Southern Living...

If you make it to any Southern state during the spring season, you will also have found yourself in crawfish season. Lucky you, right?

NOW a disclaimer - I HATE crawfish. I hate most seafood actually, so this was a BIG deal that I even went along with these shenanigans. My family lurves their seafood so by default they lurve their crawfish. I know Ty had been wanting to go to a real crawfish boil since we moved here, and we had a visitor in town, Ty's brother, Troy - so I figured why not give him the real southern treatment. Plus, it's spicy and we all share a love of spicy food. I figured I could always find something else on the menu to fill me up...I wound up eating crab legs, which weren't so bad. I can handle crab, but to the Crawfish Shack's credit, this was the BEST sauce I've ever tasted. And it was SOOO spicy. If you note in some of the pictures below, everyone's mouths grow progressively more red/pink in color.

There is it - the famed Crawfish Shack - complete with drive-thru!

Here's the main event - we ordered the "maux spicy" and had pounds of this stuff brought to our table.

The restaurant (can you really call it that? the shack?) is byob, so we were sure to stock up the best brews Texas and Louisiana have to offer and brought them along in a cooler...it's classy that way:)

I'm not so sure about the whole process here - this was before we got started...

Troy and Ty having way too much fun tormenting me...

The whole mess when said and done...

And the whole crew, sorry a little blurry, we had a bystander take the pic and you really never know how those are going to turn out BUT at least we're all in the frame...

All in all it was a great time, and I would (believe it or not) totally go back! It's much more fun and less sickening than I had imagined it all to be. And better yet, I made two brothers very happy by planning such an excursion:)

So now, that brings me up-to-date on all my posts! Phew. Now what on earth am I going to blog about??

Antiques, Anniversaries, and Eddie!

So where even to begin?? I thought the last post was heavy on the pictures - think again! Our anniversary just happens to coincide with the famous Round Top Antique Fair, and let me tell you we have our anniversaries booked for the next decade because this place is our favorite.

It's equal parts kitsch and character, and along with all the junk you're always bound to find some treasure. I can't even begin to do it justice, because I'm such a novice. There are antique dealers and design bloggers who've been going for years and literally have maps of where to go and who to see, etc...I'm still working on my map. We had SO much fun this time, last time we went we just drove in for the day, but this time we stretched it out over a whole weekend. Which really is just absolutely necessary given the sheer expanse of all there is to see.

So let's get started...nothing says JuliAnna more than an old historic house draped in a sign that says Antiques!

Tents and little houses are filled with trinkets and I just loved this tent. A ton of old metal/copper pieces in all these galvanized bins, it was just a feast for the senses:)

I can't even begin to tell you how much walking we did, so there was also plenty of opportunity for this (and no need to feel bad for those calories either!)...plus have you had Texas beer? We KNOW our beer. Apart from Oregon, Texas is up there for me in this department. Note the crazy wire dress forms in the background, so fun!

As you get into Marburger Farm, you really get into the GOOD stuff. Now, while some of this is still definitely out of our league, it's just so much fun to look around and you still can find good deals on some really great antiques.The pictures just don't do it justice because you can't see all the little vignettes everywhere, you may need to make the pictures bigger;) OR better yet, you can all just fly out here and come see it for yourself with me!

Oh, lookie here - who's that cute guy with the chandelier? Really though, we were both dying over this piece, OBVIOUSLY not coming home with us for many years...and those old door/window things in the background..L.O.V.E.

I wanted to marry this section.

Oh, and these gilded candlesticks? Yes, please!

And then...then...in a moment of fate, I met THE Eddie Ross. Google him people. He's a regular feature in my Southern Living and lo' and behold he was there to write a feature on Round Top for an upcoming issue. I spotted him in his little pink polo about a mile away. Me and a bunch of crazy middle-aged women;) So I had to get my obligatory picture. I have excited face, so it's not the best, but it's a good memory!

When we weren't out hanging out with interior design's elite (just kidding!), we managed a lot of R and R here - at our little cabin in the woods. This place was SO beautiful. It's bed and breakfast on a working ranch in the middle of nowhere and we opted for their ultra-private cabin, no one's even allowed to come back there except for the guests staying there. It was just what we needed. I had just wrapped up my old job and this was my only real weekend before starting the next, so it was perfection.

