back on the bike

Talk about skeletons in the closet: I bought a shiny new bike 3 years ago. And I just rode it for the second time ever. Shame, shame, shame. Yesterday we had a suuper pretty pocket of sunshine amid sprinkles and drear. The warm breeze & dandelions were begging us to come spend a little time in the fresh spring air and we happily obliged. We snatched up the opportunity to take a little bike ride around one of our favorite lakes. I in my new navy Toms, Graham in our new (well--new to us) baby bike buggy, and Jeff in his winter beard...which apparently, is here to stay. The trip was complete awesomesauce. We really do need to get out more.

holidazzle

Last weekend we braved the 10-something degree digits to fight the crowds in dt Minneapolis and began a fun + festive new little family tradition: Hitting the Holidazzle Parade. There are few things better than a night on the town with my 2 lover boys. {Even if it means shivering on the sidewalk. Next year we're arriving early to stake out VIP seats in the armchairs at Barnes & Noble.}
G was in awe of the city lights, dressed in holiday style...even before the parade began. xo

junk bonanza

Just got home from Junk Bonanza, the biggest+best flea market in Minnesota. {For the locals: the show is open Fri 9/17 & Sat 9/18 too, so there's still time for you to check it out!}

What a spread! The place is filled with so much vintage loveliness, it's hard to take it all in. For extra pairs of eyes, I brought my mom & sis-in-law for the first time...Graham and I went last year, and knew what a challenge it would be to navigate the booths and crowd with a stroller. Somehow I think we came out ahead. Here are a few photos I brought home (among other treasures...more on that soon!)
G crashed in his stroller. Oh how I love a good shopping companion!

Note: Please comment if you know the names of any of these vendors. Sorry I have no credits!

mara-mi

One of my big to-dos over the summer was to spend an afternoon in Stillwater--a darling old-fashioned town along the Mississippi River. Its downtown is lined with antiques and cute shops where all the vintage goodies and small-town charm are enough to paint a smile on your face and put a spring in your step...but adding Mara-Mi's new store into the mix makes this place heaven on earth. The folks at Mara-Mi combined their beautiful stationery line, racks of letterpress, ribbon hanging from the ceiling, along with home decor, a counter of vintage jewelry and an adorable little bakery in the corner. If that's not enough, they have an entire smorgasbord of ice cream to top it all off. All the things that make my heart go pitter-pat under one roof.

lake harriet

It's not Disneyland.
It's not a glamorous summer vacation or a long-distance road trip.
It's Lake Harriet and it's free and it's just a hop skip and a jump away from where we live.
It's simple picnic, a lazy afternoon, and dip in the lake.
It's cool summer breezes, sandy shoes, and strawberry stains.
It's a little boy who loves to splash and wants to drink the whole lake. Mmmm...
It's a break from the daily grind and a time to just be a little family.
Yet somehow, it's just as magical.

county fair

Nothing screams dog days of summer like a trip to the county fair. Growing up in a small rural community, paying an annual visit to the county fair was the ultimate family outing. An evening at the fair meant breaking in your new pair of back-to-school jeans. It meant hanging out with your friends again after being away at camp or the lake all summer. It meant freebies, face painting and marginal Country music. It meant savoring the last few slices of summertime by the light of the ferris wheel. True story: I even spent a few summers at the farm helping my cousin get ready to show her pigs + rabbits at the fair, then serving up coffee + apple pie in the 4-H food stand during fair week. If that wasn't a character building experience in my life, I don't know what is. This summer, it was time to tote G through the mud, gravel, and cow pies to teach him what the fair is all about. The boy is such a city slicker--he has airplanes and sirens nailed, but is still a little weak in the barnyard sound department. We hoped the petting zoo would change that. He went nuts-o for all of the animals, bouncing from pen to pen barking and waving. Good times.

We even sprang for the slippery slide. Best 4 bucks we've burned all year. Why are carnival attractions so darn expensive? For $1, I bet they'd have 10x the kiddie customers. I'm no marketing whiz, just sayin'.
But of course the best part of any fair, anywhere is the food. The boys shared a raspberry milkshake with Grandma. The real deal of a milkshake. It makes my belly ache just thinking about it. I had my traditional bowl of Queen Apples: topped with homemade caramel, nuts, whipped cream, and candy cherries. Mmm...Hoping we will find time to make it to the Minnesota State Fair next week to have all this again and more...On a stick.

