Red, Hot, and Blue

 

America's colors – at least in the Midwest – are red hot this weekend! When we teed off for couples golf league at 5:40 p.m. it was 93 degrees. When we got done after 8 p.m., it was still in the 80s. Crazy. Thankfully there was a bit of a breeze.

I guess I didn't bother checking the forecast. But it was quite warm at 11 a.m. when Mr. Deck Chair and I were enjoying a bowl of lightly salted watermelon! We didn't last long!

The blue part of the forecast was Saturdays activities. We had a "Something Blue Before I Do" bridal shower for one of the sweet girls who grew up calling Jim and I Mr. And Mrs. Awesome.

Ellie requested everyone wear blue to the shower. There are definitely and endless amount of shades of blue! I brought this dress out of retirement. I had to stop wearing it when I realized every wedding, grad party, or celebration I scrapped for two years straight I was wearing this same dress! Now it seems new again.

The other blue yesterday was the waters of Lake Arrowhead where the Shermalot Water Ski Show Team was performing. I can't believe I haven't made it down there before now. And state competition it this week! If you've never seen a ski show, it's worth checking out – just down the road at Red Sands Beach on Lake Wazeecha. Oh and it's FREE! I'll be out of town next weekend but do hope to catch some of the jump competition, etc, they do on Thursday and Friday.

Oh and one funny thing... the show host was wearing this shirt so I immediately had to text it to Carter. He said he's see a few around town. Might have to get one when we go up there in a few weeks. 

Unless it's cool and I need a new "I'm cold" hoodie. Can't have too many of them!

The Full Circle of Life

Today was definitely about navigating the full circle of life. This morning, I attended a baby shower for my co-worker and friend Hannah, who also happens to be daughter of one of hubby's high school classmates. That's how things work these days!

I love seeing the excitement of new moms opening gifts they have no idea may be life-changing... well, at least make the parenting thing go a little more smoothly!

And of course I won a raffle basket because, well, I always win!

I then moved from the beginning of life to the end... When I got home, Jim and I went to the visitation for our friends' dad.

As I mentioned last week, we are so blessed to have the Smits family as a second family to us! They really belong to Jim and his sister, but I'm just along for the ride. 💙 

After getting back from the funeral home, I went to the next lifetime milestone – high school graduation. I was blessed to serve as Ainsley's confirmation mentor at church and take her senior pictures. Turned out to be a pleasant afternoon visiting with her family members and my pastor and her husband. 

Just a weird span of covering so many aspects of life in one day! 

What I liked was the hope associated with a new baby and new life at college. What I appreciated was the sense of peace of losing a father and knowing he is no longer in pain. Thankfully we have God and great friends to get us through all of these!

Chilling Out Not What It's Cracked Up To Be

No April Foolin', the darn weather dudes were right. We were in the heart of a wicked ice storm. I took this picture at 8 a.m. and realized it doesn't matter how little ice it seems to be, most of us were not driving to the office.

Especially since it just kept accumulating all day.

I fired up the laptop and was able to work for 3 hours. The lights had flickered a few times and then, at 10:44 a.m., they went out. Without electricity, our wi-fi router wouldn't work, so not more work for me. I shut down my laptop to conserve power. Our lovely cellphone provider wasn't providing great signals all day either. Add to that, no running water or use of indoor plumbing.

I forgot what it was like to live like Laura Ingalls!

Most of the day I kept an eye on our bunny ear trees, which normally stand pretty straight up. This was early in the morning before even more ice accumulated.

At their lowest point, this was how close it looked like at least the right one would break.

But then the ice stopped coming and it warmed up just enough for us to witness an ice rain as the ice broke up and fell from all the trees. At the end of the day, the trees hadn't parted ways but they put some distant between themselves like fighting siblings.

Throughout the day we could just hear the snap, crackle, pop as tree branches (mostly pines) were falling everywhere – in the woods around us, in the neighbor's yard, a few in our yard, and all the way down the street.

