Tacklebox Tales

Cantata, Candy Making/Sale, & December Schedule

2011-11-29T11:59:00.002-05:00

Cantata Notes:

Wow! Thanks so much for giving up your time on Monday night for cantata practice. The kids sound GREAT! Below is a recap from a previous email from Marsha detailing the remaining practices and arrival times for this weekend’s performances:

Friday, December 2 at 7 pm. Arrive at 6:15 pm to assist with costuming, set, props, etc. All hands on deck if possible. This will be a Dress Rehearsal. (We could use a few extra parents to assist with making sure the kids are dressed and attempting to keep them quiet during the performance, both during this practice and both performances.)

Performances:

Saturday, December 3 at 7 pm. Arrive at 6:15 pm to assist with costuming

Sunday, December 4 at 6 pm. Arrive at 5:15 pm to assist with costuming

Sunday, December 11, 6 pm. NC2 Children’s Service - Kids will be performing their 2 Christmas songs.

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Candy Making

Saturday, December 3rd from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Come ready to roll up your sleeves and make lots of yummy treats!

Sunday, December 4th – Immediately following morning worship we’ll be serving up hot chocolate and some warm baked goods to help everyone get in the Christmas shopping mood! We are sponsoring four boys this year with the proceeds from our candy sale (ages 6, 8, 10, 11).

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Mark Your Calendar:

Sunday, December 11 at 6 p.m. – NC² Children’s Worship

Sunday, December 18th at 5 p.m. – Christmas Caroling

Gift Exchange: Sunday, December 18th following morning worship we will have a Christmas reception and a gift exchange. Some Sunday School classes draw names, some do not. Please check with your child’s teacher if you would like for them to participate. (If your child does not attend Sunday School and you would like for them to have a gift to open that day, please bring a gift from home or feel free to organize your own “swap” with another family.)

Wednesdays in December:

After a very busy October & November, we’ll be taking it easy on the remaining Wednesdays in December -- enjoying movies, activities, game room, and each other’s company!

COMMUNITY CHILDREN'S CHOIR PRACTICE

2010-11-10T14:40:00.002-05:00

We will once again be kicking off the Community Thanksgiving Service with a children's choir song. Terry Tomlin has once again rescued us, I mean, graciously agreed to lead our children. (Thanks Terry!!)

This year the children will be singing along with Marsha Alley on the song "Children of the World".

We will be practicing tonight (Wednesday, November 10) during our regular children's class time from 7:00 to 8:30 and again next Wednesday, Nov. 17, (but not the entire class time).

If you know of any children from other churches who would like to participate, please share the above times with them. We would LOVE to have kids from other churches join us! (Even just one practice should be sufficient for the children to feel comfortable participating.)

The Community Thanksgiving Service is Tuesday, November 23rd at 7 p.m.

We hope you can join us tonight.

(But just to clarify, there will be no 'regular' class time tonight. We will practice and possibly do a review of last week's lesson. Next week's practice schedule will be on an as-needed basis!)

Tacklebox Updates - March 2010

2010-03-03T10:27:00.003-05:00

Warning! There’s a lot of information here! Please let us know if you have any questions!

You Say Its Your Birthday!
Pastor Daryl’s birthday is this Sunday, March 7! We would like to surprise him with a little celebration! Nothing fancy, NC2 will be providing some light refreshments. But what we’d LOVE to have is birthday cards from the kids! We’d actually even prefer just a handmade little note! We’ll be celebrating during our normal morning worship time, so please have your child just bring their card with them to church! Thanks so much!!

March Madness Party
Well, we missed our Super Bowl Sunday due to just a little bit of inclement weather :). But we’re still in the mood to celebrate so we’re going to have our first ever ‘March Madness Sunday’ on Sunday, March 28th, 2010! Come dressed to impress in your favorite team jersey or t-shirt. If you’re not a sport’s fan, feel free to support our awesome ‘children’s ministry’ and wear your favorite NC2 tee!

Parents, if you’d like to help us provide snacks and/or drinks for our hungry tailgaters, we’d appreciate any assistance! Just bring whatever you have on hand.

Experiment: Sunday Night Children’s Church
For: School Age children (K- 6th)
When: Sundays at 6 p.m., March - May, 2010
Goal: Discipleship

We’re looking forward to getting our SN children’s worship back in session, however, we don’t want it to be ‘more of the same’. This time with our kids will be more focused on a classroom style setting, with some definite goals in mind! During this first session our primary goals will be learning and understanding: The Lord’s Prayer, 23rd Psalm, and the books of the Bible.

There will be no Sunday Night Children’s Services: March 21 - revival; March 28 - children’s service, and April 4 - Easter, no 6 p.m.

*Please note the word ‘experiment’ above, this is a new program we are starting, and we’ll definitely have some bugs to work out along the way. Please bear with us!

PRINCESS TEA PARTY!
We are so excited to be bringing back the tea party! We are inviting all girl of all ages and ladies (but no boys…however, we will make an exception for daddies) to attend our second Princess/Fashion Tea Party.

It will be on Saturday, MARCH 20TH from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The girls will be waited on hand and foot during this special afternoon. If your daughter would like to be ‘announced’ and take a turn on our special runway, please fill out a card with her information. This is not a requirement, they can walk or not—it’s completely up to them! Fancy dress is encouraged but also not required...some of our older girls chose last year to wear their most 'fashionable' attire and it was just as gorgeous!

Name/Introduction:
Address:
Hobbies or Favorite Things:

Here’s an example of what we did last year:
“Please welcome Her Royal Highness, Princess Pamela Allison Collier. Pam presides over the Collier Holler region of Albemarle County. Her favorite color is purple and she enjoys spending her time reading and on social networking sites. Pam’s favorite foods include, but are not limited to, baked potatoes and chocolate.

Okay, you don’t have to be that specific but hopefully that will give you an idea of what we’re looking for.

TEA PARTY SPONSORS NEEDED!

Ladies: We need your help! We are looking for ladies to sponsor a table at the tea. This would include: decorating your table (anyway you want—just think girlie) and serving the girls at your table during the meal. That’s it!

Find a partner or two or three and plan your table today! If you would be interested in sponsoring a table, please see Pam Collier, Debbie Swanson, or Dawn Shifflett.

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Boys Bash and Girls Jamboree information will be coming out soon! The dates are below, and we will soon be sending more details as they become available.

REFRIGERATOR WORTHY

Sunday Night Service Begins March 7 - 6 p.m.
Princess Tea Party March 20 - 2 to 4 p.m.
Children’s Service March 28 - 6 p.m.
Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt April 2 - 7 p.m.
Boys Bash/Camping Trip April 30 - May 2
Girls Jamboree May 14-15

VACOG Youth Camp Dates:
Senior (15-18) June 28-July 2
Middle School (12-14) July 5-9
Junior (9-11) July 12-16
Primary (6-8) July 19-22

Summer Camp - Early Bird Deadline is usually early May! Check the website: www.vacog.org

*An important note about youth camp. If your child is in need of assistance with a youth camp scholarship, please notify the church office by May 2nd. In order to help our limited camp scholarship funds go further, we need to take advantage of the Early Bird Deadlines. We will not be able to take requests for scholarships after this date. Also, due to the large number of requests, we will not be able to guarantee scholarships. We will do our best to provide help where it is needed most. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Tacklebox Updates - January 2010

2010-01-27T20:17:00.001-05:00

Happy 2010!

We are excited about the opportunity to ‘take over’ the sanctuary on Sunday, January 31st for the morning worship service. Our kids will be leading the entire congregation in worship and we’ll be sharing with everyone a ‘routine’ Sunday morning in children’s church! (The snow date for this service will be Sunday, February 21st.)

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Super Bowl Sunday

We’re gearing up for our fourth annual Jerseys and Jeans Super Bowl Extravaganza on Sunday, February 7th, during our regular children’s worship time! We’ll be celebrating the big day with a special lesson, games, and a tailgate party--indoors of course! Come dressed to impress in your favorite team jersey or t-shirt. If you’re not a sports fan, feel free to support our awesome ‘children’s ministry’ and wear your favorite NC2 tee! Parents, if you’d like to help us provide snacks and/or drinks for our hungry tailgaters, we’d appreciate any assistance!

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Experiment: Sunday Night Children’s Church

For: School Age children (K- 6th)

When: Sundays at 6 p.m., February - May, 2010

Goal: Next Level Discipleship

We’re looking forward to getting our SN children’s worship back in session, however, we don’t want it to be ‘more of the same’. This time with our kids will be more focused on a classroom style setting, with some definite goals in mind! But we still plan to make it as fun and relatable as we possibly can!

During this first session our primary goals will be learning and understanding: The Lord’s Prayer, 23rd Psalm, the books of the Bible, the 10 commandments, and the Beatitudes. We will be implementing a ‘store’ where the kids can be rewarded for working extra hard on these tasks! We believe this time can be utilized as a prime opportunity to disciple our kids and make sure they are learning and retaining some great core values! We hope you’ll check us out! (HINT: Kids, if you want to be ahead of the game...start memorizing the first two items above…)

Princess Tea Party

We are so excited to be bringing back the tea party! We are inviting all girls and ladies to attend our second Princess/Fashion Tea Party. It will be on Saturday, February 27th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The girls will be waited on hand and foot during this special afternoon. We will be having a light lunch, special treats, and so much more! You don’t want to miss it!

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TEA PARTY SPONSORS NEEDED!

Ladies: We need your help! We are looking for ladies to sponsor a table at the tea. This would include: decorating your table (anyway you want—just think girls) and serving the girls at your table during the meal. Find a partner or two or three and plan your table today! If you would be interested in sponsoring a table, please see Pam Collier, Debbie Swanson, or Dawn Shifflett.

WOW CLASSES ARE BACK!!!!!!!!

Our WOW classes will be starting up brand new Feb. 3rd, 2010!!! Our kids will once again get the fun and excitement of a different class EVERY Wednesday night. We’re excited and so very thankful to our teachers who are giving their time and efforts to make this a reality!!! However, we’re still looking for ELECTIVE teachers! If you’re interested, please let us know!

REFRIGERATOR WORTHY

Children’s Service ------------------------------ January, 31st - 11 a.m.

Super Bowl Service-------------------------------- February 7 - 11 a.m.

Sunday Night Service Begins -------------------- February 7 - 6 p.m.

Princess Tea Party--------------------------- February 27 - 2 to 4 p.m.

Children’s Service ------------------------------------- March 28 - 6 p.m.

Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt------------------------------ April 2 - 7 p.m.

Boys Bash/Camping Trip------------------------------- April 30 - May 2

Girls Jamboree--------------------------------------------------- May 14-15

VACOG Youth Camp Dates:

Senior (15-18)------------------------------------------------ June 28-July 2

Middle School (12-14)---------------------------------------------- July 5-9

Junior (9-11)------------------------------------------------------- July 12-16

Primary (6-8)------------------------------------------------------ July 19-22

Summer Camp - Early Bird Deadline is usually early May! Check the website: www.vacog.org

2009-12-08T12:12:00.002-05:00

Another Jam-Packed Edition of the Tacklebox Online!

