Austin

Hmmm, where to go on a girl trip that is within driving distance, yet a fun and entertaining getaway from North and East Texas??? Austin of course! Actually, I have never spent any kind of time in Austin. I've only been there for a wedding and didn't even spend the night. Tish on the other hand had been there on several occasions and she agreed that it would be a good place for us to go (despite the scorching temps).

We had a great time! Lots of shopping on S. Congress, but mainly lots of eating. We ended up eating at two wonderful cafes for breakfast on various mornings. The Kerbey Lane Cafe and the Magnolia Cafe are both wonderful places to have a great breakfast (try the pancakes that are as big as your head).

Directly down the road from the Magnolia Cafe is Mozarts Coffee Roasters, a great coffee shop right on the lake with great coffee and yummy sweets.

And if you go to Austin, you must try Gourdough's (just take a look at that menu). It's a trailer that makes the most decadent doughnuts that you've ever tasted. I got "The Puddin'". Good heavens! A cream filled doughnut with cream cheese frosting, sliced bananas, and crushed vanilla wafers. It was so rich I could only eat half in one sitting.

But my all time favorite place we visited was Man Bites Dog. I realize that this does not make me sound like any kind of connoisseur of food, but I just love a good hot dog. LOVE them. Tish had the Abe Froman (did you catch the Ferris Bueller reference). This was a classic Chicago dog in all its pureness. Tish is excited about digging in.

I had the Al Pastor Dog. Get this... bacon wrapped pork sausage dog topped with pickled red onions, cilantro, pineapple, and chipotle ketchup! I can't even express how amazing all those flavors were together.

My mission is now to write the owners of that establishment and beg them to build one in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, preferably Arlington.

Sewing Class

A couple of weeks ago, Brigitte and I attended a sewing class lead by Anna Pham and her friend Britt. Anna makes the cutest stuff that she sells on her Etsy site! It was challenging, but so much fun! I had never used interfacing before nor had I ever made anything quite this technical. Check out our cute little zipper pouches that we made!


Mine is the second one from the left with the cute little reddish flowers. The sewing bug has bitten me again, so definitely more sewing projects in my future!

Love You More by Jennifer Grant

Love You More is a touching look at the author’s story of adopting a child internationally, while at the same time being a wife and mother. Besides adoption, the author also discusses infertility, miscarriage, and parenting. Grant offers insight into the international adoption process and offers advice and tips throughout.

Having suffered a miscarriage myself and also being in the midst of the adoption process, this book was comforting to me in a sense. Grant is an excellent writer. She tells the story from the beginning of her married life and continues with the birth of her children, a miscarriage, how she and her husband came to the decision of adopting, the process, and life after adoption. She offers you insight into her deepest, and at times most honest thoughts and feelings. I appreciated that she included her personal relationship with Christ and how it factored into her decisions and thoughts. I laughed and I cried. I definitely recommend this book to those who have at any time considered adoption. It will give you the opportunity to look into one family’s life and see the dreams, struggles, and how it changed them and the life of the adopted child forever.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”