No ma'am, I do not like to be called ma'am

Jane and me, at my "tent" where the craft was
an olive oil hand scrub that didn't go over well.

Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church. Jane had lots of fun and learned a lot in her first year at VBS. I think the songs were my favorite part, although Jane said she liked making candles the best.

One day her "tribe" got to plant a seed in a small decorated pot to take home. Unfortunately hers walked away somehow and we were searching around for it at the end of the morning. I asked one of her tribe leaders if she knew where it could be.

The leaders for Jane's tribe were all young teenage girls. This one was very polite and "yes, ma'am"-ed me, which raised my ire and made me want to scream. It feels forced/fake, even though I know that it is not at all fake for her.

We never did find the pot -- although Jane potted another one the next day because the girls felt guilty about it. The seeds actually sprouted, which is something that usually doesn't happen when I mix with plants.

TIBTIL: Picnic Blanket

A thing I bought that I L-O-V-E is my Tuffo Water-Resistant Outdoor Blanket with Carrying Case, which I purchased from Amazon in 2010 for Shawn's birthday. It was something we used in the parks in New York, which we'd hit a few times a month to read the paper and just hang out outside.

Now it's a regular Jane accessory and was perfect for the beach. The sand shook off easily, it folds up nicely into its carrying case and is machine washable. Now I'd probably choose a different pattern (pink, perhaps?), but I like the brown dots we got -- it seems neutral but I still have never seen another just like it. (I also love the bag we used for the beach this trip -- it's one I bought at Pearl River in NYC, which I read is closing due to high rents!)

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This Time Two Weeks Ago

Sandy toes and salty kisses. It was a fabulous vacation, and maybe I'll get around to writing more about it. Here is me at a happy place: