You know it's going to be an interesting weekend at Camp Crop-a-Lot when the first sight that greets you is the outline of a dead body.
Oh yes. Like they say: What happens at scrap camp stays at scrap camp!
Just kidding. No way 2 dozen women can keep a secret! Not this group anyway! In truth, every year, the two organizers have a theme. This year it revolved around the game CLUE. Which I am clueless about. Never played it. Never saw any of the movies based on the game either.
But of course I solved the crime because I'm competitive that way! It was a fun little distraction but mostly I just scrapbooked pages for my 2016 album. I realized sometime Friday that I made a rookie mistake and forgot to print out some pictures. So I put an order into Walgreens and ran into Stevens Point Saturday morning to pick up pictures for myself and two other veterans who made the same rookie mistake!
It happens to the best of us. I still got plenty of pages done – including lots of kayaking ones from that first summer of paddling!
I also managed to watch the Assumption girls in the regional championship game Saturday night. It was a stressful nail-biter to have to watch on my phone and try to see the tiny score! In the end – the very end – they won by 1 point and are regional champions for the second year in a row. Well done, Lady Royals! I'll miss their sectional game this week but hope they make it to the final on Saturday.
If you wonder why I talk about "packing" for scrap camp for so long, it's because we all bring a lot of NECESSARY stuff! This is my work station for the weekend.
Pretty much all look like that, as you can see from my friend at the facing table. It's a sign of a creative mind.
And a tired one. Very low on sleep but managed the 50-minute drive home with a much-needed pit stop in Plover.
Leaving tomorrow for Arizona. Will be staying with my sister Rayna this week. My mom is there visiting, too, so I'll fly back with her to Minneapolis on Friday. It just happened that this is back to back. For once, I may actually sleep on the plane!
Or on her Mr. Deck Chair. That's one thing I have a clue about!
I'm all packed for Camp Crop-A-Lot. I mean everything is in the car except my overnight bag and my pillow. And since I can't leave until morning, I actually had time to put my feet up in my kitty slippers and watch the Assumption boys play at Marathon for their last regular season game.
It was a close one. Only one point difference at the half, but Marathon was tough – and they had something to play for. With their win and Stratford's simultaneous loss, Marathon is the conference champion. Still, it was exciting to see our boys hang in there and play tough. It should bode well for them as the regional playoffs begin Tuesday.
This is so weird to miss all the playoff fun. I need the girls to win Friday, Saturday and next Thursday so I can see them in the sectional championship next Saturday. And I need the boys to win Tuesday and Friday so I can see them in the regional championship next Saturday.
Is that too much to ask?
We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Most of the women at scrapbooking camp are cheering somebody in the playoffs – whether it's wrestling, hoops or hockey. Just part of the top-secret fun!
But you know me, I'll share some page layouts or something this weekend. If I have signal And if I have time and/or energy. Have a great weekend!
(That's so fun to say on a Thursday!)
Yesterday's snow and ice storm across Wisconsin delayed several sporting events and, more importantly, book club. (I'm trying to get better at sharing the books we enjoy so that you readers can, too.)
So this evening we gathered at my friend Brenda's house to discuss The Lincoln Highway. I guess that's fitting for Presidents Day week. Even though we didn't plan it that way.
Having spent a few years editing old car magazines, I was already familiar with the Lincoln Highway (and the Yellowstone Trail and Route 66, etc) before reading this. And did I really want to read 592 pages about it? Turns out, it was worth it.
I'll share a little synopsis with NO spoilers: In June, 1954, 18-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served 15 months for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett's intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother, Billy, and head to California where they can start their lives anew. But...
When the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends (using that term loosely) from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden's car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett's future, one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction—to New York City.
The story spanned just 10 days. And there was a lot going on and a lot of characters to fill 10 days or 592 pages. But stick with it, it's a great novel. Just released in October, so I don't know if it's in paperback yet, but I did the audio thing for most of it before getting my hands on a friend's physical copy.
