Ahhh summer camp, how I love it. This week I’ve been volunteering at a camp for foster kids separated from their siblings called Camp to Belong. The camp is at the Y camp at the Silver Falls State Park. I happened to go to a horse camp here when I was younger, so total flashbacks!
Of course I can’t show you pictures of the wonderful kids, just imagine happy smiling children and break your heart stories of them being separated in their living situations. For this week they get to be together and make lots of wonderful memories.
Gotta dig this style 🙂
This is for sure the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to photograph. There are 70+ kids, 25 sets of siblings, a huge camp all spread out, big fields of bright sunlight…. But the real challenge are kids who have much more on their minds than most kids. So many of them have these masks. I actually had one boy tell me he never smiles anymore. It’s been two days and already they are loosening up. Â This is such a different view of foster kids than I get working on my CASA case. I have to say I think I am making a difference with CASA, but working on the paperwork side of thing, going to court, it’s not the same as actually spending a day with these kids. I have an awesome co-photographer working who is staying full time. I’m coming home at night, but man it’s still a lot of work! And fun, and ya, maybe I’ll have more words next week.
Oh and I’ll try hard not to steal one of these pool baskets.
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
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Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
Yes, yes, you were all against the chalkboard table. And actually once I really thought about the points you brought up I was too. But I just couldn’t shake the idea of some chalkboard in my house. The problem was the dust issue. I have wanted to do the chalkboard for a while but thinking about not getting it clean and the dust… well I might go crazy. But then I found bistro markers.
Have you wondered how they do it on those signs outside cute little shops? This is how! These things are liquid chalk markers. Ohhhh so awesome. I picked mine up at the most awesome local stationary store: Cooke’s in downtown Salem. You might also try a restaurant supply place. I bought this Wallies Peel and Stick Chalkboard thinking it was huge. Um, it’s not. It’s tiny. I came up with a use for it though, in my kitchen.
Keeping it real by showing you the least favorite part of the kitchen. We have these shelves and one drawer for our food. I am planning on carving out more space in the basement for stuff I want to can this summer. Oh I got sidetracked! The two sheets I had I used for a meal plan guide (we’ve never succeeded at this, but I’m giving it another go, starting next week). And since Bj always buys the herbs I have right outside I made him a little cheat sheet. It also lets us know other fresh food outside and what is coming up, in case we encounter a recipe with say figs, we can store it for fig season (hoping we have one this year, last year the weather was all wrong).
So after playing with these tiny 9×12 inch sheets I was itching for more chalkboard. I decided to see if a master schedule/organization center on the back of my craft room door would work.
I had this piece of paper so I taped it up and used it for a day to see what I thought. No one will see this unless they go into my craft room and shut the door. So pretty much just Tuesday and I. I love it!
Like the idea of having the week laid out right here. And our daily routine I am starting in the hopes of getting Tuesday to sleep before eleven on a regular basis. Oh yes, you read that right.
So ya, the first coat is now on the door. I have to wait 24 hours between coats, and then another 24 to use. Good thing I’m busy at camp! -
Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
First off thank you so much for the kind words. Someone in our extended family had a medical problem, and while I wish I could say it was all fixed up it turns out medical mysteries are not solved as quickly as House would have you believe. But we are home now, and I’m happy for that. I might still be a little sporadic this week though, as I’m volunteering at Camp to Belong to photograph sibling sets. Luckily the rain has let up… finally!
I have a few fun things to show you this week, including some of the custom shirts I’ve been making for Tuesday.
This one with the drum kit on the front and “noisy” on the back was carmen’s idea. I’m always amazed at the intricate designs that the Silhouette can cut out, and the drum kit is no exception (it’s from the Silhouette store). I used heat transfer vinyl from this online store.
Now Tuesday was more interested in our freshly made smoothies than taking photos…
But at least that gave me an excuse to change her outfit. This next one is my favorite. Tuesday can’t read, but we told her what it says so she loves the shirt too.
It’s says, “BOOM BABY -tutu” Like it’s a quote from a famous person, but it’s just a quote from her. I have no idea where it came from or what makes her say it, but dang is it funny. She just puts it into a conversation at the right moment too. Say we’re doing dishes and something drops, “boom baby” or if we’re talking about a bad outfit we saw on the street (must remember that she listens so well), “boom baby”. The best was at the grocery store, a woman commented on Tuesday’s dress herself style and she got a “boom baby”. Of course toddlers are best understood by their parents so she didn’t get it, but I laughed so hard when we go to the next aisle.
The first shirt was a Target brand one, and the second a Gap tee from a second hand store.
Now I just need more ideas for shirts, since nothing is safe! Here are some that Carmen did when she was visiting, and you might remember these cow shirts for her twin friends. So got anything clever for me to put on a 2.5 year old’s shirt?
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