Some Bunny Loves You

Hubby texted me this backyard photo today and my first thought was, "Awww, some bunny loves us!" We can think that way because we don't have a garden and concerns he will nibble through it.

Instead, when Jim sent me the second picture, I thought, "Is there anyway you can order it to eat through those weeds he's trying to see over?"

No such luck. But I appreciated the cute photos.

Especially this week. Good grief, is it only Tuesday night? This has been a very stressful few days for reasons I can't blog about – for fear of offending the people who are contributing to my stress. But, I'm learning life lessons in patience. And learning that there's always some bunny out there who loves me.

Just need to focus on loving myself and trying to be the best version of Robyn that I can. And try to be that some bunny who makes someone's day brighter. Just like our little visitor.

May you all find positives in negative situations this week. Some bunny's got your back. And some bunny (this bunny) cares!

Lights, Memories, and Bears, Oh My

The past two days felt more like a very long weekend with all the activities going on between here, Up North and back again.

First of all, even though I left by 8:30 a.m. Friday, it was a long haul going up to Grantsburg. For you future travels, it's almost all one lane going north on I-94 from Osseo to Bloomer (via Hwy 53). In the picture above we were pretty much at a standstill the last few miles on I-94 before I could exit onto 53. 

Guess Friday is a travel day even if it's not summer. Of course, those weren't my only delays.

Saw at least 5 deer – hey, they even cross roads in daylight! And, for the first time in my life, a black bear crossed the road in front of me. I was so startled that between slamming on my brakes and trying to grab my phone for a picture, I only caught this...

His quick scamper into the woods. Unreal! I mean most of my siblings who live in the Northwoods have seen a black bear – even Carter did vacationing up there as a child – but not me. Wow.

The only other delay was one of my own choosing – stopping to visit Dad. Unfortunately, the only flowers nearby were dandelions. 

Still, it was nice to visit with him and see my childhood church! 

I also stopped to see Mom at the nursing home before going to her apartment so I could give her her Mother's Day gift and visit a bit one on one. She's been having good days and not-so-good days. But she wants to get better and get her strength back!

The main purpose of my visit was to help go through her apartment with my siblings and decide what we wanted, what others might want, and what we could donate as we clean out her place by the end of the month. Friday afternoon was spent with a handful of my sisters as we cleaned out things and organized them into piles we could all look at today to see what we wanted to keep for ourselves.

Four of us had dinner at T-Dawg's in Grantsburg and Renell, who I was staying with, had some work training. 

I was enjoying the pretty sunset view from her apartment and considered it a good day. 

But it wasn't long after she got home that Jim texted me a picture of the Northern Lights from the Rapids area. My mind has been in so many places this week that I didn't realize this was a big thing that pretty much everyone in the contiguous United States could see.

So we got in the car and headed north of town to Phantom Lake in the Crex Meadows area. And dozens of other cars full of people had the same idea.

It was really strange. To the naked eye, we couldn't really see the colors, just some wisps of "clouds" in the sky. But then when we took pictures with our phones, we could see the brilliant colors everyone else was capturing. Pretty amazing.

And pretty cool seeing them by a lake where we could capture the color reflecting on the water. First time since childhood I've really got to see them. It was awesome!

This morning, the 7 of us (with Rachel there in spirit) were sorting through things at 10 a.m.

I wasn't expecting that Mom had all our baby shoes ready for us to take home. Yes, I guess my tiny shoes are antiques.

And yes, Mom wanted evidence that we were all alive and not fighting each other over anything. We survived it fine and really didn't had any reason for fisticuffs. 

By mid-afternoon, after I had two boxes of stuff "I don't need" but took anyway, I stopped by to see Mom one more time and hit the road.

I took a different route back. But turns out Highway 53 from Spooner to Rice Lake was just one lane so that wasn't a quicker route home. And, if you can believe it, I saw another black bear cross the road in front of me between Neillsville and Pittsville. It was far enough down the road, I didn't have to slam on my brakes but too far for me to get a picture. Just unreal to experience 2 bear crossings in 2 days.

And tonight, I could experience the special lights 2 out of 2 days. At least some of my unexpected surprises were good. And the others, thank goodness, didn't cause any damage to my car! 

Thanks, God, for the beauty and the safety!

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!

Morning Views

Although I slept through the 2 a.m. arrival, I certainly was overjoyed to be greet this sight this morning.

And it only got better.

My sunrise commute to work was simply gorgeous.

And my drive home was nearly identical. Crazy beautiful and colorful. Awesome.

Then, of course, my day was made seeing Carter and Mamie. Who knows how long they'll park their belongings here, but we're in no rush. Awesome to see them and know it's not just for a weekend.

Thanks, God, for blessing us with a beautiful entrance and exit to the day with warm hugs and love in between.

