the older homes while giving it a fresh modern look.

Inviting play area with swings, toys, and chairs

Have you seen the show?  We like it because there is no drama and yet it is entertaining to watch the two interact on the show.  We have lost count of how many animals Chip has adopted and how often Jo tells him no more pets!  We are amazed at their bottomless source of energy that never wears out.

Magnolia Market and Silos

Their love for each other, for their family, and for their community is so refreshing. As you can see from the photos, the Magnolia Market at the Silos is more than just a place to go shopping.  It is a gathering place for families and friends to enjoy the day and at night for concerts.

We had a choice of meals from several different food trucks along the perimeter.  The most popular food truck served only Mac and Cheese meals.  We had a vegetarian rice bowl from a different food truck.  I wanted to get one of the cupcakes from the bakery, but the line was out the door.  Of course, by the time I finished my rice bowl, I was too stuffed to eat a cupcake no matter how delicious they looked!

There is even a small garden area setup for us to walk around.  The Seed + Supply Magnolia Shop carried some cute little garden items.  It made me wish I had a garden room to decorate.

If you happen to be near Waco, stop by the Magnolia Market.  If you want a cupcake, I was told you need to get there early before the crowds show up.  Shopping inside the store wasn't too crowded.  It is not packed to the ceiling with merchandise.  It is understated and doesn't feel like another tourist trap.  Simple elegance just like Joanna Gaines.

Afterwards, we decided to walk a couple of blocks around the downtown area and came across the original Dr. Pepper factory.  We did not go through the Dr. Pepper Museum, but we did stop in for an ice cream in the cafe.

I don't know much about the building except that it was built in 1906 and this side was damaged by a category 5 tornado in 1953.  I find the building interesting especially the tower towards the back.

Before Christmas, we moved to Medina Lake near San Antonio.  Check out the two photos of Medina Lake!  The first time we visited this area, we could not see a spot of water and cattle were grazing towards the bottom of the valley.

Medina Lake New Years 2015

Today it is full due to all the rain Texas has received in the past two years.  I tried to get the exact same view using the hills in the background.  What an amazing difference!  We hope this will breath new life into the area and help bring back the little towns nearby.

Medina Lake today!

We were happy when our son Shaun joined us for the holidays.  We spent Christmas eve eating potluck with other campers at the family center and we showed him a couple of the local sights that I will post next time.  For most of the time, we just sat around enjoying the peace and quiet of the park.

I'm not sure who had a better time with the feedings - us or the deer.  We can tell who feeds the deer around their sites by all the deer hanging around.  We decided to feed them down by the lake and away from where we walk our cats.  When the deer get close to one of our cats, they start alerting with a hissing sound and stamping their hooves.  Neither the cat nor the deer back off, so we end up chasing off the deer to keep them from attacking.

The office and the local hardware store sell bags of corn so we know it is okay to feed the wildlife here.  Quite a success - the deer look very healthy!

On The Cutting Board

My shop stayed busy between November and December.  As a matter of fact, I need to get busy and refill my shop.  It is looking a little empty.  I have been working on a couple of things, but nothing close to being finished.

Recently, I had an inquiry about one of my first Happy Campers done in blue with a Welcome sign.  I told the customer that I could make another one. She sent me a photo of her retro trailer. Isn't it cute? She sounds like a very happy Happy Camper!  I plan to finish this one soon.

With the new year, I hope to get back on track and get things done!  I'm not getting any younger, you know!  😊
Happy Quilting!