On the Level

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I need a laser level in my life! Who knew?!

Mr. Back Splash Man (he sounds like a super hero because he is) arrived on the scene today. He was halfway done by the time I got home from work. All I can say is: one, glad we didn't tackle this ourselves. And two, that laser level is freaking awesome!

Since the wall by the dining room table is blank now and I plan to add photos, I think that laser level would kick ass. I mean, assist me in making sure things are lined up. Plus it's got Mission Impossible / James Bond vibes. 

Dear, Santa: You hearing me?

Anyway, we're loving how it's looking so far and cannot wait for the final "before and after"!

Patience is an underrated virtue. It's really, really major some days!

Not Throwing Away My Shot

I wasn't expecting that my annual physical would awaken my Broadway love of Hamilton. But in the end, I could not throw away my shot! Unfortunately, that meant an updated tetanus shot. And an old lady Shingles shot! I survived through the night, but I am not neccessarily a fan!

Thankfully, Mother Nature has not added more snow -- merely extra layers of colors in the sunset!

So I'll just sit here and admire colors while I recover from a Tetanus shot in my left arm and a Shingles shot in my right arm. Lord, give me strength!

Just Chillin'

 

The wake-up temp today was something like 5 degrees. How was I supposed to rebound from that? Who knows. But I found a way.

So today I acted in the best interest and carried on to the best outcome for us ladies. Work friends, that is.

Pretty sure we were just chillin' by now. And team holiday shopping was done, too.

Plus, it was enlightening that once the daylight turned dark, the relaxation turned on.

Keep chillin' my friends.

MNF = Monday Night Fill-in-the-Blank

Lots happening for an MNF Monday. First... it's Monday Night Frosty! For someone who hasn't left the house in two days, it was a rude awakening after work to step out into the cold. And the lovely wind making it feel even colder. See the below zero "feels"! Not ready for this at all!

Next we have Monday Night Full. How many things can I have going on during a Monday night? Well, first I went to Book Club at Applebee's, where we were discussing the very interesting book Mad Honey. Definitely recommend!

Had to leave early from there to get to a hair appointment at 6 p.m. Nothing gets in the way between me and my hair artist.

From there I got home just after kickoff for Monday Night Football, where our Vikings are having the toughest time handling the lowly Bears. Why does that happen?

I can't even stress eat about it because I'm Monday Night Fasting before a 7:30 a.m. physical tomorrow. Gah.

Hope your Monday was interesting, too! 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

Mother Nature's case of dandruff really got out of control while we were sleeping! Woke up to this. Wow.

I won't name any names, but somebody was not happy with this at all! Well I guess I wasn't either.

I shoveled the driveway while hubby was at church so at least I got some steps in today. Then, since it was beginning to at least LOOK like Christmas, I baked some more cookies for our upcoming exchange in a few weeks. And I put the tree up.

I mean I put the tree up. Got the lights strung, but then it was already dark. I prefer some natural light while I hang ornaments so I'll have to finish this another day.

In the meantime, I'll keep getting in the spirit via my friends at Hallmark. Might be able to knock out two movies yet this evening. I know you're on my side! 

Be careful out there!

Hooping it Up -- Not Really

While I could've spend a second day seeing four games like this. I felt more like this... 

The end result was that I decided I could get by without photographing hoops games today and maybe get a few things done. Had a little non-holiday shopping to do – plus a few potential holiday things to look for. Also got a few things done around the house and got at least one Hallmark movie in.

As for the Cranberry Classic, I watched our Lady Royals take the girls championship – from my recliner. But did go to school and see the exciting boys game (top photo) as they vied for 3rd place. It was the most exciting 3rd place game ever, if you ask me. And we ended up beating Nekoosa in the last seconds by 2 points. Hope this is a sign of an exciting season!

As for me, I might have to continue my close to home routine on Sunday, too. More to do.

Plus, Mother Nature's dandruff is flaring up. And I'm not quite sure what she has in mind for us. Be careful out there!

Royal Blue Friday

Today was more like Assumption Royal Blue Friday with no Black Friday shopping in sight.

I ended up going to all 4 Royals hoops games today and taking pictures. Jim was there all day since he's on the tournament committee. Both JV and Varsity girls won and will play for their championships Saturday. The Assumption boys JV won, but the varsity squad lost. They're playing back-to-back Saturday afternoon.

