yayandyay amen

found

hello everyone!

sorry i'm off to a late start- instead of my home office

i'm working from a coffee shop today

and i've had a productive morning

Y A Y

i have some really exiting projects in the works

and i can't wait to share them with you

avdesign is back in full swing!

ANOTHER YAY AND A

A M E N!

any amens on your unofficial monday back/tuesday day?

xo

AV

S T R E T C H!

over at the vieger casa

we've been dealing with some major pains

A PAIN IN MY NECK

no actually it's taylor that is injured

over a week ago he pinched a nerve in his neck

which traveled and created MAJOR

pains and sensitivity in his back

difficult to stand up straight or walk pain

AND

for over a week he's been getting on my nerves!

just kidding...kind of ;)

SERIOUSLY

i can't encourage the importance of stretching enough!

this vintage beauty demonstrates some

excellent facial stretching as well as back and shoulder stretches

if you want to scare your co-workers, children

friends & family, or strangers even

i would try these amazing facial stretches in public

after all it is friday- we all need a little laugh

:)

found

guest blogger: coco in austin

hello friends- i'm happy to

introduce my bestie from austin-

GABBY

aka COCO in austin

i'm excited to have her as a guest blogger

enjoy!

Here is a little blurb about a day in the life of

COCO, in Austin TX!

My very cool Aunt Cheryl came in town, from NYC,

and we had a full day of enjoyment and entertainment lined up!

We began the day with a late afternoon lunch at Lambert's downtown,

right across the street from City Hall. Side note,

I just adore their brunch on Sundays,

buffet style for the main fixins: ribs, pork, brisket, biscuits, salads,

sides and desserts.Then they have a made to order menu with single serving sizes

of omelets, steaks, french toast, smoothies, and more.

Its my favorite brunch (for food AND drink) in Austin.

Some other brunch spots are fun for just drinks.




After lunch, we shopped around some,

went in St bernard sports for a few fun dresses.

Then we had dinner reservations at my FAVORITE new dinner spot,

El Arbol, which means "label the tree" in spanish.

Honestly it was the most PERFECT night, about 65 degrees with a slight breeze-

fabulous patio weather. We sat under the big tree.

The best dish, hands down, is the Escolar with herb manchego gnocchi,

which I've mentioned before. But my aunt and my boyfriend were BOTH

getting the escolar entree, so I opted for my second favorite dish- the Vieiras Doradas.

Also known as the day-boat scallops, avocado, fried brussels sprouts,

yucca chips, saffron-cayenne aioli, citrus gastrique. YES, it's as amazing as it sounds...

After dinner, we stopped off at Cipollina,

a little bistro in the hood, great menu with PHENOMENAL desserts.

There are no other words for this little explosion of awesomeness

other than WOW. LOVE this dessert, I love grapefruit in general.
This was the grapefruit trio: shortcake, buttercream, supremes.

Yes please.


After dessert, we went to the infamous

Continental Club

on South Congress.


The main attraction was none other than the very talented, Edie Brickell.

Its been a long time since Edie played in Texas,

you could definitely feel her excitement to be back home (she is originally from dallas.)

The New Bohemians were with her, as well as Charlie Sexton- an amazing guitarist.

IT was PACKED, and the line was VERY long.

Luckily we were on the guest list!

Not the best image below: Charlie is on the left,

Edie in the middle and a few bohemians on the right.

The iPhone 4 is my camera of choice, as usual.

But what a great show! She played some new stuff

and of course played the popular "What I am."

You can see it filmed here, courtesy of me.
One of my other most-liked songs is the relatively new song,

"They've got a pill for that."

watch Here
And finally, as I was walking to my car from the show,

saw the sign below, on a SOCO shop door.

Why is this funny and sad? Either way, I thought I'd share.

Hey, I'm just trying to keep Austin safe!

