I know I should have some inspirational year-end introspective retrospective, but I don't. It didn't feel like the end of a year to me today. It just seemed like a normal Saturday. Had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, spent some time at the indoor batting cage and did some grocery shopping. Just another Saturday.
Although I had intended to hit another area of the house on my de-cluttering campaign, I didn't get around to it. Too busy doing nothing, I guess.
Hubby and I went out on a New Year's Eve date of sorts. Went to The Branding Iron for dinner. I was nice and made Carter supper of his choice -- Chicken Alfredo -- before we went out. They don't take reservations at The Branding Iron, so we had over an hour wait. By chance, another couple shared our "waiting table." They were visiting from the Milwaukee area. Had never met them but managed to pass the time talking with them!
Had an awesome dinner. Jim had the prime rib and I had the stuffed shrimp. Goooood stuff. We were too full for dessert but I got a piece of cheesecake to go. I'm still too full for it.
Got home at 8:30 or so and the three of us played Tripoly until 11:30. That's a card game (sort of) that we always played when I was a kid, too. That was fun. And I'm not just saying that because I won. Though kind hubby did say, "It took all year but we finally found a game Momma could win." Oh yes, he's a smart alec alright.
We ended up watching the ball drop on TV at 11 p.m. and had our "shots" of eggnog then. Carter and I have to get up for 8 a.m. church because he has to acolyte. So we're not sure we'll make it to our midnight. I'll try, though.
Today, I asked some friends what they felt their greatest accomplishment was in 2011. Answers ran the gamut from staying employed to staying married -- with some new ventures in between. I said my greatest was doing the half-marathon. Right now I'm thinking it would be staying up until midnight!
Should have trained harder.
If I forget to tell you later, Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
A Walk in the Park
Today was a walk in the park compared to yesterday. No housework equals no flying appliances equals no injuries. Yay, me.
We actually had quite an enjoyable day on an Austin tour. Visited with the John Austins and Uncle Joe Austins in town, then headed up to Marshfield to see the Uncle Frank Austins. Who says you can't take a "Sunday Drive" on a Friday? It was very nice.
Since it was dark when we left our last stop in Marshfield, we were able to tour the holiday light extravaganza at Wildwood Park. Although we literally could have had that walk in the park today, we did the drive-thru.
Here is the entrance. Apparently, this grows and grows each year with more lights on more trees and more lighting displays. It was all accompanied by holiday music we could listen to in our cars, too.
Of course the purple tree was my favorite!!
See the dome in the distance? You might wonder if there are some Vikings fans creating this! (Oh just humor me.)
Most of my photos are blurry since the car was moving, but you get the general idea. Anything holiday related was illustrated with lights.
Patriotic symbols, too.
Not much snow on the ground around here but Frosty showed up.
The park is actually pretty close to a train track so this is cool.
What Carter thought was cool was the "movement" pictures. The blurring creates some funky lines. So I did a few on purpose to add art to his bedroom wall.
More purple. Of course.
He loves these funky lines.
And these psychedelic "birds" that forgot to fly south. It's all in the camera movement. And yes, I did print those out so he could hang them up. He has an eye for art even if he is color blind.
We actually had quite an enjoyable day on an Austin tour. Visited with the John Austins and Uncle Joe Austins in town, then headed up to Marshfield to see the Uncle Frank Austins. Who says you can't take a "Sunday Drive" on a Friday? It was very nice.
Since it was dark when we left our last stop in Marshfield, we were able to tour the holiday light extravaganza at Wildwood Park. Although we literally could have had that walk in the park today, we did the drive-thru.
Here is the entrance. Apparently, this grows and grows each year with more lights on more trees and more lighting displays. It was all accompanied by holiday music we could listen to in our cars, too.
Of course the purple tree was my favorite!!
See the dome in the distance? You might wonder if there are some Vikings fans creating this! (Oh just humor me.)
Most of my photos are blurry since the car was moving, but you get the general idea. Anything holiday related was illustrated with lights.
Patriotic symbols, too.
Not much snow on the ground around here but Frosty showed up.
The park is actually pretty close to a train track so this is cool.
What Carter thought was cool was the "movement" pictures. The blurring creates some funky lines. So I did a few on purpose to add art to his bedroom wall.
More purple. Of course.
He loves these funky lines.
And these psychedelic "birds" that forgot to fly south. It's all in the camera movement. And yes, I did print those out so he could hang them up. He has an eye for art even if he is color blind.I just like lights.
Versus seeing stars before passing out...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Dyson: 1, Robyn: 0
I somehow missed the warning label that housework can be hazardous to your health. Yet, in the back of my mind, I must have known that since I have been known to avoid it all costs. On occasion.
Today should have been one of those occasions.
Carter was going to have a friend over this morning so I wanted to get some quick dusting and vacuuming done first. I was just about done with both when I remembered there were some crumbs or something on the top step going down to the basement.
Now normally when I vacuum the steps, I have the Dyson situated at the bottom of the steps and work my way up with the long hose. Today, since I was just reaching down a step, I kept it up top. Not a dangerous situation until I decided to move down and do "just one more." That was my undoing.
I was standing about 4 steps down and pulled on the hose so I could face the second step at a good angle. In a split second, before I had any awareness to stop it, the whole vacuum cleaner fell down the steps, landing at a sharp angle on my head. Holy crap did that hurt!
I was holding my head, yelling "Ow, ow, ow" and amazingly now swearing, just clutching the top of my head and thinking, "That's gonna leave a mark!" The guys had to grab the vacuum cleaner and turn it off. I just couldn't let go of my head. When Jim asked what happened, I pulled my hands away to show him where I got hit and my hands were filled with blood. Oh crap.
He had Carter grab a towel quick, then wisely got me to the dining room so I wouldn't drip any more blood on the carpet. Rather than faint, I figured I better voluntarily lay on the floor. Jim went to get a pillow so I wouldn't have to lay on the hard floor, but the by the time he got back, the blood was spreading on the floor. That's about the time Carter wisely left the room and sat on the couch a bit.
I just could not believe the blood. Amazingly, I didn't faint either. It took awhile to sit up. I pressed a towel firmly on the area I assumed had the gash. It was hard to tell at first. I thought the whole top of my head had split open. But after awhile, we were able to determine it was only about an inch-long cut and Dr. Austin said it shouldn't require stitches. Good thing I'm hard-headed.
I kept a towel on there a good 2 hours before it completely stopped bleeding. I also had an ice pack on the back of my neck so I wouldn't faint. (I know all the tricks now.) When Jim and Carter returned with Carter's friend, they also brought me an Eggnog Shake. Just what the doctor ordered.
My loving husband rinsed the blood out of my hair (even though he typically likes redheads). And I was ordered to take it easy just long enough to sneak in a Hallmark movie (like that's a surprise).
When I felt normal enough, I decided I better tackle another cleaning/de-cluttering project. I spent about 3 hours in the basement in the area where all my gift bags, bows, wrapping paper, candles and crap are stored in some fashion. At one point, I had to make friends with my Dyson again (You know what they say: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer). I used it without further incident.
In fact, all was well until I was getting ready to go the Assumption girls basketball game this evening. When I slipped a sweatshirt over my head, I must have nicked the scab and my head started bleeding again. There was no way I was going to sit home. So I held a tissue to it for 3o minutes, got it to stop, then wore a baseball hat so no one would get grossed out. That worked.
Of course, it didn't prevent me from telling my story. Hey, I was just doing some public service. It's important people know the dangers of housekeeping. As my brother pointed out, getting attacked by a vacuum cleaner sucks! (Pun intended.)
Or it could be I would do just about anything for ice cream. Trust me when I say, this is not one of those things!
Be careful out there!
Today should have been one of those occasions.
Carter was going to have a friend over this morning so I wanted to get some quick dusting and vacuuming done first. I was just about done with both when I remembered there were some crumbs or something on the top step going down to the basement.
Now normally when I vacuum the steps, I have the Dyson situated at the bottom of the steps and work my way up with the long hose. Today, since I was just reaching down a step, I kept it up top. Not a dangerous situation until I decided to move down and do "just one more." That was my undoing.
I was standing about 4 steps down and pulled on the hose so I could face the second step at a good angle. In a split second, before I had any awareness to stop it, the whole vacuum cleaner fell down the steps, landing at a sharp angle on my head. Holy crap did that hurt!
I was holding my head, yelling "Ow, ow, ow" and amazingly now swearing, just clutching the top of my head and thinking, "That's gonna leave a mark!" The guys had to grab the vacuum cleaner and turn it off. I just couldn't let go of my head. When Jim asked what happened, I pulled my hands away to show him where I got hit and my hands were filled with blood. Oh crap.
He had Carter grab a towel quick, then wisely got me to the dining room so I wouldn't drip any more blood on the carpet. Rather than faint, I figured I better voluntarily lay on the floor. Jim went to get a pillow so I wouldn't have to lay on the hard floor, but the by the time he got back, the blood was spreading on the floor. That's about the time Carter wisely left the room and sat on the couch a bit.
I just could not believe the blood. Amazingly, I didn't faint either. It took awhile to sit up. I pressed a towel firmly on the area I assumed had the gash. It was hard to tell at first. I thought the whole top of my head had split open. But after awhile, we were able to determine it was only about an inch-long cut and Dr. Austin said it shouldn't require stitches. Good thing I'm hard-headed.
I kept a towel on there a good 2 hours before it completely stopped bleeding. I also had an ice pack on the back of my neck so I wouldn't faint. (I know all the tricks now.) When Jim and Carter returned with Carter's friend, they also brought me an Eggnog Shake. Just what the doctor ordered.
My loving husband rinsed the blood out of my hair (even though he typically likes redheads). And I was ordered to take it easy just long enough to sneak in a Hallmark movie (like that's a surprise).
When I felt normal enough, I decided I better tackle another cleaning/de-cluttering project. I spent about 3 hours in the basement in the area where all my gift bags, bows, wrapping paper, candles and crap are stored in some fashion. At one point, I had to make friends with my Dyson again (You know what they say: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer). I used it without further incident.
In fact, all was well until I was getting ready to go the Assumption girls basketball game this evening. When I slipped a sweatshirt over my head, I must have nicked the scab and my head started bleeding again. There was no way I was going to sit home. So I held a tissue to it for 3o minutes, got it to stop, then wore a baseball hat so no one would get grossed out. That worked.
Of course, it didn't prevent me from telling my story. Hey, I was just doing some public service. It's important people know the dangers of housekeeping. As my brother pointed out, getting attacked by a vacuum cleaner sucks! (Pun intended.)
Or it could be I would do just about anything for ice cream. Trust me when I say, this is not one of those things!
Be careful out there!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Weak Spot
I discovered something today that could be a matter of national security. I found our weak spot.
Don't tell any terrorist-in-training groups out there, but I found out how they can capture probably half the population in the U.S. It's basic brainwashing, really. And the vehicle to accomplish it: The Hallmark Channel.
