ADVENT TWO

Tuesday evening update:  I thought I had published this post  so was surprised when I came home this afternoon and it was not to be found on my blog.  Here it is, on the late, late side but I'll publish it now before it's time to work on the Wednesday one.  Don't give up on me!

Today the second candle in the Advent wreath was lit at our morning service.  It was my turn to have the Sunday School class so we talked about Advent there too, a time of waiting.  The waiting seems long for children but goes by much too quickly for me.  I'm glad that in our church calendar, Christmas just starts on December 25 and isn't over until Epiphany on January 6.  I relish those special days of spending time with family, reading the Christmas mail, Christmas stories, listening to the familiar Christmas carols and enjoying some special programs on TV.  I can't wait!

We had our annual Christmas smorg today after service.  It's kind of an organized potluck.  A list of the foods to bring is put up a few weeks ahead and miraculously every spot is taken.  We aren't a very big group any more so some sign up for more than one item.  Our ladies group buys the two turkeys and the hamburger for meatballs.  We had close to 40 out today, despite the COLD windchill.  I guess we are getting used to it.  It's either brave the cold, or stay home most of the time!  One good thing, it can't get much colder!  We just have a few inches of snow so roads are good and often the sun is shining.

I enjoyed a special "after harvest" supper on Saturday night at Jason and Theresa Stepp's, just two miles north of the farm.  It was for all the crew who helped with the Johnson/Stepp 2013 harvest.  There were  more than twenty people there, and several more were unable to come because of other scheduled activities such as hockey games and Christmas parties.  I was glad that Clare's picked me up so I didn't have to warm up the Escape just to go two miles!  I left my iPhone at home so can't show you pictures of the bountiful meal that Theresa had prepared - appetizers, punch, salads, chicken, ribs, cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes, buns, and for dessert - homemade ice cream with a sundae bar of yummy toppings!  Thanks Theresa and Jason for a wonderful evening.

It's now Monday evening and I'm still working on my Sunday post!  Laurel has pictures from the boys hockey tournaments so when I get those, this will be published.  Ashley went along too.  She typed a message for me on the computer (with help from Mom on the spelling) "Ashley had a great time at her road trip." She enjoyed the pool and water slide at the Sleep Inn.  The boys did well with their hockey too.  Eric's team won all four games in Minot so won the A side trophy.  Dawson's team won the B side in Bismarck.  It was a bitterly cold weekend with windchills in the minus 40º range and that's the same whether C or F!

Today I finally got a parcel off to Norway.  What are the chances of two people being at the Ambrose post office and both mailing parcels to Norway?  I often meet Randi there so it was fun to visit while filling out declarations, getting parcels weighed and paying the postage.  It's a good thing I had American cash with me today as the post mistress wasn't able to use the credit card machine.  It usually takes a week to ten days for a package to get to Todd's but the last parcel I mailed from Crosby two weeks ago hasn't arrived yet.  Tracking says it's cleared customs in Norway so they should have it tomorrow.  I'm glad Walter Freddy isn't lost!

On Tuesday morning the three of us who play for services at Trinity are meeting with Pastor Danny to choose hymns for the next months.  At noon our two circles are meeting together for a potluck brunch followed by our monthly Bible study on prayer, led by Pastor Danny Krauss.

Well, I don't have any pictures from Laurel but I better get this off and update tomorrow.  Here's a picture of my candles in the window to end the day.  Good-night.