Bluff Dwellers' Cave in Noel, MO
The Bluff Dwellers' Cave dates back to 12,000 BC the time of the Paleo-Indians, in 1925 the cave was
rediscovered by Arthur Browning. The
Bluff-Dwellers Cavern has been open for tours since 1927, which is like 86
years…to me that is a big enough historical fact to make me want to go visit
the cave!
Bluff Dwellers' Cavern
is fun for all ages, and they claim it is perfect for ages 2-102! Okay, that is a score considering you can
take the toddlers and grandpa! The cave
has knowledgeable staff (obviously bigger history experts than me), interactive
tours, a museum with 700 locally found arrowheads and a Mineral and Fossil
collection, and a play area for children.
To fully enjoy the
cave, museum, and the day allow around an hour and half for your visit. However, to make your visit better compliment
of Bluff Dwellers Cavern I have two FREE Passes for one of my lucky
readers! Follow instructions below,
share with your friends, and take a trip to Noel, Missouri to visit beautiful
Bluff Dwellers' Cavern!
Floating on the Elk River
– enjoy the beautiful bluffs by raft, kayaks, or canoe!
Shadow Lake - a great
place to enjoy the river and have some refreshments, but is also quickly
becoming a destination of its own for its unique club atmosphere on the weekends.
Noel, MO - Also known as Christmas City U.S.A since
1932. Every year the Noel post office receives
tens of thousands Christmas cards, so that folks may receive their Christmas
Greeting from “The Christmas City” Read
more about the Christmas Postmark
here.
Have an Adventurous Day!
~Becky
More Photos:
More Photos:
Disclosure: Photos have been provided by Bluff Dwellers' Cavern. The giveaway is sponsored by Bluff Dwellers' Cavern, a huge thank you to them.
Best Buy helps you capture those special memories with HUGE discounts!
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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Spring has sprung and
if your family is like mine we are full of memory-making event. While my smartphone comes in handy, it is
just not enough to capture all those special moments.
Several years back I
myself invested in a Canon EOS Rebel T3 and I have never regretted it. With my camera, I have the resources needed
to capture all those frame-worthy photo opportunities like Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day, graduations, softball season, and vacation.
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So if you are looking
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to upgrade? Grab that old camera and head
to Best Buy to trade it in for a Best Buy gift card! Check out Best Buy’s special
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frames, and much
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Happy Memory Making,
~Becky
Disclaimer: I have been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card
and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
Laundry Day reminds me of how much I love my kids.
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Today as I strung our laundry my clothesline, I remembered
how many times I have washed, dried, and smelled my children’s clothes….there
is nothing lovelier than the sweetness of your own children. I have been criticized before for saying that
it was not my intention to ever have children, this statement is true. As a teenager and young adult I did not want
to have children…I had other plans, but for some reason today, I cannot
remember what those plans were.
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Motherhood has changed me greatly; yesterday I stood in my
old high school gym and watched Lesse dribble the basketball down the same
court that I played on as a child. I
could not help, but wipe the tear from my eye, I love being a MOM. I love every minute of watching my children
succeed, watching them learn, watching them love, and crazy as it sounds
watching them fight.
I may say that I never intended to be a mom, because that is
true, but God had other plans and when my name was drawn for motherhood, I
stepped up and took the challenge.
Day after day we do not see eye to eye, you are both currently grounded from you IPods, frustrated that I won’t let you have that last soda in the fridge, and attempting convince PaPa that mommy is mean. I smile smartly at you, as I know that you are just being my children and acting exactly how I expect you to act.
I know in the near future we are going to have many disagreements and there may be a day that you question how much your momma loves you. Today I am going to tell you how much I love you!
I love you so much that I climb your bunk beds to feed your fish that I despise.
I love you so much that I often roll over in my bed and find racecars, Tonka trucks, and tractors lined up next to me and just smile.
I love you so much that I have not wore a normal color of nail polish in good while…neon pink seems to be my new style.
I love you so much that when I hear you giggle at 11 pm I may sigh aloud, but I secretly giggle inside.
