October 14, 2010

We came, we saw, we conquered - the Amana Colonies!

Willkommen to Amana   
This past weekend Mary, Maria and I drove out to west to the Amana Colonies in Iowa - home of the Zubers.  Our dear little german friend Maria invited us to experience her home town - where she was born and raised as well as her parents, her grandparents, her great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents.  Yes, they were the original settlers of this BEAUTIFUL town.  Because I do not want to butcher the history of this amazing place you can learn more about this German colony here and here - or leave a question below because you will get the best answers for the settlers themselves.  I am sure the Zubers would love to answer any questions you have.
  
But enough words - let me show you how amazing this destination is and how much fun we had.  

WARNING: There is a dizzying amount of photos coming.





giant, steroid fed pigs



lots of ladders, very old ladders in vacant barns - love it


every girl's dream - running wild through open fields - oh, just me?

Mary and I tackling our first barbed-wire fence - we're champs

checkin' out Mr. Zuber's deer blind (a must in Iowa)

the hunter

and the gatherer

the brand new truck - she was a beauty and so lush





 the quintessential farmer pose - so much to ponder

so we tried it too

 hay bales - hours of fun (and itching)




and corn fields before they are hay bales



downtown Amana - so quaint

so many beautiful, original homes and buildings


 dirndls - HOT

milkmaids....

the hills are alive, with the sound of music


i love this pic of Mary - so pretty


Maria's family cemetery.  


cheese curds!



October 7, 2010

Tag You're It


Well actually I'm it but you may be next!
The lovely Mrs. Modern Country of Modern Country Style tagged me to answer some of her questions about myself.  In turn, I tag a few people to do the same.  I've never participated in a question hop like this but what better way to get to know the wonderful people behind the super cool blogs that we all love and follow.

So here are the questions Mrs. Modern Country came up with for me:

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I think the question is what didn't I want to be when I was growing up....it was constantly changing.  One day a teacher, princess, bone digger-upper (archaeologist), home drawer (architect), Barbie's house designer oh and Barbie's stylist - just to name a few.  I was a very imaginative child with lots of imaginative friends, which is the opposite of imaginary friends.  No, I had real, live, breathing, physical friends who were just as freaky as me and always playing pretend.  Above all that though, beyond a doubt, I always wanted to be a mom.  Kids have always been a huge part of my life, even as a kid myself.  Oh and babies - do not even get me started on babies.  My friends who are reading this right now are rolling their eyes at me so I won't get started on that obsession.  I'm done - promise.

What do you like most about where you live?
I absolutely love my town.  In some ways it is pathetic how stereotypical, home-town America it is.  I know I should be a bit cynical about that but I'm not.  I love the community here.  I love the neighborhoods and how the kids are outside playing all day and all night.  I love the history of our town and how it is old, with a real quaint downtown with candy shops, ice cream shops, and coffee shops and yes also a Starbucks (I'm into the food).  I love that our downtown hosts great activities like outdoor markets on Saturday mornings and old-car shows on Friday nights.  I love that it is a college town, a small, private college town that keeps us young and engaged.  We are just a short train-ride away from the city and we are nestled between so many other charming, small, quaint, old towns.  I love that I can walk or ride my bike to the college, downtown, or many of the parks very easily and that so many other people are doing the same thing.  It truly is a special community.  I have lived here since I was 4 and this town has given me the BEST childhood full of so many great memories.  I think that is why I love it the most.



If you could only rescue three things from your house, what would they be?
Hmm....I am going to assume that my loved ones, including the pups, can rescue themselves on this one.  I would take the external hard-drive full of ALL of our photos.  I would take the blanket, hat and booties my Grandma knit for my future babies before she passed and I would take my box filled with all the notes and letters Brandon and I gave to each other while dating.

What is your favorite book?
When You Were Small by Sara O'Leary hands down wins.  I love it so much I even wrote a post about it.  I just cannot contain my love for it.  You must check it out.


What is your favorite room in your house?
My living room.  It is where all the "living" takes place.  I love when we are all (Yes - Bran, I and the dogs) on the couch cuddling and relaxing.  Okay, so the cuddling and relaxing never lasts long but I still love the chaos of when we are all on the couch laughing and playing.


What is your favorite joke?
I don't know too many jokes and I really can't recall any but I do love to laugh and no one makes me laugh more than Lola.  She is a nut-case.




Hudson is pretty funny too - especially when the two of them are together.

What would you most like to change about your house?
Oh this is a tough question.  I love our house.  It is our first home and we have already put so much into it and I really love it the way it is but I think if I could do anything right now I would finish the basement and make myself the most amazing craft/work area.  It is a selfish I know - which is why it hasn't happened - but since you asked.

Do you believe in love at first sight?
I think my romantic heart wants to.  I think I fell in love at first sight.  It sounds so cheesy to say that but I think I can now say it is true.  I didn't know it was love (well it was a different type of love) then but ever since I first Bran in 5th grade there has never been anyone else.  Really, we never dated other people but we didn't start dating until senior year of high school and have been married for two years now.  But you can read more about that story here.

So enough about me already.  I want to here about you.  Feel free to comment below with some of your answers to these questions.  This is what this is about anyway - meeting eachother.  And in the meantime here are some awesome blogs that I tagged to answer some questions of my own.  Check them out!

Life Thus Far - Kara is a phenomenal artist and cook.

Blogging Through Life - Brought to you by my favorite cupcake baker Allison.

Someone's Gotta Pay -   Fighting social injustice and making it fun, that's Aimee.

So ladies....Here are some questions for you:

What made you start blogging?

Why do you really bake, for the end product?  Or the batter?  Thus you never get to the baking part.

What challenge or adventure do you wish you had the resources and guts to go after?

Halloween or Valentine's Day?

Boxers or Briefs? J/K

Favorite ice cream flavor?

Favorite destination?


Alright ladies - tag, you're it.  Time to start answering.

October 3, 2010

keepin' the blooms coming all winter long


Summer is over but you don't have to say goodbye to the blooms just yet.  With a little fabric, thread and creativity you can bring the flowers inside.  

My new obsession lately has been messing around with fabric and ribbon flowers.  Now I am no expert and definitely have just been inventing my own way of creating these flowers but that is the fun part.  There is no right or wrong way and there are so many different styles.


I started using these flowers as pins for my baby hats, which I love, but why stop there? 

Why not create mini bouquets for home decoration, weddings, showers, table decor....


To create this I simply covered a foam half circle in moss with a hot glue gun, placed it on top of a pretty pot and then pinned the flowers in place so I can switch them out for an easy update.




Why stop there?  Why not use them as magnets for the fridge?


Or push pins?


Decorate a frame.


Or adorn your hair by attaching them to a clip or headband.  I am going to work on creating a wreath or decorating a new lampshade.  
The ideas are endless.  

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