ISO: Ding Dongs

Despite the rain and above-freezing temperatures, the Salvation Army Christmas Campaign is in full swing. Quite literally. And they are in search of a few ding dongs besides me to help raise money this holiday season.

Can't quite recall when I started bell ringing. I think 6 or 7 years ago when Carter was in middle school. It was a way for us to donate our time for a good cause, while getting service hours for him and mommy-son time for me. Since that first season, I have been on the automatic call list so I always hear from the local coordinator by November to sign up for some shifts.

Tonight was my first. Since deer hunting is over, Robyn the Red-Nosed Reindeer could come out of hiding and ring that bell!

Is it obvious I enjoy what I am doing and have no qualms about embarrassing myself? I bet Carter misses doing this with me this year! Right.

Sometimes you have to do something to make people notice you. They can hear that annoying bell and walk right by. But if I am playing Christmas music on my phone and wearing a goofy hat, they'll at least break their stride, say "Nice hat" and usually plop some money in the bucket or tell me they'll catch me on the way out. And they do.

I say "thank you" but it does feel weird saying "Merry Christmas" already. Mother Nature and I aren't ready for that.

That might be part of the problem plaguing the volunteer centers. People aren't thinking Christmas. People aren't thinking Red Kettle. In the Wisconsin Rapids area alone, 1,458 shifts have been filled this season. You know what? There are still 3,032 time slots available! The are so desperate for volunteers, they have even made one-hour shifts available in some places instead of the usual 2-hour stand. I'm guessing we aren't the only locale experiencing the need for ringers this year.

To see what's available, go to www.ringbells.org and select your state and town. For South Wood County folks, you can check online as well or call the coordinator, Stacy Wills, at 715-697-9552.

Grab some friends or your kids or classmates and ring. Sing some songs, play some music, dress in costume. Or just ring.

It can be your Christmas gift to the nearly 30 million Americans who receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.

That takes a lot of ringing. A lot of "doing the most good."

I still have a few shifts on my schedule. You are welcome to join me or, better yet, do your own. My reindeer hat or collection of Santa hats can be borrowed any time.

Thank you. And Merry Christmas!

Inner Strength

As we close out the Month of Gratitude, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge how blessed I am. Today.

And today is all we really have. I don't want to go back to yesterday and tomorrow is never known or promised.

I have learned through this crazy journey called life that I have to take life one day at a time. Maybe one hour at time on those particularly stressful days. I'm sure you know what I am talking about.

I don't always practice what I preach. I don't always takes things one day at a time. I often look too far down the road and stress over how I can control the whole journey.

I am not perfect. Merely a work in progress. I am human. And I am a survivor.

I do not define myself by how many roadblocks have appeared in my path. I define myself by the courage I found to forge new roads. It's amazing what inner strength you can uncover when you need it. I have so many people on my prayer list, including people overcoming overwhelming battles. I admire their strength and wonder how can they handle that? Then I remember some of my own struggles and have the answer. We don't do it alone.

We have God. We have family. We have friends.

I'm eternally grateful for them all. When we focus on gratitude in November and make an extra effort to count our blessings, rarely are we looking at things in our life. We – or I at least – look at people. The people who give us joy, hope, sometimes tears, but always love to fuel my inner strength.

If you haven't carved out a few moments this month to count blessings in your life, please do so. When you think of how little you may have, remember there are people who would thrilled with how much you have. Count the blessings. Count the people. And, if you can live life one day at a time, each day brings a new opportunity for gratitude. For love. For blessings.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Rumor has it that getting matching recliners is just one step away from eating dinner at 4 p.m.

You know. There may be some truth to that. We are getting older, after all. Unfortunately, we're both still working and not able to make the Early Bird Special. The recliners, though. Those are nice!

Tonight after kickboxing, I trimmed the tree and was able to rock in my new chair, put my feet up and enjoy the view.

The tree, that is. Yes, there is a football game on the television. I wasn't about to kick everyone out of the living room for an artistic photo of the tree. Now that we have a Packer fan staying here, I was being a kind hostess.

He's not allow in MY chair, though. That'd be pushing it.

Kidding. Tony is welcome to sit there unless I need it. I believe it will add to the perfect ambiance for watching Hallmark Christmas movies.

Bring it. I'll be here rockin' around...

Sunday Shuffle

Don't let anyone fool you. The art of shuffling is 100 percent contradictory to decluttering.

To truly declutter, downsize, organize, whatever you want to call, one must either use an item, toss it or donate it. If one merely "cleans" off the kitchen counter by moving everything to the office, that is merely shuffling. At the end of the day, there may be three clutter-free rooms while the volume in the office (aka Oh My God Room) has nearly tripled.

