Overload

I'm suffering from "good idea" overload. The kids are back in school and all summer (as I did in previous summers) I dreamed of all the things I would do during all my free time. Almost comical, because laundry, dishes and tidying up fill up most of those school hours, even after dropping some volunteer commitments.

Never fails. I think "this year will be different". And it is. Usually because the kids are older, I've added a baby, and other various things.

This year has been a bit different. I feel like I've hit my stride a bit earlier. There's a weekly plan for dinner, homework is getting done on time, more lunches are from home than bought and I'm completing my Bible studies before they're due, not the day of. It feels pretty good. And it should - it's hard earned. Why am I not satisfied? I feel like I need more recharge, creative time for myself. So I'm working towards that. One way is to clear out the clutter in my email inbox (I've unsubscribed from many, many emails) and just leaving the good, soul-filling stuff.

It's been refreshing to read emails and blog posts that are uplifting and encouraging. But there is the overload - I'm fighting to maintain balance. I need to keep straight what my priorities are, what feeds those and advances those goals and what is "nice to have" but maybe later.

So, I plan on using this space to help me sort out my thoughts, keep focused on my priorities and recharge a bit. Fight the overload!

VBS Decorating

VBS ended on June 28th but I thought it would be helpful to post a few pictures of what our decorating looked like. Our church modified the Group curriculum to fit our needs so each Oikos was a grade level, with several groups within each Oikos to keep them a bit smaller (about 8-12 per Oikos). Then we rotated the groups between music, crafts, games, drama, snack and demonstrations. Our main decorating areas were drama (unfortunately I have no photos of that) and our sanctuary where the opening and closing were. I hope this pictures are able to help someone else also prepping for Paul's Dangerous Journey to Share the Truth: Athens 2013

Main Sanctuary - we used torches for each group leader to carry (the kids then knew which group leader to stay with)

Altar area where our celebration leader spoke from

Narthex decorations

Pottery and Basket shop

Backside of Pottery shop (so those leaving the bathroom would still seem something fun)

Extra poster decorations

Textile Shop

Food Market

More of food market

Still more of food market

Backside of textile shop 

Decorating the doors

We had costumed vendors welcoming attendees to Athens and we played the marketplace soundtrack in the background.

Again, hope this helps someone! 

Qwiki of our Disney Trip

Photo Book

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Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Love these three

November!

I can hardly believe it's November! Each month I think of posts to write that never materialize. Why? Because I'm out living life and making memories! I'm taking lots of pictures to document these moments and for now, that will have to do. The words will come later.

Another good reason to be behind? A new baby. CGN joined our family in the beginning of July and she's been a great addition. As we settle into our new normal, I'll get back to blogging. Let's be honest - I was never that prolific to begin with!! So anything is better than nothing :)

Happy November!

Strawberries!