Brussels Sprouts and Jellyfish

I'm a little behind in my blogging for the week. Sometimes the days just fly by! And sometimes--I'll be honest--I choose to watch a reality show instead of blogging. (Now I've got both "Dancing with the Stars" AND "American Idol" to keep up with!)
Way back on Thursday the 5th, Tomkin and I took Chloe to Grand Groomers. She was getting pretty stinky, it's still too cold to wash her outside, and she's afraid of the bathtub. So the groomers, it is! During our walk home, we stopped to play, and Chloe enjoy catching some snowballs.

That evening, I met with a couple for premarital counseling, and Tomkin went to the library. On Friday the 6th, the new rug for our basement library arrived (the old one made its way to Tomkin's office).
Tomkin and I went to Target and picked out new window sheers and a couch cover. He went into the office to work, while I worked at home, researching federal grants for an upcoming project. Eventually that lulled me into a nice little nap.... We took Chloe for a walk (it was in the 40s!), and that evening we drove out to Woodbury to have dinner with our friends Bill and Karen. They made a delicious gumbo, and we drank some fabulous wine and enjoyed a fun, relaxed evening at their beautiful home.
On Saturday the 7th (Mondrian's birthday), we walked Chloe, played on our computers, and took a nap. We also put up the new sheers and replaced the couch cover, and we moved some of the art around. I think the living room and dining room have a much lighter feel to them now. In person, they almost have a "seaside" feel.

The living room before...

...and after.

The dining room before......and after.

Tomkin also installed a new "stop-a-squirrel" birdfeeder (we leave out separate food for the squirrels) and a birdhouse that my mom gave him for Christmas. Already the birds have started to flock to the feeder! And so far the squirrels haven't figured it out.
Saturday evening we went over to Peter's house for a Game Night with him, Mandy, and their friends Dan and Laura. We sat and chatted for a long time, then played Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit. It was a lot of fun!

On Sunday the 8th we enjoyed a day of Sabbath. We slept in, and I spent three hours curled up on the couch reading "Vogue." We took Chloe to the Minnehaha dog park, but the snow that had melted earlier in the week had turned into sheer ice. As we were sliding down the entrance hill, we saw two guys walking out. One was holding onto his bleeding face, and the other told us his friend had just slipped and busted open his jaw. We decided it probably wasn't worth the risk. As we were heading out, we ran into Tomkin's friends Mike and Polly and their bulldog, Cosmo.
We decided to check out the dog park near the airport--we'd never been there before. It was cool--basically just a big open field with planes flying low overhead. But it was a great alternative on an icy day, and Chloe enjoyed running around.


The rest of the day we just relaxed at home. I showed Tomkin a couple of my high school scrapbooks, we curled up with Chloe on the couch and read, and I watched "Amazing Race."
On Monday, I met my Profitlancers group at the Coffee Bene (the Dunn Bros where we used to meet just closed), and we talked about resources that we use for our freelance work. That evening I had a photography class. The classes I've been taking came free from ProEx when we purchased our camera there. They're held in a coffeehouse next to the ProEx shop in a little mall on Grand Ave. I got a cup of coffee and then sat in the meeting room...waiting...waiting...waiting. By 7:05, no one else had shown up. Finally I decided to peek into the ProEx shop and find out what was up. Much to my surprise, the shop was closed--like, forever. No more classes there, I guess! With my unexpectedly free evening, Tomkin and I started watching "Manor House." It's so harsh, but so good!Tuesday it was snowy, and I had a productive day at home. The most notable thing that happened was that Tomkin fixed brussels sprouts with dinner, and I enjoyed them. Some of my family members are now wondering if I was adopted! Tomkin met with a couple, and I ended up with another free evening because my counseling session for the night was cancelled. I enjoyed the opportunity to watch a little TV and another episode of "Manor House" with Tomkin.

Wednesday it was really cold out. There were a lot of Facebook status updates griping about the weather. We just start to get a taste of spring...and then it's snatched away by winter's icy grip! I know that part of living in Minnesota involves long, cold winters, but that doesn't mean we don't get a little sick of the cold and snow after six months of it. Anyway, Tomkin and Chloe and I went over to Tom and Nancy's house for lunch, which was fun. I hadn't seen them since we got back from Spain. That evening, Tomkin had his weekly poker game, and I had a premarital counseling session. Then I talked with my mom and got an update on my grandma. She left the hospital and went into an assisted-living facility. It sounds like she's in much better spirits now. She likes the food and has been eating (which she wasn't doing much at her previous home), and she's already making the rounds and getting to know people. She'll be getting some physical and occupational therapy, which is great. I'm glad that she's feeling so much better now. When Tomkin got home, I actually got him to watch "American Idol" with me! I'm not sure how much he enjoyed it, but it was fun to watch (and critique) it together. Right now I'm rooting for Adam as my #1 choice and Danny as my #2.
On Thursday, I met up with Becca and Leo for lunch at Tum Rup Thai. Leo is getting so big! He's looking more like a little boy now and less like a baby. It was great, as always, to catch up with Becca. I really don't know how she does it.... That evening I did more premarital counseling, and we watched more "Manor House."

Tomkin wasn't feeling well on Friday, so he slept in. I brought my car in for an oil change, went to the bank, got a spray tan, popped by Kowalski's, had a hair consultation with a new stylist at Estetica, and went to the Paper Patisserie. Tomkin had lunch with his dad, and then we went over to Kris and Dave's to let their dog, George, out. Chloe came along, and the dogs had fun playing in the backyard.
Tomkin spent the evening relaxing at home with Chloe, and I went over to my friend Jill's house to chat and watch the "Sex and the City" movie. She had made a bunch of food, and I brought along some sparkling juice (no alcohol for her since she's pregnant). It was fun to see her and to have a girls' night in.
Today (Saturday) Tomkin and I went to the Semple Mansion Wedding Fair. We had gone last year, about a month before our wedding, and really enjoyed it. This year we went more for business purposes. Tomkin found a few great niche businesses to blog about, and we got to see some other people in the business who we know. Plus, I got to enjoy some free cake, cookies, appetizers, and espresso! (One of the vendors brings an espresso/smoothie bar to weddings. I love that!)

Tomkin with the guys from La Vita Espresso Catering

Tomkin with Robin of Gateaux Inc. in front of her Minnesota-themed cake

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so as soon as we got home, we took Chloe for a walk. I still had a gift card to use at Patina, so we walked there, and I found a bunch of cool stuff.
When we got back, I talked with Carrie D. from Chicago. She had also done the Vaughan Town program in Spain, and we hadn't had a chance to compare notes yet, so it was fun to do that. (And, yes, I'm still planning to blog about the trip! Will try to do that soon....) Tonight Tomkin and I met up for dinner at Little Szechuan with Roxanne, Jim, Sheri, and Raj. We hadn't been there before, and it was amazing! (So good, in fact, that Bill and Karen were there, too!) We ordered I-don't-know-how-many dishes and passed them all around. I tried a couple new things, including jellyfish.

Okay, I will try the jellyfish....

I'm not quite sure what to make of this....

Sorry--it's not really the food for me!

Now we're winding down and are looking forward to a quiet, restful Sabbath day tomorrow. Have a great week, and thanks for reading!