national picnic month

did you know that july is national picnic month?  i really didn't either, but i figured it out this past mothers' day when we took part in a picnic project at the nelson atkins museum of art.  you might remember from an earlier post that it looked a little something like this:

in celebration of national picnic month, the nelson invited the community back once the project was complete, to help create the world's largest picnic on their grounds.  so we packed a lunch from one of our favorite spots - the mixx- and headed there to locate our blanket, dine with the city, check out some of the outdoor exhibits, do a little crafting and watch the always adorable stone lion puppets put on a show:

i don't really know how happenin' the 'burbs are, but i can attest that living in the city and within walking distance to places like the nelson is among the top reasons we love kc and love our 'hood.  there is never a shortage of quality entertainment and educational opportunities that the nelson - and others - offer nearby.  best of all, many of the events are almost always free.  it was an absolute scorcher of a day but totally worth checking out.

have you been to the nelson lately?  tell us about it.  we'd like to hear what you love about it and what some of your other favorite places are in kansas city!

the secret room

if you frequent our blog and happened to catch our little feature in ink magazine earlier this month, (the same one that reappeared sunday in the kansas city star), you may have noticed several projects around the house that we have yet to highlight.  because of the timing of things, the reveal on many of these projects happened before we had a chance to detail them for you... so we thought we would go back in time a little and talk about a few of them.

first up:   alex's secret room.  we started talking about the facelift that was happening in this post, but didn't go into a lot of details.  if you caught that post and guessed that we were working on the little closet under the stairs - you were correct!

now, let's get one thing out of the way:  we feel really bad about how long it took us to get to this project.  mainly because we eyed this little nook as the perfect playroom/secret hideaway nearly three years ago when we bought the house and alex was quite a bit shorter.  we knew that with a few hours work we could turn it into a pretty kick-ass clubhouse for people under 4 foot tall.

since then, it has mainly served as the space in the house where all vacuums, outdoor toys, winter coats and other cold weather paraphernalia go to hibernate.  but we finally got our act together and made something happen in this virtually unused-for-anything-awesome space.

here is a quick look at the before:

and the difference a little paint, some fluffy carpet, some repurposed paper decor and a few adorbs details can make:

i mean, winter coats and roller skates, you're cool and all, but you do not deserve a space this rad.  i would have eaten every last vegetable on my plate and thought twice about cutting down the neighbor's rose bush to make a parade float - had there been any chance of attaining a secret hideout like this when i was seven. 

it's the perfect spot for reading, chalk-boarding and dreaming up all the things we want to be when we grow up.  it's also another testament to the simplicity and power of a little paint.  paint people - you gotta try it.  it is the easiest and most affordable way to transform a room, a space or a piece of furniture.  

the secret is out.  she loves it.  we love it.  and we're glad we finally got around to making it complete.

did you have a secret hideout when you were a kid?  tell us about it...

feed me: the classic cookie

if you haven't been to the classic cookie in waldo for brunch yet, you're crazy and totally missing out.
if you haven't been to the classic cookie for brunch and then selfishly convinced someone in your party to order off the lunch menu - for the free basket of muffins & cookies that comes with lunch- then you're super crazy and i'm not sure i can ever dine out with you.

seriously, it's adorable - in a restaurant-y kind of way.  i wake up on sundays now and all i can think about is coffee and a waffle.  check out the classic cookie and order my personal fave - the belgian waffle (with fruit!) and you can thank me later.  with cookies.  or muffins.  or waffles.  
whatever - i'm not picky. 

see more of our favorite local spots to dine here and read some restaurant etiquette tips from local station kcur here.

blogger events

a couple of weeks ago, i attended my first ever kc blogger meetup event.  it involved saks off fifth, free $25 gift certificates, food, sangria & local kansas city bloggers.  

everything about it sounded fantastic, and then i got there and this insane yellow maxi skirt practically jumped off the rack and into my arms slapping me silly with markdown after markdown and i finally agreed to bring her home with me.  it was love at first twirl around the fitting room. 

