life beyond the bleachers

headed North

2012-01-25T17:07:00.000-06:00

This guest post, from my youngest daughter....

Welllllllll.................... so here's the story! My mother, being the crazy adventurous child at heart she still is, decides, HEY. Let's go see the Northern lights! So we all packed up and got ready to head out with a box of cereal and iced tea in hand. We headed North, picking up my sister on the way, and set out to find the Northern lights. However, me just being done with my softball practice, and my sister just finishing her exams, dropped off fairly early. We both woke up, briefly, to look when we had gotten as far North as our time would allow us to go in order to get back in time. We didn't end up seeing any more than a red haze out in the sky; the northern lights were actually, as we would find out later, best visible on the other side of the planet! So we turned around and headed home, stopping only at a little truck stop with bakery treats, some of which were larger than myself! We got home around 4 in the morning and didn't make it far into the house before we dropped off fell into a practical hibernation. Although we did not get to see the Northern lights as expected, I realized that it isn't the destination that is the most important, but rather the events that occur on the trip there. yep, i run deep. :)

Just a little?

2012-01-25T12:23:00.000-06:00

Seeing the Northern lights is on my bucket list. I added it last fall, and it's the only concrete thing on there so far. So when the news started forecasting one of the best displays yet, I jumped on the chance to see them. The kids had off school the next day, and I had just cleared my work schedule earlier in the day - it seemed as though the stars, or at least the super-charged electrons hurtling toward Earth, were lining up for me.

We hopped in the car at 10pm and drove North, as far as we could. No sign of the Northern lights, this time. This was still one of the better all-nighters I've spent.

Maybe next time....

at least it's something...

2012-01-01T22:26:00.000-06:00

Snow. Finally. It's just an inch or two, but it's still snow.

time to share the gifts!

2011-12-30T12:11:00.000-06:00

Not all of these have been given yet, but the ones that are left are going to people who won't see this, so now I can share. It appears as though my quilting tutor is doing a good job!

My first quilt - for the oldest's BF who has never had one.

I-spy - for my grandson with fabric I've collected over years.

Stars - started for my granddaughter when she was a baby.

Tag blankie - for the newest little family member.

over the river...

2011-12-26T11:42:00.000-06:00

My other sister and her husband moved into a beautiful new home, and so it was her turn to host Christmas. They made ham and potatoes, and we opened gifts that we exchanged names for. This was the view on the drive out to her house:

Jesus would have a smart phone, I know it....

2011-12-24T01:24:00.000-06:00

The kids and I went to midnight service at the church where I grew up, and where my sister and her family still goes - it's a very relaxed format. As I was taking this picture, the middle daughter leaned over and said, "I think taking pictures in church is frowned upon."

Because it was Christmas, I didn't point out that we were all wearing jeans and hoodies, and that the people in front of us were dancing....

all aboard!

2011-12-23T01:16:00.000-06:00

The oldest planned a surprise for the rest of us today. She took us to dinner and then to the Polar Express at the IMAX theater. We saw the movie in the theater as a family when it was released, and we have watched it on dvd hundreds of times since, and there were still things we caught this time that we never heard or saw before. The two funniest memories of the night:

1) The middle daughter walked into the IMAX and her brain went into math mode. All she could think of was how fast the sound waves would travel across the dome, and the formulas to calculate things. She could not clear her brain until the movie started. And she was pissed that she couldn't turn it off. Hilarious!

2) As we are wrapping up dinner hubby pulls out his phone and announces that he has "this cool calculator" on his phone that can figure out what the tip should be. No one had the heart to tell him that we all have a tip calculator on our phones - or we all sat in the same stunned silence, while he demonstrated it for us....

it's points either way....

2011-12-22T16:31:00.000-06:00

At work we had a gag gift exchange, so middle daughter and I made a trip to the local Goodwill store looking for a good one. We found a pillow in the shape of a hamburger. It was perfect.

In the exchange we did, once you opened your gift, you could trade with someone else who already opened theirs to get a "better" gift.

When I picked the kids up at school I reported back that my co-worker chose the burger, and when it was the boss's turn she swiped it from my co-worker. Apparently it was a hit.

The middle kid says, "Maybe it will earn you some brownie points - or more like hamburger points."

so that's what the ironing board is for

2011-12-20T23:07:00.000-06:00

Ok, so when I started quilting again, I forgot why I quit in the first place. Part of it was finding time to work on it with little kids running around. The other reason is that I stopped taking classes after the intro, and didn't learn how to actually finish one.

I'd like to introduce my new quilting tutor, YouTube:

Ms Money

2011-12-17T09:46:00.001-06:00

I was talking with our coach at a rock climbing competition when the middle daughter came springing up with some papers in her hands. "Whatcha got there?" asked the coach. "Oh, an application to work here - college isn't gonna pay for itself."

