I'm Ba-a-ack!

I realize it was silly to encourage people who received my Christmas card to visit my daily blog, then take 3 days off. But here I am again -- after surviving 80-plus hours with no computer, no Internet, no Facebook. Yup, I was north of Highway 8 -- that invisible line that separates the Northwoods from the rest of the world.

I haven't even unpacked my bags yet, but I figured I better blog first. There's a good chance when my bed is cleared of my clothes and crap that I'll jump right in!

My long weekend in a nutshell...

Friday: Had a brief shopping excursion in Eau Claire and finally found that something special for that special hard-to-buy-for someone on my list. Yay! Got to my twin's at supper time and we just had a laid-back evening of cleaning and chit-chatting.

Saturday: The whole family (within driving distance) showed up for lunch and cookie baking. There was little baking, but lots of eating and talking and laughing and eating and playing games. Learned a fun new game called something like Telestrations -- sort of like the games Telephone and Pictionary combined. Funny stuff. I didn't even win and I didn't care (and that says a lot). It was a great day.

Sunday: Yup, I woke up to this lovely sight! I completely forgot they had mentioned snow in the forecast. Thankfully, it was mostly gone by afternoon. I left my sister's and went down to my parents near Luck for the afternoon and evening. Mom and Dad taught Carter and me a new card game called Dirty Rummy (or "You can call it Nasty Rummy," says Mom). Dad won the first game and Mom won the second. In between, they let me watch my Vikings play (and win, naturally), then served up a delicious supper of my mom's yummy meatballs and mashed potatoes. It's good to be home!

Monday: There was a reason I stayed at my parents' last night. I had to help at a photo shoot for work that was on my way from Luck to Rapids. It was a classy auto restoration place that impressed both Carter and me. In this photo, he stands (not touching!) by a multi-million-dollar Daimler that is just one of 12 in the whole world. Cool stuff. I told his teacher about it ahead of time and she was OK with him having a "work experience" day off from school. I made sure I took a picture of him by a Jaguar, too, to show the kids at school!

We got home just in time to unload our multi-thousand-dollar CRV and get ready for Carter's first basketball game of his career. It was not a very good game, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Shooting, Carter was 0 for 1 and he had one foul -- AND he had 3 steals, too! They lost 36-10. But he had fun, lots of fun, and that's what counts, right?

Speaking of fun, I better go pay attention to that other guy that lives here...

Blue Friday

I hate to call this day Black Friday when the sun is shining and we have cloudless blue skies.

I slept in and strolled into Wal-Mart at 8:30 a.m. and still managed to get a few deals. Unfortunately, the cheap movie supply was thoroughly picked over and I didn't find the exact ones I thought Carter would like. Found a few though. Can't pass up a DVD for $3.20!

Now the vehicle is packed and just waiting for me to get myself in order. Carter and I will be heading up the my twin sister's near Grantsburg/Siren today. Tonight we might catch a movie -- or just sit home. Tomorrow her house will be filled with the rest of our family for the annual Cookie Bake.

Since the women far outnumber the men, we are leaving hubby home to enjoy the silence (and the remote) for 3 full days! How's that for the best gift ever?? Hopefully, he'll get some shopping done for the big boys so that's off the list. But I'll leave that up to him.

Carter and I will miss him, sure, but will be so busy taste-testing cookies and playing games, I'm sure we'll still manage to have fun without him!

I'm not sure I'll get access to any Internet up there so this may be a 3-day break from my blog, too. I'm sure you'll survive. Eat a turkey sandwich and take a nap. That works every time.

Gotta go!

Cheers to the Cornucopia

You don't see that word Cornucopia much besides around Thanksgiving. It's sometimes referred to as the Horn of Plenty. And basically is just a symbol of abundance. Maybe initially abundance of food, but I like to think of it as an abundance of blessings we should be grateful for every day -- not just when there's a turkey on the table.

Not that there wasn't an abundance of food today...

There are a few days a year this blog should be called "On the Not-So-Light Side" -- definitely Thanksgiving and Christmas (times 2 for both family gatherings).

I am still so full from dinner at the in-laws and we ate hours ago. There was a point during the meal that I felt full already -- but I decided to power through it and clean my plate. If you'd ever tasted my mother-in-law's dressing, you'd know why. It's the best on the planet! I have never even asked how to make it. I'm pretty it would never turn out as good as hers. And her pumpkin pie is pretty darn tasty, too. Uff-da. Too much.

I even took a pre-emptive run today to ease the guilt and burn off calories ahead of time. Apparently, I felt no guilt. But I bet I wake up at 3 a.m. with a tummy ache. My fault, totally.

The good news is that I am not setting an alarm in the morning. Oh I'll venture out when I'm good and ready (sometime before 11 a.m.) but if they are out of the few items that caught my eye, I don't really care. I can live with it. It's just extra stuff anyway. You know me -- I can never be totally done buying for certain people in my house when bargains come along!

Well my fat fingers have burned enough calories to cover that glass of milk with dinner. I think I better give up and hit the sack. I have many things to thank God for tonight so that could take awhile.

Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving, too!

Turkey Eve

My husband and I have been fortunate that our employer has always given us "Black Friday" off as a holiday so we have a 4-day weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving and shop (or whatever). The last few years, the company has given us Wednesday afternoon off, too. Great for people traveling. And those of us not leaving town just yet enjoy it, too.

I wasn't thinking we actually have a tradition for Thanksgiving Eve, but we do. Looking back, it appears we tend to either go to a movie or rent one that the 3 of us can watch. I think the first time we did this was renting the newer version of the Grinch movie years ago. Tonight we actually went to the theater.

It seems there is some sort of "kid movie" coming out every other weekend. The latest is Planet 51 -- a computer animated one that had a nice little story. Not a super movie, but OK. It was just nice to sit between my guys ... and hold the all-important popcorn bucket!

Now we're each doing our own thing as we ease into 4 days of quality family time. I did get the rest of my presents wrapped today and the cards dropped off at the post office. I feel great about that, but... I still have that one gift to buy yet and I am praying (seriously, pretty close to praying) that it is not something I'll have to set an alarm for at some ungodly hour on Friday. If I have to do that, it will be a black Friday!

I'll keep ya posted. In the meantime, I gotta get back to relaxing and bonding... and eating Peppermint Stick ice cream -- because I'm sure I won't get enough to eat in the next few days! Right.

We've Got Spirit

Shhhh... Can you hear that? It's the sound of Christmas spirit sneaking into the house. I've been waiting for it. But I'm not sure everyone's ready for it!

Jim took Carter to basketball practice tonight so I got 90 minutes to myself! Just enough time to call up my twin to talk about weekend Christmas Cookie Bake plans and make myself comfy on the couch to get into a new Christmas book. Yep, the excitement is quietly starting to bubble under the surface.

Of course, the guys came home and they have their own excitement building. Carter got his basketball schedule tonight. Starting next week, he'll play on Mondays through the beginning of February -- with time off during Christmas break, of course. They'll be playing area communities and two teams from the catholic school system in Rapids.

It's interesting that Carter's team is comprised of kids from several elementary schools and, actually, is the only Wisconsin Rapids public schools team. Really? It takes 8 elementary schools to have enough 6th-graders for one team? That just seems unreal. No one cares about hoops any more? Hopefully, the 11 kids on his team are as excited as Carter is to play.

This will be an entertaining winter, that's for sure. And I think it will be good to have something fun that sort of extends the spirit of the holidays. But let's not talk about that just yet. I haven't even mailed my cards yet (though they're ready for a change) and only half my presents are wrapped. We've still got a lot of spirit to enjoy this season!

Girl Trouble

I heard some disturbing news the other night. The kind a mother hopes she doesn't hear until like, say, maybe the night before her child's wedding. It's taken me 48 hours to process it and accept it, but I think I may just have processed it...

Apparently last week (and we have this good authority), on a day Carter came home on the bus instead of going to the sitter's, that redhead was in our neighborhood. Her mother apparently dropped her off next door, but when the parents of the girl next door got home, they saw their daughter in the road near our homes. They asked what she was doing and she apparently tattled that she was waiting for Carter and her redheaded friend. They were in the woods!

OK, nothing against redheads, I swear. But what kind of woman invites herself over and then sneaks over to take her man out to the woods? And why is this happening in 6th grade? And what exactly is happening in the woods? And do I really want to know?

Of course, in a firing squad of 4 parents around the campfire Saturday night, Carter completely, completely denied this. "What woods?" he asked. Oh really, we're playing that dumb?! Uff da. I needed to go lay down then and, as I type this, I don't think I've gotten over this yet. I am living in Denial Land thinking maybe, just maybe, I wasn't going to have to deal with this until junior high as least.

Deal with what, you ask?

Well here's the thing. Now Carter will be coming home for the next 3 weeks instead of going to the sitter's. They have a Christmas tree business that keeps them busy in December and, since Carter just completed that babysitting course, we thought we could have some peace of mind that he'd be OK by himself for 90 minutes after school.

But now. NOW. We have to worry less about whether he's going to burn the house down and more about trusting him not to let anything else heat up!

Seriously, I need to go lie down...

Too Good to Last?

I have a feeling that this mild streak is over, once and for all, and we won't see these Indian Summer type days again until Spring or the real Summer arrives. Today was in the mid-50s again. Really no excuse to be in the house ... but there were things to do.

Carter and I went to early church and Sunday School. Picked up a movie on the way home -- which was silly because why would we want to spend time indoors? We at least waited until dark to watch it.

Since the Vikings weren't on (we just don't get good television in central Wisconsin), I made some cookies, got supper going in the crock pot, then went for a run. Don't worry, I was ablaze in orange -- and stuck to very residential roads.

When I got home, Carter was playing next door so I quickly wrapped all his Christmas presents. He is officially done. Yay! Wrapped a few other things, too. I know I have time but I have a curious cat who will start digging into all those secret bags in the bedroom so I need to get those done sooner rather than later. Plus, I'm one of those sick people who loves wrapping presents!

