Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Expect the unexpected

Today has been one of those days that just didn't go like I thought it would. I've learned that those kinds of days are pretty common when you're married to a camp director and part of a Christian ministry organization. Some days the surprises are pleasant, and other days they aren't.

Usually for me the biggest disappointment happens when I put a lot of energy and effort into something, and then it turns out it wasn't needed after all. That happens a lot, unfortunately. I really dislike the stomach-achey feeling of finishing a task I invested a lot in only to find out that all of my hard work was for nothing.

Hm. I feel like I've blogged about this before. I'm pretty sure I whine about this alot, because I hate it so much. :/

But anyway, even though I am feeling somewhat disillusioned, I did get a lot done today. I made this enormous chart that lists all of the camp positions for the whole summer and has a place to write down who is filling each position during each week of the summer. It's pretty sweet because it allows us to see at a glance what positions still need to be filled and which are all taken care of. Because I didn't have any posterboard, I pieced it together out of twenty pieces of neon 8-1/2 x 11" paper. It looks good and it keeps us organized. (Which is a wonderful combination.) That was definitely the coolest thing I did all day ...

I need to go plan my lesson for tomorrow. I'm volunteering in an adult ESL class. Which is another story entirely. :)

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Camp theme

Yesterday I did quite a bit of work developing our camp theme for the year, which is going to be the names of God. Since many of the kids who come to camp don't have a lot of church experience, we are keeping it simple. On Monday we will teach "Creator," on Tuesday "Father," on Wednesday "Jesus," on Thursday "Lamb of God," and on Friday "Holy Spirit."

I'm looking for stories, skits, songs, crafts, etc. that will help the kids understand the different names of God and what each name says about him. I'm especially having a hard time with crafts ..... I have plenty of ideas for just random, fun crafts, but I'd like to also do some crafts that relate to the names of God theme. I absolutely REFUSE to do stupid crafts ..... you know, crafts that are lame, but because they supposedly "teach something" it's OK. I really don't want to waste the kids' time. So I'm thinking very hard, and we'll see what I come up with.

For the camp staff we want to develop a Bible study, also on the names of God, that will take them through the whole summer. We will probably use slightly less familiar names for God .... I don't know if we want to get to deep into Hebrew and stuff, but names like "Jehovah Jireh," "God provides," are really cool. Or "Emmanuel," "God with us." I'm thinking, it would probably be enough to do 2-3 names of God per week (for 6-7 weeks). There isn't a shortage of names, but rushing through them isn't really the point either.

So we need to put together a workbook of sorts with the different names of God we'll be studying, and readings, questions, etc. to go along with each. The idea is that the counselors and other staff will use the books to jump-start their personal devotions, and then the leader of each group (maintenance, kitchen, etc.) will lead devotions where they can discuss what they've been studying about.

I'm really excited about that part, because I know last year I was so exhausted every day that I didn't always have the energy to really plan my Bible reading, and as a result it was pretty scattered. Obviously, one more workbook will not be a cure for my laziness, but I think it could help.

But Ben and I aren't exactly experts on the names of God, of course, so we're going to plug into some of the great resources that already have been written on the topic. I think Kay Arthur is pretty legendary, and I am sure there are more. Hopefully, with those resources to build off, we can come up with something that will really be thought-provoking, practical, and encouraging to our hardworking staff this summer.

I know there aren't a lot of you reading this blog (yet!), but leave any suggestions you have! We are definitely at the "information collecting" stage of the project, so anything goes.....

In other news, it's a beautiful day in Virginia today. Golden sunlight, clear sky, crisp clean air. For a recently transplanted Minnesotan, it's hard to believe it's January ..... it feels like we're in the middle of a beautiful autumn or spring. It seems to good to be true.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Planning session

Today some friends (who are going to be working at camp next summer) came over to help Ben and me brainstorm programming and stuff for camp. It was pretty cool. We came up with a lot of fun and generally weird things to do, involving such props as

... jell-o
... donuts
... kool-aid
... pantyhose
... pillows
... trees
... an electrolysis machine*

*just kidding

Of course I can't reveal the nature of ALL the awesomeness that will characterize Camp Hope Haven 2010, but I will at least say that we have some pretty cool evening activities planned. I mean ... movies, a carnival, campfires, SPA NIGHT for heaven's sake!! I'm glad I get to go to camp this summer.

Now who's joining me?

Monday, January 11, 2010

Comfort food

Today in Virginia it was cold. When I ventured outside at 7:25 AM I could see my breath. My friends in Minnesota will laugh, but my point is not to earn anybody's pity OR ridicule. My point is that today was a chilly day. And then on top of that many of the people in the office were going through various Ordeals .... some of which involved me, not that I'm in any sort of trouble, all I'm saying is, I was a little stressed.

And at the end of a day like that, when you are a Camp Mom and you stretch your smallish food budget by picking and choosing what's edible from the donations that come in, you just do what you have to do. And in my case, that meant digging in my cupboard and coming up with a box of Stovetop stuffing mix that I didn't know what I was going to do with, but then it made me think ....

.... of my grandma's house on much-colder-than-32-degrees Minnesota winter evenings, when I would come stomping up the front steps and turn my key in the lock and she, bending over the stove, might or might not hear me come in. "Hey Grandma ......" (trying not to startle her.) I would be frozen from driving in a car that hadn't had time to warm up. I would sit down at the kitchen table that my great-uncle had made for my grandparents out of a defunct Murphy Bed, next to the orangey glowing stove, and tell my grandma about how the piano teaching had gone that afternoon, while she shuffled things around, testing for doneness and opening lids. There was a ritual, and it involved forks and spoons, bread and jam, iceberg lettuce, and almost always, a steaming pan of "hotdish" .... otherwise known as casserole, but in Minnesota they always say "hotdish." That hotdish, served in a round, red little baking dish (which I now own) was true comfort food.

And still is. Because tonight I made it too, and although my grandma wasn't there, and my kitchen will probably never be as cozy as hers, and my husband and I ate an odd mix of purple and green salad greens disparagingly referred to as "weeds" by my iceberg-preferring grandma, it was almost perfect.

Here's what I made. Right off the back of the Stovetop box, with the amounts changed to feed my hungry-but-not-hungry-enough-to-eat-a-9x13"-pan-of-the-stuff husband and I.

Grandma's Chicken-Flavored Comfort in a Dish

1 box Stovetop stuffing (6 oz)
1 chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
about 1/2 can condensed cream of chicken soup
about 1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
1-1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained

Cook the stuffing mix according to package directions. Meanwhile, mix the chicken, soup, sour cream, salt and pepper, and vegetables together in a greased casserole dish. Top with the prepared stuffing mix. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is done.

I served it with salad and homemade vinaigrette; homemade cranberry sauce (boil cranberries and water. add sugar. eat.) and raspberry chocolate chip ice cream for dessert (NOT homemade, alas.)

Wonder of wonders, my hubby -- who was not raised eating Minnesota hotdish -- loved it.

We both feel so much better now.