No chestnuts roasting here.......

....but instead, in an attempt to warm my rooms and make the house smell delightful, I am baking some pumpkin bread. I can take the finished product, provided it is successful, to the Ladies' Group CHRISTmas party tonight. Judy C. is hostess again this year, since the parking situation here deterred the ladies from accepting my invitation. Perhaps next year I will win and be allowed to have the party. Since The Club is closed on Mondays, there is plenty of parking available plus if the ladies share a ride, fewer cars are needed. Oh well, no matter where it is held, it will be lovely! And always great great fun!

*

Justin called me earlier, describing his face as looking like a Bond villian, sort of a snarling smile, since his lip was numb from the dentist. I did not even know about this visit, he evidently took care of that appointment himself. The previous cleaning appointment was made by me, which exposed the decaying tooth. He said when he tries to smile, the lip stays in the same place and he looks evil. The letter 'p' caused him a problem, too, and he was laughing as he tried to say something to me with a p in the word. We just have the best time!

*

Several of my family members in WI have reported snow on the ground with more on the way. I am showing my age as my concerns for their safe travel to school and work flow into my brain. Lisa has a long commute to take her boys and other kids in her car pool to or from school while Lynn has a long commute to her job as well. Kerry must drive from Oshkosh to Appleton for work and with the car not being at the top of its game.....yikes! This seems odd, as even though it is overcast here and less than warm, I am watching two sailboats make their way down the river. Talk about bbbrrrrr!

*

Ew!! I just ate a little sandwich made with bread which I left out of the fridge, and as I was nearly finished, I saw a dot of green on the crust of the bread. Ew, again! There truly is something to be said for preservatives, ya' know? I hope that speck was the only mold I consumed today, or nearly consumed! Earlier I had a conversation with Kathy B., trying to come up with a plan for a CHRISTmas gathering for our choir. It was so funny, because as I greeted yesterday, I mulled over ideas of when to have such a gathering and she must have read my mind! This weekend is full already with joint choir rehearsal at our church plus CHRISTmas 4 Kids plus Daniel's birthday party plus a party in my building. Sunday is a flat tire (oh, wait! That was a one-time occurrence yesterday morning!) Bible study, worship, and congregational meeting. We might just NEED a gathering after that meeting!

*

Our new congregational president, Jim B., addressed the congregation after worship yesterday and struggled through a prepared statement regarding the serious financial situation in which we find ourselves. More than once he fought back tears, wiped his nose and brow, and choked on emotion as he pressed on regarding our status and how the budget cuts will affect our mission. Salary cuts are called for, which pains us all, and a call for more volunteers to provide funds expenditures cut from the budget. I hope we have enough money to buy a tree for our sanctuary this year....wonder who I must talk to about this??? At the end of his statement, he said, "That was harder than I thought...."

*

My friend, Paul, whom I called at home as I left church, reported to me that he has agreed to serve on the Board of Elders again. I cried some more! This delights me so much, as those whom he served before said he was the most attentive Elder they ever had. Paul used to say that he had all the "widow" ladies even though some of them, us, are not actually widows, we just come single to church. I promised to support him in any way I can, at least offer encouragement (read: nagging) periodically if he needs it.

*

When the bread is done baking, I will take a break from the computer and its desk, as I have been here the better part of the day already. My CHRISTmas cards are nearly ready to be mailed, but I like to send them a bit closer to the actual "time" rather than too early in the season. This morning I got a call from a man in Two Rivers, WI who was playing detective. He called me to get my sister-in-law's address in Davie, FL. Since I was working on my cards, I merely had to shuffle through them to locate the address info he needed for the MLHS newsletter mailing. Mom had been at the high school Friday to help with the newsletter mailing and I told the man about this. His sole job is to track down the addresses which are not up-to-date. I love it that he called me to find the answer to this mystery! I should have asked him who else he had on his list because maybe I could help him further!