I love that girl.

well, at least it's one more

2011-12-14T06:12:00.000-06:00

My co-workers decorated my cube for my birthday - hub and kids left me a starbucks gift card and texted me messages all day, and my sister, my other sister, my dad and sooo many friends on FB wished me a happy birthday - which was really nice because I spent my day at work, and then at night went to my other job, and was still in a meeting at midnight when my birthday ended.

st nick...

2011-12-07T00:53:00.000-06:00

I did not want the oldest to miss St. Nick just because she is away at school - it's always been such an event in our home.... So I made arrangements for the info desk in her dorm building to deliver a package to her mailbox that night. In the box was a small, wrapped item for each day, like an advent. That night when she got caught up on the days, she sent me this picture:

cookie day

2011-12-04T22:00:00.000-06:00

My BFF organized a cookie exchange at her house this weekend. Way easier than baking all of these alone - which is what the two of us used to do.

i forgot about these

2011-12-03T00:44:00.000-06:00

Last year when the oldest was choosing colleges, one of them was on the other side of the country with a very aggressive program and intense schedule. We knew if she wound up there, we would not see her during the semester, possibly not for Thanksgiving, and only a few days for Christmas.

As I was putting the Christmas stuff away, I realized that this Christmas was one of the "lasts" for us. For the first time it hit me that she would be graduating, and the possibilities she had to choose from was overwhelming to me. I was missing her already.

I put some ornaments in one of the leftover cookie tins to send to her - wherever she was the next year. I put the tin back in with the rest of the decorations and packed them away. This year, when I pulled them out, there was the tin on top.

As it turns out, she chose the college 45 minutes away and is home nearly every weekend, but the sense of "lasts" has not gone away.

but i'm helping

2011-11-29T22:22:00.000-06:00

Nike the crazy dog, testing out the quilt as I'm trying to lay it out. At least she isn't eating it...

what's next?

2011-11-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

I finished my first 5K.

My time was so much slower than I planned and I walked a lot. My runs leading up to this had been so much better. When we finished, I was so disappointed.

Disappointed, until my sister reminded me to think of how far I've come. Ten years ago my chronic fatigue was so bad I could hardly get out of bed. I'd be having a great day and within an hour hit the wall and have to sleep. A lot of my memories are blurry. I felt like I had the flu all the time - for years. And I just finished a 5K - something I never thought I could do, even before CFS.

just ask....

2011-11-22T06:48:00.000-06:00

This is what you get when you ask your co-worker how her weekend was....

The dog came in with poop (of some sort) in her beard Sunday morning (hubby was out hunting)…once we figured out what the horrid smell was in the house I started to gag while taking the dog to the bathroom to clean her up. Miss E gagged too, but her gagging escalated and she actually threw up (a large amount). Little B was sitting right next to her and decided to play in it. Put the dog in the kennel and cleaned up the kids. Went back to cleaning up the dog only to have her shake poop all over when I got her wet in the tub.

Thanks for sharing Libbe!

2011-11-09T12:19:00.001-06:00

On my way to work today I passed 3-4 people running in the dark, in the rain, in 40 degrees... Because the weather is supposed to be bad later. Wisconsin.

lunch-making fail

2011-11-03T22:33:00.002-05:00

My husband got this idea to help with the morning rush by making the kids' lunches....

31 Days of Words {Day 31}

2011-10-31T23:23:00.000-05:00

We made it! That was a difficult challenge - I like to write when I feel like writing, and when I have something great to share. On the days when I wasn't feeling it, it was hard to let go and post something I felt was mediocre. But I made it to the end of the month. Here's a look back at all the words of the day.

it's kinda creepy

2011-10-30T10:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to my sister's house for some Halloween fun. My sisters and I change our hair color a lot, and were all a little lighter over the summer. All three of us showed up last night dark - completely unplanned. Freaky.

pay attention to the signs

2011-10-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life is busy and confusing, and I forget to breathe. And then a beautiful sign helps me pull it together again. I stopped and pulled over into a parking lot - a church parking lot, no less - to take this pic.

homecoming

2011-10-29T12:57:00.001-05:00

This is what my oldest has been doing since she graduated from high school.

my BFF

2011-10-28T17:13:00.000-05:00

In grade school I was tall and awkward, with glasses and eventually braces. Although I got along with everyone by high school, I only had a few real friends. I am a lot the same as an adult - my circles include dozens of people on the surface level, but it takes me a long time to open up and share enough to build those real friendships (the awkward part is still just the same).

This week, and today especially, I am so grateful for my best friend from grade school who is still my best friend 25 32 years later. :)

there's more to it than sewing...

2011-10-26T06:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend when my daughter was home, she decided she wanted to make a quilt over the winter. We chose a patchwork pattern, pulled out the fabric stash, and washed a load fabric. I don't think she realized how much quilting involves ironing and cutting.... good thing I like both!