As promised, here is lowdown on my birthday weekend in Fredericksburg, TX (aka the hill country). If you have never gone to Fredericksburg, I am encouraging you to save up for your trip now. It is a BEAUTIFUL hill country escape. I loved it so much, I actually see ourselves living in the hill country in the future. I seriously cannot wait to go back.
Continue reading “Birthday Weekend in Fredericksburg, TX”
When I first learned about George Floyd’s video, I will be the first to admit, I waited to watch. As furious as the people were, I knew it had to be bad. Watching heartbreaking, or heart wrenching videos, weigh heavily on my heart for quite some time. I carry that pain with me for a while. (Gabriel Fernandez is an example of the pain I carried for months.) But I knew I had to watch the video. I knew I had to watch it because I felt compelled to know exactly what happened. After watching the video, it wasn’t about me anymore. It wasn’t about the pain I would carry for the months to come. It wasn’t about what George Floyd did. It wasn’t about what the internet was fighting about. It was ALL about the injustice that exists in our world today. It was about realizing how naive I can be sometimes. It was about speaking up. It was about taking action. It was about bringing up the fact that racism still exists in our world. It was about #blacklivesmatter.
Continue reading “My Thoughts About Last Week”
It has been a little over two years since I left my corporate job. Two years.
Boy, oh boy, time has flown.
I will never forget the day I gave my two weeks notice.
Let me take you back –
Continue reading “Changing Gears: A Journey of Discovery”
Happy, happy Monday! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was quite the adventure. I was actually able to pull off a surprise brunch for the hubby! He just turned 30 and thought it was a milestone birthday that required a lovely brunch with his favorite people. (I was so anxious about this party…like worst than my wedding day! I’ll save this story for another time.) Anyway, my sister and brother-in-law were also visiting from Dallas so we drove to Galveston yesterday and enjoyed a beautiful day by the ocean. Oh man how I missed the beach. I know it isn’t the prettiest beach on earth, but honestly, I don’t care. I think it’s still lovely to lay by the beach and enjoy the sound of the waves.
I received a few messages (through Instagram stories) asking where I was so I figured to share on the blog as well 😉
Instead of “setting camp” by the pier, we chose to go to East Beach. I visited East Beach last summer for a mother/daughter day trip and LOVED how quiet it was. I figured it would be pretty quiet this time around too, and I was right. Parking was $15 and they accept cash or credit card for payment. According to this website, it sounds like East Beach is a party beach. However, I have yet to witness any type of wildness there. Maybe the parties happen after I leave? LOL.
Anyway, I was very surprised at how nice and soft the sand felt. If only the sand was white – us, Houstonians, would have it all. The water was warm and we didn’t witness any seaweed, which was SO nice. People were swimming pretty far from the coastline so I guess that meant it took a while before it got deep.
After spending some time by the beach, we drove to the main area where all of the restaurants (and Pleasure Pier) are located. The island was not insanely packed even though it was Memorial Day weekend. We went to Jungle Surf Rentals to rent a bike, and let me tell you, they made sure our experience was a great one! The owner’s son, Cole, took care of us. He was incredibly nice. Since they were pretty busy, he told us there would be a ~25 minute wait. He offered free snow cones for each of us if we decided to wait. As soon as our snow cones were ready, a bike for four people showed up so we ended up enjoying our free snow cones while riding around! It was perfect timing. (Did Cole under promise and over deliver? Maybe. And I loved it.) We will only rent from Jungle Surf Rentals going forward – I’ll link their Facebook page here so you can peep other reviews!
We tried eating at a cajun restaurant, Benno’s On The Beach, before leaving the island buuuut it was a fail. The line was long, the service was slow, so we left. Hopefully, we can try it next time we visit because they do have good reviews about the food.
Well, that was the scoop on visiting Galveston Island. I loved seeing businesses operate during this difficult time. I plan to continue supporting them in all the ways I am able to. As I continue venturing out, I’ll give you the rundown on ze blog.
Hope you have a wonderful evening!
xx
Ps. Linking my bathing suit below! Both pieces fit true to size.
I finally found a graphic tee of a singer I adore – Taylor Swift. Not only do I love it for the singer, it has the name of my latest favorite song too! Lover was ALL we jammed to late last year when we purchased our first home. It was oh-so-fitting for the theme.
Anyway, as soon as I spotted this tee, I knew I had to buy it!
Continue reading “Calling Out All Swifties”
Nothing like a YUMMY and FRESH-out-the-oven funfetti or strawberry cupcake on your birthday, huh?!? Well, at least in our house. We LOVE funfetti and strawberry flavored cupcakes. The hubby’s birthday was yesterday and I knew I wanted to bake a batch of cupcakes with a delicious healthy frosting recipe. The good news? I found one worth sharing!
I love to give credit where it’s due so I’ll link the original recipe here. The only reason I modified it was because I prefer a subtle hint of sweet, not a fan of sweet frosting. (And when I read to use one cup of powdered sugar, I was like, “No way, Jose.” But this is a judgement-free zone – you do you, honey.)
Here is what you’ll need to make my version:
Step 1
Drain the greek yogurt by placing a strainer over a bowl. Add the yogurt on the strainer and wrap it with plastic wrap to cover the yogurt.
Step 2
Place the yogurt in the fridge to drain. The recommended time to drain is at least 2 hours but overnight is preferred. (I drained the yogurt for two days but not on purpose…I just couldn’t finish the process sooner.)
Step 3
Once the yogurt is drained, add it to a clean bowl. Next, you will add the remaining ingredients – powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix until the mixture thickens.
Step 4
Let the frosting begin! Be sure to wait until the cupcakes (or cake) are cool enough to frost, otherwise, the frosting will melt away.
I used a zip blog bag to create cute designs – or least I tried to create cute designs, LOL!
If you decide to try this frosting, please let me know your thoughts! The hubby liked it so you can bet I will continue to use this recipe in the future.
xx
As much as I love to shop for new clothes, and refresh my wardrobe on a daily basis, I strongly believe in purchasing clothing pieces that will last for years to come. And no, they don’t always happen to be designer pieces. When I shop, I look for a few things that will let me know if something will last a while, or not. I’ve rounded up these tips below to let you know what I look for. They’re simple, easy to follow steps that I think you’ll appreciate as you refresh the wardrobe. Here is what I look for when it comes to selecting quality clothing pieces…
Continue reading “Tips on Selecting and Caring For Quality Clothing Pieces”
Happy, happy Monday! Hope you’re having a wonderful day so far. I am feeling a little sore from our run yesterday, but other than that, I feel quite refreshed. The hubby and I had a nice weekend of connectedness. I am using the word connectedness because we did a lot together, and for some reason, didn’t feel the rush or pressure we typically feel. As some of you know, we have been working on the home pretty much every weekend since we bought it and there’s always this feeling of anxiety for getting things done. It can be exhausting if we don’t break from our routine. Hence, a run at the park 😉
Something about this weekend was refreshing. I have yet to put my finger on it but I am going to guess it’s because Jose spoke my love language all weekend long.
Continue reading “Takeaways from The Five Love Languages”
It is safe to say we have learned SO much during the home decorating process. We have had complete fails and (a few) wins along the way. For the past eight months, I’ve compiled a list of lessons to share with you to save you from the pain and exhaustion, if possible. I hope these tips are helpful as you begin to decorate your home!
Continue reading “Home Decorating Tips”
After sharing our home purchasing experience yesterday, it only felt natural to follow-up with a few tips for first time homebuyers. (If you missed yesterday’s blog post, I’ll link it here.)
Let’s jump straight into them!
