Picnic Dinner

Going on a dinner picnic is something that has been on my summer to-do list for a couple years. (Yes, sometimes it takes me years to check something simple off a list!) Cece needed no persuading. Joe took a little convincing , but warmed up to the idea once he saw the fancy sandwiches I was making.

 

Cece helped me prepare all of the food. She had a peanut butter and honey sandwich. For Joe and myself, I made chicken sandwiches with goat cheese and caramelized mushrooms and onions on a pretzel bun. (Pretzel buns rule, FYI.) We also had strawberries, cheese and crackers, and carrots and hummus to share.

 

We went to Lake Normandale as I had a cute spot near a small waterfall in mind for dining. Unfortunately, the lake had become kind of swampy and slightly smelly over the summer. so we kept joking that we were in Dowisetrepla (How I Met Your Mother, anyone?). Still, we kicked off our shoes and enjoyed our dinner as well as the novelty eating on the ground instead of a table. Two super sweet ladies walking by offered to take a photo of us. I love when the four of us can actually all be in a photo together, so I really appreciated it!

 

After we ate, Joe and Cece went on a little tree climbing expedition while Rosie and I were happy to sit back and watch them do their Tarzan thing.

 

Cece has requested to go on a picnic again and I think we should too!

If you've had something on your summer to-do list that still needs doing, go for it because there's still time! I'm glad we had this evening together.

 

 

A Swell Summer Evening

 

Earlier this week, Joe dropped us girls off at Minnehaha Falls. He had to do some grass-cutting nearby and met up with us later. So, Cece got to see her first waterfall of the season and we got to listen to some lovely Music from the Land of OZ. My dear friend Azure serenaded us with "Over the Rainbow" and Cece danced in the aisles for nearly the entire hour that we were there. (I had flashbacks to when Robbyn and I were younger and couldn't resist dancing to everything and anything.) Rosie even held it together for most of the evening. Joe met us as the concert was finishing up and then we went to (you guessed it!) Dairy Queen. That establishment is taking all of our money, I swear...

 

If you fancy things like outdoor concerts, do check out the Calhoun-Isles Community Band!

 

 

Duluth Part 1

On Valentine's Day, Joe pulled out the romantic big guns and told me that he had arranged a ski trip for us over the weekend in Duluth. I actually cried because I was so happy and excited. (I bet it's really fun having an emotionally hysterical wife, right?)

 It had been three years since we had last gone skiing and almost a year and a half since our last overnight away from Cece. I had also never been to Duluth. This was a big deal. On Saturday, we drove up to St. Cloud for Cece to hang out with Grandma and her cousins and then we were off to Spirit Mountain.

 

 

 

 

We ate lunch at Duluth Grill, which has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It may have been elbow-to-elbow busy, but the food was worth it. In the spirit of keeping things interesting, we tried to order menu items that we normally wouldn't have at home. Joe had bison-stuffed peppers, I had a salmon burger, and for dessert we shared an avocado-coconut sorbet.

 

For being fairly out of shape (me, not Joe), I still loved skiing. I continuously asked Joe if I was the most amazing skier he has ever seen. Like, even more amazing than Lindsey Vonn. He's a good man, so he said yes. It should also be noted that I skied at a blazing speed of 3 miles per hour down almost every run. There were also a few times we fell down while doing nothing but waiting for the ski lift. That probably speaks to my skill level.

That night we had dinner at Bellisio's, because you can't go wrong with Italian food. Ever. We tried escargots and I experienced my first wine flight which meant I got to sample four wines at dinner. Maybe I should title this post "WINNING."

In the morning I started taking more pictures with my "real" camera instead of my phone. I shall save those for the next post.

Our Weekend: Sledding and Super Bowling

 

 

 

 

After my recent bear-like hibernation, it felt refreshing to get out and be social this weekend. Saturday was a quintessential Minnesotan winter day as it consisted of sledding and tater-tot hotdish with the Knudsons.

That same night, after we came home and Cece went to sleep, I had a lovely girls'-night-in with my cheer alumni ladies.

And in case you didn't hear, the Super Bowl was yesterday (which is my favorite food holiday following Thanksgiving). Joe and I hosted, but I think Azure stole the food show with her homemade cherry cheesecake. (I am declaring the buffalo-chicken dip as the runner-up). And although Beyoncé put on a fabulous half-time show, Cece and Penny proved that they do, in fact, have got the moves like Jagger.

Best of all, I washed all of the dishes last night so I don't have to scrub out a crusty Crock-Pot this morning. (There are few things I hate more than cleaning the Crock-Pot.)

Hope everyone enjoyed the game! And if nothing else, I hope you stayed warm and toasty this weekend.

How does our garden grow?

I can literally take no credit for how our yard looks. I would truly rather be inside doing activities such as eating cupcakes, reading some sort of lady novel, and avoiding sunburn and sweat.

But since moving into our house last year, Joe (to no one's surprise) delved into yard work. Between tending to the lawn and the plants nearly every day and enlisting the help of his siblings, he has vastly improved the look of our yard. Yes, I participated in the selection of some of our flowers, but between the two of us, he is the one with the vision and the green thumb.

 Here are some close-ups of some of my favorite elements in our yard this year.

Yep, he is a good fella to keep around.