True story.

Today we played a bit of musical chairs ourselves. The living room furniture we purchased a few years back is deep. There are layers of cushions and pillows that make the couch and chair sit out an extra 6, 8, maybe 10 inches compared to standard sizes. So there was not a way to rearrange the living room to keep existing furniture and accommodate the 2 new recliners.

As a result, the oversized loveseat-type chair was shuffled to the basement even though it is too big to fit in the TV room/exercise room down there, which already has a couch and chair. Then, in order for our recliners to sit back far enough that they can recline and people can still gain access to the living room, we had to take down our tall shelves. The shelving unit got shuffled to the basement and all the contents got shuffled to my office. We also didn't have room to fit the oversized end table between our chairs. So that got shuffled to the basement and some of the contents got shuffled to, you guessed it, my office.

Now we have two partial living rooms set up in the basement. Our living room looks spacious but only because I didn't get the Christmas tree up today. And we have a TV tray temporarily serving as our "end table" between our chairs.

And my office... well, I am supposed to be finding homes for everything I shuffled here. But I got on the computer to turn on Christmas music and my mind shuffled, too, and I found myself blogging instead of cleaning, organizing, whatever I call it. Procrastination, anyone?

Alright. Time to shuffle my butt off the chair and tackle this.

Cue Jingle Bell Rock...

Cookie Coma

One sure method of maintaining a food coma is an uninterrupted supply of nutrients... In whatever form is necessary.

Headed up to my twin's at 8 a.m. today to get to her place for lunch at noon, well 1 p.m., followed by the exchange of cookies, playing of games and continual consumption of calories. I couldn't succumb to a complete coma since I had to make the 4-hour trek back home tonight. But I gave it a good effort.

It started on the way up with a stop for breakfast at Hawkeye Dairy in Abbotsford. Why yes, there was a chilly wind blowing as I stood in front of the snow-topped ice cream cone with my Snowflake flavored ice cream! Pistachio with white chocolate-covered nuts and something something good. Breakfast of Champions, for sure!

Even though I was running behind schedule (in my opinion), I was still the first to arrive. No prize for that or longest distance traveled, but it was a reward to see everyone.

Twin Power!

Great participation this year as my sister Rayna now lives in Wisconsin so all 8 of us "kids" were under one roof at some point in the afternoon. After a good lunch, our mom had a word puzzle game for us. She is good about doing word scrambles and this year was a fill in the blank type sheet of November-related clues. I think our brains were irreversibly impacted by our food coma because it was quite a challenge!

After that, I introduced a new game called Pun-derdome. We've got plenty of punsters in our family. Just not that easy to come up with them when you're on the clock. It's not for everyone, but I enjoyed it!

Then it was cookie time... we each had an overflowing pile. With 13 of us in the mix, we each brought – and took home – 12 dozen! Uff da. That'll keep the food coma in place a good week or two!

Got home about 9 p.m. and see that Santa's elf also got ME a recliner! Another tool for coma endurance.

Enjoy every bite of your holidays!

Black Berries

Black Friday always marks the start of the basketball season for the Assumption Royals. The 32nd Cranberry Classic hoops tournament started this morning and runs through Saturday night.

This is the second year hubby has been on the event committee, which means he spends both days at Assumption and is none the wiser about my Black Friday shopping. Just kidding. He's the only one who shopped today and got himself a recliner. He's needed one for a long time, I guess. We just have to figure out the space configuration in the living room! Anyone need a big ol' love seat chair?

Although I was busy with my own fun (aka errands o'plenty and some fun I'll share another time), I did make it to school to see the girls varsity game at 1:30 p.m. and went back for our boys game at 8 p.m.

This will be an especially interesting season for the Lady Royals, who lost 8 (yes, 8) seniors from their state championship team. Oh, and the head coach. So this is sort of a rebuilding year but at the same time a chance to see what talent has been lying hidden on the bench. A week ago they played a non-conference game against a La Crosse team and lost by 40 or 50 points. A discouraging start.

Today they kept pace with a Loyal team that was tough for our seasoned team to beat last year. Not sure how many seniors they lost, but I recognized some key players from last year. We were within 1 point of them at halftime and fell some 10 points behind as the second half progressed. Our girls didn't give up, though. Not even with less than 8 seconds left and down by 2. They inbounded and got it to one of my favorite young ladies. She shot the 3 and made it.

There was much rejoicing. And that's putting it mildly. Will be interesting to see how they grow this year.

