Sailing into Summer + A Video

Some of our best friends here in Texas bought a sail boat last summer while we were in Utah.  I remember being surprised, because even though the husband of this couple loves sailing, it seemed like a big purchase for a hobby.

Then they invited us out on it.  And I totally changed my tune.  It was seriously amazing.  First off, I think being around water is super relaxing (well, unless you have a toddler... it is slightly less relaxing then), but the waves lapping against the boat, and going wherever the wind wants to take you is kind of a magical idea.

Also, few people get great service out on the water, so having your phone out all the time, isn't really an option (especially if you are like me and are paranoid of dropping it into the water).  Which makes for real quality time with family and friends on the boat.  It was great to actually be able to talk without everyone pulling out their phone (except to take photos), every three minutes.

I also love the idea of being able to teach your kids valuable skills about how to problem solve, take a sail up and down, be responsible with an expensive piece of property, and how to not fall off the boat.

It is also a great way to just be together.  Our friend's boat is 30 feet long, which is a big sailboat, but small enough that you really are forced to spend time together, which is really great.

I like speedboats, but there is a totally different feeling when you are on a sailboat.  It doesn't go fast, you can't do water sports (except tubing), off the back, and it just feels very relaxed.  Totally my kind of water outing.  I am pretty terrible at water sports, so sitting on the deck, and occasionally steering is just my idea of a perfect day out on the water.

I did a little video about it below.

Read More

The Gift of Experience

The more minimalist we become, the harder birthdays and Christmas become.  Particularly because I love having beautiful presents under the tree with my name on them and the surprise of opening a gift on Christmas morning.  Adam and I have discussed this extensively, particularly of late, now that we have a baby.  With children comes more stuff, and, before you know it, your house fills up with things.  Particularly when your house is only 700 sq. ft to begin with.  Sometimes Christmas gifts end up just being more stuff.  That sounds so pessimistic, but I really think that experiences can be more valuable than more things to add to your collection of things.  

  

After much debate, we are trying to move to experience gifts.  This can be just as tricky as picking a physical gift, but the pay-off is a wonderful memory that can be cherished for a lifetime.  When I think back on my childhood, some of the best gifts my parents gave me were ones that came in the form of an experience.  The main one that comes to mind is the time we took a cruise as a family the day after Christmas.  I don't think we got any physical presents that year, but the cruise was amazing, and a great time together as a family.

Experience-based gifts can be hard to come up with, so I have a few examples to get you started if you think this is something you would want to try in your family and you're not ready to afford a cruise (it's okay, we're not either).

1.  Tickets to a show, movie, or game.  Maybe your child loves basketball, your husband loves theater, or your best friend loves cooking.  There are so many kinds of local (or not) events that would be a perfect gift for a loved one!  When we were dating, Adam got me tickets to go see Emerson Drive (a country band), even though he hadn't heard any of their music.  It was so fun to go together (it was the first and only concert that I have ever been to), and I loved spending the time doing something together!  I am not sure he loved it as much as I did, but it was the perfect gift for me!

2.  An outdoor experience like a day trip to a scenic hike in your area, a bike ride next to the river, canoeing on a local lake, zip lining, a trip to explore nearby caves (several of these may not be available in your area, but this could be a great gift for the outdoor enthusiast, particularly if you struggle to get out and do things in your area, like we do).

3.  A class.  I feel like I am a lifetime learner and am always looking for ways to hone my skills and learn new techniques.  Classes can be great gifts for adults and children!  I know in our area you can find adult art classes, dance classes, yoga classes, photography classes, cooking classes, and many more options!  Try asking your family what kinds of things they would be interested in learning and maybe buy them a month trail or a one-time class!

A few weeks ago, I went to a pie-making class at a nifty little cook's supply store in downtown Austin.  The teacher was incredible, and the class was nice and small which made for a really great learning environment.  Also, the pies that we made were delicious!  We each got to take home a tiny pie (Adam was a huge fan), and I felt like I learned a few things about pastry dough that will be extremely useful for many years to come!  I also got to meet a new blogging friend!  I have read Katie's blog for a while, and I was thrilled to be able to finally meet her!  She really makes the most gorgeous desserts!

This apple pie course came from a company called Underground Kitchen, based in Austin, TX, that offers incredible cooking classes for pretty much every kind of cook!  Pastry classes, pasta classes, cake decorating classes; they are all taught by tried and tested cooks who really know their stuff, and they are taught in interesting locations (some in shops like this, and some in people's homes).  I haven't seen any of the classes repeated yet, and I have checked several times.

