Busy hands are happy hands!

We had all ages show up to work on getting things ready for the upcoming Fall Rally. On the far end of the table the ladies are working on cutting ribbons which will be used for the Prayer Rock to be assembled later. On this end of the table Alicia and I are stuffing the folders with a tablet and pencil obtained through our Synod. Later mission pages and other pieces of paper will be going into those folders.

This project was complicated and it took two ladies to tie the ribbons and get the tying thread through the bows to later be affixed to the bookmark and secure the Prayer Rock to it. I was glad I didn't have to work on that project! My part of this was to type the prayer, using one Judy C. had gotten at a previous LWMS event. Then, I sent the finished prayers to our members, the Nardi's, who printed off, laminated, and then cut the book marks for us. Judy punched the hole for tying the ribbons and rocks. Many hands touched each of these table favors. I hope we get a good turnout for this Rally!

At the other table our younger helpers had put the prayer labels on the cut-outs of Africa which Janet and her friend from MI had taken care of while on vacation. The missionary coming to speak serves in Africa which is why we had Janet cutting them out. Sarah and her friend are out of the photo but were the ones who helped do the labels. So we had our oldest member, Gretchen, plus one of our younger members, Sarah, helping with this task. Alicia is now in confirmation class...how time does fly!

We ran out of the tying string which I was cutting on the far end of the table so Janet took off for Jo Ann's to buy some more. While she was gone, it became evident that the ladies were running short of 'rocks' also, so I called Janet to see if she was still in the store. She had just left and had to go back in to find the right sized beads to use as rocks. Once she got back I started cutting the tying strings again and in no time at all, the project was completed. Thanks for running to the store, Janet! And thanks to Judy for getting everything else organized the way you did!

This is one of the completed Prayer Rocks, color coordinated by Gretchen, which each guest at the Fall Rally will have at their place at the table.  On the table you can see the reel from where I cut the lengths of tying string to secure the rock 'n ribbons to the bookmark. In about 2 hours time we had stuffed the folders, affixed the labels to the cutout of Africa, and made 90+ Prayer Rock book marks, with no bloodshed!

Stayed up too late

The game last night was torturous to watch, the Seahawks beating the Packers soundly. Ouch! I was optimistic before the game and chatted with Linda and Kerry periodically through the game, especially after Justin went to bed. What a disappointment it was!  It was kind of fun watching with Linda because she was ahead of me somehow (on DISH) and would see the play before I did. They were having terrible weather up there, flooding and torrential rain storms, with power outages in areas due to trees falling. Door County, WI really got clobbered and as a result some areas had sewage backing up into homes and businesses. Yech!

Before kick-off last night Justin and I saw this lovely rainbow, right outside our windows

Today I was at the pool for a while, a quiet time since school is in session. By mid-afternoon, though, the families came trickling in, the private school kids still wearing their uniforms. The bathrooms were busy with rapid clothes changes and stops at the cabana for a bag of chips and a soda for their after-school snack. Still in the mid-90's and before the rains come---it's a good day to be at the pool! 

Justin is so sweet to his mama. He was going to Whitey's after work with his boss and Jesse for the half price appetizers and was hoping I'd be okay for dinner. He even offered to make me something before he left. Thanks, Sweetie, but I think I can manage. And I did, nicely! 

Tomorrow is a work day at church as we get things ready for the Fall Rally we are hosting. Judy C. had asked me to write a prayer which would be printed on labels and affixed to a cut-out of Africa. Writing the prayer was the easy part, getting the labels printed kicked my butt. No matter how many times I tried, the sheets would feed crookedly or the text overlapped onto the margins or the next label. UGH! Plan B was to ask the church secretary to print them for me, which worked great. Justin got me this printer for Christmas a couple years ago and it doesn't have a left margin guide for the paper. Labels are too expensive to waste so I deferred to Lynne for this job. 

I forgot to mention that Nancy W. and I had lunch at Ruby Tuesday on, of all days, Tuesday. She was running errands as was I so we met up for a late lunch. On Wednesday Terri T. asked me to meet for lunch which is odd since she works during the day. She happened to be working from home so was able to meet at Grumpy's for lunch. We went over a few things from the LWMS Convention and the upcoming LWMS Rally, with her previewing the prayer. Our group has no official chairperson but do have several who know what is going on and have attended the organizational meetings. My job, besides writing the prayer and getting the labels printed, is to house the guest missionary and her husband. I can do that!

Shopping like a rock star

This morning I made my way over to Victory Lutheran for Bible study, talking to Mom as I went. She was waiting for storms which were expected so she wouldn't have to water her flower pots. I hope she gets her wish. We were minus a couple of people but the class was still good, as we study Psalm 23. Last week we covered the first paragraph in our booklet and stopped there. Today, we finished the page!

