Falling For It

I visited my neighborhood Pumpkin Shed after church... and this will be the extent of my fall decorations!

Oh, plus a plate of delicious pumpkin bars! Hubby has been golfing all afternoon so I'm just going to pretend I baked them up all by myself!

I had a few "fall vibe" options but I was not going to fight the mass of humanity at Warrens. So I stuck close to home, went to the pumpkin patch and finished wrapping up my raffle baskets.

Then, because the Packers played the other night, my Vikings were on TV finally.

Kinda ugly, but we got the win! When you only get to see your team on TV a few times a season, there's no way to really defend them – or figure out what they're doing wrong. Not that our fan opinions mean anything!

Still... it was nice to secure a 3-0 start to the season.

Hope you find peace and solace in the beautiful fall colors. And decide that serenity is worth fighting for!

Just One More

When I take senior portraits, I pretty much straight out tell the kids, "OK, when I say 'just one more' I mean 10-20 more!"

Weddings are different. You have one shot at a getting the right shot in some cases. But when you're shooting the family groupings and wedding party, it's an "OK, I'm gonna need you to keep smiling. I'm probably going to take 8-10 pictures so one of them has all your eyes open!"

Today I photographed a wedding for a young man at my church. First, I'll say it was kind of neat to hear how my pastor (who I adore) does a wedding ceremony. She was awesome, of course. And despite my misgivings about our lowly lit church, I managed to capture some good ones!

Their reception and dance (and outdoor photos) were at the Grand Rapids Lions Club. The only real scenic location there is a small pond. We made that work for the background. 

A fun thing they did to start the dance was a "Freeze Frame" dance. The bride and groom sat in two chairs on the dance floor and during the song "Freeze Frame," people formed a line, and then could run up and pose for a quick 5-second photo with the newlyweds. So I basically got photos of them with almost everyone there! And funny ones!

It went pretty well and thankfully the weather gods smiled on them. After the all-day rain last Saturday, I was a tad worried. For no reason, as usual! 

Hope you found a reason to smile today! 

Close Doesn't Count

The saying goes that "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades". It does not count in BINGO and doesn't count when we say it's almost a nice day.

For the last weekend of summer, we were robbed. Rain all day yesterday again forced us indoors. We racked up 2 1/8 inches between Friday and Saturday, according to my rain gauge tender. Yuck!

Today was church, a meeting with our new choir director (a talented college kid!), then onto BINGO.

I wore my mom's rings to try to channel her energy. She was always lucky – just like her mother (Grandma Flossie). I even have Royal Blue nails for Homecoming Week.

It did not work. Here I just needed that stinkin' B15 forever to form the A (for Assumption). Close does not count. Winless in everything today.

Oh except for my Vikings squeaking out a victory. Must be my purple dobber! 

Got home and bundled up and went for a walk. Did not get far. The cold wind was making my eyes water. And hubby was golfing all afternoon in this! Of course he said it was fine. No such thing as a bad golf day no matter what the score (or weather) is.

Since he and his buddy were eating at the golf course, I invented a little sandwich for myself. Pulled pork topped with Japanese BBQ sauce and honey goat cheese. Yum yum! 

Now I have to brave this "summer weather" (calendars lie) and get in a few more steps.

Hope you had a more enjoyable last weekend of summer!

Comfortable Sunday

Today was our "Quilters' Sunday" at church. (Photo way before service!) Not only did we have a loose change offering to support their work, but we got to see all that group accomplished before we ship those gorgeous quilts around the world in a few weeks.

I'm always jealous of their work because it's the same thinking pattern as me (as a scrapbooker)... What colors blend well and how can we keep the patterns different enough to make it interesting?

But do I need another crafty hobby? NO!

Since Jim was golfing with a buddy at Lake Arrowhead this afternoon, I focused on a different hobby. I realize Crop-toberfest is more than 6 weeks away, but I figured I better order a few more prints so I ordered a few prints to be sure have enough work to do!

Very low-key day other than that. I got some steps in – not 10,000 but I could go outside and be ambitious after this! 

I can hear your laughter. Since I only have 5,101 right now. I can see why we'd be both be hesitant!

I'll fill you in tomorrow. With an honest report. Promise!

This Really Is My Father's World

I love this weekend each year in August because we have our "Worship in the Park" combined with our church picnic. But when I was awakened by thunder this morning, I realized this wasn't going to work out as planned. 

At the same time, of course, a lot of people were saying thank God for rain!

So we used our plan B and had worship and picnic food in the church basement – not because of the rain, but because of the lightning! When we're talking about Jesus walking on water this week... you kind of don't want to press your luck. Even if the message was all about having faith to do so!

