a day off....sort of, ha!

 

Yesterday at summer camp, with Miss Camille Anaya...I was the Snow Cone maker!

Some downtime with Wulf and Tennyson...I was explaining to Wulf how I had to leave to go help in the kitchen at summer camp.  He didn't want me to leave.

Miss Charlotte Claire...

Benjamin Paul, helping out at the camp.

So today I didn't go out to help....I was there Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  This fine morning, this Saturday morning, I was here with Margaret and the boys, and we had to decide what to do!  Head to a playground, that's always good!  So off we went...no schedule, no time restraints.  We saw a huge farmer's market, I would love that, but the boys...probably not.  Wulf was all up for a playground.  Then we saw the agricultural museum with a bonus:  there was a cow showing, a bovine fair, a moo festival, I don't know what it was called.  But we pulled in, because yes, Wulf DID want to see those cows!  There was free ice cream (I get a million points for saying NO...no thank you, to FREE ice cream!). Wulf however got zero points, and one bowl of "It's A Cow Party" ice cream, courtesy of Byrne Dairy, (birthday cake ice cream with sprinkles and ribbons of icing through out).  

The county Dairy Princess!

Then, we went into the museum.

For some reason, Wulf was fascinated with the checkers outside of the old Mercantile, General store.

Then, we went to the playground...

After going home for a bit, we packed those boys back up and went to...Target!  I wanted to get some Lavazza coffee, 35% off with TargetCircle.  I also got seltzer, chicken breast, and a bathing suit top.

Then to Aldi for peppers and tortillas, lime juice, and cheese sticks.  

Home again, then Margaret packed up the boys and headed home.  It's too quiet in here and I miss those boys in their cuddly evening pajamas, already.  

Tomorrow our kids get home from the camp, and our general summer conference starts at church.  I'll be bringing out all the dollhouse stuff again, and running the snow cone machine again.  It'll be nice to see so many of our friends we haven't been able to see for so long.

Summer is waning, and I don't want it to.  I love the bare feet and the garden and the flowers and the long, bright days.  I do not want to know how many days are left until autumn, I just want them to go on and on.  

a good day's work....

My days start sweetly, little boys with sleepy eyes, in their pajamas.  These little boys like Grandma to make them some brekky, and read some stories.  Today:  pancakes with sprinkles and whipped cream.

I had to be at church by ten for my shift in the kitchen, it was absolutely amazing.  I got to talk to a few friends I haven't seen in so long, and got to know a few more that I knew by name, but never really talked to much.  Many hands make light the task, and also make FUN the task.  We made cornbread to go with tomorrow's barbecue (seven pans of it!), we made four huge pans of apple crisp.  We cut up grilled chicken breast, and brushed on butter and garlic to the tops of the bread sticks.  The dinner menu was Italian food: grilled chicken,  fettuccine Alfredo sauce, angel hair pasta, red sauce with meatballs and curly pasta, salad and endless breadsticks.  Dessert:  the 400 cookies I made on Monday (they were baggied up and put in the refrigerator).  Snack later:  big pretzels, nacho cheese sauce, tortilla chips, salsa...

I left at six o'clock, before the meal was actually served.  My feet hurt, my knees were killing me, and I wanted to get home here to see the little guys.  

Wulf wanted me to take him for a walk, but ugh, I couldn't do that!  I suggested we go for ice cream, and we did!

When we got home, I got out a toy I had gotten at the thrift store a while ago, a Hot Wheels set.

It is a chain reaction type set, one car hits another and then another and all down the track things happen, it's very cool.

The kids are having a nice time at camp, they sent a few pics...

That's Jonathan on the ladder, with his big brother Benjamin on the right.

The pool area...

Some of the cabins...

Miss Char and Miss Cam when they were little...

Camille and me...she was the sweetest!

Anyway, it was a day!  I loved it, and it went by too fast, now it's time to go to bed, because tomorrow is more fun!!!

cookies, cookies, and MORE cookies!

3 pounds of butter, farm fresh eggs, only the best chocolate chips...

three triple batches of cookie dough later...

...and voila!!!  404 cookies!  I was asked to make either 200 larger ones, or 400 smaller ones...I think they're good sized, and there'll be enough.  We put them in large zip-lock baggies by the dozen, in boxes in the walk-in refrigerator.  The kids will have them tomorrow night.

The pool this morning, when I was out there puttering around.  I'm like an old retired lady, only I never actually worked...well, for one year as a receptionist at an insurance agency....and of course I've done tons and loads of work here at home, and at church...life is winding down, but I am still busy enough!

I stole these pics, such good ones...Benjamin and his wife Ashley, and Elise and Anya.

Elise
Anya...

After the cookies, I took a dip in the pool, picked a few tomatoes from the garden, and got some dinner on.  We had taco salad, again, because we had so much stuff leftover.  I really need a quick trip to the store, it'll be tomorrow morning.  It's going to be a busy week, but one thing at a time...

I had trouble sleeping last night, so many things shifting through my head, then I thought of Jesus saying to Martha about how she was busy with so many things, but "just one thing is needful".   

Life is good.  It is so good when you know that all things work together for your good, and when you seek peace with all men.  It's good when you know it's you, and your sin, that needs to be worked on, not other people.   It's good when you hear that still small voice saying humble yourself, or be quiet now, or just let it go.

