behold. the babysitter

we are just entering the winter season here in kansas. in fact i think the first day of winter may be today or tomorrow.  which means - we have about 2 - 3 months left of cold, icy, snowy weather and the occasional  random 60 degree day that is comes out of no where. my pups are missing the nice weather - i know they dream of going on walks when we get home from work. they follow me to my room where i change out of my work clothes, hoping that the workout clothes i put on really means they can go on a walk. i think winter literally takes over their mind and they get ants in their pants. they will wrestle with each other at night, run up and down the staircase practically ripping the carpet up. they chase the daylights out of each other.

but behold - the babysitter. the trick that calms the ants.

the fireplace. one flip of the switch and they are set.  there is no begging to throw the green ball across the living room. no bones being chewed.  just peace and relaxation. they cuddle, put their feet up and chill.

by no means would i trade them for anything.  i love hurley and harper and i would throw the green ball till my arm fell off. one of my dearest friends is a vet and she happened to come over for dinner tonight. and well i happened to ask her after dinner to examine their teeth...and look at their tails that are losing hair and ask her about dog food.  but hey - anything for my hurl and harp.  love you dr. weeks.

Christmas Decor!

I love decorating at Christmas time.

This year I changed it up a bit and tried a few new things. 

Many thanks to Martha Stewart and pinterest.

The mantle - (past: garland with lights) Today: red, white and silver and throw in some cute glass holders from C&B.

The Tree- same as last year ++ a few new ornaments! 

The Entryway - garland and lights - love. I would normally line this table with holiday cards and it would just get too cluttered.

Now I put the Christmas cards here! I love it!!! I used a piece of ribbon and attached it to the back of the wreath, then I pulled the tail down under the basement door and taped it. I used clothes pins to hang the cards off of the ribbon!

Last but not least the kitchen window. I added two strapping reindeer with matching ribbon scarves (leftover from other projects) and a tall cranberry christmas tree.

tic * tac * toe

I have been crafting it up this holiday season. I got the following idea from a coworker. She made hers out of denim as well. This little gift is going to my 4 year old nephew. I figured it would be a good game for him to learn how to win and lose and also develop different strategies for winning. I love all things educational - thanks to all my teacher friends.

I used 2 pairs of my dad's denim overalls. Cut the legs into 7 inch squares. I even figured out how to thread my new sewing machine. I have not sewn anything for quite some time so this was a big deal. I am very pleased how they turned out. Each bean bag has a X and an O. I ran out of beans so I have 2 left to make. 

pinterest craft #2 - Poinsettia Ornament

I am really loving this time of year as we approach the holiday season.

There have been some really neat ideas on pinterest lately for making your own ornaments and wreaths.

I found this idea on a college friend's pin board. It is from Better Homes and Gardens.

I tried it out last night and gave them to a sweet lady that I work with.

She loved them.

I think they turned out lovely.

pinterest

I am a big fan of Pinterest. I found out about this online pinning tool a while ago from a friend who loves to be crafty. I am always looking for DIY projects, recipes, etc. To find inspiration I just look at pinterest. If you have not checked it out - head over there now!

I found this cute idea to make your own coasters out of tiles from Home Depot. I thought it was the cutest idea and would be a great little hostess or housewarming gift. I made some of them this week to give to a few family members. I think they turned out pretty great. I also think there is some room for improvement - backing of the tile - but overall I am pleased. Here are a few pictures of the completed project.

next up - shelving for the guest bedroom :)

6 - 0, Rank #11

This fall has been so much fun cheering on the Wildcats!

Tailgating with friends, the trips to Manhattan, the sea of purple in the stadium.

Bill Snyder at the age of 72 turning around the K-State Football Program

We are so excited that we purchased tickets this year! 

We have loved hanging out with old friends and making new ones!

Here are a few pics from the past weekends. Luckily we had only one day of rain.

* pretty sure the guy in the middle hates when I ask him to do the W - Cat! He smiled in the picture though - it can't be that bad!

Happy Bday Mom!

Today is my mom's bday!

She is sure one special lady!

I am so lucky to have her in my life

Wishing you another year of happiness, health and FUN!