Seriously, I was a victim myself today...
This morning I was back on task in the computer room. Around 11:20, I gave hubby a ride over to a local establishment so he could have "lunch" with the guys and not have to worry about driving home later.
I get back home and turn the Weather Channel on, just to see what the snow rumors are about. Then I flip it over to the Hallmark Channel and there is a Christmas movie in progress. Next thing I know, I'm snapping out of a trance-like state 90 minutes later. My eyeliner has run down my face. I'm surrounded by used Kleenex and an empty Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Tree wrapper.
What the heck just happened? There had to be an outside influence involved. It could easily have been terrorists... enabling my avoidance of cleaning.
Yep. I'll blame them. I know I certainly wasn't looking for a way out of it. Certainly not.
Good thing I was able to snap out of it, recover and finish that room. I was very proud of myself. I managed to clean out some files, too, shred a garbage bag's worth, plus -- and it's a big plus -- finally clear some photos off the computer so hopefully it won't run so sluggish. All this before my 4:30 chiropractor appointment, I might add.
While I was in the waiting room, it seems all the magazine covers were shouting out the "Get Organized" message. Yes, I'm getting the message. And it feels good. I can move on to a new room tomorrow.
Tonight, though, I'm just going to relax.
If you never hear from me again, you know I got sucked into the Hallmark Channel once and for all. Wish me luck!
Don't tell any terrorist-in-training groups out there, but I found out how they can capture probably half the population in the U.S. It's basic brainwashing, really. And the vehicle to accomplish it: The Hallmark Channel.
Seriously, I was a victim myself today...
This morning I was back on task in the computer room. Around 11:20, I gave hubby a ride over to a local establishment so he could have "lunch" with the guys and not have to worry about driving home later.
I get back home and turn the Weather Channel on, just to see what the snow rumors are about. Then I flip it over to the Hallmark Channel and there is a Christmas movie in progress. Next thing I know, I'm snapping out of a trance-like state 90 minutes later. My eyeliner has run down my face. I'm surrounded by used Kleenex and an empty Reese's Peanut Butter Christmas Tree wrapper.
What the heck just happened? There had to be an outside influence involved. It could easily have been terrorists... enabling my avoidance of cleaning.
Yep. I'll blame them. I know I certainly wasn't looking for a way out of it. Certainly not.
Good thing I was able to snap out of it, recover and finish that room. I was very proud of myself. I managed to clean out some files, too, shred a garbage bag's worth, plus -- and it's a big plus -- finally clear some photos off the computer so hopefully it won't run so sluggish. All this before my 4:30 chiropractor appointment, I might add.
While I was in the waiting room, it seems all the magazine covers were shouting out the "Get Organized" message. Yes, I'm getting the message. And it feels good. I can move on to a new room tomorrow.
Tonight, though, I'm just going to relax.
If you never hear from me again, you know I got sucked into the Hallmark Channel once and for all. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Deadline De-Cluttering
What's wrong this picture? Carter is up, dressed and off to breakfast with my friends while I face a day of cleaning.
Lucky.
Actually it was very nice for an old friend of ours to pick him up and take him to breakfast with the "guys" -- a retired (or close to retired) bunch who meet Tuesday mornings. Apparently they welcome the younger set on occasion since Carter met with approval. Apparently what they discuss must fall under some Gentleman's Code because he didn't share a peep. Only that he had fun.
Good for him. I really can't get distracted from my tasks at hand. Remember my New Year's resolution last year (and the year before and the year before) about de-cluttering? I figure I might as well attack that before new resolutions are required. Frankly, I could draw the name of a room (any room) out of a hat and go at it. But I decided to start with one of my "Oh my god" rooms... the office.
One good thing about our computer room is that in addition to two desks and two filing cabinets, there is a closet. So obviously there is a place for everything. It just has to get from Point A (usually the desk) to Point B (a file or drawer or box).
I realized today I couldn't start cleaning off the desk first because if something belonged in the closet, there was no perfect place for it there. It actually made the most sense to start with the closet. Then I could create those perfect places to store some of the items from the desk in an organized fashion. It's a domino effect of sorts.
The closet has 3 shelves plus space under the bottom one. The two top ones hold our family tree stuff (we each get our own shelf). The bottom two house office-type stuff -- batteries, light bulbs and boxes for every piece of software or digital product we've purchased in the past several years -- plus other items that don't have a logical home.
Cleaning and/or organizing it hadn't been done in ... forever. Ever actually. So that is how I spent my day. I did get a break to take Carter to the bowling alley and myself to the chiropractor (finally). He had a great time bowling (and says we should do that much more often). And I had a great time finally getting my back in order. I will do that much more often. I need return trips to the back-cracker tomorrow and Friday so I can be in tip-top shape for my return to work next week! Oh joy.
After our little break, I returned to the closet and, two full garbage bags later, have some semblance of order there. My big finds of the day were an old framed newsroom award for my "Patrick Swayze comes to town" story back in 1997 and some money in an old birthday card. I got excited when I recognized my mom's handwriting but then realized it was for hubby because she signed it "LeRoy and Marlys." (She would just sign mine "Dad and Mom".) Dang.
I gave hubby the money since, well, it's his. Plus he can use it. He and Carter bought a new baseball bat today. They already put it to use in the indoor batting cage tonight. I'll have to go watch next time. This time I had to stay on task.
I may be on vacation but I still have deadlines!
Lucky.
Actually it was very nice for an old friend of ours to pick him up and take him to breakfast with the "guys" -- a retired (or close to retired) bunch who meet Tuesday mornings. Apparently they welcome the younger set on occasion since Carter met with approval. Apparently what they discuss must fall under some Gentleman's Code because he didn't share a peep. Only that he had fun.
Good for him. I really can't get distracted from my tasks at hand. Remember my New Year's resolution last year (and the year before and the year before) about de-cluttering? I figure I might as well attack that before new resolutions are required. Frankly, I could draw the name of a room (any room) out of a hat and go at it. But I decided to start with one of my "Oh my god" rooms... the office.
One good thing about our computer room is that in addition to two desks and two filing cabinets, there is a closet. So obviously there is a place for everything. It just has to get from Point A (usually the desk) to Point B (a file or drawer or box).
I realized today I couldn't start cleaning off the desk first because if something belonged in the closet, there was no perfect place for it there. It actually made the most sense to start with the closet. Then I could create those perfect places to store some of the items from the desk in an organized fashion. It's a domino effect of sorts.
The closet has 3 shelves plus space under the bottom one. The two top ones hold our family tree stuff (we each get our own shelf). The bottom two house office-type stuff -- batteries, light bulbs and boxes for every piece of software or digital product we've purchased in the past several years -- plus other items that don't have a logical home.
Cleaning and/or organizing it hadn't been done in ... forever. Ever actually. So that is how I spent my day. I did get a break to take Carter to the bowling alley and myself to the chiropractor (finally). He had a great time bowling (and says we should do that much more often). And I had a great time finally getting my back in order. I will do that much more often. I need return trips to the back-cracker tomorrow and Friday so I can be in tip-top shape for my return to work next week! Oh joy.
After our little break, I returned to the closet and, two full garbage bags later, have some semblance of order there. My big finds of the day were an old framed newsroom award for my "Patrick Swayze comes to town" story back in 1997 and some money in an old birthday card. I got excited when I recognized my mom's handwriting but then realized it was for hubby because she signed it "LeRoy and Marlys." (She would just sign mine "Dad and Mom".) Dang.
I gave hubby the money since, well, it's his. Plus he can use it. He and Carter bought a new baseball bat today. They already put it to use in the indoor batting cage tonight. I'll have to go watch next time. This time I had to stay on task.
I may be on vacation but I still have deadlines!
Monday, December 26, 2011
On the Second Day of Christmas...
...My true love gave to me: Two Dove chocolates...
Oh c'mon, that's way better than Turtle Doves. Unless it's turtle-flavored Dove chocolates. And I mean the good kind of turtle with caramel and pecans.
Yes, I have sweets on the brain. Finally started to dig into the stockpile of Christmas cookies today. I figure we might as well enjoy vacation -- and our treats -- and let January's weigh-in slap us in the face like it always does. Hopefully by then I can actually exercise, too!
Woke up with my lovely back hurting again. Thankfully my chiropractor will finally be back in the office tomorrow. I am looking forward to it and hope it helps. Otherwise I'll have to figure something else out. And I don't know what that is.
Did not get in any exercise of any form, but did get the Christmas presents put away, some laundry done and some grocery shopping. Why did I not remember this is the third-busiest shopping day of the year? Uffda, for people!
I did not have any Christmas items on my list, but I followed the Wal-Mart crowd right to the holiday clearance items. They still had red and green M&M's so I got some of those and made some more pretzel treats when I got home.
Here's your super easy treat recipe for the day:
While I was slaving away in the kitchen, hubby was trying to run errands (most places were closed) and Carter was doing some organizing in the basement. That's what I intended to do but didn't get that far on my list. Now I can see what retired people are talking about when they say they didn't have time to get anything done all day! Where does the day go?
Carter must have used up most of his free time on his new keyboard. He has now taught himself Mary Had a Little Lamb. And tonight asked for some blank sheet music so he could compose a song. Seriously. That's quite a jump but his new "song" sounds kind of cool.
It wasn't quite ready for an audience tonight but we did entertain Jim's parents after supper with our beautiful Christmas tree and our HD TV. I think they are in the market but my mother-in-law gets paranoid when there is a new remote to learn.
I know how she feels. But I am bound and determined to learn how to work ours this week. I can now find the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. Did you know they did a remake of Ice Castles? I discovered that right about the time I was thinking about cleaning or organizing or something...
Good thing I get another chance tomorrow -- when my true love gives me 3 French toasts or something.
Oh c'mon, that's way better than Turtle Doves. Unless it's turtle-flavored Dove chocolates. And I mean the good kind of turtle with caramel and pecans.
Yes, I have sweets on the brain. Finally started to dig into the stockpile of Christmas cookies today. I figure we might as well enjoy vacation -- and our treats -- and let January's weigh-in slap us in the face like it always does. Hopefully by then I can actually exercise, too!
Woke up with my lovely back hurting again. Thankfully my chiropractor will finally be back in the office tomorrow. I am looking forward to it and hope it helps. Otherwise I'll have to figure something else out. And I don't know what that is.
Did not get in any exercise of any form, but did get the Christmas presents put away, some laundry done and some grocery shopping. Why did I not remember this is the third-busiest shopping day of the year? Uffda, for people!
I did not have any Christmas items on my list, but I followed the Wal-Mart crowd right to the holiday clearance items. They still had red and green M&M's so I got some of those and made some more pretzel treats when I got home.
Here's your super easy treat recipe for the day:
- Lay out round pretzels on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. You can fit like 60 on a pan.
- Place a Hugs Chocolate Kiss in the center of each pretzel.
- Bake in 275-degree oven for 3-5 minutes.
