There was lots of hard manual labor going on Saturday at camp, but for some reason I mostly took pictures of the sewing projects and the kids. Mama Byrd, myself, Mom Yount, and Becki worked on sewing mattresses in need of repair (a disproportionate number of which came from the boys’ dorms… I’m just sayin’). It was fun to work together again! I also caught Willow and Autumn sewing up the trampoline and volleyball nets.
(Click to enlarge the collages)

Another treat was getting to see the new generation playing. I’m sure more times than I can count over the years that I worked at KBC, staff friends talked about when their children would come to camp together. Most of this gang is too young to be campers, but oh, how fun to watch them play!

Here’s an extra picture of Stephen playing in the Prophet’s Chamber, which was a playroom for the weekend. Besides the fact that I think he’s so cute, I’m including it so that those of you who haven’t been to camp for a while can get a little glimpse of the refinished dining room floor.

Sunday afternoon there was a rocket launch on the ball field – a good chance to get pictures of friends.

And a few shots from Monday, the last day we were at camp.

Jonathan’s requested birthday dinner was potato soup, salad, and chicken pot pie. His Coffee Cake-Literally birthday cake was a critically acclaimed surprise. He received a penny whistle and a harmonica (with Mel Bay manual) from his parents and fancy pipe tobacco and some mad money from mine. Alas, I have not yet managed to get him a birthday present… though I did take him to see the Steve Miller Band with my birthday mad money. Surely that counts?

Here’s some pics from J’s bday:

Josiah and Elanor had an interesting party arrangement this year. Ellie’s birthday was the day before we left for our Kansas trip; Josiah’s was the day we drove back. Ellie had her chosen birthday dinner on her birthday, but wanted to save cake for their official joint Bday party. Josiah had his Bday cake the night we got back from Kansas (Gpa and Gma Smith even came over at 9pm to be there for the cake!), and he chose the dinner for their joint party. The presents also happened at the joint party. Crazy planning, but it was a lot of fun.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW8puRqE4Sc&hl=en&fs=1]

… and say thank you to our troops whenever you have the chance.

A little over a month ago, I began doing some freelance work for an online studio. For my first assignment, I accidentally did the wrong title. Ha! (I realized it was the wrong title before I turned it in, don’t worry.) It was good practice, and it was about something in which I’m interested, so I don’t consider it a waste of time. But I thought I’d go ahead and post it here, so it doesn’t just sit in my file. Hope you enjoy it!

Hope Chest Traditions

Overview
Spanning centuries and continents, the hope chest has traditionally been a place to store the treasures of young women awaiting marriage. Popularity has waxed and waned, but an online search will quickly reveal that hope chests are still desired and used today.

History
Hope chests were used to collect and preserve a woman’s trousseau as far back as the late medieval times. In some cultures, hope chests contained the only possessions a woman actually owned.

Function
Traditionally given to young women by their parents, hope chests were filled with the goods needed to set up a household, often items handcrafted by the young ladies themselves as they matured.

Geography
In different countries around the world, hope chests have had various names and forms; the Italian cassoni, the Dutch kast, the German schrank, and the English glory box are examples.

Features
Cedar is commonly used for creating hope chests, due to its resistance to bacteria, fungi, and decay, as well as its insect repellant properties.

Fun Fact
Sulfur inlay is a decorative technique, used the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Pennsylvanian chest crafters, that involves filling carved channels in the wood with molten sulfur.

photo by RichinMN, CC BY-NDW 2.0

Cedarwood Furniture – Cedar Facts

Wright Kids Stuff

Cedarwood Furniture

We’ve been considering the possibility of getting a dog for the last several weeks, after losing 5 chickens in about a week’s time. On Tuesday, thanks to some amazingly generous friends, we brought home a new addition to our family.

Juilin is a full-bred Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie). He’s almost five months old, and has a very sweet disposition. Most of us have totally fallen for him, and Jonathan thinks he’s pretty okay for a dog. His name is pronounced jew-linn; he’s named after a “thief-catcher” in a series of books J and I enjoy. We’re hoping he stops our chicken thief, though we doubt he’ll “catch” him!

I was planning to tell you more about Juilin, but right now I think I need to go out and let him run around some. More later!

from Molly at Adventures in Mercy, a passionate and well-written post reminding us that