It's officially fall in my mind...

Yesterday we went out to one of our favorite little spots, the St. Croix Vineyards. The weather was cool (almost sweater weather), the grapes and apples were ripe. Anyway, this weekend was their annual grape stomp competition. We took my brother-in-law (David) and he got be in this competition, and he won! He stomped with two other people and they ended up putting on quite the show with their dancing and bucket swapping! Some friends from work joined us as well and we enjoyed walking around the vineyards, orchards and the tourist attractions. Greg and I picked out a couple bottles of wine that we haven't tried before, so it will be fun to break those out sometime. We learned a couple things yesterday: stomped grapes look quite disgusting, but cool at the same time (it'd be a great witches brew at halloween) and don't eat plants in planters, even if they look like lettuce. It will give you a swollen scratched tongue. Sorry I dared you to do that, David!

A relaxed weekend

We had a fantastic weekend! It was funny, though, because Greg and I went to Omaha, but our family wasn't there. My mom and Grandma went to Seattle, so Greg and I housesat/pet sat for mom. My cousin Emily was away at school, and my aunt, uncle and cousin Melissa were moving Melissa into her dorm. So for Friday evening and Saturday we were on our own. We enjoyed coffee on the deck each morning, some great homecooked meals (thanks mom) and some shopping around town. I went to the scrapbook store that started it all for me, though it has since changed owners. And we stocked up on our Nebraska "imported" coffee to take back to Minnesota with us (their customer service is amazing, as is their coffee. Our favorite is Heavenly Delight). Sunday my aunt and uncle got back so we went to their place for dinner and went to see The Bourne Ultimatum...that was SUCH a good movie! I just love that series. And thankfully, I think they left the movie open for more, but closed it enough that it won't leave you hanging if they don't make more. Monday we went down to the lake with my aunt, uncle and some family friends. We had a really nice time relaxing down there. Yesterday we drove back to Minneapolis, stopping in Des Moines for dinner with Greg's family. It was fun to catch up with them. Of course, my nephew was entertaining as always (love that kid!!!), and Greg's sister got to tell us all about her new job. Knowing what a photo nut I am, my MIL had printed some pictures for us, which I always love. So all in all it was a great weekend, and now we're back to work and the week is already half over.

The Three Miss Margarets

About a week ago I finished a book called "The Three Miss Margarets". It was a nice, easy summer read. I'd give it a 3 out of 5. The story opens with a mystery and that mystery slowly unfolds through a series of flashbacks and recollections by each of the three Margarets. It is in these recollections that we begin to understand the bond between these three women, and the history (the good and the bad) of the town in which they live. It reminded me a lot of the Ya-Ya's which, although it may not be fair, made me judge this book a bit harder. If you can get it at the library, borrow it, or find it at a used paperback store, it's definitely worth the few evenings you'd spend flying through its' pages.

Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta...

Last November when Greg and I got married, our friend Nick told us that his gift to us would be to cook us dinner on an evening of our choice. You see, Nick is well-known for his masterfully cooked chimichangas and brandy slush. Well, as it always does, time got away from us, and finally ended up nailing down this weekend as THE weekend.

So we decided to precede dinner with a gangster tour of St. Paul. Nick and his girlfriend Robin joined us for the afternoon. Did you know that quiet, quaint St. Paul, MN has a corrupt past? Yup, and it attracted all kinds of famous gangsters to this area. So we got on a bus with "John Dillinger" and he took us to see the sites and told us the stories. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is looking for something fun to do one afternoon.

Relax

Few things in life are as good as relaxing with loved ones on a hot summer day. My husband and my nephew, relaxing on a hammock on Father's Day. I love these papers...I found them at Scrapbooks Too this past spring. It was a new line called Stacy Boyd Claire by EK Success...I just loved the colors and geometry.

Here's to hoping you can find some time to relax and enjoy the company of loved ones during these last days of summer.

A great weekend!

Well, for whatever reason, blogger is not letting me upload pictures today. Oh well...I guess my verbiage will have to do! Anyway, it's been awhile since I've posted a real post (not that Simpsons aren't real) so I thought I'd dive back in.

Friday night we went to a fundraiser beer bash at Shaw's in Northeast (lest you be confused, that's the Home of the Shaw Burger) for Make-a-Wish. Saturday, we participated in the third annual Wifflin' for Wishes (incidentally, we have played every year) which is also a fundraiser for Make-a-Wish. We always have so much fun. Greg has been able to organize three teams from our offices to play each year and a good time is had by all. A shout out to our friend, Truck, and his team of organizers who make this event possible! After a playing in the sun we were exhausted so we took it easy and watched movies that night.

Sunday, we spent the day doing practical grown-up things...running errands to Target, cleaning the house, doing laundry, that type of stuff. I was excited, though, so finally get out and do something that I've been meaning to do for several years now: Stuff the Bus! Greg and I got out and did a little back-to-school shopping for charity. Can I just tell you how very much I LOVE school supply shopping? I think it's the greatest. To me, it signifies the start of a new year: new classes, fresh starts, potential of new friends and new experiences.

And then today, it was back to the grindstone.

See you soon!

I've been Simpsonized!

But it wouldn't let me change the cats to look like mine. Bummer. Fun anyway though. Check it out here: http://simpsonizeme.com/##