On the way back home I stopped at Winn Dixie for some groceries. I had read their ad and saw many items listed as 1/2 price or or BO/GO. Ever since Justin was sick last week, we have been 'trying' to eat better so I stocked up on, of all things, vegetables! I had several recipes for which to buy veggies and other ingredients. We used to eat out more often than we do presently. Justin enjoys cooking so much, we dine in more often than not. If I made the meals and ate them by myself, I could make them last at least half the week. It doesn't work out quite that way now with both us eating from the recipes.

In one aisle, a friendly man about my age and I were both looking for beans. I asked him if he saw something marked as "white beans" and he pointed to them for me. I told him that I didn't know beans...ha ha! Then he needed help finding garbanzo beans and I pointed them out to him. He gave me a short lecture about the benefits of these beans, the ratio of protein to fat and how he prepares them. 

The man also explained to me that the reason he was thin was because he is out of work, has a master's degree, and can't find anything in his field. If he was in military it would be similar to logistics but he is private sector. He recently had an interview in St. Louis but had not heard back from them yet. And, as he looked at my cart with hamburger and a roast, he told me he rarely eats red meat any more, the beans are better than beef. I bet not but okay...All this in the bean department!

The nice man in the meat department helped me find the bratwurst (I am used to shopping more at Publix!) and smoked sausage. He said I should have taken a larger "buggy" but I prefer the littler ones and didn't expect it to be overflowing. Two cabbages, celery, cauliflower, onions, cucumbers, and potatoes take up lots of room in the small carts. Plus, they had Diet Dr. Pepper on sale which took up the bottom level of the cart. I managed to work my way to the register without losing anything or breaking the eggs I had balanced on top. At the check out, the cashier had her helper get a large cart to stack my stuff in. 

When I got home, I had hoped Connie would be lurking about as she often is when I get home from the store. Nope, so I took the items which needed to be refrigerated upstairs with me and left the rest for later. By the time I got that first load up to my kitchen I feared my arms would be longer from the weight of the bags. Yikes! I went down about an hour after I got home and carried up all but the last two. That's enough for one day---Justin carried the rest up when he got home. He asked me if I took someone else's bags because these had veggies in them!! Funny guy!!!  I am only doing it for him so he won't get sick again....plus I like cauliflower!

A glorious start to the day

This is the sky that greeted me this morning when I finally awakened. The pinks and oranges were striking, with the photo truly not doing it justice. The river was smooth like glass which allowed for the wonderful reflection.

Later this morning I went out to join my friends for water exercise class, having had yesterday off due to The Club being closed. At class I heard that a couple people had come anyway, either wanting to work out by themselves or hadn't checked their e-mail for the reminder about there being no class. As long as the weather was nice, it sure didn't hurt to show up even if no one else was there. 

My afternoon was spent working on The Palace Press newsletter, a few days later than I usually get it out. It helped for me to have the newsletter from The Club for reference as well as knowing what is going on at the area theaters, etc. September is when things start up again after the summer recess so I had lots to pick from for the newsletter. When I have room for a recipe I put one in, and today I added Justin's pepperoni pizza puffs that he made for the meet and greet for Glo. They were such a hit and would go over great for a football party. Yes, it's nearly football season!!!  Tomorrow night we will watch the Packers beat the Seahawks---great start to the season! Go Pack, Go!

A non-Labor Day

The Club was bustling with activity yesterday on a day when normally they are closed. Since the holiday was on Monday, they are going to be closed today instead. That means we won't be having aqua exercises. On days like this, unless I am going somewhere, I don't bother getting clothes on at all. From nightie to swimsuit and back to nightie when I come in. Today I will get dressed because I must go see my friends, Julia and Dee, at Great Hang Ups. I am entering a piece in a photography show themed "My Home Town". Even though OP is not my home town, it is my home and it qualifies. I hope I get juried in---will be holding my breath!

As long as I am out, I will stop at the bank and at Publix. (To conserve gas, I try to consolidate trips and make the best use of my time and gas. How novel, right?) After Justin was sick last week, we have decided to incorporate more veggies into our meals so I will see what I can find that we both like. I don't really have to like it, he can make his own stuff, but it sure would make sense for us both to enjoy it. My friend, Bill, told me that a man who sells produce from his truck parks on our street on Thursdays between 11 and noon, but I have never ever seen him. That is the time I am coming back from Bible study. Now that I am looking for him, I won't see him, I bet!

There was a segment on Fox & Friends this morning where a dad 'secretly' recorded his teen-aged daughter taking countless "selfies" in the back seat as he drove her somewhere. How she didn't notice his phone looking at her is beyond me, and why he saw fit to share this, well, that might be more obvious than it seems. This society is wildly obsessed with all things 'self' and there is an example of it. 

Before I knew this was the thing to do, taking photos of yourself versus someone else doing so, I asked my niece why she took pictures of herself in the mirror instead of waiting for someone else to take it. She got a bit upset with me over that. Hey, I'm old, I need a break, okay?

