Wiggly Feet

Queen of the Loveseat

2012-01-23T17:31:00.001-06:00

Little birds

2012-01-23T17:29:00.001-06:00

Katie and I hand-stitched these little guys together for a baby gift. We saw them on etsy for $85 and decided to make them instead. It did take us a bit of time to make them, but we had lots of fun and giggles shopping for the materials and a couple evenings putting them together.

Minnesota Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

2012-01-22T17:23:00.000-06:00

A recent and wonderful meal made by my wonderful husband, Minnesota mushroom wild rice soup with homemade whole wheat bread and red wine with a movie and a fire in the stove - a great relaxing night!

Pink Ruffle Pillow

2012-01-15T22:27:00.000-06:00

Ran into this tutorial by Dawn at Designed by Dawn Nicole and I knew I had to make it, but I made mine in pink for Valentines day, even though it really doesn't match anything else in my house, oh well. The only difference I did was I used a different dimensioned pillow and I put in a zipper on one of the short sides. I think I'll make some more in other colors.

Willow's Loveseat

2012-01-13T11:52:00.000-06:00

Quite the queen of the love seat... look at how many blankets are there just for her.

Beautiful start to the day!

2012-01-11T21:52:00.000-06:00

The day started beautiful and warm and ended with a chill and a strong breeze, one that I should be used to, but with this winter we are having I'm not quite accustom to yet. I do wish for some snow, please!

2011-11-30T15:43:00.001-06:00

We have some of the best neighbors!

We love our home

2011-11-29T08:57:00.000-06:00

A house is what you make it. Our house may be small but it is our home and right for us. Most of the time it is just the two of us with just enough room to accommodate but not enough to have a large chaotic gathering (we do in warmer, outside friendlier weather). We love our home.

We've been having Thanksgiving leftovers daily since last Thursday. Erik made a stock from the turkey and made a mushroom agnolotti turkey soup. It was fantastic! Last night I made a spicy white bean soup with turkey. We have ice cream in the freezer but I haven't gotten into it yet.

Lately we've had some dinner guests, they aren't too hungry though.

The Christmas decorations are up except for the tree and have made some cookies. Hoping December is a good month for everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-27T08:43:00.001-06:00

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving for the first time. We had a nice time with family and everyone brought scrumptious sides (e.g. my sister's mashed potatoes). It was nice hanging out at the table and enjoying the company of each other. Erik did a terrific job with the turkey, he brined it in an apple cider maple brine. The turkey was so moist it fell apart when taking it out of the roasting pan. It also was done about an hour before we expected it too, but thanks to some good advice by Mom it wasn't a big deal.

Friday was a fix it day and hang out with Dad day. It was a great day with no rush just trying to help out. We did have to go to a store, but thankfully it wasn't too busy. I very thankfully received a Nikon D80 yesterday too. My D70 is done clicking. I'm excited to be able to take pictures again! Thanks Dad! We wound down the day with dinner with sides from Thanksgiving and steak, good conversation, and pie at Mom and Dad's with Katie and Aaron.And then one of the sure signs that Christmas is approaching, we watched Christmas Vacation. I'm not sure Katie or Dad watched much, or just laughed the entire time. That kind of laugh is contagious!

2011-11-15T20:04:00.001-06:00

How do others have time to blog everyday? I don't, or at least I don't make time for it. Even when attempting to sit down to write this Willow wanted to play. I'm not even that busy of a person. I guess maybe part of it is that I like pictures as part of my blog and not just writing (although no pictures for tonight).

We are getting ready to host Thanksgiving here for the first time. I'm excited. I went and bought a table cloth and dug around to find some things that we haven't used in a while but will be desired. This next weekend will entail some deep cleaning, although we've been keeping up with that a little bit lately so I'm not too worried. Things that do need done are fixing the toilet seat, finally hanging some pictures on the wall (I've been nervous ever since we had them fixed), finish the boards to go temporarily around the fireplace, maybe get a lamp for the living room (it's pretty dark on one side), and then the cleaning.

This past weekend was certainly a nice mix of accomplish a few projects, cleaning, time for myself, and family time. It was good and refreshing.

A night in the kitchen with Katie

2011-11-13T12:01:00.001-06:00

Wednesday night I had a great time with hanging out with my sister. For dinner I made spaghetti squash-sagna. It was delicious - better than anticipated and that is always nice, with leftovers too. We made pear ginger preserve from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The recipe only made barely half of what it said it would, but it turned out good. We used pears from our pear tree and lately when ever I've been thinking about our pear tree, I wonder where the partridge is?
It was fun hanging out with Katie and nice to have another person stirring. Willow certainly enjoyed their time together too.

Smoking Boots

2011-11-07T20:24:00.001-06:00

Literally smoking boots... that is what I came home to tonight. Essence of burnt plastic lingered in the entry. My boots had been knocked over next to the radiator. Lucky for me I hadn't been gone long and the smell was the only damage as my boots are intact. I love my boots.

The yellow room is done. It looks, well, yellow - really yellow. I'm hoping with some things up on the walls and curtains it may lessen the feel of walking right into the sun. That said, I'm very pleased with it too. It is bright and cheery - a happy place.

Goodbye white walls!

2011-11-05T14:04:00.000-06:00

The walls in the old office are going from white to yellow... Manilla Tint to be specific. I'm part way into this project and a little nervous that it is too bright and then second that the carpet looks particularly dingy. I guess that might mean it is time for some new carpet - hm, wasn't really anticipating that project. I guess we didn't even think about the carpet when looking at paint colors. Our new office turned out quite well and I had some of the same reaction when I was about this far into painting it, so I will just keep on the keeping on with brush in hand.

Treat Day!

2011-11-03T16:56:00.000-06:00

It is my treat day at work and I love baking and making things for other people. Today's treat day sweet feast included:

Brownies - from a mix, but always still good
Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies - my new favorite cookie
Chocolate Dipped Wavy Potato Chips (and the undipped chips)
Pear Galette
Gluten Free Pear Tart - it was an experiment that didn't turn out exactly like planned but definitely edible and enjoyable

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T19:54:00.000-06:00

Our Halloween treat was that Willow's kidney function tests where in the normal range today. We were delighted! Our pup is not quite herself 100% but she has made some great progress and we are so thankful!

Halloween was put on the backburner this year. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love pumpkins and fall. We didn't carve pumpkins - ran out of time, but I did have some ceramic pumpkins that are carved that I was able to put out. A couple people asked if I was baking, but no I just put peach cobbler candles in the pumpkins.

Earlier I made a little table runner that was autumn colors and reversible, the other side has deep purple corduroy. The pumpkins on the table are ones that I grew in our backyard. I was pretty excited about them. I had a few more that I gave to my sister, or my sister's cat who is in love with them as play toys.

Other fall things I've been up to lately include making a pumpkin spice syrup for hot drinks. I love it in coffee. And with all the pears that have been ripening faster than I can use them, I've been making pear galettes. This last time I added some fresh ginger to the pear.

Willow

2011-10-28T15:04:00.002-05:00

A little over a year ago Erik and I adopted Willow, our yellow lab mixed with (fill in the blank with your own idea - maybe pointer?). She has been challenging at times (mostly in the beginning couple of months) and a delight. Willow has added greatly to our lives and it a member of our family. One of my favorite things that Willow does when we get home is weave herself through our legs and does figure eights rubbing on our legs. I think it is her way of saying she missed us and is glad we are home.

This week Willow went in for a little surgery to have a tooth removed (she bonked it on something, it broke in half). She got sick from an allergy to a drug and was hospitalized. Today I'm happy to say she is home and snoring away next to me. We still have some time to wait to find out if she will be back to herself one hundred percent, but it sure is great to have her home.

The Office

2011-10-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

Back in July I took on painting the new office room. Most rooms in our house were white when we moved in and color scared me (except the pumpkin colored walls in the family room), and we are slowly adapting to more color. I guess I may have had the new office on a very slow migration, as I painted the walls, but never quite finished the room - I needed to paint the yellow bi-fold doors of the closet and the closet trim as well as fix and paint the small doors on top of the closet. This weekend I finally finished the closet, just not the small doors on top. That spurred the office move. We moved the furniture, plugged in all the cables and wiring for the computer, and then found out that the internet didn't work there - darn. A little futzing and we find out no where else in our house does the router work except in the room I'd like to remove the title office from. In a few days and a technical visit hopefully we'll be back to sitting at a desk soon. For the time being we make do.

Quintessential Fall Night

2011-10-16T22:35:00.001-05:00

Last night was a beautiful night with pizza and the inaugural fire in our wood burning stove. Tonight was a beautiful night as well. We had both of our chimneys inspected last month so that we knew everything was good for the winter. Tonight it is toasty both downstairs where the stove is and upstairs.

