TODAY // Free Ice Cream courtesy of 4Moms at Lick in Austin

Come out to Lick Ice Cream any time between 2pm- 4pm to enter to win an origami stroller from 4moms. (P.S. If you haven't seen that stroller in action, you really should. Every time I take it in and out of my car, people stop and run over to ask me about it. It's that amazing!)

Also... FREE ice cream! The first 100 people will get two scoops of their favorite sweet treat. Lucy and I will be there, and we'd love to meet you. We'll be moving to Atlanta by September first, and I'd love to meet as many of y'all as I can before we go!

RSVP on Facebook or just show up. And be sure to invite your friends! Because free ice cream, a chance to win an awesome stroller (ARV $849), and the opportunity to squeeze this munchkin. I fully expect there to be a happy line around the block, people.

ATX Bucket List: Austin Steam Train

Now that our impending move date is drawing closer, I've been itching to get things crossed off my family's Texas bucket list. At the tippy top of that list was the Austin Steam Train.

We had been meaning to do this for a long time since Jude (like most little boys) is all about trains. It's just hard for us to make plans to do fun, all night things because of Noodles.

Poor Noodles. She's always the foil to our adventures, as we always forget to make plans for her when we're planning a night out or a vacation. I love her, but I'd have a lot more checked off our Texas bucket list by now if it weren't for her.

Enter: DogVacay. From their site:

DogVacay is a website and app that makes finding great pet sitters simpler than ever. Pet owners can search for pet sitters nearby, book stays and pay online, all with a couple clicks. Our hosts watch your pup in their own home and treat him like a member of the family while you're gone, so you can finally have peace of mind while you travel!

So, it's kind of like Airbnb, but for dogs. And it's great! DogVacay made it possible for me to have a nice, sit down dinner with my family at Blue Corn Harvest and take a three hour train ride through hill country afterwards.
After we dropped Noodles off with host Melissa R for a last minute booking, we high tailed it up to Cedar Park. (This above photo, incidentally, is one of the photos Melissa snapped of Noodles enjoying her backyard while we were away).




Caroline was so happy and Jude is jumping for joy.


I think Lucy was just pleased to be out of her car seat.



Mesmerized by the passing scenery.

  But they were perhaps more so impressed by the snack car and using their Austin Steam Train Association dollars to buy M&M's and rootbeer.

  Our train car was the very last one and although the snack car was perfectly delightful, my favorite part was standing out on the back breezeway. The fact that you're allowed to stand back there must be a very well kept secret because only one other family joined us.



At the half way point, there's a little layover at a train depot built in 1912 in Bertram, Texas. While stopped, Jude wanted to take a closer look at the locomotive engine. It really was majestic!

I love that this may end up being one of Jude's earliest childhood memories.

It was so nice to not have to rush back to let Noodles out or worry if she had an accident in our house while we were away for so long. With Noodles well taken care of, I was able to relax, take in the scenery, and watch the Texas sunset from the back of a moving train: 

All this fun is thanks in part to DogVacay who made this minivacay possible for me and my family. If you have a summer bucket list you're trying to complete and there's a dog preventing this, check out DogVacay. New customers can enjoy $10 off their first booking with code ADOREDAUSTIN. Go here to get more info and check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, too. For more info the train ride, check out AustinSteamTrain.org.

Farewell Adored Austin party!

This Friday, come by the new Langford Market store and bid me adieu (or good riddance). There will be wine and sweets and I'll try really hard not to cry on your nice shirt. Whether we're meeting for the first time or saying goodbye, I'd love to see you! Come out for this fun ladies night. Everyone is invited, it's come and go from 6-9pm, so go ahead and RSVP here. Maybe we can brainstorm and see what we should do about TxSC, too.

Recap: #ChevyShopSocial

I love this city. You could even say that I adore this city. Har-har. See what I did there?

Yesterday was one for the history books. As I mentioned, She Buys Cars and Traveling Mom put me and my new friend Nas in a fully loaded, brand new Chevy (a Tahoe, to be exact) and gave us each $300 to go out into the city and to buy a few items at local shops for a raffle where 100% of the proceeds would go to I Live Here, I Give Here and the Heath Alliance for Austin Musicians. I, of course, requested 2nd Street, my favorite place in all of Austin to shop, dine, and get pampered.