*

I don't think I mentioned about my unpacking mess I encountered. When I got home from WI, I needed my cosmetic bag right away to get my prescriptions out and my jewelry put away. I could smell something chemical but was not sure what it was-----until I opened the bag. On the bottom of the bag was my leaking "Friar, Friar, Pants on Fire" nail polish! My favorite! Nothing much was damaged by the polish and the wash machine loosened the dried on mess from the bag bottom. Funny, but little chips of red were stuck to the sides of my washer and dryer.............Up to my old tricks again with the laundry!

Family photo taken at First German

This photo was taken on the incline hallway, or rather, decline hallway, outside the gym the night of the Ladies' Advent by Candlelight Service. Joanie took the picture and told us ahead of time that her hands shake, but under those circumstances, the picture still turned out okay. In the back row is Lynn and Jill with Mom in the middle. Alayna and me are in the front, with me sporting my famous red coat!

Photos from my WI trip

Let me blame my new purse camera....I was not yet familiar with the delicate touch required for taking pictures, being accustomed to the big Canon camera. This is Judy R., sitting in her kitchen, before we got busy with prep work for the feast for the next day. Pink is certainly her color, do you not agree? As we worked on slicing turkey and peeling potatoes, we could yak away, waiting for her son and daughter-in-law with their three girls to arrive....or was it four??

Lori is the consummate baker and hostess, as shown her by two pies she whipped up and left to cool on her antique sideboard. They just begged to be photographed! I lust after her lovely cobalt blue pie pan...I ask it when she passes.

Manny sat on Noah's lap while we played "Apples to Apples", a game new to Lisa and Noah. I think they still won!

This is a photo taken from the landing, looking down into Lori and David's family room. Does the word "welcoming" come to mind? It should, because it is! Gorgeous room, gorgeous home!

Alayna was making a puss face as we got settled for the ThanksLiving feast, I think she wanted to sit next to Dusty. Isn't Lisa beautiful in this picture? I think so! Lori poured the 'faux' wine, pomegranate flavored 7-Up---yummy!

I just had to take this picture of Lori, which I titled "Playing Hurt" which shows her toiling away in the kitchen to prepare our feast, all the while nursing an inflamed Achilles tendon! Once I referred to it as "Das Boot" and she said, "That's what David calls it, too!" Great minds think alike. At the end of the day she must get off her foot and apply ice to it, especially after a long day of shopping on Friday!

Lori made these incredible cranberries, cooking the 'you-know-what' out of them, added apples and pecans after they were cooked, and presenting them in this lovely bowl. Isn't that the most gorgeous presentation?

Gabe and Manny entertained themselves the better part of Black Friday, playing with Dusty's 'Star Wars' Legos. Every time it was suggested they start picking up the 10,000 pieces, they would declare that they were still playing with them. My guess is Lori is still finding pieces in the family room!

"You must have been at Koko's!"

After church today, as I left the grocery store, Twila was pulling out of her space at Publix, spotted me coming and hollered through her open car window, "Are you just now going home?" Yes, I was heading that direction when she said, "You must have been at Koko's or something...." Oh, busted again! I did have lunch at Koko's nice buffet before going to Great Hang Ups for their Trunk Show. It was held-over from Saturday so I was delighted to be able to attend it anyway. Saturday was too full to squeeze in one more thing so this was my chance for an appearance! Dee told me it was not the same without me being there to serve as Hostess, which made me feel very good, and missed!

*

Yesterday morning, I think it was morning, was nothing but rain and cloudy skies which made the bed feel so much more welcoming than when the sun shines through the room. And it was cold! Only the mid-40's overnight which made for quite chilly rooms in my house. The HVAC ran intermittently during the night and I decided that was silly since I did not need all my rooms warmed, only the one I use! After unpacking my luggage, one of my least favorite jobs to do, I put the suitcases away in my closet and brought out the electric heater to plug in to warm the room. The doors are now closed between the river room plus the door to the hallway in order to contain the heat in my room. Then I can set the thermostat much lower for the rest of the house and do my version of conservation! My rooms are 'green' but my bedroom is tropical!

