Waaaaaay to busy ....

We are moving... my Church family that is. The Church is going to be doing some MAJOR renovations and remodeling, a new driveway, parking lot and entrance too, as well as handicap assessable things throughout the building (elevator, removing steps in the church, bathrooms, etc.) SO, it's been a hectic few months here and will be for the next month or two as well. We are going into a downtown store front location, MUCH smaller, for about 8 months.

I've been making some announcements and making clip art for it as well as editing thousands of photos for a video for the upcoming fund raiser kickoff too. That, and packing up 160+ years of "stuff"... it's NOT exactly fun, fun, fun.

I already showed this one earlier, but the other one is our new temporary site (I made it for some stationary that Fr. Bill wanted for the new location) -







I'm thankful for photoshop elements!


And this is part of the mess of things that has kept me busy too. Some of the men from the Shelter helped carry up 25 years worth of financial records from the undercroft where I stored them. I went thru them, with the help of a friend from Church, Linda, who helped too (thanks so much Linda!!). Some boxes had to be kept fully for 7 years, so we still have quite a few boxes to re-store, but a lot more could be tossed and a few things from each year saved permanently.





So, when the shredder machine comes to a local bank in another month, we'll have a van load of old records to be put thru it. These photos are in black and white because I used them for the Church newsletter too, and I'm too lazy to get the colored copies off my work computer..*L*

Sooo, that's what's been keeping me away from art and too busy to hardly blog even...

This weekend I am looking forward to a break... Kentucky Derby Party on Saturday.. ohhh yeahhh!! *S*

Kaine & Jorden Visited This Weekend!

It was a fun weekend, with Kaine and Jorden down for a couple of days, and Kaine's girlfriend, Lauren coming over too. Airplane rides and wagon rides were a big hit with Jorden!








Jorden had a bit of a cold, so she and Kaine stayed home while John, Kasey, Lauren and I also went to the Thai One On dinner and slideshow at Church on Saturday night. The Nelson's had a great presentation on their 8 week trip in Thailand last year. We had some Thai dishes as well.. it was a pot-luck dinner so I brought some fruit ka-bobs. I guess you could call them a fruit assemblage..*L*




This and graphic kind of art stuff for work is as close as I am coming to be able to do anything artistic lately..sure miss it!

Thank you to Lauren too for helping with the craft table at the presentation... sorry there weren't more kids for you to have there, but I appreciate you doing it!

Something a Church Administrator/Treasurer Could Appreciate...

I was going through some old photos here and found this one I had snapped at the small church upnorth where our friend, Gene's burial was held. This small, friendly congregation hosted a nice reception following the burial. The church and the congregation are very small, it is a very small town as well. As one who deals with the statistics listed in this photo, I couldn't resist snapping the picture of it.
And the next time I may feel the need to mutter to myself about low numbers and offerings in our own services, I'll be reminded not to.

Sooo, since it's tax day, I suppose I better go make sure my bookwork is in order ... Lord, help me to be thankful for even the small things in life.

An (Almost) ALL ART SATURDAY! Hurrah!

It has been months since I've been able to take time to make art things..besides things for work, that is. Today I had the chance and I grabbed it!

My sister had given me a stainglass (kind of a tiffany style) lampshade that had been broken and she was going to toss it, I took it apart and decided to use the broken and unbroken pieces in some kind of assemblage art.



I had found at Good Will, a LOOONG time ago, this primitive head, made from some kind of wood, painted black.

For awhile now, these items have had me dreaming at night, of ideas to make with them.


So, today I decided to use the stainglass pieces and add them to that wooden head thing.



Here are some photos of the work in progress, and the head (finished for the time being)... I have a feeling God wants me to use this for some other purpose?? I have an large old light bulb I was thinking of using with this piece... still working that out in my head and heart, and needing to find out how to open that lightvbulb without breaking it to add some stuff inside it.




I always wonder that God is saying to me in and thru my assemblages... this one has me wondering still what the message may be.

Tuesday - Support Group - YAY!

Tuesday night is Support Group! ... and the steak & lobster special at Tubby's! YUM!! It was packed at Tubby's...guess the "secret" of the great specials is getting around!
Good friends, good meal, good time!