This is typical of the destruction everywhere in that darn targeted purple area. No surprise about the power outages. In the early evening, many of us on our street were notified that power was restored. We're all like, "No, it's not." So we all had to resubmit our outage reports. And think that put us to the back of the line – of thousands of customers without power.

When we went to bed in our dark, chilly houses last night, the last we heard was that our power would be restored by SATURDAY afternoon. Ugh! 

Somehow managed to get a little sleep – even without my electric mattress pad. First World problems, I know. But dang. We do take a lot for granted! This morning, I went to the office to be warm and productive since yesterday was a lost cause.

Suddenly I was getting texts that there were Alliant trucks in the neighborhood. Would I dare get up my hopes?? Jim texted my a picture of our dining room lights on at 11:50 a.m. (25 hours without power). So I raced home and showered and made it on time to church for 1 p.m. Good Friday service. I guess God really does answer our prayers on His time.

Here a few "cool" shots from yesterday...

Poor birds falling victim to fake spring and looking for anything to eat. Icicles weren't doing it!

I hope this didn't kill off any of our budding trees!

And how safe our these power lines in our yard?

I was happy to learn, though, that there are things you can do when it's a daytime power outage.

Mind out of the gutter! I meant practically completing a whole baby blanket! 💗

Want to send a special shout out to all those offering up generators, water for our toilets, and a place to stay. We have the best people in our lives. Take care of your friends and loved ones, too! 

And we've potentially got more of that freezing rain coming tonight. Be smart and be careful out there, friends!

Baby Border Hopping

With a wake-up temp below zero, I hit the road at 7:30 a.m. with one destination: SOUTH.

So maybe South is a stretch but I did end up in Iowa! Remember me crocheting that "Love's Baby Soft" blanket? Well today was the day to gift that to mother-to-be Hannah down in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. Never heard of it? Me neither. Thank the lord for GPS that last half hour. Turns out we were "this close" to the Iowa border!

Spoiler alert for those who didn't have the insider intel: They're having a girl!

Random fact: Carter has lived with all three of these women – including the mom-to-be. To clarify: He and 2 other guys were roommates with Hannah (center), who is BFFs with his girlfriend Mamie, who has a friend Halayna (right) who is marrying Mamie's brother in May. Not confusing at all.

In a nutshell, they've all felt like extended family to Jim and me for years!

So it was nice to drive 3 hours to celebrate Hannah and Hunter's upcoming daughter. She loved the blanket, by the way.

 Then, after the shower, head down to Dubuque for a coffee date with Mamie, Halayna, and MY BOY!

We had coffee at Charlotte's where we had it maybe 5 years ago. Still tasty! But it was good to catch up with Carter and deliver a couple dozen cookies!

How do I get shorter every picture with him?

Anyway, I managed to get home safely before it was completely dark (encouraging) and in time to catch the "delayed" recap of Olympics coverage today. Worth it. 100%.

Love is Baby Soft

Us "girls" of a certain age remember begging for Love's Baby Soft perfumefor our birthdays and Christmas. Did I ever get it? No. Because the ads talked about how innocence is sexy. Not Mother Hedberg approved, that's for sure.

But apparently it is back on the shelves if you or your BFF want some now! 

Why was this on my mind this week? You're probably scared to find out. Don't blame you!

So I started crocheting this baby blanket the other day. Was halfway done and was not satisfied that the yarn – even though called Blanket Yarn – was soft enough for a baby. It just seemed too stiff.

So off to Herrschners I went at lunchtime on Tuesday. Love that the store is a few minutes from work. Found just the soft "Baby Blanket Frosting" yarn I needed in my life!

Now I'm cruising along with the Lilac Lounge color scheme and it IS baby soft! Sometimes it pays to make that special trip. This crocheter will be happier.

And so, I'm sure, will the baby! Cannot wait!

By the way, the perfume is allegedly available at Wal-Mart and Amazon if you're interested!

Hookin' Away My Saturday

As soon as I woke up and was about to get up, hubby says, "You might as well stay in bed. We're at war." Say what?!

My first thought was "What did he do know?" and my second thought, as someone who avoids all news as much as possible, was "Did we know this was coming?"

