Time Set

Our last series at church was titled "What a Difference a Day Makes."  For the graphics and stage set, our creative team focused in on the time aspect of the series.  We made abstract triangle columns that we saw on this site, added fancy lightening and VOILA! the stage was set.

Ok, making a 16 foot by 12 foot clock was not that easy.  But it was worth it!  I thought the abstract triangles and larger-than-life clock gave the stage an "Alice in Wonderland" feel.

We removed the center of the clock and placed it two feet in front of the rim to give more depth to the set.  This also allowed for band members to enter the stage from the back through the clock.  A lamp was placed behind the center to light the rim.  At times the rim was also lit with stage lights for more affect.

For the next series, we are simply removing the clock and adding another column of triangles in its place.

How we made the clock- The clock is made up of 3 layers of alternating insulation foam board.  (Remember to use foam board glue!  Other glues will eat through your project.)  Once the glue cured, we stood the giant sheet up and I finished the clock with it standing.  I projected the image onto the board, traced it, cut it out with a saws-all, used high-gloss paint, and filled in the seams with caulk.  The center is mounted to the floor with spare 2 x 4s and the rim is secured to a giant wall we have near the back of our stage.  When we removed the clock, it was cut into manageable pieces that will be recycled for future sets.

How we made the triangles- Melissa made the triangles out of coroplast, or sign board.  We planned to hang them from fishing line, but the triangles were too heavy.  So Kevin and Andrew fixed them to 2 x 4s that are secured to the ceiling.

Mistaken Identity

I'm browsing the shelves at a store when I a stranger approaches me.
"Can you tell me where I can find the ___?" they ask.
I turn my gaze away from the product I'm inspecting and give them a puzzled look.  "Excuse me?" I politely reply because I didn't catch their question the first time.
"O I'm sorry.  Do you work here?"
"No, I'm afraid I don't.  But what are you looking for?  I might be able to help."

Has this ever happened to you?

It happens to me.

All the time.

The most recent time was at Hobby Lobby.  A man approached me as I was kneeling in the clearance aisle sorting through a bin of beads.  This is understandable and a simple mistake, but I don't get it when this happens at Wal-Mart.  Am I holding a price scanner?  Do I have on a name tag?  Do you see me wearing khakis and a blue shirt?  No.

I don't understand why this happens to me so frequently, but I appreciate the opportunity to help and serve other people.

Welcoming Committee

While in Nicaragua, our landlord sprayed our house for bugs because we had been having a problem with ants.  Funny thing about these ants was they weren't in our sugar bowl or honey, but we kept finding them in our coffee maker reservoir.

Nicaragua is over-populated with over-sized bugs.  LeErin almost slept with a millipede, we heard about huge centipedes, made friends with a scorpion, went to church with a ginormous beetle, were entertained by jumping bugs, and shared dinner with countless flies.  Bugs were constantly around us.  Yet, I did not see them to be a problem.  The flies were certainly annoying, but the bugs were manageable.  The barking geckos ate a good portion and none bothered me in my sleep.  But I was excited to come home to a bug free house and generally less bug populated country.

When we walked in our front door we were greeted by 1 partially dead and 3 totally dead cockroaches.  I was glad Kevin sprayed and happy to see the evidence of such, but was freaked to know that these guys had been hiding out somewhere in my home.  But the following morning, the ants were still marching across our counter and now into our sugar.  Last night I felt something crawling in my hair.  I flung it on the ground and turned the light on to see a cockroach scurrying across the floor.  Didn't get much sleep after that (despite my husband getting out of bed to kill it for me).

How is it that I stayed for 7 days surrounded by bugs with no real problems and now in my own home bugs are cuddling up with me at night?  YUCK!  I'll put up with the ants if I can get rid of the roaches.  Apparently though roaches are a common problem in Georgia.  Lovely.

Today I'll be purchasing roach and ant bate stations, seven dust, and whatever other cockroach killing products the store may offer.  Maybe I'll even get a barking gecko.  They seem to do the trick in Nicaragua.