What I'm Enjoying Lately...

Life is good...

*Relaxing Pool-side on a VERY hot day. We like to swim at this hotel pool because there's never anyone there, it's great.

*Just started 'Mad Men' Season Three, We only have one television channel so we buy seasons on DVD and watch them from start to end. Our movie nights consist of amazing television shows. P.S. Don Draper kind of makes me angry. :)

*Watching my ever-expanding waistline... only 3.5 months to go! Soon we will get to meet this little gymnast that likes to turn somersaults.

*Which brings me to the yummy Mexican food that I can't stop craving. This whole pregnancy I have wanted non-stop supply of salsa and even jalapenos. Don't you love the chairs at our fav. mexican restaurant?!   

                                                       

*Watching our dog, Pete, swim in his kiddie pool and play with his stuffed animals. I love seeing his tail wag and his big ol' goofy grin.    

*Bounty of fresh, colorful vegetables from my parent's garden.. they have a huge garden! 

*Warm Chocolate cake and Brownie  Supreme Bars straight from the oven. Yes, Life is good.                   

                             

Meet My Kitty Friends



I would like you all to meet my dear kitty friends. Some, call me a 'Crazy Cat Lady,' (my own dear husband...is one of them.) My entire life, I have had a weakness for cute little cats that need a loving home and so I have my little cat family... only three! thank you very much! :) I really enjoy cats as pets because they each have their individual personalities and can be very entertaining. Oh and they make great listeners!

So, first off, I would like for you to meet Samantha (pic. above.) She is around 10 years old but runs around like a kitten. She is very fluffy and thinks she is queen of the household. In the middle of the night she likes to pounce on top of you while you are sleeping and then run away as fast as she can, wait for you to fall back to sleep, then do it all over again.

A couple of years ago, My husband and I went to
Missouri for a little anniversary road trip. We stopped at a large flea and a lady had free kittens, my heart went pitter-patter when I looked into the wire cage and saw only two little whiskered faces staring back at me. I didn't have the heart to separate the two brothers so they both made the journey back to Kansas. I have no regrets, they are two of the best cats I have ever owned.

This one is 'Stinker.' He is a bit of a trouble-maker, snooping around the house just looking for something that he can get into. He will do anything to get to a rubberband...even if it means pulling it out of my hair. He also likes cotton balls, kleenex and has even toilet papered my entire downstairs while we were sleeping. But I love him anyway.

His brother's name is Joplin, my husband calls him 'Brother Bruce' I have no idea why. Joplin is a lover. He will reach up when he wants to be held and he will rub his face against yours or jump on the back of the couch so he can lay his head on yours and go to sleep. He is very feisty when he has a toy, he growls and hisses and carries it around in his mouth so his brother won't take it but yet, he always takes the toy and drops it in front of Stinker to tease him. Every morning they lay on my pillow next to eachother and look out the window, tails swooshing side by side. That is my cat family and you can call me crazy if you want to! :)

How Does Your Garden Grow?

 Despite the extremely HOT weather we have had in the area, my flowers and veggies are soaking up the sunshine...and lots and lots of water...and growing taller and fuller everyday. I love coming home, walking up to my door and looking at all the colorful blooms. Everyday I check out my vegetable plants to see if there are any goodies ripe and ready to pick.

 My tomato plants are kind of taking over the containers and crowding my poor little pepper plants but the peppers don't seem to mind playing hide and seek. My 'Mighty Mato' Plant is so heavy the tomato cage is like the leaning tower. Lots of Green tomatoes on the vine but still no red ones. The plant that has produced the most so far is my Yellow Squash (pic. below.)

 To use some of my yellow squash, I threw this concoction together. Cut up some Kielbasa Sausage, Golden Potatoes, Onion, Green Pepper and Yellow Squash. Toss it in some Olive Oil, Minced Garlic and Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Bake @ 350 for 30-40 min. or until the potatoes are done.

So good!!

Father's Day in The Grove

 For Father's Day, My parents and My husband and I ventured a whole 45 min. from Manhattan to Historic Council Grove, Kansas. Council Grove has a lot of history and a beautiful downtown. We ate dinner at Hays House which is dubbed as the Oldest Continuous Restaurant West of the Mississippi River. It was built in 1857 and is known for their Steaks and other yummy specialties.

 They have Rustic Decor and old photos and such. We all had the Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. I had the 'Grasshopper' Pie, the mint filling was chilled and so good in the chocolate crust. (Silly me I was so focused on snarfing down the food I forgot to take pictures.)