minneapolis farmers' market

Last weekend was perfect for enjoying a little sunshine and summertime at the farmer's market. Shopping here on a Saturday am is slightly less convenient than a quick jaunt to the grocery store, but the rewards are incredible. Fresher food, locally grown, and often for better prices. There's just something so gratifying about handing 2 bucks to the grower himself in exchange for your heap of oh-so-orange carrots. It's all about the experience. A girl can only pack just so much of the fresh + fabulous spread into her canvas market bag. The rest of the punch she must pack into the camera slung 'round her neck and share beyond the realms of her own refrigerator. Here is a taste:Hot-diggity. We bellied up to the last booth for fresh lemonade and fully loaded brats, then topped it off with a visit to the clown and balloon for the boy.

library day

We took our first trip to the Dakota county library the other day. After living here for 6 months, I can't believe we hadn't bothered to get library cards yet! Perhaps not surprising considering that libraries are one of the most underused resources in our country...
I am loving our new local book nook.
I love feeling a bit more connected with our community.
I love that our library runs now involve time in the children's section... Browsing all of the bright+beautiful picture books, flirting with other little kids, watching puppet shows, and chasing Mr. G as he does his part to empty the shelves.
Loving that our new library has free admission passes to awesome places like the Minnesota Zoo & tons of local museums for anyone to check out. They are first come, first serve, and a little hard to come by,
but I love the anticipation that on any given trip we might be able to score these.
Love a fresh stack of inspiring craft and design picture books for me, because it's no secret that I haven't been able to sit myself down to start or finish a novel in the past year...
I love that the library is a total free for all.

to the great up north

Am finally getting around to sharing pics from our mini vacation to the great up north a few weekends ago. One of Jeff's lifelong friends tied the knot in a beautiful outdoor wedding on the shores of Lake Superior. If you know Minnesota, you know that weather-wise, Late October can be a dicey/blizzarding time of year at this latitude. In Two Harbors, the leaves had already fallen and there was a chance of snow in the forecast all weekend. Lucky lucky, the day turned out to be a crisp 40 degrees and sunshiny--am just thankful I didn't have to sport a sleeveless gown like the bride + bridesmaids! This was our first wedding this year without the pressure of playing photographer so we really kicked back and enjoyed it!!
We kicked the day off by bundling up and taking a trip to see Split Rock Lighthouse. We were a little bummed that the lighthouse itself is closed for tours in the off season--so instead we took a little hike down to the beach to get some great panoramic views. Man, what a scenic place!

And no trip to Northern Minnesota is complete without a trip to Betty's.
Seriously, her pie is legendary.
We stopped there for brunch, for a chance to warm up, and for this slice of mouthwatering raspberry rhubarb pie: Even G got a taste of its gooey goodness!

junk bonanza

Last Saturday's flea market scene rocked my world. I hit Junk Bonanza, the biggest antique/flea market/craft fair of its kind in the Midwest, which was conveniently hosted a few miles away at Canterbury Down in Shakopee. All of the booths were amazing; just dripping with the most charming vintage and re-purposed goods you ever did see. Enough gabbing, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:
At one stop, there were thousands of pieces of this bright old European enamelware. A feast for the eyes!
And for the grand finale, I must share my finds. It felt fabulous to bring home a piece of the eclectic beauty! I love my new metal tray for its lovely flowers and mint condition.Also scored this little painted end table. It's exactly what our drab living room ordered to cozy up a corner. It even has the perfect little drawer for remotes + beverage coasters. Love, love, love.

graham the gnome

On our last night in San Francisco, Jeff & I dragged Graham all over the city to be sure he visited all of our favorite sites before we left. One day, we want to be able to flip open an album and show him what a cool birthplace he had, since he's too little to remember any of it now. So remember those classic Travelocity commercials? With the garden gnome all over the world? That's where we drew our inspiration--only this time we popped on Graham's gnomey hat {made by Becca}, and hit the S.F. highlights. {Isn't that hat crazy, perfect? You wouldn't believe the compliments we received as we toured the town!}And an update on the move: The dust has settled. We made it to Minnesota, safe and sound, but it's been one wild week. Graham slept through our red-eye flight last Saturday, settled in at Grandma's house, and promptly came down with his first ear infection, fever, and dirty cold. :( Poor fella. Thankfully, he's feeling and eating much better now! Jeff and his little bro braved the monotonous journey in the Budget rental truck + car trailer across the country and finally made it here. Don't even get me started on the perils of renting a moving truck...The boys got stranded twice, once with a flat tire, and once with a car dolly that had completely snapped in half. Thankfully, no one was hurt (except for the underbelly of our car!). I'm disgusted that they let those rusty pieces of junk out on the open road. Seriously friends, resist the tantalizing deals, never rent from Budget.