Cure for Grumpiness: La Madeleine and Groucho Marx

Monday was, as always, grocery day and by the time Braelyn and I made it to the store, it had already been a long day. Luckily, she's a pretty good shopper, so the trip itself wasn't bad, but the hours previous to that had been a little trying. Anyways, so I'm pushin' my cart around in little ol' HEB in Brenham and I see this...
Oh happy jar! It was the perfect, most unexpected little treasure...just what I needed. I literally laughed out loud and was practically hugging the jar. I'm sure people were questioning my mental health. I didn't care...I just found 5000 calories worth of happiness.

Then today, Braelyn got up at 5:15!!! Not a promising start to our day. Sure enough, nothing I did could make this girl happy, and I was too tired to try very hard. I was feeling grumpy at her and grumpy at myself and just grumpy all around. And then, this walks in...
How could I stay grumpy?
Ah...Thank you, Lord, for the little things! You know just what a mama needs!

Takin' Up Space in My Noggin

1. I really must make sure that every one knows that I do NOT think you are evil if Santa comes 'round your house at Christmas time!...no matter how many Santa figurines you have! ;)

2. Braelyn has already started asking me, "Why?"!!!!! Can you believe this?! Saturday night, as I was rocking her before bed, we had a little conversation like this:
Me: Braelyn, it's time for ni-night.
B: Why?
I giggle in astonishment.
Braelyn giggles, quite delighted with herself.
Me: Because it's time for bed.
B: Why?
Again with the giggling.
Me, trying not to giggle: Braelyn, it's time to close your eyes, and get quiet. It's time for ni-night.
B: Why?
More giggling, but really needing to pull it together, because it truly is time for bed, and I have guests over.
Me: OK. Um...because I said so.
I really wanted to avoid ever saying that, but in the onslaught of why's, there's nothing else!
She finally surrendered, but man...was not prepared for that!

3. Casey, Braelyn and I are spending this weekend in San Antonio to watch my brother play baseball. I'm super excited, however, he may not even get play since he was hit in the hand twice this past weekend and it may be broken. We'll still go even if he can't play, but that sorta stinks for him. Sorry Bubba!

4. I am inspired by this friend and this friend to get out in my yard. We have a good start in our front yard, but it needs to be cleaned up. Some plants need to be replaced and I would like to spruce it up with some cute planters...like, with actual flowers in them, and maybe some fun accessories. The only things is...if I put all this time and money into my landscaping and patio, is everything going to die in a few months and then in 12 months will I have to do it all over again? I think I would need a little more inspiration if that is the case. And our back yard...that's just a whole different story! :|

5. I got Sacred Parenting today! I think the premise of this book is that it's not so much a "how-to" discipline, teach, etc., but it talks about how "God uses our kids to change us" as parents. Here's a little blurb from the cover:

"Parenting is a school for spiritual formation -
and our children are our teachers. The journey of caring for, rearing, training, and loving our children will profoundly alter us forever."

I'm super excited about reading this and the blog discussion. For those of you who are joining me, I think I'll start reading this weekend and then do a post over chapters 1 & 2 on Friday, May 2nd. We can take that whole next week to comment/discuss and I'll post about the next couple of chapters the next Friday (May 9th). If you're interested, please join us, and even if you're not going to be going through the book, you can still join the discussion! Please do!

6. I've been trying some new recipes again. I was kinda out of the cooking mood for a while, but it's returning. I'll let you know if I find anything fabulous.

7. I saw Dan in Real Life this weekend with some cool new friends. It was very good. I recommend it! I just love Steve Carell!

8. That reminds me...THE OFFICE! I think I might die of happiness the day Jim and Pam get engaged!

9. The college kids that have been coming to our church are about to go home for the summer. I am super sad about this! They add so much to our little community, and I love how they're always over at our house. I don't know what I will do for those three long months. Plus, literally half of our congregation will be gone. Bummer...we we're starting to look like a real crowd.

10. My goals for the week:
~ Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier
~ Finish David Copperfield

Have a good one!

Oooh! Thought of another one...
11. WHY DOES THE SPACING CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE OF A POST! THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY! DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING? BRRRRGH.

