Wed.

Sunday was just fine unless one thinks about a two day recovery.  Woo...it was a busy one.  Then mondays big event was a yearly physical.  And...a sleep study is in the works.  I am NOT  sleeping well at all.  Doc wanted me to do this for years and I finally have given in.  Don't have a date for it yet but it's coming.  Took care of Noah Monday morning.  Tues. worked at the church again with banners.  Coming along and maybe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm hoping that's the case.  I'm also helping Doris D with a banner presentation at her retirement home.  I think I know now what's going on.  Today...wed. I'm at the church again working at the front desk.  Doug is coming very soon to take about 4 more banner pictures that we missed or were not printed.  I also am getting things ready for communion Sunday/new banner/communion table paraments.  Weather has been warm and windy but should take a huge drop tonight back to almost zero.  Grr...Bells tonight Tomorrow is bread and bowl cooking.  And the cook is gone so I'm on duty.  Tomorrow evening is choir.  Sooo it just keeps on going.

Moving right along

More stuff done.  The banner closet continues to fill my days.  Yesterday, I numbered all the banner pole hangers with numbers 1 to 103.  I also put in place the sheet covers that will protect the banners.  Makes me feel like I'm putting them to bed when I pull the sheets over the banners.  And I rehung some other things with skirt hangers that have been donated. 

A few days ago Patty gave me a binder filled with lots of papers of information that Doris wrote from time to time relating to the banners she made. It was a mish mash of stuff that I really didn't look forward to going through and organizing but I started.  And it proved to be a most interesting two hrs of work.  I used clear plastic sleeves and inserted information about a particularly banner and a picture if we had one, into the sleeve.  There are now 36 completed sleeves matching 30 banners.  Those sleeves will be numbered to match the number on the pole of the banner hanging in the closet.  There are any more banners  waiting to be done soon when Rosie and I visit Doris with a laptop to talk about the banner.   And...we have someone who will be typing all the information in some better way of preservation since much of the work I did thus far was hand written by Doris.

Oh, yes...Doug and I were at church together Wed. and we photographed ALL of the banners.  What a job but again so worthwhile to pull stuff out and think about all the memories that came back over the years.  So lots of work continues.  Purchased an air filter for the room but discovered that the electrical plugs had been cut off from the source of electricity.  That will be fixed. 

Yesterday I spent about 2 hours with Doris looking at all the banner pictures and pictures of the room full of hanging banners and just talking.  We go back almost 40 years of friendship doing a lot of crazy and then meaningful things together. 

Now tomorrow, Sunday should prove to be interesting.  Peter Howe and I...mostly Peter are organizing the second annual Art Fair in the Community Rm.  In Nov. there was a photography contest with the goal of folks photographing something that might remind us of LIGHT.  Photographers really dig this kind of thing.  AND...Doug R won first place.  But all the photos submitted will be displayed.  Other folks who work with some aspect of art, being CD recording, painting, fabric art, re purposing something into an example of art will be on display.  The second A Fair is bigger than the first and it might be moved to Fellowhip Hall next year. 

Also tomorrow there is a dinner and birthday party as well.  That place will be hopping.  We thought we chose a Sunday when nothing else was happening.  Bum luck for sure.  Or maybe not.

So that's if for now. 

Celebrating

Well, for the most part, the Visual Arts Closets...yes with an s have been gone through.  Banners are all hanging, silk flowers as well as other visuals are all in their place.  Candle Closet is once again seen some attention and the attic room has been checked again and the old conference room is looking A-ok.  Woo...My mind is completely organized as relating to those places at church.  I know what's there!  That is until someone stuffs something else there.  Now I'm waiting for one more coat rack type thing.  Some items are hanging from pipes in the ceiling in the conference room.  Got to get that fixed.  It's on order...When will it appear?

 Last night I sewed some covers to go over the banners and today or soon I'm shopping for an air filter for the banner room.  It seems that people who know about that sort of thing say we need it.  Gosh...what will I do with my time?  I'll figure out something. 

Kat asked for two Super Man Capes...and the sewing machine had time to do that.  They are here waiting for two surprised boys who I'm sure will have a blast with them.  I used some blue corduroy that I found in our attic.  I think it might have been from Dee's old puppet theater.  There was red velvet as well.  Dee?  Fabric seemed pretty good!  Woo.  Could it be 45 years old or something like that. 

Had a great visit with Doris Douglas yesterday and reported to her that all the banners have found a home together.  What a great banner making lady.  Her body is failing her and it brings so much stress to her alert mind.  It is difficult for her to stand up straight now.  Her spine is deteriorating and she has a lot of pain.  So sad to see.  So I'll try to stop in more to see her.  She said it's very difficult and almost impossible to give life the old college try.  But she wants to. 

