Pine Public Enemy No. 1

OK, this war against the yellow-green monster has escalated. Not only is my black car eligible for a different color on my registration, but now I have TWO pairs of shoes that need TLC.

First, even though my brand spankin' new golf shoes are water proof, they have a mesh body not leather, so they can't just be wiped clean.

Then today, after two photography site visits, my black denim-type boots (for lack of a better description) have a yellow sheen to them too. 

I can handle the car wash part. But I am calling out to you – my Household Hints from Heloise sisters – what's the best way to clean this off my precious footwear? 

I'm not a princess. I've rarely cared if my footwear shows a little wear and tear, but Pine Public Enemy No. 1 is a different monster. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Big City Scenes

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.

First was this dog actually wearing shoes and a jacket, just like his owners. Except the owner was wearing a certain brand and style of winter coat that retails for $1,500. Yup. Only in the big city.

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.

Pinky Swear

I went for my second 3-week checkup today at the Bone and Joint Clinic. Or as math geeks would point out, my 6-week followup since there was no healing progress at the 3-week point.

I didn't want to jinx it like last time, assuming it was all healed and have my toe nails painted and a nice sandal ready for my left foot. In fact, when the doctor came in after the X-ray today and said "It's healing nicely," I expected a "But... you still need to wear your boot for 8 months."

You can't imagine my joy and surprise when she announced I could part ways with das boot!

Of course, I still had to wear it back to work without my backup shoe with me. But tomorrow I can wear a matching pair of shoes for the first time since early July! Yipee!

An no, I'm not jumping into heels. The doc said that might take 6 months, seriously. But I don't ever wear heels anyway. Seriously. I do have to be sure I am in comfortable, not-too-snug shoes for awhile as it continues to heal.

I asked about walking and running and all that. And she's like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You haven't even been walking for six weeks. Don't start running out of the gate!" I know. I have to build back up to walking 10,000 steps a day without pain before I can think about starting my running routine all over – again.

And I still can wear the shoe/boot around the house instead of bare feet so I don't bend it out of proportion. Or god forbid, step in cat poop again.

I swear – no, I pinky swear – that one of us won't survive that again.

Cleansing My Sole

I have holes in my running shoes so I finally broke down and went to Shippy after work.

OK, to be honest, probably 80 percent of the miles on them are from walking. But still, I needed new ones. And still, I will call them "running shoes."

I have found that Shippy Shoes is the best place to get them because they make sure the shoe supports you in the correct manner based on your stride. I had tried a few different brands and found the Brooks Addiction line to work best for me. As in, good support and no injuries.

So getting new ones is easy. Just ask for the latest Addiction in my size and I can be in and out in 10 minutes ... and a Benjamin lighter.

Yup, proper shoes are expensive. But when I buy the cheaper ones at ShopKo, for example, I end up getting sore feet or calves or experience IT band issues. So it is the worth the investment for this old lady who does not need help in the area of adding aches and pains.

Of course, while I was in Stevens Point, I did a little other retail therapy – it's Friday, after all – but made sure I was home in time to break the new Brooks in... gently.

Only went for a 2-mile run and I am sure with these new shoes, I'll be ready for that 5K I signed up for next weekend.

What? They are RUNNING SHOES. They are gonna carry me, right?

I am sure I paid for that.

Different Treats for Different Feets

People going around saying today is National Ice Cream Day. I'm sitting here like, isn't that every day? Feel so bad for the misguided.

Contrary to it being ice cream day for me – any day that ends in "y" – I did not have frozen treats. Instead I slipped in to the new treat for my feet.

Yes, Carter wasn't the only one to splurge yesterday. I have been looking for some purple Converse for awhile. When one store at the mall had multiple colors and even dual-colored ones, I got excited. But no luck. Finally, I started following the Fashionita in to his stores and found these.

Nope. Not on sale. But when would I find them again??