I love you so much that I mop the bathroom twice a night every night….with bubble bath water.
I love you so much that I often smell like sweaty little boy and mangos (mango is Lesse’s current perfume choice).I love you so much that I often wear mud prints from your dog all over me.
I love you so much that instead of driving our truck up the road I often drive the tractor so that I can see you smile.
I love you so much that while you sleep I work, so while you play I can watch.
I love you so much that I secretly hate pop tarts, zebra cakes, nutty butter bars, but I eat them anyways.
I love you so much that I cannot remember to text my own friends, but I have text your friends every night this week to tell them you are grounded and will have to text them next week, but I will give you their message.I love you so much that I cannot remember the last time I read a book that had more than 10 pages and less than 10 pictures.
I love you so much that I know what is burdening your heart, I am praying for the same answer, and I cry because of your heartache. Kiddos, life is not fair, being a parent is hard….I wish that I could make things be easy for you. I am doing the best I can at being a mommy, I am so proud of how strong, honest, and loving you two have become. One day we will together look back on all the chaos that surrounds us, wipe our brow, and say we conquered this and we did it with dignity! Love you bunches,
Mommy
Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City, MO
As I flipped through pictures tonight D-man yelled “Mom,
there is that favorite place we went on bacation!”…love the words that come out
of my 5 year old's mouth. I also often
wonder how many favorite places he happens to have, but tonight his favorite
place was Sea Life in Kansas City, MO.
I can always tell how big of an impact a place had on my
kids by how long they continue to talk about the place. It has been 9 months since we visited SeaLife Aquarium in Kansas City, Mo and with just one image, D-man could tell me all the details of our
visit. To word it exact he loved
watching the jellyfish, seahorses, touching the slimey things, and the
stingrays were cool too….I would say Sea Life also educated my little man.
With over 5,000 sea creatures and 260,000 gallons of water
we had the opportunity to get up close and personal to sharks, hold crabs,
touch starfish, make our imaginations explode while watching seahorses, and
stand in awe as we watched the beautiful yet poisonous jellyfish.
Sea Life Aquarium in Kansas City is not an all day adventure,
the aquarium is perfect for a rainy afternoon adventure, cool when it is too
hot to play outside, and a great place to kill a few hours.
The aquarium is located next to LEGOLAND and
in the Kansas City Crown Center.
With smiles and giggles, Sea Life Aquarium in Kansas City,
Mo earns this Traveling Mom’s seal of approval!
Have an Adventurous Day!
~Becky
Disclosure: Our visit to the Sea Life Aquarium in Kansas City was sponsored by the Kansas City Tourism office. A big thank you to them for giving us the opportunity to visit, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own (or my children's)!
Faith for the Journey: Live like an Ambassador
Over the past few months my life has taken a journey and I have climbed some mountains....One thing that changed in my life was at the bottom of the pit I learned to have FAITH. Weekly I read the pastor of my church's blog and often I feel like his message is pointed directly at me!
Faith for the Journey: Live like an Ambassador: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God...
Faith for the Journey: Live like an Ambassador: “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God...
eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible..The Mother's Day Gift I would buy for myself!
The Mother’s Day gift I would buy myself!
The eBags
Mother Lode TLS Weekender
Convertible
bag...Seriously!
I have bags coming out of everywhere, in fact when I moved home a while
back my Dad laughed as he unloaded 2 totes of empty bags (I am a small bag
hoarder). Then two days later, my ebags
Mother Lode arrived…HaHa Dad.
Then this past weekend I packed up my kiddos to go visit their Auntie and I decided I would try out my new bag. Shortly after getting the bag packed I decided I was jealous they were getting to use the bag first! I absolutely love my eBags Mother Lode TLSWeekender…Seriously!
Social Media Tips for Real Life
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| My Facebook Page |
Most everyone has an online life even if you are not on “social
networks”. With Google stepping up
search options and Bing, right behind them with their new mapping system you
can search almost anyone’s name and find out some bit of personal information.
