Planting a Garden

My great grandparents were farmers, much like their parents and their parents before them. We would visit on weekends and my great grandfather, Papaw, would take me to see the pigs and cows, carrying me over the cow patties so I never ruined my shoes. He had a large vegetable garden across the road from their house, where he would plow the garden with horse and plow before using a tractor in his later years. This garden spanned acres and brought all the food they would eat throughout the year. My great grandmother, Mamaw, would can beans and tomatoes and they kept the canned goods in the dairy along with potatoes and onions to stay cool and dry. Milk came from their cows. Meat from the livestock which also included chickens. It was literally farm to table before it was chic to dine this way in restaurants.

Because I come from a long line of farmers, I've decided I must be one at heart. Or at least a gardener. So in the spring of 2013, I decided we needed raised beds in our backyard. We had an area with the ugliest ground cover I've ever seen so we ripped it out! We purchased two cedar beds, after much digging, leveling, and building up the area with cinder blocks, and began planting. That first year we grew lettuce and tomatoes because nothing else really grew. It was an experiment, after all, so I wasn't really sure what would come up. Over the years, we've continued to grow lettuce and tomatoes, but we've added cucumbers. But the raised bed weren't enough. Big enough, really, so I took over a small patch of yard off of our patio and started a larger garden. That year we grew corn and green beans. Two years ago we grew one pumpkin! I was in heaven. 

 

 Last year the rains came and it flooded out most of the things I planted. Joel joked that we needed crop insurance. I was sad. This year, we decided to add a border around the larger garden to keep the water from rushing in. We added cedar posts two high around the perimeter of the garden and actually increased the size a bit. This year, we've got carrots, radishes, green beans, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and lettuce! We still have the raised beds and are currently growing several different salad lettuces and two rows of cucumbers. And, I added pumpkins seeds along a portion of the back patio that doesn't grow grass, and we have four orange pumpkins and two blue currently working their magic. I'm keeping my finger crossed that all of this becomes bountiful! Not to sustain us for the year, but to give us some fresh veggies to munch on during the summer.

One of the main reason I started a garden was to teach McKinley the importance of taking care of Mother Earth. I want him to know that what we put into the ground can grow into the things we eat, so we have to take good care of the surface of the earth in order for things to continue to grow. And, I was hoping it would help him eat the things he doesn't currently like because he grew it and harvested it. It hasn't worked yet. And I like know that there are zero chemicals in a few of the things we eat during the summer. Freshness at it's best! 

 have to say, even tending to a backyard garden isn't easy. There is work that has to be done. Weeding is the most important and a constant! I water every day, especially in the heat of the summer. I have to try and keep the critters from eating my crops so I'm always adding mesh "fencing" around the ones they love the most. And even this morning, I've been out digging up mounds of dirt to add to the base of the corn stalks to keep them from leaning and breaking against their own weight. Clearly it's not the work of your average farmer, I realize that, but I love doing it. And I love watching McKinley help me pick the tomatoes off the vine and the beans off the stem all summer long!

If you're following along with the Summer Bucket list, you know that I suggested growing a garden. It can be on any scale. Just get out there and plant! Do I have the farming gene? Probably not. Is it that I have a green thumb? Possibly. Is it just sheer luck? More than likely. Whatever it is, it's tons of fun to do!

XO,

Andrea

Bedroom Update Complete

Sixteen years ago this past weekend, Joel and I moved into this house. This was going to be a starter home, living here possibly five years, and then moving onto something bigger. That didn't happen! But that's okay. I love our house. There are many things I find annoying about this house. Like not having a two car garage. Super small closets. But, if those are my only list of faults, I guess the house is pretty good, right? 

When we moved in, this house needed major updates in every single room. We weren't into the 1980s decor. Wallpaper covered in flowers. Drapes that swagged. And carpet in the kitchen. We lived in our lower basement, watched Trading Spaces that we taped on our VCR, and updated a room at time before our wedding weekend in November of that same year. We wanted to invite our out of town guests over to see the new house in all its updated glory. And we did! Even our realtor couldn't believe it was the same house. Our blood, sweat, and tears are in this house. And the sweat just keeps coming.

I am a girl who is always looking to make updates. Adding a little something here and there. We've updated the kitchen three times since we moved in with the current color being navy. We've updated my bathroom three times with new tile in the shower, granite counter tops, and black and white stripe paint on the walls. We've updated Joel's bathroom once taking down the mauve tile and replacing it with gray paint, new tile in the shower, and granite counter tops as well. I've changed out bedding in all the bedrooms at least once and changed the paint color in McKinley's room when we found out we were having a baby. The living room got a new coat of paint years ago and it's next on the list of refresh! Lots of changes coming there! And lastly, and most recently, our bedroom! 

