My kind of day!

Today began with a family outing to Manitowoc Coffee, a tradition Mom and Lynn have established for several years. Every Saturday at least the two of them go somewhere to have coffee and a treat, like bagels, sweet rolls, or scones. On occasion they venture to Two Rivers or even to Sheboygan for this special outing. This time, we went to Manitowoc Coffee! While I don’t drink coffee, I do like their bakery selection and today had a nice frosted sugar cookie with my Diet Coke. Yummy!

A lady parked at the curb and I recognized her right away and waved to her. It was the lady who is in the process of moving into Mom’s building, whom I had met the day she was getting the tour with the manager. Her apartment is across from the laundry room, which is when I met her. Debra told us, when she came into the shop, that she plays chess on Thursdays and Saturday at the shop. She had a cute pink bag in which she carried her portable chess mat and her pink/white chess pieces! I introduced her to my mom and sisters before she got started on her games.

I also met my young friend, Naomi, and her gentleman friend, David, when they came into the shop. They are students at Martin Luther College, off for Christmas break. I half expected to see her there. They were getting their coffee cups refilled before heading to First German for Naomi to practice before church tomorrow. David and she had been at his home church over Christmas where he played organ and she joined the church’s orchestra on the trombone. Sunday will be our turn to hear Naomi pull out all the stops on the big pipe organ at FG. She ends her postings with the Latin phrase of giving God all the glory. I love that about her!

After our nice coffee klatch, Lynn dropped us off at home with plans to come back for us in the afternoon. Jill had laundry to take care of and I made up a batch of my famous chili. I got the slow cooker so full, it nearly came over the top! The pasta would have to be made separately, later.The cooker was set on low so it cook all afternoon, or at least, until we had to leave for the concert. More about the concert later.

At noon I was meeting my cousin/friend, Yvonne, for lunch at Perkins. We had a really nice meal together and great conversation. She gave a sun catcher to attach to my river room doors---a Packer sun catcher! I was so excited to get it! She expects to see a photo of it hanging there and she can count on me to do just that!

Mom treated Lynn, Jill, me, and herself to a year-end concert at the Capital Civic Center, starring Garth Neusteder. He is a young man who has excelled on several levels, playing piano, violin, brass instruments, and sings operatically. His parents are part of the trio, with Mom on keyboards and his dad on drums and vocals. There was a ballet troupe who performed as well as Hmong dancers, and because he is a graduate of Manitowoc Lutheran High School, a singing group from there, The Lancer Singers, performed two numbers with Garth from Les Miserables. I was quite a nice show and I saw a number of people I knew there as well.

When we got home I quickly got the pasta made for the chili and got things warmed up for our dinner. Jill is not a soup eater so opted out of dinner but Mom, Lynn, and I enjoyed my chili. I had a summer sausage sandwich with mine, which is so good, too. Mom and I are vegging out tonight and bracing for the icy temps coming our way starting tomorrow. Today was “warm”, a high of 37 degrees, which allowed for the roads to be cleared of last Sundays’ snow storm, and some of the icicles to come crashing down from around her building with mighty thuds!

Sunday is Packer football again in the afternoon, a make or break game as far as the playoffs go. Justin will be watching the Jaguars as well as the Packer game tomorrow with his friend, Jesse, on his new 55” TV. Justin will be so spoiled now by that so our measly 42” non-high definition will not suit. I am fine with it, though, and that is what counts!

Slaving away....

...at First German's church office this a.m. I put the finishing touches on the newsletter and sent it off, hoping I got everything correct. I had e-mailed it to myself but much of the work I had done at home did not transfer. It makes me wonder if I e-mailed the correct version or what I did. Anyway, I made it work and, thanks to g-mail, was able to access much of the information I needed using previous year's editions which were e-mailed to folks. Living life in the clouds, as it were!

Today is a down day activity-wise, other than this work here plus later picking up my sister and her son from the car dealership. Mom is at home probably enjoying the quiet while I am away. Here at church I got to see lots of people already this a.m. including the three pastors, met the interim principal; the new church secretary, Lisa; the property chairman, Larry; the lady in charge of the flowers, Joanie; the Lutheran Chorale Director, Al who was a former teacher at my grade school and from whom I rented for a period before moving to FL; and Scott from Manitowoc Lutheran High School stopped by. Very cool!

