VBS, Barbies and more damage to my hands

 I usually have my laptop with me at Biolife and stream shows but today I forgot it in the car when I went in.  So all I had was my phone.  

I had noticed yesterday that my phone only had 21 GB left on it out of 128 GB.  Yikes!    This coming from a woman whose first computer only had a 10 MB hard drive...  I've gotten soft.

So I spent the hour going through videos and photos on my phone, cleaning out duplicates and just dumb stuff.  How many memes and funny things do I REALLY need?  I gained a gigabyte!  I should probably download them to my computer and external hard drive some day.  And I will! Just not yet.

I'll be taking off soon to go be my ex-dil's ride to her surgery.  I'll be spending the day in the hospital waiting room or cafeteria, working on my laptop.  Fun times!!!  I'm going to do the cafeteria I think.  More food.

Speaking of food, I need to quit eating it.  so much...  I really need to jump back on the dieting wagon and get rid of some of this weight I've been loathe to let go.  I'm trying!  But it's been VBS week here and every evening has been fast food before church.  I typically have errands to run beforehand so right after work, Leon and I head to town for those errands and a quick bite before VBS.  

This was our project from VBS last night.  

We tie-dyed flour tea towels and it was a rip roaring mess!  I hope the parents forgive me!  "wear the gloves!" *they pull them off* "don't touch your skin with your gloves!" *they touch their face and scratch their heads*  "don't touch your clothes!" *a pair of shorts, jeans and a white shirt were touched*  sigh...  And the ground will correct itself as the grass grows.

But the kids all had a great time, learned some lessons from the Bible and some new songs. It was a success!

Leon, his best friends and my towel are in the washer now and my hands still look I just colored Easter eggs.

I made pickles from the cukes in my garden yesterday early.  I used a new recipe that someone on a canning site mentioned and it appears to have worked out nicely, but I don't want to try them out for a couple weeks.  

As soon as I know if it's worked, I'll post the recipe here. *crossing fingers*

The local library is putting up a Barbie display. Guess who has Barbie stuff up the wazoo?!  ME!  My kids possessed the Barbie mansion, which I can't find a photo of in my phone or on the blog...  We own the Barbie airplane and little red convertible.  And the real, working Barbie jeep!  I'm not going to loan them the jeep, but I am the mansion, airplane and convertible.  I'll run the plane up before I leave town today.  She promised that no one would be playing with them, it's just for display.  :) yeah right.  These toys are very played with already so one more kid isn't going to hurt it, but it would be nice to have them last another generation of girls.  Maybe Agnes will be into them!

Well, I better get my ducks in a row before I leave for the day.  Have a glorious weekend!

Needing a Baby Fix

Baby Aggie fix for the day! :) I haven't seen her at all today.  It's been a busy one.  But her mama sent me pic of what she's up to.

On Sunday afternoon, Leon's other family celebrated his younger brother's 8th birthday and he wanted me to join them.  They had a party at a hotel that had an arcade as well as a water park.  A lot of fun!

 I hung out with the twins, making sure they didn't try to jump into the deep end or go head first down the pirate slide.

Nova was especially dangerous.

With her twin, a close 2nd. Whew!  The lifeguard did NOT understand that a 3 year old couldn't follow directions around the ropes. Um... he's 3. and stubborn.

After the party and all the kids and their mom were up in their hotel room enjoying pizza, I went over to my mother-in-law's and stayed over on her couch.  We had a very nice time and I had breakfast with her in the cafeteria the next morning before going back to the hotel to help them load cars and bring Leon back home.

I was looking for a new FB profile pic.  What do you think about this one?

I went through all my BeReal photos and came across this one.  Not sure...

I took Meri's cat, Ranch, to the vet yesterday.  He's so curious!

and tall!

Then Vacation Bible School for the evening.  Tonight is our last night of it this year.  The kids have been excited all the way through and last night I got burned really good (bad) with the hot glue gun.  It's being packed away and let them use tape, darn it!

It took 4 freezer pops held tightly to get through the rest of the evening and to get home.  I only ate one.

Then took 2 Aleve as soon as I got home, holding ice onto the fingers until they kicked in.

Today isn't bad at all but the blister on my pinky is very large and tight.  Whew!  I can still type, but do I want to? Not really.

OK - the work day is mostly done and I need to pick up the stuff for tie dying tonight!

Seems less dangerous...  Maybe I should wear a hazmat suit for safety though.

50 Talents

It was a bad day yesterday.  Today can only be better...  Work was stressful and I was never so happy to see 5pm!!!  Well a few times before.