The Apple Slicer

This is the best kitchen gadget ever
I am pretty sure this exact one I got my dad as a stocking stuffer a few years ago!
I wonder if he is missing it?
Probably - he is a big fan of the apple.
If you don't have one - hurry out and get one.
Look how quick I had an afternoon snack ready to go!



i cried. a little.

so today - i changed my name.
and honestly i was a bit emotional about it.
i have had this name for 28 years - i am attached to it.
i felt like i was letting go of myself
i felt like i was letting go of my family
where i came from
and who i am.
while i know that there is more to me and my family than a name.
it just hurts a bit.

my friends  have always used my first and last name -  in conversation.
it was never just anne and i loved it.
are they still going to use both? since i have a new name?
then i realized (thanks to my mom) that i'll have this name longer than my original name.
yes - i called my mother because i was emotional about changing my name.
good thing she put it into perspective for me.

i could not be happier to be married to an amazing guy.
i am proud to take his last name.
i could not have a better in-law family to share this name with
i know i'll make memories with this new name
it might just take a while.

City Market

on saturday the husband and i ran down to city market in kansas city

we had gone earlier this summer to pick up some fresh veggies

we lucked out this past weekend because they still had a lot of veggies 

and i picked up some nice fall home accessories. oh gourds!

i got a basket full for $3!!!! it was a steal - they are all sorts of crazy shapes and colors

* shout out to H. Roos - love the green marin bowl from C&B!

 

i also caught this lovely lady laying in the sun and i had to get her photo.

she really hates having her photo taken.

you think i'm crazy and making it up - i'm not.

just meet me at the court house

Our friends Little and Cody were married on Thursday evening . She arranged for a trolly to pick everyone up at McCoy's in Westport and drive us out to the JoCo Court House in Olathe. The mood of the evening - chill, comfortable, friendly and Shaffer style. I had never been to the court house but could not think of a better reason to go!  Little and Cody said their I-Dos in front of their very dearest friends and family. It was so wonderful to see the support from all of their friends that day.

 After the ceremony we headed back to McCoy's for a great dinner. I love how their wedding was on their terms and what they envisioned.  They kept it true to how they wanted to remember the day.  Cheers to Cody and Little - wishing you many years of happiness!! Thanks for keeping it real.

EM is a MrS!

my dear friend emily was married last saturday.
i had fun being a bridesmaid
everything went as planned
we were on schedule
the bride was gorgeous
the groom - super sweet in his converse
the weather was fantastic
the maid of honor gave one of the best speeches i have ever heard at a wedding
 the bride's father speech was special and endearing
the groom's family is the best dancing family that i have ever seen.
needless to say - i sat on the sidelines and did not dance.
are you surprised?
cheers to emily and ryan.
may the years ahead be as magical and special as your wedding day.
love you!

due to my maid duties - i failed to take pictures. sorry EM! so i stole this great pic from victoria.

the perfect pair

this weekend was spent celebrating my dear friend melissa - which i will normally refer to as Little. she is getting married 1 week from today to a very special guy. on friday evening we were out on the town celebrating her last night as a single lady. then on sunday i hosted a bridal shower for her. when i asked Little if i could host a shower for her and she agreed- my mind immediately started bringing ideas together. i have been to some pretty amazing bridal showers and i did not want to disappoint her. i had found on a blog a 'baby shower' idea for a girl that was having twins. the theme for the shower was 'the perfect pair'. well i figured i could probably with a bit of effort turn a 'twin' baby shower theme idea into a bridal shower.'together they make the perfect pair'. brillant - yes, because she and her soon to be husband are perfect for each other! the color scheme was yellow and grey which i think is super fab. my friend Vic designed the invites for me as well as a few of the fun decorations used at the shower. you can find her stellar work here.

i started making my list of to dos categorized: food, games, supplies, gifts & house chores.i had to find some sort of fabric or table cloth for sure to set the tone for the shower. see my kitchen table is smack dab in the middle of my house. i found an amazing table cloth in yellow and grey with a fab print at target. it was not on sale. which if you know me i only buy stuff on sale. but i didn't care, it was perfect. once i had found that table cloth i knew i could continue with the theme. i then started thinking about all of my friends that are super crafty. and i pretty much stole one idea from each of them. i completely give them credit for the ideas notated by their initials in the pictures. i can only take the credit for the execution. thanks friends.

my mom let me borrow my grandma's glass plates and cake stand. they are super antique and i love how vintagey they are. i thought they went great with the yellow and grey. the food was pretty good, i must say - chicken salad on ciabatta, orzo pasta salad, fruit and cupcakes. i also made a pear sangria that went over great on a sunday afternoon! my friend erica gave me the recipe for the orzo and it was a hit! thanks friend!.

