• Texas,  Travel

    Southern Hospitality at Magnolia Market

    When we were first married, Dan and I stayed at a bed and breakfast on the Oregon Coast. The tagline on the brochure read “Hospitality is Our Specialty.” The place was an older Victorian era home turned B & B and from the looks of the brochure it was going to be a lovely place to stay. It turned out to be one of those situations where the camera angles told a much different story because in real life it was a strange, quirky place. Bedroom closets converted into showers but still looked very much like a closet. Unevenly hung wall paper and strangely appointed decor that just left you…

  • Visit Magnolia Market
    Texas,  Travel

    Visit with Us at Magnolia Market + Garden: Day One at the Silos

    Five years ago, just after we had completed our big kitchen remodel, my sister-in-law Taly asked me if I ever watched the show Fixer Upper. We didn’t have HGTV, so I hadn’t even heard of Fixer Upper. Finally, months later while staying at a hotel, we turned to HGTV and met Chip and Joanna for the first time. We really liked the clean yet cozy decorating style, but what kept us coming back was the down-to-earth, family centered nature of Chip and Joanna and so we tuned in to their show every time we stayed over night in a hotel. Over the next few years, their show took off, the…

  • Uncle Julios Chocolate Pinata
    Dessert,  Food,  Texas

    You Must Order this Chocolate Piñata on Your Next Visit to Uncle Julio’s

    There’s Dessert, Then There’s the Chocolate Piñata from Uncle Julio’s. Most of the time when the waiter comes by at the end of the meal to ask if we want dessert, we decline. However, dessert was our main reason for dining at Uncle Julio’s. I started off with a Chicken Fajita Cobb Salad. The salad was large enough that I split it with Dan. This was pure strategy because I wanted to save room for dessert! Naturally the good vitamins and healthy fiber from the salad would cancel out any damage done from eating such a decadent treat. At least that’s what I kept telling myself. As desserts go, this…