Now we're onto This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel for next month. A completely different topic. That's why I love this group. Opening my eyes one month at a time.
If you have any suggested good reads, let me know! Always on the lookout.
So that's not all bad.
In anticipation of Mother Nature's dumping, they moved tomorrow's girls' regional playoff game to tonight. So hubby and I went to see the No. 1 seed Assumption host the No. 16 see Marion. It wasn't pretty.
On the plus side, we're easily moving onto Round 2 of regionals on Friday – and the entire bench got playing time. The only negative is that's it's tough to see the other team lose by so much. In fact they scored their first point in the last minute before halftime. Ouch.
But I do hope our girls can keep winning. Since I'll be scrapbooking this weekend and in Arizona next week, I won't see any games until they make it to the sectional final Saturday March 5. Come on, girls. You can do it for ME, ha.
The other positive is that I'll be forced to stay home tomorrow night and will finally get all my scrapping stuff together. I had a good start a month ago and never finished!
Be safe tonight and tomorrow if you have to go anywhere. Or even shoveling. Especially if you're dealing with those Glazers.
Whoa. Slow down, girl. Save some for the rest of the week!
The second cure for cabin fever is a night in a cabin with your girlfriends – off the grid. Had a great "slumber party" at my friend Brenda's cabin last night. It's seriously off the grid with little cell service, about two counties over from here.
Before going to the boys basketball game tonight, we went to a fish fry at a nearby saloon. It had snowed a bit today and was windy, but nothing surprised us more than all the phones going off at the bar at the same time with a weather alert. More specifically, a SQUALL alert!
And at least half the people exclaiming, "What the heck is a squall?"
I myself was thinking ships or sailing and wind squalls at sea. And thankfully some weather departments explained it to us...
The big concern was the whiteout part. We'd already heard of a 40-car pileup up north. And when we drove to town after eating, we were thankful that there were streetlights. Otherwise, the whiteout conditions on a dark country road would be scary.
When they reported the peak wind gusts today, I got chills just looking at it. Yup, Wisconsin Rapids is the winner with 62 mph. CRAZY!!
And now, safely home for the night and looking out our bedroom window, it looks like a peaceful afternoon. A full moon casting shadows on the white snow like daylight.
Since I'm suffering from old-timer's disease, I forgot that the reason I was talking about SHAKES the other day was not just because of the Shamrock Shake I had, but because my mother is shaking things up out in Arizona.
After my brother-in-law's funeral last weekend, Rayna flew back to Phoenix area and took our mom with her for a mini-vacation from winter. Apparently warm weather does the body good. Especially the hips.
Yup. Just a month shy of 90, here's Mom shaking her hips and playing air guitar with her cane! I told my sister this picture is wonderful and hilarious at the same time! Love, love, love it.
It just reminds me that you can find joy anywhere. Just have to let go and seize the moment. And not care what others think. My vacation, my fun, my memories.
Deep down, she's always cared what people think, but thank god I got the "let's make some fun out of this" gene from her. Bless you, Mom (and Rayna). Your children – and the spirit of Elvis – are impressed!
Don't let your eyes deceive you. For once this is the winter view out my windshield and that is NOT snow. After my dental checkup, I got in line at a car wash because... drum roll...
Yup. Spring has sprung in central Wisconsin! At least for a day.
So I came home from lunch hour with clean teeth and clean car. What more could one ask for? Not much in February in the Midwest. Especially knowing reality will put us at subzero again within 24 hours. That's the nature of the Mother Nature business.
To keep our spirits up, my friend Cindy and I had a movie night. I forced Jim to go golfing (indoor league) so she could use his recliner as we enjoyed popcorn and a new movie (to us) on Disney-Plus.
Encanto came out last year and we've heard such positive things, we thought, why not watch it even if we don't have little kids anymore? So we did. And it was really, really good! A story line that seemed maybe too deep for littles, but who knows? Kids are smart these days.
