Music at Sibley and Other Stories

We have had a fairly busy week! Last Monday evening from 6-7 pm I attended a women's exercise group, for the first time, at church while Andrew was in a meeting. It was actually really energizing. This cold weather has sapped any desire to walk out doors so it was encouraging to "walk" to a tape with other ladies from the church. In all it was a 2 mile walk. I then waited for Andrew while he attended another meeting from 7-8 pm.

Tuesday we had a date night to see the movie "Mall Cop" and consumed a large amount of popcorn. I found myself laughing a whole lot more than I expected. The only people in our little theater were Andrew and I and one other man.

Wednesday night we were expecting to attend choir practice from 7-8 pm but I came down with a migraine and it got so bad I was quite nauseous. Andrew opted to stay home with me to make sure I was surviving the best I could.

Thursday I worked the majority of the day on house cleaning and preparing snacks for our first small group fellowship. I made brownies, popcorn, dip for the chips and washed some grapes to put out. I was able to use several of the beautiful serving pieces we were given for our wedding to host this event! We had no idea how many people to expect but ended up with a happy little group of 4. We spent the hour (7-8 pm) getting to know each other and eating a few of the snacks I had prepared. Oh, and Andrew brought home beautiful flowers as a surprise to help me decorate the home for our first small group!
We are both excited also that a few more people are planning on coming to the group next week!

Friday, we worked on projects around the house. We almost finished filing our documents in the filing cabinet now. I did some mending. Andrew did some reading. When it came time for dinner we decided to cook together. It was so much fun. We made Pollock fish with a coating that tasted like KFC. I had some and actually liked it (although that was probably due to the coating). I even tried my hand at tartar sauce. Andrew was the one that actually cooked the fish. It turned out wonderfully.

Saturday, we went to Willmar and found Andrew some running shoes with our $25 off any purchase. I also got my hair cut. Saturday evening was the official lighting of the Spicer Castle. We were planning on staying home due to the -20 degree weather but as I was doing the dishes and heard fireworks. We jumped in the car to head down to the shore but they ended before we got parked. We walked to the castle and watched kids of all ages slide down the giant slide. I tried to hover around the bon fire but it just didn't cut it so we headed home. Sunday, we got to church by 8:40. I read a little while as Andrew prepared for Sunday School. From 9:15-10:00 I practiced with the hand bell choir. From 10-10:20 we practiced with the choir. Church was from 10:30-11:30. We had a pot luck after a church meeting. I made a jello fruit salad and corn bread muffins. Then we were invited by Maggie, the music director, to play music with a "jam" group of fiddlers from 2-3:30 pm out at Sibley State Park. I played percussion: a frog, "spoons" (a single item carved from wood so you cannot drop them; pictured below) and egg shakers. Andrew played the guitar and his Celtic drum. This is a family of home schoolers that all play the violin around here. There are nine children (not all pictured here) and all are skilled violinists. I hope this shows you a little of life here.