XO,

COCO in Austin

please don't stop the music

today i'm craving a music festival

in a major way

not just any music festival

i've been eyeing

the ACL one day pass for sunday

ARCADE FIRE anyone?!

plus those are the only tickets left

i could wear this light gauzy easy breezy top

pin my hair back in this messy bun

become inspired

like i am when i look at this painting

Paul Klee. Double Tent. 1923

can you tell i am trying to convince the *cough* husband

we should go to ACL?

any outdoor venues planned for your summer???

xo

av

monday monday

good morning lovelies!

i usually wake up on mondays feeling like this.....

then i take a sip of coffee and i can channel a bit more

after all

such a powerful verse!

just reading it - i feel empowered this morning

and ready to seize the day and my to-do list

how do

YOU

feel this monday morning?

p.s. if you need a laugh- you have to check this SNL skit out

or as the canadians say it ooouut

going to the country.....

happy friday!

in a few i'll be headed to the country

to ranch it up

i hope you all have a lovely weekend

filled with friends, family, fellowship and fun!

and

A VERY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to the MAN, MY DAD

STEVE BAKER, GPA, SHAKEY BAKES....

the list goes on!

you are so many things to so many people

but i'm so thankful to call you my father

i love you dad

how great is this song

going up to the country

by canned heat

with images from woodstock '69?!!!

bridesmaids!

last night i saw bridesmaids the movie

i went with some of my girlfriends and as miley c says

it was 'purddy cool'

seriously though- we have to see it again!

we were laughing the entire movie and missed some of

it because it was THAT funny

how cute is kristen wiigs' outfit?

this red number was my fav!

loved the blazer n dress combo

even her travel style was stylish!

and workout gear too!

seriously-although i was laughing out loud the whole movie

i was also admiring kw's adorable look

it was feminine yet indie laid back casual cool!

made me want to chop my long hair for a wavy bob!

but as taylor says 'no mom cuts!'

have you seen bridesmaids yet?

texas state cookoff

this weekend i will be attending the annual

TEXAS STEAK COOKOFF

located in

you can learn more about this gem of a town

with the motto

'everyone is somebody!'

FYI

two years ago the Food Network was on site

to give the event national coverage

you can watch here

HICO is also home of one of my favorite stores

WESTERN OTTER!

blogged about here and here

love the old buildings and painted type

food prep

it's a big deal yall'

ready for some steak!

and when i went to find more info about the wine tasting

the part of the weekend i'm looking most forward to

look who popped up on the front page?!

my very own dad

steve baker-the man!

i'm glad to see he's officially VIP

when i emailed him to let him know he's on the vip page he responded

without missing a beat

What’s next? An MTV reality show maybe?

ha! love you dad!

california

good morning!

the sun is out and i could not be happier

i'll admit it-i'm a bit of a sun worshiper

i apologize for my lack of posts

i was in LA visiting my brother clark

this furry man

lovely succulants

shared lemon drop with my mom

and that pose

runyan!

enjoying the view from the top of the hike

getting our FIX on

the best coffee place i've been too in a long time

we loved it so much we went back for more

and i brought some beans home for my favorite barista!

i promise to share more pics soon

but overall the whole trip was a lot of....

any plans involving

some rays for

YOU

today?

can you tell i'm trying to avoid the stack of to do's on my desk

and the many orders that have to go to the printer today?

XO

av

what should i read next?

every month

in the ladies book club i'm a part of

we read a different novel

(this months' pic- little bee seen above)

we usually get together a list of books to vote from

and the most popular one wins!

well this morning i stumbled upon

WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT?

yes the website isn't exactly well designed

but it's a really cool idea

type in the author you are currently reading

and just like that you have a list of other books,

suggestions and recommendations to read next

kind of like the side shopping card

if you like this

then you will like this

or other shoppers who bought this

got this

what do YOU think readers?

would you use this site?

i had some fun and typed in green eggs and ham:)

wed weekend wrap up

hello lovely people!

i apologize for the late

weekend wrap up

but here goes...

this weekend was spent with

FAMILY

RELAXING AROUND THE HOUSE

& OUT AND ABOUT IN D-TOWN

this week i made a pact with myself to

cook healthy food at home,

get more sleep,

and drink less caffeine and more water

basically taking care of myself:)

although i enjoy night out- good food, fun drinks, and good friends

it feels nice to feel somewhat back to our normal routine

taylor will be in austin this weekend finishing his second album?!!!

and i will be in LA visiting my little brother-clark

so we are taking it pretty easy around here since we travel this weekend

have a lovely day!

i'm crossing my fingers for some sunshine!