Thank you!

When we opened Maple Memories, one of our main goals was to be able to provide women an affordable place to get away and use their creativity. We feel is it so important for women to make time for themselves in this chaotic world that we live in. To build stronger relationships with others around them...to become better wives, mothers, sisters, friends. To just RELAX and to not feel guilty doing it. YOU are worth making time for!! We hope that those of you that have been to Maple Memories have experienced this with your friends, both old and new. We have enjoyed hearing your comments and stories about how much your time away meant to you. For that, we thank each and every one of you!




We are thankful that we are able to provide this for you for the 2010 year as well. Our weekday rates will remain the same for 2010. Our new weekend rate (4pm Fri -noon on Sun) has changed from $1190 (2009) to $1298 (2010). This is only a difference of $9 per person for a group of 12 for an entire weekend!! We still have some dates available for 2009, so get out your calendar and give us a call!! If you stay in 2009, we offer a "Future Discount" which allows you to book again in 2010 at our 2009 prices.


One last thing. One of the things that I often hear from women is that they "can't book that far in advance" because they don't know what they will have going on. Here is what I tell them...something is always going on. We live in a busy society and there is seldom a day that NOTHING is on my calendar. Make this YOUR "something". Put it on your calendar NOW. Then in 2 months when someone says, "Can you help dogsit for me when I go on vacation in November?" you can say, "I would love to, but I'm going to Maple Memories!" ;) DON'T BE AFRAID TO MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF...MAKE IT YOUR "SOMETHING" ELSE!!!

I KNOW, I KNOW...

Friday came and went AGAIN without a "Friday Feature"!! I had every intention of getting up this morning and featuring a place in McPherson (I even have pictures taken and ready to go), but then decided to hit an Estate Sale instead. Sorry!! BUT look what I found!!! I can't tell you how EXCITED I am!!!

Isn't it BEAUTIFUL!!?? No, I haven't gone off the deep end if that's what you are thinking. A few days ago, I would have passed it up as well. Written off as a piece of junk. BUT, lucky for me, I had seen this on Thrifty Decor Chick earlier this week!!! Sarah found hers for FREE. I had to pay a little more for mine...ONE WHOLE DOLLAR!! ;) Seriously, it was sitting outside of this house with a piece of masking tape across the front that read $1.00. It was SOLD the moment I laid eyes on it! The "nice man at the garage sale" told me there was a newer sewing machine inside, as if I couldn't POSSIBLY be interested in the cabinet itself. I looked around then came back to the cabinet to look some more. He said, "Are you one of those project people!??" I started to laugh and said, "I guess I am and I'll take this please!!" I promised BEFORE and AFTER pictures to the "nice man at the garage sale", so here you are "nice man at the garage sale."

BEFORE

Who are we!?

Due to the nature of Maple Memories we, the owners, don't often get to actually SEE the ladies that stay at the house. Most of the time, our correspondence is by email or phone. However, in some cases, we have met face to face and we LOVE that. It's fun to put a face to a name, get to know you a little bit, why you came, what you're working on, what your favorite color is...OK, you get the picture! What we have come to realize is that as interested as we are about YOU that YOU are just as curious about us.


So...WHO ARE "WE"!!??? Well, I'm Shannon. The one who scrapbooks. The one that found a great group of scrapbooking buddies that hooked me in even more. The one that fell in love with weekend retreats and all the laughs and good times that were had. The one that decided I wanted to open my own retreat house in KANSAS where my family lived so that YOU could have the same experience that I did. The one that gained support of 3 others that made up the "WE" that we are talking about...that would be my husband, Mom, and Dad.

So, here I am.



Now you have a face to a name. Here's a little bit about me. I grew up as a the daughter of two parents in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot. I think this is why I like scrapbooking and preserving memories so much. After you move around all the time, you start "forgetting" things or the places/people/events become jumbled. Scrapbooking helps me to get it all written down. I love writing the who, what, where, and the "behind the scenes" stories for my kids. Yep, kids. I am the Mom to 3 incredible children. They keep me BUSY, but also give me LOADS of great scrapbooking material! The oldest is 8, the middle is 6, and the youngest is 5. See, BUSY. REALLY busy. Hmmm...what else do you want to know? I love the Curry Chicken Salad Wrap at the Courtyard on Main in McPherson. I giggle the whole time that I'm tubing behind a boat, which makes it REALLY hard to hold on. I'm a thinker. I'm a night owl. I'm afraid of heights. I believe in God. I've never been able to do a cartwheel...never, not once in my whole life. I enjoy reading other people's blogs. I want to go to Maine someday. I get excited everytime I get a note from one of the guests at Maple Memories telling me what the weekend meant to them...THAT is what it is all about for me. I need to go feed my kids breakfast. Oh, and I don't have a favorite color. ;)

GET CLOSE

Don't be afraid to get up close and personal with your subject matter. Many times we get our photos back and are disappointed by the "busyness" of the background. So, my challenge to you is to ZOOM in and see what amazing things you can capture. We would love to see your photo, so leave a link in the comment section!! Here are a few of my favorites from the Summer...hopefully they will serve as a little inspiration. HAPPY MONDAY!

