The Cake by Hannah

A small town girl spreading kindness like buttercream frosting

Local and Small Businesses to Support!

PHEW, this was quite a task but so worth it! As promised, here’s the list of every single small business in the North Texas area (as well as a couple beyond NTX, but still Texas-based!) that y’all sent me on IG last week. As a small business owner myself who runs social media for small businesses… I know personally the impact that this season has taken on so many. From restaurants to boutiques, everybody has had to get inventive and more creative than ever, changing marketing plans and businesses models to keep their doors open. Everybody has taken a hit. As providers for their own homes along with the weight of being employers to their staff, small business owners have carried such a heavy burden every day over the last four months. It’s my hope that we can all come together and support each other’s businesses.

Help keep doors open. Don’t let this chaos win. Keep small businesses open by being intentional to love on them!

Food and Drink

Up Inspired Kitchen: Frisco, TX (A personal favorite AND allergy-friendly!)

Bolivar St. BBQ: Denton, TX

Artisan Cup: A DFW beverage trailer (Think food truck for drinks!)

Patina Green: McKinney, TX (My favorite grilled cheese of all time is here!)

Bakeries

Unrefined Bakery: DFW Locations, allergy-friendly baked goods (A personal favorite… like, so freaking good!)

The Messy Chef Bakeshop: Denton, TX

Cookie Society: Frisco, TX

Sugar Social DFW: Plano, TX (I did a class with her- she’s AMAZING)

Detour Doughnuts: Frisco, TX

Boutiques

Landry Kate: McKinney & The Colony, TX (Personal Favorite!!)

Hale House: Fort Worth, TX (This is where I got my cute mask!)

Emerson Jane: McKinney, TX

Made with Love, AM: McKinney TX (Personal Favorite!)

Caffeinated Beauty Bar: Oak Cliff, TX

Lottes: Frisco, TX

Hygge Home & Design: Dallas, TX

Rebel Roots Boutique: Bonham, TX

Poppy Street Market: Houston, TX

Miss H Renae: Dallas, TX

Collins and Conley: Roanoke, TX

Seeds of Love Bracelets: Dallas, TX

Designs by Brazzel: Lake Dallas, TX

Cunningham & Co.: Commerce, TX

Clothed in Dignity: Cuero, TX

Winton and Waits: Fort Worth, TX

The Worthy Co.: Fort Worth, TX

Tribe Alive: Fort Worth, TX

Gifted: Fort Worth, TX

Art

Corrinne Bizzle Art: Dallas, TX- Abstract Art

The One With Wanderlust: Dallas, TX- Prints & Photo

Something Vintage Something New: Haslet, TX- Custom Signs & Event Rentals

Lunch Box Gallery: Dallas, TX – Paintings

Busy Little Bees: Dallas, TX – Stitch Appliqué

Explore the Outdoors: Dallas, TX – Children’s Books

Hobo Originals: McKinney, TX- Woodwork and Designs

Photo/Video

Cottonwood Road Photography: My personal photographer!

Kenna Lynn Photography: McKinney, TX

Lauren Junker Photography: Collin County Area

Jeff Brummett Visuals: Dallas, TX

Taylor Salerno Photography: Dallas, TX

Hannah Hays Photography: Dallas, TX

Gillian Oler Photography: Frisco, TX

Aimee Hamilton Photography: Frisco, TX

Kate Marie Portraiture: Dallas, TX

Sarah Channon Photography: Waco, TX

Little Gray Films: Austin/DFW, TX

T Jane Photo: San Antonio, TX

Ann Mark Photography: Austin, TX

Deven D Photography: Houston, TX

Services

La Luna Skincare: Dallas, TX

Maxwell & Gray: TX/CA/AZ- Wedding and Events

Trammell Construction: Frisco, TX

Carleigh Long Designs: DFW- Wedding and Events

RI Studio: Dallas, TX- Home Design

Gracefully Nested: Dallas, TX- Home Organization

Barn at Paradise: Paradise, TX- Wedding Venue

We Rock the Spectrum: Dallas, TX – Kid’s Play Gym

Blue Door Cleaning: Dallas, TX- Home Cleaning *Allocates profits to aging out foster kids!*

ApexNetwork Physical Therapy: Celina, TX

Laurel & Co. Events: NTX – Event planning & design

Catalyst Counseling: Dallas, TX

 

 

N SALE PREVIEW!

