Saying Goodbye to 2013

I usually like to take time to reflect on the previous year in my last blog before taking the calendar off the wall. But I didn't spend much time on that.

I didn't need to.

Other than the sickness and eventual death of my father, it actually was a wonderful year. It went way too fast, but it was good.

Our health was good and I shed a little extra poundage. We both remained employed (and Carter, too). Hubby embarked on a new career venture that is proving quite positive, while I am expanding some "work" on my creative side. Teen boy is doing well in school and his extra curriculars.

I had some memorable times with old friends and met many new -- through a rewarding mission trip and involvement in some civic and church activities.

It was so much better than the multitude of challenges I had in 2012 that I can't believe I ever doubted God was going to bless me again. And again.

I don't know what 2014 holds in store, but if spending the last afternoon and evening of 2013 having a great time with friends I hold dear is any sign, I think I'm going to like it!

(I even stayed up until midnight in our time zone AND the next. That's gotta be a good sign!)

I hope you, too, found many 2013 blessings to count. May you have many more in 2014.

Happy New Year!

Black Monday

Black Monday: The first Monday after regular season football when the undesirable coaches get the boot. (Today that included the Vikings coach!)

Black Monday: Also that first Monday after Christmas when you realize you still have 15 un-watched Christmas movies DVR'd and only 3 days of vacation left!

Judging by our high temperature of zero today -- yes, you read that right -- it would have been the perfect day to knock off at least 4 of those movies. But so far, I've only watched one.

Our plan today was to have a tasty Butter Braid for breakfast. But the house was so cold overnight that the dough didn't even rise! So now we'll have that tomorrow instead. My other plan was to meet someone in Point to drop off some items I'm selling. That fell through when the customer's vehicle didn't start.

Since I'd already asked Carter go there with me, we stuck to that part of the plan. And went as far as Plover anyway. Stopped at Best Buy so he could buy a CD, then I got some photo organizer boxes at Staples, then Carter got a haircut at Sports Clips. First time there. Quite the wait since it was "lunch hour" for most people, but they did a fine job filling in while his regular "hair artist" here in town is on vacation.

After that, we popped into Starbucks next door and walked out with two hot holiday lattes for just under 10 bucks. Ouch. No wonder I only go there once in a blue moon. Or longer.

I let Carter drive home so he could get some Freeway experience. He did just fine. Got home and played some cards, then made some treats for New Year's Eve and finally filed some photos in those new organizers.

Then and only then did I finally sit down to watch one of my Hallmark movies. It was good (of course) and I may even sneak in one more this evening since I can sleep in tomorrow. I am getting pretty good at that.

I will have to improve my movie-watching skills, though. I need to up my daily average if I am going to see them all before they are automatically erased for something new.

Which I'm sure would never be as emotionally entertaining, would it?

Really Chillin' Out

You know you're in Wisconsin when yesterday was practically shorts weather and right now, a nice minus 4-- feeling like 21 below zero.

In other words, I stayed put today.

The cold weather was part of the reason. The cold I am experiencing is another. I feel like I am in one of those commercials where the poor cold sufferer is being chased by a big, ugly mucous monster! Yuck. I am better than when I awoke -- thanks to Sudafed, Emergen-C, hot tea and whatever else I thought to take today. I am hoping it all drains away (like magic in the commercials) so I can sleep well tonight.

Buried deep under the warm covers and laying on the very warm mattress pad. No need to chill out 24/7.

I did chill out / relax today. Did a little housework and some treat-making, but then watched some football, trying to catch highlights of the Vikings game since they were not airing it here.

And the won! Their last game ever at the Metrodome. Glad they went out on a high note.

I have a lot of memories from the Dome, starting with a lot of Twins games in the '80s -- especially on weekends they played at home while I was a camp counselor at Luther Point. We made a lot of trips down to catch a game and wave hello to Kirby Puckett. Fun times. ... And ending with games there throughout Carter's childhood.

Despite this season, I have enjoyed quite a few Vikings games there, too, with friends, hubby and the boys. You can call us wimps for watching football "indoors," but when it's minus 4 degrees (with -21 windchill), I kind of am!

And I am not ashamed. SKOL!

Indian Summer or Something

Well that Indian Summer we never got this fall finally arrived today -- a few months late. That's what it felt like anyway!

When it's 42 degrees, no one around here needs a jacket outside. Just a sweatshirt will do. AND we didn't even have to turn the heat up from the overnight setting.

That's Wisconsin tough.

It was sunny all day so I thought it was a perfect day to clean out a closet. Now, follow me. It does make sense. I just prefer projects like that with lots of natural light in a room. It motivates me. Otherwise, it's dark and depressing and I would rather sit on the couch and watch a movie.

I think I still would have preferred that, but I stuck to my goal.

Since moving my Scrap Cave into Carter's old room, I hadn't completely emptied his closet. The whole top shelf was filled with a mix of bedding and old Halloween costumes and sports gear and clothes he's outgrown. A lot was stacked up there.

I felt like I was re-living his childhood through the pillow cases alone... Sesame Street to Dinosaurs to Power Rangers! Awww. Where did that little boy of mine go?

I did manage to get a healthy pile together to go to Goodwill and set the rest aside to sell.  I felt good about that. Since Jim was up in Point watching a basketball game with a buddy, I had Carter drive me around town for practice. First dropping off the cardboard (lots of Christmas boxes) at the recycling center, then a small load at Goodwill, then a brief trip to ShopKo to get him a 2014 wall calendar, then a stop for late lunch/early supper at Polito's Pizza.

One must be rewarded for one's hard work, right?

After practicing some "Y turns" on the way home, we got home as the sun was starting to set. Yup that process still starts around 4 p.m. despite Indian Summer. So I took a quick walk just to enjoy the nice temperatures before it got dark. Glad I took those pretty pictures yesterday as the snow had melted off or fallen off all those branches today!

Tonight it's a relaxing night at home. While Carter was watching a movie downstairs, I watched another Christmas movie (I actually did cry at the end of this one) and then Jim and I played cards (3 to 13). I only mention that since I beat him. By one point. But a win is a win.

