Robyn's Nest

Hubby and I feel like a pair of empty-nesters this week with Carter gone on his Up North Vacation. We're getting a glimpse of what it will be like to fly by the seat of our pants, so to speak -- or in parent language, make plans on a whim with no need to make babysitting arrangements.

After work today we went golfing with Jim's boss and wife, then grabbed a bite to eat, then stopped to say hello to some friends -- with no rush to get home for anyone's bedtime (except mine).

We had a great time. Then we called Carter to say goodnight and I knew in an instant I am not ready for life without him as part of my daily routine. Part of my daily everything.

Sure, we plan to have some fun this week. We'll take advantage of this parental freedom. But it will be good to have someone to tuck in at night again.

Feeling my age already?

Rarely have I stayed in a hotel where I get a good night's sleep. I figured after all of yesterday's activities, I would have slept like a log. No such luck. I woke up tired and really feeling the impact of all that fun -- volleyball, running bases, etc.

I saw a T-shirt a few weeks ago that I was tempted to buy for this weekend. It said: "Look like 30; Act like 20; Feel like 60; So I must be 40." That's how I was feeling today!

We headed back home around noon after dropping Carter off at my parents' house. This is Carter's annual Up North Vacation week so I'm sure you'll be hearing more about that this week. He'll be headquartered at my sister Romey's house and then farmed out for fun to my other siblings during the week. I am sure he'll be too busy to miss us!

On the way home, we stopped to visit hubby's aunt and uncle in Marshfield, then dropped the boys off at their mother's and came home to unload my birthday goodies and unpack. Jim's parent's stopped by for awhile, too. What a full weekend.

I am ready to call Carter to say "Goodnight" then hit the sack. Part of me looks forward to a quiet week but the bigger part of me will miss my baby! Maybe Jim and I will have so much fun, we won't have time to miss Carter either. For tonight, though, it's two ibuprofen and lights out.

Isn't it fun to be 40?!

It's not just a party...

When I first awoke this morning and saw the hotel clock said 4:08 a.m., I thought, is this how 40 starts? My bladder can't make it through the night?!

But then the day got better.

We arrived Up North Friday night. I let the guys get settled at the hotel and I went out to my twin's house to help get thing set up. You know, the typical birthday thing, hanging streamers and 40th birthday thing-a-majigs.

Due to the rain, we couldn't set up anything outside until today. So we headed out to Raylene's by noon and were ready to party by 1. At one point early on, dark clouds rolled in and it sprinkled a bit, but then it was mostly clear skies for the party. Or, as Jim prompted the boys to say: "It's not just a party, it's an extravaganza!" Here are some highlights in pictures.


I was so pleased that my entire family could make the trek Up North. I mean really, teenage boys probably have something better to do than spend the day with their 40-year-old stepmother. But they didn't. And that meant a lot to me. Top right, stepson Casey concentrates on his throw in Lasso Golf. Above, Clay serves up a point in volleyball. Now about volleyball... Raylene and I played, too. After awhile I thought, why am I diving for the ball? Is it worth it to hurt my brittle bones this early in the day? No.


About this extravaganza thing... We got this idea in our heads a month ago or so that we wanted to have sort of a carnival atmosphere. So what the heck, why not rent a cotton candy machine? Above, Raylene enjoys some Whacky Watermelon cotton candy. Notice her beads (which we both wore) that say "Behold the ageless wonder." That's us.


Above, Carter plays the role of a "carnie" quite well while manning the spinning wheel game. The object was to spin the wheel and then earn a big prize by landing on the 28 or 40. Carter was ready to blow that air horn when someone won, but getting the wheel to stop on one of two numbers out of 50 is a lot harder than one would think. Eventually, I said they could land on their birthday, too. Finally, when my mom got up to spin again, we said she could land on any number that corresponded with one of her kid's birthdays. Keep in mind, she had 8 kids. The odds were in her favor. She landed on a 22 (my sister Rayna's birthday). BEEP! The horn sounds. We have a winner!


Let the games begin! Above, Clay tries to pass off a Lifesaver on a toothpick to Casey during the "Lifesaver Toothpick" race. Their team lost and all the "big boys" said they didn't want to play any more games like that with family -- that's for playing with girls. Note to self, this next generation doesn't quite get into this goofy stuff like we did as kids.


As one final challenging game, we devised an obstacle course/relay race of sorts for the two teams. A person had to toss 3 bean bags into a bucket, then answer an '80s trivia question from Raylene or me, then spin around a bat twice, then drop three clothespins into a jar. Then run back and tag their next teammate. Above, hubby spins around while my dad acts as the "official" for the game. My team won, by the way.