Teacher Gifts

We will once again be offering you the option of contributing to a collective gift for your child’s teachers. This is such a great option. You can give just a couple of dollars per teacher and it really starts to add up. Most teacher will receive between a $10-$20 check. Of course this is optional! Just a service for you to take advantage of if you’d like to!!! There are forms available in the foyer.

Sunday School Gift Exchange

The children draw names in their Sunday School classes and participate in a gift exchange on Sunday, December 20th following morning worship.

If your child does not regularly attend Sunday School and you would like for them to join in the present opening, you have several options:

1. Get in contact with their Sunday School teacher and ask to put their name in (most classes have already drawn names but should be able to switch around someone to accomodate you easily!) Let us know if you need to know who their teacher would be.

2. Bring a gift from home for them to open.

Candy Sale

We took in over $650 on Sunday with our candy sale! We have sponsored a family with three children – four and five year old girls and a 20-month old little boy! We also will be helping a family with two teenage girls (13 & 15).

Christmas Program

We will be practicing for our Christmas program on Wednesday, Dec. 9^th, and again on Sunday morning Dec. 13^th.

The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. Sunday, December 13. Please have your child here by 5:15 that evening. We will be serving milk and cookies in the fellowship after the program, so we hope you all can join us!

A few of the kids do have speaking parts but we are NOT requiring them to memorize them. They will be given cards to read the night of the program

The kids are wearing their PJs for the play. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Christmas Party

On Wednesday, December 16^th, we will be having our NC2 Christmas Party! We’ll be eating, playing, and having a ton of fun! Please bring a snack to share! We love to have lots of yummy goodies to fill up on!!!!

2010

Just FYI – We will be starting our WOW program back up in the beginning of the new year. Would you like to be a part of teaching or assisting in a class? Or possibly helping us to run an elective? We’d ove to have your help!

Fall 2009

2009-08-25T13:29:00.001-04:00

Here’s a few updates on what’s going on with NC2 this fall.

Wednesday Nights

SPARK SUCCESS!!!
Thanks to everyone who helped make Spark ‘run like a well-oiled machine’ this summer! You have been a blessing to our children and our workers, and we appreciate your willingness to serve.

We have decided to end Spark one week early and host a Back To School Bash this Wednesday, August 26.

Back to School Bash
Come join us for a night of fun and food as we celebrate the return to the hallowed halls of learning! This Wednedsay, August 26, at 7:00 p.m. we will be meeting in the sanctuary and then having some fun activities, ending with a movie and popcorn!

Fall WOW Schedule

We will kick off our Fall WOW session on Wednesday, September 7th. We will be following our ‘modified’ WOW format. This means our kids will all be in the sanctuary together from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for music, games, and a group lesson.

From 8:00 to 8:30, we will be focusing on electives and children’s choir practice. Our children’s choir will be participating in our Community Thanksgiving Service again this year.

Fall Electives

Parents, here’s where we are looking for some assistance! We would love to broaden our horizons this fall with some really fabulous electives! We are looking for any activity that would appeal to kids, such as: sewing, knitting, painting, drawing, sports, ministry ideas—missions, dance, drama, sign language, music--basket weaving, sculpture, photography, cooking/baking, computer, cheerleading (do you see where I’m going with this? ANYTHING!)

Could you give a half an hour for a couple of weeks to share something with our kids? You do NOT have to be an expert, just willing to share or learn along with the kids!

We will also need volunteers to man the game room and other electives that will require no preparation….so if this is more your style, let us know!

Please see Pastor Daryl or a member of the children’s board if you would like to help out!

3, 2, 1....We Have Liftoff! 2009 is a Go!

2009-02-17T11:48:00.006-05:00

Yes, this is a horribly long post but it is chock-full-of-nuts, I mean tidbits that you really do need to know!

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Girls Tea Party
Saturday, February 28, 2009
2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Hey Ladies! We’re looking forward to a fun-filled afternoon of yummy treats and girl-centered activities. We hope you’re planning to join us. Please fill out an invitation card and get it back to us ASAP! Invitations are available in the church foyer or you can email us and ask us to send you one.

This event is open to girls (teens, moms, grandmas, aunts..) of all ages! We hope you will take advantage of this special “Girls Only” time.

So Lovely Ladies, come dressed to impress in your most girly-licious outfit and get ready to rock the runway!

Junior Talent

Junior Talent is fast approaching and we are beginning to get ready. Junior Talent will be March 27 -28th, 2009, in Roanoke.

Junior Talent is open to all kids ages 7-12. There are many, many different subcategories your child can participate in, but they all fall under these main categories: Bible, Drama, Music and Art. If you’d like to see a complete listing of the categories, please click here.

We would like to encourage all of our kids to participate in at least one individual event this year. A great way to be involved is to look back at school projects. Has your child written an essay or a poem; have they made a ceramic piece or a drawing? These are eligible for submission, it does not need to be something new. Photography is also another popular option.

We want them to be in as many events as possible, but just a reminder parents there is a cost involved. $10 for the first individual entry and $5 for each entry after that—group entries do NOT count as the first entry. We don’t want any child not to participate because of cost, so we will offer a limited number of ‘scholarships’. Just let us know if you need one of these!

We will be having a choir (we need lots of voices for this!), bible quiz team, and drama team. If your child would like to be involved in any of these, please let us know. We will be practicing for Junior Talent events as much as possible during regular church times. We are currently using the Wednesday night elective time (8:00 to 8:30 p.m.) and Sunday evening children’s church, Sundays at 6:00 p.m. We are working on picking out choir songs and will hopefully have CDs out to the kids within the next week or so (don’t worry our kids are fast learners and we’ll be relentless in using every possible opportunity).

Entry forms are available in the church foyer or see Pam Collier. We need these forms NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, MARCH 1st!!!!!!! Please fill out a form for your child, especially if they are interested in participating in choir, we need a headcount for those who are committed to traveling to Roanoke and being a member of the choir!

Kicking New T-Shirts

Hopefully you received an email about the new NC2 t-shirts we are in the process of ordering. If not, let us know and we'll add you to our email list. We are ordering blue t-shirts, with the hopes of all of our Jr. Talent participants being in bright blue sporting the NC2 logo. (Again, if cost is a factor, PLEASE let us know!)

We are also ordering some gorgeous pink NC2 shirts so the girls can model them during the Girls Jamboree this year.

Again, these are the ’09 Edition of the NC2 t-shirt, you do NOT have to be a Junior Talent or Girls Jamboree participant in order to purchase them! However, we are only going to order a limited number of extras. So please, just shoot us an email with how many in what color you’d like to have. We want everyone to have at least one!

New Website
I know we’ve promised this like a hundred-billion times before, BUT we truly are almost ready to go live with our church’s new website. The really cool thing is NC2 has our very own site connected to it. It’s downright awesome if I do say so myself!

But with websites come issues and since I don’t want anybody to sue us or the church, we need to have permission to post pics/videos of your kids on the website. What fun is a website without pictures of all the fun stuff we do around here..and since most of it involves your kids..well you see where we're going with this?

Just to clarify, we would never directly label a photo with your child’s full name and/or age or home address or other personal information. If you are uncomfortable with your child’s gorgeous face being posted on a website, PLEASE just drop us a note and let us know (and yes, for legal purposes and for our ever-fading memories, we really do need it in writing).

If it’s okay with you, there’s no need to reply. Also, if you change your mind at a later date, it’s NOT a problem—again, just let us know.

That 70’s Camp!

Here are the dates for what we're sure is going to be another fabulous year of youth camp in Virginia!

Senior (15-19) July 6-10
Middle School (12-14) July 13-17
Junior (9-11) July 20-24
Primary (6-8) July 27-30

Online registration will up and running soon, we’ll let you know when it’s available. The deadline for the Early Bird Discount is May 4, 2009! So if you’re impatient and don’t want to wait for online apps, head on over to the website and download an app today! You can also get plenty of info about the dates, packing lists, etc.

Refrigerator Worthy - (or I guess in this case Blog Worthy?) Dates

Junior Talent Entry Form Deadline – 3/1/2009

Junior Talent Competition – 3/27-28/2009

Easter Family Celebration/Egg Hunt – 4/10/2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Boys Bash – 5/15-17/2009

Girls Jamboree – 5/29-30/2009

As always, please give us a call or drop us an email if you have ANY questions! We're always happy to help.

Pastor Daryl and Pam Collier, Debbie Swanson, Dawn Shifflett

I'm a Horrible Blogger

2008-12-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

I’m a horrible blogger. I know this, really I do. Over two months since I last posted to my poor neglected blog. I spend hours reading other fabulous, daily updated blogs. Honest to Pete (whoever he is) I spend hours. I wish I were joking, but even as I type this I have a blog up in the other window. I have at least 5 emails in my inbox just begging me to find out what tips and tricks are hiding in them. There are tons of wonderful nuggets of knowledge floating out there in the world wide web, all just waiting for me to snatch them up and make them my own.

I subscribe to blogs about children’s ministry, blogs about ‘crock-potting’ (which I do almost none of), blogs from ladies who have opened my mind (and my budget) to a whole new world of coupons and online deals. Oh the joy of having CVS pay me to shop and plus give me absolutely free items. I feel I need to make a confession here. I absolutely love saving money. I adore the rush of getting something for a ridiculously low price—we’re talking pennies people!—and I enjoy sharing my victories with everyone. But a true frugal, I am not. A true frugal takes her carefully nurtured savings and tucks them away. She makes plans for the future. She uses her carefully gotten gains to pay off debts. So alas, I say again, a true frugal I am not. I enjoy shaving money off our grocery and household budgets in order to spend more money on things I enjoy. Treating my family to a nice dinner out, new clothes for my kiddos, whatever my trinket my decidedly ‘non-thrifty’ self desires. Oh, I feel so much better getting that off my chest. Now back to the regularly scheduled blog.

Hmm…well I just realized this post has no real subject. Just me blathering on about my coupons and my love of a good blog! It was truly born out of a desire to post something new to the blog and having nothing to write about! But check back in a week or so, I hope to have checked two major items off my December calendar. Our annual candy making day is tomorrow, with the sale on Sunday. We are praying our sales figures are way in the black, we have six kids from the angel tree to sponsor this year! And then on December 14 nc2’s kids are putting on one of the cutest plays “Angels We Have Heard on High”. It’s so fab and we have the best kids who are putting their hearts into every note they sing!

In case I fail to check back in, not that I'm already planning to fail, but anyway…the Collier family sends our warmest Christmas wishes and New Year blessings to each one of you. Clip some coupons in 2009.

