Amy Hudson Blog

Since moving back to our hometown of Monroe four years ago, we can't get over all of the phone books that we get! It seems as if every month we get a new one that is somehow in a tiny way different from the one delivered a few weeks before.

I came across the info below earlier this week. You can decline delivery of phone books just how you can get on the do not call list. I hope it's helpful if you go through the same thing at your house.

http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/

 

Friday, 5/6/11

If you've never been to Baumgartner's Cheese Store and Tavern in Monroe, it's worth the trip! Old school charm, great service and the infamous limburger cheese sandwich. My Dad was always a fan of limburger cheese and that's the place to get it. Monroe is actually the only place in the entire country that makes that stinky stuff. I've never had the courage to try it. But people come to Baumgartner's from all over to try it.

The other cool thing is looking up at the ceiling and seeing all of the dollar bills pinned up there. We've tossed a few up there over the years. I just found out that they donate all of the money every year to charity which is cool. 

My sister Lynn sent me this great video of Larry the Cable Guy visiting Baumgartner's recently. Check it out and plan a visit.  Only In America

 

Monday, 4/25

It's been well over a month since St. Patricks Day, but little Miss Ruby knows that at least one last leprechaun is still at our house. Whenever something is missing or moved she points to the leprechauns! We had a lot of fun with hidden gold coins and leprechaun pranks over St. Patricks Day and still, weeks later.

Now it's Easter Bunny time! Looking forward to coloring eggs and spending time with the family over the weekend. Also looking forward to having the candy out of the house. I can't handle it! I thought I would have just a few jelly beans. Almost a half a bag later.....UG!

Happy Easter!

   

Monday, 4/11/11

AMAZING!!! That would be the best word to describe the show Rick Springfield put on Saturday night at the Diamond Jo Casino. He's still got it! It was my fourth time seeing him and he just gets better. I wiggled my way up the second row and couldn't believe I was that close! He played for about ninety minutes and totally rocked!

I thought better of sneaking backstage as I've met him before and sometimes it's best just to leave it at that. I did manage to get the set list and a a bouquet of roses that he shredded on his guitar. Great keepsakes! 

I was laughing my head off replaying the video I shot because you can't really hear the music, only screaming fans with me being one of the loudest!

Thanks to my husband for giving me a great night out and a wonderful show memory! OH! And for learning the riff to Jessie's Girl on his guitar. He played it for me over coffee the morning of the show. Rick of course wrapped the show with Jessie's Girl, my set list tells me so!      

  

Friday, 4/8/11

Even though my Birthday was on March 30, the extravaganza continues!!

I was eleven when Rick Springfield released his Working Class Dog album. I've been in love ever since! My first concert was when he was on tour with the Living In Oz album and the show came to Madison. I was grounded for an entire summer as I snuck out to go to the show. It was worth it.

There was the summer after that where once again I got grounded over Rick. I didn't realize the number I was calling to hear snippets from his new album wasn't a toll free number. Close to a hundred bucks in calls later, I was grounded again. It was worth it.

A few years ago, I saw him in Cadott at the Rock Fest. I was determined to meet this man! I had no press pass, only a business card and a sob story. I approached a radio booth and before I knew it, Rick's tour manager was headed my way. My friend Caprice told me not to get us kicked off the grounds but I told her that I wasn't leaving without meeting this man that I've loved for years.

IT WORKED!!!! We got back to meet Rick after the show and I shared my stories with him. It was the best day!

Last week my sweet husband and daughter surprised me with tickets to see Rick tomorrow night at the Diamond Jo Casino! We have front row floor tickets!!! I'm so excited!

Of course I'll let you know how the show was! Maybe I'll sneak backstage. Maybe not......

 

Monday, 3/28/11

Such a great weekend with the fam! Grandma Brandt cruised down from the Dells on Saturday and we spent the entire day and most of the evening with the family. We realized that not once did the cousins, ranging in ages 2 to 7 without naps, ever make a fuss. Incredible! They just had the best time playing together and having fun. My nephew Seth receives the best hider award as he had the entire family looking for him during a round of hide and seek. We looked everywhere! He shared his secret with me and I promised not to tell.

Sunday wrapped on a great note! My friend and neighbor Martha left my family a nice card letting us know that she's cancer free! WHOO! HOO!

