Lifestyle

4 Reasons to Shop Local All Year Long

December 2, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Do you love your hometown as much as I love mine?

Great people make a town great. My home city, Wichita, has some of the best people I’ve ever met. People often say Midwesterners are some of the most polite people in the States. We care about one another, which is one of the reasons I shop local. Actually, there are many reasons why I shop local all year long and not just on Shop Small Saturday.

Consider my 4 Reasons to Shop Local All Year Long and “shop small” at every opportunity you can:

You’re contributing to the vibrancy of your town. For every $100 you spend in your town’s locally owned shops, roughly $68 stays in the local community. There is a rewarding feeling knowing that my purchases contribute to the success of my town’s Main Street every time I walk into a locally owned retail store, mechanic shop or restaurant.
You’re helping another family’s success rather than a big box store’s success. It’s a rewarding feeling to know that my purchases, and the purchases of others, help independent store owners send their kids to college and pay their bills. I don’t know the name of the CEO of Target, but I do know the name of the store owner where I buy hand crafted candles. Better still, she knows my name as well.
You’re inevitably going to make friends with store employees. Each time I stroll into a locally owned store, the employees (and often times the owner) make a point of getting to know me and what I’m looking to purchase. Many local store owners know my preferences and show me items they know I’m interested in purchasing. That saves me time! And the only thing we can’t buy or get back is time.
You’re going to find unique gift items to purchase unlike the standard items in a big box store. I would much rather purchase a growler of locally brewed beer or hand poured scented candle to give to someone rather than a generic gift from Walmart or Target. When handing the gift to a friend, I’m able to tell them the story behind the creation of the gift and about the store’s history.

Of course, there are times when a locally owned store isn’t open when I need something in a hurry. (I know you can relate.) But, I try my best to buy what I need from local businesses.

You can buy locally produced food all year. Many towns have indoor local farmers markets during the winter months.

The next time you need to purchase groceries or a gift, consider where you could make that purchase locally. Need some more inspiration?

The following items are some that I’ve purchased from locally owned stores that I could have easily picked up at a nationally known retailer, but I chose otherwise.

locally grown vegetables
dog food
holiday decor
clothing
hair styling
books
soap
coffee
landscaping materials
chocolate
jewelry
auto repair
kitchenware
beer
entertainment
and much more!

It’s official. I love my hometown and I love supporting it any way I can. What can you buy locally this week? Think back to my 4 Reasons to Shop Local All Year Long the next time you start to drive to a big box store for something you could simply purchase locally.

Perhaps you also support local businesses in your town. Tell me why it’s important to you to shop local in the comment section below!

50 Ways to Break Up the Monotony of Your Life: A List of New Experiences to Try

August 13, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Recently I lost a close family member to cancer and during that time of grieving I was reminded how fleeting life can be and that I wanted to seize every moment moving forward. I vowed to try something new, to push myself to show up to life every day.

My life had become a routine of commuting to work, sitting in a cubicle, and then coming home and repeating the same evening activities almost daily. Do your work days all seem to be a blur and before you know it you’re waking up on Saturday uninspired? I can relate.

So, I promised myself that I would begin to incorporate new experiences into my day to break up the monotony, force my brain to fire off new circuits to positively impact my life and my health. Some days I wake up and already know what new experience I will have on that particular day and other days I refer to a bucket list of sorts saved in my phone notes. Either way, I’m having a blast learning about myself, firing up my brain, and sharing these experiences with others. I’m feeling rejuvenated and I’m showing up for life, a more delightful one.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

We only get one life and I plan to live mine to the fullest. The following list is made up of activities I recently experienced or that I hope to try soon. Not all of these experiences require much money or a lot of time required. Perhaps you would like to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone and try one or all of them too?