The shoppers // my sweet ride for the day

It was extremely important to me that I shopped at locally owned businesses that I frequented already. I arrived with a game plan, and I had some amazing friends in high places that offered their generosity.

I loaded up Lu and my 4moms origami stroller in the back of the Tahoe, and Nas and I were off! First off, can I just say that though I only had a few short hours with the Tahoe, that vehicle was the dreamy. So much room! So much automation! So smooth! Lucy slept like a champ the entire time.

After parking at City Hall, my first stop was Mercury Design Studio, where they graciously gave me 25% off to help with the benefit. Mercury Design Studio has been one of my favorite stores in Austin for a long time now. The owner Steve has impeccable taste and the shop is curated in a way that is equal parts elegant and whimsical, if you can imagine. I wanted something that would appeal to both men and women of any age, but I didn't want to spend over $100 as I needed to get at least three items for that night's raffle. I almost got coffee table books, but once I learned that the papier-mâché taxidermy was within my price range, I did it. Yes, people, the first gift I picked up was faux taxidermy. No regrets:

Lucy and I outside Mercury // The most adorable fake fox you'll ever see

The fox head retails for $89. Woot! And I'm so going back for the tiny mice ($24 each).

My second stop was Eliza Page. I cannot tell y'all how much I love Eliza Page and owner Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who incidentally, was a TxSC sponsor in year one, generously offered a necklace and earring set for the raffle. When I dropped in to pick them up, I was floored that the earrings were the same style of Gorjana earrings I wear, literally, every single day. The necklace was beautiful, too... and now it's on my own wishlist.

Inside Eliza Page // Dat necklace! Want!

I added an Eliza Page candle to the earrings and necklace we'd been gifted with, and I headed around the corner to stop #3.

Toy Joy. I mean, really. Is there a more Austin store than Toy Joy? I think not. Lizzie, who has become my annual SXSW buddy, was there, and it was so great to see her. I really wanted to get a red hand chair (mainly because I love Arrested Development and Buster but also because they're so iconic of Toy Joy) but they were way out of my budget. In fact, a hand chair would have been my entire budget. But then I spotted it-- something both of my older kids love and use every day, and there was a kid happily trying one out that very moment: A Rody (which is not the same as a roadie because y'know... because Chevy doesn't support drinking while driving and this isn't 1975).

Rody overhead should be an internet meme // Nas actually won the Rody I picked out!

Bam! Lizzie even offered to blow it up for me and festoon it with ribbons and a Toy Joy sticker so Rody would be ready for display. Done and done!

Final stop: milk + honey spa. This is my oasis, my favorite place to treat myself in all of Austin. The kind folks there offered to match any gift certificate I purchased for ILHIGH, and I had my heart set on getting a certificate for the Signature Retreat, which is a manicure, pedicure, facial, and massage; in other words, the ultimate day of pampering. I can't think of anything else I want more at this very moment (well, add a detox scrub and a steam), so I just had to get it for the benefit along with a bottle of their body scrub so a little milk + honey luxury can be had at home, too. I envisioned women fighting over it and for a riot to break out, not unlike that scene in Mean Girls. Fortunately everyone there was really nice. No riots. In fact, Chris-- a dude-- from HAAM won it:

at milk + honey on 2nd Street // this guy is a winner. literally.

The party last night was fun, too. I ate a burger from the Hat Creek burger truck, and I got to meet some amazing new people and scope out some way cool cars. Adorable story: on Fridays Jude divvies up his allowance in his moon jar, and since day one he says he says he is saving for a truck for when he becomes a teenager. But thanks to Chevy, that's history now. He got his photo taken in a Corvette Stingray Convertible last night, and now he wants to save up for a Corvette Convertible. I don't have the heart to tell him that there's no way he's going to be able to save over $400 a month every month for the next thirteen years to buy that car because his allowance is only $2 a week. *gulp* A kid can dream, I guess:

How cute is his face here? Get out. No, really, kid. Get out of the car. Your shoes are mucking up the leather seats.

