In 2010 I ... received a gorgeous gift

"Every gift from a friend is a wish for your happiness." R. Bach

If this holds true, then the Houghton clan made an awfully big wish, because I was taken by complete surprise when I stopped by their house this afternoon and was greeted by Eli, and this:



Lovely, isn't it? A little treasure that's been sitting in my Etsy favorites for some time now, just waiting to be purchased. But, according to Eli, his little treasures Violet & Silas beat me to it ... and then gifted it to me. What a treat.

At just 3 1/2 months, those twins are turning out to be quite the shoppers already! I can't wait until they're walking, so the three of us can start sneaking out for secret shopping rendezvouses of our own.

In 2010 I ... Introduced my mom to Uptown

It's a long-standing point of contention in my family that my mom never ventures past her Bloomington-Edina comfort zone. So, to give her a rundown on all things Uptown (okay, realistically just some things Uptown - it's just too wonderful to cover in one day) I strong-armed/forced her into a day of bumming around the 'hood.

First stop: brunch at French Meadow. Even after an attempt at strategically arriving just past the brunch rush, FM was totally packed. My mom managed to scout a hidden but perfectly placed two-top by the window = major score. After noshing on French toast and Eggs Benedict we jetted off to Patina where I was bitten by some sort of New Year spending binge and splurged on a fantastic purse I'd been stalking pre-Christmas.


After a quick stop at Trader Joe's to stock up on some of our favorites - like Mac & Cheese and Orange Chicken - we wandered down Hennepin for book shopping at Mager's & Quinn and spent much too long ogling everything at Paper Source.


How could I have forgotten about this gem? I could have purchased one of everything in PS, and was drooling over the paper selections (perfect for framing) along with all the awesome project ideas. But, I tried to reign it in after the purse splurge. Some crafting was definitely inspired and will likely be followed up on in a future post.

To round out our exciting afternoon exploration, we met up with my dad for dinner at Burger Jones, complete with delicious, delicious cheese curds.

Honestly, this place knows what they're doing when it comes to frying up cheese. My mom considers herself a bit of a curd connoisseur, and labeled these the best she'd ever had. After all the deep-fried consumption, we rounded out the evening with a rowdy game of dominoes at my place.

Next Mom Tour Stop: Northeast Mpls.

In 2010 I ... attended a Live Band Karaoke Birthday

In honor of Morgan's upcoming 27th birthday, a large collection of the usual suspects gathered at Gluek's on Friday for the birthday kid's favorite activity - live band karaoke.

Hopefully more images of the night will surface via Facebook, because after his hand-Sharpied drink tally, Morgan was definitely the star of the evening's photo shoots. Impressively, Erin, Morgan, and Patty rocked out some serious tunes ... although I had considered making an attempt at karaoke, the live band action is just a bit too intimidating. Since this is Morgan's second go-round at birthday karaoke, maybe I can figure out how to work up the nerve in 2011!

Diana, George and I closed the evening with a serious 30-minute dancefest at 508. Shortly thereafter, we were reminded why we don't do late-night dancefests and promptly exited. However, Diana and I were both ecstatic that some of our old school dance faves - namely Nelly's "Country Grammar" album - were still being spun like they were released in this decade (not 1999).

So, no karaoke in '10. For now, in-home Rock Band and my rendition of "Maps" will have to do.