I made my first pumpkin pie today. I read up on it and still made some mistakes... sloshing pumpkin mixture into the oven followed by 15 minutes of smoke coming from the oven. I only had a hint of smoke lingering around when Erik came home about an hour later. The pie turned out fairly good for the first one, but I think I need some more practice. It wasn't the prettiest but it did taste great. For dinner I made braised pork chops in red wine with walla walla onions and pears with mushroom thyme mashed potatoes. I was pretty proud of myself then to follow that up with a decent pie.

I didn't quite get everything done today that I had wished, but I did have a great day.

Squash

2011-10-13T21:15:00.001-05:00

I had to share my culinary exploration tonight. I had picked up some different types of squash at the farmers market, from Peter of Peter's Pumpkins. The one I used tonight was a carnival, similar to acorn squash, but a really cool variegated shell. I also picked up butternut and ambercup squash to be used soon as well. I think I'm going to make soup with the butternut, but not quite sure what I'm going to do with the ambercup yet.

I found my recipe that I used tonight from TasteSpotting, of which I'm often perusing for ideas. It is delightful site although it often makes me hungry and wishing to bake sweet things. Recently I came across a link for Calabacín relleno de cebollas moradas (Pumpkin with red onion and ricotta) and it looked like something I needed to try. (I was a little nervous about the Spanish, but the recipe was also in English.) I was all ready to make it tonight, got the ricotta from the fridge and found that my ricotta had become quite the colorful science experiment (decided not to show a picture of it - hope that's okay with you). I do like experiments but this had me disappointed. I had already begun prepping the squash, so it was either run to the store for ricotta or adapt the recipe - I chose the latter. Also during the time of deciding what to do about the lack of ricotta, I had a little accident with boiling water all down the front of my sweater, but all was good. My sweater thankfully repelled most of it so no burns here. So my substitutions included goat cheese rather than feta, grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese rather than ricotta. I also put maybe a little more than a pinch of nutmeg, another accident, although a happy accident and then I also used dried thyme instead of fresh, again, I didn't want to go to the store. All in all, I was quite pleased that tasted so good. I can add another type of squash to the 'I will eat' category, as many foods have made the switch. Things I might change... I might try ricotta, or maybe something to make it a little creamier.

Speaking of eating things, but completely unrelated. My dog, Willow, who has been so good in the house while we aren't home, must have accidentally chewed on the corner of a book I was borrowing from a friend. I was in shock when I found it where I left it but the top corner was slightly gnawed on.

Rain

2011-10-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

Tonight it finally RAINED! I am so very thankful for some rain. We could use a lot more, but I am thankful for the little bit we got tonight. It even puddled in the driveway. We have been so dry for the past month, maybe two.

Willow liked the rain too. She likes being a wet dog I think. Tonight she wanted to be outside even after our long walk in the rain and it was a good thing because we watched the sunset with beautiful pinks and purples.

Walks with Willow

2011-10-06T07:32:00.001-05:00

I was up early this morning and I'm thankful for how these early morning walks with the dog lighten the minds load for the day.

Fall Break

2011-10-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

Paddling on the Mississippi River

I had a fall break this past week. It was quite enjoyable. I was wishing for a little bit more fall colors, but I still greatly enjoyed my time.
A couple of highlights:

Canning adventures with friends and Erik. We made Apple Cider Jelly and Erik's Grandma Lois' Pickled Beets.
Paddling with my neighbor on the windy Mississippi River, in his beautiful handcrafted cedar strip kayaks.
Father Hennepin State Park. I wanted to see some albino deer and we didn't but we did see some cool caterpillars.
5th Anniversary - we had crab legs for dinner and then had desert from Pardon My French by the bonfire with some port. It was lovely.
Enjoying Sunday around Minneapolis and St. Paul with my parents, cheering on my sister, Katie, who completed her first marathon! So completely impressed!

Willow was in the water within minutes of pulling up to the cabin

Katie in the Twin Cities Marathon (photo by: Dad)

2011-04-22T16:46:00.002-05:00

Coffee - a.k.a. no sugar vanilla soy latte - has seen me through some days of burning the candle at both ends lately. The ladybug that came with this delight in a cup just made the day even that much better!

I think this Wednesday was the blast winter had, or at least I'm hoping that is the case. I know that last winter ended a bit early at this latitude, but what a different spring we are having. Last year Erik and I were moving about this time and the apple trees were blooming and the tulips were up and open. I have daffodils and the tulip foliage is there but no buds yet.

Last year I missed the blood root blooming, but this year we've had a beautiful show of the white flowers. Willow likes them too.
Today was a rainy day around these parts, but I'm hoping for a better weather day tomorrow. If we get the some sun tomorrow I suspect that things will really green up after a drizzly day like today. Yesterday was cool but dry and Erik and I did some yard work and had our first fire in the backyard. Erik put in some really nice steps for us between the house and the garage to the backyard. It had been more like a mud slick beforehand.

2011-03-30T20:43:00.006-06:00

Costco thinks I should buy one of these and I do too...

2011-03-23T21:56:00.002-06:00

I want the snow to go away! I'm not sure Willow would agree.

I wonder how long it will be until we can see the pond. Yesterday you could see some of the spring bulbs popping up from the ground. I'm so very ready for spring!

Happy March!

2011-03-02T14:23:00.001-06:00

Spring will be here soon! One of my favorite things to look forward to at the beginning of each month is a phenology put out by Jim Gilbert with the Wild Bird Store. March's phenology can be found here.

2011-03-02T13:51:00.002-06:00

Erik and I went on a get away further north, to Bayfield, Wisconsin. We had planned to cross country ski and snowshoe, but quickly realized the snow we had left at home was much better than further north and were out of luck for both winter activities. We found other things to do. We went to Little Sand Bay and Meyers Beach, both part of the Apostle Islands National Park. I lived at Little Sand Bay for a summer so it was fun to be back there, although very much different without the carpet of forget-me-nots. We had wanted to hike out to the caves via the ice, but the ice was gone from the last warm spell. We heard that January was a better month to try to get out to them, or the summer when you can kayak to them.

We decided to drive over to Michigan. It was our first time in Michigan for each of us. We hiked around the Black River National Forest and saw some powerful waterfalls. It was pretty cool. I'd definitely like to go back in the summer or fall.

We ate at some good places: breakfast at the Egg Toss in Bayfield, Good Thyme, just outside of Washburn, South Shore Brewery in Ashland, WI, and on our way to Michigan we stopped in Washburn for some wonderful pasteries and coffee at Coco.

We ended our trip with a stop in Duluth for some Fitger's beer and walk amongst the ice on the north shore. It was refreshing to have a little time away.

2011-03-01T07:15:00.003-06:00

The best way to predict the future is to invent it. - Alan Kay

I loved my sister's post recently and in particular, one sentence... "Maybe I spend my train ride home trying to architect a night that uses every minute perfectly." I think that is a terrific perspective. I don't want to waste any of my time but enjoy every moment even when doing things that are less than enjoyable (cleaning the bathroom). That doesn't mean I need to be super busy, but just make the most of my time.

We had a bit of a snow storm here last Sunday and Monday. Willow loved the snow! We had just lost a bunch of snow to melting and then this storm brought us 18 inches more. The table was completely free of snow. Again I can not see over the snow piles next to the driveway. It is very pretty though.

During the snow, Erik took on most of the shoveling - very much appreciated. I warmed the house by making blood orange marmalade and a lemon vanilla sauce.

2011-02-17T19:08:00.002-06:00

I've been making stuff lately from cakes to marmalade. The cakes I make up as I go or find inspiration online and go from there. For the marmalade I've been loving the book Well Preserved. I checked it out from the library, but I'm definitely going to need to get a copy for myself. Last weekend I made orange-lemon marmalade. It is a little tart for my taste, but I got a little advice from a co-worker that it is really nice for marinades. I used Valencia oranges and Meyer lemons. Next I'd like to try Blood oranges. I have them, but I need to find a chunk of time to make it.
Yesterday this was the view of the sunrise from our bedroom window. Today you could hardly see this tree from the fog that hung around most of the day. Thankfully the sun peaked out towards the end of the day. Willow and I got out for a run taking advantage of the last bit of sun and the rising, almost-full moon.
I think someone was playing with my camera... must have been Willow. :)

2011-02-08T20:29:00.002-06:00

I made the strawberry lemon marmalade. I like how it turned out, but I don't think it has much of a lemon taste to it. The strawberry definitely overpowers the lemon flavor. Next in the preserving adventure is orange marmalade. I picked up some Valencia oranges and Meyer Lemons for it. I was planning on making it Monday night, yet things come up, as always and my plans were delayed.

This weekend was a busy one, but fun and relaxing at the same time. There was some cleaning, biking (inside of course), movie watching (Dinner for Schmucks), baking (awesome chocolate layer cake with a whip cream/cream cheese/oreo filling and chocolate ganache), tile making (taking a tile, trivet & coaster class with Mom and Kate), hanging out with family and friends (we watched the commercials and chatted during some game between the commercials).