My friend, Nancy W., has a pool on her part of our property near her town home. She was telling about a mutual acquaintance of ours who had her grandchildren visiting from up north. She shared how these three teens spent the afternoon at the pool one afternoon, all the while were taking selfies. It was funnier hearing Nancy describe the ritual involved in doing so, but it went something like this:  dive under the water, pop up, grab the phone, and snap a picture of oneself. Repeat. And such faces people make, the ones I would delete of myself people do on purpose! It's too much, I tell you!  Nancy declared it beyond ridiculous and wondered how that pool time was even enjoyable for them, other than the selfies taken. 

The only 'selfie' I have taken was of my feet, yes, my feet. They were dressed in the ruby sequined slippers my sister, Kerry, had sent me and I wanted her to see how cute they looked. No duck face to look at but extremely shapely legs and pretty slippers! An added plus is a shot of Justin's leg alongside of mine...nice!

My morning jog (Reprint from last year)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013

Labor Day fun

Here is the giant-sized slide The Club put up for the Labor Day events. Folks with kids told me this was the best thing yet, and I shared that info with the folks who run things there. This slide scored a home run with the kids and their parents! I had a great time with my friends at the pool before the rains came.

*

My poor boy had a rough, rough start to his day today. For the first time since he's moved back home, I stuck my nose in his room at 6:35 to see if he'd left yet. Nope, he was wrapped in his sheet, fast asleep. Even on this holiday he had to work and was about 20 minutes late picking up his co-worker, who had no phone or other communication device. In 5 minutes he was out the door---amazing!

I went back to my room and was getting settled with my laptop when he called me. Justin asked me to go look in his room for his wallet, telling me it should be on the foot of his bed. Nope, no where to be found. He then asked me very nicely to go outside to see if it was lying on the ground near his car. I told him I would go and look after getting my caftan on.

Sure enough, I rode the elevator down with my neighbor (at this hour of the morning???) so explained my situation. He helped me look, as did my other neighbor who was leaving for work. No wallet. On the way back up, I called Justin to report my sorrow, being quite upset about this. He does not travel light in his wallet---besides cash, he has a debit card and ID. 

Justin's thought was he put it on top of his car and it toppled off when he was still on the property. I offered to go and look which gave him some relief. I took my purse, thinking I might drive it, but instead went up the battle-field driveway on foot. Wearing my Jamaican caftan, red shoes, and my purple purse, I hiked up the hill toward Astor Street. What a sight I must have been!!! Should have left the purse in the car, in hindsight.

As I neared the top of the hill, to the tennis courts, Justin called me to report he located the wallet in his work bag. He dropped it in a 'different' pocket on the bag when he put his cough drops into it. I was so very glad to hear that, and he was thankful to me for going on an early morning jog, carrying my full-pack, like a soldier would do!

He is suffering with a sore throat, itching ears, and other 'cold' ailments, like strangling on stuff in his throat. He stocked up on remedies at the store after getting home from work, to knock this thing down. 

I offered to make dinner for us, since I bought some chicken at Winn-Dixie the other day when we stopped to shop. He requested my 'Lazy Ass Chicken', which makes me roar with laughter whenever he calls it that. The actual name is Busy Day Chicken but he likes me to roar! I had all the ingredients I needed, only using brown rice instead of white.

It bakes for about an hour so I began the process of putting it together right away, before The Five came on. I measured out the rice and water in the steamer, plugged it in, and waited to hear the wailing it usually makes when at work. The red light did not turn on...hmmm....now what??? It was dead!! NOOOO! 

                           

This is only the 2nd steamer 'we' have had, this particular being one we replaced after the 1st one quit. Lynn, my sister, had given one to us many, many years ago, and when it quit, we immediately had to replace it. Now, this type of steamer is no longer available new, only used on e-bay. Shoot!

What is going on with my small appliances around here? First, Linda and I had to go to Wal*Mart for a new coffee maker. When I had gotten it out to clean it for her visit, the on/off button popped right out of the machine! I have never bought a coffee pot before, so that's how old this machine was...pre-dates my singleness. It only gets used when company is here so not like it's worn out or anything. Only $9 for a new maker and it worked just fine for Linda. And now the rice/veggie steamer quits. Are they trying to tell me something???

Recent sunrises

 I generally post these sunrises on Facebook. My friend, Christine, noted that this one looked like an open book--- a new chapter to begin the day!

 This photo was remarkable in that between the time it took for me to capture the shot and return to my bed to download it, it went to full sun. First this glimmer, and then bam! Timing was everything for this picture. 

The colors in this sunrise were just so calming and remarkable, splashing across the smooth waters.

My friend and neighbor, Sharon, took this photo earlier this a.m., remarking at how quickly the sky changed between her shots. Great minds think alike as regards sunrises! I describe them as being like fingerprints---no two are alike!