Go to brunch with your parent at a restaurant you’ve never tried.
Drive a different route to work.
Call up a family member you haven’t spoken to in years (or that you only text on occasion) and ask them about their day.
Reach out to a co-worker or friend who works nearby and asked them to meet you for lunch.
Volunteer on a committee, for your church or kid’s school or for a neighborhood association.
Say yes when a friend invites you to travel to the lake, go camping or site-seeing outside of town. Better yet, ask them to go with you.
Eat local. Sip on a coffee at a local cafe or try the seasonal beer at a brewery.
Style your hair differently than you did yesterday.
Change up your fragrance. Wear new perfume or cologne.
Pull your bicycle out of the garage and take it for a spin around the neighborhood after dinner one evening.
Visit the library, walk over to a category of books that interest you and close your eyes. Run your hand across the shelf of books until you decide to stop. Remove whatever book your hand landed on and check it out to read it.
Introduce yourself to a stranger and make small talk.
Tour a neighborhood in your city that you never explore.
Smile and say hello to a stranger on the street. You might find you have something in common with them.
Don’t just sunbathe while at the lake or pool. Run and jump in the deep end with careless abandon. “Canonball!”
Desk yoga.
Paint and sip wine at an art studio.
Visit a festival and eat at a food truck. Ever try bbq nachos? Curry chicken?
Eat your lunch away from your workplace at a park.
Try an adult coloring book.
Learn new skills by taking a webinar.
Grab some friends and sign everyone up to try an escape room challenge.
Experience a local seasonal activity like riding in a horse drawn sled at Christmas, making s’mores with the Girl Scouts on National S’mores Day or grab a map and navigate a corn maze at a pumpkin patch.
Wear colored socks to work.
Pick up a new hobby that doesn’t involve using technology.
Create a date jar with ideas for date night fun. Draw a new idea from the jar this weekend.
Buy yourself flowers.
Travel anywhere you’ve never been before.
Throw a party that coincides with a random food holiday.
Follow a recipe for a food you normally buy. No churn vanilla ice cream anyone?
Visit a tourist attraction or museum in your own city.
Pick fruit in an orchard.
Point the car west and just drive.
Actually stop and talk to your neighbors when you see them outside.
Always go to the movie theater? Try a dramatic play production instead at a local theater.
Lasertag. Paintball. Water balloon fights.
Grow vegetables or purchase them from a local farmer instead of buying them from a store.
Walk through a toy store and buy a toy to assemble yourself like a puzzle or box of Legos.
Try a different way of exercising or use a different exercise machine at the gym.
Watch wildlife anywhere but in your own neighborhood.
Take a new car for a test drive.
Walk your friend or neighbor’s dog.
Host a potluck or food contest amongst friends at your home. Who can make the tastiest beef jerky, mac-n-cheese, or pizza?
Let a local artist or friend sketch your portrait.
Get a henna tattoo.
Celebrate your city or town’s birthday. Take in the sites and buy cupcakes to celebrate.
Try a Pinterest DIY project.
Listen to a different radio station all day long.
Take a tour of the city from the air.
Do anything counter to your normal routine and when a friend of family member makes a suggestion to do something you’re about to reject, say “yes!”

Have an idea of something I should try? Challenge me by leaving your idea in the comments section below!

DIY: Dowel Rod Tomato Cages

July 9, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Nothing is more rewarding for this city girl than growing my own food. I did it! I actually harvested homegrown tomatoes from container pots and I barely spent any money to do it. Look at those beauties below.

I made inexpensive dowel rod tomato cages instead of buying the plastic coated or metal variety.

Here’s the awesome, cost saving breakdown:

Because I bought the Jet Set tomato plant for $1, vegetable soil $6, and three dowel rods per pot $.80 each, I’d say that’s pretty inexpensive since I’m still harvesting tomatoes and it’s only mid July. Since I split the bag of vegetable soil between two large pots, I spent about $6 per container pot.

After you add new soil and a tomato plant, you will need the following items purchased from a local hardware store to make DIY: Dowel Rod Tomato Cages.