Last night was the final night of VBS and the kids enjoyed their activities last night too.  I was able to get rid of a jar or two of buttons!!  I am now just down to 35 jars.  a few more creative crafts at Sunday school and they'll be all gone.

Here's what we did last night for crafts.

They also played outside and since it was twenty degrees cooler than the previous day, the kids were chilled but willing to do spider races.  Well, Emma was.  No one else could figure it out and we had preschoolers falling down all over the place.  Yeah... Let's go back inside...

Meri had written a new song for the kids to learn based on Psalms 17 and 18.  The kids really seemed to like it!  Especially the shouting part.  They may never sing it in front of anyone, like the congregation, but they were really starting to pick it up.  We'll probably keep it in their repertoire.   Meri had to work last night so she wasn't able to play the keyboard along with them as she had on Wednesday, so I should have practiced it more with her to get the tune nailed down better...  Oh well.  

We might have to requisition more children's songs out of that girl!  Maybe a better niche than Kid's Bop thinks it has!

definition Kid's Bop - change the words of really bad songs, so the kids will sing along, then when they hear the real song, they'll be disillusioned and because they know the tune so well, they'll adjust to the bad words.  REALLY?!  Maybe.

KIND of reminds me of when I bought the clean version of Love Actually and let the girls watch it with me.  Then later, it was on tv and Meri told Grandma that she loved that movie and could they watch it?  Well, the tv version wasn't edited as well as my clean version.  Yikes!!!  She's been scarred for life...

So was Grandma...

Anyway, use your talents for GOOD peoples!!!

Have a great weekend!

The Pressures On

I found a float toy!!  And he loves it.  

Got him in the pool during the last half of my lunch break yesterday and I worked at the swimming pool for over an hour while he mingled.

He mostly watched a different grandma give her grandson a swimming lesson and now he's ALL about putting his face under the water.  Well, for starters, in the bath tub today.  

"WHY are you sputtering?!"

We've got him signed up for swimming lessons starting next week.

As I took Ryan to work yesterday, this happened...  sigh.  Can't drive anywhere in the afternoon without that happening...  and I HAD worn him out with the swimming.

We headed to church where we prepared for a supper and then VBS (Vacation Bible School).  Can you guess what our story was last night?  

Yikes, that was one tall dude! I may have measured him a few inches taller than he actually was.

It's happened in more modern days too...

THEN we had a visitor who showed us all about modern day heros.

One of the dads.

After that, each of the kids attempted to take down our very own Goliath.

 Granted, it was just a head in the tree.

 But check out Emma's jump!

They had a blast.  Now if we can just have tonight be just as awesome...  

Under pressure now...

Little Miracles

We've had our VBS (Vacation Bible School) this week at our church.  And each night, it starts off with a light meal, then into the lessons, crafts, music, etc.  

It goes SO fast.  Suddenly each 20 minute session is over and rushed to the next activity.  

Yes, this is Christmas and Easter in July! WOOHOO!!!!

But anyway, this year, I'm also the organizer of the church meals, so in addition to getting VBS prepared, I needed to get the meals organized too.  As usual, I waited until almost the last minute, emailing the group and letting people volunteer to bring each thing.

I screwed it up and said one person could bring something when someone else had said they'd bring it and stepped on some toes...  So I was feeling terrible about it already.  

REALLY!!!  WE can have TWO containers of sour cream there!!

The first meal was "Walking Tacos".  YUM...  So as the ladies were putting everything out on the serving table, someone said, "Where's the cheese for this? Who was supposed to bring that?"

Whoops!  I couldn't remember and neither did anyone else.  That's when someone found a bag of cheese in the freezer.  WOW.  It was a little miracle!!

I later found out that my name was next to the cheese item...

sigh.

So with the potential State Fair behind me that I'm not participating in, VBS behind me, the wedding dress almost behind me, the rest of the summer is cooking up to be pretty good.

Now, if I can just keep up with the yard.

Sugar Induced Rush

Who doesn't love a kid wearing ice cream on his face?...

Well, besides the person who has to clean him up.

VBS is over.  Whew!  What a rush!  The adults were included and had their own bible study while the kids had their lessons, music time and craft time.  AND we didn't let the adults play with the side walk chalk!  much...

 

This WAS supposed to be the All The Single Ladies table, but then Robb and I and one other married woman sat down here.  So it just turned into the Fun table.  Oh forgot that Leon was there the whole time and he's not a lady either...  But if you're under two, it doesn't matter where you sit.

 

 I didn't get a group shot, which was a shame!  But took lots of scattered shots throughout the two days.

