CHRISTMAS CAFE 2016

It's coming way too fast for me.  I still have so much to do.  I will be more organized next year.  Forget that I've said this for the past five years.  This time I really will.  What do you mean you don't believe me?

I am making up for having no pictures for a few days with picture overload today.  I took so many pictures and videos yesterday.  Unfortunately the message was broken into three parts because my battery kept running out.  I had forgotten to charge either of my two camera batteries and so I would charge one and use the other and then have to switch.  Then that one ran out because it wasn't charged enough and I had to switch again.  Oh my!  But I got most of it.  I'm uploading it to our youtube channel now so that I can publish it.  I'll have to splice it all together.  I'm getting good at that.  Can you tell it's not the first time I've forgotten to charge the battery?

After the service the men got up the tables and the ladies moved the chairs and we set up the sanctuary for the Christmas Cafe.  Everyone helped.

Elder Sean and his wife Sunny came to visit us.  They are from our Sinking Springs, PA church.  Sean filled the pulpit for 8 months this year when we had no pastor.  It was good to see them again.

 Joe wasn't feeling so well so he did not go to church this morning.  That was a shame because our former pastor gave the message and he was very good.  It was great to hear him again.

When I got home I made a couple of sandwiches for Joe but I wasn't hungry.  So I just snacked on some pea crisps.  Then I did what I really did not want to do.  I went to sleep.  NO!!!!  I was going to make a stew for dinner and needed to put it on at 2 p.m. so we could eat at 5 p.m. and get out of here to head back to church by 6 p.m.  I woke up at 5:30 p.m.  So no dinner for us.  We just got ready and Joe and I headed back.

Of course there was lots to eat there.  And I took advantage of that.

I had gotten up at 5 a.m. to make a gluten-free pear cake.  I had also brought some candy.  I made GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts).  Quite a few people who came were gluten-intolerant, so I was glad I had used the rice flour.  It turned out good, too.  You would never know it wasn't wheat flour.  I did add a little extra lactose-free milk in the batter though.  Joe and I are lactose-intolerant so that's the only kind of milk we use, even in baking.

I took a lot of videos which I am going to put together into one coherent film which I will share with you hopefully tomorrow.  In the meantime I will share the photos with you.

 This is a group from our Wallingford, PA church who came to help us out.  They led us in a Christmas carol sing-along.

 Here's Joe looking so much better than he did in the morning.

 On the right is our former pastor, Pastor Wayne.  He started the Christmas Cafe and he stayed for this one.  He was having a wonderful time.

 Joe and Pastor Ralph (our current pastor) serving punch that Pastor Ralph had made.  It was good.  Of course no one spilled theirs on the tablecloth as she went to drink it and had to use everyone's napkins to sop it up.  No, no one would do that.  Especially no one named Kathy.  Never!

 Jim and Walt were having quite a conversation.

 The beautiful centerpieces that Pastor Ralph and Carolyn provided.

 Pastor Ralph sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" in Latin (Adeste Fideles).  He asked anyone who knew it in Latin to sing along.  Carolyn's mom, Joe and I were all singing.

 Carolyn put together a chime choir.  A group of volunteers learned to play the chimes and did several carols for us.  It is played a lot like handbells, but sounds different.  Joe said it sounded like a glockenspiel.

It was a great night and we had so much fun.  When we got home we were hungry so I opened a can of vegetable soup.  It was not the dinner we expected, but I will have the stew for tonight.  It all works out.

Kathy

Sunrise: 7:17 a.m.

Sunset:  4:38 p.m.

9 hours and 21 minutes of daylight 

Partly cloudy

Temperature:  32*/21*