Archive | March, 2012

in photos.

31 Mar
I began my day by sleeping in.  Then I drank coffee, watched that John Cusack 80’s classic Say Anything  (I think John is just behind Matt on my list of favorite actors.) whilst trying my hardest at the New York crossword puzzle.  [I’ve started subscribing to magazines and I’ve decided that I’m happier and more informed because of it.  I love opening the mailbox to find Time, Real Simple, and New York. Also just subscribed to Minnesota Monthly.  Now I just need to hold out for an ipad so I can read them digitally and not kill more trees.]  I wrote my little mini sermon for tomorrow and I feel I’m ready for worship.  I plan to quilt, cook a nice dinner, and be in bed early tonight.  It’s a good day.  What else is going on in life?  I’m so glad you asked.
This was left on my desk left Sunday.  The rumor is out – I want to learn to garden.  Pressure is on but at least sisters Anna and Lacey are on my side.  Anna is, oh, probably six and Lacey is the three year old who loves pink and shyly says, “Hi, Pastor.” over and over when I’m around.

Last night was part two of first communion instruction.  We ate together with their families, baked communion bread, and played a first communion game show to test their knowledge [kids vs. parents]. These kids are great – seriously great.  I wish my job was to work with them all the time!
Remember this device?  I use it to cut the bottoms off eggs.  I empty them, sterilize them by boiling, and on Thursday I dyed them.  Next step: coat inside with chocolate, fill with candy and viola – homemade kinder eggs.  [Also, the egg topper device was featured here, on this blog which I gather is written, in part, by Pastor Clint, the former pastor at my home congregation.  I’ll be honest – I’m not sure I understand much more than that.]

Dear Isabelle,

27 Mar
I know we haven’t met but I wanted to thank you.  When I got home after a morning of Holy Week worship planning with jD at the local lunch cafe in Blooming and heard your message on my home answering machine, I was so happy.  I told you that you were the bright spot in my day!  It was no lie.
I called you back right away.  I had just heated up my turkey taco chili from the freezer and I just left it sit in the microwave.  Soup wasn’t important.  Calling you was my first priority.
Then, on the phone, you were so kind and helpful.  We set up an appointment and you shared that charming story about how it all came to be.  Daniel, your boss, told you to call the pastor at Red Oak Grove.  What’s his name? you asked in reply.  Her name, said Daniel.  And then we both chuckled on the phone like old friends.
I don’t know that we’ll actually ever meet.  Heck, I don’t even know your last name.  But the fact that it was you who set up the appointment for Red Oak Grove puts you on the good list in my book.  Thank you, Isabelle, for calling me and scheduling that magical time when Daniel will come to the church and parsonage on Wednesday, April 11th to install internet.  It’s been a long time coming and I thank you.
Forever yours,
Pastor Lindsay

what’s this?

25 Mar

Mickey Mouse ears?
A medieval torture device?
Finger snatchers?
Punishment for when Mabel misbehaves?
It’s an egg topper and when I saw it at Crate and Barrel yesterday, I knew I needed it.  [Needed being the word naturally in question.]  What do I need it for?
You’ll see.

a baby quilt.

24 Mar

I attended a wonderful baby shower of cute in the cities today for dear friend Lauren.  [A cute bird theme.  Delicious food and we cleansed our palettes between courses.  My palette has never before been cleansed at a party.  I felt classy.]  Lauren and jD are due to have a baby join their family in May.  It’s super exciting; plus it gave me reason to make a quilt.  I finished this brightly-colored scrappy-fabric polka dotted piece on Thursday night and I was thrilled with how it turned out.  My quilting skills have grown with practice and I think this is the best quilt I’ve made – quality and skill – since I began quilting a couple years ago.  I followed this online tutorial and – for the very first time – free form quilted.  I loved the process, the result, and the texture of the finished product.  I hope it gets dirty and ratty and thrown in the washer lots because it’s put to use!  Here’s also hoping I can start in on another baby quilt soon as close seminary friends currently undergo the IVF process!  Babies, babies everywhere!

[Dear Dawson peeps,
Need further proof that it’s a small world?  Also attending the baby shower was Paren, the current artist-in-residence at the Dawson Elementary School!  We chatted about the Olympics unit.  How fun!  There is just something about that town that constantly connects me and tugs at my heart!] 

nursery art.

23 Mar

This post is brought to you by the artwork in one church nursery …

… yeah …

happy tape.

21 Mar
I love happy tape.  It makes me happy.
Funny how that works.
If you’re a long time blog reader here, I’ve written love letters to happy tape before.  Happy tape on my laptop keyboard.  Happy tape to seal envelopes.  Happy tape wherever regular tape could use a makeover.
The unfortunate truth is that happy tape [japenese washi paper tape] is expensive.  We’re talking at least $3/roll plus shipping.
Enter Target.  [Or as Paige calls it: the bulls-eye bodega.] 
Target has happy tape copy tape in their stationary/office supply aisle.  $4/pack of four.  It seems like good stuff; at least it has the same general impact on my mood.  It makes me happy.  It’s like retail therapy on uppers.

my cup.

