Embracing Autumnal Vibes... Sort Of

Well I definitely wasn't going to lead with a photo of myself but my blog platform won't let me upload any other images. Gah!

So I've mentioned before that I'm a solar-powered girl. I love summer! I love the sun, time with Mr. Deck Chair... and my golf clubs. But today, because I found (and ordered) a style of dressy shirts on Amazon, I had to kick my "Autumnal Vibe" in gear!

Yes, I take pictures in the bathroom at work to show my sisters certain outfits. LOL. But you can't argue this doesn't spell FALL.

When I got to my hair artist after work, she's like, "Let's cool you down for fall." I always have complete trust in her – especially when she adds in the red and brownish low-lights in all the right places.

Per usual, I told her I'd have to sleep "real careful" so I wouldn't smush her handiwork before going to work tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. 

I do love autumn as well. If you can believe, it's September 9 and I still have held off having my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Something tells me that's going to drag me from summer to fall in the very near future!

Happy early fall, y'all! 

T-Shirt Tour Resumes

When my work from home 6-week stint began, I thought I'd be sharing a different T-shirt every day. But it got hot and life was mostly about tank tops.

This morning I was wearing a coveted tank top from Twins Spring Training a few years ago in Florida. But by the time I was rounding home from the neighborhood loop I was getting rained on!

So I had to put that shirt on a "drying rack" and grab a "new" t-shirt.

Today's shirt is courtesy of a really fun concert featuring Here Come The Mummies. Look them up! 

Back in the days when hubby and I commuted to work in Iola, nearly an hour drive, we listened to the Bob and Tom Show on the radio in the mornings. Their often close to R-rated programming format is showcasing lots of comedians and bands that also could pass as comic relief. 

That's when we first heard Here Come The Mummies. We immediately liked and were entertained by this eight-piece funk-rock band of 5000-year-old Egyptian mummies with a one-track mind. 

So when I got tickets a year ago, it was great to see and hear them in person. I completely forgot about the T-shirt until I made a concerted effort to seek a new shirt each day. First time wearing it! I'm starting to wonder why we even buy shirts for events it we don't wear them. But then, I'd probably need to purge a lot!

What's your favorite concert (or Broadway musical) T-shirt??

My T-Shirt Era

For us working folk, there's not many casual days in our lives, if you think about it. Saturdays might be an occasion, but there's usually a little dressing up for church on Sundays. After yesterday's fun coincidence of matching my neighbor, this morning I thought, "I'm going to start wearing all these t-shirts I insisted on buying but don't get an occasion to wear."

First one off the pile – King Cone of course! It's a pretty cool shirt, if I do say so myself.

Don't worry, I'm not boring you with a picture everyday. Just had to prove at the same time that I am leaving my desk and getting out walking. A must-do when working at home can keep you chained to your desk. 

I discovered today that 3 laps around the neighborhood "larger circle" will net me 5,000+ steps. So that's a start anyway. Each lap is a nice short break. Just have to keep reminding myself to do it!

Today was also highlighted by military jet training overhead and sonic booms and a nice thunderstorm. All ending before Jim's golf league, naturally.

Also, thanks to the internet and livestreaming, I was able to watch my cowboy nephew Zach compete in the AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse World Championships in Amarillo, Texas. He's doing pretty good. Now I feel the need to watch The Man From Snowy River, which helped fuel his horse obsession as a young boy!

Don't be to jealous of my exciting life these days! 

Not Gonna Lose Our Shot

This is, I swear, the most random thing in the world. I was all set to wear a pink shirt today for National Wear Pink Day or whatever, but spotted a t-shirt I hadn't worn in some 4 or 5 years. So I donned one of my Hamilton (the musical) t-shirts.

Then when I was turning into my neighborhood after a post-work gas run, I saw a familiar color!

I parked my HRV and after confirming my friend Cindy I randomly picked this shirt today, made sure to take a picture. I mean, what are the odds?!

