I grew up watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind and so have always wanted to see Devil's Tower in person. Once, on a family roadtrip, we went through Gilette and must have been so close- but somehow we all missed it entirely. This time Cory and I made it a point to go there and hike around its base to really take it in.
Read moreWind Cave National Park
With work done by the CCC and a cave that is so large its end still hasn’t been mapped- Wind Cave is a National Park that wasn’t even on our radar until we were very close after a trip to Badlands. We decided to check it out and see what the park was about.
Read moreBadlands National Park
We went to Badlands National Park on our roadtrip home from our time in the Midwest and I have to say, it was really cool. It reminds me of giant sand castles with grasses and wildflowers around as you hike.
The visitor center is AWESOME as they have a great video about the natural history there and, even better, working paleontologists you can observe and talk to!!
Read moreEffigy Mounds National Monument
Effigy Mounds is a site of earthen mounds in animal forms (mostly in the shapes of bears and birds) made by Native Americans that lived around the Mississippi River in what is now northern Iowa.
Read moreSt Louis Zoo
St Louis Zoo is incredible- and (though you pay to park) free to enter. We had to go when we were all in town for mom’s 70th birthday as not only is it a great zoo, but they had the traveling exhibit Dinoraurous going on. My niece Jo (4) wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up, so this trip was a must.
Read moreLay Center Sculpture Park Hike
We went to lunch with my aunt Pam in Louisiana, MO and went on a hike with her at one of her go-to spots. The Lay Center is a sculpture park with hiking trails where the sculptures are made by the students of St. Louis University. We pretty much had it to ourselves and the art was all so fantastic.
Read moreOld Town St Charles, MO
While I know being born around the corner from here some could call me biased- I do believe Main Street St Charles, MO to be objectively the cutest place around. I love Old Town, especially Main Street, for the brick streets, historic buildings, flower arrangements, small restaurants, river views and all the shops.
Read morePaint-Themed Quilt
I might be a quilter in denial. My sister says that though I am a painter and my quilts are only a sometimes craft, and that I never make them from a pattern- that improv quilting is a thing and that it’s just a hobby of mine.. I guess I won’t argue. I made my 4th quilt as I bought material for a table runner, then accidentally found material I liked with it and it was way too much for a runner after that point.. So I have a painting themed throw quilt/blanket I made.. Or Painting in the Garden as I think that might be the title.. Do quilts need titles? So much I don’t know about this topic!
Read moreSister Totes!
My sister has made me some really neat things since she has gotten into sewing, so I thought it was my turn. I made us a pair of quilted tote bags out of some Tula Pink Moon Garden fabric that I pieced together. The quilting is machined for strength then hand quilted for character.
Mine:
Both have the same material inside and some holographic thread for fun.
Emily’s:
Hanbok-vest
My sister follows Sara SJ Kim on Instagram and has made some of her patterns. She made a hanbok styled vest of hers that turned out so cute I wanted one! So when Emily and I were together for our mom’s 70th birthday we had some time to sew and she walked me through making my own. I love it! It’s reversible and was pretty quick to assemble.
You can find Sara and her designs here: http://www.instagram.com/yoursara_k
Em gave me a couple of cute labels I had to add.