Already having a great week and my Birthday isn't until Wednesday.

CHEERS!

 

Wednesday, 3/9/11

WOW! I still can't get over the snow and the roads this morning! A normal drive in for me is between fifty and sixty minutes but as you know this morning was far from a normal. Two hours and fifteen minutes to get to the studio! YIKES! After that, I need a long weekend! 

Looking forward to a long weekend with family visiting from San Diego. Uncle Dave and Aunt Shirley will be in Wisconsin looking for a nice place to retire and have their horse farm. Aunt Shirley has never been to Wisconsin in the winter so I'm hoping she does great and they don't change their mind about moving back. 

Have a great weekend!

Don't forget to spring those clocks forward!  

Monday, 2/28/11

KEYS! That's what will be on mind most of the day today. It's quite possible I've locked myself out of the house again. As Ruby and I were getting ready to go this morning, the zipper on my coat ripped while it was zipped up. Awesome. So, of course this meant another trip into the house as we were already rushing around. I found another jacket to wear and finally, we're on the road.

I realize as I'm pulling into work that my keys are in the pocket of my other jacket. We used the spare key to get into the house the first time and I'm thinking it's on the kitchen table. Trying to be a positive problem solver, I'm thinking that if I did lock us out at least I'll have an hour while we're at tumble class tonight to call a locksmith and deal with it. That is a much better option than busting open the door with all of my strength, breaking the frame and the lock all in one. Yes, I've done that before.

Friday, 2/11/11

With Valentines Day coming up on Monday, I can't help but remember my first Valentines Delivery Day with the Magic crew which was just a year ago! The time has gone by so fast! I'm hoping to see you on Monday with a Valentines delivery. If not, please consider my recipe for Chocolate Covered Strawberries my Valentine to you. MWAH! 

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces of milk chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons shortening

1 pound of fresh strawberries with leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Insert toothpicks into the tops of the strawberries

2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the toothpicks, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture.

3. Turn the strawberries upside down and insert the toothpick into styrofoam for the chocolate to cool.

 

Thursday, 1/27/11

It's going to take something HUGE to top last weekend! Still floating a bit from it all.

Liz Phair was incredible! Worth waiting fifteen years to see her. It was my first time at Turner Hall and I love that venue! Lots of character and it's easy to see for a shorty like me. Wiggled my way up to the front row.

We'll definitely go back to the Iron Horse to stay. Beautiful and quiet! I can't remember the last time I slept in and that's exactly what I did until almost 9:30!

Wrapping up with the Packers heading to the Super Bowl was just what I was hoping for.

CHEERS!

 

Friday, 1/21/11

For a week that started off not so great for my husband it's turning out to be AWESOME thanks to him. I should be the one doing nice things for him after all he's been through. After I shared with you all of the craziness from Tuesday he ended up having to drive another two hours home on Wednesday as he left his cell phone on the bakers rack. On his way home he almost ran out of gas and hit two deer. YIKES! All of this left him thinking he was really under a bad sign.

He arrived home a bit after eight last night and after getting settled in, told me that I would not be working late tonight as he'd  be picking me up at five. Okay. Of course I was curious and started asking questions. In less than one minute I guessed that he got us tickets to see Liz Phair in Milwaukee! I've loved Liz since the first listen in 1993. This will be my first time seeing her as she rarely tours and I'm jumping out of my skin! He had no idea that one of my best friends Faith will also be at the show. And it gets better, not only did he book us at a pretty swank hotel, the Iron Horse, he also took care of getting a babysitter! THANKS to my Sis-In-Law Teena for taking Ruby girl!

No joking, I'm so excited to see LIz I hope I don't start crying when she starts singing. YES! I'm that much of a freak fan of hers.

Of course the topper to the weekend will be the Packers beating the Bears!

Go Pack!

 

Tuesday, 1/18/11

CRAZY snow to start off the week! I've been a commuter for a long time now. Driving in winter weather is nothing new to me. The worst part of the drive for me is coming in and out of the New Glarus area with all of the hills. This morning I saw a three car accident coming into New Glarus. It looked like a truck hit some ice and then hit two oncoming cars. Everything was getting cleaned up as I was driving around it. Hoping nobody was hurt.

My husband was out of town last night but made a two and a half hour drive to help me with the driveway and sidewalk. So nice!

