VBS 2015 "Journey off the Map"

We had another fantastic VBS this year! I was pretty involved-- I sang and did motions on stage, acted in skits (got to be silly again!) and was head teacher for the Pre-K class. I got to do the Bible lessons and teach the motions to songs (with the help of videos, which were a bit of a headache, but the Pastor helped us work it out with a new TV and DVD player!). It did get pretty warm most mornings, so we had indoor puzzles, books and activities to do. The kids played games with our great games leader, Maria. They also got to do crafts with our craft leader, Jennifer. We had several teen helpers and a Grandma, so it was lots of fun! We had 25-27 kids in our room, and were plenty busy all morning. We had a great time with the "wee ones!"

Snacks outside after Bible time...

 Playing games and reading books...

 The boys loved the cars and car mat...

 Crafts with Jennifer (the kids called her Mrs. Jennifer)

 Working on their key rings...

 Painting t-shirts is always an adventure!

 So determined...

 Gotta cover it all!

 Getting the glue off the shirts, but the paint stayed...It was lots of fun and we're glad that the parents let their kids hang out with us! I was exhausted every afternoon, but I loved them!

Our verse of the week:

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Matthew 18:3
And he (Jesus) said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:13-14
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Bathroom remodel (downstairs)

One of my goals this summer was to remodel our downstairs bathroom. It had plaid wallpaper on one wall, and it was not a terrible print. It was a large plaid with tan and blue lines. We have lived in our home for five years and have dealt with it. But I was tired of the wallpaper. I got a little bored on Monday and decided to try taking down the wallpaper. It quickly became a rest of the day job. The next day, my hubby and I shopped for paint and decided on two light blues. The lighter one for three walls and the darker one for the old wallpaper wall. On Wednesday, I primed the walls with old white primer that we had. Even the ceiling was painted tan, like the three walls. I primed that too. I ran out of primer, but my hubby found more in the garage. I finished priming it on Wed. night. On Thursday, I painted the ceiling white and the three walls light blue. I really like the light blue color. It needed two coats, so I did another coat on Friday morning. On Saturday, my hubby finished the job with a few touch-ups, and painting the last darker blue wall. Then we changed three fixtures too, from gold to silver. We put in a new TP holder, towel holder and faucet. I really like the difference! There are a few other minor changes, but we are loving it so far!

I was so happy that it was just one wall... it was really stuck on there!

My beautiful cap ; - D ... so I didn't get paint in my hair while painting the ceiling...

Finished! One corner...

The new towel holder by the mirror...

My essential oil cabinet hung again...

The new faucet and drain...

The cabinet is hung! 

We hung two wall-hangings (Psalm 51:7 from an idea from Pinterest, and the painting from my artist Mom-in-law!), and still need to hang a few others, but it is nice to have the bulk completed! It's another sea life theme... even the basket is new!




Isaiah 42:10
[ Song of Praise to the Lord ] Sing to the Lord a newsong, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Ephesians 4:22-24
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

VBS prep 2015 "Journey off the Map"

For our VBS this year, we had the theme of "Journey off the Map." The idea being that our walk with Jesus is a daily journey, and we don't always know where He will take us! We have to trust Him and let Him be our guide each and every day. I loved the theme, and I was head of the decoration crew again this year. I had several wonderful helpers, including my good friend Dionne. Our church has a large auditorium and we've always divided the kids into four main groups for the daily rotations. So we made four large signs out of cardboard boxes (over six feet long and eight feet high!) instead of styrofoam like the curriculum suggested. So we spent lots of time at church painting, painting and painting some more. I think they turned out wonderfully well! 

We also made four palm trees. They were a bit of work to figure out... we used three yardsticks nailed across each other, then stapled the large cardboard, painted leaves onto them. They were weighed down inside the posts with a string and weights since they were top heavy. Two of the four were anchored to the wall so they wouldn't fall over. They looked cool, even if they were not too authentic (after seeing them on our vacation!) Overall, I was very pleased with the decorations and very thankful for the help given to me by many church members!

 One sign is beginning to take shape...

 Another sign with two trees...

 A rapelling rock...

 Day two of painting the first sign... looks so cool!

 Another sign with red rocks...

 The trees are looking pretty cool!

 My daughter Rebekah helped paint the blue around the tree... we should have done that first. Oops!

 We made four palm trees... I loved how they turned out!

 Downstairs in the craft room... we had this cool rock wall that we used for pictures with some vines and palm tree added in...

 In the entryway of the main church, we had a cool trailhead that the Ladies Committee had recently used for their lemonade stand!

 Another palm tree, this one in the main church entryway...

 The four area signs all finished!

 For our main stage, (the worship rally) we created a waterfall on and off the stage! We also hung lots of flowers and vines up high too. It looked pretty neat! Church members donated a raft, oars and a canoe, along with lots of life vests and spelunking head lamps!

 Love the rocks in the water too!

 The side view and the front view (below)...

 The pre-k room also had a "campfire" and a palm tree! We hung some bugs and vines in there too!

What a labor of love it was... "It's for the kids!" as VeggieTales says... Lots of fun! I'll share more about VBS in another post soon!

Our theme verse this week...

Isaiah 30:21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Exodus 15:11
Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Summer vacation memories: Wedding!

One of the main reasons that we travelled to Texas was for our oldest nephew Peyton's wedding to Haley. While none of our family were in the wedding, we were happy to attend. As it turned out, Rebekah helped take pictures, I helped send bridesmaids and ring bearer down the aisle, and my hubby put together the slide show and ran the sound board. We were delighted to help! My adorable youngest nephew (age 4) was the ring-bearer. He didn't want to wear a coat, so my sister-in-law made him a cape. It was so cute on him-- what a neat idea! She also sewed her son's vest and helped with the broach bouquet. It was a lovely day, with the ceremony at their church and the reception at the Botanical Gardens nearby. It was a lovely setting for the reception. There were a few hiccups, but I kept telling my new niece, "All that matters is that you're married at the end of the day!" And they were-- Congratulations again to Peyton and Haley!

My twin nephew and niece, who didn't want to stand by each other... lol!

 My adorable nephew in his cape...

 Me and my pretty sister...

 There he is... doing a great job standing and listening!

And they're married!

 They were so happy!

 My brother with his grand-daughter. She calls him, "Grand-dude". Love it!

 The happy couple in the receiving line!

 A selfie after the wedding, with TWO kids who photo-bombed!

 The pretty cake, with a groom's chocolate cake behind...
 
 Me with my three siblings who attended the wedding... We missed our brother Dave!

Family picture-- no spouses, no kids...

 Silly photo of my parents with ALL of their grandkids and great-grandkids-- that's not happened before!

 My sweet hubby dancing with our eight-year-old at the reception... love them both!

It was a beautiful day! What a blessing from God that they found each other! We love you both!



John 2:1-10
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so,  and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”