<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Mother Road Merch Mart]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reviving the Spirit of Route 66]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 18:31:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.block1400.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[If You’re Going to Begin Anywhere…]]></title><description><![CDATA[If You’re Going to Begin Anywhere… If you’re going to begin anywhere, it might as well be with scones. Because that’s where I began. There are recipes you make once because they sounded interesting. And then there are recipes that quietly become part of your life before you even realize it’s happening. This was one of those. Scones became part of the rhythm of the tea room early on. Not fancy.Not complicated. Just warm from the oven with lemon curd, jam, or whatever happened to be nearby that...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/if-you-re-going-to-begin-anywhere</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a066aff7326fc782b550a95</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 00:39:05 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sometimes Creativity Is the Attraction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not every community has mountains. Not every town sits beside the ocean or has waterfalls, canyons, or natural wonders people travel across the country to see. Some places were simply handed geography that makes people stop. Others have to think differently. And I think more communities are starting to realize that. For years, tourism was often tied to the obvious things. Nature. Landmarks. History. Major attractions. But today, people are searching for something else too. Something...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/sometimes-creativity-is-the-attraction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a066641875a6143a339a902</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 00:23:54 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Than Just Recipes]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s something about a cookbook. Not a website. Not a saved recipe on Pinterest. An actual cookbook. I know we live in a world where you can pull up any recipe in seconds. Type it in. Scroll.    Screenshot.   Done. And don’t get me wrong - I do it too. But it’s not the same. There’s something different about holding a cookbook. Especially one that’s been used.  Cookbooks are the one thing that I look at every time I thrift.  (That's another blog) You can tell right away that most cookbooks...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/more-than-just-recipes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a0658be0b9e4f37fd23299c</guid><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 23:35:38 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Thrill of the Find]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I was younger, I loved to shop. Not browse. Not wander. Power Shop. And never - not in my wildest - would I have thought about buying something used. Someone else’s stuff? No way. But somewhere along the way… that changed. Now? - Thrifting is in my blood. It’s the thrill of the hunt.The idea that there’s something sitting on a shelf somewhere that I didn’t even know I needed… until I find it. A little lost treasure I suddenly can’t live without. And it’s not really about shopping...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/the-thrill-of-the-find</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69f25f1fbc2ce3253fd2c5b7</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:01:42 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wish it - Dream it - Do it!]]></title><description><![CDATA[There’s a plaque hanging in my tea room that says: Wish it. Dream it. Do it. It’s not there for decoration. It never was. That was the plan. Long before there was a tea room, I was working as a steelworker. Long days. Hard work. The kind of job where you don’t really imagine yourself trading it in for something like… scones and teacups. But somewhere along the way, I did. In 2000, with no culinary background and more determination than experience, I opened a small tea room in Granite City. It...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/wish-it-dream-it-do-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69eab903b17cf497ceb5159f</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:30:26 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Does Everything Need a Password Now?]]></title><description><![CDATA[There was a time when you could just… do things. Turn something on. Log into something. Buy  something. No codes. No verification. No “create a password that includes a symbol, a number, a capital letter, and something you’ll never remember again.” Now? Everything needs a password. And not just a  password… A different one. For everything. And they all have rules It can’t be something you’ve used before.It  can’t be too simple.It  can’t be too obvious. And somehow… it still ends up being...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/why-does-everything-need-a-password-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e19f7843fd38a1bb6dd908</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:11:03 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s Easier to Text… But At What Cost?]]></title><description><![CDATA[It’s easy to send a text. Quick question.Quick answer.Move on. And most of the time… that’s exactly why we do it. You don’t have to stop what you’re doing.You  don’t have to commit to a full conversation. You just send it… and keep going. And honestly… that’s convenient You don’t have to wonder if it’s a good time to call. You don’t have to worry about interrupting someone. You just send it. They’ll get to it when they can. And we’ve all gotten good at it We can: ask a question answer...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/it-s-easier-to-text-but-at-what-cost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e19dfd441ae2d5fdf33bcd</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:44:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/410337_0497016a4c23419a9deb39b5c7d013bd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Wait... I'm Generation What?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[I came across a phrase the other day. Generation Jones. And my first thought was… How have I never heard this before? I’ve heard of Baby Boomers. I’ve heard of Generation X. But Generation Jones? That one somehow slipped right past me. The in-between group Generation Jones refers to people born roughly between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. Not quite the classic Boomers. Not quite Gen X either. Just… in between. And honestly, that “in between” feeling? That part hit me more than anything. The...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/wait-i-m-generation-what</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e197e3c4c584cedb06317c</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 02:30:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/410337_d6232c9c34bb4174b2042c056cc6c328~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Little Things We Forget to Enjoy]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've been thinking lately about how fast everything feels. Not just busy... but fast. Like we're always moving on to the next thing before we've had a chance to enjoy the one we're in. I notice it in the smallest moments, Standing in line, checking my phone instead of just... standing there. Eating a meal and thinking about what I need to do next. Walking through a space instead of actually seeing  it. And I catch myself wondering - when did we ( I ) start rushing through everything? I don't...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/the-little-things-we-forget-to-enjoy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69da6c8d8614fb4128ae4efe</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:25:17 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What are we becoming?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've been thinking a lot lately about what a city like mine is suppose to become. Not what people say it should or shouldn't be. Not what gets argued the loudest in meetings and online, or shows up in headlines or the comment sections. But what it looks like if we strip away everything... street by street... block by block. Because right now, it feels like everyone has an opinion. Not just in my city but I see this happening in many cities across the country. I see people fight for industry....]