Alpha Leonis

Sticky orange cake with marmalade glaze.

2012-02-19T18:24:00.004-06:00

First of all, don't you love the word marmalade? It's fun to say!

And second, I found this recipe on pinterest which of course is everyone's new addiction.

Sticky Orange Cake with Maramalade Glaze.
I've found so many good recipes through thekitchn. And a bonus - this recipe is vegan!

You have to zest an entire orange for this recipe. That would be easy if I had a zester. However, I discovered that this old peeler is a pretty great substitute. And you can't tell from the photos, but the cake ended up very concave. In part because of the plate I served it on, but also because I think I opened the oven when I shouldn't have during baking. Oh well - the cake still tasted great. I served it with chunks of organic dark chocolate.

follow me on tumblr!

2012-01-09T20:52:00.002-06:00

I've converted.
http://2012bestyearever.tumblr.com/

I think it will be easier to post the photo a day project to tumblr. Enjoy!

buzzed.

2012-01-09T19:59:00.001-06:00

I like a good buzzed haircut.

cleaning out the freezer.

2012-01-08T20:25:00.001-06:00

Banana Muffins.
I made two loaves of banana bread too. I had to use up those frozen bananas one way or another!
Canon Powershot.

yellow

2012-01-07T21:40:00.002-06:00

Banana puff pastry dessert.
It should be noted that this was the second dessert of the evening.

January 6

2012-01-07T15:09:00.003-06:00

Okay, I already missed a day. But all day Thursday I was in a meeting and then that evening led to dinner at a lame restaurant. There wasn't anything 'photo worthy'. So I made up for it on Friday and tried Chick-Fil-A for the first time ever. Not bad at all.

photo from January 4

2012-01-06T07:04:00.003-06:00

No access to wi-fi the other day so this photo is late to be posted.
View from the plane, iPhone.

chop.

2012-01-03T19:45:00.000-06:00

Swiss chard, carrots, onion.
nikon d7000.

packing.

2012-01-02T16:04:00.000-06:00

Spent most of today packing for the move to the big house.

iPhone.

starting now.

2012-01-01T16:44:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year 2012!

I've decided that starting now I'm going to post a photo for every day in 2012. Typically this is referred to as a 365 photo project and I'm following in the shadows of many bloggers who have done the same.

The logistics of my project will get ironed out as I go along. Specifically I need to figure out the most efficient way for me to post a daily photo. There are so many options - I could post right here on the blog or I could use flickr or tumblr or a combination of all of those. Regardless of how I post I know I'll be using one of my three cameras. Of course I have my iPhone 4 camera and the instagram app. Then there is my shiny new Nikon D7000. And finally, the camera that lives in my purse is the Canon Powershot SD1200.

I am full of anticipation for 2012 and so I thought this project would be a great way for me to capture the year (and hone in on my photography skills at the same time). I may or may not write a description with each photo, but 2012 is sure to bring some great visuals. Watch for a new home and a wedding!

Today's photo:
A self portrait on the way back to MN from Wisco.

Santa's Nice List.

2011-12-22T21:37:00.004-06:00

Earlier this month Luke and I were in Chicago for a fun holiday weekend. We walked by the Macy's display windows and look what we found! It's Santa's nice list and it includes Luke, Eli and Me (although Santa spelled my name wrong).

guess who's coming to town?

2011-12-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

before and after.

2011-12-14T21:24:00.004-06:00

I finally completed my tv stand project. I think it only took me a year and a half. Ha!
I'm happy with the end result.
The darker stained wood matches the other end tables in the living room.

I made this.

2011-12-11T21:07:00.003-06:00

Congrats to Emma on completing nursing school. All celebrations of such accomplishment should involve big pieces of cake!
You can find the recipe here.

I can't stop staring.

2011-11-29T20:07:00.001-06:00

Here is our Christmas Tree, it's just as lovely as can be!

still my favorite sign.

2011-11-27T14:55:00.000-06:00

coffee

2011-10-26T20:22:00.002-05:00

Last week I had a notion that I should stop drinking coffee.
Guess how long that lasted?
One day.
I went one day without coffee.
It's just so good.

how it's made.

2011-10-12T19:49:00.005-05:00

Thanks to a link from Jenloveskev I found a great DIY art project.

Then I teamed up with my friend Jackie and we began our crafty adventure. Our goal was to end up with a work of art worthy of serving as our wedding present to our friends Jake and Emily.