While I was being a domestic goddess, or a fake Mrs. Claus anyway, Jim was next door helping with the early stages of construction on the sled run. If you recall my pictures and attempts at video this past winter, we have quite the Olympic luge setup. Looks like this year, the obsessed men who will be boys in our neighborhood have big plans in mind. I believe the word "double-wide" came up and they were not talking trailers. (This is the only time I will say I hope we get snow at some point!)

Today, though, I will enjoy the mild weather and push those thoughts to the back of my mind. Even if this weather is too good to last, I sure hope the Vikings run this season is just heating up!

A Successful Hunt

For the first time in years, we were not awakened at dawn by the sound of gunshots on opening day of deer hunting. A quick glance out the window told us why. It was pretty foggy out there until after 8 at least. Once the fog burned off, we were in business. And when I say we, I mean Carter and I went hunting, too.

Just not for deer.

We garbed ourselves in bright red (the better to see you with) and headed to Mad Town. Our mission was to hunt down some decent bargains and get some Christmas shopping done. But first, the more important reason for going...

My best friend from grade school and on lives on the south side of Madison. Yes, she's less than 2 hours away but no, we just don't make time in our busy lives to see each other very often. We were emailing a few weeks ago and, not for the first time, talked about how ridiculous that is. So we checked our calendars and circled Nov. 21. No pertinent obligations. And perfect travel weather, too. (We got lucky there.)

We met at the mall and drove over the TGI Friday's for a long lunch of visiting and looking through scrapbooks and catching up. We agreed it was good for the soul and something we should be doing much more often going forward. Why not once every few months? It's only 90 minutes, after all, from my driveway to the mall parking lot. There is no excuse. Plus, I miss her! It was like old times (not that we're old or anything).

After lunch, Julie headed home and Carter and I hit the mall. We spent several hours there and managed to get a few people crossed off our gift list. I even got a few things for Carter, too, and he didn't even know it. Yep, I wasn't even wearing blaze orange and I still had a successful hunt.

Now if I could just figure out what to buy hubby. If Mad Town didn't have it (whatever it is), who will? Yes, I am hunting for hints, clues, ideas. And yes, I'll wear blaze orange if I have, too...

As Old As You Feel

They say you're only as old as you feel. Which is why hubby often asks to see my birth certificate. "Are you sure you're not 60?" To which I respond, after a few creaks and groans, "Now listen here, sonny..."

Seriously, some days it's tough to get out of bed when you have a rough (limited) night's sleep. But then, during the day, there's these reminders that we really are getting old.

If you have a teenager in the house (or even if you don't), you probably can't miss the hype around the new Twilight movie this weekend. Seriously? Vampires? What's the big deal? Then I realize the only "vampire" type movie I saw was Fright Night -- and that was way back when I was a junior in high school. C'mon, you remember it, don't you? Yikes. Time flies.

I also realized when I peeked at my diary from my sophomore year, that 25 years ago this week -- that's right, I said 25 -- I got my driver's license! Holy crap. That's just not right! That means Carter will have his temps in 4 years. Ohmigosh. Who started this conversation anyway?

So to further my trip down memory lane, I am going to see an old friend tomorrow. And I can call her old because she's the same age as me -- and boy, do I feel old today. Plus we've been BFFs for more than 25 years -- that's right, I said 25.

Who needs backaches and blood-thirsty movies when you've got friends like that? That's when age feels good. A lifetime of good.

For the Sake of Comparison...

You can't really judge something effectively unless you have something to compare it to. Sometimes it works in your favor. But not always.

Hubby had an excellent day today. Sure, he had to do some laundry and put dishes away. But while he was off, he also got to meet up with friends at the saloon for an entertaining lunch hour.

I had a great day at work. Sure, it was productive and interesting. But before I got there, I had my annual visit/exam with Dr. Fun, so considering how my day started, work sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

This evening we had parent-teacher conferences for Carter. Sure, he's a good kid with a few self-control issues. But compared to a "high energy" class of 20 other energized folks, he's a pretty good kid. (He got lucky on that one.)

Seriously, his teacher had nothing but good to say about him and pointed out, like we often do to him, that if he didn't rush through things -- or at least went back and checked his work -- he could be a straight-A student. He's got that potential.

And, in this case, we say, "Who cares what other kids are doing or not doing? We're not comparing you to them. This all about you and what you can do. And we know you can do it."

Former school-loving honor-student Mommy has to keep saying that so she doesn't start comparing either!

Old School

It can be a bit unnerving when your hear there's been a picture of you posted on the Internet -- not that I have any skeletons in my closet. (Please don't look!) When I saw the photo today, I was relieved and amused that it was a picture taken long ago, the day I finished 4th grade.

The old black-and-white image brings back a lot of memories. We're standing there -- my twin Raylene (far left front) and me (second from far right front) in our matching tube tops and shorts -- as the last students to attend Oak Hill elementary school. The next year the two-room school house stood empty and we were all shipped into town to the BIG school in Luck.

