Happy (cozy) Tuesday to you! How’s your week going? Last night I threw a little holiday cocktail party for some ladies in my neighborhood and we had so much fun. I absolutely LOVE the little pocket of Austin that I call home. I love it for some many reasons, but the people are the #1 reason BY FAR. I’ll share a few pics from the party tomorrow!
Today though, I just have a few odds and ends from my life lately:
For starters (because this is the thing I’m most excited about, haha), we got a few new windows! I know…this is adulting. New windows (that basically look the same as before) are the thing I’m most excited about during the week before Christmas.
But they’re soooo wonderful! When we moved into this house in 2020, there were two windows that didn’t shut properly and let in a lot of hot air in the summer and cold air in the winter. Â We knew those two would need to be replaced, and since there’s a 5 window minimum with Window World of Austin (they were great, btw!) we had a few others replaced, too.
^ Before  (these are aluminum builder-grade windows we still have in a lot of our other windows. They’re fine, but they don’t keep the house very temperature controlled and so our playroom would get SO cold when the temps dropped below freezing).
^ After! I love them.
Every day we’re playgrounding. 
This baby believes there’s nothing he can’t do. Climb up a slide? He’ll try it. Monkey bars? If the big kids can do it, why not him? Run far away from his mama to the soccer fields? Always.
I had a pretty sedentary Saturday and didn’t do a workout. And then I got the end of the day and my Apple watch told me I’d walked 11,000 steps and did 57 minutes of movement. These boys of mine!!!
Checking out a new cocktail bar with Monique and Caitlin. Have you been to Bosses Office yet? So much fun!
It’s in the space that used to be Swift’s Pizza (from the Jacoby Restaurant Group.) It’s a speakeasy concept with a dark, sultry vibe and lots of fun cocktails. I love that the cocktail menu lists the ingredients and then gives three words to describe the taste, like woodsy or effervescent or citrus or herbal. That sort of thing helps me find the cocktail I’m craving.
^ Caviar + an Antonelli’s cheese board.
^ When the lawn guy shows up on a Saturday morning. Very exciting!
A Christmas movie + some Trader Joe’s Jingle Jangle.
Haha! This kills me. Milo decided to feed Dayton some of his ice cream. Dayton was confused at first..
…and then he was like, “oh, okay. I guess this works for me.”
Milo was very intense about the whole thing.
Ooh la la! Caviar two nights in a row – what is my life right now? Nate and I did a spur-of-the-moment date night to Justine’s, one of my VERY favorite French restaurants!
It’s so beautiful in there.
There’s been a lot of holiday fun around here! We did the Trail of Lights with some neighbor friends (read my recap here!)
^ And then we went up to Dallas to see the 12 Days Of Christmas with my family. (You can read that recap here!)
This is just the sweetest. My grandfather (Bob, my mom’s dad) drove down from Dallas to spend two days with my family in Austin. Now, keep in mind that he’s in his mid-90s! He’s obviously in excellent health and takes really good care of himself, but it’s still wildly impressive that he got in his car and drove down I-35 to spend some time with me, Nate, and the boys.
We went to Olamaie on his first night in town! 
It’s such a good restaurant for a special occasion.
Bob chose the Dayboat Fish special. (This is what I ordered on my birthday last summer!)
^ Nate picked the Lamb Terrine.
^ I got the chicken breast…plus a side of their famous biscuits, of course.
The next day Bob and I went to Pease Park with the boys. He pushed them on the swing for about 30 minutes, haha! Both Dayton and Milo are very into swings right now. 😉
For Bob’s second evening with us, Nate cooked dinner at home. It was FABULOUS. Like, I wish I could adequately describe how fabulous it was. He got pork at Salt and Time butcher shop here in Austin, and dry aged it for 2 days. Then he cold smoked it before grilling it, and then made a delicious date/almond/oregano sauce that he spooned on top. Amaaaazing. On the side was a mushroom polenta with mushrooms he also bought at Salt and Time. He grilled them and they were a bit smoky and charred on the edges and just scrumptious.
We enjoyed a special bottle of wine that Bob brought with him from Dallas, and it was the perfect evening together with family. I am so, so thankful that I have my grandfather in my life.
^ Other shenanigans…climbing on toys or using them in ways they’re not designed to be used? That’s Dayton. I love this crazy boy of mine.
I’m done playing Nutcracker performances for the year! I’ve played it so many times, but I still love performing it at the Long Center. It just feels like Christmas to me!
That’s what I’ve been up to lately. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!