Our boys team lost 3 seniors – one starter and two sometime starters. At least they still have some height and experience going for them. Their first game of the tourney was against a very non-local team from University School of Milwaukee. Quite a road trip on a holiday weekend! They brought a nice coach bus and a supply of 3-pointers.

It was kind of crazy how accurate they were on the 3s. Our boys would trail, catch up and trail again. At one point late in the second half we were down by 12 points at least. Then we had a successful dunk and a spark was lit. The guys played with renewed energy and purpose and, after scoring with 2 seconds left, they pulled out a 2-point victory!

What an exciting game for Assumption sports. A great way to christen our brand new gym floor as well. Looking forward to some fun and frenzied action on the court this winter.

Of course, I won't really have an excuse to go shopping on other game days. More money for popcorn, I guess.

Go Royals!

Football, Food and Family

Hosting Thanksgiving is not that stressful when you think about the nice rubdown and time in the sauna. Not stressful for humans anyway.

Actually, the day went smoothly. Got up early to get turkey breasts in the oven. Found my blaze-orange hat and took a walk. Watched the Vikings lose to the Lions in a close one. Took Turkey breasts out of oven, sliced them and put slices into the crockpot.

Everything else had to wait until later. Even then, it wasn't too stressful. Got the corn, mashed potatoes and gravy all done about the same time. Jim's sister brought buns, our brother-in-law made rice pudding, Jim's mom brought coleslaw and her famously yummy dressing.

Good stuff followed shortly by a food coma.

We were so full, I almost forgot to serve the pie!

It was a nice, but small gathering. Jim's parents, sister and her husband, their son Colin and his fiance Amy. Oh, and Carter, too. Casey had to work yesterday and has to work early for Black Friday so that just wasn't going to work for him to make it home. Clay has a DJ gig of sots in Fargo.

While the numbers at the Kids' Tables are dwindling, Carter and Colin definitely did their part!

After the guests left, Carter and I did a little pre-Black Friday shopping at ShopKo and Wal-Mart. Now he's got a few high school friends over and my coma is about to set in, big time

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you, God, for blessing the food before us, the family beside us, and the love between us.

Make Room for Stuffing

On the eve of National Overeating Day, there was surprisingly little to do. When you think about it, pretty much everything from cooking the turkey to the mashed potatoes has to wait until the actual day.

Not the pies, though. I had to make the pies. Considering I only make pie once a year on average, I was OK with the result. My biggest concern was not burning the crust. And I didn't! But since I was squeezing my Martha Stewart project in after work and before kickboxing, I think I shortchanged the baking cycle a bit. I'm hoping they'll taste OK tomorrow. If not, just add more whipped cream!

I actually got out of work a little bit early and timed it – I thought – to when Carter was getting home for the weekend. Just like last time, though, he wasted no time hopping in his car and going off to see friends. So I just missed him. Now it's 9:30 p.m. and I still haven't seen him yet. I have to keep reminding myself that when I was home from college a hundred years ago, spending time with my parents was not high on the list. It's just typical. Remind me of that when I forget!

Since I was home alone, I got the pies done and went to kickboxing class. Our fitness instructor called it the "Annual Make Room For Stuffing" class. If we burned enough calories, we could eat guilt-free on Thanksgiving! And we did. Definitely burned some calories!

I don't know if it will be enough to compensate for the turkey, my mother-in-law's amazing dressing and whipped cream, er, pie. But I definitely made room for it.

Bring on the self-induced coma. Right?

I'll Have a Blue Turkey Day....

Since hubby was over in the Twin Cities today taking Boy #1 Christmas shopping, I had hoped the white precipitation would hold off. Earlier, he texted that it was mostly rain in the Cities. Now, though, I imagine it's quite the mix of stuff since it just started here.

Although I am not a fan of the snow, it does look pretty when it reflects our blue porch lights we have lit to honor law enforcement.

You can kind of see the snow in this picture. And, I'm sure, can almost hear Elvis singing, "I'll have a blue Christmas without you..."

In this case, a blue Thanksgiving. Either way, this is what Sylvester thinks about it...

"Snow already? Wake me when it's spring."

And I couldn't agree more.

Be careful out there! May your holiday travels be safe, your pie delicious and your family time rewarding!

Let's Be Brief

Some encouragement for those of you who may have started off Monday on a rough note. Not to mention names, but maybe Packer fans?

I did not intend to stay up late for the game. I was in bed long before it ended, but Carter didn't call until then so I HAD to stay up for that. I hadn't heard his voice in a week so that was needed! He's doing well. I think I mentioned it last week that he had Pink Eye. He's doing fine now and he only managed to pass it along to 4 people. Uff da.