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And what was better yet, when we got home, we were glad to see the election results for our city!! Mayor Mel (my BIL), was re-elected again! Way to go Mel!!
And our friend, Gary won the seat as alderman!! (I couldn't vote for Gary, he was running in a different district than we live in, but I would have had I been in that district!) Congrats to both! Now on to continued, and even better city government again! *S*

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter Everyone!! Time to celebrate the Great 50 Days now!
The weeks following the celebration of Jesus' resurrection are called the Easter season, & also The Great 50 Days. Easter isn’t just one day but a season of fifty days leading up to Pentecost, which this year is on May 23rd.


Just as the calendar year is divided into the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall, so does the Church divide its calendar into seasons like Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc. The weeks following the celebration of Jesus' resurrection are often called the Easter season. There is, however, another phrase that was historically used to designate these days: The Great Fifty days.

The Great Fifty Days begins with Easter Sunday and concludes on the Day of Pentecost. (The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word for fifty.) The seven weeks that span the time between Jesus' resurrection and the sending of the Spirit are sometimes even called a "week of weeks."

During these fifty days several customs are observed in Church that assist in highlighting the festivity of the season.

* The paschal candle is moved from its normal place near the baptismal font to a prominent place near the altar.

* The liturgical color of white is used during the entire fifty days-longer than at any other time of the church year.

* The "Alleluia," which is omitted during the penitential season of Lent, is restored to the liturgy as the premier expression of joy celebrating Jesus' resurrection.

While such customs may or may not be celebrated in every Church, they point to the fact that the fifty days following Easter are a time of profound joy for the people of God.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

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UPDATED 11:38 a.m. after the Easter Sunday Celebration..
A photo by our daughter, Kasey K Photo
of the Church altar on Easter morning... beaaauuutiful!!

"This is the night..."

Holy Saturday, The Great Vigil of Easter ... "This is the night..", words from the Exsultet, that is sung at the beginning of the Vigil (after the lighting of the "new fire").

This is the night, when you brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, and led them through the Red Sea on dry land.

This is the night, when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life.

This is the night, when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, and rose victorious from the grave.

How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and loving-kindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son.

How holy is this night, when wickedness is put to flight, and sin is washed away. It restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to those who mourn. It casts out pride and hatred, and brings peace and concord.

How blessed is this night, when earth and heaven are joined and man is reconciled to God.

Consider joining your fellow Christians in the Tomb on Saturday night, where you can experience the Resurrection firsthand.
Color ... sound ... light ... water ... oil ... bread ... wine ... Jesus...

The Easter Vigil Service at Christ Episcopal, Delavan starts at 7 p.m. and will include:
FIRE: We light the new Paschal flame.
STORY: By candlelight, we hear the ancient tales of God’s works of salvation.
REFRESHMENT: We come to the water ourselves to reaffirm our own baptismal vows.
FEAST: We proclaim Easter! And then we are all invited to the table, old and young, dead and living, to share in the eternal meal of the Risen Christ.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

Maundy Thursday - Prayer Vigil of Visual Art & Prayer at the Altar of Repose

Our Maundy Thursday consists of a community service with footwashing (this year at Luther Memorial), then an all night prayer vigil at the Altar of Repose at Christ Episcopal Church. (People come in for an hour of prayer, all thru the night) Also an interactive Prayer Vigil of Visual Art, which features some assemblages and meditations on them, that I made. If you are in the area tonite after 8:30, until Friday night, come and see!

Here are some of the pre-prayer vigil photos I took after it was all set up.















And isn't the Altar of Repose BEEEAAAUUTIFUL with all the Easter Flowers set up in it! It smells really good too! Come and be a part of the Vigil here! ALL ARE WELCOME!

Palm Sunday, Sunday School and more...

I have not had time to even think about making art assemblages lately ... I think this is the longest time period in a LONG time that I have NOT done an assemblage with found objects. My "assemblages" lately have been assembling paper work, bookkeeping, taxes, and other things associated with my paying jobs.

And, it's been really hectic here... with Holy Week upon us now, and our Church (where I work) doing some MAJOR renovations and remodeling, which is moving us out of the building for about 7 months! So we have been packing up, tossing junk, and getting ready for things to come. I need to have my office stuff ready to transfer to the new, temporary location in about a month...EEEK!!

