Shabby Chic and Cheese!

Just before Thanksgiving, I ventured up to my favorite of the wee little cities for a short weekend adventure with one of my best gals. We spent Friday night in Pine City and then headed out on a mini road trip Saturday morning.

She and I (and her hubby makes three) started with dinner at the Wild Bamboo, perhaps Pine City's finest ethnic dining establishment :) I ordered the chicken lo mein, which I now believe is the same thing I ordered on my only other visit here. Good thing I like it! I'm drawn to the noodles with their opposite of wide egg noodle-look. I also love the big chunks of still-crunchy vegetables. 

After dinner, we headed to our friend's production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" at Pine City High School (catch the official trailer here on good ol' YouTube). Quite adorable. And a good reminder to enjoy all of those Charlie Brown holiday specials on now through Christmas.

After a lovely home-cooked breakfast (complete with my very first butter braid), we set out on the open road. Wide open spaces...headed to...Wisconsin! For cheese!

The Burnett Dairy Cheese Store in Alpha, Wis., was quite spectacular.

Surrounded by farmland and deer hunters ('tis the season).

The store kind of serves as your everything store...with a gift section, an ice cream counter, your everyday groceries and much more.

Like dairy case after dairy case of cheese.

I really, really love cheese. And it didn't take long for me to stock up on a number of Fancy-brand goods. Specifically a bacon ranch cheddar spread, cranberry muenster cheese (look for an upcoming post where I make grilled cheese with this), cheddar cheese sticks, salsa-flavored string cheese and an Alpha's Morning Sun (blend of cheddar and gruyere qualities with rosemary). Yummers.

And, somewhere between Wisconsin and Minnesota - after the snow began to fall - we came across this shabby chic little gift shop out on an old country road.

And, I found two little treasures. This charming little necklace for just $2.

And, this vintage tray for the low, low price of $3!

I'd been looking for a perfect little tray for my bedside table, so it's like it was meant to be. :)

20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge

Oh, and one other last little update. With the holidays drawing near, my renewed focus on fitness and a little inspiration from Iowa Girl Eats, I'm embarking on an aggressive goal to work out 20 days between now and Dec. 25. She's working out every weekday between Nov. 28 and Dec. 25, but, given that I was feeling pretty sub par much of last week, I have to use a few weekend days to meet the goal. Posting it here, so I stay accountable :)

Tuesday, Nov. 29: spinning and core classes at the gym

Thursday, Dec. 1: spinning and core classes at the gym

Sunday, Dec. 4: hot power fusion (yoga) at Corepower

Monday, Dec. 5: personal training session with my workout buddy at the gym 

My Missoni for Target Heels

I know I'm late with this (anyone who cares about Target's collaborations with big name designers like Missoni - and anyone who's been in a Target store over the last month for that matter - knows about the limited edition Missoni for Target collection), but to be honest, I've been in a bit of a love-hate relationship with my new Missoni heels.

On the love side, I think they're absolutely adorable, and I was so psyched to find them on display at a local Target store the night before the collection officially released. Snatched them right up, I did. And then I wore them to an event in NYC two days later, where they were just as cute on my feet.

Fast forward two weeks and I decide to wear them to a party my friends and I were throwing. Unfortunately, I'm still recovering from the blisters on my two big toes. The even worse part is that I have no one to blame for it except myself. I should have known better than to wear a not-yet-broken-in pair of shoes to an event I was walking to (seven-plus blocks away in fact) and where I would be standing for six-ish hours. Of course, the weather was still so warm that I didn't even consider tights, so just my bare feet in those heels all night.

And now, here I am, trying to gear myself up for the third wearing of these darling shoes. They still lay under the bedside table where I last left them, wishing and hoping that I'll choose them one weekday morning. Maybe next week's the week...