I won't blame him that I was tired this morning, but for some reason when I shut the alarm off, my body shut itself off, too, and went back to sleep. Nothing gets the adrenaline going like awakening at 7:22 a.m. when you need to be at work at 8 a.m.

Good times.

I didn't quite snap out of it, despite loads of caffeine. Was tired. Didn't help that work was long and busy again. But that's why they call it work, right?

Thank goodness for 3-day weeks. I think I can handle two more days at the office and two evenings of getting ready for hosting on National Overeating Day. Plus I have to remember to change our scales!

So much to do. So little time. Gotta stay focused.

Oh look! Pie!

More Prepping for the Holidays

If I knew it was this easy to prep for Thanksgiving, I would volunteer to host the Austin side of the family every year. I just put turkey on the grocery list and here they are! Free delivery!

Of course, when I tried to corral them to the kitchen, they sort of bolted. Good thing I have my Buttterball back-up plan in place!

I honestly was sort of on a roll with prep work today. Well, after church, work and that long overdue Vikings win, that is.

My new two-step treat I attempted to make was sort of a fail. But I did a "work around" and they'll be fine. Not pretty, but still tasty. Got my other Cookie Exchange items done, too, and in the freezer. Check that off the list!

Since I was in holiday spirit, again, I went to pick up our wreath from our friends who own and operate Arndt's Tree Farm. They are the ones who babysat Carter 'til he was in high school. Well, close. They do great work and will be set up down by Kwik Trip on 8th Street during the holidays! Put the big 4-foot wreath up and moved on to the next holiday project.

Managed to get all of Carter's and Jim's Christmas presents wrapped. What we have anyway. There's always a chance more will be added... if they are good!

About the Christmas card... No. Did not do anything, but did have a photo fall quite literally into my lap...

Yup, church directory photos are in! Weird to see it without Carter but at least now I can show off my trophy husband without any distractions.

My productivity slowed down as the sun went down and darkness forced that fake bedtime into my thoughts. Still got some work done for two committees I serve on, but am calling it a wrap. Felt good to cross of plenty from my holiday season "to do" list, but I should probably leave some for another day.

Would hate to have free time to sit on my butt, watch Hallmark movies and drink eggnog, said Robyn. Never.

Plus I found a new way to make some extra cash during the holidays. Apparently I was enjoying my gift-wrapping duties because Jim suddenly says, "I'll give you a dollar if you stop humming."

Bah humbug!

Piling Up

Although we didn't think we'd get any of the white stuff, the local deer hunters got their prayers answered. Just enough snow overnight to easily see, shoot and track their prey on opening day.

And while the snow isn't exactly piling up, my list of things to do this weekend sure is.

Was busy working on a freelance project last night knowing I would have to work at my "real" job today. I still went to book club at 9 a.m. since I had to start the day off with coffee anyway. But I had to cancel my lunch and shopping date in Madison with my high school bestie. I shouldn't say cancel. We postponed for now.

These things happen once in a great while. Seriously, I have been fortunate that I have only had to work one or two weekends at my new job (well 18 months now) and never taken my work home. But a big project came up and has to be done before Thanksgiving. The cool thing about being in the office by yourself is that you can blast Christmas music and no one is around to be offended or roll their eyes that I was doing it before Turkey Day.

Got home at 6:30 p.m. and since I was in a Christmas mood, I did some more baking for the cookie bake. Tried something new and I kinda don't know what I am doing. But it's a two-step process so tomorrow I will see how the mystery items turned out.

Since I have so much to do, I multi-tasked, of course. Watched a Hallmark Christmas movie between taking treats out of the oven. Trust me. No energy for anything other than that. Definitely do not need to be on the computer for another minute today. Though I do have things to do and my sister reminded me that Christmas cards will go out soon. I have not given that one thought! I'll just throw that on the growing "to do" pile.

Think I need an 8-hour nap first.

Hope it was a successful day for those of you hunting for deer and those hunting for bargains – and for those poor friends and relatives of mine who actually had to shovel. All I needed was just a dusting to jump start my holiday spirit.

I'm good now. Thanks.

For the Record

Friday, November 18, 2016

Dear Diary,

We slept with the windows open last night.

I also took a walk today in short sleeves. 😎

Just wanted to note it for the record because now, at 11 p.m., it's this...

That is all. 😴 G'nite, Diary! 💤

Numbers Don't Lie

The bad news is that I had to go to work today. That's right. No new millionaires in our department.

The good news is that no one won the mammoth Powerball jackpot last night. That's right. Another chance for us to become millionaires!

The great news, though, has nothing to do with the lottery numbers. The best number today was 65.

That's right. We probably just had the last nice day of 2016. Or at least the warmest. What a gift, knowing that the forecast now calls for highs in the 30s and low 40s for the next 10 days. Ugh.

