Vacation Preparation: Snorkeling

Vacation Preparation: Snorkeling

$1.35 a Scoop

Ambiguous marketing is always good for a laugh, right?

Straying from Missouri but sticking with small towns, I spotted this sign in a small(ish) town in Colorado recently. I was – and still am – perplexed by the meaning of this sign. I’m fairly certain that this established sells liquors, but what exactly are they selling at $1.35 per scoop? What about this place makes it an Asian Express?

I’m curious to hear your interpretations; what do you think this store sells besides liquor? What do you think they meant to say on this sign?

1. A Small Town Girl’s Guide is a Finalist in the Riverfront Times “Web Awards”!

Immediately upon my arrival home to St. Louis this evening following my long weekend in Arizona, I discovered that A Small Town Girl’s Guide was selected as one of five finalists for the RFT’s “Best Personal Blog” award. Wish me luck! The winners will be announced soon.

2. I Wasn’t Hurt When My Car Died.

I was driving in the passing lane on a very congested Interstate 55 when my car stopped accelerating. I was driving 70 mph one minute, and within seconds no amount of pressure on my gas pedal would convince my car to gain speed. I had to cut across a lane of traffic to get the opposite shoulder, where I waited for an hour for a tow truck and a ride home. Thankfully, I didn’t cause an accident, even though my car had to be towed and repairs are going to be costly.

2. My Family Rocks.

While I traveled to Arizona this weekend for the Rock ‘N Roll Arizona Half Marathon, my parents dog-sat for me. They also loaned me their car to help me get to and from the airport since my car was in the shop. And they were waiting anxiously to hear about my trip when I got home tonight. In short, my family is nothing short of amazing.

3. New Friends.

I had a truly great weekend staying with new friends in Mesa, Arizona this weekend. Tim, Jan, Nick and I all ran the Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon together on Sunday, and they let me stay in their house all weekend. Nick was an excellent tour guide, and all-around, I had a really fantastic long weekend.

4. Old Friends.

While in Arizona, I had the opportunity to share dinner with a classmate from graduate school and his wife and kids. It’s incredible how fast time goes by, and with it, how new friends become old friends. Thank you Colin and Ona for hosting us!

5. A Great Race!

The Rock ‘N Roll Half Marathon was a good race day for me. I’m lucky that I’m healthy enough to do things like half marathons for fun, and I’m even luckier to have had such a great group of people to run with this weekend (See point 3, above).

Just after finishing the Rock 'N Roll Arizona Half Marathon 1/16/11

I noticed a badge on South City Confidential that said “Grace in Small Things”, so I did some research.

Since highlighting the good things in life is a big part of what A Small Town Girl’s Guide does, I thought it would be fun to join GiST and start focusing one post per week on expressing my gratitude for the goodness in my life.

Here’s my first GiST list. Happy 2011!

1. This blog.

A Small Town Girl’s Guide is going to be featured in a story in Insider573 Magazine, a beautiful, full color bi-monthly magazine published in Farmington, Missouri and distributed in the 573 area code. I’m so flattered and excited to be part of the magazine’s upcoming issue! This blog has been a creative outlet for me over the last few years, and it’s provided me with inspiration to continue exploring Missouri.

Flying Solo - at Monster Art Gallery on Cherokee Street, photo by The Bison Rancher's Daughter

2. Breakups.

Yep, you read that right. Break-ups aren’t easy, but I’m thankful for them in a bittersweet kind of way. After a phase in life ends or a person leaves us, we so often discover things about ourselves that we hadn’t noticed before. Taking something away makes room for more, and there’s no arguing that my life is overflowing with positive opportunities right now.

Rosie and the Funk, at the Daniel Boone Monument in Marthasville, MO

3. Rosie.

It took the aforementioned break-up earlier this fall to make me realize how long I’d been putting off adopting a puppy. A few days after Christmas, I adpoted Rosie, and I’m so happy that I did! She’s got a great personality, she’s smart, and she makes me laugh every day.

Running in San Francisco, photo taken by @soleilune

4. Running.

Running has been a life-changer for me. I ran my first half-marathon in 2010, and I’m looking forward to the Rock and Roll Arizona Half Marathon on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona. I can’t say enough good things about the role running has played in my life, the kind of confidence I’ve gained through my training, or the way it’s re-framed my thinking about what’s achievable.

Saying Goodbye to the NYC roommates, photo by PappaGFunk

5. Leaving New York.

New York City was brilliant and amazing, and it shaped my perspectives in a remarkable way. Moving to New York was one of the best things I’ve ever done, but so was leaving it. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss it, but a lot of good things have happened in my life since moving back here. I’m writing for numerous magazines, my blog and social media work has earned recognition, and I’ve come to know some good people here.

