Normal Day

The kids are in VBS this week, and they are doing so well! : )  They are divided by age, but I thought Ethan would want Clay every time he saw him, but so far, so good.  When I dropped Mary Claire off yesterday, she had a boy leader, and two boys on her pew.  She looked at me, and I just gave her the (it'll be ok, I promise!) look.  She'd been so nervous about not knowing anyone (we didn't end up having English VBS at our church, so they are at the Catholic church in Fayetteville), and we've prayed all week!  So then I prayed from the time I left her (yes, seriously!) through my first two errands.  I really wanted her to have a great time with sweet kids.

And guess what?  She loved it, and made a couple friends.  Praise God! : )  I was so thankful.  They had fun yesterday, and we learned that one friend's name is Mitchell (girl).  The first day she couldn't tell me anyone's name, so I told her to get a Name! : )  So happy for the kids-Ethan had an awesome time at music, sang very loudly, and is quite the entertainer (no shock to his momma!), and Clay is growing up-he's so mature about it . : )

I'm helping with check-in today, so I'm up extra early.  I'm glad to do something.  I was really hoping to teach at ours, but we didn't have enough helpers to teach/run VBS. : (  Sad that we have the largest church in Arkansas, but can't muster help for a vacation bible school.  Bad sign.

Mary Claire hasn't called me either day!  Instead of eating the snack, she just puts it in her bag and eats it at home.  I have this feeling she doesn't want to check her blood or get out her pump in front of anyone.  Should I let this go?  Her blood sugar has been fine, and I think she likes being "normal".  I don't know how long it can go on...I guess I'll let her go as long as she can, I get it. 


Bunco was here last night, and my friends are so kind.  They were incredibly sweet, and loved the BBQ. heehee  I also made a carrot cake recipe that I've had since 1994 I think?  My friend kept asking where I got the recipe-I don't think she was content with just my other friend's name!  It's just a recipe on paper, so no reference.  Sometimes those are the best recipes though!

Today and tomorrow, laundry and packing!  The kids can't wait to leave.  Target had 8g SD cards on sale this week for $9, so I got Clay and Mary Claire each a new one to load with more music-she has two 2g full, and he has one.  They love music!  He is into fifties and sixties music now-Elvis, Beatles, and all my old ones on my ipod.  Mary Claire is into Christian pop, Taylor Swift, and all the Kids Bop.  If it entertains them on the trip, I'll do it.  I also got some hangman pads, new play-doh cans, and new play-doh foil ziploc packs-sooo much easier to pack!  I like to have some new stuff on hand for restaurants and hotels, just in case.  : )

Oops-my first baby is up-I gotta go! : )  Hope you have a great day!

Perfect Timing

Apple-Cheddar-Squash soup: I know it sounds all healthy-but it was delish!  It actually has two whole apples, a butternut squash (yes, here was me finding a butternut squash-first time-and then trying to cut/peel/dice it! Ha!), 2 cups of grated cheese, onion, apple juice/cider, and chicken broth.  I added some garlic (because I like it in all things).  Here's the recipe if you want to know more, but I loved it!  It tasted a little like a yummy corn chowder recipe I have, but maybe sweeter?  I got a new calendar Friday night after about 2 weeks of intense-calendar-shopping (yes, really!), and I was planning meals and making a grocery list...and googled easy summer meals.  Ha! Google delivers again.  I found about four new recipes, so HaPpY!  (Here's an old calendar like mine, I had trouble finding them online-I had one last year, but only found them in Borders this year, even though I have B&N gift cards to use!  Hmm..what to shop for..)
Mary Claire went to a surprise VBS tonight (well, she was invited right before it was time to be there, so I let her go!).  She was excited to go with a couple friends, so I think she'll have fun.  She was swimming at a friend's house today (after swimming with us twice-so yes, three suits wet!), and was invited to go along.  They brought her back to change, and she was out the door.  I feel like she's so much more grown up.  She put her own pump back on (please, God, keep her site good after so much soaking today..), and called to tell me what they were having at dinner (yes, they served food!), and gave herself a bolus.  My little girl.  So she missed out on my new soup, poor girl.  (heehee-her choice would've always been chicken nuggets and trail mix-Woo-hoo!)
Friday afternoon I got the opportunity to go to the church and straighten the books in the pews, put new envelopes in the holders, and clean up a little.  I was having a rough day when I got there, ran all the way to the door (since it'd started pouring down rain!), got a hug from Mrs. Sherry, then went into the church.  It was so quiet, and there were people getting ready for a wedding, rehearsing.  There was music on quietly, and it was so peaceful.  I finished the section I was supposed to do, and it was still pouring down rain-so I kept going.  The church emptied out, and I was alone.  It was perfect-I'd say God sent the rain to hold me closer, longer.  I needed it, and I went through all the sections, just perfecting books, then through the cry room, which didn't seem like it'd been touched in weeks (or else kids had destroyed it fast!).  There were NO envelopes in there (I know, I know, kids crumple them, play with them, and stuff them in crevices), but what if those kids want to take offering up in a sweet little envelope?  Well, now they can. (hope I don't get in trouble for giving them envelopes!)  Anyway, by the time I left it was dark, quiet, and I was ten million times calmer.  My arm had been hurting when I went in, but I totally forgot about me, and enjoyed my time.  Thank you for the opportunity-sometimes God gives us choices-and blesses us tremendously.
Thank you, God, for our wonderful friends, our church of peace, your sun to play in, and food to share.  Many blessings coming our way! : )