As Promised...The Santa Post

I finished Treasuring God in Our Traditions today, but my mind is still busily processing. I feel like I have a general idea about how the Piper's used "everyday" routines and "especially" traditions to teach their children about Christ, but now I need to go back through the chapters, consider the rhythms and habits and traditions of my own family and make sure that God is the focus and the reason for them. That's quite a task.

Since I talked a little bit about the "everyday" traditions in this previous post, I'll share what I learned about "especially" traditions in this post, or rather, I'll share what I am currently digesting in my heart and mind.

To begin her discussion of special days and holidays , she said this:

"God Himself appointed special days, such as Passover, for His people and gave them ceremonies to set those days off from the others."

and this:

"The ceremony of a special day keeps it from slipping away like any ordinary day."

and this:

"Our 'especially' traditions anchor us and our children in the harbor of our family, reflecting our true refuge - God. The way we observe these occasions - the focus of our observation - has great potential to show our children what we think is most important and to help them value what we hold most dear."

In short, these days, their traditions and the preparation of them are opportune moments in our year to remind us and our children what God has done, moments to worship Him. And so, Mrs. Piper suggests that as we create the culture of our homes, let us strategically create traditions that accomplish that goal.

Alright...so about Christmas and Easter and magical holiday creatures...here we go. This is the reason I started reading this book after all. (It has been so much more though!)

After reading the previous 75 pages, I wasn't at all surprised when I came to the Christmas and Easter chapters and read that her family does not incorporate Santa Claus or the Easter bunny into their holiday celebrations. Everything they do is very intentional and purposeful and drenched in Scripture...it is all pointing to God and His Story.

Noel addresses the issue of Santa Claus specifically, and very clearly articulates the struggle I feel in my heart year after year. While Santa may be a good, jolly character, his economy, make-believe as it may be, is the complete opposite of the economy of God. Santa's economy is based on behavior, God's economy is based on His grace and mercy and has nothing to do with our behavior.
But they're both good and we should believe in them both?
Is that not confusing?
Do we, as humans not have enough trouble trusting that God does not love us based on our works?

The rest of my frustration falls under the fact that the Santa story and all that goes with it is horribly distracting from The Point. I'm not going to go to Suzy's birthday party and sing about Amy. Why is it acceptable to sing about and celebrate someone else when it is the birth of the Christ that we are celebrating? Is His story not fabulous enough that we have to supplement the holiday with tiny elves and red-nosed reindeer? I've heard people say before that it's fun for the children to make-believe and it's a magical time. Well, the Christmas story may not be make-believe, but it is certainly magical and mysterious and interesting and beautiful and it changes lives forever. Santa never did that.

Now, despite the fact that I have pretty strong convictions on this subject, I confess that in the midst of the holidays, I am less resolute. Partly because Casey and I haven't really had to face the Santa Claus issue with Braelyn yet and have still been solidifying our thoughts. But also, because I don't want to be the "Scrooge" or the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas,"...I know that's what people think! And then there's the question about if my kid tells all the other kids the truth about Santa...like that "sin" single-handedly robs the children of their childhood and innocence...is anybody else catching the irony of all this? It seems so ridiculous, but the pressure to be a Santa supporter is so strong. I wonder if there is such a pressure, even amongst Christians, to worship Christ in this season?

I haven't worked this all out in my mind yet, remember, I am still processing! But I think at this point, I would feel uncomfortable making Santa Claus or the Easter bunny part of our family traditions. I am not going to wear t-shirts about it or put bumper stickers on my car, or even evangelize against Santa, but I just can't tell my daughter that Christ is the greatest, most satisfying, most enjoyable Person she'll ever know and then on the holidays that remind us of the things that He has done, bring in some other character. I just can't.

So what do we do? Noel offers some beautiful suggestions for making Christ the King of all of our celebrations. I strongly recommend that you read her book for yourself. Not only will you get ideas from her, but as you're reading, you'll find yourself thinking creatively about implementing your own God-centered traditions. I would love to share some of the ideas I've been thinking about, but I think I'll do that another day, or perhaps, around that particular holiday. In turn, I would love to hear some of the special things that you do in your family. The conversation's not over :).