When it came time for presents, I finally got to give Raylene her surprise book I created with pictures of us since childhood. She loved it! That still wasn't her best surprise of the day, though. That came earlier in the day when her son, Tony, who is in the Army, surprised her by coming home for the party. We hadn't seen him since Christmas. What a gift. Above, we hold up dresses we wore as babies. Our mom gave us each a box of special items covering everything from baby books to report cards to graduation gowns. No wisecracks that those are antiques, OK?

I will say that capping off the day by playing kickball in the dark, marking bases with glow sticks so we could see them, and shooting off fireworks, it's been quite a hoot turning 40. One might say it wasn't just a party, it was an extravaganza!

Maybe next year...

The Bad News Bears finished up their season last night in a tough tournament loss. It was close for awhile, but then again, all games start out tied, don't they?

Carter has been begging all year to pitch. He did early on in the season, but since then, Coach has kept the better pitchers in. I won't say the "best" pitchers in because we didn't really have anyone of that caliber on the team.

Last night, in a weak moment (and I appreciate that, Daddy), Coach said Carter could pitch. But he did indicate that as soon as Carter walked two runners, then he was done. Carter did end up walking two, but in between them, he struck someone out, so he was OK with that brief performance.

On offense, Carter finally had two rips. He was beat to the plate on one but did make it on (and eventually around the bases) with the second one. In both cases, he had an RBI, but that wasn't quite enough. They ended up losing 13-6.

Maybe next year, Bears. I know if -- and that's huge if -- Jimmy Buttermaker decides to coach again, he'll be drafting pitchers!

Lordy, lordy, look who's embarrassed...

If I thought I could tiptoe quietly into my 40s, I was sorely mistaken. I didn't count on a few scheming girlfriends who felt the need to spread the word.

Now granted, I made an "Older than Dirt" Cake and Hornet's Nest Cake for work last night and had every intention of letting some co-workers know that my birthday was coming up. When we walked in the building this morning, however, my cover was blown.

First thing I see is my face on a poster with "Robyn's turning 40 Saturday." Eventually, I come across three versions of this before I get to my desk. "Life happens... wait 'til you see the scrapbook from this party!" "Ask me Monday about the dysfunctional things we say or do at family gatherings -- Better yet, read my blog!" (At least I got some free publicity for the blog, eh?)

When I got to my desk, there were balloons hanging, cards piled up and the makings of big surprise potluck in progress. Lots of food and well wishes today -- including a tasty cake with lots of frosting delivered by my friend Jana. (She knows the perfect gift for me. We both love a good cake with yummy, yummy frosting!) My twin says she got the same treatment at her workplace, so I guess we have to go through with this.

I was joking how I hated the attention, but anyone who knows me knows I was in my glory to have a special day ALL ABOUT ME! (ha) It was a bit embarrassing seeing that big 40 in print, though. Yikes.

Several of my smart-alec guy friends said things like "I thought you turned 40 years ago!" But my girlfriends were all nice and kind. "You look too young to be 40." I love them dearly. And one smarty pants had to say I don't look a day over 39. At least that's true. I still have a day to go.

I guess there's no turning back now, is there?

Welcome to Wal*Mart

Apparently I need to expand my shopping horizons beyond the famous discount supercenter down the road. Now granted, there are weeks when I can go for days without passing through the blue arch, but some weeks (like this past one), I find myself there every other day because I have to be ... not like I'm hanging out waiting for them to roll back prices before my eyes.

My son Carter does not accompany me on every trip. Usually he's along for the ride if he thinks there's a likelihood I'll buy him something not on the list -- or if he needs his "cart corralling" fix. He's a bit on the anal retentive side (no comments about where he gets that from) and likes to capture stray carts in the parking lot. He's performing a nice public service while absorbing thousands of unneeded germs on his hands. Nice.

There are times, though, when he'll just sit in the car while Mom "just gets 5 quick things." (ha) I didn't realize he actually liked the store -- or thought about it even -- until this week.

When we picked him up from Kidz Camp, he mentioned they had done a craft project where they got to paint a fabric bag that they will get to use to haul their swimming stuff back and forth each day. He says, "Guess what I painted on mine?" So I go through his favorite things. Everything from Pink Floyd to Ken Griffey Jr. to the Vikings. No, no, no.

Then he shows me. See below. Yeah, Jeff Foxworthy would be proud.

Star light, Star bright...

They say when the stars are aligned just right, good things will come to you that day. Today was not one of those days. In fact, if I got my telescope out, I'd venture to say I'd see them scattered about like a game of pool or bocce ball.

I learned it is possible for everyone in a household to have a bad day -- or at least a challenging one -- in their own separate worlds.