(find a similar one here, here & here)

it was my first blogger event and actually the first time i've been to a saks off fifth - i thought it was a great opportunity to meet other area bloggers and shop, of course.

the next event is this sunday at Madewell (!!!) followed by a private fall sneak peek event at J.Crew (double !!!) later this month.  and just like that, blogging has become a lot more interesting... and expensive.

you don't have to be a blogger to take part in the Madewell event - it is open to the public.  if you're in the area, join us on sunday at Madewell - and if you see me twirling around the fitting room, come say hi!

special thanks to the kc blogger meetup group for including me in on the fun! xoxo

ink magazine

a couple of days after the psa was shot in our home (more on that here), we sprang into action completing several house projects that had been put on hold because of it and because of, well, life in general.  we had good reason to get some things done - a date with ink magazine was just a week away. 

the timing was perfect.  the reporter and photog were in and out of the house in a little over an hour and two weeks later - on the morning of our one year wedding anniversary - our article hit newsstands around town and on the web. 

below are a few shots from the spread.  but you can check out the entire interview and see all the awesome pics they took here.  shout out to @Sarah_Gish & @kcjennhack of ink magazine / the kansas city star. 

we thought the piece turned out great and hope you like it too.  you may even notice several projects we completed last summer (the third floor!) that we haven't yet discussed on the blog - so stay tuned.  we'll be back with updates on some of those soon.

we've come a long ways since the beginning - take a look at the before & in progress pictures here. 

photos from ink kc magazine.  see more pics and the interview by clicking here.

change

change is a good thing.  it helps us learn, grow, move forward and move on.  change can be a healer, a motivator and even a necessary evil - depending on the situation at hand.  change is always upon us, asking us to embrace it and go with it for a ride, never quite telling us where we'll end up, but always requesting our trust up front, paid in full.

change is difficult to make, even when we know it must be done.  happiness may be within sight, but we may be paralyzed by indecision, by doubt and most notably by the abundant fear that always impairs clear vision. 

the unknown has a way of crippling us, keeping us from acting and holding us back from a chance to find a solution, find happiness, find peace.  eventually we regain our footing, and when we do, we're often left wondering why we didn't act sooner, embracing change and moving on.

i have in the past known of changes i needed to make and waited longer than i should have to act.
these are lessons that no one can teach you, they have to be lived through, so you learn to respect time's sensitive nature, the briefness of life and the clarity that comes from not making the same mistakes twice.

ever since 2007, the first week in july has signaled major change in my life.  it may just be a coincidence, but it has been a constant, for each year, during this week, the winds of change breeze through.

today i am leaving a job that i have had for the past five and half years.  a job that during the first week of july, in the year 2007, allowed me to make a major change in my life.  a change for me, but more importantly, a change for my daughter.  one that finally afforded us the opportunity to start a life on our own.  a change that gave me the gift of being able to close the most difficult chapter of my life, albeit one that i dogeared and highlighted for future reference and life lessons to reflect upon. 

during the years that i have held this job, many things have changed around me, but it has remained stable while always keeping me on my toes.

this job has taken me all over the country, to 16 states and countless cities and introduced me to places and people who have had a tremendous impact on my life.  it has allowed me to hear stories and be a part of a movement, to help people who needed a voice, a champion and a prayer.

it is a job that i always felt good about, proud of and even in the worst of times, reminders of the best of times, always got me through.

today, with this change, i leave on the best of terms - my own - motivated by new opportunities and a fresh start.  but a piece of my heart gets left behind, intentionally.  what's up ahead remains to be seen.  there is no complete revelation of it yet, only hints of what may possibly come to be.  the fear of the unknown is ever present, but i have learned to not let it cripple me, instead it serves as a cautionary embrace.

i believe where we are is where we are meant to be and where we're going is always within our control.

i always shed a tear for change, regardless of its nature, because proper respect for the past is always due.  but today i also breathe a tremendous sigh of relief, for i have put my trust in change and built my faith around the past.   in the past five years, during this week of july, change has never let me down and i have no reason to believe that today, it will be any different.

-k

our first anniversary, instagrammed

just a little snapshot of our day according to instagram...

are you following us on instagram?  find us there & on twitter @twentysixeast.

she's a beaut clark

further proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  the 'ol girl cleans up nice!

we had a lovely past couple of days celebrating our one year anniversary, the fourth of july & a really fun feature in ink kc magazine, but we wanted to do a quick post and show you how the media center turned out.  but first, remember when she looked like this? sick.

and now...

she's had quite the transformation!  welcome to the 21st century ye giant media center!  now let's fill you up with all kinds of junk!

instagram of the day: one year

today is our first anniversary.  we'll be celebrating all day long.  relive our big day here.
we'll be back with pictures of how we spent today, soon. <3

preparing for the best

do you know what is going on here?  because i sure do.

we're one step closer to having a pretty wicked media center.  but we have to find a new name for it.  media center - really?  what do you call this thing?  i'm thinking: 10 feet of reality t.v. goodness plus storage.  too long?  i mean, you should see this thing.  it's huge.

let's recap:  we found this beauty at a free garage sale and she was looking a little rough:

but her extreme makeover is well underway and we'll be back with the big reveal in a couple of days!

we're almost there!