{Resolution Recap} June Edition

June was beautiful! 

In June I was able to meet my friends daughter {she's adorbs!}, celebrate new life with a friend, and gave a speech as a Maid of Honor (3rd time), joined the Cherry Berry craze. 

{Lil Adri // Practicing my speech in the bathroom - classy! // Boating on White Bear Lake}

{Cherry Berry flavors of the day // A Cherry Berry Creation (Kristis' creation) // The Beautiful Bride}

Need a refresher on my resolutions? They can be found here.

{CREATING}

I made tasty Pink Lemonade Confetti Cupcakes and  Southwestern Black Bean Salad
Both recipes were so good - and the salad is one that I love to eat as a meal - it just screams summer to me! 

{ENRICHMENT}

I started following the 'She Reads Truth' movement and am reading along side hundreds of women in the 'Living the Surrendered Life ' study through youversion. 
I am trying to consume less pop but I seem to be adding more iced coffee and iced tea to my summer beverage lists. 

{MINNESOTA}

I ate at Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe. I love me an Izzy Scope!

I walked around downtown Stillwater with Christina.

A trip to the beach with Nessa
Visited Como Zoo & Conservatory with friends
Pantooned on White Bear Lake at Sunset

A Girls Date + Ice Cream

Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe

Curly Locks and I had a girls date this week and decided to venture out to a St. Paul favorite - Izzy's Ice Cream. Izzy's is actually made right here in Minnesota, it had been on my 2012 resolution list to eat Izzys this year. The cute tiny scoop on top is a 'izzy' scoop - isn't that cute?!

Curly Locks got Birchwood Key Lime Pie and a Izzy scoop of Dark Chocolate Zin. 

I tried Cake Batter with a Izzy scoop of Norwegian Chi. 

What a fun end to a great girls date! 

{Resolution Recaps} March, April & May Edition

Ok seriously! 

How did 3 months fly by like that?

March was a fun month - I took my FIRST mini-vacation in my not so new job. 

April was a whirl wind with several wedding showers & a baby shower. April also marked a WHOLE year at the 'new' job!
May just flew by with fun family & friend celebrations. I threw a bachelorette shower, went to a trampoline park and got 2nd place in laser tag {it's all about the important things right?!}.

Need a refresher on my resolutions? They can be found here.

{CREATING}

I love LOVE trying new recipes! 

In March I made PW's Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce and Hasselback Potatoes

April I made Salted Caramel Cupcakes, Weight Watchers 

Banana Chocolate Chip muffins & Cider Apple Chicken with Mushroom Sauce. 

In May Amanda Sue & I created our own little mini-fruit pizzas for the bachelorette party and I also

made Italian Apple Burgers - they were fab!

{ENRICHMENT}

I am doing really well with pushing the H20 -- until weekends come along. Monday-Friday I 
keep my water bottle right next to my desk but once I get home or the weekend comes then I do not do so well!

I am getting much better at reading my Bible daily -- I can see & feel the difference!

{MINNESOTA}

I love visiting Minnesota destinations! 

There was Duluth in March

{Duluth is certainly not a new destination for me but still a beautiful should-be-repeated Minnesota destination}

In March I hiked & photographed Voyager National Park during my 

 mini-vacation & girls weekend in Duluth. 

In April & May I enjoyed local backyard attractions, cities and parks. 

{Resolution Recaps} January & February Edition

Remember that time I revealed my New Years Resolutions in February? 

Here is the January & February issue recap. 

{CREATING}

I made mini-baked donuts for my new recipe in January. They looked cute but the recipe could use some work. But they look cute - that's the important part!

In February I tried Minestrone Soup with Kale -- this is seriously a tasty recipe, super simple, healthy and chalk full of vegetables! 

 Become more crafty

Would you believe this took me on & off two months to crochet and I swear it's 10,000 feet long! But I love it. On to the next project now! 

