Easter Weekend

This makes me laugh every year. Predictable, juvenile humor. But I love it. And who doesn't need a good laugh these days?

Today there were a ton of egg hunts in the area. I did not participate in any of them. I did however check out a bake sale and RAFFLE BASKETS for the Best Christmas Ever program. Last time, I walked away with two winning baskets. Today, well, zero. Unless they're still making calls. LOL.

Other than that we had a lazy day. I finished the baby girl blanket and am starting the boy one now. 

And baseball was on TV. And basketball. My bracket blew up so I don't know if I care. I do like close games though!

Jim is singing in his church tonight and I have to sing at both Easter services in the morning. The Easter Bunny did not make up baskets for either one of us so that chocolate pictured above is all I'm going to get. Probably for the best.

A picture is calorie-free!

Enjoy your Easter weekend – hopefully with family, loved ones, or your own box of chocolate!

 

Fa-La-La-La-Love!

Despite the fact Old Man Winter is trying to dump 10 inches of snow on us, it's been a really nice 2 days.

It's Cranberry Classic weekend, which means hubby (who is on the committee) was tied to Assumption High School yesterday and today for the annual basketball tournament. I shot pictures in the morning Friday then Carter, Mamie and I headed out to Black Fridays-ville.

I mean if you count buying raffle tickets to win Christmas trees and lawn ornaments! Locals, be sure you check out the Feztival of Trees put on by our local Shriners running through December 10. So many gorgeous (gift-filled) trees and wreaths you could win!

Last year, Carter and I sat on Santa's lap. This year, we sacrificed Mamie. Not sure what she wished for but Carter is still mad he didn't grant him his Vikings' Superbowl win wish from last time!

From there we went shopping in Stevens Point-Plover area to find Carter's gift. Success! 

Ate nearby at Chili's and enjoyed the fantabulous Nashville Hot chicken strips. Leftover box number 2 added the fridge!

Went to boys game last night and shot pictures of the varsity girls today before heading home in the snow. Unlike last time, it's sticking more to the roads than the trees. Ick.

Played some Five Crowns cards with the kids. By the third round I had 52 points (bad) and they each sat at zero. Then momma rallied all the way to the last hand when kings were also wild! That was fun.

When the basketball game was done we met Clay out to eat at the new BBQ Shack Bar and Grill (formerly Danny K's). 

Great visit and food. Wow. My oversized BBQ brisket sandwich means, you guessed it, leftover box #3 added to the fridge!

Now we're home safely, relaxing, and not really looking forward to tomorrow's snow removal! 

Stay safe out there!

Weekend Wins and Losses

A mix of wins and losses over the weekend, that's for sure!

Saturday morning started with a win when I got to join the St. Philip's church group for a private showing of Soul on Fire – a full box of Kleenex tearfully inspiring movie!

The story in a nutshell: A tragic accident leaves 9-year-old John O'Leary with burns covering 100% of his body. He soon embarks on a miraculous road to recovery with support from family, the community, and baseball announcer Jack Buck. Grateful for the gift of life, John becomes a motivational speaker who inspires millions of people to make the world a better place.

Lots of tears. But you can't go wrong with popcorn for breakfast!

From there I headed to another fundraiser for the Best Christmas Ever organization – this one held at Ryder's Roadhouse. I was hoping my raffle basket luck from the previous weekend would spill over. But I was a loser.

I did have a win with those new Hershey's Snickerdoodle kisses I discovered. Instead of flat cookies, roll the Snickerdoodle dough in a ball and roll that in cinnamon-sugar and place in mini muffin pan. When the come out, immediately insert an upside-down kiss into the center and press down. It will melt itself into place just enough.

And also.... so yummy!! Winning.

Sunday was all Loser-ville...

Even though I purpled up for church and wore the Vikings bracelet my niece Kenlee made me, nothing could help my team at Lambeau. Uff da. My plan was to go to BINGO and watch the game later. I skipped that ugliness altogether!

And BINGO was no better. Had about 200 there and someone actually did win the progressive coverall jackpot of $4,400! 

That someone was not me. Nor anyone I knew. The closest I came was 3 space left on 3 of my 15 cards! Close does not count in BINGO. Loser.

My win today was that we had Book Club after work. We went to that new Tex Mex Rodeo Grill that I've gone to twice already on girls nights. Yummy food and great company. The book we discussed was really good too. If you get a chance, read The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club. You may need a tissue at times for this one, too. I listened through audible and enjoyed the Irish accent of the reader as well as the unique storyline.

Now it's time to see if any of my favorites on The Voice can win their knockout rounds and move on! And see if my undefeated fantasy football team can pull off a come-from-behind-win!

Hope you have more wins than losses this week!

That Odd Mix of Summer, Turkey Day and Christmas

What a strange seasonal weekend! Saturday dawned with summer-like temperatures and I was excited for some time with Mr. Deck Chair! 

Beware of roadside turkeys first!

Then in the mean time, there was shopping for Christmas cookie exchange ingredients – and supporting our community's Best Christmas Ever endeavor for families in need.That turned out to be fun. 