The checkout boy wasn't thrilled I was getting them to show my purple pride for a team other than the one up the road from the mall. However, I charmed him into selling them to me anyway – for full price even – and he gave me them in a purple bag. Sort of a win.

Took them out of the box today to break them in.

Love.

Them.

Naturally, there was so much more to my day. But I worked a lot before a date (with hubby this time) and after. So I need to wrap that stuff up and get to bed so I am rested for my real job.

Plus I might just have to honor that national holiday before midnight.

Sole Sisters

You'd think it was National Girlfriends Day or something. Got to spend some time today with some soul sisters and sole sisters.

Had early morning core and strength class with my sweet sweat sisters Teri and Gwen. From there I went to book club at the coffee shop downtown, where Brenda, Sharon, Cindy and I covered two books (December and January) and had to represent for the other half of the club that wasn't able to make it this month. Always a very nice visit (and discussion, of course).

After heading home, showering and making myself a bit more presentable, Cindy and I went to Stevens Point on a sole sister mission for shoes.

Now this was not frivolous shopping. We are going snowshoeing tomorrow and I do not have any waterproof hiking-type boots to wear with mine. Fleet Farm was having a sale, so that was our first shop. Initially, Cindy was "just along for the ride," but it's safe to say that between the two of us, we tried on about a dozen pair. A good half hour later (at least), Cinderellas 1 and 2 walked out with new sturdy glass slippers.

Second stop was Shippy Shoes. I need new running shoes. I suspected as much and after some slight blistering the other day after a long run, I knew I shouldn't wait much longer. I told my sole sister, "Now watch, I will be in and out of this store in a fraction of the time and spend twice as much money."

Truth.

Just walked in, told them brand, model and size. Tried them on to "be sure" and was done. When runners find a shoe that works for them – giving them support and no pain – they tend to stick with that shoe! Once you're sole mates, you are bonded for life. Or at least a few years.

While Cindy did browse, she behaved and we got out of the place with only one box.

Do you think I tested out either pair of new shoes when I got home? Well, no. Had to watch some football playoffs I didn't care about and start reading next month's book club book. Since Carter was gone to Minneapolis to visit big brother Casey and Tony was out for the afternoon I could have knocked off some Hallmark movies still in the DVR queue.

That sounded like too much work. I think I was exhausted from all that sole searching.

I'll let you know tomorrow if it was worth it!

The X-Files

Thanks to the electronic age, there is not as much need to save paper materials for filing. Of course, you couldn't tell that by looking at my Scrap Cave / Office / Oh My God Room. But for the most part it is the norm at the office.

So what do I do with a tall 4-drawer filing cabinet next to my desk? Fill it with X files... not to be confused with the supernatural television show. It's all earthly, so far.

I kept the top drawer filled with empty folders I may fill some day. The second drawer is filled with my source of X-iliration...

I shouldn't say it is full. It just has a decent supply of K-Cups and Coke Zero. Yes, we have a Keurig AND a dorm-sized fridge in our department. Yes, I am spoiled at times.

The third drawer down is for X-citement...

No, this is not filled with booze or brownies from Colorado. As the self-proclaimed Birthday Fairy, I need a place to stash my crepe paper streamers and balloons. Don't worry, the treats I bring are fresh!

The bottom drawer, my latest addition, is for X-ercise...

Thanks to a screamin' deal at ShopKo last week, I now have a pair of running shoes at work. Granted, I will only use them for walking, but they are there for motivation. In fact, I have already used them twice! Now I just need to get some industrial odor eaters so the shoe smell doesn't rise up to the party or caffeine drawers.

That would be an X-tremely unfortunate event!

Senior Moment :: "The Last Time..."

Thanks to Rapids not having any sort of decent sporting goods store, I got to spend an evening with my boy as we searched for spikes for his cross country shoes.

I'll take whatever time I can get!

