• Garden,  Oregon,  Wine Tasting

    A Visit to Stave and Stone Winery and Hood River Lavender Farms

    Spend the afternoon at a lavender farm and a winery all in one place in the beautiful Hood River valley. July is the perfect month to visit Stave and Stone Winery when the lavender is at it’s peak at Hood River Lavender right next door! Wander Around in the Lavender Fields Besides enjoying the scent of lavender as you walk around the farm, you can also purchase lavender at their U-Cut garden to take home with you. The cost is $14 per bunch. Hood River Lavender Farms is also a great place to stock up on lavender oil, soaps and lotions as well as culinary lavender and candles. While you’re…

  • Oregon,  Wine Tasting

    A Visit to The Gorge White House in Hood River

    The Gorge White House is a historic fourth-generation farm operating in the heart of the Hood River Valley since 1908. The farm includes 30 acres of orchards and gardens where guests can pick to their hearts content. I’ve been looking for an excuse to Visit The Gorge White House for a long time. We tried just popping by one year for Mother’s Day and that turned out to be a huge miscalculation as it seemed all of Hood River and the surrounding towns had the same idea! This time the Sipsters visited during the week and there were much fewer people! There is plenty of seating, so pull up a…

  • Garden,  Oregon,  Washington

    A Local’s Guide to Gorgeous Flowers in the Pacific Northwest

    In this post I am sharing some of the best places to find flowers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Since I live in Oregon, most of the locations featured here are local to me, but I have also included a few amazing spots not to be missed in Washington. Rather than write extensive details on each place, I’ve added photos to help you discover what you can expect. Each month features the flowers in peak bloom during that month. MARCH Cherry Blossoms at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon APRIL Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, Oregon Holland America Tulip Farm in Woodland, Washington Hulda Klager Lilac Garden in Woodland,…

  • Visit with us at Silos Baking Co in Waco Texas. We tried the Lemon Lavender Cupcakes, the Prize Pig biscuit and the coffee!!
    Dessert,  Food,  Travel

    Visit with Us on Our First Trip to the Silos Baking Co.: Day Two at the Silos

    The Moment Just Before Since this was our first trip to the Silos Baking Co, I wanted to go early and avoid the crowds. At 7:30 in the morning the mood was pretty relaxed, likely the calm before the storm. It’s just a matter of time before the line starts forming along the exterior of the building. Upon entering the bakery we were handed order forms to fill out while waiting our turn. This helps streamline the ordering process when the bakery is extra busy. The Lemon Lavender cupcake was my number one choice and I could hardly wait to try it. I toyed with the idea of trying a…

  • Treat yourself to Tea in Whistler Village
    Canada,  Travel

    Treat Yourself to Tea in Whistler Village

    The Whistler Tea House For some reason, I’m on a big tea kick lately. Probably because I’m trying to cut out dairy. We all know that coffee without creamer, just isn’t coffee…so tea it is. While in Whistler last week I scoped out a few local places have tea. Originally I wanted to take my daughter to high tea at the Empress in Victoria, but when our plans to go to Victoria got cut, I searched for somewhere in Whistler where we were staying. As luck would have it, I did a quick Google search and learned that the Fairmont in Whistler (which is the same chain that owns the…