Wacotown

 (October 2015)....So it's kind of embarrassing  how much we've gone to Waco in the last year. BUT when we live pretty close and being that I am an total Fixer Upper fan, how can I NOT?! Luckily my mom totally gets it and wants to come with me, she's a total fan too. Actually the kids are starting to like the show too and Alex, well, he's along for the ride and to watch kids while my Mom and I go obsess over all things Fixer Upper/ Magnolia Market. 

 Being the crazy fan that I am, I found out on social media way back in August or September that Chip and Jo were having a grand opening party for their new store, so I immediately called my mom and got us tickets and found her a flight to Texas. She was just as excited as I was. So off we went to Waco. And of course it rained pretty much the whole time, which happened last time we went to Waco. This time it was a direct result of the largest hurricane ever recorded in history of ever, hurricane Patricia, that hit off the coast of Mexico.

We made to Waco in time for dinner, here we are at Dave's Burger Barn. 

 The next day, the weather was terrible it'd been raining all night and all morning so we thought it'd be better to be inside so went to the Waco convention center for the Junior League's craft show. My mom thought it was so funny that the Junior League is still around and sponsoring craft shows. My mom was in the Junior League when she lived in California (a few years ago), which I never knew! I mean I knew she lived in California just not the Junior League part.

 Look at the trees made of paper plates! And the red puffy thing by Abby's head is a thing of q-tips colored red on the ends. Honestly we were pretty disappointed by the craft show, but did buy a couple goodies.

 Then we decided to go to Harp Desgin Co.'s store. 

Clint Harp is Chip and Jo's carpenter on the show and this is his house (right next door to his shop/store) that Chip and Jo Fixer Upper'd for them, I'm not sure you can truly appreciate the beauty of this house until you've seen the before.

Lots of fun stuff at this store but all I bought was a candle. It smells delicious!

 After that we ate dinner and headed back to the hotel to get our rain boots and slickers for the grand opening party at Magnolia Market, since the weather was so yucky we decided we wouldn't stay long, just long enough to see the store and a little bit of the Johnnyswim concert. So we let the kids swim in the hotel pool for a bit. Wherever we go this is the kids favorite part.

 They said it was heated but it wasn't heated very much! Alex trying to be tough and handle the cold like a man. LOL!

 Then he found the little fountain that had nice warm water coming out and emptying in the pool.

 Mom and I got our rain gear and had Alex and the kids drop us off, there's the new Magnolia Market behind us. We were excited, can't you tell? And amazingly enough it stopped raining right as we got there!

 We talked to so many nice people while we waited in line and for the store to open for us party goers. The girls behind us were hysterical they'd driven from Missouri or something and didn't even have tickets to the grand opening party but they found some on Craigslist and made it just in time. And they bought super cheap shoes at Wal Mart that they wouldn't mind if they got ruined in the rain, {since Wal Mart was out of rain boots}. Funny the stories you get when you talk to total strangers who are excited.

See we're not the only crazy, die hard fans..

 Inside the new store..

Mom and I got matching rain boots! 

More of inside the store..It was pretty packed with people so it was kind of hard to get around and hard to see everything. But it was still fun and I love all their stuff.

Here's a pumpkin patch set up next to the silo's, it was so cute! I wish I'd had been able get better pictures. And as Mom and I were wandering around, we were commenting on a type of cabbage plant and we ended up talking to the guy who does all the landscaping for the show. Actually his wife was so proud of him she heard us talking and said my husband planted that and actually he does all the landscaping for Fixer Upper. So we talked with them for a while, such a cute and nice couple. And the wife's mom was there too and she was bragging about her son in law too. It was cute how proud they were of him.

Here's Johnnyswim performing. They were great!

Johnnyswim took a break and Joanna came up on stage and was talking to everyone, then Chip repelled down the side of the silo to the stage.  And of course the crowd loved it because that was just a Chip thing to do. It was fun to be there for that part, they really are just nice and humble and really seem genuinely surprised that they're as popular as they are and they also seem really grateful for their fans.

 I took these pictures as we were leaving, Alex and the kids got some movies and treats and waited in the car for us just around the corner from the market and silos while Mom and I went to the big party.  What troopers! I made them drop us off and pick us up because I wasn't sure about parking and how crowded it was going to be and didn't want to drive the dondo bus downtown, but I forgot Waco downtown is nothing like Houston downtown. 

 Proof we were there for the 'Silobration'!

Here's what I bought at Magnolia Market..A recipe book holder a square cake stand and a little wreath, aren't they cute?! I think so..

The next day we headed back home but before we did we drove around Waco for a bit and went to a couple antique stores and tried to find some of the actual Fixer Upper's from the show. We found a couple and then at the risk of sounding like psycho stalkers we set out to find Chip and Jo's farmhouse, which we did! Then we tried to sneakily snap a couple photos so it wouldn't seem like were were total psycho stalkers. I know...it's crazy.

Then as we were wondering what to eat for lunch I happened to read a review  about this restaurant called Cafe Homestead , oh man, was it delicious!! 

It's run by "agrarian Christians" who don't necessarily call themselves a specific denomination but they identify with Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Mennonites etc. They said their beliefs/values/culture come from the "Anabaptist tradition".  It seems (to me) they're pretty similar to the Mennonites, but they dress a bit different than the Mennonites (at least different from those we've seen in Canada) a bit more modern or something but still very much covered top to bottom with long skirts and long sleeved shirts and the men all sort of dress the same too, in jeans/slacks and button down shirts and hats. 

This is the restaurant, everything was organic (grown/ made/produced right there locally).  It was hands down the best lunch I've ever had.

The Barn was a store of sorts where they sold goods they make, like furniture, quilts and baskets and pottery and jams and jelly and honey etc. There was a blacksmith shop and a pottery shop and an art gallery. We didn't visit all the shops because it started to rain and we had to hit the road back to Houston.

There was also a General Store at the entrance to Homestead Heritage and we stopped there on our way out. At lunch we had a really yummy butter that had herbs in it and on those homemade rolls it was amazing! So we wanted to see if they sold it at the store. And as soon as we walked in the store it's like we stepped back in time. Tons of homemade goods and I noticed that there was no sugary cereals or sweets or soda, there were a couple items like that but most everything was whole grains and fresh, which is probably how we should all really be eating.

Anyway it was fascinating and a learning experience and the food was excellent! So if you're ever in Waco for lunch, I suggest Cafe Homestead. And they also have a big Craft Fair at the end of November (around Thanksgiving) every year. Sounded pretty cool.

What a memorable and fun trip to Waco!