VBS SHINE

The week of June 13 was VBS at our church.  This year it was a curriculum by the A Capella group Go Fish. 

I was in charge of preschool crafts again (I'm not sure how many years I've been doing it now, but at least 5 or more. 

We had 120+ kids each day. 

There was a drumming portion to the rotation of activities.  Emmet is on the far left in the back drumming on his bucket. 

My preschool crafts.  Many thanks to Pinterest for helping me find ideas.  The bottom frame is a stained glass painting with glitter glue and food coloring.  The towel on the right was made by coloring on sand paper and then ironing the sand paper to the towel.  The "fishing pole" ring game was fun as well.  The other crafts were fillers for extra time. 

The 2nd/3rd grade group made some great crafts as well!

Eliza with her crafts. 

Emmet with his crafts:  a flag banner, a stepping stone, and a golf ball flower for the garden. 

Ephraim was busy all week doing work projects with the VBS 7th/8th graders.  They worked at the local elementary, New Hope Community Center and at the church. 

"The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out."

Proverbs 13:19

World Pork Expo

We were able to take in one day of the World Pork Expo held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.  We arrived early to beat the heat!  We started out by watching one of the swine shows and gaining a few tips for showing our pigs at the fair in July.  Then we walked around and picked up some literature to read later and got a few freebies that will end up in the Christmas shoeboxes we'll pack in November. 

Down the Grand Concourse, there were tents on both sides with free food, displays and info. 

Eden being silly with her piggy bank.  We were able to enjoy the free pork lunch as well. 

The boys wanted a picture to show how big some of the equipment is getting. 

There was a booth in the Varied Industries building that took our picture for free and added a background.  We were standing in front of a green screen so my hat disappeared and as did part of Eliza's shirt and Emmet's shirt.  We were able to meet up with my parents for part of our walk around the grounds. 

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10

Memorial Day

The annual tradition of celebrating Arlin's birthday on the Sunday of Memorial Day continues.  It was a beautiful day for a gathering. Even amidst their home construction, we had the perfect time for a hot dog roast, fishing and visiting. 

You can always expect to find Eliza by the pond, catching tadpoles and fish. 

Or checking on the snails. 

I brought a big sheet cake of buttermilk brownies to celebrate Ephraim's birthday. 

The cousins. 

The kids had fun with some sparklers as well. 

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."  Psalm 145:7

Teenager!

So, our oldest son is a teenager now.  Ephraim turned 13 in the middle of May.  He's nearly as tall as me.  He pours over tractor brochures and manuals.  He has started his own cattle herd.  He's been a great help this summer mowing hay.  He enjoys reading non-fiction history books or geography books.  He's just a great kid!

He's responsible enough to have his own gun.  And we've got safety rules in place for its use. 

He also received a couple of magazines on DIY farm projects that others have done and a DVD of World's Toughest Fixes. 

 The other children got in a little target practice as well. 

My parents have decided that when each grandchild turns 13, they will take them on a trip wherever the grandchild wants to go (within reason).  Ephraim chose to go to Dyersville and visit the Farm Toy Museum and a toy tractor shop.  There was also a store in Fairfax that he wanted to visit.  I think it's safe to say that it was a fun, successful trip for the three of them. 

Happy Birthday Son!

"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart."  Proverbs 3:1

Geode Hunting!

Our last homeschool field trip for a while was across the Iowa state line into Illinois.  We drove through Keokuk, Iowa and crossed the Mississippi River into Hamilton, Illinois.  We left early so we could find the mine (and we got a bit lost at a real mine since our GPS was outdated) but we found our destination.  With our tools in hand and boots on our feet, we were ready for geode digging.  This is a location where geodes are everywhere and you didn't have to dig too hard to find them.  The kids would pick up a geode, take it to our guide who had a modified rock cracker.  And just like that, the geode is cracked open and we can see the variety of a geode's insides. 

The red inside this geode is iron deposits. 

Walking around just picking up geodes.  Everyone had a bag and we had a 5-gallon bucket as well. 

Eliza is getting a big one cracked open. 

Ephraim had a neat one that was powdery inside. 

Emmet had a nice clear one. 

Eden with her geode.  It was warm on this day and there wasn't much breeze back where we were at. 

Our take home rocks!  We had to pay a small fee for a 5-gallon bucket full.  I think it's safe to say that the kids had fun and still talk about this experience. 

The sign for the gentleman's mine.  This is a private property place, not a state-operated location.  Stop and use a bathroom before-hand since there's only a primitive outhouse on site.  The gentleman was nice and he knew his geodes but I would recommend calling ahead. 

By noon, we were ready for lunch and to be cooled off.  We hopped in the van and drove back over the river. We walked on the bridge to view the Lock & Dam in Keokuk and saw a barge heading north.  Then, it was back in the van for a picnic lunch.  We had to make a stop in Cantril for some bulk food goods before heading home. 

"My the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Psalm 19:14

Silverware Windchimes

Silverware Windchimes have been on my "Craft To-Do" list for quite a while.  I've accumulated some silverware and kitchen utensils from various thrift stores this spring.  The boys will take their windchimes to the fair so it was time to get this project moving. 

Emmet is drilling a hole in a knife. 

We tied fishing wire through the hole in the silverware and knotted it.  Then we decorated it with beads. 

Ephraim chose a whisk for his top piece and was able to decorate it with beads as well. 

The girls loved this craft as well. 

Our finished windchimes!

You can see that Eden chose shredder for her top piece.  She choose beads of a different color for each of her four silverware pieces. 

Ephraim went with red and white beads and a whisk for his top piece 

Emmet did red and white beads and another shredder for the top piece. 

Eliza chose green, yellow and purple beads and she has a heart cookie cutter for her top piece. 

There happened to be four hooks on our gutters so it was simple to hang them.  They are each standing by their windchime.  And thankfully, they haven't blown off and broken!

Here's a close-up of each windchime:

 Eliza:

Ephraim:

Emmet:

Eden:

The chimes are lovely to listen to--not to much and not too little noise. 

"My heart is steadfast, O god; I will sing and make music with all my soul."  Psalm 108:1