We ended up going to MC Sports in Plover first. They didn't have spikes there but they did have information you Rapids folks may be interested to know. They are opening a store in the former Staples building next year so it will be 3 times as big as the one in Plover. Too bad it's happening when my son will no longer need athletic equipment!

From there, we trekked up the highway to Dunham's Sports in Stevens Point. We got lucky there. As we were walking out, I was remarking that I was glad we found them so we didn't have go to Appleton or something. Carter said, "You realize this is the last time we have to buy spikes. It's the last time we'll have to buy lots of things..."

No, no, no. We aren't having this conversation!

Later, when we luckily got to stop at King Cone before it closed, he says, "I will really feel bad if I have a lactose-intolerant kid someday who couldn't go get ice cream with his grandma."

Oh my gosh. Stop. Let's not jump from last cross country season to empty nest to grandparenthood all in one night.

Thankfully, I had some of that yummy Carrot Cake Ice Cream to help me cope. At this rate, I'll be the one putting on the Freshman 15 before my little boy even gets a college acceptance letter!

Footprints :: Part Deux (or Duh)

We all know that famous poem called Footprints in the Sand or just Footprints. There are a variety of versions but they all have the same basic message: When we think we are walking alone through the tough times, the Lord is always there with us, actually carrying us.

Not to make light of the inspirational message, but here is the latest version of Footprints I came across.

One day Carter was walking along a running trail 
and noticed a odd set of single footprints in the gravel.

He said, 
"Lord, You said that once I decided to follow your pace,
You'd run with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my training,
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You most, You would leave me."

The Lord replied, 
"Oh Carter, my precious child, I love you and I would
never leave you. During your times of trial and
suffering, when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you... 
because, well, you were wearing two different sizes of shoes."






True story.

Can you believe Carter just noticed yesterday that one of his running shoes was size 11 and the other was size 12? Yup. That might explain his struggles this season. Probably not completely, but still, a contributing factor.




So tonight after supper it was an emergency trip to ShopKo where, of course the one time we NEED running shoes, they aren't on sale. Well, not enough anyway. But whatcha gonna do? Anything's worth a shot.

Can't leave everything up to God, can we??

Now we'll just see if this helps trim back time on the course or if it was just more cash down the teenage money pit. I'll keep you posted.

Sprung Forward

Who knew all we had to do is turn our clocks ahead an hour and spring would arrive? Had I known, I would have done this 3 months ago!

After some below-zero mornings last week, today was certainly a treat with its sunny skies and temps climbing to 45 degrees. Walka. Love it!

I managed to have a spring in my step despite losing an hour of sleep... which I really didn't "lose" since I slept in and skipped 8 a.m. church. I realized later, there was a reason God had me rest and go to the 10:30 service instead.

We think God works in mysterious ways but really, He knows His plan. We are just slow to figure it out sometimes. Today, He had two of us "8 o-clockers" break routine and go to the later service. Thanks to His design, we were both able to be there for a friend in need. A friend who hasn't been to church lately but chose today to go. Praise the Lord for his sense of timing.

I shed some tears after our girl huddle. I feel badly for my girlfriend and her current struggle but am so thankful she now has two more people praying for her. There is the positive.

With such a glorious day, that was the only downer. I went to the car wash after church and then did a little bridal shower shopping for one of my nieces. The shower isn't until the end of May, but I had some ideas. At my age, you ACT when you have the ideas because you may not remember them later!

Got home and threw open a few windows and commenced to some spring cleaning. "Some," I said. I didn't go overboard because I wanted to at least get outside.

You might say competition heats up around here when the temperature does... In the tug of war between Mr. Deck Chair and my new running kicks, how on earth did I let the shoes win?!

I don't know but it felt awesome to be back out on the road again. I could tell all my "cross training" has been helpful because I wasn't in pain or winded at all. Mind you, I only went 2 miles since it was the first run of 2015 and I was playing it smart. Still, I got out there. (And the news shoes from Santa feel great.)

For the record, 10 more degrees and Mr. Deck Chair would have won. Hands down.