My New Hobby

2008-10-07T22:02:00.004-04:00

I have a new passion, something that makes me smile and feel lighthearted. A new hobby I have been delightedly dedicating several hours to each week. And possibly the best feature, according to Daryl, is that I’m saving our family money. Or at least that’s the goal of my current coupon craziness! I’m telling ya, it’s a thrill like no other when you actually make money shopping!

It all started when my darling hubby woke me up one morning to tell me about something he saw on our local news. Daryl frequently wakes me up and tells me important details, such as don’t forget this or how about that. Unfortunately before 6:30 a.m. and one cup of coffee, all I hear is “mumble mumble blah blah mumbo jumbo”. For some reason, I choose to believe it was meant to be, I actually heard and understood Daryl say “Hey make sure you watch the news this morning, there was a story about a local woman who is saving lots of money using coupons. She has a web site, you should check it out”. And so being the obedient wife that I am, I watched the news story and it peaked my interest but I thought, that’s good for her family but she has one kid and looks like her husband has a really good job. I don’t have time to clip coupons and organize lists, or go to a 100 different stores! I’ve got a comfortable routine that’s working for me..if it ain’t broke I'm way too lazy to fix it! But then I started to dig a little deeper and when I started to see the numbers these ladies were posting, my first thought was ‘liars!’, there’s no way you can save that much. But as I read on, they seduced me with their tales of 10 cent cans of soup and free cleaning supplies. And so I have been converted, I am now a newspaper-buying, coupon clipping, binder-toting coupon crazy person.

So as my goals got bigger, so did my dreaming. I began making a mental list of all the stuff my family could possibly afford if I cut enough from our grocery budget… oh the places we could go, the computers and golf carts we could buy, the third car so my gas hogs could stay parked more…oh the list was endless.

But then my air dreaming took a direct hit, selfish dreams usually do! My dad has been kind enough to save me his sale papers and coupons (I’ll take yours, too, if you’re not going to use them). This week he also included a story from Guidepost about a mom who started clipping coupons to help make ends meet. Then she began finding such great deals she couldn’t pass them up and was able to help stock her church’s food pantry! This intrigued me even more. Could I save money on our own groceries and supplies, and still purchase extras to help with the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets? The more research I’ve done, the more I think this is really possible. I think I'm up for the challenge!

Still sounds crazy huh? Well, it is. It’s crazy that now I don’t go in a grocery store without my huge purple 3-ring binder full to the max of coupons (that I’ve only been clipping for a month). It’s pretty embarrassing to be toting around that monster and even worse when the teenage clerk at CVS stops me and wants to check it out and then yells across the store, ‘hey Wanda, come look at this lady’s stuff.. I’ve never seen anybody do this before. “ As heads turn and people look, I turn red and mumble and hurriedly push my cart the other way. But when I, again with much embarrassment, hand the clerk my 10 coupons, and know that they really don’t want to scan each ones of those little scraps of paper. Ah, but then I watch the total go down, way down. And I take a peek at my receipt and I’m happy, really happy, like schoolgirl first crush kind of happy.. yeah, it’s that good.

So here’s the proof in the pudding. Last week at CVS (who has an Extra Care Bucks policy, you actually get ‘cash’ back on certain purchases—tickets you use like cash), I bought over $70 worth of stuff. After my coupons & my ECBs, I walked out paying $9.86. Now that’s pretty impressive by itself, except, and here’s the kicker--after my receipt printed, it then printed out my new ECBs totaling $15.99. So yes, I actually made money on that trip. .almost $6 to the good, plus all my stuff!

If you’re not bored yet, here are my favorite deals from last night:

Lady Speed Stick regularly $3.49, on sale for $1.99, had a $1 coupon. So I’m down to 99 cents, but I got $1 back in Extra Care Bucks..so basically I got the deodorant for the tax (minus the penny I made) Basically the same with the Colgate, woo-hoo! Who knew free toothpaste could make me so ecstatic! I’m including the mascara because it costs $10, seriously, at the drug store does it have gold dust in it? It was buy 1, get one ½ off but then I had two $5 coupons. So it was $10 for the first, $5 for the second, minus $10 in coupons, so I paid $5 for two. $2.50 for a $10 mascara..I swear I’m giddy with the excitement!

So if you see me at the store buying 10 copies of the newspaper or in CVS or the grocery store with my embarrassingly-huge coupon filled binder, don’t pity me, I’m having a ball!

Just in case you’re interested in looking further. Here’s my two favorite blogs that I read about coupon clipping.

www.frugalinvirginia.com
www.kingdomfirstmom.com

Happy Fall Y'all!

2008-09-23T13:55:00.002-04:00

Trunk or Treat

We are thrilled to announce our Second Annual Trunk or Treat is in the planning stages.

We’ve set the date--Friday, October 31st of course! We’ve set the time--7:00 p.m.! We’ve set the location--NCOG’s backyard! And now for the most important ingredient… TRUNKS! And that's where you come in, the more trunks, the more fun (and candy) the kids get to have.

Just to give you a preview of this year’s fun. We will open the trunks for treating from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Then we’ll have hayrides, hot dogs, caramel apples, popcorn, and all the hot chocolate you can drink!

And, yes, this year we are adding more prizes for those best dressed trunks. This year the kids will vote on one trunk for the grand prize ($50), but we’ll also have some secret judges looking for the “Best Bible Theme”, “Best Use of Vehicle”, “Best Overall”, and “Most Original” – each of these prizes carry a $25 payout!

So start gathering your materials and wracking your brain for a possible “Best” idea!

Watch your bulletin for more info in the upcoming weeks!

Community Thanksgiving Service

Once again our kids will be singing during our Community Thanksgiving Service. We hope to have a CD for the kids very soon. We are planning to practice during our elective time on Wednesday nights and on Sunday mornings.

Christmas Program – Angels We Have Heard On High

We are very excited to be preparing for a children’s Christmas program this year. It is currently scheduled for Sunday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m.

This is a very short program with only 5-6 speaking parts and 5-6 songs. We chose this program due to its simplicity. We hope to share this with our family, friends, and community without requiring a huge time commitment from our parents. Due to the smaller nature of speaking parts, we are planning to give first choice to our 6th graders, who are spending their last year in children’s ministry. But for any child who would like a part for that night’s program, we are going to be digging out some of those old school treasures–recitations!

We need ALL of our school-age kids to make up a fabulous choir. We are hoping to also plan something special for our preschool age group.

In order to keep time commitment at a minimum, we will be doing the bulk of our practicing on Wednesday nights. We will be sending home CDs of the Christmas music so your children can learn the songs at home.

Stay tuned for more info!

Fall WOW

Due to the busyness of the fall around here--ever heard of a thing called apple butter—we are tweaking our normal Wednesday night schedule. The school age kids will be having a lesson in the sanctuary and then breaking into elective groups from 8:00 to 8:30. The elective options are: game room, board games, movie, or Christmas play speaking parts practice. If you are free during this time and would like to help supervise one of these areas, we’d love to have your help!

Our Tentative WOW Schedule:
9/24, 10/1, 10/22, 10/29 – Class w/ elective time
10/8 and 10/15 - Apple Butter – No classes!
11/5 – Thanksgiving Song Practice during Elective Time
11/12 – Revival with Cliff West – No Classes!
11/19 – Thanksgiving Practice entire night (7:00 to 8:30)
11/25 – Community Thanksgiving Service
11/26 – No Classes
12/3 and 12/10 – Christmas Play Practice (7:00 to 8:30)
12/17- Kids Christmas Party

2009 WOW Schedule

WOW classes will return with a vengeance in January. If you are interested in volunteering to help teach a class, be a classroom volunteer, teach or assist with an elective beginning in January—please let us know!

As always feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have!

Gearing Up For Fall - NC2 Updates

2008-09-10T13:27:00.003-04:00

NC2 Updates

Spark Ends with a Splash!

We finished a ‘Spark-tacular’ summer. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to making our summer run so smoothly. We ended Spark with a splash on Wednesday, September 3rd with a wild night of water games. We played water volleyball, ran relays, had a sponge war, and dug for marbles with our toes.

Now that Spark is over, we are back to WOW, well, sort of. Our preschoolers will be starting out with us in the sanctuary each Wednesday and after music heading off to their own classroom for age-appropriate lessons and activities. Everyone else will be together as we have lesson time, sprinkled with a lot of fun. We are going to begin working on the music and parts for our Christmas program (see below for more details) and also breaking out into some fun electives.

NCOG Web Site

I know we’ve tried to get this started before, but this time we’ve actually got a website in progress. We are so excited to be finally catching up with technology..well at least for a few minutes. We’ll let you know as soon as construction is finished.

2008 is Winding Down

Here’s just a couple of exciting things that we have planned for the rest of 2008. So mark your calendars!

Are you ready to make apple butter? Right now the dates are set for October 8-10 and October 15-17.

Friday, October 31st will be our Trunk or Treat. Last year was our first attempt and, whoa, were we blown away! If you’d like to reminisce about last year’s event, head to my myspace page, www.myspace.com/jdcclub and click on the photo albums and choose the Trunk or Treat album.

Tuesday, November 25 – Community Thanksgiving Service
Our kids will be singing, please go ahead and encourage kids from other churches to come join our mass kids choir!

Sunday, December 14th at 6:00 p.m. – NC2 will be sharing a Christmas program with everyone! We are very excited about this and are working out all of the details right now. We hope to combine speaking parts (a short play) and lots of choir songs so that all of our children can participate. Stay tuned for more details!

I Wanna Soak Up the Son...

2008-09-10T13:14:00.002-04:00

I’m embarrassed to see it’s been three months of silence on the Tacklebox Tales! Let’s just say my summer has been very full, but very good. My family has enjoyed a summer of baseball in June, camps in July, and vacation in August, school and Kids Fest in September.

The JDC Club soaked up some serious sun this summer at the pool, the baseball fields, the beach, we love us some sunshine! But when we throw our routine out the window, which we do during the summer, sometimes we neglect to take time to soak up the S-O-N.

While school’s in session, we have our morning routine all mapped out. Every morning at 6:45 we all stop what we’re doing and take a 5-minute break, we read the Keys for Kids and accompanying scripture, say a brief word of prayer and then back to last minute preps before rushing out the door. During the summer, I think we did devotions the first week the kids were home and um…well..I guess that’s about it.

Now I really enjoy summer and there’s a lot of pros to no routine, those easy-going, laidback days of leisure. But I must say my mind and body are enjoying getting back into a routine. And honestly, ready or not, routine is now upon us!

So let’s make the best of it and start some new routines this year that will benefit us and our kids spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and relationally. And most important, to all you parents out there, please take time to do something for yourself! Make time for something you enjoy, relax for a few minutes or hours, plan special time with your spouse or friends.

The more relaxed and better in tune with your own spiritual and emotional self, the better parent you’ll be able to be!