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

Acquainted with the finer things

Today was the kids' first day at VBS-and they had fun!  Mary Claire liked that the saint of the day was Clare (not her spelling, but she loved it anyway).  The word was Trust-and she wore her little trust bracelet around-precious.  Clay had mostly a boy class-and was having so much fun!  I'm glad they are excited to go back. : )  They got t-shirts (hers blue, his purple: color-coded by age level), and are supposed to wear them every day.  Um..that would be the same bow every day for a week!
I got ready to make a new one that matched perfectly, but got sidetracked a couple times (a little too normal for me..), so I quit.  She can wear the nearly-perfect one tomorrow.

Ok, so I won't rattle on about my day-but today here are the highlights:
One-Ethan spilled chocolate milk all down his shirt/shorts at the Target "diner", and we had to get back in a cart (not me, just him) to go get some new clothes-I wish I'd taken a picture.  It was really bad.  (It all came out in the wash today though-hooray!)

Two-Krispy Kreme! and I got a dozen, and have some left.  Not.  Good.  Must get rid of them.


Three-Lori came to get the teaching stuff-my garage is 7% cleaner!  Yay!  And I got to see her-even better! : )


Four-We had to go get my sangria supplies for Bunko tomorrow, so..we loaded up and all went out tonight.  We went to Benton County (DRY!) Sam's, so we stopped by Macadoodles (Washington County-woo-hoo!) on the way home for the alcohol.    So..I took anyone who wanted to go inside.  That would be all three kids.  Again.
Anywho-it was anxiety-causing (why don't I say no?  I already told you.)  since there tends to be lots of glass in a liquor store.  And, I didn't know what I was looking for or where to find it.  I got help immediately.  I needed limes, pineapples (they didn't have them), triple-sec, and some more red wine. (Yes, Ethan and I already picked out a pretty bottle earlier today!  Such a lovely white label with pink swirly things-looked like toile!  Who cares what it tastes like.  It's beautiful.)  So..while I'm following two sommeliers around, the older two are reading shot glasses.  Souvenir-ish shot glasses.  Mary Claire comes to me and asks what one says.  "Royal _itch" and it rhymes with witch.  Umm..ok, so this is why people don't take their kids in.  They also want to know why there are so many pictures of things (frogs, people, etc.) smoking and drinking.  (Try explaining that one!)  They found one that said, "Catholic School Survivor" and something about "I'm not as think as I drunk" (Clay thought that was great).
So.  Lesson learned.  They know their way around, have no anxiety, and will have decent memories (of me explaining the language they learned).  Clay asked that I talk about it with daddy after he goes to bed.  He was embarrassed, and I'm glad to say-that's great!
Anyway, I made my sangria, and it's "letting the flavors get acquainted overnight".  Those flavors are gonna par-tee tomorrow! : )


ps-here's my recipe.
Best Party Sangria Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Splash of orange juice or lemonade
• 2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
• 1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
• 1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
• 4 Cups ginger ale

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.