Life is made up of trials, big and small, and being faithful in those little every day things brings great joy.  Be anxious for nothing.   We ALL know that is in the Bible.  So when I toss and turn and worry and fret, what do I do?  I fight.  I say NO.  I fight some more, and I sometimes say right out loud, "Oh dear Lord, help me to have peace!"

So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Heb 13:6)

The world is in turmoil.  Sometimes I think it's like The Emperor's New Clothes, who will have the courage to point out the absurdity of some of these things?   The censorship is alarming.  People being forced/coerced/threatened to be fired if they refuse the jab (with no account take for those who have HAD this illness, ect.)(where is all the talk of natural immunity?  Swept under the rug!).  It's absolutely fine to be vaccinated, if that's what you choose, and we are all allowed to say that.  But, if we dare suggest there are other methods, oh woe.  Is this America, or is this China?  

Anyway.  Life is good.   I like knowing what's going on, but I refuse to let the news get me down, because God is bigger than the boogie man.  That's from Veggie-Tales, and it's a good song.   

another day of summer, blasted right by...

 

Sonja K., Margaret, me, Tennyson in the stroller, Evelyn Joy, Charlotte Claire with Wulf, and Camille...we went to the mall.  Char wanted to try on some sneakers she wants, before ordering them online.  She would just buy them in the store, but they don't come in the color she wants.  She's been working hard doing landscaping, earning a little money, so she can be picky.  

I only bought a few things, clearance rack things, but then some good coffee beans from The Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters, as well as a nice cup to drink on the way home.  Char and Cam opted for bubble tea, they're crazy about that stuff.  

We decided to order pizza for lunch/dinner, because it was so hot out, I didn't feel like going home and cooking!  Instead, we went home and went in the pool!  Pizza on the pool deck, how's that for opulence?  

  Tomorrow is cookie day...I'm making three triple batches of dough...and baking it all.  At least, that's the plan....it's going to be hot tomorrow, hot and sunny, so hopefully I won't melt in the kitchen.  I'm baking them at church, where there's an oven with six racks, that's not so bad.  

Anyway...goodnight!  (Sometimes I leave parts out.  Camille is playing the violin, at ten o'clock at night, one of the girls stepped on a stick and had to have an antibiotic because a red line was starting to snake up...stuff happens....Margaret hurt her knee...she's staying here with her kids this week, so we baby proofed today...). But, it was a good day.

Saturday night blogging at it's finest....

 Well, if you thought yesterday was busy, well it was.  I cleaned and vacuumed the camper, but sadly, and I do mean SADLY, it's not in good condition.   Water leaked in, and has wreaked havoc, we can't really stay in the camper anymore.  We can use it as a day space, use the yard, and the refrigerator, ect., but it's going to have to be towed away soon.  I cried, absolutely sobbed, when I saw how the ceilings looked...

We bought this 35 foot camper brand new, back in 1993, so we've definitely loved it.  We used to tow it to the state parks, but we haven't done that for several years now.  We use it at our church property.  So yes, I cried.  I cried because of the sentimentality involved, we had such good times in this camper.  We only had six kids when we upgraded from the Coleman pop-up camper.  Little did we know that we would have 10 more!   We had to use a few tents in addition, we couldn't all fit in the camper at one time!  

I cried because we aren't in a place where we can easily replace the camper.  It's on the list, at least it's on MY list, to get a smaller camper, that we could once again tow to the parks, enjoy the Adirondacks, rather than tenting.  But, we'll see.  We can dream, but.  

I cried because I was ashamed of how attached I am to the camper.  It's such an earthly thing.  But what it signifies is warmth and family, good times, celebrations.  We had such fun with it.  Morning coffee, the excitement of kids, even the years it's been parked at church, packing our bags and staying out there, so much fun!  

I cried because I love my camper, and no amount of vacuuming and polishing is going to fix those ceilings.  The water damage is all the way through the walls, some of the upper cabinets are absolutely buckling.  It's not good.  It's on it's deathbed.

Oh so dramatic. 

When the broken camper was all clean, the girls were finished painting, we went to the pools for a bit, yes our church has two beautiful in-ground pools.  Then home, then to the store for some things for today, then home, dinner:  chicken fajitas!

I love the peppers, I stir fried the bottom bowl with some onions, mmm.  

After dinner, no putting our feet up, back to the church to unpack and put away a bunch of things ordered from Amazon and Walmart for this week's youth camp, 200 kids need meals!  

Then, Paul took us out for ice cream.  I actually didn't get one, some times I do, but this time I didn't.

Jonathan, Sonja, Charlotte Claire, and Camille...

This fine morning, out the door by 9:30 with boxes, bags, and bins of dollhouse stuff, and the snow cone machine, for a children's day.

My sister passed out snacks...

Emily made a slip and slide with plastic, and baby shampoo, so it didn't hurt their eyes.

Anya made a fancy drink at the drink station...

Wulf likes snow cones.

Elise painted a pretty pot.

Yay, the bouncy house!

Emily supervised the water station/slip and slide.

Baby Tennyson liked the doll house stuff.

Tomorrow, I think I'm being roped into taking some girls to the mall...ugh.:)