Yay!

My computer works real good now. Very exciting. Probably that is why I don't want to get off of it. Well I do have kids. They do want my attention. And I do have a house to clean too I suppose. Laundry to do. Knitting to be done. Blah Blah Blah. off I go. Plenty more later. Some day my kids will be old and grown and look back at this blog and laugh at all this. Some day.

Jade

Our new dog. Ugh. They love eachother. But I am the walker. Not near as amused by two dogs as the girls are. ;-)

Botany in the Summer

We have had a few opportunities this summer and spring to hang out in KY in our property while Bret gets work done over there. Lil Bret and I hike the trails and look for new interesting things.

 A 5 leaf clover!!! Wow I don't know if that is good luck or bad. The photo above this one is Bret and my example of both lichen AND a tree bending to reach the light (Auxins in action).

 I didn't know what these things were. they looked like angels sitting in the forest together. I thought they were a fungus. But nope. They are a flower. Indian Pipes to be exact... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotropa_uniflora

This was such a cool find!!! Fiddle head. It is what is to become a fern. It is called a fiddle head because it looks like the top of a fiddle, essencially. We learned about it in Botany class this year.

Those little Weasles!!!!

Do you know the second night camping with the Girl Scouts we stayed in covered wagons, which are similar to tents, and when I went to sleep, my coleader for my older girls' troop took all those little weasle girls to her CAR TO SLEEP???????? I had a 6 year old, an 8 year old, and several 10 and 11 year olds sleeping IN THE COVERED WAGONS!! And my 12 and 13 yos slept in the CAR! ;-)

The next morning I met up with another leader at a lodge. She said she saw all those girls sleeping in that car, she would have invited them in to sleep in the left over lodge bunks. I told her don't you dare invite them into the lodge. Those girls have been camping every year for years! The nerve. :-o

Next time I will just drop them all off at Jennifer's car and take my other troop camping. lol.

When they got back down to camp with all their stuff, I told them to stay there so I can take a picture of them being the poor campers. They all said ok, we are proud of it. and they smiled for the camera.

Whittling

Another May campout hit. Whittling. I gave everyone a bar of soap to practice with, and their own pocket knife to take home. There is no longer any info through Girl Scouts on using knives. That was very disappointing. Plenty of online info through Boy Scouts though. And thanks to Memaw who knows a lot about this kind of stuff!! Thank goodness no one lost a finger and all is well.

Brenda and Bret have whittled several sticks from our KY property into wands since.

Learning to make a camp fire

 The girls were all finally going into 5th grade or older (for the exception of Marley who came with us by default). This was the year to learn how to build a fire.

Prior to the campout we made fire starters at our meeting. When we got to camp, everyone got a book of matches to practice lighting. They we reviewed what we need to build a fire, the girls collected the wood from the surrounding area, and each girl made her own fire. Supervised of course. I was very proud of each one of them for their accomplishments! Biggest issue, I had to keep a close eye on those girls to make sure they weren't making huge bonfires, as each girl wanted to do. Your first camp fire is such an amazing feat you don't ever want it to end.

Camping Scout Style

 Some special people got Makeovers. Memaw is the favorite for both troops! Her granddaughter is in Bret's troop, but every time Brenda's troop gets to attend an activity with Memaw, it is big excitement for everyone!

 Creeking is a must! You will never believe what the big excitement was for going creeking this year... They all couldn't wait to pee in the creek!!!!! Ewww.

 There was even some late night pranking going on while us adults slept evidentally...

Brenda and her gang insisted on sleeping under the stars the first night which meant and adult, you guessed it... ME, had to sleep outside too. I think I was the only one of us who actually slept. The rest of "us" were up pranking the sleepers.

After last year's camping fiasco, I wanted to make this year a real great time. Our May Campout featured such activities as creeking, fire building, whittling, duct tape creations, night hike, spending one night in the covered wagons, outdoor cooking, shrinky dinky necklaces, hula hoop making (AND hooping of course). We started out our campout at Kroger where the girls broke up into groups to shop for the food they would cook, then off to camp we went where the fun never ends. They cooked all the food that they ate, and played inbetween.

Bridging Time AGAIN!!!!!! AAAAAAH!

Bret and her second year Juniors Bridged at our annual Girl Scout Campout this year! I cannot believe they are Cadettes already. At the ceremony I asked for a show of hands of which girls had been with me from my first year as leader of our troops. Only Bret in her troop. Brenda Miranda and Desarae had been with me all along in Brenda's troop. So sad that they keep growing. Yet such proud moments for me to be part of.

Marley's troop also Bridged to Brownies this year.

 Here are the bridging Daisies.

 They bridged at Build A Bear. Since this is the 100 years of Girl Scouts anniversary, Build A Bear has Girl Scout Bears. Marley made a Daisy bear, but it is sooo cute, I want to go out and get a Brownie and Junior outfit so that it can grow with her. I know I am a big sap for these kinds of things. Brenda and Bret made bears too. There are no Cadette outfits :-( We will have to sew our own sashes. Brenda made a cammo bear of course, the hunter in her couldn't resist. Bret and I chose the most raggedy looking dog because it had to be done.

I pulled this photo out of my archives. :-( This was Brenda's first bridging ceremony. The year she bridged OUT of Brownies into Juniors. Awwww. That makes me even more sappy.

Father/Daughter Dance

Bret works so much (Big Bret that is) that he hardly gets to spend quality time with the girls. I was very excited to hear that our Girl Scout service unit was hosting a Father/Daughter dance this year. He got to be the dad and have some fun with the girls. And I BARELY had to drag him there to do it. ;-)

Bret, the Photographer

Cool badge for her last Junior year in Girl Scouts. Photography. She was so excited to get her own video recorder/camera for Christmas this year. She has turned into quite the photographer. BTW the cat is Shmellow, a neighbor cat that Bret adores!!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Dancing their butts off? Maybe. Bret said this was a hard year. She is considering Jr. Roller Derby for her activity next year instead of dance. Marley is looking forward to being old enough for Jazz. Brenda... she didn't dance this last year. She wants TV acting lessons next year. Since that isn't happening we will see what next year brings for her.

Wow!!! Here I am sitting here again. My computer has been ever slow, my ipod which became my new computer, didn't download photos to my blog, and I have been so busy. A bunch of months later, and a new computer... here I am again. Let's get reaquainted in top speed instead of snail speed (that probably is insulting to the snail. Maybe.)