November & December 2018

November & December 2018

The months of November and December always seem to go by in a blur before we head into a new year.  The days are full of family and friends, good food and drinks, and time to relax. 

November marked two years since we said good-bye to my grandma - so Shawn and I went out to the cemetery.  Afterwards we stopped at Summit Brewing and had a beer in her honor. 

  

Frankie started to gear up for winter and all the cozy time inside.  He got a bath and was so relaxed that we actually had to hold his head up in the water so that he didn't fall asleep.  He really is a goofy dog!  He spent much of the two months bundled up in his blankets and squeezing himself into boxes.

        

My mom, Shawn's mom and sister, and I went to Craft'za in Northeast Minneapolis and had a fun day checking out all the neat booths.  It was a nice variety of vendors with all sorts of products.  I love getting out to local markets and supporting fellow creatives whenever I can.  We had a yummy lunch at Wilde Roast along the river in Minneapolis after the market.  We also made a stop at Keg and Case in St. Paul!

        

A work retreat took me to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for the day in late November.  It had been quite awhile since I had been there and it was fun to walk around and take in some greenery!  They were right in the transition of putting up all the holiday decorations and it was fun to see all the lights and trees going up.

        

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom and dad at their house with a full turkey meal.  Even Frankie got to join in on the fun of the day!  We also celebrated Thanksgiving with Shawn's family and had a yummy steak and fried rice meal at his sister's house.

        

We visited many breweries in November and December - especially with Frankie to use our Sidewalk Dog Brewery Pass beer stamps before they expired.  We went to Bent Brewstillery in Roseville, Headflyer Brewing in Minneapolis (also to kick off 12 days of vacation) and Able Seedhouse in Northeast Minneapolis (with my mom and dad).  It's great that so many breweries allow dogs inside - Frankie loves to get out and meet new people!

                  

I participated in two cookie days this year - one with my mom/cousins/aunt and one with Shawn's side of the family.  It's always fun to bake lots of yummy cookies and get into the holiday spirit!

                   

My dad and I continued with our traditional Lefse Making Day and enjoyed a nice holiday morning making lots of lefse.  It's always a nice thing to have around during the holidays and a tradition I look forward to with my dad!

        

I was very excited to be a part of the Santa's Shoppe event at Amy's Cupcake Shoppe once again this year.  It's always a fun, festive event and I love connecting with people and being able to share my passion of making cards.  There were other great vendors there again and lots of yummy cupcakes and treats!

        

Shawn and I brought Frankie to the Holidazzle in Loring Park, as well as the holiday market that was happening at Lakes and Legends that day.  Frankie was pretty festive in his plaid coat and it was nice to get out and walk around in Minneapolis.  The large art displays at the Holidazzle were pretty cool to see.

                  

I spent the day with my parents checking out some holiday festivities around the Twin Cities.  We first stopped for breakfast at Augustine's in St. Paul which was quite delicious.  We then headed over to Rosedale Shopping Center to check out the holiday light displays they had up - including the giant moose in the middle of the mall.  We were also able to stop at the holiday flower show at the Como Conservatory.  The flowers were absolutely gorgeous and incredibly festive for the holiday season!

                            

Shawn and I enjoyed a fun bavarian breakfast with my parents at Clutch Brewing within Keg and Case.  It was a great event with really good food, fun music and great beer.  If you haven't been to Clutch Brewing you should check it out - lots of great beer and fun seating up on the second floor. 

                  

Holiday break brought 12 days of vacation for me that involved a lot of fun and relaxing. Holidays tend to bring family and friends from out of town back to Minnesota and it was great to see my dear friend Franny at the new Revolution Hall in Rosedale.  We had yummy tacos and great beers and caught up on life!  I also had breakfast with my friend Leeah at The Copper Hen before she takes off on her next adventure!  Shawn and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and visited our favorite galleries.

                  

Christmas celebrations were had with both sides of the family.  We had extended family Christmas with Shawn's side the weekend before Christmas.  The two of us were "gifted" the legendary family duck in what we thought was just a nice engagement cake baked by cousins.  We spent Christmas Eve with my parents having a nice spread of appetizers and a good meal.  Christmas Day we spent with Shawn's family with apps, drinks and all the energetic kids!  And of course Santa Paws came for Frankie!

                                      

Frankie was once again a part of the Bull Terrier Christmas Card Exchange with all his friends on Instagram.  We ended up sending out over 100 Christmas cards to families all around the world and received so many back!  It is always so fun to get mail from other bull terriers and dog lovers.  He also loved being festive in his holiday robe and holiday pjs!

                  

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