I Voted

Hope everyone will get out to vote today! Mark just called me giddy with voter adrenalin coursing through his veins. He exclaimed, "Honey!!! I have been kissed by Liberty!!!!"

What - "Kissed by Liberty!!??" Seriously, the man gets a high off of performing his civic duties. Mark and I will be glued to the TV with a big bowl of air popped popcorn tonight!

I should have cruised by Starbucks on my way in to get my free coffee with my "I Voted" sticker. Too bad we don't have a Ben & Jerry's near us. You can bet Mark and I would be indulging on our free scoop!

Halloween Memories of my Childhood...

* My mom sewed fabulous costumes for us. I am sure they cost a lot more then the store bought ones actually. Brett and I got to pick our fabrics as we got older. I was often a princess. In kindergarten I think, I had a cool witch costume. It had orange rick rack and felt pumpkins cut and sewed onto the hem of the skirt. One year Brett and I were both clowns. My costume was green with white snails. Brett's was striped. We both had green hats. Mom sewed yarn to Brett's hat for hair and then pulled the yarn apart so it was kinky. For a high school dance one year, I had a black witch dress. It was one of those long to short skirts. The dress was black. The inside of the skirt was orange with white polka dots.

* Riding in the back seat of the Caprice Classic and trick or treating to all the various aunts and uncles all through the country-side from Hector to Bird Island. Actually, I never once trick or treated in town going from house to house.

* Halloween parties with my cousins at my Grandpa's house in Bird Island. We had bubble gum blowing contests and bobbed for apples in a giant wash tub. I think my mom always won the bubble gum blowing contest. I remember my aunt Karen wearing a pirate's costume. I remember a scavenger hunt one year. I never remember any men being there, as I assume they were finishing up in the field.

* Grandma Elna's popcorn balls that she handed out for candy. She made them with Jenny who lived on the other side of her one level duplex in Hector. They were colored and flavored with Jello I think. I REALLY would love to have one of those today! Gosh, now that I think about this.... How many pop corn balls did they make and how long did it take them??? Did only relatives/friends get them or everyone who came to the door? This was Hector. Everyone is either your friend or relative.

* When I was in college, I remember making a trip out to the Cosmos Costume Shop with sorority and fraternity friends to rent costumes from that cool/quirky lady whose name I can't recall. What a steal in cost compared to renting in St. Cloud. In general, the experience was worth every gallon of gas. Of course we then headed home for a free supper.

Today, Halloween is another day to miss/contemplate Marlys too. She is a part of every great childhood Halloween memory I have. I think of the cool coordinating costumes she would have made Marly and Dean if she had been able. I have no doubt she would have taken on any request her dear daughter could come up with! In my head, I was dreaming Dorothy and Toto!

Miracles Happen

Last night my cell phone rang while I was upstairs with Marly and Dean. Later I saw my missed call was Amy S in Kansas. I was afraid to listen to my message. You may recall me blogging about Amy and her mom's battle with stage 4 cancer. The message was NOT what I expected. It simply said, "Call me back. I have good news!"

A while later we connected. She had GREAT news. Maureen (here in MN) had went to the doctor yesterday expecting to undergo chemo. Instead she was told the cancer appeared to be gone - tumor gone, lymph nodes clear. Basically, it sounds as if the doctor's cannot explain why, and it appears to be a miracle.

In Maureen's own words, taken directly from her Caring Bridge web site: This did not happen by itself. Thank you all for your prayers. And thank you to an awesome God who listens.

I am overwhelmed with happiness for Maureen and her family. I was one of those people praying regularly, daily. My prayer was simple. "Please God, Don't take Amy's mom away from her." The motherless daughter's club doesn't need any new members, and most certainly not my friends. The initiation and orientation is too long and too painful for words.

I am so moved, I had to blog, even though my readers probably don't know Amy or her mom....

Toasty Twins

Marly & Dean testing out their hats and mittens.

The little red car is becoming a point of contention. Dean loves to drive it all over. Marly has a similar lion toy, but it has no steering wheel. Dean gives Marly a less then kind SHOVE when she tries to take a turn...

Curls are hiding under that hat.