Shortly after Brian hit the road bright and early this morning, our house phone rang. Whenever the house phone rings super early, my thoughts always turn to the worst. Well, not horrible news but not good either. He was wondering if his wallet was at home. Yup. Trying to look on the bright side, I had to let him know that at least it won't be snowing on his way home tonight. Feels a bit like a Monday all over again.   

Monday, 1/3/11

The past few weeks have just flown by! It's always a little sad after the holidays are over. We work so hard to get ready for them and they are over just like that.

This was the first year in a few that we didn't bust out our family holiday quote book. We started this tradition about seven years ago when my husband and I were living in Lake Mills. 

Everyone in our family is a bit of a comedian so we thought it would be fun to start keeping track of those things that are said when we get together.  We will be busting out the book though to include one, perhaps a first for Ruby Rose.

Her Uncle Mark, Aunt Mary and cousins from Seattle sent so many wonderful gifts, one of which was a cuddly little puppy. It is the softest thing EVER! It's also one of these new cuddly animals that you can actually put in the microwave to warm up and have the flax seeds give a nice comfy smell. Ruby was so excited UNTIL we asked her if she wanted us to put her puppy in the microwave. We really should have explained and then served that up better.

Her quote for our 2010 Christmas is "Don't put my puppy in the microwave". She is still saying that to us just when walking around with her sweet, cuddly puppy. Lesson learned.

Happy New Year!

  

Friday, 12/19/10

It seems more like two months have passed by rather than just two weeks!

We had a BLAST at Sesame Street live! Ruby and all of the kids there did an awesome job at helping welcome Elmo to the stage. After the show we headed up to the Dells to visit family and enjoy a Birthday celebration for our cousin Victoria. More Birthday fun for us this weekend but on our turf.

Miss Ruby turns four on Monday and tomorrow is her Birthday party. We can't believe that she's going to be four! She's an amazing girl who this year is very excited about both her Birthday and Christmas. She's also doing a great job of making up her own lyrics to some our classic Christmas songs. Frosting the Snowman is one of her originals along with the version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer where Rudolph is in desperate need of a band aid on his knee. And to all a goodnight.

  

Friday, 12/3/10

Looking forward to the snow and the weekend! The first snow of the season is always exciting especially when someone else is around to take care of the snow blowing and shoveling!

We'll be driving in for the Sesame Street Live show tomorrow. Ruby is very excited about Elmo's Healthy Hero's and continuing the road trip after the show. The Dells will be the final destination of the day where we'll be spending the night with Grandma Brandt and then off to a big surprise Birthday party for cousin Victoria on Sunday. Totally action packed!

 

Monday, 11/29/10

WOW! Another Thanksgiving for the books! Hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

My Mother in Law Mary did an amazing job with the turkey for our dinner. However, we could both use a lesson in how to make gravy in a Nesco. Took longer than we thought and we improvised along the way but it was great. It was the first official Thanksgiving meal that we've hosted and it was very fun, even if timing everything out was a bit of a challenge. We have one oven and I really did make a schedule for everything. It's rare that everything comes together as planned but I always hope for the best.

So, right before Halloween I pulled off a crown while enjoying sticky candy. Thanksgiving day I hit my foot on the kitchen door frame while rushing into the dining room. I didn't think anything of it until the next morning when it was all black and blue. Went to have it checked out only to find out I broke my pinky toe and have a hair line fracture that will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal AWESOME! Can't help but wonder what Christmas will bring.        

 

Tuesday, 11/16/10

So this morning at 4:30 I found myself wrapping up a project for Ruby and family week at her daycare. We picked out the pictures to use together over the weekend. Last night I printed out names for the pics and then got busy with other stuff. Ended up falling asleep only to think of the family collage at about 10:30 when I woke up on the couch. Quickly I convinced myself I could wrap it up first thing in the morning. Before I knew it an entire hour had passed by! 5:30 and I still had to get ready for the day. 

Ruby was very excited to see her collage all together and right away was talking about everyone. Very sweet. We saw her friend Brian at daycare and right away he wanted to know about Ruby's collage and family. Before we knew it little Brian was sharing his family collage. 

Totally worth having to rush around this morning to get everything done!  

 

Monday, 11/1/10

Someone just asked me if I had a good Halloween weekend and without hesitation I said, yes and that it was the best one ever. It was.

