We heart Harry Potter!!

Last week we finally saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 3D and it was amazing. As soon as it ended I was ready to watch it again! I made sure to wear my new Johnny Cupcakes Harry tshirt!! (His scar glows in the dark!!!)





Have you seen it yet??? I hadn't made it through all the books yet so I had no idea how it ended and it gave me good closure!It left me feeling sad that it was over though. Now I definitely need to read them!!

XOXO
Amber

A Peachy Escape...

This weekend we were able to do a quick day trip to Waverly, MO to pick up a couple bushels of our favorite peaches! These peaches are the sweetest around and taste too good to be true. We always buy extras to freeze for peach cobbler throughout the winter, and this year I am going to try canning some also! Despite the 100 plus degree heat we picked up some peaches and of course stopped at a couple of wineries! It was indeed a peachy escape!


**Mixed cds are a must for long country drives!**




The best thing about getting peaches is that some of our favorite wineries are nearby! Missouri has some of the best wineries around...well we think so anyway!



Oh...I almost forgot! We saw two of the cutest baby raccoons out in the country.

It was the perfect little day trip!
XOXO
Amber

Gluten Free Soft Pretzels

I think the last time I ate a soft pretzels was almost 7 years ago! They have always been one of my favorite snacks but I had given up even thinking about them since I found out I was allergic to gluten. Well, for some reason this weekend I was determined to try making some! I searched the internet and found a pretty simple recipe here.

They turned out amazing and didn't really take too long to make!


My favorite part was dropping them in the boiling water and baking soda before baking them!

We ended up making half with cinnamon and sugar and the other half with salt and fresh parmesan cheese!! Needless to say they are all gone!


I told Poot I was going to make them every week, but I think I would have to buy myself a whole new wardrobe!!

Have you tried making homemade pretzels?? I can't wait to try different toppings next time!

XOXO
Amber

A Camping Adventure...

For our anniversary we headed to Eminence, MO to camp and tube the Jack's Fork river!! We had a blast and can't wait to go back. This little town is filled with beautiful springs and rivers to explore and we just didn't have enough time to take it all in. Minus losing our keys in the river and having to have a locksmith drive 3 hours to make us a new one,it was perfect!!






I have never seen water this blue!





And we finally got to see the famous Alley Spring Mill which is typically the picture they use in calendars to represent Missouri.


We ended our trip by stopping by Laura Ingalls Wilder's home and having dinner at Lamberts!


I can't think of a better way to celebrate two years of marriage than this!!
XOXO
Amber

A Magical Day...

Today is a pretty magical day around Kansas City! Do you want to know why???

Because....

Trader Joe's finally opens!! I think we will try and fight the crowd sometime this weekend!

And...

Harry of course!!! Although I think we will wait until the middle of next week to go see this and maybe the crowds will lighten a little! Do you have plans to see it tonight? Or did you maybe see a midnight showing?? I did a midnight showing once of the last Batman and I was sooo tired at work the next day. I am too old to do that I think!

Well, whether you spend your weekend with Harry or Joe I hope it is a magical one!
XOXO
Amber

Happy Anniversary!!

Two years ago today I married the man of my dreams! Thank you Poot:

*for loving the open road
*always opening the door for me
*cooking me the most amazing meals
*for believing in me
*for always making me laugh
*serenading me every day
*wanting to spend your life with me!!




I love you heaps!!
XOXO
Amber

Tuneful Thursday...Ray Lamontagne

Last month we were lucky enough to see Ray Lamontagne live. I don't think I have ever been to a show where I think the artist sounds even better live. His voice blew me away!! Needless to say ever since that show he has been on constant repeat on my ipod.

Here are a couple of shots we snapped at the show. It was was the first time I had ever seen an artist stand off to the side of the stage and have his band front and center. By the end of the show we had snuck down to the front!!



Here are a couple of my favorite songs...Honestly, I don't think he has a bad one.



This last song he closed his show with and I don't think I heard one sound from the crowd! Everyone was mesmorized by his performance. His voice gives me chills everytime I hear it!

What have you been listening to lately?
XOXO
Amber

Where there is water, we will follow...

Our vacation through Texas and Oklahoma ended up being centered around water because it was so hot! Here are all the watering holes we found:

Krause Springs




We loved:
*the fern covered cave that you could swim back into
*the rope swing
*a secret waterfall that we found by hiking
*delicious snowcones!!
It made me want to move to Texas right away so I could visit it every weekend.

Barton Springs


We loved:
*that it's a constant 68 degrees...brrr
*that it was a life saver for us after our car air conditioner stopped working
*that it is right in the middle of downtown Austin

Medicine Park Bath Lake


We loved:
*how beautiful this small cobblestone town was
*that this lake was smack dab in the middle of town
*that it was the only cool spot in Medicine Park, Oklahoma(it was 115 degrees while we were there)
*super cheap!! only $2 per person! Woot woot!

We also made sure to hit up Schlitterbaun Water Park in New Braunfels...


and we floated the Guadalupe River there also, but I didn't take my camera along. This was the only picture I snapped after we were done floating.


We got addicted and will be floating in Eminence, MO to celebrate our two year wedding anniversary! I can't wait!

XOXO
Amber

Our 4th of July Weekend...

Our weekend was perfect! We got to spend it with our friends and family, ate lots of delicious and fattening foods, saw pretty fireworks, and laughed alot!! It all started with my brother finally arriving home from Spain!! We hadn't seen him since last September and I was ready to see his face in the flesh not on a computer screen!


We hosted the first annual "Cox Fest" at our house. Since we have almost three acres we had several people camp out, enjoyed a bonfire, and stayed up into the wee hours of Sunday morning!




I had seen a news segment on planking this past week and couldn't stop talking about it. I decided to give it try myself...not as impressive as some of the planking I have seen, but of course I knew that it could be dangerous thanks to the news report!

Have any of you planked before?

Sunday we went up to our hometown to a bbq and fireworks fiesta! We were served so much delicous fried food. I had never heard of deep fried bacon before let me just tell you it is delicious!!! They also had homemade french fries, hush puppies, and fresh trout all fried to perfection for our taste buds!!



Kerry and I got special "Mickey" tshirts in honor of Becky, plus we just thought they were too funny to pass up!

I also got in lots of Oliver snuggles...



We even managed to have a little downtime until the next round of fireworks on Monday! I finished my book and started a new afghan!



It was all ended by cuddling on a blanket and enjoying the final fireworks for the holiday!



How was your 4th of July weekend?
XOXO
Amber