My Cardio :: Extreme Hookin'

I know most of us have New Year's resolution for more exercise. And maybe I'll follow suit. But my cardio in the last 24 hours has been "extreme hooking."

As in buying yarn after work last night and hoping to crochet fast enough tonight to finish a blanket.

It's an ambitious goal but several co-workers decided we should put a birthday/get well basket together for a co-worker who just had back surgery and will be out several more weeks. 

Of course on Monday I said "I'll make him a nice recovery blanket." Then realized they planned to deliver this basket at the end of the week. So I had to get hookin' and double-stitchin' at maximum speed.

I probably would've have finished it after work but I was interrupted by choir practice. Now I'm home and am going to power through and hope for the best. 

Whew! What a workout! Can you tell how muscle-toned my fingers are? 

Good luck with your New Year's exercise resolutions, too!

Red Sky in Morn, Creativity Re-Born

As much as I hate leaving the house in the dark this time of year, I appreciate that I occasionally get a beautiful sunrise on the way to work. Today was not exception. The sky was on fire! Glad I finally had a red light so I could stop and capture it! 

Ignore all the street lights. I took it as a sign we should all be fired up for work today!

And although the day was long (who comes up with these 5-day work weeks anyway?), I was actually energized by the time I got home. 

Partly because I had an itch to be creative. Our Pacelli-Assumption etc Co-op team is have a "Stick it to Cancer" fundraiser at our game Saturday night. 

Since lucky me won a basket a few weeks ago, I figured I'd pay that one forward and make one up myself. So... time to plug that special Cricut in again!

I think the hockey moms and dads will appreciate these coffee mugs I made. Just have to find a few more things for the basket in the next few evenings.

This definitely put me in the creative mood. And thinking about my upcoming scrapbooking weekend. Yes, Camp Crop-A-Lot is at the end of February, but still, a girl has to plan ahead. I'm so far behind I now have to try to remember life 7 years ago! So glad I have several weeks to figure that out.

But if you're a sports mom (or dad) and want a mug with your sport (hockey or whatever), let me know. I'm in the creative zone!

Many Thanks to Our Troops

I may have mentioned a time or two how amazing my employer is – and my team of fellow marketing writers. Our company does provide us paid "volunteer time off" and it just happens that our team is doing two volunteer events.

This week!

This afternoon, we gathered in a meeting room at the Point Brewery and created (and wrote) Christmas cards to the troops for the A Million Thanks program. A Million Thanks provides support and appreciation to our active and veteran military men and women through sending letters and granting betterment of life wishes, as well as providing higher education scholarships to their children.

Their current initiative is the holiday card and letter program. According to their website, all holiday letters for our troops need to be received by November 1 for Thanksgiving letters and December 1 for the winter holidays.

Our team of 10 writers concentrated on Christmas cards and hand-written messages. Give me a paper trimmer, tape runner, and holiday cardstock and I am in my own version of heaven!

I let others write the messages. I just made cards like I was a one-person assembly line! Turns out, every one on the team had a creative streak whether they thought so or not!

I was proud of mine. A few shown here. Sorry they're upside down on the writing end of the table! 

In the end, we crafted and completed more than 75 cards that will be sent to troops far and wide to wish them a happy holiday season!

Interested?

Remember, you don't have to have a large group to do this. But if you want to try a worthy service project with a group, go for it. Here is the link to the A Million Thanks "send a letter" page with the details of what to say, what to do, and where to send. 

As I express my gratitude of the nephews – and brother and uncles – who have served, it solidifies my appreciation of those who are willing to lay their lives on the line for this country. That's who we should be thinking about and thanking during this election season! (In my humble opinion.)

P.S. If you need a teacher or some advice on the card-making, I'm your gal! Message me! 🎄🎅💖♡💙

Weekend Snapshot

I just realized I haven't blogged since Thursday night. I'll give you a hint what's been taking up my time. Yup, 5 photo shoots.

Initially, hubby was going to be out of town on a golf trip so I figured I'd set things up this weekend so I could be free next weekend. Well, they ended up not going. So I still didn't see much of him – thanks to my schedule. 

The good news: 11 senior sessions are done and only 4 more to go! 📸

And some random pictures mixed in...

Like this cute cow / bull guy in the field near my picture taking yesterday.

He really wanted his picture taken – and to reach over the fence to help me take mine. Harmless but slightly pushy. Ha.