I had so much fun at the event and met so many wonderful people. My sweet City Group came out to support the cause (and me!), too. Oh, my heart feels full of love for Austin, and I was so happy to be asked to be a part of this great event. I wish y'all could have been here.

To catch more of the festivities, be sure to check out #ChevyShopSocial on Twitter. Big thanks to event sponsors Chevy, She Buys Cars, and Traveling Mom and an extra special thanks to Mercury Design Studio, Eliza Page, and milk + honey for supporting the cause by helping me make my funds stretch as far as possible.

How I feel fresh in the Austin heat featuring New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Cloths

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths and Lucky Magazine. 
///

I live in a place that has 100 days of 100º or more. As any Austinite can attest, staying cool can be a bit of a challenge... and by "a bit", I mean that it's darn near impossible. Feeling fresh in the filthy heat became even more of a challenge when Lucy was born. Suddenly, I'm out and about with a baby strapped to my chest while carrying a toddler and chasing after a preschooler. I've become a person who sweats.

My outfits these days have two requirements: to keep me as cool as possible and to make me as comfortable as possible. What I've been wearing lately has mainly been different permutations of this:
  light, flowy tank // loose shorts // flat sandals // cross body bag
An oh, my bag. I am rarely seen without my bag. Some may say that it's constant presence and attachment to me is akin to a fourth child. I don't dare leave home without it because it contains the essentials:

Diapers, baby wipes, toys, pressed powder, sunglasses, a nursing cover, 

and New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths. 

Admittedly, I sometimes don't get to shower every single day and I'm the kind of person who can't stay cooped up at home. Combine that with the fact that Texas is sweltering and that I'm literally chasing children all day, Ban's new body cloths are my new favorite discovery.

You may be saying to yourself, "Indiana, why don't you just use the baby wipes to freshen up?" Let me tell you: that's what I used to do sometimes, but after trying Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths, using a mere baby wipe to freshen up will never do again! The problem is this: baby wipes can mop up excess sweat okay, but more often than not, they would just end up making me feel sticky. And since Jude has sensitive skin, we use unscented baby wipes, so they never left me smelling markedly better or feeling substantially more refreshed. The Ban cloths, however, leave me smelling great and feeling cool. I bought all three scents just so I could try them all and stash them in different places (diaper bag, gym bag, and glove box). My favorite scent is Enliven: 
If the non-baby-butt smell isn't enough to convince you, consider the "PowderSilk" and cooling technology. Each cloth comes out of the package feeling cool to the touch and contains microfine, translucent powder that leaves your skin feeling dry and soft. Since coolness and comfort are my goals while getting dressed, I'm going to do all that I can to maintain that throughout the day.
There's no trace of white residue and the wipes can be used anywhere on the body: the face, underarms, chest, etc. I love to use them on the back of my neck and along my hairline. It's an instant pick me up and an easy, convenient way to freshen up, too. I really don't know why these didn't exist sooner, but I'm glad to have discovered them.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bike ride to take my kids on and some sweating to do.

Question: How do you stay fresh after being out in the summer heat? Any other tips you can offer? 

For more info, including where to purchase, please visit FeelBanFresh.com. Thank you so much for supporting companies like Ban who partner with Adored Austin to help support my family.


This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ban. [disclosure policy]

You're invited: Chevy Shop Social // This Thursday!

Hey, remember that time Chevy loaned me a freaking sweet CAMARO during SXSW? That was awesome. I grew up driving a Chevy, and come this Thursday I'll get the opportunity to drive another Chevy again.

Why? Well, because this city knows that if there's one thing I'm good at, it's having babies er, -- just kidding! -- it's shopping.

