On the Tulip Trail

It’s tulip time in Belleville!

Eckert’s is offering a fun new spring event this year…the Tulip Trail!

Tulips are my favorite spring flower, and I have always wanted to experience rows upon rows of them like you see in photos of Holland, so of course I had to make time to follow the Tulip Trail. It did not disappoint…there are 300,000 tulips in every type and color you can dream of, in neat, orderly rows just like I imagined!

It’s amazing just how many different kinds of tulips there are, from ones with spiky petals to the traditional rounded variety, and some with ruffled edges, too. I also really liked the stripey ones!

There are lots of fun photo spots throughout the trail…I especially liked the bicycle!

The main attraction, though (other than the flowers themselves, of course!), is a windmill made in the Eckert’s workshop:

There is something fun and beautiful to see everywhere you look!

This is such a unique experience…I don’t think there’s anything like it anywhere else in the St. Louis area. It was super busy, so it’s obviously something people are interested in, and I really hope it becomes an annual event. The only disappointment we had while we were there was that they weren’t offering the cut your own tulip experience at that time, and we were really hoping to choose some for our Easter table. I would love to have the chance to go back in the future and create my own bouquet!

Tulip time never lasts long enough, but they’ll be around for a while yet, and if you have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it!

M*A*S*H Quote of the Day–3/31/2026

“Father dying last year. Mother dying last year. Mother AND father dying. Mother, father, and older sister dying. Mother dying and older sister pregnant. Older sister dying and mother pregnant. Younger sister pregnant and older sister dying. Here’s an oldie but a goodie: Half of the family dying, other half pregnant.” Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, “Mail Call,” season two, episode 23

An Academic Road Trip

Last week, Turkey, Chickadee, and I had a new experience…we went on an academic road trip!

Turkey was headed to Columbia, MO, for an academic conference sponsored by the Missouri section of the Mathematical Association of America. I decided that his travels would provide Chickadee and me with the opportunity to travel on to Kansas City to visit a few museums, so it turned into a learning experience for all of us! We stayed at a Hampton Inn that was literally across the street from Mizzou (not the location of Turkey’s conference):

Since we were right there, Chickadee and I took an evening walk around the campus…it was beautiful and historic!

The next morning, we set out for KC, which is only about two hours away from Columbia. The main purpose of our visit was to tour the National WWI Museum and Memorial. It is easily one of the best museums I have ever been to, and very moving…full details to come!

When you buy a ticket to the museum, you can add on a trip to the top of the memorial tower to your purchase, which I didn’t realize until we were there. I couldn’t believe that it was only an additional three dollars, so of course we went up, and the view of the city was AMAZING!!!

After we toured the museum, we walked to Town-Topic Hamburgers, a Kansas City classic that has been around since the 1930s. They make an amazing burger, and some of the best onion rings I’ve ever had!

After lunch, we hopped on the KC Streetcar (free to ride!), and rode to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

After the drive back to Columbia, we stopped in at Hy-Vee, because I love checking out a local grocery store!

We grabbed breakfast from the hotel buffet before we checked out Saturday morning…the branded waffles really amused me!

While Turkey attended the last few sessions of his conference, Chickadee and I went to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park for a short hike and to explore a small cave:

And then we met up with Turkey at Columbia College before making the trip home.

This was an unprecedented school trip for us, and while I don’t know if it’s something we’ll ever be able to do again, I really enjoyed this opportunity!

Mani Monday

Baseball is back! This week’s mani reflects my love of the St. Louis Cardinals, featuring their team colors and little hearts. I used Holo Taco “Sugar Rush” topped with “Red Flake Taco” and “Sweetheart Taco” on my thumbnail, followed by “Red Licorice” topped with “Sweetheart Taco” on the nail of my index finger, and “Red Licorice” topped with “Red Flake Taco” on the nails of my middle and pinkie fingers with just “Sugar Rush” on the nail of my ring finger to finish it off.

2025-26 School Year–Week Twenty-Six

It was another busy week of school! We started with a visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see some of the spring blooms:

In algebra, Chickadee graphed systems of linear inequalities and used them to solve word problems. She learned about the electric field and charging objects through friction and conduction in science. In history we read about the space race, JFK’s “Moonshot” speech, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. And we skipped making a recipe from the American Girl Cookbook because we had an extra special outing this week…we went on a academic road trip!

Turkey was attending a math conference in Columbia, MO, so we decided to tag along and make an adventure out of it. The conference itself was at Columbia College, but our hotel was right across the street from Mizzou, and the first night we were there, Chickadee and I explored the campus and learned about its connection to Thomas Jefferson.

Friday the two of hit the road and ventured farther west to Kansas City. I’ll share full details of our day trip later, but a major highlight was our visit the National WWI Museum and Memorial, which is one of the best museums I’ve been to…we both learned a lot!

And yesterday before we headed home, we did a little spelunking at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park…it was so much fun to get to explore a small cave!

Field trip season is upon us, and I have a few more outings planned in the coming weeks, but they’ll all be much closer to home!

M*A*S*H Quote of the Day–3/28/2026

 “Now I lay me down to sleep, a bag of peanuts at my feet. If I should die before I before I wake, give them to my brother Jake.” Father Francis Mulcahy, “Crisis,” season two, episode 21

Sartorial Saturday–Another Color Styling Inspired by Mary Blair

Before Mary Blair March wraps up, I have one more outfit inspired by her color styling!

For this look, which kind of resembles a can of lemon-lime soda, I combined two of my favorite Mary Blair-esque shades…bright yellow and chartreuse, with the Miss Candyfloss Harriet-Naia dress and my favorite shrug.

I accessorized with a Splendette necklace and Duchess Bangles, and an Erstwilder brooch:

I really love the way the bangle stack turned out!

This is such a cheerful color pairing!

I’ve really enjoyed thinking outside of the box when planning outfits this month!