Loving on your people… even after they move out? Well, yes!
If you know me, you know that my kids moving out on their own will not deter me from being the quirky, over-the-top mom. So my oldest moved out this past fall and while it’s been an adjustment, it’s actually been a fairly smooth transition. He only lives about 15-20 minutes away and we’ve seen him more often than I thought we would, so thats good! Lol!
So each year, I place the conversation hearts I’ve made on the bedroom doors of my kids. These hearts are made of colored construction paper, with words written in sharpie. Every year I go through my stack of hearts and pick words/phrases for each of them. And when I think of new words, I make new hearts to add to the stack! On the 14 days leading up to and including Valentine’s Day, I tape a heart on their bedroom doors. A word/phrase that is a quality I see in them. Something I’m proud of, something I admire, and something I respect. It’s my little extra way of showing them in “the month of love” just how special they are to me.
If you’ve been around the blog for a bit. you’ve no doubt read about this here.
But this year, with my son no longer here, I wondered what I would do? He lives on his own for now so I figured, why not keep the tradition by sending him the hearts I would put on his bedroom door if he were here? So that’s exactly what I’ve done!
I took 14 envelopes, and the 14 hearts with words I’ve chosen this year and I hand delivered them to him at his new place with the instructions to open an envelope each day starting with February 1st. He was suprised and not quite sure what I was up to, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out!
My original plan was to send the envelopes in a box with a few little things for V-Day, but since his dad’s birthday is the same day, I will undoubtedly see him so I opted to save the postage and just give him the envelopes for now.
It may seem silly, over-the-top, or strange to some; but I don’t care! Lol! Showing the people in my life how much I love them and how special they are is important to me and it seems like the world could use a little more of the little things to show we care.
What’s even better about this whole scenario? He’s actually hanging them on his bedroom door in his condo and was happy to send me a picture when I asked. I cannot tell you how happy that makes my heart. Through good and bad, the bond I’ve created with my kids will still always be the most important job I’ve ever done!
I am back with my favorite fashion finds yet. As I have mentioned to you all before, I have a slight shoe obsession. Some may say it’s a little bit more than a slight obsession. In total I have 51 pairs of shoes. This may seem like an extremely large amount but I have been collecting said shoes since my sophomore year of high school when my feet stopped growing, so it is well worth it to me! While I have a large amount of shoes, 15 of those shoes are tennis shoes, which is my biggest obsession. Another plus about my shoe collection is that I ALWAYS look for the amazing deals and my favorite stores. Yes, you probably guessed that one of these stores is Marshalls, no one is shocked. The other store that never fails me with a good shoe deal is Ross Dress for Less. The shoes I will be sharing today are all under $40 a pair, so getting ready to go shopping! I know that you are all anxiously awaiting so I’m going to dive right in!
Starting with Marshalls, I have 4 pair of cute tennis shoes to share with you all. The first pair I am going to discuss are a cute pair of purple Reebok’s. They are very stylish and comfortable. The shoe laces are white with a sliver sparkle detail, which I am not extremely fond of, but that is an easy fix. So overall, I would definitely recommend these shoes because, wait for this, only $20. How can you beat that?? Next up are three pair of Adidas. Can you tell I have a thing for Adidas shoes? Anyways, these pairs are form fitting to the foot, which I believe makes them more comfortable. One is a light blue color all around with a white base. I have worn the heck out of these shoes and they wash extremely well. What makes them even better you ask, they are only $40! Coming in with another blue pair, they are navy and form fitting with dashes of colors on both sides, and again have a white base. These have held up well so far and I would again recommend especially for $40. Lastly from Marshalls, I have an all black pair of Adidas that are form fitting and have reflective sides for running at night, for only $30! They have also held up well, washed well, and are very fashionable, which comes with a recommendation from me! Of course, you could say I am biased for Marshalls, but I would definitely recommend these finds and check out the Marshalls near you for more incredible finds!
