Super Heroes VBS

This week is a messy week at ABC.  

Vacation Bible School starts next Monday.  

Today, the transformation began.

Our rural locale is beginning to look like Metropolis or Gotham City.  

Things will be different this year at ABC.  We'll have 2 Worship Rallies:  one, first thing in the morning and the 2nd one will be the last thing before dismissal.  

In years past, I've lead the Music Rotation.  This year, there is no Music Rotation.  I'm helping with the Worship Rallies and then with whatever else needs doing.  One of the daily crafts involves origami, so I'll be helping there.  There is also a Mad Science Lab, which I am really looking forward to. : )

I've usually come up with different costumes to go along with the theme.  (One of my favorites was the kilt.  And the didgeridoo from last year is still in my office.)

This year, being the year of the Super Hero, I have made myself a Super Supplier costume.  I have a cape and a utility belt.

Here's a close up of my utility belt.  It's loaded with things you might need that I can supply you with:  pony tail doos (can you tell I have girls with long hair?), a magnifying glass, zip ties, a wrench, a sharpie, paper clips, a clothes pin, chewing gum,and a mouse trap.  On the other side that you can't see are a bottle of Germ-X, band aids, post-its, and some other stuff I can't remember.  I plan on adding a roll of duct tape and probably some other items, as well.

It's going to be a fun week!!

Flower Boxes

My Mom and I didn't have very similar tastes on many things.  And after having been married with a house of my own for almost 28 years, I don't have the need nor the space for much of what's in Mom's house.

There is a notable exception, however.

I have always loved these concrete flower boxes.  I seem to remember seeing them at my Grandmother Louise's house, but I'm not certain.  I don't think they are something Mom would have bought herself, but she had a hard time letting go of her mother's things.

My mom did not have a green thumb, by the way.  I can't remember anything specific she ever planted in these boxes.  But I've always liked them.

When we built our house, we used a lot of concrete.  Our floors are stained concrete. Our counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms are concrete (mixed in a wheel barrow in the front yard and toted inside in 5 gallon buckets to be poured into the mold Mr. H built).  When the girls asked what we were going to do for a fireplace surround, their dad said, "Concrete, of course."  He meant it as a joke, but we actually did make it from concrete, too!

So the concrete flower boxes are right at home here.  All the flowers I planted in them are doing well (so far!)  The plantain lily even has a flower bud waiting to bloom.  I'm excited to see it.  I'll post pictures when it opens.

I Found the Camera!!

I found my camera this morning:  in the glove box of my car!!  I have absolutely no memory of putting it there.  Not even taking it to the car.

Oh, well.  I'm 50.  What can I say?

I did remember what I was going to take pictures of, though!

Since Mr. H got a new laptop, I inherited his mostly new one.  It has a back-lit keyboard, which is great for low light surfing.  Most of my computer time is spent at the kitchen table, which is made of concrete.  I really don't like anything cold to touch me, so I made an armrest.  It's rather like a long narrow place mat and keeps my skin from contacting the cold surface of the table.  I like it!

These are some washcloths I've been making.  The yellow one and the smaller multi-colored one have been used and gone through the wash several times.  I didn't realize they had shrunk until I put them next to a brand new one!  The yellow one is slightly bigger because I wasn't paying attention to how many rows I had done and went 2 beyond the instructions.

I get e-mails from a yarn company that include free patterns each week.  In the winter, there are hats, scarves, sweaters, socks, and all manner of other warm stuff.  This summer there is a wash cloth of the week.  Some are knitted and some are crocheted.  It's a great way to use up leftovers from other projects.

Unofficial Cheese Street

This past Saturday, Mr. H and I went on a bike ride around George and Greene Counties. It always amazes me how many beautiful places there are, right here close to home.

And many strange, unexplained things, too......

On Brushy Creek Road, close to Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, I saw a green street name sign that read "Unofficial Cheese St."

I really did!

I have a friend who is a member of that church, so I asked her about it. She had never seen it, so she went looking.

She found it. She asked the lady who lives across the street from the odd sign about its origin.

No answers.

Now she's curious, too.

I would love to have a picture to add to this post, but alas, I have misplaced my camera in the last several days and have seen more things that need photographing than I ever see when that camera is safely in my purse.

A New Look

I don't think I've changed the way this blog looked since I first started.

I decided that in honor of my jubilee year, I would try a face lift.

Green is my favorite color (after gray, of course), so I'm trying this one on.

If I'd gone with gray again, you might not have noticed a change!

(And to be authentic, I decided to announce the jubilee year with a ram's horn.)

Nap Time

Yesterday afternoon, I did something I haven't done in a long time: I took a nap in the front porch swing. I didn't really intend to go to sleep out there, but the opportunity presented itself and I couldn't help myself.

The air was perfect: just warm enough and just humid enough to feel like a gentle embrace. The wind was blowing in the trees and the wind chimes were singing. The swing moved slightly in the breeze and rocked me to sleep.

Resistance was futile.......

Ice Cream in a Bag

This idea is just too good not to share. Mark told me about it after they tried it with our children's Sunday School classes yesterday.

1 or 2 pint size zip lock bags
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon sugar
a few drops vanilla flavoring
1 quart size zip lock bag
ice cubes
rock salt

put the milk, sugar and vanilla into the pint bag.
seal well (you can place it into another sealed pint bag for good measure)
place the sealed pint bag into the quart bag along with ice and rock salt
squish the bag 5 minutes or longer if desired.
soft serve ice cream!!

You can experiment with your favorite additions, too.

This is so easy, preschoolers can handle the squishing part.