Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Burger Toppings

Last week Stinkerbelle was at camp at a museum here in the city. It was so much fun to commute to and from the city with her each day. Even better to see her enjoying herself and being a little more independent. But the best thing was that on Friday night we had a date. After work and camp we went for burgers and a movie. I hesitate to recommend the movie because This Is the End is one of the raunchiest movies that I’ve seen in a long time. I laughed really hard but be warned – it’s the kind of movie that an R rating was made for.

On the other hand, the burgers were pretty good. We went to Bobby’s Burger Palace and Stinky had a crunchified cheeseburger while I had the Napa Valley burger. We are big fans of the Sporkful podcast and recently listened to the episode on burgers so we sat and critiqued our burgers on the amounts and placement of the cheese, the burger to bun ratio, and how well the burgers were cooked. Boy did we enjoy ourselves. We really do like our burgers. Sadly I have no burger pictures so just imaging a nice, juicy burger cooking over this flame.



Here is a list of toppings that my girls and I enjoy on burgers.

1. Mozzarella and pizza sauce – OMG! As a kid we went to a certain restaurant that made the best pizza burgers ever. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.
2. Swiss – If I’m getting a cheeseburger it’ll probably have Swiss cheese on it. I’ve never loved American cheese.
3. Onions – I prefer them caramelized but a nice ring of red onion is good too.
4. French fries – Stink likes fries on her burgers but I really don’t get it.
5. Potato Chips – the crunchified burger. Apparently Stink really enjoyed this but, again, I’m not sold.
6. Lettuce – I like the freshness and the crunch and, besides, it makes it feel more healthy.
7. Goat Cheese – Oooooh yessss! The burger I had the other night had a nice, generous scoop on there and it was so good.
8. Sweet Gherkins – I slice them in half and place the slivers side by side. Crunch!
9. Ketchup – Just because.
10. Bacon – This would be another nod to Stinkette.

Miss M is 2!

This past weekend we celebrated the birthday of Miss M who is officially not a baby anymore.

Remember this?



And this?



Well that baby has become this two year old “Big girl”.



She is happy and busy and curious and she rocks our world.



This is the face of the fabulous little girl who made our family complete.



I love her so much.

Ten on Tuesday – 10 Things You Want To Do This Summer

School for my girls only ended last week so it’s only now that I’m finally feeling like it’s really summer. We started it off by finally getting to the pool. It was so nice and Miss M really loved it. Not only that, she kept intentionally putting her face in the water. This is good since she starts swimming lessons later this week. Finally it feels like summer is here.



As always, I have ideas about things I want to do.

1. Go to the pool a lot – I equate pool with relaxation. I read, paddle around, and generally chill out there. I’d like to think that there will be lots of this in my summer.
2. Take Miss M to the park – we have a great one in our neighborhood so ideally I’d be walking down there with her so that I can get exercise and she can play and we can both meet families with little kids.
3. Knit – I have fallen off the wagon again and I must fix that. The yarn keeps coming but the needles are quiet.
4. Plan college tours – so exciting and so scary at the same time.
5. Read – I’ve read so much already this year but there is still so much that I want to read. I guess that maybe there are just a bunch of good books out there lately or I just found them.
6. Make lunches – I’m trying to spend less (haha) and eat better and both of these would be accomplished easier if I bring lunches more often.
7. Finish a few home projects – putting up curtains, painting a mural, hanging pictures.
8. Ride my bicycle – I really want to ride a little and one of my girls would like to join me. Yes exercise! But first the kid needs to learn to ride. Parental fail!
9. Enjoy some family time – sadly these days this requires quite a bit of coordination between all of our schedules.
10. Plan our winter vacation – cuz that’s what’s next.

ECF - "I Jump!" Edition

It's been a good week and there is som much that I could share but this is the picture that I can't get out of my mind. This is Miss M having a blast her first time in a moonbounce. Even though you can't see her face, which must've been covered with a huge smile, you can just feel her joy at jumping around.  I can't believe that I managed to catch her at just the right moment.



I can just hear her telling my "I jump!" Yes she does.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Times You Felt Grateful Last Week

I just had one amazingly exhausting but wonderful weekend.  What better time for a list like this?

I am thankful for...

1. Stinkerbelle's crazy sense of style - Friday night was the 8th grade dance and although I offered to get her something shiny and new she opted for a simple cotton sundress... and matching Converse hightops.

2. That my crazy girl has friends to join her funky plan. It always makes me feel so happy to watch my girls with their friends.  Their laughter is infectious.



3. Getting Stinkette's grade from her Civics SOL.  She rocked it!

4.  Finding the time to read a little.  I've been on a tear lately and some of the books have been really good.

5. Getting to see Third Eye Blind at the Fair with DQ!  They were a last minute replacement for the B52's who cancelled Thursday due to illness.  You've got to love a band that flies across country at the drop of a hat to fill in and does a kick-ass show. DQ is great company too.


6. Getting to take Miss M to the Fair for the first time.  It was so much fun to see her seeing new things (like the dragon she's petting in this picture) and getting to jump in a moonbounce for the first time.