While cleaning out things that I thought once mattered to me at my parents, I found this trivet that I made in high school. I think I will use it... not too shabby.

My amaryllis is blooming! It is beautiful! It is so nice to see something blooming during this white time of year!

P.S. I'm sort of worn out about the cold temperatures and gray days. Come on sun and temps in the reasonable range... 20-30 F, instead of -25 windchill.

2011-01-30T18:36:00.003-06:00

So I made the Cara Cara Orange Curd. I'm glad I made it and had the experience, but I don't think I need to make it again. So my next attempt will be at Strawberry Lemon Marmalade from the Blue Ball book of Preserving. I have strawberries in the freezer from this summer that I'll use. We are almost out of the grape jam I made this fall from our own grapes. I will definitely be hoping for a good grape crop this next year. I'm planning gardens right now. Seems like a good time to think about that when we have feet of snow on top of the gardens. I'm looking forward to trying a small pumpkin patch and raised beds this summer.

This weekend I made a four layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling and a rich chocolate ganache made with a nice chocolate bar with espresso bean in it. The hardest part was pressing out the raspberry seeds, but it was well worth it. Erik and I played What's Yours Like? this weekend with the neighbors - great game and great company.

2011-01-23T21:47:00.003-06:00

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.
- Buddhist Saying

I must have been turned around for blogging the past 8 months, but I think I'm back. I had some activities that I was more attentive to than blogging.

It has been brutally cold the past week in Minnesota. I thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine today. Yesterday I bought some Cara Cara oranges. I'm going to make some Cara Cara orange curd. It seems that eating citrus fruit is like a burst of summer in your mouth. We've been having the clementines that dot every grocery store entrance, but I saw the recipe on the kitchn and found Cara Cara oranges in our co-op and had to give it a try. I'm not sure what I'll have it on and of course I better make it instead of just talk about it - sometimes that happens.

I have a few bird feeders around our house, but I have found out that our neighbors have a bird spa (a heated birdbath) and they have had many birds hanging out at their feeders. I think that might go on a wish list of mine. We've had birds and I'm very happy to see them. Lately they seem to be a little more chirpy which is an early sign of spring. One of our bird feeders is too close to a railing and the snow is too high that the squirrels can hop right in and help themselves to the buffet of black sunflower seeds. I may have to move it away from the railing, but not too much I can do about the amount of snow. I guess I could have shoveled away from it but that would have been a lot of work with how much snow we've had this year already.

A Beautiful Weekend

2010-03-14T20:45:00.003-06:00

The weekend was jam packed of adventures. Erik and I had off on Friday. I got my car's oil changed. While that was going on, we ran errands. I got 5 inches cut off my hair Friday afternoon and we went to Run 'n Fun. I got a new running outfit that I sported for a run we did on Saturday morning so that I was dressed right for the drizzly March weather.

Erik, Katie and I did the Shamrock Shuffle 5K. It has been foggy and rainy at least the past 5 or 6 days (not including today) and the streams have risen. I'm pretty sure we ran through Bluff Creek, which was running about 5 inches deep over the trail. It was a nice rolling hill run. I had fun doing it with Erik and Katie.

Saturday Erik and I saw some houses. It is sort of makes me nervous and excited when we see houses that we like. There have been more on the market to choose from now. I get nervous because of the huge decision and financial responsibility can feel overwhelming and I get excited about having a home to call ours (& the banks) that will be so much better than our apartment!

Saturday night we went out for my Dad's birthday to Fogo De Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse in Minneapolis. It was a wonderful experience and wonderful food. We all had a great time. I had a large plate full of veggies from their salad bar, bites of the different kinds of meat Erik got, and a wonderful, melt in your mouth filet mingon. We finished the night sharing Fogo de Chão's Signature Papaya Cream with Blackberry Brandy. It was wonderful!

Today, the day after we sprung forward an hour, was beautifully sunny. I went to the Y and got my spinning class in. I had even woken up before the alarm, which I thought was odd for one less hour of sleep. Then I went out to my parents and enjoyed the afternoon with the family. I rode a muddy and shedding Laura Bell. She was good and we had a pleasant ride in the arena. It is terribly muddy outside with it being so warm - our thermometer read 61 deg. F. this afternoon.

I'm really looking forward to spring and early summer. I know it will come fast, but I enjoy muddy sunny days like today too!

2010-03-08T19:28:00.001-06:00

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
Helen Keller

Temptation and Motivation

2010-03-02T20:40:00.003-06:00

I made these temptations recently for a treat day at work... strawberry cake, caramel chocolate chip brownies, cranberry-orange muffins, and blueberry muffins. I do love to bake. At the same time of all these goodies, I've been trying to cut back on sweets, increase veggies and workout.

I go in these spurts of doing something for a little bit and then moving on to something else. I like variety, but at the same time it is good to stick with things sometimes for the long haul. One thing that has been in motivational spurts lately is working out. I have a big motivation in 96 days. I'll be participating in the Buffalo Triathlon. I did this last year too and this year I'd like to do better. Last week I was very motivated, particularly toward the end of the week and yesterday I was not motivated. I did do 6 loads of laundry though. Today I pushed through though and got the bike trainer out. I watched Biggest Loser and peddled away. One more day, one more cycle to enable me to do a little bit better.

I've had a couple of really good days. Not necessary because everything went well, but my outlook was brighter. I had a nice weekend with friends and family. We went to a birthday party Saturday night. Sunday, I went out to my parents and hung out with the family. It was very nice! I rode LauraBell bareback for a little bit in the arena. Sometimes I think to myself 'why don't I do that more?' - I'm not really sure. I sure did enjoy it. The snow was melting and crashing off of the roof making quite a racket so it was a shorter ride, but a really nice one.

The sun has been shining almost everyday lately. It has been wonderful!

2010-02-21T20:32:00.001-06:00

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book caught my attention at a store by reading only the back of the book and not knowing anything else about the book. I greatly enjoyed reading about Martha, who seems like a strong young woman sticking to the way she'd like to do things rather than society's pressures for women in 1917. I was surprised by the love story that appeared gradually through the book and loved the ending. The characters were developed throughout the book, so you felt like you knew this community of which Martha has been adopted into through the horses she is working with and the conflicts that developed. I'd greatly recommend this book who is interested in reading about an independent young woman and horses.

View all my reviews >>

Up North Trip: Thursday

2010-02-21T12:35:00.003-06:00

Our last day up North, we had breakfast at the hotel, walked Canal Park's lake walk and then packed up the car. We didn't head right back home though. We stopped at Fitger's to get some growlers. We also stopped at Positively 3rd Street Bakery to pick up some Thunder cookies - positively delicious!

Then we went over to Kitchi-Gammi park and walked around enjoying the ice, rocks and lake.

We had a lot of fun playing around in the ice and the ice formations from waves and wind.

It was beautiful and a great way to spend a morning!

We drove back home to reality. Thankfully neither of us had to work Friday, so you'd think we'd slowly come out of vacation mode and back to the responsibilities of being an adult. When we got back, we found that the sewer had backed up into the dishwasher, toilet and bathtub and had sat for some time. We are so thankful that it wasn't worse and the backup didn't continue into the rest of our apartment by overflowing, but it was not a pleasant thing to come home to. We spent much of the night cleaning, disinfecting everything, and trying our best to get rid of the horrible smell with candles.

I think we'd both like to go back to vacation. I guess times like when the sewer backs up just make you appreciate vacation that much more!

Up North Trip: Wednesday

2010-02-21T11:51:00.004-06:00

We started the morning with breakfast at the hotel. They had some decent rolls and yogurt. I had some tea and Erik had coffee. Then we headed out for adventures of the day. We headed out to Seven Bridges Road and did a little looking around Amity creek. It was still a wee early so many of my pictures were a bit on the dark side.

Then we went up the shore on old highway 61. We stopped when we felt like it and when I thought we'd find a nice picture opportunity, but we simply enjoyed the ride too.

We veered off 61 to Stoney Point and caught view of some beautiful waves crashing on the rocks and ice. I took a lot of pictures.

We went through Two Harbors. We stopped into The Canoeist to see Mike Keller, as Erik went duck hunting with his brother this fall. The Canoeist is a nice store for many camping, paddling, and snowshoeing needs.

We went out to the lighthouse and made our way down the icy pier to get a different view. I wasn't so sure about traversing with all the ice, but I wouldn't have stayed behind either.

We stopped in the Rustic Inn Cafe for lunch. It was recommended to us the last time we were up there, but we didn't go. I'm glad we went. Erik and I had great meals followed by very good pie!

Then we headed up to Gooseberry State Park. We had a lovely time there. The trails were incredibly icy, but we had some fun with that sliding down the side of the stairs. Near the upper falls, we saw a red fox grooming itself and enjoying the warm sunny day. Our video has a shot of him moving around a bit too.