But because we are normally in a park setting, we sing hymns like "This Is My Father's World" and " For the Beauty of the Earth."

So after eating way too much good food and having some really good visits, I decided to detour on my way home to our downtown park. 

Because of the rain, I saw a puddle for the first time in ages and captured a reflection.

And then a few more blooming flower photos... 

My conclusion was that life is not a "walk in the park" but we can purposefully take a walk in a park and find the beauty amongst the ugly.

And by weird happenstance, this was the daily quote from one of my daily guides...

So fitting. It's been a tough weekend for friends and loved ones. But even if your heart is breaking, shattering even, believe that beauty is there. Somewhere.

Last Day of Stay-Cation

After such a low-key week I am totally not prepared to wake up to an alarm in the morning and get back to work!

One of my friends at church commented, "You know what your vacation sounded like? Retirement!" Oh, god. Now I want that. NOW.

I didn't get a ton accomplished but I am OK with that. The important thing is that I did not think about work. At all. That's a true victory for me.

Of course tomorrow morning might be a startling reality. But I'll deal. 

Today was pretty laid back. Church and some Mr. Deck Chair time and then baseball.

It happened that both my Twins and hubby's Reds were featured "squares" on the MLB Network. Yay, Twins, for beating the Yankees!

After that I was just lazing about, doing some crocheting and listening to an audio book. I really got used to that. Help me acclimate to real life tomorrow, please!

Hope all of you found time to relax over the holiday weekend. I'll never take if for granted again, I swear!

Waiting to Bloom

So it's June! That means my column for the June church newsletter is live (or whatever). So I will share it here with you.

Waiting to Bloom for our Master Gardener

As winter slowly loosened its grip this year, many of us found ourselves watching the calendar, peeking outside, and asking the same question: “When will spring finally arrive?” 

All through April and May, we were eager for warmer days, green grass, and especially the chance to head to the garden centers and buy flowers for our yards and porches.

Full disclosure: I have two black thumbs and rely on Google to tell me when I should and shouldn’t buy my hanging flower baskets! Having “freeze warnings” halfway through May was not helpful this spring!

There is something hopeful about planting flowers. Tiny buds and bare stems may not look like much at first, but we trust that, with time, sunshine, and care, beautiful blooms will come. Yet no flower blooms before its season. Some blossom early, while others take longer to unfold. Each one opens in its own perfect time.

Perhaps that is how God works in our lives as well.

Sometimes we become impatient with ourselves. We wonder why we are not stronger in faith, quicker to heal, or further along in life. No matter our age, we seem to fall into the trap of comparing our journey to someone else’s and feel discouraged when we do not seem to be “blooming” as quickly.

But God, the Master Gardener, knows each of us individually. He understands what we need, how we grow, and when we are ready. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

What comfort there is in that promise. God does not rush His creation, and He does not rush us. Through seasons of waiting, growth, pruning, and renewal, He continues His faithful work in our hearts.

So as we finally jump into early summer and enjoy the colors of spring flowers around us, may they remind us to trust God’s timing. The bloom may not come when we expect it, but under His loving care, beauty will come in its season.

The Full Circle of Life

Today was definitely about navigating the full circle of life. This morning, I attended a baby shower for my co-worker and friend Hannah, who also happens to be daughter of one of hubby's high school classmates. That's how things work these days!

I love seeing the excitement of new moms opening gifts they have no idea may be life-changing... well, at least make the parenting thing go a little more smoothly!

And of course I won a raffle basket because, well, I always win!

I then moved from the beginning of life to the end... When I got home, Jim and I went to the visitation for our friends' dad.

As I mentioned last week, we are so blessed to have the Smits family as a second family to us! They really belong to Jim and his sister, but I'm just along for the ride. 💙 

After getting back from the funeral home, I went to the next lifetime milestone – high school graduation. I was blessed to serve as Ainsley's confirmation mentor at church and take her senior pictures. Turned out to be a pleasant afternoon visiting with her family members and my pastor and her husband. 

Just a weird span of covering so many aspects of life in one day! 

What I liked was the hope associated with a new baby and new life at college. What I appreciated was the sense of peace of losing a father and knowing he is no longer in pain. Thankfully we have God and great friends to get us through all of these!

Ditto Day with Extra

While today's schedule was pretty similar to yesterday's, I had some extra fun – and sadness – at church today. Today was our last day of "work" for Dave, our choir director of 14+ years. And as a grand finale, we sang Handel's Messiah (aka The Hallelujah Chorus)!

