Souper Sunday

We visited the Orchard again this week. We visited there last week as well, but I didn't have a chance to post about it last week so I will start actually last Saturday.

We are for the moment, like many others, in a very tight financial situation. The pressure was really getting to me. And even more than the money I was really feeling separated from everyone I know I can go to for support - my church family. In prayer, I asked that God would lay us on the heart of someone who could help. My quiet time is right before I go to bed so after making my request I settled in for a my typical restless nights "sleep"

We decided to visit the Orchard again. We have friends and acquaintances there, but no one knew that we were coming. Indeed, Timothy and I were both fighting colds so I didn't make any plans because until we got up and I said that I did feel up to going to church. Much to my surprise someone said that the Lord had put on his heart to help us and he was so glad to see us there and offer what he could.

I was just astounded. Yes, I had asked God for just that. I don't know that I doubted that he would do it, but i don't really think that I believed it fully either. It was just to stunning and wonderful to witness His faithfulness even in the face of my less than perfect faith.

This week we visited there again. I will say that it was much more enjoyable when I wasn't sick. the minister teaches Emily's SS class and she just loves it. Timothy and Eva are both in the youth class and love it as well. The sermons are good and the people are great. Right now they are meeting in a local high school so I can't say much about the facilities, because other than a plot of land they really don't have any.

I know that there is no such thing as a perfect church - and even if there were if I joined there, it would no longer be perfect. But one thing that I just don't care for is the adult SS. I think that part of it is the subject matter. The book that they are studying is not one of my favorites which doesn't make me want to jump right in. Also the man that is teaching it has not been well and I think that might be why he has taken such a subdued approach to teaching. So I am not exactly eager to jump right it.

So those were our weeks there and we are planning to spend a few more there - probably through the end of the month and then we may check out another one an "park there for a while.

Today was the second Sunday so we had our monthly service at our church that closed. Every second Sunday we have a pot luck and get some fellowship and a really good sermon. One family or group makes the main dish and then everyone brings sides. Tonight we were the family that made the main dish. Tom and I each made a HUGE pot of soup. I made cream of potato and tom made Italian wedding. I also make home made dinner rolls. All of it was well received.

Now at last I are home from a LONG day of being on my feet, and the bathtub is calling...so I am off to relax after being up since 5:30 this morning.

Min - Album

I didn't make this blog for the purpose of scrapping. I have quite a few online galleries and that is where I post most of my pojects. Occasionally, I will post scrapping stuff here. This is one of those occasions.

This is a mini album I made for a cybercrop. I had never really made one before. Because of that I seriously considered not doing the challenge. What are the odds of a first timer winning? I don't think much especially when I really didn't know what I was going to do. This was the final challenge and I thought that it would be rather anit climatic to do all the other challenges, and not finish - so this is my attempt at a mini album.

Applesauce

Every year, for as long as I can remember fall meant apples in my house. We would always go to an orchard and pick several bushels. Then we would come home and make home made applesauce. I remember doing for years and years. I remember my Granada coming to our house and helping my mom. After Grandma died, I helped a little more ever year as I got older.

Mom got sick in 2005 and wasn't up to making the sauce, so that was the first year that I did it alone, albeit at her house and under her supervision. I was so glad that I did because I really learned what I was doing then. And that was very lucky because in Jan of 2006, mom died and I was left on my own to keep the tradition alive.

So today was the day that we headed out to the orchard. We picked 2 bushels of apples. I would have liked to pick more, but at $22 a bushel 2 was all I could afford. I guess this year I will not get to be as generous with it as I like to be. Everyone seems to love a pint or a quart of canned home made applesauce.

Now, however, I beginning to reap the rewards. I have peeled and sliced half a bushel and they are as I type being cooked down to the soft sweet and spicy sauce that is our family tradition. The aroma of apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger now permeate the house and there is nothing like it in the world. I don't know if my kids will continue when I no longer can, but I hope they do because there is nothing that can compare to the taste of home made applesauce

The Decision

We have been attending the same church for 3 weeks in a row now - which for us has been a record. There were others that we wanted to go back to, but we decided to park at this one for a few weeks.

