Successful Dad's Weekend? Check!

How to have a successful Dad's Weekend:

1. Go outside.

On Friday afternoon, after our lunch at Hopdoddy (of course), we hiked up Mount Bonnell and sat at the top overlooking the lake. Saturday morning we walked from the hotel to Jo's Coffee for lattes and a breakfast taco. This may have been my dad's first time trying coffee from a coffee shop other than Starbucks, as he was excited to tell me, "Wow, this is so much better than Starbucks." Yes, dad...most coffee places are.

2. Spend time together.

We spent most of the day and night on Friday just us two.  We spent a few hours on Mount Bonnell and all of dinner talking about business, family and life.

3. Try new restaurants. Lots of them.

I love when my parents come to Austin because I get to host them and show them MY city. In Austin, they are my guests, so I want to show them the best time and, of course, feed them the best food. Dad and I tried and loved La Condesa for dinner on Friday, Jo's for breakfast on Saturday (and Sunday), Easy Tiger for lunch and beers before the UT baseball game, and Parkside for dinner with my friends on Saturday (even though we had been here before). We had a successful food weekend. That's for sure.

4. Go downtown. Drink. Repeat.

Since my dad is more fun than I am, we went out both nights that he was here.  Friday night we went to our favorite place, Cedar Street, for a drink after dinner.  Saturday night we went with all of my friends and their dads to Pete's Dueling Piano Bar.  We had the best time all together, and may or may not have polished off a few rounds of shots.  From here, dad insisted on bar hopping until the bars closed, which is when we took a pedicab back to the hotel. Poor pedicab driver...

5. Go to a sporting event.

Saturday we spent our entire afternoon at the UT v. Stanford Baseball game. Not only were we sitting with friends, but the game was intense and the weather was absolutely perfect.

6. Be thankful.

I am so thankful for times like these.  In fact, I wanted to thank my dad with a little surprise at the hotel, which included a bottle of Hendrick's Gin, Jalepeno stuffed olives, and bags of salted nuts and pistachios. Just a little something to thank him for coming to Austin for the weekend! Much to my surprise, he beat me to the punch and gave me a stunning diamond "love" ring that I have been wanting for forever.  Never taking that thing off.

Happy Valentine's Day!

May your day be filled with love and chocolate.

My favorite holiday is finally here! While I was on my arts and crafts kick, I decided to make small Valentine's treats for some of my friends instead of buying generic candy. And since we are all "trying to eat healthy for spring break," I knew it had to be something simple and not too crazy. I decided to go back to the basics of just plain chocolate...which I melted and drizzled into wooden spoons.

I love this "recipe" because it can be adapted for every holiday. All you need are spoons, bakers chocolate and sprinkles. Melt the chocolate as directed on the packaging (it is very easy to burn), pour it into the spoons, tap the spoons on the counter to spread the chocolate evenly, lightly place the sprinkles on the chocolate, and let cool. Simple as that!

Valentine's Week: Homemade Love Notes

Don't get me wrong, I love a good Hallmark card every now and then, but there is always something special about a homemade card. Not only is it one of a kind, but it comes from the heart.

This year I chose to make my Valentine's Day notes instead of buying them. I always love a good craft project and it gave me something fun to do this weekend. I ordered black and white prints of my favorite photos, bought every piece of Valentine's scrapbook paper at the craft store, and set about making personalized love notes.

PS... For those of you stuck in snow storms, this might be a spoiler, but at least you know you have a card coming your way!

Supplies included: scrapbook paper (reds, pinks and patterns), neutral cards and envelopes, tags (which I punched an extra hole in), hemp, a hole puncher, a paint pen and photo tape.

Happy almost Valentine's Day!

My Valentine's {Etsy} Wish List

As my favorite holiday inches closer and closer, I cannot help but be overly excited to celebrate.  No one quite understands why I love Valentine's Day so much, except my mother, who feels the same way about the holiday as I do.  Maybe it's because as a child our house would turn into a love shack on February 1 (complete with heart rugs, wreaths, lights, and garland...everywhere), or maybe it's because there were constantly baked goods and Valentine's candies in my house... who knows.  All I know is that as a 22-year-old with my own apartment, I am starting to build my own Valentine's collection (and luckily, my mother still shares hers).

Being an Etsy shop owner, I am on Etsy every day, without fail.  The creative people of the world are throwing these amazing things in front of me, pressuring me to buy all of their beautiful homemade goodies.  I may or may not have succumbed to the pressure and purchased a few items, but the rest are on my Valentine's Day Wish List.

Here are the Etsy items I am drooling over right now...