Chari Tree Chat

Whew. I don't know about you, but the last couple of weeks have been a doozy for me! As I mentioned in my last post, we had VBS at our church last week. That's a lot of work! We did a camping theme, and had lots of fun with that! We turned our church into a "forest!"



It's pretty funny asking to borrow Christmas trees in June! I thought the decor turned out pretty cute!

One of the highlights of our vbs was "Rascal." The kiddos loved him and he showed up in a different place each night (cooler, trash can, sleeping bag...) (Rascal is the fourth puppet we've bought of this brand and the kiddos love them - so realistic and cute too. We've only actually used one other so far, but Woolly is still a favorite.)


Saturday was our big picnic. Mark made "s'mores" since I was so busy with everything else. (Melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk, then stir in the marshmallows. Sandwich between graham crackers - super easy!) :)


Lorie set up an obstacle course for one of our activities. One of the "obstacles" was to set up a tent in the "rain!" I think that would have been my favorite part! (It was a little warm!) :)


So this week (after breaking down VBS stuff Monday evening) has been pretty slow - I really crashed. whew. I have got a lot of tomatoes from my garden, though. This picture is from a couple of weeks ago. I picked a lot more tomatoes this week!

My peppers aren't doing as well now, and neither are my cucumbers - it's way to hot! I picked a few watermelon, but they certainly didn't get very big! The one I've tasted so far was really sweet though! I guess these are what you would call "personal melons!" :)



One more thing: while doing some shopping for VBS prizes, I ran across some cds that I got super excited about! Maybe someone else remembers the Music Machine or Bullfrogs and Butterflies? I loved them as a kid (although I listened to mine on LPs!) :) I have been enjoying listening to some tunes from my "past" (and getting ideas of some songs to use for our kiddos.) Here is a bit from one of the cds:

The Bullfrogs and Butterflies cds I got don't have songs that I remember - I just found that there are actually four cds from this series. Maybe eventually I can buy the one I remember! :) 

I hope you all have had a great week!! Maybe it's time we all had some easy summer living, right? :)

Finished Object Friday

Whew! I don't know about you all, but I've had a whirlwind of a week!! Our church has been in VBS this week and I've been heading it up. We've been having a blast and the kids have been loving it! ...but boy, does this stuff wear you out! :) But on to FOF!

Before all the craziness of this week, we had a surprise birthday party for one of our good friends. And for me? a party calls for a cake! And if I can make a fun one I will. (Remember this one, and this one?) And since I had made an ambulance for our friend Andrew, I figured Jacob needed a cop car!

 

I didn't model this cake after his squad car, but I did the next best thing... Can you guess what car this cake is modeled after? (Here's a hint!) :) 

(The other side)

I have such fun making cakes!! (And really I'd much rather make one, than eat a dry grocery store cake. No offense to those of you that may like them...) :) Oh, and starting September 1 (happy birthday, me!) I can legally bake and sell my cakes from my home, thanks to our governor for signing the Texas Baker's Bill!! Who knows? Maybe you'll see more cakes here? 

Oh, and one last picture...

I think he liked his cake. :) It was fun to really surprise someone! (Unlike our last effort at a surprise party....) Of course, it was a bit easier since his birthday was still about three weeks away! heehee!

Now it's your turn!! I can't wait to see what you all have done!! :)

Summertime Treat

104 degrees. Really. It's only June. (I worry about what August will bring!) With that kind of heat here in East Texas, our main concern is keeping cool! (Thank you, Lord, for air conditioning!!!) Of course, cool treats are a must for summer. I wanted to share these popsicles I came up with - so light and yummy and pretty healthy too!!



I got this popsicle mold last month and I'm kindof wishing I'd bought two! My "recipe" was kindof by accident... I made this dessert for my mom's birthday, and had some leftover jello mixture. So why not try freezing it? Those were some of the best popsicles!! YUM! The best part is that the whipped topping makes a softer frozen treat - no teeth chipping! :) My second batch didn't have as much whipped topping, so the mixture separated a bit before it froze - still good, but I liked the first better.

Here is my first batch ready to eat:

(Yes, the top picture does have plastic knives in it. I find the ones with holes in the handles work best to keep the treat from sliding off. Spoons would be a little safer, but knives work fine for adults.)

I think these would be great for kiddos - you can stick all kinds of goodies in there! They can be eating healthy and not even know it! I make these with minimal sugar and my last batch I used blueberries, blackberries and strawberries! (but no nuts this time.)

Do you have a favorite popsicle recipe? Please share! I'd love to try some new ones!! YuM!! :)

A List

Foseball.
and Laughter.
Bible stories.
Hot Tamales.
Prayer.
and Laughter.
Stick shift lessons.
Target practice.
and more laughter.

What do all these things have in common? These few (and many more) are some of the things I remember doing with my dad and some of them I STILL do with my dad!

Thanks, Dad, for being there. Thanks for the prayers and thanks for the laughter!! I love you!! Happy Father's Day!!

Finished Object Friday

Mom and I did some sewing last Saturday. I had been eying some fabric at Hobby Lobby for quite some time. When I finally decided to get it, the lady marked it 1/2 off!! So we decided to buy the rest of the bolt and make everyone matching skirts... then we did a little extra: (heehee!)


See? We all match!! It's all in the family! :)

I'm loving my skirt too!! So comfy - and simple, just one straight seam and hem and elastic at the top. Mom and I both worked on the skirts, and I did most of the tie work myself (using this tutorial - easy!) I have a feeling if there is a little boy in my future, he will be getting some bow ties! :)

(This is the guys' "I'm cool enough to wear a funky bow tie" look!) :)
That's our friend Andrew on the left.


Oh, and the guys were great sports and wore them into church.

When our pastor asked Mark about his tie, Mark said, "My wife made me do it."
Andrew's answer? "HIS wife made me do it!" heehee!! Thanks for putting up with us guys!!

So how about you? I can't wait to see your crafty projects!! :)