A Baker's Dozen't

Is it Murphy's Law or Baker's Law when you remodel your kitchen – except for replacing the stove – and then it dies a month later?

This is the last batch of cookies (or anything) baked in our trusty Frigidaire glass-top stove we bought 24 or so years ago. I was trying to be the daughter-in-law of the year Saturday and was excited to discover Cream Cheese chips to add to my spice cookies. But when the first pan was in, all of sudden the temperature was going down. Thankfully, it lasted just enough to get the first 20 cookies out of the oven and give Johnny a dozen.

After further review, the burners no longer worked either. And the clock went black until I turned on the "bake" dial. Yep, far more messed up than when I could simply replace the heating element several years ago. (I was so proud of that DIY moment!) 

So we had to pick out a new stove – and since we have those concrete countertops in place, one that must squeeze into that 30-inch gap exactly! Fingers crossed for the new stove arriving Thursday!

After that, we grabbed some food in Point and went to the Pacelli Co-op Hockey game so I could shoot pictures of their Stick it to Cancer night. I feel like my dates with Mr. Zamboni are now supervised!

Today, we took advantage of our last free weekend for the foreseeable future and went to the movie The Boys in the Boat, based on our 1936 Olympic rowing team. I've read the book and was excited that the movie did a great job reflecting their story. We both liked it.

Then it's been nothing but football and me doing a little photo sorting for scrapbooking weekend. 

Naturally, we ordered Portesi pizza for dinner since we couldn't do a take-and-bake from anywhere. Takes getting used to. I'm wondering if the remaining cookie dough will last in the fridge until I can bake it. Someone seems to like it. And it's not me or the kitty.

The Big Reveal

Ok. So even though we aren't 100% done with redoing our kitchen, all the people we contracted with are. So it's time for our exciting big reveal! Just going to try and post BEFORE and AFTER pictures and hope they are about the same angle. 

BEFORE: If you recall, a huge part of this was also stripping wallpaper and painting the walls white. (Side note: I'll have a Lighthouse Liquidation Sale next spring!

AFTER: We replaced the white panel wainscoting with brushed metal panels and black framing. I hated to see those white boards go, but dang, I'm loving our new look! And yes, the wall decor has a long way to go, but we wanted to get it started before Christmas guests arrived.

BEFORE: All I can say for the remaining BEFORE pictures is that our cabinets were in good condition, just outdated. And for us, it's thrilling to see the AFTER! 

AFTER: Wow.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Very excited to turn that space into a pantry!

BEFORE

AFTER

And the backsplash which was just old wallpaper before and is a white subway tile look!

AFTER

We wanted our backsplash (formerly wallpaper) to be somewhat simple – but textured – by our concrete countertop. We love it! Some things are worth the wait!

On the Level

I never thought I'd say this, but I think I need a laser level in my life! Who knew?!

Mr. Back Splash Man (he sounds like a super hero because he is) arrived on the scene today. He was halfway done by the time I got home from work. All I can say is: one, glad we didn't tackle this ourselves. And two, that laser level is freaking awesome!

Since the wall by the dining room table is blank now and I plan to add photos, I think that laser level would kick ass. I mean, assist me in making sure things are lined up. Plus it's got Mission Impossible / James Bond vibes. 

Dear, Santa: You hearing me?

Anyway, we're loving how it's looking so far and cannot wait for the final "before and after"!

Patience is an underrated virtue. It's really, really major some days!

Feeling Wired

After staying up late to watch our beloved Vikings choke, we were both tired and wired today. But we slugged through the work day like champs and then saw another step in our kitchen remodel see completion.

We now have nice new outlets – one black and the rest white. Plus, thanks to our handy electrician friend, we have the light over the stove installed. That took some doing but I was a lovely assistant – doing important things like holding flashlights and fetching extension cords while Jim helped with measuring and decision-making and Mike did all the labor. 

It was a team effort. Kidding, Mike. Thanks for doing it all!

Only one big thing left to do (or pay someone to do) and that's the backsplash. We are so close to being "before" and "after" photo ready! Grateful for patience.

After dinner, I popped over to Cindy's to watch another two episodes of Lessons in Chemistry. So good. And now I gotta catch up on The Voice.

Will get to bed at a decent time so I'm not wired tomorrow again! Have a great week!

As Time Passes

As the sun was setting on my way home from work tonight, I realized it was one of a kind beautiful... and a sign of another sunset in our lives,

Yup, as part of our kitchen and dining room remodel, we realized we should probably dispose of our land line  – that long-forgottened form of communication. We realized less than 5 people (including our parents) called us on that. Plus it was best to put out new back splash over all of those outlets.

But if you don't have our individual cell numbers, definitely message me to learn more. We can't assume everyone lives in the 80's, 90's, and so on like we do!