The weather for Trick or Treat was amazing! We participated in the Halloween Kids Kick Off Parade in Monroe which consisted of a big walk around the square downtown. It was cool to see all of the little kids in their costumes. Big kids too!

Ruby was totally into Trick or Treat this year and she had a blast. Still not totally into the pumpkin carving thing. We ended up with seven carved pumpkins though. Not bad.

I was a good girl and stayed away from the candy. Earlier in the week I had a crown pop off of a back tooth thanks to a Starburst. I knew I should have stayed away from the candy but obviously don't have that kind of will power. A trip to the dentist late last week left me feeling less dumb as to how my crown popped off. I found out that Halloween through Christmas is the busiest time for a dentist for exactly why I found myself there........ STICKY CANDY! Lesson learned!

 

Wednesday, 10/13/10

BOO!! Loving this time of year with all of the great colors and pumpkins!

For the past two weeks we've been trying to make time to get Miss Ruby her Halloween costume and we've yet to get it done. UG! So this is the weekend to do that. She's hoping to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Brobee from Yo Gabba Gabba at the same time. I'm trying to get her to understand that she can only wear one costume on Halloween. Maybe I could whip up some kind of cool fusion version and combine the two. Probably not.

Last year we had almost a dozen pumpkins taken and smashed from our front porch. When my brother in law Ron found that out he told us to smear Vaseline all over the pumpkins. The thought being that when someone tried to pick them up to smash, they would have a hard time doing so and also be covered in Vaseline. I thought, as did my husband, that this was brilliant advice. So we smeared them all up only to discover it's not really cool or safe to carve a pumpkin, with a sharp object, that is covered in Vaseline. Yeah, everyday is a learning day. This year we're passing on the slippery pumpkins and hoping for the best. 

 

Friday, 10/1/10

Just last weekend I got the happy news from my friend and neighbor Martha, also a Magic fanatic, that she is cancer free!!!! Martha has been battling breast cancer for close to a year  and now has a clean bill of health. WHOO HOO! I admire her courage, strength and positive attitude that she's been able to keep through everything.

October is breast cancer awareness month. There are many events and fundraisers to be a part of all month long. Women Rock For The Cure is happening on Friday, October 15. 

You 'll be able to enjoy a night of great music and food throughout Madison while supporting a great cause. Participating venues will be donating a portion of the proceeds from that night to Susan G Komen for the Cure, Madison. Please take some time to check out the link below for a complete list of venus participating and remember, Smart Women Rock!

Women Rock for the Cure

 

Thursday, 9/16/10

Over the past few days while looking at my beautiful daughter Ruby Rose I can’t help but think how she was almost named Dorothy Rose. Once we found out we were having a girl we were all about old school names and those in our lives that had made an impact on us.
 
Rose is the middle name of my beloved Aunt Helen and Dorothy the name of my husband's Great Aunt Dorothy. Both of our Aunties held special places in our hearts and lives.
 
This past week on Monday evening Great Aunt Dorothy passed away after a quick battle with cancer. She was 87.
 
I remember Brian telling me all about Great Aunt Dorothy before I met her. How she was the matriarch of the family, how much she loved to travel and how much she loved her family. From the moment I met her I knew she was special and I loved our visits.
 
It was all I could do one day to stop myself from telling Great Aunt Dorothy that we would be naming our little girl after her. A few weeks before Ruby arrived we thought that we should think of at least one other name in case she didn’t “look” like a Dorothy. I know it is silly but that led us to thinking about Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz which led to thoughts of ruby red slippers.      
 
Once Ruby arrived we let Great Aunt Dorothy know how we landed on that name. The local paper in Monroe ran a story on the popularity of older names and featured our family. Great Aunt Dorothy thought that was cool and was honored to have the story shared in the paper.
 
The next few days will be hard, but they will also be full of fun family stories, laughter and lots of love. 

 

Wednesday, 9/1/10

SEPTEMBER?! WOW! School zones and school buses this morning on my way in. I can't believe how quickly the year is going by.

Labor Day weekend is always bitter sweet. Love the holiday weekend but it's sad that it's the last "official" weekend of summer.

Looking forward to the Taste of Madison this weekend. It's always a great time. It is so cool that Lisa Loeb is playing the Magic stage!