So that’s that. My first GiST post. My goal is to post a new GiST list at the start of each new week.

Interested in GiST? Learn more here.

When I arrived at the hostess’s home for a local woman’s retirement party, I was surprised to find the ladies gathered around a slate-topped kitchen island in a home built in the 1940s. The house had original hardwood floors and mostly original windows.

Furniture and decor were a small town chic blend of retro and contemporary fixtures. From a super-modern ceiling fan to pleather chairs from the 1950s, this house had notable aesthetic attitude that perfectly married the past and the future.

I would have assumed that a group of small town women would spend their evening gossiping about other people, but in fact, these women regaled us (myself and the only other woman in the room under 50 years old) with stories about their own pasts. I never expected to hear stories about same-sex exploits in the 60s or about current sexual prospects, but that was just the beginning.

It was suggested that we form a book group so that we get together for wine and conversation on a regular basis. That discussion morphed into the suggestion that instead of a book group we form a quilting circle. That’s when our 50-some hostess posed the idea of  a modern quilting bee, “You know, with hard liquor, and semen stains on the quilts, and stuff.”

I nearly choked on my wine.

Two things changed that night – First, I learned that despite years abroad and in Brooklyn I’m still not the most liberal woman in my town, population 2600. Second, my views on quilting have been forever altered (pun intended). I’ll never look at quilting the same way again…

woken from her nap...photo taken with my iPhone4

Small Town Girl has a new side kick; a sweet little terrier mix named Rosie, as in Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie the Riveter

This tough little girl survived being abandoned in rural Missouri in the wintertime and living in a rescue facility in Bollinger County with forty-two other dogs. She’s never lived with a family before, but after just three days she’s nearly house-trained, she can sit, and she even knows to sit before I’ll pour her food for her.

The name Rosie reflects her disposition – she’s one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever been around. So far everyone who’s met her has loved her, and she gets along well with people and other animals.

She likes riding backward in the car

She’s between four and five months old, and weighed ten pounds when we took her to the vet on Thursday evening after picking her up from the rescue shelter. We think she’s got Cairn and Jack Russell Terrier in her, though it’s possible there are other breeds in her mix as well.

Rosie has already added immeasurable value to my life, and hopefully I have to hers as well. I now have a partner in crime, someone to play with, and someone who loves to cuddle more than I do (and that’s saying a lot). Rosie will undoubtedly make future appearances in this Small Town Girl’s adventures, so come back for more pictures!

The Dough, all photos taken with my iPhone4

Upon unpacking the gingerbread house-making supplies, I promptly got to work mixing dough and preparing cookie sheets. I tripled the recipe, which claimed to make 2.5 dozen cookies, and still only made enough dough for a simple, small gingerbread cottage. So much for my grand plans of the Frank Lloyd Wright “Falling Water” replica. *sigh*

Clean Countertop, photo taken with my iPhone4

While the dough chilled on the back porch (the fridge was filled to overflowing with ingredients for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners), I prepped the counter top so that I could roll and shape the chilled cookie dough.

Who Killed the Gingerbread Man?

Burying the gingerbread man in dough...Ooof!

When I was ready to roll the cookie dough, I discovered that my parents do not, unfortunately, own a rolling pin. Forced to improvise, I found one of my college drum sticks, cleaned it well, and began rolling the very crumbly dough:

Thank You, Vic Firth

Dough!

Holding the dough together proved challenging. I’d never baked gingerbread before, and I found myself struggling to keep the dough from falling apart as I tried to shape it into walls and a roof for my dream gingerbread home.

Luckily, despite its crumbliness when raw, the cookie dough baked firmly into four neat and tidy gingerbread cottage walls.

Four Walls, photo taken with my iPhone4

With walls complete, the roof went into the oven, and it was time to begin assembly!

Icing, Gingerbread and Cardboard Box Ballast (thanks Dad!)

This was the phase in the project when construction specialists were needed. I called in back-up, a.k.a. my Dad, the engineer. He taught me about ballast, using pieces of cardboard boxes and cans of Diet Sprite to help support the quaintly-crooked walls of the house.

Lessons in Ballast

A few canned goods, a little bit of icing, some coaching from my engineer dad, and several other items of “ballast” later, I had four standing walls. When the time came to assemble the roof, all hands were on deck (dad, mom, brother and me) to make sure everything held together.

While the roof ended up being a little bit too small, it was nothing a slew of Great Value pretzels sticks couldn’t solve.

Preztels and canned goods to the rescue!

Pretzel Roof

Completed Roof

Quite possibly the greatest part about this entire process was the point at which I accidentally made the first snowperson out of three marshmallows and a toothpick. Thanks to some accessories created by MommaGFunk, we ended up with a happy family of snow people living in the cozy gingerbread cottage.

