Preferred by teachers and CraftiMamas

I'm not sure if you've heard or not but I'M GOING TO AFRICA IN 28 SLEEPS!  I know that I haven't blogged about Africa much because I've just been too busy with work, doing fundraisers, cooking a Thanksgiving meal and getting my crafts ready for Africa.  Yes, I'm the crafts leader for this trip so I've been trying to get all that in order.  When I signed up for this crafts assignment, I thought I would load up some fun foam and a glue stick and we'd be good. Wrong...crafts x 1000!  CraftiMama was in town last week and helped me get some of my things organized.

Anyhoo, one of the things that we want to do is give every child at Amazima Ministries a box of crayons.  When we first talked about this, we tossed around the idea of getting a restaurant to donate some of those little packs of crayons.  Then we thought that maybe we could buy a bulk box of crayons and put them in ziplocs but then we were concerned about breakage.  Sumer & Alicia kept saying wouldn't it be nice if each child had their own box of crayons.  Doesn't everyone like to have their own brand new box of crayons?  And then I talked to my CraftiMama and she said nothing colors like a Crayola crayon and shouldn't the kids in Africa get a good box of crayons.

So, we're collecting crayons.  They must be the 8 count size boxes because of weight restrictions.  We've collected over 300 boxes already and I'm trying to get to 500.  I'm not asking you to buy 100 boxes but if you're at the Target, the Kroger, the Wal-mart, the Hobby Lobby, the Michael's, the Walgreens...you get the picture.  Pick up a box or two and send them my way!

Let me know if you need my address.  Or you can drop them off by the preschool welcome desk at church.  Thanks!!!

P.S.  Your eyes did not fail you...I cooked most of the Thanksgiving meal.

Baby ON Board!

Over the last year one of the most overheard expressions at my church has been...

Don't drink the water!

I would also like to point out that you hear that a lot when you are preparing for a mission trip.  I've got it, and I'm not drinking the water.

Anyhoo, we've been saying this at TSC for many years but this past year has given new meaning to the expression.  We have had over 30 babies born in 2009.  I realize that most churches would be frightened by this number, but I say the more the merrier.  I also know that it provides great job security in these tough economic times...I'm just sayin'. 

So it was just 3 weeks ago that I found out that we were getting one more...

Meet Baby Hollie!

This time it's my assistant Awesome Amber and her husband, Bryan.

 Congrats! 

P.S.Amber-I'm gonna run to Target right now and buy one of those baby wearing slings because we're gonna need it come June;)

You can email your congrats here.

So it was kinda like a Tupperware party but not

So the other night I loaded up with some of my Africa mission trip buddies and some future Africa mission trip participants and headed to Columbia to feed some orphans.  Yes, we went to Columbia, Tennessee to feed some orphans.

We walked into a house that looked like this.  It kinda reminded me of a Tupperware party or any other home party.  The kind of parties that I don't go to anymore:)  I spent the latter part of my twenties and early part of my thirties attending various parties that sold:  candles, jewelry, make-up, plastic containers, scrapbook supplies and my all time favorite...cookware.  The last "cookware" party that I went to I purchased a $10 oven mitt.  I didn't really need any cookware because...hold on to the seat of your pants because I'm about to reveal a startling revelation.  You don't really need cookware when you don't cook!  I do have to say that the oven mitt has served me well because my bakers are still using it to get the brownies out of the oven.

No cookware for me, I purchased a strand of these...

These beads are made from recycled magazines. Amazima Ministries is training the women in the Karamajong tribe to make these necklaces.  The women who run 147 Million Orphans buy their beads, sell them, & then send a portion of the proceeds back to a feeding program for their children.  They also sell t-shirts, hats and bags to help feed the orphans in Uganda.  This one strand of beads fed a child in Uganda for a week.  It's just like that old saying...

Give a woman a bead; and she's got something nice to wear. Teach a woman to bead; and she can feed herself and the kids...or something like that:)


Here we are with Suzanne & Gwen.  They are the volunteer administrators of  Katie's Amazima Ministries.  So we got to hear all about Katie and the work that she is doing in Uganda.  They started 147 Million Orphans website to bring awareness to orphans and adoption.  By the way, if you aren't reading Katie's blog yet, click here. 

You can click on this button to see everything they have...

It's the Et Cetera that has me worried

This past week I set out on a adventure with some members of the Africa mission team to get some vaccinations.  It seems when you go into third world countries, its important to get your shots.  So I had been researching on the internet (it will get you in trouble everytime) for a travel clinic because it seems that the local doctors prefer not to have a bottle of the live yellow fever virus sitting in their fridge.  I also was looking for a bargain on the shotz because their kinda pricey.  Please note: bargain hunting for vaccinations is not advised.

Anyhoo, Alicia, Jesse and I traveled over to Bellevue to a place called Shots Etc.  When I pictured the establishment, I pictured what one might call a traditional medical center with I don't know...maybe a private room.  But a private room it did not have.  In fact, it was in a strip mall.  Ya know the kinda place where you usually find clothing stores and nail salons. 

Not a private room...

This is me getting ready for my shots.  Yes, it is November, and I didn't leave the house with just a tank top on.  I wore a button up shirt over this tank but couldn't push the sleeve up so I had to remove it.  Classy, I know.  Again, please note that this is not a private room but it's an office/patient check-in station/vaccination station/lunchroom....Et Cetera.  If you can serve one patient, why not just serve them all at the same time.

Also, something tells me those Clorox wipes have never been opened.  Why would I think that?  Oh, I don't know, maybe its because my nurse didn't bother to put on a pair of gloves when she administered my shots.  And she was waving those needles around like they were pom-poms.

Alicia didn't get the nice relaxy chair but she did get to sit next to the fridge.  Ya know the fridge that holds the live virus', a Diet Coke and a Lean Cuisine.

Before you get your shots you have to review all the risk.  You get a laminated sheet for every shot you're getting.  I have five sheets because I got five shots.  A certain member of our trip was making fun of me because I was getting every shot that they offered and even suggested I get the hang nail vaccination just to be on the safe side. 

Please count the number of sheets a certain member of our team is holding.  He ended up getting the hang nail vaccination after all.

The Princess and The Peep

It was Halloween 2009 and the Lil'Nanny and I set out to find the perfect costumes. 

Meet the Candy Corn Princess & the Peep

Please note:  I'm not expecting. I stuffed that costume with a pillow to get the full effect.

Look it's my Africa Peeps.  Don't you just think of Africa when you see our faces:)

We got to host concessions at the Fall Festival to raise money for our Africa mission trip.

We convinced some people to be slave laborers volunteers.

We all know that when you work with volunteers, you sometimes run into some issues.

I'm sure this is not breaking any health regulations.

I ran into a Thing 2 and another one of my Peeps in the hallway.