I suppose I better log off the computer and give him a chance to redeem himself. It may seem spring-y out today but we have a long winter (a.k.a. Card Season) ahead and I need more practice!

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

The temps got into the high 20s/low 30s today. In Wisconsin, that means it's "warm" out!

So I got off my lazy backside and actually took a walk today. I took my phone with me to play Christmas music and make it a "photo walk" if I could capture a few images of winter. I will admit, it IS pretty when I don't have drive in it!

Here are a few of the images. I might have to do this again with my "good camera," but these give you a general idea of our central Wisconsin winter wonderland, where I heard we have gotten snow every day of December and up to 20 inches total already.

The old barn around the bend. I think it is held up mainly by all the hay bales inside. It always seems like I could knock it right over with a simple push of one finger. Sure has character, though!

I think this birdhouse could use a roof rake! We actually bought one today and Carter assembled it, then helped Dad rake the snow off our roof and blow snow (again).

Beautiful Blue Jay Drive! Our home sits up ahead, around the curve and on the right. This looks pretty but I can tell you that with the tall trees and the shadows, this little section of the road will be snow- and ice-covered and slippery until spring.

All the snow is piling high and weighing heavily on the pine branches.

Today, with some wind and warmer temps, I saw quite of bit of it letting loose!

Got home in time to see Carter playing fetch with the next-door-neighbor's dog Murphy. Murphy would actually run out and fetch the snowball but had quite the challenge carrying it back. It was so cute!

You can see why Mr. Adorable is the most popular guy in the neighborhood. And he doesn't even know how to operate a snowblower!

Royal Pride for every season. I'll be curious to see if we get so much snow this winter that this sign gets covered. I hope not. Or if it does come, it's only on days I don't HAVE to drive to the office. Wishful thinking.

I did venture out today. Had to go to Wal-Mart for a few quick groceries. Later, we took Carter to a friend's and we went out to eat at The Ridges -- where we could check his work schedule for January. Good excuse!

Jim's parents stopped this evening to look at our tree and dismal decorations. I really didn't go all out this year in the house (or outside), but it still feels like Christmas.

And, as long as I have recorded movies yet to view, it still will be!

Long Winter's Nap

I love mornings when I wake up, realize I am not due back at the office for a WEEK, roll over and go back to sleep!

I can't even brag about staying in bed past 8 when Carter slept in until noon today. And I don't think he would have gotten up then if I hadn't nudged him -- which I had been doing on the hour since 10 a.m. I just didn't want his sleep schedule off kilter when he goes back to school.

I guess we both have a week to screw it up -- and enjoy it!

Maybe we could learn from Sylvester...

She loves Christmas. All gift boxes become new places to nap -- with or without her blankie. She's so cute when she hides from the camera (like Carter does)! She's probably sick of having so many people in the house by now. Between Christmas Eve and Day and now today with Carter having a friend over, she just finds a soft place to hide... and nap.

Hubby escaped awhile to have lunch with some of the guys. I squeezed in a Hallmark movie while he was gone. I think I still have about 10 or so DVR'd that I will have to get to in the next week.

Now Jim has the upstairs TV and Carter and his buddy have the basement. I should probably go for a walk or something before I put on the Festive Five pounds this vacation.

Or I could just find a soft place to hide... and take a long winter's nap!

Hmmm... What would Sylvester do?

Merry Christmas!

You know the kids are getting old when you are up first and have to lure them out of bed with the smell of breakfast!

Hubby actually got up and went to 8 o'clock church and was home before the boys got up. I made breakfast and then it was time for presents. All the boys mostly pick out what they want so they're aren't a lot of surprises.

Clay was still home at his mother's today, but Casey stayed overnight and got the items he picked out a month ago. Carter got his smartphone early and got these headphones he wanted, plus a few actual surprises. Nothing major. Santa brought me a nice Minnesota Twins golfing shirt! And he brought Jim a nice Celtics windbreaker plus an autographed copy "to Jim" of Fran Tarkenton's book.

We must have all been good this year!

After presents, it was snow removal time. Can you believe after snow the last 3 days we got another 3-5 inches overnight? Wow those people wishing for a white Christmas must have been very, very, very, very, very good this year.

I don't like them.

While the guys handled the snow, I handled my camera and discovered that the jolly ol' fat man in red is actually a cardinal. Very nice!

After snow removal, the four of us went to the new movie Grudge Match (starring Robert DeNiro and Sly Stallone). Enjoyed it very much. It actually had some good story lines so wasn't all comedy like the previews showed. We liked it. Came home after that and our schedule was open. Managed to squeeze in two Christmas movies and lose at two games of cards.

It has been a very nice holiday season all around. Feeling lots of love from family and friends -- as it should be.

Hope you were able to find a love-filled way to celebrate Jesus' birthday today, too!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Traditions

'Tis the night before Christmas and all through our house,
Our bellies are full -- I'm going to pop out of this blouse!

Okay, we are still full from our big meal but that is all part of our traditional Christmas Eve.

The morning went quickly. Carter got up early to go out to breakfast with a group of guys (mostly retired) who adopted him for the morning. He got to drive our neighbor's pickup truck (with plow) to and from the restaurant. So he felt pretty cool.

I made some food for dinner at the in-laws and then sent out a bunch of e-greetings to long distance family and friends I did not get a card to via snail mail.

It didn't take long and it was time for church. We opted to go to the first service -- at 1 p.m. -- since it fit our schedule best. We started the day at 18 below zero and yet another dusting of snow. Since Carter had already driven in it once this morning, I let him drive to church.

It should be a peaceful experience going to church, but not when the teenage driver has just learned how fun it is to spin tires in the snow and slide a bit around corners. Uff da. I was quite thankful once we got to church.

I won't complain too much. My driver knew to stop at McDonald's for an eggnog shake afterwards. And when we learned they ran out (how could they on Christmas Eve already?!?!), he drove us to Culver's and we got one there. He also stopped at the gas station and filled up the tank without any assistance from me this time. I just got to sit in the nice warm car.