Mommy had a fitful night's sleep so woke up feeling cruddy, had a bad weekly weigh-in and suffered through technical difficulties most of day, exclaiming, "I hate computers" at least a half-dozen times.

Daddy also didn't sleep well, but his computer worked today. Unfortunately, the mighty Windstar's window broke on the way home (we were taking the van in for "service engine soon" problems tomorrow anyway). Then he had to coach the Bad News Bears in a 10-1 tournament loss. And it looks like his Cincinnati Reds are losing by a similar margin as we speak.

I bet you can guess why Carter's day was bad. Coach Daddy Buttermaker had even tried to bribe him. "If you get just one hit, I'll take you out for ribs Wednesday night." Carter did get on base with a walk and hit (as in he was hit by a pitch), but no official hit. I think he was more upset about the ribs thing than the loss. But as a consolation, he may get an ice cream treat at Shivers tomorrow night.

That's not quite everyone. We can't forget about Sylvester. Yes, our feline princess puked on our white carpet in the bedroom tonight.

So I'm going to log off now, hope Blogger doesn't bomb on me and lose my blog in cyberspace like last night... and go find that telescope...

Bye, George

I'm a big fan of comedy and was saddened to hear this morning that George Carlin died. I should take a cue from him and develop a list of "7 things you can't write in a blog" but I am sure I could not be as clever.

There are all kinds of stories and quotes on the Internet from George. Here is just a sampling of some the quotes spoken by one of America's hippest comedians.

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted?

When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day," I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day?

I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered, what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Is a vegetarian permitted to eat animal crackers?

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it.

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

I think it would be interesting if old people got anti-Alzheimer's disease where they slowly began to recover other people's lost memories.

Women like silent men, they think they're listening.

"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?

Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?

Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy.

I recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away.

Why is the man (or woman) who invests all your money called a broker?

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.

There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past.

As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything.

The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done.

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately

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Religion convinced the world that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there's 10 things he doesn't want you to do or else you'll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! ...And he needs money! He's all powerful, but he can't handle money!

This is a little prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen.

Amen. Bye, George!

Rain on My Parade

It felt so good to get a solid night's sleep ... until I woke up this morning and realized I slept through something. Poor Daddy got sick from Carter and apparently was up every other hour during the night and in the bathroom while I was off gallivanting with the Sand Man.

I am totally prepared that this "bug" will get passed onto me, so I did my best to get out and about today and get some things done. Carter, who is finally feeling better and able to eat something, decided it was OK to give the pancake breakfast a try. The Grand Rapids firefighters were making them and serving them over at the Lions Park. The two of us ate our fill and really did feel guilty Daddy couldn't join us.

Around noon we (just the two of us) headed into town for the Cranberry Fest parade. We parked our chairs near some friends. A good call -- especially when it started raining. We jammed into a garage while it poured pretty solid for only about 5 minutes. We were back in our wet, dripping chairs for the start of the parade.

Our eyes kept glancing to the west to see what dark clouds would spring up again. Sure enough, it drizzled again for about 5 or 10 minutes. But we stayed in our seats. Carter didn't want to miss out on any candy!

I can tell you it was probably the fastest parade we've been to. They kept all the units close together and there weren't many pauses in the action. I think they wanted to get through it before the skies opened up again... which they did after the parade (thankfully) and several times in the afternoon.

Carter and I got some shopping done for my upcoming birthday party. Notice how I've been quieter and quieter about it now that it is almost here?

Tonight I managed to get a quick 2-mile walk in case it starts raining again. I just kept watching the cloud and booking it!

Jim is still pretty much couch-bound. But I think we're all hitting the sack soon in case one of us has a long night! We'll try to keep it in the family so no one else has to suffer. Be well!

Summer Solstice

Funny how part of the word solstice means "to stand still" when we do anything but that once summer gets under way. We can't be 10 places at once, but we could be 10 different places this weekend. But that all depends which part of life gets in the way.

This weekend is the Cranberry Blossom Festival in Wisconsin Rapids. We had entertained thoughts of going to the pancake breakfast Friday morning before work but that changed after a late, extra-inning game Thursday night (which we lost by the way).

Carter woke up with an upset stomach on Friday anyway. He had some cereal and we all agreed he could at least try Kidz Camp for awhile unless he didn't feel any better. Well on the way to Iola, he said a few times his stomach really, really hurt. So hubby dropped me off at work and he turned around and headed home with Carter. Somewhere between Scandinavia and Amherst, he had to pull over so Carter could get sick in the ditch. Lesson learned: When you have an owie tummy, don't eat Cocoa Puffs.

