Doodle for Google

Julia got her siblings to enter the Doodle for Google contest this year!  Max had a great entry but his imagination went a little too far and his octopus exudes ink...thus the black mess in the corner.  Looks like a mistake...owell.  Ellie's could be a little darker/brighter.  Anyway, they had a great time doing it and will keep an eye on the extraordinary entries from around the nation!

Operation Happy Sock

Julia and Ellie's Junior Girl Scout troop participated in two take action projects for their Agent of Change journey.  They chose to organize a small book drive to support literacy through the Better World Books program and donate goodies called happy socks (Operation Happy Sock) to the local animal shelter.  During the meeting, the girls stuffed approximately 200 socks with poly-fill and catnip and tied it off with a knot.  These socks will be donated to the shelter for their over-population of cats!

GOTR Snacks

Julia and Ellie are participating in the spring Girls on the Run session through their schools in preparation for the 5K on May 11th in downtown Cincinnati (starting/ending at Paul Brown stadium where the Bengals play football!).  I've been asked to be the "team mom" and supply relatively healthy snacks twice a week before their workouts for 15 girls.  For the first meeting, I prepared individually wrapped bags of air-popped popcorn and clementine oranges.  Next meeting (around Valentine's Day) was blueberry muffins and heart-shaped watermelons .  Last meeting was cut up carrots and peanut butter cracker sandwiches.  The challenge is providing a snack to 15 girls for $4 (GOTR budget)!

 

Here's a pic of our friends who joined Ellie (who had a broken leg and couldn't actually run) for the fall race!

Sarah and the girls on the Ohio river

 

Erin and Ellie...the two Es.

 

Ellie's GOTR team from Walton Verona Elementary/Middle School (3rd-5th graders)

2013 World Tasting Tea

Troop 116 participated in the region's annual World Tasting Tea event in celebration of Girl Scout's World Thinking Day celebration!  We love this opportunity to learn about other countries...and to taste the goodies they prepare and share!  Our country this year was Brazil.  Very c ool since they'll soon host the World Cup and Summer Olympics!  We won "Best Taste" out of all of the troops who participated for our Chocolate Truffle Brigadeiros.  Girls kept coming back for more and more and more.  Good thing we made nearly 400 of them!

Since Carnival is such a big event in Brazil we ordered eye masks from Oriental Trading and had our visiting "tourists" decorate the masks with jewels, markers, feathers, etc. that we provided.  They LOVED it!

Event Passports

The Rice girls!

Our Brazil display

The award-winning Brigadeiros

Singing "Make New Friends" together at closing...ahhhh

Cool to see some old friends from our Florence troop before moving to Delaware.

Valentines Day 2013

Ellie handed out these mustache Valentine's treats to her 4th grade class!

 

Max, with help from his sisters, handed out these superhero pops



Julia handed out a few of these Mad Lib Valentine's to her friends.  We rolled up mad libs we had around the house with a newspaper comic strip, tied it up with yarn from the craft room and attached these cute little sayings we found online already done.

 

Great grandma, "G.G." gave out goodies but the notes were the best part!

Max's 1st grade party...playing a Minute to Win it game here

 

Our little buddy's monster card box...a little beat up

 

Likely Ellie's last year to exchange Valentine's with her class (moving on to middle school next year) and she enjoyed every minute of it.

Saturday Stuff

Julia's art project from her class at Baker-Hunt Cultural Arts Center.

Cooked some cornbread casserole and Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo  (not quite cooked in photo) for a Mardi Gras party

Got lost trying to find Schneider's Sweet Shop

Grandma "Beesie" teaching Julia how to sew a skirt

Sleepover

We just had the basement (nearly) finished and, to celebrate, the girls invited some friends over for a sleepover!  They played several minute to win it games, posed for pics, watched some American Idol, played board games, made pizza pockets, enjoyed fancy cupcakes, and woke up to a waffle bar in the morning!

Published Poetry

 

Apparently we have a poet in the house!  We received a letter in the mail today stating that Julia's poem "Freedom" was chosen to be published in a book called A Celebration of Poets.  Now...maybe everyone that entered is going to be published haha but the letter says that this is an honor as most students are not invited to be published!  Here is Julia's entry (which must have taken place through her writing class at WVMS):

 

Freedom

 

We have our rights

Some to sing and some to see sights

America still has to fight

Even to stay safe at night.

 

If we go to the store, we're never forced to buy more

That's why we have soldiers galore

So we don't need to worry about safety anymore.

Sleepover

The girls had some good friends over for one last sleepover before our move. Erin surprised us with a special ice cream cake! Together they tie dyed shirts, applied fresh avocado masks, made friendship bracelets and bath bombs, made satin eye masks, watched Flicka, and ATE tons.  Whew what a busy night!!

Cherry Blossom Haikus

The Girl Scouts of Troop 792 recently earned their Gift of Trees patch celebrating the 100 year Anniversary of Japan's gift of cherry trees to the United States.  Part of their requirements was to write a haiku about the cherry blossom tree.  Here some members of the troop share their poems.

Ronald McDonald House Visit

Julia and Ellie's G.S. troop recently made a big donation to the local Ronald McDonald House and toured the facility to learn more about it.  The girls had been collecting pop tabs from family/friends for nearly two years for the house to recycle and make money to offset expenses.  Also, we donated on the go meal, toiletry, and activity kits to the families who stay there from the proceeds of our cookie sales.

Julia's Winter Fiddle Recital

She played Bile Them Cabbage Down...her teacher Kerry is accompanying her on guitar.

Caroling with Troop 792!

We didn't get very good pictures but the girls went caroling with those who could attend from their Girl Scout Troop.  Second year in a row that we sang to the over 55 community in our little town.  We enjoyed cookies and warm drinks after singing (and a pizza party at our house beforehand).

American Girl 9th Birthday Party

Julia wanted an American Girl themed Birthday party with her friends this year.  This took a little creativity and planning but the party was SO fun and just cute.  We found several ideas online and went with some of our own.  Games (shown below) included some old fashioned ones that parties don't often include anymore.

the birthday girl and avid American Girl fan

 

the guests all brought their dolls and we adorned them with homemade party hats!

 

homemade fabric bunting by grandma (we call her Beesie...a funny little name)

pin the tail on Truman (our basset hound)

Paper Doll Making/Dressing

playing Clothes Pin Drop into Mason Jars

Musical "Chairs" using fabric squares instead of chairs (each girl holding doll)

Playing Drop the Handkerchief on a beautiful day outside!

 

A tisket, a tasket,

A green and yellow basket,

I wrote a letter to my love, But on the way, I dropped it;

A little child picked it up and put it in his pocket.



SO cute!!

A simple cake.

Signing homemade autograph books.  Notice the little pink box (purchased from the AG store..contains conversation starters/questions)

Girls enjoying their cake.  Lunch included lots of girl-friendly food such as fruit skewers, mini sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, pigs in blanket, cheese squares, etc.

Each girl went home with a gently used American Girl book (purchased on Ebay)

Personalized goody bags