happy winter celebration?

It's that cozy time of year.  And I have a super special talent - the ability to pick the check-out lane that will take forever.  Even if it looks the most promising at first, somebody will whip out 298 coupons or have a question that requires a manager or it happens to be the cashier dude's first day.  Nate is good at it too.

Michael has a concert tonight, but it's not a holiday concert.  Weird.  C'mon, I wanna hear them play Christmas music.

This is stupid and scary - the U of M is asking it's employees to use the term 'winter celebration' instead of 'holiday party.'  C'mon, we're not all busting our rear ends shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating, attending mass and driving all over to celebrate Winter with our families.
link to this grinchy censorship story

better late than never?

I got braces yesterday.  Just on the top for now.  The bottom ones will go on in late January.  They're annoying but not too painful.  Well, eating is a bit painful and cumbersome and they are constantly chaffing my gums & cheeks.  I hear that subsides.  Oh, and flossing is a gigantic pain in the rear.  I don't like how my upper lip falls over the brackets/teeth.  Like I've been socked in the face, minus the bruising.  I guess I'll stop at nothing to look 20 years younger.

Zach saw me get the camera out and complained that he didn't want to be in a picture.  But then he got jealous and probably confused after I took several weird shots of my teeth.  

twinklyness

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to y'all.  I have no legitimate gripes in life at present, and a bajillion things to be thankful for.  Turkey, stuffing, pie, etc. - all icing on the cake.  Mmm, cake.  And we finally lit up those pretty twinkly lights tonight. 

I 'spose the tree could use some more lights, but it may have to wait.  That's Mary and Joseph glowing all freaky bright in a stable Nate built.

lights all aglow

If it's in the 50's in November, Minnesotans are puttin' Christmas lights up.  It's almost time to enjoy those LED lights we got on mega-clearance last January.  Our maple tree wants to stubbornly hold on to it's leaves for some reason, though.

Also looking forward to the Catholicism series by Fr. Robert Barron of YouTube fame, airing on EWTN this week.  Though many Public Television stations across the country are airing it, several stations (including our local TPT) chickened out.

Trick or Treatin' 2011

Bunch of recycled costumes again for Halloween this year, just how our pocketbook likes it.  Except Adrienne - she was a butterfly with wings that wouldn't cooperate.

Nate wore the werewolf mask while out with the kids.  He carried Zach's fireman axe sometimes.  People were too scared to talk to him.

'Tis the season of gorgeous sunrises & sunsets.

Aaaaww-OOOooo...

a little culture never hurt anybody

wounded vets video

Caught this at the end of the news yesterday and thought it was cool.  Prosthetic limb technology has come a long way. It's amazing what these guys can do.  Go Vets!

blessed braggy mom

Nate and I went to conferences for Michael, Adrienne, and Nicky yesterday.  They're all doing really well.  We walked out feeling pretty proud of our little brood.  Not that we expected to breed numskull troublemakers, given the mousy nerd I was and the smarty Nate was in school.  They're bright and talented and we're blessed.

houseful of sickies

All 6 of us have had to wrangle with a cold and cough bug in the last 2 weeks.  Michael's mostly over it.  Mine's not too bad.  The rest of the people in this house are still a bit gross.  Moms are supposed to be super compassionate and all, but hearing coughing every 5 seconds for weeks and weeks grates on the nerves.  Some less than nurturing things may have been said recently, like Please get your sorry barking carcass out of here and leave me alone.  I would rather deal with colds than a pukefest, though, or full on influenza, so I'll quit whining now.  Here's a fun picture of a squirrel chillin' on our deck.

And cold bugs be darned, we made it to Red Wing on Saturday for our annual fall family leaf looking.  'Cept it's been so windy that what's left wasn't real impressive.  Nice warm weather, though.  This year we rode the Trolley for a tour about the town.  The guide liked to talk about alcohol.  Good family fun.  Oh, and there's a rumor that Al Capone and some other thugs used to hang out at an island by Red Wing.  I've heard the same about Coney Island in Waconia.  Those mobsters really got around.  I think I saw one in Target last week.

Michael acted like a teenager most of the time.  I suppose as each of the kids succumbs to teen-dom in the coming years, they might prefer to skip these family excursions.  Nothing doing, pal.