Got lots planned for the weekend, because that's, of course, what I live for!  Movie tonight on a neighbor's yard, Iowa State Fair tomorrow for the ones that want to go and get as much food on a stick as possible!!!  

And I should probably schedule in a sugar coma nap for one of the afternoons. 

Living in the Fast Lane

VBS went fast last night.  15 minute opening, 20 minutes for this, 30 minutes for that, 25 minutes for that other thing and suddenly it's over!  Never seems like enough time to do the things you want to get to.

The crafts went over well.  The kids had fun but didn't have a lot to show for it at the end of the night.  Hopefully they'll get to take some items home tonight.  

But my kindergartners know exactly which days of creation dogs and sharks were made on!  

Those are the important things.

Sad day yesterday for Meri.  Her cat, Oppa, passed away after a brief illness following massive thread consumption.  A country kitten brought to town, Oppa became a beloved pet of Meri's.  She was a very good cat, despite her anger at having another cat brought in the house for a short time last year.  We were blessed with the time we had with her.

Well, back to work!  Got back to back meetings lined up for a good chunk of the day.  

Looking forward to watching a movie on the side of a neighbor's garage tomorrow night!  Kind of like a drive in only you have to bring your own popcorn.  and chairs.

TP rolls lead middle aged woman to madness. News at 11.

When my mom made out a shopping list, she refused to write out "toilet paper" and always put TP instead.  It was so she wouldn't be embarrassed if someone saw the list and assumed that we actually have to use the stuff.  horrors...

But I digress...

Mad scramble over here.  VBS starts tonight and do we have crafts all ready?  

No...

Got some ideas and will work preparing them into my free time today to gather the supplies needed.  

 This could be one of them...  

And contrary to popular belief, especially at this moment, I am NOT lame...

My mother had me tested.

On VBS and a Prayer

Well...  It's another day I'll be going full boar for work and after work.  School starts tomorrow, so I'm helping out with the senior breakfast for tomorrow.  Love me some cantaloupe!

To add to the busy-ness of the day, I've got lots of other things on my mind too.  Please send some prayers this way.   just reference my name when you pray...  God knows what it is....

And for your viewing pleasure...  Here I am at Vacation Bible School last week doing face painting on some willing volunteers.  Apparently the favorite was butterflies and that didn't really have ANYTHING to do with the lesson... 

I found a recipe on Pinterest on how to make the paint from cold cream, food coloring and corn starch.  I used Oil of Olay, food coloring & FORGOT to add the cornstarch, so it was an icky mess.  The little sweetie in front of me was just getting her 3rd painting because she kept smearing it on her hands.  I mumbled something about how her mom is going to kill me!  But she said, "Don't worry!  My mom didn't even bring me tonight!"

Um right...  I'll bet she'll see your shirt later...  *I hope it came out Amy!!!*  *don't kill me!*

Have a good one!

VBS vs VBJ

My initials before marriage were VBJ. My friends used to joke that it stood for Vacation Bible Jamboree. Well... it didn't. Quit making fun of my name!!! Valerie, calorie, salary... QUIT IT!

I go by Val now...

and it rhymes with PAL...

On Saturday morning my church put on our VBS. Vacation Bible School! Not Valerie B. Something or other... Kind of late in the summer, but it's giving the kids a kick start on Sunday school starting up again soon.

I didn't teach a group, but helped with the setup and execution. We found a 1 day VBS cd online with a Western theme. It's called Circle J!It was funny how they were able to tie Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey to a dude ranch... but we did it! Here are some of the things we did...

Branded cookies.The kids made cowboy vests out of grocery sacks.Refridgerator magnets with foam spelling out Jesus. On the example I had to draw on it with marker so Meri and one of the teachers could see that it wasn't in Sanskrit. It's kind of an optical illusion kind of thing... They made horses! Maddy learned the songs on the piano and accompanied during music time. She also brought a friend to help out. She and Hannah rode their horsies into one of the classrooms and talked to them about their work on some fictitious ranch. Talking western the whole time. Showing the kids how to mount a horse properly. So funny!Relay races at recess time. They had to ride their horses (donkeys) over to a pile of their shoes, put them on and ride their horses back. Then I had the brilliant idea of using our bandannas to have a 3 legged race. Worked beautifully! I KNEW bandannas served a purpose in the old West!And of course cowboy hats! All the teachers, assistants and any parents who hung around got one too. It's our law! Gotta wear a cowboy hat when in a western VBS...

or is it VBJ?

By the way... I now speak with a permanent drawl.