I had so much planning and hosting this shower for Little. I think that she had a blast and felt the love from all of her amazing friends.

I cannot wait to celebrate Cody and Little - 1 week from TODAY!!!!!!!!!!! 

They are the 'Perfect Pair'.

holy tomatoes

My dad has a garden every summer. This year he planted the following: lettuce (green leaf and mesculin), broccoli, cucumbers, potatoes (yellow and sweet), onions (yellow and red), green onions, green beans, peppers, jalapenos, basil, dill, zucchini and of course tomatoes! I am sure there are more that I just cannot think of. He is quite the gardener with his neatly tilled rows, watering system and fencing to keep the rabbits out.

Just a few weeks ago he was telling me that his tomatoes were not doing well because it has just been way to HOT and for too long. Usually the continuously HOT days and nights are great for tomatoes. But the KC heat was taking its toll. A week later he calls to tell me that he and my mom just picked 300 tomatoes - the big hothouse tomatoes and romas!

I thought  myself - you just said they were not doing well how can you have 300!!! I then had the brilliant idea that I wanted to make marinara sauce. I had never made it before but imagined it probably wasn't that difficult. Thanks Barefoot Contessa for the recipe. I blanched, peeled and pureed the tomatoes. And added a handful of garlic cloves, onions basil and red wine. I ended up making 2 batches and 2nd batch I made I did not use the red wine and substituted tomato paste - it turned out a bit richer / thicker. I am pretty proud of myself for trying something new.  I now have 5 jars sitting in the freezer for use.

Thanks Dad for the veggies!

i literally die...for etsy

i had a rachel zoe moment last night. i was doing a bit of shopping on etsy and the husband and i came across pet apparel. i could not help myself. i died laughing and could not stop thinking about how cute hurley and harper would be if they had on the flower corsage collar or the yellow sweater with matching brown button. oh the stocking caps and neck warmers. the husband was totally against the flower corsage collar and the stocking caps...but he did say that we could get them sweaters this winter. i mean could it be any better that their models are boston terriers. oh i love.

You can check them out HeRe. I had to post some pics of my favorite from BeantownHandmade.

Hawaii Post 2

On Sunday morning we made plans to visit Mt. Haleakala to view the Maui sunrise. We had heard and read from several sources that the sunrise was absolutely amazing.  A company picked us up at our condo and drove us to the other side of the island. This was at 215 AM. Along with 13 other people gathered in a 15 passenger van we headed up the crater. The sunrise happened around 5:30 AM. Let me tell you at 10,000 feet it was freezing up there. We had read that it was going to be cold and that we should dress warm. The company that we booked our tour through gave us Cabela's jackets and wind pants. Thank god because what I brought was not warm enough. The sunrise was terrific. Not sure I will need to experience the COLD ever again in Maui but I did enjoy the next portion of our excursion.

After the sunrise we traveled down the crater to 6500 feet. This is where we hopped on cruiser bicycles and headed down the crater. This was awesome. I have not been on a bicycle in about 15 years. So traveling down the crater at about 20 mph was pretty crazy. I am glad that they made us wear a helmet.   The sites were amazing and good thing the pathway was nice and smooth. The bicycle trip was about 2 hours long. As the tour ended we were taken to breakfast at a local country club. I was so hungry and could not believe that it was 9AM. I kept saying that I was so ready for lunch...well shoot fire it was still breakfast time.

Hawaii Post 1

We left for Hawaii on 7/1. All travel arrangements were right on schedule. If you know me at all - I like to be on schedule if not early. We made our way to our condo - which was absolutely fabulous. I would highly recommend VRBO to anyone - ask me about it. Saturday morning we picked up our marriage license in Lahaina. It was a quaint random neighborhood. I was curious if it was even going to be a legit person issuing the license. Turns out she was. We traveled up the coast north of Kapalua. The husband wanted to find this 'blowhole' that he had read about in his Maui Revealed book. Another fact about me - I am not a fan of hiking. Walking to exercise, yes, but hiking give me a break. We managed not to find the blowhole but we did get some amazing pictures of the island. I am sort of glad that we did not find the blowhole because we heard in the news someone died the following weekend by falling in it.