This is also the weekend that my family starts revving up for Cheese Days in Monroe. We live on the parade route and it's always been tradition to have friends and family over for parade and potluck. Hoping to check off many things off of the to do list over the next couple of weeks.

 

Monday, 8/16/10

Two exciting things to share as the week kicks off. Today I celebrate seven years of marriage to my wonderful husband Brian! He is amazing and it doesn't not seem as if seven years have already happened! Cheers!

The second exciting thing to share is that we FINALLY have the AC turned off at our house for the first time in two weeks! Ahhhhh! Not only does it feel great having the breeze blow through the house but it feels good knowing the next electric bill won't be so crazy! 

 

Tuesday, 8/3/10

My sweet husband Brian was up at 3:30 this morning to get ready for work and to hit the road by 4:15.

When he asked me if I was getting up to have a quick cup of coffee with him, it was all I could do to mumble something back and get up. After dragging myself downstairs I realized that he had fired up the computer so I could do bills and some writing after he left. He had switched out the car seat for me, brought in my umbrella because it was raining and yes, had a hot cup of coffee waiting. NICE! 

After he left I thought about how the little things always mean so much and how lucky I am to have such a thoughtful husband. We'll celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary on August 16th. It's hard to believe it's gone by so fast! 

My friend Faith has told me many times that she thinks that I'm the happiest married person she's ever met. It's all about the little things.

Tuesday, 7/20/10

It's looking as if not only the summer of 2010 but the entire year will be remembered for the year of celebrating birthdays but the year of celebrating the milestone of 40 for many of my friends. 

The calendar always fills up fast with obligations but especially during the summer.

Every month this year my husband and I have had the pleasure of celebrating a birthday, or two, with friends or family. This past weekend I enjoyed two birthday celebrations, one on Friday with our friend Julie and one on Saturday with our friend Becky.

Becky was surprised with a 40th Birthday party six months early thanks to her sweet husband Dan! She was totally surprised! As we were driving back from the party Saturday night, it hit me that her 40th Birthday party was one of many we had attended this year alone.

That made me remember how celebrations over the years come in waves. The graduations,  celebrations of new jobs, weddings, baby showers, and then......the 40th Birthday parties! 

Friday, 7/2/10

I can't believe it's the Fourth of July holiday weekend! Seriously! Makes me feel as if the summer is almost over and it just got started.

Growing up I remember that the Fourth of July was my Grandma Hudson's favorite holiday and it was always spent with the family enjoying fabulous food and fireworks.

I'm looking forward to getting together with family and friends starting tonight. We're taking on a porch project this weekend along with a few yard projects to get things looking good for the big Cheese Days weekend in Monroe happening in September.

On the fourth we're heading over to Twining Park to enjoy the carnival for the kids and then watching fireworks with family. Hoping the rain will not happen so Ruby can enjoy her first fireworks.

Enjoy the holiday!

 

 

Monday, 6/21/10

Such a wonderful Father's Day weekend! After going back and forth for about three weeks regarding what to do for Father's Day we decided to enjoy time at home and stay in Monroe. We had a wonderful time with family and enjoyed the annual balloon rally. It was the right decision.

The weather Saturday was beautiful! Family started to meet at my house around 2:30. Cousin Cassie found a great recipe for watermelon mojitos so we enjoyed one of those before walking down to the fairgrounds to check everything out.

The balloon rally was great! We couldn't get over how the event is free to the public. Lots of cool balloons to see of course, along with live music, games and rides for the kiddos. I really wanted to see the classic cars but we didn't have a chance.

Ruby and her cousin Miles had fun rocking out to Fedora. They were the only ones in the crowd brave enough to dance. Miles was brave enough to make a request for his favorite song, The Midnight Rider, and they played it. 

Sunday morning Miss Ruby was excited to wish her Daddy a Happy Father's Day and bring out the gift she had tried to give him two other times during the weekend. Very sweet.

Thanks to Ruby taking a four hour nap on Sunday we were able to finish all of our yard work and complete the butterfly garden around our pond.

Once Ruby woke up, we took a nice bike ride over to Papa Don's to wish him a Happy Father's day and visit for a bit.

This morning we couldn't help but feel like we needed more weekend.

  

Monday, 6/7/10

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! Best way to describe things lately. There's always so much going on but as soon as the weather gets nice, and Memorial Day has come and gone, it feels as if the pace of everything kicks in full gear.

