The Team

My Group of really, really great kids at camp last week.  13-17 year olds.

Laughing.



























The girls.





























                                                                       We do hard things.

Look what came in the mail today...

                                                                           *Grin*

Camp Counselours

We are very calm.  And serious people.

                                                                            Ummm....

Not.













Evidently we think we are in a musical....

























And Dave thinks he's the star... ;)

VBS Camp 2008

We had an AWESOME week at VBS camp this past week.



I'm ready to go right back!



















                     

                                                This year's theme was Pilgrim's Progress.

We had lots of fun!

We did crafts....





















And did you know they serve ice cream in Beulah Land?





























And since I can't possibly share it all I'm linking to some other blogs that have already told more of the story.

Enjoy!

Merry

Lydia

Ri

Home again, Home again....

jiggety jig.

Yeah.

People, I am SO dog tired. 

Camp was amazingly amazing.  I love camp.

I'd go back tomorrow.

Love, love, LOVE camp.

I don't have pictures to share yet... but I'm working on that for you.

We arrived home Thursday from camp, crashed on Friday (as much as is possible with 7 children under 7 running around)

Then we went to a wedding out of town over the weekend.

I loaded up my car with flowers and kids to take home to their parents and the wedding photographer and the pianist and drove to central Illinois. 

Where we proceeded to help decorate for the wedding, arrange flowers, take pictures, do hair, occupy 13 (absolutely ADORABLE) flower girls while the wedding waited to start, get said 13 flower girl safely down the aisle in groups of 2 and 3, tear down the ceremony and set up the reception, decorate the cake, serve the food, take pictures, and probably lots of other things that I can't think of right now....

Then we loaded up the car, loaded up the people, got on the road, turned around because we forgot something, got BACK on the road, forgot something again, turned back around, and got BACK on the road.

We drive two cars everywhere because we don't own one big enough to transport all of us.  Mom and I drove slightly faster than we usually do on the way home.  We did a 4 hour trip in about 3hrs. 40 mins.  arriving home at about 1:15 am this morning.  Where I fell into my bed and proceeded to lay there blinking at the ceiling for the next 3 hours.

Ugh.
Did I mention I left my coffee maker at Mom and Dad's?

Youth Camp

Think Vacation Bible School... to the 10th power.

And we have interactive activities/obstacle courses that we design ourselves.  

And we all stay together at an indoor group campground for 5 days.

And we talk about important and interesting things.

And we listen to each other and learn.

And we play with lots of babies.

And dress up in costumes.

And whole families come.

And have arts and Crafts.

And eat yummy food.

And work really hard.

And have campfires.

And learn about God.

And make friends.

And play games.

And laugh a lot.

And have skits.

And we sing.

And laugh.

And cry.

I'm going!  See you all in a week!

Astilbe

Pronunciation: "U-still-be" just like it looks.

What I think when I see it right outside my front door: "Be still... and know that I am God"

Yes, I need HOURLY reminders to Be Still... so, right outside the front door is a very good place to plant Astilbe.

So, I have this dream...

Something like Jo March who dreamed of someday writing something that would be "in print."

And even though I have articles and snippets regularly published here and on the IDD Blog 

there's just something splendid about writing and writing and editing and tweaking and finally seeing your finished work printed with actual paper and ink and sent to people around the world that you don't know.  Rather exhilarating, to tell the truth!

So, it's not my best work, but it's my first byline and I'm pretty happy :)

The Love I Hated published by Kit 4 Kids

Summer!!!!

And it's time for a new blog template and profile picture!

I really love finding new templates and matching profile pics with them.  (Even if blogger was being VERY ornery tonight)

And I love these colors.

To me, this is summer...

What do you think?

Monday Morning!

Good Morning Everyone!

How was your weekend?  Mine was pretty good.  Very busy, but we got a lot accomplished so I'm very happy.  (Of course, there were also a lot of things on my list that didn't get done, but oh well).

I got to the greenhouse FINALLY and bought some shrubs and perennials for my front yard!!  And even MORE exciting..... *drum roll* Katie and I actually got them planted!!!  Our yard isn't stunning yet, but it is actually on the way to being there!!!  I plan to take some pictures to share with you very soon.

We got most of the costumes figured out for camp next week.