This morning I took pictures for our church and our annual God's Work, Our Hands work day – doing everything from cleaning gutters at some elder members' houses to packing up Lutheran World Relief school kits and quilts to painting at local elementary schools. It's always a productive morning of putting faith into action. I'm will to break a sweat, but with two black thumbs, they definitely trust me more with a camera than a set of garden shears!

After that and a senior shoot today, I stopped at our Downtown Grand Affair craft/vendor sale and classic car show. Why would I go there when the Vikings were playing at noon?

Because even though the Packers already played this weekend, the TV idiots decided to air the Bears game here instead! So I know we won. But it sure would've been fun to see our new QB and other new players in action. 

I already lost my fantasy matchup so I'm glad there was something wonder-SKOL happening at least!

This evening we had what feels like the 5th funeral / visitation this week. A friend of ours, just my age, had been battling ALS and then his heart gave out this week. It was unexpected to happen this quickly. Our hearts break for his dear wife and their family. There must have been 400 people gathered for his celebration of life "party" tonight. What a testament to how many lives Rick has touched with his kindness and positive attitude. I could not stop crying. Uff da.

Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at Sportsman's with two of the other couples that were there. We have to treasure time with friends and loved ones when we can! We just don't know.

Let's have an uplifting week. We deserve it! 💕

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!!

White Elephants and More

We had our White Elephant gift exchange for the marketing department at work today. I chose this bag because I figured if nothing else, I could use it for my gifts of crocheted blankets or a certain item that shall remain a surprise.

The ironic joke's on me since it was actually some yarn and some weird figure 8 knitting thing. So while I do like to crochet, this might be one way to finish off the project that a co-worker started some 4 years ago and didn't finish. At a minimum, I might just wrap up what she did accomplish – and turn it into a scarf fer her instead of a blanket.

Who knew White Elephants could be so inspiring?

Friday Night Lights

With how late the sun sets these days, you'd think I wouldn't need to burn the midnight oil. But it's getting close to that on this lovely Friday night.

We actually had no plans after work, so hubby and I went to the Legion baseball game. The 17U team is hosting a tournament this weekend. So we went and watched.

Just watched. Seriously my first ballgame I've just watched this year. No camera. Just sitting there cheering and chit-chatting with friends. Our boys ended up losing to Plover 3-2. But there's a whole lotta of games left to play this weekend. Good luck!

On the way home, it dawned on me that I hadn't gotten a birthday gift for my twin yet. I know. How could I possibly forget it's coming right up?! So I went to the store to get some top-secret supplies to craft together her top-secret gift. I'm a little out of practice so it took a minute. Just got done and can't wait to show you.

Next week.

I'll ship it tomorrow and hope it arrives Tuesday. I finished another project today, too, but will have to wait for that reveal too. There's a due date in July so just remind me. Ha. For now, I'm turning off the Friday night lights and will but my creative juices to bed.

Have a great weekend. Be careful out there!

Their Own Beat

Saw these cranes marching to their own beat when I was out getting steps on this lovely 48-degree day. I didn't understand what they were singing, but that's been the nature of my day.

It didn't take 10 minutes into the Grammys before I realized I'm old. I shouldn't say I blame my age. Maybe I blame Sirius radio since it gives me permission to listen to my Eighties music over anything new. 

Either way, I don't get it. So I'll blog and go back to the TV and switch it to Bridgerton. Then I'll be the one singing. Uff da!

Other than the "music" it was a quiet day. Went to church. Then my friend Cindy and I checked out the Stevens Point area art fair. It was held in the former ShopKo building in Plover, which has totally been transformed into a hip space. Check it out sometime. Brewery, coffee shop and more.

Since we were "in the neighborhood" legitimately, we treated ourselves to a cool treat. King Cone is open in Plover but not the other locations yet. So don't get too excited, Rapids friends. You seriously can work it into any minor road trip that way. Guilt free.

That's my kind of jam.

A Basket Case

My Sunday day of rest was a day of doing good. I'm excited that our co-op hockey team is holding a Stick it to Cancer fundraising night for our friends and their son. 

Cale played on the Pacelli-Assumption-Amherst-Etc Co-op team when he was in high school at Assumption. The fall of his freshman year of college at Madison is when he found out he had cancer. It's been an unbelievable roller coaster – physically, emotionally, spiritually – for him and his family. But the good news is that for today, he's cancer-free. 

We all know we can only count on today and hope God prepares us for tomorrow!