*

While it was cold, gloomy and rainy most of the day, I did manage to get warm when I was vacuuming at church. About ten minutes into the cleaning, it occurred to me to slow down, pace myself, as I typically go too fast with this job and ruin my back. It made a difference and even though I got hot, my back was okay to proceed the rest of the day. Whew! Instead of going to the cemetery as originally planned, since it was yet raining, I decided to stop at Donna's house to drop off her ticket for last night's event. Twila and Judy C. would get theirs at the Advent by Candlelight service but Donna would not be there. Due to the crowds and all that, I thought it best to get hers to her before the Clay County CHRISTmas show later on.

*

Once home, I worked on my CHRISTmas cards for a little while before having to get ready for the Advent service. Martie was not going to be able to join me for that because she could not get off from work but would come here after work to wait for me to get home. The host congregation asked me to be there early in case something came up needing to be addressed so I arrived at Victory right after 1:00 pm. Suzanne pulled up at the same time as she was going to practice her viola with the violinist and pianist. The Ladies' Advent Tea went off without a hitch, with only six of the Good Shepherd ladies showing up. Whether it was the date or time or distance, whatever the reason, it was too bad but hope to make up for that next year when we host it at Good Shepherd. The music was fabulous, Suzanne and Stephanie on the stringed instruments accompanied by Bonnie and Rachel on the grand piano-----lovely!

*

It was about 4:30 or so when I got home, to be met by Martie at the door, like a little puppy! She was just heading to the guest room to take a quick rest and I encouraged her to go ahead and do that, since I was quite tired as well. I'd already had a big day up to this point and still have a full evening ahead of me! I rested in my room for a bit and then went to wake Martie, who was fast asleep. We decided to have dinner out instead of eating my leftover spaghetti and Martie treated me at Applebee's. We just love their chicken sliders, which was just right to have before heading to the Thrasher-Horne. I ate all three of my tiny sandwiches and she ate hers plus the fries and some of mine! She was right about starving!

*

We had to park in the back of the building and hike up the hill to the front doors where we found the rest of our group. Kelly T. plus her mom and son were waiting for their tickets which I distributed as we waited for the doors to open. A bell choir entertained us from the balcony before we were allowed to go sit down. Our seats were excellent ones, not too close but still centered so we could see the entire stage area. The Clay County Band is really quite good, on the order of a "best kept secret" in our area. The grand finale was the live nativity accompanied by my neighbor, Donna Wissinger, on the flute. Another neighbor, Judee Brooks, was dressed as a shepherd for the nativity. The animals were not live but looked quite realistic. A local community church pastor read from Luke 2 as the story unfolded and it is just fantastic! The closing portion was the audience singing of "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" which was quite moving as well. The lady next to me asked me why I was not on the stage singing with the others, which was a high compliment to me. She gave me a big hug and wished God's blessings on me, and I wished the same back to her. I have been so blessed, and yesterday's event are evidence of just that!

Talk about productive!

While still picking food out of my teeth from my lunch, my washer is tossing the sheets about madly. I woke to hear the HVAC running this morning which meant it was less than 75 degrees above zero in my house! Yikes! The day I landed in Jax after my visit north, the thermometer had reached 79 above zero, but dropped as the rains and winds beset the area. We are expecting these cooler temps to remain through the weekend, due to the front which moved across the southern states, where even Houston is having snow! The Jags will get to play in cooler weather Sunday, with the high expected to be mid 60's, good football playing temperatures!

*

Since I crawled out this a.m., I showered and got dressed, did some e-mailing, finished the church newsletter and sent it off, worked on The Palace letter, talked on the phone with Travis (upstairs neighbor) who was trying to help me find health insurance, did some on-line shopping for me and for my sister, blah, blah, blah! Rush is not on the air today and the guy from Milwaukee is substituting for him. Not my favorite fill-in host but oh, well.....Today on Neal's show, he had a repeat caller, a former contractor whom Neal had raked over the coals a few months ago. Neal caught lots of flak for the way he treated the caller, gave him a rough way to go for having four kids in an unstable economy/market as construction, and all that stuff. Sort of told him to quit sitting around and moaning about the problem. Well, the guy called back today to say "thanks" to Neal for making him angry enough to get off his butt, pull himself up again, and got two jobs in order to support his family. It was a real tear-jerker and I could tell that the folks in the studio were also choked up. The show producer, Belinda, asked the guy to hold after he finished with Neal and we suspect this will be the family the "show" will adopt for CHRISTmas, at least, in some way. I love to hear stories like this!

