Being artfully inspired

I go to Dean and Deluca once or twice a month… always in the morning, when it’s not busy, there’s a hum of people preparing for the day. Today, I stood and waited for my coffee – and took in the sites and smells. From the white subway tiled walls to the beautifully designed desserts and packages all around, and the giant photos of the most amazing looking cheeses and breads — I was artfully inspired.

The store at Town Center Plaza is never terribly busy in the morning hours before I have to be in the office – it’s the perfect time to go, and today, a Monday, it was a nice beginning to my week. I decided while standing there that a beautiful box of artisan chocolates would be the perfect gift for me.. someone tell the hubs please! Dark Chocolate with sea salt.. sounds heavingly (why isn’t that a word?).. but more so – the packaging was awesome! It’s like a designers porn.. I swear!

Right then and there I decided I needed more of that in my life. I needed to be inspired by the beauty around me, taking trips to World Market and Paper Source, not to buy something but to be inspired by the everyday. I don’t need special trips to the museums, although I would love a few of those as well.

For years I have heard about the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden, seen hundreds of images from inside the gardens – and have never been. I recently decided to focus more on passions and picked up my camera again, and chose the Kauffman Gardens as my first spot for portraits. It’s such a lovely place. I absolutely LOVE the grounds, the fountains — even the bathrooms were super clean!

Even if you are not a “designer” or think you are creative, I challenge each of my readers to look around and see inspiration in the everyday. Inspire yourself to do, see, create or just be. Inspiration can come from just about anything — just open yourself up to it!

xoxo

I love talking about restaurants.

Seriously, it’s my favorite subject.

1. I love to eat
2. I love to drink
3. I love to be social
4. and most importantly, I love to be in the “know”

My favorite restaurants in KC:

1. Blue Bird Bistro
2. Waldo Pizza
3. Margarita’s
4. Garrozo’s
5. Carmen’s
6. Californo’s
7. Oklahoma Joes
8. Osteria Il Centro
9. J.Gilberts

My favorite coffee shops in KC (I LOVE COFFEE): 

1. Mildred’s Coffee House
2. The Roasterie Cafe (B-Side is the best)
3. Coffee Girls in Waldo
4. Broadway Cafe

My favorite downtown/midtown lunch spots (oh, how I miss these):

1. Westport Flea Market
2. Lulu’s Noodles
3. Anthony’s
4. Margarita’s
5. Room 39
6. Saigon 39 (I might miss you the most)

Places I’d most like to go:

1. Bluestem
2. The American Restaurant (can you believe I’ve never been??)
3. Nara
4. Anton’s
5. Piropo’s
6. Aixois
7. Captial Grill (yep..it’s a chain)
8. EBT (I hear there’s a good happy hour)
9. Justus Drugstore

I would love to start a restaurant blog, I’d call it. EAT! or  Go Forth and EAT! or A girl, A boy & A cow (walk into a restaurant..).. I don’t know what I’d call it – but it’s fun to think about. We just don’t go out as much anymore, and I’d want to s. But there are some really great ones that I read, religiously. Here are my top reads:

1. Eat it KC is the newest that I have found. I really love her pics of meals, and restaurants – and the blog is beautifully designed.
2. I have been reading, Making of a Foodie, for a few years. She’s lovely and explores her pallet and gives her suggestions on where to eat.
3. I still “follow”, KC Napkins, however he hasn’t updated it since early last year – so I am thinking after a few years of him writing, he’s done. But it’s still a good resource for reviews on restaurants – old and new.
4. The Kansas City Star started a new blog called, Chow Town, it’s a blog by a newspaper – but still an interesting read.
5. Missy Roe’s, The Perfect Bite: KC, is also a great read. She travels and blogs about great restaurants she eats at when she’s not in KC. But for the most part she tries an eclectic array of restaurants around town – and talks about them like she’s talking to her best friends. It’s very easy to read, and I find that I agree with a lot of her reviews.

Are there restaurants that you love, that you want to try? Know any food blogs that we JUST have to check out? Let us know!

xoxo

Marian Hope Center

One of the blogs that I follow, Scout-a Mom’s guide to stylish living, posted this – and I think it’s a great cause – so I thought I would re-post. This is from her blog – I have nothing to do with organizing the event.. actually – I don’t even know her (although I’d love too.. great style, and a good read) – I read her blog, and that’s about it!

