Smile, It's Sunday!

[Nancy]

Thanks blessed U 2.
I dropoed off rocks and down town donations were left at the thrift shop.
Store run done got new mop head. Food is put away.

[DeeClutter]

Just realized I haven't made it to the computer all day. Been busy sorting our my closet and taking things out and rearranging. Last hour or two I've been working on church things from the last 6 years. Now to make sure each year is in order. Anything I'm missing I think I can print from my documents.

My car is back and looks wonderful! Can feel the wax on it. Now we're trying to decide if it needs new tires. They have about 52,000 miles on them. Dh says these (B ridgestone) tires are high mileage. I'm just getting a little uneasy about another long trip on them. We'll see.

Our 'cooking' friend brought us a big pan of chicken parm and another good-sized dish of rigatoni, sauce and meatballs. Guess what we're having for dinner. I was going to make a minestrone soup but will wait until tomorrow or Tuesday. Also bought things to make steak soup sometime this week. Trying to space out our food so I don't have a lot of leftovers.

Obviously I didn't make it to church today considering I had no car. Couldn't drive the truck dh is driving to FL -just too much for me and I had extreme trouble getting in and out last night. Know after riding in it that I wouldn't be able to drive it. So glad my car is back. Have no idea how dh manages to drive this thing to FL (and back -though this is the last year he's doing it.) Our friend here who also goes to our church brought the bulletin and news on his way home. Was telling me that he rather thinks perhaps the pulpit committee was out at another church (a neutral pulpit) listening to a candidate. All that stuff is top hush so not really sure. But all the members of that committee were missing from church today. Will know soon enough if that's the case. But I won't be here, once again, to hear and/or vote on a new pastor. If it is indeed the case it would be record time between pastors. One thing that may be spurring them on is that we just found out that our parsonage is now taxable property UNLESS there is a pastor occupying it. That sure upped our budget in a hurry.

[LadyMaverick]

After church and lunch, DH and I went for a walk along a river that is downstream from a dam. Because we got over 2" of rain in about 2 hours last night the floodgates are open and the normally calm river is roaring. The sun is shining brightly and it felt good to be soaking up the warmth. The temperature is only in the high 60's today so feels cool since we are used to warmer weather.

DS9 was at church this morning with DD, DSIL & DGD6. He stuck like glue to DH and/or me the whole time. DH & I encouraged DS9 to go have fun this afternoon at an amusement park and assured him over and over that we would be at home waiting for him when he got back.

I'm designing on a weekly template for BuJo. It is a test to see if this type of weekly plan will be useful or overwhelming. It has 15-minute time slots for the entire week. I have ZERO intention of following it perfectly but instead, I'm using it as an overview of how much time I have to get things done. If I choose to not do something then I can know if/when it can be moved to a different timeslot or will have to be left undone. Each day has 69 timeslots (5am - 10pm) so 483 timeslots for the entire week (69x7). When I look at the week in this view it seems there should be time for everything. Since I know that doesn't happen, I am hopeful this template will be insightful.

[blessedw2]

hi d lady and d dee

d lady... great description of the normally calm river becoming a roaring rapid and the beautiful day

wonderful about your closet, your car, your church work d dee... well done!

[blessedw2]

i don't feel strong today but I did do most of my dailies except I didn't swipe the toilets and the sink or swiffer rinse the bathrooms upstairs.
But the front room, front hall, dining room are done. I also washed the glass table in the living room.

No birthday cards to send out (all my cards went out)
Cardfile is set for week

finished basic week plan

[DeeClutter]

Finished going through our church member book and made sure all the slips of paper and letters from other churches for changes, etc are done. I just finished designing a new page to go in our membership book. The headings right now are: Name, Received, Inactive, Suspended, Deceased, Dismissed, and "Other". In all the years and years of records there has never been anyone 'suspended' so I've made an 'executive decision' to omit that column. There's also lots of scribbles when someone has a name change. I made a new spot on a second line for each name for that possibility. I combined "Dismissed and Inactive". Pretty much the same thing. So now I've made a whole lot more work for myself but I'll feel better handing it over to someone else in the future. Not sure I'll keep this position as Church Clerk much more than another year.

[Nancy]

I made crochet ties fof the feed sack aprons glad that is done.
We tried subway wraps for lunch they were good.

I have fed the hens, picked up more branches that have blown out of trees in front and back yard one pretty good sized one I have been concerned about glad it is down tried to get it down last summer unsuccessfully. I am also glad it did no damage.

I baked ch. chip cookies for lunches next week. Meat is cooked up for dinner h did that taco gr. Tky. For on pizza.

[Harriet]

Oh well, this was supposed to post way earlier but company knocked and then I was so socially weary I napped.

yipes I was alone to lead singing. That is hard. And the second song no one in the congregation has ever seen/heard before. Complicated. 4 flats and very unusual tune, very high. Pianist struggled to learn it, taking twice as long as usual. I struggled to learn it. Guitarist did not attempt. Ugh. For a special today, the same lady who sang with such fear before tried again - she was less nervous).