For now, I'll close with these quotes:

"My goal is that we evaluate our traditions. It's not enough to do things just because that's the way we've always done them. We must think about our traditions. If an activity or custom says what we mean about God and our relationship with Him, we keep it. Some we'll want to change and some we'll want to set aside to make place for something new."

and:

"May the ceremonies of our homes be true ceremony-
from Him,
because of Him,
pointing towards Him,
honoring Him,
thanking Him."

It Takes a Village...

As I continue to read my book and after the comments that were left on my last post, I am just so excited about the topic of creating Christ-centered homes and continuing to discuss it via the blog.

1. God gives us the gift of community and charges us to use it. The subjects of our marriages and our children are just too important to scramble our way through on our own. The Christian life is hard. It is to our advantage and to God's glory that we encourage one another towards Him.

2. Just knowing that there were other women out there, praying, struggling, and reading over the same things I am, has been a great encouragement to me. And knowing that there are other women wanting to have these sorts of conversations, I am compelled to have these things on my mind, rather than the normal nonsense that rolls around in my brain.

So, if I may, I am going to continue this dialogue by posting the books that were recommended. All of them sound amazing! I can't wait to read them. (Have I mentioned that I love books?!!!)

For parents (and future parents!) :


For the kiddos:

This Big Picture Story Bible is one that we have. Casey heard Piper recommend this one. I really like it, but even though there's not too much writing on one page, it's still a little much for Braelyn. She gets antsy before I can finish reading. But still...it's good.

I think that the following are music CD's that help kids memorize Scripture:
(I may get this for myself! :)

This one is done by Willow Creek. I believe it's another Scripture memory resource.

I think for my "May" book I'm going to read Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Casey and I read Sacred Marriage and it was excellent (we highly recommend it), and I've heard good things about this one as well. I was thinking that if anybody wanted to join me, it would be fun to have a little book club right here on the blog. We could just take it slow...like one chapter a week, and throughout the week people could comment on the chapter. Please let me know if you're interested. (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE KIDS TO READ THIS!) If not, no biggie...I'll still read it and let you know what Gary had to say. :)

Blessings~

Noel and I Have a Heart to Heart

When Braelyn came into our lives, I remember getting the wind knocked out of me by a few powerful realizations:

1. I love this little girl in a way that I've never loved anyone before.
2. The deepest desire of my heart is that Braelyn comes to know and love Jesus.
3. As her parents, everything we say and do will teach her something about God.

Never have I felt my inadequacy so profoundly, never have I been so humbled, never have I been so honestly dependent on my Teacher, My Counselor, My Father.

Casey and I had been walking with the Lord for quite some time before we had Braelyn, but there's something about having a child that ignited in us a sense of urgent intentionality to make God's presence unmistakable in our home. Granted, we had spent a lot of time praying and preparing to be parents, but never could we have grasped the weight of the task. For me, it took holding that new life in my arms, the life that the Almighty had entrusted to me.

While Casey and I have been mindful and prayerful about our job as parents, there has been some level of uncertainty. Are we doing enough? Are the things we are saying and doing giving Braelyn an accurate picture of Christ? Will Braelyn grow up knowing that Christ is the King of our lives and our home? As you may know, I am reading Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper, and she has done an amazing job of addressing these issues and casting a vision for what a Christ-centered home can look like. What has been most encouraging to me so far, is how she urges parents to use the daily routines of our life to focus our attention on God.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which The Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.

Noel has been so helpful in giving the most precious examples from her life, both as a child and as a parent. A few of them include:

~ Family Bible Time: Her family would gather together to read a passage of Scripture (I believe they just read through the Bible), her father may have pointed out something to consider and talk about and then they would pray together.

~ Teaching your child to have a quiet time with God: After breakfast her daughter will read from her story Bible and then spend time in prayer. She also mentioned that before her kids could read they would listen to the Bible stories on CD.

~ Training your children to sit through worship service together: She began this when her children would turn 3. I instantly put my nose up at this suggestion, but this quote caught my attention:

"Mom's and Dad's worship is pretty distracted for a while. But that's what parents do: We live a less-than-ideal (by some standards) life for a few years so we can bring our children up to be adults with us."