On Saturday night the husband and I hosted a 'welcome dinner' for everyone that made the trip to Hawaii. We had pizza and beer at Maui Brewing Company. It was a great place to get together enjoy great food and beer. I think everyone had a nice time.  Unfortunately the majority of my pics did not turn out because of lighting.  I need to work on that with the camera. More Hawaii adventures to come...

100th POST!! Mauied

This is my 100th post on this silly little blog.

I can't think of a better 100th post than to annouce that I am a married lady.

I have never felt more beautiful or loved than I did on my wedding day.

It was truly amazing day and one that I will never forget.

Check out my hubby - isn't he cute!



** more pictures to come - still hiding the dress for the reception! HA.

Shellac!

Last night I got my first Shellac Manicure!

I am pleased as punch with the results.

I had been wanting to try it for a while since reading about it on PW's blog.

I was hooked and decided for the wedding I would have it done.

A light shimmery pink makes the nails that I do have - look like gems, lol

The lady asked what shape I wanted them filed -

I told her whatever you think.

She looked at me -

lady look at my nails clearly I do not take care of them!

The Shellac is supposed to last 10-14 days.

I am anxious to see the turn out.

I also got a terrific pedicure.

The cute asian man

put a fun orchid flower on both of my big toes.

 I will not be posting a picture of my feet.

Mark = OnE

Do you remember my cute nephew Mark?

Well take a look at him now.

He is just the sweetest boy.

He looks just like his mama.  

Is so happy.

Loves his big brother.

The Missouri River

On our way home from celebrating Father's Day in Horton on Sunday we stopped through Atchison, KS to see the Missouri River. With all the rain that we have had the river is about to let loose! It is quite sad that there are people that are having to vacate their homes and are losing everything because of flooding. It will not take much more to spill out over the grass and into the streets in Atchison.

toast a final drink to single life!

On Saturday evening I gathered alongside some of my best gal pals to celebrate my 'last night' as a single lady. My friend Tara hosted the party at her house...and boy did she go all out. She had a mexican fiesta...with amazing food, drinks and decorations!! Lets start with the invite. Love the orange and pink.

 

 Check out the table decorations (monogram S napkins), hanging streamers cut by hand and lovely flowers.

A few pictures of the spread!

 

We played a few games from guess the lingerie gift giver (too many pictures to post) and cracking the pinata at the end of the night.  Unfortunately we did not get a group shot - not sure how I missed that one!  

Thanks everyone for making it a special night!!!

whoops

On Tuesday night i got a text message from the fiancé saying not to use the garbage disposal - it is broken. i was out to dinner with a friend...so i did not really think i'd be using it anyways...but good to know. turns out the fiancé dropped a super strong magnet into the drain and it had stuck to the garbage disposal. i mean this magnet is like super strength. we did not touch the sink that night because it was too late to deal with it. so on Wednesday night we tried everything to get that darn magnet out of the disposal. it was seriously stuck. not moving. so we decided we should try to take it off the sink, open it up and remove the magnet. we got out our trusty home depot DIY book and looked up how to install the disposal. We followed the instructions backwards hence trying to take off the disposal. We were successful in getting it off the sink considering it is seriously secure. we pried open the garbage disposal hoping that we could remove the magnet and put it back together. We realized that when we opened up the disposal we tore the seal/rubber gasket that keeps it together so that it doesn't leak. well crap...that sucks. we for sure then had to buy a new disposal. In the meantime I had called my dad to get some advice in getting the disposal off the sink. The man knows everything and has pretty much jerry-rigged or completely fixed tons of stuff at my parent’s house. by the time the fiancé left to purchase the new disposal -9:30 PM…my mom and dad showed up to support the fix.  Dad was able to remove the rest of the bracket and drain which was connected to the sink. He cleaned the sink drain and prepared it for the new one. The fiancé arrived with a new disposal. Seriously it took maybe 20 minutes for the fiancé and dad to hook it up. It was super simple I probably could have done it. But I am glad I didn't have to!

Some lessons learned

•          Don’t drop magnets (or any foreign object) into the the sink / drain
•          Buy Home Depots DIY book – it is orange and 19.99. 
•          Marry a man that is great at fixing things!
•          Thank Dad for his willingness to help! I know plumbing issues are his absolute favorite.

loving the sun.

the pups love when i work from home during the week because they get to lay around the house rather than be in their kennels. i will usually find them laying infront of the sliding glass window snoozing away in the sunshine. i found harper here this afternoon - sunbathing on the back step. love it. she must have rough life.