I often wonder if Carter will remember his grade-school days as fondly as I do. It didn't matter that we were squeezing 3 grades each into the "Little Room" (grades 1-3) and the "Big Room" (grades 4-6). It didn't matter that our basement doubled as a gym and a lunchroom (and tornado shelter). It didn't matter that we had limited playground equipment (but we had 4-square!).

What I remember in vivid detail are the sledding hill, the large dramatic productions for Christmas (and Mother's Day, too), the Halloween parties complete with cake walks, the kickball games, Red Rover and three-legged races up on the grassy ball diamond, the forts in the plum trees, warm corn bread with syrup for lunch. Oh, and the coolest teachers of course -- there was learning involved after all!

Ahhh, memory lane...

I'm so grateful an old friend -- who I haven't seen or talked to in 20+ years -- posted this "snapshot in time." It certainly keeps the memories alive.

And makes me wonder, based on my cute outfit, if I was onto something long before Shania Twain bared her midriff. I did play her double once -- and I pray no pictures of that will ever surface on the Web! (Again, please don't look!)

I'd Like to Buy a Vowel...

One of my favorite traits I inherited from my mother is the love for the English language. Learn it, love it, play with it, but don't abuse it. (And by abuse I mean dreadful sins like poor grammar, misplaced modifiers and misspellings.)

I'm convinced we'd be unstoppable as a mother-daughter team on Wheel of Fortune. But we never attempt to get on the show. Guess we don't want to show off...

The other day she called me with a word emergency. Yep, you read that right. She had to unscramble 30 Thanksgiving-related words to enter a contest. She figured out 28 on her own but her scrambling was stymied by the last 2.

It's always good to feel needed by your mother -- even if it's just to help her win a turkey! As it turned out, I got the first word as soon as she gave me the last letter, which was a D. I said, "Oh, D as in Drumstick?" She said, "Yes." When she didn't seem excited, I'm like, "Mom, that's the word -- Drumstick!" Oh, OK! Then she was excited.

We were down to the last one. I was working all the letters and wasn't seeing them come together in any way that made sense. I was about to tell her I'd call her back, when Carter, who was listening in on this and apparently working his English skills, said, "Mom, I figured it out. It's Celebrate!"

Wow. I couldn't have been more proud if he'd won a duathlon (or even a Spelling Bee). What a team Grammar, er Grandma, Carter and I make!

And just when I thought this word thing might be a fluke, yesterday Carter asked me when I'd be done with the book I'm reading. He had just finished his book (North by Donna Jo Napoli) for school. "Mom, you have to read this next! This book was awesome!"

Be still my heart. We may have a third-generation Wheel-er yet.

Sweet Rewards

Not that I need an excuse to go to Dairy Queen, but the local one is closing for the season this weekend (last call!)... PLUS, we had some celebrating to do!

I found out today I won the duathlon for the women's division! Whoo-hoo! Now I am so glad I did not cave to my "I must be dying" need to walk or slow down that day. My time stood through the weekend and I got a nice gift certificate out of it for winning.

Lesson: You're never too old to try new things! Once, anyway.

Daddy and I were also proud of Carter's report card -- which he conveniently left at school but tells us was pretty good. If he was lying, there's no good way to get back that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard, is there? We just have to have some faith.

He was also a bit spoiled at the mall, too. (Remember, Sylvester is first, Carter is second on the spoiling tier.) Actually, he is starting basketball practice tomorrow so he needed new shoes. Yes, I knew this a month ago. No, I didn't get them. Still waiting for that perfect deal or sale, I guess. So he has some new shoes and the rest (skill & fun) will be up to him. This oughta be interesting -- his first time really playing hoops, not just shooting in the driveway. I suspect you'll hear more about this in weeks to come.

Now that we're done with all our rewards for good behavior, I suppose I should get something done around here before my Monday night comedy lineup begins. Whoops, I guess it's 7 already!

Well, I can turn my mattress pad on. I'll check that off the list anyway...

All Creatures Great & Small

Contrary to popular opinion, one could argue that even Carter is not the most spoiled one in the house. Oh don't look at me. I come in third easily. Nope, I'm talking about Sylvester, the furry princess who has wrapped her clawless paws around Daddy's heart.

Seriously, that new bay window we had put in this spring? That was so Kitty could watch the birds and squirrels and take a nap in the sunshine. (I dare Jim to deny it.) And yesterday, well since the backyard scene was too boring for her royal hair-ness, Daddy went out and bought a bird feeder to place outside that big ol' window of hers.

Seriously.

And, unfortunately, not a single bird found it all of yesterday. Today, though, those chickadees came and partied. I have to admit it was fun to watch. Even Carter was commenting how cool it was as we tried to snap pictures and wait for a cardinal or blue jay to show.

Now we'll just have to see if Sylvester's new friends are as finicky as she is when it comes to eating!

The other "wildlife" we saw today was in the form of the Detroit Lions trying to spoil a Vikings victory. Again, it did not come as easily as it should. It's like when we took a week off last week, we really took a week off. They were not synchronized.

Thankfully the not-so-great Lions' roar was bigger than their bite. But it kept the game interesting -- just a bit more than birdwatching :)

Keep on Movin'

Carter had a friend sleep over last night. It was a different kind of noisy night than expected. His friend brought his trumpet!

