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.

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 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.

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.

Maifest 2011

This past Saturday friends and family gathered for the 2nd Annual Maifest!!! The Fiancé, along with 2 buddies  home brewed 29 different beers to share with their guests. It was a BEAUTIFUL day in May, high of 88 and full sun! With every donation a token pint glass representing the day was handed out and T-shirts were sold to commemorate the day. A local KC coffee roaster was also on site to share his craft. There were burgers and sausages for lunch - along with all of the necessary bbq side dishes.

Here are some pictures from the day. I went picture crazy and took about 500-600. Here are just a few.

Beer Kitchen - Boulevard Beer Dinner

On Sunday evening the fiancé and I met up with our friends Tom and Libby for a beer dinner hosted at the Beer Kitchen in Westport. Boulevard Brewer Jeremy Danner explained the intricacies of the beers and how they are paired with the food courses on the menu. This beer dinner was unlike any other as Boulevard featured 2 ‘experimental’ brews. We were there for about 2-1/2 hours enjoying a small glass of nicely crafted beer paired with amazing dishes. The fiancé told me that this was not a typical ‘beer’ dinner as small plates are usually served with the beer selection. This was not the case on Sunday....(read: course 4, full turkey leg). 

Here is a rundown of the menu:
1st Course- fried homemade fresh mozzarella, w/ smoky tomato confit, balsamic reduction glaze, micro greens
         Beer: Boss Tom's Golden Bock, Golden Bock, 6.1% abv

2nd Course- herbed chevre potato pancake w/ a baby arugula & roasted beet salad w/ hops beer vinaigrette
         Beer: Hoppy Wheat, Hoppy Wheat Ale, 5.2% abv, A new test brew for
         Boulevard, sessionable wheat beer

3rd Course-  meat & cheese plate of peppered salami w/ chipotle white cheddar & pickled sweet pepper, brasola w/ tillamook cheddar & hops beer mustard, prosciutto w/ cambrasola brie & thyme honey w/ honey wheat baguette
          Beer: Single-Wide IPA, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv

4th Course- oven roasted turkey leg w/ caramelized fennel & roasted garlic mashed potatoes w/ pan au jus
         Beer: Love Child #2, Belgian Style Sour Ale, 10% abv. Big sour red ale, aged in a single
         barrel for four years. Aromas of sour cherries and oak with a pleasant sour flavor and
         medium funk.

-5th Course-  sixth glass ice cream float w/ pink hawaiian salted ice cream
        Beer: The Sixth Glass, Belgian-Style Quadruple, 10.5% abv

Anne's Food Favorites: Course 1, 2 & 3.

Beer Favorites, Course 1, 3 & 4.



side note: please check out my improved picasa skills! i learned to incorporate text!

ThE bAcHeLoReTtE

this past saturday we celebrated Ashley - my friend that is getting married in may. it was her 'last' night as a single lady!! boy did we have a good time celebrating her becoming a MRS!!!!  we started off the evening with a dinner at cafe trio on the plaza. it was my first time there- and it was pretty great! after cafe trio we headed back to the roos casa for a lingerie party, chocolate fondue for dessert and some fun bachelorette games! what a fun night celebrating a truly great friend. here are some pics from the evening!!!

Things Change

This past weekend I visited a KC Classic....The American Royal Rodeo at Kemper. Lets just say it wasn't like I remember. Don't get me wrong the Rodeo was off the chain and the events/participants were terrific - just as I remember :)  But Kemper Areana has gone to the crapper. It is old, worn out, outdated and in the dust compared to the Sprint Center. We were in a Box Suite care of a friend of mine. Let me tell you it probably looks the same is it did in the late 80s. As a kid, I remember going to the IHL - KC Blades, Comet's soccer games, Big XII games.  And now, I can't think of a reason to ever go back.

Like I mentioned earlier. The Rodeo was aweome - horses, bulls, calfs roping, barrel racing, etc. What an amazing sport to be a part of. See pictures below - sorry, the arena is dark, gloomy, and I was shooting with the blackberry.

On a lighter side... on Sunday we did a fun wedding activity! Crate & Barrel registering!!! hip hip hooray. It was definitely hard to make decisions on the spot...so on a few of the items we picked several that we like...and will eventually make up our mind! Oh the decisions to make in the wedding process!