We chose the lyrics from the Hall and Oats song because that was the song Jake and Emily had in their wedding ceremony.
Art project = Success!

fall.

2011-10-10T21:17:00.002-05:00

Houston Nature Center
Houston, MN

nursing pays off.

2011-09-25T20:40:00.002-05:00

Early this summer Luke injured himself playing soccer. Poor guy. Following surgery for a torn ACL and torn meniscus he became a permanent resident on my couch. As a result I honed in on my nursing skills and quickly got into a routine of care for the man with one good leg. I now have special skills in adjusting cushions and pillows. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to stack cushions for the right amount of leg elevation.

When you only have one good leg and rely on crutches it's hard to do much more than relax on the couch. You can't do laundry or cook very easily. So I took over these tasks for Luke and he was a very appreciative patient. Somewhere during Luke's recovery we discovered that I'm a pretty good nurse and as a result, I deserve some sort of pay back. ah-ha! I knew just the thing. My plan was that once Luke was back to his regular self we'd go out for a fancy dinner and he would pick up the tab. Seems like a great plan, right? I thought so, and I was right.

Last night we went to Tilia. This is a small restaurant in Linden Hills and it's wonderful. Fabulous. Amazing. SO good!! I had only read great reviews about this place so I had added it to my "restaurants to try" list. I continue to thank myself for this list because it really helps me find new places to eat. When we arrived at Tilia it was just after 6 pm and the place was already packed with a dinner crowd. We put our names on the list and were told it would be an hour wait. My some magic our table was ready in less than a half hour. Lovely.

Here's what we had: meatballs (plus wine for me and beer for Luke). Then we tried the scallops and chicken thighs. We ended the meal with the squash pasta dish (and more wine and beer). It was all incredible. Plus, the dishes came to our table slowly so we could enjoy each item and take time to chat. I really like that format of dining out because then you don't feel rushed.

Can you tell that I highly recommend this place? Go there now. Thank me later.

art project.

2011-09-25T20:27:00.002-05:00

Here's a hint of an art project that I am dying to share!!

nature walk.

2011-09-05T21:14:00.000-05:00

Up North Wisconsin

this is a bike rack.

2011-08-22T21:38:00.002-05:00

Streetcar.

2011-08-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

Madison Farmers Market

2011-08-09T21:14:00.002-05:00

up north.

2011-07-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

I want to be back up north.

this and that.

2011-06-21T21:30:00.003-05:00

I am continually drawn to these prints.
tip: the vertical LOVE prints are currently on sale!

Last week I made this dessert.

You can check out my back side here. Photo 157.

I would wear this dream outfit.

It rained last Saturday so I'm not so bummed that I missed this.
I went to this instead and it was awesome.

Right now I'm reading Cutting for Stone.
and I've been watching North and South.

And somehow I managed to turn this:

Into this!

craving.

2011-06-14T21:05:00.003-05:00

For months I have been craving the yummy bagel breakfast sandwiches from the St. Paul Farmer's Market. I ate mine so fast that I'm lucky I remembered to take a photo first!

witch tower.

2011-06-05T20:36:00.004-05:00

There's only one night a year when you have the opportunity to climb the spiral stairs to the top of the Witch's Tower. Once you reach the top you can enjoy a 360 degree view of the Twin Cities. I honestly just wanted to yell, "I love you Minneapolis!" when I saw the skyline. It was a great event with live music, a cake walk and hula hooping!

firewood.

2011-06-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

name that herb!

2011-05-26T22:29:00.002-05:00

My little herb garden.

spotted.

2011-05-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

aroma.

2011-05-25T22:23:00.001-05:00

If only you could smell these flowers through the internet,
then you would know that spring is here.

under the bridge.

2011-05-09T20:58:00.001-05:00

A trio of skateboarders taking a break under the Hennepin Avenue bridge.

smell.