We may get there yet this week. We'll see.

Speaking of springing forward... The darndest thing happened when I was busy at home changing the clocks last night. Carter waited for the girls hoops team to return on their bus in order to "team up" with #14, his friend Gracie.

Awww. So glad a friend captured the "prom-posal" for me! And glad the girls made it to state. While I knew about the poster and Plan A, I am not sure what Carter's Plan B would have been.

Guess it doesn't matter. If there's one thing I've learned today, things have a way of working out, don't they?

Predica-MINT

Well, shake my shamrocks! I've got a new item to add to my Mint Bucket List.

I'm so lucky to have a reliable Mint Network that always has my back. Now if I could just get them to exercise for me, too, so I can enjoy all these sweet suggestions!

Today, a few people posted the photo above about the new Grasshopper Mousse Pie Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I wish I had looked at the Mint Alerts before I left work since I ran errands and drove right past the DQ in Stevens Point.

Of course, that was right after I stopped at Shippy Shoes and bought a new pair of running shoes, courtesy of Santa. But my illogical logic is that I plan to run off the ice cream so why not stop? Next time.

And that's why my forward progress is baby steps. Like tiny little shamrock-lovin' leprechaun steps.

It's somewhat of a predica-MINT for a mint freak possessing no willpower. On the other hand, my new running shoes will be around for a long time now – and this minty mousse business is a li-mint-ed time offer.

You know how I thrive on deadlines.

Friday Funnies

The good news is that our boy is back in Deutschland. The bad news is that our boy is once again 5,000 miles away (or make that 8,045 kilometers).

Obviously, though, Lukas was not far from our thoughts today as we began an early version of "empty nest" syndrome. We have many fun and funny memories, though! Here's a few I don't think I've shared before...

Northwoods Dictionary: There are several versions of the English dictionary. Sort of. Let's just say we exposed Lukas to the Northwoods one. Two of his favorite words he learned were "Uff da" (thanks to me) and "redneck" (thanks to my nephew Eric's videos of all the stuff he randomly blows up – like old dryers and refrigerators!) Plus, seeing people driving pickup trucks was a new phenomenon altogether.

Hangin' with the Peeps: OK, not necessarily hanging out with new people (though that was fun), but taking care of the leftover Easter candy that won't fit in the suitcase. Logically, you just microwave your Peeps!

 Watching it grow!

After a sticky taste test Lukas said those would be good in s'mores. Now why haven't we thought of that? It's certainly an easy way to do indoor s'mores!

Chilling out: You may or may not have heard about the "Cold Water Challenges" that have gone viral around the Midwest – and now probably all the way to Germany. Basically, you are nominated to jump in a cold body of water. Quickly! And then you, in turn, nominate 3 people to do the same. You are supposed to either jump in or donate to charity or both, but I think kids are just doing it for fun. If that is what you call fun.

Carter, Lukas and some other brave souls looking a bit nervous before their plunge into Lake Wazeecha the other day.

Sole to Sole: Me thinks Lukas could give Imelda Marcos a run for her money. Remember her? She is remembered as a symbol of excess during her husband's twenty-year rule of the Philippines because of her collection of more than a thousand pairs of shoes. I know Lukas at least added 8 pair to his collection during his stay in America. But many are gifts, so we can't fault him for that.

Mountain ready for shipping! They may be lightweight, as Nike claims, but we didn't want to push it with the weight restrictions for luggage. So now these will go in a box with the Pop Tarts, Oreos and other essential items that didn't fit!

Danke: When someone sneezed at work today, I said, "Gesundheit!" Gotta stay fresh with my German. I don't know much more beyond gesundheit, danke (thanks) and wonderbar, but that should get me through any future conversations with our boy, since he speaks English so well. (Including uff da!)

Danke schön for the good time, Lukas!

Born to Shop

Remember when I told you one of Lukas' first requests was to get to a Nike store? Well apparently word traveled some 5,000 miles because we got this interesting sketch in the mail this week.