Boo-tiful Sunday

Was nice to pick up Rayna this morning and have her go to church with me. Thanks to all my church friends who met her and still convinced her I'm pretty cool despite my NFL preferences! 

She hit the road by noon so my afternoon included a trip to Stevens Point with my friend Cindy. First stop: the Fall Boozy Book Fair at District 1 Brewery. 

We both though this summed up our opinion as book lovers!

In the end, we both bought a few books. Mine were very "soft" mysteries (far from scary or horror) but still, we were both happy to support small, local businesses. 

We made our way down to Kohl's and Menards. Hey, she got clothes and I got a kitchen faucet so it was a successful trip all around!

The rest of the day was Jim golfing and me finishing a few photo and design projects. I hope I still have few hours to enjoy the weekend. Hope it was a BOO-tiful day for you, too!

Getting a Handle on Things

So there was a historic day today with a solar eclipse. You know the photographer in me wanted to capture that, but dang... we had more cabinet progress! How do you like our handles? Jim and I agreed on these immediately since we have some cool metal stuff coming as part of this overhaul.

Naturally, the curious cat wanted to know about this solar eclipse thing so we sporadically sat outside to see if there was progress.

Wouldn't you know it – on a "partly" cloudy day it covered up the good stuff. From our yard anyway. But still, it was kind of cool that every picture captured some end-of-the-world vibes.

It's so weird. No filter. Just rainbow outlines. That was cool enough for me. And you know I say that while I'm jealous of people who captured it!

Our awesome crew left by 12:30 p.m. so we grabbed lunch at Ida's and then had Son #2 and his plus-one visit awhile. 

Tonight I emptied 4 totes of "kitchen stuff" while reorganizing the cabinets that have the hexagon handles installed. It will be a strange new reality.  But we can't wait to see the end result!! 

Again, sorry to bore you but we haven't had a major upgrade to our home of 20-plus years in a long time. Life is good. Make improvements to your home sweet home to enjoy it – not just to sell it! 

WTF (What The Fall?)

Been a little out of the loop as I deal with a new fall favorite. Not pumpkin spice. Allergies! 

Woke up Thursday morning coughing and had a runny nose. That continued through the day and in one of my work meetings, someone mentioned maybe I had fall allergies. Well, I've never had those before!

But according to Dr. World Wide Web, I definitely matched the symptoms: runny nose, coughing, watery eyes and even the "dark circles under the eyes." Who knew that was a symptom? As a precaution, I took a COVID test and that was negative. I just couldn't figure out what triggered it. Until... 

One of the online sites had this to say: Mold is another fall trigger. You may think of mold growing in your basement or bathroom – damp areas in the house – but mold spores also love wet spots outside. Piles of damp leaves are ideal breeding grounds for mold.

So you mean after spending an hour in the light rain in piles of leaves for a photo shoot Wednesday night, that could be a trigger?! Sure was. 

Claritin helped but I took today off anyway. I think I needed to catch up on rest after three solid weeks of gutting the kitchen and dining room plus a wedding in there. My body needed to rest. And the rest of the house needed a little attention.

Didn't get too far with that. I woke up in the middle of the night and ended up watching the Ryder Cup (over in Italy) and tried a few naps today between mopping, washing windows, and of course – golfing!

It's been a few weeks since my golf partner Marigene and I got out. We were a bit rusty, but who cares? Let's get more rounds in since it FINALLY stopped raining. I figured as long as I already had the allergy gig going, I might as well try to enjoy the outdoors.

And keep Kleenex (or Porta Potty toilet paper) on hand! 

Like I said, I am not used to or equipped to handle fall allergies. Bless your heart if you deal with this every year. Now that I've been there, done that, I don't really see the need to experience this again.

Just do your thing, Claritin. Please.

One and Done

We were thrilled today that our rock star painting squad got the kitchen and dining room walls painted in a single day. Hurray!

Sheds and his worthy assistant were busy before I even got up this morning. Hey, it was a vacation day so I slept in until a whoppin' 8 a.m.

The person buying our old cupboards had a family emergency so wasn't coming today. So I postponed cleaning them up for now. So while the dynamic duo slaved away I got some photo work done and errands, too. 

Enjoying a celebratory beer for a productive one-and-done day! Hey, some people tip with money. Some people with Budweiser!

I had to run to cross country. Then hubby and I met at El Mezcal for dinner – gotta start using up some of our gift cards when we don't have a kitchen! Took pictures when we got home. Anything not painted white is where cupboards are going.

And at that wall where we had wainscoting panels (that's a new word I learned today), we'll have something special that I'll share a photo of once it's installed. 

Whew! First stage complete! Now we can pack tonight and enjoy a wedding weekend!