- Take out of oven and immediately place a red or green M&M in the center of each and gently press down. The Kiss spreads out to fill the pretzel.
- Chill to get it firm, then store in fridge.
While I was slaving away in the kitchen, hubby was trying to run errands (most places were closed) and Carter was doing some organizing in the basement. That's what I intended to do but didn't get that far on my list. Now I can see what retired people are talking about when they say they didn't have time to get anything done all day! Where does the day go?
Carter must have used up most of his free time on his new keyboard. He has now taught himself Mary Had a Little Lamb. And tonight asked for some blank sheet music so he could compose a song. Seriously. That's quite a jump but his new "song" sounds kind of cool.
It wasn't quite ready for an audience tonight but we did entertain Jim's parents after supper with our beautiful Christmas tree and our HD TV. I think they are in the market but my mother-in-law gets paranoid when there is a new remote to learn.
I know how she feels. But I am bound and determined to learn how to work ours this week. I can now find the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. Did you know they did a remake of Ice Castles? I discovered that right about the time I was thinking about cleaning or organizing or something...
Good thing I get another chance tomorrow -- when my true love gives me 3 French toasts or something.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Quite predictably, my last Christmas carol blog is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" because, well, we do wish you a merry one.
I have enjoyed my self-inflicted December challenge to relate my blog to a Christmas carol. I realized there are actually dozens and dozens of carols I didn't even touch. I also realize there are a lot of ways to prepare for and anticipate Christmas. Everything we do in December seems to link to this important holiday. I like that.
I do hope you had a good Christmas and found many blessings to appreciate. I was very pleased to wake up and make breakfast (cinnamon french toast) for my 4 Austin "boys." The five of us have not been together as a family in ages. That was very special to me.
Though, of course, I also appreciated the new Twins sweatshirt, Twins hats, Twins sunglasses... I think the North Pole might just be located in Minnesota!!
We had a few gifts to open this morning. Hubby spoiled me with the aforementioned items and some appropriates signs to hang around the house ("Dull Women Have Immaculate Homes"). I surprised Jim with a few things including a very cool UW-Whitewater sweatshirt. The big boys helped pick theirs out ahead of time so there were no surprises there.
Carter knew what clothes he was getting because we had that shopping excursion in Eau Claire Thanksgiving weekend. But he didn't know about a few other treats like a Vikings hat, Adrian Peterson t-shirt, movies and a keyboard. Carter does not know how to play the piano but he is willing to teach himself on an electronic keyboard. This one has a jack to send all the sound to earphones so everybody wins.
Even the cat got her annual fix of catnip in her stocking!
After gift opening, we lounged around the TV switching between Celtics basketball and John Wayne movies. The big boys left this afternoon and we didn't make our way too far from the couch the rest of the day! Thanks to a Christmas miracle, my back was not in pain today. So I attempted to go out for a walk because the temps were in the high 30s. Sounds mild. But the winds were 20-30 mph so I only made it a mile.
Got home, warmed up and was back on the couch. We did play some games and there were no Christmas miracles happening there. Daddy kicked our butts in Monopoly and cards. I might have him beat in the couch potato category. We'll see. There's a lot more Christmas vacationing to do yet.
Just like Jesus' birthday, this is only the beginning!
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Quite predictably, my last Christmas carol blog is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" because, well, we do wish you a merry one.
I have enjoyed my self-inflicted December challenge to relate my blog to a Christmas carol. I realized there are actually dozens and dozens of carols I didn't even touch. I also realize there are a lot of ways to prepare for and anticipate Christmas. Everything we do in December seems to link to this important holiday. I like that.
I do hope you had a good Christmas and found many blessings to appreciate. I was very pleased to wake up and make breakfast (cinnamon french toast) for my 4 Austin "boys." The five of us have not been together as a family in ages. That was very special to me.
Though, of course, I also appreciated the new Twins sweatshirt, Twins hats, Twins sunglasses... I think the North Pole might just be located in Minnesota!!
We had a few gifts to open this morning. Hubby spoiled me with the aforementioned items and some appropriates signs to hang around the house ("Dull Women Have Immaculate Homes"). I surprised Jim with a few things including a very cool UW-Whitewater sweatshirt. The big boys helped pick theirs out ahead of time so there were no surprises there.
Carter knew what clothes he was getting because we had that shopping excursion in Eau Claire Thanksgiving weekend. But he didn't know about a few other treats like a Vikings hat, Adrian Peterson t-shirt, movies and a keyboard. Carter does not know how to play the piano but he is willing to teach himself on an electronic keyboard. This one has a jack to send all the sound to earphones so everybody wins.
Even the cat got her annual fix of catnip in her stocking!
After gift opening, we lounged around the TV switching between Celtics basketball and John Wayne movies. The big boys left this afternoon and we didn't make our way too far from the couch the rest of the day! Thanks to a Christmas miracle, my back was not in pain today. So I attempted to go out for a walk because the temps were in the high 30s. Sounds mild. But the winds were 20-30 mph so I only made it a mile.
Got home, warmed up and was back on the couch. We did play some games and there were no Christmas miracles happening there. Daddy kicked our butts in Monopoly and cards. I might have him beat in the couch potato category. We'll see. There's a lot more Christmas vacationing to do yet.
Just like Jesus' birthday, this is only the beginning!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Here Comes Santa Claus
Bells are ringin', children singin',
All is merry and bright.
So hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
You know what's ironic about this Christmas carol? There are very few that combine the actual religious holiday (which is why we celebrate to begin with) and the secular Santa. "Hang your stockings and say your prayers"? Hmm.
When you think about it, we do combine both every year. Most of us go to a church service sometime Christmas Eve and then later hang stockings in anticipation of Santa's visit. In the morning, we open Santa presents and hopefully remember to say "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Hopefully.
Our Christmas Eve day followed the typical schedule today. Sort of.
Carter and I went to 1 o'clock service this afternoon. Guess who almost fainted in church?? Nope, not Carter this time. Me. We weren't even done with the first verse of the first song, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and I was seeing stars (not the kind in the clear sky) and had to abruptly sit down.
I put my head down and tried not to draw attention to myself. I was just trying to breathe and not pass out. My most immediate concern was that I had to do the scripture readings in about 2 minutes. I looked at Carter and said, "You're gonna have to read for me." Well nothing like making him want to faint. "What? No, Mom, I can't!"
So I manage to walk to the back of the church and get to the restroom to get some cool water on my face and neck. I do not know how I did it, but I managed to walk back in, go up front and do the readings and get back to my seat -- all while completely conscious. I sat through the sermon and then we exited to the sanctuary, sat there a few minutes 'til we could give our offering, then headed outside. The cold air felt wonderful but I still didn't feel right. We stopped at Burger King and I sent Carter in to get me something to drink, then drove home with the windows cranked down so the cold air would rejuvenate me. It helped a little.
I laid down on the couch about an hour before we had to head back into town to Jim's parents. It took several hours before I felt right again. We had a good meal, but I didn't enjoy it to the fullest. Later, when we were opening gifts, I finally felt better, almost normal. Yikes. And here I thought my sore back was my problem this week. It sucks getting old.
We did have a nice time with in-laws. Jim's sister and brother-in-law were there with our nephew Colin along with the 3 Austin boys and us.
Now we've got 4 Austin "men" sitting out in the living room watching A Christmas Story to get in the holiday mood. At some point they'll get to bed so Santa can visit. Like the song says, I will hang my stocking with the others and I'll say my prayers.
Hopefully, come morning, there'll be an extra dose of Health in mine. That, for me, would be the perfect gift!
All is merry and bright.
So hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
You know what's ironic about this Christmas carol? There are very few that combine the actual religious holiday (which is why we celebrate to begin with) and the secular Santa. "Hang your stockings and say your prayers"? Hmm.
When you think about it, we do combine both every year. Most of us go to a church service sometime Christmas Eve and then later hang stockings in anticipation of Santa's visit. In the morning, we open Santa presents and hopefully remember to say "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Hopefully.
Our Christmas Eve day followed the typical schedule today. Sort of.
Carter and I went to 1 o'clock service this afternoon. Guess who almost fainted in church?? Nope, not Carter this time. Me. We weren't even done with the first verse of the first song, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and I was seeing stars (not the kind in the clear sky) and had to abruptly sit down.
I put my head down and tried not to draw attention to myself. I was just trying to breathe and not pass out. My most immediate concern was that I had to do the scripture readings in about 2 minutes. I looked at Carter and said, "You're gonna have to read for me." Well nothing like making him want to faint. "What? No, Mom, I can't!"
So I manage to walk to the back of the church and get to the restroom to get some cool water on my face and neck. I do not know how I did it, but I managed to walk back in, go up front and do the readings and get back to my seat -- all while completely conscious. I sat through the sermon and then we exited to the sanctuary, sat there a few minutes 'til we could give our offering, then headed outside. The cold air felt wonderful but I still didn't feel right. We stopped at Burger King and I sent Carter in to get me something to drink, then drove home with the windows cranked down so the cold air would rejuvenate me. It helped a little.
I laid down on the couch about an hour before we had to head back into town to Jim's parents. It took several hours before I felt right again. We had a good meal, but I didn't enjoy it to the fullest. Later, when we were opening gifts, I finally felt better, almost normal. Yikes. And here I thought my sore back was my problem this week. It sucks getting old.
We did have a nice time with in-laws. Jim's sister and brother-in-law were there with our nephew Colin along with the 3 Austin boys and us.
Now we've got 4 Austin "men" sitting out in the living room watching A Christmas Story to get in the holiday mood. At some point they'll get to bed so Santa can visit. Like the song says, I will hang my stocking with the others and I'll say my prayers.
Hopefully, come morning, there'll be an extra dose of Health in mine. That, for me, would be the perfect gift!
Friday, December 23, 2011
White Christmas
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
Up until today, there'd been much concern in the Midwest about the lack of a white Christmas. Personally, as someone who commutes 90 miles a day (round trip), I don't mind a green or brown Christmas as long as the roads stay clear.
Apparently enough people wished for a white Christmas, though. And it came true today. (Not much but enough to last 48 hours to Christmas.) I'll admit it does make the tree tops glisten and all that nonsense, but I'm only saying that because we are on vacation with no place further than 7 or 8 miles to go.
For our first day "off," it was a busy one. Carter and fellow 8th-graders were wrapping presents at the mall to raise money for charity. He had to report for duty at 8:45 a.m. so there was no sleeping in. Hubby was up early, too, and gone for much of the day helping set up an indoor batting cage.
While Carter did his wrapping gig, I did some grocery shopping. The crowds were unreal. I guess everyone really does wait for the last minute to shop. The cool thing was that between the mall and Wal-Mart, I ran into at least 4 friends I haven't seen in awhile. So it was a good thing that 4 out of 5 people had the day off today.
Spent the afternoon making my grape salad for Christmas Eve dinner and doing some light housework. My back is feeling much better than Monday but I didn't want to push it.
