Central Texas News

This month we got some really nice products in our Ipsy Glam Bag. Now remember, when you sign up for Ipsy you get to select what type of products you are interested in. At anytime you can change your likes. So what you see in my bag may differ from what you get in your bag.

If you haven’t signed up for Ipsy you can sign up here and use my referral link. Each month you will receive 5 beauty products for only $10 and a really cool bag too. Sometimes the products are sample size however sometimes you get full size products as well. It’s like Christmas every month!

Here is what was in my September 2016 Glam Bag from Ipsy

Rodial – Dragon’s Blood Hyaluronic Tonic
IT Cosmetics – Superhero™ Mascara in Super Black
Seraphine Botanicals – Guava Butter
BeFine Food Skin Care – Exfoliating Cleanser
Trust Fund Beauty – Nail Polish in Champagne Socialite

Be sure to check back and see my review of the products in this month’s Ipsy Glam Bag!

Austin, TX is a city that welcomes creative diversity as showcased this very weekend with the vision of artists in a variety of arenas – from Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the U.S., to Wizard World Comic Con, where pop culture comes to life, to the 27th Annual Pecan Street Festival, one of the largest and longest-running arts, crafts and music festivals in the nation.

Austin, TX resident and Director Robert Rodriguez presented Director Tim Burton with an official proclamation from city of Austin Mayor Steve Adler declaring Sunday, September 25, 2016 as KEEP AUSTIN PECULIAR DAY at the Fantastic Fest screening of MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN.

The first look at Annette Bening in 20TH CENTURY WOMEN shows three generations making their way through a cultural moment
brimming with change and rebellion.

With 20th Century Women, acclaimed filmmaker Mike Mills (the Academy Award®-winning Beginners) brings us a multilayered, funny, heart-stirring celebration of the complexities of women, family, time, and the connections we search for our whole lives.

Set in Santa Barbara, the film follows Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent son, Jamie (newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann, in a breakout performance) at a moment brimming with cultural change and rebellion. Dorothea enlists the help of two younger women in Jamie’s upbringing – via Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a free-spirited punk artist living as a boarder in the Fields’ home, and Julie (Elle Fanning), a savvy and provocative teenage neighbor.

20th Century Women is a poignant love letter to the people who raise us—and the times that form us—as this makeshift family forges fragile connections that will mystify and inspire them through their lives.

In Theaters December 25th

What do parents need that faith communities are uniquely positioned to offer as they navigate the emotional and spiritual transition of bringing a child into the world? Learn about the crucial role your church can play in supporting moms and dads who struggle with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, and other challenges specific to the childbearing year.

Led by the Reverend Stephanie Spitzer-Hanks

Date:  September 10, 2016

Time: 9:00 a.m. – Noon

Location: Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, McCord Community Center

100 East 27th Street, Austin, 78705

Cost: $25

Qualifies for .3 Clergy CEUs 

(Contact beyondthewalls@austinseminary.edu.)

Recommended for pastoral care staff, caregivers of all kinds, and both new and seasoned parents.

Click here to register.

Central Texas’ most well-known children’s theatre company, Pollyanna Theatre, is bringing Jamie Doesn’t Want to Take a Bath by playwright Bethany Lynn Corey to Round Rock, September 10 and 17 at the Allen R. Baca Center, 301 W Bagdad Avenue, and September 12, 13, 19 and 20 at the Round Rock Public Library. Pollyanna is thrilled to deliver an interactive theatre experience to Round Rock’s youngest audience members and looks forward to partnering with Round Rock arts organizations to expand children’s programming.

Created to engage children as young as 18 months – 4 years of age, Jamie Doesn’t Want to Take a Bath uses a visual theatre style performance and invites the young audience to play right alongside the actors. It is classified as ‘Theatre for the Very Young’ (TVY) – an umbrella term to describe a variety of theatre work and practices intentionally designed for children under the age of six. While TVY is widely performed in Europe and Australia, it has only begun to appear in the US within the past 10 years, and Pollyanna Theatre Company is the first professional theatre company to bring it to the Central Texas region.

In this new play, Jamie’s mother is surprised when suddenly, the night before Jamie’s first day at pre-school, Jamie simply refuses to take her bath.  Young audience members will watch while Jamie’s mother tries all sorts of things to get her into the tub and to bed on time.  The play presents a fun and tender tug of war that many children and caregivers will recognize.  Jamie Doesn’t Want to Take A Bath invites Pollyanna’s youngest audience members to play along with Jamie and learn what it is to be an audience member all at the same time.

With the special emphasis that the City of Round Rock is giving to arts in the downtown area and with the growing number of young families in the Round Rock community, Pollyanna Theatre is pleased to present the first of many upcoming performances in downtown Round Rock. As new facilities for the arts become available in the area, Pollyanna anticipates having a regular performance schedule that will bring children’s productions to Williamson County and complement our ongoing production season in Austin.