So I had to take advantage of it and get some steps in during walk breaks at work, all the time wishing I could be home with Mr. Deck Chair one last time before I have to let him go into hibernation.

Yup, numbers don't lie and neither do photos...

The bad news is that the white stuff really is coming. That's right. This official photo from my nephew Tim out in Wyoming proves it.

The good news, for Wisconsinites anyway, is that all the bad weather will stop at the border. That's right. This official forecast map proves it.

The great news, we hope, is that our lucky numbers are bound to show up in some shape or form one of these days.

I Like Big Bucks and I Cannot Lie...

If you don't break out singing Baby Got Back, then you missed a heckuva good time at dance clubs in the early '90s. (And it has nothing to do with today's blog, other than my typical play on words.)

Was a super foggy morning in central Wisconsin today. On my commute, I almost snagged quite the stag.

This dude was standing in someone's front yard, probably counting on the fog cover to disguise him. Took me a few seconds to see him. I couldn't grab my phone out of my purse fast enough to snap a good photo. I was just grateful he stopped at the Deer Crossing sign and crossed the road after my vehicle had gone by.

I don't know a thing about deer hunting, but I am pretty sure there are a lotta hunters out there who would love a shot at this guy. This close encounter was at Griffith Avenue and 48th Street, one of the busier intersections in the town of Grand Rapids. Not exactly ideal hunting grounds with houses on 3 of the 4 corners there!

But onto the real big bucks I like...

Did you now tonight's Powerball jackpot is some $293 million? That's some big bucks!

I mentioned it at work and a group of us in our department decided to go in on some tickets. Might as well. Even with the $185 million cash payout, we'd each get around $5.5 million after taxes. That's just my rough estimate. Not that I've given this much thought.

Right.

I know God will never let me win a jackpot that large. Almost $300 million? No way. But I think he has faith I could responsibly handle $5.5 million. So I have a better chance going in on a group buy.

Right.

The reality is that I have a better chance getting that 10-pointer (without a gun) than winning anything. But you can't win if you don't play. I'm sure you'll be one of the first to know if my LIKE for big bucks turns into LOVE.

Prep Cook, er Baker

It took me a minute today to realize this forecast image wasn't a joke. Figures that 2016 would play out this way. We spend our days in shirt sleeves then, bam! We get a snow storm!

Living in central Wisconsin, I am not too concerned about the snow. What I am concerned about is this forecast that prompted me to look at the calendar and realize Thanksgiving and our family cookie bake are already next week!

This also means our German boy has a birthday in a few weeks. Since shipping something to Lukas will take precedent, I got on that project right after work. Sort of multi-tasking since his favorite cookies will be appropriate for the Christmas cookie exchange as well. And the recipe calls for a lot of cookies.

And I mean a lot. I am shutting off the oven now after pulling out the pan with the 13th dozen on it. Oh yes, I don't mess around with holiday prep work!

Since I do need 8 hours of sleep, though, I put the remaining dough in the fridge and will polish off the last 5 or 6 dozen tomorrow night. And by polish off, of course I mean bake them. I have a new taste-tester in the house so I am not required to eat through all my inventory. Though, I did help a bit. Just to be sure I am on the right track.

I also got on track with Turkey Day prep. It's our turn to host the Austin side so I snagged a few deals at the store, knowing some items will not be in stock next when I think of them and need them.

The only down side with all this multi-tasking is that I just couldn't take it to the level of shopping, baking and watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. I know you're thinking that just because it's going to snow does not mean it's time for Christmas anything. And you know that I am thinking – that I need to prep my spirit.

Spending 4 hours on my feet wearing a flowered apron ain't gonna cut it.

From a Distance

Before the World Wide Web, did we have all these special moons? Or did we just not know about them?

I think in the past year alone, I took decent photos of the Red Moon, a Blue Moon, a Harvest Moon and some form of Lunar Eclipse. This week the big hub-bub is about the Super Moon, also called the Beaver Moon. (I swear I read that on the Internet, so it must be true!)

Apparently, this is the closest the moon will be to us until 2034. Frankly, to the naked eye it doesn't seem that much different than a regular full moon. But there have been some amazing photos of it online that I almost think were Photo-shopped... or maybe some people have really, really, really nice cameras!

I took the photo above with my smart phone camera. Nothing fancy. Just wanted to capture history before the cloud cover took the opportunity away. And, although the moon still is very far away, in my mind it brings me closer to loved ones who are also far away, but gazing at the same sky.