So the two of them practiced in the evening (I think I heard Taps at least 8 times) and then again this morning. Despite the fact they jumped out of bed at 7 a.m., they were considerate enough to wait until Jim and I were up before "practicing" again. I'm not complaining, it was just different that's all. They did the typical boy things, too, like football, video games and a movie. So we haven't converted to a band geek household overnight.

The only thing that pained me to get up this morning was ... just my entire body. That duathlon finally caught up with me. I really wondered why I felt just fine Friday, the day after, when I knew I wasn't in that good of shape. Today, I could feel it in my legs and my back, big time. So my goal was to keep on movin'.

After making the boys cinnamon rolls for breakfast, I went for a little run just to will my legs and body to get past the pain. The run felt fine but when I was done, I was still a hurtin' unit.

I did manage to run errands for 2 hours. But when I say run errands, this time I actually used a vehicle. Even got some Christmas shopping done today. Whoo-hoo! I did relax for a little bit to let hubby kick my keester in cards. (I gotta let him win once in awhile for his ego, you know.)

In the late afternoon and evening, we had the Jacksons over. I made quesadillas and nachos and stuff. Easy to do and delicious. Carter and Nate played catch and a video game and us grown-ups got to relax and visit -- and try not to fall asleep with our full tummies. It's been 4 hours and I am still full! I even passed on ice cream. Now you know I'm not kidding.

I am ready to stop movin' now. I think I'll sleep pretty good tonight! I wouldn't mind a back rub. I wonder if hubby feels bad enough for soundly beating me (at cards!) today to make up for it??

Wait Limits

... You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part...
~ Tom Petty

Just because I act like I know everything, doesn't mean I do. In fact, there are plenty of things I'm clueless about. And some days I can't handle that.

Like 13 days ago I got a letter in the mail with my mammogram results. They said there was something they needed to take another look at. But not to worry because it probably was nothing, probably not cancer. Well let me tell you something, when you see the word cancer in writing, it's like all spotlights from heaven are shining on that one word! That's all you see.

But by all means, don't worry about it!

My sister asked me yesterday why I did the duathlon. I could have answered many things but frankly, it was just a welcome distraction. I'm not good at waiting. Knowing I wouldn't get my "close inspection" until today, the 13th, it sure helped to concentrate on something that got me to and through the 12th. And it did.

I thought this might be just the beginning of this adventure into the unknown -- with a followup visit or two to come. But after my initial tests today, they took 2 or 3 slightly more painful ones (that's sarcasm) until they had an answer for me. And thankfully the answer was that I am OK. They explained what they saw and what it is, but all I cared is that they said I was OK. No tumors. No cancer.

I hadn't realized how heavy this burden was laying on my mind until I walked out of the hospital and felt like I was floating across the parking lot. What a relief. I finally had answers. And they were exactly what I wanted.

Now the next question: Why didn't I just trust God on this one?

Two lessons learned: 1) Get your yearly mammograms. 2) When you are giving something over to God, you have to let go so He can take it!

Just Du It!

I did something over my lunch hour today I don't think I'll do again. Well, maybe...

A few weeks ago, in a moment of weakness or vulnerability to brainwashing, I signed up for the annual indoor duathlon at the Iola-Scandinavia Fitness Center. A duathlon -- not to be confused with a biathlon featuring skiing and shooting -- requires participants to run, bike, run. In this case, run 2 miles, bike 5 miles, then run 2 more. Easy peasy, right?

Since this is an indoor event, with a limited number of treadmills and stationary bikes available, contestants had to reserve a time over the course of 2 days to participate. Today was my lucky day.

Now I have resumed running in the past 2 months so I felt pretty OK with that part of the competition. But biking? Not so much. If I had thought about this months ago, I could have perhaps trained or something silly like that. Instead this was one of those "I'm just doing this once to prove I can do this" things!

I can tell you now I am glad I did it but it was hard! The first leg of running went very well by Robyn standards -- 2 miles in 17 minutes, 11 seconds. I had a misstep hopping off the treadmill to get over to the bike, but I didn't fall on my face or anything.

I expected the bike part to take 25 minutes so was happy to finish it in 24. However, after pedaling my legs off for the last quarter mile, they were done. I mean it. My legs were seriously thinking we were done. When I got off the bike to book it over to the treadmill again, my legs refused to move for a second. It took every ounce of my brain power to will those legs to move 5 steps over to the treadmill. Then I had to run?!?

Oh those last 2 miles were killers. I kept saying, "I just want to walk!" Cheryl, the fitness center drill sergeant timing me, said, "No way! You'll just be mad at yourself if you walk now!" But it hurt. My legs, what I could feel of them, hurt. And my lungs.

I kept concentrating on the music in my MP3 player. When Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive song came on, I thought, "This could be inspiring. This could keep me going." I hate that song now.

When I was less than a quarter mile to go, I felt like puking or passing out but I said screw it, upped the tempo and finished strong.

In the end, I accomplished the journey in 1 hour and 13 seconds! Yay me!