Throughout the town, there are Historical points that you can drive to. We stopped at a few of them. The downtown sits on the Santa Fe Trail so there are many interesting od buildings and sites. The strangest one we went to was 'Hermit Cave.' It was a tiny cave, about 5' by 5' with a stone entrance. An Italian priest lived there for 5 months! Can't even imagine...

 There's a General Store that still stands from the trail days that was one of the last stops for supplies on the way out west.

 Seth Hays, was one of the first men to settle in Council Grove and his home still stands. He is the man who built the 'Hays House' restaurant. You can take tours of his home when they are open. I peeked in the windows and was in awe of the antique furniture and decor. :) 

 There's an old 'M-K-T' Railroad depot in Council Grove, now an antique store. The depot building has such cute detail. My great grandfather worked for Katy Railroad for 50 years and my father now collects Katy memorabilia so he enjoys stopping by this old train station.

This old jail next to the Depot, was the only jail on the Santa Fe Trail and it had only two cells that were tiny and very dark. The entire building was built of thin strips of wood stacked on top of eachother very tightly and it was a VERY sturdy building. There was a sign that stated the men who were kept in the jail then later hanged.

Birchbox Bandwagon

So, yes, I have jumped onto the Birchbox bandwagon. For those of you who do not know about the birchbox...It's $10 a month (Free Shipping,) and they send you a box with 4-5 beauty samples/supplies for you to try out.  I fell in love with the idea of a litte surprise package in the mail each month and since I am expecting my first child, a little bit of pampering is nice. :)

 I received my first box yesterday in the mail. It was like Christmas and after a long day at work, I couldn't wait to open it! They packaged it really cute and the box is nice so you can reuse it for other things.

I was pretty satisfied with my first package, It included:

*Perfume Sample "Juliette Has A Gun"- (Smells Wonderous!)

*Facial Mask-Pore Minimizing     "Masqueology"- (Haven't tried yet, but I desperately need to! )

                                                                           
*A Bar of Olive Oil Soap "Denizia"- (Great Lather but I feel as though it might melt quickly in the shower.)

* "Stainiac" Lip & Cheek Stain- ( Made my lips a Rosy Pink for a few hours...not sure if I am gutsy enough to put it on my cheeks.)

Last but not least....
*A box of "Cynthia Rowley Dress-Up" Band-Aids- (If I ever need a band-aid these are definitely the most styish choice. They look like jewelry! )


Hmm..I wonder what exciting new things I will get next month... http://www.birchbox.com/

Shop Love

Working at my father's store, The Bargain Barrel, every day of the week is tough. Not because the work is difficult but because it is extremely difficult to resist some of the items that we get in for sale. It makes it even worse that I am the only one that cleans and prices these items and he lets me take home whatever I want. So to make sure I don't end up on a 'hoarders' television show, I have learned to resist.

 Thought I would share some of the items that are tempting me daily here at the store..

Now, I don't smoke. Never have and I never will but I LOVE retro-style ash trays. I love all of the different shapes and colors (especially that teal and brown one.) I have a huge green ceramic ash tray that was my grandparents sitting on an end table at my house that I use as a catch-all. They are also great for office or jewelry organization.

 If I could incorporate this Clown Cookie Jar into my kitchen someway, I wouldn't hesitate for one second on taking him home! I got him at a garage sale for $2 and he's amazing!  My cousin made some very cute felt wallets and catnip cat toys to sell and I do admit, I took one of each home with me. the felt wallet is a perfect case for my camera and my kitties loved the toy!

 Framed Crewel Artwork is another weakness of mine. I have three large pieces propped up in various places in my Studio (I have plaster walls so hanging artwork is always a crumbly situation.) If I had room to prop another, this one would be there. And it has sunflowers! Argh.

Last but not least, loving this Mid-Century Chip and Dip Bowl with the leaves. Love its visual appeal but I know I would never use it. Well that is all of my temptations.. for now! :)

Round and Round We Go!

When in Abilene, We purchased $2 tickets to ride on the famous C.W. Parker Carousel. This carousel was built in 1901 by C.W. Parker and was part of a traveling carnival. It's really large and the horses are on a rocking track that spins while a band organ machine plays carnival music. The horses have been repainted, their horsehair tails and glass eyes replaced. I read that it is one of the last, complete carousels from that era because the individual horses are selling on average for $4k-$12k!

 My husband's first time riding a horse, believe it or not! ;) It was the best two dollars we ever spent and in the future, I will definitely bring my children back for a ride on the historical carousel.