Feast of the Hunter's Moon Tribal Inspired Look #Fashion #History #Travel

Every year, there are these fabulous living history rendezvous that occur all over the country. Here in the Midwest they are usually held at or near pre- or post- colonial forts, include a Native American and/or military aspect, and most of the time they are near a body of water-- think river. They are also tons of fun!

This past weekend I went to The 44th Annual Feast of the Hunter's Moon, held at Historic Fort Ouiatenon Park near West Lafayette, Indiana. My family has been going for years, but I have always had something going on in the past and was never able to make it-- won't happen again. This particular rendezvous is one of the oldest in the Midwest, and is how most of the others got started-- Fort de Chartres, for example. It re-creates the annual fall gathering of the French and Native Americans that took place here in the mid- 1700s when Fort Ouiatenon was occupied. 

You can read all about it here, and maybe even plan your own trip next year! 

Here are some snapshots from my day:

Loved all the beading, and beautiful Native American beading is what got me into making jewelry when I was younger.

New #Recipe! Sweet & Savory Chicken

So mom called and said she bought chicken tenders. If I wasn't planning on making anything else I could do something with them for dinner.  Alright! 


Normally I would batter and bake, bread and fry, or cover them in mole. I was too tired to do the first, have stopped making anything fried, and we were out of mole. Dad wanted something Mexican-- the usual-- but the girls and I wanted something along the lines of sweet and sour chicken. 


I had a copy of Every Day With Rachel Ray next to me, from October 2010, so I started flipping.

Jennifer Lopez Collection for Kohl's #Review #Fashion

I am not a huge fan of Jennifer's but I do listen to her music and loved Selena-- who didn't. Still, I was excited when I heard that Jennifer and Marc would be creating their own lines for Kohl's and this weekend I had the chance to check out the women's clothing line. 

I guess the best way to sum up the collection is dressy casual, but there are several pieces that fall way outside that summary-- which is ok. Honestly though, the collection is very drap, uninspiring, and kinda depressing. Looking at it I felt like I was watching recent Project Runway creations- blah. There is absolutely no designing in any of these pieces. 

Can't Decide? #Bounce It Off Millions!

*This is a Sponsored post with the One2One Network and Bounce*

Bounce has taken to Facebook like the rest of us, and now you can interact with all of Facebook in a new initiative called Bounce It Off Millions.

Bounce started things off when it asked people to make a choice between sheets or bar, and now Bounce is offering a chance to have millions of Facebook users help you decide on a choices of your own.  No question is too important. 

Want to join in?

Sugar Shock Cinnamon Roll Pancakes #Recipe #Cooking

Thank you Stumble Upon! The girls decided they wanted to have pancakes for breakfast this morning and they could not find our handwritten recipe, so I got online to look it up. Started stumbling and a recipe popped up for Cinnamon Roll pancakes! 

The site was RecipeGirl.com, a great resource for original recipes for the family. The recipe was super easy to follow and replicate, and I was super glad that it did not call for all these ingredients that we did not have on hand. Really it was just the basic, butter, eggs, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cream cheese.  

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum to Offer Free Admission on Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day!

It's no secret that I am very passionate about the subject of history, and growing up in the Land of Lincoln has turned me into a Lincoln and Civil War buff/nerd.  In fact, today I spent the afternoon crying inside that I did not have a couple spare hundred dollars on me because I happened across the most incredible used book store that had shelves and shelves of you're never gonna find anywhere else books. 

But back to the topic of this post.

#WhatsBlooming Thursdays, Walking in the Wild #Gardening

I didn't forget to posts this weeks #WhatsBlooming post, I just got busy and then decided it could wait till the morning. So, this is this week's #WhatsBlooming Thursday on Friday. 

I think late summer is actually the best time for wildflowers, more seems to be blooming now and I love the bright oranges and yellows that dominate.

My #Target Still Has #Missoni, Just Nothing I Want

As most of my readers, friends, family know, I am not a label whore. However, I have always been attracted to Missoni because of the bright colors and design that is used in the clothing. So, when I heard that Target was bringing the designer into the fold, I was as excited as all the crazy fashionistas out there. 

I was not crazy enough to brave the crowds first thing in the morning on Tuesday though-- the time at which otherwise super nice women turned into a pack of dogs and will claw you with their perfectly manicured nails. The twins and I did stop in sometime in the afternoon though, after the dust had cleared, and I was super surprised to find that there was actually a lot of stuff left at my Target store.

Wheelin' in Heelys! #Review and Video

As much as I like giving everyone the pleasure of watching me tumble down stairs or land on my butt, I decided to order Heelys in the twin's size when I was contacted about trying out a pair. In case you just crawled out from under a rock-- it happens-- and don't know what Heelys are, I'll tell you. Heelys are shoes with wheels in the heel so that you can switch back and forth from a walk to a roll. Cool huh!

See how nifty they are?!

#Mompact: Review and Giveaway of The Peaceful Housewife

I've talked a lot about my families long history of using green and natural products-- way before it was the thing. So, I am always excited when I get to try out a new natural product that works well and won't break the bank. The latest: The Peaceful Housewife Natural Cleaning Products!

Maya #Indie Film Series Comes to #Chicago

Great films are harder and harder to find, but I am fortunate to live in the city of Chicago where the welcome mat is pulled out for film festivals, series, and events. Today, the Maya Indie Film Series rolled into town and will be showing seven films at AMC Rivercenter 9 including (click to watch the trailers!):

• All She Can
• Without Men
• Forged
• Where the Road Meets the Sun
• Blue Eyes
• Sympathy for Delicious
• Di Di Hollywood

This year the series features films from

#WhatsBlooming Thursdays, Beauty in a Fading Garden

Yesterday I got the girls outside to help me clean up the front garden a bit and I was so happy to hear Catherine say that even though the garden was dying, it was still beautiful. Christine then added that it was a different look, but it was just as pretty. 

So glad that they see what I see, and it gives me hope that they will love gardening as much as I do.  

The One In Which We Got To See #NASA History #Atlantis

I am so glad I was able to make the trip to Florida for NASA's final shuttle launch, and super psyched I got to take my sisters along with me. Not only was it a once in a lifetime thing, but it was a trip that I know they will never forget.

I know I have neglected sharing those pictures and stories with all of you, but I'm getting it done now! 

As soon as Bush reinstated shuttle launches a couple years ago

If I Can, You Can...

The things we do for the things we love....forget about the people we love for now because this is about things, k. I love pickles. I love pickles more than I love some of the folks in my life :) 

Last year, after reading and thinking about it for a year, I ventured into that weird world of canning. It went better than I thought it would, and we had cute little jars of apple jalapeno jelly, cherry jam and enough apple butter to last a year. I did that!