Yours truly was invited to be one of the Austin "digerati" to participate in Chevy Shop Social. I'll be one of the shoppers / Chevy drivers for an amazing charity event this Thursday, June 5.
Get this: I'll be given a $300 gift card courtesy of SheBuysCars.com, be put into a brand new Chevy, and I'll have two hours to spend said gift card in one of my favorite parts of town: The 2nd Street District, where I'll be buying goodies from local shops to be raffled off later that evening. I'll be Instagramming my shopping frenzy via #ChevyShopSocial @indianaadams, and all the purchases (from all the influencers and bloggers) will be raffled off with the proceeds going to some amazing Austin charities. Here's my favorite part: raffle tickets for the prizes are just $1.00 each, meaning you could be walking away with a local treasure for just a buck! 100% of the proceeds benefit I Live Here I Give Here and HAAM. And bonus: Chevrolet is sponsoring the event and will be match all donation given that night, up to $5000.

And guess what? You're invited to the big shin dig that evening and it's absolutely free to attend! In addition to the raffle, there will be food trucks (including Hat Creek! Mmmm, burgers...), live music, a Corvette photo booth, and a fleet of brand new Chevy vehicles to check out. I've been told that it will be family friendly, so my whole brood will be there. I would love for you to join us. It's going to be a great way to get out to enjoy the the city and to support some deserving local charities. Plus I hear that the host venue, Getaway Motor Club, is pretty cool, too.
Not local to Austin? No worries. Be sure to follow our #ChevyShopSocial hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep up with our adventure.

WHAT: Chevy Shop Social
WHEN: this Thursday, June 5 // 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (raffle at 8:30)
WHERE: Getaway Motor Club, 3700 Thompson Street
COST: free to attend, $1.00 raffle tickets, food and craft beer available for purchase

For more information, check out SheBuysCars.com, the generous sponsor of this great event.

Tomorrow: Meet us at the Austin Zoo

Chris has been gone all week for work, but he returns tonight, thank goodness. This has been my first time all alone with all three kids, and I was really nervous. We made it, though! Everyone survived, the house is still standing, and we all still love each other. Success!

Since Chris will be traveling a lot for work for the rest of the calendar year, one piece of advice we got over and over again was to make time to reconnect as a family; we were challenged to do something special together when Chris returns, instead of just trying to get house stuff done or veg out on our devices. I'm working on making an Austin summer fun list, and one of those things was to take the family to the Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary. Jude loves it, but hasn't been in a while, and Caroline has never been. I'm excited that the Austin Zoo is having a really fun event tomorrow. We plan to be there and want to encourage others to go, too!
KIND and Sprout are hosting family-friend events all across the country to celebrate kindness as part of its Kindness Counts Initiative. They're calling it Operation Kind Kids:

Tomorrow they're hosting an Operation Kind Kids at the Austin Zoo. There will be a collage wall, a station to create an acts of kindness tracker, and kids will be invited to pick a flower and share it with someone special. Since we had the Austin Zoo on our summer fun list and because we wanted to go out and enjoy the city together as a family to reconnect after Chris' week away, we thought this could be a great thing to go to together. I'm always scheming up ways to meet new people, and it would be great to meet you and your family, so I thought I'd share. The Adams family will be there in full effect. Hopefully you can make it, too!

Info:
Admittance will be free with the cost of museum admission ($9/adults, $6/children)

WHEN: Saturday, May 31 from 10:00am – 1:00pm
WHO: Geared toward parents and children ages 2-6, but all are welcome
WHERE: Austin Zoo & Animal Sanctuary (plaza behind the zoo gift shop)

Already! Austin Fashion Week 2014

Some people mark the passing of the year by the holidays or their birthdays. Me? I seem to mark it by the arrival of Austin Fashion Week. I can't believe it's already that time of year again!
Shortly after I started Adored Austin, I attended and covered the very first Austin Fashion Week for my humble fashion based blog, and it has been a trip watching AFW grow, mature, and evolve over the last six years. We were babies together, and every time AFW rolls around, it reminds me that Adored Austin has been here for another year. I've changed this space a lot since it's inception and write less about style and local fashion happenings (I write less, in general), but nonetheless, I love being a part of the AFW festivities and adore seeing my city's most stylish residents out in all their finery.