With my ice cream.

Got home and loaded up the vehicle to head over to Jim's parents for the afternoon and evening. Ate a ton of food, as usual, and it was great, as usual. We had all 10 of us there -- our 5, his sister's 3 and Mom and Dad.

After supper, we played some cards, watched John Wayne on TV and exchanged gifts. Jim got a nice winter coat (he helped pick out) from the person who had his name. And I got a nice Assumption running jacket (I helped pick out) from the person who had me. The boys got some nice gifts, too. No one went home hungry or unhappy.

For some reason, we got to talking about recipes and my mother-in-law brought out an old book from either her mom or her mother-in-law's church. Either way, there were recipes from a lot of familiar names on both sides of Jim's family tree. We just could not stop laughing about this recipe:

Hilarious! And that is a family name. Though I hope a DISTANT relative. Ha!

Now we are home sweet home and Casey is staying overnight. Clay had an upset stomach so we will wait until he comes out in the morning to open presents here.

That's fine with me. If I am going to make Elephant Stew for breakfast, I need the extra time!

Hey, Christmas traditions have to start somewhere, right?

Stay-cation Time!

When I woke up to this pretty sight, I was so glad I could admire it from the bedroom window and did not have to venture out in it for a white and wicked commute. There is something to be said for "stay"-cations!

While technically off until next year, I did have some projects that had to be wrapped up today so I was working a few hours. I think I should be good now -- until at least after Christmas.

Of course, by working I got out of snowblowing and shoveling. But at the rate this winter is going, I am sure I have not used up all my chances.

By mid-afternoon I HAD to venture out to get some last-minute groceries for Christmas Eve and Day, plus a gift at a certain place in town. When I was grabbing groceries, though, it dawned on me I hadn't purchased anything -- at all -- for stocking stuffers for the boys. Among the Christmas candy selection, there was only one plastic candy cane with Reese's peanut butter cups in it. Only one. So I decided I would help Santa stuff that one in MY stocking -- and got other things for the boys.

I don't know how that slipped my mind. It's not like I've been busy.

Between work, some office cleaning and shopping, I hadn't had a chance to sit down and watch any Christmas movies. So I challenged hubby to game of cards (3 to 13) to see who would win TV rights for the night. I lost the first game and he gave me another chance. I lost the second game by an even bigger margin. I gave up but he took pity on me and I got one movie in.

Everyone wins when we're on vacation!

Oh, is it Finally Winter?

Since it's officially winter now -- in case you were wondering -- we could have had quite the adventurous trip home today.

We stayed at the famous Luck Country Inn last night, then met my sister Rayna and Mom at the attached restaurant for breakfast. We hit the road by 9:30 a.m. because it had been snowing back at home for maybe 6 or 8 hours already.

The first 2 hours of the commute were fine. (Carter did NOT drive today.) But then from Eau Claire and on, it was slippery road conditions.

You know it's winter when we see a truck upside down in the ditch. We think its collision with the guard rail upended it. That was a pretty good sign to slow down. We saw at least one other vehicle in the ditch and a few banged-up vehicles to boot. You know how they say accidents happen closest to home? Well, we didn't get into an accident, don't worry, but we just missed one at an intersection 5 minutes from home. One of the two crashed cars had the traffic light laying across its roof, windshield and hood. Ouch!

It was such a relief to get home! AND to get home to a snowblown driveway. Santa sure has some nice elves in our neighborhood!

There was a brief break in the snowfall and it started up again in late afternoon. I think we only got a couple of inches here. I know east and southeast, they got much more. Finally, someone else's turn.

After unpacking and putting the extra "stuff" (a.k.a wonderful presents) away, I looked at our mail from the weekend. There was a special package for me! No, I was not going to wait until Christmas to open it!

It was from my high school BFF Julie with a note, "I thought of your Dad when I saw this!" It's a cute little milk can! He used to haul milk and we had flowers on milk cans at his funeral. What a precious gift!

Now I have two ornaments to show you from the weekend!

The one on the right was given to me by my twin yesterday. For some reason she has this reason I like ice cream and that I like mint chocolate. Santa must have given her the inside scoop on that one (pun intended)!

Both found a home on our tree right away today. And serve as another sign of holiday spirit.

I suppose the fresh snow does, too. But let's not give Ol' Man Winter any credit on his first day!

'Twas the Week Before Christmas

Back row, from left: Romey, RoAnn, Ron, Rayna and Rachel. Front row: me, Renell and Raylene.

The 8 R's and our family members who could make it gathered in the Northwoods for our annual Christmas gathering.

This year, since Mom wanted to host (with my sister Romey's help), we gathered just up the road from Mom's at Skonewood (a retreat center that has a fellowship hall to fit us all). I believe today's tally was 34 of us including all 5 of us Austins since Casey and Clay drove up for part of the day. That was awesome!! We sure missed the ONE who has been there since the beginning, though.

After a nice, filling lunch, we held our annual program, which we have performed for Dad and Mom since I was a toddler. With Dad's absence, it had a more somber tone than previous years. But we could feel he was there in spirit.

I wrote the following and managed to get through reading it out loud without completely losing it. I really believe Dad was there and telling us we are going to be OK. And "thanks" for making family first during Christmas!


'Twas the week before Christmas in the Austin house
Not a creature was stirring except Robyn on her new Mac with the wireless mouse.
Carter’s homework was hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes it would be done the next time he looked there.

Sylvester was nestled between the pillows on our bed,
While visions of Tweety birds danced in her head;
And Robyn in her warm socks, and Jim in his Vikings cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When way up north there arose such a clatter,
We hopped in the Honda to see what was the matter.
Away to Skonewood, we flew like a flash,
Careful not to speed and cough up any cash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to Pickeral below,
When, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But the Hedberg family and the 8 R's we hold dear.

