walton's fancy and staple

On Saturday, we went downtown to Walton's Fancy & Staple on West 6th Street. Ever since I heard that Sandra Bullock had opened this deli/patisserie/florist/gift shop, I've wanted to check it out. She also owns Bess Bistro, which is just across the street and is the more upscale, sit-down version of the pair. Obviously, I was hoping I'd just happen to run into her and become fast friends, but I thought I'd probably still enjoy myself if it didn't happen. Let me just say, this place is adorable. From the chalkboard menus to the sidewalk cafe type tables, it had me at hello. I ordered the 'Gobble' and H decided on the good old fashioned Reuben. Mine sounded great in theory - turkey, provolone, sprouts, cucumber, and avocado. I was in heaven just reading the description. So we put in our orders, grabbed a coke and a cream soda and waited patiently for our food. I'm not going to bad-mouth any places on here, that's not what this endeavor is about, but I also want to be honest. I was not very impressed with my sandwich. The bread was pretty dry and I had a hard time even locating the avocado. I don't think there was anything else in the way of spreads on the entire sandwich, which I thought was odd. Still, it wasn't unbearable, it just won't be something I order again without making some specific requests when placing my order. H's reuben on the other hand was delightful. I scored two whole bites (note the sarcasm here). I can't really blame him though, because it was really tasty. I'm not a big fan of rye bread, which is why I usually don't order reubens at restaurants, but this seemed to be very mild. And you can't really go wrong with sauerkraut  and thousand island dressing. To top it off, H went back for more and ordered a piece of red velvet cake to go. That alone I would go back for. I'm not a big fan of icing, but certain recipes of cream cheese icing just capture me. I pretty much want it to be straight cream cheese with a dash of sugar. Nothing gritty, nothing too sweet. The only other icing that I crave is the cream cheese goodness on the 'Not So Red Velvet' cupcakes at Cupcakes Squared in San Diego.

[The Gobble.]

[Table for two.]

[Dirty chips.]

I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other tasty treats I saw on the menu and in the cases. 'Lone Star Whoopie Pie', anyone?

weekend in pictures

I had an enjoyable weekend. Started off by going to my parents' house to dog-sit for the night, got my hair cut, had lunch downtown at Walton's Fancy & Staple (partially just for the possibility of seeing Sandra Bullock), and then a movie, dinner and drinks with my best friend Kelsie. Today, I hung a mirror, potted a plant, cleaned my apartment, and ran some errands. Nice little Sunday. Thought I'd share some pictures from the past few days (via Instagram, of course).

 [Minute five of dog-sitting - Remington post-swim.]

[Cream soda.]

 [Walton's Fancy & Staple. No Sandra to be seen.]

 [Love starting the week off with a clean apartment.]

[And a freshly made bed.]

[Mirror that I'm pretty sure was at a carnival in it's previous life.]

[Pretty plant.]

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend as well. More on Walton's coming soon.

essie nail polish

I have a slight obsession with Essie nail polish. I don't mean to cheat on OPI, but the Essie people have done a really good job of branding their product in a way that makes me think it's more my style. No matter the color. Even the bottles themselves seem to have a more youthful, fun look. Now that summer has officially started, [even though the thermometers here in Texas have been telling us it's been summer for a while now] why not paint your nails fun colors? I worry slightly about using colors too far out of the normal spectrum since I work in a pretty conservative environment, but there are ways to still have fun with it. So, tonight - 'In Stitches'. Next week - 'French Affair'? 

[My collection of Essie colors so far. 'In Stitches' closest to camera.]

One of the blogs I follow and look up to, Cupcakes and Cashmere (might have had some influence on my title choice...), had a post this week that also involved Essie. 'Mint Candy Apple' was her color choice. Sadly, not one I'd probably try during a work week, but still fun nonetheless. And the glitter detail on the one finger is something I've recently decided I need in my life.

 ['Mint Candy Apple' chosen by Cupcakes and Cashmere.]

postcard wall

Recently, I found a fun purchase at Anthropologie.  A box of 100 Penguin book cover postcards.  The plan I immediately started forming in my head was to create some kind of wall covering with the fun, colorful cards.  I have a few places in my apartment I'd like to put a few.  My only issue is trying to decide how to hang them.  Options: cheap frames from Ikea, hang from nails/pins with twine, or hang directly with pins.

[The purchase that started it all.]

 [Temporary tape to help visualize the process and the blank slate where I plan on putting them.]

 [Temporarily finished product.]

So, I like the overall look and know I want to put them here, but I'm still trying to figure out a more permanent solution. At least I don't have to look at a blank wall until I make up my mind.

happy weekend!

