Service Jar - Week 4

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  Matt 5:16

This week we chose the strip out of the jar that said to make cookies for the local fire station. 

Halle, Jess, and I baked cookies, and the four kids made thank-you-cards for the volunteer fire fighters at station 23.  We delivered the cookies and cards right before the station's weekly training.  That way it insured that most of the fire fighters would get the cookies and see the cards.  Brian's brother-in-law, Adam, is a volunteer fire fighter, so it made it easy to arrange the drop-off. 



We made chocolate chip cookies and star shaped sugar cookies.  The platter of cookies looks small, but that's because the cards were really big!  There were about 5 dozen cookies, total.

the kids at the fire station with Uncle Adam.  He was filling the tanks and preparing the trucks for training.  The little kids, especially, were full of questions about the truck.  We only stuck around for a few minutes, but Cole could have stayed there for hours learning about the truck!

Chalkboard Table

This was a fun and easy project.  With the chalkboard craze right now, and my decision to homeschool, I thought the Hargraves needed to chalk paint SOMETHING!  My thinking was that I needed an accessible surface to help Arden with writing, and to explain math problems to Halle.  I originally thought about doing the back of a door, or just making a big chalkboard out of plywood.  Ultimately I decided to make the kitchen table into a chalkboard.  Brian said, "if you're going to chalkboard our table, then you should add something cool like a chess board to the middle."  So I did! 

 

 I've been asked by several people how I made the chess board.  I'm horrible at explaining things, but I'll do my best.  This was a figure-it-out-as-you-go project for me.    I used painter's tape, a ruler, scissors, exacto knife, pencil, sharpie, and masking tape.

 

 

The width of the painters tape I had on hand seemed to be good.  The makers of the painters tape couldn't make it easy on me, though.  Instead of the width being a nice even number like 2 inches, they decided to make my job hard by making it something retarded like 1 and 7/8 inches.  So adding up odd measurements was the only annoying part of this project. 

 

I lucked out with the centering of the board.  If you notice my table, you will see that it has a middle point and makes a perfect cross.  This made it easy for me to start my grid perfectly centered and perpendicular. 

 

I measured out eight strips of tape.  They were 8 times longer than the width (so 15 inches in length).  I laid out four of the strips in one direction, and the other four in the opposite direction.  I spaced the parallel strips out 1 7/8 inches apart.  To make it perfect I used a pencil and drew straight lines on the table to help me lay them out perfectly. 

 

The overlapping of the tape naturally made some of the wood squares.  The others I cut out with an exacto knife.  I took care to not cut into my table, but wasn't too worried since it was going to be painted anyway.   

 

It wasn't until I finished the grid that I decided I wanted a border.  I liked it without a border, too, so it wasn't a necessary step.  I made a border with a tape of thinner width.

 

 

 I used chalkboard spray paint.  The paint was dry to the touch about an hour later, so that is when I peeled off the tape. 

 End Product.  I drew in the rest of the border with a thin-tip Sharpie marker. 

I came back a few weeks later to add another coat of chalk paint, and to spray the chess board with a  clear coating for protection. 

We love our chalk table!  We've played several games of chess on it, and the kids love drawing on it.  The chalk easily wipes up with a wet paper towel.   

A game of chess and a game of Hangman going on!

 

Halle's Room makeover

We promised Halle a new bedroom set if she made straight A's all year long.  That was the deal for the previous year, but she ended up making an 89!  It was so close, but rules are rules.  So this year she brought the perfect A's and we redid her entire room.

The bedroom set that was initially in her room was a hand-me-down from my niece, Krissy.  We were betting on Halle getting A's which is why Arden had been in a toddler bed up until now.  Once Halle got a new bedroom set, then Arden would get Krissy's furniture.

Halle's room stressed me out the most out of any other room in our house.  She just had too much stuff, and it always felt cluttered.  With her being a typical messy kid, I would try to avert my eyes when walking by her room because I did not want to see all the mess!  We used to have a playroom before Jack was born that kept most of the toys and clutter out of the girls' room.  But now that Jack has his own room, there just isn't a lot of extra space.  She is very sentimental so her shelves and walls are lined with all sorts of artwork and keepsakes.  I don't want her to lose her sentiment, but it's just too much.  Her carpet is trashed from marker stains, glue spills, etc.  So we boxed up all of her sentimental elementary school stuff to start fresh for junior high.  She now has one box that she can put keepsakes in. 

We decided to get Halle a loft bed so that she could have a nook/desk underneath.  We shopped at many furniture stores looking for a bedroom set.  We couldn't find anything we really liked in the loft style beds.  We wanted one really tall so that she had plenty of space to stand and do her work underneath.  Brian also didn't like the quality of dressers in the kid sections.  We also didn't want to get a long dresser because it takes up so much space.  Ultimately we found a loft bed online with great reviews and decided on an old, solid wood and sturdy chest that we found on Craigslist. 