My latest "art" has involved making posters, inserts, announcements for that move...
"WE'RE ON THE MOVE!!" to a downtown location a few blocks away while all the renovations happen.


BUT, my "assemblages have also included assembling things for Sunday School, and teachings on Easter and Holy Week, leading up to Easter.



Our Sunday School class is a blessing to me .. helping me to remember to focus on things I should. Here're "my kids" as we sang the song, "Sanna Sa-na-ni-na, san-na, san-na, san-na", as the congregation processed into the Church with their palms from downstairs. (they're such POSERS, gotta love them!)



Here is something we did for class today ... an EASTER BASKET OF MEANING .. sharing it here incase someone may want to make the Easter celebration more meaningful for their kids too!

EASTER BASKET OF MEANING

EASTER BASKET OF MEANING

In this Easter Basket are objects that represent more than you may realize...

The bed of Easter grass represents the hay in the manger where baby Jesus was laid. (Luke 2:11-12)

The goldfish crackers remind us that Jesus tells us "Come follow me & I will make you fishers of men & women." (Mark 1:17)

The bandaid is symbolic of Jesus the Ultimate Healer. (Matthew 4:23)

The stones remind us what Jesus said to the Pharisees on His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, "...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:39-40)

And they remind us that we give honor & praise to Jesus, the Rock of our salvation. (Psalm 95:1-2) The chocolate coins represent the 30 silver coins that Judas was paid to betray Jesus. (Matthew 27:3)

The candy rope is symbolic of the whip that was used to flog Jesus & the horrible ways He was mocked and reviled. (Mark 15:15-20)

The chocolate cross is a symbol of our redemption, Jesus Our Redeemer, who gave His life, so we could have eternal life with Him in heaven. (John 11:25-26)

The hollow, empty, plastic egg reminds us of the empty tomb. (John 20:1-8)

The marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunny represent new life and new birth, the kind that Jesus gives. (Romans 6:3-5)

The chocolate, gold foiled Easter eggs are symbolic of heaven, described as a city of pure gold, a place prepared for all who believe. (Revelation 21:1-27)

May your Easter be more than just a search for colored eggs.
May you search for and find Jesus!
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Here is a label in jpg format you can copy too...  (click on photo for larger version).

John gets artistic with a dinner "assemblage"

My husband made dinner tonite for us ...(ring bologna, asparagus, sauerkraut, sliced cherry tomatoes, and yellow peppers)... and then he gets artistic when he puts it on his plate.

John told me, "You're not the ONLY one who can make assemblages!" *LoL*

It WAS a good dinner, especially because I didn't have to fix it!

Farewell Tribute to Gene ... Rest in Peace dear friend.

Yesterday and today we attended our friend, Gene's, visitation and funeral. It was good to be able to cry, and laugh, and cry some more with those who knew him and loved him. It was wonderful to hear the stories and jokes and good times that many people had shared with Gene over the years. He was certainly well loved and respected by many, and rightly so!

So many things we didn't really know about Gene, but so many things we DID know and did share with him too. We are blessed to have had a friend in Gene, and we miss him already. The photo's here are of the military salute to Gene at the cemetery ceremony upnorth where he was buried. (The visitation and funeral were held in Delavan).



After his burial, we took a short drive to the old family farm to have a look around, share some memories, and give our fond farewell to Gene. A friend, Colleen, also played "TAPS" (see the video)as a farewell to our friend.

But we know, that those who love the Lord, never say good bye forever... we'll miss our dear "support group" friend a LOT (and John and the other guys will surely miss their hunting buddy and friend too!), but we know we shall meet again someday, until then, we'll treasure and hold close our memories of Gene, and continue to hold his family in our prayers as well. Rest in Peace Gene, you ARE loved!

Featured at Episcopal Cafe's Art Blog

The Art Blog at the Episcopal Cafe has featured my assemblage "Even the Stones Will Cry Out" for one of the Lenten Devotionals for today, March 22nd.

Thank you to C. Robin Janning for using my assemblage! Be sure to check out all the wonderful art from many others there, and the meditations that go along with them too!

Nice Sunny Sunday for a Drive...