For some this is a scary world we live in, for others (like
me) we saw this change coming and prepared for it. It is no secret that most of my life is
public knowledge…I think of it as I have nothing to hide, so just make it
public. I am criticized daily for putting
my life, my kids, and my personal information online well my response is if you
don’t want to know then don’t read or look at it. However, I also realize there is a danger to
having everything public and years ago, I learned the hard way how just plain
out ignorant people could be.
When I first started blogging, I honestly thought no one
actually read what I wrote, so I did not worry about referring to my family by
name. One day out of the blue, I received
what I like to laugh about as “fan mail” somebody who read my blog actually
took the time to find my mailing address and mail me a letter that basically
said I was using my kids for popularity.
I have no intention of exploiting, using, or taking advantage of my kids…in
fact if you look back over my blog, post they get a pretty good deals out of
the work mommy does. After the anger the
letter caused passed, I started to think rationally and realized if one person
could find me how many others could. I
had two options give up blogging (which I believe is what the “fan” wanted) or
to learn how to protect the identity of my kids.
Pinecrest Azalea Gardens, Oak Ridge MO
Pinecrest Azalea Gardens have been blooming up
beauty since 1963, and as Mr. Smith, one of the ground’s caregivers explained
there is three different seasons at Pinecrest. Spring begins with
the blooming of more than 300,000 Jonquils and Daffodils. Followed by numerous Azaleas, and Rhododendrons
spread throughout the grounds, the colors truly leave you in awe
Pinecrest is open daily daylight hours only; the flowers begin blooming in late March through June, howver, the grounds remain open and beautiful through summer. The gardens are located on Torre Lane off County Road 472, for complete direction visit Pinecrest Azalea Garden’s website or call (573) 979-1112.
Pinecrest is open daily daylight hours only; the flowers begin blooming in late March through June, howver, the grounds remain open and beautiful through summer. The gardens are located on Torre Lane off County Road 472, for complete direction visit Pinecrest Azalea Garden’s website or call (573) 979-1112.
Schmetterling Tea & Coffee in Frohna, MO
A few weeks ago I saw this post on Facebook talking about
this local tea and coffee company, well Schmetterling Tea and CoffeeCompany agreed to let me sample her coffee and give my unbiased opinion of this
locally produced coffee. I would call
myself a coffee expert, after all you rarely see me without a coffee mug in my
hand and I probably polish off a couple of pots of coffee a day. Shhhhh do not tell my Momma she says it will
stunt my growth!
The owner Schmetterling Tea and Coffee gave me two different
flavors of coffee beans to sample. Sumatra
Mandheling and Papua New Guunea, both coffees filled my house a rich coffee
smell…there is nothing like waking up to the smell of coffee brewing first
thing in the morning.
My favorite was The
Papua New Guunea, I like the bold tasted that lasted through my entire
pot…I did after all drink the entire pot.
The Sumatra Mandheling was good, but it was not my favorite, I drank it
just the same and prefer it over my normal Folgers Gourmet Coffee that I get
when I am out of the good stuff!
Either way Schemetterling Coffee earned my coffee addicts seal of approval, or empty cup award!
Schemetterling Tea and Coffee is hand roasted in Frohna,
Missouri. They also have a special
elderberry blossom tea that has been their family’s tradition for generations
back.
Want your own cup of Schmetterling
Tea and Coffee? Look for them on Facebook
or contact them at 573-517-3968…I assure you that you will not be sorry!
~Becky
Disclosure: I was given samples of Schmetterling Coffee, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Day in Nature with my Kids!
I have come to appreciate the littlest things in life, today I appreciate having my kids to spend this beautiful Easter Sunday with!
After loading our bellies with ham, mashed potatoes, and CANDY we took PaPa's truck and drove across the farm to shoot some Easter Photos! What can I say? Thank You God, for healthy, beautiful, and loving children! I am blessed beyond words!
~Becky
This is BoCo
We are settled in, right back where I started! I have started a new #hashtag and my theme is This is #BoCo.
While I was only 25 miles away from home I have realized over the past week how much I have really missed! My goodness, God is Good and he is so Good! I look around everywhere and I see all the amazing things he has created that I once took for granted, then never realized I missed it, until I moved home and saw it with new eyes!
