Church Fundraising

This little beauty goes on the auction block on Sunday. I wish
I could keep it, but it's for a good cause. (And I COULD make
myself one.)

I'm on the fundraising committee at church and it is surprisingly fun! We get together and plan wonderful events that will 1. raise money, 2. attract new members, and 3. increase community within the church. I love being so involved and brainstorming with the three other folks on the committee. This Sunday we're having a silent auction and I am coordinating it - a first for me! It's fun collecting things from the congregation to auction off. I planned to contribute two items myself: a mini quilt and a prayer journal. I've been so busy with everything that I just started making them yesterday, though! I got the quilt done, but have yet to start on the journal. Hopefully I can get that done tonight (because tomorrow I need to get all the auction sheets done and Saturday I plan to make more pickles (yes, more pickles) and can some peaches (yum!)) I actually had so much fun designing and making the quilt that I am really tempted to make another one instead of the journal. Hmmm. We'll see. So, what do you think? Will it do well at auction?

Sunday-After-Church Ritual

I actually did enjoy the retreat and planning day yesterday, just as I enjoyed church this morning. Regardless of how much I enjoy church, by Sunday afternoon, after having spent all week and most of the weekend around people, I am really ready for some alone time. To that end, I developed a new Sunday-After-Church ritual for myself and really look forward to it. As soon as I get home, I change into one of my sweat suits (I have about 9 of the same style in different colors), make some lunch, brew myself a pot of tea - oh so lovely!, and take a good book into the parlor or onto the sun porch if it's sunny.

Depending on how much relaxing I need to do, I will use either my fat yellow twelve-cup pot or my tall, thin blue six-cup pot (which matches the set of "for good" dishes that my parents received as a wedding gift and my mother passed on to me.) The minute I take my first sip of my favorite African Red tea, all my stress melts away. I hope you have a relaxation ritual, too. If we all did, the world would be a much calmer place, don't you think?

[By the way, today was only a six-cup kinda day!]

Being a Good Church Member (Very Nearly Without Complaint)

We have a church retreat and planning event all day today. I know it's important, but it's supposed to be really nice today, so I would rather be playing outside. OK, let me get honest: I would rather be playing in my craftroom with an occassional sojourn onto the sun porch for a cup of tea, a snack, and a good book. But, with Michele on the road, I will be the only representative of the Wescott clan that can attend and attend I will. I'm sure it will be fun and it's such an important activity, so I will enjoy myself. It's over at 3 and I have promised myself an uninterrupted evening of crafting, chocolate, audio books, and soda (with maybe some dinner thrown in there for good measure!)

This is where I'd rather be, but what's new? If I had my way, I'd be in here 24/7 365!

Pastoral Sabbatical

Our beloved pastor left today for a eight week sabbatical. He left his bucolic surroundings somewhere in the countryside of Western New York (that likely lacked sufficient street lights for me) and his suburban church to travel to six countries in Eastern Europe (Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Malta) to be a resource to a fellow pastor in Romania and provide support to other ministries. We are certainly going to miss him over the next two months, but I think that it is incredibly cool that he is making this sojourn. Today, as always, I am very proud of our pastor.

On an unrelated note, Michele believes she will be home tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning!! It's too bad that she couldn't have gotten here today to see Rev. Jim off, but I am so happy she'll be home! I think she goes for orientation with her new company a week from tomorrow, so she'll just be home for a few days (one of which will be trash day - yippee!!).