Shoe Crazy

A while back, I joined shoedazzle.com at the recommendation of a friend. shoedazzle is an online shoe (and accessories) club created by Kim Kardashian. Each month, members get a showroom of select shoes and accessories chosen by celebrity stylists. The idea behind shoedazzle is making fashion trends accessible and affordable - everything is priced at $39.95 and shipping is free (members also have the flexibility to skip months if they can't afford new items one month or don't find anything that strikes their fancy).

Over the last several months, I've built up a little collection of shoedazzle purchases - all of which I think are incredibly adorable. Some I haven't even worn yet (I've been on a bit of a heels hiatus of late), and others I've worn out far too quickly. Here's a quick look at the new(ish) additions to my shoe family.

This first pair is called "Serene." They're tied with the next pair as my favorite. I love them because they're super comfortable and professional, while also being unique. The pop of purple on each side of the gray suede pumps is awesome, and these tend to draw quite a few compliments. I have some small quality gripes (they've worn out far faster than I would have liked), but overall, I still love them.

This is my other favorite pair - the "Lacie." This pair is bright, neony yellow and ridiculously adorable. I've probably worn them about 50 times and still get compliments every time. This pair also gets my vote for best quality.

Then we have "Amaryllis." I've been on a major flats kick, and these cutesy gold ones are a perfect option. They're super comfortable and have just the right amount of flair to suit me. Only major disappointment is that the gold scuffs easily.

Ah, "Saffron." These were a late summer addition, when I felt like I couldn't let the wedge trend pass me by. They're quite a lovely mustard-y color. Hopefully I can get more use out of these next summer as I only wore them twice this year.

These last two pairs are the ones I have yet to wear. Though I'm a bit in love with both. This pair is "Bonbon."   Neutral nude with a sassy black studded bow.

And finally, "Lauren." I think this pair is just gorgeous. I need to start shifting my attention back to heels :)

I Put Some New Shoes On, and Suddenly Everything's Right

I think I mentioned a while back that I have a bit of a shoe obsession. Sandals. Heels. Sneakers. Flats. I don't discriminate. I love 'em all. And for the last several months, I've been putting a lot of thought into my next pair of running shoes. Mind you, I'm not a hardcore runner (I like treadmills, I don't dream of my next 10-miler, and I actually have a 5K training app on my phone...no, not a marathon, a 5K). Even so, I decided it was time to trade up my perfectly lovely yet very worn New Balance tennies for something that packs a little more punch.

And after a few months of non-commital browsing, I accidentally landed at the Nike store in the Mall of America one evening and decided right then and there, I would be making a purchase. Thanks to the very helpful and friendly sales staff (and even more helpful work friends), I found the perfect pair in almost no time.

Friends, please meet the newest addition to my shoe family: the LunarGlide 2 (of the Lunar series).

I think they might just be the cutest pair of tennis shoes I've ever had. And, to be honest, I was actually a little afraid to test them out and break them in, for fear of ruining them right away. But I got over that, and have worn them to the gym three times now (not sure that we'll be making it outdoors any time soon though).

And I've already moved on to daydreaming about new shoes, like:

Eclipse II for $65 (nike.com)



Lacie for $39.95 (shoedazzle.com)



Greta for $198 (jcrew.com)



Kenneth Cole Reaction Lady Slip Flats on sale for $51.75 (macys.com)



Born Shoes, Smooch Flat Sandals for $85 (macys.com)

I think the J Crew pair might be a bit out of my price range, but the others might be realistic options. Recommendations? :)

And I'll leave you with these final thoughts for the day...

 I keep filling my apartment with flowers in hopes that spring will finally arrive in Minnesota...

New Art, Tulips and a Cupcake

I'm excited to report that I made my first original art purchase! I discovered a Canadian artist on eBay with a gallery of contemporary, abstract, surrealist and cubist art, and I immediately fell in love with her work. I spent a few weeks stalking her cherry blossom trees before I turned a complete 180 and went with the abstract work above. I'm very pleased with my final selection as it fits perfectly in my bedroom. And one of the things I like most about the painting is the three canvases coming together to make a whole.

