My Adventure to Missouri Star Quilting Co. and a Few Other Stops Along the Way

The idea behind Lagom Adventures is to take the those “just right” adventures and make whatever life you are living fulfilling.  What may be an “adventure” to some may not be to others and that’s just fine. No judgment here. We just want to and encourage you to live a great life with “great” being your own definition.

 

So when we had a three day weekend (or at least a  1/2 day Friday off), I decided to plan my own Lagom Adventure.  Initially when we looked at the school calendar, Katie and I figured we would do a short hiking trip – somewhere within two to three hours from home that we don’t have the time to do in a one day trip.  A couple weeks before the upcoming weekend, I started looking at making a definite decision. We were going to try to go stay with my Aunt Karen (surprise!) and then hike Ha Ha Tonka State Park. But Katie realized she had some prior commitments and just wasn’t going to be able to get away that weekend.

 

As usual I had a backup idea (something that Katie wouldn’t be interested in) and since it was near my birthday, I decided to plan a birthday weekend for myself.    I was planning things I wanted to do and that were on my Bucket List and asked Aaron to go along. If he wasn’t interested or not able to go, I was prepared to go solo. Thankfully, it worked out that he was able to go and was more than willing to indulge me in my self-centered weekend. Isn’t he just too sweet!

 

So what exactly did I have planned for a self-centered indulgent weekend?  As most of you know, I am a wild and crazy gal in real life, so of course this weekend would be too. HAHAHAHA!  My dream destination was Hamilton, MO. Hamilton? I’m sure most of you don’t have any idea why I would want to drive 300 miles/ 5 hours from home to visit Hamilton, MO.  Those of you that do know will realize that it has become the “Quilt Mecca” of the world or something like that. It is a small town in Northwestern Missouri that is home to the Missouri Star Quilting Co. And that’s where I wanted to spend my extended weekend.

One of the major decisions I had to make on this trip was where to stay.  The town of Hamilton does not have a hotel. Cameron, about 10 miles away, has a few to choose from but I was wanting to stay in the actual town since it was a quick trip.  I began checking AirBNB for some possibilities and found a few but they were outside of town. This had me leaning towards a Bed and Breakfast. I found a couple that were interesting and one that piqued my interest, but I was a bit hesitant on the actual staying in a Bed and Breakfast – even though it was on my Bucket List.  Hesitant because it isn’t like a hotel where you arrive and check in and then are left alone to do your own thing. Aaron was a bit hesitant too, but he normally trusts me without much questioning. In the end, I decided to stay at Mari’s House Bed and Breakfast. I have no regrets which I will explain in a bit.

The plan was to leave at noon as soon as my day at school was done.  We would start driving in that northwestern direction and stop along the way if anything interested us.  I had not really been in that part of Missouri before, so I was interested in the drive as well – always something new to see.  Since we were a little limited on time that afternoon, we decided to go through St. Louis and head over that way and then take a more scenic back roads approach on the way home.

So as most of you know, food plays a large part in our adventures. We have been known just to drive somewhere to eat. I was planning on a late lunch once we were on the other side of Wentzville.  Aaron was a bit hungry and suggesting places as we drove through STL, and I kept saying, “No, we can eat here any time – keep driving.” As he was driving, I was beginning my search for places to eat. With a map in hand, I picked a city I thought would work and then began looking on Yelp.   I was looking for a local place fairly close to the highway. (And new to our requirements – something that was Weight Watchers friendly.) I finally settled on the Krumbly Burger.  A Krumbly burger is a loose meat sandwich -in this case ground chuck. So we had our choice between a sandwich and tacos (it has an eclectic menu).

We arrived at the Krumbly Burger around 2:00 pm which is sort of a downtime in the fast food business, so it wasn’t very crowded.  We were greeted by a very friendly man at the counter who was ready to take our order, but we needed a few minutes. Once we had decided, he commented on my Rod Stewart t shirt and the rest of the conversation went like this …

We take a few minutes to figure out what we want and the guy working the counter comments on my Rod Stewart t-shirt and MY southern accent. I laugh because we all know Aaron has that bootheel accent.
We mentioned the boot heel, and he says he KNOWS the bootheel. He, Matt Bass, is also the owner of the Krumbly Burger for the last 30 years. Short version of this story (the longer one will come later 😏), he lived in Hornersville and knew Aaron’s parents. His dad was once the minister of the Methodist Church that Aaron’s dad now preaches at. So we spent a good half hour, talking and sharing stories.
Aaron then mentioned that we take these little trips and blog about them. Matt and his wife mention their daughter-in-law blogs, Farmhouse on Boone, which several of my friends and mom follow.
So what started out as finding a local place to eat near the highway became a visit comparing the relationships we shared in our lives – no better example of a small world.

So just when you have set out on one kind of adventure, it takes a turn and reminds us of the small world we live and how our lives are more interconnected than we may ever know.

Now back to the food at the Krumbly Burger. We decided on a Krumbly Burger for each of us with cheese, a taco for each of us (one soft and one hard) and we shared an order of fries. It was good – tasty, flavorful, and didn’t blow our WW points! Aaron like the fact that it wasn’t super greasy.  We will stop in again when we are in the area.