AHHHHH! I woke up today to great news from the NICU about Rory, a new Taylor Swift album with Bon Iver, AND the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale preview. God knew I needed a good day. And I got one served on a platter to me for breakfast. First thing’s first: RORY. You guys, he is perfect. He is here. He is getting stronger every single day. They are giving us high hopes to come home in the next couple of days, and we are crossing every finger, toe, and whatever possible to seal the deal. We are so ready to have our boys together and to move forward from here. It’s felt, in ways, like a cruel lingering of this season of disappointment, frustration, and deep personal hurts. YET, somehow, the Lord has been so evident in all things and we’ve felt so immensely covered in His grace and peace despite every spear that has come our way. Rory from my womb to the world has continued to prove his name to be true as our picture of the Protector King. I am overwhelmed by God’s love through Rory, and I just can’t wait to get him home.

No way of shifting this topic in a smooth way… but below I have my first look Nordstrom Anniversary Preview picks for you to sift through!! I am just up at the NICU searching while Rory sleeps. 😉 It’s making for a decent day at the NICU. More items are added daily to the site, so I will keep things as up to date as possible. But these items below are ones I currently own OR love for fall and have on my own wish list. The key to the preview is to have an account and add the items to your wish list (it’s a button in place of “buy now”). This will help you put everything into one spot that you have your eye on until you can pull the trigger on things when you gain access to the sale!

Remember, shopping with an influencer for the sale means the WORLD to us. We pour hours of time and our own money into shopping the sale FOR you to make it easier to navigate. It can be so overwhelming, so we take that on for you. I love my job. I love shopping for/with you. And I know my other friends who do this crazy blogging thing for a living do, too. 😉 As often as you can, I encourage you to (whether with me or someone else!) use the links we share in LiketoKnow.it or on our websites (like my shoppable links below!) so we can keep doing this as our job. It’s like hiring a virtual personal shopper! 😉

NOTE: The sale opens to the public at different dates according to your Nordstrom Card Status/public availability. The sale launches to EVERYBODY on August 19th-30th. It’s most likely, if you have a Nordstrom Card, you’ll gain access to the sale August 13th. BUT, see the chart below according to your Nords Card to confirm.

Nordstrom cardmember Early Access dates.

TOP “FIRST ROUND” PICKS

My Secret to Gluten Free Baking

Hey, babes! Honest check-in: How are you doing?

I am… barely hanging on in a lot of ways. I had a breakdown this week. I cried in my bed for an hour and needed my husband to convince me to get out. JUST BEING HONEST. I am so uncomfortable, deeply disappointed I was having contractions for two weeks and still don’t have a baby *and now hardly having any since getting on an antibiotic*, and sad about how divided the world is. SO MANY EMOTIONS. But, all in all, we are good. In the words of Paul, he said, “Honestly, I am shocked you’re only just now crying.” HA! It’s been a stressful few weeks around here.

However, I know there is SO MUCH to be excited about, thankful for, and just generally aware of how lucky we are. To choose joy, I made cookies with Knox yesterday. He LOVES being in the kitchen, and it’s fun as he gets older to see the way he is able to actually help. I had him on mixing duty yesterday. And, aside from sneaking licks of the spatula every time I turned away, he did a really great job! I love including him in as much as possible to help him stay active AND find things he’s good at. I have shared TWO cookie recipes in my IG stories recently that were out of this world. I wanted to re-share here and also answer a few questions!

If you don’t know, I am gluten-free (not by choice). I found out about 5 years ago after years and years of seeing doctors who basically said nothing was wrong with me that I am allergic to yeast and gluten. Like a for real allergy… not just a sensitivity. And I had lived with it my entire life. I had white spots all over my body from yeast overgrowth and my brain was swollen! So many things in my life made sense all of a sudden, and all from a simple food allergy that had gone undiagnosed for over 20 years. Anyways, I love cooking and baking, but obviously things had to change drastically when I found out. It’s been a long journey of figuring out the best brands or how to bake for myself. But, I have a secret that’s been a game changer for all things baking…

Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 All Purpose Flour

Both times I have posted my cookies in the last couple of weeks I have received multiples messages about how the heck I got them thick AND gluten free. THIS IS THE ANSWER. For years, I have struggled to make cookies that are any good. They were either tasteless or crumbly… Plus, gluten free baking can be expensive when you’re trying to do all the fancy recipes with almond flour and potato starch and… all the things. This All Purpose GF flour just basically combines all that for you and you can replace it into any recipe you do/love to make it gluten free. And the best part is that NOBODY will know it’s gluten free. Bob’s Red Mill also has the baking powder and other various ingredients I need, but this flour is what changed my baking game forever. I have also been out of baking soda, so I have discovered you can replace it with baking powder in a 3-1 tsp. ratio. So for example, the Big Fat Cookie recipe below called for 1 tsp soda and 1 tsp powder. So I ended up doing 4 tsp baking powder and they were perfect. I did the same for the regular chocolate chip cookies!