I tried to be smart this year and came home after each game to edit and upload photos. I did not come home between the boys games, though, because there was only one game in between. So I just finished up JV boys now and I'm pretty sure the Sand Man will not allow me to stay up to do Varsity boys. It was pretty fun to see all the hoops action, though. Especially all my 8th-graders who are now playing high school hoops. Time flies! And seeing college kids return as spectators while they're home for the holidays. 

Here's the line-up of Saturday games. I'll guarantee you'll spend a lot less money than shopping – and will probably have more fun. Go, Royals!

Happy Thanksgiving

I don't think anything tops laziness like Thanksgiving. Watch football. Eat. Watch more. Have pie.

That pretty much sums up our day. After watching the Lions-Packers game, we went over to Jim's sister's house. Then watched some football, ate a delicious meal, watched some more, then had pie. It was nice to visit, too! Clay and Becca were there, Colin and Amy and the kiddos, and Jim's dad.

Mainly we were entertained by my very non-lazy great-niece and great-nephew. Mya and Eli did not sit still long enough for me to get a picture so thankfully their mom snapped one earlier in the day. They're just so darn cute.

I don't need tryptophan to make me tired. Just watching those two did it. That and stuffing myself with pie when I was already full!

Hope you able to gather with loved ones and give thanks today!

New Season

Even though it seemed like there was plenty of time "off" until the winter sports season, it started up pretty quickly. So yesterday I stayed late after work and shot photos of the Pacelli-Assumption-and more co-op team.

I left at the end of the 2nd period because it was a long day at that point – plus we were down 5-1 and I was sure I'd get to photograph more promising games this season.

Today I had the day off thinking I'd have to bake pies for Thanksgiving. But since my sister-in-law the hostess only needed easy things like buns and veggies, I had no serious tasks at hand. So I got some Christmas cookies baked and Jim and I had a night out with friends – entertained by that Elvis impersonator we was this summer.

Hope you are as equally stress-free heading into this holiday weekend! 

Feeling Wired

After staying up late to watch our beloved Vikings choke, we were both tired and wired today. But we slugged through the work day like champs and then saw another step in our kitchen remodel see completion.

We now have nice new outlets – one black and the rest white. Plus, thanks to our handy electrician friend, we have the light over the stove installed. That took some doing but I was a lovely assistant – doing important things like holding flashlights and fetching extension cords while Jim helped with measuring and decision-making and Mike did all the labor. 

It was a team effort. Kidding, Mike. Thanks for doing it all!

Only one big thing left to do (or pay someone to do) and that's the backsplash. We are so close to being "before" and "after" photo ready! Grateful for patience.

After dinner, I popped over to Cindy's to watch another two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry. So good. And now I gotta catch up on The Voice.

Will get to bed at a decent time so I'm not wired tomorrow again! Have a great week!

Operation Christmas Child

I love a good holiday shopping challenge. And when it involves fitting as many goodies into this shoe box as possible to make a needy child's Christmas bright, I'm all for it.

I love that my church participates in the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child each year. In early November, members can take a box (or 2 or 3) home and then fill it with suggested gifts. Each year, I choose a different age category and alternate between boys and girls. This year I chose to buy for. a boy in the age 5-9 bracket.

They have lots of suggestions. First is hygiene items, so I got him a toothbrush, comb, and a few washcloths. Then comes school-type supplies. So I got him some markers and several small notebooks. Lastly, was WOW items or something unexpected. So I got him a little soccer ball and air pump plus a yo-yo and t-shirt. If it doesn't fit, hopefully he has a brother, sister, or friend who can wear it.

Amazingly, all of this fit inside that shoe box! I guess it really doesn't matter what size the package is!

The fun part is that my label is attached to a 9-digit code so I can track where my shoebox goes. Pretty much anywhere they provide international relief. I'll be curious to learn the final number of boxes our church donated – it was quite a tower this morning – and where my good wishes end up.

And most importantly, they suggest we all "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) for the child who will receive your shoebox gift. And, pray also for: 

• Their family to also be receptive to the good news of Jesus Christ.
• The pastor of the church who delivers your shoebox gift.
• Their community to be transformed by the Gospel.

This has definitely gotten me in the true Christmas spirit – and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! Hope you find ways to give of your hearts this season!

Holiday Views

There's just a sliver of a moon tonight and apparently a meteor shower to come later. I may or may not be awake for that. I guess depending how many Hallmark Christmas movies I watch. The DVR has been very busy for a November!

