there's no place like gnome.

It’s been a rainy and unproductive post-Easter week back at my ranch. One that kinda just makes me want to say, ‘ugh’ and go back to bed.  But still – in the midst of that – there is joy! Here it is:

I got to meet and hold and cuddle a Baby Bennett! My gnome friends in Owatonna had their fourth child last week. I do love babies. (And I love their oldest, my BFF, who hid my wallet because he wanted me to stay longer at their house. Aww, shucks.)

All this rain and gloom is no fun; HOWEVER, it does give me a reason to wear my bright yellow, a la rubber ducky, rain jacket! It also is helping the grass transform from brown to green so I guess it’s okay.

It’s day camp planning time!

I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and enjoyed it much. I recommend it!  [If you want the true Lindsay experience while viewing, you’ll have to pop corn kernels in coconut oil on the stove.  So delicious.]

I have listened to this song on repeat nearly every morning. I think its lyrics are my new mantra – how am I gonna be an optimist about this?

I have colleague group today.  What’s colleague group?  It’s a group of first call pastors in the southeastern synod.  We get together every month to share joys and challenges and encourage and support one another.  When I first came to ROG, I didn’t particularly like going but now, I wouldn’t miss it.  Because first call is considered the first three years of being a pastor, that means that today is my LAST colleague group.  [But the leader assures us that no one gets kicked out.  I can come back next fall if I want, even though I’ll be past the three year mark.]

I’m not entirely sure if this is all joy, or a mix of things, but I haven’t had to cook for, like, ever.  I had dinner at someone’s house for a church thing on Monday, dinner out Tuesday night and last night, and, due to presiding at a wedding here at ROG on Saturday, I have dinner covered both tomorrow night [groom’s supper] and Saturday [reception].  That’s a whole lot of not cooking and a whole lot of eating.  If I remain at home tonight, a bowl of cereal just might be the ticket.

So there.  There is my joy.  Where’s yours?

I hope you all had a beautiful, sun-shiny day yesterday! Here was my day in a few photos:

Top: Before the season of Lent began, we at ROG stain-glassified these letters. We ‘buried’ them for the season of Lent and then on Sunday morning, people arrived to find them hanging high above our sanctuary. (Thanks to a dedicated trustee and extension ladder for that!) I think it turned out awesome. I love it.

Bottom left: Gracie, a super fun sixth grader at ROG, made and gave me these bunny cupcakes. I ate one last night and let me tell you – the delicious factor actually outdoes the cute factor AS IF THAT IS EVEN POSSIBLE.

Bottom middle: While it was forecasted to rain and storm all afternoon and evening, it turned into a perfect day. A perfect day to end with a campfire in a backyard.

Bottom right: I went geocaching with this guy. (He’s unfolding a very wet log from a very well-hidden geocache.) My friend, Dave, is also an Easter orphan with family too far away. We ate ham, went for a bike ride, and treasure hunted, geocache-style.

I took Mabel for a quick walk this afternoon before it started to rain. Somewhere between here and the cemetery, the fifth grade neighbor girl joined me. We walked and talked and chatted. Then, as we got closer to her house and her eventual departure from our walk together, Mabel got excited about a dead raccoon in the ditch. She really wanted to sniff that corpse, so much so that she exerted herself with such power that the leash flew out of my hand. What flew out of my mouth? An expletive. A naughty word. Something that fifth grader should not have heard her pastor neighbor say. Shit. It was shit.

I’ve been recovering the chairs to my dining room table for, oh, the past sixth months. It’s been a slow process. A pretty non-existent process most weeks. But tonight I finished one chair! One down and three to go. (It’s – in my opinion – a super cool vintage table. One I grew up with on the porch of the farmhouse. I love it but the upholstery needed some fun and newness.)

My friend, Lynn, sent me some snail mail. It arrived today with a note that she had discovered a shoebox of things from high school. Notes passed, issues of our friend group newsletter, clippings of random things, etc. And apparently these two portraits by me. (We were huge history nerds so it might make sense.)

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday. Since I’ve been at ROG, Maundy Thursday has not treated me well. Two years ago? My heel broke while reading Psalm 22 at the end of the service. Last year, I chipped a tooth while chewing gum. Tomorrow? We will see if the curse continues. Worst case scenario? A broken leg … heart … egg yolk in my morning breakfast?

I made grapefruit scones tonight.

With an everything-kind-of-post.

Because I haven’t posted since March.  March, people.  I’ve become a no-good, horrible blogger.  *hangs head in shame*

I had every good intention of posting some Friday Favorites yesterday.  But then I didn’t.  I had a sub job yesterday.  All day.  Second grade.  Let’s just say I came home with a headache.  It was one of the most frustrating sub days of my [very limited] sub life.  By the math lesson in the middle of the afternoon, the three ROG kids in the class were writing apologies to me [apologies for their class’ behavior] on their individual white boards along with their math answers.  And, by the end of the day, I felt like I had to apologize to them.  The three ROG kids [and a handful of others] were awesome throughout the day; I apologized that they had to see me in such a [frustrated/angry/raised voice] light.

Moral of the story: I was going to post when I got home from subbing but instead I had a horrible headache and decided to nap in the hammock.  However, were I to have posted favorites, I probably would have posted some about lemon cake, baggu bags that I feel compulsively that I need in every color, and compost tips!  I would post those links now except WordPress isn’t accepting my links.  Boo.  I tried.  Maybe later.

Last week was also the prelude to Holy Week.  You know, the week pastors have nothing to do. It will be okay.

Let’s see … I have also enjoyed many a long walk with Mabel now that the snow is gone.  I’ve gone to work on my triangles for the Union Jack quilt border.  I made my favorite risotto and went to a birthday party for a two year old.  I attended dear Lauren’s ordination in St.Paul last Sunday afternoon and dyed Easter eggs with my friend, Dave.  I continue to seriously consider and research regarding a real, live vegetable garden for this summer.

Is that enough?  Enough excuses as to why I’ve been a no-good, horrible blogger?  I’ll try to be better.

Promise.