What has been heavy on my heart is that I don't want Braelyn to be 16 years old when we finally stop and think, "Gosh, we really need to get serious about teaching her about God and His Word." I think it's important to have a plan, to think through how you are going to train your child up in the faith, otherwise, those crucial disciplines and traditions get pushed aside and choked out by more worldly demands.

Casey and I are doing our best how to train Braelyn up in the faith. We have our little routines in place. We pray at meals time (most of the time), we pray with her before bed, and I have just recently started reading to her from The Rhyme Bible. (I LOVE this story Bible. The stories are told in short poems...perfect for squirmy toddlers!) However, we are eager to continue learning.

I would love to have a little online discussion about these things. If there's a daily routine or tradition that has been a blessing to your family, please share. Especially regarding family worship time. This is something that I feel is important, but honestly, it seems sort of awkward in my mind. If you have a daily worship time with your family, I would love to know what that looks like. Also, please share any books, resources, children's books, etc. that you have found helpful. I am still reading this book, and I'm sure I'll continue to share what I'm learning.

I've Been Waiting for this Day Since Braelyn was in the Womb

Family Day at the Zoo!!!
Since Casey was working last weekend and missed out on all our "big" fun, he took the day off today and we took our first family trip to the Houston Zoo. I was seriously excited about this. I LOVE the zoo and I have been waiting and waiting for the day when Braelyn was old enough to go and could recognize some of the animals. Today was that day and we couldn't have picked a better one. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, the animals were out and about and Braelyn had a great time seeing for the first time what she's only seen in books. It was a wonderful day.

(I realize that I've been posting a ton of pictures of Braelyn having so much fun, and after a while that can get sort of nauseating, but I just have to post some of my favorite pictures from today. After this I promise not to post any more pictures of her, nor will I let her have any more fun! Ok, maybe I don't promise, but I'll really try to keep the pictures to a minimum from now on. :)

Alright, here we go:
1. What parent can resist this photo opp?
2. Piggy-back

3. The funniest goat I ever met. Look at his teeth!

4. The Cease's...havin' some good ol' fashion family fun.

5. 5 minutes into the drive home:

Braelyn and Mommy's Big Day: Part 2

Well, I'm glad to say that the "big" part of our day is done. We are two tired girls!

Part 2 of our day, the Brenhamite birthday party, was another great event. My friend Cheryl, that I've gotten to know from the library story time, had a water party for her 4 year old son. They filled up the kiddie pool, pulled out the crazy sprinkler and topped it off with some water balloons. Braelyn, pretty much had nothing to do with any of the water activities, but she still looked super cute in her bathing suit and sun hat.

I did get some better pictures, although I felt like a weirdo taking pictures of my own kid at another kid's birthday party. Oh well, if they had a blog, they'd do it too. :)

I'm pretty sure Braelyn is thinking, "Mom, you should know that kiddie pools are not safe for children, and please stop taking my picture at another kid's birthday party, you look like a weirdo!"

Braelyn made a friend. I think this picture is so sweet and I love how Braelyn's hat is (singing while typing) "strategically dipped below one eye."

Braelyn eating a raw zucchini slice. The girl won't eat a cooked vegetable to save her life...who knew?Braelyn decided that it should have been a swing party, not a swim party.

It's 7:15. Braelyn's in bed, although she is talking to herself, once again...(shouting while typing) WHY WON'T SHE SLEEP?!...and this tired, sunburned momma is gonna get her jammies on, get in bed and read her book. It's been a long day!

Braelyn and Mommy's Big Day: Part 1

A lot of fun stuff going on today! 1. The Bluebonnet Festival in Chappell Hill and 2. we are going to our first Brenhamite birthday party...meaning that these are people we've met in Brenham. We are, at this moment in between events, and Braelyn is supposed to be napping, but she's not because she fell asleep in the car on the way home from the Bluebonnet Festival. Nonetheless, she is in her bed talking to herself and I am taking a second to post some pictures of us from the festival. I have to warn you...the pictures are pretty bad...sadly, Daddy is out of town, and I was having some difficulty keeping Braelyn close to me, holding all of our stuff and taking pictures at the same time. But for memory's sake...I'm still gonna post them.

A picture of most of Braelyn and most of a baby goat.

The Hyde's were there too, and Justin thought it would be funny to take a picture of me holding a chicken...yeah...that's hilarious!

