MATCHING FLOWER CROWNS, AKA CRAZY BUNNY LADY

Yes, Maisy and I are wearing matching flower crowns.  I guess I've officially become the crazy bunny lady....but I don't care.

Things have been quiet around this little space of mine, but things in the outside world have been busy and fun.  I can't wait for a bit of a breather to fill you all in. 

Last week I had a little get together with my blogger friends, and it was magical.  Boozy snow cones, glowing lanterns, and flower crown making.  It was one of the best nights of my summer. 


I'll be back later in the week with a recap of the night and some DIYs, such as....

...how to make easy paper lanterns.

...recipes for boozy snow cones

...and how to make the easiest flower crowns ever

In a few minutes we're heading off to hang out with my family.  My sister and her adorable family are in town, and I can't wait to see them.  You can follow along on ensuing hijinks on Instagram.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

STYLE SHOWDOWN + TULIP BOUTIQUE

Oh, I'm having a hard time even thinking of saying good-bye to summer and all those easy breezy skirts, but I decided it was time to break out the flannel for this post. 

See that lovely stack of bracelets above?

They were gifted to me by a wonderful Kansas City boutique called Tulip in order to be part of a style showdown between 6 area bloggers.

The concept is simple.  Each blogger gets a stack of bracelets to style and then you, yes you, get to vote on Tulip's Facebook page as to who you think styled them the best. 

The chunky red and gold bracelet stacked against the earthiness of the leather wrap around bracelet made me instantly think of fall, which made me want to pair a flannel shirt with a denim dress.  I like the dichotomy of mixing dressier items with more down to earth pieces.

That, and I wanted a reason to finally wear the floppy hat I found recently. 

The thing that first caught my eye with this stack of bracelets was the brown wraparound bracelet with inspirational sayings on it.  I'm a sucker for things with a special meaning, and this bracelet definitely fit the bill.

If you're in the area, you should stop by Tulip's store on the Country Club Plaza or peruse all their beautiful clothes and fun accessories, like these bracelets for stacking on their online store.  Then check their Facebook page next week to vote for your favorite stacking bracelet style! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

JUST BECAUSE...

Sometimes I see something in a store that would be perfect for a friend or think of a funny memory that makes me want to reach out to a family member.  But then I don't, and the moment slips away. 


In this world of endless communication possibilities, why do I struggle with sending that quick text or mailing a letter to just let someone know I'm thinking of them?


Well, a few weeks ago, one of my lovely cousins called me out of the blue just to say hi and catch up a little.  I hadn't talked to her in so long, and let me tell you, it was so good to just hear her voice.  It really did brighten my day and made me wonder why I didn't do things like that, too.


What a wonderful thing to tell someone you're thinking of them.


So as I was strolling through Target the other week (as I normally do most lunch breaks), just seeing what fun new things they had out, this adorably quirky bracelet of two frogs kissing caught my eye.

 It made me immediately think of my sister, who lives in another state.  Then it made me smile, and I knew it would make her smile, too.

So I mailed it to her.  It wasn't her birthday or Christmas. 

It was just because...

every day needs a little whimsy.


And it's so true.  We all get bogged down in our workaday woes and fast paced life, so we need to make sure we incorporate a touch of whimsy, a bit of wonderment into the day to remind us of the magic of our surroundings and that others love us and are always thinking of us.


I want to be better at taking advantage of these little opportunities to make someone I love smile.  Sometimes I feel I have to have something to talk about or that I'll be intruding in their day, but how can sending a quick hello or delivering a smile make their day anything but brighter?


So that's my goal.  To be aware and vigilant of ways to share a bit of whimsy with those near and dear to me. 


What about you?  How do like to keep in touch with friends and family?

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?!

I heard that some kids are going back to school this week.  WHAT?!!  How did this happen?  Where did the summer go? 

I was feeling a little melancholy today, thinking that I had wasted the summer and hadn't done anything notable.  Good thing I take a ton of photos, though, because looking back through them made me realize that lots of fun times were had this summer.  I didn't get a lot of these special moments captured on the blog, so I wanted to make sure they weren't lost on a hard drive somewhere forever.

There's also a special treat below, if you make it through them all.

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We started the summer off with a get together with good friends, good food, and good psychedelic hula hopping time. 

Making sure we got our family tradition in of going to Starlight, we took my nephew to see The Wizard of Oz.  He ate an entire bag of cotton candy and a lot of my dad's frozen lemonade.  Unsurprisingly, he was able to stay awake for just about the whole show.

We also had a KC blogger meet up, and I got to hang out with these lovely ladies some more.

