Updates from Chez Grace

I rescued a little gray kitten from the storm water drain in front of the church. She's about 8 weeks old. Hubby and I adopted her. Her name is Jael and she's a real cutie. It's been four years since we've had a kitten. Her big brothers are getting terrorized by her.

It's summer. Both of our Bible Studies have ended until fall. That clears the way for more visiting and new projects.

This Sunday starts our new early Non-Traditional Worship. I've found a 17 year old guitar player who'll work for cheap, along with some canned music. I must confess, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. It's not a praise band - but hey - "Where two or three are gathered ...".

In between early worship and Sunday School, we'll have a fellowship time. That will provide a fellowship time for the two worshipping congregations ... sorta.

I'm also starting a new Sunday School Class for young and middle age adults. The "Bible for Dummies" is the textbook.

The Partners in Prayer Group are starting a Prayer Ministry. The first Sunday of the month, if you would like to be anointed and prayed over, all you have to do is make your way up to the chancel rail after church. This group has been such a blessing!

Today is self-care day ... I get my nails done and a deep tissue massage. Yeah!

The Best Mother's Day Gift

... is knowing that your Daughter-in-Love is saved and is hungry for knowing God better.

We're at Son's and DIL's for the weekend. DIL made the announcement Friday night. I told her that I had praying for her for 27 years - since Son was born and I had no doubts whatsover that God had brought them together. Every night, they read the Bible together and talk about what they've read. DIL was a C&E Catholic when they met with very little church experience.

We went to their church - a 4500 member Evangelical Free Church. I liked it - even if it is big. Son has been tapped to be one of the teachers in their Sunday School Class. They have a wonderful group of friends.

I am so blessed! A very full heart tonight indeed!

The Rumors of My Demise ...

I'm still here. Lots of stuff to blog about. Lots of stuff going on in Church Around the Corner. It's mostly good!

What does it mean when the Bishop requests to be your friend on Spacehook?

Sweet

This was one of my Christmas presents from our children.

It can hold a WHOLE lot of songs.

I may never resurface.

Full House

I love a full house! I just love when our home is full of laughter, noise and company!

D2 is here - she has an entire week off from work. Son and DIL will be returning from a soujourn at her parent's house. They'll leave sometime tomorrow for home. D2's friend Tim will be arriving at some point today. He just got back from deployment in Afghanistan and he's on his way "home" to a new apartment in southcentral Northeastern Really Big State. We're on the way.

I'm planning a big dinner for tonight. I grew up as the oldest in a family of nine. If you count my parents, grandparents, foster brothers and sisters and any neighborhood kids who happened to like what we were having for supper - our dining room table usually had -on average- 15 people around it. It had six table "leaves" and stretched out 12 feet. Our dinners were memorable and served buffet style.

Ten pounds of potatoes. Five pounds of spaghetti. Huge roasts. Ten pounds of hamburger. Lots and lots of home-canned vegetables from my grandparents HUGE garden and slabs of fresh homemade bread and slices of homemade pies, made every Friday. We never went hungry. God seemed to multiply the loaves and fishes.

There are times when I really miss the noise, the laughter, the chaos and the fun of being a member of a large family. And there are times like today when God brings it back to me in small doses as a gift of grace.

ps... Add four cats and a guinea pig to today's crowd!

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,and with fear and trembling stand;

ponder nothing earthly minded,

for with blessing in his hand

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,as of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords in human vesture,

in the Body and the Blood

he will give to all the faithful

his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way,

as the Light of Light descendeth

from the realms of endless day,

that the powers of hell may vanish

as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph; cherubim with sleepless eye,

veil their faces to the Presence,

as with ceaseless voice they cry,

"Alleluia, alleluia!

Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

Home Stretch

Coming down the home stretch! I feel unusually good - not overstressed or over worked! Yeah!