Judy Matetzschk-Campbell says, “Round Rock families have always been an important part of Pollyanna’s audience. But with it becoming more and more difficult for families to travel into Austin’s downtown area, having a way to serve this sector of our audience by bringing professional theatre for young audiences to them in downtown Round Rock is a very exciting step for our company. This is an exciting way for Pollyanna to get to know more Round Rock parents and teachers and for them to get to know about the quality of our work. We look forward to many great, new relationships with Round Rock’s youngest citizens.”

In addition to public performances, Jamie Doesn’t Want to Take a Bath is also available for schools, daycare centers and camps throughout Central Texas.

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 10 and 17 at 9 a.m.; Monday, Sept. 12 and 19 at 11 a.m.; and Tuesday, Sept. 13 and 20 at 9 a.m. (35 minutes in length, plus playtime)

WHERE: Saturdays at the Allen R. Baca Center, 301 W Bagdad Avenue
Mondays and Tuesdays at the Round Rock Public Library, 216 E Main Street

TICKETS: Tickets are $6.50 – seating is limited to 45 children per performance. Discounts available for groups of 10 people or more, call (512) 743-7966 or email pollytheatre@gmail.com.

Tickets may be purchased by calling (512) 743-7966 or online by visiting Pollyanna Theatre Jamie Doesn’t Want to Take a Bath

I love movies about strong intelligent women. This movie looks like a winner. I am really looking forward to watching “Hidden Figures” with my daughters.

“Hidden Figures” is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

This incredible untold story stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer & Janelle Monáe and hits theaters this January. Also, be sure to check out the trailer for HIDDEN FIGURES below!

Help get your projects solved at the 21^st Annual Austin Fall Home & Garden Show.  Turn your home and garden dreams into reality with new ideas, fresh tips, latest products and the hottest home trends on August 26-28 at the Austin Convention Center, 500 East Cesar Chavez Street, Austin.

For over two decades, the Austin Fall Home & Garden Show captivates visitors with expert builders and contractors, celebrity guests, exciting presentations and fun activities for the entire family.  The Austin Convention Center is transformed into a vibrant, colorful home and garden paradise, with thousands of square feet of dazzling displays, interactive demos, and experts in virtually every area of home building, remodeling, landscaping, gardening and wildlife.  There are beautiful furnishings, state-of-the-art kitchen, wall design and countertop displays, closet organization and storage, entertainment and technology, the latest in sinks, tubs, fixtures and even pools, spas and outdoor living areas.

For the yard and garden, there are ‘outdoor living’ inspirations, with imaginative landscape displays, unique water features and a wide variety of plants and garden accessories to boost curb appeal.  There will also be outdoor furniture, grills, spas and more.  Special seminars this fall include everything for gardens including Central TX Gardens, Landscapes, Bees & Container Gardens.  The Garden & Wildlife Stage will also host citrus expert Mani Skaria, education on bamboo and a lively show with Birds of Prey.

Whether it’s a small home improvement project or a complete renovation, guests can expect one-on-one time to consult with expert builders, contractors, remodelers, interior designers and landscapers among others.  Some of the top professionals in the industry are available to offer invaluable advice and practical ‘how-tos’ on everything from common topics such as gutters, walls, and flooring, to home security, green living, media technology, and the latest on solar energy.

On the Austin American Statesman Fresh Ideas Stage, the Austin Fall Home & Garden Show is thrilled to host special celebrity guest Chris Lambton of DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers” and HGTV’s “Going Yard”.  Chris takes the stage with an entertaining and insightful presentation on landscaping, trends and how to be sustainable in your own backyard; plus, share a behind the scenes look at your favorite crashes and how to create your own! The Fresh Ideas Stage will also host outdoor living experts of Diamondscape and KXAN’s David Yeomans weather seminars.

Families can take advantage of fun interactive activities including the Kids Project Zone, movies, coloring, arts and crafts to educational fun with Thinkery’s nature sensory bin and collage making, and even the child ID program with fingerprinting by NY Life.  For the shoppers, there is a unique Art, Gift and Gourmet Center with artisan foods and handcrafted gifts, GO TEXAN products and gourmet treats such as jams, dips, pasta and sweet treats.

Attendees won’t want to miss a chance to win an outdoor 12’ x 12’ garden room by Goodness Grows in Austin. Valued at $10,000, the giveaway includes flagstone, native plant collection, moss boulders and mulch container gardens, ceramic containers of succulents, Adirondack chairs with stools and an accent table.  In addition, free totes and bluebonnet seeds are available for all attendees while supplies last.