Jim stayed home with him all day and then we all walked down to the neighbors on Friday evening for their anniversary party. Carter and I headed home early because he still wasn't feeling 100%. This morning, he woke up and he was sick again -- this time on the other end. I knew I was going to a baby shower so poor Jim had M.D. duty another day.

The baby shower was up north a bit in a little town called Edgar (near Wausau). I rode with my mother-in-law and her sister and my sister-in-law. So I got to meet a bunch of people on Jim's mom's side of the family. She had 4 of her sisters there. They must be all in there 60s now. They were pretty entertaining but I told my sister-in-law later, "I don't want to get old." No offense to them. But I could just picture my sisters and me in 20 years and I don't want to be picturing that just now. Had a great time playing games (you now Miss Competitive me) and visiting.

We didn't get back to town until almost 5 p.m. There were other Cranberry Fest events going on that were done by then so my Saturday agenda was full time wise but lightened in terms of running around. I realize I can live without going to every Arts & Crafts show (ha). But tomorrow is another pancake breakfast and the parade so I hope the runs have run their course and we can all enjoy a family day.

I will say we did "stand still" a little while tonight watching baseball on TV. But I got home too late in the day to have my "solstice" in the sun on the back deck. Good thing summer's just begun.

Movin' on up!

Are you smarter than a fifth-grader? We'll soon find out just how smart a fifth-grader is. Carter got his report card and he officially passed fourth grade. Like we had a doubt.

Now I'm not the bragging type (oh that's right, I am), but he did quite well. Students in first through fourth grade get numbered scores (between 1-4) rather than letter grades. Those start next year. Basically, a 3 means he's proficient and he knows the material/subject matter and a 4 means he's advanced, exceeding expectations.

Carter got all 3's and 4's. We are very proud, naturally. What we really found interesting, though, were the year-end comments. We have to beam when we see our child called "bright, intelligent, responsible" even if it is followed up with a "work on self-control when it's appropriate" comment.

The one that got us smiling, laughing and groaning at the same time was the comments for Language Arts, where the teacher said he does outstanding work in all areas. Then this: "He is becoming a very accomplished writer and he has a very good sense of correct editing."

Are you kidding me? First of all, why would a fourth-grader even have to know about editing? And how did Carter manage to "inherit" that trait from both Mom and Dad? And, does this mean he'll be a low-paid writer/editor like us, too, instead of a doctor or rock star? Poor Carter.

And yet, we are tickled every time we read that comment!

And the one following that one: "Continue to keep reading Carter, and don't lose that sense of creativity that you have!" Yes, no matter what your jaded parents say, don't lose it!

Gun Control

I'm off to a ball game wanted to share this picture from Kidz Camp. Check out Carter's "guns"! If you can't read the "tatoo," it says AC/DC.

Gotta love that classic rock! At least he's not sporting a mullet!

Into the Wild

Guest blogger alert :: Carter will give you an update on summer...

Hello, Earth readers:

Kidz Camp is going great. Every week we have a theme. Last week was American Idol Week. This week's theme is Into the Wild Week.

Today we went to Taylor Field in Iola. We walked half of a mile to get there. We checked out microscopic creatures in the lake there. We saw some baby leeches, seed shrimp, backswimmers, and ferbilex worms (They're like tiny eels. Their width is about smaller than the lead in a mechanical pencil.) Very interesting.

Did you know frogs have three eyelids? One is for underwater and they work like goggles. We didn't learn about the other eyelids. I hope to learn about the other eyelids.

My other water experiences is that I am in swimming lessons right now. That's at the pool right at Kidz Camp. I am also taking golf lessons which are really exciting.

My favorite part about Kidz Camp so far is health and fitness because it is fun getting exercise every day. Oh yeah, it's nice to be going to Shivers again!

From the Wild,
Carter

Sweet 17

Back when my hubby was a boy, he fell in love with the Boston Celtics watching a player named John "Hondo" Havlicek tear up and down the court. Havlicek wore No. 17, which has been Jim's favorite number ever since.

Would we call it a lucky number? Maybe. I mean every jersey Jim has worn (no matter what the sport) has been No. 17 and I'm sure he's posted some wins along the way. It's also one of our Powerball numbers. No, I'm not sitting here on a secret pile of cash, but we may have won a buck or two on that number.

In Jim's heart, I'm sure, the number paid off tonight -- in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

I really do not profess to be an NBA fan. I am just at my hubby's side during these playoffs so he has someone to high-five when he wants to. Leading the series 3-2, the Celtics were back at home in Boston tonight to hopefully win their 17th NBA title on June 17th. Did I mention there's a full moon, too?

Apparently the stars were in alignment, too. The Celtics stomped on the Lakers and won by 39 points!! Pretty damn cool to see (even if I will be tired as heck in the morning!).