My room is now complete. This new piece rounds out four framed black and white photographs of New York (taken from my 2009 calendar of the city)...

And, my two favorite works of all time. Monet's "Dusk" and Dali's "Butterflies." Some might question the pairing of impressionism and surrealism, but I think they go together perfectly :)

In other news, yesterday I purchased some beautiful tulips at Lund's. They were $6.99 and too gorgeous to pass up. Tulips are my favorite part of spring (I'm not big on all the mud or other treasures winter leaves behind as the snow melts away), so I'm trying to get maximum exposure to the lovely little bursts of color.

Also at Lund's, I made my first purchase from the always-tempting dessert case. I ordered the chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and a cream-filled inside. I was in heaven. So good.

Lunch at True Thai

This Saturday, my roommate and I chose True Thai on Franklin in Minneapolis as our lunchtime destination. True Thai is one of those restaurants that is so good, you can't help but visit more often than you probably should. However, after some pretty spotty service during our last few trips, I had all but written it off my list of faves. We decided to chance it this weekend though, placing a higher priority on delicious food than good service.

It was the first time I'd ever been to True Thai during the lunch hour. I was slightly surprised to see how family-friendly the restaurant was during the day - there were children at nearly every table. It was also a lot slower than it is at night (a good sign, I figured from a service standpoint).

True to form, however, it took a while for our server to greet us. In fact, I had to flag him down to let him know we were ready to order. Thankfully, that was the one and only minor glitch in our dining experience, and after he came over and apologized, he was extremely attentive for the rest of the meal.

We ordered the fresh Thai spring rolls, a must-get whenever we go out for Thai. The best thing about the spring rolls is that not five seconds after you place your order, they're at the table. The shrimp were large and fantastic, and the peanut sauce was simply divine.

For the entree, I chose "The Ultimate Pad Thai" with chicken, my favorite dish at True Thai. As usual, it was phenomenal. Just looking at the picture has me craving it all over again.

I'd give this visit an A- on the rating scale. It's far and away the best value for Thai food in MSP - borderline cheap for the caliber of food offered. The only thing that could make True Thai better is the service (despite a marked improvement this go-round, I still don't think you should ever have to flag down your server).

After lunch, we headed to the Mall of America for a quick visit. It's already Christmas-time in retail land.

Dixie's Champagne Brunch

This weekend was a bit of a restaurant mania. In just two short days, I managed to eat out nearly every meal: Saturday breakfast at Our Kitchen, Saturday dinner at the Green Mill and Sunday brunch at Dixie's on Grand in Saint Paul.

My friends and I like to get together for Sunday brunch from time to time (a la Sex and the City) and had heard that Dixie's has a great champagne brunch offering, making it an easy choice for this weekend's gathering.

Served until 1:30 p.m., there are three lines of choices: traditional breakfast (scrambled eggs, scalloped potatoes, bacon, sausage, cornbread pudding, jambalaya, etc.), salads and fresh fruits, and desserts (pies, bars, fondue, etc.). Best of all, the brunch comes with bottomless glasses of champagne or mimosas.

I delighted in the scrambled eggs, scalloped potatoes, sausage, bacon and shrimp.
I had a hard time deciding between all of the dessert options, but eventually landed on the pumpkin/cream cheese roll, chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate mousse.

The strawberries were delish. However, I was a little disappointed by the pumpkin roll, which seemed slightly dry, and the chocolate mousse, which had a slight coffee flavor (I'm sure most coffee lovers would find it enjoyable though).The highlight of the experience was our attentive server who kept the mimosas flowing and checked back regularly. Another bonus: I wasn't hungry again until after 8 p.m.

A word to the wise: the Sunday brunch is the only offering from 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., so make sure you have breakfast on the brain and are prepared to spend $19.95 before deciding on Dixie's :)

My other Sunday highlight: my first purchases at Sur La Table, a gourmet cooking store on 50th & France in Edina. I left a happy camper with a cookie jar, olive oil cruet and snowflake cookie cutter in-hand.