Big Girl Bonnets

I found these super cute bonnets for the "grown ups" on this great site on etsy . Made by birdylicious from Indiana, she has other bonnets in great colors as well as beanies. Ranging in price form $12 to $20, I may be purchasing one for myself.

Kiva

A few years ago my best friend got me this awesome gift certificate for Christmas and I've been able to use and reuse it over and over again. Kiva is this amazing organization that allows people like you and me to lend money to people all over the world to help them open businesses that allow them to support themselves and their families. Today I just loaned $25 to Olivia, a farmer in Ecuador who is 33 and has 4 children. In the past I've used that same $25 to help Safiatou Diarra a woman in Food Production in Mali with 6 children, the Kyambadde Aidah Group run by Ms. Aidah in Uganda who has 8 children of her own and sells Charcoal, as well as Mwantumu's Ngeta B Group run by Mwantumu who has 2 children and is in Agriculture. Every loan I have made has been paid back in full and has helped these women start or expand their business. The great thing is you can lend as little as $25 or as much as you want and you can keep loaning that same money. As soon as your loan is paid back by one group, it can be loaned to another. This truly is a gift that keeps on giving. Check it out at Kiva.org 

Vintage, Used, and Fabulous

Antique malls, flea markets, and second hand shops have the greatest finds. If you have any sort of taste for vintage style, these places will become your best friends. Find a great antique mall and it'll be your go to place if you want to find some inexpensive accessories and knickknacks for your home, if you need a place to spend a rainy or snowy day, or if you just want to go wander around for some inspiration or alone time. Good Juju is an amazing market full of great finds from all eras. Unfortunately, it's only open the first weekend of the month, Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 12pm-4pm. It is such a fun place but, since its only open for a short time, there is often a crowd so get there early! Located in the West Bottoms at 1412 W. 12th street, get there this weekend for some great finds! Vintage Market is located in Zona Rosa and is open seven days a week. Its a little more girly but also has great prices and amazing finds. Jewelry, clothing, furniture, pictures, tons of great stuff and girly fun! Parkville Antique Mall is a hidden treasure, located in English Landing Center, right by the park, you can spend a whole day in this place. Really great deals and tons of booths, if you haven't been there check it out. I found some great stuff to furnish my new apartment! River Market Antique Mall is another place you could get lost in. Four floors of stuff to rummage around in, you will be thoroughly worn out after a trip here. Shopping second hand is great. The stuff you find is higher quality than anything made today, you won't end up with the same stuff that all your friends have because its totally unique, and its a form of recycling, instead of buying new stuff made from new materials, you are finding great stuff that already has a story and life behind it. 

My Favorite

I thought I wouldn't post again until I got back from Europe but I just had to.  Chris took me Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri and I just have to talk about it again. This is only the second time we've been,  but I can say it is my favorite place to eat. This food is life-changing good. Everything is unique, a wonderful mix of flavors and you can taste the passion of the chef in every bite. Tonight I got the Camp Lindo Roast Chicken which has a black pepper lemon herbed creme fraiche, duck egg pasta, morels, asparagus, and spring garlic. It is amazing.  Chris got the Kobe Braised Beef that came with these wonderful vanilla glazed carrots. The head chef, Jonathan Justus came out and spoke with us for a bit, telling us about their new addition, the outside kitchen that has recently opened and will be in full swing this summer. He told us it would be more casual, burgers and beer, not necessarily a three hour dinning experience like the main restaurant. I love this restaurant not just because the food is wonderful, but because they really care about where their food is coming from. Chef Justus told us tonight that he gets all his beef from one farm that is primarily grass fed then finished off with barley. This farm only processes five cows a week. The back of their menu lists where they get all their ingredients, raised at local farms. If you get dessert, check out their Strawberry Trio, delicious! Make reservations for their main restaurant, and check out their outside kitchen for more causal dinning. Also say Hello to the bartender (the bar is the old soda fountain from when this building was an actual drugstore) he looks like a mad scientist behind that bar, mixing drinks with fresh fruit and herbs! 

MMMMMMilk

Shatto Milk Company is a local dairy that is located just north of the Kansas City metro area. They are a locally owned family dairy with a drive for making pure, wholesome milk.  I began buying their milk just this past year and I never want to buy anything else. I am not a big milk drinker, but I love a bowl of cereal once in a while and of course its a must for macaroni and cheese. Shatto Milk Company not only has milk though, today i just picked up a gallon of sweet tea, and noticed they also had fruit punch and orange drink. Their milk flavors range from the classics, Whole, 2%, and Skim but also they have amazing Chocolate, Strawberry, Orange, and get this..Root Beer. That's right Root beer flavored milk. I have to admit I haven't tried it. The great thing about this company is not just that they never use growth hormones but their milk is bottled in glass jars, you pay a small deposit for at the grocery store and when you're finished with it, you rinse it out, return it to the store and your deposit is returned. That way they can reuse these bottles as often as they can. The glass keeps the milk colder, and really, who doesn't love the aesthetic of milk in a glass jar? Shatto offers tours of their dairy for those who are interested and hosts events on their farm. When I visited the website earlier, I even found out they will be coming out with Ice Cream. Yum!

Open the Windows

Spring is in the air and if you're stuck inside all day in the office, at school, or you just have to be in your home getting your laundry done. Open your windows! I don't know why but I've seen in some of the places I've lived, neighbors who either have their heat on or their air conditioning on year round! Do you really need one or the other on all the time? Decrease your bills and help the environment by turning it off! Today is beautiful in Kansas City, don't know how it is for everyone elsewhere, but I think spring has come to visit most parts of the country. Fresh air is so beneficial, it will stimulate your brain, get you motivated to do something, anything, so do it, open the windows!

photo credits: Ryan Beryl and bestgreenhometips.com

I can never have too many

Half Priced Books may be my favorite non-clothing store EVER. It is dangerous for me to go in, I can never get away with spending less than $40, but I always walk out with four or five new books. My boyfriend suggested we go there today so he could get a new book to read and here I am, not planning on getting anything, yet walking out with three new picks. I bought Tricia Guild's book Pattern a book that should prove to keep me engrossed for a while with its delightfully bright pages of rooms I long to have in my fantasy home. I also left with Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick, as if I need another project book but I just loved some of the designs, so I couldn't leave without it. Half Price Books is great, not only because it saves me money but because its just another way to recycle, while I am never one to give away books or sell them because I plan to have a library in my house to rival the Beast's (you know from Beauty and the Beast), I'm glad other people do. Walk in with a stack of books and leave with some extra cash or some new things to read, who doesn't like buy, sell, trade? Stores like this really help the community, right now they have a program called The Half-Pint Library, getting books to kids in need. If you want to find a store near you, visit their Store Locator.

mmm, good wine

I love to drink wine. but alas, I am a college student and cannot afford to drink the incredibly fancy, expensive stuff. I absolutely love Fetzer wines though. They are very affordable and taste great and the best thing about them is their commitment to sustainability. Their wines are completely organic, their grapes are grown among other gardens and chickens are brought in to eat the bugs. Their bottles are even made with recycled glass. I love their Cabernet and their Pinot Grigio.