Stop Worrying!

2008-06-02T13:21:00.002-04:00

We had one of those big sister/little sister special moments this weekend. Josie shared with Jill about school shots on Friday. Now maybe Jill asked about them, but I have this sneaky suspicion Jill was being a normal little sister (pest) and Josie was using whatever means necessary to get her to leave her and her friends alone on the trampoline.

So Jill came into the house crying and completely devastated from the knowledge she had to get shots in order to go to school (which she is thrilled about). She talked about shots on Friday night during our children’s board meeting. She discussed them in detail at Jared’s ballgame on Saturday. She was told many times, by many people, that she didn’t need to worry!

On Sunday morning I was making her chocolate milk and she said shots sometimes were on your fingers and sometimes shots don’t hurt. I said ‘Jill, you’ve got to stop worrying about getting a shot, we haven’t even made you an appointment yet!”. She said, “I’m not worried about shots, I’m just thinking about them.”

Sometimes the Holy Spirit gradually nudges us with the truth and other times it’s like a ton of bricks has been dropped on our heads. This was definitely the latter for me. God granted me true clarity into my own personal habits. I am by nature not a worrier, I don’t stress and stay up late or not eat (heaven forbid) or lock myself away when situations are not perfect. However, I am a ‘thinker’ or what I refer to as a ‘planner’. I am constantly planning how things should be solved. For example, we are debating whether to purchase another vehicle. We drive two gas hogs and we thought it might be nice to have one piglet in the driveway. Otherwise we may have to sell a child in order to pay for gas. So I’ve spent too many hours already making lists of pros and cons, researching gas mileage, prices, listing all of our expenses and our income. I make budgets and imagine every possible scenario, if we cut $100 from the grocery budget, if I don’t purchase any nonessentials, if we stop eating out. .etc, etc.

So basically, as Jill so beautifully taught me on Sunday morning, I was still worrying. I had not given my concerns completely over to the only one who can help!
Out of the depths of our heart, the mouth speaks. . . .we can say we’re not worried or concerned about a situation, but when it’s the first things we talk about in the morning (almost subconsciously) maybe we need to return to the altar and drop some things off there!

And the amazing thing is that God really does want our burdens. It’s like He has a one-size fits all burden-sized deposit slot, you can drive through leave them there.

So I am leaving the worry about another vehicle right where it needs to be with God. He has it all under control. I will continue to pray and ask Him to direct our paths and also that Daryl and I will listen to Him when He shows us the path.

It’s all good and I’m going to stop thinking about it. And again reality comes into play I just got an email with Jared’s baseball tournament schedule. .lots of traveling this month! And automatically my mind starts thinking it sure would be nice to have a small car.

STOP! I’ve already made my deposit and I’m not going to ask for it back!

A Few Thoughts from My Guest Blogger. . Karen Marshall

2008-04-30T13:13:00.000-04:00

Last week I looked at the area around my deck and was dismayed at what it
had become. These stringy vines and weeds had grown so much that it looked
liked my house had been abandoned. I am NOT a gardener so the task before me
was very daunting. I reluctantly began pulling the long vines (I would love
to know what kind of weed that is!). I began removing the other weeds that
had taken over what once was a little flower garden. As I began pulling
back the weeds and vines, I saw an amazing sight. Underneath all the waste
were beautiful flower buds trying to bloom. The flowers could not bloom
because of all the weeds laying on top of it and blocking out the sun. As
I looked at the buds and saw what I was missing by letting the weeds grow
and being too lazy to do something about it, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.
He said that that is the way it is with our spiritual lives. We slack off
praying, studying His word, seeking God, and the "weeds" begin to grow. It
grows little by little, blocking out the SON that so desperately wants to
help us grow. Why does Jesus so desperately wanting us to have a clear
vision of Him? Because in each of us is a beautiful flower waiting to
bloom! We all have gifts and talents inside us that the Lord is longing to
bring forth. When we let the cares, worries, and distractions of this world
take hold, it hinders us from seeing him and stops the growth of our
talents. So whenever we are getting lazy regarding our spiritual walk,
let's remember that there are flowers ready to burst forth if we just
remove the weeds and see the SON!! Don't let our spiritual house look
abandoned but let His light shine forth!

Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers
on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

Isaiah 43:19
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I
am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

You Gotta Know When to Hold Them. . .

2008-04-08T20:35:00.000-04:00

Did you think I had given up blogging? Yep, I did. But now I’ve got one super-long blog to catch you up on the drama of the Collier Clan.

My year has had a rocky start. We kicked off the year with flu for half the kids, then we had over a month of dealing with another nasty bug that I’m still shuddering just thinking about it.

Then in mid February my laptop was stolen.

A couple of weeks ago we had our heat pump serviced and found out it had to be replaced. .. .talk about a very large unexpected bill.

And yesterday, just to kick off spring break, our beloved new puppy met an untimely end. So we’ve been dealing with four little broken hearts . . okay, six of them. . sniff. .sniff. .a lot of tissues were used yesterday.

And today the main church computer died, it didn’t just crash or give me the blue screen of death, no, it couldn’t be that simple. The stupid thing won’t even turn on.

Did I mention 2008 has been a little less than smooth?

And yet 2008 has already been full of countless blessings. Daryl has a secure job which feeds and houses our family. We are blessed with four happy, healthy children with large appetites (again thankful for the paycheck). We are sure and confident in the ministry God has called us to and excited about God’s plans for summer and beyond for NC2!!!! I could go on and on: our amazing friends who enrich our everyday lives, a fantastic large, loud and, yes, sometimes crazy extended family, Josh is almost 13 and still alive. . .

I found myself over the past months allowing my mind to dwell on the negative, no, not just dwelling I was drowning in a sea of self pity. Oh I knew it wasn’t as bad as it could be, but I still wanted to say “God, why is this happening to us?”

And you know what? He really didn’t answer me. The heat pump was 14 years old, it’s time was up. And every family deals with sickness, theft, crashing computers, and pets dying. It’s just life! Life deals us some really stinky cards sometimes, and to quote country legend Kenny Rogers, “you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em”.

So I’m praying for wisdom to know which hands to hold (keep persevering) and which ones to fold (it’s a lost cause, let it go).

A Guest Blogger

2008-02-21T16:15:00.005-05:00

My wonderful friend, prayer partner, and partner in crime--Bertie, AKA Karen Marshall, has agreed to allow me to post some of her insightful emails on my blog. In case you didn't know she is the mastermind behind all of our Bertie and Betsy skits! So today I give to you a 'guest blogger', I'm sure you'll enjoy her thoughts as much as I did!

Last night Austin had spent the afternoon at basketball practice and then went to church/home with his coach. I had to go pick him up after service at the Dyke School which has been converted to apartments. What an amazing transformation!!! What was once an old schoolhouse with old desks, chalkboards and cracked windows is now a shiny, upscale apartment! I saw a bathroom and thought "hmm..this is about the place that I got all my whippings!" When I was younger, I was sent to the office weekly for a spanking with a paddle. Yes, that was allowed back then and yes, believe it or not, I deserved most of them! HE HE!! What was interesting is that even though the apartment was so fancy with the new modern things, it still kept some of the old. The old floors and original windows were kept in place. It blended in well with the new decor and actually made the building more unique and special.

I was thinking this morning how it is a lot like that in our spiritual life. When
we give ourselves over to Jesus, he gives us new, brighter, much better 'parts', but still leaves some of the old. The sense of humor that got me into trouble as a child now occasionally makes people smile today. The constant chatter that sent me to the office as a child, now is eager to talk about the latest 'lesson' that God as shown me. The daydreaming child that would not hear everything the teacher was saying, now writes skits and poems to lift and encourage others. Isn't it amazing how the Lord works things out??

So when we are looking at ourselves, others or even our children, seeing traits that drive us crazy, we need to remember that the Lord will use the old things, along with the new, to bring glory to Him!! ......and that is the lesson that the Lord taught me today.

Girls Only!

2008-02-21T16:11:00.002-05:00

Girls Sleepover – Each One An Original

Well as I write these updates I’m not really sure what’s going on with the girls’ sleepover. I am currently sitting in my living room being almost blinded by bright sunshine. But the weather man tells me this won’t last. What a difference a day makes! (Like a nasty ice storm that destroys your plans for the weekend and makes you public enemy #1 to every little girl at church if you dare cancel the sleepover they’ve been waiting all year for! You think I’m joking, I was getting death threats last night at church. . .okay not really but they’re serious about their sleepover!)

Change is always around us, happening everywhere with everything--our kids, our marriages, our homes, our jobs, our church—EVERYTHING CHANGES! And most change is good and necessary, if Jill stopped changing (and I mean physically not her 10-times-a-day wardrobe changes) I’d be worried! I would take her to the doctor and spend lots of energy and money figuring out why she wasn’t growing.

So let’s not be afraid of change, let’s enjoy it because it usually means we’re growing! Do we experience growth pains? Oh yeah, I look at pictures of my baby Joshua and just want to cry that he’s halfway through middle school. In three months we’ll have an actual teenager in the house! AHHHH!!!!! Do I like it that’s he’s changing? Well, if I could choose there are days when I’d give any amount of money to hold that sweet, chubby baby in my arms and smell that wonderful baby smell. Hm, speaking of baby smells. . .do I really want to change diapers or go through potty training again? No way, baby! So there are pros and cons to every change. Okay, seriously, no diapers is a huge pro! To finish hunting this rabbit, change is going to happen so let’s make the best of it! The end result is usually worth the growth pains.

Back to the sleepover! We’re very excited about this year’s event and if the weather cancels our plans this weekend, we’re all cleared to reschedule for March 7-8.

So basically this post has almost nothing to do with the sleepover. . it was just a disguise for my rambling blogging. . .hee hee. . .gotcha!

Girls Only

Outside of my family, there’s nothing I enjoy more than spending time with wonderful friends! I love to laugh and share and, I know this will shock you, I love to talk!!! I honestly believe it’s necessary to my sanity and usually gives me a much-needed attitude adjustment. So, I have felt the need to help other ladies have this same enjoyment on a consistent basis (shame on all of you who are thinking I’m doing this for my own personal enjoyment, it’s all about you. . okay, not really, you’re right on target).

So we are hoping to begin having quarterly women’s bible study sessions. The idea is still in the planning stages, so I would LOVE to hear from YOU!! We’re looking at April and hoping to pick a Friday night or Saturday morning when we can all get together and spend time sharing, fellowshipping, praying, worshipping, learning, and laughing!!!! Please if you get a chance let me know what you think:

What day/time would be best for you?
What topics would you like to cover?
What format appeals to you most? A church service in the sanctuary or more of a classroom setting?

Send us your opinions and suggestions!

So for those of you who can’t wait or who need to ‘share’ more often, we’ve got a temporary solution! We’re having a small group morning meeting on the last Friday of each month (as our schedules allow). We realize this is not convenient for all you working ladies and we sincerely apologize for that, but this is just a jumping off point for us. Please be patient as we grow and change and see what God has in store for us.