Here are a few of my This is #BoCo shots from my afternoon run today!
~Becky
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| I will be the first to say #BoCo looks good on me! I feel so FREE! |
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| The neighbors field....BREATHTAKING! |
People are not disposable….
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It is no secret that this past few years has been nothing but a
train wreck straight from hell. I often
think to myself that I will one day wake up and this will have all been a dream
and I will step back and will have my happy little family back again. Then I slap myself to reality and remember
that I must remember the good days to get through the bad days.
I have not wrote much about my divorce for several months,
because every time I would say something I lived in fear that it could be
considered slander, or every time I posted something people would say I was
whining, bashing, or just being a baby.
Today, I have decided to speak up and speak loudly. I am NOT whining, bashing, or being a baby
the ending of my marriage was nearly devastating. I loved my husband with all my heart, I think
many of my readers can recall how I spoke about him, posted photos of him and
the kids, and I was always anxious for him to come home at the end of the week. He was the one person I thought would always
have my back, and then I realized that Satan could and had pulled him
away. There were times over the past
year I would see glimpse of hope or the “old” him, and then they were always
followed by the “other” him.
10 Blessings of Moving
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| I think we will just call this place HOME! |
Today, I was reminded all over again of all the special blessings in my life. I know God is gently reminding me that while this storm (my marriage ending) is rough, I have been blessed more than I will ever know!
1. My Family - when in need my family is there to help, pray, and give motivation!
2. Friends - my amazing friends that covered us in prayer, did some heavy lifting, or helped entertain kids...YOU ALL ROCK!
3. COFFEE - Dear Lord, thank you for all the Coffee Bean Farmers!
4. Hot shower - yes it was the most amazing feeling tonight to take a steamy hot shower!
5. Purina Protein Tubs - Blog post coming soon to explain this!
6. Comfy Shoes - oh the relief of my sore feet!
7. Laughter - many laughs today as we packed, moved, and giggled at others expense.
8. Ice - it seemed cool today, but ice cold drinks tasted so good!
9. Unorganized Stuff - it is fun to find tomato soup in my sock drawer....packing can be fun!
10. God's Guidance - this week has been trying, exhausting, heartbreaking, but no matter where I turned, the pain I felt, I knew I had God on my side!
God Bless you all, thank you for all your prayers, and Good Night!
Becky, Lesse, & D- man (aka FARMERS)
Using Social Media in your neighborhood....
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I hate to tell someone to ditch all the expert advice,
because truly all social media specialist have good advice, but does that
advice completely fit your needs.
I was bombarded with questions last week by a fellow blogger
that was asking how to get readers to their blog post. To be brutally honest, I had no clue what to
answer back, I have learned that I must process everything to have a true
solution.
To my fellow blogger, here is what might help….
It is not what you say, but how you say it! Unless you are bitterly angry, person
negativity is normally not, what you want to hear. So watch your tone on your social media post!
Do you have conversations with your readers? I keep my both personal and business Facebook
page public, so readers feel they can communicate with me. The key to my success is being there for
them, I get email, messages, and comments all the time asking for advice.
Know your target area!
I cannot SCREAM this enough, know your target audience. If you are local and are trying to reach
local readers, understand that local readers do not always enjoy the same
conversations as folks 1000 miles away.
This is where you have to be very careful about what “advice” you take
from the experts. I follow many social
media and blogging experts; I read their post and many I agree with. However, I also believe I have convert that
advice to reach my readers…..I am local and must speak like a local. (note…I love my local people).
Do you know how to tag people in your conversation? I giggle at this, but I have seen so many
post and think why didn't they tag the business they are talking about in their
conversation? On Facebook to tag a
business page you must first LIKE the page and then use the @ symbol to tag the
page. Example you want to tag my
page: Go to my business page Adventures
Among Us, LIKE my page, then in your status type @Adventures Among Us in the
status and my page should be highlighted.
NOTE…this CANNOT be done through a scheduling app; you must do this on
Facebook. Business pages can tag other
business pages, but must first LIKE the page as their business page.
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