It really was great to have a professional show me how to make my pastry even better with a few special tips and tricks for making the best pie possible.

Also, our teacher's husband is an incredible photographer and was taking photos of our class.  I took my camera along, but because I was also participating, it sat off to the side a bit.  Another participant volunteered to take a few photos of me, and he ended up helping her take some.  I never realized how self-conscious I am about my photography.  It is a little scary to have a professional pick up your camera and take pictures with it!  Suddenly you worry that you have been using all the wrong settings!

Bringing it all back, there is nothing like experience gifts!  They are meaningful, create incredible memories, and don't ever collect dust in your closet!  I hope that we will have many experience gifts to share in our future!

I would love to hear if you have ever given or received an experience gift, and what you thought about it.  

 

Read More

A Weekend in Austin

Adam and I are the boring type who typically stay home on the weekends cooking, cleaning, doing homework and watching movies, but every once in a while, someone comes to visit and we go do things just for the fun of it.  A few weekends ago, one of Adam's childhood friends came to visit for a few days and we had just such a weekend.  It was lovely!  Here are a few highlights:

I feel that you can't come to Austin without a trip to Hopdoddy's Burger Bar.  We did stand in line for almost an hour, but I thought it was worth it.  We always get 2 Primetime Burgers with Fries and a Salted Caramel shake... So delicious!  One of the best burgers I have ever had, which is saying something, because Adam and I are big burger people and have tried about 25 - 30 different hamburgers from different restaurants since we moved here.  

One of my favorite things to do in Austin is to rent a canoe and take it out for an hour on Lady Bird Lake downtown.  There is a surprising amount of wildlife and it is just so lush and green.  And peaceful.  I love the quiet out on the lake.  

One thing we have talked about doing since we moved here, was visiting the Baylor Street Art Wall.   It was supposed to be a condo, but was never finished, and the walls have been painted and repainted by graffiti artists from around the city (and probably beyond).  It is such a cool idea!  While we were there, some locals were putting on a play, and there were a number of people adding to the wall.  Adam wants to go back and add something sometime.  Maybe after baby is born and I am okay using spray paint again.  

 Art makes us excited!  (or in Adam's case, hungry)

We also tried to go see the colony of bats, which fly out from under the South Congress bridge every night in the summer, but October doesn't qualify as summer and the bats didn't come out until it was pitch black.  We saw loads of outlines, but overall, they were extremely difficult to see.... you know, because they are black and all.  So word to the wise,  go see them in August.  Totally worth seeing, but only if you actually can see them.

In case you are ever in the neighborhood, a few other places that are worth mentioning that we either went to that weekend or are completely addicted to are:
- Torchy's Tacos - I stopped getting tacos a few times ago (although they have some delicious tacos) and save all the room in my tummy for the chips and queso.
- Teji's - An indian restaurant right by the University that has the best chicken Korma we have ever had.
- Perry's Steakhouse - they have an enormous pork chop that on Fridays is only $11.95 and it is by far the best pork chop I have ever tasted!  I have had a few other things off their menu that were also delicious!  Their mac and cheese is also amazing!

Read More

Austin fabric store excursion

 Last weekend, a few sewing-minded friends and I took a little excursion to 3 different fabric stores in Austin.  I have been wanting to see what Austin had to offer in the fabric store department and for the most part it didn't disappoint.  We first stopped by Interior Fabrics, which is a Texas chain, and they had some cute and beautiful fabric.  A bit expensive, but lots of pretty things to look at. Really, it was a very standard upholstery store, but they had some nice things. Next we dropped by The Common Thread.  This was a fun little store, but was SO quiet.  The lady who was working was working on some sewing project, which was kind of cool, but because the radio was so soft, and there was only one other lady in the tiny shop, I felt kind of bad talking in a voice louder than a whisper... They did have a beautiful selection of clothing fabrics, and if I am ever looking for beautiful and unique (which will probably be pretty soon here, knowing my love of new clothes and sewing projects...), I will definitely go back.  Lastly, we stopped by one of my favorite independent fabric stores in Austin called The Stitch Lab.  For a few more pictures, see this blog post about my previous trip there.  We had a great time wandering around, and checking out their awesome fabrics!  I had to take a few pictures to show their extensive and beautiful collection of buttons.

After the fabric stores, we decided to cool down at a little local ice cream place called Lick.  Some crazy flavors, but that is part of the charm.  I also love the color scheme with the robin's egg blue and red.  I got lemon poppyseed ice cream and salted carmel.  Such a good idea... 

Hope you had a good weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Read More