Here is a picture of the upper falls. Again, the sky was brilliantly blue. It was a beautiful day!

We hiked out to the lake and enjoyed hiking/sliding along the shore.

Erik went out on all ice to take a picture. (Sometimes I take pictures of him taking pictures too!)

After Gooseberry, then we headed back to Duluth and went ice skating.

After skating, we headed out to Park Point and walked along the lakeside.

The ice was piled up in large sheets about 2 inches thick.

It was another beautiful sunset!

It was that blue time of night.

After watching the sunset, we went to dinner at Hacienda Del Sol. It was also very good, but filled with crying or whiny kids. Then we went back to the hotel and watched the Olympics.

Up North Trip: Tuesday

2010-02-20T16:30:00.006-06:00

Started the day off right with Caramel Rolls!

We headed out to the trails and looped around the Grand Portage Trail in the morning. It was a beautiful morning with a bright blue sky.

With the sunshine it felt quite warm after 'shoeing for a while.

I started the day all bundled up, and shed layers (into Erik's pack) the further we went.

We headed to Duluth after our hike and checked in to our hotel, South Pier Inn. This is our second time staying there. We do like it a lot. This time we upgraded to a room with a view of the harbor, a whirlpool, and a fireplace. It was very nice.

We had lunch at the Taste of Saigon and then went to the Depot to the Railroad Museum (among other little museums). We had fun checking out all the cars.

Then we enjoyed a walk back around the harbor. The sun was still out, but the clouds were coming in from the lake.

It is a pretty place when it is cloudy too.

I spent some time waiting for the sun to set and I'm glad I did. This was the view from our hotel room.

After the sunset, we went out for dinner at Fitgers. I had the salmon burger with a salad - very good, with a rootbeer. Erik had a burger, fries and a beer.

Up North Trip: Monday

2010-02-20T15:30:00.005-06:00

Erik and I left Monday morning for our vacation. We were ready to go. We said we were going to leave by 10am and were out the door not long after 9am. We had a few stops to make on our way. The first was to get another card for my camera (glad I did too). The second stop was the half-way stop at Tobies. We picked up some wildrice, onion, cheese bread and caramel rolls - both delicious!

Then we headed up to Jay Cooke State Park, a little bit south of Duluth. We brought snowshoes and 'shoed one of the trails before checking in for the camper cabin we reserved for the night. The first trail we took was right along (sometimes on) the St. Louis River, named for the nearby town, Carlton.

The river is beneath the snow, we could hear it, but could only see it in small sections.

We headed over to our cabin after the Carlton trail and got ourselves settled. The cabin was very nice. It had bunks, one full and three twin beds, a table with benches, and a lovely thing... heat.

We headed out again to snowshoe the Ogantz Trail, which had a beautiful overlook.

Below is the camper cabin we stayed in. We checked out other cabins that we'd like the location better. This one was sort of out in the open and there was another one that was tucked back in the woods. Of course you can't tell this on a map when you are looking at which one to stay in.

Erik made us dinner - a cache lake meal - chicken stew and the bread from Tobies. Most of the cache lake meals we've had are pretty good. The one we had this time was a bit salty, but we added curry powder and that helped.

We were both worn out and fell asleep quickly after reading a bit, but the heat was a little hard to regulate, or our sleeping bags were so good that I woke up very warm in the night and had to turn down the heat.

Back from Vacation Up North

2010-02-19T16:13:00.004-06:00

Erik and I came back from our trip up North yesterday. We had an absolutely wonderful time! I'll share more details when I get the pictures up here. We did use our flip camera and compiled some videos of our trip.

It was definitely back to reality when we got back as the sewer backed up into our apartment. It could have been SO much worse than it was, but we did have sewage in the dishwasher, toilet, and bathtub. The smell was horrible. Who knows when it occurred since we weren't home and then it sat there. We've bleached and sanitized everything, got a new shower curtain, ran the dishwasher a bunch of times, and tried to subside the smell with candles.

With that, as we have been lately, we are ready to be home owners and out of this apartment with so many stinking water problems. We both had today off too - very nice! We went to see a mortgage consultant about pre-approval, so when we find the right house we can act on it.

It is a beautiful day today too! Started off cool, but warming up. You can tell spring will be on it's way soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T20:22:00.004-06:00

Erik and I exchange cards for Valentines day. I think we exchanged gifts once on Valentines and now we don't with trying to keep spending down. We both like to surprise each other with gifts other times of the year too. Erik got me a very sweet card and I got him a sweet card too.

Today, Erik and I went to the Y. I went to spinning class. I haven't worked out in 2 weeks. I've been trying to kick a bit of a cold that's been a nuisance and it's not completely gone, but better than it was. It was nice to be moving. Then we went to my parents and hung out with them for a little while. It was nice to see them.

My Dad has always gotten flowers or plants for my sister and I. It is greatly appreciated! This year I got a Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily). It is beautiful and found a spot between the tv stand and the book shelf. And I brought him some nutella cupcakes that he had requested a few weeks ago (that's what I was baking and smelled so good yesterday). They turned out a little dry, but they still tasted good. Not exactly sure what happened, I may have not let the butter soften enough, but I sure thought I had.

I got an amaryllis from Karen (Erik's mom) and it is growing and greening up. I also pulled out some tulip bulbs that I had from last spring. It looks like two of the three may sprout and grow again.

Erik made a really nice dinner for us: meatloaf and roasted potatoes. He is such a good cook. I'm thankful for that!

Foggy and Frosty Morning

2010-02-13T15:22:00.005-06:00

It was a beautiful morning today! The first reason was because I slept in and that is just so lovely! Second, I had no plans or things I had to get done. Sure there are always things that could get done (bathroom needs cleaned), but not today, or at least not now. Third reason it was a beautiful morning, it was truly a beautiful morning outside!

The foggy morning made hoar frost all over and it was a beauty! I just couldn't let this morning pass without being outside and enjoying it. I went over to Dodge Nature Center and enjoyed hiking around. They had plowed and packed down trails, so I didn't use my snowshoes and I was still able to enjoy the tranquility and feel close to nature. Here are some pictures from my morning.

The sun started to come out of the fog and the frost was quickly falling and melting from the branches.

The Food Post

2010-02-13T15:00:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to do more cooking so that I'm not enticed to eat convenience foods and I don't buy lunch in the cafeteria at work, but bring a good meal instead. It isn't always easy. It means more planning ahead and more time for cooking.

This week Erik and I made Asian Mushroom Lettuce Wraps from Costco's cookbook, which I found out is available online - very cool. They have past years too... I just googled Costco recipes and found them. We really liked the wraps. They were easy to make and seemed fairly healthy and certainly you could adjust them to be healthier or less healthy. I brought some leftovers for lunch the next day so that was great to have a good meal for dinner and an easy one to bring for lunch.

Yesterday we were bumming around in the afternoon and went to Valley Natural Foods. We saw some really good looking baby bok choy and Erik whipped up a wonderful stir-fry with the bok choy, green onion, red pepper, shiitake mushrooms, steak, garlic and ginger in a ginger sauce. It was very good.

I've been enjoying smoothies for breakfast lately. Here is a look in the blender with all of the ingredients. This morning I had vanilla yogurt, orange juice, a little half and half (or milk - it makes it frothy), frozen raspberries, frozen strawberries, and frozen mango. This past week I have been getting up and leaving before Erik get's up and I've missed my smoothies.

I also have something baking right now for tomorrow (Valentines Day). It smells good!

2010-02-03T20:37:00.004-06:00

Today was a beautiful day and I wished I had my camera multiple times. The picture above is from Tuesday, not quite as beautiful today as it was missing the colorful sky, but a nice winter post-snow shot on my way to work. Tuesday I did have my camera and today I did not. Darn!

I got up 45 minutes after my alarm went off, 1 hr 15 minutes earlier than I typically get up, 15 minutes away from needing to be somewhere with an 8 minute drive on the nicest day in the summer. Ugh! What a way to start the day.

Once I was to work, we drove West for a meeting watching a beautiful sunrise amongst the hoar frost. I wished so much I had my camera and I could find an excuse to skip what I needed to do that day, and convince the others in the car that they too needed to skip out on the planned activities and take pictures. That didn't happen. It was nice to dream about it though.

It was a long day, but a good work day. It was mostly cloudy as we got back into town, but on my drive home the sun peaked out for just a few minutes and it was beautiful! Again, I don't have any pictures of this... hm... lesson learned - again.

I did find a picture that I thought culminated today's beautiful sky and frosty trees here.

2010-02-01T20:22:00.004-06:00

Last week I went to see Will Steger speak at the Freshwater Society's kickoff event for the Year of Water 2010. His speech was about global warming. His story about how it took him and a crew 30 days to cross the Larsen A and B ice shelves on dogsled was particularly heart breaking because today those shelves have disintegrated, Larsen A ice shelf broke up in 1995 and then B ice shelf in 2002.

You can watch his presentation too...