So as part of the fundraiser night, there'll be raffle baskets. Figured I could put some of my creative talents to work and come up with a basket or two. When I crocheted a blanket and threw in some wine and chocolate, I figured the basket needed something more. That's where hubby stepped in and suggested maybe I could make something on my Cricut. 

And that's what I did...

Got some $1.48 stemless wine glasses at Wal-Mart and made two of these to complete basket number one.

Totally adds the finishing touch, right?

Then I think I'll do a coffee-related one so I got some mugs at the Dollar Store. They were out of black ones, so I took what they had. I think they'll work.

Of course, coffee drinkers like me probably need a bigger mug! The good thing is that now that I saved my design, I can use if for other things – including large coffee mugs. And as Jim pointed out, I can replace the word HOCKEY with whatever else a person is obsessing over! I could take orders, but be aware of supply chain issues! Ha.

I also managed to re-create our team's hockey logo and put that on a skinny tumbler (since I bought those in bulk before Christmas).

Very happy with how that turned out. I'll have to see if I shove that in with the coffee treats basket or start a third. If anyone wants to donate items for a basket or create your own basket for the raffle, let me know. They need them by the end of this week and I'm hopefully delivering mine Wednesday or Thursday. 

Or mark your calendar and join us Feb. 8. Or just offer up continued prayers for Cale and his family. These are incredibly special people in our lives, so every positive thought, word, or action means the world!

Count your blessings!

Wait, We Still Have a Weekend Left

Our sunset view on the drive home tonight was reflective of the day. Mostly beautiful with some low-lying foggy parts.

Let's get the foggy parts out of the way first. What the heck, Badgers!? Sigh.

OK, now the good stuff...

My friend Cindy and I went down to Lake Arrowhead for their annual craft fair – every Labor Day weekend. Rain was done by midmorning so it was all good. We weren't there to buy anything. Just get ideas and say at least 38 times "I could make that." And we can!

Then we see signs like this and think, "You know, we should probably buy something to support these small businesses." We are nothing if not generous and big-hearted. But truthfully, we did get a lot of ideas for our Cricut Kingdom!

This afternoon after the Badgers stunk it up, I got a little sorting and organizing done in my Scrap Cave. I've got a scrapbooking weekend coming up next month so I better figure out what pictures I need printed for that. No rest for the wicked scrappers!

Didn't spend a ton of time in there since we were taking Cindy and Mike out to eat at Two Lakes for their anniversary. Well 2 months late, but better late than never. And it was soooooo tasty as always!

I swear for an incorporated area in the middle of Wisconsin, they have the best coconut shrimp on the planet! 

We were all so full. Then someone had to order dessert. And I had to help him. Obviously. I mean look at that! It was painful, but with my help, we powered through.

Cindy and I always get a picture at Two Lakes. For me, at least, it's the rare occasion I curl my hair. Ha.

And the anniversary couple! 44 years. Wow! Way to go, kids!

Now we're all in our houses and ready to fall asleep. Maybe there was tryptophan in that brownie. It seems like a post-Thanksgiving meal kind of feeling. Even my dessert compartment is full. And that doesn't happen often.

As a bonus to this beautiful day, we still have two days left of the weekend! Yay. Hopefully tomorrow is not quite as full. Unless we mean full of exercise. There's a potential I'll have some guilty feelings in the morning. When my tummy makes room for them, that is.

Keep enjoying this long weekend!

Becoming Unraveled

There's a limit to multi-tasking. Sometimes we learn the hard way. 

Somebody who likes soft, warm things is turning 30 on Sunday. So I had this brilliant idea last week to crochet him a velvety, plush blanket. And get it done last week so hubby could ship it off to Bellingham, Washington, on time. 

I binged my Emily in Paris show on Netflix and got to hooking. I was pleased to have it finished last Wednesday night. But then I held it up and realized I had consistently dropped stitches. Basically, in layman's terms, the blanket wasn't a rectangle. It gradually got narrower up top. UGH. So I did what any hooker would do...

I unraveled more than half the stitches. And realizing I was going to state hoops the next day and scrapbooking all weekend, I unraveled a bit myself.

Obviously I was too tired to consider making sense of this pile when I got home last night. So I got some sleep. Worked today. (No small feat there.) Shot a grade school hoops game. (Have to withdraw in stages.) Then came home to hook like the crazy stepmother I am. But guess what?

