Livvy and the Trees

My husband had an idea of taking Livvy someplace new to wear her out before bedtime. Normally we go on walks around the neighborhood and we'll let her walk. For 2.5 years old, i think she walks pretty far. At least a mile without wanting to get back into the stroller.

Anywho, in Maple Grove there is a tiny little arboretum smooshed between a county road and residential area. It's basically a park path with various trees labeled with what type they are. My husband grew up learning the different types of trees and he could tell what one was by the leaf and the bark. He thought maybe Livvy would get a kick out of looking at all of the trees.

As you can see in the picture above, Miss O. dug the trees. She insisted on wearing her "dress", which is a Barbie Princess nightgown. I wasn't going to argue with her. If she were a teenager i would strongly advise against wearing it, but she's 2.5 and she'll only live that age once. So why not? I could care less.



Livvy loved trekking from tree to tree. She didn't really understand what we were looking at but she ooed and awed at all of the right moments. She was very patient and not bored at all. Often she would say, "what's that? what's that daddy? Daddy? Daddy! What's that?" She's such a turkey.



It always amazes me at what liv will find. She spots the minutest things, picks them up and just wonders them to death. Here she spotted an acorn cap. Something i don't think she's seen before. She's used to seeing the whirly birds from the trees in our area. According to daycare, liv has to have a whirly bird in her hand at all times.



Olivia has a strong curiosity for dandelions too. Particularly when they've gone to seed. She tries to blow the seeds off the stem. Doesn't really work and most of the time i'm afraid she's going to inhale the seeds instead of blowing them off the stem. In this picture she was contemplating everything in the grass. Not only were there dandelions, but there were clovers too! weeeeee! what fun. :o)

As we made our way back to the car there was the typical park sign that usually has a message basically stating, "don't trash the place okay?" I thought this message was worthy of taking a picture. This message resonated the most with me. We all know what manners we should have in a park, but often times we forget the purpose of a park.

Russian Tea House II

That my friends is a deconstructed cabbage roll. Looks gross but tastes oh so good! This is one of the many authentic dishes you'll find at the Russian Tea House. You've already seen pictures of what the place looks like inside, now you get to see what they serve! Trust me, i'm not very adventurous when it comes to food, but this stuff is good!

This is a picture of goodness. This is a Piroshki. Alton Brown learned to make while visiting for his tv show. He wanted to share the recipe (of course with permission) but found out that it required a lot of steps. This isn't mass produced stuff people. This is handmade stuff, made everyday. Which explains why the Tea House is open from 11-3 during the week (except Mondays and the weekends).

When Jason and i walked into the Tea House, we saw a tray of these lovely chocolate chip, poppy seed rolls. Sounds odd, but is SOOOOO good. The size of the roll was just about the size of jason's head. No lie!

After eating all of the goodness we deposit our tray and garbage.

We head down the stairs, back into the complicated world.

To find out where the heck this place is (and for other reviews), click here. Skip "school" and go. To find out who the heck Alton Brown is and this "Feasting on Asphalt" business, click here. Unfortunately they don't show the episode involving MN.

Russian Tea House I

Howdy strangers. Sorry. It's been awhile! My mornings have become increasingly busy and i have completely fallen behind on a few things. This little blog for one! Good gravy right? Well i'm back kids. I have quite a bit to tell you about too! For starters, i finally got my hubby to drag me to the Russian Tea House! What's that you say? In Minnesota? Why of course! See my above terrible picture of the sign for the place.



The Russian Tea House is an actual house. No lie. I walk into the front door and this is what i see. A counter and a HUGE floor mixer in the back. We order our food at this counter. Everything is served in to-go containers but you can choose to sit and eat here...



...you just have to walk up these stairs! :) See? Told'ya. Real house.



Just as we get to the top of the stairs, i look to my right, and i see the first signs of seating. Just your regular, typical old banister that you would find in any house.



Voila! We sit and here is the view of the seating area. A bunch of miscellaneous furniture. To the left, in the back, is the door to the bathroom. What kind of bathroom would you find in a house? Well, one with a toilet, porceleain sink and tub of course! My only regret, that i didn't take a picture of the bathroom. I didn't want to look like a weenie in front of the people eating there. I can hear it now..."hey, what's that crazy girl doing? has she never seen a bathroom before?"

While i'm very fascinated by this place, the food is even more amazing! No lie! Alton Brown even visited this place for one of his feasting on asphalt shows.