Finished Object Friday: A "Pinterest-y" VBS!

Our church recently finished up our vacation Bible school. I headed things up this year, and I think somehow it was one of the biggest jobs ever!! Whew! I did the lessons mostly myself - the main reason being that I had already thought out what I wanted to say and it was easier to just teach it rather than pass all that info along! ;) (Ok, that sounds really strange when I type it, but I'm just so grateful to God for His leading in what to teach!)

This was one of the most technological VBS's we've ever done. Not only did I use Power Point for each day - including slides for songs and the lessons as well as fun space facts, but we also collaborated a LOT on Pinterest!! I love the group board feature for group projects!! If your church ever does a space theme, you may want to check out our board! We used ideas here for crafts, decor and snacks!!So.... I wanted to share just a few pictures to show you how some of our "Pinterest-y" things turned out!

I'll start with the cute food!! Saturday was our big picnic! I made these cute cupcakes for dessert.... Nothing like a cute little bear on the moon!!

Original Pin here

And we had "Rocket dogs" too!!

Original Pin

I also used photoshop to design our invitations, name tags, snack labels, digital frames for pictures, award certificate.... you name it!! I'm glad that the template for all of that was something I got done early on! I was able to just reuse the template and size it for whatever I needed. 

 Probably the things I worked hardest on were our moon rocks!! (And a BIG thank you to my Sister-in-law, Mary, for helping! It had been ages since I did any paper mache!)

Original Pin

And here's what the rest of the sanctuary looked like when we got finished!!!

See all those planets!!! (And you can't miss the sun!)

A dear friend crafted each of them for us!!! Thank you, Miss "M," for all your hard work!!!! And she did every single one of them - yes! Even dear little Pluto!! (I'm not ready to exclude him from my list of planets!!)

Although we are all glad to have VBS over for another year, we all did have a blast!!!! The kids had fun and hopefully learned something too!!! (I know I learned a LOT!! I think the teacher usually ends up learning more than the students!) We are already starting to plan next year's VBS!! ;)


How about you? Have you had time to do anything "crafty" this summer? It seems that the year is just flying by!

Book Review: The Guardian

Yes, I'm combining two book reviews into one post.... but since they are both for Bethany House, I don't think they'll mind.  ;) (ETA: Per Bethany House review guidelines, I have split this post so each book has it's own post... the review for "A Most Peculiar Circumstance" can be found here.)  One thing about the books I review here, before I even request them, I am pretty sure I am going to enjoy reading them! (I'm a fairly picky reviewer...) I have a pretty good idea of what is available in Christian books these days. AND I do love books!!! I've been enjoying some fun books this summer! I'd love to hear what you have been reading as well!

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I enjoyed Beverly Lewis's third installment in the Home to Hickory Hollow series. Just about the time that I think I probably won't enjoy another of her books, she comes up with another good one with a totally different story line! Such a neat plot premise in this one. The story begins with a little Amish girl falling out of her family's buggy and being found by a young "English" lady who is going through her own life crisis. Bonds are formed when Jodi returns little Sarah to her family. Such a sweet story of healing and reconciliation with God.

I'm not sure what else to say about this book. I certainly don't want to give anything away. Beverly's writing certainly speaks for itself! Amish fiction has become "the thing" and really is becoming a little overdone. However, Beverly is the queen of this genre. It's her excellent writing that has brought this about, as well as the fact that she writes these stories from the heart and from her family history. This is a enjoyable read of English world meets Amish world.


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This book has been provided free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Bethany House!

Book Review: A Most Peculiar Circumstance

I finished this book last night - WAY too late for the busy day I had... but I just couldn't put it down! I have reviewed Jen Turano's first book not too long ago. This book is similar to her first and lots of fun as well. The plot takes all kinds of twists and turns, and at one point last night, taking me totally by surprise. (Just when I thought I had everything figured out and wondering how she was going to fill the last bit of the book!!) Arabella Beckett is a speaker for women's suffrage who travels the states. Her eagerness to stand up and defend women gets her into several scrapes - including landing in jail. Her prayers for rescue are answered in the form of Theodore Wilder. Theodore is an old fashioned, chauvinist male who could never be a suitable match for Arabella - they argue all the time! Or could he?? If you want a fun read this summer that keeps you turning page after page, I recommend "A Most Peculiar Circumstance!"


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Thank you to Bethany House for providing this copy for review. My opinions are my own.