1 DIY Dowel Rod Tomato Cage:

3 dowel rods cut to the length you need
1 rubber band
ball of twine

First, I used a handsaw to cut each dowel rod down to the length taller than each plant to allow for growth. Second, I inserted each dowel rod around the circumference of the container pots interior as if I was building a teepee. Third, I used a rubber band to bring together the tops of the dowel rods. I recommend using a extra strong rubber band like the ones that come with your store bought broccoli, if you’ve got one in the kitchen junk drawer.

Lastly, to give the tomato leaves something to grow around and to enhance the strength of the dowel rods, I wrapped twine tightly around the outside of each cage in two places.

That’s it! I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I haven’t needed to reposition the dowel rods or twine even after moving the pots several times. I think you’ll agree that this do-it-yourself method for building a tomato cage is not only inexpensive but incredibly easy to do.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. A platter of caprese salad made from homegrown tomatoes and basil with mozzarella and drizzled with balsalmic and olive oil is calling my name.

Someone recently told me that their favorite summer fruit is…the tomato. I don’t blame them! Yep, it’s actually a fruit. It’s such a versatile ingredient whether used fresh like in a salad or stewed in a pasta sauce like my Dutch Oven Bolognese Sauce.

If you’re in love with tomatoes this season, peel the skin and juice them to create a Michelada with Lime (think Bloody Mary made with Mexican beer) or used stewed and diced tomatoes inside Lone Star Turkey Chili with Sour Cream and Chives for tonight’s family dinner.

Happy Tomato Harvesting to you! I hope your container garden yields dozens of tomatoes this season. Let me know what DIY outdoor project you’re working on in the comments section below.

How to Rust Proof a Wrought Iron Raised Dog Dish Stand

May 23, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

We are the products of a society that simply throws things away and replaces them when they break or don’t suit our tastes anymore.

Think: when is the last time you bought a duplicate of something you already owned?

Maybe it’s because I was raised in a do-it-yourself household, but I’m the type of person who first considers if they can fix or renovate something before buying it new, again. Plus, I feel accomplished knowing that I created or “re-created” something with my hands!

It seems like the idea of renovation is more popular than ever thanks to HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, Rehab Addict, and Home Town. What’s old is new again! Well, I decided to roll up my sleeves and refurbish our dog’s wrought iron raised dog dish stand after a couple years of neglect left it incredibly rusted and looking sad.

Perhaps you don’t have a raised dog bowl stand, but I bet you also have a rusted metal plant stand or outdoor lantern that is beginning to look a bit sad too. No fear! In a few easy steps you can bring that tired piece of metal artwork back to it’s glory. Let’s get started.

Summon up that can-do spirit because we’re about to take this rusted piece of junk back to its original beauty. What is that gross white stuff anyway?

Because our 10 year-old dog Sasha laps her water wildly when she drinks, this wrought iron dog dish stand has suffered from quite a bit of rust. She has the longest tongue I’ve ever seen on a dog!

The first step to fixing this rust problem is to remove as much of it as possible using a metal brush.

A small metal brush like this one works well for curved metal projects because it allows you to get into the small grooves of metal to free loose pieces of rust.

After breaking loose every bit of rush from all sides of the stand, you can use a soft bristled brush or rag to clean up its surface.

After brushing the rust pieces loose from the metal stand, you can position it on top of old cardboard boxes or newspaper to prepare your space to cover it with Rust Stop indoor/outdoor spray paint.

Using smooth continuous strokes, spray all sides of the metal stand. Allow it to dry, turn it upside down, and spray the bottom sides of it as well. If you have to paint more than one coat, expect several hours of drying time.

This spray in particular is awesome to use because it not only prevents future rust but also paints your metal items just as great as any other brand of spray paint. TIP: After completely spraying your projects with canned spray paint, turn the can upside and spray it just a little bit more to keep the nozzle from clogging.