Yesterday was a fun day involving meeting some of my family at the Charcoal Grille for lunch. Mom, Lynn, Alayna, Lori, David, and Dustin were with our group and enjoyed a leisurely meal together. They were leaving for Holmen but took the time to swing by Mom's house so David could get Mom's new home phone hooked up. Kerry and I chipped together on it so Mom can more easily see the numbers and the display. She will also hear better because it has an amplifier on it, plus an additional handset so she can keep one receiver at the table with her, or in the living room. Lori suffers in Mom's house because of the heat, but, in anticipation of their coming over, I had turned the temperature way down. It was not down enough for that poor girl who is always in overheat mode. Mom and I are freezy cats, and Lori boils over. He got it done in no time and she is good to go now, and Lori is likely now sufficiently cooled!

Lynn joined Mom and I for dinner last night as I had made a casserole dish of escalloped potatoes and ham, using some leftover ham from Christmas Eve's celebration. Oh my, it turned out good! Mom will enjoy having some of these goodies at a later date as I intend to put them in the freezer for her. Next up---chili!

Merry Christmas everyone!

As I enjoy a quiet afternoon and evening here at Mom’s house, I have a chance to catch up some things here on the blog. The first thing that comes to mind is the worship. Wow! I do hope these folks appreciate the wonderful pastors, musicians, instrumentation, talented singers, and lovely worship environment they have here. It just blows me away…

In fact, at the first notes of the opening hymn today, I found tears on my cheeks.  It was from hearing the pipe organ joined with the church band (not the happy clappy type of band) made up of teens and adults playing brass, wood wind, and even drums to accompany our singing. So gifted are they that their first joint rehearsal was before the service today! Very nicely done, all!

Of course, the highlight of my Christmas worship will be once again getting to join the choir and other choir ‘alumni’ in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus”. I started up the stairs following the sermon in order to allow myself enough time to get up to the choir loft and catch my breath before singing. Those who have sung before are invited to participate and folks were streaming in around us. I wish I could have seen behind me but didn’t dare turn around or I’d cry some more! Even the director was crying a bit as he lead us through the Chorus. I once expressed my dismay to our organist at FG that I’d probably never get to sing that anthem again, and now I’ve done it a couple of time at FG. Worth the climb!

…and He shall reign forever and ever!

Chillin' in Wisconsin

Here I am in Manitowoc, in the throes of a pending snowstorm. My sister recently informed me the predications for the area have been downgraded to ‘only’ 6” of snow from the original 9”. We thank God for small favors. Our concern includes the high winds expected which mean drifts and impassable roadways. Never a good situation, especially on a Sunday morning.

Well, my travel on Thursday was flawless, and the concerns for bad weather for the commute to Manitowoc were unfounded. Lynn picked me up at the airport, we stopped to have lunch at Perkins near the airport, and then headed for home. Got to my Mom’s before it was dark out (about 2:30 pm) and the fun began!

My sister, Kerry, was waiting with Mom, plus Jill came up later. We went to The Green Street Tavern to have perch (at least, I did!) with those mentioned plus my niece, Alayna, and friend, Jenna. Jill’s son, Danny, came too so we had a nice group. I got to see my friend, Wendy, there dining with her sister-in-law, Ellen, and she asked me to come to her house during my time in Manty. I hope we can make that work out!

Friday was spent with a morning of shopping for Kerry and I, hitting up the Festival Foods and Wal*Mart. Boy, was I worn out! Kerry and I met up with Jill, Mom, and Alayna at Culvers, where Linda joined us. Mom and Linda had hair cuts scheduled so Linda took charge of Mom while Kerry and I went home to unload our trunkful of groceries and purchases. Jill had some other errands to run herself. So very thankful to Linda for doing this monthly outing with and for my mom! Linda said she enjoys it very much so I won’t take that away from her.

Kerry and I stocked up lots of stuff Mom loves like soups and freezer meals, plus I got ingredients for meals to make while I am here visiting. We also got the stuff needed for our Christmas Eve feast which will be celebrated at the AmericInn where my sister, Lori, and family are staying for the holidays. I put on a lot of miles at the stores and spent a lot of smiles greeting people in the aisles. Got some other shopping done, as well, so I can say I am probably done. Won’t know that until it’s time to hand them out, I guess. Gulp!