Nothing says weekend like pizza and beer. So excited for the many more drafts, pizza and pizookies in my future. BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse recently opened it's doors practically across the street and I'm oh so excited. I know, it's a chain and doesn't exactly help my whole explore Austin idea, but sometimes, you just need some comforting carbs (like I've ever turned them down...) We decided to keep it simple with a wedge salad, tomato and cheese pizza and a chocolate chunk pizookie. Oh, and beer, of course. I had the Nit Wit (seasonal traditional Belgian-style witbier), which was delish. H had the Harvest Hefeweizen, another one of my favorites. Definitely an enjoyable evening - both the company and the fare. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Oh, P.S. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy a camera today. Hopefully my posts in the near future will contain MUCH better photos. Wish me luck!

french toast

I decided to make french toast for dinner this past week. I never realized how easy it really was. It was a good thing I was only making it for two, because I could only fit one piece in the pan at a time. I used a very basic recipe:

4 pieces sourdough bread (from the Farmers' Market)
4 eggs
1 cup milk
~ 1 tsp vanilla (eyeballed it)
~ 1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

It definitely wasn't a strict, by-the-book recipe, but I think it worked pretty well. I added some fresh strawberries that I smashed slightly release the flavor a bit.

stripe-a-holics anonymous

I mentioned here that I have a slight addiction to stripes. Just thought I'd show you exactly what I meant by that. As you can see, I have a thing for horizontal (& a few vertical) stripes.

 [Pretty good chunk of my closet.]

 [I also have a problem with grey & black.]

[Notice my duvet cover as well.]

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right? 

Oh, and trying to take these pictures is making me realize I need a new camera. Pronto. Something like this, perhaps. Just in case anyone who might be interested [Mom] is reading this...

nice lil saturday

This past weekend marked the beginning of my attempt to try some new things in Austin. Well, one new thing and two favorites. Baby steps. Saturday consisted of the Austin Farmers' Market, and then Enoteca for lunch and a stroll through Uncommon Objects. The Farmers' Market we went to was downtown on Guadalupe, between 4th and 5th St. It was fun and I got some good stuff, but I have to say it doesn't really compare to some of the farmers' markets I went to in California. Namely, I had visions of multiple tents full of fresh flowers, like at the OB Farmers' Market in San Diego. Not so much. The only flowers I saw were at a tent with other vegetables - $12 for nice little packaged bunch of wildflowers. Pass. Overall though, it was a fun little market. I just really like the feel of farmers' markets. And the tasty things I can make with the things I buy.

[Bread, Havarti Cheese, Tomatoes and Basil all from the Market.]

Next, we ventured on to a little place called Enoteca on South Congress for lunch. It's become a fast favorite for the guy and I. This time, we feasted on the Gnocchi Arrabbiata and the Chopped Salad. Can you guess who ordered what? Wrong. I enjoyed the gnocchi while H had the salad.

 [Best gnocchi of your life.]

 [Chopped salad.]

 [H loving his salad.]

After lunch we walked down South Congress about a block to Uncommon Objects. Definitely one of my favorite places. I think I've only ever actually purchased two items, but I could spend hours weaving around the jam-packed space. Not only is the merchandise interesting on its own, the way everything is displayed is incredible. Sadly, I learned the semi-hard way that pictures aren't allowed, so I can't post any. But if you're in Austin or plan to visit any time soon - check it out.

preview

Well, since this is my first blog post I figured I should just do a broad overview of my life. Enter: Instagram on my iPhone. Enjoy.

[Sunflowers to start summer out right.]

[Stripes. I have an addiction (more later).]

[County Line BBQ.]

[Cleaning make-up brushes.]

[Waffles & Ice Cream.]

[McCoy. One of my 3 boys.]

[Finally finished.]

[My beautiful (sleepy) baby niece, Trynn Olivia.]

And so begins the journey of my little blog. A little of this, a little of that. My initial thought was that it's pretty unforgivable that I was born and raised in Austin and should be a native that knows all of the local places - restaurants, shops, attractions. Fact is, I don't. I have a pretty legit excuse - I haven't lived here full-time since my Sophomore year of high school (I'll explain this later). Therefore, my "adult" life has been spent away from my hometown. I feel way more at home in San Diego, honestly, after spending four years there in school. But that needs to change. So since I graduated a year ago from Point Loma Nazarene University and moved back to Austin to pursue my career, I think it's about time I start exploring this weird city I call home. And also share some insights to my slightly OCD life - recipes, DIY projects, apartment decorating, style (I try, ok?), and more along the way. As I said before, enjoy.