I WON AT SKINNER'S BINGO!!!!!!

http://www.skinnersmn.com/

919 Randolph Avenue Saint Paul 651-291-0146

Thursday BINGO NightFREE BINGO from 8-10PM. $50 progressive pot Great drink specials and prizes
$2.50 Rails and Domestics 8:00-10:00

About the Owners

Pete and Molly Skinner are life-long Saint Paul residents and have owned Skinner's since July of 2000. Pete has cooked at perhaps twenty different bars and restaurants in Saint Paul and knows his way around the grill. In fact, Pete met Molly while they were both working at the Tower Tap (now Goby's) on Snelling. Pete and Molly had been looking to open their own place for many years when the opportunity to open Skinner's Pub came along, and they continue to work to improve the place and make sure everyone has a great time when they are here.

About the Building

This location has been the home to bars and restaurants for many years; previously operating as Novak's, Sonny's, and Paul's Place. It is truly a neighborhood institution. For much of the early part of the twentieth century, the dining room was the home of the Vogelgesang Grocery Store.

General Information
Reservations: not needed
Payment Accepted: Cash, Visa, and MasterCard (ATM available onsite)
Attire: casual
Kids welcome?: absolutely! Check out our kids menu

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus -Sonya Sones

One word - FABULOUS!! Free verse at it's best. A compulsive read that I read in 2 hours(and it is 417 pages). I could totally relate to the heroine of the story and feel her emotions. Laugh, cry, get scared and mad with Holly.
Sonya Sones has been on of my favorites since, What My Mother Doesn't Know. She is a poet of greatness and a force to be reckon with.

Let's Cheer Them On! Go girls and GOOD LUCK!!

This was sent to me from my friend Sandy. I hope one of them wins. I LOVE the State Fair and all the cool traditions.

From my cousin Dean and wife Elizabeth - their two girls are up for Princess Kay of the Milky Way at the Minnesota State Fair - see the link below.
Sandy

 

2010 Princess Kay of the Milky Way sits

for a butter sculptor at the Minnesota State Fair

Johnsons are history-making dairy princesses

By Heather Thorstensen
hthorstensen@agrinews.com

HERON LAKE, Minn. — April and Chelsey Johnson are cheering each other on to be the next state dairy princess.

They are the first sisters in the 58-year history of Princess Kay of the Milky Way program to be finalists at the same time. Ten other county dairy princesses join them in the running. The selection will be made Aug. 24.

The Johnson sisters of Heron Lake are Cottonwood County dairy princesses who grew up sharing milking duties and working on 4-H projects. They competed together on the team that took first place in the state during the 2009 4-H senior dairy project bowl.

If one of them is selected to be Princess Kay, they say they will both be happy that their county, family and the state's dairy farms are represented. The other sister would still get to share in the experience as they help during the year-long reign.

"We're competing for each other rather than against each other," said April.

April, 21, is the eldest of Dean and Elizabeth Johnson's four children. She is the detail-oriented one who started keeping records on her family's dairy cows at age 8 or 9.Chelsey, 19, is the tomboy who liked running through the feed alley, dodging cows to improve her agility and shooting baskets in front of the barn between chores.

For three years, Chelsey has helped her older sister prepare for the May event, where Princess Kay hopefuls are narrowed down to 12 finalists. When they decided to run together this year, they met in Chelsey's room every night once they were on summer break from college to practice media interviews and their speeches.

When April was named a finalist, Chelsey uncharacteristically shed happy tears.

"It's something that I've always seen in the future for her," said Chelsey. "With her passion for dairy and her leadership abilities, I think she would do an excellent job.

For April, being crowned Princess Kay would be an honor, a chance partly to show — though they're few — that there still are dairy farmers in Cottonwood County. There hasn't been a Princess Kay from the county since the 1980s, she said.

April was president of the Windom FFA chapter, Springfield Sparklers 4-H Club and Cottonwood County 4-H Federation. Chelsey also became president for those groups, saying it's because of April's example that she felt comfortable taking them on.

But April says Chelsey is also a guide for her in some ways. It's Chelsey she turns to for support and encouragement.

"I think Chelsey would be an excellent Princess Kay of the Milky Way," said April, "because she's an excellent communicator, really good at writing and delivering speeches in a really creative manner. And also, going into ag communications, I think this role would be something that would really benefit her in any future career path that she would choose."

Chelsey wants to be Princess Kay for a chance of self-improvement and to continue developing her skills as a dairy promoter.

A sophomore at South Dakota State University, she is studying agriculture communications and English education. She plans to be an ag journalist or a writing teacher. She is a historian for SDSU's dairy club, of which April is president.

April is a senior at the university, double majoring in dairy production and agricultural education. Her hope is to work for an AI company, as a 4-H program coordinator or as an agriculture teacher.