Freshwater Society presents Will Steger from Freshwater Society on Vimeo.

Katie and I had a nice trip to the MOA on Friday. We both walked away with plenty. It was nice to hang out with her and of course tap her fashion sense, because she definitely got more of that than I did, but that is okay with me.

Saturday I slept the morning away. Sort of nice, but one of those things I feel guilty about and probably needed at the same time. In the afternoon I went out to my parents and hung out with my Mom. We played with Sonny and went on a nice walk to wear him out. My Dad went to Costco on his way back from watching some of his pitcher's play other sports. He bought a huge pack of pork chops, so I was the happy recipient of dinner. I also brought home Nutella and a loaf of rye bread and I didn't even go shopping. I do have a request by my Dad to make self-frosting nutella cupcakes. I think I'll have to make them soon or the nutella will be gone!

Erik used the grill pan and seared the pork chops and then we baked them to finish and had them with a simple salad. Last night we made calzones with other pork chop and Erik seasoned it with italian seasonings, which made it taste a bit like italian sausage. We had that with spinach, a pesto sour cream sauce, mushrooms and green onion with cheese in our calzones.

We've been trying to do our part in keeping the Earth cool by leaving the thermostat down. I've been sleeping better, maybe part due to it being cooler and maybe part to letting go of my worries. It has been mostly good, but it is hard to get out of bed when it gets chilly. Tonight my toes are a little chilled and I've been wrapped in a blanket much of the night. The candle above is a Thymes Frasier Fir candle. I love it. I've been burning it quite a bit lately. It smells so nice!

Today and tonight we are getting a few inches of sparkly snow. I found it very sparkly tonight on my drive home. It is beautiful! I'd love to spend tomorrow out in it! Maybe I'll have to see about a walk over lunch.

I've been thinking quite a bit about the Buffalo Tri that I'm doing in June. I've been working out but I need to put it in high gear if I'd like to do better than last year. I signed up for a 5K run around St. Patty's so hopefully that will get me geared up to be outside a bit more. I've been reading magazines about training and eating right and some magazines not about that. I've been hooked on magazines the past few weeks. We have a generous pile on our end table right now.

2010-01-25T18:51:00.006-06:00

Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.

You could ask Erik and he'd tell you, I've been worried lately... worried and wound up. I know my worries are small and nothing to get worked up about in comparison to the worries some have of food and shelter. So I'm leaving my worries behind. I once told Erik that I couldn't turn off my worries like a light switch, so quickly and instantaneously, but I heard you can learn to. So to teach myself not to be in a state of worry, here is what I'm going to do:

Workout - because that does wonders for the body and the mind.
Stop dwelling on my worries - the source of the worry still my be present but if I can't do anything about it then I don't need to worry about it.
Be thankful. Be thankful for family and friends.
Believe in myself.
Enjoy. Enjoy each moment.
Do good.
Smile.

Some quotes I like:

"This too shall pass." - my Mom

"Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awaking worrying? Well, don't worry...I'm here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you." - Charlie Brown to Snoopy

"There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem." - Harold Stephens

"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight." - Benjamin Franklin

The Well and the Mine

2010-01-23T12:32:00.001-06:00

I finished another book... I'm on quite a roll for 2010.

The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I like historical fiction so this was right up my alley. This book was good and I'd recommend it. I enjoyed the beginning, but I felt like it lost something toward the end. It is about a family and living in a mining town in Alabama and quest of two young girls to find out who dropped a baby down their family's well. It is interesting to think about how much people struggled and today we take things for granted, like soles on our shoes.

View all my reviews >>

In Need of a Weekend?

2010-01-14T22:42:00.007-06:00

How about a long one? Oh yes please and thank you! This weekend's plans are to take it as it comes, sleep-in, read, workout, eat, relax and let go, all comes down to some fun.

I started off the weekend by sleeping in a bit, but not too much that you feel like the day is gone. Erik and I went in search of a hike. We drove across town to Baker Park Reserve, and drove around the beautiful country in search of some hiking trails. We could have driven right onto the lake if desired in my little focus. We did find that entrance to the park. We finally found our way to the winter recreation area and found out that there are little to no hiking trails. They pointed us in the direction of one but made no guarantees about it's condition. We found the trudged on trail that looked like it was used by many different users: snowshoers, skiers, hikers, coyote, rabbits, mice, and the song birds (nuthatch, chickadee, and downy woodpecker). Our feet slipped into the snow on the side of the packed down trail making for not quite great hiking, but that was okay as we were enjoying being out and about.

Then we drove into Excelsior and walked around the quaint downtown. We ate at Jake O'Connor's. It was a great place to have lunch. We also stopped into a little overstocked-little-bit-of-everything store, Leopold's, because of the cat in the store's doorway. The cat's name is Boots and is a sweetheart - definitely a great cat for a store.

I finished Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. It was a good read. I liked it a lot, which is obvious because I finished it so quickly. I liked how there was always a turn of adventure and it is based on a true story, the story of the author's grandmother. I also liked the short chapters inside longer ones. They were sort of like bursts of information. I haven't read Jeannette Wall's other book The Glass Castle, but I might have to put it on my to read list, which seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.

2010-01-12T22:21:00.002-06:00

Books... they seem like they have been taking me a long time to finish lately. Maybe it is the reasons listed in my last post. Well, I finished one. I read most of it quickly for a book club, but didn't make it that night and put off reading for other activities, but I got to the end finally. I read The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. It was an easy read with fun characters. It reminded me of the challenges we go through and how they shape us and show our true character. Something to keep in mind I guess in the midst of life's many challenges. Next on the agenda is Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I just started this one tonight and I can see that it will probably hold my attention quite well.

2010-01-10T16:51:00.005-06:00

There simply is not enough time in the day! I have a multitude of interests and a finite amount of time. I just can't quite get all the things I'd like to do accomplished when I'd like to. This has been sort of an issue with me this week... I feel defeated, but at the same time I know that I'm blessed with all the things that I'm fortunate enough to do and the people I have around me that support me in my activities.

I have read some magazine articles about people who are doing it all and I think wow, I should be able to do it all and have a smile on my face, but the truth is that there may be people out there that can do it all, but there are always sacrifices for what you choose to do, and they probably aren't sharing the negative side of "doing it all" in the article.

I like having many interests. Lately some of my focus has been to workout, excel at work, read (maybe actually finish the book I've been reading for a month), be prepared, do some New Year's cleaning, house hunting, and the other daily things like dishes and laundry that need done and brushing my teeth. :) Other things that I'd like to throw in the mix are some sewing, cleaning of our office, taking some pictures outside (this also requires the weather to cooperate), workout a little longer, and cook some nice meals instead of a bowl of cereal for dinner (although that is good sometimes) and not feel so wiped out when the alarm goes off in the morning. And of course, I think, maybe I'm just selfish that I have all these desires to do things and I do know when the time comes kids will change it all, but for right now, in this moment, I'll do what I can and enjoy every moment that I can.

Here is a quote I liked from my peppermint tea:
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.
- Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)

Deep Freeze

2010-01-03T20:06:00.005-06:00

We are in a bit of a deep freeze, actually colder than that of a freezer (the average is set to about zero degrees Fahrenheit). I don't enjoy temperatures this cold, but the one benefit of this Canadian air mass that has situated itself over us - the sunshine. We've had beautifully sunny days and I so love seeing the sun in the winter! So while the farmer's almanac predict January to be a colder than average month, hopefully the sun will be plentiful and we can have some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. I'd love to venture out and take some pictures at that time of the day, but I just can't quite convince myself to go out in the cold for a picture. I'm also not sure how the digital camera would hold up to temperatures this cold. So the picture above is from the dining room of my parents as the sun is headed down during that blue time of the day that Katie loves so much.

The new puppy

2010-01-02T20:05:00.004-06:00

Erik and I went over to my parents on New Years Day to say hello to the little new guy that became part of the family. Sonoma, or Sonny, is a 5 month old border collie that my parents rescued. He is a great deal of fun and loves the squeaky toys he has been spoiled with. He is a very smart dog and is well trained. Cricket, my parent's cat, is less than thrilled about the new addition, but hopefully she will adapt and come out of hiding.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-02T16:38:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to you! I'm ready to start things anew!

We had a pretty laid back New Year's Eve at home. We had the opportunity to go places for the night, but chose to stay in. We made salmon and roasted broccoli for dinner and had some bubbly. We watched Cinderella Man, which we had borrowed, but as we watched we both realized we've seen before, but a good movie and we didn't remember all of it, so nice way to spend the night. We also discussed/debated when a decade ends and begins and if it is our numerical system or society that decides that today. I'd say society.

The New Year brought with it some chilly temperatures to this part of the country. We are freezing up here, actually much colder than freezing! In fact, our digital thermometer broke last night. It was -10.6 and then it had it and isn't reading right now. I suspect it is the battery, or at least I hope it is only the battery.

