Fall in Minneapolis

Quite honestly, fall in Minneapolis is looking mighty fine. A few Saturday mornings ago I walked around Minnehaha Park and Falls. (Can I just say I need someone to volunteer to vigorously bike with me in the cheesy two-person bikes? Thanks!!)

The photos I’m sharing with you don’t do justice to how rich and vibrant the leaves’ colors were in real life. You know how that goes though. Some things things look better to the eye then they do to a phone camera. Well, nonetheless, enjoy my fall photos! And please visit this park whenever you’re in Minneapolis. I actually enjoyed it far more now in October compared to when I visited this summer and there were 1,000 mosquitos chomping on my legs. (Maybe I was there a bad day??) Anyways, yay fall!

Pumpkins, Beers and Bismarck

My mom and I took a road trip out to Bismarck to visit my brother last weekend. We had so much fun! We tried out a few local bars, shared apps at a delicious Mexican restaurant with killer margaritas, visited the Heritage Museum and explored a pumpkin patch. The Heritage Museum really went there when it came to history. At first I saw a Native American exhibit which really fascinated me, but then I turned the corner and they had a dinosaur exhibit — see what I mean how they really went there? Then there was a glacier exhibit that explained the Midwest’s geography and Minnesota’s lakes. So what I’m saying is that they really, really covered their bases with North Dakota history and it was great!

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Squash at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

Heritage Museum, Bismarck

Heritage Museum, Bismarck

Squash at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

We enjoyed walking around Papa’s Pumpkin Patch in Bismarck. There were hundreds of kids running around and doing kid things like screaming and tackling their brothers and sisters. I should have challenged Justin to King of the Hill on the massive pile of tractor tires, but I resisted. Mom and I each took home an acorn squash. I’ll have to bake it this week! We walked through a kid-friendly corn maze so I didn’t get lost because it was right at my eye level. Thank goodness.

Like I said in the beginning, it was a great weekend! My mom and I laughed and laughed in the car — she’s a hoot! Now I’m looking forward to seeing more of my brother this fall with weddings and concerts.

Serious about Sweater Season

It’s mid-November in Minnesota. You know what that means? Sweater season! It’s time to dig out your totes of sweaters and thick cardigans from the back of your closet. Whoo hoo! I love sweaters (not wool ones though…too itchy) for many reasons, but mostly because they’re super warm and they’re appropriate for almost any situation. Hoodies are warm too, but they’re not always the fanciest.

I think I need a fall/winter wardrobe refresher real soon. So, here are a few styles I have my eye on:

Can you tell I’m craving patterns?

Just because it’s (eventually) going to get cold and miserable outside doesn’t mean my outfits have to suffer too.

DIY Fall Wreath

I want to share with you a fall wreath I made last year. It was so easy to put together, I ended up making one for my mom too! Instead of giving you a step-by-step tutorial, feel free to check out the Crafting Mom blog where I got the inspiration.  I give that blogger, Jacki, credit for this great idea! I bought all of my supplies–the vine wreath, fall garland, craft felt and leaves–at Michaels for around $12 (gotta love those coupons).

I added sparkly leaves to give my wreath a little shine and to make it slightly different from the original.

I’ve thought about making a winter version by spraying a twig wreath with white/silvery glitter and adding pine cones. Maybe I’ll tackle that in December… so come back again to see how it turns out.