It has been gorgeous! You cannot beat that kind of weather in April. I think it was almost 60 yesterday. Too bad I had to work.
I went shopping with the girls on Friday. We headed to the Cities (Minneapolis/St Paul) for a little retail therapy. First stop Bruegers Bagels in Woodbury. My friends swear by there yummy bagels, so we stopped. Second stop, IKEA, one of my favorite stores. I have never been to the one in MPLS but I go to the Chicago one a lot. I got myself a few doo-dads for the kitchen and then a really nice heavy cast iron grill pan. I am so excited to get that seasoned and in use! We had a quick snack for lunch in the food area. They had a really nice looking Buffalo Chicken wrap we all tried and, since we were celebrating my Birthday on this trip, I got us a piece of chocolate cake to enjoy. OMG! It was SOOOO yummy! It looked like it was going to be a thick, super rich and heavy piece of cake, but when you took a bite it was light and fluffy and OH SO GOOD! Just the right amount of chocolate sweet and bitter. It was the BEST cake I have had in like, forever.
Our next stop was to the Mall of America (right across the street from IKEA) and a little visit to the Archivers. I only spent $10!! We have way more then Archivers does...plus I get a discount. I am not as excited about Archivers as I used to be. I had coupons, so it was worth the visit.
We zoomed down the road to Edina for a stop at P. F. Changs for dinner. That was delish as well! The Kung Pao Chicken was the best I have ever had. We do NOT have good Chinese or Japanese cuisine at home. This was a real treat. And the Jade Martini (rum, Midori and pineapple juice) was yummmmmm as well! After dinner we cruised the Mall (Galleria or Southdale...I can't remember). We went down to Marshalls and had one of those fun "girl shopping" moments....taking totally outrageous clothes off the racks and trying them on....too much fun. Lets just say that Leopard print is apparently back in.....NOT! I stopped Godiva Chocolates for a little treat on the way out. I bought 6 truffles....that will get me through the week..only one per day...lol
Next stop (you can't go home before 10pm....its a girls day out for goodness sake) we went to Joann's back in Woodbury. We found NOTHING to buy. So we drove over to Trader Joe's (which is a store I have never been to) and did a little grocery shopping...that was fun! They have interesting foods and are relatively inexpensive too. I got a jar of roasted red and yellow peppers for $2...a nice big jar too. They looked so yummy (and a lot less work then I would have to do) so I got two jars.
Then we headed for home. It was a really nice day away. Very relaxing.
Here's me at the ski hill....looking all cute in my new coat and hat on Sunday. This is taken during the Furniture races.
Our rye field, all glistening with snow and frost
The field next to the house, where apparently we have a super highway for animals. Turkey, fox, dog, deer and bunny tracks all over the place. This pot is just before the super highway crossing. I even found some fur on one of the barbed wire fences where a deer must have gotten lazy and didn't jump high enough.
She's back and prettier than ever! She even got a good washing on the inside too while she was in the shop. It is so nice to be back driving her again.
If you know me, you know I love my car. She's my baby, my little "Cookie", a gift from my hubby at Christmas in 2003. She is perfect. A gorgeous color, runs like a dream, corner's like a cheetah and has that little turbo boost when I need to zing into traffic. Except for a tiny ding above the left front fender from a careless child opening a door into her, she is a shining example of what a car should look like when regularly washed and waxed. And except for a horrifying moment when a lube and oil "specialist" screwed up a simple oil change, she has had a flawless running record.
