Confessions of a Summer Camp Wife

We are halfway through Overnight 1.

It's been so interesting seeing and experiencing camp as a camp wife and mommy--not an employee.

Tuan took over my program responsibilities when I "retired" and I now am privileged to vicariously live program through him.

I thought it would be hard and that I would cry a lot and all sorts of things would happen.

But it hasn't been difficult--okay, mostly not. I think it was harder during the year when he would come home and tell me about the plans and ideas and I'd help him, then cry.

The kids are keeping me busy. Prepping and teaching two Bible studies is keeping me busy. Hosting and baking for family groups is keeping me busy. Company is keeping me busy. And to think! I had these grand plans of a summer of leisure and projects.

Perhaps after Overnight 1 ends--staff training part two is really what it is--things will fall into a rhythm and I'll get more done.

Confession: one thing that is extremely difficult is keeping my mouth shut. All around me this week folks have been trying to figure out camp details. I usually do know the answers to their problems and queries, but I feel that I need to keep my mouth shut and be a wife and not a former pd. So, I sit and try to not speak up--IT IS SO HARD. There. I admit it.

I did speak up tonight. One of the breakers tripped on an inflatable and there were kids in it as it began to slowly descend.

I walked over to the guy running the inflatable and said: "this thing is collapsing. You should get the kids out"
He nodded at me like I was someone he might have once met and sort of expressed a non-verbal--"yeah, hey!"
"No, the breaker is tripped and the thing is collapsing."
"uh-huh" He continued his conversation.

I wanted to yell "ARE YOU NOT LOOKING AT THE JURASSIC VOLCANO AND PALM TREES WHICH ARE IN A DOWNWARD PATH OF COLLAPSE!? DON"T YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO GET THE CHILDREN OUT OF THIS?!"

But I didn't. I got Tuan and he flipped the breaker and the palm trees, dinosaurs, and volcano sprang back to life. I still don't think the poor young man ever caught on to the situation. It was funny.

So life is a good blessing of busyness. I am daily learning what my role here looks like (now) and am daily learning that it can pretty much change from day to day. It is absolutely wonderful and freeing to sit back and enjoy the benefits of camp life. Taking Johnny and Aubrey to programs and playing with them rather than running about, running them is just so much fun. Seeing camp through Johnny's eyes is a blast. Monday night we went to the Cabin's Choice event: he got a tiger painted on his face--this was a Very Big Deal. Then we took Tuan's golf cart for a ride and discovered the Twin Lakes Tour Company ( a hay-less hayride). Johnny was so excited and pumped up about the tractor that we followed it ("Mama! I see twactor!) and of course, took a tour of Twin Lakes. He was very serious the entire time, but I could tell he loved it.

Today was Wild Wednesday. We went to the afore-mentioned giant, Inflatable Jurassic Jumper and played with friends. Johnny ate that up, then after supper he got on the inflatable slide and probably slid down it twenty-plus times. He at his first ice cream Wednesdae with great sobriety and earnestness and was so dirty that we had to leave early for baths. After bath-time, I dressed the kids in their pajamas and we strolled over for the Goliath/Giant movie and popcorn. He was a happy kid.

Aubrey likes camp, too. I think if she could speak sentences, Aubrey would tell you that her favorite activity is hydration. She is seriously obsessed with the water coolers and cone cups. Since I refuse to fill her cup repeatedly, Aubrey has learned that if she stands by the cooler and acts cute and helpless, every able-bodied person at camp who passes by will take pity upon her and fix her a cup of ice-cold water. A seventeen month old and a cup of water=a very wet seventeen month old!

Aubrey also enjoys the basketballs and tries most earnestly to throw them at the basket. She's got a bit of growing to do before that happens. She does not care for the inflatables. When one has only been walking for a few months, solid ground is much preferred to shifting vinyl. She spazzed out when we first got on the inflatable, then would take a few tentative steps until the ground bounced, then she would run back to me. So cute.

This, dear friends, is a faithful account of all my dealings as a summer camp wife. When I complain tomorrow that I'm tired, you may all remind me that I stayed up until 12:30 writing.

Griping

I'm sitting in a VBS planning meeting (not FPC), and we're discussing all things Bible school related. Our curriculum this year is a repeat and I realized I had the transparencies for that year's music. "Great!" said the pastor leading the meeting. Then, he got this starry look in his eyes and said, "Oh, man, wouldn't it be great if we could get one of those projectors that projects from a laptop? That would be great!!!"

What is the deal? Why are people so obsessed with and determined to use powerpoint? "It would make it a lot easier" he said.

NO! NO! NO!

One of the greatest lies of our times is that powerpoint lyrics are easier and better than transparencies.

Consider the transparency process:

1. Type the lyrics into a standard word processing document.

2. Print

3. Place on overhead, turn on. Adjust if necessary for focus.

4. Sing. Move the doohickey up and down if needed to move the words.

Powerpoint process:

1. Type the lyrics. Break them into segments. Add cheesy graphics.

2. Save onto a disc, or somewhere on laptop

3. Set up the projector.

4. look for a cord that will enable your laptop to work with that projector.