StUffEd SheLLs

My sister gave me this great recipe a while ago and I just got around to making it. I will not tell you that it is healthy (read: cheese, cheese cheese) - BUT I think that there are things you can do to definitley lessen the calorie intake. Also, I am not sure that this is the BEST meal for a 95 degree day in KS....but it worked!

Here are the ingredients. I must also add that the fiance said this by far was the best thing  that I have made for dinner in a while. I'll take the compliments while I can get them. It is usually a tough crowd around here.

1 Box of large shells - (sometimes called Jumbo Shells)
1 Jar of spaghetti sauce (don't skimp on this - use something with flavor)
1 container of part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1  C of part skim shredded mozzarella
1/2  C of Parmesean Cheese (the good stuff not the green can stuff)
1 pkg italian sausage (hot or mild)- I used italian pork but turkey sausage would definitley work.
2 Tbsp of italian seasoning
4 slices of fresh mozzarella (top the dish prior to baking)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles as directed, drain and rinse with cold water (so you can handle them). Brown Italian sausage into crumbles and then drain/rinse. In a bowl mix cheeses (minus fresh mozzarella slices) egg, seasonings and cooked sausage. Using a spoon or a small ice cream scoop stuff each shell with cheese/meat mixture and place in a prepared (PAM'd) 9x13. Pour sauce all over shells and then place sliced mozzarella all over. Bake  at 400 degrees for 30min -- it might take more like 35-40 to make it hot, sauce bubbily and cheese gooey!

I paired our dinner with some fresh brocolli from my dad's garden. Delicious!

Alternatives:

• You can make 2 loaf pans, she does this often so they have stuff in the freezer to pull out! works out great!
• If you've frozen it, you need to let it thaw at least in the refrigerator overnight as it will be super dry frozen to hot oven...TRUST me:) Also if you freeze I usually put saran wrap over it first then foil...
• Also, I think if you were to take a bag of fresh spinach and cook it down in a saute pan and add that to the cheese mixture - it would be legit.

Loving Lawrence

Our dear friends Cody and Little got engaged!!! Cody had told us that he was going to pop the question this summer - and that he had purchased the ring. This was about maybe 2 months ago. That meant I had to keep this darn thing a secret from Little - for that long. That was hard. We see them all the time....and a secret like that is ridiculous. He decided that he was going to ask her sooner than he was initially thinking. So the plotting began. He planned for them to spend the day in Lawrence -where they first met. Eating at their favorite places and just spending the day together. He had arranged for us to watch their dog Mojo - which meant they had to drop him off prior to leaving for Lawrence. I mean - holy crap I knew what was going on and why they were going there - it was hard not to freak out and blow it. So they dropped off Mojo and headed to Lawrence. What she didn't know is that he invited some of their closest friends to meet them at the Eldridge Hotel for dinner and drinks after. She had no clue. I told Little we were going to a BBQ that night.  HA no - we were meeting them at the Eldridge. Cody gave specific instructions on where they were going to be and what time to be where. The fiance and I are pretty familiar with Lawrence area and Mass street but prior to leaving I plotted out where we were going to park because I did not want to be the one to blow the surprise. So once we parked we bolted to the Eldridge.

While we were sitting there - EVERYONE at the table received a text from Little saying "Cody and I are engaged" - funny thing is everyone there TEXTED her back - which is not normal. Usually people would be so excited they would call back. Well she didn't know we were all sitting in the same room - waiting for her to show up!!! When they arrived around 9PM - she was super shocked. She could not believe it and soon figured out why no one called her back!! That evening we celebrated in Lawrence with Cody and Little. I couldn't think a better couple. They are family to me and the fiancé and we're so lucky to have them in our life. Cheers to Cody and Little!!! Let the planning begin!!!!!

