Gingerbread Party!

Richie's Big Fry!

Due to a conflict in use of Little Suzy, it appeared that I would be without transportation on Sunday morning. Deirdre made a phone call and Richie agreed to pick us up for worship at Newcastle Presbyterian. There was a nice crowd. The pastor did a children’s message that almost got away from him….kids were really pumped and ready to add to his Christmas story! We sang Christmas carols…I was familiar with the words but NOT the tune. Interesting how different people interpret the music. After church we went to Café Crème for lunch. Richie had a Big Fry. I had an omelette and Jen and Deirdre went for soup and Sammy!

After lunch we all went to Shillidays to hang out for a while. Talbot kept us entertained! Then at 4:30 we piled into the car for the drive to Waringstown where Deirdre lives. Tori had joined us. We were going for the Carol Service. This Presbyterian church is 175 years old. The ceilings in the worship room must be 20 feet high! They had a great choir/worship team of 3 men and maybe 20 women. We sang carols, scriptures were read. There was one solo and two songs from the worship team.  The tunes were familiar at this service! The tree in the sanctuary is real and very tall although it doesn’t seem to be. It is probably at least 12 feet.

Sorry....you'll have to look sideways..
Jen and Tori are making a "box" so you
understand that we are in the pew box!

The pews in the Presbyterian Churches that I’ve been in are like boxes. There’s a “door” on the end and the pew holds 5-8 people (they are different sizes).  They are not comfortable…mostly narrow benches with straight backs. Part of the reason for the style is for heat.

After church tea and biscuits were served. I visited with a man who had studied in Virginia. He suggested two books for me to read The Other Irish (not sure of author) and Born Fighting (Jim Webb)

We left the church, ordered Domino’s pizza, ate in the car, and then headed home. I did fall asleep!  We were home after ten. I packed one suitcase before I went to bed and am sorting out things for the Charity Shop and for Deirdre to use or give away.  After a couple of hours, there was some order to my little room….two baskets are filling up and the drawers and shelves are emptying out.

Monday

I folded a basket of thirty tea towels. These were from Saturday. There were also aprons and dishcloths. It takes a bit of laundry for a meal too!

Jen came at 9:30 for our shopping day in Newry. I needed to go to Ulster Bank to exchange some dollars for pounds. Jen stopped at Daisy Hill Hospital to deliver some baked goods to former colleagues. Then we stopped for coffee and something sweet to sustain us for the work ahead. I had a cherry almond muffin. Deirdre’s was toffee pecan. Jen’s was just as wonderful! Then we hit the Buttercrane Mall in earnest.  Deirdre had serious shopping to do….bag after bag filled!  Jen just had bits and pieces to pick up and I bought very little. I did find some giraffe bibs for Berkeley….giraffes on the bibs, not loonnnngggg neck bibs. I also found her a too cute lavender hat…maybe for spring!

We left Newry at 1:30, drove to Newcastle; stopped at Tesco for candy to decorate a gingerbread house and then to Maud’s for a late lunch at nearly 3 pm.  Jen dropped us off at Murlough and then came back at 7 pm with the Crosspoint girls. They made gingerbread cookies and decorated them. They also made the necklaces from the ribbon yarn. Then the worked on a gingerbread house. There was almost as much candy consumed as there was used for decorating. The girls had a good time and cleaned up the kitchen before Jen took them home.

I need to pack another bag tonight….hope that happens!!