Home Goods. Baked Goods. All Good.

April 6, 2025

Do you remember when shiplap took the world by storm? Modern Farmhouse? Subway Tile? German Schmear? How about barn doors? Well, I don’t know about taking the world by storm, but Chip and Joanna Gaines and their show Fixer Upper took my world by storm. {See attached photos from our home! Ha!}

Since watching the construction of the Silos District episode, I have dreamed of a trip to Waco Texas. I knew one day I would get there. And that day came! The wait was worth it. Magnolia is everything I dreamed of and more! And the best part, and biggest surprise, is the boys loved it too!

How many places can you think of that advertise as having the tallest? or the biggest? or the fastest? maybe the best entertainment? or the biggest thrills? Possibly the promise of fun never ending? or even the happiest place on earth? This journey is teaching me so many life lessons. One of those lessons is that we have been trained to desire mountain-top experiences at every turn. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love mountain-top experiences. I am even possibly a junkie for those slogans promising epic experiences. However, I am (slowly) learning that there is so much to be enjoyed and cherished in the simple, peaceful, joyful everyday moments that are right in front of us. Magnolia has been a reminder of just that lesson for me. They have been successful in creating such a place. Now don’t get me wrong, I witnessed people arguing, a child crying over grilled cheese, our own boys fighting over strikes vs balls, and our two-year old throwing a fit, but the overall experience was one of joy. Families playing wiffle ball together. Couples sitting and talking over a cup of coffee. Moms playing volleyball on the green space. Dads kicking soccer balls with their little ones. Families strolling through the gardens. Friends laughing together with bags in hand! A place where people were doing life together.

Now, being the mom of four boys, a lot of our adventures have included hiking, rock scrambling, basketball courts, stadium tours, and the like. So, about a month ago, I started preparing everyone that Waco was the place “mom has been dreaming of!” AKA: get this one right. Let mom do her thing and don’t mess it up! I even found a campground nearby that had a miniature golf course, a jump pad, a small waterpark, basketball courts and more! I wanted to be sure the boys had some entertainment while I maybe snuck off and did a little shopping!

On our first full day in Waco, I took the four boys with me to the Silos and they loved it! They were asking to go back the next morning. They played hours of Wiffle Ball, Jenga, soccer, drank lemonade, had lunch at a food truck and ate cupcakes and cookies from the Silos Bakery (stay tuned to the end of the post, Charlie rated all of the treats!). The Silos District is a little oasis from the busyness of life. It also provides a place for people to come together. Couples. Girls groups. Families. Friends. I did sneak away for some time at the Silos as well. I bought a few souvenirs (maybe a little bit more than a few!), enjoyed the Magnolia Story tour, sat and drank coffee at Magnolia Press, and soaked up some people watching! We also happened to be there during Spring at the Silos which meant an all day concert on Friday and Saturday!

We had a week in Waco and considered it our “spring break” so we were able to take our time and visit Magnolia several days which I think contributed to a restful visit. We also checked out a few of the other points of interest in town. There were several museums located on Baylor’s campus as well as a city park zoo which was fantastic. We also visited Waco Mammoth National Monument, an active paleontological site protecting the only nursery herd of Columbian mammoths in the U.S.