Here is Braelyn in between corndog bites.

She thought it was pretty yummy...It was here first one.

And here we are on the kiddie train. Not that you can see the train, (a go-go-gadget arm would have been helpful in this instance) but I promise, that's where we are. Braelyn wasn't too sure about it at first, but as soon as she discovered that she could wave to the crowd and they would wave back, she decided that train riding was just the thing for her. With the right amount of attention we can overcome any fear!
Well, I'm gonna go interrupt Braelyn's personal cheer rally...she cheering and clapping for herself in her bed (I know this because I am listening on the monitor)...and we're off to our swim party. More pics to come. Hopefully they turn out better than these.

We missed you daddy! It would have been much more fun with you!!!

Delightfully Imperfect

Well, these aren't the best family photos ever taken...Braelyn was being rather uncooperative...but, I can't help but love them. They're so...us.

Thanks for the wonderful day today, Case. I had so much fun with you and Braelyn...even with caterpillar guts on my pants! :) I love you both!

My Favorite Spring Dish

~Cold Chicken and Rice Salad~

This cold chicken and rice salad is so yummy and super healthy...I just have to share it. It takes some time to prepare, but the recipe makes a lot, so you can eat it all week long, or it would work great for a crowd.

Ingredients:
~2lbs cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
~2/3 cups low fat mayo
~1/3 cup skim milk
~1/3 cup lemon juice
~2-3 celery stalks, diced
~1 can water chestnuts, diced
~1 box wild grain rice (I use Uncle Ben's fast cook recipe)
~5 green onions, diced
~handful of purple grapes, halved
~handful of cashews, halved

Cook rice according to directions and let cool. In the meantime, chop your chicken, veggies and grapes. When rice and chicken are cool, combine rice, chicken, veggies, grapes and cashews in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, lemon juice and mayo until smooth. Pour over the chicken and rice mixture. Mix well. Set in the refrigerator at least a couple of hours before serving, but it's twice as delicious the next day! Enjoy!

Round Top: Round Two

Round 2: Warrenton
My second day of Round Top antiquing was spent at the show in Warrenton and with two of my best friends, Erin and Cynthia. Warrenton is just 1/2 mile down the road from Marburger, and it is quickly becoming my preferred Round Top destination. For one, it is huge! I don't think you could possibly see the whole thing in one day. And two, the Warrenton crowd is a little more laid back...not so many high-end designers like you might see at Marburger. There is more rick rack to sort through, but there are still great antiques to be had.
Before I go on, I must mention the Birthday Proposition. On Wednesday afternoon my sweet mom called me and brought back to my attention a certain table that we had admired (in this man's booth - Bryce Ritter & Son), but quickly dismissed as it was well out of my budget. She generously proposed that if I couldn't find a table/trunk that I liked, she would go in with me to get the Ritter&Son table as an early birthday present (my birthday's in May). Now I was faced with a whole new dilemma! Do I spend Thursday looking for my trunk coffee table, and risk losing the Ritter&Son table, or do I go ahead and get the Ritter&Son table and risk seeing something I love in Warrenton that is less expensive? As usual, my indecisiveness did not betray me...it is the most devoted of character flaws.

On Thursday morning, I resolved to show the table to Erin and Cynthia, first thing, so that we could make the decision together. That way, if I regretted my decision, I didn't have just myself to blame. ;) They saw the table and agreed it was both beautiful and expensive. While Cynthia chatted with the dealer a bit I worked up the nerve to ask him if he could come down on the price. (I hate asking that!) I did ask, and he did offer to take a hundred dollars off. SOLD! I bought the table. Throughout the day, I do confess, that I questioned the wisdom of my decision, but, it was too late for questions. The deal was done.

We left my table to be picked up later, we picked up Erin's beautiful purchase from Tuesday and headed to our intended shopping destination. By this time, it was lunch. Here we are at the little cafe that's set up at Clutters.
All three and a half of us. (Cynthia, the girl in green, is prego...wish we could see her cute belly!)
After lunch, each of us having already won, by that I mean paid, for our prizes, we had money enough to simply browse and enjoy each other's company. It was a fun, fun day! I am insisting that we make it a tradition for each Spring and Fall.