{ENRICHMENT}

I am doing really well with pushing the H20

I must say I am having a hard time with reading the Bible daily

{MINNESOTA}

Curly Locks and I had a great St. Paul date including great food, twinkling lights & city views.

Stay tuned for more fun Minnesota adventures in March. 

{hint: think north}

Resolutions Revealed

{THE YEAR OF 2012}

It's already February and I am just now sharing my resolutions. 

I realize that. I've held on to these resolutions, these goals for quite some time. 

I've always been a bit fashionably late -- I will admit that.  

{via}

{CREATING}

macaroons

create an organization binder

try one new recipe a month

become more crafty

learn to use my camera sans auto

{ENRICHMENT}

read the Bible daily 

in a year read the entire Bible

less diet coke/coke/pop more H20

understand HTML

{MINNESOTA}

visit more Minnesota places

eat donuts at Mojo Monkey

visit Grand Marais

eat Izzys Ice Cream

 hike and photograph Voyager National Park

Minnesota: Revisiting Minnehaha Falls

A few months ago Tie & I visited Minnehaha Falls, the beautiful laughing waters. After seeing it beautiful, flowing and thawed I really wanted to go back and see it beautiful, cold and froze. I got my wish and during my staycation I visited the beautiful frozen waterfall of Minnesota.

I'm typically not a rule breaker but for pictures I will pretty much do anything. Including climbing sliding down the snowy stairs past the "Do not Enter" signs. And over the half frozen stream behind the "Do not Enter" and the poor excuse of a fence.

Minnesota: American Swedish Institute

Last week while on my staycation I was able to visit the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis.

The museum is housed in the home of a swedish immigrant family that was built in 1908. There were some great exhibits including a Coco-Cola Santa exhibit, Nordic table & tree exhibit and a Santa Lucia exhibit.

Bestie, Tie & I had a wonderful time exploring the ASI. Each room had beautiful & ornate ceilings unique to each room. And the fire places, oh my the fire places were utterly gorgeous. Can't lie, I would love a fire place in my bedroom as I am a freeze baby!

If you're in the area or live in beautiful Minnesota the American Swedish Institute is definitely a must see, so fun & unique and utterly gorgeous!

If you go park in the wonderful free parking lot, you don't find free parking lots in Minneapolis much and grab a swedish pastries from the downstairs cafe.

Minnesota: Freeport

For five years I would drive a route up I-94 passing tiny towns, some looking sleepy and others bursting with character begging you to stop off in their town and visit, stay a while and most importantly - spend some money.

I always would smile when I passed Freeport, MN.

This past Saturday I drove by Freeport and I smiled. 

A Wander in the Woods

{Hidden Falls Regional Park}

Saturday my friend KB & I went on a little hike around Hidden Falls Regional Park in St. Paul along the Mississippi River. The day was a bit overcast but still so much fun. We hiked for about two and a half hours, searching for the falls. We gazed at gnarly braided & twisted trunks. 

 Still we found no falls, we searched inland amongst the trees. Nothing. We finally decided that it was in fact hidden. Hence the Hidden Falls. Even though it had rained the night before there was not enough water to make the falls reappear.

We may not have found the falls but we still had a glorious wander in the woods and along the river. 

 Beautiful life moments, things to treasure & hold dear to your heart.

LIFE IS GOOD. 

. : don't let anyone tell you differently : .

Minnesota: Enger Tower

{Enger Tower}

Enger Tower & Gardens is located on Duluth's Skyline Parkway. The main attraction is the 80 foot high tower that was dedicated in 1939 by Crown Prince Olav & Crown Princess Martha of Norway. The tower provides a bird's eye view of the city of Duluth and the harbor, as well as Enger Golf Course and Bayfront Park.






    {The Gardens}



 Located in the garden is a Peace Bell Tower from Duluth's Sister City in Japan, Oh Ara as well as a Japaneese rock garden.

Enger Tower is definitely a place to visit when in Duluth. The drive up is always gorgeous as well as the view from Enger Tower is magnificient and can not be beat!