After our mini-reunion, we were back on the highway headed west.  The view was a lot of flat farmland that, at the time, was starting to experience some flooding along the river ways.  I enjoyed seeing more of Missouri.

We arrived in Hamilton about 7:00 pm and easily found the bed and breakfast. When I called to make reservations, the directions went something like this – “when you see the Dollar Store, make a right and we are a block behind it.”  Aaron and I have created a bit of an unwritten rule that a town isn’t a town unless it has a Dollar Store – a Dollar General to be exact. Based upon this requirement, Hamilton is a real town!

We pulled up to the big yellow house and went in to meet Mari – our host.  She was welcoming and showed us to our room and gave us a bit of information on the layout of the town and possible places to eat.  She made the right assumption when she asked if I was a quilter, which I’m assuming is what brings most tourists to Hamilton. Our accommodations were comfy and welcoming. Aaron always a bit skeptical of the mattresses when staying somewhere was pleasantly surprised and quite pleased with the one in our room.  We were the only guests staying on this specific night, so we check out the other two rooms next to ours upstairs. I had chosen a room with just a small bathroom and shower, but the middle room was larger and offered a claw-foot tub and larger shower. In hindsight, I should have probably taken that room since I’m a “bath girl” but I planned on saving a few extra dollars for quilting supplies – priorities.  Aaron was pleased that we had our bathroom and didn’t have to share.

Before we settled in for the evening, we decided to make the drive to Cameron for dinner. Again I had Yelp up while looking for a place. I decided on a place where steak and seafood were an option. I decided on Washington Street Food & Drink Company. We had a nice dinner then it was back to the B&B to settle in for the night.

Aaron and I were a bit skeptical about how breakfast was going to work.  He was wondering about the content and me the logistics. Mari had let us know that breakfast was at 8:30, so we made our way downstairs a little earlier than that to start with a cup of coffee.  I fixed myself a cup and found a spot near the fireplace to enjoy it. Mari’s husband Ron was there to help with breakfast, and he and Aaron settled into a nice conversation.

Breakfast far exceeded our expectations.  Aaron was pleasantly surprised with quiche, bacon, toast, an apple pastry, and fresh fruit (not all WW friendly but we made it work!).  I was a bit unaccustomed to sitting down, having someone wait on me, and fix breakfast for me. I appreciated it more than I expected.  Since we were the only guests that morning, we spent our breakfast chatting with Mari and Ron. It was nice.

Aaron and I both decided that the Bed and Breakfast experience was more than we expected and we enjoyed it.  The introvert in me appreciated the fact that we were the only guests there, and I would be willing to do it again to see how it would feel with other guests.  Check one off the Bucket List for me!

Moving on to the main event of this quick birthday trip meant making our way to the Missouri Star Quilting Co. which was about two blocks from where we were staying.  The MSQC started out as a single building about ten years ago and has spread to twelve different themed shops along the one block in town. (You can read about the more detailed history HERE.)

 

I had done a little online window shopping, so I knew of a few things I wanted to buy, but my game plan was to stop in to each shop and see what they had then began my purchasing.  I wanted to check into the main store first (you can register for a shopper’s pass there) and then work my way down the block. I offered Aaron the opportunity to sit in the Man Room, but he was content on just following me along and playing on his phone.

Another side story here about the small world we live in . . . .

So I shared (yesterday) how we stopped for lunch and Aaron met someone that knew some of his family. Well today I started my morning off at 9:30 am in the main store of the Missouri Star Quilting Company in Hamilton, Missouri which is 325 miles from Bismarck.
Aaron had just sat down and I hadn’t even made it to the first display yet and I recognized a man that walked by. I told Aaron, “He is from home. I recognize him from waiting on him at Carla’s Cafe.”
I walked up and asked him where he was from and he said Belgrade. I explained I was from Bismarck and I recognized him from Carla’s. I continued to talk with his wife and mother in-law who asked if I was a quilter. She then invited me to Belgrade Quilters Guild. She mentioned that her birthday was later in the month and this was a birthday trip for her. I exclaimed me too! Hers is the 28 and mine the 27.
So I had my opportunity to share our mutual acquaintances Gina Clayton Civey, Joan Olmsted, Amy Williamsand Carla Craig with Larry and Kathy Heisel and Mrs. Turner

So just when you think you have traveled 300 miles from home and are visiting a small quaint quilting town and will never run into anyway you know, think again.

Back to shopping.  I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect of the MSQC, but I was impressed.  Every store (13 in total) is themed and decorated appropriately: Main Shop, Missouri Star Mercantile, Florals, Sewing Center, Primitives and Wool, Batik Boutique, Sew Seasonal, Man’s Land, Backing and Trim, Machine Shed, Modern, Licensed to Sew, Kids and Baby, and Penney Quilt Shop. I was truly impressed with the light fixtures in each store – yes, that seems weird but hey they were impressive. I even started taking pictures of them because I was impressed with the attention to detail. My favorite store for the atmosphere was the Florals which is a little weird because I’m not usually a flowery person. Aaron was even impressed with the logo design and marketing of MSQC so much so that he wanted a coffee mug.

