Pumpkins, Polka & Frisbee

Last weekend was one of those perfect kind of weekends with a mixture of fun, family time and relaxation. And on top of that, it was MEA weekend here in Minnesota, which meant for an extra long weekend for Jake and Drew.

Some highlights of our weekend included heading over to our local pumpkin patch.

Friday evening we went out to a German restaurant in Minneapolis called Gasthof’s. This is a fun restaurant that is very lively and can get pretty rowdy. We haven't been to this restaurant in over 10 years, so it was a fun way to spend an evening.

We enjoyed some German food, German beer, and accordion music.

After dinner we went downstairs where a band was playing and maybe we even a did a little Polka-ing. :)

By the end of the evening this basement area was packed- with mostly it being a much younger crowd but there was this sweet elderly couple that with no care in the world, came out for a night of Polka.

Saturday, we headed to Eau Claire, WI to see Tyler playing in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. Honestly, I don't really understand this game too well, but it is fun to watch and it was a gorgeous day out! Plus we got to chat with Ty for a bit! His team name is 'BAM' (Bad A** Monks). Kind of funny. :)

I love this sequence of pictures:

We watched a couple of games, said good-bye to Ty and then headed over to Chippewa Falls, WI to the Leinenkugel's Brewery.

We sampled some beer.

And took a tour of the brewery. We took some pictures of the beautiful grounds and the buildings but were not allowed to take any photos inside the buildings.

Sunday was our perfectly relaxing day. We enjoyed a special treat of donuts and time to read the newspaper.

The boys spent the day watching a little a lot of football while I spent my time in the kitchen doing some baking and making Sunday dinner. One of my favorite things to do on a quiet Sunday is to take my time in the kitchen making my family a meal and maybe doing some baking. I love quiet Sundays!!

On this Sunday, I made some homemade applesauce. This is so good warm and is great just as is-- but would also be amazing on vanilla ice cream or on oatmeal.

I also tried a couple of new recipes, both of which the family absolutely loved. The first recipe was a 'pork chop and stuffing' recipe from my Aunt Jeannie, that is in our family cookbook. I didn't get a good picture of this- but it is so good and something I will make again soon.

The other recipe I tried was one I found on Stone of Remembrance blog awhile ago, and knew I needed to try it. Apple Dumpling Surprise is a perfect Fall treat and my family loved it!

family + fun times + perfect weather + good food =

amazing weekend