A Little Rest and Relaxation

Seems like the last few months I have been running non-stop, with very little time to spend with my husband...so as a little treat, he planned a few days away for us in Kansas City this week. We left early Wednesday morning and just got back this evening...and it was definitely good to have a couple quiet days away (even though I was worried about the work piling up on my desk). He was kind enough to take me through Liberty, Missouri on the was down, so I could visit Old Mill Stitchery - a cross stitch shop I had never had a chance to visit before (and had always wanted to see) - this little gem was SO worth the drive...it is a wonderful shop filled with gorgeous models and unique items...and they had beautiful yarns and a framing area too! It is located in Corbin Mill Place, which also houses a wonderful gift shop, a restaurant, a beading shop....and the best little place to buy wool I have ever been to called "American Whatever" - I was blown away by the most phenomenal selection of hand-dyed wools I have ever seen! I picked a wonderful assortment of unique wool fabrics to bring home...many autumn colors...a few picked especially for Oliver Owl - one of my friend Kimber's patterns featured in the current issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine (November/December 2010)...which I really hope to start tomorrow. If that wasn't enough, my very sweet hubby also took me to Leavenworth, Kansas so I could visit Quilter's Quarters (a quilt shop on my must see list) - there I found a few wooden spools of Moda trim, some great buttons, and a few fall fat quarters. It was a leisurely drive down and I got to do some great shopping.

Thursday we made a visit to the Kansas City Zoo which was VERY impressive! If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know how much I love animals and visiting zoos wherever we travel. Although it was windy beyond belief, we still had a very good time....and most of the time we felt like we were the only people on the property. With it being the "off season", some of the animals were not on exhibit, but many were out and about and quite active in the cooler weather. The acres and acres of zoo grounds were incredible - and all of the animals seemed to have large, spacious areas, with all sorts of water, trees, and natural habitat. One of the largest attractions at this zoo is Nikita, the Polar Bear...who was quite entertaining - he actually did a back flip into the water and did a little swimming for us! There were so many highlights - a family of Guinea Baboons (with a baby) playing....a mob of Red Kangaroos hopping right past us...beautiful lions basking in the sun....along with a a herd of elephants, a clan of Meerkats digging burrows, an adorable baby zebra (who's stripes were still brown), and the cutest little Blue Duiker nestled in the grass. The grounds also had a fabulous African bird exhibit where I took a photo of the Superb Starling (my favorite photo)....and I was also able to get a close-up of the East African Crowned Crane which was quite stunning in person. We loved this zoo and definitely plan to return next year in warmer weather.

After the zoo, we made a trip to Country Club Plaza to take in the sights and do a little window shopping...it is such a beautiful area, but it was WAY TOO WINDY for us to thoroughly enjoy. We also enjoyed delicious dinners and some light gambling at Harrah's Kansas City (where I learned to play Pai Gow Poker!). It was nice to get away just for a few days and spend some quality time with my husband...and he was right, the work was still here waiting for me upon my return.

So, now it is back to designing, model stitching, and preparing classes for 2011. I am also working on a couple giveaway prizes and will be posting the details in the next few days (thank you for being patient with me!).