The loan for the new furnances went through and the check came today. The Heating and Plumbing Company took out one of the big, antiquated dinosaurs and installed two new efficient little itty bitty furnance. They installed two for four zone, but Thursday night, only one had to work. SCORE!!! Half of the church done. The other 70's model will be replaced the first week in January with the same amount of fuss (I hope.) The church is looking at substantial heating savings in three years or less.

All the CATC's Christmas events ('cepting for Christmas Eve) have happened. I got a light week.

Hubby and I are going Christmas shopping to Small City on a Great Sinkhole on Monday to finish up. All the presents gotten thus far have been wrapped and put away. Hopefully, we will catch up with D2 for supper Monday.

Hubby found a "cut-your-own" tree farm in Small Town. That's his job. Usually, he and D2 went out and got a tree because they're both real fussy when it comes to Christmas trees, but since she's an hour and half away, that job falls to me. I always opt for the first one I see.

My Christmas cards are all caught up and will be mailed Monday.

Looking good!

Political Elections

I.cannot.wait.for.tuesday.to.come.

Sick of political ads, speeches, infomercials and mud-slinging.

Birthday Day Update!

If it's October 28th, it must mean that "first" snow has fallen by now! True to tradition, we had 2 inches of the white stuff on my birthday ... and we don't live in a snow belt anymore! (They got 8" - suckas!) Lake Effect!!!!!

My birthday was wonderful - even sitting by Hubby in the Imaging Lab of Nationally Famous Hospital. I even laughed at the older (and slightly demented) lady who razzed him about drinking two 20 oz bottles of contrast!

CT scan done, we headed out to Big Store With Too Many Choices to pick up some groceries for D2. Getting Hubby out of there without spending too much was a job, phew! Just the Tyson Chicken strips, Sweetie! Then we headed off across Nearby Small City to D2's apartment.

The Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake was easy to make and very, very good! D2 made us Chicken Alfredo with fresh tomatoes and broccoli - She's getting to be a good cook! She and her father settled down and watched some TV while I fell asleep on our old couch.


We left in a mix of wind, rain and thundersleet. Since she lives right off the shore of one of the Great Sinkholes, D2 won't have to worry about Lake Effect Snow. And since her apartment is about a mile from where she works, she doesn't have to worry anymore about a slippery commute (And neither will her mama - worrying about her, I mean!) Thank you, Lord!

The Interstates were horrible with snow and ice. The town where the CIUTS had terrible roads. But once we headed for Small Town, the snow lightened and it was easier. We woke up this morning to the VFD pager going off with requests for Fire Police to direct traffic around fallen wires and trees, brought down by the weight of the snow.

So here I sit this afternoon. There is a fire cheerfully burning in the fireplace. The cats are sprawled on the carpet in front of it. I'm warm and happy and at peace with life and the world.

Thanks, God!

Update Dots

• Ministry life still busy. Coming into the home stretch.
• Turning 50 tomorrow. Nope, not upset. Nope, no mid-life crisis. Just gratitude to God for the half-century.
• Hubby has to have a CT scan of his abdomen tomorrow at one of Nearby Small City's major hospitals. He injured himself six weeks ago on vacation in a boogie board mishap. Doc is thinking complications from a bruised or lacerated liver.
• Since we'll be in NSC, I'll be hanging out at D2's place. I'm gonna do her laundry and she's making us supper.
• While there, I'll be making my birthday cake: Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake ... in between loads of laundry.
• Church family had a birthday party for me after worship yesterday. What a great bunch these folks are!

Monday Musings

Thoughts on the weekend ...

...

...

... WOW(!!!!!!!!!!) is the only word that comes to mind.

A Lull in the Action

I promised myself that THIS TIME I would give myself some breathing room. Somehow, I find myself with more things to do than hours in a day. The last three weeks have been an almost nonstop marathon. It can't be helped - this is stuff that pastors have major responsibility for.

But, this weekend I am off to the Chautauqua Institute for a weekend of DeColores-ing. Hubby is preaching at the other UMC in town (9:00 AM service), so he's filling the pulpit at CATC.