Bringing up the caboose, Ross Dress for Less. I have three pair of shoes I want to share with you all from this store. First up is a pair of blue Nike Air Max. They are blue and grey freckled with a white base. They are so comfortable and extremely cute too. They are my newest pair and I am in love with them! I also wanted to share a pair of pink Adidas Tubular shoes. They have black specks in them and a pink base. They are also very comfortable and have held up very well. Lastly I found a pair of deep blue Adidas shoes with a really thick white base. They are kind of bumpy/raised on the base as well. They are definitely different from any other tennis shoes I have worn before but I have taken a great liking to them. All three of these Ross finds are super affordable at $40 a pair. I would definitely recommend to anyone and everyone, so you should probably hurry to your closest Ross!
All in all, I love shoes. There’s no secret here. Marshalls is the best thing that has happened to my feet with Ross coming in at a close second. I love these stores and shop for the majority of my shoes and even clothes there.
I hope you all have enjoyed these finds and that your feet will thank me later!
When my kids were little, I stayed at home with them. Well, ‘stay at home’ is maybe not the correct terminology because we (I) rarely stayed at home. I volunteered at their school and we were constantly doing things with friends like having playdates – moms and kids 🙂
One thing I didn’t do very often growing up myself, was go to summer camp. With the exception of church camp, this was just something my sister and I never did because my mom stayed home with us as well. We did, however, stay with our grandparents a lot. Each summer my sister would go to one set of grandparents and I would go to the other. We would stay for 2 weeks and then swap. I would go to the other set of grandparents and she would go where I had just been. I do remember at my grandparent’s house in Memphis one year, my grandma let me make a sign for the door to the guest room where I stayed. Kind of like my own little cabin away at summer camp. I found that picture recently, me with my sign on the door to that room I spent so many summer in… and it brought back a flood of memories. Even in my 40’s I still remember the feeling, the fun, the anticipation of spending those weeks with my grandparents. It’s something I am very grateful my parents encouraged us to do. Those memories are lasting my lifetime.
I’m probably 8 years old here with my sign on the door of the room where I spent most of my childhood summers.
Being a family with 1 income, camp really didn’t fall within the budget and honestly, I enjoyed spending time with them when they were off school in the summers. We had a decent size back yard, a nice sized swimming pool, and plenty of toys/games/activities to keep them busy. So what was the point? Well, I learned that for them the point was that they wanted the experience, I guess. So I began to brainstorm. And looking back, there are so many more things I could have done with this idea, but they still talk about it in their 20’s so I guess it worked out just fine. The key for me was cheap or free but with a lot of memory making and education.
To make it as interactive and exciting as possible (and cost effective), I sat down and made a list of things around our city we could do for free or very little cost. i named the camp, Camp Firefly. The reason behind this name was that each of the 3 of my kids had the same kindergarten teacher and their classroom were known as the “Fireflies”. As the last Reed Kid had just completed Kindergarten and the Firefly legacy, it was an easy choice.
Then I went to go ole WalMart and Dollar Tree. At WalMart I bought a pack of men’s small white undershirts and fabric markers. At Dollar Tree I bought a pack of poster boards. That’s it. And with those items, our Stay At Home camp began. Camp Firefly!
On the first day of camp, the kids decided on their cabin names. Their cabins were, of course, their bedrooms. Jake had his own room so there was no negotiations there, he could choose whatever he wanted. And he settled on… Jellybean Cabin. The girls, however, shared a room. Surprisingly enough, there was little to no struggle getting them to agree on their cabin name. Butterfly Cabin. So with their choices made, time to decorate!
With the poster boards, they made signs to hang on their ‘cabin’ doors. I’m pretty sure their dad though I was nuts, but that was nothing new lol! Next step was camp shirts! Now, this was pre-Cricut. Well, the original Cricut was maybe out by then, but one would not be in my future for a very long time. Enter fabric markers! They had a blast decorating their shirts. They let their creative juices flow! We ate lunch on the deck, and swam in the afternoon. I would say it was a successful 1st day of camp.
Now since this was about 15 years ago, the memories have stayed but the specifics have not. After that 1st day, the rest is a blur of activities.
