Magnolia Silos – Peace, Joy & Tranquility

Like any modern millennial living in the space just past college and prior to thinking about what it is, exactly, that I want to fill the next 25 years of my life with, I’m a huge fan of all things Chip & Jo! Chip and Joanna Gaines are famous for the HGTV series “Fixer Upper” but, more than that just a show transforming people’s homes and futures, they represent this minimalist farm house look that we not only want but crave. A look displayed at the Magnolia Marketplace.

Joanna’s design style not only represents the homey feel of grandma’s house with their exposed brick and homey essentials, but it also represents that need for space, all natural and clean that so many people crave. For the majority of a house, I couldn’t care less, but the kitchens they design and build FUEL MY SOUL!

It’s Joanna’s love of her kitchen and what a kitchen and home cooked for represent that pulls on my heart the most and made traveling the two and a half hours round trip to the Magnolia Market, Magnolia Bakery and the famous Magnolia Silos so important to me on my week long trip to Texas at the start of January.

While Austin, Texas, isn’t THAT close to Waco, Texas, it is the town that my life coach, mentor, fellow non-profit volunteer, and good friend Ashley Minaise lives with her family. The Silos may have been cool and a bit “underwhelming” as Ashley forewarned me, I was surprised at the peace, joy and tranquility I felt in this homey public place with my second family.

Joining Ashley and I on our outing was her and her husband’s BEAUTIFUL sweetheart of children; Edward, Harrison and Josephine. Edward and Harrison I have met multiple times, albeit Harrison was definitely too young to remember me, but Josephine was the newest addition having been born in Texas and not Oregon. At four months old, she’s literally the most perfect baby!

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Little gentleman, I loved spending the day with tours from Edward and Harrison of all things “Sigh-yo’s” as Edward called them. At four years old, I was not only impressed with how much working knowledge he had of Chip and “Yo,” but also of Fixer Upper. According to Ashley, he’s a big fan and it’s one of the few shows that he’ll watch!

Dining at the food trucks, playing on the artificial turf grounds and exploring the gardens where employees were hard at work prepping for the spring – I wish more than anything we had an open hang out place like this back home in Oregon. I know that that is virtually impossible with our weather as basking in the rays in the middle of January was such a welcome’d moment – we had had rains for 15 days straight prior to leaving the mid-willamette valley.

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I absolutely have to compliment the staff at the Silos, though, as they immediately recognized curious and excited little boys like Harrison and Edward and enlisted them to help them plant bulbs in the floral garden. Leaving with buttons stating their good deeds of gardening, I can’t help but feel a bit guilty because, in my attempt to pin the tail on the donkey, I had put Harrison’s button on kind of sideways. Most normal kids wouldn’t have noticed but Ashley’s little gentleman are, just that, and I KNOW he knew that I had put it on wonky and kept slyly trying to fix it without me knowing.

The actual market was amazing with an open floor plan. I truly enjoyed shopping all of the items and, if only I had known then that my boyfriend would be buying a new piece of luggage to bring back home, I would have purchased all of the kitchen measuring cups, spoons, towels, etc. that I could have fit into the package to go!

I limited myself to two items; a tumbler for me and a t-shirt for my mom. I wish more than anything that my mom could have gone with me – she would have thoroughly enjoyed the Silos. It may have been my shot at inspiring someone who could make it happen! No one is more creative or handy as my mother; there is literally nothing that she can’t make!

I hope beyond hope that when we go to Texas in March for my “brother” Chris’s wedding that the rest of my family can stop in on their road trip to New Orleans for the Final Four!