Looks like Sasha just got herself a refurbished metal dog dish that looks awesome. Of course, she didn’t even notice but I did!

What new potential do you see in your old metal pieces now? In a few DIY steps and a little effort, your old stuff can look new again.

Are you as obsessed with your dog as I am? You might also appreciate my post for Homemade Bacon Cheddar Dog Biscuits and Frozen Yogurt Pupcakes or check out my Facebook page for dog lovers to read more posts about dog care.

Garden House Showcase: A Special Place for Mom

April 18, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

My mom is quite talented at a lot of things. When guests come over she rolls out the red carpet with the some of the most delicious meals. Even if you’ve dropped by the house mid-day, she’ll serve you a delicious cheese and fruit platter and pour you a glass of Chardonnay. Yea, she’s that kind of hostess.

But don’t be surprised if you knock on the door and she doesn’t answer. She’s most likely outside in her custom built garden house doing what she does best…gardening. Make no mistake. This is no She Shed. She refuses to let people label it as such. This is a real-deal garden house where she spends time cultivating her craft – making her gardens flourish. Whether she is sitting in the screened in porch chair reading about rose bushes or potting plants in the stainless steel sink, her green thumb is at work.

Located behind my parent’s home, mom’s garden house often entices strangers driving by to stop and ask to see it.

It seems only fair that my step-dad, who has his own woodworking shop, would build a garden house for her, right? The 8’x12′ house (not including the 5’x12′ screened in porch) includes the same amenities that any home would have including running water and electricity. During the winter it houses plants she wants to keep alive from the outdoor elements and during the summer the sun beams in on oversized house plants.

I recognize quite a bit of my mom’s style in her garden house’s design from the upcycled screen door to the ceiling light fixture that she held on to for years until this house was built.

Mom’s garden house is an extension of her own home. The interior’s neutral colors, off-set by the bright white counter tops and trimmed windows, includes various green hues from decorative additions and dark black metal pieces. Having collected many of the sitabouts over time, she decorates in a style more sophisticated than rustic farmhouse but less stuffy than classic traditional. She has an eclectic sense of design style that is uniquely her own.

Once inside the screened in porch, glass French doors remain welcome you into a spacious window lit space.

Muted green wicker chairs flank both sides of the screened in porch to the east and the west.

When not busy nurturing plants, she uses the garden house as a quiet refuge to read or just watch her many bird feeders in the yard over a glass of wine. When friends visit on occasion, like her Bunco gal pals, it serves as a getaway space to venture to between games for a quick tour. You can hear the women audibly dote over each detail of the garden house. They want one too. Who wouldn’t?

A serious gardner needs a space to pour over the details found in gardening books. Always the humble student, my mom enjoys learning why some plants and flowers flourish and how she can attract or eliminate insects.

Mom’s appreciation of nature goes back as far as I can remember.

“It (gardening) feeds my soul in a way nothing else does. I’m connected to plants in new says every year,” she said recently.

My childhood was spent watching her in the yard with her hands in the dirt on weekends. After coming home from school we would drag around the hose to water thick, layered flower beds of all colors and varieties. Sunflowers towered over our heads and wildflowers nestled at our feet. She would tell me about butterflies that she adored and the grasshoppers that broke her heart.

Today, she still sees beauty in the colors of delicate flowers and enjoys the harvest of a vegetable or herb garden. Her accepted challenge each year is to learn about the needs of plant placement in her landscape while always attempting to attract birds, bees, and insects.

Antique pottery and her favorite pieces adorn a shelf above the door inside the garden house.

The east side of the garden house exposes an area behind it where she also pots plants and flowers.

The wooden table on the right was her only potting station at our old house.

Gardening is not easy. She admits that the challenge is to find the balance between what she wants to plant and what nature will allow. Admittedly, she says there are more failures to learn every season and enough small successes to keep her happy.

I love spring and wish it lasted longer, she says.