Although my long-distance baby might not see it too clearly tonight. Nothing to do with the clouds. He apparently has Pink Eye (again) in both eyes. He's an expert now at recognizing the signs. But now – as an adult – he has to deal with it on his own. Get to the clinic himself and the pharmacy, etc.

Empty Nesters will tell you it is not easy parenting from a distance. While our boy is only 3 hours away by car, there are times, he might as well be as far away as that Super ball in the sky. He might be fine with the arrangement, but I still want to mother him when he's sick. OK, I'll be honest, I just want him to need me – and not just because he's under the weather!

I'm sure seasoned Empty Nesters will tell me that this is the new reality. I guess I will have to cherish those moments when I still get to be Mom. Hopefully they will come along more often than once in a Blue Moon.

That would be Super.

Could Be Worse...

My twin and I enjoyed a brisk 3-mile walk this morning before she headed back Up North and Tony and I went to church. Our pace was brisk mainly because the air and breeze were, too. Brisk and crisp like a typical autumn morn, I guess.

At least it was sunny. And at least we didn't have this....

Yep, they woke up to snow in Germany this morning. Lukas' grandmother Renate shared some pictures of the first snowfall of the season, which, judging by the pretty leaves on the tree, came early. B-r-r-r. So not ready for that!

That did prompt me to enjoy the great outdoors as much as possible today. Since the temperature creeped up to about 60, I got another walk in in the afternoon with my friend Cindy and 4-legged boyfriend Buddy.

Since the Vikings AND Packers were playing like crap, there was no sense hanging around the TV, so I put the leaf blower to work on the white rock garden out in front. Every time we think we've had our "last nice day to get things done," we get one more. Hopefully we do get one more again because I blew the leaves off the rocks but didn't get the leaves raked up and cleared away.

Wasn't that ambitious. Plus Sunday is a day of rest, right? And, truth be told, with the snow pictures on my mind, I had to make sure I got in the house and set the DVR to record some more Hallmark Christmas movies.

I will just keep reminding myself that it could be worse... I could be watching the snowfall on the TV AND out the window at the same time.

Instead I am just watching the Vikings' winning percentage fall... and, believe me, that will get worse.

Setting Sale

It has been confirmed that my idea of retail therapy is the buying from others method, definitely not sitting around waiting for others to buy from you.

Today Raylene and I vended at a holiday show and sale of sorts in Rapids. This wasn't the typical holiday arts and crafts show with lots of homemade cash-and-carry items. Instead it was more than 50 vendors of mostly direct sales or home-party type sales – everything from Pampered Chef and essential oils to jewelry, diet products and LuLaRoe.

We were vending the Lev-el THRIVE products, which focus on enhancing nutritional health while boosting energy and supporting weight management. Raylene has been selling it for several months and this is the first time she's vended beyond word-of-mouth and direct sales. Since I dragged her down here, I agreed to sit with her and help her set some sales.

Not sure we got anything concrete but there was some interest over the course of the 7-hour event. Thank goodness she did not have to sit there alone all day. It can get lonely and a bit boring. This way, we could tag-team bathroom breaks plus catch up on a little visiting.

Winner, winner.

The show wrapped up at 4 p.m. and we raced home so we could meet up with Jim and Tony and head to The Lure Bar & Grill. We hoped to arrive in time to see the sun set over Lake Petenwell. We almost missed it, but God held onto the good stuff for us.

Photo 1 on our arrival. No boats setting sail but still some pink in the sky...

After ordering my food, I headed back out on the deck as the sky started to darken. You can see in photo 2 the first star of the night on the left-hand side.

Since it was stinkin' cold out, I headed back inside to warm up a bit before the last shot. Photo 3 still shows the early stars out, the tree silhouette and a ribbon of color across the horizon.

Absolutely gorgeous treat.

As if that weren't enough... the food was amazing and when we got home, there was a new Hallmark Christmas movie for Raylene and I to watch. I think we deserved that after our hard day at work.

Veteran's Home

It's fitting that we got to spend Veterans' Day with a veteran. And his mother.

My twin sister Raylene and her son Tony, who served in the Army in Iraq a few years back, are staying on Blue Jay Drive tonight. Raylene is here for the weekend to vend at a Holiday Expo in town tomorrow. Tony is here for quite a bit longer.

For the foreseeable future, our home is this veteran's home.

Tony has not had an easy time since his tour of duty ended. Sadly, his story is not unique. He has made poor choices but also paid the consequences for those. Over the past two-plus years, he has gotten some help and some inspiration. Now, he is ready to move on to a new chapter. A better chapter. A fresh start.

Jim and I are hoping we can help him do that. We're not perfect and our home isn't perfect and our lives aren't perfect. Our outlook is cautiously optimistic. But our love for our nephew is unwavering. And our faith is strong.

