Cloudy Monday

Moving things around.  Last Sat. Doug and I moved the twin bed back to it's owner.  We used it about 2 years ago when Regina was with us and now that the O'Neills are in a bigger house with a little girl, the bed needed to go back home.  That meant that the computer room needed to have some changes made and that happened.  So...now all three rooms in the upper level has had some attention making them all look a little better and a little different. 

Yesterday was a great music day at North.  Yum, yum.  Lots of Mark Hayes that can be heard on the North United Meth. web site.  It was WONDERFUL but crazy busy.  Then we had lunch with Joseph from Kenya with two other couples.  What fun.  Back home and football time but I slept through so much but did catch some important game changing events.  I always fall asleep Sun. afternoons.  Manning's Denver and Giants won as well as the COLTS So...it was a good football night in America.  Then lots of wakeful moments...bummer.  This morning I changed out my drawers of clothes from summer to winter, filled bags with stuff that needed to be delivered to various places and then off on the road to do that.  Some wonderful news.  My quilt...first long armed   quilter said I needed  to do lots of trimming...the second long armed quilter said...NO more trimming needed.  Woo...the trimming would have taken months.  So...I'm on the calendar for the second long armed quilter which should happen in about 6 months.  I can wait.  Didn't want to spend time trimming.  Dah.  Long armed quilting business is healthy.  Second opinions are good.  All the bags of stuff are gone to their rightful places. 

In two weeks I'm helping a friend at a bazaar at Sec. Presb. Church.  All the money will go to the Umoja project in western Kenya.  So...this afternoon I'm making three Colt hats that I hope will bring some money to the project.  I have other stuff as well that I'm happy to move on. 

Tonight Doug and I will go to the Mamlins and load trunks on the truck.  Doug will deliver them tomorrow morning to the airport, that is if they are flying out.  It seems the airline business could be changed a bit with Sandy.  Hope it doesn't hurt them. 

Tomorrow morning Noah is coming while Kat does some volunteer work at Andrew's school.  It will be an interesting morning for sure. 

Tuesday number 2

I took my flower garden quilt top to be quilted at a new friends house.  Man...I'm green with envy or something like that.  She has quilted for years and has a room that is bigger than our living,dining and kitchen room conbinded for her stuff.  Then she opened double doors which I thought would lead to a closet.  Well, NO closet but another room lined with shelves from floor to ceiling with shelves filled with fabric.  Then there was a quilt wall where one puts quilt patches to help design quilts.  Oh, well, I'm way to old to think that I could make good use of all that stuff.  So...came home and moved tables, and more stuff around in my quilt room. Swept, dusted and I'm just fine with the memories of the morning.  But it was something to see for sure.  I'm sure she's not the only one with all this stuff.  I forgot to mention that she also has a long armed quilting machine that would fit nicely into our two car garage in her space.  She said that when shopping for houses they looked at over 100 to find one that would work for her.  Uck!  Not my style for sure.  Really...If I'm thinking correctly...my money goes to other things of what I conside of more importance.  She majors in fabric...I minor in fabric.  But...I was impressed with how nice everything looked. 

Tuesday morning

Another week started.  It's been a bit simpler and I'm not complaining.  But ready to move on at some point soon. 

Sunday was fairly easy.  Did a substitute job singing alto in the quartet first service.  Brahms...Yumm, yumm.  Hospitality time and then singing sec. service again.  Voice just isn't where it should be yet.  First service went well.  Could have sat in the cong. second but didn't.  Crazy asthma would have been better if I had thought of the inhaler.  Colts game in the afternoon. 
And I did a bit of cleaning up in the garden filling almost another 55 gal container for the garbage.  Monday was a lazy day.  Kids came for supper.  Raked leaves for the kids to play in but by the time they arrived rain changed that plan.   Eric and Doug tore down a twin bed and we will send it back to it's rightful owner.  We used it last summer for Regina from Kenya who had heart surgery.  This morning is very dark with thunder storms coming our way.  Lots of lightening.  Not much planned for today either.  Tomorrow is work at church again and bell practice. 

Choir is getting ready for stewardship Sun.  and will be singing 6 spirituals arranged by Mark Hays and his TaDaum as well.  Will be a fun Sunday with lots of music energy. 

Friday evening

This has been the craziest week.  I feel like I'm squeezing every minute out with something to do that is out of the normal routine.  After that Tuesday 9 pm haircut Wed. started.  It was work at the church desk till 11:50.  Then off to SEM's to shop for toys and educational stuff.  Home by 5 and then off to sister MK for supper with Stephen and Patty Kim.  Thursday started with a gas trip, a Sun. morning Hospitality Trip and a Walmart Trip for Lettuce at 7 am.  Then Soup Kitchen till 12 and then on to SEM's to start packing leaving her house at 5:15 in time for Stake and Shake and then to Choir practice.  This morning started with trips to 3 Walmarts looking for trunks to load stuff for Eldoret.  Out of the drive at 7 am.  Then back to SEM's by 9 am to start packing.  We made a huge, huge dent in the job.  Feels so good.  Had friend Kathy O. join us and we worked big time, filling, labeling recording contents, weighing trunks, closing trunks,,,repacking trunks.  That's the nature of the game.  Six trunks are filled with approximately 700 stuffed animals used for Xmas gifts on the wards. Another 10 are filled with toys, office supplies, art supplies, things to make a wonderful Thanksgiving event for American's living in Eldoret and more.  Woo...some trunks weigh near 70 and some near 50 depending on how they will travel to Eldoret. We finished around 2 this afternoon.   So...the day has been very worthwhile and will make a difference for children in Eldoret.  Sarah Ellen and Joe are on the road again Monday for another week in N. C. at Duke and Wake Forest, back here Sun. evening and then on to Eldoret early Tuesday morning.  So...trunks needed to be finished EARLY.  Gosh...I miss them already.  Did some house cleaning this afternoon.  Tomorrow morning we're having breakfast with Stephen, Patty and MK and Phil and then S. and P are coming for a late lunch.  We'll have our usual Panera run later in the evening and then on to next week.  Woo...Life is full and I love it when I feel I'm keeping up with all of it and making a positive difference for someone.  !!!!