Last night it as fun to watch a Heidelberg Holiday. Carter attended college there for a semester and I visited him one weekend. Things looked familiar and it was awesome!

This is the Church of the Holy Ghost. And we saw the inside of it, too.

Here's my scrapbook page!

And of course every view has Heidelberg Castle in the background. It was cool to see in person!

Today's views weren't as exciting. Ran a few errands and got a car wash on this mild opening day of deer hunting. Then went with the neighbor to a craft show at Fallback while her electrician husband updated our kitchen and dining room outlets.

Now I'm onto the Saturday round of viewing DVR'd Hallmark Christmas movies. I'll be sure to let you know if I have any recommendations! 

Color Us Happy

Since one of our work teammates was in town this week, we scheduled a volunteer event for all of our team. We went to a nursing home in Stevens Point and helped them color Thanksgiving pictures with either colored pencils or fine-tipped markers. Whatever worked best with their motor skills.

In my group, we had a few ladies earnestly coloring a picture they could hang on their door.

Some were simple and some (like this one) were more complex. But they enjoyed the quiet time visiting with us.

Naturally, we had to color along with them so the conversation flowed more naturally. Here's my co-worker Tom's finished product who the one nursing home resident called "undercooked turkey." LOL.

And here's what I putzed away at. You can't tell, but there is some purple and yellow in there! Hey, it's fall and football season!

I'm grateful to work for a company that gives us "volunteer time off" so we can support the communities where we work and live. We help others and bond as a team.

Be super grateful if you can say the same! 

What the Buck?

What are the odds hubby and I would both have a TV famous picture in the same calendar year? 

Not that it's a competition, but he wisely chose to share his white buck photo with our local ABC station after I shared my fox golfing photo this summer with our local CBS (not FOX, unfortunately) station. 

I am bummed it was on the 5:30 a.m. newscast. Who gets up then? Well, apparently, plenty of people since we've had a handful reach out about it. 

I shared Jim's, er Jimmy's, picture with Carter and he replied: "Dad's coming for your throne, Mom!" Ha. It's fun when we realize our child is the perfect blend of both parents' humor and sarcasm. 

Anyway, if you have Solarus and you can "rewind" back to the 5:30 a.m. show around 5:45 a.m., meteorologist Justin Loew talks about the hunting forecast, shows Jim's pic and reminds hunters it's illegal to shoot those albino deer. And says "Thanks, Jimmy, for sending that photo."

Guess our Christmas card won't have pictures of our kids ... just a fox hole-in-one and a majestic white trophy buck! Easy peasy. We can mail them out now.

And will suggest a small fee for our autographs, of course. Merry Christmas!

As Time Passes

As the sun was setting on my way home from work tonight, I realized it was one of a kind beautiful... and a sign of another sunset in our lives,

Yup, as part of our kitchen and dining room remodel, we realized we should probably dispose of our land line  – that long-forgottened form of communication. We realized less than 5 people (including our parents) called us on that. Plus it was best to put out new back splash over all of those outlets.

But if you don't have our individual cell numbers, definitely message me to learn more. We can't assume everyone lives in the 80's, 90's, and so on like we do!

Have Counter, Will Trifle

Now that I actually have a counter and a kitchen sink, I'm pretty much obligated to make a trifle to mark the occasion – and welcome a teammate this week who works remotely in Indiana.

So this is my latest Pumpkin Spice Trifle. It's different every time. This time, I had a previously made "pumpkin cake slices with cream cheese frosting" that I cubed up for the bottom and second layer. 

Then, above the cake I added pumpkin spice pudding (thank you, local IGA) and portions of a new pudding pack with a nod to Cinnabon buns.

I don't know how this extra layer will taste but I can only imagine it will be delicious!

The next layer was rolling pin crushed cookies – some frosted vanilla wafers and some pumpkin cookies with white chocolate chips.

The top layer is whipped cream and I couldn't find any leftover Halloween candy – like the autumn mix with pumpkins – so the top layer is boring. Gonna guess it's still all tasty, though. I'll let you know tomorrow!

Singing, SKOL, and Celebration

 It was a full day for a Sunday. Started out singing "This is My Story, This is My Song" with church choir. We rocked it. Then it was home and three hours of watching a Viking victory.

Fun to see our "new" quarterback of one week carry out his duties. And then some. Yay for a win against the nasty Saints!