We saw Hamilton together years ago but the odds of us choosing today to wear our shirts is crazy. I guess that means we're due to see it again. Or see some "Broadway" show in our area in the coming months. 

It's kind of freaky, but I'll take it as a sign. I'm checking out shows right now!

#NotThrowingAwayMyShot

A Two-Some Weekend

Saturday was sort of like an episode of Wedding Crashers... but we were more like Wedding Surfers!

We happened to have two weddings on Saturday – one family, one friends. We somehow managed to get to both ceremonies. First our friends' daughter Allyse (one of Carter's prom dates from forever ago) at 1 p.m. When the ceremony start was delayed a bit, we wondered if we'd get to the other ceremony at 3 p.m.

Thank goodness both wete within 5 miles of Wisconsin Rapids.

After Allyse's absolutely beautiful wedding, we got out to Rooted in Red for Jim's goddaughter's Becca Austin's wedding. It's a nice venue for any outdoor ceremony, etc. The weather was just pleasant – not super hot. So nice. And so great to visit with Austin family and cousins.

Becca was the happiest bride!! Just loved to see her joy! 

After our dinner and some dancing – oh yes, two dances with hubby – we headed home and stopped at wedding No. 1 reception at The Ridges on the way. Got to officially congratulate the bride and visit with some friends. Full day of two-some fun!

Then this afternoon we started our "two-some" couple's league at Tri-City. The fun thing is that Jim and I go against another couple and we get to do a scramble format so we can keep the pace of play going. The non-fun thing is I realize once again my hubby is a phenomenal golfer and I am a complete dead weight. Unfortunately, according to couple's league rules, they have to use at least 3 of my drives in the 9 holes. 

I need more rounds than 2 before I can contribute, that's for sure! But somehow we came out ahead in the match tonight! Whew.

At least on a surprisingly cool Sunday I had my new Cutter and Buck golf pullover that I may or may not have bought myself on my trip to Minnesota last weekend. 88 degrees that day and yet I thought, "I should plan ahead!"

Very comfy and light but warm enough when whimps like me can't deal with wind and chill!

Side note: I love it and I'll be wearing it for much more than golf!

Carter called when we were putting out our last hole. Then we connected later when we were home. We're looking forward to seeing their place up in Duluth and showing them a few sights. How is it that all the weekends in the summer just fill up so fast?!

Hopefully something works out in July. Hubby hasn't been up there and I want to show both of them plus Mamie some of the must-see sights. 

At least we all agree it has to be a summer-type month.... not winter! Appreciate summer right now!

Mostly a Tomboy

 

It's kind of funny that when I was growing up I was 100% a tomboy – even with 6 sisters. I didn't mind sweaty bike rides or pony rides and absolutely hated wearing dresses for any occasion. 

That hasn't changed much over time but I do wear dresses for important occasions – mainly weddings, I guess. And important occasions like it's Thursday and I am bringing a trifle to work.

I've never worn a dress at work but I remembered when I bought this (with gift cards, yay) a few weeks ago, the mother of the shop owner said the dress would pair nicely with a light, white sweater and sneakers.

For half the day – as a 5-decade tomboy – I wondered where my pants were! Still it was comfortable and made me feel a bit sassy.

Don't be afraid to embrace your sassy feminine side – no matter what your age. Now I am actually looking forward to two weddings on Saturday. My real fancy dress is ready. But can I get away with sneakers??

Shop Local Saturday

There wasn't any random holiday today like "Shop local!" but that was how the day went. And frankly, I loved the opportunity to support these entrepreneurs. 

First, after assessing my gift certificates for Rustic Redefined, (on 8th St. in Wis. Rapids!) I needed to start my day with clothes shopping. Every woman's dream, right? 

Side note: I'm not really a fan of shopping ... but with $250+ in gift cards from hubby and friends, I walked into the place like Vivian from Pretty Woman with "I have money to spend!" How fun is it to not even look at the price tag? A very foreign concept for us middle class folks. 

But so enjoyable! Also.. GO THERE! They have such stylish and unique stuff.