I'll be at the Austin Fashion Awards Show Finale on Saturday, because it's always my favorite thing to attend. Surprisingly, I've been nominated for one of the Trailblazer Awards along with nine incredible individuals who are truly and earnestly (and legitimately!) cornerstones in the Austin fashion world. I feel like the awkward fourth grader amongst the cool high school seniors, being named as one of the finalists. Nonetheless, it's a genuine honor to be named among people like Eve Nicols of UT, Elizabeth Gibson of Eliza Page, Linda Asaf, and Stephanie O'Neill of Estilo.

Although Adored Austin was one of the earliest local blogs doing outfit of the day photos, street style photography, and maintaining a calendar of fashion and shopping events, I'm most proud of what I've accomplished in this city via Texas Style Council. In 2009, I threw the first TxSC event during SXSW and in five years have since cultivated it from a small brunch to a full blown three day fashion and style-centered social media conference boasting 400 annual attendees from around the globe. I know! It's unbelievable to me, too! It's sincerely an honor to be recognized for my work. My absolute favorite thing about doing Adored Austin and Texas Style Council is taking online connections and turning them into deeper offline connections, through mentorships, friendships, and partnerships. People like Elizabeth and Stephanie (above) were a couple of the earliest sponsors of the Texas Style Council in its very first year and supported my local blogging efforts when Adored Austin was just starting out. I am so grateful for the local fashion community and I admire anyone who can create and curate such beautiful things so people like me can consume and share them with others. Austin Fashion Week will always be one of my favorite local happenings.

Oh, gush! I could go on, but I'll save some for Monday, when I do my AFW recap post.

Be sure to check out the entire Austin Fashion Week schedule here. If you'll be at the Awards Show, let's sit together, mmmmkay?

Now if only I weren't in a conundrum about what to wear! It's a red carpet event with an after party. Yikes! I'll be there, but I'm not sure what to clad my post-pregnancy body and feet into. I've got a few days to figure it out, though!

SXSW 2014

I am thrilled to announce that the two official hosts for SXSW's Lifestyle and Fashion blogger and brand meet-up are me and the incredibly talented (and super well known and popular!) Camille Styles!
A SXSW badge is required to attend our SXSW meet-up, but don't fret if you don't have one. I'm hoping to gather a group of local women together to organize a mixer on the evening of Monday, March 10, too (no SXSW badge required). Save the date and stay tuned!

Granted, I'll be two weeks from my due date when this all goes down, so 1- I hope the baby stays put until after, and 2- if I happen to go into labor at SXSW, I hope that we can all be couth enough to restrain the desire to live Tweet and Instagram the birth. I've already decided that if the baby is born at SXSW, I'll name her #HashtagAdams or give her the initials SX.

It's Scarf Week at Purse & Clutch // Let's meet!

This graphic says it all:
Well, almost. My sweet friend Jen, the owner of one of my favorite fair trade minded shops, Purse and Clutch, is currently holding scarf week in her shop (both online and at her holiday pop-up shop on 2nd Street). These scarves, handcrafted by women who are paid a living wage in Cambodia, make excellent Christmas gifts. You did know there's only seven shopping days left until Christmas, right? (I see you freaking out a little bit there!). Here are the deets:

• During scarf week, scarves are two for $60 with code "SCARFWEEK" online (regularly $36 each). 
• Every scarf purchased in the shop gets an entry to win either this Ikat Satchel (swoon!) or this new style of Leather Pouchette.

Additionally, tomorrow night (Wednesday, December 18), from 5pm- 8pm will be a sip and shop co-hosted by yours truly and the oh-so kind Kristen, of the famed The Mrs. and The Mama blog.  There will be Sweet Tea Vodka cocktails on hand, and Jen has stocked the shop full of amazing, affordable, fair trade goodies that will be sure to fulfill those last minute gifts you're scrambling to find. Join us at 237 W. 2nd Street tomorrow night. (Park either in City Hall parking or in AMLI parking garage at 2nd and Lavaca). I would love to meet you! I'll even let you squeal at my very large baby bump.
This buffalo plaid black and white scarf is my favorite. Isn't it lovely?