Wed. at church

Today I'm working at the front desk at church.  It's pretty quiet for now.  Time to play on the computer.  Woo...yesterday was a day to celebrate.  99% of the Visual Arts Closet is back where it should be...So much work but hate to say, worth it.  I've been feeling like I've been living in the closet for a month.  Most of the banners (over 100) are rehung.  I'm waiting on another rack to finish that job.  All of the silk flower cases have been examined and some thrown away with new containers added.  Shelves have been added and checked and revised. I found things that I thought were gone hiding in cardboard boxes.   What a job and so glad it's pretty well finished not setting on my mind as a to do thing.  I'm hoping to finish it completely next week.  Pressure is OFF.  Working with visual arts items here at church for at least 35 years has taught me a whole lot. 

This afternoon I'm working on the candle closet which really should be finished in about an hr.  Easy, easy.  Noah came to visit Monday.   What a fun kid.  This afternoon I'm meeting Celia to talk about an Umoja project for over 1000 students, their school year ending in Dec.  Tonight is bell practice, tomorrow is soup kitchen, and choir.  That's the same old same old with both groups starting up again after Christmas. 

Woo...the world keeps on turning and it's almost impossible to find where to get off.  I keep looking.  Maybe if I open my eyes it would help. 

Tuesday evening

Woo...the big event this week already.  We are remodeling the liturgical banner closet at church and the dates I was given to do this was the 15th through 17.  Well, a short trip to church Monday turned into a long day at church on Monday when I got the message that remodeling was from the 8th to the 10th.  So...get to work I did.  Thank goodness I started moving things a few weeks ago.  But Monday's work included moving about 50 banners into the sanctuary so banner hangers could be moved.  I'm a little fussy about who does something with the banners and I really wanted to do all the moving myself.  And I did!  Moved a few other things (10 lg. boxes of silk flowers) needed moving so the time at church was from 11 to 4:30...Woo way to much work but felt good knowing that banners were being treated fairly and the space was ready for the remodel today.  Woo...the body was hurting with all the stair travel involved among other things.  Now the sanctuary is littered with banners waiting to be rehung in their new space Friday morning.  This project should have been done years ago.  I guess better late than never.  I counted 74 banner hangers with many of them having more than one banner hanging on them.  So...best guess...over 100 wonderful pieces of work. 

Today Noah came for a visit.  Such a fun time with him.  I finished a liturgical stole for Danyelle D.  that she can wear for Communion Sun.  Lots of fun doing that because I can choose to embellish any way I want to.  This one is a white sheer over gold lame with some pearls stitched at different places.  Danyelle is a newly ordained  pastor and short on stoles. 

Tomorrow it's back to church to put Advent/Christmas away.  I started doing a little of that Monday because things needed to be changed out and I can do a better job of thinking up new stuff to do when I'm by myself.  It brings back memories of how I did things while teaching. 

Sunday service is structured around...Remember your baptism...So...there are some new things that I hope will support the service visually given my thinking time used on Monday.  Met with Pastor Darren and I had a blast thinking the service through visually with him.  He knows what it takes and is structurally sound. 

Thursday is B and B...For a couple of months I will have three student nurses each week from Marion University who will be volunteering during the morning.  Yahoo for us.  I love those nurses.  Gives me a chance to observe and not work so hard.  Delegation!!!!

House is still pretty quiet.  I spent a little time last week sewing a clown costume for Adam and two extra clown vests for Jacob and Eli.  Sent them on their way and Kimmy's blog pictures show complete happiness on Adam's face.  What a gift.  I found a clown wig at Goodwill along with some crazy socks that I thought were going to be mine but Adam thought they should be his.  So...from head to toe...Adam's a clown. 

The best thing

The best thing about getting up and out on the road in the winter when the temp is 5 degrees is a beautiful sun rise that would otherwise be missed.  This mornings was a treat. 

All is quiet

Celebration is over and the Michigan kids are back home again so the house is deadly quiet.  Lots of laughing, talking and just having a ball.  It was like music.  Kat and Eric family spent most of Sat. here.  Back again on Sunday to sled on the hill and then Kat and the kids dropped by Monday.  Cousins had a blast.  Kimmy and I hit Last Chance Goodwill Monday for a 3 hr. shopping spree.  Cooked a lot but always found the dishwasher either stacked full and running or unloaded and dishes put away.  What a good help from the Mi, kids.  Jared and Kimmy cleaned out the attic and now we have a ton of stuff to throw away.  Makes me feel good that the attic is fairly empty.  Never should have stacked stuff there in the first place.  We have major trash this week as well as next for sure.  Jacob spent a lot of time sewing on the sewing machine.  He loves it and did a wonderful job of listening and sewing and made a really well sown pillow with straight as an arrow sown seams.  The sewing room is back with my stuff and busy as well.  I finished another piece for the communion table to use on Sunday.  Tomorrow morning I'm working the desk at church.   Lots of snow, cold, a little ice.  It's winter in Indy.