Browsing Tag

field trips

Blog, Parenting, Travel

The Simple Pleasures

I love simple pleasures.

Like the beautiful, long-stemmed red roses Ray spontaneously bought me one day. I love the appearance and smell of red roses so much, I could just eat them. 

red roses

red roses

Or the lovely fresh flowers my friend Liz Zacharias blessed me with for my September birthday.

Fresh flowers from Liz

Fresh flowers from Liz

Or the Hello Kitty surprise birthday package my friend Shelley owww.RochelleValasek.com sent to me this past week.

Hello Kitty package from Shelley

Hello Kitty package from Shelley

Lately I’ve been feeling bored and burned out with life and business. So today I decided to take the day off and drive with Leah to the Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg, Kansas. We bought cider doughnuts and apple cider. Yummy!

cider doughnuts

cider doughnuts

fresh apple cider

fresh apple cider

Leah is a young adult and different from me, so she doesn’t always think the same kinds of things are fun that I do. Here she is, eating her cider doughnut, sort of tolerating things.

Leah at Louisburg Cider Mill

Leah at Louisburg Cider Mill

Here she is, indulging me when I ask to take her picture again.

Leah at cider mill

Leah at cider mill

I teased her with the words from a sign, “Now, Leah, don’t walk on the pumpkins!”

She wasn’t amused. She often tells me, “Mom, you’re not funny!” Well, I think I am!

I guess some people have to actually be warned against doing this. Why would anyone want to walk on top of pumpkins?

Don't walk on the pumpkins sign

Don’t walk on the pumpkins sign

Leah was far more interested in the 2 cockapoodle puppies for sale at the cider mill, in a pen. This breed is a cross between an American Cocker Spaniel or English Cocker Spaniel and a poodle (usually a miniature or a toy poodle).

cockapoodle puppies

cockapoodle puppies

 They were only $650 – EACH! I couldn’t believe this.

$650 puppies

$650 puppies

The puppies were asleep most of the time. One was so cute with his little tongue hanging out of his mouth. Leah wanted to take them home.

puppies asleep

puppies asleep

A young couple asked me to take their picture in front of the cider mill, which I gladly did. They looked happy. I should have taken their pic, too (on my camera).

Here you can see them on the left in this pic. I loved her outfit – red plaid shirt, leggings, and tall boots. 

young couple at cider mill

young couple at cider mill

Leah took mine right after I took theirs. It was a perfect, beautiful, fall day.

me at cider mill

me at cider mill

The mill has a store where you can buy all kinds of goodies – apple cider in half-gallon and gallon sizes, tea kettles, raw honey, an assortment of herbal teas, doughnut mix, horseradish, sauces, orange and yellow corn candy, chocolates, toys, etc.

I just bought a half-gallon of cinnamon apple cider, 2 postcards, and a box of tisane ruby mist tea for Leah, besides our cider doughnuts and small cup of cider. 

horseradish and sauces

horseradish and sauces

raw honey & tea kettles

raw honey & tea kettles

cinnamon apple cider

cinnamon apple cider

postcards

postcards

ruby mist tea

ruby mist tea

Outside the store there was a unusual flower bush with pretty, pink flowers on it, that Leah and I couldn’t identify. Do you know what it is?

Flowers always make me think of our oldest daughter Heather. Her name means a plant with various colored flowers. It’s most often associated with Scotland’s rocky highlands, where it grows profusely where few other plants can survive. But it grows on nearly every continent. 

pink flowers

pink flowers

Two little girls dressed alike in yellow dresses were playing at the mill. One of them danced on a stage area by haystacks, and then ran on top of the haystacks when her parents called her.

She amused me. Children have no inhibitions and are so free. What an example for the rest of us.

dancer in yellow

dancer in yellow

The drive to Louisburg in the country was beautiful – rolling green hills, the tree’s leaves beginning to turn red and yellow, cows and horses.

It was so relaxing and fun. Just what I needed today. Simple pleasures -just heavenly.

Gorgeous Heather in pink gown & purple shoes & jewelry
Blog, Parenting

Heather and girls: A Cinderella Carriage and The Cheesecake Factory

Last night our daughter Heather crossed another fun thing off her bucket list. For a special Valentine’s Day treat, she and her girls Annabelle and Violet got all dressed up and she took them to the Kansas City Plaza to ride in the Cinderella Carriage.

The girls wore beautiful red Valentine dresses, and Heather was stunning in a long, pink, satin, backless dress with a halter top, a black wrap, purple shoes to die for, a purple bracelet, and a purple ring.

Gorgeous Heather in pink gown & purple shoes & jewelry

Gorgeous Heather in pink gown & purple shoes & jewelry

I’ve been wanting to take our daughter Leah on the Cinderella Carriage ride, but in her teenish way, she just rolled her eyes and said that was for kids, lol. Heather said they had a lot of fun, but it was freezing. There is a warm blanket to wrap up in as you’re riding. The carriage ride is about a 15 minute ride around the Plaza. It began lightly snowing on their drive home.

But what an incredible memory! The girls felt like the princesses they read about in story books and love. And isn’t that the way we girls all feel at heart, wanting to be a beautiful princess?

Annabelle, Heather, and Violet in CInderella Carriage at KC Plaza

Annabelle, Heather, and Violet in Cinderella Carriage at KC Plaza

After that, they ate at The Cheesecake Factory – Annabelle’s and Violet’s first time there.

They serve delicious food and have 50 legendary kinds of cheesecake and specialty desserts. It’s nothing but an experience to have that first taste. If you ever come through Kansas City, this is a must stop! They serve the ultimate cheesecake.

What is something that you’ve always wanted to do, but you never have? Begin writing your bucket list today, then begin to do it!

*******
God wants to do more than you can imagine in your life. He wants to help you fulfill that bucket list! To learn more, click here for my ebook, Bahama Mama: When God Uses Ordinary Women For His Extraordinary Purposes.