After Church today, since it was such a nice day, John and I headed upnorth to see Aunt Evelyn in the nursing home where she is recovering from back surgery. I also made her a booklet of the photos I had taken a month ago from her 90th Birthday Celebration, which she really liked.

Aunt Evelyn is looking GREAT!! And good news, she gets to go home on Friday! I'm sure it will be a really great homecoming for her after the last, almost 3, months away.

She is an amazing aunt, and still so very active, we're thankful for her continued healing and for having Aunt Evelyn in our lives!




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When we got home, the Wii Bowling Rematch resumed! But this time just John and I played... just one game...but guess who won?! MEEEEEEE!! heh heh! (189 to 163)
John said he is going to be out for blood the next time!! eek! *G*

Maybe next time, Kasey and I can convince John to try the Just Dance program and see how he does compared to us...*L*!! I'm not good at all, but it's fun (and great exercise!).

Friendly (or not so friendly) Family Bowling Competition.... Wiiiiiiiii

This afternoon and tonight, Kasey, John and I took some time off to relax, watch some TV, fix a delicious dinner together, and we got into a few games (5 hours worth!) of Wii bowling. IT WAS A BLAST!! Soooo fun!!

Even though Kasey and John beat me horribly in our matches, we had a lot of laughs, inbetween running back and forth to the kitchen and the grill making steaks, steamed veggies, and fried onions with mushrooms. Thanks to John & Janel and grandsons too for the Sorg gift certificate we finally used from Christmas for those steaks...yummmm!!

But, after John and Kasey had enough of our 5 hour marathon, I decided to try it by myself to see why I couldn't play better. After just a few games alone, I found how to keep my arm straighter and throw the ball with that Wii controller - bwhahaha.. just wait till our next "friendly" competition, I'll get them then!! *S*

Rest in Peace Gene...

We found out tonite that a dear freind of ours passed away. He will be missed by many friends, and of course his family too.

Gene was part of our "support group" friends who gather on most Tuesday nights for some sharing, libations, and the lobster and steak specials at Tubby's.

Gene is my parents age, and used to be the vice principal at the junior high school I attended waaaay back when. It took me awhile before I stopped calling him "Mr. Schmig" instead of Gene.. *L* John and Gene hunted together often... they had just planned another moose hunt for this Fall just days before Gene was found dead at his home. Gene was a dear, kind, generous friend and we miss him already.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Gene. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Some Irish Blarney & Bagpiping too!

Our Wednesday night Lenten Series tonite featured an Irish dinner, complete with a bagpiper, blarney, kissing of the blarney stone and more!



Definition of "blarney": blar·ney   /ˈblɑrni/ Show Spelled [blahr-nee] Show IPA noun, verb,-neyed, -ney·ing.
–noun
1.flattering or wheedling talk; cajolery.
2.deceptive or misleading talk; nonsense; hooey: a lot of blarney about why he was broke.
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
3.to flatter or wheedle; use blarney: He blarneys his boss with the most shameless compliments.

The blarney was certainly flying tonite! *L* Of course after all the blarney, we had a teaching on the sacrament of reconciliation, which some of us needed a LOT! *L*

Celebrating Jorden's 2nd Birthday early...

We were blessed to have granddaughter, Jorden, for the weekend, and our son (Kaine), Daddy to Jorden, came home after work on Saturday too. We had an all day birthday celebration for Jorden, whose real birthday is in a couple of weeks, but since we may not see her then, we decided to celebrate NOW!






Son and daughter in law, John and Janel, along with grandsons Jake, Josh and Jeff came over Sat. afternoon (Jake had a hockey party later that day they were going to). A birthday balloon fight was enjoyed by the grandkids. Then Lauren, Great grandma and grandpa (Nana and Papa) came over and joined John, me and Kasey, Kaine & Jorden for a pizza birthday party too!




Don't you LOVE Jake's freckles? And Josh and Jeff's smiles? Such handsome grandsons we have!! And a cute granddaughter too!! *S*


Jorden in one of her pretty birthday dresses she got that day..couldn't wait to try them on her! *S*






Jorden had fun with the Sunday School class on Sunday as well as reading with Lauren and playing in a nest of blankets too.