The Robinson Residence: October 2017

Monday, October 30, 2017

Scooby Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?!

     Happy Monday! I hope you all had a weekend filled with Halloween fun. Can you believe that Halloween is tomorrow?! Already? Oh my gosh, I am so excited!
     I am also super excited to be revealing our family Halloween costumes. Yup, we're the Scooby Doo Crew! Halloween is such a fun holiday and we LOVE dressing up around here. I always have SO  much fun coming up with a Halloween costume every year! These costumes were super easy to piece together. I studied the actual Scooby Doo Crew, and found simiular items off of Amazon and Etsy. Pretty simple,right?!  If you guys have any question, don't hesitate to ask me!
What are you going to be?! I would love to see/hear back from you guys!
Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Best Béarnaise Sauce...


      This Béarnaise recipe is beyond delicious and will wow your guest with it's flavor and elegance. Béarnaise sauce and steak are the perfect match for one another, although this sauce does have other divine uses. You can spread it over salmon, poached eggs, or even asparagus. This sauce's richness will improve everything it touches. Enjoy!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Traditions With My Pumpkins...

     Happy Friday, everyone! The weekend is finally here. I hope you all have a weekend filled with halloween goodies, we sure do. I am super excited to share our Halloween costumes with you all. What are you guys going to be?!
     Today's post is all about traditions to start with your family! I am always looking for something FUN to do with my babies, keeping them entertained, active, and constantly learning. I believe that is very important. Plus, it is such great bonding time and a great way to make unforgettable memories. As a kid, my mom always had traditions for us, and still to this day I cherish and remember every single one. I want my babies to only have good memories and a great childhood to reflect back on and that's what I strive to give them on a daily basis! 
     I previously posted some other great halloween activities to do such as pumpkin painting and super cute kid-friendly recipes you and your kiddos can whip up in the kitchen. If you don't recall/ missed  that post-  click here to see!  Another great tradition of ours is pumpkin carving, of course! What would Halloween be without carving some pumpkins out on the front porch?!
 P.S - This year, we celebrate Noah's 1st Halloween. The cutest pictures of him INSIDE a pumpkin will be uploaded next week when I talk about baby's 1st holidays.  Stay tuned because I am pretty sure he is the cutest baby pumpkin in the patch!

Shop My Post:
Dress: Express (Currently 30% off!)
Sophia Grace's & Noah's Pajamas: Baby Gap (I couldn't find the exact ones online, but I linked similar ones below)

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Festive Front Porch For Fall...


     Hi! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I know, I am. This weather in Houston has me feeling super giddy.  It is finally starting to feel like fall and I am loving every bit of this fresh & crisp air. Today, I am going to be sharing with you our front porch fall decor, I felt that this post would be inspiration to get everyone in the mood for fall! Especially considering that Halloween is less than a week away and Thanksgiving is right around the corner!  I hope you all enjoy our front porch for this fall season. 
Happy harvest!


Shop My Post:
Clothing:
Shirt: freepeople (This shirt is currently 40% off!)
Booties: Sam Edelman
Sunglasses: Balenciaga (These sunnies are 65% off!)
Lipstick: NYX (Shade:Embellishment)
Bracelets: David Yurman (Pearl & Black Onyx)
Watch: Michael Kors
Earrings: Chanel


Exterior Decor:
Wreath: Pottery Barn, Nordstrom (I couldn't find my exact one, so I linked similar ones) P.s- I got mine from Hobby Lobby 
Black&White Striped Pillows: Target
Pumpkin Pillows: Pier 1
Faux Boxwood Topiary: Joss&Main, Wayfair


Monday, October 23, 2017

Thai Basil Coconut Soup...

Hi! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I sure did. This past weekend I attended Create&Cultivate's Houston Style Summit and I had such a great time! Not only did I have a fabulous time, I met so many sweet and inspiring woman plus learned so much. That was the best part!
     Today, I am going to switch things up a bit and share one of my delicious recipes with you all. As most of you may know, I am always in the kitchen. Cooking has been a passion and hobby of mine for a long time. I cook almost everyday for my family and I enjoy every second, it is a big part of who I am.
     I am going to be sharing with you all a very flavorful & authentic Thai soup. Brett and I love all different types of food so I always make it a habit to experiment with different cultures in the kitchen!    This dish will not disappoint you, I promise. Give it a try and let me know how you like it!
Recipe found below on Recipe Card:



Friday, October 20, 2017

Travel Guide to Aspen...



When to go:
September-November(Autumn): This is the time frame that my family and I went, and honestly the weather was perfect in my opinion. It was cool and windy, yet the sun was still shining, giving off a little heat! In late September & early October the fall foliage is at it's prime! In early October there is even snow, up in the mountains! Surprisingly Autumn is a slower time. Therefore, the tiny village was not crowded and reservations for restaurant were not needed. (Very convenient with our babies!)

December-February(Winter): Winter is by far the most popular time to visit due to the 200 inches of annual snowfall. The snowfall attracts tourist across the country who are into winter sports, such as skiing and snow boarding. This is the most expensive time of year being that it is so popular. If you rather go when the crowds have dispersed- visit early January, or late February for manageable prices.

