Wildflowers

I have a hard time going anywhere to buy flowers when the most beautiful Kansas flowers are mine for the picking.

Yesterday evening my beau and I went for a little nature walk at Warner Park. (I do believe this is our first walk/hike where we came back without any ticks!) It was a lovely evening, and we only got a little hot and sweaty....from the walk! Here is what we were privy to...

And here is what we took home.

Where do you like to get your flowers?

Blueberries, Blueberries

I saw a pint of blueberries in our fridge this morning and have since had this beautiful poem by my dear friend, Andrea, and her husband, Bob, stuck in my head (or at least the first line):

"blueberries, blueberries, pickin' blueberries

up in the mountains where the land feels airy.

blueberries, blueberries, pick 'em all day

brought me a friend so I won't mind the stay.

under the pine and the oak in the sun

that's where you'll find the sweet, juicy ones.

blueberries, blueberries, in the summertime

pickin' where I go to clear my mind."

So with Andrea and Bob (and their sweet new addition Orien) on my mind, I decided to make this scrumptious blueberry pie!

Here is the link to the pie crust recipe I use. And here is the link to the full blueberry pie recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (I use her recipes constantly and have yet to be disappointed!!)

Here are my lovely blueberries coated in sugar, nutmeg and flour.

The pie crust is ready to go.

I decided to use a lattice top crust instead of completely covering the top with another full crust.

And here is how it turned out! De-li-ci-ous!!!

Blueberry Pie...check, Wine...check,Frank Sinatra record...check, Ace Perry Cider...check, hot man to share it all with...check!

Happy Baking! Enjoy the summertime!

Home Sweet Home

The beach at Kua Bay

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to Hawaii to attend the wedding of my dear friend Erin, and to experience Hawaii itself for the first time.

I spent my days on the Big Island eating local favorites (poi and spam!), fresh local fruits from the farmer's market (pineapple, mango and strawberry papaya), visiting beaches in the north (Waimea), south (Punalu'u), east (Hilo) and west (Kailua-Kona), attending the wedding (on the beach at Kua Bay), and having many outdoor adventures (camping in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and on the beach at Ho'okenna, kayaking in the big blue ocean, and cliff jumping....kind of).

After spending three hours in the national park, I can now cross it off the list (I made myself a goal to visit every national park in America sometime in my lifetime). And the 'cliff jumping'? Well I had the opportunity while kayaking to cliff jump. I got up on the cliff, and with everyone chanting my name, I......chickened out. I did end up jumping of a smaller cliff, but hey you'll keep my secret, yeah? (Saying yeah at the end of every question is a Hawaiian thing).

It may sound like once in Hawaii, it would be hard to come back. Well, that wasn't the case here. I had a grand time on the island and would love to go back and have new experiences some day, but I am now and will always be a prairie girl.

My dear Konza Prairie

Hawaii is just a little TOO laid back for me. I need structure and deadlines and commitment. I can go with the flow just as much as the next gal, but the flow in Hawaii was just a little TOO meandering.

And so I am happily content back on the prairie, near my Konza Prairie, in my little house on the prairie, with my equally prairie lovin' man.

Semantics of Semolina

I've recently started making homemade bread....well...at home (and by 'started', I mean twice).

My guy got a book on artisan breads to make at home and I am hooked. Each recipe makes multiple loaves, making it possible to have fresh, homemade bread all week if you choose. The bread I've made this week is Italian Semolina Bread.

I first had this bread at Wheatfields in Lawrence, Kansas and instantly fell for it. So, when I saw the recipe in the artisan bread cookbook, I knew it was the first one I would try (there are also recipes for pizza crust, pita bread and pastries....PERFECTION!) Anyway, the recipe is really long, so if you would like it, please comment or send me a message and I will get it to you.

I'm leaving for Hawaii tomorrow morning, so I wish all of you much happiness while I'm away! xoxo

Your Head Will Thank You

So, I'm pretty sure I just found the secret to happiness...and it only cost $6.

What is this alien thing you ask (or maybe you already know and I'm light years behind)?! It is a head massager. And I'm warning you now that if you are smart enough to go buy one, you will use it every time you walk by it in your house. It is impossible not to. Once you feel what it can do (it literally gives me goosebumps), you will keep it on your night stand!

I just bought one yesterday for Ike (for those of you in Manhattan, Acme Gifts has them for $6!) and I know he has already used it morning, noon and night.

I wish I could describe to you the happiness you get from one of these little creatures, but you should just find out for yourself! GO BUY ONE NOW!

Kickball...

http://thinklab.typepad.com

Skinned knees and grass stains. Hoots and hollers. Bunts and homeruns.

Today I had one of the best days I've had in a very long time. Rock-A-Belly (where I work) and three other bars, Auntie Mae's, So Long Saloon and Hibachi Hut competed (very amicably) in a kickball tournament at Tuttle Creek State Park (or just outside of it).

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. A day filled with delicious food, refreshing 'beverages', lots of laughter, and rigorous competition (or as rigorous as friends can be after a few of those 'beverages'!)

The day started out with a match-up between old rivals Rock-A-Belly and Auntie Mae's. Rock-A-Belly won in a game that seemed much closer than the last time these two teams met up. But, alas, Rock-A-Belly came out on top. Next up, So Long vs. Hibachi Hut. Hibachi came out on top by only 3 points, quite an exciting game!

So Long beat Auntie Mae's (quite handily) to come in in third place, and then came the championship game...Rock-A-Belly vs. Hibachi Hut! In one of the closest games in our kickball history (one year), Rock-A-Belly beat Hibachi by one point in an extra inning (this is where the hooting and hollering came in!)

After a long day with some of my favorite people on earth (and probably the last time all of us will be together because so many of our employees are graduating and heading off to bigger things), I left the kickball field with a little ache in my heart (a good one!).

I feel so lucky to know these people and be blessed by their friendships. I hope all of our lives (and yours) are filled with joy to match what we all felt today!

Curled Up Underneath the Dogwood

A few summers ago I kept hearing songs with lyrics about dogwood trees. All I could hear was "blah blah blah DOGWOOD blah blah blah." So, finally I looked up this mysterious dogwood tree and this is what I found:

I was immediately in love. This is my tree. It just represents beauty and pure nature to me. The word itself just calms me...Dogwood. Isn't that beautiful?! I confided this to some of my friends, and my dear friend Katie, was sweet enough to buy me this beautiful hair clip and a matching necklace for my birthday.

However, up until a few weeks ago I had never seen one in person. Here is how I met my first dogwood tree:

Ike and I were driving back from Florida and decided to camp at Holly Lake in the northwestern part of Mississippi. We pull in and are the only ones there (well, almost, there was one other guy there and the camp host, but they were pretty far away from the campsite we picked). Scattered throughout the other trees surrounding this lake were these beautiful trees with white flowers. I told Ike that as soon as we set up camp, I wanted to get up close to one for some photos.

So, we set up, went back to pay our camping fee, and then pulled up close to one of these trees. I left Ike in the truck and walked closer and closer to these mysterious trees, armed with my camera.

I nearly fainted! They were dogwoods!! I started jumping up and down, squealing like a lunatic! I ran back to the truck (after snapping these photos) grinning like an idiot, yelling, "They're dogwoods! They're dogwoods!" Of course I had to explain to Ike, as I just explained to you above, how important the dogwood is to me. He didn't seem to think I was crazy at all, just another reason I love him!

Now when we finally find a house, I might just have to plant a dogwood to keep me company here in Kansas!