Just as long we don't talk about Bruno, right? (If you know, you know.)
So now I can't stop singing that and I might skip my way to bed tonight. Alone, I guess, since I never told hubby to come back home. Yet.
It just happened that Carter had errands to run in to town during his lunch hour. So he did the right thing at McDonald's and ordered a small Shamrock Shake for his mama. Yep. I may have the best son ever. Just sayin'.
Will that be my ONE for the season? We'll see. It was a small after all.
I did my best to work it off after work. We'll also see if that worked! I came home and sorted through pictures from last night's girls games against Manawa. Both JV and varsity dominated. Then I decided to watch some Olympics and never made it to the boys game tonight. But they won. By a lot. Yay!
So not to shake things up too much, I'll probably head back to my recliner per usual and catch some "live" women's figure skating. Since it's not for the medal tonight, I will also not shake up my bedtime either!
Shake me if I become too predictable!
As I look upon this faded rose from my brother-in-law's funeral, I'm reminded that not everyone who's "single" on Valentines Day is the victim of poor dating choices. Some are suffering from broken hearts that may never mend.
Like my sister and a few friends who lost their spouses just this year. Not to mention those who lost a loved one 2021 and are facing this first heart holiday alone.
Just remember – it's about love today. Not just the romantic kind, but family, and your friends, and even your pets.
If you're feeling an empty space in your heart today, think about those people. Even if one person is gone, love is still there. Love is still HERE, I mean. Love always wins over heartbreak. Sometimes it takes a while to see that. To feel that. And I'm so sorry.
Sending love to my sister and all of you who need a loving hug today!
Then we went to our friend's house for a Super Bowl party. Yes, based on the photo you might be able to tell this is the party that Jim's attended in the same basement with same paneling and now-vintage beer signs since 1986. Only missed last year when the lovely pandemic overruled the gathering.
The only downer of the day was that on the way to the party, my crockpot of Crockpot Crack Chicken fell over on the floor of the back seat when Jim turned a corner. No 10-second rule could save it. So I dropped him off and went to the store to find an unworthy replacement. While there, Jim realized he left his quarters at home on his dresser. Those are essential to coin flips... and dice. So I went home and Lysol wiped my backseat floor while I was there. Then it was time to party.
I stayed until 5 and came home to watch the game on the large TV and in my comfy recliner. And with Carter and Mamie – who were pretty excited about the halftime show. I liked it, too, but I don't think I could say that out loud to my kid without getting an eyeroll.
Went back to the party to pick up hubby and catch the last minute of the game. Pretty exciting. Glad it was close so it was worth watching. I was bummed Joe Burrow and the Bengals didn't get the win, but I guess if Matthew Stafford had to suffer for years with the lowly Lions, he deserves a Super Bowl ring!
And I may have appreciated the numbers that one of the quarters ended with.
Plenty to cheer about. Everybody wins – except the crockpot. And we avid Olympics watchers who don't have the stamina to start watching coverage this late at night!
First and most somber, was celebrating the life of my brother-in-law Paul at a memorial service in Hudson yesterday. We got to town early so us siblings could all join our sister Rayna for lunch – since she flew in from Phoenix and hadn't seen us yet. It felt so good to see her and finally hug her. Couldn't hug away the hurt of losing her soul mate. But we tried.
After lunch, we headed to the church and had a nice memorial service. Lots of family, relatives, and friends were there to support her. I know we call these things celebrations of life, but it didn't feel that way until after when we gathered for a reception at a bar/grill downtown, then later went to a saloon right next to where Rayna and Paul lived when they were in Hudson.
We raised our glasses with everything from water to whiskey and toasted a life well-lived. After tears, we could finally smile. And feel grateful we all had each other at that moment.
A few other celebrations were more positive. We've been praying diligently for a loved one who's been hospitalized and under intensive care since January 3. We learned that they're improving and could go home in a few weeks. Praise the Lord for that miracle!