After the game, it was over to Jim's dad's to celebrate his 86th birthday (a few days ago). Had a tasty chicken dinner from Piggly Wiggly in Nekoosa (where else?!) and enjoyed time with Jim's sister and our nephew Colin and his kiddos. 

Got home and got to watch one of my recorded Hallmark Chirstmas movies – the Santa Summit – so everyone has a reason to smile today!

Family Dinner, er Winner

When my oldest sister decided to move back to northern Wisconsin from Arizona, she wanted to be sure she saw family on a regular basis. So Rayna invited her siblings (and spouses if available) to join her the second Saturday of each month for a game day and dinner.

I missed the first one since we were getting cupboards installed that day, but made sure to get to this one.

I timed my 8 a.m. departure to be sure Hawkeye Dairy in Abbortsford would be open for ice cream for breakfast – my tradition when traveling Up North. And be sure I had an hour to spare browsing through Hobby Lobby in Rice Lake. 

Shortly after noon, I was at Rayna's new digs in the Siren area. A brand-new two-bedroom apartment. It looked so nice and is the perfect amount of space for her. 

Seven out of eight of us siblings were there today – and we got a little spoiled because Grandma RoAnn brought my great-niece Khloe and she was so cute and entertaining! 

Rayna was already in the Christmas mood with two twig trees decorated, music playing, and a nice Vikings fireplace if you caught the color change just right!

Grandma Ro and Khloe. Those dimples!!

Ron, Nell, and Romey. And don't ask me how I was holding my phone. Weird angles. This is when we started playing a card game and I went out with the hand up top (those 2 jokers) and felt confident.

But the queen of cards rules! Mom just kicked my butt today. First in Sequence and then in Crowns or whatever that game was called. She must know by now we all get our competitive streak from her! She's doing good, though, and it was great to see her. 

Great to see everyone! And enjoy a tasty dinner and dessert – thanks, Rayna!

On the drive home, it was dark and I was quite concerned about deer, especially after Jim texted me the picture of this buck he saw on his way to church this afternoon.

Wow. As luck (or not) would have it, I had snow and rain my whole drive back this evening so the bucks were snuggled at home with their new brides and such. 

Thank you, Lord, for lots of smiles and safe miles today!

Dinner and a Movie

About once a decade (not an exaggeration) hubby and I go to a movie together. There's rarely one we both want to see. And rarely one where we can't wait for it to come out on one of the streaming platforms. But tonight we found ourselves sitting through a nearly 3 1/2 hour history lesson.

I was surprised when Jim mentioned wanting to see this. We had just talked about this in book club not that long ago. I hadn't read the book, but now we both want to. The book/movie was based on a disturbing true story. When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

The movie was slow-paced and kind of drawn out. But of course the acting was stellar. 

And so was the popcorn for dinner. We certainly didn't need the 64-ounce "small" drink cups to go with it. There was minimal sipping. Had to make sure my bladder lasted 206 minutes! 

Now it's off to bed because that was a lot of excitement for this old bird on a Friday night. Have a great weekend!

Very High-Level Sneak Peek

I'm so excited when each stage of our kitchen/dining room remodel is complete. It makes me anxious to share, but I know there's more "wow factor" coming.

The concrete countertops are in, but keep in mind, we're still awaiting the backsplash and the much-needed updated outlets! 

Still... is it not amazing? We're thrilled so far and super excited we can use the kitchen sink as of today. Yay! 

When it's all said and done, I'll have before and after pictures so I can give a proper shout-out to the people who handled the AFTER parts! 

Everything AND the Kitchen Sink

Today was a big day. We have a kitchen sink for the first time since September 17! Of course, there's some plumbing and countertop finishing touches to do tomorrow. But that's progress. You can see a bit of the concrete countertop but I won't reveal all just yet. We love it though!

So tonight we did one more meal out, of course. Went over to Kellner International so we were close to home. I had a big lunch today so I only had an appetizer, but then the waitress just had to mention the dessert options.

Share a piece of Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert? Yes, please! So yummy. And oh so filling.

Got home in time for my other date night. Crossed the street to watch a TV show with Cindy. Lessons in Chemistry is based on a brilliant book we read for book club. Unfortunately, it only on Apple TV. But fortunately, Cindy's got it! 

We only watched the first 2 episodes but it is very well done. If you don't have Apple TV, then read the book. In your free time... during these dark, dark nights that start at 5 p.m.!