March-May(Spring): Unfortunately, this time of year Aspen isn't the prettiest. March and April are usually the rainiest months of the year. Also, good luck booking a hotel during this time frame. Many hotels are closed for a few weeks before the arrival of the summer tourist. 

June-August(Summer): This warm weather is ideal for outdoor activities such as golfing, biking, and hiking. There are also tons of popular festivals going on at this time! To receive the best available rates, be sure to book your lodging a few months in advance.



Where to eat:

Campo di Fiori: If you want authentic Italian food, then this is your place! I am a sucker for some authentic pasta, so we tried this place our first night in Aspen and it was wonderful! I highly recommend this restaurant. P.S-The noodles are house-made!

White House Tavern: This cute little spot is hands down a place you can't miss while visiting Aspen. It is actually a pretty popular lunch/dinner spot. Everything we got was DELICIOUS and so unique. I highly recommend their Chicken Meatballs as an appetizer. Then for the entree either the French Dip Au Jus (SO good) or their Honor Burger (Best burger I have had in my LIFE, seriously craving it right now talking about it.. yum!!)

Meat & Cheese: This was a quick little spot we stopped at lunch one day and it was delicious! Cute little meat and cheese trays. The soups are also super delicious, I highly recommend the Thai Basil Coconut soup of their's..so tasty! 

The J-Bar at Hotel Jerome: Who loves room service?! We do. Especially after a long day of exploring the town with 2 babies.  The J-Bar is actually one of the top restaurant's in town, and luckily... it was right below our room, in our hotel! They have a wide variety of food, and the selection is endless. They are known for their hamburgers! 

ink Coffee: The 1st question I asked the valet when arriving to our hotel was "where is the closets Starbucks?!" I mean hello, when you arrive to a place like Aspen from a place like Houston, it is just a must to get a hot drink in hand! He told me that there is no chains in aspen meaning NO Starbucks. What?! It was a major disappointment. He recommended THIS coffee shop-ink Coffee. OH MY GOSH, you guys... the White Almond Joy Expresso. It is sooooo good. Now, I am wishing there was one located in Houston!

Where to Stay:

Hotel Jerome: Hands down, stay at Hotel Jerome. This hotel was such a nice and luxurious place for our family to stay. I have nothing but good feedback! I am very picky when it comes to where our family stays, so trust me on this one! The concierge team was so sweet, helpful, and catered to all of our needs. When we arrived, they knew we had babies with us so in our room they had set up a bassinet, wipes, baby toiletries, a stuffed animal, and even a diaper pail. How convenient, 
personable, and thoughtful?! They also left a tasty variety of snacks and drinks to enjoy whenever we'd like. 

What to do:
Maroon Bells- The most photographed mountain scene in North America, obviously you can't miss it. The views were seriously breathtaking. Pictures simply just don't do this mountain justice! Maroon Bells is about a 35 minute drive from Aspen and the drive there was so beautiful. We even saw a moose, pretty cool! 
A few things to know before visiting Maroon bells:
-It costs $10 dollars to park your car. Cash ONLY



Independence Pass-My family and I took this road coming to Aspen from Denver and oh my goodness, the 3 hour drive flew by! The views were insanely gorgeous. There was always something to be fascinated by and see. Brett and I took turns saying "LOOK!"..we had a blast in the front seat! We stopped multiple times with the kids to see breathtaking views, it was an adventure in itself! We explored a lot just getting to our final destination, we were happy with that!!

Glenwood Hot Springs-This is located right outside of Aspen, in Glenwood Springs. Either coming to or from Aspen, I would highly recommend to stop and check out the hot spring! 

John Denver Sanctuary-We walked to this cute little sanctuary with the babies and played on the soccer field, rocks, and through the leaves! It was a fun little adventure, considering it was only 2 blocks from our hotel. Sophia enjoyed running up and down the hill with her daddy! As for Noah and I..we were bundled up cuddling. It was quite windy that day!


Hiking- Hiking is a hit here! There are a bunch of different trail options: Crater Lake, Grottos Trail, Rio Grande Trail, Cathedral Lake, and Ute Trail. (There are several more options, these are just the ones that were recommended to us).

Shopping-The shopping is Aspen is phenomenal. They have very high-end shopping, just about any designer you can think of, it's located in the little village.  They also have the cutest little unique boutiques there! I fell in love with one baby boutique for children- Katebaby & KIDS. If you love spoiling your kids with LOVE and clothes, walk in that store...I promise you won't leave empty handed!! 

Gondola-The view from the gondola is beautiful and breath taking! I highly recommend this while in Aspen. Considering it only takes about 30 minutes to get to the top, it is worth every second. FYI-during the fall season, it is only opened on weekdays.

Skiing/Snowboarding- Obviously Aspen would be an ideal location for winter sports during the December-February!

Below are some photos of our trip!
I hope this travel guide was helpful to you. If you plan on traveling to Aspen any time soon and have any questions/concerns, please do not hesitate to ask me. I would be more than happy to help!


 

design + development by kiki and co.