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And if it wasn’t fate working that I needed to take this trip on this weekend, I don’t know what was because it just happened to be National Quilting Day.  Yes, that’s right.  I was in the quilt capital on quilting day.  It was meant to be.  It also meant some freebies while shopping! And it must have set well with my soul because at the end of the day Aaron said he had never seen me smile so much.  Give a girl an entire town of fabric and she is bound to smile.

I am not going to bore some of you with the details of my purchases even though some of you would totally appreciate my enthusiasm for jelly rolls and layer cakes – and I’m not talking pastries here.  I did buy more precut packages than I have ever before just because it gave me a bigger variety of fabric to work with. But I will say if you like to sew, and more specifically quilt, then you need to visit this town. (You can plan a trip HERE.) I am already thinking of a summer trip.

I ended my three hour tour – think Gilligan’s Island theme song here – having spent more than I planned but that was subconsciously in my planning.  Have I mentioned that I am a planner?  Some women may try to recreate that Julia Robert’s Pretty Woman moment on Rodeo Drive.  I found mine to be on Davis Street in Hamilton, MO.  

This was the climax of my trip, so everything here on after was the falling action (yes, I’m a dork and a former English teacher).  The only plan at this moment was to start heading towards home on a different route that we came in on and to find something to eat in the next hour or so.  

Aaron picked the direction which was heading towards Warrensburg, and I started thinking lunch.  Before we got to lunch we passed a sign for a State Park near the highway.  (I had noticed it would be near in my planning but wasn’t sure if we would end up in that direction.  It just so happens we did.) So we made a quick detour at The Battle of Lexington State Historic Site.

We first found the small area along the Missouri River that was the site of a bloody three day battle in 1861.  It has a short (less than a half mile) walking trail that highlights some of the main events during this battle. After our short walk, we drove around the corner to find the Visitor’s Center which highlights the Civil War in Missouri and the culture of the Missouri River.  It was small but informative.  I enjoyed looking at the portraits of people who played a role in the area and war.  I was surprised by the size of the town and number of businesses that appeared on the map of the area.  As always, Aaron was interested in the specifics of the battle itself and the gun display. I was a tad bit disappointed because the Anderson House, “the largest and best arranged dwelling house west of St. Louis,” was not open for tours because we were still in the winter season.  I am a sucker for a good historical house tour.

After our brief stroll and history lesson, we were again homeward bound with food on the mind.  Yelp led me to the town of  Higgensville in search of the Belarussian Baker.  I had never really entertained the idea of Russian food, but was intrigued.  The Yelp post described it as authentic, so we were up for giving it a try.

In one spot I found that it was open until 8:00 but upon further research after our visit, it looks like they may close at 2:00.  We found the door open after 2:00 (thinking they were open until 8:00) and were the only ones there for our late lunch.  (And for this I apologize.  I hate going in somewhere near closing.) We were greeted by a server with a thick accent who mentioned the special was corned beef in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  We didn’t want Irish food at a Russian Tea Room so we opted to see the menu.  It is a very limited menu but did offer some options.  We decided to share a Russian Toasted Cheese Sandwich, a cup of Borscht, a cup of potato soup, and just to be safe one Chicken Caesar Salad .

Now going into this scenario, I knew what Borscht was, but I didn’t realize that Aaron did not.  He began eating his dark red soup and was pleased with the taste but was wondering what it was.  I explained it was beets, as to which he was quite surprised.  I tasted it but wasn’t as big a fan so he finished off that cup.  The toasted cheese was a bit surprising for me.  It was one slice one homemade bread (did I mention everything here is made from scratch?) with a layer of cheese then both sides were toasted until crisp.  It differed from its American cousin, the grilled cheese sandwich, by only having one slice of bread.  It too was tasty but a bit heavy for me.

We were thinking we weren’t not going to get our salad because we expected it to be served first or at the same time, but lo and behold it arrived.  And it was a mighty fine Chicken Caesar Salad.  The dressing was much lighter than normal.  It was nice after the heavier soup and sandwich.

As we were finishing up our late lunch, the waitress became a little more “chatty” and we learned a little about their backgrounds.  And she explained that everything there is homemade – including the cinnamon rolls in the peach bread pudding and the vanilla ice cream that goes on top.  Its hard for Aaron to resist anything peach, so we agreed to share – when in Rome or Russia . . . 

The tea room is also an antique store, so we took a few minutes to check some things out.  The nested Russian dolls remind me of my Aunt Opal and friend Gina. It’s an interesting place and worth stopping in if you are in the area.

And with that our trip was nearing its end. It was just the rest of our drive home and some time spent together in the car.  (The beauty of road trips!)

So I know not everyone will want to recreate all the aspects of this particular trip because let’s face it, I was pretty allover the place with my interests.  But if you are ever in this particular area of Missouri, any of these places are worth stopping.  And for all my quilters out there, a trip to the Missouri Star Quilting Co. is a must do! And I would include a stay at Mari’s House Bed and Breakfast too.