It’s true. She smiles the most in the spring (with college basketball season in a close second place). When the weather begins to warm up and the days spring forward, she is more outdoors than she is indoors. I often call her to wish her a “Happy Spring” only for it to go to voicemail because she’s outside playing in the yard.

While I love the outdoors, I’m not a natural gardener. I struggle to keep plants alive. I either over or under water them. Completely forget about them. I never installed the proper drip system. Can a person’s “green thumb” be learned? Maybe I just wrote it off as “mom’s hobby.” I should have really paid more attention when helping her in the yard as a teen. Just last week I called her seeking advice about our sad rose bushes. Before I knew it, I was at her house on my hands and knees pruning her rose bushes while she used wood glue on the stem ends to prevent bores for invading them again. Glue? Who knew!

A rusty garden tool serves as a door knocker on the exterior of the garden house.

I’m “foodie” thanks to my mom’s love of cooking. In fact, many of her garden harvests end up in her recipes. Ripe tomatoes are the star ingredient in her homemade gazpacho, a cool treat during a blazing hot summer day. Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme find their way into many of her savory recipes. This year she has decided to trade her tomato plants for perennials because it’s just less to have to worry about and each year perennials come back stronger when given the space to spread out.

I’ve have so much to learn from her wisdom about nature, about plants and birds. As I mentioned before, I’m at best a wannabe gardener. In fact, I’ve killed so many house plants over the years that if there is every going to be any hope for me, I’m going to have to spend more time with mom in the garden house. If you’re more like me, you’ll appreciate a post she helped me write last summer 10 Hard to Kill Houseplants You Can Leave While on Vacation.

But not every day can be spent gardening. Sometimes the body needs a day of rest between the hours spent digging in unforgiving soil and pulling weeds away from flowers. On these days, she takes time to let her body relax but we all know she is still thinking about her next outdoor project.

A water drip system was installed for her window boxes, which extends to the container pots near the garden house entrance.

What can we learn from mom’s garden house? Every woman, every person, needs a space to call their own. Where they can go to escape the chaos of the day and appreciate some quiet time or just enjoy their hobby.

What is it that brings you peace? What do you enjoy learning about most? Tell me in the comments section how you pursue your hobby or where you like to spend quiet time.

13 Tips to Host an Unforgettable St. Patrick’s Day Party

March 19, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

It’s been awhile since you’ve seen all your best buds. You’d love to get together with your family. Everyone is so busy it seems. How will you ever get to see them all? Time to host a party!

When you send out an invite for a party, the fun has only just begun or should I say “work.” For the host, there are a number of things to do to prepare for an unforgettable party from choosing an entertaining theme to preparing the food. If you prepare for the party, it is less stressful than you think. Start early!

Known for throwing a pretty fun St. Patrick’s Day party (hey, that’s what the guests have said:-), I’ve done a better job each year because we remember what worked from year to year. If you’re someone who wants your party to be remembered for years to come, you must keep in mind these essential tips.

