Staycation in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Hello readers (all... 10 of you or so?)! If you remember, several weeks back I told you that my husband and I had a "staycation." This, of course, is where you stay at home and have a cheaper vacation than going out of town. We were originally going to go to Dallas or Oklahoma City, but we could not find a dog-sitter (and I cannot imagine putting my dog in a kennel). So, we decided to hang out in our wonderful city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and see what new adventures we could find in our own backyard.

First of all, one of our main objectives of our staycation was to eat at local places that we had never tried before. One such place is Queenies Plus, a local joint that is known for its desserts and brunch. Here is a vegetarian eggs benedict that WAS TO DIE FOR. Seriously, look at that. Yum! I am going to try to figure out a way to make a home-made version, and will have to post the results in the future!

Next thing we decided we should do was to check out local attractions - like art museums and garden areas. First, we went to our favorite local art museum - the Philbrook Museum. It's a museum that was made from a converted old mansion left by the very rich Phillips family in Tulsa.  It's absolutely gorgeous for its art, architecture, and gardens. Here are just some of the pictures I took while touring the museum.

I heard about a green house garden open to the public from a friend, and we jumped on the chance to check it out. We found a big room full of cacti - which made me feel really at home. Seriously. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and whenever I see cacti, I get really nostalgic. Usually this isn't a problem since I live in Tulsa (where there is no cacti), but this greenroom was amazing! I could have stayed in there by my little pointy friends all day.

I also thought I should add a picture of my silly, wonderful husband. He seemed to like the greenhouse also!

Well, that's about it, actually. Most of the rest of the staycation was us being lazy, enjoying life, and being sweaty due to the hot weather. It's cooled down since, but that weekend was especially hot, so we stayed inside for most of it.

Dallas / Ft. Worth Vacation

This last weekend, my in-laws invited my husband and I to join them on a relaxing vacation out in the Dallas area. They rented a home for a week out in Arlington, and we thought it would be great to be able to get out of town without having to pay for a hotel.

My husband and I have a very strange hobby - going to grocery stores. We go to specialty grocery stores in Tulsa, like Whole Foods or The Fresh Market, all the time. Dallas has an amazing specialty store called Central Market. We always visit that store, and this vacation was no exception. We actually got to see the new Ft. Worth store. Central Market is like.. Whole Foods but on a massive amount of crack. It's just incredible the selection of products and the variety and quality of produce they have at their stores. I swear, I'm not getting paid to talk about them, I just think their stores are awesome.

Isn't vacation really about where you are going to eat and the new foods you are going to experience? That's what I usually look forward to.

My husband and I stumbled upon a great looking hamburger place in Arlington called the  Twisted Root Burger Company. Their hamburgers and black bean burgers were great! I would say they were somewhat pricey, but still worth it. My husband got an avocado and crispy onion burger, and I got a mushroom swiss. Yum!


Before we left, I found out that Dallas has a really successful and well known all-vegan restaurant called the Spiral Diner.  I had to try it! Let's just say it was amazing. We had an amazing cheese dip made out of cashews that tasted just like cheese! I ordered a mock-chicken salad sandwich, and my husband ordered a crispy spring wrap. So delicious! Lastly, we had to try their I-Scream with a vegan cookie. The I-Scream tasted just like regular ice cream, if not better! It was creamy and delicious.

I thought I would share some of my exciting meal times from this weekend's trip. What are some of your favorite places to go when you go to Dallas or any of your favorite cities?

Around My Kitchen

Seeing as a lot of my posts will be centered around recipes I create in my kitchen, I thought I would give you a peek into what my favorite room in my house looks like.

My husband and I bought our home in May, or about two and a half months ago. The kitchen needed some help, but it was probably one of the best features of the house. One of the biggest (and most expensive) things we did for our new home was to purchase all new appliances. I splurged on my stove, but it was totally worth it. When we bought the house, the back-splash of the counter tops was just white Formica. We wanted something more cheerful and special, so my husband and I painted a custom chalkboard paint. We used a formua created by the one-and-only Martha Stewart that you can find here. Anyways, we love the result. We can write messages, bible verses, or draw in a tiled look. It's fun and cheap!  What do you think?

We also painted some of the same chalkboard paint on a large built-in that was getting rather old looking. That space is now used for the menu plan of the week. My husband can see what I'm planning on making for dinner, and it also helps to remind me.

Another thing I have tried to incorporate into my kitchen is bright patterns and designs. One easy solution is to get bright napkins or towels to put around. Here is a towel I have hanging from my stove. Cheerful, right?

I also have a wonderful calendar that I got at Anthropologie that I plan to use for years to come. How? I figure I will cut out the beautiful pictures of tea cups, plates, etc. and frame them and hang them around the kitchen. The actual calendar part is small enough to cut out. Have you done anything similar that you would recommend?

Lastly, I used more *ahem* chalkboard paint to label some things around my kitchen. What can I say? I'm obsessed! I also like the organization of having all your important utensils in one area, and I have it sitting right by my stove. Its been a lifesaver!

Well, there you go! I hope you've enjoyed this mini tour of my kitchen. What are some things in your kitchen that you love and would recommend?