I am looking forward to some spiritual renewal. Hubby did Koininia a year ago. My parents were very involved in the Cursillo movement during my teen years. I can sing the Rooster Song with the best of them (Is it pee-oh pee or pee-oh pie?) and I've helped make palanca. Now it's my turn.

See y'all on Monday!

A Full Plate and the Gravy's Dripping Off

It's very busy around Chez Grace. Charge Conference preparation, 100th Church Anniversary Planning, Stewardship Program, All Saints Sunday prep, visiting, counseling, grant-writing and turning 50 in 22 days.

Home Again, Home Again Jiggety Jig

We're home from the beach!

It was a wonderful vacation ... lots of reading, eating and sleeping (yep, that's the order!)!

It was good to be together as family again. As much as I love being alone with Hubby, it is good to have children around - no matter how old they are.

Grandbabyboy had gotten a new CD for the vaca: The Bare Naked Ladies' children's album (Yes, you read that right!) Snacktime. I have earworms from those songs ... Pollywog in a Bog; Here Come the Geese; and the New Alphabet Song. He listened to it over and over and over and over and over ...

I met up with revanne! She was a very gracious hostess and took me on a walking tour of her little coastal town. Her church is very old and the cemetery beside it is incredible! We had lunch at a little local bistro and spent a very enjoyable several hours! Thanks Anne!

The trip home was uneventful until the last 100 miles, which took us three hours to travel thanks to the remnants of Hurrican Ike. We dodged downed trees and wires due to wind gusts of 70 mph. But God is good and we made it home.

Life is good.

We're here!

After spending Saturday night at Son's and DIL, we arrived yesterday at The Beach to find D1, SIL and (almost grown-up) Grandbabyboy already here.  Our New England Yankees had to pack and leave in the dark because of a power outage from Hanna.

Hubby and I haven't seen GBB in about six months.  Since he's around adults most of the day, he's 2.11 years going on 21.  He speaks like an adult, but acts like a typical three-year-old.  His mama was a strong-willed child, too.  Snerk.  It comes around.

The folks on the other side of the duplex have a little girl around the same age.  She's a real cutie and GBB just loves her.

The fam are all down cavorting in the waves and I'm enjoying a cuppa in silence, thanking God for family time, traveling mercies, a good night's sleep, english muffins, SIL's strong, hot coffee, free WiFi and D2's new Apple Computer.

Life is good!

Southern Bound

Hubby, D2 and I are leaving tomorrow for the Southern State where people cheer on the Blue Devils, Demon Deacons, Wolfpack and (cough) Tarheels and where you can eat ANYTHING on a biscuit.

D1, Son-in-Love and Grandbabyboy will be flying in from New England State.

I've got paints and crayons and stickers and Goldfish and everything needed for an almost-three-year-old!

And, I'm hoping for a RGPB meet-up with Revanne!

Beach, here we come!

Reminders of First Days

A nostalgic wave comes over me this time every year. Remembering the first days of our children's school years. 'Nuff to bring a tear to my eye and a catch in my throat.

I made sure he had everything he needed today ... black pants, black shoes, black socks, black belt, zebra shirt and his whistle. I sent him out the door with a kiss and his briefcase, telling him: For Pete's sake, Hubby, remember this is a high school varsity game between the Charter School and the Christian School, not the Olympics. Call a good game!"

Ah, the first day of the refereeing year. Pardon me whilst I find a tissue.

Life in a Small Town

Hubby heard this conversation between an eight-year old boy and the young man's father while he was downtown at the Small Town Super Market last night:

"Dad! Look! There's the guy that lives with our pastor!"

Has It Been that Long?

When he calls me "Baby," my heart still skips a beat.

Hubby & net

08/16/1978

Whoot!!!!

It's official! I have been reinstated as an EMT by the State Department of Health!

Bring it on!