During this transition to true freedom, we are giving him a roof over his head. A safe environment. Love and support. And prayers. Lots and lots of prayers.

Right now, we aren't looking down the road to see how far he has to go. We are taking this one day at a time and will hopefully teach him to do the same.

We welcome prayers for us all. Please don't judge him by his past. He doesn't live "there" anymore. He lives here now. Be sure to say hello. He is one of the lucky ones who made it back. We should appreciate that.

God, please bless all the men and women who have served or are serving to protect our freedoms and our right to second chances.

Grassroots Response

There has been so much negativity in the wake of the election. I thought it was bad during the "campaign season" but the 60-plus days leading up to the transfer of power look to be just as bad. People are either ecstatic or scared. If you think one person can change the world, you are right.

It's the person staring back at you in the mirror.

If you want to see positive change, then you, me, we need to do the legwork. It starts in our own backyards, our communities.

When I signed up to volunteer at The Neighborhood Table, it didn't dawn on me that it would fall during election week. But I'm glad it did. It was a good reminder to not think so globally for a minute, but instead think locally. Think of my "neighbors" and what we can do for them.

The Neighborhood Table is a nonprofit, charitable organization staffed by volunteers who provide free meals to anyone in need. Its mission is to reduce hunger in our community, improve quality of life for our residents and create an awareness of needs that exist in our community.

More than 115 community groups have sponsored a meal each year, and tonight was our church's turn. During the course of a year, it takes some 1,500 volunteers to make this happen. That's about 20 – 25 at each meal, plus the ones who aren't there physically but helped with making desserts or doing setup ahead of time.

Do you know why we need so many hands on for this grassroots effort? Because about 280 meals are served every Thursday and about 150 meals are served each of two Tuesday dinners. Helping to serve the meals is sadly rewarding. It's unfortunate that we have that many people in the Rapids area who are in a position to need a free meal. At the same time, it is fortunate that this service exists.

And fortunate, that I had the opportunity to be a part of it. And really fortunate that 20-some other members of my congregation also wanted to help on the front lines instead of complaining about or even completely ignoring the problem.

Thank goodness the dozens and dozens of diners who showed up tonight did not have to worry about who did or didn't win the election. Thank goodness they could count on our community to be there. To simply care.

That type of attitude and response will get my vote any day.

Deer-ly Beloved

We aren't the only ones who dislike the end of Daylight Saving Time. Our cars don't either. And, well, the deer probably aren't smart enough to realize they shouldn't like it.

I know the mighty hunters in the Midwest are excited to see deer as the gun-deer hunting season gets under way. Not me. I am not a mighty hunter. Just a mighty driver.

With good brakes, I might add.

Tonight after work, I got home and changed quickly into my kickboxing gear. Was leaving the house at 5:15 p.m. so obviously it was almost dark – that hard to see transition period after dusk. And what to my wondering eyes should appear... in our front yard was 2 or 3 deer. Sorry, folks. Our one-acre lot is not ideal hunting land.

I was not a mile down the road when I had to slam on my brakes for another deer ready to cross my path and/or meet its untimely demise. Thankfully my sharp intake of breath and possibly audible squeak scared it back into the ditch and the woods.

Meanwhile, the contents of my purse and my gym bag are on the floor in front of the passenger seat and a CD sitting in the back seat is now under the driver's seat. Thank goodness I wasn't transporting anything heavy or sharp or dangerous or even fragile.

Perhaps I better take that "Buckle Up" message to a new level. Much like an airplane, the contents of the car may shift en route.

As daylight hours continue to dwindle, be safe out there, my fellow drivers.

As for you suicidal deer.... Headlights bad. Blaze orange bad. Beyond that, you're on your own.

Democratic Process

Judging by the lines waiting at polling places before 7 a.m., America was ready to vote today!

This was the view at our township municipal building on my way to work. The pre-work crowd was lined up around the outside of the building so I went later before the pre-lunch crowd. Still had a bit of a wait, but not more than 10 minutes.

Deed done, then back to work.

Now, hubby and I have been watching the results roll in and the "projections" called on the various television news stations. I don't know what goes into making a projection, but I would be no good at it. As a former newspaper reporter and editor, we had to have the final numbers in hand to report anything. Even then it was still the "unofficial total" until the votes were canvassed the next day.

Part of me misses that election night excitement in the newsroom. Most of me, though, is glad I can go to bed and not worry about it. At this point, we did what we could do. My vote counted. Jim's vote counted. First-time voter Carter's vote counted. And now we move on.

Regardless of who wins, let keep this in mind...

