Tag: Crosswinds living

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Area Attractions Kyle Kyle Texas

Best Pies in the Pie Capital: The Texas Pie Company

Kyle residents are serious about their pie. After all, the city is the “pie capital of Texas” and home of the Pie in the Sky festival. Naturally, any bakery in town that puts a pie on its counter knows that it’s going to be judged by some pretty pie-savvy customers. With decades of pie baking experience under belt, however, it’s safe to say that Julie Albertson, founder of The Texas Pie Company, knows how to bake an award-worthy pie. 

Julie opened her first bakery in 1986, but was baking long before that. “I started baking with my grandmother in East Texas on her farm,” she told KVUE News. “When I was really little I used to stand on soup cans so I could reach the counter [and help bake].” It was in those formative baking years that she learned the ins and outs of each pie recipe and how to perfect each pie’s unique flavors. 

Shareworthy Pies

Texas Pie Company specializes in creating delicious and unique pies that will satisfy any craving. Julie and her staff take pride in crafting each pie with care to ensure a perfect flavor combination and crust that is buttery, flaky and delicately sweetened. 

You really can’t go wrong with whatever pie you choose but customer favorites include flavors such as Southern Pecan, Lemon Chess, Buttermilk (Julie’s personal fav), Almond Joy, Chocolate Fudge, and Peanut Butter Mousse. The bakery also has an array of fruit pies like Peach, Dutch Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, and Blackberry. 

Now if cream pies are your jam, Texas Pie Company offers Key Lime, Coconut, and Chocolate. And when the fall and winter months roll around, you’ll naturally find Pumpkin and Praline pies waiting to be snatched up by customers. 

More Tasty Options

If you’re looking for an extra treat to go with your slice of pie though, or you’re in the mood for a full meal, the bakery has you covered. A range of cookies, brownies, and dessert bars are available as well as plenty of savory options. Daily lunch specials are offered with items like Meatloaf, Chicken Breast with Cranberry, and King Ranch Chicken, in addition to several sandwiches. 

Now, if you only have time for pie and not a full lunch but want to get something to go, consider picking up a quiche or casserole. The quiches are prepared with fresh eggs, whole milk, and an assortment of fresh veggies, proteins, and shredded cheeses. Casserole dishes include popular comfort foods like Three Cheese Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, and Beef Stroganoff. Everything is made in the kitchen daily and can be ordered hot for pick up.

The Texas Pie Company is open Monday through Saturday with lunch items available until 3 PM and pie available until 6:30 PM on weekdays, 4 on Saturdays. Take a tip from us though, if you have your heart set on a particular pie flavor, get there early because when it’s gone it’s gone!

Kyle is full of great local spots and businesses that make it a wonderful place for families of all ages and lifestyles to call home. If you’d like to learn more about making Kyle your home, contact the Crosswinds team.

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Kyle Texas

Tiny House Coffee Roasters

If you’re looking for a good cup of coffee that not only has the power to perk you up in the morning but to change the lives of people for the better, consider filling your mug with a brew from Tiny House Coffee Roasters. Jump on the I-35 S for about 15 minutes and you’ll find a coffee-roasting company that is built on the foundation of delivering a sustainable product and lifting those who make it all possible. 

 

Texas Coffee with Origins in Nicaragua

 

Tiny House Coffee Roasters was started by Blake Thomas and Helen Schafer, who met while working as Peace Corps volunteers in Nicaragua in 2012. Blake and Helen got to know the coffee farmers in Nicaragua, and as they learned more about how difficult it was for the farmers to make a decent living, they felt committed to improving the situation. 

 

As Blake told Austin Business Journal, the best way to do so was by streamlining the process of getting the coffee from Nicaragua to U.S. consumers. 

 

“By eliminating middlemen, we were able to pay our farmers three times the market rate for their coffee,” Blake explained. “With increased returns and economic security, these farmers then invested back into their farms, families, and communities.”

 

A Mission of Sustainability 

 

Not only are Blake and Helen committed to treating their employees right and helping them to earn a fair wage, but Tiny House Roasters is built on the idea of making “attainable change.” One of the ways it’s doing that is by working with farmers who take a sustainable approach to coffee farming. So what’s that mean exactly? 

 

In the simplest terms, it means that Tiny House Coffee Roasters only buys and sells coffee beans that are in season. As the brand’s website explains, sometimes this means that “your favorite beans might be gone for a bit, [but] they’ll be back and better next year!”

 

From Bean to Keg

 

While you can’t simply swing by Tiny House Coffee Roasters and grab a latte to go (it’s a roasting company, not a coffee shop), there are numerous ways for you to enjoy this fine product. 

 

The roasting company’s coffee can be found in local grocery stores like H-E-B and Whole Foods, as well as businesses such as The Driskill Hotel, Planet Fitness, and Auberge Resorts. 

 

Of course, you can also order flavors like Moontower Dark Blend and La Casita directly from the website. Sign up for the Roaster’s Club, and Tiny House will ship you a new bag of coffee to try each month. 

 

Perhaps the coolest way to enjoy a cup of Tiny House Coffee though is through its cold brew delivery platform. Hit them up and they’ll deliver their bag-in-box cold brew to your home or office in the greater Austin area. And if you drink a lot of coffee (like, a lot, a lot) you can even have a full keg of nitro cold brew delivered to your door. 

 

Tiny House Coffee Roasters is one of many small businesses in the Kyle area that is carving out a name for itself for all the best reasons. If you’d like to find a home in Kyle, contact the Crosswinds team today. 