Summer Lemonade Pie

I mentioned in my last post that I had attended a cooking demonstration at Amics. The group that I went with was the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Steering Team, so Anne found some Mom/Kid Friendly recipes to share with us. Recipes that are quick and easy for Mom's to make and also easy to include your kids in the cooking process if you want to. This one only has FOUR ingredients...gotta love that!!

SUMMER LEMONADE PIE (makes 8 servings)

1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate - part thawed

2 cups softened vanilla ice cream

1 tub whipped topping - thawed

1 graham cracker crust

1. Beat lemonade concentrate in large bowl on low speed with electric mixer for about 30 seconds.

2. Add ice cream 1 cup at a time, beating until well blended. (This is my ice cream "softening" before I added it to electric mixer bowl.)

3. Stir in whipped topping until smooth.

4. Spoon into crust, making a pretty top with rubber spatula. (I don't know how "pretty" mine turned out, but it worked!)

5. Freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm. Let stand at room temperature when ready to eat until pie can be sliced with a knife. Enjoy by your pool on a hot summer day!

THAT'S IT!! Told you it was SUPER EASY!!

A few things I learned along the way...

1. Anne made hers with Breyer's Vanilla ice cream and I must admit that hers tasted better. The generic tasted fine (REALLY it did), mine just seemed a little more sour.

2. She had a container of water next to her when she cut the pie. She would dip the knife in between cuts, this rinses it AND allows for easier slicing of a frozen pie (GENIOUS!).

3. You can substitute lime juice concentrate for the lemonade concentrate if you want a key lime flavored pie. My husband thought you could then put cherry pie filling on top for a "cherry limeade" pie. Hmmm...not sure about that, but it might be worth a shot!

4. When I put it in the crust, we had some leftover. I thought I would make popsicles for the kids. Just wanted to let you know that this DID NOT work!! ;) The ice cream is too soft and the stick just pulls right out. Thinking a better option would be to put in cups and freeze, then give the kids graham cracker sticks to dip in it and eat!!

Friday Feature - Amics

Amics is a Mediterranean Cafe located on Main Street in McPherson. The bright colors of the restaurant make its new location easy to find. I was recently treated to a private event at Amics with some friends, where I was able to get to know a little more about Amics and its owners, Shane and Anne Kirchner. Anne had created a fun cooking demonstration for our group and she was absolutely delightful! Her passion for Spain and the Mediterranean style of cooking was overflowing from her as she explained to us about this region and its heart-healthy menus.

(That's Anne, WAY down on the other end of the table, cooking and laughing!)

Currently, Amics is only open for lunch, but plans are underway to to include a Spanish-inspired tapas bar Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This is fantastic news for our guests that want to enjoy dinner downtown over the weekend (and we LOVE that it's within walking distance of Maple Memories). You can check out their current lunch menu here. Next time I am in, I have plans to try the Matisse Salad...Chicken salad with mandarin oranges, pineapple, celery, green pepper, sugared almonds & honey yogurt dressing served on a bed of mixed greens...mmmm...sounds yummy! I'll leave you with a few pictures of Amics (keep in mind it was after hours when we were there and they won't REALLY make you sit on top of the tables!)

"Creating friendships through the art of food." LOVE IT!

Amics Mediterranean Cafe and Tapas Bar

204 N Main
McPherson, KS 67460
(620)241-1833
Catering Available
Business Hours:
Mon - Sat 11AM - 2PM
Thurs, Fri, Sat evening Tapas Bar coming soon!!!
CLOSED SUNDAY

**Update from the owner, Anne, on 9/22/09...."In addition to our lunch hours of 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday - Saturday, Amics is now open in the evenings 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. Thursday - Saturday. The evening hours are dedicated to the Spanish tapas tradition."

JOIN GINA!

Meet Gina.

Gina has scrapbooked with several groups at Maple Memories. She's fantastic! Super nice AND one of the top fundraisers for our Pink PJ Crop last October. She is coming back to Maple Memories from July 23rd - July 26th with some friends. Due to some last minute cancellations, she has 5 spots that she would like to fill with other scrapbookers or quilters (if you have another hobby or project to get done, I'm sure she'd love to have you as well). Since we like Gina so much, we want to help her out. SOOO if you've been thinking about coming to Maple Memories but don't know enough people or just haven't managed to get around to it...here's your chance!! Arrive on Thurs (or Friday if you can't make it then) and leave on Sunday. 3 wonderful nights at Maple Memories for only $120 each. If you can swing it (and we think you should), you can reach Gina at gcarnley@cox.net or at 316-214-1706.