My April favorites are here – and I can hardly even believe it — this month, much like all the rest in 2023 flew by. It was another month of snacking, traveling, and settling into our cozy new home. Here are some of the favorites that genuinely made my month.
Favorite Home Purchase
Since we bought our new house, we have been searching high and low for the perfect pieces to turn our house into a home. As first-time homeowners, we want to ensure we’re purchasing furniture we love. We didn’t want to spend money on items that we would need to quickly replace, or that weren’t functional in our space.
World Market has been one of our favorite spots to find things we really love lately. We had never been before we bought the house, and now we’ve been totally sucked into all of the amazing and adorable things they have for the house.
René went shopping one afternoon with his mom and found this display cabinet we thought would be perfect as a little bar/coffee bar. It has quickly become our favorite thing in our whole house. It perfectly fits our Nespresso machine, along with a few mugs, an acrylic holder for our Nespresso pods, and some syrups on top.
Below, the cabinets are sturdy and spacious. The top shelf holds tons of mugs, and on the bottom, we have a full bar, a decanter, and some bar glasses. It’s functional, it’s pretty, and no, I’m not getting paid to tell you that. Buy your own here: Cade Wood and Glass Curved Display Cabinet!
Favorite Bite
CRAWFISH. On our trip to Louisiana, my best friend and business partner and her family made us a traditional crawfish boil and it was amazing! They combined powdered and liquid seasoning to create a super flavorful boil. Plus, they added a pineapple, which made the boil sweet, and was delicious to eat!
It was so much fun to watch this meal come together from start to finish. Shopping for all of the ingredients, boiling in the backyard, and then coming together around a table to eat together. We tore each one open, snacking on the flavorful seafood. The corn was probably my favorite part of it all.
We ate a ton of incredible food in Louisiana, all thanks to my best friend (and business partner!!!), Kait Killebrew. She’s an incredible writer and knows all when it comes to Disney. If you’re planning a trip to the parks, be sure to check out her page! We run Spinning Carousel Co. together, and it’s been so much fun being able to travel more for our work together.
April Favorites Travel Spots
We were able to travel quite a bit this April – from Louisiana to some fun new Florida spots, it was a blast. Since I’ve been to Louisiana before, I wanted to shine a spotlight on Sarasota, Florida.
René and I went to town for a concert he was performing in at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with Mariachi Cobre, benefiting UnidosNow, an organization that empowers Latinos to achieve their American dream. Of course, the show was fantastic, as Mariachi Cobre played with a 72-piece symphony!
Now, I’m not sure that I would suggest Sarasota to tourists from around the world, but if you’re a Florida local like me, it could be an ideal spot for your next staycation. Only about a two-hour drive from Orlando, it was a quick and easy road trip.
While in town, we were thrilled to be able to explore a bit – we went to an awesome farmer’s market and shopped around in Downtown Sarasota. We loved the huge, upscale shopping they offered as we entered the city as well, and the old-school Florida beach charm was felt in every inch of this city.
Throughout the weekend, we found three unique locations that we look forward to visiting again on our next trip.
April Favorites – Food Finds in Sarasota
For breakfast, the Sarasota Breakfast House was a hit. These pineapple pancakes were perfection – especially for a breakfast near the beach! Fluffy and light, they had bits of macadamia nuts for an island crunch. And then, the sweet rings of griddled pineapple on top made for the perfect breakfast bite.
Next, we fell in LOVE with Kojo for date night. The food was phenomenal and we loved the location and the vibe. In addition, the service was great, and we felt like we were able to try dishes we couldn’t get anywhere else. For dinner, the spicy wagyu noodles were incredible. These noodles were light but the sauce was flavorful. When matched with the fatty meat, the dish really could not be topped. For dessert, do not miss out on the shaved ice! This dish was an experience, as they poured the house-made strawberry yuzu sauce tableside.
Last, but not least, a drink at the Bahi Hut Tiki Bar are a MUST. This place feels so vintage and fun – like it’s stuck in time in the very best way!
April Favorites from Spinning Carousel Co.
This April was a BIG month for my brand, Spinning Carousel Co. and I could not have been more thrilled. Our Leader of the Club earrings sold out seven times! SEVEN TIMES! We were floored. Thankful doesn’t begin to cover it.
We worked on these magically inspired earrings for months. Inspired by a vintage design that we couldn’t get out of our heads, we brought them back to life and modernized the design. A cleaner backing, plus making them more lightweight has made these our very favorite.
These were so popular, we have them out in gold and now in silver too! We cannot wait to see how our brand continues to grow from here!
