I went to the Pampered Chef Party today at Becky's and bought "lots" of stuff. I still have things I want to get but soon enough another party will come along. I know that my sister-in-law Donna's sister, Shirley is having one in the summer and Donna can bring me. I got stoneware muffin tins, bamboo pinchers, a paring knife and some really good spatulas.

Randy, Jeff and Bryon were putting Mom's washer and dryer in while we were Pampered Chefing. They hope to get it done today but may have a few finishing touches before she can use it. We will feel much more secure when she does not have to go up and down those stairs to do her wash. So will her neighbors. She has the nicest neighbors and they worry about her too.

St. Louis just beat Seattle in the first wildcard playoff game. I sure was pleased and it was a nail biter. Tomorrow the Packers play Minnesota in our (hopefully) first playoff.

I am going to wind down for the night. I have to watch TV in the bedroom. I want to watch a movie that noone else does.

Have a nice evening.

Love

Mary

The Blessed Trinity Paris Council holiday party was tonight. Almost everyone was there and it was a pleasant night with great hor d'oeurves and good company.

This noon I had lunch out in Plymouth with the Wells Fargo people. We had not seen each other before Christmas so had a lot of catching up to do.

Aside from that I cleaned the kitchen and spent the rest of the time playing catch up on my desk. Paperwork had been piling up. I should be all caught up by Monday when the next batch comes in.

Tomorrow we will be filtering the Gewertziminer wine and I am going to a Pampered Chef party at Becky (my neice's) house. I have been kind of hoping for a Pampered Chef party. They are fun and I do like their product. I had purchased a bread baking tube at one a few years ago. I finally got out the directions, found out that you use refrigerated bread dough and just spray the tube. I was always afraid to use it because I had visions of the bread getting stuck in the tube and chipping it out. Anyway I got brave and baked a loaf the other day. It is very interesting shaped round scalloped bread, a little dense, but tasty and it did NOT stick. You are also supposed to be able to make things like rice crispy candy and cut it into pretty shapes.

Well, Chelsea is getting very tired, so I think I will wrap this up. Sleep well and keep in mind the Old English night prayer. "From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggity beasties and things that go bump in the night, dear Lord, deliver us."

Mary

Hello again. The snows came. We got at least 4 inches overnight and Chelsea is happy. You can tell she is getting older though. When she was young, she would hop and run through the snow like Pepe Le Pew. Now she tries to find less deep snow patches to run in so she doesn't get so tired. But she still loves it.

Schools were cancelled and also choir practice tonight. However, we did have our parish council meeting. I think it was productive. Underlying currents of dissention are still eddying and probably always will. I just hope we can get past them as a church family. There was a lot of enthusiasm about a lot of the items brought up, such as the school, future clustering with St. John Kohler and the condition and future repairs on the buildings and grounds. Fr. Gene said he would work with me to establish a mission group for Fr. Mike Shea and his AIDS kids. I got an e-mail from Fr. Mike. He and his associate went to the affected area and offered to take any AIDS orphans that need to be cared for.

I promised a picture of my Spiderweb wall hanging. I FINISHED today and took the picture which really turned out well. So (drum roll.) HERE IT IS.







Love

Mary

I finished the spiderweb wall hanging today. Tomorrow I will try to take a picture and put it on the blog for you all to see. I hope the picture does it justice.

Tonight I went out to the Rhine Plymouth club house and helped put the prime coat on the walls. Since Bobbie and I joined, they have been doing lots of repairs and redecorating. The main room walls and ceilings are now off white and look great. The room looks bigger and fresh. Tomorrow another crew will put the final coat on.

Tomorrow we shop, then quiet. But in the evening I have council AND choir. Those double duty nights are a little rough. Friday, the council party will occur at the rectory. Dick is really "thrilled". I have to bring an hor d'oeurves. I think I have a Market Day something that I can fix easily on Friday afternoon.

I read the following in the Reader's Digest. "I fear that one day I'll meet God, he'll sneeze, and I won't know what to say." Ronnie Shakes


Have a nice Thursday.

This was a quiet but busy day. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still so fairly comfortable. Chelsea and I enjoyed our morning walk, but it was cold enough that I was getting eager for spring or a warm climate by the time dark came.

I am paying all the bills this month. Dick has me do this once a year so I keep my hand in. I am really glad that he usually does it, but do know that I need to be aware. He provides a nice instruction sheet.

Tonight, Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting tonight. It was rather uneventful. Actually, I had not been out to the club since late November when pistol league ended. A new league starts on Friday. I have to go the the parish council party then so will have to catch up either Sunday or the following Friday.

Guess that is all the excitement. Tomorrow will be just as thrilling.

Just a little quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.


Pray for all the lost and their families in the tsunami area. Pray especially for all those that are working so hard to bring them relief.



Love

Mary

A kind of busy easy going day today. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still and therefore did not feel too cold. However, Chelsea really asked to go out more than I thought was necessary and I was wishing for spring by evening.

Tonight Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting. It was rather uneventful and actually the first time I had been out to the club since late November when the pistol league ended. A new league starts this Friday. I have to go to a parish council party that evening, so will have to start either on Sunday or the following Friday. I definitly want to participate again, as I am getting better and want to continue to improve.

This is the month that Dick has decided that I should pay the bills so if he is ever unable, I will know what to do. It is a very good idea, but a real pain. I like him to do it. He really has things set up very nicely and even gave me an instruction sheet.




And remember a quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

Love

Mary

A kind of busy easy going day today. The temperatures were in the mid 20s but it was still and therefore did not feel too cold. However, Chelsea really asked to go out more than I thought was necessary and I was wishing for spring by evening.

Tonight Bobbie and I went to the Rhine Plymouth meeting. It was rather uneventful and actually the first time I had been out to the club since late November when the pistol league ended. A new league starts this Friday. I have to go to a parish council party that evening, so will have to start either on Sunday or the following Friday. I definitly want to participate again, as I am getting better and want to continue to improve.

This is the month that Dick has decided that I should pay the bills so if he is ever unable, I will know what to do. It is a very good idea, but a real pain. I like him to do it. He really has things set up very nicely and even gave me an instruction sheet.




And remember a quote from Winnie the Pooh

If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

Love

Mary

The streets were no longer slippery this morning. It was wet but not slick. I went a bit early so I could walk Mother over to church. Fr. Gene decided to have just one Mass this morning. Instead of two. Usually we have an 8:00AM and a 10:30AM. He decided to have just a 9:30AM. The trouble is that he does not announce these things from the pulpit the week before. It IS in the bulletin but not everyone reads that from cover to cover, especially the Sunday Mass schedule which so seldom changes. Frankly, I had not read the schedule myself. The only reason I knew is because I discussed it with Mother and we figured it out. As we were leaving there were tons of people driving into the lot. I am afraid there will really be a ruckus about it.

The Packers played the Bears today in their last regular season game. They won as expected. (The poor Bears are really bad this year, I don't know how they beat us the first time we played, but it was early in the season and we were really struggling then.) Actually their quarterback got sacked NINE times. Dick heard that the first playoff game will be against the Vikings. BOO!!!! HISS!!! He heard that that would be the third game they play against each other this season.

A story that was e-mailed to me the other day, for your amusement.

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together to discuss the experience.

Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first. "Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, "WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to him from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to rassle. We rassled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a crick. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the week in fellowship, feasting on God's Holy Word, and praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape. The rabbi looks up and says, "You fellows don't even know what trouble is until you try to circumcise a bear."

Love

Mary