This is what our bedroom looked like when we finally moved from the basement. Super boring! A quilt I had in my bedroom in my apartment. Furniture that my parents gave me when I first moved to Kansas City 21 years ago. The bed was new, a gift from my aunt, and maybe a picture or two on the wall. That was it. Plus, we didn't want too much going on for when we moved five years down the road. 

So when that didn't happen, I went hog wild! My mom made us a quilt as a wedding gift and it replaced the quilt originally had. We had Roman shades made by Ethan Allen and I painted the walls the ever chic harvest gold that every Pottery Barn featured in the early 2000s. Throughout the years, I changed out the bedding and added curtains, but never changed the walls. I meant to paint them gray, but life happened, so things stayed the same. It was definitely time for a change!

I still had the idea of painting the room gray and I looked at so many different shades, comparing them to the curtains we had hanging in the room and the color of the walls in Joel's bathroom. I finally chose Benjamin Moore's Shaker Gray. I purchased new bedding almost a year ago, all white for a stark contrast from the walls, and I asked my dad if it was okay with him if I painted the furniture black. It was theirs, after all, and I didn't want to make changes if they didn't approve. He said go for it, so I did! With the wall color mixed, white trim paint purchased, I was set! And I started out with gusto. One week in, the walls were cutout and painted and the trim work was next. I was slowly losing steam. By the first weekend, the trim around the doors and window, the window panes themselves, and the baseboards had all been painted. Every muscle in my body hurt and I was pretty sure that I couldn't do another squat if my life depended on it. But, next up was the furniture. Man, I was tired!

I debated on how to go about painting the furniture. Originally, I was going to sand down the varnish and get to the wood. Mom purchased some paint for a table for the booth and it was the perfect black. But then I chatted with a friend who had recently painted a dresser in her office with chalk paint and it sounded like a dream. You didn't have to sand anything. You just painted. Full disclosure here, I used chalk paint last summer on a different table for the booth and hated it. It was gloopy and didn't go on very well. At the same time, it was cheap paint that I picked up for a quick turn around, so that might have been part of the problem. She had used Amy Howard Home paint and loved the result. Looked like I was going to go down the same road. And, it turns out another friend loves her paint so I was truly on the right road! I love it too! I didn't use the "brushes" that everyone uses with chalk paint. I used a regular bristle brush and painted. I applied a wax I found at Michael's and it worked just fine. Don't buy into all the tools they say you need. You just spend more money than you need!

I purchased new curtains for the windows and new pulls and knobs for the furniture. I tried spray painting our doorknobs for the closets and other doors in the room, but it just left paint on our hands, so I went with new knobs there too. I thought about getting a tufted headboard, thought about painting the existing bed black, or using a black iron bed of my parents, but decided to just keep the existing bed. It's nice to have something not black or gray in the room. And with the pillows, it just kind of fades away. It all truly came together and simply love it. Want to see it? Well, scroll down!

Little things that need to be done at this point are faceplates being added for the light switch and outlets. Joel needs to turn off the electricity for that and plans to do it while we're on the road to VA. I'm going to add a small family wall gallery to the large wall next to the chest of drawers. They are framed and ready to go, but I need to space them out and decide exactly how I want them. I'll share that later. And I want to put a photo, from a series that my dad shot during the 60s, on the wall leading out of the room. But all in all, it's done. It's calming, and in my personal opinion, so chic! A big update from it's previous state. Sometimes, your decor needs to change with you and that's exactly what happened here.

I wanted the room completed before summer and I achieved my goal. Now, it's time to plan the living room update, which won't take place until after McKinley goes back to school. In the meantime, I'm going to spruce up my front porch with pretty flowers and a new front door rug and get my patio up and running. Summer is meant for outdoor play and I can take refuge at night in my peaceful grownup bedroom!

XO,

Andrea

This Kansas City Mama Summer Bucket List

Well, school's out and summer has officially begun! I know everyone is so excited to spend time with their kiddos that doesn't involve homework, hectic school schedules, and eating on the run. Vacations are planned, summer activities are on the calendar, and there are big plans to make play dates with those friends you won't get to see as often as you would when you were in school. Then July 6th hits and everyone is stir crazy, bored, and mom's everywhere are asking the same question, "How many days before school starts?"

I am one of those mom's! Things start off so well. We have fun activities planned around the city, vacations on the calendar which start in about two weeks, and McKinley is all set for swimming, golf, and tennis lessons with a musical theater class thrown in. He should be busy enough to not get bored, right? Wrong! And we will be arguing by the time July sets in. So, in order to combat those feelings of wishing school was year round, I have created a small summer bucket list that I thinl would be fun to complete! A few things you can do at home, but a few things will get you out and about and exploring this fun city you live in! Maybe you've done them before and maybe you've never even thought them. Either way, print this off and keep it in your summer tote bag for when you need a little something to do!