Dad with his kiddos. It is hard to find b/g clothes that match. Because of this, the kiddos rarely MATCH match. But - I have this thing where I just CANNOT put one in say corduroy pants, and the other in jeans at the same time, or different brands at one time. They generally have on things that are similar. They are going to mock me for this some day. The matching shirts above are from the Pottery Barn Baby web site clearance section... the jeans are from Wal-Mart!

General Update - Although the kids seen to understand each other, they are not saying a lot. At the moment, they seen to be rebelling against naps. Not so fun. Believe me, they need a nap! Marly wakes up most every night wanting a drink of water. As soon as she quenches her thirst, she is back down for the count. Tonight I think I will leave the sippy in the corner of her crib. Maybe I won't need to go in there at 2 AM.

More weekend in Review

Saturday the Thomberg's attended Taylor Collins confirmation dinner. We missed church, as Mark was working. It was a delight to be at a family gathering, and realize my kids ran wild for hours without the need of assistance from Mark and me. They happily played with their cousin Marissa and other kids. More realistically, Marissa followed them around and did a great job entertaining them. They ran upstairs, they ran downstairs, they went back and forth through the halls, they played with the cat, they played with the toys in the basement (cool and rather extensive collection of toys considering Kelsey is in college and Tay is a sophmore), and they only occasionally took a break to come and check in on mom and dad (or to eat desert). Mom and Dad got to have adult conversion with my cousins Kris and Dee and others. Pretty cool.

At the end of the day, we also got to take home pumpkins home grown by Toots and Doug. We also got squash. Thanks Toots! The pumpkins are the perfect addition to our front door.

Showering Kelly & Pat

Several months back, Mark's sister Kelly asked me to be her Matron of Honor at her nuptials with Pat in Jamaica this winter. It is an honor to be asked to stand up for her and her fiance. Mark will be walking his sister down the aisle, or rather... up the beach for the big event! Five years ago she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. Kelly has certainly matured and grown and ready to tie the knot herself. Actually, the wedding will take place in Nigril, at the same resort Mark and I went to for our own honeymoon.

Sunday I helped to host a lovely bridal shower, along with her future mother-in-law and two family friends to the Kaulfuss's. We did it in a tropical theme, with various palm tree decorations adorning the restaurant banquet room. I think Kelly had a very nice time, and was certainly showered with many wonderful gifts.

I MIGHT have a problem...

I think by now you gather I prefer a deal, and this means...coupons. Last night I discovered I MIGHT have a problem.

Last week I bought Marly a pink OshKosh winter jacket at Marshall's. I then searched for a similar coat for Dean. I discovered Kohl's carried the boy version. Big surprise... it was 55% off. Nice ploy. I think most of us have Kohl's and Herbergers figured out. Everything is always on sale...for the price the merchandise is actually worth.

Last night I went to purchase the coat. As I was standing in line, I heard the cashier say to each customer, "Do you have any coupons today!" My heart started to race. I did NOT have a coupon. Was there a mailer or Sunday insert that I overlooked? No one in front of me had a coupon either. This put me a touch more at ease, but I was seriously thinking of leaving the store to track down this allusive coupon. I also considered getting out of line and going to customer service to play the, "I forgot my coupon at home, can I get a new one here?" card. Once I purchased the coat, I am sad to admit I also briefly thought about returning it, then asking my dad to purchase it for me next Tuesday. Tuesday is Senior Discount Day! I mean, seriously, even I know this is ridiculous.

Oh my lord, truly I might be sick in the head! A day later, I am still weighing my options. At the store last night, I gave them my e mail address. According to the promotion, I will now recieve (via e mail) a $5 coupon and free shipping on an online order. Hmmm.. I could return the coat, and buy it again with the coupon. I am sane enough to realize I will waste more in gas and time then is worth $5. The problem is, whenever I do NOT have a coupon (and I think one is out there somewhere...), I feel like I am giving away free money! I don't gamble, I play the coupon game.

To further tip the scales towards my lack of sanity, this morning I popped online to quickly take a Papa Murphy's survey which Mark received with last weeks pizza purchase. I needed to take the survey to get a code to give to Mark to get $3 off our pizza for tonight.

I might be a savvy shopper, or... I might be off my rocker. Feel free to weight in and comment if you like. Hey, at least I can mock myself. That has to mean something!