I made a batch of sloppy joes for our dinner, and Jill, who lives in the building, too, brought up German potato salad and cole slaw left from her work party. Lynn came for dinner too and together we watched Jeopardy! My goodness, I just ached all over from our venture which means I am terribly out of shopping shape! Lynn comforted me with saying she can’t shop like she used to, either. I blame my heavy ‘winter’ shoes but I can’t imagine trudging through snow and slop in ballerina flats!

Saturday is the traditional ‘going for coffee day’ and though I don’t drink coffee, I was invited along. Lynn picked up Mom and me and off we went to Hardees where we sat and talked for a couple of hours. Very nice! Jill was taking Mom shopping to ShopKo and Lynn went home after bringing me home. I was being collected by Linda to join her for her nail appointment (great fun!!! at RoseColoredGlasses Salon where I was treated to a complimentary shoulder/neck,head massage!) and then joined her sister, Georgia, for lunch at Harborside. After I did my Facebook check-in, one of my friends asked me via Comments if I was going for 10 restaurants in 10 days. I replied that it’s more like 10 restaurants in 3 days!

Tomorrow is church, weather permitting, and I get to see many more people I know and love, and touch my Facebook friends in real life instead of with virtual hugs. Looking forward to worship and Bible study, and then home to make beer cheese soup to devour while the Packers beat the Steelers! Go, Pack, Go!

Excuse my absence, please

If you recall, I have limited access to the Internet when staying at my Mom's house. Please forgive  me for not posting as usual.  Thanks!! 

Cemetery flowers

On Monday, Justin and I took this floral arrangement to the cemetery. The arrangement I bought last year which was meant for repeated use did not hold up well and had to be disposed of, so we just used fresh cut flowers for the vase. 

Before that stop, however, we met my friend, Brenda, for lunch at Steak 'n Shake. The service was so slow that Brenda had to have her meal packed up to go! She called me today to report that she called the phone number on the receipt and issued a complaint, since this is not the first time it's happened to us. She is on limited time due to her working yet, so we can't have delays like that. We might have to try the next place down, Arby's, next time, and start saving those coupons!

We celebrated Christmas!

Justin took a photo of my mantel which is decorated with garland and my lovely Willow Tree nativity set, which was a gift from Laurie, my church friend, several years ago. Note how I have the magi standing on the far right side...

Here is our sumptuous feast prepared by Justin and me for our Christmas celebration. He made a beef roast using a special combination of dry salad dressing and gravy mixes plus onions. With that I served green bean casserole and we microwaved some potatoes as our sides. Plus, he made some yummy buttermilk biscuits. In the afternoon I had made sugar cookies and frosted them for our dessert, but we were too full to enjoy them! 

This stack is Justin's and includes a Clue game based on The Big Bang Theory, a chia pet of Willie from Duck Dynasty, two Packers items which report his being an Owner of the team, a gift certificate to Brookstone, a book called Mansfields' Book for Manly Men, a spring form cheesecake pan, plus the inevitable socks and underwear. Also I gave him a paper-thin wallet for which he had been in want. 

Justin stocked me up with anti-bacterial hand sanitizers from Bath and Body Works which I keep in my purse (a new fragrance with cranberry scent is marvelous!), plus 6 bottles of foaming soaps for use in the bathroom. My stand-by favorites of vanilla plus some newer scents this season. He also got me plastic zipper totes to store my DVDs in, a set of two, which will hold 80 of my collection. This will free up the space on my TV dresser/stand for me to put books which are taking over my room! Justin also got me Glenn Beck's newest book, "Miracles and Massacres", a history book. 

He is having a gift sent to my Mom's for me which I will get up there, plus something for me to take along and open on Christmas Eve with the rest of the family. (Justin will be a guest with the Chappells on Christmas Day so he won't be all alone.)

Justin and I then watched "It's a Wonderful Life" before we went to bed, me ending up in tears at the end, as always. This is how Kim and Justin celebrate Christmas!