Letter Love

I snapped these photo's a while back and rediscovered them while browsing through my photo files this morning.  They were taken at the beautiful Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala.  D and I visited there last summer and I fell in love with these painted letters.  I think they match the mission style well.

A view of the inner courtyard at the mission.

Isn't this lettering cool?  Hope you've had a splendid week.

Driftwood, Texas

Once again, we had a beautiful weekend here in Texas.  It was warm and sunny and Saturday was the perfect day to go back to the hill country.  This time, we ventured to Driftwood to meet up with the Cornell club of Austin (D's Alma mater) at Mandola Estate, a winery and vineyard.

Even though I started the wine tasting before noon (a bit early for my standards and stomach), the wines were wonderful.  Truly, they blew a lot of the Texas wines out of the water.  They are all Italian style wines so none of them are oaky which is good for me!

On another note, I was so excited to be able to wear my new gingham shirt this weekend.  I love it!  It is loosely based off of a vintage Simplicity pattern, circa 1975 that I had bought years ago while beginning to compile my vintage pattern collection.  The wonderful gingham fabric came from the assistance league thrift shop for a whopping $2.50.  I still have plans for a different belt option, but my trusty Rachel Pally belt will have to do for now.

Then, we headed to Driftwood Vineyards, where we sat with a glass of (not great) viogner, and soaked in this wonderful view.  It was so peaceful up there and I only wish that the wine had been better.  Below us, there was a field of goats that we could hear talking and playing.  Definitely recommend for the view, just not so much for the wine.

After a while though, our tummies started rumbling and we decided that since we were already out in Driftwood, a stop off at the Salt Lick was called for.  Actually, neither of us had been to the original before.

Um.....delicious is an understatement of how good this BBQ was.  Thankfully I had ordered the small portion dinner, because there is no way that I could have finished what D had ordered.  If you go....be sure to get the habanero BBQ sauce!  So good.

Hope everyone had a great week and are excited for May!

Tamale Pie

I wanted to share with you one of the best things that I have ever made and eaten.  It is this tamale pie found in Bon Appetit last month.  Instead of the pork, I used ground beef 85% lean.  I also used roasted tomatillos instead of prepared salsa.  The top cornbread was made gluten free by using Bob's Red Mill gf All Purpose flour and a bit of Xanthum Gum...maybe 1/2 teaspoon substituted for the all purpose flour it calls for.  

Holy Moly this was good.  The crusty top part is sharp cheddar.  Served with sour cream and cilantro, this one is sure to please.  Perfect to make for Cinco de Mayo next week!

Have a happy weekend!  I can't believe it's already going to be May!

Enchantment

For as long as I can remember, I have loved going to enchanted rock.  My family used to go climb the large granite stone every year in the spring.  As I grew up and my schedule became hectic, that tradition faded.  For many years now, I have wanted to go back.

This Saturday, I got my wish.  J, K, D and I all went to climb the rock and enjoy a gorgeous spring day in the hill country.  The day from beginning to end was perfect.

This photo shows looking out over the hill country from the top.  It is just beautiful.

I was amazed by all of the plant life atop the rock.  It was lush and green with grasses, succulents, trees and flowers.  I especially liked these purple ones.

We sat and relaxed at the top, letting our tummies anticipate the wonderful picnic we all had brought to share.  By the time that we came down I was starving.

We had roast beef and horseradish cheddar sandwiches, all sorts of cheeses, crackers, sausages, spinach pinwheels, vegetable and hummus, jalapeno stuffed olives and to finish it off, some sweet cantaloupe.  It was divine.  Just exactly how I like to eat lunch...noshing until my hunger subsides.

Now that we had happy tummies, we ventured off to begin our hill country wine tour.  We visited four great wineries on our way back to Austin.  They have such a fun atmosphere and are the perfect thing to do on a sunny afternoon.

We visited Becker vineyards, a winery that I had done a wedding at last year.  Besides having great wine, they also have lavender fields that were in bloom.

The tastings are extremely affordable, ranging from 5-13 dollars for a varying amount of tastings.  At some of the wineries we even got to keep the glasses!  This is great because I am notorious for breaking them.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy this beautiful season...

and having a wonderful week so far!

My New Studio!!!!

Scoop-back chair, West Elm

I realize that I have been pretty quiet for a few days but it is for a good reason.  Remember the fence?  It is gone and now the room houses my studio!  It is significantly bigger than my old studio and has a very high vaulted ceiling.  My studio feels so airy and light now.

Everything is not quite in it's place yet although it is now functioning properly.  There are still things to hang on the walls and furniture to get.

Speaking of furniture, see the chairs above... I am now the proud owner of 2 of the cinnibar (burnt orange) color ones.  I also got the same style in a padded slate blue colored leather that I will use at my calligraphy desk.

The best part...they were on sale.  The orange ones were $35 each (seeing as they were floor samples and the last 2 left), and the leather one was $99.  I am so happy with them ( I have been addressing envelopes in my blue one all afternoon) and can't wait to finish the rest of the studio.

More pictures of the room to come.

Happy Monday!

The Purple Picket Fence

Today is both exciting and kinda sad.  The painters are here to paint my room, to make it fresh and match the rest of the house.  The sad part is that they are painting over my purple picket fence that has been there now for 10 years.

When I was 13, I had security issues and painted the fence for protection while sleeping and for a romantic girlie garden room.  I had swags over my bed and fabric dragonflies on the walls.  I absolutely loved my room. 

Despite the fact that it hasn't been my part of my style now for years, it is still sad to see it go.  It seems like just yesterday that I painted it myself using the regular kind of masking tape for dividers because they hadn't put the blue painters tape on the market yet.  The thrill of having the fence done and decorating my newly painted room.

It wasn't just yesterday though.  It has been 10 years and the room is ready for a new life.  I am ready too.

Some things are still the same though from 10 years ago which I guess makes it seem like not so long ago.  I still am a dreamer, looking for ways to make the world around me more beautiful.  I love to make things, to be active with my hands and to always be learning new skills (I actually learned to knit when I was 13).  I still have a crush on the same boy as I did when I was 13, although, he is now my boyfriend.

Have a wonderful day.

Ah the Bougainvillias

I just wanted to say hello and happy Monday.  I hope everyone had a great weekend.

For some reason, I have been feeling a bit down lately.  I have been attributing it to all the pollen and allergies looming in Central Texas.  It feels as if I am in a fog.  Not sick just sluggish.

Looking at this picture of bougainvillea helps though.  I just love the vivid hues that this plant has.  This picture was taken last June when D took me to San Diego for my birthday.  Most recently though, we saw the most amazing bougainvilleas in Key West.