We did finally get in some true relaxation tonight when we met our friends Mike, Christine and Nate out for dinner at Anchor Bay. Had good food and a nice visit back at our place afterwards. All these cookies I could have offered but I was too full to even think about food! Will have to do more entertaining, I guess. I certainly don't want or need to eat them all myself.
Will have to reiterate to Santa (since I didn't use up my wish on the white stuff) that I want a fat bank account and a slim body for Christmas. He accidentally switched those two around last year.
I still believe.
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
Up until today, there'd been much concern in the Midwest about the lack of a white Christmas. Personally, as someone who commutes 90 miles a day (round trip), I don't mind a green or brown Christmas as long as the roads stay clear.
Apparently enough people wished for a white Christmas, though. And it came true today. (Not much but enough to last 48 hours to Christmas.) I'll admit it does make the tree tops glisten and all that nonsense, but I'm only saying that because we are on vacation with no place further than 7 or 8 miles to go.
For our first day "off," it was a busy one. Carter and fellow 8th-graders were wrapping presents at the mall to raise money for charity. He had to report for duty at 8:45 a.m. so there was no sleeping in. Hubby was up early, too, and gone for much of the day helping set up an indoor batting cage.
While Carter did his wrapping gig, I did some grocery shopping. The crowds were unreal. I guess everyone really does wait for the last minute to shop. The cool thing was that between the mall and Wal-Mart, I ran into at least 4 friends I haven't seen in awhile. So it was a good thing that 4 out of 5 people had the day off today.
Spent the afternoon making my grape salad for Christmas Eve dinner and doing some light housework. My back is feeling much better than Monday but I didn't want to push it.
We did finally get in some true relaxation tonight when we met our friends Mike, Christine and Nate out for dinner at Anchor Bay. Had good food and a nice visit back at our place afterwards. All these cookies I could have offered but I was too full to even think about food! Will have to do more entertaining, I guess. I certainly don't want or need to eat them all myself.
Will have to reiterate to Santa (since I didn't use up my wish on the white stuff) that I want a fat bank account and a slim body for Christmas. He accidentally switched those two around last year.
I still believe.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Have you ever wondered who a dentist goes to see when he has a toothache? What about a priest who has something to confess? How about a chiropractor whose back goes out?
Oh yes, the week keeps getting better. My poor chiropractor now has back issues of his own so he had to cancel his appointments for the rest of the week. He's lucky my back feels a little bit better. Mainly due to some pharmaceutical help, but also thanks to a blessedly short work day.
Our company gave us Friday and Monday off for the Christmas holiday, then decided to throw in this afternoon, too. We could check out for the weekend at noon. Good plan but I had some things I needed to wrap up so I wouldn't have to work during my 11-day absence from the office.
That's right. My desk chair gets a break from me until January 3rd! Whoo-hoo! C'mon ring those bells!!
Carter and I did ring bells again this evening. This time, he stayed with me the full 2 hours. I know he was bored but I reminded him of how lucky he is -- and what a good cause we are supporting. "I know, Mom," he says, but still gives that very audible teenage sigh. You know the one -- where he makes it sound like we just asked him to walk barefoot across a field of broken glass. Anything that doesn't involve couch time seems to be torture these days!
I have a feeling that's not going to change much in the next 11 days. Hopefully, I'll be a little guilty of that, too!
I was in a lot of pain tonight during that 120 minutes. Not just my back but my legs, too. I really think some time in the hot tub is in order. Then some decent rest to start off vacation.
The alarm clock is not invited to this party. If we want noise, we'll ring some bells! Or sing a carol or two...
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Silver Bells
City sidewalks busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear
Silver bells silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day
Not only did we hear Silver Bells tonight, we got to ring them! (Well, red ones anyway.) Carter and I put on our Santa hats and did our annual bell-ringing stint for the Salvation Army.
When they called this year to have me sign up, the only time that coordinated in their schedule and ours was tonight and tomorrow night. Little did I know it would be the worse possible week for me to stand 2 hours at a time (lucky there's a bench there) and that Carter would have to ditch me after an hour so he could go caroling with the confirmation kids.
I still enjoyed having him with me for the first hour. It helps pass the time and people are always more willing to give when there's a kid ringing the bell. That's just how it works. We did pick the same store as last year because we don't have to stand completely outside, the shoppers are relatively nice and the guy who runs the store is an old friend of Jim's.
Despite the downturn in the economy, I observed that people still will give to someone who is even more in need. Whether it's the 50-dollar bill we saw one gentleman slip in (wow) or the 50 cents in nickels and pennies someone else dropped in the Red Kettle... It all adds up and we thanked each donor with equal enthusiasm.
Even though the second hour dragged a bit with Carter gone, I was glad he preferred to go caroling and didn't use bell-ringing as an excuse to get out of it. They had quite a group of confirmation kids go -- and some adults from the church, too. They delivered cookies and sang at several area nursing homes.
I love that the Red Kettle slogan is "Doing the Most Good." With such a little effort, we were able to spread some cheer tonight and hopefully do some good for those in need.
Ring a ling hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day...
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev'ry street corner you'll hear
Silver bells silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day
Not only did we hear Silver Bells tonight, we got to ring them! (Well, red ones anyway.) Carter and I put on our Santa hats and did our annual bell-ringing stint for the Salvation Army.When they called this year to have me sign up, the only time that coordinated in their schedule and ours was tonight and tomorrow night. Little did I know it would be the worse possible week for me to stand 2 hours at a time (lucky there's a bench there) and that Carter would have to ditch me after an hour so he could go caroling with the confirmation kids.
I still enjoyed having him with me for the first hour. It helps pass the time and people are always more willing to give when there's a kid ringing the bell. That's just how it works. We did pick the same store as last year because we don't have to stand completely outside, the shoppers are relatively nice and the guy who runs the store is an old friend of Jim's.
Despite the downturn in the economy, I observed that people still will give to someone who is even more in need. Whether it's the 50-dollar bill we saw one gentleman slip in (wow) or the 50 cents in nickels and pennies someone else dropped in the Red Kettle... It all adds up and we thanked each donor with equal enthusiasm.
Even though the second hour dragged a bit with Carter gone, I was glad he preferred to go caroling and didn't use bell-ringing as an excuse to get out of it. They had quite a group of confirmation kids go -- and some adults from the church, too. They delivered cookies and sang at several area nursing homes.
I love that the Red Kettle slogan is "Doing the Most Good." With such a little effort, we were able to spread some cheer tonight and hopefully do some good for those in need.
Ring a ling hear them singSoon it will be Christmas day...
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
...Oh, what a laugh it would have been,
If Daddy had only seen
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night!
When I was little, I didn't make the connection why Santa and Daddy couldn't be in the same room at the same time. I just thought it was a cute song about wayward mothers.
No, I didn't think that. Honest. I just thought it was cute.
These days I hear that song and I see Santa (a.k.a. Daddy) still gets all the credit for bringing joy (a.k.a. Gifts) on Christmas. From my experience and the experience of many of my friends, it is actually Mrs. Claus (a.k.a. Mommy) who is responsible for the lists, the shopping, the wrapping and subsequent delivery of joy (a.k.a. Exactly what you wanted).
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Usually.
I mean you know my opinion on shopping. I like making a list and getting what I want. And being done with it. Can't handle endless browsing (in crowds) for ideas and the "perfect" gift. I think that's why I like to get my shopping done and out of the way early. That way I can relax.
And help the guys who are waiting 'til now to figure out what to buy that special someone in their lives. Over time, I have helped my share of Mr. Clauses do this.
I remember an old copy editor at the newspaper wanted to buy a pretty sweater for his wife. It was Dec. 23 so he was running out of time and begged my help. He said, "You're about her size. Can you come with?" For someone who was 60, he probably should have had an idea by then what her size was, but I was happy to oblige. He took me out on dinner break and had me try on about 5 or 6 sweaters. I offered some opinions. He finally picked one and was thrilled to be done. His wife liked it, too.
Fast forward 10 years and I am in the same boat. Only this guy is on the ball because it's only Dec. 20, not the 23rd. His wife and I scrapbook together so he needed a little advice on where to find the gifts she hinted at a few weeks ago. He didn't know these particular items aren't sold in most scrapping stores. Had he asked me a few weeks ago when he got the major hint from his wife, it wouldn't have been a problem. Now, I found the items, ordered them online to get here by Saturday ... and had to pay an arm and a leg for shipping. (Well, he had to pay it.) But I think he's relieved to have his shopping done. And I know his wife will love her gift!
I'm wondering if maybe I could make a career out of this? In my free time (ha, ha) I could be a professional shopper. I know people hire these shoppers in the real world. People with money and no time.
I wouldn't dream of taking money just for helping out. I suppose if they insist, I could take payment in eggnog shakes or Peppermint Stick ice cream.
Then I'll let them get their credit on Christmas morning when the Mommies break out the mistletoe!
If Daddy had only seen
Mommy kissing Santa Claus last night!
When I was little, I didn't make the connection why Santa and Daddy couldn't be in the same room at the same time. I just thought it was a cute song about wayward mothers.
No, I didn't think that. Honest. I just thought it was cute.
These days I hear that song and I see Santa (a.k.a. Daddy) still gets all the credit for bringing joy (a.k.a. Gifts) on Christmas. From my experience and the experience of many of my friends, it is actually Mrs. Claus (a.k.a. Mommy) who is responsible for the lists, the shopping, the wrapping and subsequent delivery of joy (a.k.a. Exactly what you wanted).
Not that there's anything wrong with that. Usually.
I mean you know my opinion on shopping. I like making a list and getting what I want. And being done with it. Can't handle endless browsing (in crowds) for ideas and the "perfect" gift. I think that's why I like to get my shopping done and out of the way early. That way I can relax.
And help the guys who are waiting 'til now to figure out what to buy that special someone in their lives. Over time, I have helped my share of Mr. Clauses do this.
I remember an old copy editor at the newspaper wanted to buy a pretty sweater for his wife. It was Dec. 23 so he was running out of time and begged my help. He said, "You're about her size. Can you come with?" For someone who was 60, he probably should have had an idea by then what her size was, but I was happy to oblige. He took me out on dinner break and had me try on about 5 or 6 sweaters. I offered some opinions. He finally picked one and was thrilled to be done. His wife liked it, too.
Fast forward 10 years and I am in the same boat. Only this guy is on the ball because it's only Dec. 20, not the 23rd. His wife and I scrapbook together so he needed a little advice on where to find the gifts she hinted at a few weeks ago. He didn't know these particular items aren't sold in most scrapping stores. Had he asked me a few weeks ago when he got the major hint from his wife, it wouldn't have been a problem. Now, I found the items, ordered them online to get here by Saturday ... and had to pay an arm and a leg for shipping. (Well, he had to pay it.) But I think he's relieved to have his shopping done. And I know his wife will love her gift!