But where was the little old driver, so lively and quick?
His absence this year makes our hearts feel so sick.
More rapid than reindeer we knew his spirit came,
And as we listened closely, heard him call us by name:

"Now, Rayna! Now, Romey! Now, Nell and RoAnn!
On, Ronald! On Rachel! On, Lene and Robyn!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away those tears and have a ball!"

And then, in a twinkling, I knew we had proof
That we were ALL here together under one roof.
As we each take a breath and look around,
We can see we are home, where love does abound.

We miss his little eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His mischievous mouth drawn up like a bow,
And remember that awful beard that was as white as the snow?

He's no longer chubby and plump, but a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye. His hat crooked on his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled our hearts with memories; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up to the heavens he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, blew a final kiss goodbye,
And away he flew to join baby Jesus in the sky.
But we heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all. You’re going to be alright!"

TGIF -- and I mean it!

So many reasons to be thankful for this particular Friday...

It was my last Friday to work for this year! Well I didn't quite get everything done to have the whole day off but I did get to work from home and am basically on vacation except for a few things next week that should take less than an hour. I still say I am officially on vacation until next year!

Since I was at home, I got to enjoy the very special annual Golden Mass at Assumption High School. It is a nice service held in the gymnasium, which has been transformed to a beautifully decorated and lit winter wonderland. The music -- performed by both the band and choir -- is exceptional and the grand finale Hallelujah Chorus is a special treat. It is performed by the band, choir and any alumni who want to join.

I took a video of that. The visual quality isn't that great since the gym was dark. But you can hear the song. Feel free to sing along in the comfort of your home!




After Mass, a group of us went out to eat lunch. Carter was included since the high schoolers were dismissed after cleaning up the gym. Then it was home to get some work done and a tiny bit of grocery shopping for the weekend. I figured I better have everything set for the weekend before we could do anything tonight.

This evening, Carter had to work but Jim and I went to the girls' basketball game versus Marathon. It proved to be one heckuva game! At one point in the second half, we were down by 9 points and it looked like we could lose our first game since sometime in February. But we somehow rallied hard and quickly in the last few minutes and pulled ahead for a narrow victory. Pretty exciting!

Afterwards, we picked up Carter from work an all of us went over to some friends' for some post-game pizza, holiday treats and general B.S.

Now it's nighty-night time so we can hit the road at a decent time in the morning to head up to my family Christmas gathering Up North.

Just need that electric mattress pad to warm up a teeny bit more!! G'nite!

Seasoned Greetings

I got a little addicted to my design programs this year and had to spice up our season's greetings with a few homemade "cards" for my Facebook page.

Since not all of you are on Facebook with me, here's what you've been missing since Thanksgiving... (Just click on the pictures to make them larger is you can't read the text.)

Thinking of warm, sunny thoughts from our August concert when the three of us saw STYX, 38-Special and Grand Funk Railroad!

Had to make use of one our "church photos" since they turned out so nice.

The one naughty thought I had this year came at the Women Rock Minnesota 10K race. Santa understands. (But does hubby??)

Naturally, our Sylvester is pretty for all seasons. And a good reminder of all the sweet blessings we have in our life.

Looking forward to the Hedberg Christmas party Saturday and our annual program. Who knew last year's appearance by Mom and Dad would be their final performance together? Treasure who you have while you have them!

And then there's our actual Christmas card/letter/photo page. I will have to wait to post that, though, since I have a few I didn't get out in the mail yet.

I hope all your greetings -- seasoned or otherwise -- are bringing a smile to your face and a warm feeling in your heart!

Hump Day Headliners

Crunch Time: In the hopes of having the last 10 days of the year off, I am in major crunch mode -- and that does not include any cookies I am munching on! My plan is to get 3 weeks' worth of work done in 1 week. I have done this before when the incentive is right. And I'm pretty sure down time during the holidays ranks as right as right can be. I am doing great. If tomorrow is as productive as the first 3 days of this week have been, I might even get to use one of my "hate to lose" vacation days on Friday. We'll see. Fingers crossed. Mouth crunching. I mean MIND crunching!

Pre-emptive Strike: Speaking of crunching and grazing... I found my way back to the fitness center today. In my mixed up mind, I am thinking this is a pre-emptive strike. Burning off those first major calories before I start consuming them this weekend. Hmm... It probably won't help with any holiday weight management, but I can feel it easing my guilt already. The question is: Do you think one day will do it or should I go back tomorrow, too?

Bringing in a Ringer: Rang the Red Kettle bell for my third and final time tonight. I had Carter with me again. Compared to last week's wind and sub-zero temperatures, this evening's 28 degrees felt like spring! We could see everyone was enjoying it. More store traffic and more donations! One woman put a buck in the bucket and then gave Carter a folded five-dollar bill. "This is just for you," she said. "There's no way in the world I could get MY teenager to do this!" Very nice. Proud mom moment!

Early to Bed...: I am knocking off early tonight. Have gotten to bed way past my bedtime all week. Which means I have had no time to read any Christmas books in bed. Want to get some read before the weekend. Would hate to spend my vacation laying around doing nothing but watching movies and reading ... said no one. Ever. Better get on that!!

G'nite!

Buds Having Buds

We always say we never make enough time to spend with friends. Yet every time we do, we inevitably agree, "We should do this more often!"

And it still never happens often enough, does it?

Tonight hubby is hanging out with two of his high school buddies, playing cribbage, having some Buds and maybe talking stupid.

One of the guys is home briefly from Colorado for a family Christmas celebration. The other one lives just around town but I usually see him more often than Jim since we both tend to run in the local race circles.

I'm just going to let the buds have their Buds and stay out of the way. I am sure I have a least a dozen DVR'd Christmas movies to choose from - plus it's The Voice finale... which they will probably drag out for 2 hours. Either way, I won't complain.

The house is filled with love and laughter. As it should be.

Better log off and hide in the basement before I become the serving wench. I don't think these guys tip that well!

White Christmas

I can't remember the last time I woke up and it hadn't snowed -- at least a "dusting" -- while I was sleeping.

I can't remember the last time the temperatures (especially with the windchill) were in the double digits -- above zero.

