Nicole | Midwestern At Heart

Mail

I got a letter in the mail today, something most people don’t hear anymore these days. It’s either a text message (which I tend to be the queen of) or an email, which too are becoming more rare, but letters in the mail… those are almost unheard of these days. I was recently reading a book, and it contained a quite interesting statement. The gal had bought an old farm house that had been left to “family,” but there wasn’t much family to leave it to. The man had no descendants, so he left the house to a distant relative, and eventually, she purchased it.

There were rumors that the house had hidden treasure, so she and the guy she eventually married (yes, it was a romance of sorts) started digging through the attic to see if they could find the “treasure.” One of the treasures happened to be old love letters. She commented then that our children and grandchildren won’t get to see our old love letters due to emails and texts. Wow! That hit the nail right on the head.

Honestly, I have thought about this before, but seeing it written by someone else just really made me have a WOW moment. People don’t just sit down and write letters these days. I’m also reading a book series that takes place back in the early 1800s. There are things about that series, too, that make me think about this whole writing aspect. (more…)

Finding Things (or losing them)

I once read that you spend a whole year of your life looking for things. Let that sink in for a minute.

That’s the average. For some people, it’s obviously longer, and for others, it’s shorter. I’m not sure where I fall into that category, but it’d be interesting to know. It’d also be interesting to know where they got that information and if it is correct.

Just this morning, I think I walked around my house for 5 minutes looking for my video and photos drive. I could remember seeing it, but I couldn’t actually remember where. Then, about the time I was almost ready to give up, I looked at the couch where I had been sitting, and as my dad would say, “If it’d been a snake, it would bite you.” Yup, it was right on the console by my left arm. Then I remember the last time I made note of that was yesterday when I was annoyed with myself that they were a) there and b) not with my laptop or desktop, but I was too lazy to get up and put them where they belong. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Fine, new scenario… Saturday was my daughter’s dance recital. My uncle and his farm hand came up to help out doing some things around here, but we told him we’d be kind of useless on Saturday because her first recital was at 3 pm. Around 1:30, I called my husband and told him that he and the oldest needed to head this direction so they could shower and get ready. He told me they were looking for the oldest’s wallet. I asked a few questions, then he said they were headed to the house (from my parents’ house). The oldest dropped him off and went back to their house to look for her wallet. I told him I’d go help her. (more…)

Writing

Here we are, another day, but still in the month of May. You know, some days I sing whatever I’m saying. Sometimes it is to a real tune, and other days I make up my own tune. I guess it is whatever strikes me at that moment in time. Other days, I rhyme. Man, when I start rhyming, I tend to say random stuff because, honestly, you can’t always rhyme what you’re really trying to say. When I start the rhyming thing, my daughter and/or niece usually roll their eyes at me. I just look at it as keeping things interesting.

The more I think about it, I think I learned some of these “characteristics” from my dad. He would do things like that to me growing up. Trust me, if my friends were there, we rolled our eyes just like my daughter and my niece do to me now. But it was fun, lighthearted, and kept things interesting.

The other day, I was texting one of these said friends, and she commented that I needed to write a poem like I did when we were kids. I can’t even remember what we decided the poem needed to be about, it was just the simple fact that I needed to write a poem about it. My dad once told me that when he was in school (can’t remember what grade), his teacher would assign the whole class a new paper every Friday due the following Monday. He said, sometimes it was difficult, but it caused him to become a good writer. Truth be told, the poems we wrote as kids, my dad usually helped me out on when I got stuck. (more…)

I’m Here

I’ve been here many times to write a post. I love looking back at these posts and seeing what happened, how I felt, etc. This morning, I decided I wish we were all back in the day of writing. Maybe we should blame some of that on the fact that I have a degree in Technical and Professional WRITING. See that word? That word that is in all caps, bolded, and italicized? It’s the word that says… writing.

Wow, a lot has changed since I started this blog. But I’ll let you in on a little secret… a lot has changed in the past year. And we’re only 5 months into this year. It’s been quite the whirlwind, and I just don’t even think I have the words. I love to write. I love to talk. I am shy (sometimes), but gosh words are eluding me right now. I wish I could get the words out. I wish they would come from somewhere, but right now I am just going day to day, one foot in front of the other.