*

It is quiet on the river right now, have seen no helicopters at all since getting home, although I was gone much of the day yesterday. Justin called me last night to ask if I saw the orange moon rising. Sadly, I had not, even though, Linda, the palm trees outside my river room had been trimmed. Guess I was not looking. He was putting up lights at his father's house, pressing his friend and friends' brother into service to help him out. Of course, I demand equal time, as though I do not get that, so he is going to spend all of Thursday with me next week. We are starting with Bible study, then come back here to go through my list of things to do.

*

I also want my tree put up and such which means I should go to Michael's and/or Joann's for more clip-on ornaments for the tree. Justin loves those and so do I, not only for the simplicity of application but because they are quite lovely. He will also take care of getting the beds ready for our guests, even though Joanne already began the process by stripping the Daybed and trundle and washing them. Between us, Justin and I can prep the beds, make the rooms ready and welcome for the company. Counting the days (20!) until Kerry gets here, for CHRISTmas Eve and then followed by the staggered arrival of Schippers and Alayna. Kerry and Alayna may pass each other in the airport which is too bad. Anyway, Justin and I will end the day with going to see "The Christmas Sweater" at the theater, Glenn Beck's story being simulcast or whatever you call it to the theaters. Guess that is more than equal time, right?

*

Tuesday in WI was a full, busy one with many contacts made and even squeezing in one more Bible study. In the morning, I drove up to see Arno at the home, and let us just say that I saw him. I do not know if he saw me or not, since his eyes were pretty shut the entire time. At one point he did mutter something about Nancy going around behind the truck, but whether he was "conscious" or not remains unknown. He was going to see the eye doctor that a.m. (good luck on that one!) and I had a nice conversation with one of his caregivers there, a sweet young lady named Andrea. She was escorting three patients to the eye doctor by herself, yikes!, so just prior to their leaving, I left so as not to hold up production. The staff came out and took a picture of Arno and me with their camera and then used mine to photograph us as well. Andrea asked if I was the Kim from Florida who writes the nice letters and has such beautiful handwriting........well, yes, that's me, and I did not have the heart to tell her it was computer generated penmanship! Barb said they could not have read mine anyway, it was too tiny! Ha!

At least I'm awake in this picture!

*

When I got back from Green Bay, I stopped at Late's Drive-In for perch sandwiches and cheese curds for Mom and me. Of course, she suggested we have leftovers instead but ate her nice sandwich and curds. I had to have one more taste of perch before leaving for Florida and that's it! We went to church for Bible study led by Kathy Wendland so I got to see Linda one more time plus some of the other ladies. I dropped Mom off at home after class and went to pick up Sharon at her residence facility. Since my soda supply was depleted at Mom's house, I decided to stop at the minimart on the corner to restock. There I met Pastor Kitzerow, a retired pastor who helps out at FG and is a member there. He really is fond of Alayna and is a sweet sweet man. We had a nice chat before he had to get going and I went in for my sodas. On a table just inside the doors were bags of fresh cheese curds and homemade chocolate candies. Well, well, well, what do you know??? I needed some curds to take back with me and here they were, still warm and runny in their bags. Even though I bought the expensive angel food at The Honey Pot, I took another bag of the candy along as well as non-pariels, my second-favorite chocolate candy. And ooohhh, does it smell good!

*

Sharon got off her bus and I took her inside to change and get her supper pills. We went to the Covered Wagon for our dinner, where she could get her bratwurst, bathed in fried onions, and her onion rings. Instead of perch, I get the cheeseburger and a cup of their homemade chicken dumpling soup, just like old times when we came here for lunch when building houses in Manty. For dessert, I made the mistake of telling Sharon, who is blind, that they had blueberry pie. What a mess, even for a sighted person, but much more so for one who cannot see what they are doing!?! Eventually she scraped every bit of blue off the plate and tried to clean her hands with a paper napkin. She had it up to her elbows (an exaggeration on my part) and the waitress noticed the struggles with getting her cleaned up. She brought over a warm dish cloth for Sharon to use on her hands and wrists, no exaggeration, and then Sharon proceeded to wipe her face with the same cloth. Oops! No worries, though, the waitress put the cloth right back into the sudsy bucket she took it from! I had the raisin pie and that just put me over the top, I was stuffed to the brim.