5. Fail. Find someone else's laptop that has the right cord

6. Burn disc, transfer to new laptop

7. Gather everyone

8. Turn on projector and allow it to warm up for X minutes

9. Turn on computer.

10. Search for files while everyone preparing for worship sees the embarrassing desktop wall paper and follows the mouse as you click through the computer.

11. Re-activate the projector as it's gone to sleep.

12. Start singing. Have someone available to scroll through the lyrics.

13. OOPS! We've lost the third verse (Scroll, scroll, scroll)

14. Sing song number two. It repeats the same lines so often the computer goes to sleep--re-open.

15. Scroll through fifteen different songs to find the next one.

Can you, gentle readers, understand now why when I heard the phrase, "Oh, man, wouldn't it be great if we could get one of those projectors that projects from a laptop? That would be great!!!" I groaned deep down inside?

Good idea: transparencies. Bad idea: powerpoint.

Grace Like Rain

Today started out okay, but by noon it was not one of our better days.

Lack of sleep from transitioning Johnny to a "big boy bed" this week caught up with me. My energy level--low to non-existent. The amount of chores and jobs needing attention: High. As in a high pile of laundry and messy house. Oh, and what was that on the horizon? A bad storm coming, a hormone storm, that it.

I hate and despise myself during these times. I don't like to cry in front of others and was out on the grounds with the kids when it hit. I started speed walking to the house with Aubrey on my hip, praying no one would see me or drive up.

Tuan did and could tell something was wrong--

"I-have-to-get-home!" I kept walking and he put Johnny on the cart. (would have made more sense to ride home, but who has sense in these times?)

A cry at home, a hug from my husband and son, then, I'm sure, some silent prayers on his part and he had to go.

Grace rained down. Lunch came together. Children were calm and quiet and played while I finished tackling some chores. We read a story and they went to sleep followed soon by me. They've been asleep for several hours and I've had time to just be. To be quiet, to read, to catch up on a show, to do laundry. I'm much better, though I could cry at any sad thing that crosses my path.

And, my husband put a Papa John's pizza in the fridge while we were sleeping--can I say how much I love this man?

The rain coming down outside is renewing and soothing. I am so grateful to God who knew my needs and provided much better circumstances this afternoon. I'm looking forward to J and A waking up and for some good family time. God is so personal in his care for us.

Jehovah Jireh--
My Provider!
His grace is sufficient for me!

My God shall supply all my needs
according to his riches in glory.
He gives his angels charge over me.
Jehovah Jireh cares for me
Jehovah Jireh cares for me!

Kashi/Silk Deal

If you like Kashi cereal and Silk Soymilk, here's a great deal!
Target is selling a two pack of Kashi for 5.00 right now. It comes with an instant free soymilk coupon. If you follow this link you can get a coupon for 1.50 off the purchase of two boxes of Kashi.

Final price for two boxes of Kashi and a half gallon of Soymilk? 3.50.

I think even Martha would say it's a good thing!

A Marvelous New Recipe

We celebrated Tuan's birthday on Friday (it's actually today--happy birthday Tuan!) with a small gathering of friends. Johnny's party was on Saturday--I baked a LOT this week! This was a week of culinary and artistic highs. I made a fun book for a friend that allowed me to flex my rusty graphic design muscles, I baked a strawberry pie with the most successful pastry crust EVER (for me). The Settlers of Catan inspired cookies for Tuan's party--not so hot. They tasted fine, but my skills with tinting frosting leave much to be desired.

I needed another dessert to serve at the party and felt adventurous. At least two of the invitees had gluten allergies/issues, so I thought it would be fun to try something gluten free. This recipe turned up: Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake. I had all the ingredients on hand and decided to try it.

It turned out marvelously! It was deep, rich, and full of chocolate! As usual, I played with the recipe--'cause I'm self destructive like that. I substituted palm sugar for the white, cane sugar it called for. I noticed that it didn't make me sleepy afterwards like a lot of sugary desserts. If you try it and decide to use dark, or more bittersweet chocolate, increase the butter a bit to help it melt.

Here's my version:

Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350
Ideally, bake this in a non-stick springform pan. Alternatively, butter and dust with cocoa the sides and bottom of an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan.

Ingredients

1 16 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
4 eggs
3/4 cup palm sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in the bowl of food processor, fitted with steel blade. Add eggs and process until smooth. Add the sugar and baking powder. Pulse to blend.

Melt butter and chocolate in a dry bowl--either in the microwave, in a double boiler or very carefully over low heat. Make sure that no water gets in the bowl or the chocolate could seize, or that you don't overheat the chocolate, lest it scorch.

Add the chocolate to the chickpea mixture and process until it's fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. The cake should be set--firm around the edges, slighty soft in the middle. If you stick a clean knife or skewer in the middle it will not come out clean, but moist and crumby.

I'm looking forward to trying some more variations of this cake: maybe some espresso in it, some caramel on top--it's scrumdiddlyumptious!