2011-04-27T20:19:00.002-05:00

Ahh... I love the smell of fresh cut pineapple!

coffee + cream

2011-04-13T13:32:00.002-05:00

Do you drink coffee? Do you add cream? If yes to both questions, then I have another question. Why is it so hard to get the right coffee to cream ratio in my mug? You see, here’s the thing. A couple of years ago I started to drink coffee. Initially I was just fine drinking it black. No cream or sugar required. But now I really like to add cream. It just tastes so good. That is, it tastes so good when I can get it right. I don’t drink coffee everyday and when I do drink coffee it’s from different places. This is critical information because the mug or cup I’m using isn’t always the same size. Yesterday I had coffee at work and today I had a medium light roast from Caribou. Both days I added cream. Sometimes I add cream and it’s not enough and sometimes I add cream and it’s too much. Maybe I just need to practice adding cream to my coffee to obtain the perfect ratio. In the end, I like my coffee to be a dark caramel color. Not only is that the best tasting but it’s also a very pretty color. If you drink coffee and have any tips on how to consistently add the right amount of cream, please let me know. Am I the only one who faces this struggle?

crush.

2011-04-12T12:56:00.004-05:00

I keep spotting ginkgo leaves and I have a huge crush on them!

bits of my weekend.

2011-04-10T20:03:00.005-05:00

I read a lot of blogs. Well, at least I subscribe to a lot of blogs on my google reader. I don't always read everything. One the blogs I subscribe to is For Me, For You. After each weekend, Kate posts "Bits of My Weekend" and it includes photos from her weekend adventures. I feel like I might have shared this once already on my blog. Oh well. Instead of sharing pics I decided I should do some writing on this blog. Here's a recap of my weekend:

I left work early on Friday and took a little detour to the Emergency Room to meet up with Luke. Friend him on facebook and you can get the whole story. Bottom line, he is fine now and learned the hard way that you should take your vitamins one at a time.

Given the flurry of activity with the trip to the ER, Luke and I had a low key night hanging out with his parents and his sister Ali. I don't think I will ever tire of real fireplaces. Especially those that are in dining rooms. It's lovely.

Saturday morning was full of cleaning and laundry. Plus some time dividing up the contents of the kitchen with my roomie. It's sad to know that her moving day is getting closer and closer.

Luke and I spent some time at Caribou on Saturday afternoon and then made a trip to REI. I finally broke down and bought a very beautiful messenger bag. I can't wait to organize all of my stuff into the pockets! Don't worry, I didn't pay full price.

Alright, so if you live in the metro you know that the weather this weekend was incredible. Everyone was spending time outside and leaving their coats and jackets behind. We all survived the winter! What better way to spend a Saturday night than at a backyard campfire? Ahh... I didn't even care that my hair reeked of smoke when I went to bed that night. Bring on spring (and summer!)

Sunday morning I was up early and called Luke to get his butt outta bed. We took Bella for a run along the railroad tracks. Then it was flip flops and coffee outside of Bun of the Isles with the Sunday paper. See all that frosting above? That is pure heaven. Plus I had an incredible orange and strawberry scone.

After a trip to Trader Joe's Luke indulged me by helping me as I got my bike ready for the season. And by helping I mean, he watched as I directed him on ways he could help me. But really, I wouldn't let him do anything because I'm so anal about my bike. Man, my bike is really pretty!

Luke and I made a fabulous dinner together and then camped out on the couch to catch up on some episodes of Big Bang Theory. All in all, it was a good weekend. So very very good.

never ending winter.

2011-03-24T19:26:00.004-05:00

We had a day or two of 50 degree weather... but now we are back to the frozen tundra. My positive vibes for winter are SO over! Bring on SPRING.

like.

2011-03-14T14:10:00.001-05:00

list!

2011-03-10T21:36:00.002-06:00

Who doesn't love a good list? Here's mine for today.

I have always loved this print.

Maybe this weekend I will make this or this.
Although these look good too!

Now this is dedication. For Lent, I'm giving up going out to eat.

Have you checked out the guys and outfits here? Very cool.

My hair isn't long enough to be this cool.

this is genius.

2011-03-07T22:18:00.003-06:00

Not sure what this is? It took me a minute to figure it out too.
It's a fabulous kitchen gadget. I want one!

From Finnish Design Shop, Found via the Kitchn.

closed.

2011-02-28T21:53:00.002-06:00

art?

2011-02-22T22:13:00.002-06:00

Yes, this is art. But it seems creepy to me.

succulents.

2011-02-09T11:46:00.001-06:00

I really like succulents.

That is all.

cupcakes!

2011-02-07T20:00:00.005-06:00

Root Beer Chocolate Cupcakes with Root Beer Chocolate Frosting!
Want the recipe?

st. paul carnival parade

2011-01-29T17:20:00.001-06:00

running late.