Minnesota: Foshay Tower

Foshay Tower

The Foshay Tower sits majestically in downtown Minneapolis when it was originally built in 1929, just a few short months before the stock market crash the tower was modeled after the Washington Monument. 


Today the tower is the home to the W Hotel and a swanky bar on their 27th floor. 


Last weekend while running around Minneapolis with the LOST gals we walked through the Foshay & up the gorgeous elevator to see a birds eye view of the city.

Minnesota: Summit Home Tour

Via

This past weekend was the Summit Home Tour in Minnesota. Summit is one of the oldest streets in Minnesota and many of the founding Minnesotans would find their home on this street. Today many of the houses are still kept up and look utterly gorgeous on the inside and out. The tour consisted of 14 home interiors and 2 public spaces. One of the homes looked at was the Burbank - Linvingston - Griggs Home.

Burbank - Linvingston - Griggs House

via

Built in 1862
estimated cost of $22,000

This home is the second oldest home still standing on Summit Avenue. The third owner of this home imported 10 European rooms complete with paneling, wall coverings and antique furniture, and in the 1930s an Art Deco ballroom was also added in the basement. Today this home is split up into separate areas that are lived in but you would not be able to tell from just walking into the first floor that 3 separate people live here.

Minnesota: Renaissance Festival

Renaissance Festival 

It is time again for the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, this year they are celebrating their 40th anniversary. This was my first year being able to attend RenFest, I was so excited to finally see what all the hype was about. I'm not sure what I exactly expected but whatever I expected was blown out of the water by what I was met with!


Instead of a smorgasbord of tents there were buildings, beautiful buildings painted with charm, I died every time I saw the gorgeous banners hung with beautiful fabrics from trees and buildings. I loved seeing the fair goers as well as the employees dressed up in gorgeous dresses and other festive fare. Hands down the best thing about the Renaissance Festival were the shows. Everything from dramas, comedy acts, stand up, dare devil extreme and magic. I loved attending so many different shows and just wandering around feeling like I had just landed in another country and time.

Great Minnesota Get Together

No August in Minnesota is complete without a trip or two to the Great Minnesota Get Together twelve days of great Minnesota Fun. The fair began in 1859, a year after Minnesota received it's statehood and has been held in it's current location in Falcon Heights since 1885. In the twelve days that the fair is open almost 170 baby animals are born in the Miracle of Birth Center. It amazes me how each year new attendance records are set.

All the award winning honey lined up all pretty

I love how the state fair is brimming with Minnesota pride from the Education building supporting Minnesota Colleges, crafts and home goods, to produce. Last year I enjoyed tasting Minnesota wines, and this year enjoyed Minnesota apples. You never know what you will find at the state fair. 

 

Apple Cider Freeze

Apple Cider Float

Curry chicken from Harry Singhs

Wild Rice Burger

The dairy building is always a fun stroll with the latest Princess Kay butter head to all of the other princesses.  

Northfield: Small Town Charm

A glimpse into Northfield, MN

Northfield is the home to 17,000 people, 2 colleges, and many fields full of corn. Northfield is a picturesque town with the Cannon River running through it, beautiful details around every building, home of Malt-O-Meal and small town charm.

{Sights of the Town}

City Walk Park

Picturesque downtown

Scriver Building 

The Scriver Building at one point housed the bank that Jesse James gang attempted to rob in 1876 but today it houses the historical society of Northfield. 

Ames Mill

Original Malt O'Meal Mill. 

 

River Market Fair every Saturday June to September along the river front. 

We strolled the booths very beautiful items. 

{Beautiful Details}

I love the details that fill a small town. The details that make the town more a community and less a city.

Art hanging over the river front, created by a local artist.

{Froggy Bottoms}

A tasty meal right on the river front. 

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries

Bacon N' Blue Burger

{St. Olaf, Local College}

Northfield is the home of two colleges; St. Olaf & Carlson College. On the way out we drove around St. Olaf that has a gorgeous campus very hilly & full of trees.