Which leads us to one of the most exciting parts of the summer...we brought home Maisy Mae!  No, no, no, not a baby, but an adorable little bunny.  She started off as a little fluff ball, but is now quite big.  Where does the time go?

My sweet niece and her sweet friend came to visit and we got to play tourists around the city.  We laughed a lot, went to cute shops, saw a band (and then saw them again the next day around town), and made flower crowns.  All of this equals the best weekend ever.

We bought a pool pass and went on lots of bike rides and walks.  For some reason this summer hasn't been as hot and humid as past years, and we've definitely taken advantage of it.

My wonderful and beautiful friend threw the quintessential summer party.  Croquet, sangria, and cool summer night breezes.

In the beginning of July, I had lunch with my sweet friend, Jessica, and her two adorable kiddos, Wade bought me flowers, and I shipped out some orders. 

We had a delightful blogger brunch with so many inspiring KC ladies.  I never liked Bloody Mary's, but when Ashley got a whole piece of bacon in hers, I decided I might need to give the drink another go.

Then came my mom's birthday, and we had a pool party to celebrate.  What's better than some fun in the sun to celebrate the greatest lady around?

Man, I did a lot more than I thought this summer.  So many pictures!  I probably should keep up with this a bit more so it isn't so daunting.  I'm sure you've hit your picture limit, so I'll just say that this is Part 1 of the series and bring you Part 2 later. 

As for the fun little something extra, I've added, what I'm dubbing, friendship bling necklaces to my shop!!  I'm really loving the mix of colorful thread with a bit of sparkle.

There are just a few there, and I'll be adding more soon.  That's not all, though, as a special summer treat, here's a coupon code for 14% off of any item from my shop until August 14th.  Use code: SUMMER14.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

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I'm linking up with Meg's blog, Life of Meg today for her Mingle Monday!

DID YOU EVER NOTICE....

...how the street shines like sparkling diamonds after it rains and the sun hits it just right?


...how a song can transport you through space and time?

...how your camera comes close, but can't quite capture all the colors and beauty of a moment ?

...how finishing a really good book can feel sad, like you're losing a friend?


...how every day you swear you're going to clean the house, and then you don't?

...how sometimes it's hard to do simple things and then once you actually do them, you wonder why it took you so long?

...how today is that good 'ol day that you'll look longingly back on tomorrow and say, "remember when"?

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What have you been noticing recently?

OUT AND ABOUT IN KANSAS CITY: STRAWBERRY HILL + KAW POINT

I am constantly amazed how many hidden gems there are in a city I've lived in forever.  Just when I think there's nothing new to see, the city surprises me.

This past weekend, my mom and I embarked on a little adventure and meandered our way to historic Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, KS.  She was actually the one to find out about the area across the river from the well known Kansas City, MO downtown area.

This beautiful historic home in the area was turned into the Strawberry Hill museum.  We weren't able to take pictures inside the house, but it has been so well maintained, and it was so interesting to hear about all the history and transformations the house has been through.

The Victorian-styled house was built in 1887 and has incredible stained glass windows throughout.  After a flu outbreak in the early 1900s, it was turned into an orphanage that was run by nuns from the nearby Catholic church.  There have been additions made to the house, but the grandness of the main part still holds its allure.

Residents of the area have donated objects for display that represent different cultural heritages of the first settlers of Strawberry Hill.  My mom and I really enjoy taking trips back in time through these types of tours.  Thinking about how life has become so different than just 100 years ago is pretty mind blowing.

Before the tour, we visited their tea room and had some iced tea, pink lemonade, and tried the traditional Eastern European desert, Povitica.

While the bread was delicious, my favorite part was hearing stories about my grandparents that I hadn't heard before or needed a refresher on.  The museum is by the train tracks and that made my mom think about how my grandpa found a job after coming home from World War II delivering mail from a train (did I get that right, Mom?).  Hearing again about how my grandparents met, how difficult things were after the war, and how hard they worked to make their children's lives better was a great reminder about how much we take for granted nowadays.

Remembering the past and all that our ancestors had to overcome to get where we are now is important.

Our memories and stories of the past should be revered and shared so that we maintain those ties to the past that make us appreciate our present and look forward to our future.

Down the street from the museum is Kaw Point, the place where the Kansas and Missouri rivers meet and where Lewis and Clark stopped on their famous expedition westward.

There is a great view of the downtown Kansas City skyline here.

 

 

I can't imagine traveling by boat for months at a time.  Maybe a cruise ship.  Maybe.  But even then, it would get old pretty quick.  It sure made me appreciate hopping into our car to head home.  That, and the air conditioning.  Ah...modern conveniences.

 

What a splendid day it was exploring our town with one of my favorite people in the world:) 

 

Find any surprising historical places or happy surprises in your neck of the woods lately?