When the day was done, I picked up my table, and was feeling quite confident about my choice, despite the fact that I had seen a few pieces that probably would worked. When I got it home, I was the happiest of Round Toppers! I loved it! Here she is, in a couple of different views. Please indulge me...I am just so proud of my new coffee table!

A great place to put your feet after a long day of antiquing!

Special thanks to:
~Casey for so graciously and generously sending me to Round Top...twice.
~My mom for my beautiful birthday present and for spending the day with me on Tuesday.
~Carolyn for playing all day with my sweet baby girl. You'll have to be sure to mark your calendar for the Fall and you, mom and me will all go together!
~Erin and Cynthia for a wonderful day! Thanks for all your help!

Round Top: Round One

As most of you know, I have been anxiously waiting for the Round Top Antique Show for the last few weeks. Well it came, I went (twice), and now I must wait till Fall for it to come again. But...I am thankful that it only comes twice a year. Antiquing is serious business, my friends! Serious business! :)
This is an account of my first day at Round Top.

Round 1: Marburger Farm
My mom and I kicked off Round Top season at Marburger Farm. My friend Brandi also went with us, but she didn't have quite as much time to meander as we did, so she went her own way, at her own pace and we met up with her for lunch. And for an added bonus, we pulled up a few more chairs for Erin and her mom.

For this trip I had a pretty clear objective. A coffee table. I didn't want just a coffee table though, I was on the hunt for a big, wooden trunk. Maybe something like this:
I wasn't sure if I wanted a natural finish or something wonderfully painted and distressed, but I figured, I would know it when I saw it.

Tent after tent, I would find pieces that were beautiful but way out of my budget. If I did find something I could afford, it was too small or a crazy color...just not the right look. By 2:30 or so, the pressure to find my coffee table was building, but I wasn't letting it get to me. I was after all, at Round Top. With my mom. With money to spend. What could be better?

Well, at our second to last tent my heart, along with my optimism was crushed. My mom and I were leisurely walking down the tent aisle. The lady in front of us strolled into a booth, while mom and I took a peek but kept walking. I stopped and turned back though, because there on the wall of the booth was a big, green painted trunk. Based on the size and the condition of it, I knew it would be way too expensive, but just to torture myself, I went to look. I found myself standing next to the lady that was walking in front of us. I assumed that she was looking at the two lamps that were sitting on my trunk. We couldn't possibly be looking at the same thing at the same moment. I looked down at the price tag. $240!!!!! "Oh my gosh! That's well within my budget! Is this a joke?!!!" I looked at my mom in shock, and just as my heart was beginning to swell with the glorious satisfaction of finding the perfect thing, I remembered the lady and thought to myself that she was looking at those ugly lamps an awfully long time. I heard myself speak, "Are you looking at this?" (I was pointing to my trunk) She nodded. "Ok. No problem. Have your look and keep on walkin' lady." My mom and I walked a little ways off. We didn't want the lady to think she found something, you know? I heard her tell the dealer that she was going to look around a little and she'd be back. "Perfect! I'll snag it right under her rich, little heinie." (I don't actually know that she was rich, but I've decided that she was. I will now refer to her as the rich lady.) I went up to my trunk, and I asked the dealer if the rich lady bought it. She said yes. I was so sad. It was so perfect. I loved the color. The size was great for my ginormous couch. The price...fantastic! With only one tent left to go, I was pretty sure that the rich lady just bought my only possible prospect.

We went through our last tent and a few little buildings along the side with no luck. I stalked my trunk for a while, hoping the rich lady changed her mind, but she didn't. I was positively pouty! Good thing it was at the end of the day.

Besides my trunk being stolen from me, it was a fabulous day! I had so much fun with my mom. I can't wait to go with her again in the fall! Here were are chatting with friends and sippin' some iced tea.
And here's my one purchase of the day.
The laundry sign. My washer and dryer are quite conspicuously located in my kitchen. I thought it would be sort of funny to label that area...like it's not so stinkin' obvious! I'll hang it above that window, just haven't done it yet.

So that's Round Top: Round One. I'll try to blog about Round Two tomorrow. For anyone going tomorrow (Saturday)...happy hunting!