I'm so glad our trees do not look like this, although it is very, VERY cold. I guess I enjoyed our 70* weather for too long. I am not ready for 23* as it was when I was driving home from church yesterday.
I woke up yesterday feeling wonderful and full of energy. I still didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but at least it was better. I actually got a load of dishes AND a load of wash done. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I haven't had the energy to do that in a long time.
In the afternoon I met Joe A and Genny at church and we undecorated everything. I think that may be a bigger job than decorating. It was a puzzle to figure out what boxes each item went into. And a jigsaw puzzle to fit the nativity pieces into the right spaces in the boxes. But it is all put away now. I got white tableclothes and blue centerpieces for the tables for Fellowship Time.
I also put candles in the windows. It looks very colonial to me. The Bible Fellowship churches, coming from the Mennonites, are very plain. There are no stained glass windows or ornamentation. So all of our decorations are very plain also. I like that.
Although I didn't get a 4 p.m. photo, I did get a 5 p.m. one. The sky was still beautiful.
A month ago it was pitch black at 5 p.m. so this is very encouraging that Spring is on its way.
I am hoping to be home most of today and get to work on the house. It is so messed up and still has Christmas stuff around. I really want to get things under control. I'm alone most of the time since Joe sleeps so much, so that gives me plenty of time to get things done. I'm figuring this will be the hardest month because I need to get myself into a routine. It hasn't happened yet.
I started on the coloring books that Joe gave me for my birthday. More came in the mail so now I have four to do. Wonderful! Here is the first picture I finished. I hope to show you more in the future.
So now I need to start my day. A shower awaits and then there are cats to feed, floors to mop, wash to do and dishes to wash. I'm busier than when I went to work at the library! See you later.
Kathy
Do you ever have trouble memorizing something? Here's how my friend Marianne did it.
April 20
In 5th grade I had to recite a long
poem from our poetry book in front of the class. I knew the poem and
loved it, but I just couldn't recite it. I was a musician, though, and I
set the words to music, to a popular tune, and memorized it that way,
as a song.
When Sister Clement called me up to the front of the class, I
went up proudly, ready to go. Unfortunately, I kept hearing the tune
and tapping my foot, Sister looked at me strangely, and asked,
"Marianne, what is the matter?"
"Nothing, Sister."
"Do you know your
poem?"
"Yes, Sister, I do."
"Well, why aren't you reciting it?"
"Well,
Sister, it is a long poem, and I had trouble with it, so I made a song
out of it and now I can't say it, only sing it."
The boys started
making faces and jokes. Because I had no self-control in that area I
started laughing at their faces. Sister Clement got out her clicker and
had the class in order quickly.
"Marianne, you may begin singing when you
have their attention."
This time, the boys looked horrified, and
everyone just stared, hoping they wouldn't be called next. I remembered
my jaunty tune, started clapping my hands and tapping my foot to the
beat. I sang my poem. Sister looked at me in amazement.
"Marianne, that was
a lot of work. Can you do that again?"
"Yes, I can!"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes,
Sister, I can!"
The boys wanted me to sing it again. I sang, and the
boys clapped to the beat. I still remember the first 8 lines of that
poem and the tune. I can sing it any time!
I have decided what my new life will consist of -- running around. Here. There. Everywhere. There hasn't been one day since I've retired that I was able to just stay home and do what I wanted to do. Or have a chance to nap. I think my life now consists of how much can I cram into one day.
So today began with church, of course. We have a guest pastor for the month of January. His name is Sean and he is so nice, so pleasant, and everyone seems to like him. The director of the denomination and his wife were visiting also. His wife, Donna, and I have become such good friends and it was great to see her again. She loaned me a book to read that she really enjoyed. They will be back the end of the month so I hope to have it done by then to return to her.
We had communion today so I put that all together. My sister used to be a deaconess at her church and I helped her a couple of times to put the communion together. That experience has helped me tremendously.
I was just thinking today of how bad it used to be to go to church and how people were so unhappy and leaving the place. Now it's a wonderful place with great leadership and we have new people coming in each week. God can transform anything and anyone.
We no sooner got home from church than we had to leave to go meet my mother-in-law and her new boyfriend and exchange Christmas gifts. We met at McDonald's and spent about an hour eating and talking. She always gives us amazing gifts. Joe got an entire outfit -- sweater, jeans, shoes and some sugar-free candy. I got an new Debbie Macomber book, a cute snowman vest, a snowman mug with hot chocolate mix and some cheese, sausage and crackers. They also were getting rid of some photo equipment and gave me a Toshiba video camera that I can use for recording the messages at church and a photo printer. I am thrilled.
We got home just in time for me to get my 4:00 p.m. sky photo.
It's been a lovely day. What about tomorrow? I have something to do tomorrow also. I am meeting the Alston family at church tomorrow at 3:30 to undecorate the church from Christmas and put up winter decorations for January. So I don't think I'll have a 4 p.m. photo tomorrow. Unless I run outside to the parking lot.
I am one busy lady. I'm hoping sometime this week I will actually get to start cleaning the house! It needs it so badly.
Kathy