One day we went to a local drive through park near us. Lone Elk Park. It’s an exapnsive park that houses Deer, Elk, Bison, Geese, and at the time, Owls. It had long been one of our favorite pass times as a family on the weekend mornings and it’s free, so it was a natural choice for a day’s activity. Near the end of the park is a shelter with picnic tables. We ate our picnic lunch there. Dad was off work so he went with us and one of their cousin’s went as well.
The World Bird Sanctuary is also in the same entrance as Lone Elk Park. This was another free activity. Being our 1st time there (it hadn’t been open long), it was a new experience ad the kids learned a lot about the different birds. Watching the birds interact with their handlers and learning about their natural habitats was certainly interesting.
One of our ALL-TIME favorite activities is our local zoo. We are in the suburbs of St. Louis so we are very fortunate to have access to the world renowned St. Louis Zoo! We are very fortunate to have this FREE, world-class zoo in our city. At the time the kids were little, the Emerson Children’s Zoo, located inside the zoo, was free admission before 9:00am. So that’s the 1st place we would head. Once we completed our time there, the rest of the day was spent on the rest of the zoo. Having a yearly zoo membership we could save on parking and other activities within the zoo that may have a small fee, like my favorite, the Sea Lion show. But there is an entire days worth of fascination and education with just the main zoo itself… all for free.
There were other activities we did during our week long stay at home camp, like playing at the local park, riding bikes, swim day, and much more. Local to our area (St. Louis) there are a lot of affordable attractions to help summer or a stay at home summer camp be more fun! Six Flags, The Butterfly House, The Magic House, and the City Museum, just to name a few. Check the internet for coupons and membership savings. There is so much you can do on a budget and with a little creativity that provide those memorable moments lasting a lifetime. Be creative!
I am back with another great Fashion Find, in my opinion. I am an Exercise Science major so as you can probably infer, I love to work out. I have to be active and make sure to fit it into my daily routine or my whole life balance is just off. Working out is important, again in my opinion, but having good workout clothes makes it even better. I have found some good clothes along with pieces of equipment, all at affordable prices, for you to check out. Since it is more convenient for some individuals to workout at home rather than finding time to go to your local gym, I thought I would give you all an insight into what I have been doing with my at home workouts!
Workout clothes. They make or break your experience! If you are constantly tugging at your pants or fidgeting with your shirt, you are not getting the full workout experience because you are just distracted. Marshalls, the love of my life, had an amazing deal for a workout crop top. They had full length versions as well so that is always an option! It is a super cute blue color with short sleeves, only $6.99 guys! Just amazing! Leggings have always been a struggle for me, since I live in them I am super picky. Of course I hopped on the Lululemon trend because I was desperate for a good pair and they sure lived up to the hype, BUT Walmart leggings are an amazing alternative. I got a few pair to try and let me just tell you, GREAT option. I got a cute cropped pair with side pockets for your phone, and a cute mesh design that wraps around the legs. I was skeptical at first, but I am so glad I decided to try it out because the price of $14.96 for leggings now a days was UNBEATABLE. Definitely a must on that one!
Next up, I have some equipment I have been using. Workout equipment can be expensive, but if you look in the write places man can you find a deal. My mom and I were at Five Below just doing the usual look around type of shopping, and we found a workout section. Like who would have thought. I, of course as my mom would say, had to get some stuff to try out because the price was too good not to. I got a yoga ball, a set of 3 resistance bands (at varying resistance), and ankle weights. They were all just $5.00 each. So in total, $15 for some must have workout pieces. They are so versatile and can be used for a variety of exercises, so it was a beneficial purchase.
Lastly, my water bottle. I am glued to my water bottle, so a reliable one was key. I have been using one that my mom and I found at Walmart a few years ago before I went away to college. It definitely lasted, but with some dings, dents, and chipped paint. I have been on the look out for a good, but reasonably priced, one. Man did I hit the jackpot. We were at Marshalls, no shock there, and came across the style I have been looking for. I was skeptical because I really wanted it to last long term because I live by my water bottles. So far, this water bottle has been amazing to me and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that cares to listen, or read it in this case;). It was $12.99 and most absolutely, positively worth it. They had a variety of colors, from neutrals to vibrant, and I got a coral color. I use it everyday of my life and would be absolutely lost without it!
