saver spot scores from a #targetrun

Hi everyone!

It’s no secret that I find Target to be a magical place; and I’m sure many of you do, too! After spending some time working for Target on the store management side, I was able to find out more and more great things about them and their stores. They have brought many new things to the retail landscape and are always looking for ways to make their guest happy from an experience standpoint.

Sometimes when I am on my trips to Target I can stick to my list and make a quick “run” over my lunch break to get a few things that I am in need of. Most of my Target runs are trips like that but every so often I go to Target for a little bit longer run. This is a relaxing Target trip that doesn’t necessarily involve an agenda….just involves me taking my time and making a bigggg lap around the store, looking at things that catch my eye. I usually do this when I am trying to think about new things to write about on #sugarspiceandstylethatsnice for all of you!

Arguably my favorite part of my trips like this to Target lies only a few feet inside the front door. In the Grand Forks store, I always go in the door on the electronics side, grab my cart, and then spend a solid 10-15 minutes in the Saver Spot. This place is GLORIOUS and has been a gold mine for me on many occasions. This section changes quite a few times each year and always has a mix of “seasonal” items and general items.

My favorite finds usually end up being something seasonal. Everything up in the “spot” tends to be $5 or less (with the random exception being more than that) and the decor they have up there for Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, etc. is just as cute if not cuter than the stuff they have in the actual seasonal section of the store and can be about 1/5 of the price!! It makes buying my seasonal decorations up there a no brainer 🙂

A couple weeks ago on one of my Sunday stroll trips to Target I picked up a handful of things for 3 or 5 dollars that I’ve found perfect uses for at my house! First, how perfect are these colored 3D words!? Turquoise is my favorite color and I have a few other knick knacks on my book shelf in that color so I snagged this “hello” and it looks perfect with the others. The golden “home” I could visualize right away on my front door because I knew it would look great with my DIY spring wreath! I affixed it to my door with small command strips on the back and I love how it stands out.

The other two things I bought that day are going to get their own separate posts but I still want to mention them! As my first spring/summer in my townhouse arrives I am excited to try my first attempt at understanding how to plant flowers and hopefully keep them alive!!! I don’t have the best track record with plants…but I am going to give it my best shot so that my front yard looks great AND I will learn how to do something new. I bought this sweet little flower kit for 5 dollars that will grow three different types of complementary flowers. It includes everything you need and there were multiple options for the colors and types of flowers! Once I get my flowers up and running I will make sure to give you all an update.

Lastly, I bought this book which I am so excited about. I have an unbelievably large collection of scarves and have never been the best at finding new ways to wear them or be creative with tying them in new way. This book was in the saver spot for 5 dollars and gives me tons of new ways to try and mix up my scarves with my outfits!! I will be trying a few of these methods and taking photos so I can do a separate post and give all of you some new ideas yourself! A few of the ideas would have never crossed my mind so I know that this will bring a fresh perspective to an accessory that I wear almost every day of the week.

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend! I promise to have more for you sometime this week 🙂

#sugarspiceandstylethatsnice #saverspotscores #targetstrolls

xoxo Jen

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is “brunching” a verb? asking for a friend…

Good evening, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter this past weekend. Tonight I’m going to take you on a little food adventure (ok…kind of a big food adventure…) through the Easter brunch that I shared with my family on Sunday! The pictures don’t quite do it justice because even though it all photographed well it tasted SO much better 🙂

I spent the weekend in St. Paul with my parents and my brother since he didn’t get a break from school at the U of M. Our weekend as a whole was a blast. Saturday consisted of a Twins game in beautiful weather and wrapped up with the John Mayer concert at the Xcel (OH MY GOSH….I will do a separate post on that experience. Even though it was my third time seeing him it was still unreal).

Sunday morning we got to attend Easter mass at the famous and beautiful St. Paul Cathedral. Before we hit the road for home it only seemed natural to find a great spot for brunch. Since we had celebrated with our extended family on Palm Sunday with our home-cooked brunch we decided to scout out a place in St. Paul where we could experience brunch at a restaurant. I looked up “Top breakfast places in St. Paul” and we scoured through a top 15 list and considered a few options but many were closed due to the holiday. Only a few blocks from our Air B n’ B rental was the famous Red Cow restaurant. We decided to go there and just enjoy a burger instead because we had heard good things.

When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised to see they were offering an Easter Brunch special. Oh, but this was not just ANY Easter Brunch….but a 4-course Easter Brunch. My family had an immediate “sign me up” moment and our waitress showed us the menu for the courses and let us know that they would be served family-style at the table with enough servings of each dish for the 4 of us. Here is the menu:

After finishing the meal I found their description of “sweet and savory” to be spot on. All of the courses were paired well from a flavor perspective and reading the dishes initially I thought “that sounds like an interesting combination” but after trying them all there was no mistaking that they knew what they were doing when they put everything together! I, of course, had to take some photos of each course. And since we were eating outside on their patio the lighting was fantastic 🙂

Course 1:

This yogurt….with the honey…YUM. And you can never go wrong with fresh fruit. The housemade granola included some dried fruit which added a unique texture and honey is always a thumbs up in my book. It was a refreshing way to start the meal! The caramel pecan rolls just speak for themselves. Homemade breakfast rolls are never a bad choice. Ever.

