Not a Typical Valentine's date

I spent valentine's day weekend like every other weekend, ice fishing with my hubby and a few close friends and relatives.
Mike had been looking forward to this particular fisharee, or ice fishing tournament,  with boyish excitement.
He was confident he would win, and I was confident he could, because he's the luckiest person I've ever met (and I'm not just saying that because he's married to me).
I worked till 12:30 the night before, and tried to get a few hours of sleep before our alarms went off at 4:00. The fisharee began at 6:30 and Mike wasted no time setting up. We're allowed three lines per person and It didn't take him long to drill holes for our tip-ups in the perfect spots.
A few minutes after he had finished baiting our hooks and was warming up next to the heater, we got our first flag on one of my tip ups. I had to stay back and watch the little one so mike and a friend went to the hole without me. For me, catching a Northern Pike sometimes feels like pulling a log through the water, especially if they're swim through the weeds. But that wasn't the case for Mike, it only took him a minute or two until he had his first fish of the day, squirming on the ice. The northern measured  32 inches, and set the bar high for the rest of the tournament.
It was an amazing to start the day. And a great day to be out fishing. Despite the swirling wind and negative temperatures, it was sunny and the fish were biting. To top it all off, Mike won first place, and bragging rights with that first pike.
That's us, all bundled up in the picture. Me with a 28 inch Northern that I caught at nearly the last minute of the competition and mike with his fish. Overall, We might have not celebrated our valentine's day in the traditional way but it was better that way because we spent the day, outdoors, doing somthing we loved, together.

A Metallic Monday Manicure.

Twice a month,  every other Monday, I pack up the little one for a much needed, sanity saving, mommy relaxation day. What I do that day is usually somthing like yoga, try a new recipe, take a walk,  grab a coffee or paint my nails.
Today I started with some yoga and followed that up with a fresh manicure in this beautiful shade of Revlon Copper Penny. It's my new "neutral".
Wait, Copper is a neutral right?
Like alot of great trends, I caught on to metallics a little late. But its not too late for you. I promise. As soon as I tried it I immediately fell in love with its effortless chic.
This color will make any outfit instantly more glamourous. Don't you think so? Plus, I'm convinced they match with everything,  and every skintone. Forget all those classically neutral beige and pinks, this shade, honestly, is so versatile even your grandmother would love it. Please don't tell me otherwise.  I'm too in love with Copper Penny to have anyone burst my metallic manicure bubble.

P.S. Forgive my otherwise minimally manicured hands, I'm a working mother, not a hand model.

New Year's Resolutions

Lately I've been hearing about how pointless new years resolutions are. Just this morning, the news spouted some "fact" like only seventy percent of people  stick to their new year's goals for more than two weeks. But I've never been the kind of person who sets the "quit smoking" "lose 500lbs" type of goals, so hopefully my new year lifestyle changes last  longer than average.

Call me overconfident,  but I made not just one, but three, new years resolutions this year.
1) Do more yoga.
I've been dabbling with yoga for about four years or more. That said, dabbling is nothing compared to a routine practice. There's still allloooot of room for improvement.  Probably because I do my yoga in the middle of the living room with a toddler running around trying to wrestle with me. But, hey,  it starts with baby steps right?

2) Stand up for myself more. As in have a little backbone in all aspects of life like Work, home, or to complete strangers who need a polite, but firm, suggestion that they go to the back of the line instead of cutting in front of myself and twenty other people that have all been patiently waiting their turn. Can you tell holiday shopping is still in recent memory?

3) Blog more.
Like yoga, Blogging has been somthing i've wanted to do for years but has had a much rockier start than I had anticipated.  I give alot of credit to anyone out there who works full time, takes care of their family,  gets eight hours of sleep and still finds time to write.
So here's to a new year full of amazing blog posts! Wish me luck and stay tuned for updates!

State Fair and Henna Tattoo.

Hey guys!  Sorry I haven't written in a while (again). Mike and I actually set a day for our wedding, I've been so excited to start planning!!! But more on that later.
We took a break from planning to go to the Wisconsin state fair. I love all the sights, smells, and flavors of fairs and am fortunate enough to live in a state that has one of the highest rated fairs in the country. I can't sample enough fried food, and always enjoy looking at the animals, especially the horses and rabbits!
This year, one of the first things I did was get a henna tattoo. For those of you who don't know, henna tattoos are beutiful temporary tattoos made from plant paste that last about 2 weeks. Great for people, like me, who love body art but can't commit to permanent ink.
I always lean toward floral henna designs but, just before the artist was about to start, I spotted this little deer in one of her design portfolios. I had her incorporate it because it's similar to our wedding invitations (more details on those to come soon.) What do you think of it?

Easy, Mouthwatering Guacamole.

Last week I was on an avocado binge. I ate it on my toast for breakfast, in my salads for lunch, and of course I ate at least five helpings of good ole fasioned guacamole for dinner. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but I do love guacamole. I can't get enough of this simple recipe. Let me know what you think of it!

Guacamole for one: 

1 avocado

1 tsp finely chopped cilantro

1 tsp fresh chives 

1 tsp diced tomato

1 small lime / half medium

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

A Fish Story.

Last Saturday Mike, brimming with spontaneity, snagged us two seats on a fishing charter boat in Milwaukee.  The morning started out like a complete circus. Neither one of us heard our alarms go off so when I woke up at quarter to three (am) so all  we had time to do was jump into our clothes and race to our truck. I made it to the harbor faster than seagull eats a french fry. Seriously. We barreled onto Lakeshore drive in just about a half hour. An impressive feat considering how far away I live and how much construction is going on along the Milwaukee lake front.  After arriving fifteen minutes late, we set out to catch our limit of trout and salmon.

 The day improved quickly,  especially once I saw the sun rise over lake Michigan. It was absolutely beautiful.  Mike helped the captain set up the poles and running boards while I watched the fish locator for our potential supper. We waited patiently. Switched bait. Then waited even longer. Turns out the fish just weren't biting that day. Our catch of the day was one modest Lake Trout. But the trout, combined with the relaxing lake atmosphere, was just enough to make my morning hassle worthwhile.

Mike filleted the trout for Sunday dinner. Although I thought cooking it would be complicated, it was surprisingly simple. First he placed one fillet onto a cedar plank that had been soaking in water for a few hours. Then Mike put the whole thing onto a cookie sheet for easier handling. Finally he topped the fish with a little pepper and a few fresh lemon slices. It was the first time he had ever cooked trout this way in the oven (according to him, a grill is the best place to cook with cedar planks). The fish had to bake a little longer than We had anticipated but it was so worth it in the end. 

I can't wait to go again and catch a few salmon for the freezer!

The Discovery Of Kale.

I Finally went and did it.  I bought myself some kale at the farmers market. And you know what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't juice it or do any of the cool ways to "hide" kale that have been all over Pinterest lately. I just cooked it the good old fashioned way by sautéing it up for lunch on Monday with an egg, spinach, mushrooms and onions. Added a dash of hot sauce and yum yum.
Which makes me wonder, what other delicious healthy foods have I been missing? Do you have any suggestions for what I should try next?