Maybe I'll have to change my lucky number from 28 to 17. And maybe our luck will run over one more day for Wednesday's Powerball drawing. If it does, I promise I'll blog from the Caribbean... or, if hubby has his way, from Boston.

Writing Prompt

I'm getting that urge to write again. I mean, yeah, I write 3-5 paragraphs a day on this blog, but I mean serious writing. As in my Bucket List plan to write a book some day.

One of the magazines my company publishes focuses on writing. It's for people who write for their personal enjoyment and those who want to break into the Best Seller list and those who want credit for the next Hollywood screen play and so on. This magazine is always running contests and, unfortunately, as an employee, I am not eligible to enter.

However, for the current contest, the big annual one, I've been helping open entries and sort them for judging. I get to glance at the contents but don't have time to read through anything. (There are thousands of entries!) However, it's just enough to get me thinking about putting pen to paper, er, fingers to keyboard, to get some thoughts and plots down.

Where to start? That's the hard part. What do I really want to write about? Will it be fiction or the real deal? My life or something more amusing or inspiring? I see parts of my life story in this blog. But I would need to sell more than 2 dozen books to make a living (ha).

Sometimes in writing class, we'd get a writing prompt -- either a topic or an opening and/or closing line to get our gears turning. Got anything for me? Otherwise, Carter just informed me I should be writing about the fossilized dinosaur poop he got to touch today at Kidz Camp! You don't see that on the Best Seller list every day.

Dad's Day

Jim and his boys: Casey (17), Carter (10) and Clayton (15).

It would have been an ideal Father's Day for hubby if I could have delivered an exciting U.S. Open finale and a Celtics win. At least Jim got half of that.

The U.S. Open will actually wrap up Monday with a playoff round that hopefully with be close and exciting. As for the Celtics, they'll now travel home to Boston, where a championship win will be much more appreciated by the local fans.

Sports aside, dads know the best part of Father's Day is spending time with the adorable offspring who made them a father. I was so pleased the "big boys" came out to the house to spend the afternoon with Dad. There was some competitive mini-golf, light wrestling and plenty of silly, I mean manly, talk.

It was great! I miss our time as a "whole family unit," but that's one of the sad realities of having parents in two households. It certainly makes us treasure them all the more when they take time on a special day to be with us. It's important to Jim and me to have all our boys together and for Carter to have his big brothers around.

I pretty much observed and let them bond. And took the occasional picture (they are such willing scrapbooking participants!). This was Dad's day, after all. It would be so nice if it happened more often.

My Cup of "T"

T is for Time: After glancing at the calendar and realizing we have weekend events until August, we decided to take some time for ourselves today. We were invited to two parties but opted to have some family time instead -- golfing (and watching golf), playing and going to a movie. Sometimes it's OK to be selfish ... even if "quality time" means sitting through Kung Fu Panda!

T is for Twins: I love when the Twins play the Brewers because I actually get to watch the games on TV. Two exciting games last night and tonight. We've already won the series and could sweep it Sunday. I think I'll be wearing my Twins polo to work on Monday (just 'cuz).

T is for Tiger: If you haven't seen highlights of the third round of the U.S. Open, be sure you do so. It's just amazing what Tiger Woods can do. The final round should be pretty interesting tomorrow!

Frivolous Friday Facts

Kidz Camp: It's the end of the first week of Kidz Camp and Carter is so, so excited to be back! He's happy to see his old buddies and make some new friends, too. He's already asking to leave our house earlier in the morning (we leave at 6:45 a.m. the way it is) so he can get there earlier and not miss out on anything!

As I mentioned, it's at the fitness and aquatic center in Iola. So if I go work out over my lunch hour, I sometimes will see him. Yesterday, as we were walking out, my friend and I spotted him throwing a football around. He was hard to miss. He was sporting a very, very bright pink hat and wearing high-tops that were at least 4 sizes too big. I was like, "What the ?" and my friend wisely said, "Just keep on walking." I think we need to re-visit this "who's embarrassing who" business again!

Celtic Pride: My hubby came to bed last night a very happy man. Now before you get your mind in the gutter, I can't take credit. There are other things that make a man happy besides his wife. Like sports! The Celtics had an amazing comeback to beat the Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals! A lifelong Celtics fan, Jim was thrilled. Now Boston is up 3-1 in the series.

So now he's got his Father's Day plans all laid out. Watch the finals of the U.S. Open Sunday afternoon and then watch the Celtics capture the championship Sunday night. At least he'll be doing one of the things he likes!

Flood Insurance

Driving home from work in the driving rain, we were thankful Carter's baseball team had a bye tonight. Even more than that, we were grateful we don't live an hour south of us, where recent rains have caused flooding and massive destruction.