So as promised, those are the workout finds that I have been working with recently! Above and beyond that I have some key workouts that I have been focusing on at home to better myself. I use a note in my phone, so I will screen shot that and share below! Maybe you will find it useful and join in with me!
So what do you do when you want to do another coffee crawl and you are in quarantine? You do one at home!
Each week when I sit down to discuss all the things going on with Bits of Love with my girls, we have coffee and hash it all out. So this particular day just happened to be Megan’s birthday… so we did all the things.
I’ll start off with my coffee. I drink a donut house blend each morning (that I’m not out doing a coffee crawl) by Victor Allen. I usually purchase this from Big Lots, but it’s also available on Amazon. If I’m lucky to catch them on sale, I can get it as low as 19 cents per k-cup! You cannot beat that! Oh yeah, I have a k-cup brewer. I have the Keurig 2.0 and love it. I do take my coffee with a little French vanilla creamer. My creamer of choice, is great value french vanilla. It’s more affordable than the name brands, but adds just the amount of flavor I like.
On this day, Mallory made her DIY frozen mocha using espresso from her espresso machine. She takes 1/4 cup of sugar, 4 oz. of espresso, 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup, 1 cup of milk, and ice.
She mixes it all together in a blender and voila! You can actually add whipped cream and chocolate syrup drizzle on the top if you wish. Today she opted to not. It’s her DIY version of what you can find at places STL Bread Company and Starbucks.
Megan likes her coffee black. She says she likes it strong, but not bitter. She often likes to use her great grandmother’s coffee grinder and grind her coffee beans fresh, then brews it in her tiny Black & Decker coffee maker. I let her tell you about her love of coffee.
I love strong coffee and I used to just drink any kind of coffee, but I’ve started to educate myself a little more about the art of coffee. I’ve learned that the coffee grounds you buy from the store are typically super acidic which gives them a really bitter taste. This is because once the coffee beans are ground, they should really be brewed soon after. Coffee grounds from the store are ground up into fine pieces, almost like a powder, and typically sit on the shelves or are shipped from place to place for months before they are even bought and brewed; thus loosing a lot of their smooth flavor.
I have started using whole beans and grinding them myself before I brew my morning coffee…holy cow there is definitely a difference (not to mention the old hand grinder is very fun to use)! I have also learned that when you grind your own coffee beans, if you don’t grind them as much — leave them in larger chunks — you taste more of the coffee’s flavor and get a really smooth brew.
In this journey of mine to learn more about coffee, I found a favorite bean. It’s called Death Wish which is just amazing in and of itself. This coffee is high in caffeine and low in acidity, not to mention it is supposedly the strongest coffee in the world. I’m not sure how true that is, but I am HERE FOR IT!
I’m not entirely sure I would ever want to try Megan’s Death Wish coffee! I love coffee, but that sounds super strong. So how’s that for your coffee education? lol! I’m sure there’s much much more to be learned about the art of the coffee bean and I am sure Megan will continue to share!
Southwest Diner’s name tells you what it is and what it’s about right up front, baby. A diner with a Southwestern aesthetic (primarily with a New Mexico-flair, as indicated by the rather large map of New Mexico hanging on one wall), this restaurant sits in a brick style building with the standard four sided feel next to what seems to be an abandoned food truck. The diner also touts a long wait time if you are to read any online review of the establishment, though whether by circumstance or luck, our wait was a mere 5-10 minutes. Upon entering, you’ll notice the rather tight quarters with a bar shoved into the back corner allowing people to prop up on stools to eat and drink, loudly conversing with the stranger next to them about the sorry state of a football team the area has had no ties to for nearing on four years now.
