Where Are You August?

1st week of June: VBS.
2nd week of June: Tuesday night movie night with youth, plus regular stuff, plus camp prep
3rd week of June: Camp
4th week of June: Monday-supper with youth who went to camp, Tuesday-movie night with youth, plus regular stuff, plus Friday's monthly shopping trip and some fixing on my car

And honestly, July is not gonna be much better.  It's *mostly* fun stuff, but I like my routines and regularities and its draining to be out of sorts every other week.

I have a couple fairly big things planned for August-a girls' night with the youth girls and a hopeful business venture that I'll explain about in a minute-but right now I am looking forward to the normality that should return come August.  Also, I finally convinced R to go work out with me in August because I went to the doctor yesterday and I did not like how much the scale said I'd gained since moving here!  I'm also excited about the girls' night and business venture, though both will require quite a bit of work and the business thing is kinda scary!

So... Business venture...

For almost a year now I have been trying to think of things to do in our new life out here that will help give me some purpose.  And now I have decided to create a training business.  I conducted several trainings for W.E.E. School and, to my surprise, actually liked talking in front of grown ups! (As long as the subject was child development at least...) After several false starts in various ventures, I think, pray, and hope I have landed upon one that I will enjoy and can do--starting my own business doing trainings for childcare centers and other similar clients. (Doesn't the word "client" make that sentence sound so grown-up and formal!?)

R helped me start a website-I will make it my own domain in August before making business cards and visiting as many centers in the area as possible to give out my card and probably some sort of brochure and/or portfolio.  I also arranged to teach a training at W.E.E. again this August with the purpose of recording it.  The website is still very much a work in progress-there are pages that need to be finished, pictures to be taken and added, recordings to be taken and added, two trainings I've had in my head to get out and up, plus stuff I'm sure I haven't even thought of yet!  But I am quietly (for now) excited and would love any website critiques, exposure, promotions, ideas, what-have-you from the peanut gallery out there!

Branalyn

Oh, My Friends...

I simultaneously want to write and want to work on another curtain project.  It's a much smaller project than last time.  And I'm attempting to take pictures of it so I can actually write about it the process.  Also, youth kids come over in about 30 minutes to do a movie night so I'm kind of pressed for time.

Anyways.

Last week we went to youth camp #1.  It was Super Summer, which I'd never attended, at UMHB, where I have attended.  It was fun.  Robert and I scandalously stayed in a room together in Beall.  The girl stayed just down the hall from my old Remschel Room.  The boys stayed in Stribling.  Stribling is a girl's dorm!  Hardy's food wasn't so bad but was as greasy as ever.  The SUB has Icees now.  It's a good thing they didn't have them before!  The Spurs had two back to back heart-breakers.  Worship was amazing.  The speaker was good.  The sessions for the grown-ups were good.  I snuck off campus and saw my family and a couple friends.  Three of our youth really came into their own as leaders (at least, I think so).  And, I had the best camp idea EVER.  I knew we were going to be on UMHB campus, so I took some laundry detergent and color catchers with me and we came home WITH NO LAUNDRY TO DO! That's right.  Besides the clothes on our backs, there was no laundry to be done.  We came home with suitcases full of CLEAN clothes and towels and sheets! It may have been like the second most brilliant idea I've ever had.

The youth that went to camp came over and ate with us yesterday and we had a good conversation about where to go from here with the youth group.

Now the whole group is invited tonight for movie night.  Since next week is the 4th of July, we are watching

The Patriot.

I know, you were expecting Independence Day.

Fooled you!

I still need to make laundry soap and there's several other things on my to-do list that are getting bumped.

Partly because going to the doctor today seriously took up way too much of my time.  But I got the refills for Advair that I needed so...

Branalyn

I'm Having an Odd Day...

I found out today something that has really frustrated me.  Not in and of itself, but because it signifies one more thing I've tried to do in this town and it just did not work out.  I am feeling so incredibly stuck right now.

One thing I've decided to do in an endeavor to move on with something is to attempt to start a business training child care staffs.  It will be a slow start, but as I get a website up (and by "I" I mean me and whoever I can coerce into helping me) and some things going, I'll announce it on here.

Then a friend and I tried to go to a thrift store in Jal but it was closed.  So we came back to my house and she helped me make some decisions about my spare room and we fixed a lamp.  Like, legitimately did some electrical work.  I'm not even gonna mention how many times it took us to get it right, but the lamp is all good now!

This whole post is based on the fact that its Thursday and I said I'd update on Thursdays and I was VBSing last week and will by youth camping next week so it seemed like I should attempt to write something but this is really all I've got.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of the randomness.

Branalyn

Typing is hard

without using your left pointer.  And very slow.  So here's lots of pictures instead.

Why I can't use left pointy. Small pot. Gas stove. Lack of forethought. Sad day.

Shirt I made Saturday.  It was actually really fast and easy with my serger. And I made that skirt last year.  And the shirt survived the washer!

And here are several "in-progress" living room pictures FEATURING THE NEW CURTAINS!!!

I really haven't figured out how to take pictures of the curtains without the light from outside blinding you so they end up kinda dark instead.  Sorry.  

Off to change my ice pack for the millionth time today!

Branalyn