A Chill Is In The Air

I think I awoke Mother Nature with my post the other night about our weekend. I mentioned that for our trip to the Christmas Tree Farm the weather was unseasonably mild compared to years past. I should have been tipped off that night that the mild weather was about to end because I recall as I sat in our basement on the computer that I could hear the wind outside rattling the windows. It was so loud in fact that it woke Anna up and she promptly announced, "momma I think it is very windy out." She couldn't have been more right.

The temps have dropped and we aren't seeing much above the 30's. The wind has picked up and snow has been flying around during the day although to this point not amounting to anything but a light dusting that the gusts of winds quickly do away with.

The forecast for the weekend while changing about every 12 hours is calling for snow. We thought we might be out of the "threat zone" but now it is sounding like the metro area may be in for a wintry weekend. Of course we are celebrating Ryan's birthday on Saturday so that figures. My parents and Aunt will come up Saturday morning and luckily they had planned long ago to spend the night so I don't have to worry about them driving home.

I greet the thought of snow with mixed feelings -- it is beautiful and of course living in Minnesota you have to like snow. But I hate the mess it makes of my car and I hate boots and driving in slush. I know I know, quit your whining Carol -- if you really dislike snow so much you should move south. Nah, I will always be a Midwest girl, snow, boots and all! :-)

Scaling To New Heights

This past Sunday I wandered into our kitchen. Bill was outside and the kids were busy playing but I got the distinct impression I was being watched. I looked around quickly assuming Bill or the kids had decided to play a joke and sneak up on me. Nope I was clearly alone--or was I?

Finally I looked up and peering down at me from the tops of the cabinets was Sophie (our kitten who doesn't really look much like a kitten anymore). I am not clear on how she discovered this new found climbing talent or what on earth possessed her to climb up on top of the cabinets in the first place. I mean the only things up there are dust bunnies that she seems to be knocking all over my counter tops. I am thinking she was left alone too much this past weekend and got bored. I stood and pondered how on earth she got where she was. Then I thought, "what goes up must come down," so after snapping a few photos for proof I waited patiently to see her route of exit. Sophie didn't disappoint for not long after, she sauntered over near the fridge, hopped onto the top of that and then onto the counter and finally to the floor.

Unfortunately what I thought might be just a kitty novelty has turned into a full-fledged perching place and I have the seemingly endless dust bunnies falling onto my counter tops to prove it. Needless to say I will be tackling the cleaning of the tops of the cabinets in the next night or two. I guess it is time since the last time I did this was the weekend we moved into the house in Feb. 2005 -- boy was that embarrassing to admit!

Can you find the Kitty in the picture? (No fair picking on my outdated wallpaper and window valance!)

A Fun Holiday Weekend Had By All

As long holiday weekends go this past one was a very nice one. The weather (for Minnesota this time of year) was beautiful for the most part. The food was plentiful and delicious on Thanksgiving day . . . although when all was said and done my mom and I determined we were on our feet for nearly 12 hours straight preparing the meal (it was worth it!) and were really tired out when the day was done. And of course spending time in Mankato with my parents was a welcome retreat to the hectic pace of life we seem to keep in Maple Grove. It is funny though because I am getting closer and closer to a point where I have lived places besides Mankato longer than I lived in Mankato I am starting to feel more like a visitor. It will always be "home" in that I grew up and graduated from High School there, but it certainly is NOT remotely close to the town I grew up in. Admittedly I don't get there as often as my parents or I would like, but it seems each time I do go, something new has sprung up in some place that was once a corn field. This trip was no different as I headed to the shopping area on Friday near my High School to discover there is a Lowe's store now open.

The kids and I headed home late on Saturday. Sunday we planned to travel to Cambridge to a Christmas Tree farm Bill and I started going to back in 1991 to cut down our Christmas Tree. We really lucked out on Sunday as the weather was mild -- nearly in the 40's and sunny. There was a little wind but we all stayed toasty warm on our hunt for the "perfect tree."' As usual we weren't disappointed and found a lovely Balsam Fir that will soon take up residence in our living room. We reminisced about year's past where the snow was up to our knees and the temps near zero as we trudged around the tree fields. We agreed it seems our winters seem to be slowly getting milder -- I am just not sure if that is a good thing or not??