I've been enjoying my long weekend with trips to the Y and lounging around in my warm chunky knit socks. I wish I could find another pair of fun thick knit socks like that. They are originally from REI and I've looked for them in many places without any luck. I might just have to knit myself a pair.

Katie's Quilt - Finally Finished!

2009-12-27T11:22:00.004-06:00

I've been working on Katie's quilt for 2 years and 2 months and I finally finished it to give her for Christmas this year. I really like it and I think she does too. I think I might have to make myself a quilt next.

I hope everyone who reads this blog had a very nice Christmas! Erik and I were fortunate to be able to spend Christmas with family and we had a wonderful time with them. We survived driving in the winter snow storm that blew through over the past 4 days. We most definitely had a white Christmas!

Appreciate the simple everyday things in life

2009-12-21T19:22:00.003-06:00

This weekend Erik and I watched the movie Up and then tonight I finished the book firefly lane by Kristin Hannah both stories had the message to enjoy and appreciate the simple everyday things in life. Too often I can get wrapped up on what is going on next week or wishing to change something about myself and don't slow down and enjoy today, these were both reminders to be thankful for all that I have.

Happy Winter Solstice!

BoBear

2009-12-20T20:40:00.006-06:00

Our beloved BoBear got sick last week and we had to say goodbye. It was hard on everyone in our family as Bo has been a wonderful member of our family. Here are some pictures of him over that past few years.

He always looked a little goofy after getting his hair cut, like he all of a sudden lost a bunch of weight, but definitely the haircut was needed for the summer months.

Katie made him sit for this picture. He was always so willing and make each of us happy. He loved being outside too. He often ventured into the pastures and to the neighbors and, more than we liked, into the park across the street.

Bo looking out the porch window at the going-ons of the outside world, as he loved to check things out for us. He was always the first in the barn to protect us from what ever was inside be it a stray cat or raccoon.

A winter version of our pup. Bo's full name is Bodega, but he was called many nicknames including Bo, BoBear, Bo-somes, Bo-bos and others. Mostly Bo and BoBear. He got the name BoBear because he sometimes resembled a bear with his furry black coat.

Bo was a dog that was always there for you. He seemed to know when you needed a friend. He was always so excited when any of us walked in the door by wiggling his whole body and jumping up. It was always so wonderful to be greeted with such enthusiasm. I will miss that greatly!

Bo helped us in the garden and in the kitchen. He loved his fruits and veggies. He often ate the cores of apples and bits of carrot from Mom when she was in the kitchen. One time he stole a carrot right out of my Grandma's bag and started munching away on it. He loved broccoli too - the only thing I had to watch after picking it from the garden.

He was always such a happy dog! He will be missed greatly as he added so much to our lives!

2009-12-05T13:07:00.005-06:00

So... I discontinued doing the photo of the day (aka I quit). I will still of course post pictures, and maybe more frequently than that of the 1 month sabbatical from my blog that I was on.

Anyhoo... I feel as though I've been busy, but happily busy. I've been working out a bunch - going to BodyPump at the Y and a group cycle class. I like them both a lot. I feel like I'm getting a great workout and it is motivating seeing other people working hard. I think I've always felt that way in any type of work environment, whether it is in my career, school, or other such as working out... seeing others working hard is very motivating for me - maybe it is contagious, but, then again maybe only for some people, because we all know some people who can't work hard for anything.

Erik and I are looking at houses. We aren't quite ready to buy, but we are looking and figuring out what we like and dislike.

We are ready for Christmas... except presents. Our little borrowed Christmas tree is up and decorated along with the other decorations. We've been on the search for stockings that we like... we haven't really found any, but it fun looking, might be more fun than actually getting some.

Last night we got together with Erik's family to make lefse.

Rolling out the potato balls (thinner the better)

Lefse onto the grill

Supervising the lefse cooking

Most of the action, minus one grill

Don't flip too much or it will dry out

Picture break

How long have we been at this? 4 hours?

15 pounds of potatoes = 11 inches of lefse

Quite a process and a mess at the end, but well worth all the effort and a great tradition!

Afton State Park

2009-11-06T13:37:00.003-06:00

Thursday we went to Afton State Park for a work retreat. I snapped a few pictures over our lunch break. I also played with changing a couple of the pictures into black and white.

River Point

Lovely Fall Trail

Ladybug

River's edge

Frosty Morning

Next Project

2009-11-06T13:31:00.003-06:00

I picked up my sewing area and now I'm ready for the next project. Actually it is a continuation of a project I started 2 years ago... my sister's quilt. So I found a place to rent time on a longarm quilting machine and tomorrow... Katie's quilt is getting quilted! Yay! I have some prep work to do on it yet. I pulled out all my safety pins from when I thought I was going to quilt it myself (ha) and now I need to trim all my threads better this time around. I'm very excited that I'm getting so close to having it done!

Unpinning the Pinned, November 4, 2009

Ready for the next project, November 3, 2009

Wishing to be outside

2009-11-02T18:34:00.003-06:00

Wishing to be outside, November 2, 2009

How is it already November? I feel like I just started this photo project with Katie. Today is my 86th day of photo of the day. The sun was shining today! It seemed like a nice, windy autumn day. I didn't make it outside very much, except the drive to and from work. I ended up working from home most of the day due to a cough I just can't quite get rid of, but I really wanted to go play outside! Then I was googling Minnesota Nature Photography and came across some beautiful pictures. I think I have a long way to go to make it up to the caliber of photographers I found. Some people just have an eye for it (right brained people) and have worked in the business for 20 years. I am fairly decidedly a left brained person and have not been taking photos for 20 years... I mean maybe I have I guess but not quality photos for 20 years. I was taking pictures of my cat when I was 7. I guess I still do that today too, but it is different, yes?

Not that I needed a test to tell me this, but...

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (22%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain.
Left Brain (78%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com

"Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

"Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively."

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"According to Darwinian theory, optimal evolution takes place with random variation and selective retention. The evolution savvy individual will try many different approaches when faced with a problem and select the best of those approaches. Many historical intellectuals have confessed their advantage was simply considering/exploring/trying more approaches than others. The left brain dominant type suffers from limited approaches, narrow-mindedness. The right brain dominant type suffers from too many approaches, scatterbrained. To maintain balanced hemispheres, you need to exercise both variability and selection. Just as a company will have more chance of finding a great candidate by increasing their applicant pool, an individual who considers a wider set of options is more likely to make quality decisions."

2009-11-01T13:59:00.004-06:00

Weathered

Things you should not do while under the weather (aka so much mucuous making it is disgusting) include staying up til midnight to finish a costume, participating in a 5K on a chilly windy day, and going for a hike in search of some inspiration for some photos (I needed to take a picture of something besides a costume! 7 of the last 8 photos of the day have revolved around costume making) But I would not trade any of it for sitting on my butt and sleeping, although the sleeping sound pretty darn good right now.

I made Erik and I each a costume for this Halloween. Erik was Max from Where the Wild Things Are and I was the Queen of Hearts. I struggled with making my costume, but all in all I think it turned out pretty well. You can't see all of the detail in the picture of us at the 5K, maybe I will have to take one more picture of it. We participated in the Monster Dash 5K for Team Ortho around Lake Harriet. There were so many people there! They also had a half marathon and 10 mile run too. It was a good time. Katie and Erik both ran. Katie ran her best 5k yet. That is so cool! I walked with Erik's Mom. It was nice to have someone to walk with. I wish I could have run, but with this cold walking was plenty. After the race, Katie, Erik and I went to lunch and had cake. Unfortunately, we did not do anything else cool for the rest of the day. We did hand out some candy to some little little kids. That was fun to see them so excited and it was nice to have trick-or-treaters. Erik and I watched Dracula on tv and called it a night.

It has been fairly uneventful around here lately. Between being sick, making costumes, and work, there hasn't been a whole lot of time. I'm hoping once I'm feeling better I can cook some good autumn food and enjoy doing somethings. I missed peak fall colors while being sick. It is pretty much over now and most leaves are off the trees. The oaks and some yellow leaved trees are still hanging on to their leaves. I'm sort of bummed I missed it. I love the bright yellow leaves against the dark branches. The leaves will change again next year. I guess I'll have to wait to enjoy them until then and make sure not to schedule getting sick then!

I ran some errands this morning. I was disgusted at B&N return policy. I even had a receipt! So I've got a book I'm not really interested in reading, but oh well. Maybe I'll donate it... that'd be the smart thing to do. After my errands I ran over to the nature center and tried to find a bit of color yet. I didn't exactly find what I was looking for but I think that is okay, because I liked what I ended up with.

