where in the world...were the unnasches?

adam planned a surprise day for me today! here we are at one of our surprise locations.
is this france?

maybe italy?

any guesses yet? drumroll please...

it's driftwood, texas. the duchman/mandola winery and restaurant.

um, yeah, i felt like i had a little european getaway in less than an hour drive. how can you beat that? dreamy. it was complete with italian music playing on the patio.

listen, i don't even really drink, but who can resist this view and ambience?

i hadn't heard much about it but apparently other people have. it was quite the hotspot.

rewind to lunch. adam had lunch planned, too. we had a picnic here on lake travis less than 5 miles from our house.

i think i found a keeper!

FaMiLy FeStIvItIeS

the nephews were in from houston and it was summer's 2nd birthday! here are some pics of the week.

sweet cousins.
what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man. adam with summer at pump it up.

adam and caden boston and rylan bowling.

all but one! only logen's missing. he was probably sleeping when this pic was taken. heh.

a staycation with sara!

oscar wilde was said, "laughter is not at all a bad beginning for friendship." sara and i met my freshman year of college, and literally were histerically laughing with each other the minute we met. still, to this day, i can always count on lots of fun and laughs with her. what a beautiful gift!

sara came to the ATX for a few days and had a blast hitting up the hotspots of austin. here we are at gloria's, a salvadoran/tex-mex restaurant.
i got a plate filled with salvadoran food...pupusa, yucca, and plantain. i give the meal 2 thumbs up!

"walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." helen keller

mani and pedi time!

coffee @ sandra's bullock's walton's fancy and staple on west 6th. total class.

the blue dahlia on east 11th. uh, if you haven't been here before, you are TOTALLY missing out. to-die-for food. it's now one of my ultimate new austin favs.

"it isn't so much as what's on the table that matters as what's on the chairs." w.s. gilbert

from FAB to DRAB...living room identity crisis

i finally decided to buy some fabric to make a scarf valance for the living room. my poor living room has been in desperation for some color and my husband won't let me paint the walls!

drum roll please...hah! here's the fabric which was used to make matching pillows.

but first, a walk through time. 1 year ago. ah, all red. i was desperately trying to use the red valance that came with the house because i didn't even think to get one made out of fabric. bor-ring!

6 months ago. i tried to buy different colored valances but the only ones i could find were all solids and no other color looked good with the white shutters and light-colored walls. so, instead, i tried to add some color by switching out a few pillows. still blah.
my aunt had the brilliant idea to just buy some fabric and make a valance or as she calls it a "swag" or "jabot." genius! why didn't i think of that a year ago? here's the end result.

the colors are fun and add some much needed color to the room!

1 year ago. a scrapbook through time...aw, the memories. =)

and now. not the best lighting but it works!
oh yeah, and i had to copy my friend ashley who has a vase like these with limes in it on her mantel! i just loved it so much i couldn't resist buying them for my mantel!

from DRAB to FAB: Part Deux...

i bought these 2 fixer-upper queen ann chairs off craig's list.
then, i redid the chairs!

1. unscrew cushions.
2. sand chair frames.
3. spray paint chair frames 2Xs.
4. use a staple gun to staple on the fabric to the cushions.
5. screw the cushions back on to the chairs.

AND...

ta-da!

from DRAB to FAB..at least i hope!

after a year in our house, i decided it was time to fix up our eating area!

before
AFTER

my aunt nancy made the pillow window seat. i LOVE it! thanks SO much, nancy!

our little pillow seat. i can't wait for someone to actually sit in it! ha.

small town, BIG 4TH

My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! ~Thomas Jefferson
seguin sure knows how to celebrate the 4th! our first stop: the parade.

If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace. ~Hamilton Fish

ah, i love my country and my family and seguin on the 4th! wonderful combination.

homemade ice cream. a family tradition.

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~Abraham Lincoln

cranium. alexander knew exactly what stone henge was. impressive.

a couldn't-be-any-closer view of the colorful light show in the sky. perfect way to end a perfect day.