3 1/2 week vacation: part 1

Robert and I have been fortunate enough to take a 3 week long christmas vacation.
Well he only gets 2 weeks, but I get an extra week!
Our first stop: Kansas!


this is Robert's Aunt Pat's Christmas tree. We visited her a few times on our visit.
Unfortunately, while we were in Kansas, on Christmas eve, Robert's great uncle Fritz died. I am sad, although I am grateful that I got to know him, and Robert and I made an effort to see Fritz a few times, every visit. We we fortunate to be in town for the funeral, as Robert felt very close to Fritz.

[Aunt Pat and Fritz with their dog Molly at the nursing home- taken from Pat]

Christmas eve was started with a candlelit service and followed by a great meal prepared by my mother-in-law.

christmas day we played Domino's, my first time ever! I've never known how to play! Please that my hubby taught me, not please that he never let me win.


Christmas goodies: I got a wonderful wool jacket, and Robert got new boots, pants and a holiday sweater (Lacoste, from me:)

lots of baking!

Our next stop: Denver, CO!

the littlebig midwest

I did a poor job of documenting our summer travels on the bus, partly because I didn't take my camera, and partly due to laziness. What pictures I did take are here now. The last few days of our trip we stopped in Condordia, Kansas. It was so wonderful to see some of our favorite people, the Millers! We were also able to see our friend Sorrel!They have an adorable house fully stocked with world-wide goodies. Robert and I were honored to park our bus in their back yard!





Rayna, Jaydinn and I all cooked dinner together one night.




love the walls, Christie is amazing!





We are really in the Midwest. There are bulk containers of mayo, and chili beans, at a normal grocery store!




[we did not buy these items!]



we went from Concordia to Lawrence, KS. I love Lawrence, it's beautiful and quaint and cultured. It's like a small town and Santa Cruz, CA all in one. I did a good deal of shopping here, antique and thrift stores and their amazing fabric store!








[some yummy cookies I made last night]


this weekend we went to the nashville art crawl and Robert had a cougar all up in his grill. This lady wanted Robert, I let his ego puff up at little bit. I was chuckling a bit!

necessities.

One of my favorite parts of traveling around is finding new little hole-in-the-wall places! This shop I went to was recommended by a friend who said I would love it, and she was right!
So I couldn't even think about how claustrophobic I was because I was to excited! This cute shop, Necessities
was a gem indeed!

This shop was stacked top to bottom with amazing antiques! Jewelry, clothes, fabric, dishes, baby carriages, wedding apparel!
every corner was like a new adventure of old, amazingly preserved stuff! I was in vintage heaven!

I was very impressed with this store that I asked the owner if I could photo-stalk her shop and post a blog about it! She gladly agreed!

















We also went into the sweet place called Smith's Market! Lot's of local and organic foods, as well as bulk/grab-n-go candy! it was great!

follow the yellow brick road...

...to Kansas!

this past week we've been in Robert's home town, middle of Kansas! We were the talk of the town, the big kaboom. Not only have we had gobs of people stopping their big huge enviornment killing trucks by, but they've all been pulling out their snappy little camera phones to click a pic!


[similiar to this one, but this lady asked to take a picture, and interview us!]


I bought some organic cauliflower this week at the grocery store because it was actually really cheap! I thought...what could I make with this beautiful little white broccoli?! why not try to make "faux-mashed potatoes!" so I did!


[so this...]


[became these!]


[i was thrilled!!! mashed cauliflower!]

Also exciting this week, we are officially an RV! this is great news for us! Being an RV not only makes us really awesome, but we can now park more places, and our insurance is a bit cheaper then just a "bus" which helps with this massive contraption! I was thrilled to witness this robing!








in other news this week, I made some mean Black Bean Brownies! They turned out great! the first time I made them, I skipped the eggs and went straight for a few bananas, but they weren't the best, kinda "too" gooey. [if that's possible] but the second time I only used eggs, no bananas and they were fabulous! Gobbeled up at an event I went to this weekend! Also, the recipe [which only makes this size pan!]




