I've been so busy that I met myself coming home as I was leaving....

I don't think I've stopped since last week, maybe Thursday!  I had Friday Choir practice and we went way over time.  Then Holy Hour at 3 and Mass at 4 (and I served at mass) Then I went home for a few minutes to feed the dogs and then off to the dance!  I had to get up at 6, and by 8 that night I was half asleep whilst I was dancing! 
Then on Saturday, another 6 am day!  A bunch of us who are in the Choir, Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers met at church at 8:15 and then went down to Elfrieda to our mission church, St. Francis.  We had a 4 hour retreat, and it was WONDERFUL.  It started out with adoration and exposition of the Body of Christ.  We had several talks and then time to meditate on those talks and to do some self examination.  It was wonderful.  Fr. Manolo had a seminarian there who is taking some time off to further discern his calling.  He did all the serving and it was just awesome to see it done the way it would be done in a cathedral or seminary.  Awesome.  Fr. Manolo offered the sacrament of penance to those who wanted to go to confession. (confession is so good for the soul!) And then we ate.  We Catholics are good eaters!!!  :)   Then it was over about 2 after we ate, and then we drove home, I rushed home and fed the dogs and then went to set up for Mass.  Mass was great, I'll post some pics in a bit.  Then after Mass we went to Taza's to eat.  A great day, but exhausting. 
On Sunday it was another 6am day, off to church to get set up for 8:30am mass.  After church was coffee, conversation and donuts.  Great way to start a Sunday. 
I spent most of Sunday working on music and practicing my guitar.  Monday I wanted to sleep in and well, get up at 6am for more than a day at a time and guess what, you end up waking up at 6 am even if you don't set the alarm.  Grrrr.  :)  Got some some more quilting done on my baby quilt, and practiced my guitar.  At 3pm I went to a friend's house and we had movie day.  Seven or eight of us watched  Water for Elephants.  It was a GREAT movie and we all enjoyed watching it a lot.  I would love to see it again.  If you love animals, you'll love this movie, though it's got some disturbing parts in it, not horrible, but enough to make you sit up and get a little angry at one of the characters.  If you haven't seen it, rent it and watch it.  :)   After the movie was over, I decided I didn't feel like going home, so I drove to Benson (about 35 miles away) to go to Safeway.  I wanted to pick up some ChocoVine, chocolate wine.  I bought 6 bottles.  And stuff to make for Thanksgiving dinner.  I came home and had to try the ChocoVine, and it's GREAT.  Really good with Baily's Irish Cream.  Yummy yummy and yummy. 
Tuesday it was dancing and then out to tea, and then off to my friend Sandy's house to do our book discussion  Whew! 
Today is Wednesday and I've been catching up on laundry and making dips and cheese balls and fruit trays and veggie trays and cakes to take with me tomorrow to Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house. 
I want to sleep in on Friday, please? 

We've had some icky weather, cold and wet and rainy and bleak looking.  Today was wonderful, it was 75 degrees and beautiful.

Ok, some pictures for you....

 This is Sugar eating her breakfast.  Much to my total and complete amazement she is eating with thunder rumbling in the distance.  I know she heard it, she looked up with her ears up, but went back to eating.  I was shocked and had to take a picture of her doing this.

 She's finishing her entire meal.  Until just as I took this picture there was a HUGE and LOUD LOUD crash of thunder.  I think she left her skin in front of her food bowl in her haste to get to the closet!  It was so violent that I jumped about a foot and Lulu jumped and ran to hide for about 10 seconds. 

 Here's sug in her closet looking at me so pitifully. 

This water puddle happened in about 10 minutes of rain.  We got a ton of rain in a very short time.  But alas we've had some days that were 100% gloomy and dreary. 

Stormy weather over the pasture in the back. 

More icky weather over the pasture in the back of me.

 And again to the north east.

 Stormy weather coming in over the Dragoon mountains from Tuscon way...

And a really pretty picture of Cochise Stronghold in the storm with the sun shining on the peak and in the valley below.  Love this picture.

Father Manolo in the leather coat, and the seminarian to the left of him, in the sacristy getting ready for Mass.

One of our Altar Boys bowing to the altar/tabernacle, getting ready to light candles.

Father behind the altar, seminarian bowing to him and David an altar boy in the background.

 

 Father with the body of Christ.

Father and the seminarian getting ready to cense the parisioners. Something new to us, very very wonderful. 

 

Our little church all dressed up for Christ the King Sunday. 

The squares that I am currently working on on the baby quilt.  I am pleased with my stitches so far, I aims for tiny, but they are about medium.  :) 

You can barely make out on the backing where I am stitching in this picture, but it's the best out of 10.  I love the hot pink backing on this quilt. I hope my friend loves it too!  :)







And that's how my week went!!!  How was your week?  Hopefully after tomorrow things will slow down for just a bit, but I won't put money on it.  :)
Happy HAPPY Thanksgiving to my American friends.  Have a wonderful week to all my friends.  God Bless, Anne