So please consider joining us on Friday, February 29 at 10:00 a.m. at my house (give me a call if you need directions). We will spend time in devotion and prayer and of course food and fellowship!

Just remember all you busy moms. . .you can only give away what you have! The best way to minister to your family is to minister to yourself first. So come fill up on God’s joy and enjoy that special gift of fellowship.

like honey on my lips

2008-02-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

The dreaded flu bug has infiltrated our ranks. We’ve had two JDC’s down this week. Josh was the first (sorry to all the Winterfest kids he infected), and Jill became the second victim on Wednesday. I called the doctor’s office and they were kind enough to call in a Tamiflu prescription for Jill and also a preventative dose for Jared and Josie—so far so good!

Now I have not had the pleasure of actually tasting the flu medicine but evidently, even with the Tutti-Fruitti flavoring our very sweet and adorable baby-faced Target pharmacist added, it must be horrid! The kids have all taken it before and the three older ones have the flavor burned into their taste bud’s memory bank. I’m so not joking about the taste or how kind and cute our pharmacist is, have you seen him? I just want to pinch his cheeks!

I informed Josie her dad was bringing home flu med, and she instantly dissolved into a quivering puddle of sadness and full-blown anxiety. “Please, Mommy, no, don’t make me take the nasty white medicine!” I won’t embarrass the boys by describing their very um, shall we say ’unmanly’ responses. And Jill, who is the best medicine taker of the bunch, had to be threatened with bodily harm for her second dose. “I don’t want to take the bug flu. It tastes like a bug, it’s so yucky!” No, I don’t think she knows what a bug tastes like, but somewhere the term flu bug had grabbed her attention.)

Now it’s sure-for-certain impossible to make a 3 year old understand if she doesn’t take the ‘scusting bug flu’ she won’t feel better. It’s even harder to convince the two so-far-healthy kids that they need to take the wretched medicine. However, I shared with Jared & Josie that if they didn’t take it, they could get sick and wouldn’t be able to visit Thurman and Vicky on Saturday. Ah-ha, something they understood! So they grab a soda, take a cleansing sip, scrunch up their noses, shoot the medicine, and quickly swig more soda to hopefully mask the flavor. Jared and Josie only have to endure one dose a day, but poor Josh and Jill need to choke it down two times.

Now are you ready for my spiritual application? It’s a stretch but I hope you can connect the dots. Do you ever feel spiritually ‘sick’? Or maybe like your soul is in a slump? Well, I do! There are days when I feel like God is far, far away or even worse are the days when I feel like everything I’ve done has been displeasing to my Father. I haven’t prayed enough, read enough, I just feel like I’ve let Him down once again. I feel like a coach class loser. It’s the days I decide I’m too busy to stop and pray, but I get caught up in a TV show. I’m too tired to read my bible, but instead I need some ‘down time’ to finish a romance novel. . .oh yeah it’s sad but true, too true!

And what do I need most on those days? I need a double dose of His Grace and Love and Forgiveness! How do I get that? By spending more time with Him, in His Word, in conversation with Him, that’s the remedy I need to drop kick me out of my slump. On those days when I am at my sickest, do I act like a good child and take my tonic and be thankful for it and its healing properties? Um… well, no, I usually act like my medicine is horrid, and I’m ungrateful and whine and refuse to take it! Sound familiar? Now let me make it very clear that I am in no way attempting to compare God’s Holy Word with ‘scusting bug flu medicine’. (It’s like honey on our lips—taste and see that the Lord is good!) But for some reason, the good things we need to do don’t appear the most appetizing choice in our moment of need, know what I’m saying? (Like when your kids have a stomachache and they want chocolate milk or a cheeseburger, instead of Sprite and crackers?)

So I pray today God will always show me when I need a double dose of the Good Stuff and give me the determination to take it like a good girl. The refreshing, amazing grace that only comes from Him and puts me back on track—heart, mind, and soul! We just need to push a little harder on those days, work at it a little more.

The best thing is I don’t need a soda chaser because I know the Holy Spirit will leave only the sweetest aftertaste!

Her Love Was Visible

2008-02-04T11:51:00.000-05:00

I felt the need to just sit down and write something. After all it has been exactly a month since I posted anything on this site and once-a-month blogging was my goal.

So I go all the way upstairs, outside, get the computer, come back in, open up the computer, turn it on, open up Word.. .and I got nothing. Really, truly, I was sitting here thinking about three or four different things I wanted to blog about and now that I actually sit down to do it. . .nothing.

I guess I could say how I’m in the basement watching the Super Bowl with Daryl and Jared. Or how I made sure I got the computer during the GAME so I wouldn’t miss a COMMERCIAL. Or how Josh just returned from his first two-night youth trip to Winterfest in Ocean City, and is now laid up in the bed with a fever and a sore throat. Poor baby, I really hate it he was sick during his first Winterfest. He’s been looking forward to this all year, I mean since last year because obviously we’re not that far into this year. But don’t worry dear reader, now it’s coming back to me. . .it’s all about Visible Love! What you ask. . well just read on and I’ll fill you in on the details.

Her love was visible.

Daryl and I attended a funeral today for a 78-year-old woman we didn’t know, yeah that’s our idea of a date night. . .just kidding. .inappropriately kidding I know. Our church hosted a funeral for a family in the community and we helped in the sound room. I would have loved to have known this lady. I mean really known her, what made her tick, what she thought was special or noteworthy, how she kept her family together. Special memories were shared of a wife, mother, grandmother, and a pillar of their church family. Over and over again, they spoke of her love, her kindness, and what a woman of God she was. Two of the ministers shared from Proverbs 31 and on how perfectly these verses described her. Ah.. . Proverbs 31--the portion of scripture that simultaneously inspires me, awes me, and, yes, I’ll admit it, sends shivers down my spine and strikes fear in the pit of my stomach. It all seems so unattainable sometimes, doesn’t it? I mean the minister was able to say today “I’ve never heard her speak a cross word to someone or about anyone.” Now this is a statement I know without a shadow of a doubt you won’t hear at my funeral. And I bet most of you are swimming in the same pool with me! However, I’m here today as a voice of hope and maybe one of reason also.

I do not necessarily want that statement at my funeral (okay, I know what you’re thinking sour grapes, if you can’t have it act like you don’t want it to start with! And you’re probably right.) I wish God had given me a constantly sweet, kind, giving, and ultimately humble personality. Well, He didn’t (and that’s enough amens from the choir, pipe down will ya?). Now please go back and read the previous sentence again, oops actually go back two sentences please. Notice the word constantly? I added it because sometimes I am sweet and sometimes I am kind and sometimes I even occasionally, okay rarely, all right, almost never am I humble. But I am still fearfully and wonderfully made, right? So there has to be a greater redeeming quality that I can make it my life’s goal to attain. . .and I think I’ve got it.

A friend had written a poem about her, and the only phrase I remember was “Her love was visible.” Now take just a moment and think about it. It hit me harder than the microwave pizza I over baked last week. I grabbed a flat, contractor’s pencil (the only written utensil at hand) and immediately wrote down those four words. What powerful little words. Her love was visible. I’d like to think that it was also tangible. You could see it, touch it, hear it, smell it, and even taste it (they bragged on her cooking, too).

And so I am seriously considering scratching all my new year’s goals and sticking with just this one—I want my love to be visible, tangible. I want my Heavenly Father to see it, hear it, and smell it--the bible says our worship is like sweet-smelling incense to Him! I want my spectacularly awesome hubby and sweet babies to taste it with a nice meal, feel it with a soft touch, and hear it in my voice! I want God’s love to be visible to everyone else I talk to, speak with, or even make eye contact.

Talk about setting lofty goals. I think my old goals of losing 50 lbs and keeping the house clean would be easier to achieve than constantly and consistently sharing and showing true love.

Know what I mean?

Analyze This!

2008-01-04T16:06:00.000-05:00

I’ve added a new resolution to my ever-growing list for 2008: I will not psychoanalyze every facial expression, reaction, or even non-action that comes my way!

Today I realized how even our most innocent actions can be completely misunderstood! This was the result of a brief moment today as Jill and I were attempting to pick up lunch from the Chick-fil-A drive thru. Have you been misfortunate enough to try and get something from the C’ville C-F-A drive thru at 12:15 on any given day? Monstrous, absolutely horrendous lines (as you can see I have experience in this). And of course there’s two ways into the drive thru and I picked the wrong one. So there’s 40 cars in front of me, okay, maybe more like 10—and no, Daryl, I’m not exaggerating—one car behind me, another trying to back up. It was truly madness and I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. Did I really want to wait 15 minutes for ‘fast food”? Although it hurts me deeply to even suggest that C-F-A falls into such a degrading, slanderous category. It implies greasy, below standard food and oh nothing could be further from the truth! But I could spend hours describing the delights of hot, yummy, perfectly breaded, juicy chicken sandwich with a side order of crispy, deep-fried heaven. I swear my mouth is almost watering!

Okay, off my soap box and back to the point, I decided Jill would be asleep by the time we got actually ‘in’ the line and so I attempted to get out of the parking lot. Due to the fact my Suburban is a monster on wheels, I had to pull up, back up, and then make the turn to escape the insanity. However, the lady in the white Volvo directly in front of me evidently thought I was trying to push my way into the line. She began waving her hands at me and her mouth was definitely moving—thankfully I cannot read lips. At first I couldn’t figure out why she was upset? I was the one trying to not crush someone’s bumper. Then I realized she was just going on the evidence she saw. Imagine with me. . a large maroon SUV bearing down on her normal sized, little Volvo. Now I don’t think she thought her vehicle was in danger, but I do think she thought I was trying to kick her back a spot in line. And if she was like me, she was probably very much looking forward to her yummy, hot, delicious chicken sandwich! I’m sure within another 20 seconds she saw I just trying to leave. But if her reaction was anything to go on. . . she was not a happy camper!

How many times have I said to Daryl, ‘did you see the way ____ looked at me when I said ____?’ or ‘they walked right past me and didn’t even look at me’ or ‘did you hear the tone of their voice?’ How many phone calls or emails or looks have I spent hours dissecting their real meaning?

Well, not any more, I pledge to try and remember when I lock eyes with someone and they look like they want to throw up. . .well maybe they just really feel like they’re going to barf and it has nothing to do with me. I pledge when someone doesn’t speak but just swiftly brushes past me, they’re not necessarily trying to avoid me. Maybe they’re just in a hurry to get to the bathroom or they know they still have coffee breath and really need a mint.

I will no longer interpret everybody’s body language. I will not attempt to translate someone’s mean glance or lack of eye contact. I will not read between the lines when someone tells me something. I will do my best to always give everyone the benefit of the doubt. On the flip side, even if someone is trying to send me a secret message—I will not decode it!