No matter the answer to either, I knew I needed a day of distractions. I did watch a little news but then headed into town to Lighthouse to get a few papers for upcoming Camp Crop-a-Lot in 7 weeks since I picked up more photos yesterday and am jumpin' to go!

Then I cleaned my office "aka Oh My God Room" a bit before I earned my chance to relax.

Can't do too much cleaning on a weekend when there are projects waiting in the wings.

I have a wedding shower coming up in the same time frame as camp. The couple has many "sage" colored things on their list so I am making them a blanket that is mostly sage with a strip of white, then multi color for a wide strip, then white again close to the top – and the rest sage. 

I'm liking it. And today I realized I could close my eyes and do a whole row without looking, just feeling. I am a Jedi Crochet Master, I guess! That also means I can head back to the livingroom now and watch a Hallmark movie AND multi-task without even blinking.

Well, I better pay a little attention. This is a gift after all!

And oh yeah, it snowed again today. Stay warm and safe, everyone!

Beauty and the Bling

I forgot to report out on the great bling I received and earned yesterday.

First of all, we all received a ring to wear (they're fake but pretty and I'll probably wear mine in real life). Then throughout the shower if someone said the word "bride," you could steal their ring. Obviously the goal is to see who has the most at the end. And obviously with my competitive family, it was vicious! I managed to "trap" two people (including the mother of the groom) and that earned me a nice prize! 

The other bling is that beautiful purple and yellow bracelet on my wrist! My great-niece Kenlee (who lives in Minnesota) knows I am the only aunt to cheer for the Vikings so she thought it was perfect for Auntie Robyn. And it is! Taking after my mother, I wrote and mailed her a cute thank you note today and promised to wear it every game day. 

More precious than jewels, I tell ya!

As for the "beauty" part of the blog, it's not me but my hair. Had my 6-week locks refresh after work today and I feel like a new woman-ish. She always does a great job and I can usually "sleep carefully" for 3 nights to hold the style. I told her we have a wedding to attend Friday and asked "Do you think I can go for a record and make this last through 4 sleeps?!"

Our conclusion is that I'd have to sleep in a chair with one of those airplane pillows around my neck so I couldn't possibly twist, turn, or lay my head back on a flat surface. 

Guess what? That ain't happening. So I guess I might lose the "beauty" by the end of the week, but I'll still have the "bling"! Still winning. 

Fun With The Niece-To-Be

When a Sunday drive is about 9 hours on the road, it helps that it is worth it. Hit the road at 7 a.m. to attend the bridal shower for my nephew Eric's soon-to-be wife. Due to so much road construction it ended up taking about 4 1/2 hours to get to Grantsburg. but I still got there in time to set up the welcome poster (above) that I designed and many more decorations.

My sister Romey (mother of the groom) outdid herself but is was all a wonderful theme of sunflowers, chickens (which they raise) and a tribute to the bride's mom, who passed away from cancer earlier this year.

I especially loved the center pieces because I immediately recognized the chicken salt and pepper shakers to the right of the vase as something my Grandma Flossie had. (She had hundreds in her collection!)

Bride-to-be Stephanie is in the center flanked by her daughter on the right and a foreign exchange student (left) they're hosting for the upcoming school year.

The soon-to-be mother in law and aunties!

Regarding gift opening... I was thrilled when the bride gushed over my blanket, wrapped it around her shoulders and said she loved it. Multiple times. Long live personal off-the-gift-registry gifts. Ha!

After the shower, I had a chance to visit with Dad and Mom. The gravestone finally has Mom's "end date" which was a bit jarring. As I said in my convo to them "I still don't think it's fair I'm this young to have no parents!" Every time it's refreshed grief. As one of the babies of the family, probably won't get over that. Ever. 

In the last hour or so stretch of the trip home, I noticed I was going into some very darkened skies to the east. But then I caught sight of more than one rainbow.

I actually pulled over and took a picture on the side of the road because I could see hints of purple – not always the case. Or as I say it, the IV in the ROY-G-BIV color scheme!