I made an announcement (i don't have time to wonder whether anyone thinks this is okay in the new scheme of things or not) and asked a group to find me after service to get some info. So there, some burdensome responsibility off my shoulders and onto the correct ones.

And then, made up a large stir-fry.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

This morning I was going to call this thread Surprise Sunday! but decided that was inviting trouble! Not all surprises are good.

It did turn into a surprise day for me.

The first part went according to plan. The drive up was stunning. We are about at peak fall colours and there was sunlight and it is a pretty drive anyway once you get out of the city with wide vistas, the river, a lake and lots of rolling farmland.

I was a bit heavy-footed so arrived at the church waaayyyyy early. I said hi to a few folks, brought in my squares, offered to help set up but they didn't need help so I explored the church for a while. There are parts I'd never been to and now I have a good map of the basement in my head. It was the 131st anniversary and the building has been there since 1887, but has been added on to many times over the years so that's why a map of the basement is needed! There are 4 different sets of stairs from the basement to the upper levels, for example and today I learned that the Lounge (where many small groups meet) isn't the same as the Family Room (a living room at the back of the sanctuary glassed off but with speakers so parents can take noisy children there and still be part of the service.)

I sat with an elderly man who is becoming a missionary (he's made 2 trips so far and is looking forward to going back to Africa or India as soon as possible.) He's one of my favourites. His wife was a favourite of MF and she died suddenly. They were members of the other church but after she died he started attending both. Now that the churches have parted ways, he comes to the 'big church' because he wanted to stay with MF as his minister.

The service was lovely. The choir sang two anthems and the bass was lovely. Dh would have liked that very much. Turns out MF, who normally sings tenor, was singing bass this morning and was chuffed when I asked him who had the lovely bass voice in the choir. That explains why I haven't heard it when I'm preaching there!

The guest preacher was quite good. I would have loved to have talked with him after but I sat with congregation members during the potluck. Which was excellent and abundant!

So, all that was as expected, no surprises.

As the people dwindled away and MF wasn't ministering to people any more, I went and asked him what was up for the afternoon. Was he up for a coffee, or should I change into my hiking clothes and head off on my own for a hike?

He then (and only then!) asked if I'd come to a mass church choir concert. He didn't ask me to come to listen to him and the other members of his church. He was asking me to come sing. I agreed (after 3 minutes of waffling) and within 15 minutes I heard about the idea, was tossed a choir robe and binder, then found myself following MF's car to the other church, then loading the binder with music and getting instructions from the people at the host church. I was literally out of breath and the nice man offered me the elevator because he thought I couldn't do stairs!

I did have a good time, although they put me in the front row. And I missed most of the practice of the anthem I didn't know (I knew the other one already) but it was a variation of Here I am Lord, and I can read the music instruction so knew when the Sops were to sing. I had to be placed between an alto and a soprano since I knew I'd sing sop for all but the one anthem I do know and didn't want to throw off the altos.

It was an Old Tyme Hymn Sing and there were choir members from 6 United churches in the area, over 50 in the choir.

It was 90 minutes of music: 12 hymns, 2 anthems, plus 6 other solos/duets plus medleys for the prelude and postlude.

Anyway, it went well. Because MF was there (Mr. Doctorate in Church Music Performance), the music director pressed him into service on the piano and he ended up playing the prelude, offertory and postlude while she played the organ. Improvising it all. So that was a bonus, I had heard him sing in the morning and then got to hear him on piano (a rare treat.) The only thing that would have made it better was if he played the organ too but he wasn't expected to show up so that didn't happen.

He was anxious to leave after, so no tea and sweets and visiting with others for me. We went over to the new restaurant on Main street but it was too fancy, it was just 4:10 and we were still full from the potluck so he suggested coffee. I asked if we could go to one in his town (I was anxious to do at least part of the drive in sunlight since the leaves were so beautiful.) Since that would have us there for 5 p.m. we settled on a schnitzel restaurant there and split a dinner between us. We've never eaten in that town with just the two of us and about 5 people came in who knew him so I'm not sure we'll do that again. I asked him if it would be a problem and he brushed it off but I could tell he wasn't as relaxed as he is when we meet up in the suburbs. At lunch someone was telling me that for the first few years he was at their church they were convinced I was his girlfriend. So this could be a problem. Small towns, big rumour mills.

I left for home just after 7 and had an uneventful drive. I'm glad most of the driving today was in sunlight because it is peak colour right now and there were many breathtaking views in both directions (we took a back country route instead of the highway on the way to dinner.) It sure is God's country. On the drive into the city after, as I got to suburbs I could sense the energy change and the pace quicken. I don't want to live in the country but I think I might have to start making more intentional visits to it since it does my soul good.

Anyway, I'm home now, having decaf tea. I'm already out of my clothes and in my robe and I suspect a very early bed tonight. My ears are still ringing from all the music today. But it was a very excellent and surprising day. Extra singing, and dinner with MF, neither of which were on my agenda for the day.

[lucylee]

Hello to everyone!!! Just a normal Sunday here. Dgs here now so computer time is limited.