Send out an enthusiastic invitation (Facebook Events works best) at least a month in advance. Sure, many of your guests will wait until the week prior to your party to RSVP thanks to your friendly reminder post, but the point is that they’ve been thinking about going since receiving your invite. You’ll get a bigger turn out if you invite friends well in advance if they have a real chance to schedule a sitter. If you create buzz by posting the food menu or last year’s photos on Facebook the weeks prior to your event, the more people are inclined to want to come to the party!
Decorate every room of your house according to your party’s theme and don’t forget the front porch and backyard space (assuming it’s warm enough for your party.) The enthusiasm for your party never waivers if guests continue to see visual reminders of your party even if in the bathroom. Seriously! I even lead my guests downstairs to the photo booth by adding decorations to the stairwell.
Keeping with the party theme, I added a banner and St. Patrick’s Day coins to the stair’s landing area leading guests to more entertainment options in the basement.
Menu plan delicious food that most people love and do it early. Add in thematic recipes ideas too. Create a list of theme-inspired dishes and cocktails at least two weeks before the party so you can plan your shopping trip. If you walk into the store with a list, you’ll spend less money on impulsive items you think you “need.”
Don’t forget that not everyone drinks alcohol. Provide infused water or ice tea for non-drinkers. Better yet, declare that your party is BYOB and then you have no worries other than filling coolers with ice and some spare koozies. There ya go!
Be a thoughtful host. Don’t forget to shop for and prepare the “little things” that some hosts forget. Do you have enough lined trash cans in high traffic areas of your house? Extra toilet paper and hand soap stocked in the guest bathroom? Enough chairs?
Make sure every guest can eat. Don’t forget that guests with food allergies should know what they’re eating. Is your best friend gluten free? Place small upright cards near each serving plate and crockpot labeling what is in the dish. For example, you should write “Dried apricots with goat cheese, rosemary, and almonds” not “fruit with cheese.”
Serve prepped small bites or appetizers so guests can grab and go from the kitchen. Keep your guests moving! This appetizer is made of sliced English cucumber topped with horseradish dill cream cheese and smoked salmon.
The food must not run out! Serve enough food that everyone gets to eat and so you’re not stuck in the kitchen refilling dishes. Plan enough food for unexpected guests. Someone will invariably bring someone that wasn’t on the guest list. Oh, and if you don’t want everyone to stick to the kitchen area, place snacks like Chex Mix or chips around your home in decorative dishes. Put the drink station outdoors if the weather is nice.
Provide multiple spaces for entertainment. It’s not okay to simply serve food and hope people will stick around. Even if they are the talkative type, eventually people will run out of things to chat about. People love to do things together at a party! Set the scene. Play music or turn on the TV. It’s unnerving to walk into a quiet house where the host is still prepping food. Make your party a high energy fun zone. Set up outdoor games like bocce ball, ladder ball or a pinata. Place a selfie stick on the living room table. Set up a photo booth in an unused space of your home or in the garage. Don’t forget to provide a heaping basket of photo props and instructions for how to use the camera!
Set up a backdrop, some makeshift lights, and plenty of photo props and your homemade photo booth is ready. It’s as close to hiring a professional photo booth company as it’s going to get. Ha!

Your guests will entertain themselves as long as there are activities planned for them to do and set up indoors and outside of your party.
Be a social butterfly. As the host, you should make sure you talk to everyone in attendance at least once or twice. Yep, this task can be tough but no one wants to come to your party and just talk to your uncle John the whole time. Make the effort to keep conversations fun but brief. Just let whomever you’re talking to that you’ve got to “keep making the rounds.”
Don’t forget to be the “hired” photographer. As host, carry your phone in your back pocket. When the time is right, snap photos of friends during candid moments like when you caught them in the middle of a good laugh. Group selfie anyone? Friends often forget to shoot pictures at your party and regret it later.
Expect someone to bring their kids (or their dog) even when it’s an all adults party. Babysitters back out at the last minute. Be ready to provide a doggy water dish on the deck or coloring pages for small children to do. The parents will thank you!
Prepare gifts for your guests for when they arrive and take home gifts for when they leave. Fill small bags with colored candies, a travel bottle of wine or cupcakes and set the gifts near the door. Place a note nearby reminding each guest to “Take One. Thanks for coming to our party!”
Keep the fun going even after the party is over. Upload any photos from your party to social media within 24 hours and tag everyone who appears in them. People look forward to seeing themselves with friends having fun from the night before or from their moment in the photo booth. Remember that hosting a party doesn’t have to feel like work if you follow a plan and execute it well. Heck, it’s supposed to be fun so get in on the action and enjoy yourself too! What tips do you have for the ultimate shin-dig? Post your must-do ideas in the comments section below. Check out ODL Instagram for more photos from my 4th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party.

PS. Don’t forget to invite me to your next party! I bring yummy food and a hostess gift.