Turns out Lukas' 12-year-old brother Florian would like to get his hands, er feet, on a pair of those hard-to-get swooshes. So he traced his left foot so we could determine an American size. If you can't read German, it says: "Flo's left foot – for Nikes."

I got the biggest chuckle out of this! Of course now we just HAVE TO go shopping again.

Speaking of Metric / American conversions... We picked up the tuxes for both boys tonight. Amazingly, they fit perfectly so no alterations are needed. That's good news since the Grand March is a mere 72 hours away!

The prom plans seems to be coming together, falling or crashing into place, you get the picture.

Had to order the flowers – wrist corsages for the ladies and boutonnieres for the boys. Typically, you want the wrist corsage to match the girl's dress. Since the boys officially asked their dates on Sunday, there is not enough time to get cute here. I asked what color the dresses are and I got a "light blue sort of aqua" response.

Never count on a man to explain a color. There's a whole mess of names for colors in that palate of blue. When I did finally see the blurry texted picture, the one dress was clearly a mint green, not "aqua."

Needless, to say, I went with a generic white and silver corsage. It will match anything.

Next time maybe the girls should take a cue from Flo and draw a picture.

Needle in a Haystack

I wasn't going for the Mother of the Year Award when I offered to run a favor for Carter. I was just trying to be helpful.

Next time, maybe I'll know better. Maybe.

With the big sectional cross country meet approaching Thursday, he mentioned Monday that he needed some new spikes for his running shoes. (In case you are learning in CC 101 like me - cross country (CC) runners wear shoes that have little needle-like spikes in them to help them gain traction on the typically grassy and hilly terrain on race courses.)

At this point in the season, his spikes are a little worn down and he wanted replacements. Since I drive through Stevens Point on my way to and from work, I offered to stop at the "sports store" there and get them. He even gave me a sample spike to show them.

I stopped yesterday after work. The sales associate held up the spike to the containers of new ones and said they did not have that size -- the 1/4 inch -- left. She did suggest another store that I had planned to stop at today.

Plans changed.

I ended up taking the afternoon off to buzz over to the Fox Valley area to visit a friend in the hospital in Neenah. On my way home, I stopped at the Appleton mall where they have the biggest sports store in the area. Stopped in there and they had 1/4-inch spikes -- but in the Pyramid style, not the Needle style. (Are you keeping up in class, my CC students?)

They suggested I check the other sports and sport shoe stores in the mall. Stores no. 2, 3 and 4, did not have anything. So my 5th stop was back at the original store and I bought the Pyramid ones because I figured that was better than nothing. And really, I would only be out $4.99 if they were absolutely wrong. (Which, of course, they were!)

There was one other store in town that I had to find and check out. Found it, marking my 6th stop, and they had a few sizes of spikes, but not the Needle variety for 1/4. They had them for 1/8 and 3/8 but not 1/4. So I texted Jim and Carter and gave them the update. I was just about out of town when Carter replies, "That's OK, I needed the 3/8 anyway."

Are you kidding me? 3/8 not 1/4? I was looking for the wrong size -- based on the sales lady's statement and the fact Carter never corrected me when I said I would get his quarter-inch spikes. And here I just left the store that had them!!

This time, since I had now escalated my hopes to a nomination for Mother of the Year, I did turn around and went back to that last store, now my 7th stop of the afternoon. But thankfully, my last.

Now he has his correctly sized and shaped spikes for tomorrow's sectional showdown. All I can say is, he better set a new PR! (Remember, class, that's his Personal Record for finishing time.)

No pressure, though, since Mothers of the Year are always supportive no matter what. Right?

Thrifty Thursday

If you are wondering why Carter doesn't have any long pants any more it's because every time he has money, it burns a hole in his pocket.

 Not quite "literally," but close enough.

