Jason and I will be closing on our new house this month; because of this we decided to "staycation" in Kennett this year to save money for our upcoming house purchase.  This past week, we stayed at my parents' house where we hung out by the pool and visited all of our favorite local spots. 

{Piece and quiet.}

{I spent most of the week out by the pool.}

It was nice to spend time by the pool and with the family.  We of course visited our favorite Kennett area eateries (the non fast food ones).  We had lunch one day at Lambert's in Sikeston and Brick Oven Pizza in Paragould, AR.  I visited Paradise Donuts for the first time as well.  I must admit that the chicken salad sandwich on pretzel bread was delicious!  I tried to stay away from the sweets but I did get something at Causbies Bakery (which will always hold a special place in my heart).

{My first trip to Paradise Donuts.}

After a birthday party for our nephew (complete with BBQ), we said goodbye to the family and came back up to the city.  Now we embark on a whirlwind of deadlines and paper work until closing time....

Today was grocery shopping day. As I perused the frozen food aisles, the seafood caught my eye. It was the box of frozen fried fish “country style” that took me back to my college years, and Wilkes 2-In-1 Fish Palace.


In college, my friend and roommate came home one day telling us about a fish place she had heard about at work. She had heard it was the best fish you could ever eat; the only catch was that it was in a sketchy neighborhood. The place was called Wilkes 2-in-1 Fish Palace. We weren’t sure what the 2-in-1 meant, but we were going to find out.

After a little more research, we decided to give Wilkes a try. Because of our insecurities about this shady neighborhood, we decided to go as a group. You can imagine the surprise of the Wilkes 2-in-1 Fish Palace patrons when 3 separate cars of out of place college kids pulled up.

It turns out Wilkes was a tiny space in a rundown strip mall. When we walked in the door we were greeted by a greasy counter top with several women….and children behind it. As they took our “order,” we noticed that there really wasn’t anywhere to actually eat in the place. There was a small room where the front counter was and another room off to the side, but the door was covered by a bed sheet. There were sounds of more kids and a TV behind the sheet. On the walls were drawings done by kids and Bible verses.

We learned from the homemade signs on the walls that the kids in the “fish palace” were home schooled. By the misspelling and grammar issues of most of the signs, it’s safe to say they weren’t home schooled well.

Directly behind the counter was the kitchen were we watched the women prepare our food, all while a small child crawled on the floor around their feet. Our to-go boxes were filled with fried fish and spaghetti (strangely enough) with a white slice of bread slapped on top. We got an overflowing box of food for only $7.  The spaghetti was literally spilling over the side of the box.

We paid, said thanks, and left, learning that being in the “fish palace” for only minutes left our clothes reeking of fried food.

In the end, it was the best fish we had ever eaten. We got more than enough food for a great price. I think we ventured back to Wilkes at least one more time before graduating, but each time we made sure not to wear any fresh smelling clothes because we would immediately have to change upon returning home. We also never figured out what the 2-in-1 meant in the “Wilkes 2-in-1 Fish Palace.” Perhaps fish palace AND school? Fish palace AND……?

Back at the grocery store I smiled remembering Wilkes. I bought the frozen “country style” fried fish, but I won't be making spaghetti to go with it.

I love summertime.  Here are some of my favorite things about St. Louis in the summer:

** Concerts at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
** Fireworks and Air Show at Fair St. Louis
** Taking in a show at The Muny
** Cardinal Baseball of course!
** Frozen custard from Ted Drewes
** Visiting the Penguin House at the St. Louis Zoo
** The Forest Park Balloon Race and Balloon Glow
** Celebrate St. Louis summer concerts downtown
** Shopping the sidewalk/tent sales at area boutiques
** Experiencing new cultures at the Festival of Nations at Tower Grove Park
** On extremely hot days (like the ones we've had recently), catching a movie at the Galaxy 14 in Chesterfield

It's been a rainy 4th of July weekend here in St. Louis.  While we had planned on heading downtown for Fair St. Louis, the intense rain canceled our plans, as well as the Maroon 5 concert and fireworks display Sunday night.

Of course I made homemade ice cream, which is a 4th of July tradition for us.      

{ Homemade ice cream.  A 4th of July tradition started by my mother...or maybe my grandmother.  Probably both. }

{ My patriotic mantel. }

After spending some time by the pool and grilling some food, we went to watch the fireworks in Ellisville.  Technically we were between Manchester and Ellisville so we watched both. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!!

This past Saturday was the annual June Dance Performance by ADIVA Dance Studio at Jefferson Barracks in South County.  This year Julie and myself made our tutus.  Though it was slightly stressful the week of the performance, the tutus turned out great.  The ballet performance wasn't bad either. 

{Costume designers; putting our degrees to use.}

I love finding cool things to put around the house or accessorize with.  I've been doing my usual Etsy shopping plus my brother just returned from Rwanda and brought me some really cool things.  Here are some of my new favorite finds for summer.