I'm wondering if maybe I could make a career out of this? In my free time (ha, ha) I could be a professional shopper. I know people hire these shoppers in the real world. People with money and no time.
I wouldn't dream of taking money just for helping out. I suppose if they insist, I could take payment in eggnog shakes or Peppermint Stick ice cream.
Then I'll let them get their credit on Christmas morning when the Mommies break out the mistletoe!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
... When we found her Christmas morning, at the scene of the attack, she had hoof-prints on her forehead, and incriminating Claus marks on her back. ...
I'm not sure if I got run over by a reindeer or a Mack truck... either way, I'm in the hurt box.
I should have known I was in for a strange day when the moon was shining brightly outside our bedroom window -- when I got up for work! I was thinking our clocks were wrong or something. But it's just late December and we're closing in the shortest day of the year.
To back track on my back... It was bothering me a bit last week but I did not get around to seeing my chiropractor. I just ran out of time and when I remembered to call, it was after hours. So Saturday morning, I was really feeling it. Then Saturday afternoon, after our 4-hour drive Up North, I was really, really feeling it. I had my big strong brother-in-law Steve lift me up and try to crack it, but it just didn't work. (It just got me giggling.)
Was fine enough yesterday and even when I woke up this morning. I got through breakfast, curling my hair and brushing my teeth... but as soon as I reached up to put a necklace on, my back went out. And when I say "out," I mean it suddenly felt like the wind was knocked out of me.
There are days I would definitely opt to stay home in bed. But this week, where I have to get 2 weeks of work done in 3 1/2 days, it really isn't an option.
Yet.
I managed to shuffle around at work, like a Grandma -- not necessarily one who got run over by a reindeer. I had a some moments of normalcy where I got work done... then moments that took my breath away... in a painful spasm kind of way. Dang.
Left work at 2 p.m. to get to a 3 p.m. chiropractor appointment. He had a field day. And will see me again in the morning. And probably the morning after that, too.
Was OK to go to Carter's basketball game. Couldn't get too excited, though, because those sudden movements were hell on my upper back and neck. So I quietly cheered when he had a few steals and even made a free throw. Yay. We still lost to Auburndale, 39-30. Dang again.
Carter was playing in Pep Band tonight for the varsity boys game. I really wanted to go but just had to get home and get on the ice. I had one detour through Wal-Mart to get some stocking stuffer treats before they're all gone. But that was it. Now I took some nighttime medicine for the pain and will be out like a light in no time.
Hopefully, I will not wake up with hoof-prints on my forehead. But I expect hubby will be calling me Grandma!
I have been known to drink to much eggnog...
I'm not sure if I got run over by a reindeer or a Mack truck... either way, I'm in the hurt box.
I should have known I was in for a strange day when the moon was shining brightly outside our bedroom window -- when I got up for work! I was thinking our clocks were wrong or something. But it's just late December and we're closing in the shortest day of the year.
To back track on my back... It was bothering me a bit last week but I did not get around to seeing my chiropractor. I just ran out of time and when I remembered to call, it was after hours. So Saturday morning, I was really feeling it. Then Saturday afternoon, after our 4-hour drive Up North, I was really, really feeling it. I had my big strong brother-in-law Steve lift me up and try to crack it, but it just didn't work. (It just got me giggling.)
Was fine enough yesterday and even when I woke up this morning. I got through breakfast, curling my hair and brushing my teeth... but as soon as I reached up to put a necklace on, my back went out. And when I say "out," I mean it suddenly felt like the wind was knocked out of me.
There are days I would definitely opt to stay home in bed. But this week, where I have to get 2 weeks of work done in 3 1/2 days, it really isn't an option.
Yet.
I managed to shuffle around at work, like a Grandma -- not necessarily one who got run over by a reindeer. I had a some moments of normalcy where I got work done... then moments that took my breath away... in a painful spasm kind of way. Dang.
Left work at 2 p.m. to get to a 3 p.m. chiropractor appointment. He had a field day. And will see me again in the morning. And probably the morning after that, too.
Was OK to go to Carter's basketball game. Couldn't get too excited, though, because those sudden movements were hell on my upper back and neck. So I quietly cheered when he had a few steals and even made a free throw. Yay. We still lost to Auburndale, 39-30. Dang again.
Carter was playing in Pep Band tonight for the varsity boys game. I really wanted to go but just had to get home and get on the ice. I had one detour through Wal-Mart to get some stocking stuffer treats before they're all gone. But that was it. Now I took some nighttime medicine for the pain and will be out like a light in no time.
Hopefully, I will not wake up with hoof-prints on my forehead. But I expect hubby will be calling me Grandma!
I have been known to drink to much eggnog...
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Come On, Ring Those Bells
Everybody likes to take a holiday
Everybody likes to take a rest
Spending time together with the family
Sharing lots of love and happiness
Come on, ring those bells,
Light the Christmas tree,
Jesus is the king
Born for you and me.
Come on, ring those bells,
Every-body say,
Jesus, we remember
This your birthday.
We were ringing bells and everything else this weekend to celebrate Christmas together as a family. We got to my sister Raylene's early in the afternoon. Her husband Steve had an appointment to play Santa at another gathering so Carter went with to be his helpful Elf. Love his picture!
The program was full of our usual mix of jovial tunes -- like an elf song by Renell's family -- to serious notes from Mom and Dad.
Dad was up and about like he wasn't on his death bed just 10 days before. He was his usual jovial self and even cleaned his plate at supper. Good boy!
Mom was very thankful for all the support from her wonderful kids, too.
My sister Rachel sang a beautiful solo and my brother Ron (above) learned to play the guitar since Thanksgiving just so he could play a Silent Night duet with his son David. Oh the talent in our family!
My twin sister had fun with Jingle Bell Rock and telling her horse to "Giddy up, jingle horse, pick up your feet..."
We sang Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law Rick, who turned 60 on Friday, and Romey shared some inspiring thoughts about second chances. Just like our father got a second chance on life last week, we all have second chances every day to do something good. Something different. Something better.
My nephew led us all in some sharing of "LeRoy-isms." Poor Grandpa. Of course, he knows we all love him. Now he knows some more reasons why! Ha.
The old game of PIT always gets heated.
And loud! That was played in the basement!
Carter got some gifts from his godparents and cousin. Casey shows off a musical Badger football.
After opening 3 boxes within boxes, Raylene was happy to see the final present -- a ticket to Broadway's Mamma Mia! We're going together in April when it comes to the Twin Cities. I am very excited!!
Everybody likes to take a rest
Spending time together with the family
Sharing lots of love and happiness
Come on, ring those bells,
Light the Christmas tree,
Jesus is the king
Born for you and me.
Come on, ring those bells,
Every-body say,
Jesus, we remember
This your birthday.
We were ringing bells and everything else this weekend to celebrate Christmas together as a family. We got to my sister Raylene's early in the afternoon. Her husband Steve had an appointment to play Santa at another gathering so Carter went with to be his helpful Elf. Love his picture!
The program was full of our usual mix of jovial tunes -- like an elf song by Renell's family -- to serious notes from Mom and Dad.
Dad was up and about like he wasn't on his death bed just 10 days before. He was his usual jovial self and even cleaned his plate at supper. Good boy!
Mom was very thankful for all the support from her wonderful kids, too.
My sister Rachel sang a beautiful solo and my brother Ron (above) learned to play the guitar since Thanksgiving just so he could play a Silent Night duet with his son David. Oh the talent in our family!
My twin sister had fun with Jingle Bell Rock and telling her horse to "Giddy up, jingle horse, pick up your feet..."
We sang Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law Rick, who turned 60 on Friday, and Romey shared some inspiring thoughts about second chances. Just like our father got a second chance on life last week, we all have second chances every day to do something good. Something different. Something better.
My nephew led us all in some sharing of "LeRoy-isms." Poor Grandpa. Of course, he knows we all love him. Now he knows some more reasons why! Ha.Oh, for our family's part of the program... we were inspired by Simon Cowell's musical talent in The X Factor and hosted a game show called The X-Mas Factor... where we pitted two random contestants from the audience against each other. Carter picked a keyword and they had to sing a song with that word -- at least 10 words of it to qualify. The winner's of big money (a large chocolate coin) were Mom (snow), RoAnn (child) and Raylene (reindeer). We had fun with that.
After a delicious meal, it was game time and present exchange time...
The old game of PIT always gets heated.
And loud! That was played in the basement!
Carter got some gifts from his godparents and cousin. Casey shows off a musical Badger football.
After opening 3 boxes within boxes, Raylene was happy to see the final present -- a ticket to Broadway's Mamma Mia! We're going together in April when it comes to the Twin Cities. I am very excited!!The Austins stayed overnight at Raylene's and hit the road by midmorning. We dropped off Casey in Eau Claire, then had an adventurous trip home. Jim drove Casey's car to Rapids and I followed with Carter in our CRV. Casey's car has been leaking oil so he is getting it fixed in Rapids. We pretty much had to stop every 15 miles to put in more oil. I'm not kidding. Nine, yes nine, quarts later and we were home.
Now to unpack the goodies!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Home for the Holidays
Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays you can't beat home, sweet home
We're hitting the road to go "home" for the holidays. Or at least part of the weekend.
My side of the family doesn't have a set day we celebrate. It depends on who is hosting and what most people can do. This year, my twin sister Raylene is the hostess with the mostest. So we're heading up to the Siren/Grantsburg area for a family, food, fun and more food.
The plan is to pick up Clay in town and then Casey in Eau Claire on our way through. I expect there'll be around 30 of us when all is said and done. (Most importantly, my dad will be there!) And everyone should be entertained in some way... between the program and any number of games going on. And no one -- absolutely no one -- will go away hungry.
The CRV is packed to the gills (if it had any) and my mission is to get everyone in our vehicle on board with our program piece. And get about 1 and 1/3 Christmas books read so I can give a bag of books to Raylene. The 4-hour drive will fly.
Then I'll be home, sweet home for the Hedberg Holiday.
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays you can't beat home, sweet home
We're hitting the road to go "home" for the holidays. Or at least part of the weekend.
My side of the family doesn't have a set day we celebrate. It depends on who is hosting and what most people can do. This year, my twin sister Raylene is the hostess with the mostest. So we're heading up to the Siren/Grantsburg area for a family, food, fun and more food.
The plan is to pick up Clay in town and then Casey in Eau Claire on our way through. I expect there'll be around 30 of us when all is said and done. (Most importantly, my dad will be there!) And everyone should be entertained in some way... between the program and any number of games going on. And no one -- absolutely no one -- will go away hungry.
The CRV is packed to the gills (if it had any) and my mission is to get everyone in our vehicle on board with our program piece. And get about 1 and 1/3 Christmas books read so I can give a bag of books to Raylene. The 4-hour drive will fly.
Then I'll be home, sweet home for the Hedberg Holiday.
Friday, December 16, 2011
It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in ev'ry store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door.