I convinced the Grinch that no one could silence me from spreading Christmas cheer for all to hear!

And he reminded me, "Does your husband know you're sitting on another man's lap?" LOL.  Also, he didn't care if I was good this year or not. So kids got a free pass in that department!

They had a good 100+ raffle baskets and your friend Lady Luck won two of them! Including some Tupperware EZ Speedy mixer thing that more than covers the cost of raffle tickets I purchased.

Then last night we re-joined AHS classmates (plus) to hear our friend Lance Black sing. This was at 17sixteen, the way former Baker Street Grill. He was amazing as always and it was great to see friends!

Today was literally both of us singing in our respective church choirs and watching football. Because, guess what, the weather turned quite November-ish again – despite the sun. So we stayed inside.

P.S. I did sneak one Hallmark Christmas movie in yesterday... and I'm pretty sure I can get another one in tonight!

The Day that Jack Built

Do you recall a very old nursery rhyme called "The House that Jack Built"? By the end, the verse goes something like this:

This is the rooster that crowed in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all tattered and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,

That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,

That scared the dog,

That worried the cat,

That chased the rat,

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

That was a bit like our Saturday. Hold tight while I try to string this together...

This is the storm that caused the wind and rain...

That blew over the tree on the power line down the road that led to a 10:20 a.m.-1:30 p.m. power outage...

That postponed showers (personal, not rain) and the shotgun start from noon to 2 p.m. ...

That led to pools of water on the course...

That gave us hope despite the darkening skies and eventual lightning that let us all finish or partially finish ONE hole...

That meant an early dinner and raffle basket win for Jim – but since the coach mentioned "a moisturizer basket" I had to run up and claim it.

That led to an early evening at home in the house that Jim and Robyn own.

(I hope that sums it up! Sorry it doesn't rhyme!)

Weekend Plans

Before I get to the "weekend starts on Thursday" plans, be assured the Circus Trifle was a success today. As many called it their "favorite" to date. I also thought it was sweetly spectacular with an emphasis on super sweet!

Now for the weekend...

Our home is within hearing distance of the Wisconsin State Water Ski Show – which is 1.5 miles away as the crow flies. As I've shared in my excitement as the team Shermalot photographer, these performances are such a cool thing to see. Three days of non-stop shows, all with different themes and "tricks", etc. And it's all free. Park your lawn chair on Red Sands Beach (or anywhere around Lake Wazeecha) and catch some of the action. For me these are skills I have never had and never will, so it's just impressive.

For sure I'll be there Sunday shooting 📸 my team. But maybe I'll get there some on Friday and Saturday, too. We'll see.

My Friday is actually a vacation day tomorrow. I'm in the Royal Scramble (aka fundraising golf outing to benefit all Assumption Royals sports). If you can believe after my friend and I had battery operated fans to cool off in our golf cart on Tuesday night that tomorrow morning it will be a cool 57 degrees when my foursome has our shotgun start at 7 a.m. Wow. 

I don't even know what to wear. I have hot weather / nice weather gear and nothing below (lower temps). I might just power through until it hits mid-60s during our round! I'll let you know how it goes. Of course, the main thing as that I win one of the raffle baskets/prizes like last year. Gotta keep that streak going!

Other than that, if you're local, don't forget Rome has the ultimate Farmer's Market on Fridays. Amazing! Or get some pretty cheap and delicious crab rangoon at the Rapids Farmer's Market on Saturdays (the last booth at the south end of 1st street, ha).

Or if you're handy, help our builders finish siding tomorrow. Yes, it's THAT close. Yay! Before and After pictures to come. 😊

Something in the Air

Between pollen "dust fairies" and the smoke sneaking down from Canadian wildfires, it's not a great time to spend lots of time outdoors. 

But well, that was pretty much our weekend! 

Saturday we went to a cancer benefit for our friend Jeanne, then went to a graduation party, and then I went down to Lake Arrowhead to watch the Shermalot Water Ski Show Team perform. Since they were short quite a few team members, they didn't do the show they plan to do this summer. But still there was plenty of jumping, twisting, and pyramid building!

I don't know how they do any of it. But it's fun to try to capture. I kept looking over my shoulder, too, because the sun was setting behind me and it was getting colorful. The top photo was taken at the end of the night.

This was earlier in the evening. I call it "Smoky Sunset at the Ski Show." Crazy, right?

I took so many pictures that I got to bed well after blogging hours. Sorry.

Today was another day outside. We both sang in our church choirs (indoors) but then we went to a potluck year-end choir gathering (my choir). It felt like summer. Thanks for finally showing up on June 1, nice weather!

This afternoon/evening we had couple's golf league. We have to use at least 3 drives from each player in our two-person couple scramble format. Thank goodness I had enough that worked. I felt like a good contributor. And even did a par dance when I sunk the par putt on the par 5! 

Fun afternoon but it took us nearly 3 hours to get done so we grabbed pizza at the clubhouse and got home after 8:30. I'm beat. So much fresh air (not quite fresh) so I should sleep well. 

