GRAND OPENING AT MAGNOLIA MARKET SILOS

Raise your hand if you're a Fixer Upper junkie!! We at Love & Lion are total fangirls. We marathon the HGTV show and make our husbands watch too! Actually, it only took one episode to get them addicted. Chip and Jo are just SO SO GOOD. And such great people too!

I (Leah) was fortunate enough to attend their grand opening of Magnolia Market at the Silos this past weekend! My best friend from college got us tickets to go as a girls trip! Sometimes you just need those weekends away from our 5 combined children to actually get a whole conversation in, ya know? We met in Dallas on our layover, got on the plane for Waco and... it was cancelled. Torrential rain and strong winds meant that everyone was stranded! There were no rental cars left, so we had to cab it to a neighboring airport, rent a car, and drive in rush hour traffic to make it on time... well actually we got there after the party had already started! We were laughing the whole time about what a hot mess we were in- thankful to go through that with my bestie! We were Thelma and Louise!

In probably the biggest news in our little Etsy shop, we were honored to have our tattoos at the Silobration event! One of our sweet customers, Brittany Baker, hooked it all up --thank you!!-- We would like to say that we didn't jump up and down and call each other freaking out.... but we did.

Here are a few photos of my quick 24 hour trip! Not too many pictures of me, because after traveling all day in the pouring rain, I literally looked like I melted. Scary.

The silos were situated next to the shop and in between the two was a large space of turf and plenty of picnic tables. There's a large barn-like space to the left and a small building to the right of the silos... the sign said "Something sweet coming in 2016", so my only guess is a bakery? If that's the case, I could probably just live in this combined space and never leave.

Right at the front door was a "welcome" sign perfect for all of us instagramers! You can see everyone's pics at #magnoliawelcome. DYING to do this to my own floor at home!!

The shop is STUNNING, people! Everywhere you look, there's a well curated table of goodies you suddenly must have for your home! Gorgeous, thoughtful displays and beautiful fixtures in every corner of the shop.

One of the most impressive things about the shop was the PEOPLE! Every person was just so friendly and happy to help! I could not get over it! And I live in the south. It was like some wonderfully happy cult that I wanted to join. Magnolia Market knows how to do it right. Joanna's mom actually checked me out at the register. Love that it was a family affair!

Here are our tattoos! Eek! They set up a tattoo bar and had employees help everyone get tatted up!

When we sent the tattoos, we also sent these face tats of Chip and Jo... hope they didn't get too creeped out LOL!

On to the party! 

Johnnyswim (whom we are both HUGE fans of) performed and blew everyone's minds. They're also suuuuper gorgeous. And talented. And nice! What a combo. Then Joanna gave a beautiful speech and said Chip had hurt his back so he wasn't able to come. Psych! He repelled down from the silo, naturally. Chip and Jo were so sweet, humble, grateful, and funny together on stage. They sang a song (hilariously off key) with Johnnyswim and even brought Jimmy Don and Clint Harp on stage thanking them for their work on the show! I could not wipe the smile off my face. It's incredible to see such successful people be so down-to-earth and thankful of where they are in life.

My bestie, Meredith, and me trying not to look like we traveled for 9 hours in the pouring rain.

The next morning before our drive back to Dallas, we woke up early and hit Common Grounds coffee. The owners were on the show and it was one of our favorite home transformations! Common Grounds is cute as can be. It was eclectic, cozy, and even had a huge outdoor space in the back for concerts and parties! The coffee was out-of-control good. I got the "no bull" which had their chocolatey secret sauce. Again, if there was a cult, I would join.

Obsessed with this sign attached to Common Grounds! Verdict: YES. 

Waco, you are positively charming! Can't wait to visit again and see the rest of the sites!

-L

TIPS FOR DISNEY TRAVEL

Happy Tuesday, friends! Today, I wanted to share some photos and tips that you might find helpful if you are planning a Disney trip anytime soon. We returned home almost a week ago, but we are just NOW feeling like things are getting back to normal. We are the type of family that needs a vacation after vacation. There are two types of vacations in my opinion: one where you truly relax and get away and one where you just simply in a place other than your own home. Disney is so much fun, but so much work! So, I hope this little list of mine helps and informs in some little way.

I bought Amara a new little, lightweight backpack for traveling. I filled it with an activity book, candies, some new Doc McStuffin headphones ( which I don't recommend, as they are made for little ears so they have limited volume control. It makes them hard to hear on a loud airplane), and some crayons/markers and stickers. It was a short flight, so we didn't need much!!

Take a stroller fan - I purchased this fan two years ago, and it has served us well for two trips. For as inexpensive as it is, I would recommend just buying a new one each year. This last trip, the fan blades seemed a little worn out. Anyway, the fan is great for littles since it has foam blades (no ouchies) and it clips right on to your stroller. It is a lifesaver for stroller naps or just a plain ole breeze in the Florida sticky mess that they call "Summer".

Stroller it if possible - There is so much room for stroller parking around the parks! My husband and I just kept saying how happy we were to not be carrying around a backpack or diaper bag. Obviously, if you have a baby that still needs diaper changing, or you just feel more comfortable having your stuff on you, then a backpack is the way to go. Our daughter is potty training, and we simply carried one wallet ( my husband's) and carried our phones in our pockets. Everything else ( sunscreen, wipes, water bottles, ponchos etc.) we left in the stroller while we rode rides. It just freed us up to not have to carry everything.

