2012- Week 42

1.  I started to go to yoga regularly in Elkader.  LOVE the teacher, Natalia (an attorney from Dubuque who drives to Elkader every day to work for the county).  First session seemed hard, but I am picking it back up again pretty easily.  Classmates are all very nice.  Natalia is also very knowledgeable about moons and takes the class out on excursions like kayaking to locations to do yoga, etc.

Kathleen at Strategic Planning meeting, making use of her 3M stock.

2. Lots of Farm to School work.  Strategic Planning, Harvest of the Month, and Harvest Challenge in Viroqua, much more.  It was a jam packed week.  The Harvest Challenge was very fun.  I got to hang out with Ella, Kathleen's daughter, who although only 11, has become a good friend and I ran into Katya, who I hadn't seen since birthing group.

Paul was a great husband and was sober chauffeur with the RV for the party.

3. Made it to a half an hour or so of Paula's birthday party.  The girl's were already having a good time when I got to the bar and after about 1/2 hour of laughs and deciding to hit up another bar, Paula was done for the night.

4.  We were able to enter our pumpkins into a contest after all.  St. Joe's Harvest Fest were taking submissions.  We took first in about each category.  My favorite prize is a $25 gift certificate to Drew's.

5.  We went to Michelle's birthday party in Manchester which doubled as an OHP meeting.  We thought we were getting there early, but our invitation had the wrong time and we got there right when the food was being put away (not that they didn't get it back out).  Lots of great conversation, Link slept most of the time, but woke up when Michelle got the cotton candy machine going.

Cold Rainy weather, but some beautiful scenes.

6.  I haven't gotten couchsurfing.com requests over a year but got two for this weekend.  Another cyclist on the Adventure Cycle route and a Danish Algerian woman who wanted to eat at Schera's.  Due to bad weather both ended up canceling.

7.  We took Agnes to the Norway Lutheran Meatball Dinner.  We totally prepared her not to expect much, but we all were blown away.  Great meal and she gave an A+ to everything from the meatballs to the rice pudding, except the mashed potatoes (which were instant).  Afterwards we went to the cemetery attached and she read tombstones to us.

Robin and Agnes' WWI bunker cake

8. Agnes had a hard week.  Her friend, the German Foreign Exchange student decided to move out of her host family's home and find a new one.  Which was doubly hard because she had a host sister the same age.  Robin, the host sister, came to make a cake for history class with Agnes during the whole ordeal. 

9.  Trish and Richard borrowed our second car for a few days so we went on Wednesday for dinner at their place.  Sam made "epic guacamole" and we had a good time catching up.

Bordeaux Pizza Special

10.  Link and I went to Manchester to visit Treasure Alley and a few of the stores that my own shop had been compared to to get some ideas.  We also ate at Bordeaux Pizza which I had seen several times, but never thought of trying until I got the recommendation from someone who I met in San Francisco (of all places).  It was mighty tasty.

2012- Week 41

1. 7 Year Anniversary!!!  It was also Columbus Day and Monday so we were not sure what to do.  We ended up having a great evening out at La Rana in Decorah.

2. Link spent an evening at the Mosers' and did a fun letter activity I have seen on pinterest and told jokes with one of his best friends, Taryn.  So greatful for Cheri's willingness to watch him so last minute.

The newsletter I made for the kids.

3. Anna and I started doing Harvest of the Month.  November is Green Beans and the Austin Rush Creek Farm.

4. Oliver!  I was the Strawberry seller and have my first solo on that stage "Ripe Strawberries Ripe."  It was good to connect with some old friends and new.

5. Laura and Agnes and I went to take fall photos before the leaves were all gone.  It is beautiful right now, but the rains are coming.  Laura is having lots of problems with her host family.  I feel blessed to have the such a great relationship with Agnes.

6. We got to watch Link do gymnastics and tap dance.  He followed directions pretty well, but didn't do front rolls without assistance so we have been working on them a lot and he is getting them.  He also can not balance on one foot at all.

7.  Square came in the mail.  So now I can do cards at Whimsy Market.  I am trying to figure out how to work that into my budget.

8.  We made fresh tomato soup from our garden and Agnes introduced us to boiled eggs in it, which is a tasty treat.

9.  Link has been super lovey and playful all week.  He is even starting to run his fingers through my hair just because he knows I like it.  He has also been creative all week.  He found a box with an oval cut in it and was pretending to be a robot so I added some tin foil for him.  He is really into Phineas and Ferb right now and has shown me a thing or two about running my ipad.

10.  We decorated pumpkins like we do each year for the Heritage Festival in Osborne.  Only this time when we opened the door to get out the loud speaker said "1st place goes to..." so we missed it.  I was upset and because it was raining and we didn't want to tramp in the mud, we just went home.
We used pumpkins that grew out of our old pumpkin compost so they were all white.

2012- Week 39 & 40

(Yes, I forgot I had a blog)

 1. Agnes had homecoming and as a cheerleader she was busy all week, building floats, leading pep assemblies, going to the dance, etc.

2. I ordered shirts I designed from Rusty Phillips and have been pretty happy with them.

3. Sadie had a women's circle at her house.  It was great.  Very positive and nice to be with her again.

4. I had several big events at the store including Red Hat Day and Witches Night Out.  The latter went better than the former.  Agnes and Laura made cupcakes for the Witches Night Out.

5. I got an iPad from Bryce for our anniversary.  I got him tickets to Morrissey at the Surf Ballroom.

6. I've been working a lot with Kathleen with Farm to School Planning.  She is awesome to work with.

7. I went to a meeting for the Mud Run follow up and as fund raiser for the skate park we are almost to the goal. 

8. I went to a meeting for after-school programming that I used to head and it looks like it is going to go well even without me, but with a little of my help.  So that makes me feel like I did my job well.

9.  I fell asleep at the library when Link had story hour, I'm so tired from #10.  Also love the book "Not a Box" and I am putting it on Link's Christmas List.

 10.  SOOO much play practice.