Archive for the ‘kansas travel’ Category

skinny travel pillows..

May 7th, 2012

  my neighbor who is an awesome sew-er.. walked up to my neighbor who teaches my kids piano (love the ‘hood).. well, the sew-er was delivering a pillow thing with velcro on it.. it was a pillow for the car – velcros on to the seat belt.. while i liked the idea, i’ve grown spoiled [...]
 

 

my neighbor who is an awesome sew-er.. walked up to my neighbor who teaches my kids piano (love the ‘hood).. well, the sew-er was delivering a pillow thing with velcro on it.. it was a pillow for the car – velcros on to the seat belt.. while i liked the idea, i’ve grown spoiled by Anslee and her fabulous fabrics at Sugar & Blue.  I messaged Anslee and explained this pillow thing.. I asked her to choose the fabrics and applique the kid’s initials on it – and surprise me.. I’m okay with Anslee’s surprises – they are always more perfect than i could have come up with ..  (she also made our tooth fairy pillows and bunting for the girls and our Happy Birthday bunting.. )

i grabbed abby’s to take a bit of a nap.. i didn’t velcro on to my seatbelt – just tucked it under my head and – o my.. i had the best car nap ever.. my pillow wasn’t sliding all over.. i may need to order one for myself!

i love the fabric choices.. on the back is a soft minky fabric..

i love that these velcro on to the seat belt.. this was the first trip we’ve taken that didn’t have three pillows on the floor getting stepped on!

and in action.. (horrible blackberry pic – but you get the idea)

Thanks again Anslee!

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labor day weekend fun :: (tumbleweeds and oilpumpers)

September 5th, 2011

  as this Holiday weekend approached we were coming off a really stressful busy week and we were so happy that we had NO PLANS!!   on top of that, the weather was supposed to finally cool down – and on Sunday it did.. we went from 100 + temps to 76 on Sunday!   [...]

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as this Holiday weekend approached we were coming off a really stressful busy week and we were so happy that we had NO PLANS!!   on top of that, the weather was supposed to finally cool down – and on Sunday it did.. we went from 100 + temps to 76 on Sunday!   fabulous.

On Saturday we drove to Lindsborg, KS.   It is a really sweet little town – perfect for us to just visit.  We happened on a garage sale at this cool old farm house and found a fabulous Oak Buffet – and I LOVE it.. for $25!!!  WORD!!  $25..  it almost did not make it in to the van..  I will have to post a picture of it when we get it cleaned up a bit..  oh and the people we got it from were so wonderful – we enjoyed visiting with them as much the rest of the trip.  Tom asked them for suggestions for lunch and they gave us a few – BUT tom didn’t listen and we wound up having the WORST lunch ever.. Abby went to the rest room to wash her hands and came out and said, that rest room is disgusting.. she was right..  the kids got their “pancakes” and they each took one tiny bite – and we left (well, we paid, and then left)..  It was cute to listen to them laugh about how horrible the service was and how bad the food was.  I WISH I’d taken my phone in to take a picture, but I didn’t..

so after “lunch” we headed up to Coronado Heights and then to Hoglund Dugout (see more about both on here)..  What I love about Kansas is that I just feel soooo not closed in.. the sky goes on forever and ever..

it was sunny and really hot..  we were hiking around quite a bit with our three whiny kids.  They are usually up for any outdoor outing, but NOT today!

the stairs were neat.. so cool to walk down.. in the FULL SUN.. whew.. i love how blue the sky is.. and I LOVE the long straight road in the distance on the third picture – you don’t see those where we lived before..

i was only able to get one shot of the castle that didn’t have someone’s head sticking out from one of the cut outs.. and that flower – i love how delicate the petals are and then how mean the stem and leaves are..

pretty abby with her 10 cent pink garage sale watch

pretty butterfly..

pretty roadside sunflowers on the way to the dug out house…  they were everywhere..

so.. the Hoglund dugout .. Gustaf and Maria Höglund, a young husband and wife from Fernebo, Sweden, created their first home in a simple pit, or dugout, about 6 ft. x 12 ft. in the summer of 1868 (I took that off the website linked here in the post.. ).. they lived in the dugout for TWO years..   a couple images that don’t do justice to it.. Ya see Emily – wee little Emily there was not listening to us (possibly because she was exhausted, hot, thirsty and standing in a strange pit off the side of a road).. so we took a very short stop..

then we headed back in town and got some yummmmmmmy cookies and cold drinks right past these tiles on this door way.. if you are in Lindsborg on the main street, DO go in here and grab a couple cookies..