Here are some photos highlighting our weekend.

Four Wheeling with Grandpa on Thanksgiving Day (Anna on 4-wheeler and Ryan being towed on a sled).

Baking Cookies with Grandma on "Black Friday" (notice how grandma's rolling pin and pastry mat match Anna's pink shirt).

Traveling to the Christmas Tree Farm and Cutting Down Our Tree on Sunday (I compared our family photo to last year's at the tree farm and boy have Ryan & Anna gotten taller).

Of Things To Be Thankful For

As I drove into work this morning my mind was racing as I thought of everything that I had to accomplish today. I knew I had a full day of work ahead of me (no chance of ducking out early on this holiday eve) and then I knew I had a full evening. I managed last night to not pack a thing for mine and the kid's trip to Mankato tonight to celebrate Thanksgiving with mom, dad and my Aunt Marg. (Bill won't be with us this year as he works Thanksgiving this year.) We will be with my parents until Saturday afternoon so I don't need a ton of things but I am packing for two kids who tend to get dirty. Plus with cold weather in the forecast, I need to pack jackets, boots, etc. Anyway, it was all a bit overwhelming to think about as I cruised south on Highway 494. Suddenly though something came over me -- maybe it was something I heard on the radio, I don't really know. But all of a sudden I started to make a mental list of all the things I have to be thankful for this year. Here are just a few of the things on my list (in no particular order):

1. The drafty windows and front door of my house. Even though they are about past their lifespan, they are mine and I am reminded that I have a roof over my head and a house to call my own.

2. That favorite pair of jeans in my closet that I refuse to part with because I am determined that I will again fit into them. This reminds me that I have MORE than enough food to eat.

3. The seemingly endless number of car repairs we have had this year. I am reminded I have a car and can still afford to put gas into it.

4. A really good memory. I can use it to remember those who will not be with us at Thanksgiving this year -- in particular my Grandma Huettl who passed away in March and whose absence I am really feeling with the holiday season upon us.

5. A really full in-box in my email accounts. Spam aside I am reminded of the wonderful family and friends near and far who think of me and forward humorous, heartwarming and sometimes serious emails.

At this time of year with all the sales and messages to buy, buy, buy and spend, spend, spend it is so easy to get caught up in the stuff that really doesn't matter and run through the holiday season always looking forward and not living in the moment. I am vowing to enjoy each day and remember this year what really matters. And to think -- I figured that all out on my commute to work this morning. :-)

Happy Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Conversations With Anna

Anna has been under the weather this week – not sure if she is having a funky reaction to her flu shot or if she has caught one of the plethora of illness bugs already invading our metro area. Not feeling well however has not affected her little mind that seems to constantly be churning nor her ability to hear all and forget none. Let me humor you all with a recap of two conversations from earlier this week. The first took place on Tuesday night while we snuggled in her bed with the lights out listening to the Delilah Show on the radio. Here is how it went (after hearing a radio ad for Wedding Day Jewelers which just so happens to have a Maple Grove location):

Anna: Mom just where is Wedding Day Jewelers in Maple Grove?

Me: It is over by your shoe store and Salsaritas, why would you like to go there and look at diamonds some day?

Anna: Yes I would – I want to look at diamond wedding rings.

Me (thought not spoken): Smart girl, takes after her mom, likes things that sparkle BUT isn’t she a bit young????

Anna: Mom where is Arkansas?

Me: Arkansas? Why it is a state down in the south, why?

Anna: Because after we go to the Wedding Day Jewelers I want to take a trip there. You can marry your brother there but in Minnesota it is against the law. And I want to go to Arkansas so I can marry Ry.

(Now I should jump in here to clarify that Anna adores her big brother Ryan and is fiercely protective and proud of him. At the tender age of four that adoration translates to her thinking she wants and should marry him when she is older. Bill and I have tried numerous times to dissuade her and explain why you don’t marry your brother. Apparently these talks have fallen on deaf, or stubborn, ears.)

Me: And who told you this about Arkansas?????

Anna: Daddy did. So I wanna go there.

Of course I tried again in vain to explain why she really DIDN’T want to marry her brother and how he might want to marry someone else and that she would meet a nice boy that she would want to marry. Later I talked to Bill who was at work and told him I only had one word for him, “Arkansas.” He laughed so hard he nearly cried.

