Sunday, June 17, 2012

This is the Life!

Well, ladies (and gents) THIS is the life.
Here I am sitting outside on the porch at camp. The birds are chirping and a balmy wind is rustling through the trees. And I say again, “this is the life.”
In the hustle and bustle of pre-camp time, I often forget why I love camp cook life. But now that I’m here, and the weekend is winding down, I wish it wasn’t over so quickly.
I love camp life because no matter what we are eating, I generally do most of my cooking in the morning, and then have most of the afternoon off. When I was younger (read “pre-pregnancy and pre-postpartum hot flashing”) days, I’d spend the afternoons swimming, and reading great books, and working on my tan. What wasn’t to love about camp life? You get up early-ish, cook for a couple hours, take the afternoons to laze around, and cook another two hours. People are under the misguided notion that you work hard all day, every day. I never attempted to change their minds. Sigh...=)
This weekend has been great. I have been in the kitchen by 6:10 with breakfast at 7:00. Clean up is done before 8:00, and I am not even doing most of that. I get to supervise the guys. Then I have taken the next couple hours to have my devotions, run, snuggle with Meres, and shower. Back to grindstone about 11:00, making lunch and doing dinner prep. Clean up is done by 1:15, and I am free as a bird (with birdlings) until 4:30. Not bad, huh?! Dinner prep, meal and clean up is done by 7:00. Then I can kick back and relax again.
macaroni and cheese. Did I mention that I realized that I forgot to bring
noodles for the mac and cheese? I didn't even remember to buy them.
And the nearest store was not near.
A friend saved the day, and brought them with him on Thursday night.
I was offered the opportunity to be a camp cook for four weeks this summer. I thought about it, and prayed about it, for the space of about 24 hours-and turned it down. In some ways it would have been idyllic, and easier than this weekend. I would have had kitchen help, we would have been closer to home, and I wouldn't have had to haul all the food there. But, on the other hand, it felt like it would have been too much. No matter how I paint it, it is hard work. When you are working, you are working hard. And I would not have been able to spend the time with my kids that I need to this summer. And, God brought other service opportunities our way, that our kids will be able to be right here with me.

girls joined us for VBS training Friday afternoon.
And they brought Friday dinner.
I started this post at camp, but then I got interrupted by a visit from a friend, and faithful blog reader. This friend lives close to the camp. She and I had cooked together at the wilderness camp in Canada. We hadn't seen each other for 10 years. But, she drove over, and we got to catch up. I saw pics of her grandkids, she met the Hippie offspring. It was a wonderful visit. Thanks for coming out, Bev.
LC=whooped. I love how she sprawls so fashionably.
I bailed from our retreat a bit early. And I am so glad I did!
chicken enchiladas
Meres getting into trouble.
She really liked the sound of the plates hitting the floor.
Meres is running a fever. I wondered if it was her teeth, but the new one popped through last night, and she still has a fever. I am wondering if it is from her crawling around on the dining hall floors all weekend? Seriously, I put her down on the floor on Thursday, and her hands, knees, butt, and shins were black in five minutes. And she eats everything. Who knows what she picked up? My mom also told me that the other "twin" was running a fever too. They may have infected each other with something. Who knows...? I hate the "not knowing" when I am a mom. Calmness to let the sickness run its course, and not getting all panicked or anything. Sleep, fluids, and snuggles.
So, the kids and I are home. I made breakfast, supervised the dining hall clean up, and put together Rogan Josh in a crock pot for the guys to take with them to church and potluck. Then I hightailed it out of there. Us girls took baths. I am pretty sure LC is a couple shades lighter than she was this morning. I just folded the first load (of about 5) of laundry. Meres is napping. The kids are playing legos. Mr. Hippie's father's day gift was waiting on the porch when I arrived home. I caught up on fb, emails, blogs. Now I am going to make lunch, read to the kids, and brush up on some content for tomorrow's VBS. 
My home away from home-the dining hall.
first meal-chicken enchiladas, salad, black bean and mango salad, chips
my trunk packed with food.
I should have taken an "after" pic, because I brought home very little.
my fridge packed with food for the retreat
Camp is over, but I am still going to soak up the camp pace today.
Happy Father's Day, both to my Love, and to my Dad! And to all you other dads out there!