Favorite Finds: I heart Texas + Oregon Edition
I said recently that my heart is in two states: Texas and Oregon.
Truth. It has been for a long, long time. I say that now because my oldest daughter Kate, and her family have just moved there, but Texas and I have a long and storied history. I lived in Houston a few years as a youngun', moved away and then had a pivotal homecoming. I studied Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, met Mike and got married. We moved to San Antonio as newlyweds. I penciled my first set of house plans and our first baby was born in that city of homemade tamales and ice houses.
Then, we moved to Oregon for what was supposed to be six years, had three more kiddos and almost thirty years later, we are still here.
I love Oregon, with her tumbling waterfalls, rainy days and rugged coast. But a piece of my heart is always in Texas. Texas is where a boy carried my books for the first time and kissed me at the door. Texas is bluebonnet highways and breakfast tacos. Texas is where I met the man I love better today than yesterday.
To celebrate how our hearts can love and pine for more than one home state, this edition of Favorite Finds is one I'm calling I heart Texas + Oregon Edition. There is a bunch to love in both states, so I suspect this will be the the first of many where these two meet as they do in my heart.
This all started with my friend Christy, seeing this photo and wanting a Texas cap. The snapshot was the moment my Ryan asked her sister Kate to be her maid of honor. (No, they are not in Kate's closet, but in her garage at the epic moving sale to fund the trip to Texas.)
We could not find the hat anywhere online for Christy, only in the boutique in Fredericksburg, TX where we bought it. Because I want you to have one, here is a close second, a little plaid state of Texas cap.
When I went back to Texas to move Kate into her new home, my sister gave me a baseball cap that I love. I was trying to capture my love for both states in this photo and had so many people ask me about the hat, that I am sharing it here. Of course, Texas isn't the only place that says, "y'all", so anyone with a southern soul will want one.
Brave key chain from my friend Carly at Recreatedco. You can choose your own word.
Wherever we find ourselves, we try and drink good coffee. If you look in our cupboards at the house, you'll see we believe we can NEVER have too many mugs. It's a problem, but we cannot help ourselves.
You might want a mug from your state.
You'll need a place to rest your coffee mugs. We love these coasters with iconic scenes of Oregon. They are shiny and happy all over the house. I gave one to Kate with the subliminal message "visit Portland".
Before our first visit to find a rental house for Kate and Zeke, my sister asked about favorite snacks and drinks to stock the pantry for our visit. I told her, "bubbly water". This agua mineral bottled in Mexico is our new favorite! Glass bottles y'all.
Unless you're at a Texas HEB, you'll need to order Topo Chico online.
I'm so good at selfies. But I had to show you the Topo Chico lime flavor in the bright green bottle. It's a unicorn.
The only thing that would make a tall bottle of Topo Chico better is laying in a hammock while you sip it. A Kammock. No, that is not a typo. Kammocks are sleeping hammocks made in sunny Austin, TX.
This is what we gave Mike for Father's Day. We haven't even it hung it between two trees yet. That is on my summer to-do list. I plan to sleep under the stars. To see my summer not-to-do list, click here.
Get a Kammock for yourself or your man or your whippersnappers. Some of our friends are getting one in an outdoor-style wedding gift.
Here is where it all comes together.
I might be late to the Noonday Collection party, but I'm finally here. Noonday Collection began in Texas, but I ordered my first items from an ambassador in Oregon. So, TX + OR = heart.
Noonday is a collection of jewelry and handbags made by artisan women around the world. It was born out of one woman's adoption story and her heart to cherish children and help women flourish by the work of their own hands in their own country.
Oh, how I connected deeply with that kind of soulful mission! My work with the children at Door to Grace is local, but similar in that heartbeat that " all children belong in families".
I liked that when I purchase a Noonday item, I am getting beauty and hope while caring for the children of the world. Their tagline is, "You are helping to build a flourishing world". Amen to that.
My family gave me this Rustic Leather Tote for my birthday. I'm carrying it as a purse, but look at all that fits inside!
These cool earrings I purchased at my friend Heidi's, trunk show. They are called Minaret earrings and are made of water buffalo horn by artisans in Vietnam. I picked them because they faintly reminded me of the years I lived in Iran.
Order something for yourself or a friend and be good to the world. Say hello to my friend Joanna over at Noonday Collection.
I'll close with a scene from a favorite movie, "Sweet Home Alabama". This is a good summer movie about needing a passport to come home.
Mel: I'm happy in New York, Jake. But then I came down here and this fits too.
Jake: Since when does it have to be one or the other?
You can have roots and wings, Mel.
Happy summering!
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