Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Camp Hope - Day 2

Tuesday (May 26th) began the second day of camp, which was the first full day of camp.

This was our daily schedule throughout the week:


       7:45 am   wake-up bell
       8:15 am   morning exercises
       8:30 am   breakfast
       9:00 am   cabin devotions
       9:15 am   cabin clean-up
       9:45 am   morning chapel
     10:45 am   games
     12:30 pm   lunch
       1:15 pm   cabin time
       1:45 pm   skills I
       2:20 pm   skills II
       2:50 pm   canteen
       3:15 pm   swim and free time
       6:00 pm   supper
       6:30 pm   games
       8:00 pm   evening chapel
       9:00 pm   get ready for bed
       9:45 pm   lights out


At 8:15 am every day, all of the campers met on the field by the flag pole for the raising of the flag, the pledge of allegiance, and morning exercises.  T was more of an observer than a participator of these activities.  :-/  However, if you look closely at the photograph below, you will notice that none of the counselors were exercising either!  ;-)


After breakfast each morning, T and I joined the teen boys in their cabin for devotions.  They kindly welcomed T and made him feel like a part of the group.  I wish I had taken a picture of them.  They were an amazing group of teens!


Here is Nate Thomas with another friend who joined him for morning chapel.  :)



T especially enjoyed the lunch menu for Tuesday:  hamburgers with all the trimmings, french fries, baked beans, and ice cream sandwiches!



After lunch, the campers watched another installment of the nuclear winter themed skit.



During the two skills times each day, the campers participated with their age group (in T's case, the older juniors) in various activities.  On Tuesday, T's group had arts and crafts for skills I.  The project was a tic-tac-toe game.


the teacher's example

The game board was a crosscut piece of a tree trunk which T painted blue (for water).


Then, he was given 10 small rocks to paint.  T painted half of them white and half of them green.



He didn't have time to add details to his rock animals...



or to paint lily pads on his "pond."



For skills II, T's group went for a hike...



around the lake...



and through the woods.



The other boys walked quite a bit faster than T; however, one of the counselors kept pace with us.



T spontaneously blew a kiss to me!  I guess he was happy.  :)



Mid-afternoon each day, the campers had the opportunity to purchase a snack at the canteen.  On most days, T drank a can of lemonade, and I drank a can of Coke.  Refreshing!


I can't remember what we did during swim and free time on Tuesday.  I know we definitely didn't go swimming!  The weather that day was cool and cloudy.


Actually, it rained after supper, so the games were played inside in the gym instead of outside on the field.  It was incredibly noisy in the gym.  My desire was for T to participate in as many things as possible throughout the week; however, I saw no benefit in having him sit and watch the games while he covered his ears the entire time because the noise was too much for him.  So, we left to find something else to do.  I noticed the camp director's wife in a nearby room with her two preschool-aged children.  They were playing with toys and reading books, so we joined them!  T had fun and was very good with the young children.  :)


During evening chapel, Mr. Nate's raccoon friend entertained the children...and read Scripture to them!



Once again, we slept so well!

Monday, June 15, 2015

Camp Hope, Day 1

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.    Colossians 1:13 (NKJV)
Camp Hope is located on over 100 acres in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia.  Camp Hope offers multiple weeks of camp in May, June, and July for homeschoolers, juniors, teens, and girls.

T was a camper for the first time ever...at Camp Hope's homeschool week in May! It was a week-long session for homeschoolers 7-19 years of age.


Camp started on Monday afternoon, May 25th (Memorial Day), and ended on Saturday morning, May 30th.


Registration and check-in was on Monday from 3:00-5:00 pm.  We arrived at 3:10 pm, and it seemed like most of the children were registered already and outside playing!  However, we had plenty of time to get checked in and settled before supper.


The girls stayed in several cabins, according to four age groups.  The boys stayed in three cabins, according to three age groups:  younger juniors, older juniors, and teens.  Although T didn't stay in a cabin with other boys, he was grouped with the older juniors for activities (called "skills") and meal time line-up.


I had made special arrangements to stay with T for the week in order to help him with his personal hygiene and other needs.  (He would not have been able to attend camp otherwise.)  Those in charge graciously offered us a hotel-type room...a number of which the camp has available as accommodations for the guest speakers, kitchen helpers, and some of the camp staff and volunteers.
What a blessing it was for T to be given the opportunity to attend camp!  :D



This was the serene view from the walkway outside our upstairs room.



The theme for the week was:

The homes and the places we love have been destroyed by a world-wide nuclear exchange.  Camp Hope is now the only place of refuge for the few existing survivors.  Join us for a week of Nuclear Winter themed games, meals, and messages.  Each day, we will grapple with the effect of invisible radiation and invisible sin.
After supper, the campers watched a skit...with a nuclear winter story-line which was on-going throughout the week.  Campers who forgot to wear their name tags...


were not safe from radiation and were subject to water-fire!


Next, it was time for games.  All of the junior campers were divided into four teams.  Throughout the week, the teams competed to see which could achieve the most points.  Points were given for games won, daily and weekly Bible verses memorized, a notebook kept during chapel, and so on.

T with his team

Each team had to come up with a team name, team chant, and team flag design.

team discussion time

Each team painted a team flag.