 

we had a wonderful trip.. came home.. had hamburgers while we watched a bit of college football.. On Sunday we enjoyed a cookout with our wonderful neighbors.. and today we just enjoyed the day.. the wonderful temps!

hope everyone else had a great weekend too..

tumbleweeds 0 :: oilpumpers 24

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i love me some arboretums/gardens/pretty wildflowers (tumbleweeds and oilpumpers)

April 9th, 2011

today we set out on a little trip to the Bartlett Arboretum for the Tulip Festival..  fabulous day.. beautiful place.. wonderful people.. a few too many people for my liking at the tulip festival, but it was worth it… a few of the images i love from the day. gonna need some of those letters.. [...]

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today we set out on a little trip to the Bartlett Arboretum for the Tulip Festival..  fabulous day.. beautiful place.. wonderful people..

a few too many people for my liking at the tulip festival, but it was worth it… a few of the images i love from the day.

gonna need some of those letters.. and i will totally steal the word.. it is absolutely what i’ve been doing with my life lately..  now, i’ve been accused of stealing ideas before (he he.. brandy – ya know the chics I’m talkin ’bout) but this one i am totally stealing..

this is a white lilac.. in full midday unforgiving sun..  when i was a little kid.. we had a lilac to the side of our funeral home – yeah, i come from a long line of funeral people.. well, we had this lilac next to a little hill and my brother and i would roll down the hill.. and climb the poor lilac.. really just push it’s poor branches to the ground and try to stand on them.. and Grandpa Critt would catch us and tell us *to not to* do that.. and i will never forget that smell.. i love them.. our house in VA had a lovely one.. and i saw this white one and fell in love.. now i must have one.. a white one..

loved this .. i will have this hanging in the house.. it was really cool.. i wish i’d gotten a better shot of the clothesline, but there were just too many people.

there were also people selling things that seemed to belong there.. a lady had vintage stuff.. this sparkled under the trees..

i can’t wait to go back next year.. we will spend more of the day.. take a blanket.. lunch.. wine.. listen to all the music.. take more pictures..

tumbleweed: 0  oilpumpers: 1

 

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tumbleweeds and oil pumpers (our mid-west travels)

March 25th, 2011

when we lived out here in Wichita in 2003-2006, we took a few road trips.  i like road trips.  now that the kids are bigger (and we have a dvd player for those really long stretches), i am looking forward to more of these trips.. in fact, i have a whole bunch of little road [...]
 

when we lived out here in Wichita in 2003-2006, we took a few road trips.  i like road trips.  now that the kids are bigger (and we have a dvd player for those really long stretches), i am looking forward to more of these trips.. in fact, i have a whole bunch of little road trips I want to take this year .. but i will tell about that later..

this being Spring Break for Cooper, I wanted to go someplace he thought was cool..  so on Wednesday morning, we woke up and headed West – to Dodge City.  A little over two hours in the car with not much to see but occasional oil pumpers and gorgeous open fields – Cooper would often erupt with “LOOK A FARM!!!”  or ” wow, a TUMBLEWEED!!!”… it just made Emily and Abby giggle!   We made it to Dodge City and the Boot Hill museum not stopping too much on the way there.

okay, it’s not exactly at wyatt earp and 7th, but like a block away.. we had to stop and adjust seat belts and i noticed the street sign..

here the kids are belly up to the bar in the Saloon.. they ordered Sarsaparilla (yep, tastes like root beer).. and i just poured.. they loved..

emily’s *thumbs up*.. she LOVED it..  yes, it’s in a Bud cup, but it is pop (soda for my southern buddies .. lol)

Cooper also got some bottle tops to add to his growing collection!!  ultra cool.

 

on the way back, we stopped at this town I noticed driving in – it looked really new, and shiny… Greensburg, KS…. when we stopped for snacks, i realized it was a town I’d seen on the news – after being hit by a horrible tornado and destroyed in 2007..  click here to see the images from when the tornado hit.   We played at the park that the CBS morning show donated.. and drove around absolutely in awe of the force that must have leveled the town – i was too lost in that to even think of getting my camera out.. but i want to – i want to go back with tom driving so i can see it again.  the new buildings next to vacant lots with bits of rubble..  They do also have the BIG WELL.. but i didn’t get a chance to find it either.. it was a very WINDY day

then, back on the road and Cooper asked me to get some pictures of the Oil Pumpers since his camera’s battery was dead.. so i did.. they are really pretty neat to see..

i must have looked crazy – jumping out of the van, the wind slamming the door – running out to the side of the road, snapping a picture, jumping back in…

earlier in the day on the way to Dodge, I’d also spotted a bunch of random metal sculptures on the side of the road.. I wanted to stop and take pictures – so i did (emily was sleeping and i still stopped.. )  here is more on it..   i only jumped out to snap a couple, you get the idea.. whether you agree with his opinions or not, they are really cool to see..

there you have it.. our first road trip..

tumbleweed count :: 8

 

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