7. The  big win by Stinkette's softball team on Sunday.  I was sad that I missed it but so happy to hear about it.  The girls have been playing so hard with very little reward. A win is a very good thing.

8. DQ's big hit!  It turns out that she was a huge part of wh the team won.  My girl got a triple with bases loaded. She gave that ball a ride!

9. Finally finding the time to squeeze in a trip to the grocery store.  Sometimes it's the little things.

10. The cast and crew (that includes DQ) of Robinson's production of Hairspray that won 8 awards Sunday night.  Including Best Musical! Way to go!

Ten on Tuesday - Ten Favorite Ice Cream Toppings

It's Tuesday again and today it's all about ice cream.  Yum!  I love ice cream.  Not only that but it has all kinds of wonderful memories and associations for me.  So this is a topic I can really get into.  The trick is to write the post without running for my freezer.  I think I can do it.  Can you read it without needing to grab a bowl?

Here are my favorite toppings for ice cream.

1. Fudge
2. M &M's
3. Chocolate Chips
4. Strawberry topping
5. Heath Bar bits
6. Caramel
7. Whipped Cream
8. Sprinkles - rainbow please!
9. A Cherry on top
10. More ice cream

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things You Did This Weekend

It's been such a nice long weekend. I did not hang curtains or tackle any of the other projects around the house.  Here is what I did do.

1. Softball - Lots.  Spring and summer in our house means softball weekends.  Don't ask how our team did.  It wasn't pretty.
2. Shopped - when its too windy and cold to enjoy the softball... smart girls go shopping.  Especially when they have a child whose summer plans are more business than casual.
3. Had a good laugh. Miss M loves to dance to the music and sometimes she gets a little too excited and nearly falls over. I dare you to keep a straight face when that happens.
4. Went to a fair - after hearing about Viva Vienna from friends for years we decided to go.  Fun!
5. Tried a fried Oreo - I would never buy them because I can feel the pounds land on my hips and my arteries clog just thinking of them but I ate half of one and it was just as ridiculous as you'd think.  Which is to say obscenely yummy but sooo sweet.
6. Watched a movie - we rented Seven Psychos on demand and it was weird but enjoyable.
7. Went to sleep early - funny how this seems like such a good thing when we get older.  Would've been better paired with a nap.
8. Got my car serviced - ouch!  It was an expensive one.  At least this time when the light went on I had a coupon. Small yay.
9. Washed a wee bit of laundry - not much but I gotta keep up or I'm sunk.
10. Enjoyed some really nice family time.

ECF - Buggies at the Harness Shop Edition

Ten on Tuesday – Ten Reasons Why You Knit

Its birthday season around here so last weekend my siblings and I got together with our respective families. I can share more about our mini-getaway later this week. For now, here’s a picture of our birthday kids. From left to right they are Stinkerbelle, my brother Micah, and my sister Jessica.



Two of them are celebrating birthdays today. My sister, Jessica is celebrating a BIG one and Stinkerbelle is turning 14 but for her, every birthday is a BIG one. My brother will celebrate on Friday.
 
Coincidently, they would all love to be receiving handknits from me, today or any day which gives me a nice segue into today’s Ten on Tuesday. They are a few of the reasons why I knit. My brother recently wore through a pair of gloves I made for him a number of years ago, my sister gifted me with yarn and spinnables at Rhineback a while back with a request that I turn them into socks, and Stinkette has a list of stuff she’d like me to make for her. At the top of that list are socks and fingerless gloves.

1. So my family is the first reason why I knit. I like making stuff for them and they love to wear it.
2. I like knitting – just that
3. Knitting relaxes me. When I was a brand new knitter I read a book called Zen and the Art of Knitting or something similar. It spoke to me.
4. I like stuff the way I like it. I often see a sweater that I’d like to have but… I’d rather have it in another color, or a less scratchy wool, or a bigger size, or if it was longer, shorter, yadda, yadda, yadda… If I knit it myself I can make it just right.
5. Knitting satisfies my creative side. I used to paint and sculpt. Now I knit.
6. Knitting help me turn TV time into productive time. I feel less guilty about time spent on the couch if I’ve made progress with some knitting.
7. I really love wearing knitted socks. I’m wearing some right now. They are warm and fun and make me smile.
8. I love the knitting community. Being a knitter has opened doors for me that I never even knew were there. I go places I never imagined and I experience things that I never expected.
9. Knitty friends – this is slightly different. It’s not just the stuff I’ve learned but the people I’ve met. I really, really, love the friends that knitting has given me.
10. The connection to the past. I began knitting as a tribute to my grandmother. Since then I’ve lost many more and I have knitting memories for many of them – how my dad loved that I was using his mother’s needles, the chemo cap I made for my mother in law, the sock I made for my grandfather that he told me he loved over and over again.

So Happy Birthday to Stinkette, and Jess, and  Micah.  I love you all and I will knit for you all again soon. Because I really love it!