Spring into Hope, a shopping event to benefit the Marian Hope Center for Children’s Therapy located in Independence, Missouri.  If you are not familiar, the Marian Hope Center is a non-profit organization servicing children with Autism, Down syndrome and other special needs throughout the metro Kansas City area.  The center offers a variety of therapeutic programs and consultative services to meet the array of needs of children in our community. With 1 in 6 children being diagnosed with special needs, it is important for our community to come together to embrace our children and families.  Having a booth at an event like this is a great way to expose your business/shop/items to a large group of women (WHO LOVE TO SHOP!) and most importantly it is to support an incredible cause!

If you would like more information, please click the link above that will go to her blog – her contact information is on there!

What other organizations around Kansas City are you interested in? I think having a list of important orgs in KC would be a great idea. Have a suggestion?

xoxo,

Cabin Fever.. not the horror film 1 or 2

This years cabin fever has been especially hard for this mom. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that the Captain is getting older, and has more energy than the sun – but it might just kill me. I have started looking into places we can go to burn some energy at night – and other than the mall “playground,” where I am sure the flu bug sits in hiding waiting to pounce, or a fast food restaurant play area (equally as gross), I am a total loss.

I looked in to gymnastic classes, but they are super full at the places I have looked – and they are not cheap – somewhere along the lines of $60/month – which is more than a gym membership. He seems to be too young to do karate and indoor soccer has started already.

While searching, I headed over to the KC Parent website, and found a list of activities you could do with your child to help keep them occupied. Some I will try, some I will not based on age or attention span. But it’s a solid list from making paper airplanes and racing them to making volcanoes and window painting. Here’s the list.

What kind of things do you do with your littles to help burn energy?

xoxo

December came and went.. where was I?

Probably on the couch watching the series finale of Gossip Girl (Dan? What the..)

Noo.. well.. yes, but no. Our month was so crazy – I am afraid I haven’t gotten all my Christmas cards out! I def didn’t write on my blog, I’m pretty sure that I forgot to get someone something annnnd then it was Christmas! I mean holy cow! We had birthday parties, and dinners out with friends, we had a family funeral for a wonderful lady who lived 101 years and who was loved by literally hundreds if not thousands of people in Kansas City, St. Joseph and Plattsburg and then Christmas and New Years. WHOA. I am wiped!

I have had some time to reflect on my year. I feel like I got into a habit of making declarations; I WILL LOSE WEIGHT, I WILL EAT HEALTHIER, I WILL BE ORGANIZED… and then, although not always realizing it, followed that up with… tomorrow. How lazy is that??  It’s all about fear. I fear I will fail or disappoint, and so instead I drink soda (yum), and sit around, and watch TV. I don’t want to be sad and frustrated with my self, my weight or my laziness anymore! I want to be happy and thankful and moving.

So, TODAY needs to be my word for 2013! I need to stop dwelling on the rough patches from the past, and look forward. We all need to do that. Everyone I know has something in there past that they are caught up on – something that keeps them from fully moving forward. Do you know what yours is?

This year, I would like to start a food blog. A blog about restaurants, near and far.. and food I love or don’t, cooking, cookbooks – anything food. And do you know why I haven’t started it.. Because I can’t come up with a name.. how ridiculous is that?

Fear again!
Are you seeing a pattern, I sure am!

I would also like to get back into photography. I miss taking my camera EVERYWHERE! I miss the process of shooting and processing. Although I would love to get a new camera, I have a nice Nikon 35mm that I think I will make an effort to play with more. Ideally I could find a photographer in the area that needs some help at shoots or in the studio – just so I can be around it. I would absolutely love that.

As I type this I realize that my hope is that 2013 will be a transformation year. I’d really like to take that budget bull by the proverbial horns and get it under control, I have to lose weight and clearly my creative side is screaming at me to do something.

I hope you come along for the ride, I can’t promise that I will complete everything on my want list – but I will do my best – and promise, if nothing else, as an outsider – you will be amused!

Happy New Years! Love you all for reading.

xoxo