Pressure is on!!!!

What a crazy week so far and more to come.  . 
Monday...get ready for Christmas Eve in the morning and then in the evening three services and then to bed at 1:00 am. 
Tuesday...Christmas day was sweet and quiet with a little of this and a little of that.  
Wed...the blizzard of 2012 hit.  Lots of snow, wind and cold.  We got about 7 inches.  Not a good    traveling day and most folks stayed home.  We were really snowed in big time.  I made two gifts for Kimmy and Kat. 
Thursday...Super good neighbor shoveled the driveway during the night and the hill in front of the house.  So...off to cook at soup kitchen.  There were three of us which is a bit rough doing all the work but Nora can move faster than lightening and we pulled it off.  Then home and it's time to start wrapping gifts.  Baked a pie for the neighbor who shoveled us out.  Time to do stockings next.  Hit the grocery big time this afternoon and tomorrow it's baking cookie time again.  And the pasties that I ordered from Copper should arrive tomorrow to be lunch for Sat. noon. 
Fri.  Jared, Kimmy and the boys are arriving in the late afternoon and
Saturday is gift giving day among other things. 
Next Tuesday the Michigan kids disappear again. 

Now I need to get to those stockings, do some sweeping at some point and time for bed.  The next deadline is coming soon.  All is well at the Russell house. 

7 days have flown by.

Christmas Eve.  It will start with a trip to church to fix the altar and place the flowers get the candle baskets out for the first service and just guzzy up the places that are mine to do.  Might do a bit of wrapping today but then maybe not.  I love having Christmas on New Years weekend.  That means that I'm just responsible for me for this part of the month.  I've said on facebook that no presents wrapped, all the cookies eaten and I've ordered the Sat. Dec. 29th  meal from Pasty.com.  The house is pretty well ready unless I get into a sewing frenzy.  And there is no need to do that.  We'll be back at church for the 5 pm service.  Andrew is singing and I'm in the choir loft when that happens so this time we'll get to see him.  7pm service is communion and I need to fix the communion table.  Then it's on to a 9:45 rehearsal for the 10:30 service.  With supper inbetween events!!  Church provides.  And home by 1am.  So...Christmas morning will be slow and easy for us.  Yahoo.  Cookie making might happen, fixing food for the weekend, stuffing the freezer might happen, but then maybe nothing might happen.  Vacation day sounds good. 
Merry Christmas.  Oh, yes...we're to get some snow the day after!!!  LR

Monday.

Woo...emotions are everywhere with all first graders going back to school today.  The trust that children and parents put into their children's teachers is extrordinary and most of the time all is well but not the case last Friday.  That event is something to be remembered that should make changes come about with guns.  Let's hope that will be the case.  And lets not forget the mentally ill.  There is no easy solution.  Today Noah is here.  What a healthy diversion.  We made cookies.  More to bake waiting to cool down in the refrigerator.  Noah is such a wonderful little boy.  What a gift.  So more cookie baking. Found Elmo on TV this morning and it just made me sit and remember so many good times watching this show with Eric and Jared. 

I need to see what needs to happen with Christmas gifts this year.  I have some but don't know exactly what the count is.  That needs checking.  We will be celebrating New Years weekend.  I like that because all the church hubhub is over.  Time to take it easy, easy. 

Noah is here waiting for attention.  He's ringing one of Grandmother Russell's bells.  I hear him!!!!

Long day better than expected

It's Thursday and it's always to busy, to long and a lot of other to somethings.  Soup kitchen was this morning and had sooooo many calls about workers being sick.  So I thought we'd be short of folks but sure enough we had enough with one substitute and all the rest who showed up.  That happening allowed me to leave at 11 and have a wonderful lunch date with 11 of my most favorite friends at Doris Douglas' invitation.  We talked and laughed and then did it all over again leaving around 2:00.  What fun.  Then on to finding a pair of jeans for Andrew.  Seems he can put holes in his knees faster than many kids but not as fast as others.  Found the brand he likes to wear.  That was a plus.  Then home by 4 and it's time to sit for a spell.  Tonight is choir practice and we'll sing some great Christmas stuff.  Tomorrow I have a trip to pick up new poinsettie for church, get juice, etc. for church  and finish up a few things here at home.  Easier day I hope.  Weather is beautiful today with lots of sun and mild temps.  Woo, woo. 

