You can meet me at Magnolia any time!
This girl of mine is just like her Mom and enjoys a good adventure! After making arrangements to be in the Houston area to help launch the newest Spoiled Rotten Photography franchise, I knew I would have one day to explore the area. When I discovered Waco is less than 3 hours from Katy, I began scheming how I could get Sarah Beth out to Texas to join me for a day trip to Waco to experience all things Magnolia. I knew this would be a dream opportunity for her that I didn’t want to miss out on. The girls and I discovered Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Fixer Upper show in 2016 and binge watched each of their episodes, following the design trends and watching the projects that always seemed to get bigger. After watching Joanna work her magic, I began seeing an innate design and interior design ability in Sarah Beth. She has been the child that will ignore the growing mound of clothes in a corner, but will rearrange her furniture and stage the nic nacs on her shelves everyday. Of course, when I shared this idea and plan with Sarah Beth she was so excited and ready to soak it all in, even if it would be a quick trip. We found a direct flight from Bham to Houston on United Airlines. The tickets were cheap enough Jonathan could fly out with Sarah Beth cheaper than we could pay for her to be accompanied by a United staff member, and then catch the same flight back to Bham that evening. Everything aligned perfectly to make a smooth transition at the airport.
I visited The Magnolia Market and Waco area with my Mom in January 2017, but this would be Sarah Beth’s first trip to Texas. I was excited to see all the new development and projects that have been added since 2017. We just missed by a few weeks the completion of the newest expansion with church, small shops, and wiffle ball field.
Give me ALL the Fall Decor!
Given the current social distancing protocols, we had to wait some at the shops and restaurants, but nothing compared to what it probably would be in a normal year. After visiting the main Magnolia Market store we grabbed a chai latte to share at the Magnolia Press and walked through the Magnolia Home furniture store. We drove over to the Magnolia Table restaurant for lunch. With limited capacity we had to wait an hour for a table for a late lunch, but the delicious brunch/lunch menu is worth the wait! We split the Farm Breakfast and Gaines’ Family Favorite chili. They were both fantastic, and we agreed it some of the best bacon we have ever had!
With our lunch ticket they gave us the cutest little Waco passport booklet. After lunch we drove around the Castle Heights neighborhood to see the Gaines’ upcoming castle project, saw the Hillcrest Bed and Breakfast, and drove out to the original Magnolia on Bosque, which is now the sister discount store. We found a few additional treasures and souvenirs and headed back to get the rest of our passport stamps and end our afternoon with a cupcake from the Silos Bakery.
TIP: You will want to get ALL the types of cupcakes, so get 2 different kinds and share!
If you have been thinking about visiting Magnolia, you should totally do it! Grab your daughters, a few girlfriends, or your spouse and make it a weekend getaway. I promise you will leave refreshed and inspired. You can meet me at Magnolia any time!