Halle decided that she wanted purple zebra as her room theme.  I persuaded her to do zebra with purple accents so that it would be easier to find stuff for her room.  Thank goodness she's easy to please and she was fine with that. 

So here is Halle's room before the redo.

  



AFTER......

 

 Brian took out the closet door and added these curtains instead. 

Brian strategically placed the bed how it is rather than lengthwise against the back wall.  He wanted to give her privacy.  The bed is full size.  We also put up the purple drape to block off her nook area for a more private feel.

Before: I had a cherry wood vanity just like this one that Brian got me when we first got married.
  We recovered the seat and painted it.



Vanity After

I'm a loser and didn't take a before pic of the chest of drawers.  This is a similar chest I found online so you get an idea of what it looked like.

chest of drawers AFTER

Halle's nook under her bed.  That is a desk on the left.  We plan on adding a small desk chair and a zebra bean bag to this area.  She can watch TV from here, do homework, read, or whatever.  The round rug is four feet in diameter, so that gives you an idea of how big this space is.  We also redid the carpet in her room with carpet squares.  We have extra carpet squares for easy replacement in case an area gets messed up.

 

With the loft bed being so tall, the ceiling fan had to come out.  Brian off-set the lighting by installing this chandelier closer to her window.  This was our old dining room chandelier that we painted white, and added jewels to in order to girly it up!

Well that's it!  She is really pleased with how it turned out!  And I like looking at her room when I pass by now.  :)


Service Jar- Week 3

This week our service was to participate in a food drive.  Coincidentally, they announced a food drive at church for Mission Greenspoint.  We got a list of items that were needed in Lanier's bible study.  I though it would be easy to shop for each item off of the list.  I gave the girls the list and let them go around Kroger to pick out the items.  While I was doing my own shopping, the girls took their own buggy around the store. 

Funny story.  The first two items on the list are 15 oz. green beans and 15 oz. corn.  Halle didn't realize that you were suppose to get canned veggies.  It was my fault that I didn't explain that before I let her loose.  She came back to me frustrated and saying that the list said to get 15 ounces, but the scale didn't read in ounces.  She had spent a long time trying to perfectly measure out fresh produce on the scale.  hahahaha! 

Halle with her fresh corn and fresh green beans

The girls did a good job getting the items on the list.  Because this particular week they aren't getting to interact directly with anyone, I tried to drive home some points. 

1. The simpler points I emphasized to my four year old is that not everyone is like her.  Some people are sick, poor, and don't have the essentials like us.  We can show God's love by helping them with their physical needs, whether they are deserving or undeserving by our standards.  "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 

2. After Halle got fresh produce, we discussed perishable vs. non-perishable items.  We talked about the meaning of perish.  Some of the meanings were rot, die, spoil, suffer destruction, and expire.  She then remembered that the word, "perish," is used in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life." 

3.  We talked about where our heart is when we are giving, whether it's through tithing, or through giving to others.  Jesus doesn't merely look at your actions, but he looks at where your heart is at in your giving.  Although it doesn't perfectly fit our service project this week, I used the story of the poor widow's offering in Luke 21:1-4 as an example.  I also tried to emphasize that our actions and obedience never lead to salvation, but it is our faith that saves us.  Instead, our actions are a product and reflection  of our faith (not the other way around.) 

So finally I asked them if they would like to chip in some of their own money to pay for the food.  I didn't request a specific amount, but asked that they give what they wanted.  I wanted them to focus on putting their heart in the right place rather than just performing the action because they felt guilted into it or like mama was making them.  They both decided to give, and I was proud of their choices. 

Although it was a lot of lessons to teach in one week, and that they might not have fully absorbed all that I intended, I think we all are coming to understand what these weekly service acts are about. 

 

Halle's Account of Sandy Creek Bible Camp

The following was written by Halle in reference to her week at a summer church camp.  The camp was 7 days and 6 nights long.  This is a camp that Brian attended when he was Halle's age and has always talked about sending his kids there. 

S.C.B.C.

At Sandy Creek Bible Camp I had loads of fun. I made eleven friends: Victoria,   Katherine, Emily, Erica, Kate, Sophia, McKenna, Leslie, and my two cabin leaders, Ms. Lisa and Ms. Kirstey.

We were assigned to teams on the first day.  Each team was given a number and color.  We had to create a team name on our own.  Our color was yellow and our number was four, so the name that we chose was Yellow Jackets 4 Ever.  We had to do all of our activities with our team except the pool, snack shack, and the arts & crafts lounge. 

My favorite activity that I did at camp was horseback riding. Both of the times I went horse-back riding I rode a horse named Henna. I recognized Henna because he had a white fish painted on his side. While riding Henna he would start galloping which made it really fun.