The pictures of homes falling into Lake Delton in the tourist town of Wisconsin Dells have made national news this week. It's an unbelievable image!

Ironically, or maybe not, this occurred just days after my pastor's sermon on the "house on the rock" ... building our lives and our faith on the firm foundation that is Jesus Christ.

From the book of Matthew: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Now I'm sure the homeowners who built their homes on the shores of Lake Delton believed they were on solid ground. I'm not judging them in the least. I'm just suggesting that any time you think you can live without God in your life, you envision that video of the house crumbling apart, only to be carried off with the current piece by piece.

If you ask me, it's a pretty powerful reminder of where our priorities should be.

Terms of entrapment, er, endearment

There used to be a television show called "Kids Say The Darndest Things," hosted by Bill Cosby and inspired by the highly entertaining clips from Art Linkletter's television series from way back when.

What made these shows so funny? Kids have no filters. You ask them a question, they tell it like it is -- whether it's good or bad. This is why I'd would never ask my son, "Do these pants make my butt look big?" I don't want to hear the unfiltered response. I ask my hubby instead who knows how he should respond to earn my continued undying love and appreciation!

The other day when we had friends over, Jim called me "Sweetie" when he was asking me a question. Our friend Mike asks Carter, "Does he always talk to your mom that way?" Carter responds, "Oh yes!"

Not much later I called Jim "Honey" and Mike turns to Carter again and asks, "Does your mom always talk to your dad that way?" Carter responds, "Yes. She's always like 'Oh honey, stop that.'" Jim chimes in, "Yep, that's what she says alright."

Nice, huh? The guys got a kick out of that one. I just said, "No more questions!"

A Better Buttermaker

After tonight's stinging one-run loss to the Diamondbacks, I found myself Googling "Bad News Bears" again for more unfortunate comparisons. With a record of 2-6, we still actually have a chance to finish at .500. A chance.

Until then, as the Wikipedia entry for Bad News Bears mentions, we (the Orioles) are still the cellar-dwelling team. And though our own Coach Buttermaker likes his occasional Budweiser, he sticks to Diet Dew during the games... though he probably wouldn't mind some Ibuprofen mixed in.

Tonight in pictures:


"Coach told me to swing... I am ready to swing... I want to swing... Uh-oh. Another walk. Coach ain't gonna be happy."




Running to third... Sliding... Safe!


Coach Jimmy Buttermaker addresses the team.
"Yes, Coach, we're listening." ... "Yes, we'll try harder next game!" ... "I wonder who brought snacks tonight?"

And so begins summer...

Our summer schedule resumed today -- with Carter quietly playing his GameBoy in the backseat on the family commute to Iola.

He was very excited to get back to Kidz Camp -- that's what they call the summer childcare program at the aquatic and fitness center here in Iola. He walked in and immediately was greeting "camp counselors" and kids he knew from last summer.

Since he is one of the few non-Iola kids there, they surprised him with an Iola T-shirt from the state basketball tournament this winter. Now he has something Iola to wear. "Sweet!"

(For the record, I did kiss and hug him goodbye.)

Of course, a return to the summer routine also means every night when we pick him up, he'll be asking, "Can we go to Shivers?" I swear I am telling the truth when I say I have held off going to get ice cream so far -- even though it's been open for a month! So you can bet when he asks tonight, our first traditional night of summer, my answer will be, "Heck yeah!!"

Welcome to summer!

To know me is to embarrass me...

Some day my son will find my backlog of blogs and be embarrassed at the stories I'm sharing with the world. By then I will know it is not the first time I have embarrassed him. In fact, I know as of today, that first time has come and gone.

Carter was invited to a birthday party today. At least we think he was invited. Although we received no formal invite, he says the birthday girl (whose identity I will protect in case she's my daughter-in-law someday) asked him. I said, "Are there any other boys going?" He said he wasn't sure. I said, "What if you are the only boy invited. Won't you be embarrassed?" Nope, he said.

To back up a minute. The girl next door was having a sleepover last night involving several of the girls from his class, including the not-to-be-named birthday girl. Since it was raining, they were stuck inside in the "garage turned slumber party headquarters" next to our property line. Occasionally we would hear giggling and screaming, as girls are known to do. Boy, did Carter spend a lot of time standing by that window, waiting for the girls to run outside -- or did he say he was keeping an eye on the rain clouds? In fact, he was up before 6 a.m. today, sitting on the couch with the TV off -- I'm guessing so he could hear the first sounds coming from that garage this morning!

So I guess we weren't surprised that when we dropped the ladies' man off at the skating rink that he was indeed the only boy at the party. He insisted he still wanted to stay (of course), so Daddy and I went golfing.