So the next time you see me in Sam’s and I almost run you over with my cart, as I fly past you in the church foyer, trampling small children, or when you glance my way and I look like I just pushed a bull off a bridge. . . please don’t try to decipher my actions, glances, or comments. I’m just a crazy woman on a tight schedule with a million thoughts running through my brain.. just like most of you! Happy New Year!

More December Craziness

2007-12-06T18:21:00.001-05:00

I forgot to add a couple of things to our December Craziness!

We will be handing out treats and the kids will be doing their gift exchange on Sunday, December 23. Hopefully if your child drew names you've found out who they have, if not, please check w/ their Sunday School teacher.

On the 23rd at 5 p.m. we are meeting at the church to go Christmas Caroling! For the past few years, we've been able to send out three groups--some head to Charlottesville and visit the nursing homes, others head out towards Greene County, and we have some who stay right around the church area. It's a great night of fun and fellowship, but our seniors especially enjoy seeing lots of little smiling faces! It's usually cool, so bundle up and come spread some holiday cheer!!!

And if you are planning to participate in the teacher gifts (you should have received one in the mail, if not there are extras at church) PLEASE return your money and form to Pam Collier no later than Wednesday, December 19th!

Christmas Craziness. . .

2007-12-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

19 days and counting them down! Doesn't it feel like Christmas comes quicker every year? Well, here's the lowdown on what's happening with NC2 during December!

CANDY, CANDY, CANDY

The Candy Making Day/Candy Sale was a huge hit! Thanks so much to all of you who were able to participate. The kids always have a blast getting to make yummy candy. And they're so proud of themselves when they're able to help sell it and say, yeah, I helped make that.

We still have some candy left, so stop by our table this weekend and grab a few more goodies. So far we've taken in over $650! We'd love to raise about $200 more so we can pay our expenses and still have plenty to spend on our Angel Tree family.

Some sad news. .. we were hoping to get together and shop again this year for our angel tree kids. Unfortunately we have to have all the presents at the church on next Friday, December 14. Our schedule is booked up for next week. If you'd like to volunteer to help make purchases for one or more of our kids, please let Pam know and we'll see what we can work out.

CHRISTMAS PLAY CHOIR

Hopefully you have received an email about our needed Christmas choir volunteers. Just another note that they need to be at church on Wednesday the 12th to practice. If you need more info, please contact us.

DECEMBER WOW & NC2 PAR-TAY!

On Wednesdays, we're giving our teachers a break and watching holiday flicks! Next Wednesday (Dec. 12) we'll still meet all together in the sanctuary, but then we'll break up. Those who want to participate in the Christmas play will stay in the sanctuary. Those who don't, we'll head down to the old fellowship hall and watch a movie!

Wednesday, December 19, we're gonna swap out with the adult class and take over the fellowship hall! We're having a Christmas Party! We'll be breaking out some holiday crafts, Christmas music and movies, games, and of course, goodies! If you'd like to bring some treats or drinks to share, that'd be wonderful!

But don't worry, we're gearing up for an all new WOW starting in January. So stay turned to hear more about our all new classes!

GIRLS SLEEPOVER 2008

We're making plans for Sleepover '08. . .so mark your calendars for January 18-19 with a snow date Jan 25-26.

As always if you have any questions, please give us a shout... okay I only mean that figuratively please don't shout at us, a simple email or phone will do just fine.

Christmas Blessings!

My room stinks because my pumpkin is dead!

2007-11-25T22:13:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had your kids tell you something that makes absolutely no sense to an onlooker, but unfortunately you are instantly given the interpretation?

Yep, it happened to me just last week. Here’s the background. My daughters were taken to the pumpkin patch earlier this fall by their wonderful relatives. (I actually took a walk through the woods with Josh that day and got some very rare one-on-one time with my preteen! Thanks Dawn!) Josie and Jill each brought home a lovely gourd that was painstakingly decorated with markers and proudly displayed on our kitchen table.

Later that day Jill wanted to take her pumpkin upstairs to her room. I definitely remember trying to dissuade her. Knowing this could be bad thing if the pumpkin was left in her room, especially since Jared’s pet apple ‘Larry’ expired in his special box a couple of weeks ago. Obviously, I was not persuasive enough and the pumpkin made a trip upstairs. Now we jump back to last Saturday. We had spent Saturday morning at church working on the new game room (more to follow about that soon! It’s looking really cool!). Later that night Jill refused to go to bed because and I quote, “my room stinks because my pumpkin is dead.” I didn’t even need her to repeat it; I just went straight for a roll of paper towels and the Pine Sol and headed upstairs. I knew deep down in my gut that I was going to have to go clean up some disgusting, stinky pumpkin puree and I was right.

I asked Jill where the pumpkin was, what a silly question, the pumpkin was in the oven of course, where else would you put a pumpkin? It’s evident she was trying to make a pumpkin pie or possibly roasting it to make a nice pumpkin soup? I really didn’t need to ask if I’d been willing to follow my nose, but honestly I was close to gagging at this point. And I really don’t have a weak stomach. I had no idea a rotting pumpkin would smell like a dead animal… I wish I were exaggerating. It was horrible, and so just for your special pleasure, here’s a picture of it after I had scooped it out into paper towels.

The really strange thing was when I opened the oven door (you do know I’m talking about her play kitchen here, don’t you? Okay, I was just checking) the pumpkin looked like a pumpkin. DUH! I mean it was slightly squashed and if you don’t count the oodles of mold growing on it, it looked like it did when she put it in there. It smelled horrible and I was so dreading touching it and I was right to do so. The second I touched it, it exploded and started oozing everywhere. So gross! Oh, the flashbacks are killing me!

Anyway, enough visual images! It reminded me how sometimes we try to keep everything looking great on the outside when in the inside we’re really about to explode with all kinds of nastiness! Do you know what I’m talking about? We’re always so concerned about making sure we look just right, talk just right, present the right image to all those around us. And all the while on the inside we’re covering up all our hurts, disappointments, anger, bitterness, the list goes on and on. And then one day somebody comes along and. . . bam. .suddenly they’re covered in decomposing pumpkin guts.

So today I will confess to you what is bothering me: my house is not clean, heck, it’s not even neat, I did not read my devotions today, I ate too much at Maxine’s yummy thanksgiving dinner (but I did skip dessert, score one for me), I was distracted during church tonight thinking about my Christmas shopping list, I’m typing right now instead of trying to engage my husband in a meaningful conversation (oh wait he’s watching football right now, so I’m good), I’m sure I yelled at my kids today when I shouldn’t have, do I need to go on? No, don’t worry I won’t. Maybe your list is different, maybe you’ve got a list of how other people have hurt or angered you today, this week, this year. . .

But today I suggest we do what I did with the remains of the pumpkin: throw it out and clean it up! I had to throw away the putrid pumpkin, but that wasn’t enough! It still smelled so bad I had to get the pine sol and scrub the oven. But still not enough, I found a bottle of febreeze and let loose in her whole room, the stairway, and even Josie’s room. The smell was beginning to overtake the entire upstairs! Can you see the parallel here? Eventually all the gunk on the inside will make its way outside, whether its an all out explosion, a little leak, or even the aroma we leave behind.

Let’s spend some time getting rid of those decaying things in our hearts and minds. Kick it out, get rid of it and don’t let it back in! Then let’s clean it up—let God come on in and wipe us cleaner than Pine Sol ever could. And last of all, spread some sweet smelling fellowship to finish the job. I am so thankful for the friendships God has placed in my life. (Here’s a shout out to my girls!)

All right, I’m gonna sum this all up! Let’s get rid of the things weighing us down. Let’s not be so hard on ourselves, don’t sweat the small stuff. As a matter of fact, most of the ‘big stuff’ is not worth breaking a sweat over either. And most of all if we do nothing else, let’s share and encourage each other!

Okay, I’m going to go read my devotions. . . Good Night!

Knowledge is Power

2007-11-07T12:21:00.001-05:00

NC2 News Updates! Mark Your Calendars!
Prepare yourselves there's a lot of info in this little blogspot. But as they say, knowledge is power. So arm yourselves, my friends, and prepare to do battle with the hectic holiday hustle!

Food/Coat Drive
We have extended the dates for our Thanksgiving Food Drive and our Winter Coat Collection! We will take food (or money) up until Sunday, Nov. 11 and coats until Wednesday, Nov. 14. This is a great opportunity for your kids to get involved in donating old (but in good condition) coats they no longer wear. And I think we could all spare a couple cans of green beans. If we each pitch in and bring just a few cans or boxes, we can easily give 15 families a well-rounded Thanksgiving meal.

I don’t know what your Thanksgiving is like, but our family is blessed to eat at least four ‘Thanksgiving’ dinners where the tables and counters and stoves and plates are all overflowing with abundance. I am embarrassed to admit my children in no way shape or form appreciate this. Oh they enjoy the family and the fellowship and the desserts, but truly they have no appreciation for the fact that they are not going hungry this day or any day. But I need to go even farther and say that Daryl and I cannot truly understand what it’s like to not have food on our table. We have been blessed, growing up and through our adult years, we have never gone hungry. There were times when we were new homeowners and new parents where things were tight, but we always had parents to mooch off of. There are hundreds of people in our community who will not have a full table this Thanksgiving and no warm, welcoming family to share. . .let’s see if we can’t help just a little. . .

Community Thanksgiving Service – Children’s Choir

The children will be performing again this year for our community Thanksgiving service. And I have a big announcement. . we’re going to have a special guest choir conductor. . okay, so she’s not a guest, we can never use that term with her--she would be so offended! Amy will be home that weekend and she has agreed to lead the kids during the service! Yay! We’re so excited!

The kids will be singing the slow song we did for Junior Talent – Let the Children Come. We’ll begin refreshing their memories on Wednesday, November 14 (from 7:00 to 7:30 – then they will have regular class schedule) and again on Sunday, November 18 (they will be able to practice with Amy this day). We will also ask that they meet in the youth room at 6:45 on Tuesday, November 20 before the service. If you know of any children from local churches, please encourage them to attend the November 14 practice.

Teacher Gifts

Last year we began a new program to help all you busy parents with your Christmas shopping. It’s so simple--fill out a form, write a check, turn it in, you’re done! Woo-hoo! This was hugely successful and we will be doing it again. We’ll send home more info the first part of December. Basically it’s a list of all the teachers, volunteers, etc. who help out on a weekly basis here at Nortonsville. You put an amount down by their name and then we total all the gifts and present them with a lovely check. Last year, each teacher got an approximate average of $30 from their class. We suggest giving between $3-$5 per teacher, this small amount quickly adds up!

This is totally optional. You do not have to participate, you can choose to give your own individual, personal gifts or not J. Of course we highly suggest you remember these teachers who have given so much of their time during this past year. They dedicate time during the week to prepare their lessons and miss ‘adult church’ in order to provide your children with a special lesson geared just for them! We can never repay them for their service, it’s a good thing God can!

