Wordless Wednesday

I saw a display of these sucker sticks while at my stop at the Dutchman's Store. Brought me right back to my childhood and the collection of these treats they had at War Eagle Mill in Arkansas when we'd go visit my grandparents! Funny what you remember.

#childhood

Dog Days of Summer

Let's face it. It's HOT. I don't remember being this irritated by the heat like I am this year. I'm not sure if it's the combination of work stress, the treatment schedule I've been on, the lack of being able to be around water very often or if I'm just getting old! At any rate, I enjoyed a week of downtime at the Lake over the 4th of July. Thanks to some incredible hosts for having me. One of my favorite places for sure. On my way home I stopped at the Dutchman's Store in Tipton, MO. Always a fun stop. They were selling these mini watermelons. Um, yes please! Nothing cures the heat like some cold, fresh watermelon.

What are you doing to cure the dog days of summer?

When Worlds Collide

Earlier this year I learned that the local Iowa State Alumni Club had asked the Myasthenia Gravis Association of Kansas City to partner for a Trivia Night fundraiser.  To say I was shocked would be an understatement. A club that I so dearly love, selected a charity that I so dearly love to help raise awareness and money. And this is even after their commitment to help & support the MGA Triple Crown Run. 

I  hope you'll join us for the 1st EVER CY's Crown Town Trivia night on September 29, 2017 at Willow Creek in KCK.  Bring a team, bring yourself, bring your wallet 😎.  Besides trivia there will be drinks, food and a silent auction. Want to sponsor or donate? Let me know and I'll hook you up!

Facebook Event Page

Wordless Wednesday

When your mom is dog sitting dogs that eat wet food and she puts their bowls up on the table and you get up on the table and eat 3 of the bowls when she turns her back. Not the 4th bowl cause it's yours and why would you want to eat your own food.

#lifearoundhere

Liberty Field Trip

My friend Shalea and I met up a couple Saturdays ago and did a little field trip of Liberty, MO. Known for their quaint little downtown North of the river, the main purpose of our field trip was to have an adult beverage and check out Nickel & Suede. My dear friend Andrea introduced me to Nickel & Suede a few years ago and you may know I love to give Nickel & Suede products as gifts. If you're a momma (or even just trying to be stylish) you'd probably like the blog of Nickel and Suede owner which you can find here.

Nickel and Suede did not disappoint. They had just released the "Gem" earring a few days before we went.  I held back and just bought one pair, a gold pair, to replace the two other gold pairs that had missing partners. Such a fun little adventure. I also highly recommend getting a beverage at Rock & Run Pub.  Sometimes the best adventures are right in your backyard!

Freezer Meal Easy Skillet Jambalaya

I've done a couple of Wildtree Freezer Meal workshops and I have found a few of their recipes that I love and make religiously. The Jambalaya one is a favorite. And super easy. The recipe below shows you how to prep in advance and freeze but if you want to serve day of ignore those directions!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (or shrimp)

 1 lb Andouille Sausage, sliced 

½ medium white onion, chopped 

2 stalks celery chopped (optional) 

1 bag frozen tri-color peppers – or ½ cup each chopped red, green, and yellow bell pepper 

4 tsp Wildtree Chicken Bouillon Soup Base 

10 oz can Rotel Brand diced tomatoes 

2 Tbsp Wildtree Cajun Seasoning (3 for extra spicy!)-- I use 1 Tbsp- so spicy!

 1 Tbsp Wildtree Roasted Garlic Grapeseed Oil

 In a separate bag: ¾ cup white rice 

At cooking Time: 1½ cups water 

Place all ingredients EXCEPT RICE  in a large Ziploc freezer bag and ‘smush’ to combine. Double bag with small bag of rice, and freeze. When ready to cook, empty into a large/deep skillet, then add bag of rice, along with 1 1/2 cups water and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and COVER. Simmer 25-30 minutes, until rice is tender. Let stand 5 min covered before serving. Fluff with fork, serve.

All done! You can serve with a side of corn on the cob.

Do you Wildtree? What are your favorite meals?

Yardzee

Yard games seem to have gained some popularity in recent years. One of my favorites is Yardzee. I first saw it on Esty a few years back and more recently at Chicken N' Pickle in North KC. I decided to make Yardzee as a gift for a couple of things this summer. Such an easy gift to put together, although easier if you just buy the bucket in its entirety on Esty. 

I purchased wipe off (dry erase) game cards on Amazon like these.

A pack of dry erase markers with erasers from Amazon.

And then mega wooden dice from Target.

And to make it a little more environment friendly I went to the church thrift store, Blessings Abound and bought a basket which the game could be kept in. I love how it turned out. Picture quality once again not very good. I also noticed you can buy Chiefs and Royals gallon buckets at Wal Mart which would be a fun way to store the game.

Yahtzee!

HumaneKind- Feel Good Friday

My dear friend Karin introduced me to HumaneKind a few weeks ago and I went for the first time the last Saturday in June. HumaneKind started all over a cup of coffee in Denver. The idea behind it is for a weekly block party to support the homeless. The original block party started in Denver and recently kicked off in KC. Each Saturday block party is a time where the homeless can come and get toiletries, clothing and socialization from others while playing a little Jenga, corn hole, listen to music or just having a cup of coffee and a bagel provided by Einstein Bros and Starbucks.

I packed up a couple of hygiene kits from things I had in my closet including shampoos and soaps I had taken from hotels. I also packed a bag of clothes that I was ready to part with. The hygiene kits were really popular and I wished I had had more.

Not doing anything on Saturday morning? Check out HumaneKind. It's a great way to put a little pep in your step and give back. And also very family friendly so would be a good way to show kids the spirit of giving. I plan to go at least once a month, please join me!