If you can avoid it for the rest of your life, don't make a tart from scratch.

In an effort to move right along on one of the things on my list of 28 things to do before I'm 28, I have been a baking machine since January.  And what I have learned is that when you bake everything in a Baked cookbook, you learn all kinds of hard bakey things.

This week, I made a tart.  I made an Orange Dreamsicle tart from scratch.

Tarts are hard.

There was all kinds of gelling, freezing, cooling, cooking with beans, cooking without beans, cooling, freezing, waiting 4 hours.

This blasted tart took me all day.

But then there was this

And it was to. die. for.

Torchy's! (clap clap) Torchy's! (clap clap) Torchy's! (clap clap)

  

 

Spa: Milk + Honey

Have I ever told you I am a spa freak obsessed junkie deluxe?

If I had endless money, I would go to one daily.

Actually, I have always wanted to own one.  So that I could go daily.

If you ever want to get me a gift...spa.

If you ever want to hang out with me....let's go to a spa.

Devin got me a gift during our weekend in Austin.

SPA.

For our first anniversary, I got him a Sunday morning massage here.

He died on the table.

That. good.

So when he told me I got to go...there are no words.

Because I love spas.

Milk +Honey is a small, quaint space on Colorado in downtown Austin.  You walk in to meet the receptionist, and she will show you to your locker (the key has a honeycomb on it.  cute.), and you can put on your robe and slippers there.  Then, you head to a dim-lit relaxation room with super soft couches, orange and lemon water, a hot tea selection, mixed nuts, and other snacks to enjoy.  

The decor inside is a beautiful natural touch (I didn't feel like others could relax if I was snapping pictures of them laying in their robes) with gray walls, beige furniture, and tree stumps as end tables.  

I had a one hour massage with lavendar aromatherapy, hot towels, and a warm table.  It was spectacular. 

In the restroom after my massage, I read about their VIP program where you can earn spa points for certain things (referring friends, getting a different treatment than you normally get) that would be very very enticing for me if I lived in the Austin area.  There were showers, so I could get ready for the rest of my day with Devin, but they weren't the greatest.  I think I got the vibe that they were renovating the bathrooms based on the fact that all of the tile was off of the wall, but I never saw a sign about it, so maybe they're going for the construction look.  Pair that with the rude receptionist at the front as I was leaving, and I'll give it an 8 of 10.

If you're in the Austin area, please do yourself a great service and visit milk+honey for a little R&R.

Somehow, I then convinced my man to let me do a spa review once a month on this little bliggity blog.  I know.  So tell me, where do you go for some down time??  Where have you looked at going but aren't sure?  We have some more traveling coming up soon, so I am hoping to get some spa time in some different cities.

Happy Wednesday!

8.3.11

Dear Husband,

Remember in 1st grade when a boy would get the nerve to bring a girl a dandelion and the girl would throw it on the ground?  Sometimes I am that girl.  

And you know what you do?  You bring me another dandelion.

Thank you for always loving me the very best and most that you possibly can.

Love,

Bird

I said I needed to get out of town and he said okay

So he took me to my favorite place on earth: Austin.

And treated me like dadgum Kate Middleton.

It was the best. 

On Saturday, we strolled around town with no plans.  My favorite kind of vacation.

Allison Brooks Edwards.  This place was made for us.

I have recently discovered Kendra Scott.

She is all over my Christmas list.

Is it too early for that?

The man loves candy stores.

This one was full of old circus memorabilia

reminded me a lot of this

 food. trucks. be still my heart.

For dinner, we found an unmarked italian joint with a fabulous wine list and 2 bar stools calling our names.

Wood fire pizza, perfect wine choices, and some sugar snap peas in a cast iron skillet.

and we ended the night with this..