turning of the calendar

This morning when I arrived to work - I looked at my K-State Alumni calendar and realized today is June 1st and it was time to flip my calendar. What does mean folks - that means there are exactly 30 days between today June 1st and July 1st. And 30 days till Hawaii!!!!!! More importantly the real countdown is on for the wedding!!!! 33 days till the big day!!! In a way I feel like this wedding thing has become a project for work. I am sending follow up emails - updating the project plan and checking off my to-do list. I love the feeling of accomplishment and making little checkmarks next to those action items. Don't freak out but I have already gone through my closest trying to figure out what I am going to take and even started a small pile of nicely folded clothes on the guest room bed. HAHAHAHA - I tried on my swimsuits yesterday while I was working from home - they still fit from last year. So they were thrown in the laundry to be cleaned. My thinking – is get ahead of the game. Don’t wait to the last minute – the last few weeks of work are going to be busy with my co-worker out on vacation and the completion of a few projects that are coming down to the wire. Get ahead now - I keep telling myself!! Because in 30 days I’ll be sitting on the beach in Maui with my soon to be hubby without a care in the world!!!

'My People'

My sister hosted a fantastic bridal shower for me last Saturday. The guests were comprised of my family members and long time family friends. My mom refers to our family friends as 'my people'. Although she claims them in her life - they have been in my life since I was a little girl. They are just like aunts to me and I am glad they were able to celerate last weekend.

The shower food - Sangria (white and red), Vanilla Cake from Dolce Bakery and a Fruit arrangement from Edible Arrangements. She had some appetizers too that were delicious!

She also thought up fun games - she made a poster board of me throughout the years and included pictures of me at different ages. Everyone had to guess my age in the picture. The other game was on a sheet of paper - everyone had to think of words to make out of the letters of my name and the fiance. They were very fun!

                                      Thanks Kate for a fun day!!!  You're quite the hostess!!!



Oh Peony!

My mom has these amazing Peony plants in her backyard.

My brother gave them to her for Mother's Day a few years ago.

I am not sure how I failed to know this because Peonies are my favorite flower.

I really wanted them for the wedding and reception.

But they are not in season in July.

Bummer!

Yesterday while she was picking me lettuce out of their garden,

she said I could take a few with me for my kitchen table!

I was super excited!

Field Trip - Shatto Dairy

On Sunday afternoon the fiancé and I along with Libby and Tom took a road trip to Osborn, MO to visit the Shatto Dairy. I am not entirely sure how Libby found out about the event but we managed to sign up for the tour arranged by Slow Food KC. SFKC is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. They focus on food, local growers and the food preparation practices within different cultures.

 
Our tour guide R. Leroy Shatto has been milking for 37 years. Due to the bureaucracy of being a dairy farmer - it was making it more and more difficult for the small dairy farmers to stay existent and make money. As the price of milk increases one would think the dairy farmer would see that in his/her wallet. But that is not the case. Many dairymen do not even see that money in their pocket – which led Mr. Shatto to think outside the box. He had an idea to start selling his milk in local grocery stores. So one hot day he came home from milking, got cleaned up – took out a glass bottle and filled it with white sugar to look like milk. He took sugar because it was way too hot out to carry a gallon of milk around. He pitched his idea and had the grocers sign a letter of intent to purchase his milk. He visited 6 stores that first day – the first one was the Hy-Vee in Liberty, MO. All 6 signed the letter. The next morning he figured he should try 6 more stores. So he made his way over to Price Chopper – which he ended up pitching his idea to Mr. Cosentino himself. He accepted and wanted him to be the sole milk provider for the store - this sort of worried Mr. Shatto because at the time he only had 80 cows.

Now, a couple years after pitching his idea of selling farm fresh milk in glass jars – he has over 300 cows that are milked a day. 2 groups are milked 2 times per day, 1 is milked 3 times per day. He has one cow that can produce 16 gallons in one milking session. They have 32 employees which consist of 2 full time crews that milk and then a part time crew for the cows that are milked 3 times per day. Mr. Shatto shared the process that they use to pasteurize and homogenize the milk. They are currently bottling milk every day but Wednesday and Sunday but occasionally due to demand will have to bottle on Wednesday.

I was in awe of this man. He took an idea that he believed in and rolled with it. It was a huge risk for his family. And he has made it a success. They have started to develop their prodcut line -using the main ingredient - milk. They are now selling cheese, cheese curds, butter and ice cream.  Also you'll probaby notice that they are bottling lemonade and teas. If you're in a Hy-Vee or Price Chopper in the KC area you'll probably see their product.  (check out their cheese!)

If you're interested in taking your kids on fieldtrips this summer -  I would check out their webpage for tour dates and times. Or - if you need an adult outing it is super fun.