Engagement Pictures

Last Thursday C & I had our engagement pictures taken by the wonderful Carissa Christine. She did SUCH a great job capturing our personalities and making us feel comfortable through out the session. I just LOVED how the preview came out and cannot wait to see what the rest of the photos will look like!

She just blogged the session on her site on her site so go check it out!

Oh fall

1// apple 2// fall leaves 3// fall trees 4// fall sweater time 5// crisp sunny fall day

Who doesn't like fall? I feel like it is everyone (including mine) favorite season. There is just something about the crisp air, while wearing a sweater, and sipping on some type of pumpkin or apple drink. It simply is heavenly. If only it lasted longer! 

I always try to embrace the 'fallness' as much as possible by decorating my house in festive attire, baking, and constantly having a hot beverage in my hand (all of this while wearing comfy sweaters and scarves of course). Chad and I were going to try and make it out to the apple orchard this weekend but C had to work on Sunday (boo! and now he's out of town for the next couple weekends)So that means I will just have to go another weekend with my sisters, which will be just as fun! Instead of going to the orchard we spent Sunday night trying to make life as "fallish" as possible, meaning the candles were light and we were collaboratively making apple crisp and drinking good earth tea. It was a decent substitution ;)

So with that being said here is a recipe for the best Apple Crisp around to help you embrace these lovely fall days!

Apple Crisp 

4- 5 medium sized apples, peeled

3/4  cup quick cooking oatmeal

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup butter.

1. Pare apples and slice them. Arrange slices in a greased 8'' pan
2. Combine oatmeal, sugar, flour and cinnamon.
3. Cut in butter. 
4. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes 
6. Serve warm or over ice cream

Enjoy! 

Ephesians 2:8-9 "God saved you by hi grace when you believed and you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it"

Date night in the Twin Cities

So -many people have been asking me to do a post on some date ideas within the Twin Cities.

 No matter what state you live in, going out and making evenings special is a fundamental foundation for a happy relationship. As you may know the  boy and I love trying new places, resturants, and coffee shops so I will go ahead and share my top few. Please comment if you have any date night suggestions that you and significant other like to do, I am always looking for suggestions :) 

• Go to a local park and walk around. This sounds lame but it is very enjoyable to see the scenery and spend time talking with one another
• Go to museums -check out deals at libraries
• do something active, bike, paddle boat, etc.
• try doing something new like painting or go shooting
• Pay attention to Groupons & LivingSocial deals. I am constantly using these services to provide me with a cheap dinner date to a new resturant. I have found some of my favorite date night spots from doing this and think it is a great way to go out to eat on a budget.
• Outdoor Movies
• Local Events- a couple of years ago Chad and I heard about this bike polo thing, we ended up going and having a blast even though we had no idea what exactly it would be like.
• Zoo's- The Como Zoo is free in MN!
• Go fishing off a local lake
• Seek out happy hours at resturants
• Go to Holiday festivies 
• Paddleboat
• Mini Golf (Bloominton and Edina have a couple venues)
• Get emails with variety of local events going on within your community 

Fun Resturants in the Twin Cities

• Kafe 421- Have a graet couple night on Tuesdays 
• Pizza places- Broaders/Fat Lorezenos/ Pizza Luce. Some of these places serve pizza by the slice, which can be a cost saving way to eat out!
• Valley Tap House in Apple Valley- Have a good happy hour, something in the south suburbs 
• Moose & Sadies (Brunch)
• Bad Waitress 

Favorite Coffee Shops

• Spyhouse
• Kopplins
• Bull Run
• Dogwood (Rustia Bakery)

Great Museums in Minnesota

Minnesota has a great variety of museums around. 

To make this budget friendly look for the "free" night that the museum has to offer. 

• Mill City Museum
• Walker (Free Thursdays)
• Minnesota Historical Society (Free Tuesdays)
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Always free)

Making sure that you and your signficant other have time set aside for dates is one of the keys to a happy relationship. There is just something about it when you find time to go out to a certain place and make an occasion out of it.

What are some of your favorite date nights?

Sweets Bakeshop

Haven't done a local review in a long time so thought I would do one on my favorite topic-sweets! 

Sweets bakery is located in St. Paul near St. Thomas university. It is a charming place filled with cookies,cupcakes, and macaroons. All the ingredients and quality,natural, and the top of the line. The interior is simple but classy and so sweet. It reminds me of a little place you would go to in France. I personally recommend the Sweets cupcake, better that dot dot dot- a chocolate cake soaked in sweetened condensed milk with caramel and toffee, simply delicious. Sweets is located right by kopplins so if you are planning on getting a cupcake, pair it with a doppio espresso.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday - life of a nanny

Summer Pasta Dish

Last week I went to the local farmers market with my good friend Kelly. If you don't already know, I really love farmers markets. I love the idea of supporting local businesses and farmers markets do exactly that. Well I am living at home during this transitional phase in my life I don't cook or buy food as frequently. However I know zucchini season is coming to an end, so I had create a few zucchini items before it is all gone. 

Orzo w/ Zucchini 

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for skillet

3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

Salt & pepper

1 yellow onion

1 pound Orzo

2 lemons (will need the juice and the zest)

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1/3 lbs crumbled feta cheese 

1. Preheat skill (medium-high heat) with olive oil.  Season Zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Grill on skillet until tender with golden brown marks (5 minutes per side)
3. Transfer zucchini to cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch pieces
4. Please in large bowl and sprinkle with shallot. Keep warm and set aside
5. Cook Orzo according to package instructions. Once drained, add to the bowl with zucchini.
6. Add olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and dill. Toss to combine. Top with feta and season with salt and pepper.

This meal is a great dish to share with others or bring as a side to party.

Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

1// me & lacy 2// C on boat 3// lovebirds on the boat 4// vintage boat show 5 // vintage boat show 6// cute golden puppy I met at the boat show 7// Lake Vermillion 8// C & I after swimming 9// flea market 10// flea market finds  11// shooting 12// c & dog 13// c & I  14// lacy as a lap dog 

As always, C & I had a blast at the lake this weekend. It is so nice to escape from the craziness and the to-do list to a place of nothing. Nothing is planned, nothing has to get done, no where you have to be. It really allowed me to unwind before having to start school again. We spent the lake hanging out, boating, and spending time outside.

My favorite part about the cabin are the mornings. You wake up, get your cup of coffee and stare out onto the stillness of the lake. The beauty is captivating.  

But back to reality and the to-do list (after all I do have a wedding to plan ;) )