*

After I dropped Sharon off at her residence after dinner, I headed over to see the Petska's, where I would meet Barb later on. I got there first! It is so funny at Petska's that they keep their living room TV channel on the one that monitors the lobby of their building, in order to see who is coming and going. Every time I have been there, that is all that is on TV. The last time I was there, the rug in the lobby between the doors was crooked and I told Clara I was going to straighten it out when I get down there again. And I did! She had said the manager would go behind me and put it back the other way, but when I was there Tuesday, Clara said it stayed the way I put it for several days before someone moved it again! Monk-ish me!

*

I had a great visit with just the Petska's before Barb got there, telling them that Justin said he was jealous of me, being able to go visit them, because "I like those people!". I knew they would like to know that. They like him, too, almost seeing him as often as their own grandkids. The entire evening was lovely and it was good to see Barb again. I see her folks more often than I see her, it seems. Harv was bowling so Barb will come to her folks house to check on them while he does his bowling. Since they live in Green Bay, the weather can often interefere with those plans so they must take every advantage of visiting.

*

Alayna sent me a text message from work asking me to make sure I got in touch with Mona and Allie as they had been asking about me. Evidently Allie did not know Mona and I had lunch the day after I arrived in town and totally missed seeing me. Nuts! Time ran out but of course, I put a bug in her ear to tag along with Alayna when she comes down at CHRISTmas---ooooo, Mona will hate me for that!

Awake, in my own bed!

This a.m. I slept until 7:45, opening my eyes to sunshine across the bed and floor. Yes! It was not a dream, I am home and snug in my bed. Don't get me wrong---I cherish the time spent with my family and friends in Manty but there is just something about getting back to reality here in OP and church. Last night, Judy J. picked me up from the airport, thankfully she had checked with the airline to see my flight was a bit delayed. She dropped me off at home about 5:45 pm, and we both went to our homes to turn ourselves around for church which was at 7:00. This time of the year we must allow extra time for traffic, since church is not far from the Mall, and it was raining. Not quite ready to part with my sweater, I wore my travel clothes to church and am glad I did. The rain had cooled it off to the low 70's outside and inside the A/C was running. The choir rehearsed for a brief period following worship, enough to make it obvious I have no idea about some of these anthems!!! I will need to rely on Kristi to support me and encourage some of the other available sopranos to come to rehearse and sing with us!

*

The news is showing more and more stuff being exposed about Tiger Woods and his illicit affairs and for some reason, makes me heartsick. It should not, I am not a huge golf fan or anything like that, but also know that his dad helped him get to where he is today, well, at least, the golf part. His folks would be so disappointed in him, I think, I hope, for doing this to his wife and child. People mistakenly think these type of indiscretions are 'victimless' crimes but are quite the opposite. Like dropping a pebble into a pond of water---watch the ripples flow and flow and flow. People in the spotlight, something they strive for and crave, then get too big for their britches. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

*

This morning is Bible study at Victory and then early afternoon is rehearsal for the Ladies' Advent Service. The women in charge of the service at Victory are doing this for the first time and want to make sure it goes off without a hitch. I am the second reader and have my script already sent to me. We used this one already at Good Shepherd, or rather, for G.S. since I held it at the public library instead of at church. We are only getting about 10 from our church attending, which makes me sad, since many of our members live on that side of the river and it would be simple to get there. But, it is also being held on a Saturday rather than the first Sunday of Advent which might affect some folks attendance. Later that same day a group of us are going to the Thrasher-Horne for A Clay County Christmas, complete with live nativity. My neighbor, Donna, will be accompanying with her flute while the director of Thrasher-Horne reads Luke 2 before the live nativity. Quite lovely and impressive. I must be getting off the bed and into some clothes for the start of my full, fun day! Have a great one, all, and those in this area, try to keep dry!