{Pillow from Potentials}

{Unique wall accessory from Potentials}  {My brother brought these back for me from Africa} {Ice cream bowls from Target.  They were in the $1 section!} {I love this new necklace I got on etsy!} {This is another etsy find.  This is my second purchase from this etsy shop.}

As I previously mentioned here, my friend Laurie was gracious enough to let me keep some of the fabric flowers from her wedding.  I wanted to make them into hair pins so I removed the wire stems and attached them to hair clips I bought at Hobby Lobby.

{Handmade fabric flowers}

These are by far my favorite wedding favors ever!  Thanks Laurie!!

I am a part of a group of women from church that puts together different projects throughout the year.  At Christmas time we all choose a child or two from a list to buy Christmas for.  These kids are living in a high poverty area and are often without basic necessities.  In June, we do a military project; putting together care packages for soldiers serving overseas. 

The first year we did this, we sent 9 boxes of snacks and hygiene items.  The next year we sent 16 boxes.  This year we sent 27.  On Friday night we packed all of the boxes which will be shipped out this week. 

{"God Chicks"}

The boxes were filled with magazines, snacks, and other items that we were told were needed.  We write notes and leave personal messages for the soldiers receiving the boxes.  Usually we have a personal contact that gives us names and addresses to send the boxes.

{Me tossing snacks into the boxes.}

Though many in this group of women are from different countries everyone is always excited to help with the military project.  Everyone has great pride in this country and is thankful for all of the men and women serving in the military.

This weekend, a couple friends and I took a roadtrip to wine country (Rocheport, MO) for the wedding of our high school friend Laurie. 

{Les Bourgeois Vineyards}

It was a beautiful wedding and we were happy to be a part of it. 

{Laurie coming down the aisle}

{Laurie and Kieran McBride}

{Me, Tabatha, Laurie, and Julie}

 The theme of the wedding was "vintage" and I absolutely loved the flower arrangements.  I loved them so much that I got permission from the bride to take a few home.  I'm going to make them into hair pins.

{Handmade flowers}

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

(My dress was from Potentials.)

As I previously mentioned here, I am currently helping out at work by driving the moving truck.  Monday was full of pick ups, deliveries, and rain. 

The day started out normal enough.  I went to pick up some donated items from a lady who lived in a gated community full of million dollar homes in St. Charles.  The only problem was that the gate would not let us in.  People honked angrily as I sat there in my big ugly truck blocking the entry to the neighborhood.  I must have looked like I was coming to rob someone because a woman in a Lexus rolled down her window to tell me that I couldn't "tailgate" into the neighborhood because the gate would close on the truck.  Not that I was trying to "tailgate" but I'm sure in a battle between the gate and my truck, my truck would have won. 

After getting into the neighborhood, finding the house, and loading it up with donations, it was on to the next pick up.  The next obstacle of the day was the strong storm that popped up as I drove down highway 94.  Out of no where the winds picked up and the rain fell.  The windshield wipers in the truck probably hadn't been replaced since 1990 so they just smeared the water across the windshield.  When the winds picked up, the truck started blowing all over the road.  I couldn't keep it on the road.  Trash and tree limbs were flying across the road, but the turning point was when the driver side mirror swung over slamming into my window.  After pulling off under an over pass for about 5 or 6 minutes I was off again.  The next hour consisted of loading up more donations in a rain storm. 

After a long day of loading and unloading the truck it was time to take the donations we couldn't use in the store to the yellow box to be re donated.  As I drove down the highway again, an old man in a truck pulled up beside me and gestured that the back door of the truck was open.  We were almost to our destination by this point so I continued.  Once arriving at the yellow box, I noticed that indeed no one had closed the door on the back of the truck.  I had left a trail of clothes down every road that I had driven.  Luckily no one called the cops on me. 

It was a long day of back breaking work.  I'm definitely ruling out a career in moving services.

It has been a busy past few days.  Honestly I'm not used to being busy.  Saturday was hectic and I spent most of Sunday recovering while also doing the laundry and grocery shopping.  On Monday I had a sick dog and a sick computer.  After taking Callie to the vet to find out she had spring allergies, I took the computer to the Geek Squad to find out it is old.  Following that, I tested to get my Class E Driver's License (which I passed on the first try despite what some skeptics might have said).  I then drove the Youth In Need diesel U-Haul down the freeway to deliver some donations to their destinations.

{ Driving the U-Haul down 270 during rush hour. }

I had planned on spending the weekend organizing but didn't get very far. 



Like I said, I'm not used to being busy.  Its only up hill from here....

It literally seems like yesterday that I helped my little brother move into his freshmen dorm at Webster University.  Although he acted cool and collected at the time, I knew he was nervous.  While some things may have come easy to him so far, this was a whole new ballgame. 

Four years and many experiences later, he graduated on Saturday with a Bachelors in International Human Rights and a Spanish minor. 

{ Getting the diploma. }

With graduation out of the way, he now leaves for Rwanda for a couple of weeks.  He's changing the world one international trip at a time....

{ The whole family. }

{ Me and my lil bro. }

On Good Friday the St. Louis area was hit hard with tornadoes.  (See more about the damage here.)  Jason was called out to go to work late Friday night and into early Saturday morning to help with traffic problems and other effects of the storms.  We were lucky enough to not be in one of the hard hit areas.