And yet there are these crazy people in warmer climes just dreaming of a White Christmas.

Thank God my sister is one of those crazy people. With a short-term memory of Wisconsin winters.

As a last-minute Christmas gift from my saint of a brother-in-law, my oldest sister is flying up from Texas in time for our Hedberg family get-together this weekend. Welcome to our White Christmas nightmare!

Actually, I am thrilled about her short-term memory -- and that she can make the trip up. As our first Christmas without Dad, I just feel this need to have us ALL together. Plus, it will be good for my mom to have someone at the house with her to try to keep her in the spirit. Or comfort her if she isn't.

This will be good. Very good.

I just have to remind my forgetful sister to remember a winter hat and gloves this year. Oh, and a jacket would be good. I'm not saying she forgot all of those things last year. I'm just saying she made sure to pack her flip flops.

In December.

To go to Wisconsin.

Yup. Can't wait until I am old enough to dream about a White Christmas -- and actually still want it when I am awake!

Right Combination

OK, I am well aware that the Packer fans are happy with their second-half comeback win. That's nice. But please don't rain on my purple parade!

I decided today it was time to trade in my "lucky" lounge pants that have proven UN-lucky all year and wear some other Viking ones I haven't donned in years. Guess what? It worked! The Vikings kicked butt! Finally, the right combination.

Definitely a little too late. But now that I know I have this power, I will have to make sure I pack these this weekend so I can wear them next Game Day.

So much pressure to be in charge of the world!

When I wasn't keeping the Earth spinning on its axis today, I made some Christmas treats to deliver to some of the neighbors with our family card. I had my reindeer hat on my head and was playing Christmas music on my phone (so I wouldn't have to sing). It was a great setup but not many people were home.

You don't think they were hiding from me, do you? Just because I looked like a freak with my antlers and big yellow Vikings coat and funky purple zebra-print pants?

Nah.

They probably just didn't want to open the door and let the cold air in. And with my perfect combination, I was just too cool.

Yep. That's probably it.

Food Pyramid

The food pyramid around our house is pretty out of whack. At the popular bird feeder, for instance, the beautiful cardinals and chickadees eat the seeds. And whatever they drop onto the snow-covered ground it gobbled up by squirrels who are starting to look fatter than our cat!

How much do we really need to fatten up for winter??

Then there's the folks like me who, for example, eat buttered popcorn for breakfast. OK, just this once. Our church was sponsoring a free showing of the new Disney movie Frozen. So another mother of kids too old to go and I had a 10 a.m. movie date. Never had popcorn for breakfast before but it wasn't bad. As for the movie, it didn't quite live up to its hype. In my humble opinion. Don't want to spoil it. Still a cute movie. Just wasn't one of my "immediate" favorites.

We had homemade chicken soup courtesy of Chef Jim for lunch, then went out for Chinese for supper. I realized later that I hadn't had any "Christmas moments" today. So I watched a Lifetime holiday movie this time... while eating some Peppermint ice cream.

Might as well run up and down both sides of the food pyramid. I can't promise I'll stay on the healthy side of it for long.... what with the leftover soup, sesame chicken and extra cartons of Schwan's Peppermint Stick ice cream on hand.

And don't forget the high-fiber birdseed. Get it before you have to wrestle it out of some squirrely character's paw.

TGIF-13-SLD!

TGIF-13-SLD translation: Thank God It's Friday the 13th and St. Lucia Day!

Yes, happy St. Lucy Day to my fellow Scandi-hoovians. While we somewhat acknowledge St. Nick's Day since the school handles the card and candy cane for us, we make it a point of honoring St. Lucia Day at home -- just so I have some Scandinavian tradition to pass down to Carter.

As tradition goes, the eldest daughter in the house is supposed to wear the ring of lit candles on her head and serve everyone breakfast in bed. Since I am the only daughter, mother, sister and female in the house, that responsibility falls to me.

One, I skip the lighted candles. Flames and hairspray do not mix. Two, I bypass breakfast in bed but do usually make cinnamon rolls when it falls on a weekend. Three, when it doesn't, the guys get their own breakfast while the Goddess of Light gets ready for work.

Regardless of the day of the week it falls on, we all get a nice little gift. This year, head gear was the theme. Carter got two winter hats (he may or may not have picked out himself on Black Friday weekend), and hubby and I each got a nice Royal Blue golf visor with the Assumption school logo. I'm quite sure that's a hint from St. Lucia that we should consider a golf trip to the islands like St. Thomas or St. Marten or any of her "brothers."

As for the Friday the 13th part of the equation, it didn't factor in. Yet.

Had very busy but productive day at work. Afterward, Jim and I caught the Rapids JV girls basketball game at 5:45 p.m. His god-daughter Becca plays on the team and they won. After that, it was a typical Friday night thrill fest -- grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and visiting with at least 3 other people with the same exciting lives, then going to The Ridges to wait for Carter to get done with his dish-washing shift.

Home by 10 and we will all be snoring by 11. Trust me. It was a long week.

TGIF indeed. And thank you, St. Lucy, for stopping by, bypassing the candle wreath, but still sparking some holiday spirit.

Happy Holi-Graze

There's that period of time starting at Thanksgiving and ending on New Year's that can only be described as the "holi-graze." One endless grazing festival at family gatherings, cookie exchanges, potlucks, company parties and more.

It's no wonder we have to fight the Festive Fifteen every year!

Despite some pretty good food over the Turkey Days, my official "graze" didn't kick off until today. (Pat myself on back while I can still reach it.)

Instead of an off-site Christmas party, we have opted for a lunch-time holiday potluck at work the last few years. The company provides the Roast Beast and beverages, and we all bring the sides and sweets.

I am not a fan of roast beast sandwiches, but I had no trouble filling my plate with two different jello salads, cheesy potatoes, BBQ meatballs and more. No room for dessert! But that was easy to solve. As a card-carrying member of the Clean Plate Club, I made room.

Now you know when there is a full dessert TABLE, a person cannot just take one treat. I certainly wouldn't want to be the Grinch that offends those other bakers. Without realizing it, one might take more than one treat. Or more than two.