Tis finished! We'll ship it tomorrow and he probably won't get it in time for his birthday. But we should score points for parents with good intentions, I hope! Either way, I am in love with this new soft, velvety yarn so I may have to use it again. 

And hopefully not become unraveled next time!

C Your Blessings

Our alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter C, which means I share some of the blessings I C in my life

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible

3 C's: It's fitting the letter C up above is lit up – illustrating how our 3 boys – Casey, Clayton, and Carter – light up our life! I feel like it was just yesterday they we're playing Offense-Defense in the yard and somebody always ended up crying. Now they're all in their 20s with very special young ladies in their lives. They'll always be our three little boys to us: Knothead, Knucklehead, and Chucklehead.

Church: I'm so thankful for my church family. I have gotten to make so many lifelong friends between my involvement with Sunday School years ago, various committees, choir, and now Church Council. It's been such a strange year not setting foot in the building due to the virus we shall not name, but my faith and our congregation's faith has never been stronger. So blessed!

Creativity: I am super grateful my mom passed on so many creativity genes to us kids – whether it's writing, crafty projects, or clever plays on words. I've also had plenty of enablers, I mean awesome friends, along the way who have inspired me and taught me a thing or two – from ceramics in the 1990s (Thanks, Cindy) to crochet in 2020 (Thanks, Jules) and lots of short-term and long-term hobbies along the way.

Camera: Of course! Grateful that I have an eye for an angle. That I have time to shoot pictures of sports so parents can just enjoy the game. That I have decent luck while kayaking to catch (at least on camera) an eagle or some other gift from Mother Nature. I'm not great but I love the challenge of continuously learning and improving. And in the year of social distancing, it's a fun hobby I can still enjoy from 6 feet away. Maybe when I get to Z I'll acknowledge the blessing of a Zoom Lens!

Take CARE!

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet

Pro-Craft-Stinate

While I was cleaning out the basement recently, I came across all kinds of totes of surprises. Things I really hadn't seen since we moved into our house 19 years ago. And some things had been neglected longer than that.

Case in point: Winnie the Pooh.

This is evidence (not that you needed any) that I've been procrastinating – or pro-craft-stinating – since at least 1998.

Yup, exactly 22 years ago at this time of night, I was working my swollen, numb fingers frantically to finish this for the nursery. My plan was to add the baby's name (didn't if it was a boy or girl) and its birthdate.

To be fair, I thought I had another week to work on it when I went to bed that night – according to doctor's prediction. But Carter Joseph Austin had other ideas the next day.

Anyway, if anyone still does cross-stitch and wants to finish this for yourself, I'm pretty sure the current college house decor is the exact opposite of the Hundred Acre Wood. Some friends suggest I finish it for old time's sake, but that's a heckuva lot of Pooh body left to stitch. And do I remember how to read a pattern? And do I want to?

Until I get around to making up my mind, Mr. Pooh Bear has gone back into the tote with a few other UPs (unfinished projects). There's no rush for me to decide right now. Everyone claims we have nothing but time now.

But it sure is flying, isn't it? 22 years. Wow. My baby's a big boy now!

Voodoo Cleaning Magic

Does it really matter where we find our motivation to declutter as long as we find it? Well, maybe... It's possible someone has a voodoo doll of me and they are lighting a match under my feet to get me moving. If so, please don't stop. I have lot more to do!

Today was the basement and closet continuation. I had three big plastic totes of craft stuff. Much of it was stuff I got free from way back in the early part of the century (that's actually accurate) when I worked on arts and crafts magazines. When the magazines shuttered, the loot was divvied up. I shoved it in totes and fast-forward to today and I was posting pictures of items and hoping to give them away to friends in need before donating.

After all, there's a ton of stuff that I never got into – like bookmaking, knitting, and voodoo. Wait, what? Seriously, it was some books from some art and craft (maybe witchcraft) vendor. I think my friends are scared of me now!

I did get rid of a bunch and tossed a bunch of worthless items today, too. Our garbage cans are full so I guess that means I'm off the hook the next few evenings!

Hubby will be glad. He interrupted me mid-cleaning yesterday and said, "It looks worse than it was!" Well I had all those games and was cleaning the shelves, etc. So yeah, it was a big pile of piles.

Now I'm feeling good. Have bags on the right and totes, etc on the left that are awaiting pickup or room in my vehicle to take them to Goodwill. Whew. That was a productive weekend!

To whoever controls my voodoo doll, please put out the fire and let me sleep tonight.