It is nearly time to go....

...and I still have people to see! Where does the time go? And so quickly?? The cross-state traveling takes up time but was necessary to see Judy and celebrate ThanksLiving with Lori and family. Linda is already thinking of ways to get the three of us--Judy, Linda, and me---together, under one roof in the future. I cannot even imagine the great fun THAT would be!

*

Mom and I went shopping this a.m. as she had to fill a scrip again at Wal*Mart. Her insurance does not allow her to fill them all at once so has to do them almost one by one as they come due. Such a bother for an older person, or for any person as far as that goes. I bought a passel of CHRISTmas presents to wrap and leave behind for those not coming to FL to celebrate with the rest of us. I love shopping for the kids, the best fun of all is choosing the most fun toys and best books. Once the kids get older, the going gets tougher, but I think I did okay. I have gift receipts to accompany the packages if they don't work out.

*

Mom and I had lunch with Linda, who was our wheel man today, and enjoyed Thai-American food at a new place in town. Yummy food but a great deal of it so Mom will have another meal or two from our combined leftovers. A kettle of my delicious chili was brewed on the stove all afternoon once Linda and I got back from shopping at the Honey Pot. Cindy, the proprietress, was not in this afternoon so I did not get to greet her. Nor does she have to ship me any lovely glass as none caught my eye today. I think the holiday stuff in her shop took the place of the temptation and I walked away with only homemade chocolates in my bag. Linda did better than did I with a few exchange gifts taken care of today.

*

She was worn out from her busyness last night, preparing for and serving her table of guests at the Ladies' Advent Service at church. Jill, Mom, Alayna, Lynn, and I were seated at her table along with Joanie and two ladies she invited. The service was lovely, and I got a few pictures with my purse camera which I won't be able to download until I get home. I hope I like the photos from the little camera or else it is back to the giant Canon for my picture taking. Before I left there, I got and gave hugs to Tommy, who was doing dishes in the kitchen, and the two pastors, one also doing dishes and one carrying his newly born baby in her carrier. I think the baby needed her mama, if you know what I mean.

*

This afternoon while making my soup, I also chatted at some length with my cousin, Rochelle, who is caregiver to my sis-in-law, Sharon. It saddens us both that Sharon is rather "abandoned" since her mom died two years ago and her dad in an Alzheimer unit. My friend, Letty, took Sharon along to a concert at Lutheran High not long ago, being asked to do so by another friend of Sharon's who could not take her. Letty did not know Sharon before but took her along, only to be met by Mom and Lynn who informed Letty that Sharon was 'family'! Small world, is it not? I really wish there was something I could do, but it is out of my hands at this point. Tomorrow afternoon I am going to pick her up and take her to supper somewhere, and then am meeting my other sis-in-law, Barb, at her parent's house. Whew!

*

Mom, Jill, and I watched the funeral video this evening, at Jill's request. She had no idea, until I mentioned it recently, that Mom had a copy of it. To hear that sermon once more does not hurt a bit and there were fewer tears shed tonight than the last time I watched with Kelly T. During dinner I managed to spot my turtleneck with tomato sauce so off I went to launder it immediately. I had to go change the load over quickly and got back to Mom's apartment just as the sermon was about to begin. I can truck pretty quickly down the hall and back again when I have to, even with a loaded wash basket!

*

Joanne called with the weather report for Wednesday, saying high winds are expected that afternoon, with gusts up to 50 mph and potential for power outages. Nuts! I do not want any delays in getting back to Jax as we have church that evening and choir rehearsal afterward. The next day I am expected for Bible study at Victory followed by Ladies' Advent Service runthrough following the study. Whew! I will be right back in the swing of things as soon as I get back. Love it! Saturday is the service and I hope Martie remembers to ask off that day......we have an event at the Thrasher-Horne on Saturday night, too, so we fly from one end of town to the other Saturday. Sunday will be worship and football, and Monday night is our Ladies' Group CHRISTmas party AND Packer football. Did I mention I love it???