Minnesota Blogger: Brianne at Avalanches In My Heart

Why hello there! I’m Brianne.

The little things in life give me the most happiness. 

I love the smell of freshly ground coffee in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening. 

I am passionate about photography and travel. 

I love how pictures allow you to capture moments and feelings.

You could say I’ve got an extreme case of wanderlust.

 If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, 

I would gladly live out of my suitcase and explore the world with my camera.

 I am new to the blogger scene and hope to fill my blog with chronicles of my adventures, day-to-day occurrences and random thoughts about anything and everything. 

Four things that give me the most joy:

1. Taking Pictures

 

2. Travel

When I went hiking in Scotland.

3. Coffee Coffee Coffee!

 

4. Disney

My sister and I at Disney World.

Join me!

My Blog

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

I would LOVE to hear from you!

MN Bloggers Cooking Class

Hello MN Bloggers! It's Andrea from Keeping up w/ The Sonneks and I am happy to be hosting an April cooking class for anyone that loves to cook as much as I do!

Each month I personally attend a cooking class, hosted by my Mom- an AMAZING creator & teacher in the kitchen! I then recap class on my blog- check out what we had cooking last month for March HERE.

A little bit of background on the class. My Mom has been apart of the Pampered Chef & Wildtree community for many years! Instead of visiting your home to do a "show" she turned her passion for time spent in the kitchen to hosting a cooking class each month in her home. She is currently on her 4th year- and this concept has been very successful for her and so much fun! Please know that there is NEVER any pressure to buy any products- but rather the convenience of getting to cook with ANY Pampered Chef kitchen item that you wish- she has EVERYTHING! Also- each class features a "take home product" from Wildtree, more details on that below.

With the expressed interest for a MNBloggers "Cooking Class" I have decided to organize a class for this month. Class will be exclusive to MNBloggers- so that we can all take pictures of the food without any complaints about the food getting cold! **we bloggers LOVE our pictures!!**

Class Details...

• Due to the 'in-home' class atmosphere, class is very casual! It is hands on and you'll get to eat [enjoy] EVERYTHING that's prepared!
• Class is $20/person, this $20 includes the featured Wildtree "Product of the Month" & recipes for each dish prepared.
• Class for April will be held on either Wednesday April 24th OR Friday April 26th starting at 7:00pm and located in Columbus, MN (Forest Lake/Lino Lakes area)
• The Menu for meals will be a variety of salads with the theme being "Lettuce" Have Fun! which is perfect as we all anticipate warmer temps ahead of us for both Spring & Summer!

 If this sounds like something you would be interested in attending- please comment on this post with the class date (4/24 or 4/26) that best fits your schedule. 

With enough response a date will then be picked to accommodate the majority of attendees. 

Please comment ASAP to ensure a date gets picked. 

**IMPORTANT**  

For the sake of space and food planning- be sure that you are interested in attending 100% before commenting with a date.

Send any questions you may have to the EMAIL address MNBloggerCookingClass@gmail.com 

Looking forward to seeing many of you there! Please don't forget to respond via comment with an "RSVP'd date" and watch for the final details and date to be picked by April 9th (one week from today).

This class will be a fun, unique & interactive opportunity to meet & visit with some of our favorite MNBloggers!

Minnesota Blogger: Abby from Abby Talsma Blog

Hey there! My name is Abby, and I am so excited to get to share a bit about my life and blog with you. As I have only been blogging since November, I am fairly new on the scene. It all started as a way to communicate with family and friends while my husband and I spent a few months volunteering in Ecuador this past winter.

But it has become so. much. more.

Writing has allowed me to slow down the constant swirl of thoughts going on in my head. To take a closer look at how I want to live my life. With purpose. With love. With a heart geared toward serving others.

So I write about just that. Life. I don't focus solely on one area, but an array of topics weave themselves through my stories. 

Other things that hold a place in my heart are...

1   my husband. We got married last summer. Which did, in fact, bring me here to good ol' Minnesota. I'm originally an Iowa girl, have dabbled in Minnesota living since graduating college, and will call Minnesota my permanent-for-now home. 

2   traveling. The quote below pretty much sums this one up.

I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question.

       -Harun Yahya

3 community. I believe that living in community is essential. While I would love for you to come over and check out what I'm writing about, even more so, I hope to get to know you in the process. Whether our communities are formed in our neighborhoods, or online, I believe they are the heart beat of life. 

So join me on...
 

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

My Blog

Minnesota Blogger: Jaime from It's Gotta Be Here Somewhere

Hello to all of my fellow MN Bloggers!