Tuesday morning

Keeping up with stuff.  Finished the 48th little pink flower to clip to the choir folders with the thought of keeping Kathy O in our prayers.  She is a long time, long time choir friend of at least 35 years who now starts working soon toward a healthy body free of cancer.  Cancer sucks.  Friend Ellen just finished successfully a 9 month Cancer treatment journey.  Cemo, surgery and radiation.  Yahoo for sure. Friend Charlotte had her Cancer stuff before Ellen. 

Moved stuff around in the garage with the thought of returning the car to an inside position rather then in the driveway.  Got rid of a bike by just sticking it out in the lawn.  Someone now has a bike.  This morning I'm off to get some blood work done.  Need to be fasting and that involves remembering not to eat breakfast.  What a challenge to get that in my sleepy brain at 6 in the morning.  Later this morning I'm off to church to change out banners for the fall.  Then a 1 pm meeting at the med center with a bunch of powerful ladies who are working on sustainability for the Sally Test program in Eldoret.  That's always a very stimulating meeting although I don't add a thing.  They are way ahead of me knowing what button to push.    Tonight...at 9pm...a hair cutting appointment.  That's crazy but the only time this week that would work.  9pm!!!!  Meeting SEM near the end of the week to shop for toys for the Sally Test room.  Then, pack, pack. 
Knee report.  It's wonderful.   I missed the bullet.  Well, not really a bullet but the knee is over the bump it got last week.  Finished sewing 3 hats that Marcia ordered to sleep in.  Never thought of the hats as keeping a head warm during a cold Michigan night.  Hope to get them in the mail today if I can find a postoffice. 

Coming through

Goodwill came through and I delivered to SEM's garage three huge grocery carts of stuffed animals.  I think there are about 600 now.  My 75 bucks went far.  But...I called it a bushed Monday.  Enough of Goodwill for this week.  SEM is coming back to Indy Sat. evening.  Should see her in church Sunday.  The other thing that almost has my eyes crossed permanently...I just completed a pillow for sick friend Kathy O.  She has had a diagnoses of breast cancer and will start treatment next month.  The pillow has all of the choir folks names stitch on one side and the words from the hymn O Love that will not let me go on the other side with a wonderful quilt patch pattern and Robert's Indiana  LOVE in the middle of the block.  Woo...worked all day on some of the stitching so my eyes are TIRED.  Yesterday was soup kitchen with wonderful neighborhood people coming in.  Such a great bunch of people on Thursday.  I took one horrendous flop on the floor giving my gimpy left knee a huge knock.  Pastry containers were way to heavy and stacked way to high and I lost my balance and got tangled up in a chair I guess.  Poor knee.  It's not real sore but it is really stiff.  Might be full of fluid.  Will be interesting to see what's up in a week.  Cough continues but Doc. thinks I need a change in med which has been known to cause a cough.  So...that's something new to figure out.  Weather has been delightful.  I filled two 55 gal containers with garden trimmings.  Could do another two perhaps next week.  Getting the garden ready for winter. 

Monday morning.

The week is beginning.  Well, guess it started yesterday, come to think of it.  Good church and we sang three great anthems.  Woo...First of the month communion as well.  Then home to watch the Colts beat Green Bay.  I thought it wasn't going to happen so out shopping at Columbus Day sales at JoanAnn Fabrics.  Got some half priced pillow insides for some outsides I finished last week.  Then back home to watch the second half when the Colts turned on a dime and BEAT the Packers.  Woo, woo.  I love Sunday football.  This morning Noah is spending time with us.  Kat is off to school to do volunteer work.  I've bought ingredients to make cookies.  Should be fun.  I'm continuing to shop for small stuffed animals for SEM and the children at Eldoret.  Last Chance Goodwill is my favorite place to find cheap but  good animals.  It just takes a little time but the bargins are unbelievable if one takes time to dig through stuff.  It's time well spent.  Friend Carolyn gave me 50 bucks yesterday and I can really make that go far in gathering up 700 of those little gifts used at Christmas.  Yahoo.  So...watch out LC Goodwill.  I'm on my way on Tuesday. 

7 days later

Got to think a bit.  Humm...7 days ago I was coughing up a storm.  Not doing that as much but made a fall check up appointment with Asthma Julie for yesterday.  I thought I was pretty good but I guess not nearly good enough for her.  So...the treatment continues and happy to do that.  She certainly knows more bout asthma then I do.  Biggest gripe but not so big when I think of my cancer ridden friends is that singing is almost impossible.  Hanging in there should help that at some point.  The weekend included a Fri. night...Sat. choir retreat at Olenburg, In.  with the nuns.  Fun, fun and there was plenty of music to listen to and learn by listening.  There were about 25 of us.  Food was great, place was as clean as a pin and there was plenty of talking.  I'm staying inside for a while which leads me to the next sewing project.  I'm making big bibs for a little c palsey girl who is living in the Sally Test room at Eldoret.  No one wants to adopt her.   I made her 4 bibs in May which were quite the hit and did their job well and now I've got 7 more made.  Yup...still using gifted fabric.  What a gift!!! Tomorrow is working at the front desk, bells, Thurs. Soup Kitchen and Choir...Same old same old.  That's about it from 10420.