The party was supposed to go until 4 but we arrived shortly after 3:30. That's just how it worked out with our golfing. Without mincing words, Carter said it was embarrassing to have us there and we should come back at 4. Wow. Apparently, we were invading his turf!

We decided it wasn't worth a battle so we left for 20 minutes and came back. We sat in the parking lot and let him come find us. We certainly didn't want to embarrass him again!

Yes, I know. We've all thought that about our parents at one time or another. I just thought that came at a much later age. And how does our mere presence embarrass him? Next time I'll be sure to give him a big hug and kiss!

Inside Recess

Remember when we were in grade school and we'd have an "inside recess" occasionally if it was raining or too cold outside? We'd play games in the classroom or gymnasium and it was a treat to do something different once in awhile. Today was one of those days.

I was hoping to write about Carter's exciting baseball tournament. In the first game at 9 a.m., his team came from behind to tie it. It ended in a tie -- don't ask how that works, but they can go by runs, etc., in this particular tournament. Anyway, the second game at noon started off well but didn't see an end, thanks to lightning and rain. Eventually, they just called the tournament off and sent everyone home.

That was a good call. It has rained and stormed off and on all day. I probably shouldn't be on the computer now, either, but this weather pattern looks to be with us for another 24 hours at least so I figure I better get my blogging in now.

The good news is that we were planning to have the assistant coach, his wife and son over after the last game anyway to grill out and play. Turned out the "last game" was that noon one so we had an extra-long day of grilling (in between rain showers), talking, laughing, talking some more and playing indoors. What a nice visit with friends.

I wish we had inside recess more often!

You might be a Redneck if...

Apparently the word "Redneck" is used often enough everyone has heard it ... and has their own interpretation of what one is.

My husband might not admit it to my family members reading this, but he often refers to people born north of Highway 8 (in Wisconsin) as Rednecks. Uhm, yes, that includes me.

Carter seems to have an idea, too. Last night when I was interviewing him and asked him about girls, he said, "I'm not tellin'!" First I typed in telling -- full spelling with a g on the end. Then Carter spotted that and said, "No, spell it the Redneck way with an n-apostrophe."

I swear on my Aunt Ginny's stack of National Geographics that's a true story.

Farewell, fourth grade!

School's out for summer!! I know I always say I can't believe my baby is growing up. But he just keeps doing it. Now, I guess, he's technically a fifth-grader! Yikes!

An interview with outgoing Grant Elementary fourth-grader Carter Austin:

Mom: What was your favorite subject and why?
Carter: Science because I liked doing all the experiments.

Mom: What did you like most about your teacher?
Carter: Most of the time she'd give us extra recess, which was fun.

Mom: What did you do that got you in trouble?
Carter: Talked in class when I'm not supposed to.

Mom: Anything else?
Carter: Nope.

Mom: What did you like to do at recess?
Carter: No matter what, I would always play soccer.

Mom: Who are you favorite friends to play with?
Carter: Clayton and Jacob.

Mom: How about girls?
Carter: Not tellin'.

Mom: What was your favorite memory of the school year?
Carter: When Cody walked by and said "Hi" and my other friend Craig said "Hi popo!"

Mom: What was the coolest thing you learned?
Carter: That school's out.

Mom: What are you looking forward to in fifth grade?
Carter: Dissecting frogs or deer hearts.

Mom: How about this summer?
Carter: Sharing my memories and Kidz Camp.

Sad Mom: Why do you have to grow up?!
Carter: It's natural and everybody has to grow up. So don't call me your "wittle baby" anymore!

Walking on Water

Floating around with Karen in her pool in Punta Gorda, Fla., May 2006.


The first thing I remember about Karen is her voice. Her accent. We had a phone interview to see if I was qualified to come work for her craft magazines. It was the first time in my sheltered Midwestern life that I had heard someone speaking with one of those East Coast accents -- outside of movies and television, of course.

I liked her immediately.

I started working with Karen 5 years ago and continued to enjoy listening to her talk. But not just for her accent. (I barely heard that after awhile.) But for her knowledge, her wisdom. I learned so much from her about publishing, the business world and the craft industry.... about being a professional woman, a good wife and mother. She was so strong-willed and strong-spirited, a person couldn't help but admire her. Her big heart and sense of humor made that pretty easy, too. I was having so much fun "working" that I told my husband that even if we won the Powerball, I'd keep that job!

Then things changed. They moved the craft magazine division out of our Iola office and I wasn't moving with it. I was devastated. No more scrapbooking samples? No more Karen? Although Karen had worked off site in her Poconos and Florida offices, I would still miss her... Seeing her at shows and in our office a few times a year, plus our daily phone chats.