2011-01-26T22:08:00.002-06:00

This will come as a shock to those of you who know me.
Last night I was late.
For those of you who don't know me... allow me to explain.
I am never late. I loathe being late. I am always early. Even if I think I'm going to be late for something I get all tense and paranoid. I panic as if the world is going to end because I might possibly be late for something. But the truth is - I am never late.
Until last night.

Last night I was late.
I left work and headed to Minneapolis to Luke's place. Traffic was moving at the usual pace and I arrived at Luke's without a care in the world. Plenty of time, I thought. I went inside and Luke was just about ready to leave. He changed a load of laundry and I gave Bella a treat. No hurrying at all. Back in the car Luke was in the driver's seat and we were off to the French Meadow Cafe. I had a groupon to use for dinner.
Getting to French Meadow proved to be more of an expedition than I had planned. Oh, the traffic! I didn't feel any panic though. We would still have time for dinner and make it to Spanish class at 6:30 p.m.

(What was I thinking? Why wasn't I panicking? I should have known better!)

We sat down at our table at French Meadow and ordered tea. Then we ordered an appetizer and our entrees. This is where the pressure finally started to sink in. How were we going to have enough time to eat and get to class by 6:30 p.m.? What time was it when we sat down? French Meadow Cafe isn't the kind of place where you want to rush through dinner. Why hadn't we just gone to grab some soup at Common Roots Cafe?

The thing is... not only am I never late, I am always early. SO early. In college I remember showing up to empty classrooms all. the. time. I was usually the first one to arrive for class. If I'm driving somewhere new I allow extra driving time. I'm so early that even if I get lost along the way I can still arrive early to my final destination. (That has actually happened to me.)

You know what happens when you are early for everything? You spend a lot of time waiting. Waiting for others to show up. Waiting checking your clock. Waiting for things to start. Waiting.

But last night I was late.
Luke flagged down our waitress and asked her, "Can you bring our bill with our entrees? We have somewhere we need to be at 6:30." The entrees were served and we ate fast. If anyone was watching us they probably thought we were in the middle of a fight. It was all action and no talking. Eat your dinner. Hurry up. Even at this point I wasn't completely freaking out about being late. Classes never really start on time anyway, right? I know this after all of my 'showing up early and waiting around' experience.

My debit card was out and ready to go. But wait, oh no. What's this? The bill is wrong. I should only have to pay about $8 after the groupon discount yet the waitress charged almost $20 to my card. Crap. This isn't helping. Luke scooped up the bill and my card and got the error fixed while I continued to hurry up and eat. (He somehow managed to finish his gnocchi with lightening speed).

Bill fixed. Receipt signed. Coats are on. Luke took the car keys and planned to pick me up on the corner. No sense in both of us trying to cross Lyndale Avenue on foot with all the traffic going by. Once I was in the car we were headed only a few blocks away to Jefferson School for our very first Spanish class. Yep, that's right: LATE ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF CLASS.

We hurried into the building and quickly asked the Community Education office staff person where we needed to go. Third floor. We rode the elevator with another guy going to the same class. We finally reached the room and walked in through the open door. The lights were off and the instructor was already going through powerpoint slides. Seriously. And do you know what time it was right then? 6:33 p.m. SERIOUSLY. And you know what else? Three other students showed up AFTER US.

So yes, ladies and gentleman, last night I was late. And even though I was late, the world didn't end. I survived. Everything's just fine. Other people were even later than me. Plus, I don't think I really missed much during those first three minutes of class. Maybe now I can use this experience and just be on time for things rather than always early. Maybe.

Gold Medal Flour

2011-01-18T18:59:00.002-06:00

My favorite sign still rocks in black and white.

Aster Cafe.

2011-01-17T20:54:00.003-06:00

My favorite thing to order is the manchego cheese plate with raisins and marcona almonds.

miss.

2011-01-10T20:17:00.002-06:00

learn something.

2011-01-04T22:08:00.002-06:00

My goals for 2011 are still spinning around in my head. Eventually I will get them on paper. And yes I mean on real paper, that I write on with one of my favorite pens, not some electronic document. Meanwhile, I want to learn some things.

I'm signed up for a Spanish community education class in Minneapolis that starts later this month. And I'm also working on this. Tonight I focused on step three.

Here's a sunny picture to warm you up.

name the location!