Well, we are done parking. We have left the building, and are not going back. I don't want to give the impression that there was anything wrong with the church, but we agreed that it was just not for us.

The Sunday school for the kids was super. The preaching was very good. The music was by far the best we have heard in the whole search. There are 3 services so we could go just about any time and get to the service. But that is really where the pluses ended. The Christian Education for the adults although varied was not what we had hoped. And in the whole time of attending the church with over 1,000 members there on Sunday morning, only a few in the adult classes spoke to us, and no one in the worship service ever acknowledged our existence. It is just too big and too impersonal. It was definitely not the family that I want and need.

So one of our "maybes", is now a "No". And the search will go on.

Is it Just Me?

I have been wondering lately, am I really the ogre that I seem to be acting like of late? Yes, I have been spending more than my share of time recently ticked off, but I wonder if it is just a streak of bad luck or if I am being unreasonable.

Last February I began looking for a Cadette Girl Scout troop for Eva. I called the council, I went to meetings, I asked for referals. It wasn't until I got mean that someone finally paid attention to me. I started at the same time looking for a Daisy toop for Emily - and so far, we have nothing.

I don't need to start on the school again. If you have questions about that one, check out my post from the first day of school. I am glad to say that they have improved, but we started on 8/28 and I am still waiting for books. I feel like I have at least a little bit of justification at being ticked

Our insurance - or as we call it, our noninsurance, insurance - is next on my verbal hit list. I got the bill from the dr. for my surgery. They didn't pay ANYTHING! Please, can someone tell my why we are paying insurance, if they don't pay any bills? They have yet to pay a penny this year. It is not like we don't submit things either. We have almsot $400 a month in medications alone.

Last night the Awana club that Emily belongs on became the most recent to be added to my infamous "list". She loves Awana and, like her sister has been gifted with the ability to memorize and understand scripture. There are 47 sections in her handbook this year. Each one of those need to be reviewed and then there is a workbook that she wants to finish. This year they have taken up the habbit of only letting her recite one verse a week. At this rate, she won't even finish the book. I am not asking for special treatment. I just want her to work at a rate that will allow her to do what they ask all the kids to do.

So that is where I sit, ticked at the school, the insurance, scouts and Awana....Who wants to be next on the list>

Sunday Homesick

It seems as if it was ages ago but in reality it was not that long ago when our church had an early morning service as well as the regular service. At that time I was working in the nursery during the second service so I got to attend the first one. One of the things that I liked best was the contemporary music. There was one song in particular. "The Cry of my Heart" that Jim would play on dull grey mornings - which in Cleveland, we get more than our share. This arrangement was very upbeat and had a steel drum solo. That song more than any other is the one I remember from those services.

Today the church we attended used that same song, but a different arrangement. I was in tears with homesickness. I just want to be at home in my church. I am tired of looking for a new church. I am tired of not fitting in. I am tired of not knowing any one. I just want to go home!

My not so little girl

Today Eva bridged to Cadettes. She has been in scouts since she was 5. She started as a Daisy. In Brownies she made it her goal to earn ever try-it (the brownie badges) there was. She earned everyone in the book and additional ones besides. Because her birthday is at the end of September there has always been a question as to what year she should be in. In the winter of 2006 she bridged to Juniors. It was becoming apparent that she was just at a maturity level far beyond the girls in the troop - part of that having to do with being a year older than all of them.

So in the spring of 2008 she decided to leave the troop that she had been with for 7 years who wouldn't be joining Cadettes for another year. Being Eva, of course, she couldn't do it without first earning all the awards that she could. Many troops will work on the higher awards - the Junior aide, the leadership award and the bronze award (the highest award a junior scout can get) together. Eva, not having time to wait for the troop conquered them all, alone. Tonight she received the last award - her bronze and she was bridged to Cadettes. It was touching to see the relationships that were made and how much she meant to not only the girls but the leaders as well.

So this is a Congrats to Eva, my Cadette scout.