When I first began the blog, I was hyper-focused on the Flint Hills region. Then, like many things, the blog evolved. I started to showcase and share how I was using the various products produced on the farms and ranches of the Flint Hills.
My goal with this was to encourage people to sustainably and locally source as much as they could. Here in the Midwest, we have so much that is almost right out our front doors, I just wanted to help make the introduction between the residents and our local farmers and ranchers.
Through this, I thought about how much I enjoyed cooking and creating content so food became more of a presence on the blog. Then, my mom gave me a ton of my grandmother's original recipes, along with her recipe box. As I looked through the recipes, so many memories came back to me of family gatherings and holidays. My grandmother and I were incredibly close, so I started to cook my way through my grandmother's recipe box.
As I chose each recipe, I photograph the piece of paper, recipe card, or newspaper clipping from her recipe box and begin creating the blog post. This has not only been a fun project for me, but it has been a way to remember cooking with grandma, and more importantly, a tribute to her and a way to share her recipes with our entire family.
The time I have for the blog really varies on my real estate schedule. I try to post two blogs a week, but as you can see, it does not always happen. If the blog is about a shop or restaurant, those are a little easier and normally take only a couple of hours to complete.
If it is part of the new section I added for my family, a place dedicated to our family recipes. Those take a little longer. A finished recipe blog is closer to four hours by the time it is written, video completed and then published.
At the end of the day, Real Estate comes first so if I have a busy week sometimes the blog schedule just has to get pushed to the next week.
Easy, I do and I do not! Of course, the blog is very personal to me, but I try to remember that this is not my focus 24/7. It is something that allows me to share about my life and this amazing area where I live. While I want to do my best to keep continuity on the blog, if I don’t get to it, I just have to remind myself it is okay!
The best part of blogging is that I get to do a couple of things that I absolutely love to do, share and tell stories! After all, that is what a blog is all about, sharing and telling stories.
When I write I blog I get to tell you what I love about the subject I am talking about. It also allows me to share my experiences and memories of all the places and faces that make me happy, who wouldn’t want to do that?
Tough one to answer, longer than this blog will show! When I was in college, I started a blog on a platform named Blogger. It may still be around, but if not, it was Google platform that was super basic for blogging.
If you have heard of the movie Julie and Julia, Julia used the platform, Blogger to start her blog about cooking her way through Julia Childs cookbook. Unfortunately, I did not keep up with it and like many things I got busy with school and life, so the blog fell to the side. This blog, The Little Apple Life was started in April 2020. I wanted a space where I could share all the things I love about the area and my life here with my clients, family, and friends. I could not have done it without the help of MKS Web Design, and several close family and friends! Like most things, it takes a village!
I came to Manhattan in 1998 to attend Kansas State University. Like most Freshmen, I was undecided but eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture Therapy.
For those that do not know what that is, I promise you, it is not about encouraging plants to grow. Although I get that a lot! If you have read all my responses to previous questions, you might be able to guess what it is.
Horticulture Therapy is used in various environments such as Healthcare facilities, Prisons, and Schools for rehabilitation. It is also used to provide individuals who have intellectual or physical disabilities with a skill so that they can gain employment in some of our local production greenhouses.
It is a truly underutilized profession and hopefully, as we have begun shifting due to the pandemic it will become a profession more utilized to help with not only mental health services but community outreach!
When I moved to Manhattan not only were we calling it Manhappiness, but we also fondly referred to it as, “The Little Apple.” I have always felt that living here truly is a lifestyle, almost a state of mind. This is a town of people who really love living here and many more that moved back here because it is a great place to raise a family or to retire! Knowing that this area is where I wanted to be, and since it is about my life the two seemed to fit perfectly together and The Little Apple Life was born!