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Events Family Fun

Kyle Summer Camp & Field Trips

Kyle Texas Summer Camp and Field Trips

Ask your kid (or even better, your kid’s teacher) and they’ll probably be able to tell you down to the hour when summer vacation begins. Summer in Texas is so much fun. Yes, it’s hot, but there’s an endless array of things going on and it’s the ideal time for many families to take a vacation. What about those weeks before and after the big family vacay though? 

 

The kiddos are going to need something to keep them occupied and the city of Kyle offers a day camp program aimed at engaging kids in a “healthy and active lifestyle; rather than sitting on the couch and playing video games all summer.” Let’s face it, by the second week stuck at home, everyone is probably going to have a bit of cabin fever and the city’s day camp program not only offers daily activities but two field trips a week, all at an affordable price. 

 

Why Kyle Summer Camp is the Best Deal in Town

Overnight summer camps can be a lot of fun, but they also come with their fair share of drawbacks. For starters, they can be pretty expensive and they’re only becoming more costly with experts in the camp industry predicting the cost of a week at summer camp to be 15% more expensive this year. 

 

Not every kid does well at a week-long overnight summer camp. Younger children, in particular, can be more prone to homesickness, and if you’re having to drive a couple of hours by day 3 to pick up a child who’s not having a great time, well, consider yourself in for a dose of the summertime blues.  

 

With Kyle’s Summer Camp program, campers begin arriving each day at 7 A.M. and can stay at the camp as late as 6 P.M. This means mom and dad don’t have to worry about leaving the kids home during the week or packing a week’s worth of stuff for an overnight camp stay. Campers will have the opportunity to participate in daily arts and crafts, games, and sports such as archery, fishing, and swimming. One of the most fun aspects of Kyle’s Summer Camp program is that each week brings something different with two field trips a week to area attractions such as McKinney Falls State Park, Urban Air trampoline park, and Dart’em Up Austin. 

 

Summer Camp Details

Kyle’s camp program is spread out over eight weeks and runs from June 6th through July 29th. The camp program is designed for elementary through middle school-aged children and is broken up into two camps: 

 

Voyagers: children entering 2nd through 5th grade.

Adventurers: children entering 6th through 9th grade. 

 

The camp runs Monday through Friday from 7 in the morning until 6 in the evening at Wallace Middle School. The program does not supply breakfast or lunch, so children will need to eat before they arrive and pack a lunch with them each day as well as a water bottle. Camp is $150 each week per camper. This cost covers all daily activities including field trips as well as two daily snacks and two camp t-shirts. 

 

Parents can learn more about the summer camp program and sign up on the City of Kyle website. 

 

If you’re interested in finding a home in Kyle, reach out to learn more about available homes at Crosswinds. Crosswinds offers a variety of amenities, new homes from the area’s top builders, and an ideal location for families of all lifestyles. 

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Homeowner Tips

What to look for when buying a new house

What to Look for When Buying a New House

When you’re shopping for a new house, it can be easy to fall down the rabbit hole as you search house after house and study floor plan after floor plan. There are so many things to consider, such as location, school zones, community amenities, and home builders.

Before you even look at houses and floor plans, a good place to start is with how much home you can afford. This can help you narrow down your search and determine your priorities. 

You can work with a real estate agent to help you determine how much you can afford to pay for a home, or try a home affordability calculator that can help you estimate your monthly payments. Be sure you leave plenty of breathing room for property taxes, homeowner association (HOA) fees, and unexpected expenses. It’s also a good move to get pre-approved for a loan up to a specific amount. The lender will look at your income, debts, and credit history.

Once you have a number in mind, then you can work through these tips.

1. Determine the Top Features You Want in a Neighborhood

To help you figure out the general location, start with what you’d like in a neighborhood. Do you want to live in a walkable neighborhood? What about safety? Do you want to be in a preferred school district or near specific schools?

Does anyone regularly commute to work or extracurriculars? That could be a factor in location. What about proximity to grocery stores, services, other retailers, and leisure activities?

2. Prioritize Your Top Home Features

Every homebuyer has their own priorities for what they want in a home. Some want a giant backyard while others would rather have a front porch. You can change a lot of things about a home, but one thing you can’t change is the amount of land. 

Another thing to think about is how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need—especially if you have children or expect frequent guests. Does someone work from home? They may want a floor plan with a home office. Do you often entertain big groups? Some floor plans are more conducive to large gatherings than others. What about smart home capabilities? This could play a factor in your decision. 

To avoid spending more than you want, create a list of “must-haves” and “nice to haves” to help you with your decisions. 

3. Plan for the Future

If you may want to have children in the future, consider a home with room to grow. While a two-bedroom may be all you need now, you may not want to move when you have children. Or perhaps, a parent or other relative will be living with you. If you’re thinking about adding a furry family member, a front and backyard may be a top priority. 

  1. Think about Maintenance and Upkeep

The newer the home, the less maintenance you will have. When you’re the first owner of a new home, you don’t have to consider the home’s maintenance history, as everything is in tip-top shape. But an older home will most likely need regular repairs and updates. Yards and flower beds also need regular upkeep. Consider if you want a smaller yard that just needs to be mowed every once in a while, or if you’d rather get to enjoy seasonal flower gardens and greenery, with a bit more upkeep?

Remember, you can update and change a lot of things both on the exterior and in the interior of a home, but the costs of changes can add up quickly. It’s easy to change the paint color, but not so easy to change the floor plan. 

Looking for a new home in Kyle? Crosswinds is a new master-planned community offering family-friendly amenities with beautiful homes from the area’s top builders. Meet the Kyle home builders or contact our Crosswinds team to start the journey to finding your dream home.

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