I'm Jaime and I run the blog It's Gotta Be Here Somewhere.

I haven't had this blog up and running very long but not to worry, 

it will fill up soon with my never ending ramblings, stories, and confessions. I write about obsessions, guilty pleasures, the kids, The Rocky Road to Healthy, and other stuff. I am slightly opinionated (ha) but I do try to be nice about it.

I moved to MN 5 years ago this month (has it been 5 already?) to be with 

my now husband and his two children, Button and Peanut.

This is us having family photos done in Fall 2011:

Button is about to turn 10 and is in the 4th grade. She's a sweet girl that is usually more 

worried about other people being happy then herself. And yes, she's quite animated.

Peanut turned 7 in January and is in the 1st grade. This is a weird child. And she will proudly tell you that she is the weirdest of us all. Some days, it's like there is a 30 year old trapped in a 7 year old body. The next day, there's a 4 year old in there wrecking havoc.

I have a page on my blog, Kid Quotes, that can give you a glimpse into the laughs these two provide.

The girls live with us full time and we are a pretty tight family of 4. (Nope, no plans to add to the family now... or ever. We are 4 strong and we all like it that way.)

My husband and I were married June 12, 2010 in downtown Minneapolis. The girls were our flower girls and they were ADORABLE in their dresses. They amazed everyone with their manners and how well they behaved. (Yay! We are doing something right!)

I make nail polish and jewelry and sell both on Etsy. (At the moment, both shops are closed. But photos of what I have created can be found on the blogs and for the polish, on FB. I also add photos of nail art that I have done to my own nails.)

Red Carpet Lacquer

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/RedCarpetLacquer

blog: www.redcarpetlacquer.com

FB: www.facebook.com/RedCarpetLacquer

 

Designs by JW: 

shop: www.etsy.com/shop/DesignsByJW

blog: www.jmwdesignsjmw.blogspot.com/

You can follow me on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Himay_Jme

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/itsgottabehere/

FB: www.facebook.com/ItsGottaBeHereSomewhere

I hope you can stop by, say hello, and follow along as we try to navigate this ever changing world.

-Jaime

Minnesota Blogger: Elise from Crap, Did I Just Say That Out Loud?

Hey there, Minnesota Bloggers!

My name is Elise, and my blog is called Crap, Did I just say that out loud?

As most blogs go, I kind of just post about whatever I want, including, but not limited to...

 

1.) My Smokin' Hot Husband.

We met when I was in high school, he was MY BOSS (classy, right?) at the restaurant we worked at, and, at the time, our relationship was strictly professional and consisted of him telling me to shut up and get back to work. 

Four years later, we somehow got in touch, and he pursued and chased me until I was totally in love with him. We dated for a couple of months, got engaged, and then a few months later got married. 

INSANITY.

A month after we got married, I was pregnant (MORE INSANITY), and we then decided to move from Colorado to Minnesota to raise our family here (for some EXTRA INSANITY).

So it's been a non-stop insanity ride since we got together, and we even still have the hots for each other through it all!

On my blog you can find posts on his Proposal Story, 30 Things About Luke, and our wedding pictures. 

But what I really write about most is...

2.) My cute kids.

I had my daughter, Vienna, in May of 2011, and I just had my son, Boaz, this last September, 2012.

 Having two under two has been so fun and so, so, SO crazy!

My daughter is like five kids in one body, has her own opinions about EVERYTHING, and has broadway-musical-style meltdowns most every time something doesn't go her way. 

Sooo....she's a typical toddler.

But when she's not whining or getting into something she's not supposed to or requesting to watch Finding Nemo for the 3rd time in one day, she's actually super adorable and funny.

And she's got great hair.

So that's a plus.

My baby boy is about as cool and chill and happy as they come. 

He rarely complains, no matter how many times his sister sits on his face or tries to "share" her snacks with him (by shoving a graham cracker down his throat).

Oh and he's HUGE. Almost 20 pounds at 6 months old.

(That's a little on the heavier side of things, for a baby...)

So these kiddos keep me rather busy, and I'm pretty sure have caused quite a few friends and family members to think that I'm a raging alcoholic, by how often I mention that I'm desperately in need of wine by 2 pm.

And every once in a while I post about...

3.) Food!

I REALLY love food.

Like..a lot.

(You know, it pairs nicely with all that wine I drink.)

I'm not a phenomenal cook by any means, but I totally love it and I enjoy sharing recipes and meal ideas.

So that's pretty much the gist of it! 