NC2 Candy Sale

We will be making candy again this year! This will be our 3rd year and we’re hoping for the biggest yet! We will be meeting on Saturday, December 1st from 9 a.m. to about 12 for a candy making extravaganza. We have had so much fun over the past two years. We choose simple recipes that the kids really enjoy getting involved in. (And, yes, we make sure they all wash their hands frequently!) The kids make the candy, package it, and then we sell it to all the wonderful, giving adults on Sunday, December 2 following church. As always we welcome and even encourage parents to attend this event, it's a great way to share in giving this holiday season.

The money we raise from the candy sale is then used to purchase Christmas gifts for either a local family or for the angel tree project. The church is sponsoring an angel tree again this year, we will have more information for you regarding that in the next week.

Last year we met at Toys R Us and let the kids help pick out the toys for the families. This was a lot of fun, we’re hoping our schedule will allow us to do this again this year. We’ll keep you posted!

Girls Sleepover 2008

Plans are in the works for the Girls Sleepover 2008! Our tentative dates are January 18-19 (with a snow date of January 25-26). We will be having a planning meeting in December, so if you’d like to help plan this year’s event just let us know! We love having new ideas (and we usually eat really well at our meetings, too).

Collier Clan Update

The Collier family is finally feeling better! Yay! After almost two weeks of a nasty cold virus, strep, and a stomach bug, we're down to just a few sniffles. Thankfully everyone is feeling good and in school. Pastor D is working second shift this week and has been working some overtime, too. He's tired, but making it!

In case you're wondering, the awesome children's board (Debbie and Dawn) picked up the coolest things for Daryl's Pastor Appreciation Day gifts. He's the proud new owner of an Ipod Shuffle and a book he's really been wanting. I'm busy now trying to load up his new toy with all his fav songs. It was an awesome gift and the kids were so excited when he opened it. You'd have thought they got one. . I'll include myself in that category. . hee hee! There might be one or two of my favs making their way onto his playlist. . .

Have a wonderful, gorgeous fall week! I think it's one of the prettiest we've had in a long time. So take a few minutes to enjoy it.

Dial Up Has Failed Me Once Again

2007-11-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry. .. no pics of the trunk or treat yet! Dial up is just not cooperating. I will do my very best to have some pics up by Monday. I'll definitely be at church plenty if my children will cooperate and get over all their various and repetitive bugs, viruses, and colds. I'll blog more about this past week at some point or not. . actually I'd probably prefer to blot it from my memory and hope it never comes back to haunt me!

So my apologies for raising your hopes of wonderful pics of the fabulous trunks. I'll send an email when I finally get them online!

Trunks Full of Treats!

2007-11-02T11:35:00.000-04:00

Our first trunk or treat was a huge success! The NC2 team felt if we had at least 10 vehicles we would consider the night a success. . .well we had about 30! Honestly, we spent most of the night in absolutely awe, we were overwhelmed! Our best guess is there were close to 200 people there. It was wonderful. We were so thankful for the way the church family supported the event, by participating, attending, and inviting! We're already starting to plan for next year.

I'm hoping to have a slideshow of pictures loaded onto our myspace page today. . .so check it out . . www.myspace.com/jdcclub

I tried to upload them to the blog page but it was taking forever on my slow as molasses dial-up connection and for some reason myspace loads much quicker. . .

If you have some pics from Tuesday, please send them to me (email or bring me a disc) and I'd be happy to add them!

Also if you have any suggestions or comments on how we could make next year's event run a little smoother. . please feel free to let us know!

you can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sail

2007-10-16T14:29:00.000-04:00

Barbara Hutchinson sent this website to me a couple weeks ago and I thought it was beautifully done! If you get a chance, share it with your kids. . it's a beauty!

http://www.kids4truth.com/watchmaker/watch.html

Here's another email that I really liked, I thought it was definitely blogworthy.

How about FALL Resolutions?(After 9 months of not keeping the ones from New Year's)

Give up complaining . . . focus on gratitude.
Give up harsh judgments . . . think kind thoughts.
Give up worry . . . trust GOD.
Give up discouragement . . . be full of hope.
Give up bitterness . . . turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred . . . return good for evil.
Give up anger . . . practice patience.
Give up pettiness . . . put on maturity.
Give up gloom. . . enjoy the beauty that is around you.
Give up jealousy . . . pray for trust.
Give up gossiping . . . control your tongue.
Give up sin. . . . turn to virtue.

today'sTHOT
You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sail
From: http://www.mikeysFunnies.com

I absolutely love the 'today's thot'. . . it's so true and simple, and yet so hard! There are literally hundreds of things about myself I'd love to change. My daily devotional habits, my thought process, my moodiness, my messy house, my not-so-healthy eating habits. . .so many things so little time. I truly can't change most of what life throws at me, somedays my schedule doesn't feel like it's 'mine' but that some other force is dictating what I get done! And yet if I could just begin by making small changes. . .I could truly alter my course. Baby steps, sometimes it all comes down to that doesn't it?

So I'm thinking fall is a great time to make a few new resolutions. . .wanna join me?

DATE CHANGES!!!!!

2007-10-10T09:11:00.000-04:00

Please continue to remember the Habern family in your prayers. I just wanted to take a minute and post the changes to the church calendar!

There is NO apple butter this week Oct. 10-12. There is no Wednesday night service tonight - October 10.

Apple butter will continue as scheduled next week October 17-19 and has been rescheduled for October 31-November 2.

The children's Harvest Party & Trunk or Treat will be rescheduled to TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2007, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Everything will remain the same, only we're moving it up one night!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye!

2007-10-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

Here’s a couple of items that we felt were ‘blog-worthy”!

Apple Butter 2007 is here!
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and I apologize in advance for any perceived insult), you know that apple butter is a HUGE deal here at NCOG. I personally think this is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with our older generation. I have had so many fun, uplifting, and extremely interesting conversations while cutting apples on Wednesday night and Thursday. You wouldn't believe the crazy stuff some of them say when they're getting tired and they're a couple of cups over the limit . .it gets a little wild sometimes. Okay maybe not wild, but definitely entertaining! And of course I was referring to cups of coffee. . geez. .

It’s a golden opportunity to learn from our silver citizens. They’re definitely ready to share their life lessons and wisdom with us, if we’ll just listen (and sometimes you do have to ask.. just to get them started). So if you have a few extra hours during the next two weeks, come by the church, put on some snazzy plastic gloves and pull up a chair next to someone you may not have had a chance to really talk to. I promise you, it won’t be time wasted but invested! As a matter of fact, let's not limit this to just apple butter, let's try and spend some quality time with those who have worked so hard to give us so much!

Sunday Night Children’s Worship
As many of you may know, Sis. Carolyn Shifflett is no longer teaching our Sunday Night children’s church. Carolyn started the children’s program on Sunday nights and along with her staff, Barbara Hudgins, Betty Yowell, and Melissa Frazier, have made it into a wonderful, exciting service for our kids! I know as a parent how much I enjoy being in service and not having to worry about what my kids are doing or learning. I think that Carolyn taught children’s church for over six years and it may have been longer than that (I do not have a good memory for dates). I would like to encourage you to drop Carolyn a card or an email and let her know how much we appreciate all she has done for our children!

Email: cshifflett@embarqmail.com
Address: 815 Stonehenge AVE, Charlottesville Va 22902

The Sunday night team will be continuing worship service for the kids. They are excited and ready to minister to our children. I was privileged to be a part of their service this past Sunday night, and they’ve got it going on! Barbara taught a wonderful lesson, the kids were so receptive and asked a ton of questions! Then Ms. Betty served up some serious snack food. . yum.. I may have to visit them more often. We are experiencing growth in this class and are hoping to be able to split the kids into two different age groups (4-6, 7-11) for part of the evening. If this is an area you’d like to volunteer to help out in, please let us know.

NC2 Game Spot!
Our game spot is sadly in need of a makeover. . .and we’re hoping to give it one this fall! We’re actually going to be taking over the classroom beside the old fellowship hall and transforming it into a real game room (it will still function as a classroom when necessary). We are hoping to have this completed before Christmas so the kids can have a nice warm place to play before and after church. .. hoping this will help keep the kids out of the parking lot . . okay I said hoping! We are going to be redoing the hallway where the games are currently located as well. This will become a lounge area with books and magazines for the kids to kick back and relax.

The theme of the room will be like an old log cabin/fishing lodge kind of deal (we’re thinking the CASTing Cabin. . get it? CAST our mission statement. . oh never mind!) We are in the process of looking for TVs, games (rated E and w/ our approval), game systems, furnishings, and decorations for our room. If you have something you think might would work, give us a call and we’ll let you know if we could use it!

We’ll keep you up to date on the status of the game room/lounge area, including all the details like times of operation and rules, etc. Come check it out. . okay not for a couple more weeks b/c right now it's a mess. .. so forget I said that. . I'll let you know when we're ready for visitors.

Harvest Party
Our Trunk or Treat planning is going along great! I hope you’re considering being a 'participating trunk' during the event. Even if you’re not able to decorate your trunk, please consider being another ‘stop’ on the trail. We’ll even provide the candy if you need it. I cannot emphasis too strongly the more trunks we have, the more fun this will be for our kids.

We’re still trying to work out the details, but we’re also going to encourage our kids to bring canned food to help with the Thanksgiving food drive. Right now the thought is we will have a special prize for each kid who brings in nonperishable food items. I’ll let you know more as soon as we iron out the details!!!!

As always if you have any questions, please let us know!

We Did It!

2007-10-05T22:45:00.000-04:00

Author’s Disclaimer: I’m going to warn you, if you should choose to read this you will be reading a totally personal, rambling blog. There, you’ve been duly warned. So don’t get to the bottom and say, man, I wish I’d known this was all about Pam’s personal life. What a waste of time. ..don’t send me comments complaining. . .but you can send me comments about your personal life!

Well, we did it. I didn’t think we could, would, or wasn't even sure we should, but we did. Now I’m sure you’re racking your brain trying to figure out what possibly Daryl and I could have done. All right maybe you’re not, but just in case there’s one of you out there who has the slightest interest, I’m gonna tell you anyway. Hey, it’s my blog. Josh is currently (as I write this) on a weekend trip to Chesapeake with the youth group, without a parental unit. Do you understand. ..he's 3 1/2 hours away and Daryl and I are home! So all of you with teenagers are thinking, ‘What? That’s the big it? Let go you smothering parents, cut the cord!’ But there’s also probably quite a few of you parents with younger darlings and you’re thinking ‘What? You actually let your young, impressionable baby go away for the weekend all by his little lonesome self?’

