Girl From The North Country  Serves 1 1 1/2 oz. dry gin 1/2 ounces pear Brandy 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice 1/2 oz lingonberry syrup or raspberry syrup 1 slice of pear, for garnish Shake the gin, brandy, lemon juice, and syrup with ice until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a […]

Chai Blossom Toddy Serves 1 6 oz boiling hot water 1 tea bag of chai spiced tea 1 1/2 TB brown sugar 1/2 oz lime juice 1 1/2 oz aged spanish-style rum 2 dashes angostura bitters   Combine the hot water and tea bag in a mug and steep for 3 minutes. Taste carefully and […]

Fire Punch  Serves 10 to 12 3 lemons 1/2 cup granulated sugar 16 oz brandy 10 oz overproof rum 16 oz strong brewed black tea, cooled 32 oz pineapple juice freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish (optional) lemon wheels, for garnish (optional) * you can use just rum or brandy to streamline the recipe. Remove the […]

  Camping Sangria Serves 6  32 oz. red wine, like Merlot 8 oz. freshly squeezed grapefruit juice   1/4 cup sugar Juice of one lime 1 cup chopped Strawberries Combine the wine, grapefruit juice, sugar, and lime juice in a large pitcher,  stir until the sugar dissolves. Add ice and berries and enjoy!   *note the addition […]

The iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry” and now the “Hahn/Cock” are 2 of the most recognizable sculptures in Minneapolis. Sure, I’ve been here tons of times but its still fun to walk through and see the art with the kids. We went during the middle of the day but I’d recommend early morning or evening in […]

We LOVE going to Franconia Art Park. Only about an hour outside of the twin cities, located in the scenic St. Croix River Valley, not far from Taylor’s Falls. Franconia Sculpture Park is a beautiful 43-acre outdoor sculpture park with active artist residency, and community arts programming. Open from dawn to dusk 365 days a […]

A favorite hike of ours is close to home and easily accessible by car or bike for us, PIKE ISLAND (Dakota name Wita Tanka). This is a hiking trail within FORT SNELLING STATE PARK. From the entrance of the park, follow the road to the Visitors Center. Once you park you will see trail maps […]

👻 My birthday is Oct 27th, so when I was a kid, my mom in all her wisdom used Halloween decorations for ALL of my  birthday parties until I was old enough to realize that kids had other themed birthday parties. By then I kinda liked having Halloween Decorations and my mom got away without […]

  7 Top tips to help you pick out the best outfits.   If you are prepping for your first photoshoot you probably have a couple questions about what to expect. Here are a few guidelines that may help you find those perfect family outfits!   What is the purpose of the photoshoot? This should be […]

The house stood on top of a hill. All of the trees that used to protect it were taken down to make room for the bulldozers. The wind roared through the old windows and paper thin walls. Winter’s icy breath was announcing its return. It was a cold, harsh landscape that had turned into a […]