Only adding to the pure claustrophobia is the copious amount of décor adorning every wall on the building’s insides. I wouldn’t call any of it tacky or offensive really, it can just overwhelm you by sheer volume. There were things reminiscent of the Southwestern area of the country, images of New Mexico state bird the roadrunner were at home, and the paint palette was hues of red, brown, and orange, giving off the arid, desert feel of the state that rewarded this nation with Smokey Bear so many years ago (note that his name is Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear. Mindbender for many, I’m sure). The back wall next to where we sat boasts a mirror so that you can see the queso drip down your face as you eat, though most of it is covered with well-done cartoonish art likely crafted by an artist in the community, if not one that worked or is working at the diner. Speaking of the artistic community, the final wall of note had little paper figures in bags certainly created by a local resident, each of which was a different fictional character with customizable limbs. I noticed Ellen Ripley and John Rambo, among a myriad of others. All of these were next to the aforementioned poster of New Mexico towering over the denizens of Southwest ready to impart detailed information on the location of Santa Ana County to any brazen enough to approach the imposing monolith. We had fun looking for the city of Grants on it since that’s where my mom’s aunt & uncle use to live!
Perhaps the most stressful part of the entire experience is how cramped everything ended up being. Especially in times such as these, where its perhaps best not to be all that close to any one person at any given time. The time at which we went was around noon on Saturday, and the place was packed. This isn’t even to say that there were a tremendous amount of individuals there, but the location is a bit on the smaller side with a number of communal tables, where you get to sit at the same table as strangers that you don’t know and overhear about how they have countless problems that they take no actual measures to solve themselves. In fact, at one point during our meal one of the servers dropped a large amount of food at a table directly neighboring ours. These things happen, and it isn’t much out of the ordinary, though it does beg the question: How often does this happen in such a tight environment? Regardless, be prepared that if you aren’t a people person that you may be quite literally surrounded by people.
As always, the food is saved for last. Now, we were led to believe that this was a big burger joint, as we found the restaurant itself on a list of the best burgers in the area. However, Southwest Diner is seemingly more of a Mexican restaurant. There are two burgers and one black bean burger on their menu. Since one of the burgers was standard and the other was a specialty, I opted for that item to get a more authentic experience. This was the Green Chile Cheeseburger. The burger came with, as advertised, green chile and cheddar cheese, as well as most anything else one would expect to find on a complete burger. Lettuce, onions, “the works” as any hack writer would probably describe it. Though perhaps my inability to sum up with another descriptor outside of listing every individual ingredient puts me in that same camp. I did, however, add bacon to mine. The sandwich was good I must say, as although I found the meat kind of dry, everything else more than made up for it. This is probably the first burger I’ve had in quite a long time where I left everything that came on it when I ate it (sans tomatoes, as those are perpetually horrible). For a period, I started ordering my burgers plain as I felt it was simpler than just explaining what I didn’t want to have on my meal. I had forgotten how much I liked eating all these different additives with my sandwich, especially onions. And the green chile added a decent amount of mild spice, which I assume is the Southwest kick. Overall, Southwest Diner’s aesthetic and food go beautifully hand in hand, though perhaps getting takeout from the place would be for the best if you don’t want to run the risk of excessive social interaction.
Mom’s thoughts:
I agree with Jacob. The “closeness” of the dining area was a little too close for my liking. But the charm added to the experience and I have to say I didn’t actually mind it too much as I enjoyed my company with my son and we had numerous things including that to discuss.
I chose the same burger as Jacob, minus the bacon. Please bacon lovers – do not send me hate mail, I like bacon just fine… however, I do not understand the love so intense that it must be placed on or in everything! I did not notice the dryness of the meat as Jake did, but that may be because the other toppings added plenty of flavor and lush to the burger. The green chile was delicious and did add just the right amount of flavor and spice, in my opinion.
I was worried about the wait due to all the reviews we read prior to going, but the wait was not long at all and it was a beautiful day. We waited outside at a picnic table and enjoyed the sunshine and conversation. I would like to go back again as I am a huge fan of Southwest food.
Hello everyone! We’re back with another Fashion Finds for you!