April is driving 1,500 miles a week across the Midwest this summer as an Alta Genetics intern, picking out sire's daughters to be photographed for a catalog. Meanwhile, Chelsey has been leading orientations on the SDSU campus and working as a nanny for a local family.

The Johnson family milks approximately 80 cows, mostly Holsteins, and raise their own replacement heifers. They farm about 320 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Both of April and Chelsey's parents grew up on dairy farms; the family lives now on the farm where their father grew up. Their mother's 10 siblings are all farming in the area.

Very Healthy Food that Only I Seem to Enjoy

Here is a review of the new cafe in St Paul from the Mpls St Paul mag. This is our family's review: Mom - YEAH!!! Great, fresh and tasty. Dad - ick, bland and I am still starving. Son - totally gross and can we please now go get Chipotle?

 

 They have the nutrients listed for each item which I like. My husband and son will never return. I will walk down with my dog Bear and dine solo I believe some day again.

 

 

Checking Out LifeCafe - Foodie File | Mpls.St.Paul Magazine + mspmag.com

A Beautiful and Poignant Visual Tale - Share it

http://www.porcelainunicorn.com/

Highland Pool - OASIS!!!

http://www.stpaul.gov/index.aspx?NID=2665

Saints Game

A fun night of baseball at Midway Stadium. The Midway kids got to play on the field and take batting, pitching and fielding practice. Then we watched a good game with a 4-4 tie. We then had a quick and fun bus ride home.  A great night with Joe.

Oh, how fast they grow!

http://www.noodles.com/tendegrees/checkin.php

 I went and got my free salad. I got there at 9:45 and then JP at Noodles gave me my tee. After spending only 45 minutes in-line with 2 awesome home schooled chaps, which we discussed literature and food, I got the 3rd free salad!!!!

I had the berry salad and it was spectacular, I really enjoyed the balsamic fig dressing it was the crowning touch!

So fun and delicious at the same time. A 7/7 to remember! And then I went and got Harry Potter Part 1 to get ready for the final.............................................................

Books from the 4th

Another great read by Crutcher.  This book is a continuation of characters lives from his previous books.  I hate when his novels end, so this was a blessing to find on the shelf while waiting for my son.

I also found this Last Apprentice series that I enjoyed and found the hero to be Potter like in his appeal.  The story also is because it combines a good amount of scary, heroics and emotions. I am going to continue on with it.

Sh*t My Dad says is like seeing Poppa all over
again.  I laughed so hard I cried.  He was missing some Pat Leahy sayings, but maybe only us daughters should share those with each other.

Catching Fire #2 in the Hunger Games stays true to the series originality and suspense.  Katniss is just hitting her stride in #2.

Backyard Beauties

The Blue Footed Booty

Fourth of July for Junie and Bear

Junie laughs and giggles over her delight that Bear is afraid of fireworks.

Junie says - Joe just brought home bottle rockets from the cabin.

Thanks man!

 Honey Badger ain't scared - Bear is! Heee, hee.....

I plan on staying here all weekend - between Mommy's legs.

I hate fireworks. :(

They scare me!!!!!!



Cabin Clean-up from the Storm of July 2nd

It is really so awful.  All those trees gone. No power for all the resorts and restaurants who had laden their cupboards and refrigerators for the the big weekend. All lost.

But people, animals and houses were spared.

Thank God for his protection of those we love, especially Nonee, Louise, Millie and Buds.

How we found the cabin - thank goodness we could read Bertels still.

This is what our road looked like:

We could get get down Bertel's road and the new neighbors were so nice and let us park there all weekend.

All the trees missed the cabin.

Chris, Alex, Nick, Joe all helped Greg clear the road.

And then we all went golfing. We had to play around some fallen trees and we had the place to ourselves basically. We also went to lunch at Rosenthal's.  The only place with a generator to have cold drinks, hot water in the bathrooms and great food.

Thanks Nonee and Louise for a good two days filled with memories of a job done well with family love.



Rainbows and Such

I think sometimes I get very self centered and don't see the whole picture. I want everyone to be happy and fail to see that some people are and will alwys be very competitive. That wears on me and I tend to react with my irish temper and say things that I regret. I know I have to work on forgiveness and empathy. Sometimes though...I think WTF is wrong with you. Sorry, but I am working on it all.

So I look for rainbows and as I tell my kids, spread the love. They think I am crazy talking to people (customer service people, that I believe deserve your WHOLE attention) and getting to know them so well that we can walk in to any store around St Paul and have people yell out my name.  I like that.  That is St Paul to me. I would never, ever trade that for anything.  I adore people, all sorts, and that makes life wonderful to me.

This is a rainbow after Friday's storms.  You have to look really hard to see it, but if you get there and spot it, it is worth it.
Peace-Amy