Over Memorial Day weekend my husband Brian went fishing in the Dells. In less than an hour he had caught fourty some Blue Gills! CRAZY! We had an old school fish fry Friday night and enjoyed a nice dinner with my sister Lynn. It was the first time for both her and Ruby enjoying Blue Gill. My first time was years ago at the Orpheum Theatre, where they still serve them up for their Friday night fish fry. Good stuff!!

Saturday morning we walked to the square in downtown Monroe, just a few blocks from our house, for the farmers market. We've been in Monroe four years now and have always enjoyed the local farmers market there. It gets a bit bigger each year.

We found these knock out, HUGE, hanging baskets that we decided to get for our front porch. They are so big that Brian had to go back home to get our truck and make two trips with them. They look awesome!

My sweet cousin Rachelle turned thirty on Saturday and little did she know that her family had planned a surprise birthday party for her. It was a lot of fun and she was totally surprised.

While Ruby was sad she couldn't attend the party, she was happy to find cupcakes waiting for her Sunday morning. 

We took advantage of the nice weather Sunday morning to take a family bike ride. Ended up at a greenhouse in Monroe and bought as many herbs as we could fit in our baskets along with some Ruby Star cone flowers. We were able to plant the herb garden before another storm came in late in the day.

Miss Ruby was tucked in shortly after eight and we weren't far behind.

Cheers to the week!

 

Monday, 5/24/10

LOST!!!! I've been watching LOST since it all began and last night I could not watch the series finale. Good reason as to why I missed the show. We had a get together in Cottage Grove to celebrate our friend Amber's 40th Birthday. So many of our best friends were there with their kids and it was a great time!

Brian thankfully recorded LOST on our DVR but now I have to find time to watch it and most importantly avoid ALL media and conversations about what happens to everyone on the island. Do they make it off the island? Does the island blow up? Does the man in black make it off? Is Jack the only one left standing? What happens to Jacob?

So many questions that I want answered when I finally have a chance to watch it. I feel like someone who missed the Superbowl and then tries to avoid finding out who won the next day until they can find out on their own time. UG! 

 

Friday, 5/7/10

Last night when I got home after a very fun Magic night at Greenway Station, Ruby Rose was still awake. While it was almost an hour past her bedtime, I was selfishly ok with it so I could spend time with her.

Even though Mother's Day isn't until Sunday, Ruby was very excited to give me the card she had made along with her original design on a terra cotta pot that has a beautiful flowing petunia plant in it. I hadn't even taken my coat off yet and there we were in the middle of the kitchen floor with her gift, reading the sweet card she had made. It was a wonderful end to a very long day.

When I was going to school in Minneapolis my part time job was working for Soderbergs Florist on Lake Street. I remember Gene, the owner, telling me that Mother's Day was actually the busiest day for them. He told me that unlike Valentine's Day where not everyone may have a Sweetheart, everyone has a Mom or someone they consider to be a Mom to them.

Happy Mother's Day!

Monday, 4/19/10

Funny how sometimes coming off of a weekend and heading into to work to start another week can be a bit of a relief. 

Lanette and I had a great time Saturday at the Isthmus Green Day! It was a great event and I had a chance to meet a lot of listeners and great people working the event from Isthmus. A special thanks to Colin from Isthmus. You'll understand soon why Colin gets a special shout out.

After the Green Day event, Brian and Ruby met me at the studio and we traveled to the Dells to see family and celebrate sister Belinda's Birthday. It's coming up on a year that my Father In Law has been gone and it's still a hard when we get together to celebrate because a big part of our family is missing. It was a great Birthday party though and Dad was there in spirit!