Then there's that moment you get back to your seat and you look down and see two cookies and a large white chocolate and candy cane-covered pretzel. Ohmigosh, I took three desserts! Before I could say it, though, my co-worker and I realized our plates were identical. AND that we both held a treat in our hands that we both had started eating on our way back to the table.

It was immediately understood that anything consumed en route could not be held against us.

Company Christmas Potluck: 1, Robyn's Willpower: 0

See how easy it is to fall prey to the sweet lure of Tinsel Time Treats? It is so hard to say NO-el!

Let the guilt-free grazing begin!

B-r-r-r-r-ring!

I think most of the Midwest was under an extreme weather advisory today. Not a flake of snow in sight. But temps just hovering below zero and wind chills well below zero -- like minus 25-35. Brrr.

It was definitely a good day to stay inside. Since it was my day off, I snuggled deep under the covers until 9 a.m. Wow. That was a mini-vacation right there. Then the day flew by with stuffing Christmas letters into the cards and licking envelopes -- which I prefer to licking a flagpole in the playground! I also wrapped whatever presents I had around the house.

And yes, though you need not ask, I did this while watching a few Christmas movies.

And yes, I did actually venture outside. Twice. The first time time was to run Christmas "thank you" cookies out to our garbage collectors. The second was to go bell ringing.

Carter joined me this time. And while we thought we were prepared for the cold, we weren't. I mean we aren't in the direct elements. We stand in this entryway between the outside door and the entrance to the store. It's only a decent temp, though, if no one is shopping and that outside door stays closed.

But it's a busy little grocery store. So we got pretty chilled despite how bundled up we thought we were! An hour into it, I actually went inside the store to buy some hand warmers to put in our shoes/boots. That helped.

What also helped was that people felt sorry for us and dropped more change into the Red Kettle.

And, what helped the most, was knowing that we were going home to a nice warm house after our two-hour shift. I said to Carter, "Can you imagine having to sleep out in this if you had no place to go?" It was definitely a reminder that we are so blessed to have a roof over our heads and we should not take that for granted.

If you think of it, take time to support the Red Kettle or any charitable efforts you can this holiday season -- and all year long. Also, please take a moment to pray for those seeking food, shelter, warmth and hope this Christmas time.

Some days we just don't realize how good we've got it.

Thanks be to God.

Hot Spot

If you were looking for a "hot spot" to take the sub-zero chill off, we found it.

Now if these were the horse-and-buggy days, there's no way we'd hop in a sleigh and brave a 60-plus mile trip in well below-zero wind chills just for giggles. But since we have reliable car with HEAT we ventured up to Merrill to watch our Lady Royals play hoops.

We anticipated a pretty decent match-up between our Division 4 defending state champs and this larger, Division 2 school. And it was.

We got the lead early and never lost it. At times it got close, but our HOT defense is so scrappy, we held our own. We ended up winning 43-25... improving our early season record to 4-0.

It's fun to see some of Carter's classmates starting varsity (and coming off the bench) and doing well. I have plenty of "adopted" girls now to give me my "daughter" fix. And they rock!

I guess our boys team, also playing on the road, did not fare as well and took a loss. Better luck next time.

Got home after 10 so I am waiting patiently for my mattress pad to warm up the bed. I can stay up past bedtime tonight, though. I am taking another use-or-lose vacation day tomorrow and it is not supposed to even reach zero degrees. Hold the calls. I may stay in that warm bed all day.

But then, no Christmas letters would get stuffed in cards and eventually sent. And no Hallmark movies could be watched.

It may be time to dig out my warm, fuzzy, footed jammies for the day. Sounds like that will be tomorrow's "hot spot." And I won't even have to leave the house to find it!

Sounds of the Season

Got our live holiday music fix tonight at the Assumption Band Christmas Concert!

There was an entertaining mix of groups and songs. We heard from the hand bell ringers, the trumpet band, the jazz band and the full concert bands for the middle and high schools -- first separately, then combined for one final song.

Carter's fans included Grandma Austin, Aunt Sherry, Uncle Baird, Dad and Mom (the paparazzi). As usual, he hid himself well so no major photo to speak of. I did attempt video, though, on my smart phone. If the sound is OK, just listen. I know the image isn't clear and it's unlikely you'll see Carter on the far left unless you recognize the large top of his baritone. He's sitting behind a row of middle-schoolers not playing at the time. So it's doubtful.

They all sounded good, though, but I am giving you Feliz Navidad -- their shortest song.





Enjoy the sounds of the season!

Merry Multi-Tasker

Had one heckuva time crawling out of the nice warm bed for 8 o'clock church. But eventually the extreme cold snapped me awake and I had a productive day.

This afternoon I got pretty much all of our Christmas cards signed and addressed. Just need to finalize the "insert" and get those printed. I multi-tasked as usual. Since the Vikings weren't on TV -- except those last unfortunate 2 minutes -- I hid out in the basement and knocked off another DVR'd holiday movie while stuffing envelopes.

When that was done, I figured I might as well get started on wrapping presents.

Sylvester supervised. And despite the warning that this "bag is not a toy," she climbed inside. It did not specifically state it was "not a napping place," after all.

Since hubby had a sports meeting this evening, I took over the living room. I multi-tasked during wrapping and, you guessed it, watched another movie. When I was done wrapping, I sat on the couch to watch the end of the movie. Carter, who was doing homework all day, just assumed I had been lounging on the couch for hours and declared "I think the TV is going to explode from too many Hallmark movies!"

Silly boy. There's no such thing as too many Hallmark movies! That's like saying to kitty that there are too many napping places.

Just plain silly. Scrooge!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

How can we tell Christmas is almost here? Well besides the cold and snow outside, on the inside, our "skinny tree" (not to be confused with "skinny jeans") is up and our halls our decked. No help from Carter this year. He had his friend over all day so they took no part in any holiday prep.