Today, hubby and I worked at the home office today. But I did have a side mission in mind over "lunch hour." Carter and I both need new running shoes. Cross country practice starts in 3 weeks and he better break in a new pair by then (which does require running, by the way, Carter). I have needed new ones for a few months and now really better break in a pair before my 10K in 5 weeks (which does require running, by the way, Robyn).

We had a short list of things to accomplish on our quick trip to Plover and Stevens Point. We first dropped our old TV from the basement off at Best Buy. If you didn't know this, they take old TVs (I think under 36 inches or something) and will recycle them for you. Free of charge. Beats paying $20-$30 to have a recycling company do it.

After that, we headed next door to MC Sports to see if there was a decent deal on running shoes for Carter. Of course, he naturally gravitates to the more expensive ones. But I talked him into a reasonable pair after he tried three different ones on. He should be set. And the sales guy assured me they would be fast!

From there, we headed up to Shippy Shoes in Stevens Point. They analyzed my running gait, etc, a few years ago and got me into some Brooks Addiction shoes. When I have veered off of that brand and gotten cheaper ones, etc., I end up getting IT Band issues and other running pains. I've learned my lesson. Now I just walk in and ask for the Brooks Addiction style in my size and we're good to go. I'm a way quicker shoe shopper than Carter. But that doesn't mean my shoes were cheaper!

When the hard stuff was done, we opted to stop for lunch and I decided, at that point, I would just take a half day off -- with the half occurring n the middle of the day. So we ate lunch at the DQ Chill and Grill or is it Grill and Chill? Either way, had food and I did not, for the record, have ice cream. See, I don't have it every day!

Will power and/or empty wallet will do that for you.

Got home and got some actual work done. Jim left at 4:30 to go to Marshfield for our nephew Colin's race. There was a lot of rain that delayed a few things but last I heard at this late hour, he was holding his own in the feature race.

Carter and I went to a potluck picnic with some friends. It was in a shelter so it could go on, rain or shine. Now this is where that willpower did NOT come into play. My meal was healthy. But I also had a "healthy helping" of scrumptious dessert.

Oh well, I'm pretty sure my running shoes will just burn calories by looking at them.

For what I paid for them, they should. Right?

Friday Frenzy

There seemed to be way too many things on the "to do" list today -- but they were all good.

Hubby and I worked from home today since we had to get Carter into the doctor for his sports physicals. On Fridays when we get out early for summer hours (3 p.m.), it's not worth driving over and getting there at 10 a.m. instead of 7:30.

Carter's physical went well. He found out he officially is 5'4" ... now 2 inches taller than Mom, not just 1. Yikes. He weighs a lot less than me, too! So he was cleared for high school sports.

I wanted to keep him on track with his running, so I figured today I'd join him. Yes, the rumors are true. I am coming out of retirement. I even signed up to do 2 races with friends in the coming 2 months. I know, what I am thinking? I guess Carter inspired me to pick it back up after a 2-month hiatus. I figure if he can start from scratch, so can I.

What I learned, though, is that someone 30 years younger than me can get out of the starting gates a heckuva lot quicker than I can. We went running together, just 2 miles. We first walked 5 minutes to warm up and loosen up. Then we took off. I told him I was just going to jog at an easy pace since it had been so long since I ran. I half expected he'd stick by me and complain of various aches and pains, as he has done in the past. But no, he took off and I ate his dust. I wisely keep my slow and steady pace and did manage 2 miles -- and managed to lose sight of Carter ahead of me.

When I turned into the driveway, he hits the stopwatch on his iPod and informs me he finished and WAITED for me for 4 minutes and 13 seconds. Nice. I am glad he is that competitive! While admittedly, it is a bit humbling, it is honestly refreshing versus the aforementioned whining. So maybe this will be a good thing for both of us.

Later this afternoon, I took him to Shippy Shoes in Stevens Point and we got our new "proper" running shoes. We also met up with his friend Harry from Amherst, who is spending the night here. They hadn't seen each other all summer so they are having fun.

