Urban Mushroom Forest

I was walking along on campus last week and spotted this giant clump of mushrooms. For going to school in the middle of the city, I see some things you'd never expect to find there. This is a great example. Just last week I was walking out of one of the buildings and a hawk flew just five feet over my head with a giant squirrel in its talons. amazing! 

There is a great debate on which is more planet friendly, buying organic or buying local. Are the pesticides being used worse for the soil than all the carbon burned to bring food to where you are? Its a close call, but usually the consensus is: Buy Local. That's why Farmers' Markets are so great! Family farms bring their stuff to you, its great food by local farmers and families. So instead of supporting great big giant mass produced fruits and veggies where the big concern is size, shape, and color, you are supporting a wonderful small farm, concerned with taste, quality, and love for the food. Around Kansas City you can go to farmers markets at Rivermarket, Brookside, Parkville, Briarcliff, and many other locations. Go to Local Harvest to find a Farmers' Market near you.

Speaking of Crispy Fall Bike Rides

The grocery store is less than a mile from my new apartment and once I decide on one of these truly amazing baskets from Adeline Adeline , I will be riding there daily for fresh produce and wine. Adeline Adeline is one of those unique shops you only find once in a while. Beautiful designs that you are excited to buy, use, wear, and show off.  This beautiful Klassic Klara three speed with fat tires screams to be rode all over town while jingling this brass Crane Bell . I am especially excited about the baskets though. These two baskets are both detachable, so you can hook them to your bike, bring them into the store to fill with baguettes, tomatoes, crusty bread, olive oil, and Pinot Noir, then reattach to your bike and ride home. All while staying safe in these too stylin' to call helmets helmets . With their polished brim, they look less like helmets and more like chic caps.They even offer these great helmet covers that mask the helmet look. Check out their website , pump up your tires, and ride your bike all over town.

Free Will

If you have any interest in literature, theather, or just sitting in a park on a warm summer evening, you should check out the Mid America Shakespeare Festival right here in Kansas City. Every year actors come out and perform one of Shakespeare's plays for a few weeks over the summer. This year they are putting on Richard III from June 15 (that's tonight!)-July 3 in Southmoreland Park (that's right across Cleaver Blvd. from the Nelson-Atkins art museum.) Purchase reserved seats for $20 or bring a blanket and sit on the fringes for free. There are snacks and drinks for sale at the park or bring a picnic and make a night of free fun! visit www.kcshakes.org for more information.

Athleta

Maybe I've been living under a rock, but I didn't hear about this brand until today. I got this great catalog from Athleta in my mailbox for the first time (some people think their junk mail, I adore catalogs) and I've looked at it about seven times already. Created by the Gap Corporation, this sportswear is amazing! They have everything from dresses and skirts to yoga wear to runner's wear to bathing suites designed for surfers. Not only are their clothes really cute with great designs, their models make me want to get off my butt (which I've been sitting on way too much) and go running, or play tennis, or go swimming, or learn to surf, or go for a bike ride, or do some yoga, or hike a trail...the list goes on and on. No skinny models here, you can tell these chicks are active and they look genuinely happy. While I'm trying to curb my spending right now, I'm having a lot of fun looking through this catalog. 

correction 6/8/2010: It was brought to my attention that Athleta was not created by The Gap corporation but was bought by them about a year ago. Thanks for the info!

For the Fair Skinned

I burn, then I peel, then I'm back to being white again. I was lucky enough to be on a boat twice in two weeks after not setting foot on one in about two years. Unfortunately, both times I didn't slather enough sunscreen on and have been recovering from pretty brutal burns for the last week or so. So now I'm obsessed not only with sunscreen (bought some Aveeno SPF 70 the other day) but with finding a great floppy hat to wear as well. I like all four of these, and I'll probably just end up with a plain one like the one on top I found on the J. Crew website but I'm also digging this stripped one from American Eagle . I like the simple detail as well, but this last one is just drop dead gorgeous and if I had $165 to drop on a hat, I'd spend it in a heartbeat on this bottom one, also from J. Crew. It might look great to have a tan but, for me its next to impossible plus the whole lines, wrinkles, and skin cancer thing really makes having a tan a lot less glam. These hats are definitely more alluring.

The Unexpected Greatness of Iowa

I am lucky enough to have a family who built a cabin by Lake Okoboj i in northwestern Iowa. My Grandpa, uncles, and some friends of the family all put in a lot of time and muscle to build our well loved cabin. Although not all of us get up there as much as we'd like, anytime we're there we have the best time. For Grandma's birthday that's where we held the festivities. We went out on the boat, grilled out, and had all the fun you'd expect to have on the lake. Anyone who hasn't been there needs to go, the Lakes are all very clean, they have a great amusement park, Arnolds Park , which boasts The Legend, a wooden roller coaster built in 1927 which is still going strong, a super fun log ride, lots of shopping and you can take a ride on the Queen II, which tours the lakes and looks like an old time steam boat. There are also golf courses, mini-golf, tons of flea markets to scavenge on rainy days, and concerts in the park. If you live anywhere in the midwest, or really anywhere at all, you have to experience the wonder that is Okoboji. You'll want to try and figure out how you can stay all summer.

A Porch of One's Own

I cannot wait to have my own home. One of the most important things to me will be my porch. Outdoor sitting areas are so peaceful, calming, and wonderful. I love all three of these spaces. I dream of spending a day off relaxing on a porch with a good book, a sketch pad, and some yummy iced tea. Comfy furniture and an outdoor dining set is a must along with many colorful plants, and I would love a grill to cook out and eat dinner as the sun sets. I also love the idea of an outdoor fireplace. It means the space can be used almost year round. Can't you imagine sipping hot chocolate in front of the fire place on a crisp fall evening with red, orange, and gold leaves? Need to create an outdoor space of your own? Read these tips.