The Barn

Colorful leaf

End of the season

Green roof

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T13:30:00.003-06:00

Monster Dash 5K, October 31, 2009

Katie - Operation
Me - Queen of Hearts
Erik - Max, from Where the Wild Things Are

Finishing touches, October 30, 2009

What a mess!, October 29, 2009

Collar for the costume, October 28, 2009

Thank goodness for magic erasers!, October 27, 2009

Frustrating Pattern, October 26, 2009

Playing, October 25, 2009

2009-10-25T15:02:00.006-06:00

So I've been a little absent, but so has my head. Erik and I both caught something and have been down for the count. I have continued to take a photo a day, but I was sick enough to rinse out my ice cream bowl in the bathroom sink instead of the kitchen sink, so I wasn't too interested in taking time to go find a good photographic subject. I'm still struggling with a sore throat with an upcoming presentation tomorrow.

Costume In-progress, October 24, 2009

Future Fetteccini companion of a crab, artichoke cream sauce, October 23, 2009

Learning to Quilt, October 22, 2009

Serenading away the sickness that prevailed, October 21, 2009

Inspiration for future backyard, October 20, 2009

Finally finished baby quilt, October 19, 2009

Roasted root vegetables and balsamic glazed salmon, October 18, 2009

I-35 in no-where Iowa, October 17, 2009

2009-10-18T17:19:00.002-05:00

A little catching up to do after being gone for a couple days.

Jesse, October 16, 2009

Empty Nest, October 15, 2009

A Rest, October 14, 2009

A Table of Sweets, October 13, 2009

Ready for Halloween, October 12, 2009

Wait for the wind, October 11, 2009

2009-10-11T11:12:00.002-05:00

Autumn Snow, October 10, 2009

On double ten day, we got about 1/2 inch of snow. I went out and tried to capture a few pictures before it all melted away. I'm not really ready for the snow. I'd like autumn to continue for a bit longer first and the trees to finish changing colors. Oh well.

I did finish reading Those Who Save Us yesterday. It was a good book. It is about WWII and two main characters and how they survived during WWII and how that impacted their lives in the 1990's. I enjoyed it. It was challenging to read at some points, due to the detailed description of some of the things that happened to the characters. I've been reading more historical fiction lately, particularly on WWII.

I also went to my friends' and made cupcakes and went to a cute little yarn store in St. Paul called the Yarnery. They have tons of patterns and yarn. I think the next time I'm ready to start a project with yarn, I might head there, but I have so many projects who knows when that will be.

2009-10-11T11:03:00.002-05:00

Hidden Falls at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, October 9, 2009

Erik and I went hiking on Friday in Nerstrand Big Woods. I really wanted to take some pictures of the little waterfall. The area had just received about 3 inches of rain so I was hoping it would be flowing a bit more that it does in late summer. We had a nice time hiking around. There was a large school group there too, but once we got out of the main picnic area we didn't see or hear much of them. We also went to Sakatah State Park, but we weren't really thrilled with the park. We had a nice hike and Erik made up a little finding game that we played on our hike. We also saw a big buck (6 point) dead on the side of the trail. That was kind of sad. All in all, we had a nice day in southern Minnesota.

2009-10-11T10:46:00.003-05:00

A beginning, or rather the tail, of a Halloween costume, October 8, 2009

We have been busy making Erik's Halloween costume. He is very excited about it. I'm excited to take on something like this that I haven't really done before. We'll post pictures of the whole costume after Halloween.

2009-10-08T12:58:00.001-05:00

St. Paul, October 7, 2009

Can you guess what this is?, October 6, 2009
I had a little fun with altering this photo because I didn't like it.

Almost a quilt, October 5, 2009

2009-10-04T18:31:00.002-05:00

Baby Snapping Turtle, October 4, 2009

Today was another gray day. Actually darker than yesterday, but not as much rain. I went to the Y, read, ran some errands with Erik, and then went hiking where we ran into the little guy above just hanging out on the side of the trail. Tonight I must catch up on sleep, because between reading too late last night, getting an unexpected wake up call this morning, working out and hiking, I'm worn out.

2009-10-04T10:35:00.004-05:00

Autumn Grasses, October 3, 2009

I caught a bit of a break in the rain today and went out to Lilly Preserve, part of Dodge Nature Center. I spent the rest of the day doing some rainy day activities.

Here are some other pictures from my hike.

Rainy Day

2009-10-03T13:02:00.002-05:00

Rain Drops, October 2, 2009

Friday, I had a lovely day of hanging out. I went to REI and got a few things for my Mom and Dad's hiking adventure next week. Dropped it off at their house and said hello to my BoBear. He is doing better and hopefully will be his old self soon. Then I hung out at home and slept, watched bad tv, read, and sewed a bit. Erik and I went out to dinner and then walked around Ikea. I do love walking around and dreaming in Ikea. Hopefully soon we'll have a house of our own to put those ideas to work.

2009-10-02T09:36:00.001-05:00

Rainy Night, October 1, 2009

2009-09-30T20:32:00.002-05:00

Blue Evening, September 30, 2009

Tonight I ran over to a park nearby with lots of hiking trails. I guess I wanted to make it feel like I was still on my vacation. :) I'm sad that the sun is slowly leaving earlier in the evening. I'm someone who loves the sun. Don't get me wrong I love cloudy, rainy days too, but given a choice I'd take the sunny crisp autumn day - like today.

Three years ago, the trees seemed to be quite a bit more colorful. Three years ago, I married my best friend amongst the colorful trees. Happy Anniversary! Tonight I brought Erik a fancy dinner of Arbys while he was at work and we are celebrating with a mini carrot cake.

2009-09-30T20:28:00.002-05:00

Pelicans are easily scared away, September 29, 2009

My Mom and I took a walk on Tuesday night to ease our thoughts of our poor pup, BoBear, who has been suffering with a very sore leg. He saw the vet last week and got some meds, thinking it was a torn ligament or sore muscle, but he didn't get any better. So back he went today and we found out he had a blood clot and had no pulse in his back leg. So he is on some new meds that should break up the clot and make him all better.

My Mom and I saw some pelicans and I told her that they are scared easily, but then I was the one who wanted to get closer and I scared them away. :(

Monday Monday

2009-09-30T20:21:00.004-05:00

Stuffed Bell Peppers, September 28, 2009

I don't think I was ready to go to work on Monday... actually I know I wasn't. I had such a nice vacation with Erik topped off by a nice Sunday at home and I could have just continued enjoying my days like that past few. I did take the time to make some stuffed peppers, as you can see. I stuffed with ingredients we mostly had. I filled them with brown rice, beef, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, corn, parsley, basil, tomato, cheese, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. I thought they could have used just a little bit more flavor... maybe some Italian sausage or I could have left the guts of the jalapenos in - I stripped them, because I was afraid it would be too hot if I didn't. They made for a great lunch on Tuesday.

Northwoods Vacation

2009-09-28T19:37:00.005-05:00

Here are some more pictures of our little vacation in northern Minnesota.

A Windy Sunday

2009-09-27T21:00:00.003-05:00

Blowin' Seeds, September 27, 2009

I got up early to watch some softball today. It was a good thing I did because I watched a couple of good games! Went out to my Mom and Dad's to check on BoBear, LauraBell and the garden. Something is wrong with BoBear's back leg and the poor pup is in pain. It was hard to see him struggle with finding a way to be comfortable. LauraBell was missing her buddy Chance and was eager to say hi to me when I went to see her and the garden. I got about a gallon of tomatoes and a dozen red peppers, a couple of green peppers and some hot peppers too. I stopped by at the nature center to take a picture. The wind has been fierce today.

September 26th: Photo of the Day

2009-09-27T20:56:00.001-05:00

Funky Fall Fungi, September 26, 2009

We saw quite a bit of interesting or funky fungi throughout our hikes. This is from Mille Lacs Kathio State Park.

25th of September Photo

2009-09-27T20:49:00.002-05:00

Suomi Hills Trails, September 25th, 2009

I love the ripples in the lake and how the clouds seem to ripple in the sky. Erik and I did quite a bit of hiking on our little vacation in the northwoods. This picture is from our hike in Suomi Hills Trails, located in the Chippewa National Forest.

24th of September Photo

2009-09-27T20:45:00.002-05:00

Painting with Light, September 24, 2009

Erik and I played with painting with a flashlight in long exposure pictures. We had fun trying to figure it out. We used a small flashlight... next time a little bigger. It was a beautiful night at the cabin!

Photo of the Day

2009-09-26T19:21:00.002-05:00

Cabin Stairs, September 23, 2009

Erik and I went up to the cabin for a little hiking, hunting, fall color viewing, and enjoying the northwoods.

Monday & Tuesday

2009-09-23T07:44:00.004-05:00

I had a little love hate relationship with my sewing machine this weekend. As I was winding a bobbin, the needle broke into 3 pieces and spewed one piece towards my neck. I kind of freaked out because it was just a little needle and it hit my neck, but I had no idea where it went, maybe in my neck? But thankfully it did not and my panicking was for nothing. I have not really touched it since the incident, but I will because I have many projects to finish. Erik and I concluded that maybe the needle got bent and then got stuck there for shattering. Who knows.

