Vacation Bible Camp: Roadtrip

Our church had what we used to call VBS last week. On the first day, 1400 children between age 3 and 5th grade were present. They were expecting 1500 by the end of the week. I am amazed every year at the commitment and hard work of so many people that it takes to pull off an event like this. It seems like they think of everything!

Here is one of our pastors overseeing things, so to speak...

I was so excited for my granddaughter, age 4, to have a great experience this year. Last year she was a little too young and all the noise and commotion frightened her. The first day's events were actually held on Monday evening from 5:30-7:30 pm. The rest of the week, it was held from 9 am till noon. There was every bit as much noise this year, but she did really well and loved going every single day!

Snack time...notice the orange ID tag that was worn every day. Also, each family had to create a password in order to safely retrieve your child when it was time to leave.

The atrium of our church was transformed into a city park. This water fountain was a big hit!

Every hallway and every classroom was decorated for the Roadtrip theme. Some hallways were destinations, such as a beach. Other hallways took you through farmland. It was amazing!

There were all kinds of cute little shops near the city park...

My mom and my grandson stop by the pasta shop...

The popcorn machine was a favorite too!

I have no idea who the creative people are that thought of this, but every day the marquee changed to reflect the lessons of the day.

This is a favorite stop for the young moms. Each morning, refreshments such as cheese cubes, scones, grapes, coffee, tea and juice were offered along with some chairs to give the moms a chance to visit and just pamper themselves a little. A daily gift was given too, such as travel mugs, shopping bags, and flower seeds.

The most important part of the roadtrip of course were the lessons learned along the way. Each day the kids were given a printed card to take home which reviewed the day's Bible story. I'm looking forward to using these in the days ahead to review and reinforce the memory of them with my granddaughter. She had a great week, and loves singing the songs she learned and retelling the stories.

Thank you Hudson Community Chapel and each and every person who contributed in any way to an awesome Roadtrip! God bless you for investing so heavily in the eternal destinations of so many precious children!

Have you ever picked your own strawberries?

June is the month for strawberries here in NE Ohio. There are several farms within 1/2 hour's driving distance from our home. I've been so anxious for it to stop raining around here so I could take my grandchildren on a little strawberry field trip! The magic day was yesterday. We had so much fun. We chose a local farm that doesn't use pesticides on their strawberry plants and the kids were able to munch away while picking. I've already given away three quarts, and put three more in my freezer. The rest we will eat fresh...we've already enjoyed smoothies, and I will make shortcake today. These berries taste nothing like the ones purchased in the grocery store. It just doesn't get any fresher than this! We only had the energy to pick one nice big basketful, and they won't last very long...but the fun memories will last a lifetime.

Hide the clutter please!

One of my pet peeves around the house is the increasing number of electronic gadgets that we are collecting. Actually it's not the gadgets themselves that bug me, but all the charger cords and USB cables that clutter the tables and countertops. I've always disliked "wires" that "showed" anywhere, and believe me, we seem to have miles of them around our house.

Anyway, I saw a cute box at a discount store recently and it matches my kitchen decor perfectly. It was only $4. and I thought it would make a great little storage box for our cell phone charger cords, camera cables, laptop charger, etc. There's even room in there for the cell phones and the camera, a calculator, even the baby monitor. All those things kinds of things that clutter up the kitchen but have nothing to do with cooking! And they can now all be found in one place.

What do you think?

Thrifty shopping for children's clothes...

I just love to shop for children's clothing at our local thrift stores. With four grandchildren ages 4 & under, I have a good excuse to hunt for bargains. Here is my latest catch, all from one store:

7 dresses = $15.05

7 pr. boys socks = $1.20

4 girls tops = $6.00

4 boys shorts/overall shorts = $3.95

3 boys shirts = $1.80

1 boys swim trunks = $.30

1 girls panties = $.20

Grand total = $28.50

Since I (sadly) don't sew, I never buy anything that needs repaired. And I look for clothes that are not faded, spotted or out of style. Usually I buy items the kids can wear "right now" ... unless I happen to find a real bargain on something I know they will grow into and in the right season.

The name brands on the items above are such as these: Gymboree, Circo, OshKosh, Glo, Carters, Sophie Rose,Youngland, Chaps, & Children's Place.

But even more fun than finding these great bargains is taking my four year old granddaughter shopping with me. I show her the rack where her size is, and tell her which color tag to look for (the ones that are 1/2 price that day!) and away she goes! "Oh grandma, look at THIS! This is BEAUTIFUL!" ... She holds a dress up to herself and twirls around in delight. Sure, at those prices, pick out seven! When she gets a little older I will teach her more about the money part so she can understand it all better. Until then, I'll just keep on being an obnoxiously giddy and doting grandma!

Anyone out there who shares this thrill of the bargain hunt for quality children's clothing? This exact Sophie Rose sailor dress is for sale at Kohl's for $30. I paid $4. for it, and it doesn't look like it was ever worn. Yippee!

Children in the kitchen...

My grandson, Deacon, who with his mom and little brother are visiting this week from SC, made our supper tonight. I don't know where I caught onto this, but every now and then if I have any leftover spaghetti meat sauce, I make these little "pizzas". Deacon is four and he was so proud of himself that I let him put these together. Here's how he did it:

First we opened up a package of English muffins, and splitting the muffins, layed them out on a cookie sheet.

Next, we took the reheated meat sauce and spread it generously on the split muffins.

And the last step was to cover each pizza with a slice of American cheese.

The pizzas then got baked in a 350 degree F. oven for approximately 8 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bottoms get slightly crispy.

Deacon also fixed the salad...

And set the table!

I was so proud of him and loved watching him be so happy to be helping me in the kitchen tonight!

These little "pizzas" make a quick hot lunch from leftovers and you can use anything you want for toppings. Enjoy! (Not only the food, but the kids!)