At least we assume so. Part of our Friday schedule also included going out to eat with friends at Anchor Bay Bar & Grill on the Wisconsin River. There were 11 of us in all. After a great meal, 4 of us headed over to Hotel Mead in Rapids to listen to "Tunes on the Terrace." Between friendly visit and nice weather, it was quite the pleasant evening.

The only thing left on my "to do" list is checking to see what I missed in the Olympics today. Then get to bed!

TGIF!

Not Missing Much

I think I need to grow some roots and stay home more often.

But I can't deny it was good to get away in a secluded cabin and get 20 more pages done in my 2011 scrapbook. Plus, to hear hubby and Carter tell it, I "didn't miss much" of anything here at home.

It's an interesting dynamic when I am gone scrapbooking. I don't really get a chance to miss my guys but that's because they are never far away. Just about every page I am looking at their smiling faces or funny faces or handsome faces in photos. It's just like having them with me.

So I didn't feel too bad last night when I called home at 9 p.m. and said I'd be spending one more night in the wildnerness with 3 fellow scrappers. I did feel a bit guilty when I got home this morning and realized my "Saturday chores" went un-chored. My loving hubby got some laundry done, though, so that was a bonus! I still didn't get around to the rest yet, either.

After lunch, I had to take Carter shoe shopping so he could get basketball shoes and gym shoes. We went to MC Sports in Plover to get the hoops shoes, then circled back to Rapids and got other shoes at ShopKo. We stopped at the video store to rent Thor and then stopped at Wal-Mart for groceries.

Carter is a casual shopper. As in very casual pace! So we were gone 3+ hours, then spent almost 2 hours watching the movie -- so I guess that's 5 hours of quality time together.

Maybe I didn't miss much, but I missed plenty!

Kiss Me, I'm Irish (for Today)

I woke up with an Irishman in my bed. I kissed a young Irishman on the couch on my way to my first cup of coffee. So that makes me Irish by some sort of osmosis, right? At least for today.

We all wore some form of green -- Jim a Celtics shirt and sweatshirt, Carter a St. Patrick's Day t-shirt that said "Kiss me I'm Irish" (but he had no takers, allegedly), and me, just a generic green sweatshirt.

It was good enough to get me a cupcake with mint green frosting for an early morning snack and a doughnut with green sprinkles on it for a late-morning snack. It looked like I was on a mission to consume a whole lotta empty green calories, but I tapered off. A Shamrock Shake would have been the perfect ending of the day... but, of course, I didn't give it a second thought.

Today was also the first real action in the NCAA tournament. All 3 of us did a bracket for a work pool. I did mine in record time this morning just to get it in in time. Based on early games, it would appear I consulted a Blarney Stone for my picks. Yikes. I do not see a pot o' gold in the hands of this leprechaun after the Big Dance!

Since yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday, we stopped over there this evening to drop off her card and gift. She convinced us to have a bowl of her yummy beef soup -- much better than corned beef and cabbage, in my opinion.

After we left there, we stopped at ShopKo and I bought Carter his first pair of "real" running shoes! Now he doesn't have to log miles in his basketball shoes -- which were great for the vertical leap and fast breaks but not so good for the long haul (in my self-proclaimed expert opinion). So now he should be able to kick my butt sooner rather than later.

We got home just in time to meet up with the Schwan's man. I told him he better have an Andes Mint Pie in his truck. I knew he didn't. Those were so last season. I did let him know I've given up ice cream for Lent so he might as well not show up until after Easter! I don't think he has confidence in my willpower 'cause he said he'll be back in 2 weeks.

I can do this!

Tomorrow is just another normal, non-minty day. I'll still kiss a couple of Irishmen in the morning. I'll still put up with their blarney all day. But I'll probably just wear red.

Wheelin' & Dealin'

I got a hot tip around the campfire last night that my running shoes were on clearance this weekend over at MC Sports in Plover. So this morning, after Daddy left to golf with a neighbor and Carter got his 11 hours of sleep, the 2 of us headed east.