I am grateful hubby and I had today off. It seemed my list of things to do outnumbered my available hours to do them today. But somehow, here it is 8 o'clock at night and I have time to watch a Christmas movie!!
Well I'm sort of watching The Bishop's Wife -- an oldie but a goodie -- while packing. We have my family Christmas up north tomorrow so most of the day could have been considered "packing."
I got a few props made up for our part in the program. I got all the gifts we're bringing with wrapped up and ready. That's why it's beginning to look like Christmas in our house. A big pile presents! ... Which will be gone as soon as we pack the car, of course.
We also had lunch together at el Mezcal and did some shopping. I think we should revise the lyrics to say traffic and shoppers are "Ev'rywhere you go." What a zoo in town for a Friday afternoon when people are supposed to be working! Apparently, a bunch of slackers like we are.
As if I needed something extra to do, I decided to make some treats to bring tomorrow. I bought some of the new Chocolate Mint (of course) marshmallows. I thought, "Wouldn't those make tasty Rice Krispy treats?" Well, the marshmallows melted to an ugly grey color practically. So it looks like Cement Mixer treats instead! I told Carter, when all else fails, you just add frosting. So I did drizzle a bit with some red and green and sugar and they sort of look a little like Christmas. If you can get past the Cement, they are darn tasty!
I trust there'll be plenty of other options on the treat table tomorrow anyway. We are never short of sugar or smiles.
That's what makes Christmas look the best!
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in ev'ry store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door.
I am grateful hubby and I had today off. It seemed my list of things to do outnumbered my available hours to do them today. But somehow, here it is 8 o'clock at night and I have time to watch a Christmas movie!!
Well I'm sort of watching The Bishop's Wife -- an oldie but a goodie -- while packing. We have my family Christmas up north tomorrow so most of the day could have been considered "packing."
I got a few props made up for our part in the program. I got all the gifts we're bringing with wrapped up and ready. That's why it's beginning to look like Christmas in our house. A big pile presents! ... Which will be gone as soon as we pack the car, of course.
We also had lunch together at el Mezcal and did some shopping. I think we should revise the lyrics to say traffic and shoppers are "Ev'rywhere you go." What a zoo in town for a Friday afternoon when people are supposed to be working! Apparently, a bunch of slackers like we are.
As if I needed something extra to do, I decided to make some treats to bring tomorrow. I bought some of the new Chocolate Mint (of course) marshmallows. I thought, "Wouldn't those make tasty Rice Krispy treats?" Well, the marshmallows melted to an ugly grey color practically. So it looks like Cement Mixer treats instead! I told Carter, when all else fails, you just add frosting. So I did drizzle a bit with some red and green and sugar and they sort of look a little like Christmas. If you can get past the Cement, they are darn tasty!
I trust there'll be plenty of other options on the treat table tomorrow anyway. We are never short of sugar or smiles.
That's what makes Christmas look the best!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Here we are as in olden days... Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us... Gather near to us once more.
One of the many blessings of the Christmas season is seeing or hearing from friends -- "faithful" or otherwise.
As I get older, I don't really see myself as someone making a lot of new friends but I guess it just happens. You spend time with someone and you can't remember what life was like "before" them.
From my hair artist to my fellow basketball moms and some other "groups" in between -- not to mention Christmas cards from old friends and new-- I was basically surrounded by friends throughout my entire day.
What a neat feeling.
Hubby had the day off so he got to join some buddies for lunch. This particular group of guys are retired so they see each other all the time. On rare occasions, Jim gets to join them. He knows their "schedule." Glad he got the opportunity today.
Carter also got to see an "old" friend at basketball. Assumption played at Amherst -- a convenient stop on the way home from work -- so he was competing against Harry, his pal from many summers together at Kidz Camp in Iola. No matter who wins the game (Harry this time), I think they'll be friends for life.
That's pretty cool, too.
If you haven't given it much thought, take a moment to think of those "faithful friends who are dear to you" -- and let them know you treasure them in your life. As the song says, we just don't know how long they'll be around.
Through the years We all will be together, If the Fates allow...
Thanks, friends, for being an important part of my life!
Faithful friends who are dear to us... Gather near to us once more.
One of the many blessings of the Christmas season is seeing or hearing from friends -- "faithful" or otherwise.
As I get older, I don't really see myself as someone making a lot of new friends but I guess it just happens. You spend time with someone and you can't remember what life was like "before" them.
From my hair artist to my fellow basketball moms and some other "groups" in between -- not to mention Christmas cards from old friends and new-- I was basically surrounded by friends throughout my entire day.
What a neat feeling.
Hubby had the day off so he got to join some buddies for lunch. This particular group of guys are retired so they see each other all the time. On rare occasions, Jim gets to join them. He knows their "schedule." Glad he got the opportunity today.
Carter also got to see an "old" friend at basketball. Assumption played at Amherst -- a convenient stop on the way home from work -- so he was competing against Harry, his pal from many summers together at Kidz Camp in Iola. No matter who wins the game (Harry this time), I think they'll be friends for life.
That's pretty cool, too.
If you haven't given it much thought, take a moment to think of those "faithful friends who are dear to you" -- and let them know you treasure them in your life. As the song says, we just don't know how long they'll be around.
Through the years We all will be together, If the Fates allow...
Thanks, friends, for being an important part of my life!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
...Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say: "Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"...
We could have used Rudolph today to guide our Honda sleigh home from work!
It has been drizzly all day and the fog rolled in by mid-afternoon. Since it gets dark at 4:30-ish, not much of our drive time was in the daylight. I'm so grateful hubby was driving and he got us home safely. I can see why Santa thought Rudolph was a good idea.
Now the weird weather pattern continues. Not 2 minutes ago it was pouring rain... and lightning and thundering. Not joking. The forecasters say that after this un-seasonal part is done, we will have quite seasonal temperatures. As in blasted cold.
I am already nervous about the morning drive (Jim has off) if all this rain turns to ice. Scary.
I was happy to stay home bound tonight. Got my Scentsy orders divided up so I can deliver some good-smelling treats to people tomorrow. I also took some time to get some thoughts down on paper for our Hedberg family Christmas program this Saturday. I have been known to think it up on the drive up. But this one takes a little prep work. Sorry, it's top secret 'til Saturday. It's good, though (if I do say so myself).
Now I have just enough time to read a little bit of a Christmas book in my warm bed.
Rudolph, you can take the night off. We're not going anywhere. If it gets foggy indoors, I'll just use my new mini reading light from St. Lucia!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Santa Lucia
Nightly, go heavy hearts
Round farm and steading
On earth, where sun departs,
shadows are spreading.
Then on our darkest night,
Comes with her shining light
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Then on our darkest night,
Comes with her shining light
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
The 13th of December is the day that people in Scandinavia celebrate Lucia. Over the whole country, people arrange processions with a Lucia, her maids, starboys and small Father Christmases. As far as tradition goes, the oldest daughter in the house is supposed to wear a ring of candles on her head and parade through the house, serving breakfast to everyone.
We don't do that. I don't do that.
For one, due to the possible fire hazard associated with hair spray, I don't think candles on the head are a good idea. Secondly, when St. Lucia Day falls on a school day/work day, there is no time to whip together a breakfast for all. Unless they guys don't mind Pop Tarts in bed.
Who was the "real" Lucia? It a nutshell: This day got its name from Saint Lucia. She was a Catholic saint. She was a young Christian girl who lived in Syracuse on Sicily. That was during the time when Rome was in power. The Romans were not Christians yet. Because Lucia was a Christian, she got killed on the 13th of December in 304 A.D.
Sounds dark but they considered her the "queen of light" so that is what prompted candles. I didn't even celebrate/observe this holiday as a child but I wanted Carter to know something of his Scandinavian heritage, so I started playing the role of St. Lucy each Dec. 13.
And by playing the role, I merely mean I bought and wrapped some little gift for each person in the house (I love my new Christmas book and mini reading light, St. Lucy!). I also made sure we had something sweet -- real candy canes and the plastic ones filled with peanut butter cups -- since I didn't have time to make Lucia Buns. Oh yes, a person could really go all out for their heritage.
I pretty much stick to what comes easy and still marks me as a full-blooded Scandi-hoovian. Lutefisk is out of the question but I wouldn't turn down lefse (if someone else makes it) and certainly will take seconds on krumkaka. I just don't have time or ambition to make it.
I'm not the saint here.
Happy St. Lucia Day!
Round farm and steading
On earth, where sun departs,
shadows are spreading.
Then on our darkest night,
Comes with her shining light
Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!
Then on our darkest night,
Comes with her shining light
Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.
The 13th of December is the day that people in Scandinavia celebrate Lucia. Over the whole country, people arrange processions with a Lucia, her maids, starboys and small Father Christmases. As far as tradition goes, the oldest daughter in the house is supposed to wear a ring of candles on her head and parade through the house, serving breakfast to everyone.
We don't do that. I don't do that.
For one, due to the possible fire hazard associated with hair spray, I don't think candles on the head are a good idea. Secondly, when St. Lucia Day falls on a school day/work day, there is no time to whip together a breakfast for all. Unless they guys don't mind Pop Tarts in bed.
Who was the "real" Lucia? It a nutshell: This day got its name from Saint Lucia. She was a Catholic saint. She was a young Christian girl who lived in Syracuse on Sicily. That was during the time when Rome was in power. The Romans were not Christians yet. Because Lucia was a Christian, she got killed on the 13th of December in 304 A.D.
Sounds dark but they considered her the "queen of light" so that is what prompted candles. I didn't even celebrate/observe this holiday as a child but I wanted Carter to know something of his Scandinavian heritage, so I started playing the role of St. Lucy each Dec. 13.
And by playing the role, I merely mean I bought and wrapped some little gift for each person in the house (I love my new Christmas book and mini reading light, St. Lucy!). I also made sure we had something sweet -- real candy canes and the plastic ones filled with peanut butter cups -- since I didn't have time to make Lucia Buns. Oh yes, a person could really go all out for their heritage.
I pretty much stick to what comes easy and still marks me as a full-blooded Scandi-hoovian. Lutefisk is out of the question but I wouldn't turn down lefse (if someone else makes it) and certainly will take seconds on krumkaka. I just don't have time or ambition to make it.
I'm not the saint here.
Happy St. Lucia Day!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Christmas Cash
...Save the aggravation
Haven't I been waiting?
It's really you I'm thinking of
Why not keep it simple?
Why not give a little cash?
Money! (yeah)
~ Fred Figglehorn
Although I typically sing my Christmas carols -- not rap them -- I knew there was one about giving people money for Christmas to save the headaches of shopping. Not that I mind either.
Most of the time.
I just wanted to pick something up tonight so I had hubby take Carter to his basketball game with a plan to swing by Wal-Mart, pick it up and meet them there. My swing, however, was a strikeout. This one item I have seen a dozen times suddenly wasn't there anymore so I had to start re-thinking. That is always dangerous.
And much too time consuming.
