A Blanket Kind of Day

Busy day playing Bingo with the Rockford Girl Scouts! Joe and I had a lucky streak, we won a blanket for our house and one each for Caleb and Charlotte. Jeremy won two blankets and Megan won one. They allowed each person to win twice, so by the end, Joe and Jeremy each hit the max, and Megan and I each won once.

After we’d collected six blankets (yes, six!), Megan won again and graciously gave her winning card to a woman at another table. I think that moment made me as happy as any of our wins.

We also managed to snag three drawing prizes. By the time Jeremy won, the only thing he found remotely useful was a bright pink water bottle with two pairs of pink socks stuffed inside. Charlotte, of course, was thrilled as she became the happy recipient of Jeremy’s “very pink” prize.

After Bingo, Charlotte, Caleb, Joe, and I sampled this month’s Universal Yums box, featuring snacks from Mexico. We all agreed this one wasn’t our favorite. Most of the snacks were chili-flavored, and even Joe, the least picky of us all, and a true lover of peppers and spice, rated them no higher than “meh.” Charlotte was next in line for picky, since “hot” isn’t her thing.

On our way home from Rockford, Joe and I made a quick stop at Cub for corn tortillas and a couple of ripe avocados. We ended the day with tacos and refried beans the perfect follow-up to our spicy snack adventure.

Now I’m yawning as I type, caught in that awkward zone: too tired for a nap but too early for bed. I might pour myself a small cup of coffee just to make it through the evening.

Hope your day was filled with people you love. ❤️

Tea, Talk, and a To-Go Box Trick

Good evening from brrrr… cold Minnesota!

Our first snow may be coming soon, and I’m already feeling the chill in the air.

Today we had a visit from the awesome Coach Becky. (Not that I actually call her “Coach” every time I talk with her!) It was such a nice visit. She came by to check out the NuStep machine that her sister (her Leveling Up Midlife partner) recommended for me. We drank tea, chatted for a couple of hours, and covered a lot of ground in our conversation.

Okay, stop groaning, all of you family and friends who know I always find a lot to talk about.

Yesterday and today I did 30-minute workouts on the NuStep. It went really well, and I was impressed that I started sweating just a few minutes in. I think that means I may actually be burning some fat! The best part was finishing my workout feeling (a) grateful I comfortably completed 30 minutes without collapsing in exhaustion, and (b) grateful it was done!

Tonight Joe and I decided to splurge and go out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, The River Inn. Apparently everyone else had the same idea as it was packed. We ended up sitting outside near a cozy fireplace. I ordered ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes, a green salad, and green beans and carrots as my side vegetables. Most of my meal came home with me for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.

I had planned on bringing at least half home and remembered a great tip from my cousin Eleanor during our chat last month: ask for a to-go box to be brought with your meal. I didn’t split it right away, but having the box in front of me was a great visual reminder to eat slowly and leave food on my plate.

It worked perfectly! In the end, I only ate about a third of the ribeye and half of the potatoes and veggies. Which, of course, left room for dessert—an apple blossom (basically a mini apple turnover) with a scoop of ice cream. Dessert definitely put me over my fat goal for the day, but that’s okay - because there are no bad foods!

Here’s the thing about having dessert once in a while: it tastes so darned delicious. Since sweets aren’t a regular part of my diet, every bite feels special and worth savoring.

Tomorrow Joe and I plan to go to a Blanket Bingo event with Megan, Jeremy, and the kids. On Sunday, Joe, Megan, and Jeremy will be heading up to Brainerd to help Shelly and Artie move, while I get to spend the day with the fabulous Oliver. A whole day of Grandma and Ollie hanging out and having fun! I’ll also make sure Pan and Sylvie get outside for their potty breaks.

On Monday, Pan and Sylvie will come stay with Joe and me while the Formo family heads off on their seven-day vacation. Unless, of course, their flight gets canceled. Delta has notified them they’ll get a 48-hour notice if that happens. Once they’re in the air, I’ll move on to my next job: worrying that their flight back doesn’t get canceled. Someone has to do the worrying!

I hope your day was full of good stuff, too.

Always Good to Check the Facts

Image created by ChatGPT

Since the Blue sweep across the nation on Tuesday elections, Forty-Seven has decided he should showcase how his economic actions since January 25th are helping the economy. Forty-seven has brought up in several interviews that food prices are down. I suspect anyone who is buying food knows this simply is not true. 

Aaron Parnas shows one example of how 47's lower price claims are misleading:

"This morning, the president posted that Walmart had lowered the cost of Thanksgiving dinner by 25% in 2025 compared to 2024, framing it as proof that inflation is falling under his leadership.

But the comparison is misleading.

Here’s what Trump didn’t mention:

• The 2025 “basket” he referenced includes six fewer items than the 2024 version.

• Last year’s list featured 21 brand-name products.

• This year’s list contains 15 “Great Value” generic items.

In short: the president compared brand-name groceries in 2024 with generic, lower-cost alternatives in 2025, not the same products, not the same quantities, and therefore not a real 25% price drop.

The claim is part of Trump’s broader effort to rebrand after electoral setbacks — but it highlights how easily data can be manipulated to fit a political message." (https://substack.com/@aaronparnas/p-178220842)

GAS PRICES

Another glaring error on 47's part is when he say gas prices are under $2.00. This my be true somewhere in another country.  

See the full list of average price for regular gas by state:

State	Average Price (Regular)
Alaska	$3.827
Alabama	$2.655
Arkansas	$2.600
Arizona	$3.360
California	$4.651
Colorado	$2.854
Connecticut	$3.041
District of Columbia	$3.205
Delaware	$2.916
Florida	$2.969
Georgia	$2.784
Hawaii	$4.480
Iowa	$2.745
Idaho	$3.358
Illinois	$3.201
Indiana	$2.907
Kansas	$2.707
Kentucky	$2.675
Louisiana	$2.608
Massachusetts	$2.990
Maryland	$2.952
Maine	$3.025
Michigan	$2.974
Minnesota	$2.868
Missouri	$2.673
Mississippi	$2.591
Montana	$3.027
North Carolina	$2.756
North Dakota	$2.840
Nebraska	$2.823
New Hampshire	$2.924
New Jersey	$2.969
New Mexico	$2.764
Nevada	$3.903
New York	$3.104
Ohio	$2.921
Oklahoma	$2.560
Oregon	$3.886
Pennsylvania	$3.213
Rhode Island	$2.921
South Carolina	$2.684
South Dakota	$2.834
Tennessee	$2.634
Texas	$2.554
Utah	$3.198
Virginia	$2.907
Vermont	$3.092
Washington	$4.285
Wisconsin	$2.761
West Virginia	$2.973
Wyoming	$2.945

Source: https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/average-gas-price-per-state as of November 4, 2025.

In Minnesota at Costco we pay $2.70 over the past several months. 

So a warning not to be gaslit by claims coming out of Washington DC that food and gas are cheaper as a result of anything forty-seven's administration is doing.