Another activity that I liked was archery. We got four arrows in every turn. On about my third turn I got two bulls eyes in a row!

To the right of archery was hatchery. One had to throw the hatchet so that it would stick to the wood. The technique for throwing the hatchet felt awkward to me so I really didn’t like hatchery.  When throwing the hatchet, it seemed like I was going to cut my ear off!

There also was a giant ropes course that was fifty feet up in the air.  There were three rock walls next to it.  One wall was easy to climb, one was of medium difficulty, and one was hard.  I chose the hard wall and was the only one on my team who made it up.  Once we finished the rock wall we got to choose whether we wanted to go on the ropes course or not.  I chose to go on it.  The course was scary and fun at the same time.  There was a similar low ropes course, too.  Our team broke two camp records.  That made me really excited and proud.     

The pool was really fun.  We had to take a swim test on Monday.  If we passed then we wore a red band on our wrist all week long.  The band indicated to the lifeguards that we passed.  At the pool there were two slides.  Everything about them was the same except the size; one was bigger than the other.  I always went on the big one because I was allowed to slide on my stomach on that one. 

The snack shack was a fun place, too.  They had lots of candy and soda (otherwise saying nothing there was healthy.)  When a person went to get his/her snack the girls at the counter would sometimes cheer for you.  They cheered if you got a York peppermint patty, a giant Pixie stick, or fruit snacks.  Once I got my snack I could go sit with my friends, play foosball, or play table tennis.

In the arts and crafts lounge we made a cross out of clothes pins.  First we got sixteen clothes pins and twisted the metal part off.  Next we glued them back together without the metal.  After that, we made the top, bottom, left side, and right side of the cross and then put them together.  Next we stained the cross and wiped it so it wouldn’t be so dark.  Last, we burned “S.C.B.C” into the back for Sandy Creek Bible Camp; we also burned 2013 into it.  Though it was hard I was proud of myself at the end. 

Ms. Lisa, one of my cabin leaders, was from Ireland.  She taught some of us girls in my cabin how to speak Irish, and we taught her how to speak American.  I learned that shower is pronounced “sar,” power is “par,” and flour is “far” in Irish.  My leader said that Scottish people talk funny because they sound like they are asking questions all of the time.  Whenever she compared her voice to what Scottish people sound like I could actually tell the difference (though if anybody from America tried to do that, I might mistake either for a British accent.)

In the mornings and afternoons we had chapel.  We learned about God and sang songs.  Additionally, in the afternoon, we read a book called Secret in the Woods and played a game.  The game was called Cooties and was boys against the girls.  The pastor would ask us questions about the book and whoever got the question right would go up and pick out a letter.  Behind each letter would either be a number or a cootie.  A player could look behind as many letter as he/she wanted, but if he/she got a cootie then he/she lost all of his/her points.   Then there would be another question.  Once all of the letters were gone, the team with the most points won.  The girls won most of the time. 

Sandy Creek Bible Camp was a really fun camp.  I want to go back next year and possibly see my friends from this year.   

 

 

 



dropping Halle off at camp. 



 

 

 

 

 

  

  

     

  

 

       

 

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Halle and Swimming

We just finished up Halle's fourth year on the neighborhood swim team.  She did really well and had a great season!  She was the fastest ten year old on her swim team, and made All-stars for all five of her events.  At all-stars she competed against 150 other swimmers from all over North Houston, College Station, and everywhere in between.  She made it as an alternate for the finals in her IM and backstroke. 

She is a natural and her stroke is beautiful.  I'm so proud of her for being self-motivated and pushing hard. 

We hope to put her back at FINS this year for year-round swimming and possibly joining their team. 

   

Jack at 15 months

I'm a little behind on this since Jack is now 16 and 1/2 months.

Still haven't found anything Jack does not like to eat.

Some of his favorites are bananas, avocados, tomatoes, and of course, milk.

When he wants food or milk, he will make a specific sound.  "Uhhhh-ah" is the best way I can spell this sound.  The "ah" part is higher pitched than the "uhhhh" part.  He will continue this sound until you give him food.  This is really cute until he does is over and over again for popcorn during movie time.  

He throws everything in the trash.  As I write this he threw his [washable and reusable] food plate in the trash.  I'm constantly fishing out non-trash items. 

He likes to make clicking sounds with his tongue.

He likes to "talk" on the phone.  He will hold up a remote control
or anything that resembles a phone and jabber away.  He also tries to "swipe" the remote with his finger and "text" like I do on my phone. 

Whenever I sweep he will bring me the dustpan, set it on the floor, and try to help me.

He knows how to get the computer charger and plug it into my computer.

Brian taught him to give head butts and high-fives on command.

Because of his macrocephaly, his anterior fontanelle is still open and large.  His mama thinks his big ole head is cute, though :)