Rock and Roll at Neiman's this weekend!

After a long and unplanned hiatus, I am slowly getting back into the swing of things with Adored Austin. When Neiman Marcus asked me to take part of their "Battle of the Blogs" event at their CUSP Fall 2013 festivities this weekend, I jumped at the chance to participate. This was just the motivation I needed to get me back into the habit of getting out in the community and writing again. All I had to do was create two rocker chick inspired looks for an in-store display. Easy! Fun!

Can I just admit here and now that I love fantasy shopping at Neiman Marcus? Let's be honest here-- at this juncture in my life I cannot drop the kind of dough it would take to buy either of these complete ensembles in one shopping trip, but it sure was fun to dream for a little while. Here are the two looks I put together:

Although the complete outfits are out of my budget for right now, it was extremely important to me that I was able to piece together looks that reflect at least some of my major shopping habits. The hats (which I started with) and the cornerstone garments, had to be made in the USA. I wanted everything else to be made of high quality materials, and I hunted for accessories from brands and designers I respected. It was a challenge, but I did it and I'm quite pleased with the looks themselves. I would absolutely wear both of them!

If you have some time this weekend come by The Domain and stop in the Cusp department at Neiman Marcus (second level). This entire weekend Neiman Marcus stores across the country will host music-inspired activities. Today from 2- 5PM in Austin, there will be an in-store DJ, sips and snacks, a beauty bar, glitter tattoos, and a candy apple bar (What?! That sounds awesome!).

You can cast your votes for the best dressed mannequins in the Battle of the Blogs (Mine? Maybe! I haven't seen the others!) but even better? You could win a $2500 NM gift card and gifts from VOGUE by coming into the store and uploading your favorite "rocker chic" outfits and tagging them on Instagram.

That's right. $2500. You won't have to be fantasy shopping at all. If you win, you could take home your entire favorite look. Talk about rock and roll!
No need to RSVP. Just go by anytime today, tomorrow, or Sunday from 2pm- 5pm. I'll be there (with the kiddos) later today around 4:30 PM and then again on Sunday (solo), around 2 PM. Hopefully I'll run into you. Tweet me at @indianaadams and let's say hello and catch up!

[note: this is not a sponsored post, nor was I compensated as a participant in Battle of the Blogs. Puh-lease. I'm doing this because it sounded amazing!]

Texas Style Council 2013: It's On!

We're doing it!
You know, after last year's conference I wasn't convinced that there was a need for another Texas Style Council symposium, but after evaluating a lot of the feedback I got from last year's event and endeavoring to make subsequent TxSC conferences markedly different, I think this is going to be our best year, yet!

Registration opened today, and we're having twice a many tickets available and making sure that any woman (blogger or not) can get something out of this conference. We're calling it TxSC Summer School, and the focus is on learning. We've scrapped the panel / audience format in lieu of hosting two days of smaller, intimate, hands-on / face-to-face classes. [more info on our changes from 2012 here]

Our teachers are phenomenal. Our keynote presenters are Emma & Elsie from A Beautiful Mess, plus a few other familiar faces:


If you are a woman who has a lifestyle, fashion, DIY, or mom blog -or- if you own a business that caters to women-centric industries, you will get a ton of bang for your buck at TxSC Summer School. Our full line-up is on its way. In the meantime, take advantage of our early bird discount and register soon. Tickets sold-out both last year and the year before.

We've only just begun going through our perspective speakers' pitches, and we haven't yet begun seeking official conference sponsors. If either of those opportunities interest you, contact me and the TxSC advisory team here. We're also looking for a few local volunteers to help our registration manager get check-in done at all of our events.

Two things: (1) it's incredible how much we've grown in the last four years (note blogger #5), and (2) Huge props to Joa Jean, our patient, talented web designer who came back on this year!  Our TxSC website has never looked so good.

Austin Eavesdropper Post on Ethical Shopping in Austin

My friend Tolly wrote a thought provoking post about ethical shopping and she included a list where you can shop with heart in Austin. I recommend hightailing it over there to read it at Austin Eavesdropper:  
Read more >>>