With my cart still empty, I was lucky to make it to the game on time. But I did. And we got crushed. Pummeled. Totally schooled by two 3-point shooters from Pittsville. Carter did score again!! ("Mom, did you hear how loud everyone cheered when I made that?") So that is the silver lining in the 49-36 loss. Ouch. I know.
Since we were driving separately, I continued my shopping sojourn. I went straight to ShopKo and got thoroughly distracted. I should have gone for the easy thing I saw right when I walked in the door. But no. I had to putz around and browse. I am a terrible shopper. I like to know exactly what I'm getting and go and get it. I don't like to walk around and wait for an idea to come to me. Forty-five minutes later and that tactic did not play out well.
But I had some items in my cart. There's always something to buy, isn't there?
So there will be no gifts of cash.
I would have to have some myself first!!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Misfit Toys
We're on the Island of Misfit ToysHere we don't want to stayWe want to travel with Santa ClausIn his magic sleigh!
There's quite a shortage of Vikings fans this side of the border. So we don't get no respect. Probably don't deserve it this season either. So no one but the Austins get excited when the team almost has a record come-from-behind win. Or when our second QB of the game is the one who gave us his autograph at training camp -- and shook our hands.
Nope, no one.
I told my dad (who won't waiver to the dark side) that now that he is home from the hospital, he probably shouldn't do anything stressful like watch football today. There's nothing stressful about watching the Vikings because they aren't doing anything, he said early this afternoon. And there's nothing stressful about watching the Packers since they'll win. Oh father. So cruel yet so wise.
The Vikings were on TV today since the Pack played late. Since it was an incredibly mild day and we were down 21-zip, I decided to go for a run/walk. Did 3 miles and it felt like a spring day. Awesome. I was hoping when I got back home, the Vikings would have closed the gap at least to something like 28-21. Not happening. It turned out to be one heckuva game, though -- even if it didn't end like I hoped.
At some point, I had some goodies (same as yesterday but they worked today) to deliver to neighbors but I waited until we scored first. Didn't want to do a walk of shame in my Vikings pants. Just a walk of "Yes, I'm a loser, but am holding out hope."
I found that even if I am a Misfit, a Misfit bearing goodies still fits in... even off her island.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Home for the Holidays
Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays you can't beat home, sweet home
I guess the folks at the heart hospital have had enough of my dad. They kicked him out today and sent him on his merry way. That's great news. Now he will be home for the holidays!
It felt good to be home for some holiday-ing here today, too. I finally got some more decorations up -- inside and out. With the frigid temps, I got the garland and red bows placed on the front deck in record time. And the rest of the day seemed to fly by just as fast.
Hubby and I took a field trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries and check some more gifts off our list. I bought some ingredients for some Christmas treats for friends that unfortunately can only be described in two words: epic fail.
Seriously.
I was excited I found a tube of black decorating gel at Michaels yesterday so I could do those "I'm Melting!" snowmen again without having to cut up all those licorice arms and hands. Well the black gel did not end up being a "fine point" line so it looks like some big Black Widow spider is attacking the snowmen. Those will not be served as anyone's treats. So we'll get stuck eating the rejects.
I decided to fall back on one of Carter's favorites -- "pretzel doughnuts." That's what he's called them since he was 3. It is just round pretzels (you can only find at Christmas time) dipped in white almond bark and decorated with red and green sugar or sprinkles. We make a ton every year. Today something was not working right. I don't know if it was a bad package of bark or what, but they were not turning out at all. Just plain globby. So I still decorated them anyway and put them in a container. But those will not be served as anyone's treats either. So we'll get stuck eating those rejects, too.
I'm starting to see a pattern here.
Honestly, at least supper turned out. But I think the guys felt bad for me. They let me have the couch for 2 hours so I could watch a Christmas movie on Hallmark.
There's definitely no place like home for the holidays. Where the tree is pretty. The treats are ugly but tasty. And there's always a sappy, happy ending.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Baby, It's Cold Outside
I really can't stay Baby, it's cold outside
I've got to go away Baby, it's cold out there...
As Luck would have it, I was even further Up North for the coldest night of the winter (so far). I suspect it got below zero because at 9 a.m. my mom told me it was one degree out. One stinkin' degree.
My parents do not have a garage so I was amazed the CRV started on the first try. Yay. While that was warming up/defrosting, I helped my mom gather clothes and other important items (like a winter jacket) for my dad. We had high hopes he would come home today.
One of my sisters was picking Mom up to take her down to the Cities and would bring Dad back home later if that worked out. So I hit the road to Rapids. I had a few stops to make in Eau Claire plus a pitstop at the DQ in Osseo for a Candy Cane Blizzard. Baby, it might be cold outside, but it's never too cold for ice cream for this girl!
Got home before 3 p.m. so I just beat Carter home from school. Learned shortly after that that Dad would be staying one more night at the hospital. Apparently, the kidney issue worked itself out but they wanted to keep an eye on him one more night to make sure everything inside is operating smoothly. Good call.
I wanted some normalcy to my routine by that point, so we all went to a JV hoops game at Lincoln High School, where Jim's god daughter Becca played. She scored a few points, the team won, plus we had a nice visit with his aunt and uncle. After that, we went over to the Assumption boys varsity game. They had a nice win, too!
Now I am waiting for my blanket to warm up and am ready to fall asleep at the keyboard. Nothing like a few emotionally packed days to make you feel like you've been gone a week! But, as promised, here are a few pictures...
Here is our "Christmas Miracle"! On Wednesday, Dad looked like he was 100 years old. On Thursday, when I took this, he looked more like 90. Hopefully today he was back to his youthful 80-something self!
Here's Mom in her day as "Robyn." I told she as stylin'. Now I know what to get her for Christmas! Those sweatpants are awesome, especially when it's this cold outside.And baby, it really, really is cold outside!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Angels We Have Heard on High
Angels we have heard on high... Sweetly singing o'er the plains...
Do you believe in angels? I do. Sometimes we wonder if God is too busy. But I've realized on more than one occasion that if He is, He sends His angels to do His work and, well, they get the glory.
The more I hear about what transpired yesterday, the more I believe angels were definitely watching over Dad... sweetly singing over the "planes" and helicopters. The doctor reiterated to us again today that Dad got here to the hospital "just in the nick of time." Possibly St. Nick of time. He is our Christmas miracle after all. It was seriously life-threatening and that's scary.
It was such a relief that the first sight we saw when we got here this morning was Dad sitting up in a chair on his own and eating breakfast. Eventually they moved him out of ICU and got him into a "regular" room late this afternoon. As far as his heart goes, things are looking good.
Of course, as things tend to go, there are new concerns for the doctors. They aren't sure his kidneys are functioning properly. That could delay his release by a day or two. We'll see. He's in a top-notch facility and they know what they are doing. Last I saw, he was eating his supper and watching some local news about the latest Vikings stadium proposal. Poor Dad!
I'm about to hit the road to non-Internet territory. I'm taking Mom home and will stay at Mom and Dad's tonight. Thank goodness. Mom had no chance to grab a change of clothes so today she got to sport one of my running shirts and my trendy Sister Bay sweatpants. She looked so cool I am afraid she'll out-fashion me if we stay down here another day. I guess I was her style angel today.
Like I said, angels show up in the darndest places. And thank God for that.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The First Noel
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel... Born is the king of Israel!
When God looked at his roll of souls for his angels to gather today, the angels asked, "Do we take LeRoy Hedberg?" And the Lord said, "Nope, no L today." No L. Noel. Hallelujah for that!
I got one of those phone calls today we never hope to get, but know, with aging parents thats it's a constant possibility. The first call was that my dad was being taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Possible heart attack. The second call was that he was being airlifted down to Abbott-Northwestern, a heart hospital in the Twin Cities. By the time the third call came that he was in "critical" condition, I was home from work and packing to go!
Let me tell you, a lot can go through a person's mind in a 3+ hour drive, but I was relatively calm. I left hubby at home so he could be there for Carter and to take care of a ton of things on our schedule. I told him I felt too calm. Part of me thought it was because I knew in my heart the odds of an 84-year-old surviving this were slim. But the other part of me said he's too stubborn to die. He'll come out of this OK.
I did a lot praying on the drive over. I'd remember a funny memory and say, "I can see why you want him, God!" Then I'd remember something else on the stubborn side and say, "Are you sure You're ready for him, God?" I don't think He is. At least not for today.
By the time I got to the hospital, Dad had already had his risky procedure to place three stents in (95-100% blockage), was resting comfortably and ready to order meatloaf for supper. Unbelievable.
He said, "You didn't have to come all this way." I said, "I would never pass up a chance to come to Vikings country!" Dad knows that even on his death bed I will not cave and be a Packer fan like him. (No, the stubborn gene did not skip a generation!)
I was just so relieved he was doing well. And he credits Mom, who was still able to dial 9-1-1 on their rotary phone and get help. And we credit lots of prayers. All the siblings were there except my sister in Texas -- plus a half-dozen grandkids. If nothing else, our family makes one heck of a support network.
Dad is still in ICU, but that's good. They can keep an eye on him while Mom and I catch some sleep at the hotel next door. We're just hoping for a quiet night with no phone calls.
No L.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A Joyful Noise
Make a joyful noise
Send it out across the sky tonight
Send it racin' through the cool starlight
Let it fall on Heaven's ears
~ Jo Dee Messina "Make a Joyful Noise" Christmas album
I can't think of a more joyful noise than children singing -- and playing -- Christmas music. It takes me back to childhood when we would listen to the Children's Christmas album on the record player over and over again. No matter how many times it skipped.
Tonight we got to hear the real thing at the Assumption Middle School Christmas concert.
On the way out the door, Carter casually mentions he has a solo tonight. Huh? What? Who?
Then he clarifies, "I have a solo with Olivia and Gena." OK, is this the time we point out solo is one person? Still, he was nervous. And therefore, Mom was nervous. And I was just relieved I had thought ahead to charge the battery for the video camera.
It was a really nice concert with a huge crowd. All middle school students are required to be in either band or choir. So basically, every middle school parent was in attendance, plus some grandparents -- including Grandpa Austin.
The choir went first. Every time we glanced at Carter sitting with the band, he was fidgeting and looking incredibly uncomfortable. He was messing with his eyes and face, which we later learned was a fuzzy contact situation but Dad and I thought it was Carter about to faint. So I was doubly nervous.
The non-solo "solo" was nothing to be nervous about. The percussion played in the background so he wasn't completely alone. But because it was a "tuba solo" you could really hear him playing his baritone (half tuba) for the part. Perfectly done. (But really wasn't something a non-parent would probably have noticed!)
Still, we celebrated with some Schwan's Andes Mint Pie. Because that's what we do in this house. Make note of the positives with sweet rewards that prompt us to make joyful noises of our own!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen...
I didn't know King Wenceslas personally, but I trust he was as good as they say. I'm also betting the Feast of Stephen was one heck of a celebration. Not anything like our Feast of Stephen (Stevens Point, that is) tonight.