At this point, I don't even care if I am one of the top 2 finishers (in male and female divisions) to win a turkey. I'm just proud to say I did it and it's OVER!

Plus, I should have enough of those feel-good exercise endorphins to carry me through the day anyway. Let's not think about how this old body is going to feel tomorrow morning...

Hump Daze

I'm a little confused about Hump Day. I was thinking that it meant we are halfway through the week and getting over the hump. The rest is smooth sailing to the weekend. Instead this is a hump day, where it peaked at noon and has been declining since.

I suppose you can't beat a date with my hair artist over a long lunch hour. Could I really expect work before and after that would be hill-top equivalent? No. Throw in 3 hours of homework after school/work and it spiraled downward at a rapid pace.

Homework? I know, not mine. But when the kid is stressed, Mommy and Daddy are stressed. I am trying to remember my vow not to jump in and rescue him when he is floundering on his assignments. But it's hard when he's sooooo frustrated. But then guess what? Mommy doesn't know an answer and then Mommy gets sooooo frustrated. Then, when all the book work is done, he practices the trumpet and Mommy has already gone over the edge of the hump. (And is ready to lose it!)

Just be happy you weren't here tonight.

It's all good now. We're going to have some Schwan's Peppermint Stick ice cream. And I am going to push aside thoughts of the things that are really bothering me -- and that I can control about as much as Carter's homework. In other words, not at all.

So I'll cope. Find a way to relax tonight yet. Breathe in, breathe out. Scoop in, scoop out.... M-m-m.... Feeling better already.

Rules of Engagement

No, this isn't about Carter getting engaged. (He says, "Good!" as he looks over my shoulder.) Instead it's about an interesting meeting we had at work today. The buzz word for 2010 is health or wellness "engagement."

In other words, our company is strongly encouraging us to be engaged in healthy practices so we will hopefully be at work every day we're supposed to be -- and obviously, file less health insurance claims. So we benefit (better health and some potential premium discounts) and the company benefits.

It sounds good to me. The best part is that as long as we remain engaged -- just trying to do our best -- we can remain in the program. They're not going to kick us out based on our results or lack of them.

The competitive side of me wonders if this is enough incentive for me. The lazy side of me wonders if I can actually stick with something for a whole calendar year! Should be interesting.

I figure as long as they don't make me cut out ice cream for the summer, I'll remain engaged for 365 days. If they start messing with Eggnog or Shamrock Shakes, then we got problems...

Adding 'em Up

I don't need to reveal anyone's deep, dark secrets here. Just know that I am feeling grateful today. I am counting my blessings -- family, friends, health, employment -- and still adding 'em up...

Sometimes Monday's come and bite you in the arse. But today was good for me. I got some things done at work this morning that I have been trying to actually get to work (techno stuff). That was a good feeling.

Over lunch hour I went to the fitness center and had a good workout. This afternoon, I got to help set up books for a big sale we're having this weekend. Lots of good stuff. If you are in the market for some good Christmas presents -- books related to all things collectible -- let me know! Only 5 bucks a piece. You can't go wrong.

When we got home, Carter was here to greet us, since his sitter had some important appointments today. I said his hair looked pretty good today. He said some kids pointed out where it is shorter on one side than the other, etc. (Probably that redhead.) Then apparently some snot-nosed kid (and I'm just guessing he was snot-nosed) said, "Who cut your hair?! Your mom?" Geez, it's not like I used a bowl. And I really had hoped after 30 years I was done getting picked on in grade school!

So I guess I gotta fix-up job to do tonight with that. I'll have to squeeze it in among our Monday night comedy line-up on TV. Because laughter is one my favorite blessings!

Good Day Sunshine

We had Indian Summer Day 2 today. How long will this warm spell last? I have no clue -- and I'm afraid to look. We'll just enjoy it while we have it!

It was a much busier day than anticipated. I keep wondering how I would have done all this if I was out of town scrapping?

Anyway, got up for early church. Had the world's worst night sleep followed by the world's worst shower. Just a trickle since the water pressure (or whatever!) hadn't built up yet since we had everything shut down yesterday. Good thing I went to church and thanked God for all my blessings! Got some grocery shopping done while Carter was in Sunday School, so that was good.

Went for run when I got home. It was so nice feeling the sunshine on my face! It was so not November. I loved it!

After my run and shower, I caught some of the Packer game. Interesting that we (as in the Vikings) had to just sit back on our bye week and still make headway in our division. The Packers, Bears and Lions all seemed to take the day off, too. I don't mind that one bit!

After the Packers game, we headed over to Jim's parents to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. Casey was home from college again (honestly, he must love it in Rapids for as often as he comes home) so he and Clay could join us, too. Had a good meal and nice visit. We drew names for Christmas so I can shop early -- for someone who doesn't have their list ready yet. I have a feeling drawing early won't change how we do things!

When we got home, I gave Carter a quick hair cut. He wanted it buzzed on the sides a bit and now thinks he looks like a mushroom head. So I trimmed some more to even it out. I don't blame him one bit, but I think he really does not like it and, unfortunately, I'm not sure what else to do to fix it. I swear I didn't do this on purpose so he'd look bad for his girlfriend. Did I mention she's a redhead? Well, at least Daddy gives the thumbs up!

