Hands down, without a doubt, one-hundred-thousand percent, my favorite few days in Italy were spent hiking the Cinque Terre. Meandering through the cutest villages and sipping wine while watching the sun sink into the Ligurian Sea were by far the best experiences of our trip. With two weeks to spend in Italy, we knew a…
Great Pumpkin Party
Movie night is a favorite at our house. Piles of pillows, popcorn and people on our couch makes for great family time. This fall, I wanted to have a family movie night that involved a pumpkin-themed movie. The obvious choice was “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” The great pumpkin party features a popcorn bar…
One Day Visit to Venice
Dreamy, watery canals are THE reason for any visit to Venice. A romantic gondola ride flanked by opulent palaces were the visions I had for our one day visit to Venice. Our short stop in Venice was part of a two-week trip across Italy so we aimed to make the most of our time. Venice…
A Drive Through Tuscany
Tuscany is less of a place and more of an idea. A set of sights, sounds and smells that collectively amount to images of rolling hillsides and vineyards drenched in the brilliant sunshine. Spending any amount of time in Tuscany is time well spent. Start your journey in Florence and meander through hill towns before…
Top Three Things to See in Rome
You could spend a day, you could spend a week or even a month in Rome. There are so many wonderful and important sites in the city that Rome often rises to the top of many traveler’s bucket lists. Rome is not only popular, but it’s also chaotic. It’s a jumble of people and traffic…
Caramel Apple Bar
A trip to the apple orchard is one of the joys of the fall season. Our family enjoys the visit to the orchard but the real treat is the caramel apple bar and all the delicious desserts we make with our peck of apples. To set the scene and create a festive atmosphere for our…
Pizza Farm
Along with apple orchards and pumpkin patches, I think a trip to the pizza farm needs to be added to everyone’s fall bucket list. We recently spent an enjoyable Sunday on the lawn of Pleasant Grove Pizza Farm in south-central Minnesota enjoying the tasty farm to table pizza and a crisp autumn afternoon. Preparing for…
Adventure Awaits Anniversary Party
I have three loves. Travel. My family. Being crafty. When an opportunity to celebrate all three of them presents itself; I get giddy. That’s exactly what happened when I started envisioning an at-home adventure awaits anniversary party. This party’s theme started to take shape in the aisles of a craft store when I laid eyes…
S’mores and Stargazing Party
Looking up at the night sky is mesmerizing. I have vivid childhood memories of driving with my grandpa and looking at the stars. He’d try to point out the more popular formations like the big and little dippers and like clouds, I’d make shapes in my imagination of groups of stars. The memory of my…
Superior Hiking Trail
In the last few waning weeks of summer, we decided to stuff our packs one more time and tackle a couple of sections of the Superior Hiking Trail from Silver Bay to Lake County Road 6. This would be our first backcountry hiking experience of more than a few miles with our boys; ages seven…