We also got to see my niece Caryn and her newly adopted kiddos...
How fun to officially welcome these goofballs into the family! Love them dearly and so glad my new great-niece and great-nephews now permanently belong in a loving home. With a loving family. That's a blessing!
And you know me, I had to bring my Cricut into the celebration. They're worth it!
We stayed overnight in Hudson and said our goodbyes after breakfast. I'll see Rayna in a few weeks when I go out to visit her. And we'll all be gathering next month for my mom's 90th birthday. So goodbyes were easier.
Tonight we got to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday. Her husband put on a quite a party with food, drinks, and a live band!
Even got a slow dance out of it with my valentine! So that's worth celebrating, in my book.
Like the quote above says: Life is what you celebrate. All of it.
Find something to celebrate today.
Tonight I replaced my Olympic O's with the O's of Ozark. Finally hubby and I were home on the same night at the same time and we could get started on season 4 of this dark but addicting drama on Netflix.
We knocked off two episodes tonight and now I need to watch some funny or uplifting so I don't dream about murder and mayhem in Arkansas!
Perhaps I could rewatch Nathan Chen's performance from last night. It was a very late night but worth it. Worth its wait, er weight, in gold actually. He did an amazing routine to Elton John's Rocket Man and I hope that becomes his new nickname. Ha. In fact, Sir Elton gave him a shout out today....
Pretty sure that's worth its weight in gold, too! At least something shiny and sparkly akin to Elton's taste. How fun.
Maybe I'll just listen to Rocket Man or Bennie and the Jets before going to dreamland. Did you know happy thoughts are always at our fingertips? If you know, you know.
And now we all know. Take care out there. And smile.
Going forward, I'd appreciate it if all the Olympics were held in the Central Time Zone. I'm sure we can find enough snow here!
As it is, I'm blogging quickly now so I don't miss the men's figure skating final with Nathan Chen going for the gold. If it's anything like the other night, it'll start at 10:30 p.m. Central Time. I might need a quick time out and nap.
Did few projects after work that I'll have to tell you about after I gift them. Also baked some cookies for the in-laws. Full day. No time time learn the quad or triple toe-loop, but I'm betting on Nathan!
Ope, disclaimer, not actually betting, but cheering him on with high hopes.
Go, Team USA!
Oh I forgot to share some of the scenes from the big cities – Milwaukee and Madison. The photo above was the nice sunset on our way to eat in the Third Ward Explorium on Saturday night. Not time to dawdle and look long because the temperatures bleepin' cold and it was windy.
On Sunday, when we made our way through Madison to drop off our friends' son and girlfriend – both students there – we saw a few unique scenes.
And then there were these cute little R2-D2 type robots all over the place. They were delivering pizzas! Not kidding. I wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't seen them on several streets around campus.
Guess we're finally getting to the kind of living we predicted the 2020s would be when we watched The Jetsons. I mean, I guess we are ... sort of...
More over, big town. We've even got most of these gadgets in our little sections of rural paradise! Still, it's fun to see an unusual thing or two in these strange lands that make us feel "normal," just the way we are.
A few months ago, hubby was under the influence – of friends – and ordered tickets to a country music concert in Milwaukee. Disclaimer here: Jim is a big fan of classic country and I listened to some country in the '80s and '90s, but not since. When Jim told me about the concert, I asked, "Who the heck is Cody Johnson?"
Well, now I know.
The influential friends are country (and every kind of) musicians he's come to know though the guitar choir he sings with at church. Turns out quite a few were going so we just sort of hopped along for the ride. All totaled, there was close to 25 of us hitting the big city yesterday afternoon.
The concert was at The Rave (yes, a play on words in my title today) and that in itself is an experience. Carter's been to a few concerts there, but we hadn't. Pretty cool venue but not one I'd go to again if I wanted to really SEE a singer.
It's mostly standing room only with some reserved seating on the balcony level – which we'd recommend.
Posts
All Comments
