Paint-n-Date!

I LOVE date night! I spend most of the week looking forward to Thursday nights because I know those are going to be awesome fun times.

Last Thursday was no different...As I mentioned before, my loving and phenomenal boyfriend, Brian, agreed to go paint pottery for our weekly Date Night so we decided to go to the Bisque Bistro to paint something.

This whole place is soooo cool and easy!  You pick the pieces you want to paint, then grab whatever colors you want and go for it. Since Thursdays are "Ladies Night" and "Date Night," the studio fee is only $4, and most of their pieces are averaging at about $12 so the price isn't bad at all and they are open until 10:00PM allowing you to make a night out of it.

Going in, our first goal was to find a vase and paint it since the only one that survived the move from Houston is large enough to hold an altar arrangement. Unfortunately, they were out of vases, so we went back to shelves to figure out what to paint. I went between a dog bowl and wine glass and decided on the wine glass.

Brian was going between a plate and a dog bowl...can you tell we are puppy parents? lol He was just settling on the plate when he saw a cute little monkey bank. I cannot even remember the number of times he told that monkey how cute it was. I half expected it to respond with "I know!"

Anyway, we settled down with all our paints and brushes and water bins and got to painting. I was laughing and chatting the whole time and occasionally Brian would respond or just grunt. At first, I thought he might be having a bad time and was bored, but then I took a closer look. He had all 6 paint wells filled with different colors and was sitting there with the tip of his tongue out of the corner of his mouth concentrating on painting the perfect color combination on his bank. I couldn't help but smile. It was so cute! Finally he got the first coats of paint on his little monkey and started talking all about how much fun it was and how he initially thought it was going to be different and boring. We yammered on until our pottery was complete and our workstation was cleaned up. It had been a blast.

When we finished, we had spent 1.5 hours painting at Bisque Bistro resulting in a "hot tamale" speckled wine glass and super cute brown with gold feet monkey bank ready for glazing and firing. I can't even begin to tell you how neat of an experience it was...we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to go back.

We've already decided when we go back, we are going to try doing a mosaic since that side of the store looked like SO MUCH FUN. We can't wait to pick up our pieces this Thursday. I will definitely post some before and after photos for you to see!

I am so glad I have such an awesome boyfriend who is willing to try these little follies of mine. Haven't figured out what to do for Date Night this week, but I am sure it will be fun too...will be sure to tell you all about it!

Now, go grab your guy or gal and paint some pottery...it might not be like the scene from Ghost, but it sure is fun!

Wine, Chinese Food and Sweet Tea - What a Combo!

Have you ever been so busy that you sit down and wonder where the days have all gone and if you even managed to sleep at all during them? That's been my last week, but thankfully, things are settling down a little bit and I can now catch you up on my adventures in the Hill Country!

So, let's start with Girl's Night last week. New Braunfels is such a great place with so many wonderful little places to go to just relax. Last Wednesday, I met a couple friends, Tina and Gretchen, for drinks at Kork.

Kork is an AMAZING wine bar in downtown NB. It meets my 3 Cs mentioned before so you know I definitely love it. Everything about Kork is nice from the fantastic wine selections to the friendly service to comfortable furniture and great bands that perform on the weekends. Kork has everything you would ever want in a place to just chill out.

Anyway, the girls and I met there and enjoyed the ambiance (and the little discount we received for checking in at Kork on Facebook) and some much needed chat time over glasses of wine. If you happen to visit Kork during the summer months, I strongly recommend you try the Sweet Pea Apple Wine - it's a nice breath of fresh air on a hot day. I am normally not a white wine person, but the Apple Wine is positively delightful.

Well, after awhile of chatting and a glass of wine, we moved onto dinner at China Kitchen, a good little Chinese restaurant near Hobby Lobby on IH-35. It's completely without frills and NOT a buffet. I am strongly against buffets so I will never include them in my reviews. Ok, I am off my soapbox. haha

China Kitchen offers a diverse menu at very reasonable prices and with their fast, efficient service and quality food, they are a nice place to stop for a quick bite to eat.  After our speedy dinner, Tina and I decided to visit another favorite haunt of ours - 2Tarts Bakery in downtown NB.

Bakeries are dangerous places to go anytime of day if you are trying to stick with a diet, but 2Tarts is a different kind of bakery...in addition to being the only bakery in town open late - 10PM weekdays and midnight on the weekends - they also offer a variety of confections for everyone's tastes including a wide array of teas.

Tina and I love heading over to 2Tarts for a pot of tea and good conversation. Our favorite right now is the Sweet Desert Delight. It's hard to even describe but for tea drinkers, you do not have to add sugar or anything to this blend. It is perfect as is - a definite delight. There are several others though and I am sure, like the many other things 2Tarts offers, we will get around to trying them and give you a full report. We might even get daring and try the lunch one day...oooh, aren't we rebels?

Overall, it was a busy night, but so worth it to be able to catch up with some great friends. So, the next time you are in New Braunfels, be sure to get Korked, grab some Chinese and have a Tart or 2.