2011-01-02T20:15:00.000-06:00

200 bonus points to anyone who knows where this photo was taken!

winter fun.

2010-12-27T20:15:00.002-06:00

While I was in Wisconsin for Christmas I had the chance to go snow shoeing with my Uncle. He took me on a little tour of the woods and the traps he has set. The traps were empty but the weather was perfect for being outside. Later that day we ventured out again with my brother-in-law and nephew. It was a great way to spend time on Christmas day.

fruit cake.

2010-12-23T19:05:00.002-06:00

Snow Day Project

2010-12-21T18:23:00.005-06:00

I realize that what I am about to post is something that won't earn me any bonus points. Unless of course I'm in search of geek bonus points. Then I'll be set. But you see, we've had a bit of snow here in Minnesota. Actually, a ton of snow. So there was a day when I couldn't really leave the house because of all the snow. Enter in a day devoted to projects. I have a whole list of projects that I want to work on and this one is finally complete. Thanks to the snow day.

I used all of these pretty papers...

To create a very pretty recipe dividers...

To go inside a very pretty binder.

And now all of my recipes are in plastic page covers, neatly organized and ready for use.
Lovely.

more found beauty.

2010-12-09T21:40:00.003-06:00

glow.

2010-12-06T20:56:00.000-06:00

found beauty.

2010-12-02T22:39:00.003-06:00

it's on the way.

2010-12-02T21:23:00.003-06:00

SNOW!

snowman village.

2010-11-29T20:38:00.002-06:00

Me: "This is our fifth Christmas living together!"
Kjersta: "That's insane."
Me: "And we have had a snowman village every year."
Kjersta: "I don't know why we wouldn't."

leaves and acorns.

2010-11-23T22:09:00.003-06:00

Not so long ago my dear sweet roomie and I spent the day baking. And watching the movie Elf. Twice. We made some gingersnaps in the shape of acorns and leaves. Very appropriate for fall, but not so appropriate according to the snowy weather that day. Regardless, gingersnaps are fabulous little gems of fall baking.

snow. and copycat.

2010-11-21T20:14:00.004-06:00

I want to wash my hands, my hair, my face with snow!

Yep. New mailbox. New address. It's been a few weeks since I moved into the new place and I still have boxes left to unpack, but so far, so good. I'm especially appreciative of the garage with the upcoming winter weather.

I love it when bloggers post with a bunch of different links from around the web. Some examples include: Friday Favorites from Erin Louise, Gift ideas at Design*Sponge, A Cup of Jo.

Here's a few things I've found online lately that I think are worth sharing...

Great bags from Bayan Hippo.

Mitten gift tags.

Fun bike necklace.

I like the stuff at this shop.

Why haven't I made this caramel sauce yet?

Shoe clips will rock your face off.

Very pretty tablecloths.

welcome winter.

2010-11-14T21:18:00.002-06:00

I think just about all of my friends on facebook posted a picture of the snow yesterday. Here's one from me:

copycat #1. I am a Sum of All These Parts.

2010-11-05T21:12:00.002-05:00

Here's my first attempt at borrowing a blog idea and making it my own. I wholeheartedly agree with Amanda over at Mocking Bird about how we should introduce ourselves.

So allow me to introduce myself.

I am a friend

a sister

a daughter

an organizer

a blogger

a listener

a photographer

a bicyclist

a maple syrup lover

a list maker

a collector

and so much more.

copycat.

2010-11-02T20:37:00.003-05:00

Did you know that November is National Blog Posting Month? I was completely unaware until I read about it here. Thanks Jen.

So I was thinking about all the blogs that I read on my google reader... there are so many unique posts to scour for cool ideas. Blog writers are always asking for comments on their questions or design options. I think what might be even more flattering is to copy some of their blog posts. I don't mean copy verbatim or steal someone's ideas. I mean, take the concept of their blog post and re-create it based on myself. Of course I would provide a link to the original blog post and give full credit for the idea. Does that make sense? Maybe this could be the start of a series.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of the gorgeous green lights under the 35W Bridge. Enjoy. (it's blurry because I was driving while I took the photo. whoops.)

goodbye NE.

2010-10-28T22:17:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is moving day!