I came away with a dress, two tops, a matching necklace, and cool summer handbag. And... still one more $100 gift card to spend. 

Unrelated: My fashion show at home made me realize my advanced lady choices are "aged" because hubby showed no enthusiasm.

Who cares? I like what I got!!

After I got home, my friend and neighbor Cindy across the street and I headed down to Adams for Independent Book Store day.

If you are a bookworm of any type, visit Books on Main!

I was excited to get the last copy (in the store) of my book choice for Book Club in June. And  2 "unplanned" bonus books. Whoops. Can you stop us or only hope to contain us??

The one take away today between some very different types of retail / transactional experiences is that we should all think shop local first. And recognize not only the value of your transaction but your ability to support a personal passion for succcess!

#BuyLocal

The Power of Un-Powered Tools

Full disclosure: This is all going to seem like it's coming out of left field... because it sort of is.

My main agenda item today besides getting through work was delivering two pair of arborist pants to my cousin's son. Have I lost you already. He's in Stevens Point (well-known for its DNR related programs and degrees) and saw these for sale through Facebook Marketplace – but in Wisconsin Rapids.

So I picked them up and yesterday I was like, "Dude, I have your pants in my car. When do you want them?" So it worked out that I could meet him and his fiancee for a dinner after work. 

So what exactly are "arborist pants"? Turns out that if you're using a chainsaw like the well-intentioned beaver above, they're chainsaw-resistant. A bullet-proof Kevlar protection layer from serious harm. I can see why he wanted to buy these 20-dollar pants that normally sell for almost $200. Good call. (Also note that according to my blog title they are un-powered tools.)

But who cares about arborist pants? Obviously it was most important to hear about their upcoming wedding plans in 2027. And perhaps dish about our families. Lol.

So after that meal I headed into Wisconsin Rapids to WalMart to find a replace my hair dryer – who died inconveniently, of course. RIP.

And I can't make this stuff up. First my TIRE PRESSURE IS LOW warning comes on. So I pull over knowing that I have to have it in park to "calibrate" or whatever. That happened again when I got WR WalMart. So I did recalibrate again but that wasn't my main concern.

I've recently attached my key fob to a lanyard because it sometimes can fall our of the very shallow pockets of work pants. Well when I parked, I realized the lanyard was there... out of my pocket... but no fob was attached.

So I knew it was in that deeply imbedded spot under the seat that is impossible to reach with human hands. What can I do?

You know, I suddenly realized that I still had scrapbooking tools in my vehicle that I've neglected to unpack that might include some sort of tweezers to grasp it from its secret hiding spot.

And the tweezer for tiny stickers or alphabet letters won the day! A powerful tool that requires no power.

So after that, of course, I wanted to tell my scrap sisters about our life-saving tools!

Well, it turns out my monthly Girls Night Out group was meeting and eating a Whoudini's and I still had time to catch them there. I zealously shared my story with my scrap sister Jenny and then they all asked me what "arborist pants" are and I could not understand how they knew this.

They said, "Well you texted your husband about your dinner plans." I'm like "Yeah, did I accidentally send that to this group too?" No, they said. He's here.

So here we were – my girls night and his last-minute three classmates from high school meeting at a bar we go to maybe once a year. (Including your hubby, A.P. my loyal blog reader. Not that I'm tattling!)

As Rick in Casablanca says: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine." Ope sorry.

Of course I really just wanted to show off a cute shirt I got at GW Boutique (yes, Good Will) the other day...

Random patterns and such a steal. I pointed out that I was fashionably late because I was so fashionable. Thank you to the person that donated it. You've added some POWER-ful spice to my life!!

It's in our Genes (and Jeans)

I had to laugh at this because today I went to my favorite fashion hub – GW Boutique (OK, it's Goodwill but appreciate my creativity) – to find some jeans over my lunch hour.

I don't think it's a far stretch for me to say that there are two main things that women everywhere hate shopping for (and trying on) and that's swimsuits and jeans. Am I right?