Being a Creature of Habit with a Twist...

So remember how I said I could be a creature of habit? Well, I definitely was last week.

Brian and I decided to have "Date Night" on Thursday since his work schedule has him off Thursday and Friday. (Side note for couples out there: Date Night is SO awesome and is not, as I previously thought, just for ppl with children - it's a great way for you and your sig other to spend some quality time together. With crazy schedules like ours, they are a MUST.)

Anyway, we decided to do the tried and true "dinner and a movie." Most of the time, when we do dinner and a movie, we just go to a quick and easy favorite restaurant like our fave Mexican place or something like that. This time, we decided to vary it a bit and went for sushi...another favorite that we rarely visit.

New Braunfels has one sushi restaurant and it is DEFINITELY worth your time to stop in when you are visit our town. A-Tan Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar is located at 1528 E. Common Street (just off loop 337 past Rudy's). It's a cozy, comfortable, casual restaurant (the 3 C's I care most about) with an amazing staff.

Family-owned and operated, A-Tan's provides high quality sushi and other Asian fare. When we go, we always try to sit at the sushi bar and talk with Mike (one of the owner's relatives and an AMAZING chef). He is always eager to talk movies, sports and of course recommends some great dishes. Mike and Susie, the owner, always seem to remember what we ordered the last time (seriously, we are only in there every few weeks - they have some skilled memory) and recommend new rolls or dishes they think we would like. Now THAT is customer service.

Thursday, we decided to stick with rolls and started with our tried and true crunchy yellow tail, and then took two of Mike's recommendations and tried the JBL roll and the spicy white tuna roll. WOW...the JBL roll is NOT for the faint of heart...it is spicy, flavorful and just plain fun. Seeing the roll topped with diced jalapenos, we were both excited...I mean, who in Texas doesn't like a little heat in their food anyway? We gladly took a piece each and popped it in our mouths. Within miliseconds, our eyes watered and I decided I knew exactly what a dragon feels like as it prepares to breath fire. Then, as quickly as it started, the burning stopped and I could taste the full flavor of the roll, which was fabulous!

We happily finished our JBL roll, albeit with some of the jalapenos removed, and then moved onto the white tuna and yellow tail. Both were phenomenal. As we talked with Mike, he recommended we try another when we return and said he would remind us when he saw us again. After a quick chat with Susie, we were on our way to the movies. YAY!

Does anyone else get really excited when you go to the movies? I always do. I think because, as a child, we never really went to the movies. They were always too expensive. So now I see them as mini-adventures and always a treat. We decided to see the new summer hit, Super 8 at the Creekside Theatre.

Let me first say that I am SOOOO glad the Creekside Theatre is open...it is SO nice. Brian and I LOVE going there. For those who did not go see a movie in New Braunfels prior to January 2011, you have no idea - our new theatre at Creekside is like our own little slice of paradise.

Anyway, I digress...so we went to our "cinematic adventure" (as Dane Cook calls it), found our perfect seats and prepared to watch the movie. Super 8 started and it was a FANTASTIC film. LOVED it. I refuse to spoil a moment of it by divulging details, but I will say this: Any child of the 80s will totally appreciate this nod to our generation. I was completely blown away by the film. The storyline was great...seeing the story unfold in a setting so familiar and lost reminded me of the days before cellphones and texting and the internet. A time when kids could be kids without parents worrying so much. It was comfortable and for almost 2 hours, I forgot it was 2011. Now THAT was a cinematic adventure.

So, see, dinner and a movie, while "cliche" to some can be your own little adventure if you add just the right twist. Go to a different restaurant - someplace fun like A-Tan - and try something new like our JBL roll. Don't just order the same thing you always order because that's what leads to ruts. It's these little changes that can make for a fun evening.

Then, try out a different kind of movie. Yeah, everyone is seeing the new X-Men or Pirates (which I love btw) movie, but why not try something different? Try something you haven't thought of before. See Woody Allen's new film or a kid film like Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer or a sci-fi movie like Super 8 that will leave you remembering much more than just the special effects. Just do something different and remember...everyday is a chance for a little adventure!

Talk to you next time everyone...Date Night is coming up and I am thinking....Pottery painting at Bisque Bistro in beautiful downtown New Braunfels!

What Exactly IS this Finicky Fraulein Blog Anyway?

Have you ever thought of visiting the Texas Hill Country or maybe have visited but just ran out of new stuff to do?

Perhaps it's time to let a local help you out. Hi, I am the Finicky Fraulein and a proud and happy resident of beautiful New Braunfels, TX.

For the last decade, I have been asked many times, "what else is there to do?" or "where do you recommend going for ______?" Now, I am committing these recommendations to blog in case anyone wants to use them or submit some of their own. What good is knowledge if you don't share it, right?

Each week, I will also be posting some of my own ventures here too. While I can be a creature of habit (who doesn't love Mexican food or a good glass of iced tea?), I also like to keep things fresh and vary activities here and there, so come and experience the hill country with me. It is guaranteed to be fun and entertaining.

Let's get started!