My friends and I had the opportunity to go to on a ski trip to Evergreen, Colorado for spring break this year. Of course I needed to make sure I had what I needed for skiing, but I also wanted to make sure I was fashionable too! My mom and I were so excited to go shopping for some accessories to take with me on my trip. I am super thankful that my trip actually went as planned since this was my first time to ski, but also my first time visiting Colorado! By the time our trip ended and we came back, travel plans across the country and the world were being altered due to COVID-19.
We went on the search for a new winter coat, that was long, so I didn’t freeze while skiing. I have a winter coat that I wear everyday, but I didn’t think it would’ve kept me warm enough for skiing, plus its an odd color that isn’t very fashionable lol.
Marshall’s was the place to go, man I love that place. I found a long black coat with a detachable fur hood that is reversible with the other color being white. I was so excited to find this, as I have been looking for a long coat since after Christmas. This was an AMAZING deal. I found this long, reversible coat with a detachable fur hood for just $12, like can you believe it.
While we were at Marshall’s we found a cute hat and mitten combo pack for $12.99! It wasn’t a necessity for the trip but it was definitely a cute addition. The hat and mittens are a cute white with color speckles and the hat has a furry ball on the top! They are Steve Madden, so this was an amazing deal and an adorable fashion accessory as well!
The other necessity was winter boots. I knew my feet would be cold since I do not own insulated fur boots because where we live, it isn’t essential. We looked at a few different stores, but we were successful at Academy Sports + Outdoors since they had a huge boot sale! I found these fur lined, insulated boots for $21.95! They had a huge variety of boots, so my mom even got some duck boot dupes for only $24.99! It was a huge winter sale and there were some AMAZING deals!
That is all I have for this Colorado edition, but I hope this was helpful if you live or are going to a cold climate for some reason! I’m sure you’ll feel and look great it whatever you decide!
How is everyone doing? The state the world is in is very scary and something none of us have ever experienced in our lifetime. We are in unprecedented territory and I wanted to check in and see if any of you are feeling the same way.
The last blog post about me (I wrote with disdain at prompting from my kids), I shared a little about myself and the current journey I am on. I’ve recently taken more time to check in with myself and take care of myself. Go here to get the beginning of the journey.
Checking in with you all now really comes from the unsettled feeling I have with the state we are all in with this COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Our lives have halted, been turned upside down, and I feel are generally just uncomfortable right now. By uncomfortable I mean scared, different, and we all seem to be creating a new normal. Not all of this is bad. The perfect example for me is of course all of my kids are home, grounded if you will. Well, they are all adults so they are not literally grounded, but they know the importance of staying in place to help stop the spread of this horrific virus. While the day in and day out of staying put has us all on edge from time to time, we really are making the best use of our time together and I am extremely thankful.
To be completely honest, with my daily routines being thrown into a tailspin, some days I feel the wheels are completely off the bus with my daily self care routines! I haven’t been wearing makeup (good for the skin!), so I have told myself I do not need to clean my face as often. LIES! I have not been going out of the house for work (my full timejob), or to do much else… therefore, I haven’t gotten up, dressed, done my hair and makeup… you know, typical fails. Why? Why do I do this when I know and have stressed the importance (to myself and everyone else) of maintaining your daily routines with no exceptions? If I’m not careful, I will fall into the same life I was living when the kids were younger.
Going forward it’s business as usual, so to speak. Although I haven’t completely let my routines go, I WILL be getting back to them. For instance, today as I am writing this, I did all of my normal morning self care, self reflection, I did my hair and make-up and got dressed before work. Ok, I didn’t get too crazy, I have joggers on, but the rest of me is business as usual! Lol!
While we are all adjusting to a new temporary normal, keeping up with those small comforts of routines and practices (at least for me) will help with the changes. Once we come out the other side of this pandemic, things most likely will never go back to “normal”, whatever that was like before. But that’s ok, because we can create our new “normal”. We have more time now than ever to reflect on exactly what we want out of life. What we want for our futures. How we want to proceed with our lives when social distancing will no longer be the norm. If there are any positives that come out of this dark time we are currently in, I hope and pray that we can find a way to come together and end the hate that has been growing and spreading in the world. Lofty goals, I know… but if we set our minds to it, we can achieve anything! Even our daily routines 😉
So every year I think I will find the perfect Easter Baskets, and every year I am not happy with the ones I settle on… I know, super dumb – 1st world problems. My girls and I brainstormed about what we could do this year without going to the store OR spending any money. Megan explains below what we ended up doing. Another crafty bonding – quarantine project with my kids! I love it!