Talking to a friend yesterday, she pointed out what I kind of already knew and just chose not to think about, and that is the fact that my 40s haven’t been playing nice. Truthfully, if I think back on it, my 30s were a little bit rude when I first started them, but I ended on a fairly high note. (more…)

🌴 What to Pack for a February Cruise to Costa Maya & Cozumel

A Missouri Girl’s Guide to Warm-Weather Adventures (and Escaping the Winter Blahs)

If you live in Southwest Missouri, you know February isn’t exactly “pool weather.” It’s that time of year when we’re all dreaming of sunshine, saltwater, and not scraping ice or snow off of our windshields.

So when a cruise to Costa Maya (hello, Mayan ruins!) and Cozumel (Playa Mia Beach Park, I see you) popped up on our radar, I started packing the same way I always do — with about five too many outfits and a weather app open on repeat.

Now, I have lost 30 plus pounds, so that required a whole new wardrobe.

Here’s everything I learned planning this trip — what to bring, what to skip, and how to actually enjoy the sun without overthinking your suitcase. (more…)

31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List

If you don’t want to read my post, watch the video here…

Otherwise, I found this list the other day titled 31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List. It intrigued me, so I had to read it. A few of the items left me scratching my head, but the rest—okay, I’ll buy them. If you want to read their description, click the link here. Otherwise, here is my take on their list.

31 Things to Add to Your January Bucket List

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Dust off the Cobwebs

Wow, it’s been a hot minute since I was here last. Looks like October 7th of 2021. I’m trying to decide if I even remember how to do this quite honestly. A lot has happened since then, we’ve now been around the sun 3 times plus a few days/months. The world started slowly moving away from Covid… although I’m not sure about that one some days. We’ve been through an election, weird weather all across the US and the world, We had Totality (the solar eclipse), quite honestly I could keep on and on… but I won’t. If you’re here, that means you lived through most of it too, not to mention the random little idiocracies we all deal with individually. (more…)

🌊 What to Pack for a 3-Day Trip to Niagara Falls (U.S. + Canadian Sides)

A Missouri Girl’s August Adventure: Staying Cute, Comfortable & (Mostly) Dry

If you’re heading from Southwest Missouri to Niagara Falls in August, get ready for one of the most breathtaking places in North America — and one of the wettest. It’s stunning, powerful, and a little chaotic (in the best way).

Between the U.S. side’s trails and lookout points and the Canadian side’s iconic skyline views, you’ll get the full experience — but you’ll also want to pack smart. Because the combination of humidity, waterfall mist, and 10,000 daily steps can humble even the most seasoned traveler.

Here’s exactly what to pack for three days in Niagara Falls during August — written by someone who knows Midwest heat and waterfall humidity all too well.

💧 1. What August in Niagara Falls Really Feels Like

August is warm — even hot at times — but the mist keeps things unpredictable.
One minute you’re basking in sunshine, the next your hair looks like it lost a fight with a spray bottle.

Average August temps:

Highs: mid- to upper-70s °F (24–26 °C)
Lows: around 60 °F (15 °C)
Feels like: a mix of pool day + wind tunnel

Evenings cool off near the water, so a light layer still comes in handy. (more…)

10 Years

I was thinking about this today… I started this blog in October 2009. That seems like a lifetime ago. This blog has seen me through dating my husband, marriage, having kids, losing my job, grad school, you name it, it’s probably there. That’s a super crazy and scary thought really.

A question that people like to ask is, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” I’m torn on how I feel about this question. Back when I graduated high school, I was 17 (going on 18) years old. I truly think it would have been crazy if we would have had to write ourselves a letter that was either sent to us or given to us at our 10-year class reunion. It would have been fun if it had been titled, Where You See Yourself in 10 Years. Could you imagine what we would have written to ourselves?

10 years from high school graduation, I was getting married. Well… technically 9. I hit our 10-year class reunion the same year as my 1 year anniversary. In that 10 years, I never would have pictured my life the way it went. The thought of that almost makes me laugh really. Then 10 years after that… would be this year (I graduated in 2001). First off, let’s address the elephant in the room… WHO would have predicted 2020? Seriously. Not me… that’s for sure. But it could have been interesting to see what I thought would happen in the last 10 years. (more…)

Seed Calendar for MO 6b

Here is where I update and archive our yearly gardening seed calendar for Missouri & Hardiness Zone 6b.
This changes slightly every year depending on the current weather in Missouri.

Are your seeds still good?