Not to sound like a choir geek, but this has been one of my favorites to sing since I was a freshman in high school which (check history books) was long before some of you were even born! It was a staple in our high school choir Christmas concerts. Then fast forward 30-some years and I learned it was a "grand finale" as well in the Assumption Golden Mass right before Christmas break. I've never joined them on stage, but I know my soprano part to sing from the seats.

This is the You Tube link to the service. Fast forward to 01:24 in the service for our performance. I'm the short one far left in the front row. I was ready to cry by the last 4 notes. I love that song. And we'll all miss our director! We had a nice pot luck brunch after church. 

Then this afternoon we had two graduation parties this afternoon. One found us a Lake Arrowhead and the other was just a mile-plus away. I came home before hubby because I needed to search through 5 years of softball images for a few "particular photos" before playoffs on Tuesday. Found 'em!

Side note! It was summer-like today!! Still 74 degrees at 8 p.m. I'll take it. Tomorrow I'll have time to actually relax and enjoy. Gotta love 3-day weekends no matter the serious reason for them!

Hope you're taking time to relax and convince Mother Nature this is how we launch summer in Wisconsin!

The Sad Part About the Sandwich Generation

 

No offense to people of younger and even older generations, I don't think you understand the impact of being part of the Sandwich Generation. On the one hand, we're trying to raise our children as responsible adults... while simultaneously attending to our parents' ever-changing needs in advanced adulthood.

Between Jim and I we are down to one parent left. So we've dealt with that a little bit. But I realized today when I heard word one of the ladies at church passed away that I was not ready for the ripple effect.

I forget that when you worship with someone for nearly 30 years that they become part of your circle of people you care about. Just the compassion her and her husband showed each other in church each Sunday was something any couple of any age should aspire to.

And they always appreciated my writing for the church bulletins or monthly newsletters. Bonus points for loving them even more.

This past weekend three of my sisters made the trek to St. Louis to lay our Uncle Charlie to rest. The last OG Hedberg of that generation. So grateful for a trip there a year ago to celebrate his 90th birthday.

But my fellow members of this Sandwich Generation – my cousins there – have to deal with their father's death plus their mother's advancing dementia.

I recognize that certain generations have dealt with insurmountable tasks. but please give grace and understanding with some of us are trying to process as the Sandwich Generation. 

Because many of us are Gen X. I know we can handle it, but thanks for recognizing the challenge and that life is .... gosh darn it, so hard to deal with sometimes!

Well That Was Fun

I could dub thee Sarcastic Sunday. Because some parts were not that fun.

Take church choir for example. There were 4 us. Not a fancy barbershop quartet. Just 2 men, 2 women. Not the strongest singers. Myself included in that. And our director sang with us to bring it up to 5. Yes, it was just the melody for On Eagle's Wings. But still. Cringe. 

But then it got fun. 

Ran up to Herrschners for some baby blanket yarn (bless them for Sunday hours) and worked on blanket #3 (boy them #2) while watching golf.

I love watching The Masters – especially on Augusta Sunday. And frankly, I want it to be a close competition. And today delivered big time. So many lead changes and people climbing the leaderboard. In the end Rory repeated for a back-to-back win, but he tried to blow it on the last hole – driving it into the woods!

I noticed his daughter Poppy is getting big. Yes, I do "know" some of the kids. I just wonder if they understand what the big deal is when Dad always wins things! You know?

And as the leaderboard was heating up, so too were the temperatures. The windows in the house and the screen door were letting in fresh air! Also, maybe something related to pollen. Not pollen yet, but I sneezed no less than 20 times this afternoon/evening. Grrr.

Did get out for a jaunt around the neighborhood after golf concluded. 

There was a hen party going on around the bend but since I just saw 5 out of 6 sisters the other day, I kept on walking. C'mon, that's funny, right?

Ok. Break time is over. Time to get back to hookin' something! Hope you had real FUN at some point today!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

This morning I sang with the choir at both of our church services. Hubby had his service last night so this morning and he our brother-in-law helped clean up some of the fallen branches (from that ice storm) in my father-in-law's backyard.

There's still so much wreckage everywhere around here!

This afternoon we drove down to Lake Wisconsin in the Lodi area to meet Carter and Mamie for a late lunch. It was a good halfway point for us both.

Food was great but how did they know from my simple order of chicken tenders that I am a Picky Eater?!? They are not wrong. But what?! Crazy. And the source of a good laugh amongst us all.

So great to deliver Easter "baskets" and visit with the kiddos! They had a positive time in Duluth despite the wicked weather. They're pretty excited about the possibilities so we, in turn, are excited for them! Just a nice lunch!

I don't think we've been in that exact area of Wisconsin before. It was a nice sunny drive with some pretty views, too.

