Archive | July, 2010

cookies again.

29 Jul
Here I am, talking about my message cookie cutters again. (Are you rolling your eyes? Hey now.) I’m still not bored with them and I’m hoping you’re not either. Remember – the possibilities are endless!
I sent some cookies off to the Reilly’s in Edgerton at the beginning of the week. I had told Aunt Kari that I owed them treats months ago and these seemed perfect. They arrived to the Reilly household and then they shared some of their cookie joy with me —

Aunt Kari and Molly. For cute. I’m excited to have a Hairspray sleepover with these ladies again soon, not to mention Hairspray dinner theater when I’m home in September!

Sam and Molly say, “Hi Mike.”

Sam follows directions.

In other news –

28 Jul
… big projects on the horizon at church. A day camp? Yes, please! Confirmation retreat? Great! Completely owning Sunday worship for the month of August? Bring it! A city-wide scavenger hunt to create? Sweet! Twenty page approval essay for the candidacy process due to the seminary by Sept. 1? Ugh.
… I will have visitors in the form of grandparents and aunts for the next TWO weekends! I’m looking forward to family.
… new sewing projects. Always good.
… a care center conversation :
Me: Would you like a ride to lunch, M.?
M: That would be lovely. (looks at me more closely) That’s an interesting sweater you have on.
Me: It’s kinda a summer sweater. (it’s cropped with short sleeves. a cardigan, of course.) There’s not much to it.
M: (almost disapprovingly) I noticed.
… I’m training for a 10k run. Hilarious, right? Well, a schedule is what I need to stay on track with getting to the gym and this is helping! The 10k is actually imaginary; people ask me when it is and I say it isn’t. I’m not signed up for one but it’s still good motivation. I’m two weeks in and still on schedule. We’ll see how the 3.5 mile run this weekend treats me with calves that hate me right now.
… I’m excited to be blogging from a new location next week. Stay tuned for my change of venue and I’ll introduce you to my roommate-for-the-week!

cookie success.

28 Jul

Remember how I shared a link to these? They arrived in the mail last Thursday and were a part of my past wkend haiku goal. Success. (I would like to note that the entire haiku was a success. Haiku accomplished … though I think it was only one pot of coffee, not multiple as the plural ‘pots’ suggests. Oh well. Something to work on next weekend.)
To every single person with whom I talk about these cookie cutters, I say this line in awe commingled with indescribable joy : The possibilities are endless!
Seriously. Think of all of the phrases with which to stamp different colored cookies!
I’ll admit, they’re a fair bit of work. They came with a very specific recipe to use and it takes quite the effort to roll it out with the right consistency. But I will also admit the work is worth it. I mailed off a few boxes of the cookies (stamped with names and inside jokes alike), delivered a pair of “Happy Monday” cookies to each of my coworkers, and hope to have more cookie surprises for others soon.
All in all, a delicious buy. More fun is yet to be had.

wkend haiku.

23 Jul
drink pots of coffee.
sermon, sewing, laundry, run.
bake message cookies.

I went to camp.

21 Jul
I never went to camp as a child. I remember bringing the form home every spring from church, stoked about the possibility of going during the summer but camp as a reality for me never came to fruition. (*nudge, nudge* Karen G. *nudge* Fruition!) My first trip to camp was as a counselor while I worked in Stillwater at Trinity. We took 3-6th graders to Bay Lake – a camp on AN ISLAND. We went to camp on an island. It was awesome.
So when Kendall was taking a group of boys to the Boundary Waters for camp and no ladies wanted to attend, I was jealous but was offered a few nights at camp as severance. I accepted. I went to Shores of St.Andrew Bible camp on Monday afternoon for the night. We had eight campers or so attending from Grace this particular week so I would check in on them, say hello, and enjoy the general splendor of a lake. (A foreign idea in and around Dawson.) There were camp songs, mosquitos and pirates stealing tire inner tubes – no element of camp was left untouched. Love it and can’t wait to create it for day camp at Grace in August!