Mom and Dad Snow People

Happy Snow People Family

Gingerbread house and Snow People Tenants (Jack & the Beanstalk live next door)

Arial View

So the gingerbread house didn’t turn out perfectly, but constructing it kept me busy on an otherwise stolid and snowy day in small town Missouri.  It feels good to cross things off of my bucket list, even when they’re things as simple as making a home made gingerbread house. The next time you have a slow day at home, why don’t you cross something off of yours?

]]> http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/crossing-it-off-the-bucket-list-the-gingerbread-house-part-2/feed/ 3 http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/crossing-it-off-the-bucket-list-the-gingerbread-house-part-1/ http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/crossing-it-off-the-bucket-list-the-gingerbread-house-part-1/#comments Sat, 25 Dec 2010 20:48:05 +0000 MilliGFunk http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/?p=2947

The Good Stuff, photo taken with my iPhone4

I’ve always wanted to build a gingerbread house, and this year I finally did it.

Buying a gingerbread house kit would be the small town equivalent of saying “I want to build my own home” and then heading down the highway to buy your own prefab modular estate. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it just doesn’t qualify as crossing that dream off of your bucket list.

Old-Fashioned Christmas Candy, photo taken with my iPhone4

In order to cross the gingerbread house off of my bucket list, I needed to build the house from scratch. I needed to shop for the ingredients, make the dough, assemble its walls, and decorate it by hand.

The urge to create said gingerbread dream house hit me while at the grocery store with my mom. The family had hit day three or four of sitting in pajamas, reading books and watching movies.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not good at sitting still for that long, and I was getting antsy. As previous posts (see homemade bread post) make evident,  baking is often my way of avoid stir-craziness.

Goody Goody Gum Drops! photo taken with my iPhone4

A quick Google search from my phone lead me to the following recipe for homemade gingerbread:

Ingredients

• 1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.

(RECIPE SOURCE)

MommaGFunk and I acquired all necessary ingredients for the gingerbread house, so we checked out at the small town supermarket and  headed home to begin our gingerbread-house-making adventure…

]]> http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/crossing-it-off-the-bucket-list-the-gingerbread-house-part-1/feed/ 1 http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/another-bathroom-post-2/ http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/2010/another-bathroom-post-2/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 19:03:33 +0000 MilliGFunk http://smalltowngirlsguide.com/?p=2765 I have discovered (by complete accident) several notable restrooms in the greater St. Louis area. You might remember the post I wrote about “greening” my own bathroom or maybe the post about the fine dining establishment’s bathroom in rural Missouri. Then there were my silly self-portraits in a Cape Girardeau bathroom and at Local Harvest Cafe.

Without further adieu, I’d like to introduce you to another funny bathroom picture. This one was taken last night at Foam coffee & beer bar on Cherokee Street in St. Louis. As I turned to flush the toilet, I noticed a purple skeleton on the floor just beneath the plunger. There’s something about this implication of death-by-plunger that I find absolutely hilarious.

Death by Plunger, photo taken with my iPhone4

Floating the Courtois, photo by MilliGFunk Photography

Float trips are typically day-long events, although overnight floats are also common. Steelville, Missouri is Missouri’s float trip capital. The Huzzah River, the Courtois Creek and the Meremac River all lie just outside of Steelville, and a substantial industry has been built around floating these bodies of water.

Missouri Bluffs, photo by MilliGFunk Photography (taken on my iPhone)

Huzzah Valley, Bass River and Ozark Outdoors are just three of the area’s float trip resorts. Ten years ago, most of these resorts offered basic campgrounds and canoe rentals. Today there are lodges, cabins, tent camping, RV hookups, horseback riding and swimming pools. Thousands of acres of mid-Missouri land is owned by float trip-oriented resorts.

While Missouri is home to a few rivers that offer class III and IV rapids during the rainy season, those rapids aren’t what locals think of when you talk to them about floating. We don’t need helmets or life jackets for our kind of floating; we need a cooler full of cold drinks, some snacks, and a canoe.

Friends, Food and Floating, photo by MilliGFunk Photography (taken on my iPhone)

Families or bigger groups sometimes rent larger rafts that can hold coolers and several people. I usually rent a canoe for two people, and plenty of other folks rent funyaks or bring their own kayaks.

What you’re floating on doesn’t matter as much as your attitude. Floating must be fun and relaxing, so a beer and some good friends are pre-requisites. And dare I write a post about float trips without pointing out that it’s not a real float trip if at least one canoe or kayak doesn’t tip over. A good spill is a requirement for any larger group of folks floating down a Missouri river together…

Come back tomorrow for more on floating in Missouri