Throwing Needles, September 21, 2009

Laundry in Waiting, September 22, 2009

Last night I was all ready to do some laundry and all of the machines were full, so we had piles of laundry just hanging out in the living room last night. Thankfully they are open this morning and the laundry is getting done.

Sunday News

2009-09-20T22:35:00.002-05:00

BoBear, September 20, 2009

Beautiful Night, September 20, 2009

Today, I went to the farmers market with Erik and then I went horseback riding with my Mom and Grandma. We had a nice ride in the park. And then Erik and I made dinner at my parent's and Katie was there too. It was good to be with everyone this evening!

Saturday Wedding

2009-09-20T22:32:00.002-05:00

We went to Erik's cousin's wedding, Andy & Natasha, on Saturday evening at the Walker. It was a lovely evening.

Kim & Erik, September 19, 2009

Karen & Rich, September 19, 2009

Afton State Park

2009-09-19T13:44:00.003-05:00

This guy and I went hiking around Afton State Park on Friday. I absolutely love our days together going on a little adventure. We often only have one or two days off together and make the most of our time. We've been hitting State Parks quite a bit lately, but we really enjoy them. We enjoyed Afton State Park too. Since we went on a Friday it was very quiet there and peaceful. I simply could not pick one picture of the day... but if I had to, it would be the dear that so lovely graced our presence and was just hanging out with us as we stood in awe that she was not afraid of us. The pictures are in chronological order of our hike around the northeast side of the park.

Crown Vetch

Path at Afton State Park

Purple Aster

Lower St. Croix Valley

Bridge over Trout Brook

St. Croix River Shore

Dock on the St. Croix River

A Walk along the Shore

Hello dear

Leaves are lip-licking good

Acorns on the trail (ready to be crunched by chaco wearing feet)

Creeping Vine

Wednesday & Thursday (& Photos of the Day)

2009-09-19T12:41:00.004-05:00

Always Looking Up, September 15, 2009

I finished Always Looking Up on Wednesday morning. I enjoyed it. I picked it up when I was feeling like I needed to be a bit more optimistic earlier this summer and finally got around to reading it in the past couple weeks. It is a pretty quick read and when reading it, I could imagine Michael J. Fox narrating it. The words are distinctly his and it comes across in this book. He is pretty clear on his opinions about stem cell research and I like that. He has made a stand. There is a section on Faith that I really enjoyed as well. I really liked this quote from the book, as Micheal is talking about Chris Reeve explaining the difference between optimism and hope, "If optimism is a happy-go-lucky expectation that the odds are in my favor, that things are likely to break my way, and if hope is an informed optimism, facts converting desire into possibility, then faith is the third leg of the stool. Faith tells me that I'm not alone." I'd highly recommend reading Always Looking Up.

Spring Rolls, September 16, 2009

Thursday when I got home, Erik had my bike tires pumped up and ready to go. I want to get going with more routine exercise than I have been able to do this summer with all of my traveling. So I went for a little bike ride, nothing big, just a jaunt to move and burn some calories (some of the buster bar I had earlier in the day). Then Erik made Spring Rolls. He used a variation from this recipe. He also made a peanut sauce to go with them. They were nice and fresh and tasty.

In Lincoln, we often went to Home Depot on weekend evenings to look around, maybe after one or two little things for some project, but mostly just to look around. Thursday we did the same thing. We went after some supplies for Erik's Halloween costume and to walk around. Then we rented Bedtime Stories. Oh my, I loved it. Erik liked it too. It was funny and entertaining. The perfect thing.

September 15th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

Larabars, September 15, 2009

Okay, so I know this is a lame shot, but I couldn't think of what to take a picture of yesterday. I was dehydrated and unbelievably tired last night and still needed a picture. So Erik bought a box of Larabars, a full box, so I thought that would be sufficient. I do like Larabars. Erik and I had the gingersnap one last night - they are delightful, but they weren't on sale like the others, so we only had one in our box. I like the apple pie flavor too though and they were on sale.

September 14th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-16T09:32:00.002-05:00

Sunny One, September 14, 2009

I was traveling again this week, but just for one night. After a day in the field, I went to a wildlife management area and snapped a few shots, but the mosquitoes quickly sent me packing.

September 13th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-13T18:09:00.002-05:00

In love with this fabric, September 13, 2009

So today was a lazy Sunday for the most part. Erik and I kept on asking the other what do you want to do today? but neither of us were that energetic or had any great ideas. We hung out in the morning putzing. Erik got a hair cut and I waited at Caribou and read the paper. In the paper I saw an ad for a fabric warehouse, so off we drove to the other side of the cities to look at fabric. I found some. I'm making costumes for each of us for the Monster Dash 5K (I'm not very far with either costume). So we picked up some fabric for my costume and the fabric on the chair above. I fell in love with the fabric in the picture. I have no clue what I will do with it, but someday I might do something with it. Not like I have any projects that I should finish before starting a new one... better to have more irons in the fire right. Just kidding... I have so many projects that I need to work on and finish, but I will in due time. The we went to our friends' open house party. It was a very nice party with great weather and nice people. It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

As we drove back, reality kind of came back, and thoughts of work started rolling around. Yuck. It isn't a work day yet, so I'm trying to enjoy the rest of my weekend free of work and enjoy my evening with Erik.

September 12th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-13T17:59:00.002-05:00

Broccoli Rinse, September 12, 2009

I blanched and froze a beautiful head of broccoli from our garden. The inchworms also thought the broccoli was wonderful as I found a half a dozen of them. Also, BoBear enjoyed munching on the broccoli after I picked it and placed it on the ground with the other vegetables I harvested. Who ever heard of a dog loving broccoli? Funny huh.

Erik and I have also been collecting tomatoes from the garden and finally had the time to do something with them. We had about 3 gallons of tomatoes and peeled them and froze most, but we roasted the roma tomatoes and then froze them. Our little refrigerator freezer is starting to get awfully full!

I also went shopping with Erik's Mom on Saturday for some clothes to wear to Erik's cousin's wedding next weekend. We had great success and I have some great clothes to wear for the wedding and also to work.

Erik and I went to Lucky's Pub, in Mendota, Saturday night. It is a great place with very American food. Erik had a reuben and I had a walleye maple salad. We also got onion rings for an appetizer, but we needed at least 2 other people to share them with because they were plentiful in size and number.

September 11th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

This Cute Guy I Know, September 11, 2009

Erik and I ventured over to Kinnickinnic State Park in Wisconsin today and drove down the East side of the Mississippi River and crossed back into Minnesota at Wabasha. We also stopped at Maiden Rock Winery & Cidery, and Apple Orchard. We got some sweet apple wine, apples, and cheese curds for Erik. Then we stopped in Stockholm, Wisconsin, just down the road, and it was full of cute shops and bakeries. I particularly liked a shop called Adobe that had a variety of artists' works for sale. We had a very nice day together.

September 10th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

Guilty?, September 10, 2009

September 9th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T09:37:00.000-05:00

Painted Turtle, September 9, 2009

September 8th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T09:28:00.003-05:00

Tractor Convention, September 8, 2009

Last week I was in Chicago with skyscrapers outside my hotel window. This week a completely different view, so contrasting I had to capture it on camera. Here is the view from last week's hotel window in Chicago...

September 7th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T09:22:00.000-05:00

Rolling Delight, September 7, 2009

September 6th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-11T09:17:00.001-05:00

Her Horses, September 6, 2009

September 5th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-10T23:01:00.001-05:00

Morning Sun and Dew, September 5, 2009

September 4th - Photo of the Day

2009-09-10T22:27:00.002-05:00

Horse Camp, September 4, 2009

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T20:04:00.003-05:00

I got home from Chicago Thursday night, slept, packed and headed down to my parents. Mom and I got a few more things ready for our weekend and away we went to Upper Sioux Agency State Park to go horse camping, with Connie, my Mom's neighbor. The trails are in a mix of the Minnesota River valley and the uplands making for a hilly mix of prairie and forest. We had a great time riding. Laura Bell was great. She was, and I'd expect to always be, a bit on the antsy side. Chance did great too. Mom was a bit nervous at first, but they did great. Connie's horse, Hoot, was a great lead horse, so calm. We had a really great time riding and hanging out together and with our horses. I rode Laura Bell bareback during two of the rides and that was so nice. It gave her a break from the cinch and increased my riding confidence - she spooked once and I sat my seat (stayed on). I think I could have stayed there much longer. We had such nice weather while we were there too - upper 70's during the day with a nice breeze and comfortably cool in the evenings. The moon was also while we were there - it was a full moon. We got back on Monday evening. We were all tired from the perfect weekend. I crashed when I got home hard. I felt bad for Erik, because I came home and didn't spend much time with him, but I was exhausted. I didn't have time to upload any pictures before leaving again, but I will when I get back home later this week. Now I'm back to work and wishing I was back horseback riding and camping.