Sorting, Packing & Moving.... whattta mess!!

This week we are moving all the office items and other major things over to the new temporary church site, getting ready for the major repairs and renovations about to happen next month at the old site. We really have a lot accomplished yesterday and today... the new place looks great! Thanks to Karstetter Construction guys who moved most of the big stuff, as well as some small stuff too!


Here are some photos of our new space, outside & inside, front entry, and back alley entry, and my new shared office. Deb and I are used to having our own offices, so this will be a test to see if we can handle being in such close quarters together..*L*
Now to get the phone lines and internet access to the place!






The kitchen, which will also be the Sunday School room, is still a bit of a mess, but so far, so good!

Now all we have to do is find a place for all the stuff we left behind~!! Ughhh...

Mother's Day, Happy, Happy...tired too!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!

It was a busy one here ... someday, when I'm old, I'll be able to just sit and enjoy the day as the old matriarch of the family..*L* Yeah, riiight!! NOT.



Today was a busy day at Church... up early and off to set up some of the things for the Basket Drawing that goes along with the Champagne Pot-Luck Brunch that the men of the parish host for all the women and everyone. I was glad when my BIL said he would take over the drawing for the baskets, but Kasey and I took in the $1 donations for the coupons for the chance at a basket.
The guys put on a wonderful brunch... waaay tooo much food, but it was good.
This is a photo of some of the guys in the kitchen... my husband, John is in it.. my Dad, and one of my many brother-in-law's, Mark. The rest are friends and church members... and no, don't think you are seeing double, those guys on the right are twins! Almost identical twins too..they fooled me! *L* Good thing that Ron's brother, Don, doesn't visit the church very often or I'd be fooled a lot more!




After Church we had to head right over to Dad and Mom's where we helped plant tons of my mom's planters... ugghhh..whatta job! But they sure look pretty when they're done, but really, she has TOO many! Good thing some of the neices and nephews are growing up and can help now too! I have yet to even weed my garden's from last Fall... and haven't planted a single thing yet...waiting for Memorial Day weekend to do some of that, maybe.


This is my Mom.. Kasey wanted to take a photo of her, but she didn't want to after being outside and supervising the planting all afternoon..*L* So Kasey had her hold an older photo of herself when she was younger and she took the pic. I like it! Kasey (Kasey K Photo) took some other photos too of the day, here are some of them.






It was nice having Kaine home for the weekend too... he always like to play with the kids..*L* ..and tease them, but they love it too! Kaine seems to be getting taller and taller each time I see him..*L*

Building on a good foundation...

In our move from the Church building we are making, we are documenting many parts of it that will be renewed, renovated, restored, and improved. Kasey K Photo took many hundreds of photos that we will save for future generations to access on a photo CD.

One of the places she ventured into was the undercroft, which has a dirt floor, stone walls and just crawl spaces in some parts. It has big old wooden beams that support the whole structure, some of which will need to be reinforced. Some parts of the foundation walls have to be restored and repaired as well.





I couldn't help but think of the references in scripture to building on a sure and strong foundation. Lately I have realized that not all parts of my life were being built on that foundation, and I have been trying to rebuild again on the Rock of my salvation.

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49)

Anyway.... this moving and packing of 160+ years of stuff has been a lot of work, but, it's also showing many more rewards in ways I hadn't anticipated... a closer walk with Christ, and a renewing of my soul...thank you Lord!!

Happy May Day!

The May Day Basket tradition continues....

When we were kids, it was a grand day! My mom made a lot of May Baskets for us to deliver to neighbors, friends and family. THey were made from old wallpaper sample books, she'd roll the paper into a cone shape, fashion a handle and add popcorn and candies along with a few flowers too. (The picture shown here is NOT of my baskets, but it is similar to ones we used to make.) I bet she made at least 50 of them each year! We would put them on the door handles of homes, or on their doorstep, ring the doorbell, or knock, and then run like crazy before they came to the door.... the reason we ran was because the tradition said that the receiver would try to catch the person giving them the May Basket and then they'd get to kiss them. Of course for some of the cute boys in the neighborhood we'd run a bit slower so we could get caught! *L*

And the neighborhood kids all waited in anticipation, knowing that May Baskets were going to be delivered sometime that day, so to find a way to creatively hang the Baskets so they wouldn't see us coming was a lot of fun too!

I continued the tradition, on a smaller scale, with my own kids when they were little... we'd make about 25 May Baskets and deliver them... many people didn't know of the May Basket tradition, so they were surprised the first time they received one, but they looked forward to it in the years after their first May Basket.

This year, since my kids are grown, I just made and gave 5 May Baskets only... two of potted plants for their gardens to my Mom and Aunt Shirley, and some with candy and goodies to the grandsons (Jake, Josh and Jeff) who live close by... if granddaughter Jorden had lived closer I would have loved to give her one too, but she has a couple here waiting for her when she comes again for a visit sometime.

It was fun to leave a gift and run off, knowing they'd be wondering who left it for them... but they guessed..*L*

Anyway... I love old traditions like that, they bring a bit of happiness and joy, as we celebrate the beginning of Spring and the beauty of it all.

Happy May Day everyone!

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SO, now that May Baskets are delivered, I'm getting ready for a Kentucky Derby Party we are attending this afternoon... hats for women are required, gloves are optional. It's always fun to dress up and see all the cool hats and outfits others ar wearing... and the Derby party is always lots of fun, good food, and good times too!

Hmmm, now what horse should I bet on?? *S*

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!