And some unusual ones. Yup pelicans in Wisconsin! You can see the white cap wave there. It was quite windy out but for some reason they'd rather fly here than a beach in Florida?? That's where the phrase "bird brain" must come from!

Anyway, despite not having a full family gathering, it was a blessed Easter. Hope you all can say the same!

Chilling Out Not What It's Cracked Up To Be

No April Foolin', the darn weather dudes were right. We were in the heart of a wicked ice storm. I took this picture at 8 a.m. and realized it doesn't matter how little ice it seems to be, most of us were not driving to the office.

Especially since it just kept accumulating all day.

I fired up the laptop and was able to work for 3 hours. The lights had flickered a few times and then, at 10:44 a.m., they went out. Without electricity, our wi-fi router wouldn't work, so not more work for me. I shut down my laptop to conserve power. Our lovely cellphone provider wasn't providing great signals all day either. Add to that, no running water or use of indoor plumbing.

I forgot what it was like to live like Laura Ingalls!

Most of the day I kept an eye on our bunny ear trees, which normally stand pretty straight up. This was early in the morning before even more ice accumulated.

At their lowest point, this was how close it looked like at least the right one would break.

But then the ice stopped coming and it warmed up just enough for us to witness an ice rain as the ice broke up and fell from all the trees. At the end of the day, the trees hadn't parted ways but they put some distant between themselves like fighting siblings.

Throughout the day we could just hear the snap, crackle, pop as tree branches (mostly pines) were falling everywhere – in the woods around us, in the neighbor's yard, a few in our yard, and all the way down the street.

This is typical of the destruction everywhere in that darn targeted purple area. No surprise about the power outages. In the early evening, many of us on our street were notified that power was restored. We're all like, "No, it's not." So we all had to resubmit our outage reports. And think that put us to the back of the line – of thousands of customers without power.

When we went to bed in our dark, chilly houses last night, the last we heard was that our power would be restored by SATURDAY afternoon. Ugh! 

Somehow managed to get a little sleep – even without my electric mattress pad. First World problems, I know. But dang. We do take a lot for granted! This morning, I went to the office to be warm and productive since yesterday was a lost cause.

Suddenly I was getting texts that there were Alliant trucks in the neighborhood. Would I dare get up my hopes?? Jim texted my a picture of our dining room lights on at 11:50 a.m. (25 hours without power). So I raced home and showered and made it on time to church for 1 p.m. Good Friday service. I guess God really does answer our prayers on His time.

Here a few "cool" shots from yesterday...

Poor birds falling victim to fake spring and looking for anything to eat. Icicles weren't doing it!

I hope this didn't kill off any of our budding trees!

And how safe our these power lines in our yard?

I was happy to learn, though, that there are things you can do when it's a daytime power outage.

Mind out of the gutter! I meant practically completing a whole baby blanket! 💗

Want to send a special shout out to all those offering up generators, water for our toilets, and a place to stay. We have the best people in our lives. Take care of your friends and loved ones, too! 

And we've potentially got more of that freezing rain coming tonight. Be smart and be careful out there, friends!

Random Acts Rock

 

I know the "official" Random Acts of Kindness Day was last month, but after a special moment this afternoon I challenge us all to open our eyes wider and see the opportunity to perform these more often.

So I went to my usual hangout after work... OK, it's Kwik Trip and I needed gas and cash – surprisingly in that order. I saw an older couple from church walking into the store. I cannot call them "elderly" because one of them has former (way former) Miss Wisconsin Rapids vibes.

When I went in and was doing my ATM thing I saw their bouquets of flowers right there. I thought, you know what? I'm going to buy one of these for Helen – which may or may not be her real name.

When my business was done I just waited by the exit for the two of them. She looked up in surprise when I said "Hey, these are for you!" Both of them had such shocked looks and her husband was like "You don't have to buy those" and I'm like "I already did."

I just told them I wanted them to feel a little bit of spring. They deserved that. And they couldn't stop thanking me and telling me how much that meant and how this doesn't happen to them.

That almost made me feel worse because we need to start paying some attention to lonely people!!

Anyway, when they assured me there's a special place in heaven for people like me, I thanked them and of course said, "Well, hopefully not too soon."

It just made me realize that all of us can perform random acts of kindness at any time to make someone's day. If you don't have the financial resources to buy a $15 flower bouquet, just tell someone you like their sweater or if they open a door for you, say you appreciate there are gentlemen still around. 

I forget how good it feels to get out of MYSELF and my issues and just appreciate others. I'm not bragging about my actions, I'm just reminding us all that even a small measure of kindness can go so far. 

Go for it!