Just writing about our insane life as it happens, and trying to keep all of our far away friends and family updated on what we do. We are in the works/planning stages of getting a farm in the next year or two, so that will be another fun, weird, unfamiliar extravaganza to chronicle.

Social Media wise, my blog has a fancy Facebook Page, I have Twitter (which I suck at), and I'm on Pinterest and Instagram (@elisej125) quite a bit.

Hope to get to meet you all at some point!

Minnesota Blogger: Alisha from Lovely Mind Heart Soul

Hello Minnesota Bloggers!!

My name is Alisha and I blog over at Lovely Mind Heart Soul. I am 24, married, a college grad, a major science nerd, an avid outdoorswoman, and an animal lover!

I tend to blog about the craziness that is my life. Some days it can be really random and others very heartfelt and soulful. I write how I feel and what I think. And I take lots of pics. Many are of my Hubby and my 2 year old Chocolate lab Raeghan. She makes a great model!! I am rather new at this whole blogging thing but I'll get the hang of it! Pic numero uno (oh yes. I know some spanish):

I married my best friend (Sean) on May 31st, 2012 in Breckenridge, Colorado. It was just the 2 of us and we couldn't have been happier. Then in June we had our reception here in Minnesota at the MN Horse and Hunt Club.

I'm a big sportsmen. I love hunting, fishing, camping, nature walks, and sport shooting. In high school, I shot trap competitively and am fairly confident I can beat most guys.

Really? That's the only pic I have of my baking? Note to self: fix that!!

I love love love to bake. I love trying new recipes, perfecting the ones I already have, and giving away all sorts of sweets! I can't cook worth a damn and Hubby thinks I can burn water (Thank goodness he's the cook in our house!!) but baking is a whole different story. My best wedding present was my KitchenAide mixer. I baby that thing. No touchy!

 

I am a huge Minnesota sports fan. I love the Twins, the Wild, the Gophers, the Vikings. I will argue until I'm blue about how great they are and I love going to the games. Hubby doesn't really care for team sports so he encourages me to go to the games with my girl Dana! Girls and sports in our neighborhood!

We have a 2 year old Chocolate Lab named Raeghan. She is our baby! She loves cuddling, playing with her Kong (heavy duty chew toy if you didn't already google that one) and eating --- ok, shredding -- socks. It's the only people-item she eats so I guess its ok. She's my natural hunter and loves being in the water. Oh and she's terrified of balloons (big hot air ones and little helium ones... no idea why). We could also never live too close to the railroad tracks because she howls at the train horn.

I love making new friends so please stop over and follow me!

instagram: lovely_mhs

Minnesota Blogger: Katie from Strawberry Halls Forever

Hey everyone, I'm Katie and I blog over at Strawberry Halls Forever!  MN Bloggers has given me this great opportunity to introduce myself...so here we go!

First, how about a little info about my blog?  I decided that I wanted to start documenting more of my life because the last few years have been full of exciting changes, and no doubt things will continue to change, so I thought I'd probably want to look back on these years at some point.  The reason I named my blog Strawberry Halls Forever is because my maiden name is Strawbridge (and therefore people used to call me Strawberry a lot) and my last name now is Hall, so I wanted the name to reflect both my personal individuality as well as my life with my husband, Mark.

Here is a little bit more about me:

I've been married to my husband since May 2011, how does the time fly so fast??  We bought a house last year and have been settling into nicely it with our cat and dog.

Speaking of the pets, here they are!  I adopted Orlando, our cat, in 2007 and we welcomed Shay, our Golden Retriever, about a year ago!  Shay is still a puppy and Orlando puts up with him very well!  I am a HUGE animal lover- I could never imagine living without pets!

I love to travel!!  I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel extensively in Latin America, but also in Thailand and Europe.  I love any type of travel, whether it be a road trip to another state or a 13 hour flight across the world.  Mark and I are going to Europe next month and I am SO excited!

I'm sort of a fitness junkie.  I enjoy most types of exercise and try really hard to live a healthy, but balanced, lifestyle.  I'm mostly a runner, but have also dabbled in the triathlon world.  I'm also in the process of becoming certified as a yoga teacher!  I am loving this process and am SO excited to be able to teach my own classes in the near future!

I like to think I'm a down-to-earth lady!  I am pretty easy going and just love to have fun!  I hope you hop on over to my blog to visit me!  You can find me on Instagram and Pinterest also!  

Well, thanks for letting me introduce myself to you all!! I can't wait to get to know some of you MN Bloggers out there!

xoxo, Katie