Okay, time for another disclaimer. We actually let him go to youth camp this summer (the first time ever without dad as counselor), but I drove him there, checked him in, and he had Uncle Thurman & Aunt Vickie on grounds. And he's currently very well chaperoned by friends and family and actually he's at Thurman's church so. . .

Anyhow, let’s get back to the story. Actually let’s go back to last week, when my very intelligent yet task-challenged son decided to pack lunch. You know I probably shouldn’t have mentioned his name earlier, maybe I should have given him an alias or code name. He’d probably like a comic book hero kind of name. So let’s rejoin our hero already in action. Last Thursday morning Captain Oblivious (okay maybe he won’t like that name but you have to admit it fits) decides he wants to pack lunch for school.

Now where is the story in this, you’re asking? I’m getting to it, just trying to build the drama for this very undramatic story. He decides he wants to pack lunch about 5 minutes after the time we should have left for school. We would have had 20 minutes before we had to leave, but Jo—I mean Captain Oblivious—suddenly remembers he has to be at school early. We had all slept a little late trying to catch up from our wonderful revival--it was worth staying up late! So because of the time constraints, Capt was told to pack his own lunch. He heads to the kitchen and makes himself a PB and honey sandwich, easy enough. . so far so good. Then he proceeds to take the sandwich (unwrapped) to his backpack and begin to stuff it in a pocket. . .I’m so not joking! So I stop him and say, ‘hey, it’d be a really good idea to put that in a bag first.’

Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you! I told you this blog has no merit whatsoever, well, one day in the future it will serve to embarrass my eldest child but until then it’s just me running on.

I wish the story stopped here but it doesn’t. So we all load up and I happen to pick up his paper lunch bag and my hand stuck to it. Hum. . .still sticky. . he must have made a real mess making that sandwich. . can’t wait to see the mess in the kitchen. Wait, let me just take a peek. No way, surely, he didn’t pack his sandwich in a paper bag without first putting it in a sandwich baggie? Well, I’m sure you’ve already guessed, he sure did. There was honey everywhere—on the bag, in the bag, all over the other stuff he’d put in there, it was to say the least, a very sticky situation.

I’m sure you’re trying hard to grasp how any of this possibly relates, all I’ve got to say is --I told you so! So here’s the bottom line, we just sent Captain Oblivious away for a weekend with a bunch of other teenagers, and yes, I'll reiterate, I know he's chaperoned by responsible adults who have my complete trust and faith. Still do you understand my hesitation? I sent him away with a wallet full of cash (okay it wasn’t bursting at the seams, but $30 is still a lot of cash for a boy), expecting him to budget and purchase his own meals when he can’t even pack a sandwich for school? I don’t even want to begin voicing my concerns about him coming home with all his clothing or, gasp, being left behind somewhere. .remember the buddy system, sweetheart. (I couldn’t quite shake this one, so I did send him with a list of emergency numbers tucked in his wallet just in case. Hope he doesn’t lose the wallet.)

Well, to finally wrap up this long and drawn out blog . . here Daryl and I sit, watching TV, at 10:20 on a Friday night (I think we’re watching Numbers right now, okay I’m really typing, but we also watched We Are Marshall. ..pretty good, but keep a hanky ready). And honestly we haven’t even thought about Josh but once or twice tonight, okay let’s say no more than 10 times. “Out of sight, out of mind”, but I guess we’ve still got plenty ‘in sight’ to keep us busy.

So for my final words, I send a message to Captain Oblivious: I hope you’re having a most fabulous & fun parent-free weekend. I hope you’re enjoying your freedom (just don’t get used to it). I pray that you’re being blessed and enjoying yourself at the services!

Did I mention they’re staying at a hotel in Virginia Beach? I know, I know, it’s only one night.

Trunk or Treat!

2007-09-28T08:26:00.000-04:00

Fall Festival 2007 & Trunk or Treat

Wednesday, October 31st
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
NCOG Campus

Here’s the tentative schedule:

7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Trunk or Treat

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hayrides, Carnival Games, Yummy Food,
& Outdoor Movies

Want to see if you can actually use the trunk of your vehicle for something other than hauling groceries or sports equipment? Well we've got the answer for you. . .NC2's first Trunk or Treat!

What is a Trunk or Treat? I’m so glad you asked! Okay, maybe you didn’t but here’s the lowdown anyway. We’re asking families to decorate their trunks in a festive fashion and hand out candy to the kids. This provides the ‘atmosphere’ of going to different houses without all the work of loading and unloading and wasting gas. (How’s that for an incentive? And if you have kids still in car seats .. need I say more?) Obviously the more trunks we have, the more treating the kids get to do!

What do you need to do?
Pick up a couple bags of candy or stickers or pencils or bake up some cookies or??? (We’re guessing 75-100 pieces if you’re giving one per kid.)

Pick a theme to decorate your trunk or the back of a truck would work well, too. You can decorate with any theme you can dream up: bible characters or place, carnival, animal, lights, fabric, anything you have on hand! How about getting together with some friends and combine your resources. Need more ideas? Head to the net and Google ‘trunk or treat pics’ or ‘trunk or treat ideas’. This site was good http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/cat_photos_0.shtml

Show up on the 31st about 6:50 p.m. to get your spot in the field by the volleyball court. And have a great night sharing with the kids of our church and our community!

There’s Only Two Don’ts:
Don’t spend lots of money and Don’t choose a spooky or scary theme! Also we will have extra candy on hand to make sure no one runs out. (Let us know if you need any supplies or even candy and we'll help you out there, too!)

Oh yeah, almost forgot! We’re giving away prizes best decorated trunks. The kids will be voting so make sure yours is a kid-pleaser!

Top Prize: $50 Visa Card—You could take your family to dinner and a movie!
Runner Up: $30 Visa Card-You could rent a couple of movies and snacks!

Got ?s.. Give us a call or drop us an email!

Garbage In, Garbage Out!

2007-09-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

We’re so excited about our new series in Chosen Cove (our Sunday Morning Children’s Worship Service). It’s called “Alien Kids” and the theme verse is 1 Peter 2:11, “I urge you, as aliens in this world, to stay away from sinful things.”

On our second Sunday of Alien Kids our big idea for the day was “garbage in, garbage out, what comes in must come out!” We met Ruby Wrench’s brother Rufus, who looks a lot like Ruby except he’s a fisherman with bright red, curly hair. I hate to say it, but it really looks like the fella doesn’t own a comb! But anyway, Rufus was very hungry because he’d broken his fishing pole and couldn’t catch his breakfast. So he stopped by Chosen Cove for a quick snack. But strangely Rufus didn’t want to share our yummy ice cream treat, he wanted to eat out of the trash can! As disgusting as eating other people’s trash sounds, sometimes we fill our minds and spirits with the unhealthy garbage the world is serving up everyday. It’s not hard to find garbage, it’s abundant! (And don’t worry Pastor Daryl and the kids didn’t let Rufus eat out of the trash can. . .in case you were wondering!)

Ms. Debbie shared with us how her early morning treks to school were becoming increasingly filled with grouchiness and bickering amongst her passengers. *author’s note: the following italicized words should be read with lots of teen angst and annoyance with just a touch of whine* ‘Stop touching me!’ ‘Get off my backpack!’ This was, understandably, not adding up to a peaceful morning commute for Deb. So she decided to try something different, she picked up a couple of contemporary Christian CDs and decided they would be the new morning soundtrack. She is now reporting a definite decrease on the grouch-o-meter. *second author’s note: these phrases should be read in a more neutral tone of voice with still just a touch of whine* ‘Could you move over, please?’ ‘Dude, you’re stepping on my backpack.’

Now in this situation, it was music but maybe you’re dealing with questionable TV, books, video games, friendship influences, the list goes on and on. It’s unrealistic (and in some cases even detrimental) to shield our kids from ALL worldly influences but I strongly believe that when we’re adding it all up healthy and wholesome should definitely tip the scale. Again we’re called to be in the world but not of it—Aliens!! Do you see where this is going? ‘Good stuff in, good stuff out.’

When we were growing up, my mom often (and I really do mean often) quoted this portion of scripture to us: ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’ Matt. 12:34. And yes, she quoted it KJV style. .can’t you just hear her? So if we’re hearing anger or questionable slang or hatred or complaining coming out of our precious angels’ mouths, maybe we need to take a second look at what they’re feeding their heart, mind, and soul. . . .

Garbage In, Garbage Out, What Comes In Must Come Out!

TIPS OF THE WEEK: Ms. Debbie had a few fab tips to share! For an affordable, wholesome TV option, check out the $1 DVDs at the Wal-Mart checkout lines. They feature lots of old favorites, good stuff for a buck. Also sometimes when we notice a change in our kids’ behavior it’s important to try and find out what’s going on. Often something as simple as taking a walk with them will allow them the opportunity to open up & share what’s bothering them!

We’d love to hear your tips and comments!

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Welcome to Tacklebox Tales!

2007-09-13T08:05:00.000-04:00

Well, we're trying to go hi-tech around here, okay, not really. . . I just like to throw out my opinions and natter on for hours and since I don't have any other platform, I'm starting our own blogspot.

Why do I feel the need to blog? Well, there's many reasons that have nothing to do with ministry, but here's the top three that actually do:

Number 1: We hope to keep parents and volunteers informed about what we're doing on Sundays and Wednesdays (and all those other days, too). Basically, my goal is to update the blog at least monthly (I'm hoping weekly but don't hold your breath). We want to let you know what's going on in Chosen Cove and WOW--what we're learning about, how the kids are responding, and whatever else just might be on our minds.

I'll try and keep the boring personal parent stories to myself. (Of course right now Jill is brushing my niece Kelsey's hair and it's just too cute! Kelsey has been enjoying it for the last 5 minutes but now she's crawling like a mad woman to get away from Jill.)

I will also try to keep embarrassing stories about Daryl and occassionally myself to a minimum. I'll try not to tell you episodes like this morning I was so sleepy (I guess) that I actually missed my footing and slid down the last three basement steps. .. let's just say I'm still very aware of this in the southern hemisphere of my anatomy.

Goal number 2 is to give you a place to find out more details about upcoming events. Example, next week I will be posting the details about NC2's fall harvest party. (key word - hoping)

Our numero tres goal is perhaps the most lofty but also the main reason for starting the blog. We want to establish an online community for our parents, kids, and volunteers! We want you to post comments about the blogs, what's going on in your home, with your kids, whatever you want to post!

Now if you're looking for a witty, well-thought out, grammatically correct, perfectly spelled blog. . .let me know and I've got a few I can recommend to you!

But if you'd like to just take a peek into NC2's 'life', see what's happening at NCOG, and probably hear way more about the Collier Clan than you could ever wish. . . .then this is the blog for you!

We hope you'll check back often (you can subscribe and you'll get an email each time we update it) and PLEASE leave comments!!!!

We're excited about the possibilities. .. but we need YOU to participate to reach our third goal!

Welcome to the online community of Tacklebox Tales!