Yep, you heard that right. It is with a sad face that I am leaving Northeast Minneapolis. Out of all the places I have lived in the twin cities metro - this is where I have been the longest. My roomie and I have had a great share of Northeast adventures. Here is just a sample:

- Game night in 2008 before we had anything hung up on the walls.
- The day we opened that big can of olives.
- Awesomeville. Population: US.
- The night the girls all went out in old bridesmaid dresses.
- Christmas Sing Along at Keegan's.
- Christmas Throw Up.
- New Years Eve at the Bulldog.
- Bowling Night at Elsie's.
- Game night in 2009 when we finally had things hanging on the walls.
- Wine sampling at Surdyk's followed by dinner at Butcher Block.
- Walking downtown.
- Running home in the rain from Nye's.
- Tugg's Strawberry Lemonade.
- Hearing fireworks to signal a Twins Win.
- Hearing the pedal pub on it's way down the road.

Speaking of hearing things... here are the things we WON'T miss hearing:
- Neighbor belching.
- Neighbor shooting off fireworks when it's not the 4th of July.
- Neighbor yelling.
- Firetruck sirens.
- Police sirens.
- Neighbor belching. I had to put this on the list twice because it's just so annoying.

All belching aside, we really are taking so many great memories with us!

(Also, I do not have one picture of the outside of this place. I better take a couple this weekend).

catch the color.

2010-10-21T21:46:00.002-05:00

graffiti.

2010-10-17T19:03:00.001-05:00

The Fear You Won't Fall

2010-10-14T22:00:00.002-05:00

I'm breathing in
Come find me
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
I know you're scared that I'll soon be over it
That's part of it all
Part of the beauty of falling in love with you is the fear you won't fall
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you

-Lyrics from Joshua Radin

This song feels like a secret to me. I've only included some of the lyrics here but I really do love this song for so many reasons. First, it has the dreamy voice of Joshua Radin. Second, the love described can be for a person. Or for a place. Today, for me, it's about a place. Oh, Northeast Minneapolis... how I love you and oh how I am going to miss you... so very, very much.

random goodness.

2010-10-11T21:06:00.003-05:00

Here's a lovely fall photo and some fabulous links for you to enjoy:

I want this Bike Shelf.

Last week I made this pumpkin bread.

Someday I should host a party like this.

I really do love you blogs and coffee.

Jen knows blogging. And she rocks it.

Studio On Fire has some cool stuff.

Look at these fun photos!

That's all for now.

Do you see what I see?

2010-10-11T20:37:00.002-05:00

mushrooms.

2010-10-10T21:56:00.002-05:00

I spied these mushrooms at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

a tasty pattern.

2010-10-09T22:52:00.004-05:00

There is a great little pattern that has begun with a small contingency of girls who all work in public health, including myself. Sometime this summer we decided it would be a tasty idea for us to go to cupcake happy hours. Slowly we are making our rounds to the latest and greatest cupcake places in the metro. Here's a re-cap of where we've been so far:

Cupcake in St. Paul
Cake Eater in Minneapolis
Patisserie 46 in Minneapolis - no cupcakes here, just fancy desserts!
Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul
A Piece of Cake in St. Paul

So far the favorite is Sweets Bakeshop. They even earned bonus points this summer by offering a real cupcake happy hour - complete with free cupcakes. Just this past week we went to A Piece of Cake where I tried the peanut butter cupcake:

tinted view.

2010-10-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

favorite.

2010-09-16T21:23:00.002-05:00

spot on the hill.

2010-09-12T20:51:00.001-05:00

untitled.

2010-09-11T20:39:00.000-05:00

the great minnesota get together!

2010-09-06T17:51:00.006-05:00

Lake of the Isles

2010-08-30T20:33:00.002-05:00

I highly recommend renting a kayak to float around Lake the Isles. I normally don't write much on my blog posts - it's usually just photos. I think I should write more. I'm not going to think about what I write because I should just write for the sake of writing. Who cares what I write anyway? Just me.

So last week Jessica and I spent a lovely two hours out on Lake of the Isles. We rented a kayak for two and it was wonderful. We certainly saw our share of wildlife including turtles, great blue herons and a muskrat. Nature in the heart of the city. I'd like to go back for more kayaking once the leaves start to change color.

University Avenue.

2010-08-24T21:12:00.002-05:00

This picture is from a few weeks ago. I was driving home from a meeting in St. Paul via University Avenue. The storms were really rolling in and providing some relief from the humidity.

camping food. yum.

2010-08-15T21:09:00.005-05:00

art.