The Austin Fall Home and Garden show is cash or check only at the door.  Prices are $9 for adults (17+), $7 for seniors (65+) all weekend, and free for 16 and under.  Admission is also complimentary for all active duty military personnel (valid ID required). For best value, purchase adult tickets in advance, online at www.AustinHomeandGardenShow.com and receive $2 off (2 weeks out and earlier).  *No further discounts applied to senior admission.  Receive $1 off discount coupon at www.ShowTechnology.com or www.AustinHomeandGardenShow.com.  At the door, receive $1 off adult admission with a donation of canned good(s) which will be donated to the Central Texas Food Bank.

The 21^st Annual Austin Fall Home & Garden Show is sponsored by TWC, KLBJ-AM, KXAN, KNVA, KBVO and the Austin American-Statesman.

Check out these videos of Pati Dubroff (Charlize’s makeup artist), who demonstrates how fans can get Queen Ravenna’s Smokey Eyes and Gold Flakes.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War, which is also coming to Blu-ray and DVD August 23 and is already out on Digital HD (iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, etc.)

ThunderCloud Subs launches registration today for the 26th annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot, and has revealed the 2016 winning artwork for the Thanksgiving Day tradition benefitting Caritas of Austin.

ThunderCloud selected Bastrop resident and mixed-media artist Rebecca Vick as the winner of the contest, and presented her with the prize: 365 vouchers for free ThunderCloud sandwiches!

In addition to receiving a year’s worth of ThunderCloud subs, Vick will see her artwork displayed on 20,000 Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot T-shirts this November as well as all over town on event guides, posters, website, social media, and more.

“I was on cloud nine!” Vick says of learning that her artwork was chosen.

“I made the turkey on a mixed medium canvas with lots and lots of layers,” Vick says of her winning design. The blue and green background is a lined music sheet covered with watercolor paint, and topped with a stamp pattern. Some components were cut from different pieces of scrapbook paper, and others were hand-drawn using acrylic paint. “It’s really a mixture of a lot of different techniques, and I’m thrilled with the way it turned out,” she says.
 
Vick grew up in Leander, currently lives in Bastrop, and has been a longtime ThunderCloud customer. Her sister worked at the ThunderCloud in Cedar Park, and Vick went to ThunderCloud on Riverside and S. Congress every day when she lived in South Austin.

“All of the employees knew me, and they always remembered my regular order when I came into the store,” said Vick. “It was wonderful.”

Vick’s art business is called Create with Rebecca. She is also a self-professed “planner addict.” However, Vick’s planner isn’t of the routine datebook variety—it’s a true work of art; a cross between a scrapbook, visual journal, and calendar. It’s chock-full of ornate clips, decorative paper cutouts, appointment stickers, calligraphy, stamps, and beautiful embellishments.

Vick founded a group called ATX Planner Addicts in 2015, more than 400 Central Texas residents who meet monthly to share ideas, inspiration, and friendship.

Vick and her family will participate in the Trot for the first time this year.

“We’re really excited to dress up in fun costumes and see all the shirts featuring my artwork. I’ve heard from tons of friends and coworkers over the years that the Turkey Trot is a blast, and we’re going to be kicking our Thanksgiving morning off by doing the one-mile walk before heading to my mom’s house to indulge in our regular feast,” says Vick.

The ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot will launch the Art Contest to design next year’s logo this fall, giving other local artists the chance to win a year’s worth of free ThunderCloud Subs in 2017. 

Always held on Thanksgiving Day, the Trot includes a five-mile run, one-mile walk, and a Kids’ K that take place outside the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Early online registration for the ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot is $20 for the untimed five-mile, $25 for the timed five-mile, $18 for the one-mile walk, and $8 for the Stepping Stone School Kids’ K. All registrations include a T-shirt and runners guide. Registration prices will increase starting Oct. 11.

When you’re done having children, the options for birth control are bewildering. You take a pill and mess with your hormones, or, you’re stuck buying condoms like you’re still in college. Even an IUD needs to be replaced every few years and not only is that inconvenient, it can be painful. After you’re settled down with the perfect-sized family, none of these birth control options feel quite as grown up as you are.

Luckily, permanent birth control isn’t just for women. Many of my patients didn’t realize that safe, effective, easy and, most importantly, permanent birth control can be had in just 15 minutes with a vasectomy – and this time, it’s all on the guys.

A vasectomy is a simple outpatient procedure that can be completed in just 15 minutes. For parents who are certain that they’re done having kids but still want to keep the romance alive, it could just be what you’re looking for. If you think it’s a scary surgical operation with complications, well, here’s seven things you never knew about vasectomies.