Ugh.

The issue is that there is no such thing as standard sizes in the fashion industry. One brand's size 8 is a size 12 by another brand. So of course, I seek the brands that let me boast (to no one actually, who am I kidding?) about wearing a smaller size. Ha.

I did successfully find two pair of jeans – by two different brands and two different sizes – that had the right fit. Granted I'm thrilled the numbers are lower than a year ago. But are they really? 

Hmmm.

You wonder why women play so many mind games in their heads. Well this is why. How come guys have standard 32x34 and we all have random size numbers. Sometimes odd, sometimes even. Never understood that either.

It appears I'll be working from home quite a bit in the coming 3+ years. You know what's not judgmental about sizes? SWEAT PANTS.

You're welcome.

It Worked Out In My Purple Favor

Last night I blogged before I had to address the Monday Night Football situation. I mean even you Packer fans don't like the Bears so we have some solidarity there.

But I was not convinced during the first half that our very VERY young QB could rise to the occasion. I am so glad I was proven wrong. Especially since our two-week United Way campaign began at work today and the dress-up theme was favorite team.

Yup, I wore the lovely bracelet above plus my now favorite shirt...

The one Jim and I wore to a game last year! We are still hoping for one Super Bowl win in our lifetimes.

Let me just clarify. There were a few more Viking fans at work and they commented on needing a shirt like mine. We all know the pain and struggles. Then, since I went straight from work to shoot middle school football, I was wearing the shirt and a guy from the opposing team (Iola-Scandinavia in this case) asked if he could take a picture of my shirt.

Maybe creepy but I trust he's been through the same pain. Maybe Purple Power will carry us all (well some of us) through the week!

Collector's Fees

This reflects the overabundance of shirts (well, clothes) that the boy and I have. He at least was willing to at least part with some at the garage sale. Fingers crossed, that is. As promised (or threatened) here are the details of our friend's garage sale this weekend.

MULTI-FAMILY

GARAGE SALE

THURSDAY – SUNDAY

APRIL 4-7

OPEN  8AM TO 6PM

Kids to adult clothes (including lots of Carter's young men's clothes), household, books (4 boxes from us – including lots of nonfiction sports memoirs), leather couch, TV stand, puzzles, tools, Miller racing mirrors,  toys, children books, generator, outhouses, birdhouses, children's coupe cars, bikes, torpedo heaters. Way too much to list.

9410 80th St. S.   |   Wisc. Rapids   |  3.5 miles South of Kellner  

Also for sale...

Tons of Stampin' Up rubber stamps! Yes, this collector is attempting to let go.

And some of my lighthouse collectibles and decorations. Again, this collector is trying to let go.

My friend is right that there are too many items to mention. Stop by and check it out. Not sure if I'll be there as I have to work on Friday and am Twin Cities bound Saturday. But my boy may be there Saturday, trying to downsize his t-shirt collection.

Until he finds other cool ones to buy, that is! 

Just ignore the snow: It's Garage Sale Season!!

Goodwill to a Few Anyway

I let the spirit of Christmas carry through today since it was our "Christmas observed" day off. I specifically focused on the "Peace on Earth, goodwill..." part.

In other words, I tackled the basement for a while and hauled 4 boxes of the kids' clothes to Goodwill. Don't worry, they set them aside awhile ago as clothes to either sell or donate. I decided today I don't need them gathering dust until garage-sale season so I let them go. 

If you know me, you know it's a big deal for me to let go. And not think "Ooh this is worth XYZ" or "I could sell that and get something good for it." 

Nope. Not today, my peace on Earth was decluttering and spreading it to Goodwill.

My other big accomplishment was breaking down a ton of boxes. A ton of "I should save this – this is a good box" boxes. Am I the only one?

I must pile them up all year thinking I can use them to wrap presents at Christmas. Since 90% of our gift-giving was cash or direct-shipped, I didn't need the boxes anyway. Since I did the Goodwill run today, I'll do the recycling center run tomorrow. Gotta space things out. I can't have all my vacation fun on the first day.