20 Mar
There are likely people much more articulate on the subject, but sometimes we can think about our life as a cup.  There are things and people and tasks that fill our cups which lend to energy and joy, and there are things and people and tasks that take more energy and drain our cups.  At times, our cup is overflowing.  Other times, we run on empty.  It’s an exchange of energy and resources, and the only constant in my cup these days is wine.  [see what I did there?]

My cup is running pretty low.  It’s seems work these days is filled with more tasks that drain instead of fill my cup.  I worked every night last week and it’s looking like tonight will be my only free evening this week.  [Last night, I was at an annual meeting for the nursing home on whose board I serve.  Unbeknownst to me prior to the meeting, I was nominated and elected to serve a full three year term.  Here I thought I was just filling the chair for this year.  Wrong.]  Writing two sermons a week drains me; I’ve lost all creativity and must locate it again pronto.  Holy Week is fast approaching and so are services that need to be planned, bulletins that need to be made, and more sermons need to be written.  I have promised myself lately that I will stop complaining as much as I do so I’ll stop there.  It’s for the best.
There certainly are things that are filling my cup too.  If there weren’t, I’d be a complete walking void at this point.  I had a sleepover with my synod and Stillwater friend, Karen, as she bunked at the Mabel Manor because of late-night and early-morning work commitments nearby.  I had a sleepover at Paige’s with Mabel; we ate fish and roasted veggies while watching the entire first season of Downton Abbey.  I’m sewing my way along on a quilt, learning how to free form quilt with my latest new presser foot, and drinking delicious iced coffee.  And, after the dose of rain we got yesterday, the grass is green.   I’ve check out many gardening books from the library to learn about growing broccoli and herbs.  Happy first day of spring. 
And though my sermon on Sunday was pretty much the worst ever, the children’s time during worship was redeeming and awesome.  We’ve been collecting food for local food shelves during this MN FoodShare month.  There is a shopping cart in the narthex and by golly gee, it’s pretty full with still one Sunday in the month to go.  During the children’s time, we measured how much food was in the cart but not in terms of pounds.  We measured with the local ROG unit of measure – aisles.  We lined the food up and down the center aisle in the church and determined we have one and half aisles of food.  The challenge this Sunday is to bring in another half aisle.  It was super fun.
So that’s that and why the blog has been sparse the last week.  An empty cup means few stories and little energy.  I’m hoping to find time to rejuvenate and rest and fill my cup this weekend.  The dream [as always and yet to be realized] is to have the sermon written by Thursday, though this weekend isn’t completely free with a pesky board meeting on Friday afternoon and a First Communion class on Friday evening.  sigh.  Lent is busy.  Who would have guessed?
[As my friend, Megan, said: Only every pastor.  Ever.]

ninja pastor.

15 Mar
One of my confirmation students – we shall call her E. – likes ninjas.  She was a ninja for Halloween and knocked on my door with her siblings this past October.  She says her friends like to play ninja games and pretend that they are ninjas.  [I don’t even know what this means.]
E. often sticks around a bit later than other confirmation students and somehow, last week, we started talking about ninjas.  Just by chance, I snapped this photo of ninja facts from a bathroom wall back in the fall.  I thought it was humorous.  And a bit odd to be hanging in a high school ladies’ bathroom.
I pulled the photo up on my phone and started reading them off.  E. and I bonded over ninja facts.  Can you email that to me? she asked.  Sure.  Email it to my mom.  Okay … but I made E. promise to tell her mom that it would be arriving in her inbox and that it was E. who requested it.  Yeah, I’ll tell her.

I emailed it to E.’s mom the next morning.  I received a response saying that she would pass it on and that E. had told her it would be coming.  Good.
I saw and chatted with E. last night after the Lenten service and meal.  I asked her about the ninja email.  I printed off like three copies and gave them to my friends.  I told them it was from my pastor.  They didn’t believe me.
I don’t blame them.  Pastor Lindsay: the pastor who knows as much about ninjas as she does about Noah.  Rightfully weird and unbelievable to the average seventh grader.  [but secretly proud of it.]
13 Mar

 Every creative story is different.  And yet every creative story is the same: There was nothing, now there is something.  It’s almost like magic.

[How to Be Creative]

I’m in love with those words.  It’s almost like magic.

iced deliciousness.

12 Mar
At the slightest hint of warmer temperatures, I’m all about coffee that’s iced.  There is something so delicious about cold brew coffee over ice with a splash of almond milk.  The only downfall is that it’s so easy to drink and I drink way too much of it on some days.
My new system won’t help this at all.  I received this nifty glass drink container from Lynn-baby in the fall  and it’s perfect to keep cold coffee in the fridge.  My brew is based on a recipe by my dream woman [yeah.  I said it.] – Pioneer Woman’s perfect iced coffee.
I don’t have a container large enough to make it like she does so I break it down and make 2 quarts at a time mixed with 4 oz. coffee grounds.  I also don’t have a strainer [noted.  can you tell I rarely eat pasta? it’s on my to-purchase list.] but a couple sheets of paper towel do the trick.  
Make your own or come visit.  I promise to share.
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