The second conversation took place in our kitchen last night and then later at bedtime. My weight has been like a yo yo the past few years and I am trying (although not very successfully) to drop the extra pounds put on when we moved back to MN. I try to work out and have been religiously attending my Weight Watchers meeting although struggling a bit with following my WW plan each week. Bill complimented me last week and said, “You look thinner.” Just the boost I needed. But leave it to our brutally honest children to bring us back to reality.

I was standing at the kitchen counter diligently chopping a cucumber and tomato for my salad with dinner. Anna came up behind and patted me on my bum.

Anna: Momma you have a funny tisimo (short for butisimo).

Me: I do, thanks Anna.

Anna: Yeah mom you do – it is really big and round and sticks out.

Me (to Bill): I will be heading to the Health Club now.

Later in bed…..

Anna: Mommy your mouth is getting smaller, why is that happening?

Me: It is?

Anna: Yes it looks smaller.

Me: Well maybe my mouth is shrinking because my tisimo is getting bigger. (Now in all honesty if my mouth were truly getting smaller don’t you think my tisimo would be getting smaller???!!)

From the mouths of babes…..

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like ...

O.K. -- that was just a little teaser for you. This morning the snow was swirling and coming down at a fairly rapid pace so much so that it actually put a light coating on trees, roofs and roads. Before I left for work it literally looked like large fluffy feathers floating around. Beautiful - even more so that it only stuck temporarily. :-) Forgive the crude photo -- I snapped it with my phone out my office window this morning. It doesn't really do justice to how pretty the snow looked. Needless to say, winter is in the air.

Sometimes Bad Things Happen

It has been a rough week for me -- well a rough 24 hours for sure. In amongst a stressful work week I have received sad news from two friends. The first has been diagnosed with a terminal and untreatable form of cancer that has aggressively spread in her body. I say cancer is a 4-letter word. My heart aches for her family and her friends. And I ask myself why her, why this, why now? My only answer, "sometimes bad things happen."

The second friend sent a sad email to say the family dog had been accidentally and obviously unexpectedly hit by a car when it went outside earlier today. The outcome sounds rather grave but I haven't heard back. I know this dog was the bright light in the lives of my friend's two children. Again, I asked myself why? Again, "sometimes bad things happen."

I say we don't know from one day to the next what life holds and I plan to go home and hug my kids and my hubby and my kitty and my dog (plus I will give the fish an extra pinch of food). I know to be thankful and feel blessed for what I have because "sometimes bad things do happen."

Winter Is In The Air

We knew it had to happen sooner or later. Lucky for us here in Minnesota it seems to be happening a little later in the year than normal. Yes, winter is teasing us with its cold and snowy grasp. Trees here are all but bare and the landscape has taken on its grey hue. Most telling however was the wind, the temps and the white flakes that flew around all afternoon yesterday. Yep -- snow. Nothing measurable or even of a nuisance but enough to remind us that Toto I don't think we are going to be in the fall season much longer.

Yesterday morning before school I had to send Ryan downstairs to search through the storage bench by our back door for a hat and mittens. Both he and Anna resisted winter coats but were quite happy to cover their ears and hands.

Me? I cranked the heat and heated seat on high in the car on my commute to and from work and pondered moving south. :-)

Gracie The Hunter

First my apologies for my delinquency in keeping the blog updated. I see my last post was two weeks ago -- time flys when you are having fun. Well in my case when you are working, shuffling kids around and going out of town on the weekend.

Last weekend Bill and Gracie ventured up North past Lake Mille Lacs to do some grouse hunting. This northern pilgrimage has been a tradition since Bill and I met (and before I was even in the picture). The group of players has changed and it seems the boys have mellowed in their antics -- I used to accuse Bill of the hunting part being a cover for a guys gone wild weekend. In fact I don't think I was too far from the truth at one time but it doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Hunting and relaxing now seem to be the agenda.

Our neighbor has a wonderful cabin that Bill and his friends use. The first day of hunting was too warm and Gracie got really tired out and Bill frustrated with the lack of bird sightings. Things looked up and as you can see from the photo Bill was able to shoot a couple birds. Gracie happily retrieved his targets. I am not sure if Gracie has yet totally recovered as she has sure put in a lot of time on the couch in the basement this week!