The Tatanka isn't telling

Sorry I didn't have time to post a note saying I would be out of town on vacation - but our plans changed at the last minute and instead of heading north through Wisonsin and Minnesota, we ended up heading south to Albuquerque.

We are still on vacation in South Dakota and due to head home Sunday but I'm telling you, it's been a trip and a half so far! Seems like everyday we are either fighting one element or another and I'll just have to share more when I get home.

Till then, I can only share my secrets with the Tatanka!

Wedding Bells and Lunch Bills

It's been a wild and crazy weekend ... but great and wonderful and full of fun! We had a wedding to attend on Saturday afternoon and it's been so long since I've seen hubs in anything but harley t-shirts, so that this was a nice lil change! He still cleans up nicely :)

I've known the bride since she was a very young child - and she is a joy and a treasure to me. She has the kindest, most generous heart and her sweet spirit shown brightly during the wedding - isn't she lovely?

Course, can a wedding be complete without the bubble blowers

sending the bride and groom off in fashion?

The reception was held in old downtown Parkville, MO. and the cake was lovely, the food was delicious and the party was full of frolicking fun. This is the bride and her sister - as her Maid of Honor! They are both so pretty :)

And this is Heather's brother, Chris - who used to be my tennis buddy till he decided an education was more important than hanging out with his pal on the tennis courts!

Hmmmpff... go figure!!

The wedding went off without a hitch and I'm wishing Mr. and Mrs. Chad Johnson a wonderful honeymoon in Eureka Springs!

Sunday came around and we met up with a couple that we are going on vakay with at the end of the week. It' s not uncommon for me to tease the waitress - and as she was taking our orders, I jokingly told her that me and Kim were on one ticket and the men were on one ticket. Now, usually a waitress will realize I'm kidding but after our meal, she brought our tickets and handed one to hubs and one to me. I'm sure I had a puzzled look on my face but opened the check holder to find this:

Hubs opened his and found this:

I'm telling ya... that was the best laugh we've had in a long long time!

(She got an extra good tip for being so much fun ♥)

After breakfast, we headed out to hook up with more friends and took a long bike ride over in Kansas. We were smack dab in the middle of the country - out where the grasshoppers grow to be the size of small cats and stopped for a cool drink to find this on the doors of the convenience store!

Finally... a green cause I agree with!

And just to leave you with a smile, here is my Mr. Tuck - stressed out as usual! *winkie*

New on the TDIPT Merc...

My latest offerings are these large 14" mache Santa masks - they are available on the TDIPT Mercantile, as we celebrate more Christmas in July!

The Crossroads District

Word on the street is about the new life being pumped back into the the Crossroads district of downtown Kansas City. Disheveled buildings have turned into hip art galleries, while run-down businesses have morphed into trendy restaurants.




So yesterday, Me & Hubs and Darby & Chey decided to take a drive to the Crossroads district to check out a restaurant called Grinders and boy howdy, we weren't disappointed! Known for their pizza's, philly cheese steaks, calzones and more, we had some great fun checking it out the menu and filling our bellies.

The restaurant was packed - with folks coming in the front door quicker than any were leaving, so there was standing room only for most customers until a booth or table would be vacated and cleared off for the next hungry soul.

The Crossroads KC @ Grinders features a very diverse array of musical groups, from rock to reggae and bluegrass to hip hop too! They have a complete lineup of great talent with some groups that we'd love to make plans and check out.

After our meal, we were heading back to the car when my eyes spotted something quite intriguing ....

As we entered this magical place of great creativity - the proprietor explained that he was getting ready for a big private show that night but we were welcome to wander around and take in the sights of some wonderful talent on display.... so that is exactly what we did!

But the most interesting piece to capture our attention was a horse made from all sorts of metal - old discarded metal train and other toys, license plates, soda pop cans and more. The closer you gazed on this unusual piece of art, the more was revealed to your eyes. It was such a magnificent piece and when I saw the price tag of $13,000 - I knew my pics were as close as I would get to having it in my home! :)

After getting our fill of culture, it was back on the street and heading for the car.... and you know Cheyenne couldn't resist a quick peek to see if it was a he unicorn or a she unicorn ♥

And then...there were NINE!

After my news yesterday about sweet Madison passing on, my spirits were lifted by another long time friend who shared news about her new puppies!

These are Catahoula puppies. Haven't heard of them before? Neither had I ... but Dawn was telling me about how amazing they are when we reconnected a few months back - and she has a wealth of information about them on her website - check out her Catahoulas!

If you are interested in adopting one, don't hesitate to get in touch with her - I'm sure they will be spoken for quick as a wink!

Very Sad News

I received a text message today saying that Madison passed away this morning.

I had the pleasure of meeting Madison on our recent trip to Tennessee. She was one of 3 boxers that belonged to our cousin's son & wife, Troy and Mandy.

You would not have guessed from the way this girl got around, but she woke up one morning totally blind and that never seemed to slow her down! She had the sweetest disposition and really stole my heart the minute I met her.

It was very sad news for me, but I know that her life here was filled with love and great caring. She never suffered and passed quietly without any pain or suffering and for that, I'm quite thankful.

I'm so glad I met her - and my heart goes out to Troy and Mandy as they adjust to the deep void left behind.

Rest In Peace, Sweet Girl ♥

7 + 9 = Heaven

We spent the 4th of July with friends in the country and what a day it was!

I took my camera along, to capture plenty of moments to share with you all and dope that I am, didn't realize till I got out there that my battery was dead with no backup battery!

I only got one photo before it went belly up - but this is a perfect representation of the serenity of this lovely farm -

For 7 awesome hours, I was surrounded by 9 kids with fireworks ... it doesn't get any better than that, folks!

Yesterday, Tuck is pretty much living what I was feeling!

Happy Birthday, America!

"Far and away the best prize that life offers

is the chance to work hard

at work worth doing."

Theodore Roosevelt

America, the Beautiful....

Land that I love!

Wishing you a wonderful

Independence Day!

A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government

George Washington

Got a hankering for some fresh baked goodness?

With fresh blueberries, these won't last long!

You may want to double the recipe:

1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 well beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1 cup blueberries
Sift dry ingredients into bowl, make a hole in the center, combine egg, milk and oil. Add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir quickly just til dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in 1 cup fresh blueberries. Just barely mix. Muffins do not like to be stirred too much. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes. Makes 12.

ENJOY ♥

Shell, My Belle

I first met Michelle when she was 11 yrs old and living in the Boston area with her family.

Her mom sent her to Kansas City to visit her cousins, who were in the youth group of my church. Hubs and I also happened to be the youth leaders of that group, and were planning a weekend missions trip to St. Louis to work hand in hand with Marty Zide / Midwest Messianic Center - a wonderful ministry to the Jewish folks there.

Michelle had lost her father to a terrible accident just a short time prior and the moment I met her, I knew she was special. Maybe because I had lost my mom at just about the same age, or maybe it was just fate - but whatever it was, we bonded in an instant and have remained close in heart ever since. Michelle went on the missions trip with our group and oh, what fun we had!

She emailed a couple of months back to tell me some wonderful awesome news.... she and her husband Ross are expecting their first child and I'm so happy for them, I can't stand it!

Shelley is such a caring, compassionate soul - and I know this child is going to know love divine!
These are the most recent pics of Shell - don't you think her radiance is glowing?

I think she is beautiful!