I gotta go. I gotta try to fix this hair mess so the whole day is a smiling sunshine sticker. Then it's the season finale of Mad Men -- if I can stay awake that long. I'm just gonna have to. Don Draper is counting on me!

Indian Summer

To make up for not having my scrapbooking weekend, I'm not ashamed to say I did everything I wanted today. Or I should say, everything I did, I wanted to do. In other words, there was no dusting, vacuuming and Saturday chores. Instead, there was golf, a movie and an awesome campfire.

It was an honest-to-goodness Indian Summer day. Not sure how warm it got, but I'd venture to say in the mid-60s maybe. And sunny! A little breezy, but I was fine.

Hubby and I decided first thing we were going golfing somewhere today. Wherever we could get on. Carter, one day into being a certified I-can-stay-at-home-alone kid, didn't want to go but said he'd be fine at home. We really didn't need any more convincing.

We ended up going to Wisconsin River Country Club by Stevens Point. For not playing since August, I was OK at how it ended up. Though, yes, I had my share of self-imposed "time outs" on the course. I still expect to be par-fect, ya know.

The one challenge of playing this late in the year is that all the leaves are on the ground. So once you veer off the fairway, good luck finding your ball. I think Jim and I each lost about 4 balls today. That's OK. We've got all winter to stock up!

We got done with 18 holes in less than 3 1/2 hours (unheard of) so Carter and I had time to take in a matinee of the new Disney Christmas Carol movie. That was well done. I still think the theme is a big much for little kids to understand, but I enjoy just about any interpretation of the Christmas Carol story -- be it serious or funny, real or animated. So I would recommend it!

When we got home, Jim and the neighbor guys were trying to fix a leaking faucet (the one on the back of the house) which required some sort of new pipe, I think, and also required 3 trips (yes 3) to the hardware store. Of course, they knew it had to get fixed today once they started, or we wouldn't be able to use our water. Kind of important when you've got 3 people using toilets, etc. It's all good now.

This evening, we went next door for a campfire. Had a great time, as always, visiting, B.S.-ing and laughing. Good stuff. You always learn something new. Tonight I learned that the girl staying overnight next door is Carter's "girlfriend." That was news to me. Of course, the mothers are always the last to know, aren't we? We'll be following this story closely, ladies and gentlemen.

Well I better get to bed. I do have to close the windows now. The Indian Summer day turned into a pretty chilly night. I think even with the windows closed, it still qualifies as "good sleeping weather." G'nite!

Certifiable

If anything's a sure sign things are back to normal, it's the Friday night Fish Fry! Just got home from Ponderosa Pines (on Hwy. 73 towards Plainfield), where we enjoyed a superb perch fish fry. I highly recommend it if you are in the area!

So yes, obviously our stomachs are pretty much recovered. Good thing, too. It was a busy day for all of us.

Hubby ventured 100 miles west and slightly north to Whitehall to take some pictures and do a story for work. What a beautiful day for an outdoor roofing project! I stayed in the office but got outside for a run at lunch. It was soooo nice out! I fear these days are numbered.

While we were doing our fun jobs, Carter got certified in the Red Cross Babysitting Course. (Can I say he's "certifiable" like me now?) Although he said it was the longest day ever (9-3), I think the worst part was having to call up the neighbor last night to borrow a doll. Good thing we live in close vicinity of lots of girls! As it turned out, they did provide dolls (even though they told participants to bring one).

On the way home, Daddy and Carter stopped at the store and saw the neighbors. Not one to pass up on a moment to pick on the boy, Daddy yells two checkout lanes over, "Hey Madison, Carter will bring your doll back tonight!" Nice one, Daddy. Carter's face is still red.

See? Totally back to normal!

What Goes Around...

I'm pleased to report that about 3 a.m. Carter ate something and kept it down. About that same time, my stomach started hurting. I was not surprised.

We had already planned to keep Carter home today to recover anyway. That was good. He still had a few other stomach issues until this afternoon. He's all good now.

After my morning cocktail of Pepto on the rocks, I think I'm close to being all good now, too. The one advantage of working at home is that the computer is not too far from the bathroom! That was a bonus today.

The good news is that tomorrow, I will head back to the office and Carter will head to class. There is no school but he is participating in that Red Cross Babysitting Class.

The bad news is that Carter missed out on a movie night at school tonight to mark the end of the first quarter, and I will miss out on my scrapbooking weekend. I had no time to prep and now, no energy. So the boys will be stuck with me and they'll have to cancel whatever top secret plans they may or may not have been making.

Now we just have to keep away from Daddy so he stays healthy. He's got a 200-mile roundtrip road trip tomorrow for work. Frequent stops for bathroom breaks would not be a good thing. Carter and I will just have to keep this to ourselves.

Just a Flu-ke?

I got the dreaded call from Carter at school this morning. "Mom, I'm sick." He said he had a stomach ache and he just couldn't make it through the day. So I told him to sit tight and somebody would be there.