Sunday morning the family headed to Trappers Bay for brunch, where brother Jeremy is the head chef. Great eats overooking a beautiful golf course. After feeding our faces we all got set to go our seperate ways and head home, Ruby and I back to Monroe, Brian to Hastings Minnesota for work. All was going great with the road trip home until Ruby told me her tummy hurt. Sadly, there was no place to pull over on the winding road between Mount Vernon and New Glarus. Ruby fell asleep and I was hopeful she would sleep all the way home. Not the case. She woke up telling me her tummy still hurt. I found a place to pull over just off of highway 92 but Miss Ruby totally exploded with what I can only compare to a fountain gush of chocolate, pineapple, strawberry, orange juice throw up. It was horrible! When something like this happens all you can do is stay calm and keep telling yourself, and the little one, everything is going to be alright. Of course this is the one time there are no baby wipes or paper towels in the car. This is also where Colin gets the shout out. Shortly after we got to the Isthmus Green Day event Colin gave both me and Lanette T-Shirts. That T-Shirt was the first thing in sight to help clean up the horrible throw up. THANKS COLIN! So here we were pulled over on the side of the road on a beautiful Sunday trying to clean up a horrible mess with the one sample Germ X wipe and assorted clothes I could find in our suitcase. UG! While Ruby was laying down on her blankie in the grass and I was trying to get things cleaned up and get us back on the road we both heard a loud rustle in the tall grass in front of us. Not long after we noticed the sound, two big quails flew up about five feet away. CRAZY! 

We got back on the road about a half hour later, my Mom In Law Mary came over to give Ruby a bath while I cleaned the car and the car seat. Thank goodness we actually own a Bissell Green Machine and I was able to clean the seats and the floor with it. After all the cleaning though I can still faintly notice the smell of chocolate vomit in the car. Awesome!

I'm feeling that no matter what this Monday or the week may throw at me it will surely pale in comparison to being much of a big deal given how the weekend wrapped up. 

CHEERS!    

Monday, 4/5/10

Such an awesome Easter! During the couple of weeks leading up to Easter my husband Brian and I had decided that we would maybe go out for a nice brunch or just do something low key so we didn't have too much to do. Yeah. Well, by last Friday we found ourselves planning a champagne brunch at our house with just the three of us and my Mom In Law Mary. It was great! I'm still wondering though if Brian's peanut butter pie is as fat free as he promised. Soooo good! Before brunch we had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. For the first time, in all of her three years, Ruby actually got to eat Easter candy. She found all of the eggs in the backyard and when she found her first basket with a few treats we laughed out loud when she told us, "I can only have one treat right now". The afternoon was spent visiting with Ruby's Papa and then Great Grandma Lucy.

We couln't believe how busy our weekend and our Easter had become! Yo Gabba Gabba is a fave show at our house so all of us, especially Ruby, thought it was very cool that they were on hand at the White House for the big Easter Egg hunt. Ruby is hoping that next year both the Easter Bunny and Foofa will make an appearance at our house. I better get DJ Lance on the phone right now to book it!

Monday, 3/22/10

This morning about two minutes after Ruby got up and gave me a hug, she ran back into her room, sprawled out on the floor, face down and started crying because she didn't want to get up. She wanted to stay home and go back to bed. She's three after all. Little does she know many of us feel that way when Monday morning rolls around. I had to reassure her it was all going to be fine and before we knew it we'd be back home at the end of the day. I reminded her what a great weekend we had which included a day with cousin Kaitlyn on Saturday. Shopping, lunch and malts that her Daddy made us for a special treat when we got home. Ruby talked non stop the entire day! She was hilarious!

We celebrated her cousin Miles sixth Birthday on Sunday. Ruby and Miles are two peas in a pod! Although once she started talking about Miles and his Birthday she suddenly thought Birthday cake for breakfast would be a good idea. Not so much.

After the Birthday party and the reality of the Badgers not winning, we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in the backyard. It really, finally felt like spring!! Ruby had fun playing in her sandbox and helping in the garden. She was fascinated by all the leaves in the pond and thought it was a gross mess as we were raking them out. It was a gross mess! Ewwww!

Before heading in for the night we snapped pictures of the two beautiful crocus flowers that survived the snow the day before. Two purple, one white. Happy Spring! 

 

Monday, 3/8/10

While I'm not the biggest movie person on the planet, I really looked forward to the Oscars this year. I quickly discovered after I really got into all of the nominations the week of March first, that there was no way I was going to have a chance to see even a couple of the nominations for Best Picture. Sadly, out of the ten films nominated I've only seen Up. That I have to chalk up to having a three year old. Wonderful movie. You never know where Ed Asner will pop up! I really wanted to see, and still do, Crazy Heart! I've loved Jeff Bridges forever and it's awesome that he won for best actor. I had to find that out though the morning after on the news because I totally fell asleep during the show!

