VBS Saturday

Chrono blogging - I'll be caught up soon! 

Arielle and I left the house early for VBS training. I am going to be a station leader. Arielle is a crew leader. Nolan an assistant crew leader and Alex a station assistant. Stacia is going to attend. 

How do you know you're family is aging? First you are made a MOPS Mentor Mom as you no longer have a MOPS child. THEN one year  you have more VBS volunteers than participants in the home. ::wink:: 

Cynthia putting us through our paces - nice of the school to have a jungle theme on the walls. LOL 

Touring the buildings we will be using

VBS snack

First pick at the cool shirts! 

 After the training some of us stayed to paint cardboard.... Michael and the kids joined for this part.

It turns out I was right and Arielle IS good at flowers....

When enough painters filled the gym,  the guys, Cynthia and I headed for more cleaning. We dusted until we choked. We disinfected every surface in the library - which will be the game station.  We started in the building which will house the nursery and more stations.....until we gave up and went home at 4:00 p.m. 

Many highlights of the day. I enjoyed time snatched to visit while we worked. I still love Joy's greetings most of all.

It was another full day which led to a great night of sleep. 

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

VBS Preparation

Still back posting....

While I was learning how to make Baklava....on the other side of the annex...these gals were making all sorts of strange VBS decorations! I felt bad not helping...BUT I also knew I'd be helping on Saturday, and working Thursday night and had donated and am a station leader this year....AND my MAIN-ONE-THING-ministry is PWOC and I'm doing a lot of planning right now for a training/planning retreat. 

I finally settled in my heart - as I rolled filo dough - that "it was enough." 

The box is filling up! 

Rachel demos a flower

Amber transformed boxes into stars, flowers, animals....

Katie and Cynthia turned large boards of foam (which we hauled earlier ) into trees...it is going to be fun. 

Thursday evening the kids and I met Michael on base at the Far West Campus.  This school has been vacant for 10 years.  It needs a lot of TLC before it is ready for VBS.  We worked hard...and quick...and there's more to do.

This was a kitchen....

This is a usable kitchen after Amn Green spent 2 hours in it! He rocks! 

Thursday night Angel (Sgt Lopez)  mopped the floor - He also rocks! This week the school district is sending someone in to professionally clean the floor in this room and the gym.  You cannot imagine the dust we moved around in these buildings. 

Nolan and Arielle spent three hours vacuuming.....not normal vacuuming - so much DUST, and dead rodents and lizards....and spider webs...but no snakes!

I don't think you can really imagine the mess buildings are in after sitting vacant for 10 years. I wish I'd taken more BEFORE photos....The buildings were full of things like this - which all had to be moved to one building for storage. We are focusing on getting two and a half buildings cleared for VBS.

You can see the size of the buildings below.

We loaded everything with wheels we could and took load after load up the incline....which seemed to get longer and steeper as the night wore on. 

I think it was after 9:00 p.m. when we called it a night. More work to do - but no more energy!  And though the building still looks funky - the fact that it can even be used is amazing....and when the kids are romping through it I will know my VBS help mattered. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Baklava Baking

Yep, still back posting but I'll be caught up soon. 

This is Barbara S, she whom we farewelled yesterday!  Barbara is Greek (as is Ch. S)  and is famous for her yummy cooking. She is doing the cooking for Ch. S's retirement. Many of us want cooking lessons from Barbara before she leaves. Barbara has scheduled dates when she is cooking and would welcome our "help."  Unfortunately, it looks like this is the only session I will make as I'm booked the other times this upcoming week. Recipe will follow - I really need to jot down notes while I still remember all Barbara's little tips.

"Someone" got in trouble for putting her red camera bag on the sterile table. This will remain one of my fondest memories of Barbara. 

I wasn't sure we were much help - but we did get a couple hundred pieces done...and Barbara said we were a help. She wouldn't fudge.

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Wednesday - Routine Wednesday

Still back posting.....

Wednesday was PWOC's Prayer Care and Share.  This is the last week of PWOC until we start our summer session - AFTER VBS - 25 June - 30 July.  We'll have a couple of week's break before the start of the session and a couple of week's break after the session to prepare for our Fall Rally. Praying God provides a retreat coordinator - but already planning for Fall Rally now.

Barbara S and her family are retiring. I took no photos...but after PWOC today the Women of the Chapel met for a farewell lunch. Always fun to share memories.....

We are still working through Galatians at Family Night Bible Study on Wednesdays. I really enjoy discussing the word with this group! Michael has taught most the weeks, I have a taught a couple of weeks....and we'll have to see which of us wins and teaches the rest. ::snort::

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

PWOC Promo

Still back posting.....