If I had my own slogan, it would be "Make America Kind Again." I think we all need that.

Thanks for playing.

Voting Early and Often

Had to borrow a little religion from Orange Is The New Black's character Pennsatucky. Hallelujah, indeed.

Even though our phones may be ringing tomorrow with last-ditch efforts from candidates and the commercials may still air, at least there is an end to the madness in sight.

And despite the loony campaign season, I am grateful to live in a country where we do have the freedom of choice. We can vote. It will count. But our candidate still may not win. What a privilege, though, to participate!

Tonight I started voting early and often...

Nothing illegal. It was the live show on The Voice. And while I did pick my favorites, they aren't all moving on. Again, that's just part of the process. And, as a consolation, there is a lot of great talent that was chosen.

Let's hope we can say the same in some 24 to 36 hours, right? And for each of us, that perception will be different.

I don't expect the world's going to end or anything. If it does, at least my blog career would end on an interesting number. Yup, this is blog entry number 3,333. That's a heckuva lot of expression of free speech in this great country!

Uff da. I think my term limit is just about up.

Done Saving Daylight

Happens every year, yet I cannot adjust to the end of Daylight Savings. The only bonus is that "extra" hour during the clock change, but that benefit doesn't last long.

What did you do with your gift of 60 minutes?

Personally, I slept right through it. I needed to finally catch up. But that gave me the rest I needed to take on the day. The very nice autumn day, I might add.

With temps in the 60s again, I opened the windows, let in the fresh air and got some more fall cleaning done. Today's highlight was washing rugs and mopping floors. Today's low-light was catching glimpses of the Vikings-Lions game. Uff da. Our SKOL had turned into a downward SKID. Yikes.

In the late afternoon we headed into town and met up with Jim's side of the family at Ida's for dinner. We were doing a pre-birthday celebration for my father-in-law, whose special day is Wednesday. Casey was in town so he joined us, Grandpa and Grandma Austin, and Jim's sister's family.

Afterward, we all went over to the in-laws' for cake and ice cream. Since Grandma didn't have the cake personalized, I Photoshopped a greeting in honor of my father-in-law's favorite baseball team! At least we had half the grandsons there. Hopefully, next gathering we have Carter and Clay with us, too.

Got home a little after 7 p.m. and I was ready for bed. I keep yawning but I am going to try to hold off actually getting into bed until 9 p.m. I don't exactly have the ambition to start another fall cleaning project.

Guess I can look around to see where I put all that Daylight we saved since spring. If you find it first, let me know!

Shutter Speed

Had a speedy road trip today. To paint a picture of traveling within speed limits, I should probably clarify "I covered a lot of ground in one day." Both hubby and I did. But in opposite directions.

Jim traveled south to see Carter at UW-Platteville and they did some Christmas shopping in nearby Dubuque, Iowa. I headed Up North for a funeral. Julie, my bestest friend from junior high and high school, lost her dad last week. They interred him in the Veterans Cemetery near Spooner yesterday and the memorial service was in Luck today.

Since it's a 4-hour drive, I hit the road by 6:30 a.m. so I could allow time for the forecasted fog. It was patchy, dense fog for the first hour of the drive, but as the sun rose and started to burn it off, it was really pretty.

I didn't have time to stop and take pictures. So I lowered the passenger-side window and randomly snapped on the phone while keeping my eyes on the road ahead. Let's just say I THOUGHT they looked gorgeous on my small phone screen, but in reality, they were a blurry mess. Guess that's what happens when your shutter speed is 55 mph. Still, I have to share the beauty God provided on my drive up...

 

Somewhat better focus since I was at a stoplight in Marshfield, ha.

Got to Luck by 10:30. Great to see Jules and her brother and the family. This is tough for them since their mom just died last year. I give Julie all the credit in the world for doing the eulogy. She made it pretty far before she started crying. She wisely interjected some humor, too. Totally fitting for her dad.

After the service, I headed out to Mom's so I could appreciate the one parent I have left! My sister Raylene came down and met us since we had items to exchange. It was a short but sweet visit. We even got a partial game of cards in. It's normally 3 to 13 but in the interest of time, we did 3 to 7.

Of course Mom is smiling. Her baby twins are no match for this card shark. Between her and dad, I know where I got my cocky card-playing skills from! Who's competitive? Not us! Right. Hit the road by 3 p.m. so I could arrive home before dark.

Not only did I have a great sunrise on my travels, but a pretty nice sunset, too. And I am home before dark and home in time to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie tonight!

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight. I'm setting mine back to 1986. (Hey not every day your shutter speed slows down to get a selfie in Luck!)