Some of this activities are annual summer events for us. Others have been on my list for several summers and we have never had the time to do them. We are definitely going to make our own ice cream and I'm going to re-try my Popsicle making this summer. Last time I made them, I wasn't in love with them. McKinley has never had watermelon on the rind and I can't wait to watch him try to spit seeds! As for the picnic on the lawn of the Nelson, I'm going to pack the perfect lunch and find just the right spot to dine!

What things do you already have planned? Will you work from this list as well? If so, I can't wait to hear all about everything you do! I plan to blog along the way of my tips and tricks to some of the activities we've done over the years. Certain places are free during the week. Some places offer different events throughout the summer. And I want to highlight my absolute favorites.

Today is the unofficial first day of summer! Get out there and play!

XO,
Andrea

KC Fun: Mini Golf

How many of you remember playing Putt Putt growing up? I had my 10th birthday party at Putt Putt and remember having a blast! There was an indoor space with tables and chairs where we had cake and opened gifts. I can't remember if there was food and drink, but there could have been. It was just up the street from the King Louis bowling alley and such a fun family activity. Since then, now that I'm older, my husband and I would occasionally play mini golf at an indoor entertainment spot in town, but they have since closed, and mini golf seemed to be a thing of the past. That is, until this past weekend!

A friend of mine posted a photo of her daughter playing mini golf about a week ago and I inquired about the location. Turns out, there is a mini golf place in Lenexa called Smiley's Golf Complex. I knew they offered a driving range and par three golf course, but I didn't know they had mini golf. Two courses to be exact! This past Sunday afternoon, we found our way to Smiley's and their super fun course!

There are two different mini golf courses. One is for the beginner and the other for the more advanced. We decided to tackle the beginner one first, just to see if McKinley even liked it. Turns out, he was pro! Definitely taking on the advanced course next time. And just like every other mini golf course in the country, there were fun, oversized obstacles, trick shots to make, and vanishing holes that led your ball to random parts of the green. So fun! McKinley decided he would take the lead, and would then try to continue on to the next hole without us! He was loving every minute. And Joel and I were having just as much fun watching him. And, if I'm being honest, we had just as much fun playing. Honestly, how can you not become a kid at heart while playing mini golf! The sun is shining, it's a gorgeous afternoon, and you're spending quality time with your family. Such joy!

Of course I took photos! Check out the fun!

And after you hit the shot through the bears legs, it only makes sense to crawl through them.....

There were two tombstones on the course and I loved that McKinley read each one aloud! Thank you Mrs. Warren!

The other tombstone and the vanishing hole!

I couldn't stop myself from singing "Octopus's Garden" after seeing this guy!

 

As soon as we reached this hole, McKinley shouted out that this is the same statue we saw at The Art of the Brick!

The last hole brought us Frankenstein. Check out McKinley's interpretation.

Joel brought along McKinley's clubs so that afterward he could hit a small bucket of balls, his first! He did great, once he finally got the hang of his swing. Lessons start at the end of June!  

After that, it was time to hit the road. We headed home for a very late lunch and I took a very long nap! Mini golf wore me out! 

If you are looking for some summertime fun with your family, head out to Smiley's! It's such a great family activity! And I for one am so glad to know that we have a mini golf complex in our midst. We will be there a lot this summer. Hope to see you there!

XO,

Andrea

JORD Watch - Giveaway

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I share pictures all the time about my favorites or my current style picks. Not too long ago, I chatted about all the watches I had my eye on. I love a good watch, especially if it's oversized! Maybe it's because my eye sight is now in need of glasses or because it's such a chic statement. Either way, I love a good watch!

Have you seen all the amazing wooden watch styles that are out there? More specifically, have you seen the JORD watch collection? If not, head over to their site and check them out! They are stunning! The perfect piece to add to you every day look. And I just happen to be sporting one these days! JORD reached out to me asking if I would like to select a watch from their spring collection and then give you all a chance to win a $100 gift card code to use on the JORD site! Awesome, right? 

I fell in love with the Frankie watch. It's oversized, like I like them, but the wood color is perfect for everyday. It's made of Zebrawood and Champagne so you can see why I picked it! The stains are gorgeous! Oh, and the clasp is made of stainless steel. I love that it's a no fuss design. Clean and simple. And incredibly lightweight! I don't even know it's on. And I'm a girl who feels naked if I'm not wearing a watch!

Some other amazing things about this watch is that it's engravable, making it the perfect gift. With graduation on the horizon, send that high school graduate to college in style. Same with any college grad. They can take the working world by storm by making a professional statement. Also a great Mother's and Father's Day gift! 

Want a chance to win? Head over here to register to win! Again, it's a $100 gift code to be used on any watch. I love a good giveaway! And if you aren't the winner, you still win with a 10% off code to be used when you shop. No one loses!

Good Luck!

XO,

Andrea

Again, your code is here!