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/what-are-we-becoming</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d952f9515c02011a0c6d11</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:31:43 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picking Up Where I Left Off]]></title><description><![CDATA[I started this blog years ago - I mean many years ago....  back when I thought I had a pretty good idea of how life would go. (Spoiler alert: I didn't.) Back then, I wrote about the little things... the funny things... the everyday moments that didn't seem like much, but somehow were everything. And then ... life got busy. Not the kind of busy you plan for.  The kind where one day turns into a week, a week into a year, and before you know it... 14 years have passed. Although, if I'm being...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/picking-up-where-i-left-off</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cc11162da60c15711fd2b2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 22:14:04 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Saying goodbye]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's New Years Eve.  It's not just the year that I'm saying goodbye to, It's my dad.  This has been the most difficult time of my life!  My dad... the man who always believed in me, taught me so much and loved all of us unconditionally - is gone. We lost him on December 23, 2016   I know most girls look up to their dad as the strongest man in the world, who can do anything, and no one can measure up.  Well... He was all of those things and more.  He shared his love of music, standards and...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/saying-goodbye</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b0c4c31bb6f64c04e43</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2017 03:11:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do or Dye!]]></title><description><![CDATA[This has been coming for some time now... Gray Hair! Actually, I started turning gray in my early 20's I've been so many different  colors that when I see pictures of myself with my natural color it looks  odd. But in that past few years I've noticed that the gray is really really prominent.  My hair grows so quickly that I have to get colored every 3-4 weeks. Who has time for that? Not me!! With everything that I have going on it just takes too much time and energy to keep hair...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/do-or-dye</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b0c4c31bb6f64c04e41</guid><pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2016 00:32:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[You're killing me smalls!]]></title><description><![CDATA[That's directed at myself.  It's been almost a year that I've written anything here. Like I said in my last entry I really want to try and a blog at least weekly.  Well.... it's been a looong time and there's been lots going on.  We celebrated 16 years in business at the Garden Gate, Alfresco Productions is continuing to grow, I started a new chapter (pun intended) and opened a bookstore, and am about to start renovations on another old and much loved building in my hometown.    I've never...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/you-re-killing-me-smalls</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b03f7044e6cf7a6234c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2016 18:13:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Time Flies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Where does the time go? When I decided to write a blog for my website I thought this'll be easy.  I'll block out an hour a day just for me to relax, reflect, and write a few words about what's going on. Not that I think my life is so exciting that everyone will be chomping at the bit to follow my every move, but more for me to be able to journal my "adventures" Well.... So much for that! It's been over a year and not one scribble from me, not that I've been idle and twiddling my thumbs! Just...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/time-flies</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b03f7044e6cf7a6234d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2016 05:43:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elf on a shelf!]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's December 9th and I have zero, zip, nadda - not one Christmas Decoration up! I usually don't put any up at home, after all it's just me and Daisy. I really don't think she minds.  BUT!  I always decorate my restaurant and art center.  Every year my family's Christmas is held at the tea room, and this year we're hosting a Christmas Cabaret at the center.  I'm pretty sure decorations are in order!  So, I have got to get off the stick and get things pulled together.  The weather's been...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/elf-on-a-shelf</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b082e5c7d60a6aa93f2</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2014 23:43:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Speaking a foreign language!]]></title><description><![CDATA[I've always wanted to speak a foreign language! In school I tried German that didn't go well, so I thought I'd try Spanish.  Geez I may know a whole 4 words in each language.  Needless to say those classes brought down the old GPA.   So, as I got older I thought, French that's such a romantic language.  I want to learn French.  Have you seen those advertisements... Learn to speak a foreign language in so much time?  They may work for some people but for me... all I did was spend money on cds...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/speaking-a-foreign-language</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b082e5c7d60a6aa93f0</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2014 22:02:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What a day!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gosh - Time flies.  Has it really been 14 years since I opened The Garden Gate - and 2 years for The Alfresco Art Center?  I know it has, but when you say it out loud it's only then, it starts to sink in.  Today was a great day not just for my business but for my hometown.  Fox 2 News "In Your Neighborhood" was airing live from Granite City.  It gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you see other people appreciating something that's near and dear to you.  Unfortunately not all of the great...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/what-a-day</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b112e5c7d60a6aa941a</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2014 20:52:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We're off to see the Wizard!]]></title><description><![CDATA[For Christmas two of my friends made arrangements to take me to see The Wizard of Oz "live" this evening at the Fabulous Fox theater!  I'm so excited!  Anyone who really knows me knows that "it" is my very favorite - all time - with out question favorite movie.  I will never  grow too old for it. My office at the Art Center is decorated with the memorabilia that I've collected over the years. AND... in my neighborhood we have a pre-halloween party and of course its' theme is... The Wizard of...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/we-re-off-to-see-the-wizard</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b00f7044e6cf7a62333</guid><pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2014 16:40:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Enough already!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rain Rain go away! I know April showers bring May flowers but this is ridiculous!  I used to be one of those people who would stay on the front porch and watch the storms come through.  Now I grab the dog and high tail it to the basement saying prayers all the way!  In my neighborhood we've had so much wind damage over the last several years that I think our name should be tornado alley!  So, do I still love having the windows open and hearing the gentle tapping of a spring shower, and the...]]></description><link>https://www.block1400.com/post/enough-already</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd5b0c4c31bb6f64c04e47</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2014 19:42:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Brenda Whitaker</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>