Tarrytown - Old Meets New

Lamar Homes just remodeled a cool cottage in Tarrytown, located in West Austin.  Remodeling is on the rise as we see people wanting to be closer to downtown with the perks of a new and updated house.  Tarrytown is an affluent neighborhood with easy access to UT and Mopac.  In the past some of these older cottages were torn down and "McMansions" were popping up.  But the McMansion ordinance soon put a stop to that back in 2006 and now homeowners are getting more creative!

The owner grew up in this home located on Woodmont and rather than sell it or tearing it down, she decided to preserve it and keep it's vintage charm.  My dad, Gerald found some classic pieces to tie old and new together like this unique door knob.

Other updates included new flooring, wrought iron railings, and a completely updated kitchen with new light fixtures.

Lots in this area are scarce but Lamar Homes can do a custom build right next door to this cottage.  So if you're in the market for brand new home in Tarrytown, check out Lamar Homes for details.

Siena turns ONE!

Siena turned one year old this month!  We had a small family gathering at our Allandale home here in Austin.  One of her first words was QUACK QUACK so we decided to have a ducky theme.  My husband Merritt is a chef at Word of Mouth Catering and so he whipped up some amazing Carrot Cake Cupcakes with fresh cream cheese frosting.  She wasn't sure what to do with it at first but then got into the swing of things!

Here's the Recipe:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes......okay I lied there's 30 + ingredients, email if you'd like it ;)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Three 8 oz. cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp maple syrup

Pure Yumminess!

Of course I got her a pink tutu!

Recording in Austin

One of my good friends bought a Groupon for a Karaoke Studio in North Austin called King of Karaoke.  We have been singing together since high school and we were very excited to go and have fun with it.  We've all recorded professionally before so we thought it would be a great experience.  It definitely was fun but not exactly the professional quality we'd hoped for but we did make the Wall of Fame!  Anyhow, if you're looking for a fun time with the family or friends, this might be the place.  

However, if you're in need of a professional recording studio check out Eastside Music.  Whether you need recording or music lessons, you'll be taken care of by a talented musician!