Top Five Tuesday: summertime

It's officially summer! Well maybe not technically, but who wants to wait until June 21st anyway??

What are your favorite things to do during this wonderful season?? Here are my Top 5:

1. Weekends at the Lake of the Ozarks (especially 4th of July!)

2. Walking around the Country Club Plaza.

3. Vacations.... Big announcement in 9 days!

4. Lazy Thursday weekday evenings sitting on porches sipping wine, with or without company.

5. Family reunions, hot dogs, linen shorts, wedding season, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, grilled corn on the cob, gingham, frozen margaritas, aviators, backyard games, Tom Petty, Jalapeno Kettle chips, reading outside and flip flops.

OK, I couldn't keep everything I love about summer to a list of 5, but I bet you can't either!

Memorial Weekend Must-Haves

Hello lovelies! And Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope you all have something wonderful planned, even if it's just kicking back and enjoying some you time.

I am off to the Lake of the Ozarks in t-minus 4 hours. My parents have a beautiful house there (beautiful in the sense that it can sleep 15 people and always has a stocked fridge... not in the white carpet, immaculate interior way) which I frequent almost every weekend during the summer.

Here's what I'm packing...

And a playlist of course:

Foster the People - Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
Queen - Bicycle Race

Phil Vassar - Six Pack Summer
Spoon - The Way We Get By
The Secret Handshake - Summer of 98
Steve Reynolds - Dear Rose
Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Minor Thing
Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma
Mungo Jerry - In the Summertime
Noisettes - Never Forget You

Kanrocksas Countdown

Over the past 4 years, I have been promising to check something specific off my bucket list: Attend a summer music festival. Bonnoroo. Lollapalooza. Sasquatch. They've all been on the summer to-do list, but for whatever reason (weddings, "saving money", lake trips, slacking) I am always disappointed come Labor Day weekend and I realize I've failed yet again.

But THIS YEAR, something AMAZING has happened. Now I love Kansas City, but not in a hundred years did I think we would get our own music festival! But that's just the case! Last month, my Twitter feed started blowing up about something called Kanrocksas. Sounded to me like something real country - woof. After further research, it it is a rock/indie music festival featuring one of my current all-time favorite bands! (Yes I'm link happy today.)

Yes it's at a speedway instead of a field (which we have plenty of here in the KS/MO area) BUT the great news is this just might put KC on the map for progressive music. Which may lead to more shows over more weekends,  instead of suffering through work on a Tuesday morning after a huge Monday night concert because your city isn't a big deal enough to have a weekend show.

Hope to see you, the Black Keys, Muse, GirlTalk, Fitz and the Tantrums, and many more the weekend of August 5th! Woo hoo!

Update: Get in my Closet

Here's why I love Banana Republic.... The day after I post about their clutch I saw in the store but couldn't fork over $100 for without starving myself for a week, they send a 35% off all full-priced items email, plus free shipping. Love. Destiny. Needless to say, said handbag is now en route to my closet. I have an impulse shopping problem, and I like it.

Get in my closet

How lovely is this little clutch? It needs to go to so many summer events and weddings with me.... don't you think?

Banana Republic

Wall space

If I had an office, these 5 pieces from Etsy (see caption for specific sellers) would be purchased and mounted without hesitation.

thebigharumph

CitrusTree

TypePosters

lisaweedn

dazeychic

Top Five Tuesday: cheese

Today's topic makes me smile.... CHEESE! My favorite place in KC to taste test and purchase delicious wedges of salty, creamy, nutty cheese is The Better Cheddar. It's a cheese palace, and even offers flavored soda in cute glass bottles - an unexpectedly delicious pairing with just about any cheese. But let's be real here, I don't get the same satisfaction out of those yummy bottles that I do from a good glass of Pinot Noir in my over-sized Riedel glassware. There's just something about wine and cheese...

Top 5 favorite cheeses. No crackers necessary.

1. Port Salut: Creamy and mild semi-soft cow's milk cheese. Simply divine. I'm going to have to make this quiche recipe stat.
2. Parrano: Lesser-known cousin of the popular Gouda, this cheese is harder and saltier and a major crowd-pleaser.
3. Gorgonzola Dolce: Blues aren't for everyone, but this cheese is milder and softer than a typical blue cheese. I love it spread over toasted French bread or in a cream sauce over gnocchi.
4. Gruyere: This one I came about late in the game; it is nutty, smooth and gone before I know it. My favorite is picking the melted gooey pieces off the side of my French Onion soup bowl.
5. Smoked Gouda: Smoky (obviously), semi-hard yellow cheese that most people are familiar with and enjoy.

Port Salut deliciousness