Course 2:

Seafood is normally not in my wheelhouse at all and I know that I should focus on eating more of it to have a healthy diet. When I saw the salmon show up on the menu I was a little bit skeptical but it’s smoky flavor combined with the scrambled eggs made for a really good taste. I spent most of my energy for the 2nd course on the blueberry banana pancakes. They were excellent…thick and fluffy with just the right amount of fruit flavor baked in. My dad’s vote for his favorite part of the entire meal was the ham, sausage, and bacon alongside the pancakes. They were all smoked and had such a distinct flavor that was a good partner for the sweetness of the pancakes.

Course 3:

If I had to choose, I think course 3 would be my favorite, simply because of these cheesy hashbrowns. The picture does not do them justice at all. They were perfectly seasoned and just slightly crispy. The flavor of the cheese especially with bites of the braised short ribs in between made for such a rich pairing. I loved the potatoes so much that when the manager came by at the end of the meal to ask how we enjoyed it I asked if she’s be willing to share what types of cheese/cheese blend they used in the potatoes. I could tell from the coloring it wasn’t the traditional cheddar cheese that many of us use for “cheesy potatoes” because it was much lighter colored. She let me know that is was Gouda cheese and then it ALL made sense. Gouda is my absolute favorite cheese (maybe tied with Brie…) so now I’m on a mission to try using Gouda when I attempt my own cheesy potatoes.

Also, not to be forgotten about was the mushroom ravioli. Mushrooms also tend to find themselves on my “hesitant list” because of the texture but with how great everything had tasted so far I knew I couldn’t skip out on eating it and I’m glad I didn’t! The heavier sauce made for a savory flavor and the mushrooms were done in a way that distracted from the texture that usually bothers me.

Course 4:

I think  I am going to let the dessert course speak mainly for itself. You truly cannot go wrong with carrot cake and this one was multi-layer with a creamy, but light, cream cheese frosting. The perfect way to cap off a great brunch!

The staff at Red Cow St. Paul were excellent so I highly recommend adding it to your list of places to check out next time you’re in MSP! This brunch was a “special” due to the holiday so you won’t likely find this again on any given Sunday, but I’ve also heard their burgers and other menu selections are outstanding. I can’t wait to make another visit some day and I’m glad my family chose to do our “brunching” with them on Easter!

Have a great rest of your week!

#sugarspiceandstylethatsnice

#redcowsaintpaul

xoxo Jen

nursery crafting

The Regimbal side of my family is veryyyy close to welcoming a new member…maybe even tomorrow to be exact!! My Aunt Stacie and Uncle Chris are expecting their 2nd baby and first little girl within the next few days and I can hardly wait to meet her 🙂

Stacie and I have a shared extreme love for Hobby Lobby and that is where we sometimes meet up to hang out. We could spend HOURS in there just milling around and dreaming up projects! When she found a project on Pinterest that she wanted done for the baby’s nursery she sent me a picture and asked if I would be willing to take it on. I am always up for a project (as she knows) so I said certainly!

The project involved a weird element…an empty oatmeal canister. But that didn’t scare me!! She wanted a headband holder made for all of the sweet headbands that she had already collected for the baby. After looking at the pin I knew it wouldn’t be a lengthy project at all. Stacie gave me an empty oatmeal container from their house and I headed to Hobby Lobby (shocking…I know) to purchase the rest of the supplies. I needed:

1. fabric (I choose to buy a set of fabric strips that were multiple patterns but all within the same color family)
2. a candlestick/candle base
3. ribbon or trim for the edges

After reading the instructions I went to town with my hot glue gun and ended up with what I think is completely fantastic and girly! Just fit for the little princess that this baby will most certainly be. I couldn’t resist choosing pink feathered trim and a fancy turquoise and crystal candle stick to add even more feminine touches! Here is the finished product as well as a picture of it now ready to go for baby in the nursery and holding her already large collection of headbands!

If you want to see the original pin I followed for instructions on this project click here!

Since I was having so much fun with this project for the baby I decided I wanted to make something else that would be special for her room. This baby is going to be lucky enough to have a great name that starts with a “J” but I’m not going to spoil the surprise until she arrives! When I was shopping at Hobby Lobby for the other supplies I decided I would make a canvas incorporating a J for her room and…lots of pink!! Stacie had showed me what was already done in the nursery so I knew that if I went with pink it would fit right in 🙂

The supplies I bought for this project were:

1. An oblong/oval shaped canvas
2. Craft paint in a fuschia color
3.  A distressed wooden “J”
4. A package of gold mini garland
5. This irresistible little crown applique that I found in the scrapbook section

I painted the canvas with the craft paint and let the first layer dry for a few hours before adding a second layer to get a deeper color. Then I got my hot glue gun warmed up again and unwrapped the garland from the package and laid it in diagonals across the canvas until I had the right set up that I liked. Then I cut the garland into the appropriate lengths and glued it to the canvas every few pieces to ensure it would hold.