Hubby and I went to Stevens Point to shop this afternoon. First he needed an office chair. Then I said I wanted to "look" in a few stores for some gifts. You know what you don't do when it's less than 3 weeks 'til Christmas? LOOK. You gotta know exactly what you want, find it, buy it and get out of there. Crowds and lines were insane today so I said, "Forget it. We're going home and I am ordering something online!"

And that's what I did. Well, AFTER we stopped at DQ in Point for a Candy Cane Blizzard.

With the late Thanksgiving this year, I am feeling behind on everything. So when we got home, I started in on designing some sort of Christmas card or letter-type creation. I feel like I've already used up my creativity in previous years so we'll see how this one flies.

I did take a break after supper to watch one of my DVR'd Christmas movies. Hey, it's beginning to look like Christmas everywhere else, so I might as well jump in (or onto the couch) and feel the spirit!

Fa-la-la-la-la!

A Perfect 10

Guess I'm getting smarter with age. Based on the outdoor temperature and somewhat parallel indoor temperature at work, I picked a good day to work at home.

It was about 9 a.m. or so when we climbed into the positive temperature range and hit one degree. It was sunny -- deceivingly so -- and the high only reached a perfect 10 in Rapids today. Now?

We are back at zero and sinking fast. Br-r-r-r-r!

I am relieved there is no precipitation with this, forcing us to stay home and off the roads. We were able to take Carter and one of his buddies with us over to Pittsville to watch the Assumption girls basketball team stomp. And by stomp, I mean winning by some 50 points. I believe the final was 72-20.

Pittsville's team colors are purple and yellow. So while I was careful not to wear my Vikings jacket, I forgot about my socks. Glad that didn't give them any extra (or any) power. I would have felt pretty bad. As it was, it was still a fun game to watch since the extensive lead gave more of Carter's classmates an opportunity to play.

Afterwards, a few of us stopped for beverages and pizza. We didn't stay out too long since we had the "boys" with us and I'm still nursing that sore throat/dry cough business. I took some NyQuil so hopefully I am not coughing all night. And I told the boys they can sleep in as late as they want tomorrow.

Jim asked them: "Do you want me to wake you up by a certain time?"

Carter replies: "I suppose at noon if we are still sleeping."

I like the way he thinks. That will give me more time with my electric mattress pad. And right now, that still doesn't seem like enough.

Br-r-r-r. Just stinkin' b-r-r-r-r-r-r!

What Day Again?

Guess what day it is? OK, it's not Hump Day but it sure felt like Winds-Day.

With 35 mph gusts, it definitely was our first legitimate windchill. And I did not like it. While I did like that the wind appeared to have dried off the roads overnight, it was wicked chilly outside.

And inside.

While I've been careful not to mention it too often, we have had major challenges with consistent heating at work. In other words, wearing long underwear and two long-sleeved layers plus my coat and a "lap blanket" have not been enough some days.

Today was one of them.

Apparently the boiler that is directly responsible for our sector's heat, is missing something important, like a heating element. When that arrives, it should be all good. Until then, it's every man, woman and snowman for himself. Personal size heaters are not allowed due to fire hazards.

So I made an executive decision at the end of work today that since the temps are going to dip below zero tonight, I am not going to chance it by going to the office tomorrow and shivering through the day. I am going to crank the heater next to me in my office at home -- and hopefully stave off a visit to the throat doctor one more day. It does feel a little bit better anyway.

Well enough for me to get together with some friends tonight for coffee and cake. While I was stuffing my face, Carter had some behind-the-wheel time with the driver's ed instructor and then he and Dad went to the Assumption boys basketball game. We won.

We all got home about the same time and now I am desperately waiting for my bed to heat up so I can get to sleep.

And put Winds-Day behind us!

Hump Day Happenings

Guess what day it is? Guess. What. Day. It. Is! Well, apparently, it's Hump Day but it felt like a Monday since it was the first day back in the office this month. (Ha.) Some of the highlights...

Layer Cake: While I did get to work today, it took me well over an hour. The roads were caked with layers of ice, snow and slush. Not a fun drive, but I was determined I better put on my big girl pants and get used to this! The drive home was better since the temps rose above freezing during the day and melted some of the ice.

Dream Catcher (or Kicker): Visions of sugar plums are overrated. This morning's conversation...

• Hubby: Did you sleep well last night? 
• Me: Yes, why?
• Hubby: About 4:30 you were kicking at me.
• Me: Oh, that's right. I dreamt we had joined a soccer league and I kept missing the ball.

Hope his shins are OK. I was really struggling to make contact with the ball!

Stan the Man: Got some sad news today. The 97-year-old nursing home resident I called Spry Stanley has died. He was such a warm-hearted spirit. He was so good to my dad, encouraging him every day not to give up. He was just so positive and a joy to get to know during our two months of visiting there this spring. I sure hope he was surrounded by loved ones in the end. I'm sure he wasted no time reconnecting with Dad up in heaven. Lots of stories to be told yet around the dinner table. Bless you, Stanley.

Doing Some Good: I get to report for Red Kettle Duty the next three Wednesdays. After several years of doing this, I am learning a few things. Time goes slowly when you are flying solo. So tonight, since I was ringing by myself, I downloaded some Mannheim Steamroller Christmas tunes onto my phone to play. I tried ringing the bell to the beat of the music. I can tell you with certainty, I would fail any audition for a Hand Bell Choir. Uff da. I think people were giving me money to stop. This one woman said, "You know, some people sing while doing this." I bet that would boost the "hush fund" even more. Something to think about for next week...

Off Key: While I do enjoy singing Christmas carols, I couldn't have tonight anyway. I have been "ignoring" a sore throat the last few days and now it's to the point I need to take it seriously. So, naturally, I went straight to McDonald's after my bell-ringing shift to get an eggnog shake. (My first of the season, mind you.) If that doesn't do the trick, I also stopped at the store for some backup cough drops and that Emergen-C stuff. Probably the shake will work best, though. They don't have an MD in McDonald's for nothing.

Snow Place Like Home

It was quite fortunate I had already planned to work from home today. I picked a good one.

