In the Storm

Jousting - of sorts

I tagged along with my husband yesterday while he joined a friend (and his horses) and headed out to the campsite where John and Jarrod are having church camp. The camp theme this year is 'Crowned' with a medevial flair. The children's pastor asked John (and Jeff) to perform with the horses in a little 'jousting'. They had a queen, and some court jesters, and knights (all young men/women from our church who volunteer in the children's ministry) and of course the crowd cheering on the brave knights on their 'huge' horses. Jeff also cooked chicken legs for the kids' meal (Queen's Feast) - aah - 600 chicken legs. Me, I went along for the ride, looked pretty, cheered Jeff on, laughed at the court jesters, and took pictures. I was bushed at the end of the very long day. And Jeff was exhausted.

Jeff and John practicing off field with Salt and Pepper (Jeff is on Pepper)

Jeff and Pepper (or is it Salt?)

How did that picture get in there? Although it is very lovely Altocumulus...

The Joust (and in costume)

This guy was a hoot. He posed so I could get a picture (well actually he pretty much stayed in part) as he served the kids their feast.

Broke

aah - that would be John's foot (and since he already has a broken arm) he's in hurtin' status. His left wrist and his left foot. I feel for him. He doesn't get to go to summer church camp today because we have to go have his foot casted Friday morning. We had it all arranged with the camp to have someone help him with wrapping his arm cast (which extends above the elbow) for showering but unfortunately now with a broken foot he can't go at all.

(Once the bones are set we plan on getting John in to the doctor to have them check out his bones - make sure there isn't anything wrong.)

Cleaning their room

A while back I got fed up with John and Jarrod's room being a disaster area everytime I walked in it so I grabbed a black lawn bag - you know the kind I'm talking about - they're huge, and I picked everything that was on the floor and stuffed it in the bag and stashed it in the attic. The boys thought I'd thrown their toys away at first but then I let the cat out of the bag and tell them it was in the attic.

Well, today when I told the boys to clean their room and clean their room and clean their room amidst their playing and procrastination Jarrod came up stairs and asked if he could get a couple black lawn bags from the garage to which I said sure - thinking they were going to do a bit of purging.

Not! They decided to use the lawn bags to clean their room. Rather than put stuff away they stuffed everything into the lawn bags. When they brought them out to the living room to take up to the attic I informaed them that since they didn't want to 'clean' their room they could lose everything in the bags to the trash.

Disclaimer: I did have to save the Bible, several books, their game boy case, a couple hats, Jarrod's 'Lammy' (a stuffed Lamb) from since he was born, their binoculars, and a few other things. The rest went out to the trash.

This leaves them with a much 'cleaner' room...and alot of shed tears!

Layout #8

Woohoo!!! I'm rollin'; here is layout #8. Yah, think I need to change my goal? I do like this one, very much. It's got Flair (well, maybe that's because I used Flair Designs papers)

Layouts and Bites

1. Boys getting ready for summer church camp which means 'Date Night', or nights for Jeff and I. Yippee! I'm ready for them to go to camp and I'll be ready for them to be home just as quick - always like that...we only needed to buy a disposible camera and hand sanitizer.

2. How does someone leave their morality at the doorsteps of political office? Just wondering.

3. Had tacos last night for dinner. It was Tuesday.

4. My two dear sons are arguing as a type this and I'm trying to restrain myself from screaming my head off, cancelling their camp, sending them to their room for the duration, and making them write sentences until their hands fall off...(are you laughing yet!!!)

5. Lately, as I've stated before I am not into prettying up my layouts with a bunch of embellishments, just getting the pictures down on paper and the stories told. So here are two more of my 'summer' layouts; # 6 & 7. the first is the Kennedy Space Center which the Jeff and the boys visited for an overnight with the Cub Scouts for FREE! in which they slept under the Saturn 5 rocket; and the second is the Moving Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial which they also visited.

Hello #5

Finished layout #5 of the summer; moving right along (nah nah nah nah PG); quick work for the boys Cub Scout album (which I haven't purchased yet - go figure); I just picked some highlights for this page mostly because I saw a page in a magazine that I wanted to copy (aah - scraplift!!!) and thought it would be fun. I used K& Company Cub Scout papers and embellishments. The boys have no shame (check out the 'silly songs' picture). When one of the Cub Masters led the songs she asked for volunteers and both John and Jarrod jumped up unashamedly (I, of course, was too busy watching my boys' silliness to join in - plus I would never - no never - do anything like that...). Camping, Pinewood Derby, Ranger Challenge, and Land Navigation - just a few of the amazing stuff John and Jarrod have gotten to do because of Cub Scouts. Wait 'til you see the Kennedy Space Center page - all because of Cub Scouts!!!

Layouts #2, #3 & #4

My sister called me the other night and amidst the conversation Paula said that she'd completed 15 layouts in a week. Of course, it wasn't meant as a dig (sure it was!!) so I felt it my duty, my rise-above-my-pride (or is that fall on my sword) and say I must, in all good conscience - oh, I know none of this makes any sense...but what I'm trying to say is I must increase my layout goal for the summer from 15 to way more than that. So here is layouts 2, 3, & 4:

Layout #1

Here's my summer layout #1. I have been wanting to scrap these awesome pictures that I took in October 2006 when we went home to Indiana for Dad's funeral. Jeff took us out to the Farm that he inherited from his Dad. Soy was growing in the fields and the boys picked a piece of the soy grass to chew on just like Jeff did when he was younger. It was a beautiful, breezy, brisk, Indiana day.

A Few things

1. I'm shocked! My 11 year old boys wear men's size 101/2 and 9.

2. I did this quickpage digital layout this morning. I got some pictures of my grandbaby Ian from my daughter, Ash so I wanted to put something together quick.

3. I bought some shoes too!!

Found this today

in a book I was reading. Had to smile at the goodness of my Lord to lead me to words He has spoken - meant today - just for me!

"For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the Lord who has compassion on you. "O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and your foundations I will lay in sapphires."

I decided to run towards the storm instead of pulling away. Trying to outrun a storm isn't going to help. I'm still very sad, and in much pain but running towards, not away would be what God would want me to do. That in itself brings me much peace.