I used 2 heavier duty command strips on the back of the wooden J to ensure that it would hold well to the canvas since it was fairly heavy. Then for the finishing touch I added the little crown right to the top of the J and secured it with hot glue. Now baby J has the perfect piece for above her rocking chair in her room!

One thing is for sure….this baby will have one of the most stylish rooms in Grand Forks!

Thanks so much for reading

#sugarspiceandstylethatsnice

xoxo Jen

5 page-turners/must-reads!

Tonight I had my monthly meeting with my book club group here in Grand Forks and it got me thinking about how I’ve never shared some of my favorite recently read books on the blog….so here goes nothing!!

I am fortunate that I have always enjoyed reading and had parents who encouraged me to read often and to read many different types of books. In college I didn’t read as much for leisure as I should have, so after graduating and having more free time now I enjoyed joining a book club and always having a book to read for fun or relaxation.

Here are 5 of my favorite books that I have read in the last year or so that I think many of you would enjoy! All of them are quite different and I would encourage you to try reading something that isn’t your typical “style”….more likely than not you will be pleasantly surprised 🙂

1. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner….and for good reason. Without giving too much away, this book follows the lives of two younger/teenage children: one girl growing up in France, one boy growing up in Germany. The story is set in the era of World War II and it tells the story of these two characters in such separate ways (one chapter from the perspective of the girl in France, followed by a chapter from the perspective of the boy in Germany) but as the story goes on the author slowly intertwines their lives; bringing their stories and the two of them together in the end.  It is beautifully written and brought such a raw perspective and thoughts about what growing up in Europe during that time may have felt like.

2. The Nest – Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney 

The Nest is another fictional story that centers around the story of the Plumb family, which is made up of four siblings who are all adults. They are as different as any siblings could be: 2 girls and 2 boys. The story focuses around “The Nest” which is their family trust fund. Each sibling has been planning their use of their portion of the money for many years but when situations change and a majority of the money is used in an emergency situation before it becomes available to them they all realize they may have been too heavily counting on money that they didn’t yet have. It tells strong stories of the difficulties of family ties and friendships, but has equal moments that show the strength and love that can be found in the hardest of times.

3. Flood Girls – Richard Fifield

Flood Girls is a funny and raw novel that depicts a small town in Montana and what it’s like to grow up somewhere where everyone knows your business. The book tells the story of Rachel Flood who suffered from alcohol addiction in her young life and how her road to recovery brings her back to her small hometown to make amends with those she hurt many years before. The story has moments of comedic genius where I was laughing out loud; contrasted with moments where I was crying from sadness. Rachel works to make amends with all of the familiar faces of her small town and makes some unlikely friends along the way who help her to make things right with her past. The “Flood Girls” are the local women’s softball team who Rachel’s mother coaches and who provide much of the comedic entertainment throughout the book. It’s an endearing story about finding forgiveness and accepting differences.

4. You Are A Badass – Jen Sincero

I truly can’t say enough good things about this book. I was asked to read it for a health challenge group that I am currently a part of and when I started reading it I wasn’t able to put it down. Jen Sincero writes about taking back your life….or rather starting it to begin with. She talks about how much all of us hold back our own greatness, without even really thinking about it. She poses challenges to all who read it to focus in and decide what makes them passionate. All of her chapters are short, witty, and downright hysterical. I laughed aloud through a lot of the book and found all of her thoughts to be painfully honest and helpful to anyone who is feeling “stuck” or just looking to get more out of life. I am looking forward to continuing to implement a lot of the things she recommends and seeing where the changes can take me!

5. The Good Girl  – Mary Kubica

This is the suspenseful and eerie book of the group! If you enjoy crime and mystery style reads then this is something for you. This tells the story of a girl who has been estranged from her family for a few years due to acceptance struggles and the inability to see eye-to-eye with her parents. Everything changes when she goes missing and the hunt for her and her captor is all over the news. The book is written cleverly from a handful of perspectives: the main character, her captor, her mom, and the main detective assigned to the case. It truly keeps you guessing and is the true definition of a page-turner….especially because each chapter the narrator changes to a different character and you can’t wait to find out what happens next.

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I hope these books give all of you something new to pick up and check out for yourself! If you have book recommendations I would LOVE to hear them. I’m always looking for something new 🙂 Also, if any of you would be interested in joining the book club I’m apart of we would love to have new members!! We meet once a month and read one book a month. It’s a great type of community to be a part of and the discussion we have on the books each month always prove to be interesting.

Thanks so much for reading!

#sugarspiceandstylethatsnice

xoxo Jen