Now our emergency plan is this: Call Grandpa and Grandma Austin. They're retired. They're close by. They could at least get him to our house until we get there.

Unfortunately, they weren't home. What good are "emergency contacts" is they're not around in an emergency?! OK, I'm not seriously mad or anything. They do have a life which does not involve waiting for their kids to call with pseudo-emergencies.

It just happens to suck for hubby and me since we work an hour away. Some days it comes down to a coin flip. Today, I had something I could do on the computer (which did not go well, by the way!), so I headed to Grant Elementary and he hitched a ride home with a co-worker who also lives in Rapids.

Of course, we're paranoid about Swine Flu and all that. But Carter honestly seemed fine within an hour or 2 after we got home. I only had him eat soda crackers at lunch but later, he was like, "I'm good now," so he had something more. About 3:45, up it came. You know, Pop Tarts don't look so hot the second time around. (Neither does whatever else came up later!)

So he really is sick -- not trying to get out of anything -- and we don't know if it's the Rockin' Pneumonia or the Boogie Woogie Flu. I guess we'd take that over the Piggy Wiggy Flu any day.

Carter, obviously, would rather have none of it. Right now he just wants to keep the popsicle down and be able to eat some crackers yet tonight. I for one hope he succeeds!

Family Planning

Carter and I spent a busy evening planning for events later in the week.

On Friday, there is no school again. (I know. These kids have it easy these days.) Actually it's a record-keeping day since the first quarter ends Thursday.

We have Carter signed up to take a day-long Red Cross Babysitting Course Friday. Not that he is going to jump into child care. We just want him to feel prepared and confident about staying home on his own. At some point, he'll outgrow the need for a babysitter but we don't want him (I mean us!) to be nervous about being alone. Anyway, he's got a book to read and a DVD to watch before Friday, so he's been reading and learning a lot already.

I have plans Friday, too. I'm leaving town in the afternoon for a girls' scrapbooking weekend. This wasn't really planned. It was just sort of spontaneous and I'm all for it. I need to keep my mind busy and distracted from some things I don't want to think about these days.

So I spent the better part of this evening trying to organize what pictures I need to use for the second half of my 2008 album. I got the pictures set. Tomorrow and Thursday nights I'll need to figure out what I want to do with each page. I will have 40 or so pages to do to finish the book. So I don't have high hopes. But that would be way awesome to finish those this weekend!

I'm pooped now -- even though I didn't accomplish much yet.

I take that back. I did do something pretty incredible earlier this evening. I sort of had a redneck Fonzie moment in the Wal-Mart parking lot. One of the headlights was out on the Civic. I got out of the car and, much like a jukebox in Big Al's, I hit the light just right to get it to work!

I know what you're thinking. Is there anyone cooler than me?

Enlighten Me

A few minutes ago, before 6 p.m., Carter comments: "Man, it's so dark out it seems like 8 o'clock already." Get used to it, I respond. It'll be this way until March.

Then it sinks in. Yep, it will be like this until March. That bites.

It was strange seeing a full moon rising as the sun was setting on the way home from work. I give it 2 weeks, maybe 3, and it will be dark -- both ways -- on our commute. That really bites!

Of course, the one thing I like about it is that the holiday season is here now. Right? I mean Halloween is over. We've seen snow already. I've made some Christmas cookies, too.

We can talk about it. I'm giving myself -- and you -- permission. So this probably means the next time I go to the store, I'll have to break down and get some eggnog. This also means I need to do some serious gift shopping soon (I do have friends who are mostly done already!) and consider what level of creativity will go into this year's Christmas card.

I'm not thinking about this to get stressed early. I'm thinking about this so maybe I will, for once, do it early! Feel free to be my cyber drill sergeants and keep me on task! I would like a stress-free, shopping-free, plain old cost-FREE December if I could this year. Then I can enjoy it to my heart's content.

Don't freak out. Just because I'm talking about Christmas doesn't mean I'll hang up the lights tomorrow (not until it really is dark at 5 p.m.) or listen to Christmas music. I at least have to wait until the pumpkins go out with the trash!

And they look too good to toss just yet :)

What's Good for the Goose...

I had a revelation this morning during Sunday School. Actually, Carter was in a Sunday School and I was taking a jog by the river. I saw a flock of geese flying south and it suddenly struck me: I know why they fly in a "V" formation -- they must be Vikings fans.

I took it as a sign. A good sign.

We went over to our friends the Jacksons this afternoon to watch the Packers-Vikings game. Yes, they are Packers fans but we look past that when they open their home (with HDTV!) and their hearts to us friendless Vikings fans.

Seriously, I give them credit for tolerating us and feeding us. Who knew Packer fans could be so nice? (OK, no more jabs. They are all feeling bad enough.) And we honestly have nothing to gloat about. Once again we get a commanding lead and almost blow it. Then somehow pull out a Victory in the end.

I guess those geese were onto something after all. Too bad they'll be in warmer climes by the next time we play again in 2 weeks. I guess I'll have to cook up another turkey. That wishbone could be considered at V, couldn't it?