I didn't even let a year go by before hubby and I found a reason to take a "long weekend" in Florida, visiting Karen and her husband, Bill. It was so good to see her among the flowers and sunshine. She was in her glory.

This winter, Karen was diagnosed with cancer. It started out as some suspicious spots on her lungs and has since latched itself onto many of her organs, including her brain. She just finished radiation therapy and now is challenged by chemo. How can this happen to someone so full of life? Only God knows why, and I'm sure He has an inkling about Karen's spirit. Her faith. Her wealth of support. She has friends and family around the globe who are pulling for her, praying for her daily.

Tonight I participated in a Walk for Cancer in Wisconsin Rapids in Karen's honor. I raised $200 in pledges for the American Cancer Society to fund their research for a cure. There were hundreds of walkers and thousands of dollars were raised to stop the pain and devastation caused by this disease. Before the walk started, a group of about two dozen survivors took a lap while we all clapped. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat watching them. How lucky they are! I pray every day Karen will one day wear that "Survivor" shirt, too.

Karen once told me if I wanted to get ahead in the world, sometimes I'd have to walk on water. She probably doesn't remember telling me that but since that day, I've kept a quote on my computer monitor, torn from my Small Miracles calendar. It gives a neat perspective on walking on water...

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

I'm praying for one more miracle for Karen and for everyone else who has joined that same fight. God be with you.

Camera work

They say the camera adds 10 pounds. I wish it could add 10 runs for the Bad News Bears ... I mean the Orioles.

Another loss tonight but I was testing out my video camera anyway. There is a feature on there that allows me to take still photos, too. The 42x zoom is awesome. Check out these picks from behind the dugout on the first base side. Carter was playing 3rd base at the time. It was like I was right next to him!


"C'mon, Orioles! Ready positions!"


"Don't tell my mom I'm spitting seeds out here!"


"Don't I look serious? I don't have sunflower seeds on my face, do I?"

Monday Musings

Pitching Pain: As predicted, my upper back and right shoulder are feeling the pinch of trying to be a professional pitcher this weekend. Next time, I think I'll be staying in the bull pen.

That's What She Said: There's a catchphrase from the sitcom "The Office" that is supposed to be funny in an adult humor sort of way -- but only if used correctly. For example, if someone hands me a piece of cake and I say, "Wow, that's too big!" Then somebody would pipe in with "That's what she said!" You get where I'm going, right? It may come as a surprise, but Carter has been hearing that phrase from some Office fan in the house. So he's saying it now -- but he doesn't know what it means or when to say it. Like if I say something like I need some sleep, he'll say "that's what she said." Doesn't make sense. Tonight at supper, though, when I said I just needed one pickle with my burger, he says, "That's what she said." I look at hubby and say, "He is officially banned from saying that from now on." I'm just afraid he's getting too close to understanding it -- or accidentally using it correctly.

Homework Helper: Just to set the record straight about where Carter gets his sense of humor. It comes equally from both Daddy and Mommy. I will not take all the credit or the blame. Tonight I was helping Carter study for a science test on weather. I asked him to define climate. Jim the homework helper says: "You find a mountain and you climate." Good luck on that test, Carter!

Life in the Fast Lane

Flipping the calendar to June this morning, I let out a little groan at all the "spaces" already filled in. I realized this will be our last free weekend for quite some time so if I was going to do nothing but relax, I better get started early and do a good job of it.

Sure helped that it was another gorgeous day -- temps topping 80 -- so I certainly had no fears I'd be tempted to stay indoors and clean or something outrageously productive.

After church, Sunday School and grocery shopping, I did have one little project to get done on the computer. But I set a limit and said I'd be outside doing something by 2 p.m. And I met my deadline (I do that for a living, you know.)

I had talked to my friend Becky at church and we'd already decided it would be a good day to get together. Her husband was taking her older kids to some race so she was going to be home with her one-year-old, who is recovering from chicken pox. So I biked over to her house, we put Garrick in a stroller and went walking and talking and walking. Then sat on her steps and talked some more.

It felt so good to put life's busyness aside and catch up. Sometimes it takes such a concerted effort -- but it's always well worth it. Of course we said, "We should do this more often," then realized her son plays ball opposite nights of mine during the week and her weekend calendar slots are filled up like mine, too. The time is no longer ours -- not as individuals -- but we wouldn't have it any other way. How blessed we are to fill our days making special memories with our loved ones.

I still say it's a good intention to slow down once in awhile. Unfortunately, the reality is that we can't maintain that speed for long ... unless it's me running or riding a bike for that matter. No danger of me moving over into the fast lane there. I don't mind. Other than my lead foot (which some of my siblings also inherited), I don't think I was built for speed.