IN Carmel

 All the morning to-do things got done with a wordle finished in three tries.  I beat everyone else in the family who does wordle!  A great way to start the day.  My first try gave me 3 letters in the right place.  Woo...lucky me for sure.  That was a first for me!  All the previous cookie baking exhausted the sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, soda, chocolate chips, and eggs.  Woo..the cupboard was bare.  It was an early morning trip to Krogers.  My checkout lady's eyes went big when I mentioned what molasses would bring.  After they were baked I took her a plate which I think made her day.  She is so patient with all of us fixing our machines when they won't check out!  She makes grocery shopping a joy with her helpful attitude.  Love her.   Yes...Gingersnaps.  At least half of them have disappeared.  Doug's story today was that G. Snaps are vegetables and that makes them good to eat whenever the moo...

 Last night was a very short night.  Three hours short.  I don't think I'm stressed but Mr. Sandman certainly must be on a vacation in the Bahamas.  He's not around here for sure.  Maybe tonight will be different.  I'll continue my job of just keeping on keeping on.   I left home at 9 and stopped in at church with pink poinsettias for Mary Sunday.  If they were bigger I would be happier..  A little on the puny side but they are pink!!! There are so many other things to distract from puny pinks in the chancel area.  I'll risk it this year.                            Only the white poinsettias are left on the table.  The message?   After Sunday... .                            Christmas Eve is next on the church calendar year.  It reminds me of what an A...

 Another gray morning but the sun is shining through this morning's memories. .  A great start to the day.   This morning Kat needed to be at work early.  She usually takes the grandsons to school and then goes on to her job at Needlers.  Today she needed to be at work early and I was given the gift of taking the grandsons to school.  What a hoot of a way to start the day.  It was a crazy dress day for Noah.  He did it up right, For Andrew, it was the high school Christmas dinner meaning two dz. cupcakes were in his arms.  They both seemed pretty wide awake starting their last week of school.   It was a rainy drive with Andrew riding shotgun north to Westfield telling me which way to go and how fast to go. That was faster than I thought necessary. I did make an effort to follow his rules. All of this gave me a silent giggle the whole way with Andrew being the serious gunshot director and I being the grandma entertained the enti...

 Today was one of those days that...I'll let you finish the sentence.  It started the same way but then changed to a different route.                 My good old Loon clock that sings a Loon tune on the hour.  It's my U P Michigan token.   The clock was in charge and needed to get me to where I was supposed to be on time all day long.    The first assignment was an 8:50 at I U North for a CT Scan.  Made it and finding the vein for the dye went well.  Done.  The next one came at 10 at I U North and I decided that the trip home wasn't worth it so there were a few minutes to burn and many places to choose from,  I burned those minutes receuving a phone call from my Novi Michigan friend Marcha.  Lots of words flew over the wire...Nope, no wires so I'll leave it to you all to figure that one out.  I heard about her son-in-law Jeff who currently is hospitalized. He's not a happy campe...

 It's a day to stay busy and by lunchtime that was the case.  All the morning stuff was completed although I cheated on wordle. I just didn't want to think so I got some help. This was the morning to make votive candles that light up the church's Advent Candles.  I had seven glass votives to use as molds and I went through the process 4 times so now there are 28 votives to use.  It never hurts to have a whole lot ready to burn.   Another morning to make cookies.  The inventory was absent.  The winner this morning was a cookie I made when I was a teenage baker, Thumbprints.  B. sugar, BUTTER, two egg yokes, and flour.. Simple and so good. So with a mixer in hand that was the next thing on the morning agenda.  Wooo! I've forgotten how good these cookies are.  I asked Doug to make an effort not to make them his lunch today.  A few cookies, OK.  Leave some for the neighbors, please! The butter is the kicker for this cookie. Tw...

 The first day of another week holds a whole lot of expectations.   Off to church early, even though the choir had the Sunday off.  Amy and I met with the family lighting the Advent Candles for the second service.   A great sermon about living.  Pray, Pause, Plan and Praise.  Judy B texted that her minister message was not to pray for patience but to pray for understanding.  All good thoughts in both services.                                     A sweet little nativity set on the windowsill just outside the sanctuary door.  I took a little trip to Aldi's for three things.  Having not written a list I was a bit flustered when I could remember only one of the three items.  But when thinking about what Doug needed and on arriving home what was needed was in the grocery sacks.  Woo...someone was looking over my shoulde...

 Another great morning at church working with friends providing once again lunch for the community folks.  There were a lot of jobs that need to be completed before our friends came at 11 o'clock and we again made the deadline and were ready to welcome those who walked through the door.   A tray full of apple and pumpkin  pie.  The preferred pie is sweet potato pie which almost brings a stampede of folks to the window.  It's a rare offering.  These desserts are donated by Kroger.   Our guests are always grateful for whatever the menu has to offer be it something familiar or unfamiliar. I so enjoy welcoming whoever chooses to visit for the lunch hour.    Today we decorated the Community Room with items donated to the church by Larry Sanner who was a long-time friend willing to give his all to the work of the church.  His lovely contributions remind us of a kind and gentle heart.  I was on my way home again by 12:30....