4 days later

Not fair...the older I get the faster the time goes.  As usual the days are full.  Yesterday Noah came to see us while Kat was off doing volunteer work at school.  And...on the menu was decorate the house.  The tree came out and is full of stuff and lights thanks to Kat.  Dining room and kitchen tables are decorated and there is stuff on the railing steps.  Done, done, done.  I'm working on some gifts for the little boys in the sewing room, finished 4 place mats that I started about 2 years ago and made Christmas Tree Napkins for the four mats.  Those napkins are the new thing for this year.  Many folks are making them and they are cute.  I think cook Diane will be getting these.  I also finished two sets of paraments for the Communion Table at church.  White for Christmas and green for the ordinary time.  That's when it's play time in my brain because I just do what is appropriate for a table.  No pattern, no nothing.  Just brain play.  Today I'm off to Kroger to get pastries for tomorrow's B and B.  I'm the third sub and it works for me this week.  Tomorrow, friend Doris is having a bunch of ladies in for lunch.  Should be fun but I will be late. 

It's B and B day and a very disturbing event has happened.  One of our Bread and Bowl guys was killed in a police shooting.  He was found in a basement during a burglary.  Wrong place...wrong time...bad decision.   I never saw this side of him, just always friendly, always helping.  Circumstances can take one to a very dark place. 

Tonight is bell practice.  Time flies!!!!!!!  Talking to Brian today about doing something tomorrow honoring Lenon Henry's life.  It's grace, grace, grace. 

Woo..where did the week go?

Can't believe it's 5 days later.  A couple of things have happened.  Doug's mouth is getting better.  More events with him  this week than I would think possible but that's the truth.  He actually ate a bit of meat tonight that had been in the crock pot all day.  At church we are moving all the altar banners to one closet for safe keeping and that means that the closet needs to be cleaned out ready to install banner hangers etc. So...I've been working in that closet for parts of the last three days.  Lots of work but I'm really discovering what is in that space, throwing out a bit of stuff and moving everything to a not used classroom.  I'm not opening that door for another week to get more done.  The real construction work will start in January.  I'm working on a pickle pillow for a friends great granddaughter's Christmas, and I'm putting together another communion altar table piece that we can use during the green season.  One of these days I'll have everything finished but not yet.  This kind of sewing is like painting with fabric.  It's playground time for the brain.  I need to do a white something even before we use green.  Tomorrow morning at 8 I'll be at the fabric store for a really good fabric sale for a little of this and that.  Pacers are playing, Sitting in a chair feels wonderful if I can stay awake! 

Monday morning

Noah will be here soon with a  fun, fun morning on the way.  Great weekend of taking it easy and doing a bit of this and that.  Sat. I finished up some sewing stuff to send to Ga.  A little more needs to be added to the box today.  We did the Panera run and got pastries for Sunday morning.  Up and on the way to church and did some church stuff in the morning setting up hospitality,  moving food to the freezers, nativity sets from the atic, singing for sec. service, talking with Doris Douglas and greeting my new North neighborhood friends for their 4th time attending church. I look for them each Sunday.   Watched the Colts play and left home before the amazing end to the game. Woo...should have stayed home.  Our annual Advent Festival at church was last night and I usually don't attend but did last night.  Great session with Preacher Darren and then a good pitch in supper and then back home.  Nice weekend. 

Today Doug has a Doctor Day.  Dr. Goens and Dr. Jim for his mouth.The mouth is much better so Doug says.  I might be making more than soup soon.  It's been a crazy two weeks of pain.