The team of which T was a part called themselves the Flaming Orange Marshmallows.

the orange team

Each team performed its chant and displayed its flag for the other teams...and the judges!

the pink team

the green team

the blue team

The orange team performed its chant:

       Marshmallow, marshmallow,
       Burn, burn, burn.    (spoken quietly)

       Marshmallow, marshmallow,
       Burn, burn, burn.    (spoken normally)


       Marshmallow, marshmallow,
       Burn, burn, burn!    (spoken loudly)


       Marshmallow, marshmallow,
       Burn, burn, burn!!    (spoken very loudly)


       Who are we??!
       The Flaming Orange Marshmallows!!!

T was prepared for the loudness!

Yep...it was loud!

Their team won the competition for the best flag and chant.  :)

happy campers  :)

There were two Bible study sessions each day:  morning chapel and evening chapel.  Nate Thomas was the chapel speaker for the junior campers.  Before the Bible study began, the children sang many songs.


Nate Thomas is a ventriloquist...and brought along many of his friends.  :)
Here he is with his orangutan.


After evening chapel, it was time for devotions and bed.  T and I had no trouble falling asleep!

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Handiwork

As we exited the store yesterday evening, we marveled at the unusual and very beautiful sky....


                      ♪♫     The mountains are His,
                                  The valleys are His,
                                  The stars are His handiwork, too....     ♫♪

Linked to:
   RaRa

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Respite


I can't really say why I haven't been blogging for the last five months...because I don't really know why.  Maybe I just needed a respite?  Anyway, I think I'm ready to resume.  (Is there anybody out there??!)  :P

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Dahlonega

This week, T will be going to camp for the first time!  He is excited; I am excited and nervous!  The camp is located in Dahlonega, Georgia.  Since none of us had been to Dahlonega before, we decided to visit the town the day before camp was to begin.

The weather was gorgeous, so we ordered lunch at Connie's Ice Cream Parlor & Sandwich Shop and carried the to-go containers to Hancock Park for a picnic.


We ate grilled cheese on sourdough sandwiches!  Yum!!


We saw this "tree" in Hancock Park.


It's the Maibaum History Tree, a visual depiction of Dahlonega's history.  There is a sign nearby that tells what is illustrated on each branch of the tree.

Dahlonega is known for GOLD!  Benjamin Parks was the first to discover gold in the area in 1828, which began the first major gold rush in America in 1829.

The name Dahlonega originates from the Cherokee word "talonega" (also spelled "dalonige"), which means "yellow" or "golden."

We saw this gold mine shaft, which is part of an exhibit located in The Smith House.


The shaft had a 20-foot vertical fall, ending at a spot where two horizontal mine shafts came off.

Downtown Dahlonega is organized around the Dahlonega Gold Museum.


Built in 1836, the Old Lumpkin County Courthouse now houses the Dahlonega Gold Museum.  The courthouse building was built using locally-made brick which included trace amounts of gold.  It is the oldest existing courthouse in Georgia.

On display in Hancock Park is the Chestatee River Diving Bell.


The diving bell was used in 1875 to mine the depths of the Chestatee River by retrieving buckets of gold-bearing gravel from the river bottom.  The miners descended into the diving bell through the air lock.



We walked Dahlonega's historic streets and Public Square while visiting many of the 65 retail shops.  However, we didn't have time to see and do everything we wanted...so we are planning to return in the near future!

photo credits:
   gold mine shaft
   Dahlonega Gold Museum

Monday, March 16, 2015

Free Cone Day

Today was Free Cone Day at Dairy Queen...in celebration of 75 years of the best Fans ever!


We stopped by after supper this evening for our sweet treat...a vanilla ice cream cone for each of us.


I didn't think to take my camera to snap a photo of T...but I can tell you he sure did enjoy his cone!!  :)  He loves ice cream...and it was gone in a flash!


Did you get your cone?

Monday, February 16, 2015

Ice Storm

Does your yard look anything like ours??


This photo was taken just after 5:00 pm.  That white stuff is sleet, not snow!!  The weather is supposed to get much worse between now and midnight tonight!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Top 5 of 2014 -- Food Fun Round-Up!

In 2014, I prepared many bentos, muffin tin meals, and other food fun meals for T.  He enjoyed every single one!  :)

Here are the Top 5...
the five most-viewed food fun snacks and breakfast, lunch, and supper meals I created in 2014:


The top three are all Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meals.  I made all three of them the same week...after I read to T the book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne.  I guess there are a lot of silly old bear lovers out there...of which I am one!  
;-)

#1 
 Winnie-the-Pooh Breakfast


#2 
Winnie-the-Pooh Lunch


#3 
Winnie-the-Pooh Supper


The top fourth is an Easter bento...full of bunnies!


#4 
Bountiful Bunnies


The top fifth is a springtime butterfly-themed muffin tin meal.


#5 
Butterflies Lunch


Many other meals received tons of views.  (Thank you!!)  I just love to make special meals for T...and it's quite rewarding that he loves them so!


In looking back through my 2014 food fun posts, I was surprised to find that I hadn't made more fun meals than I did.  I think "make more muffin tin meals and bentos" will have to be one of my New Year's resolutions!


Linked to:
   Eats Amazing