I love fonts.

20 Jul
I love fonts. (More than I love lamp.) The BBC has an article regarding the particular importance of choosing fonts. Amen. My favorite place to download new fonts? The font squirrel. (Because who doesn’t associate the bushy-tailed creatures with typography?) To quote the BBC article —
“Selecting a font is like getting dressed, Ms Strawson says. Just as one chooses an outfit according to the occasion, one decides on a font according to the kind of message you are seeking to convey.”

Four out of five gnomes recommend –

20 Jul
A few commercial products the gnomes and I are enjoying of late. Here are my current endorsements –
POPchips. Not sold yet in smaller towns (er, Dawson?), I stock up on a few bags of these when I’m at a Target. LOVE these and think they’re probably better than popcorn during a movie.
Starbucks has a special summer blend of coffee beans which make PERFECT iced coffees. I typically don’t buy into such ploys about the different types of beans/roasting/etc. that make this one better than the other for this reason or the next but I believe in this coffee. Seriously. Brew it strong. Ice it down. Add a little chocolate almond milk. A little sugar-free flavoring syrup (currently hazelnut). Perfection.
I credit cranberry apple Crystal Light as the drink that has helped me move past my daily Diet Coke addiction. I drink about a pitcher of this a day. Nummy.
Sara got me hooked on The Big Bang Theory. Season two was ordered used on Amazon and is shipping to me as I write. I wait patiently for more Sheldon.
18 Jul

Oh my goodness. Lindsay is going to have so much fun with these.

here we go.

14 Jul
Tonight, following our short and tidy Wednesday evening worship service, I scored a hug and an ‘I love you’ from two different church ladies.
Then I melted into the floor.
More and more lasts are scheduled in my planner.
Last meetings.
Last quilting morning.
Last women’s circle studies.
And people are on top of things.
‘Where do you go next?’
‘When is your last day?’
‘We will miss you.’
Part of me likes to hear that they are interested in what is happening but part of me wishes they would quit bringing it up. I know I’m leaving soon. I know these next six weeks will fly. I know I’m going to start the uncontrollable waterworks at some point in the near future. I know these next weeks will be wonderful and painful at the same time. There’s no stopping the end from arriving, no stopping the lasts from happening … so here we go.

back to work.

14 Jul
Often time, returning to work after a vacation is a tough deal. You feel like you need a vacation that follows your initial vacation to recover first. You hate the thought of going back to the mundane, punching the clock, returning to the cubicle, blah, etc. As I said previously, I was ready to go back. Sure, I could have used a few extra hours of sleep, a chance to do laundry, but all in all, Monday morning was okay by me.
We had a staff planning meeting on Monday. Mapping out the next year’s big events, putting dates on the calendar. Eating coffee cake brought by Tammy. Drinking coffee out of a cute carafe. Laughter. Evaluating and creating programming. Subway for lunch. (Dawson has a Subway now! It’s a popular place.) It was a beautiful day so Kendall declared we would ride bikes there instead of drive. (He doesn’t even give me a chance to respond as he announces, “Lindsay and I are biking there.” We are? *shrug* Okay.) Nothing like the two pastors of Grace Lutheran Church cruising down Hwy. 212 on bikes. I won’t be here next year when these events that they are planning happen so that was a little strange. I listened, input dates onto the google calendar, and was content to watch the process unfold with an occasional comment.
Then yesterday was the organist’s birthday, an event that couldn’t be passed by without cake, a late night of fellowship and a hymn sing. An organist near a piano with fellow church dwellers begged for nothing different. Tales about a Kirby vacuum and a few “for hopeless” moments were bonuses. Lemons too.
Now, in writing the previous two paragraphs, I realize it has little to do with the work that I do but the people with whom I work. Maybe that’s what made me okay with coming back. Work hasn’t been disappointing either – productive days of camp planning, stewardship survey compiling, beginning those little paper and project hoops required by seminary to complete internship. Here’s to more work tomorrow!
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