Nope. Tonight, it was more like Stevens Point feasting on us.
We played hoops at Pacelli. After beating them on our home turf a few weeks ago, I was falsely over-confident going into this game. Assuming we were going to sweep them this year. We know what happens when we assume. It's not a good thing -- even if our school name is Assumption!
The boys fell behind early and were just never able to catch up. We kept it close, though, and were within 2 points several times. Just couldn't get past them. Ended up losing 35-28 (thanks to some last-minute fouls that put Pacelli up even further).
Carter did OK. Nothing to brag about but nothing to hang his head over either. So we still got to enjoy the good part about the Feast of Stevens Point... going to Polito's after the game for those plate-sized slices of pizza!
C'mon, every Christmas carol has a happy ending, doesn't it?
Brightly shown the moon that night, though (our loss) was cruel...
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Mary, Did You Know?
Mary, did you know... that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Are you ready for Christmas? Depends on what you mean by ready. Am I anticipating it? Yes. Am I prepared for it? No.
And I am not alone in this.
Tonight I was among several dozen women who enjoyed an Advent by Candlelight service at my friend Jenny's church in town. Through special readings & scripture, prayer, singing and dessert (Lutheran tradition calls for coffee and dessert, you know), we discussed how we can be ready for Christmas with our Greetings, Goodies and Gifts.
Basically -- and we've heard this before -- we need to slow down and take a moment to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season... Not Black Friday deals or overzealous light displays and everything in between.
It all started with Mary.
Do you honestly think that when she gave birth in a stable that someday the anniversary of the event would evolve into the madness it is today? One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Mary, Did You Know?" Like all mothers, this woman probably just wanted to give birth to a healthy baby. Although she had an inkling how special He would be, I don't think she knew the extent.
And it probably didn't matter. Just like I love my son with all my heart -- and I don't know and don't care if he will be a doctor saving lives some day or crunching numbers for a low-paying nonprofit. I just love him because he brings me joy.
In our candlelight service, we were reminded of this and encouraged to share the real Christmas story in our greetings (cards and letters), our goodies (treats we find in scripture and song) and our gifts (giving of our hearts and time).
I sat there feeling a little bit guilty knowing I have done my share of shopping for material gifts already and spend several hours today -- while watching another Viking loss -- prepping Christmas cards and letters (with little focus on Jesus) for mailing.
I hope the thought counts for something. And it's not too late to keep sharing here either.
Let's do what we can to be ready.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Deck the Halls
Deck the halls with boughs of holly... Fa la la la la la la la la...
The process of Decking our Halls -- and the whole house for that matter -- luckily started on Thanksgiving.
Hubby put up the icicles lights that day because it was warm (relatively speaking) and sunny. Good move. If he had waited until today it would have been a no go.It was a miserable rainy day that is still threatening to turn to sleet and snow in the overnight hours. Jim and I had to take an unexpected field trip to Neillsville, which is the halfway point between Rapids and Eau Claire. Casey's car has been leaking oil so we delivered his mom's car to him and I followed in our car so Jim could have a ride back home. It rained the whole drive but stayed above freezing.
When we got back to town, we stopped at Walgreens to pick up our Christmas cards and then picked up groceries at Wal-Mart. Got home and I donned my apron and made a dozen Amish Friendship Bread muffins, 5 small loaves of it (for gifts) and 2 regular-size loaves of it. While that was baking, I took our new "slim" tree out of the box, assembled it and dragged up some Christmas decorations from the basement.
Carter and I usually watch a Christmas movie while we're Decking the Halls. So we plugged in Elf. He watched and I decked. We only had to move the TV over a few inches instead of a foot or so like usual. I think it turned out fine. A slim tree does not have to look like a Charlie Brown tree at all.
I just have to find the tree skirt and add some gifts and we're good to go!After the decking, we went next door to watch the Badger game in the Man Cave. Hubby grilled brats and burgers in the rain and we had a sloppy winter tailgate ... indoors. Watched the first half but now am home and getting Carter off to bed.
He's had a tough day. Pretty much he was doing this all day...
and honestly, finally took a shower and put "real" clothes on right before supper. I know. I'm jealous, too!But 'tis the season to fa-la-la-la-lounge.
Friday, December 2, 2011
What Child is This?
What Child is this, who laid to rest,
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet
While shepherds watch are keeping?
We had our third hoops game of the week tonight at Marathon, just outside of Wausau. I remember last year before our first game against them, I thought, "Oh, little Marathon -- we can handle them!" But that little school handled us. Big time.
Tonight I think I was a bit more prepared. Or so I thought.
The game starts and I did a double-take. Out on the court was #13. What child is this? That's my child out there starting his first game!
That in itself was an exciting moment. I'm not sure how it came to be but I'm glad they were giving him a chance. He played OK, but not great. No one did. We were somewhat out of sync tonight and getting handled badly. Again.
But the angels greeted Carter with something sweet in the fourth quarter... a basket! Yes, he finally scored!
What child is this?? I don't know, but he better keep coming back!
That little 2-point shot really gave his confidence a shot, too. Even though we lost 59-32, he's got that little smile going. And so does Dad. And so does Mom. Stopped at McDonald's on the way home for supper -- and an eggnog shake -- to celebrate!
What child is this? This, this is our blessing.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Blue Christmas
I'll have a Blue Christmas without you...
I've issued a challenge to my creative self. I am going to try to use the name of a Christmas carol as my blog title each day until Christmas. Somehow I will make the content and title match up -- even if it's a bit of a stretch. (I grant myself total creative license here.)
Today I'm thinking blue -- Assumption Royal Blue to be exact. For a couple reasons.
First, I have been on a hunt for the perfect color of blue cardstock to match our school colors. I need this for Carter's middle school scrapbook, which I would like to start sooner rather than later before I get even more behind in his school books.
This isn't a new obstacle. I have been searching since mid-September -- stopping at every scrapping store in every town I spy one -- with no luck. How hard is it to find blue paper, you ask? Apparently very hard. There are seriously dozens of shades of plain blue scrapping paper. A few have come close, like the sheets I found at Bargain Bill's up north, but once I got them home, they weren't quite it. I also ordered some online this week because they looked like the perfect match on the computer screen. One set arrived today. It is close but still not it.
What price does one pay for perfection? So far, about $22 and counting. Yikes. I'll keep searching.
The other reason Assumption Royal Blue is on my mind is that we have 3 basketball games in 5 nights this week. Tonight was game #2. We played at home against Wausau Newman, who killed us a few weeks ago with 3-pointers and did so again tonight. Carter got to play some. Did OK but nothing for the scorebook. Final stomping was 57-38.
Yikes. I do hope a Blue Christmas has nothing to do with sadness or loss... just that perfect must-have shade of Assumption Royal Blue!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Grand Funk
Most of the time, I consider myself a Modern Day woman. I can think on my own two feet. And run on them, too. I will not let myself be defined by what job I hold or whose hand I hold.
That's most of the time. But some of the time, well, a lot of the time, I do let something define me.
Just this little thing. Not much bigger than a bread box. But it can make or break my day. My week. My year. Just this little thing. With the power to seduce me some days. And push me around on others. But like a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, I just can't leave it. Tomorrow things may change...
I know I'm not the only woman who gives this power to her bathroom scale. Am I?
Why do we do it? I just don't know.
What I do know is that when the numbers are up, I am feeling down. Not so much the Great Depression kind of down. More like I'm in a Grand Funk these days.
This hip business that ground my running to a halt for a month has done a number on me. Make that a big number. I haven't weighed this much since Carter was 6 months old and I decided to make some changes. Of course, back then I practically starved myself to get down to a size 6 and I certainly don't expect or need to get down there again. And wouldn't do it that way. But I can't get over the fact that in the 8 years I've been at my current employer, I have put on 20 pounds. How does that happen?
Obviously, it doesn't happen overnight, but it can be a shocker when it catches up with you. I never claimed to be a svelte runner. I have said I am more like a runner in a shot-putter's body. And when I am actively running, I am OK with that. I get my daily dose of endorphins so I am happy. At that point, my scale is not defining me -- my feeling of accomplishment is. So is my sense of health and well-being.
I decided this week that while my hip continues to heal and I am gradually getting my runner's high back, I need to find an alternate source of endorphins. Don't worry -- this doesn't get dirty!
Yesterday I went over to the fitness center at lunch (like a I used to) and gently pedaled on the recumbent bike for half an hour. It didn't hurt me or kill me. In fact, I went back again today and hopped on the treadmill to stretch the legs out. That didn't kill me either. In fact, I might go back tomorrow and sit down on the bike again.
You know what else is good about this? For the first time since probably August, I am taking an actual lunch break instead of eating at my desk so I can continue to work. Did you think my scale was the only thing with power over me? No wonder I'm in this funk.
I think I better crank up a little Funky Town on my MP3 player and do something about it! And you know we Modern Day women are always up for a challenge!
That's most of the time. But some of the time, well, a lot of the time, I do let something define me.
Just this little thing. Not much bigger than a bread box. But it can make or break my day. My week. My year. Just this little thing. With the power to seduce me some days. And push me around on others. But like a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, I just can't leave it. Tomorrow things may change...
I know I'm not the only woman who gives this power to her bathroom scale. Am I?
Why do we do it? I just don't know.
What I do know is that when the numbers are up, I am feeling down. Not so much the Great Depression kind of down. More like I'm in a Grand Funk these days.
This hip business that ground my running to a halt for a month has done a number on me. Make that a big number. I haven't weighed this much since Carter was 6 months old and I decided to make some changes. Of course, back then I practically starved myself to get down to a size 6 and I certainly don't expect or need to get down there again. And wouldn't do it that way. But I can't get over the fact that in the 8 years I've been at my current employer, I have put on 20 pounds. How does that happen?
Obviously, it doesn't happen overnight, but it can be a shocker when it catches up with you. I never claimed to be a svelte runner. I have said I am more like a runner in a shot-putter's body. And when I am actively running, I am OK with that. I get my daily dose of endorphins so I am happy. At that point, my scale is not defining me -- my feeling of accomplishment is. So is my sense of health and well-being.
I decided this week that while my hip continues to heal and I am gradually getting my runner's high back, I need to find an alternate source of endorphins. Don't worry -- this doesn't get dirty!
Yesterday I went over to the fitness center at lunch (like a I used to) and gently pedaled on the recumbent bike for half an hour. It didn't hurt me or kill me. In fact, I went back again today and hopped on the treadmill to stretch the legs out. That didn't kill me either. In fact, I might go back tomorrow and sit down on the bike again.
You know what else is good about this? For the first time since probably August, I am taking an actual lunch break instead of eating at my desk so I can continue to work. Did you think my scale was the only thing with power over me? No wonder I'm in this funk.
I think I better crank up a little Funky Town on my MP3 player and do something about it! And you know we Modern Day women are always up for a challenge!
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