See...PRIVATE. Nevermind that it looks like Captain Hook or one of the Lost Boy's made the sign...we were going for off the grid, not four star here.

There she is...it was the tiniest little cabin but it did manage to squeeze in a full kitchen so after lunch of fair food (which in all honesty, is really good at Round Top), we got to come "home" and make dinners every night and sit on the porch with some great wine. It was heavenly!

 This was one of the roads we saw on our way back from Round Top to our cabin. This sealed the deal, one day we will have a home out here to retreat to - who can argue with this sort of view?

Another gorgeous view on one of our drives, really I just can't get enough!

And lastly, but certainly not least, my favorite image from our whole trip. This was our view on our last afternoon at "the ranch." Doesn't get much better than that.

Hopefully this post convinced a few readers to come and visit me and take the trip with me next time. Every year - October and March:) Which might I add, is just PERFECT weather here...what are you waiting for?

Summer's Start...

Okay, so the people have spoken! And by people I mean five readers - one of which sent me a Facebook message about the posts she wanted to read and chooses to stay anonymous;) In any event, 1,3, and 2 it is. (Sorry, Megan!)

A general warning: This is a very picture heavy post. I considered possibly just doing a slideshow, but then I couldn't remember how to make a slideshow right away so I skipped it altogether. Sorry, my brain these days!

Alright, let's do this...so I know we still haven't gotten to the official "first day of summer." But I always feel like May is really when summer starts, and having spent the last decade in either Arizona or Texas, the temperatures in May tend to agree that yes, it is summer;) May brought lots of great things, mainly ANOTHER graduation. This one for a certain Daniel Dean:

 He came, he saw, he conquered that graduation ceremony:

One of the many ubiquitous family pictures. It was bright and I was a jerk and left my sunglasses on. I didn't even think about it. Ugh, hate it when I do that! But mom did it too, so I guess I'm not the only one!

The proud parents and their last son to graduate from high school. SO crazy to think only Emily is left now!

 Oh, and to celebrate, I made this Savignon Blanc pound cake. REALLY incredible. It's a recipe from Southern Living, google and make today. Seriously. It's just the best summer dessert.

Summer has brought with it our little fish, Margot. It's been hysterical to see just how much she loves the water considering that our princess, Raleigh, hates it. He acts like we're dipping his paws in hot tar when we set him in the water...but this one? It's her favorite. Really, she is obsessed. She uses these little floaties like lily pads to go all over the pool. I really need to record it because it's pretty hysterical.

Summer also means the joyous return of my potato vines...these died off COMPLETELY this winter with all the hard freezes we had, so we had to do a little replanting action. The minute it warms up here, these just take off! Love em!

But this year, potato vines were not enough. We added planters outside all the back windows and a few others in pots around the patio. And I love them ohsoverymuch! I can't believe what they did for our backyard, I feel like we're finally figuring out how our yard in the back is supposed to be set-up and this was a major step in the right direction...

Another view - you can see more of all we've got going on now...the candy cane double impatiens continue where I'm standing so it's repeated just like you see on the end.

Other than that, May was full of lots of this: soaking up the sun and relaxing!

I'm sure June will be just as fun...stay tuned for the big Anniversary/Round Top recap. I will try to get to that this week...which would be earth shattering. Two posts in one week, who do I think I am??

Have a great Monday!

Hello.

So yeah, hey there! I'm back...everything is good, it's just been the usual song and dance of busy schedules and lots going on, AND we got a new computer and I needed to upload pictures for EVER and just didn't get around to it till this VERY second. And wouldn't you know it - as soon as I have pictures available, here I am posting!

SO where to start? You pick - here's what I've got and I'll give you a sample of each with a picture -

1. Do you want an update on summer so far - complete with Danny's graduation and Margot's amazing prowess in the pool?

2. Do you want learn about our very first crawfish boil at the "Crawfish Shack?" Oh, and did I mention the Crawfish Shack has a drive-thru? Who thinks to themself - "You know what I want on my ride home - a pound of crawfish?!" It's true. I guess it's a Southern thing...

3. Do you want the recap of our Anniversary trip to the Round Top Antique Fair? It's only the best event ever...and I feel so lucky, the two times it comes through every year just so happen to fall very close to our Anniversary or our birthdays - holla!

Okay - so those are the main three options - let me know what you want in the comments:) Providing any of you are still reading this dormant thing...