I actually took a nap Sunday afternoon hoping that would keep me awake to catch the entire show. About 9ish, my husband told me to give it up because not only were my eyes getting heavy, I was apparently snoring. Nice. At least I was able to see Neil Patrick Harris open the show which was great! I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were a great team as hosts.

I actually got a little teary eyed during the tribute to John Hughes. I grew up watching all of his films in the theatre. It was very cool to see almost all of the Brat Pack members on stage paying tribute to a man they all agreed treated everyone with great respect. I don't however remember Molly Ringwald being so tall!! I also can't get over how Matthew Broderick hasn't appeared to have aged at all!  

My big lesson going into the Oscars for next year will seriously be trying to watch all of the nominated films for Best Picture and to start at least two months out. OH, and a longer nap the day of the show!! 

 

Monday, 2/22/10

So another Valentines for the record books. Soooooo busy!! Soooooo much fun!! I loved how it was the kick off to an entire weekend of Valentines fun.

I enjoyed my first Valentines Delivery Day with the Magic Squad and it was a blast! I had so much fun hitting the road with Bob Bonner & Amy Abbott! We had too much fun together! Loved bringing some happiness into your day!

Ruby continues to go through all of her Valentines from her friends at day care. I have to wonder when Valentines Day became like Halloween with all of the candy. I felt horrible when I discovered that 95% of the Valentines Ruby received all had candy attached and we didn't do that with what she gave her sweet, little friends. Next time for sure! Mommy lesson learned!

After all of the craziness that kicked off the Valentines weekend, my husband and I managed to enjoy a lovely dinner with friends that Saturday evening downtown at the Tornado room. Got the flourless, chocolate cake to go and enjoyed it on Sunday morning to kick off Valentine's day proper.   

Monday, 2/8/10 

My first week on the air full time on magic was great! Thanks so much to all of you fabulous listeners that made me feel so welcomed!

The weekend went by way too fast! My sweet husband Brian enjoyed the Badger Hockey Classic with a group of friends while I had a busy day with Ruby and our niece Kaitlyn. We made about four dozen Valentines cookies from scratch and had lots of fun decorating. Ruby had the most fun eating the frosting and sprinkles. Funny how she had the messiest apron from frosting the least amount of cookies.

I FINALLY had a chance to watch "This Is It" Saturday night after calling it a day. I wanted to see it while it was in the theaters but we were vacationing in Seattle at the time and it just didn’t work out. I have always been a huge Michael Jackson fan and totally enjoyed the movie.

 The weekend was topped off trying to watch some of the Super Bowl and catch the commercials. The only ad that really made me laugh out loud was the CBS promo with Dave Letterman, Oprah & Leno. LOVED IT!  

Monday, 2/1/10

So today is it! My first day hosting Noon to 3 on Magic! It’s official! A big thanks to all of the listeners and my Magic fam for making me feel so welcomed.  This week during 5 @ 5 Jimmy will be spinning staff faves, kicking it off with my picks! It’s good to be the new girl.
 

My five selects are a good mix of old and new chosen for a variety of reasons. Growing up I remember watching Friday Night Videos. Chaka Kahn and Marvin Gaye were two artists I discovered around the age of 12 thanks to FNV. I LOVE Chaka’s “I Feel For You” written by Prince, with Stevie Wonder helping out in the background and Chaka in front!! It will always be a fave! “Got to Give it Up” from Marvin Gaye is one of those songs I can listen to over and over and over! I’ve been known to spin it a few times in a row if I find it on a juke box. I’m still a pretty big Rick Springfield fan to this day. I just saw him play last summer in Milwaukee and walked away proud to be a fan. He’s a great guitar player! While he has quite a few songs in his catalog, “Jesse’s Girl” is where it all started. Salute to Working Class Dog! I fell in love with Plain White T’s the first time I heard them. I’m a sucker for a sweet vocal and an acoustic guitar. “1,2,3,4” is another catchy, sing-along hit.  The 2008 Vans Warped tour was the first time I had seen/heard the name Katy Perry. Once I heard her and found out she was influenced by some of my fave lady rockers, Joan Jet, Alanis, Cyndi Lauper, I knew I’d be checking her out. “Hot ‘N Cold” is a fun, jump around and be loud song to enjoy. ENJOY!

 

 

 

Friday 4/22/11