SO, whether baking gluten free or gluten filled… Here are the cookie recipes you NEED TO TRY ASAP. 

Big Fat Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: With a name like that… how can you refuse? These are SO yummy. I did a batch a little doughy, right on the 13 minutes, and then a little crispy… and they ALL are so good. So no matter how you prefer your cookies, these hold up. I definitely lean toward doughy/just done enough.

Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies: I am not a baker by any means. My sister… she’s a professional pastry chef. I didn’t get that gift hehe. BUT, these cookies sure did make me feel like one for a hot second. They taste just like my FAVORITE cookie from Sprinkles Cupcakes! NOT KIDDING. To make them large, I used our ice cream scoop and then flattened them before popping into the oven.

Enjoy baking, friends! If you try these out, let me know. I wanna see!

xoxo

IG Outfits & Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, y’all! Like… for real. I have been thinking about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale for weeks and it’s inching closer. This is the best sale of the year, and one of the only ones I truly cover and go “all-in” on, because it really is just that good. You get to shop the upcoming season’s best and newest releases for MAJOR discounts. We are talking fall’s best new items for 40% off or more. This is the time of year I shop for fall, purchase heftier ticket price items, and think through the colder months. It feels funny to shop for colder weather items when it’s 100 degrees outside… but I just like to set the mood with a fall candle and turn the AC way down with some Season 1 Gilmore Girls on. 😉 If you know… you know. That’s legit my happy place.

You can learn more about the sale here! Previews and early access BEGIN July 24th, but the whole sale goes public on August 19th.

Things to Note:

  • You get early shopping access with the Nordstrom Credit Card, which is really worth it if you can. But, it’s NOT ever necessary. If you know yourself and know a credit card isn’t wise, don’t do it. The benefit of one is that all the best stuff sells out in the first week with the early access shoppers. And although many items do get restocked for the public access on August 19th, there’s just never any guarantees.
  • You can create wish lists and looks with a Nordy Club Member account. This isn’t a credit card or anything like that. You can just earn perks and whatnot as you shop, and you can gain Nordstrom status with points (which means you could earn early access without a credit card!)

In other news… I am still pregnant. I have legitimately been in labor for days. But my contractions aren’t close enough to be admitted. Last night, we labored every 7-9 minutes until 3:30 AM. Honestly, I am exhausted at this point and the baby isn’t even here. But, I know we can make it through this and Baby R is worth the fight. I have included a quick round-up of most clicked items and my IG posts for you below just in case shopping with LiketoKnow.IT isn’t for you. You can also always shop without the LTK app through “Shop my Insta” on the main page of my website, here.

Get the Look:

Most Shopped Items:

Baby-Ready with HelloFresh

Well, we are truly counting down the hours, seconds, moments until Baby R. As we get closer to my due date (in the DEAD of Texas summer), getting out to the grocery store is an endeavor- especially with masks required/heat advisories/and being so pregnant I can barely walk… So with all these factors combined, having my family dinners delivered to my front door is just the best thing that could ever happen to me right now hehe.

I know I talk about HelloFresh a lot y’all, but I promise you it’s because I love them so much. I think it’s important to remind y’all we actually were HelloFresh customers FIRST before ever partnering with them as I have had the opportunity to do over the last year. Working with brands my family actually uses is a top priority to me as an influencer, and integrity is a core value to my family. We will never post certain types of photos for likes, work with brands we don’t trust, or talk about a product we don’t actually love and believe in just for a paycheck. That’s not my job. My job is to create marketing content for brands I love! I think it’s important to share that from time to time to help anybody new around here truly get to know why I do what I do. I love sharing things that I love or make my life easier for the sake of helping you out. Try this brand, not that one. Save some money and avoid testing out products – I did it for you! Buy this quality brand vs. that one – it’s worth the splurge. Or, buy this product instead of that over-priced one! … Whatever the scenario, I love being a resource for you to make educated purchases for your family.

With that said, I AM TEAM HelloFresh! It’s truly so convenient and helpful, and I love trying out recipes I would have never used otherwise. This month, you can click here to get 8 free meals on me (including free shipping!) from HelloFresh!

Some restrictions apply- purchase is required! 

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