Take ponchos - Even if it seems perfectly sunny and not cloudy outside, it is still good to have ponchos on hand. It is Florida.... it rains.... everyday. We went the first week of September and got rained on every. single. day. I don't mean a light sprinkle either. I am talking let your shoes dry out overnight kind of rain. I bought ours at Target or something I think. They are pretty expensive at the park! 

 

 Grocery shop - Just for two breakfast sandwiches, a kids' milk and two black coffees, our breakfast ran us close to 35 bucks a day! Think of doing that for every meal. It gets so pricey!! Especially since we are snackers, we thought it would be a good idea to go to a nearby grocery store and load up on bread, pb &j, yogurt, milk, fruit, bottled water, chips, and whatever else so that we always had something when we came back to the hotel room. We came back for lunch several days since our little one needed to nap. It really helped save money!! Then, you don't feel as bad splurging on all of the fun sweet stuff.

Buy Disney goods BEFORE you go to Disney - I know this sounds extremely cheap of me. However, let me explain..... When you go Disney with a toddler, they want EVERYTHING! We still bought Amara a princess dress ( compliments of Grandma), princess flip-flops, a Mickey T-shirt, a wand, and a doll. I think its a great idea to leave with some goodies in your suitcase to "gift" to your child throughout the Disney trip! There are Disney items to be found everywhere. Purchase them for a much lower price, and still be your kids' hero without breaking the bank. 

Stay on the Disney property - This is big for us just because we love the Disney experience! Two perks of doing this is FREE transportation to and from the airport via Magical Express. They even handle your bags for you!! It is a lifesaver! Also, you get to partake in "Extra Magic hours" at the parks. Certain parks stay open several hours later JUST for those that stay at a Disney resort. It cuts the lines down immensely, and its just an awesome experience!

Consider purchasing tickets in bulk - There are always deals on the Disney site (deal and special offers page)!My husband and I had a driver pick us up to drive us from our Disney hotel to Universal Studios ( where my husband had a show that day), and the driver told us that if you buy tickets in bulk, you can get park hoppers for as low as $30 dollars a day! WHOA!!!! When he said "in bulk", he was talking like 10 days worth of tickets. He said that you can get the ones that never expire, unlike the normal ones that expire 14 days after its issued, and save them for your next trip even. I can't find the EXACT deal he was talking about online, but I did find this page to be quite helpful as it talks about a very similar deal. Read under "Will you likely be returning to Disney?". We are definitely planning on bulk buying next year.

Side note: if you are a super safe kind of person, be sure and write down the serial numbers on the back of your tickets just incase you lose them. That is the only chance you have of replacing them.

Eat a Croissant Donut (Cronut) - Found at Epcot right before you get to the first "country"! You will thank me!

And Butter Beer (frozen) - Harry Potter.... I have no words. Our day at Universal exploring Diagon Alley was a highlight for me.

We also customized our magic bands online before we left for Disney! You can do this on their website as well.

Enjoy the Magic!!

A "TRIP AROUND THE WORLD" THEMED BABY SHOWER

We are going on a little "trip around the world" on this lovely Friday! We wanted to share a sweet shower that is just too cute to keep to ourselves. We love big over the top celebrations just as much as the next party enthusiast, but honestly swoon over small, charming celebrations such as this one. All of the little details are so perfect and sentimental. 

Sara is awaiting the arrival of her baby boy, and her sister, Beth, was the creative mind behind all of this perfection. Even her home is stunning and full of charming details.

Beth's blurb:

It took me a while to come up with a theme for the shower.  I didn't want to use cheesy baby blue bottles and the generic "it's a boy" banner.  Sara was obsessed with maps growing up and I think still is, and I knew she was using a globe in her nursery, so I thought it would be a fitting theme.  It all fit - Welcoming baby into the world, had Sara's personality, prepping baby for all the travels and experiences he'll have in life, and it wasn't a cheesy landscape.  So, with the globe idea, I scoured pinterest for ideas.  I found a cardstock book of travel theme scrapbooking paper and went to work! I made bunting with leftover twine and my hot glue gun.  I had extra old wooden boxes left over from my wedding, so I used those for different levels of display.  The wreath and framed welcome sign were made from paper of an atlas and I just freehanded the words in silver sharpie, and outlined them with black sharpie. My husband made most of the food, with the exception of the cake pops.  Those were a trial and error process as they were the first ones I had made.  I used blue candy melts from Joanns and gold sprinkles to give them a "globe" look and stuck them in styrofoam for stability and covered it with white rocks to continue the travel/world theme. Everything else just kinda fell together.  All of the little touches were completed last minute by things I had laying around my house.  The birds, books, extra globes, etc. were just extra items I use in my everyday decor. 

Sara's blurb:

I loved that beth tied items I love into the decor - maps, vintage plates, globes for the decor. In one of the wood crates on the mantle, she had vintage Nebraska and Pennsylvania state plates - the states my husband, Brad, and I were born in.  I also loved that she had the Dr. Suess "oh, the places you will go" book and used it as a guest book. it fit the theme perfectly and I'll treasure that with the written notes inside from my girls!

Thank you SO much Sara and Beth for sharing your photos with us!! Enjoy your weekend friends! When we are not posting here, we are Instagramming..... keep up with us here!