Whew - Tuesday was FULL. A first day back always is.....

Arielle babysat.

I had a wonderfully encouraging two hour lunch meeting with a gal on the PWOC leadership team. We chatted about about her vision for the upcoming year....always fun to do.

I can't remember what else I did, but I know there were a few errands, shopping, dinner to cook, budgets to email and  details to pull together for PWOC. In the evening we put these together.....little summer promos for the gals. I found the tumblers in "the closet" and the team agreed we should use them for promo....

We filled them with a note (see below), a summer study invite, and candy....

As Michael and I talked and filled tumblers he commented these would make a  great newcomer promo for PWOC.....and they would....and as we talked some more I suggested they would be great for summer women visitors to the chapel. We have enough to do just that....and the tumblers were under $3. Good deal.

I'm sharing the note from the cup,  as it's a personal prayer for the summer and I may never get around to writing the blog post which goes with the new header. LOL

I love this bright and cheery invite to our Summer Study. Rachel Rocks. If you are in the local area and have base access, we'd love to have you join us for this session.  

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Best Outhouse in the World - at this point

Still back dating.....

We left Oregon early and headed home. 

We stopped in Redding for lunch with Dave and Hope - friends from college days. I find it funny we've met up when we were assigned in AK and now in CA as well.  Given my photo taking reputation I note I have no photos of my parents, done of Sherri and none of Dave and Hope. Shameful, really.

I do, however, still have a quirky interest in outhouses! THIS one at Tony's Fruit Stand. On the International Scale of Outhouses and Restrooms - this one rates a 9.5 It smelled nice too and had pretty soap and  hand sanitizer.

We DID buy a flat of Sweet Time peaches - they are gone and they were great! I need to drive out there again this week. It's 17 miles from our door on Hwy 70. 

Arielle found these seaweed covered plums waiting for her back at home. A Japanese delicacy. 

Tuck, Tress and Ellen stayed at our home while we were gone. It was so nice to come home and find Yuuki waiting at home....all in order and sweetly cleaned. We need to think of that over kenneling in the future.


Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sunday's Fun

Still back dating.....

We love visiting our home church. It was a blessing to have BreZaak sitting with us.....and then Michael, our kids and Nadia went to the Food Court.

Krista  met us. The G family joined us...always nice to visit with Mark and Cindy.

Eugene has a great river walk....a real river walk....not a profit center. LOL  We met Rebecca, Michael's sister, and her pups. We walked along a great river, beside community gardens, through Rose gardens, to Alton Baker park and back again. I would love to find something like this in CA....though it's HOT here and a 2 hour walk isn't appealing in the heat. LOL

My family are such great sports about the photo thing

Smash Face -  A Gherkin original - Nadia is Nate and Heather's gal

Mrs. D STILL refuses to play Smash Face - as does her groom

Another game

Stacia made me a Daisy Chain - precious

Mike gets up close and person with a goose

We stopped by Dicky Yo's for some dessert, heading to BreZaaks for a tour and then back to Krista's. We introduced her to Dixit - the verdict is out. 

Bre had missed the nail session so did her nails...and we enjoyed a nice long walk....

...while Michael and Drew caught a playoff game

We ended the night with waffles, nutella and strawberries...this may need to become another Sunday night tradition...up there with the ice cream. 

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Family

One week and five days - time to break the bloggy silence!  I'll be back dating. 

We determined Saturday would be a family day. Sherri and I started the day by running to Trader Joes and Market of Choice...my first time to both. I've decided it may be worth it to drive to Roseville once a month. ::snort:: TJ's prices were really not worse than other stores.

Both my parents were contagious and so Michael and I ran over to visit them without the kids.  We spent the rest of the day playing yard games, BBQing, visiting....and the weather was GREAT in OR this weekend.

These are my favorite pictures and so I'm putting them first.

Our Men (Will and Michael)

Grilling at it's best! 

Looking to Drew and Krista's from Will and Sherri's

Part of the back yard

Side yard of Will and Sherri's and you can see one shed/bard and at the left the corner of Krista's. 

The kids gave me a gel nail polish kit for Mother's Day. This was a great time to try it out. 

Gracie and Layla love to play 

Bocce

BreZaak

A day sandwiched by leisurely talks with Will and Sherri, moved on to include a visit with my folks and lots of time with the Gherkins in between visits.....it was a good day. I'm content. 

Choosing Joy!
©2014 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...