2010-08-05T17:12:00.005-05:00

I got crafty last weekend and made some art to hang in my cubicle at work. Here's what I came up with:

This is the symbol for Public Health.

minneapolis.

2010-08-04T20:29:00.003-05:00

University of Minnesota Transitway.

patisserie 46.

2010-08-04T20:17:00.002-05:00

Sometimes happy hour = fancy dessert!

my sister's garden

2010-07-20T22:27:00.003-05:00

it's days like these...

2010-07-14T21:37:00.003-05:00

...that I wish I was a photographer and could spend all day scouting out perfect spots to take pictures. But alas, I had to take this picture while I was driving home tonight.
The stormy sky today is so captivating.

neverending summer.

2010-07-05T18:17:00.002-05:00

It's hot. It's been hot all weekend. But it's summer and that's the way it's supposed to be. My summer days have been long and full and I'm loving every minute of it.

12 weeks from now I'll be competing in the Iron Girl Duathlon. I've been running and biking, but now it's time to step it up a notch. My goal is to get in four to five workouts per week. Today I ran 3 miles. I'm excited to have this goal to work towards.

contrasting colors.

2010-06-28T21:19:00.002-05:00

Thank You Joel.

2010-06-24T19:57:00.004-05:00

I'm sending a big thank you to nearby angels for watching out for me today. I was on a bike ride tonight and had just crossed over the Martin Olav Sabo bridge and I was stopped waiting to cross 28th Street. It's a four lane roadway, with two lanes of traffic in each direction. I got caught in the situation that I have heard about a thousand times.

The two lanes of traffic closest to me were clear. The third lane away from me had a vehicle that stopped to allow me to cross. On my bike, I proceeded into the crosswalk and just as I got in front of the stopped vehicle I heard someone shouting for me to stop. I hit the brakes just in time. Thanks to Joel for watching out for me and alerting me to the oncoming traffic. The vehicle coming in the fourth lane of traffic did not stop and I stopped just in time to avoid a huge crash.

Once I was safely out of the roadway I introduced myself to Joel and thanked him. He told me that he had just witnessed a bike crash 10 minutes prior, with this same scenario at a different intersection. I'm lucky that he was behind me on the trail today. I like to think that I am a predictable and safe bicyclist. I follow the traffic laws, I use hand signals, I make eye contact with motorists, etc. Even if you do all those things there is always the possibility of a crash. Thanks to Joel I continued on my ride unharmed.

brick.

2010-06-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

perfect view.

2010-06-20T20:49:00.002-05:00

I love the view from the top of the hill at Gold Medal Park.

technicolor.

2010-06-17T22:01:00.002-05:00

Yes, this is what the sky really looked like tonight.
And yes, I took this picture while driving my car.
But I was at a red light.
And yes, I think we should all watch more technicolor movies.
Good night.

make this.

2010-05-31T18:04:00.004-05:00

I first tried making this recipe last year and it turned out really well. So it's made a few more appearances and each time I just love the flavor. I'm sure any other fresh veggies would work in place of the peas/zucchini - maybe I'll make it with asparagus next. Try it!

Spring Risotto with Peas and Zucchini
by Martha Stewart

Prep/Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 large zucchini (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Parmesan

Directions
1. Heat broth and 2 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat; keep warm. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until zucchini is golden, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer zucchini to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion; cook until soft, 5 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Raise heat to medium. Add rice, cook, stirring, until translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

3. Cook, adding 1 cup hot broth at a time (stir until almost all liquid is absorbd before adding more), until rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

4. Add zucchini and peas; cook until peas are bright green, 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve, topped with more cheese.

blank slate.

2010-05-26T21:31:00.003-05:00

A little off-kilter but still a blank slate.

hot yellow.

2010-05-23T20:08:00.003-05:00

It's hot and steamy outside today.
Stay Cool.

hot pink.

2010-05-15T21:27:00.007-05:00

Success. The hot pink cake looks good and tastes good.

bike finds on etsy.

2010-05-12T22:36:00.006-05:00

Just a few fabulous finds on etsy.

northeast trivia. part 2.

2010-05-11T22:01:00.002-05:00

Let's see who's paying attention out there...
When was the last time the Grain Belt sign was lit up?
How much will it cost to re-light the sign?

northeast trivia.

2010-05-10T19:54:00.003-05:00

What does the A mean?

And what year was the Stone Arch Bridge built?
1883. By James J. Hill.