1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 eggs [or 3 bananas!]
3 tbs. coconut oil
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 pinch of celtic sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract [gluten-free, if need be!]
1/3 c. raw honey
1/2 bar of raw cocoa nibs or dark dark 75% or higher chocolate chunks [optional]

oven: 350 degrees
grease an 8x8 square baking pan

combine black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, and honey in a blender[or food processor if you have it!] blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
3.Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

a little bit more giving

here are a few more pictures from the thanksgiving weekend.

and of course the recipe!

home made pumpkin ice cream on thanksgiving!

so this week weekend, being so full of cold turkey sandwiches and dried up mashed potatoes, we decided to do TACO NIGHT! i made my famous guacamole.

like my grandmothers apple pie, french pastry recipe; i don't think i will ever give up my guacamole recipe! its just too great. just indulgence. not once have i made it, and there be left overs. although guacamole is simple and most people make a wonderful version of it, mine has something special besides love in it to make is superb! maybe one day.

price eats alot: again.

on sunday we drove to Salina, to meet our dear friends Stephen + Christie Miller for breakfast. the only place in Salina, KS for breakfast is this place called Russell's.

When i looked them up, the first thing on their website says "if you feel like a cinnamon roll at 3am, Russell's is the place to come!"

i knew right then we would be in a pool of grease.

it was fabulous!

robert got these 3 HUGE pancakes for 7$. and he couldn't even finish them!

then we went to target to try and get in the spirit and got sad because of consumerism so we picked up a baby instead. (maybe he is from santa)

his name is finn.

then of course we had game night:

Scrabble Slam

~

and now for my recipe:

peanut butter chocolate cup tea cakes!

first i make my gooey peanut butter cookies!

(this makes about 2 dozen- or 17 big cookies)

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. organic raw peanut butter (or almond butter)

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

2 free range eggs

2 tbs. light corn syrup

2 tbs. water

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

oven: 375 degrees

in a bowl, mix together butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy smooth!

beat in eggs, one at a time, then the corn syrup, water and vanilla

then add the flour, baking soda and salt. all together.

then bake for about 12-14 minutes or until they look done!

then while the peanut butter cookies are cooling, take some chocolate chips and melt them in a double-boiler, make sure you don't burn the chocolate and stir it frequently!

dip each cookie into the chocolate (with pastry tongs) then hold the cookie for at least 30 seconds to let it set, then place on wax paper.

once the cookies are all dried, roll them all in powdered sugar!

walllllah! you have an incredible, pretty tea cake/peanut butter chocolate cup!

enjoy!

more bites tomorrow!

• 
  
• 
  

the act of giving

being our first year married over the holidays we decided to spend a couple weeks road tripping around in november to really have a "relaxing/adventurous holiday"

so on november 17th we packed up the dog, moped and some snacks in the volvo stationwagon and headed outta town. from nashville to kansas city we only stopped twice to let our dog go to the bathroom

something about driving into the open plains is so calming. like a gush of warmth in the cold christmas craziness.

we spent a lovely time in kansas city. drinking with friends and eating a lot of food.

since we have been gone our days have been full of live music, lots of coffee/hot chocolate/ soy eggnog with brandy.

so we are now in Mcpherson, KS. just a little north of wichita and west of topeka. its a small quaint town of seems to be 5,000. a little smaller then i am used to, but i love the warmth and friendliness of every old lady and scruffy man here.

a few days after getting to mcpherson, robert's parents had a fish fry for us! so delicious! hush puppies everywhere!

making sushi for my in laws. they have never had it! boy did i change their minds about it.

on thanksgiving robert and I just enjoyed each other. it was a wonderful, renewing morning of us just remembering how we fell in love, our first kiss, our first memories and all of our other "first" and the ones yet to come. we realized how blessed we are to be healthy, full of wealth and knowledge, our families love us, and happy. it was a good thanksgiving. and we didnt over eat...which is good.

we did make pumpkin ice cream! it was to DIE FOR. although i almost did because i kept snacking and i am allergic to dairy :(

it was worth it :)

games are the big thing for us right now. every game you can imagine

outburst

killer uno

gin rummy (still unbeaten)

chutes + ladders

connect4

jenga

i am not really good at any of them except killer uno + gin rummy. unbeated at gin.

more bites later.