1. A vasectomy is over, just like that, in about 15 minutes.
Most guys are naturally apprehensive about sharp objects near their plumbing, but the procedure is so short they hardly have time to worry. First, we numb the area with a topical anesthetic (no needles involved). Then, we make a small incision in the scrotum, and clip a tiny bit of the vas deferens—the tube that carries sperm from the testicles into the urethra. Then, close the incision, the size of a pencil-eraser, up with a small absorbable stitch. And we’re done! With the vas deferens clipped, there’s no way for sperm to get out of the testicles, and, typically, after 30 ejaculations, there are no sperm present in the ejaculate.

2. You can go for a spin in just a week.
Most patients are ready to have sex after about a week of recovery. Recovering from the operation is basically an excuse for men to relax on the couch for a few days with an ice pack. However, it takes some time to clear out any residual sperm cells hanging out down there, so we advise protection for around two months after—just to be safe. Our patients go home with a simple at-home test (like a pregnancy test for guys!) that will let you know when your partner has cleared his pipes.

3. A vasectomy increases your chance of having sex.
It’s true: a recent study by Stanford researchers found that men with a vasectomy actually have more sex than men without one! Otherwise, everything will still be similar in bed. Libido, erections and orgasms are the same as they were before the procedure.

4. A vasectomy has no strings attached. Really.
A vasectomy is one of those rare good things in life that might be too good to be true: it’s safe, easy, affordable, comes with a short recovery time, and is more than 99.9% effective.

5. It’s one of the best options for both of you.
A vasectomy is especially appealing when you compare it to a tubal ligation, which is a costly, invasive procedure that requires general anesthesia. I’ve found that many of my patients came to me after their partners researched tubal ligation, learned there was an easier way to take the burden of an invasive surgery off of their wife, and replace it with a simple outpatient procedure.

6. Your man won’t need much convincing.
You’ll be surprised how willing men can be to get a vasectomy once they learn how simple it is. Compared to nine months of pregnancy, and then years of childbirth, he might have it too easy in comparison – spending 15 minutes at the doctor’s office and a few days on the couch. If you’re not sure how to break the ice, we also have fun e-cards!

7. We’re one of the best places in Texas for a vasectomy.
With more than two decades of experience, plus “Top Urologist” and “Patients’ Choice” awards to his name, Dr. Shaw at the Austin Urology Institute is a leader in Texas for all urologic procedures – especially vasectomies. Located right off Mopac Expressway in North Austin, we provide convenient Saturday appointments to accommodate our patients’ work schedules. My staff and I strive to make the vasectomy procedure as informed, easy and painless as possible, and I’m happy to answer any questions that you may have about the procedure. We’ve helped hundreds of families reclaim their love lives from the burden of temporary birth control, and we can help you too. To learn more or schedule an appointment, check out our family planning page.

Disclosure / Disclaimer: Central Texas Mom was compensated for this post. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

The legacy of the beloved “Mister Rogers” lives on with the hit television series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, from The Fred Rogers Company and airing daily on PBS KIDS. Now, Daniel and all of his friends are hopping aboard Trolley to delight live audiences with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live! Trolley has set a course for Austin with Daniel and company in tow, scheduled to stop at the Long Center October 16. Tickets are available today!

Donning his iconic red sweater, Daniel invites the audience on an interactive musical adventure as he and his friends explore the vibrant world of their much-loved Neighborhood of Make-Believe, sharing stories of friendship, helping others, and celebrating new experiences. This live theatrical production filled with singing, dancing, laughter and “grr-ific” surprises will warm the hearts of multiple generations.

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood tells its engaging stories about the life of a preschooler using musical strategies grounded in Fred Rogers’ landmark social-emotional curriculum. Through imagination, creativity and music, Daniel and his friends learn the key social skills necessary for school and for life.

In February 2015, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was the #2 program across all TV networks for Kids 2-5 and with moms of young children. In addition, it continues to be one of the highest-streamed shows, averaging over 40 million streams per month. One million Daniel Tiger books have been published to date, and downloads of the apps, music and episodes continue to rank high on iTunes.

The animated TV series has garnered a host of prestigious awards, and most recently was nominated for a 2015 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program. This recognition follows a string of additional honors, including a 2015 Parents’ Choice Gold Award and 2014 Prix Jeunesse International Selection as well as the 2013 Kidscreen Award for Best Animated Series in the Preschool Category, and 2013 Cynopsis: Kids! Imagination Award for Preschool Series.

Daniel Tiger is bringing his neighborhood to yours this fall, with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live! Won’t you be his neighbor?

Tickets are available at TheLongCenter.org or by calling (512) 474.LONG (5664). Also available at the Long Center’s 3M Box Office located at 701 West Riverside Drive at South First Street.  For groups of 10 and more, please call 512-457-5161 or groupsales@thelongcenter.org.