It did help guide my home. And to be fair, I went a completely different than I did on the way up. Still road construction, but for way fewer miles!

When I got home I learned my hubby's team – the Reds – ended the Brewers' win streak. Sorry about that. I say with fake sincerity since we all grasp for a win – even at a word scramble game at a bridal shower!

Game on!

More About The Dash

Our inspirational speaker the other day included the often read-at-funerals poem entitled "The Dash." I'm sure you've all heard it. (If not, Google it.) It’s a poem about the little dash symbol, often seen on funeral pamphlets or on gravestones, between the date of the person’s date of birth and date of their death. When reflecting on a person's entire life, the dash looks quite small. But when reflecting on everything that happened during that dash, it can represent so much.    

For those still living – like us working stiffs in the audience – it’s a reminder how we should focus on how we wish to spend our life. 

And for those still living – and still grieving – it hit hard. I was sitting at the same table as a work friend who just lost his dad last week. I couldn't make eye contact. We were both feeling it.

 

Then today, since the gloomy, rainy weather prohibited any outdoor activity I enjoy, I worked on some stuff for my soon-to-be niece's bridal shower. I needed a foam core poster board for a sign and this is the first thing I pulled out. The picture boards from my mom's funeral.

Uff da. 

Can I ever not tear up? I mean it's been 14+ months but it seems many times like it could've been just last week.

I guess I should look at Momma's dash and learn from it. So much life. Impacting so many. I need to start adding some depth to mine.

But I might need a few tissues before I get started.

April Showers

April showers bring... soggy messes. But on the bright side, this is all the snow we have left in our yard. For now. It's way too soon to predict what the rest of the month has in store.

Hopefully, at some point, Spring Sports can start. For the ball fields, that means dry weather and all the white stuff melted away. Fingers crossed Tuesday is the day.

Other than weather concerns, it was a typical Sunday. Church choir, some golf (watching not playing), some women's hoops (watching not playing), and the CMT awards (definitely watching only!).

But since the rain was light, Jim grilled brats for supper so it felt like spring anyway. 

And most everything else is status quo from yesterday. Just keep praying for spring to really arrive – and my sister to keep improving.

Have a great week and be careful out there!

It's 5 a.m. Somewhere

Had a great time today celebrating the upcoming birth of our friend Brenda's first granddaughter. 

Macyn, the momma-to-be, is also a classmate of Carter's. Hard to believe all these little kiddos are adulting now. She was as adorable as ever!

Since we knew ahead of time that it's a girl, I got to bring out the pink yarn again and crochet a baby blanket. Yes, it's a soft as it looks! She got a ton of great baby shower gifts and so many cute outfits. 

The picture up top is the card I gave her. Pretty appropriate for two reasons. One, babies want to drink when they want to drink and mommy better wake up and serve.

And two, I gotta leave the house at 5 a.m. tomorrow to catch a flight out to San Diego for work this week. That means this girl is off to bed for a fast sleep. 

Too bad I don't have a soft pink blanket to snuggle with!

Saturday Night Lights

My Saturday night lights definitely had a different vibe from Friday night lights. Not as much action and certainly no yelling or cowbell from spectators!

It rained all day until about 3 p.m. Thankfully the first half of the day was indoors.

Went to a baby shower for our neighborhood grandma-to-be's daughter-in-law. The grandma graduated with Jim so I saw a few of his other classmates there, too. Was at a new event space of sorts called Rooted in Red – you guessed it, cranberry country. It's a nice place. And it was a fun time!

Also, I won a give-away basket, which brings my total to three baskets this week! Here's my pile of goodies that I haven't had time to go through yet! Just when I thought "I never win anything!"

Tonight I was hired to take pictures at a 100-year anniversary party for a local golf course. Was so glad the rain stopped before the 5 p.m. start since I wanted to take some of the pictures outside. Rain held off and we even got fireworks off and stayed dry. This time I could actually see them from our river view!

Now it's definitely past bedtime and I need to say special prayers for NO RAIN just between the hours of 11-1 and 5-7 tomorrow! Amen.