Friday5: Grateful

March is here, can you believe it? I love March. Three years ago we welcomed a very special bundle into our lives at the end of March. So for the past few years March has been a month of planning. First planning for our beautiful baby, and the last three years planning for a beautiful birthday. This year she’s having two parties, one with family and one with friends. Both will be great. She’s looking forward to the two cakes. So am I.

All that said, it’s Friday and I’m grateful. So grateful. Here’s my top 5:

I’m grateful for….

1. My perfect little family of husband, daughter and dog
2. My mind, that lets me write and create everyday
3. My body, which lets me skate and run and jump and tickle
4. My friends, without them I don’t know where I’d be
5. Chocolate

Should I go on? Because I could… for days.

What are you grateful for?

And speaking of friends, go check out Jen’s blog, she’s in a book (A real book, hardcover, even) and she’s giving one away. WooHoo!

March 1

We just got a few inches of fresh, wet snowed dumped on us. Guess if I want to see a Robin I’ll have to order this little guy from Etsy shop Splodgepodge. 

(oh, and don’t forget about the giveaway!)

A Leap Day Giveaway!

It’s leap day! It’s an extra day to enjoy chocolate or wine or a delicious scone or maybe a donut! And lucky for you,  I’m hosting a giveaway! I will send one lucky winner a three-pocket sling purse of their choice. Just leave a comment below by Next Tuesday at midnight. I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday! I only ask that you spread the word… blog about it, post it on Pinterest, and tell your Mom. If I get a lot of comments, I’ll give away two, or maybe three!

A few more details.. These purses hang slightly lower than the photo above. Each has one main pocket int he center and two narrower pockets on either side. I have a variety of bold and muted colors, leave a comment with a desired color, and I’ll do my best to match it up. And again, don’t forget to spread the word!

Mill Valley Kitchen

Lunch with the girls on Friday lead us to the Mill Valley Kitchen in St. Louis Park. We were not disappointed. The space is beautiful, with white walls and green accents and lots of and lots of windows. The service was prompt and professional. The menu was extensive and we all had a hard time deciding what to order. I finally chose the special of the day, a Salmon Burger with Avocado. And while I was expecting ground salmon, this was anything but. Look at those chunks of salmon. And the side salad was fresh and crisp and filling. I usually like chips or fries with a sandwich, but I didn’t even notice them missing with this hearty sandwich. The only thing missing was a glass of wine, which was tempting, but didn’t happen with daughter in the middle of the day. And speaking of daughter, our server made her feel just as important as the rest of us. They have a large and healthy kids menu, crayons and coloring sheets and warm chocolate chip cookies. And that cookie bought us a few more minutes to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. We may have ordered a few of them for ourselves as well

Curried Tilapia, etc, etc.

We’ve made the Cooking Light recipe for Broiled Tilapia with Cocont Curry sauce so many times that we’re pretty much perfected it. And we’ve also played around with it and added some more goodies. We’ve made it with Chicken and we’ve added Shitakes and this time we added Spinach at the last moment. It’s always delicious…. give it a shot!

Friday5: Relax

This is where I found myself last night. After yesterday’s post a nice hot bath was all I could think about. While Husband put Daughter to bed, I snuck upstairs with a glass of wine and a new magazine and filled the tub. Why don’t I do that more often?

That leads me to this week’s Friday5. List five things you do to relax….

1. Walk the dog, alone
2. Yoga
3. Take a nice hot bath
4. Lunch with friends
5. Lose myself in a good book

What about you? We’re nearing spring but have a few more weeks to hibernate. What helps you relax?

Overwhelmed

This is where I’d like to be right now. Squeezed right between the two of them. Ahhhh….

print found on Etsy, at elephant dancing. love. 

Friday 5!

Man, I’m tired right now. And sore. It’s 12:04 in the morning and I just got home from a hockey game. That I played. I smell pretty bad, my knee/hip is tight, my right shoulder is throbbing and my throat is sore where I took a stick. Such is life, or at least a game of hockey. This season has been pretty good. We have some new bodies who are young and really good, but the older bodies have a hard time getting to games and it’s really hard to play with only 7 skaters (one with the flu) at 10pm on a school night.

So there you go, that’s what’s happening. What’s nice is that the house is quiet. And except for the dog staring at me wanting a treat, it’s pretty cool. If I didn’t have to be at work in 8 hours I could probably sit here for a while. But anyway… it’s now Friday. And it’s time to do the Friday5!

Husband brought home tulips last week since we hosted a lovely brunch and all I can think about is spring. We’ve barely had winter in these parts, but I’m ready. So, here goes… the top five things about spring that I’m looking forward to, are….

1. Opening the windows
2. Spring cleaning
3. Planning my garden
4. My neighbor’s tulips
5. Watching the birds “go crazy” in the birdhouses outside the kitchen window

Is it too early to get excited for Spring? No. Never. Not at all.

So… now, what are the top five things about spring you’e looking forward to? And don’t say the end of hockey season!

Patisserie 46

Some friends surprised us with treats from Patisserie 46 for Valentine’s Day. Love them. Love the treats.

Happy Valentine’s Day to You!

Didn’t know where to put the heart garland from pARTy, so I wrapped it on the Bonsai.