Hope you're enjoying some peace in your corner of the Earth, too!

50 Shades of Black Friday

As Black Friday approaches, I think every Friday in November should be some shade of a Black Friday.  Something akin to a paint chip card (or today's gloomy rain clouds).

Three Fridays out, I guess it's #333333 Grey Friday. And since our friend has a Christmas Open House at her shop, it seems only right that I get into the #333333 spirit! 

Went to Rustic Redefined after work and fell in love with all fall and winter clothes. This is unique stuff you won't find anywhere else. And I love it! I decided to treat myself to one item – figuring I better pick something I can wear to work. So I tried on four things and purchased... one. Seriously! But I might be back on #222222 Gray Friday! (P.S. Open house is Saturday too from 10-3.)

Hubby and I got into the holiday spirit after I got home from shopping. I mean the overeating part. What could you possibly have been thinking? Anyway, I picked up cajun fish fries at The Fallback (formerly Double Down, formerly Wildhorse Saloon). It was super tasty and we stuffed ourselves! We don't need to do that more than once a week, that's for sure!

Now he's flipping channels from the confines of his surgery recovery chair (aka recliner) and I'm DVRing one Hallmark movie and about to dive into another.

Happy #333333 Gray Friday! 

What's Behind Door No. 3?

You'd be surprised what you can live without once you've lived without it for 2 years and haven't missed it.

Since the lovely pandemic hit while I was on vacation that first week in March 2020, I didn't realize my last day in the office before it was actually my last day... for 2-plus years. Therefore, I didn't take everything I needed from my desk, the little fridge in our department or my locker in our fitness center.

From my desk, I realized I only needed my computer and really didn't need paper documents. I haven't printed anything out in 2 years so there's no sense resuming that habit. You're welcome, Mother Earth. As for the fridge, someone disposed of what was left of my daily essential coffee creamer for me. Good call. As for the locker... well that went untouched until today.

Our fitness center finally reopened now that we're repopulating the office. I was a little nervous wondering what was behind door No. 3. Or in this case, door No. 168. I knew I'd have sneakers in there but hoped to god I didn't have some once-sweaty-now-crusty sports bra or socks. I was prepared for it...

And oh-so relieved when I only left the shoes in there – with deodorizer balls in them to boot – and the essentials like shower gel, deo, perfume, and hairspray! That turned my pew into a PHEW! And the shoes are in decent shape. I mean, we'll see when I put them on, but they should work OK after sitting around doing nothing all this time.

That's right. I did not work out. I just was checking the status of the locker so I could reserve it for another year. Don't judge me. Getting there was the first step, right?

I've already beat myself up plenty in the past week knowing that I had 800-some days to reinvent myself but instead, come back to the office out of shape – and out of clothes that fit nicely. Ugh.

If only I liked spinach or kale as much as I like ice cream! 

Sunny Disposition

I keep telling kitty that her "tan lines" are permanent, but she still tries to soak up the sun whenever she can to even them out. How's that working for you so far, Sylvester?

Gotta admit. I like doing that, too!

This week is "almost see your breath" temps in the morning, then "let me work on my tan line" temps in the afternoon. I can handle this. Especially when it's beautiful out after work – temp-wise and fall color-wise!

I don't mind it cool in the morning. Helps me stay focused on work with no desire to head outdoors.  

Side note: Those of you who know about my hoodie addiction will be happy to know I'm finally doing something about it. No, not getting rid of any. That's extreme, doncha think? But since my office is cold and my work at home wardrobe is pretty casual, I can wear a different hoodie each day to get through my collection. That should get me through the rest of my home office time. 

Well, wait. That just got extended to January. So I likely will run out. I mean for SURE I'll run out. I don't have 90 hoodies. Sixty maybe, but not 90. If I run out, it'll be right around Christmas time. Perfect timing. Maybe I'll get a new hoodie or 6 and kitty will get her tan lines taken care of.

We can dream. Always look on the sunny side.