Note: They aren’t perfect, but they are perfect for what we wanted. They were 100% free, using items we had already in the house and just something fun we could do to stay busy and let creativity flow!
Want or need new Easter baskets, but can’t get to the store due to the quarantine? Us, too. So, we decided to try our hand at making some homemade ones. We just used materials we already had lying around the house so we also spent $0!
What will you need? We used some cardboard boxes for the base, cardstock for the walls, and covered them with batting and fabric to make them pretty and customized for each person. In addition to this, we used packing tape, scissors, a bowl, wire hangers, and lots of hot glue so we didn’t have to do any sewing.
First, we cut circles of cardboard using our bowl to get the size we wanted for the bottom of the baskets. Next, we glued fabric to the bottom of the cardboard, covered the top with batting, and then covered the top with fabric.
For the wall, we cut cardstock in half “like a hot dog bun” (or long-ways) and taped enough pieces together to wrap all the way around our base. After getting the right length, we glued strips of batting to what would be the inside of the basket wall and then covered the wall with the fabric we chose for that specific basket. We then carefully glued the wall to the base and folded and overlapped the fabric at the seam for a clean line.
Lastly, we cut and used half of a wire hanger for the handle (of course you can use as much or as little as you would like in order to get the length you want). We covered the wire with fabric by basically folding and gluing the fabric around the wire until it looked like a roll. For some of our baskets we decided to get fancy and roll two more pieces of fabric without wire and “braided” them around the handle, gluing as we went, to make the handle look loosely braided.
To finish off the look, we glued the ends of the handle to the inside wall of the basket and covered them with squares of fabric to match the wall. (If you chose a patterned fabric for the wall then it’s a little more difficult to line up the design perfectly, but is super satisfying when you get it to look right!)
We hope you’ve been creating and making memories too during this quarantine time! We always say it’s the little things that make the big memories!
“Magic happens when you and I share a lot – over a cup of coffee”
Anyone else feel this way? There’s just something about a good cup of coffee and good conversation. And we. are. here. for. it! This is how the Coffee Crawl got started in the first place!
This edition of Coffee Crawl takes us to a cute little drive thru coffee place. This was the perfect spot as it was a dreary and rainy day in the STL.
Bonaventure Coffee is a husband and wife owned drive up/thru coffee place in the Brentwood area of St. Louis. The owner, Becca, named the coffee house after the B-24 Liberator her grandfather piloted during WWII. See more of Bonaventure’s story here.
As we pulled in we both were excited to see that it was the cutest little building with windows on both sides for convenience! Pulling up to the window, we saw the simple menu. Short, sweet, and to the point. They offer coffee (of course), teas, shakes, and smoothies. The day we went they had so many specials to choose from! So of course never having been there, we told the lady when we pulled up that we were ‘first timers’ so we would need a minute to figure out what we wanted. She was so super friendly and helpful. She explained their specials and told us they usually don’t have that many at one time, but always have the ingredients to make any of them (except the seasonal ones like pumpkin, of course) even if they aren’t advertised. All you have to do is ask.
Megan settled on a chocolate coffee shake. Black coffee is usually her ‘go-to’ because it’s just her comfort zone due to her nut allergy. The worker set her mind at ease about the ingredients in her shake. No nut contamination! I also chose a coffee shake, however mine was caramel. It was really good! Not too sweet, with just the right amount of caramel and the coffee taste was perfect.
The barista was very quick and attentive with our order. She was super friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy working there and sharing with us all about Bonaventure. Not only were our coffee shakes delicious, their menu items are very affordable! We highly recommend if you are in the Brentwood area, stop by and experience for yourself!
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