Still working (or thinking about working) on that "about camp" post, so hang with me, I'll get it to you, I promise!

Ok, I've got to get back to browsing iTunes.  I'm looking for music for the skits, which is... fun, but frustrating.

See ya *waves*

The Big Read

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.

2) Italicize those you intend to read.

3) Underline the books you LOVE.

4) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them ;-)

WATCHING MOVIES DOES NOT COUNT!!!

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte's Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So, I've read about 21 of them, so I guess I'm not the average adult. 

But, no one is surprised, right? 

They should have an option like 'highlight blue all the books you've never heard of'....  there are quite a few... *blush*

More very interesting things about myself...

that I'm sure you're all DYING to know...

and these quizzes are way too much fun

You Are Extremely Charming

When someone talks to you, they feel like they are the most interesting person in the world. And for you in that moment, they actually are. You truly care about the people you're around, and it's obvious to everyone who meets you. You are open, warm, friendly, and welcoming. You epitomize charm.

Are You Charming?

What Your Front Door Says

You are bold, brave, and easily excited. You are passionate about what you believe. And you're never afraid to tell people exactly what you think. You're picky and particular. It's sometimes hard to meet your standards.

The Front Door Test

Great Blog to Check Out

In Our Modest Opinion

I've had them in my Google Reader for a while now... I really like the looks they put together.

Some things you probably want to know about me...

You Are a Summer Person

You are energetic, outgoing, and active. You love to be out and about... hanging out with friends or getting things done. Summer is the perfect time for you to be as hyper as you want to be. In fact, during the rest of the year you feel half-asleep!

Are You a Winter Person or a Summer Person?

this one is really quite accurate.  especially the first sentence...

What Your Workspace Says About You

You are generally fairly organized, but you have occasional slip ups. You find keeping organized challenging. You are hardworking and driven. You have an excellent work ethic. You enjoy your job and don't feel guilty about how much time you spend working. You have a good balance between work and your personal life. You don't switch careers often, and you intend to stay at your current job for a long time. At work, you tend to be an extrovert. You enjoy working with other people and drawing people into your work space.

What Does Your Work Space Say About You?

i LOVE this one... how DO these quizzes know these things???

What Your Fridge Says About You

You aren't greedy, but you don't really deprive yourself either. You strike a good balance with the stuff you buy. You tend to be a fairly thrifty person. You splurge occasionally, but you're mostly a saver. You don't tend to be a very adventurous person, but you do surprise everyone now and then. You have a bit of a wild side. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it. You are likely single - and spending many nights alone at home.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

ok...

So, I'm home from a whirlwind weekend.
We had fun, but I'm really ready to be home and relax....
not going to happen though.

we have kids camp in 2 weeks, so I have a ton to do to get ready for that.
I can try to do a post here this week describing kids camp and why we have to so much to do to get ready for it...

in the meantime, I can't promise a post everyday this week, folks, although I will give it my best effort.

Have fun!

I would LOVE to hear about your Independence Day festivites....
does anyone have any family traditions???

Happy Independence Day!

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Wednesday

Means:

• I have a long day at work
• I have to pack TONIGHT for our weekend trip
• I have shop tonight to buy things that I need before I go out of town so I can pack them
• I'd really like to finish the 3 books that I have started
• I really SHOULD try to read the book we are basing our entire youth camp on this year...,
• I need to water the garden
• I need to figure out exactly WHAT to do with my dog while I'm gone
• I need about 24 hours of peace and quiet
• I need to buy a birthday present
• I need to organize and figure out costumes for camp....
• I need to figure out just WHAT costumes I need to organize and figure out for camp
• I need to sleep (may not happen)
• I need to eat  (ditto)
• I need a vacation. (ditto, ditto)....
  

Dr. Jak's Halter Top Solutions

Modesty can be difficult in today's trends.

We want to look cute and feminine and sometimes it is tricky to shop when it seems as if every option being offered to us, is asking us to compromise our convictions.



So, modesty can be difficult, but not impossible!

And, we're up to the challenge aren't we? Of course we are!

Here's a simple solution for a halter top dress I bought on a clearance rack for $15. I paired it with a brown top, with puffy sleeves. Since the layering look is "in" the outfit succeeds in being comfortable, feminine, and modest, while still being trendy!