Overnight, snow, sleet and "what have you" fell and coated the roadways with the wet, slippery, slushy stuff. It guess it was pretty hazardous driving this morning and now it is repeating itself this evening.

In between, the temperatures warmed above freezing so the roads weren't so bad when I went into town shortly after 11 a.m. for my church committee meeting. I hear tomorrow will go the same way: Cold and slippery in the morning, then warming up enough to change the precipitation to rain -- which I hope doesn't freeze before I head home!

Welcome to winter, I guess!

I spent the morning digging out of email while hubby dug out the snow. It felt weird to be back at work but not AT work. It's pretty pathetic that after 6 days out of the office, I couldn't remember what I was working on right before I left. But I can tell you the plot of at least 8 Hallmark Christmas movies.

In detail!

Need to switch gears so I can have a productive month and finish up the year with my use-it-or-lose-it block of vacation. Somewhere in there, I do have a few personal projects to get done, too -- most pressing being the annual Christmas card or letter or "creation." We did get a family picture or two taken for church so I could possibly use that.

Here's one of just Jim and me. I took a picture of a picture in a frame. So then it's legal, right? Unfortunately, with all the copyright laws out there, I will have to find some alternatives. There is a nice one of the three of us, too. That one I might just have to scan in and risk arrest.

But you didn't hear that from me!

I'll figure out something in between work fun and driving fun. And I'm sure, just like this weather, you'll love it!

Mellow Monday

Mondays have earned a bad reputation and I think I know why. Typically they bring stress at work and this immediate feeling of "I'm so behind after the weekend" and "I have so much to do" and "Friday will never get here."

They are rarely like the one I had today.

Of course, I had to take a vacation day to experience the difference. And, more importantly, I had to choose to not try and see how MUCH I could get done today, but rather how LITTLE. I really had to force myself to mellow out.

And it was worth it.

I slept in until almost 8 and awoke to hubby holding a steaming cup of Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino for he. He got it in town after taking Carter to school. After that, I had cereal with eggnog again. I didn't actually plan it that we were out of milk, but I can't think of a convincing argument for you to believe that. It was tasty.

I did do some organizing in my office a little bit, just knowing my Christmas gift was going to arrive this week. Well it arrived at 10 a.m. today! I am now blogging from my new iMac computer with all the bells and whistles needed for my extra curricular creative activities. It's awesome. Everything was set up for me so I just had to plug it in and turn it on.

There seems to be a pattern of none of us waiting until Christmas morning to open our "gifts." We should nip that in the bud. But that would mean I have to put the cute boots I wore today back in the box, too. Not going to happen.

After my quick computer setup, hubby took a lunch break and treated me to el Mezcal. Good food and great company.

We parted ways after that. I went over to my BFF's house since she had the afternoon off. It was BYOB -- bring your own blanket! We reclined on our separate couches and managed to squeeze in two Christmas movies before I had to leave to pick up Carter from school.

We're pretty good when we're on a mission! She challenged me to not "work" and squeeze in one more Hallmark movie from my own couch. Although I kept thinking of all the work I should get to after a day off, I was determined for once to stick to a plan. Keep the day lazy. Keep the day mellow. And watch another holiday flick.

Now, rumor has it I might even get a massage before bedtime. Seriously, Monday, why can't you always be like this?

I tried something new today. You can, too!

Hello, December

Apparently November left the building yesterday while I was busy baking, er eating, cookies instead of blogging -- and December sneaked in overnight. Just not mentally accepting that we are wrapping up 2013 already. I must say, though, it was a pretty good weekend to usher in this final month.

Carter and I hit the road shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday as planned. I drove the first 3 hours Up North and he drove the last 40 minutes when it was no longer "freeway" and 65 mph. It was the longest amount of time so far that he has driven at once. He did fine. I did not mind riding "shotgun." Is it legal to say that during deer season if I am not wearing blaze orange??

Family arrived over the next hour or so for lunch, followed by visiting and games and eating and laughing and eating...

And while this is billed as a Cookie BAKE, our hostess Raylene was the only one who did any actually baking this year. The rest of us surprisingly had our act together and all brought our goodies ready to go. That left more time for the aforementioned games and visiting and eating and laughing and eating...

My clever mother created a game with scrambled words specifically related to our annual Cookie Bake.

Here Rachel tries to give Romey a clue about one of the words -- that all looked German or Scandi-hoovian to us!

That moment Romey realizes the "obvious" answer!

Other games included a wicked battle of Sequence. My nephew Tony looks puzzled about how Grandma always seems to win!

The other young competitors: my niece Beth (left), nephew David and his wife, Sara.

A big group of us played Apples to Apples and an endless game of 3 to 13 that I honestly can't recall who finally won. I know it wasn't me.

The sophomore boys -- Carter and his cousin Anthony and Anthony's friend Jared -- amused themselves indoors and outdoors. There is actually ice on the lakes up there. In fact, my brother-in-law Rick was so frustrated with not getting a deer this week, he went ice fishing yesterday instead of hunting! True story.

Glad it was mild enough for the "boys" to be outside.

But not too mild to melt the ice on Raylene's teeny pond. At least while Carter and the others were "walking on water."

As usual, I can say a good time was had by all! Carter and I spent the night there and hit the road by 10 this morning. He drove the first 30-some miles to Spooner, then I drove us to Eau Claire, where we shopped at Oakwood Mall for some good deals. Found a few. Not as many as we hoped. Hit the road and stopped in Osseo for a Candy Cane Blizzard at DQ (hey, it's December now!!), then switched drivers in Pittsville and Carter got us home just in time to see the Vikings get a rare win.

What a great way to wrap up the weekend. SKOL!

After unpacking the car and our clothes, Carter did homework, I caught up with hubby, then vegged on the couch watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Have to get a jump start on that movie marathon I plan for Monday!

I should say "tentatively" plan... I could skip my Hallmark fix and actually get the tree up or maybe organize my office or tackle a handful of other projects. We'll see what speaks to me.

Ha. I'm sure you can guess.