And I wasn't just looking for shoes.

For the past 2 summers, I have been wanting to get a new bicycle to replace my now 18-year-old hybrid bike. Yes, it still works. But I am not a fan of the hybrid style. The wheels are thin like the old school 10-speeds so they don't do well off-road. Not that I am mountain bike queen, but there is a nice path around the lake nearby that has a few areas unpaved that my current bike doesn't handle. It just fish tails like I'm about to hit the dirt. Not liking that. So I have been shopping around for the past month. Today I cleaned out the trunk before we left "just in case."

And I found a "case."

Robyn the deal-digging bargain shopper scored big today. Not only did I get my shoes half price, which is a very good deal, I test-rode and purchased a new "comfort" bike (with fatter wheels!), also on sale in the price range I was aiming for. So it was good.

Since Carter had birthday money burning a hole in his pocket, we went to Wal-Mart over there. He bought a battery charger thing for his Wii remotes and also bought another Wii game -- Sports Resort -- that looks pretty fun.

With today's high heat and humidity, Jim only golfed 9 holes. So after I got my accessories on my bike, we went to a graduation party for the son of one of his school mates. Of course, we saw a few other people we knew, too, and had a very nice time. Did I mention there was yummy cake with good frosting?? Yep, that was a high point, too!

Got home and it had cooled down to the mid 80s so I took the new bike out for a spin. Very comfortable! Good seat and I sit up straight more than the other bike so it doesn't bother my back. I think I'm gonna like it!

While I was out, the "boys" broke in the new Wii game. I don't mind seeing Carter work up a sweat. That means he moving at least. While they played, I plunked myself down on the couch to watch my Twins on Sunday Night Baseball. Got to cheer them onto a win -- which was almost as good as my deals of the day... but, really, it's hard to top good frosting!

Cat Nap

I am envious of my husband, my son and my cat because I have rarely been able to take naps. Unless I really, really need one.

I guess I needed one today.

Thanks to a loud engine revving in the neighborhood, I was awakened earlier than planned. Knowing my alarm was going off an hour later at 7 a.m., I didn't have any luck falling back to sleep.

I was at my next-door neighbor's at 7:30. She had a garage sale yesterday and today that sort of turned into a neighborhood sale. I put items on there that were already tagged -- leftovers from our babysitter's spring sale. I really didn't feel bad that I only pulled in a little over 20 bucks because I didn't slave away pricing things all week. Really no work involved except helping with setup and "minding the store" a few hours this morning.

Around 11:30, Carter, his friend Harry (who were both up at 7 as well) and I headed over to Plover to meet Harry's mom. It was a halfway point between us. He had his first football game today so his visit was cut short.

From there, Carter and I trekked up to Shippy Shoes in Stevens Point. I've been meaning to get new running shoes and their staff work with you to get the right pair for your type of foot and the style you walk and run. I had them "observe" Carter, too. Interesting we are both flat-footed and in need of some arch support. I bought shoes for me and inserts for Carter. That way he'll get the same support no matter which sport he's in (soccer, basketball, baseball).

I wanted to try out the new shoes when I got home but our lawn has seen a growth spurt with the rains this week. So I had to take care of mowing the front yard first. (Our wonderful neighbor Mike mowed the mole-moguled back yard.) By the time I got done then took a shower, I was spent.

I told Jim, "I could take a nap." He said, "Well, why don't you?" Of course my reply was, "I can't take naps!!"

But you know, if you give it a try -- actually don't try so hard -- it works. I laid on the bed and had myself a little catnap.

While I was doing that, Jim got some groceries and made supper! I could get used to that.

I felt like I was just waking up when we went next door for a campfire tonight. I don't expect my energy burst to last long, though. It's another crisp night. My blanket is on. And that alarm is staying off. It's time to snuggle in for a much longer nap!