I did hear there be Northern lights tonight but I don't know what the smoke will have to say about that. I'm sure I'll check it before my head hits the pillow. Just because I hate to miss out!

Have a good week and be careful out there!

Run for the Roses... and Raffles

After our lifelong career and dedication to journalism, hubby and I really hoped the horse named Journalism would win the Kentucky Derby this evening. But then again, do we actually have any $kin in the game? Nope. Not at all.

So we'll just take comfort in my Derby cookie (above) purchase – and several more items – a nice contribution at a few local fundraisers.

The only reason I was in raffle basket mode today was that I put one together yesterday for our friend Jeannie's cancer fundraiser at the end of May. I figured if I could win 1 or 2 today at other events, I could just pay it forward to her event. 

Those odds didn't pan out. But if anyone wants to contribute to a basket for her fundraiser, let me know. I already have the Faith Basket put together but have a few other themes (wine and chocolate or tea and books/puzzles) in mind.

Non-Hunter's Widow Weekend

Today marks the beginning of gun-deer season in Wisconsin. And what I love about that is even though my hubby doesn't hunt, I can still participate in all the "hunters' widow" fun. I can. They don't check I.D.s for that sort of thing!

So I managed to get to a few holiday open houses, the indoor farmers' market, and the Best Christmas Ever fundraiser out at Wildhorse Saloon (called something else now). That's where they no only had various vendors but also raffle baskets – some top tier ones for special prices and a few dozen others. For once, I just put tickets in for baskets I wanted to win instead of thinking about winning baskets to pay it forward at my sister's benefit.

So I was extremely thrill-i-fied (to use a WICKED type word) at the end of the day to get a phone call that I won one of the bigger items – an 18-hole round of golf for 4 at Bullseye Country Club! Definitely worth the day's investments!

Yes, I'll take my non-hunting hubby. Don't worry.

The other win for the day was that we got to go out to dinner with our friend and former co-worker Toni (we're talking since Carter was a toddler). Her husband had to work at the last minute so it was just the three of us. But we enjoyed good food at Chili's in Plover – and much-needed catching up conversation. 

We swore this spring over lunch that we'd get together more often. If you find yourself saying that, make it happen. Time goes so fast. You don't want to regret not seeing someone. So glad we had some time together before we all enter the busy holiday season. 

P.S. I did actually get a little holiday shopping done today. I wouldn't be a card-carrying fake hunter's widow it I hadn't. 

Lucky Are We

Feeling fortunate as we end the week. A full but good Thursday and Friday.

After work, our Marketing Department got to have a little gathering at SentryWorld to celebrate 100% by our team in the recent United Way campaign. It looked like a gorgeous fall day to be out golfing. Unfortunately, the course is closed for the season. And double-unfortunately, I didn't have my clubs in the car anyway.

I was lucky, though, when it came to door prizes. Keeping my winning streak alive and got my name drawn. I picked out a little travel fan since I need "white noise" in order to sleep and I have a big trip coming up.

From there, I headed to Assumption High School for the volleyball "Pink Out" night to raise money for a 9-year-old boy named Braxton. He inspired us all to meet diversity head on and still smile.

Since the Volley for a Cause covered any type of cancer, I put my friend Jeannie's name on one ribbon (Praying for you, girl!!).

And my cousin Jeff's name on another. He just died of cancer and was laid to rest in northern Minnesota today. 

There was a lot of support and a great crowd. And opportunities to "donate" through bake sale purchases and raffle baskets.

Guess who won another basket? Yup, this lucky girl! Another one I can take up to the benefit.

And to cap off our luck, we got to see the glorious Northern Lights again from our front yard. It went from pink and green to definite red and green tones. Guessing it's a sign I should watch some Hallmark Christmas movies this weekend!

Today, I was lucky to have a half day off. Mainly because this tree outside my office window was coming down – not sure why other than it's ugly – and there was going to be a lot of noise.

Here is the tree removal tree-oh figuring out the lift situation.

Good neighbor Mike went up the lift since he is the best chain-sawer. And apparently isn't afraid of heights.

Notice he is safely strapped into the bucket.

Just too high for me!

Jim and other helper would pile up limbs as they fell. They had a good system so that no one got hurt.

I was concerned at this stage though. I came outside and hoped they measured correctly so the final trunk wouldn't fall and hit hubby.

Timber!!

Whew! Lucky! Why would I doubt them?! Thanks for all the help and hard work, guys! Glad I could celebrate with an hour-long deep-tissue massage this afternoon. Hey, it was previously planned before I knew anything about sweating lumberjacks in the front yard.

This eveing, we headed to the Homecoming football game. We lost by a ton to Auburndale. But there was a great halftime show with all the bands and even choir members leading grade school kids in some ribbon dancing to Jimmy Buffet's Cheeseburger in Paradise. Fun.

Hoping our luck continues as we head into Saturday with a cross country meet and, you guessed it, a golf scramble! I'll keep you posted.

Have fun this weekend and appreciate your good fortune!