Although we planned on driving down to Kennett for Easter, more storms caused us to stay put.  After a quick trip to the grocery store and a little rearranging of plans, Jason and I spent Easter at home together.  We went to church and I made a big lunch. 

{ Jason and I after church. } { The whole gang. }

More storms are in the forecast.  Hopefully they won't be as bad as they were on Friday. 




{ Forever 21 top, kensie pants }

{ Etcetera top, Vince tank, William Rast jeans }

Pieces of these outfits came from Arnold's Walk-In Closet, Plato's Closet Kirkwood, Potentials, and Rung.

Several weeks ago I had an epiphany.  While I liked my job and what I did, I felt like I could do more.  I wanted to help people and not just "make money."

The fashion industry can be a selfish business.  I watched The September Issue  one weekend and while I loved this documentary, the concept bothered me.  I watched as Anna Wintour and the staff at Vogue Magazine spent day and night preparing for the "September issue."  Their lives were devoted to fashion.  It was fascinating.  Although I love fashion and I love Vogue, I wondered what would happen if these people spent the same time, effort, and money on actually helping real someone.

One day at work I decided enough was enough.  I was tired of working in such a self-satisfying environment.  I started looking for non-profit organizations online.  One day I found a job posted on Craig's List.  I applied and a couple of weeks later I was employed with Youth In Need. 

Youth In Need is a family services agency.  I now work for Potentials, a social enterprise of Youth In Need.  Potentials is a non-profit resale store benefiting Youth In Need.  On March 28, Potentials was featured on Show Me St. Louis (see video below).  The official Ribbon Cutting and VIP Reception was held on March 30.  On April 2 was the "Friends and Family Event" and the doors officially open to the public on April 5.

If you are in the St. Louis area please come by and donate or shop for a good cause.  Every donation and purchase helps a child! 

{VIP Reception and Ribbon Cutting}

{Friends and Family Event}

{Working hard at my new job.}

Although I like winter, I love to see it go.  Despite the continuing snow here in St. Louis, I am enthusiastic about the upcoming spring weather.  There are many things I love about spring.  Here are a few of them:

*  Warmer weather (of course)
*  New spring clothing trends
*  Warm sunshine
*  Green grass
*  Blooming trees and flowers
*  Being outside
*  The first visit to the zoo since last summer
*  Visiting Forest Park
*  The annual St. Charles County Yard Sale
*  Easter
*  Opening Day

Happy Spring!

We have officially had our rescue dog Sammie for one year.  She also celebrated her 2nd birthday on Thursday complete with doggie cupcakes from Three Dog Bakery. 

{Cupcakes from Three Dog Bakery.}

{Sammie loved her cupcake!}

{Just like a real kid, she licked the icing off first.}

While I never thought I'd be one of those people who had birthday parties for their dogs, Sammie's previous existence in a rescue shelter broke my heart enough to have a celebration for her.  We took her to the dog park where she got nice and muddy, she got to eat her favorite treats all day, and she got her birthday cupcakes.  It was a nice day for her. 

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved bags.  Tote bags, purses, shoulder bags, it really didn't matter.  I would find something to carry around with me in one of my bags.  As I got older my bag collection grew.  Most of the time I would look for a bag that was unusual or different, or one that would perfectly hold my stuff.

Growing up, there was a woman named Evelyn that lived across the street.  She was odd to say the least.  One Halloween afternoon we heard bagpipes coming from across the street.  My mom, brother, and I went to the front window to see that a crowd had gathered in Evelyn's driveway and there was in fact a bagpipe player dressed in a kilt.  The crowd then formed a processional and began walking down the street.  We later found out that this was Evelyn's daughter's funeral even though her daughter had been deceased for several years.  Her ashes were being taken to the cemetery. 

To say Evelyn was odd was almost an understatement.  So when Evelyn passed away several years later, my parents couldn't wait to go over to her estate sale.  There my mother saw how truly unique she was.  My mother came home with armloads of stuff to remind us all of Evelyn.  While my brother received box of National Geographic magazines from the 70's, I obtained a box of tote bags.  Evelyn had collected tote bags from just about every where she had ever been, which it turns out was a lot of places. 

{A "Labels For Sale" tote, Hallmark tote, "Here's Howdy" owl tote, "Jungle Fever" tote, Arizona tote.}

{Arizona tote, Wendy's tote.}

Evelyn left me with several odd and unusual tote bags from all around the country.  I've used some of them, but mostly I keep together in a box and look through them every now and then.  I'll keep them forever and then one day when I die some random person might inherit them and think I was the weird one.  Oh well. 

I've added some of my own bags to Evelyn's collection including my very first sewing project, a flea market purchase, and other bag keepsakes. 

{The first bag I ever made myself and my souvenir from Busch Stadium opening day 2006.}

{My backpack from high school, my childhood ballet bag, my "Labels For Sale" flea market bag, and my favorite little tote from the Gap.}