ECF - Dancing Girl Edition

As I mentioned yesterday, we went to a Bar Mitzvah last weekend.  That's where I took this video.  I've watched it over and over since then and it's kept me smiling. 

For those of you who I know on FB, this was immediately following the video I posted there.  Nobody was bothering her anymore and Miss M was happy trying to figure out the "big Kid" moves and danced her little heart out.

Enjoy!

Blowing Glass

As much as I wanted to stop the world and cry for a few days when my grandfather died, the world doesn't work like that.  It moves on.  And with active kids around there is never any shortage of stuff to do.  So after the funeral last Friday we went to Pennsylvania for a Bar Mitzvah and then on to Baltimore where we met DQ's Girl Scout Troop for glass blowing.  How freakin' cool is that?

We had planned to drop her off and run but I was mesmerized.  I've always wanted to see how it was done so I couldn't resist taking my camera out.  Then, since we were there (and another girl cancelled at the last minute) they asked if Stinkette wanted to try.  Ummmm... YES!!!

So this is what it looked like. Lots of pictures - few words.

Cooling the tools... they get really hot!



Adding a bit of color.

 

Smoothing it out.



Heating it up again.

 

Lindsey shaping her vase.



Daria shaping her pumpkin. It's red hot!



Check out that pumpkin.



And the pumpkin gets a cute, swirly, stem.



We couldn't take them home the same day because they needed to cool and harden properly.  I hope to share finished pictures when we have all three pieces.  Yup!  I got to do it too.  Lucky me!

Broken Hearted

We lost my grandfather, Larry Fyman, one week ago at the age of 94. It was not quite six months after the passing of his beautiful and brilliant bride Bess and it would not be wrong to say that he died of a broken heart.



I’ve been thinking about how to write this post for the past week and I still not sure I can do it justice. There just aren’t words to express how we all felt about my grandfather but I’m going to try because I wish you all could’ve met him. You would’ve loved him as we did.

My grandfather was extremely outgoing and gregarious right up until the end. The last time I saw him was in February and I took him to a discount store where he rode one of those carts around, lauging with people as he went about what a bad driver he was. He never met a stranger and he was always ready with a joke – preferably an off-color one. He left me with one that day and I’m struggling to recall it.

My grandparents with my mom


He was active. He drove like a Queens native (which is to say aggressively) until about 2 years ago. He loved long walks and danced at every occasion. He played games with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He loved to go to see a good baseball game, especially his Mets. He’d call my husband and discuss gripe about players he disliked or crow about a game they won. Sometimes he’d clip an article from the NY Post and send it to Bruce because he thought he’d enjoy it. He liked having someone to talk sports to.

My grandfather with Lindsey


To the rest of the world he was Larry but to us he was Laurie (a holdover from his boyhood in Leeds, England), grandpa, or Zayda. He loved that last one which is Yiddish for grandpa. That’s what the great-grandchildren called him. He had 12 of them and the oldest was my Lindsey. You never saw anyone as overjoyed to change a dirty diaper as when he changed hers. And years later, when he had the pleasure of attending her Bat Mitzvah he told me afterward with tears in his eyes that it was the best day because he never imagined he be here to see a great grandchild grow up. That made it my best day too.

My grandfather loved everyone and supported us all. I’m proud to say that when Canada legalized gay marriage my grandfather called my cousins and told them he was ready to hit the road. He was ready to drive them to Canada to get married immediately but they waited until it was legal closer to home.

My grandparents favorite picture of them.


One of the most notable things about my grandfather was his selflessness. He gave of himself tirelessly to his friends, family and community. He drove relatives to doctors’ appointments and bailed out granddaughters who made bad choices. Most of all he loved my grandmother and never stopped putting her first. For more than 70 years he gave her credit for all the good in their life. He never wanted more than her happiness and, to that end, insisted that we celebrate her birthdays instead of his and give her gifts instead of him. It was always all about his Bess, the smartest and most beautiful person he knew.

The world is a better place and I am a better person because of my grandfather.  He inspired me to do my best  and when I succeeded he is the person I most wanted to share it with.  There was nothing quite like knowing he was proud of me.

If you’ve made it to the end then I thank you for allowing me one last opportunity to share my favorite person. I really do wish that you could’ve met him. He was extraordinary!

ECF - 2013 Cherry Blossoms Edition

So we went to see the Cherry Blossoms On Wednesday night.  Of course I brought my camera and took a picture or twenty.



I think that I like this one best because it's different than most of the Cherry Blossom photos I see which look more like this.



Although, truth be told, I like that one too.  It's kind of classic.

In the Kitchen

DQ is in Israel now, after a week in Poland.  This is the part of the trip I kind of dreaded because it would be so easy for her to fall in love with that country. I know that she'll come home a week from now but the big question is - will she be pining for Israel. Only time will tell. Right now she's having a fabulous time.

Although we miss DQ terribly, we're having fun too. The four of us have been super busy with school events, festivals, concerts, sports and family fun.  Dinner last Saturday night falls into the last category.  We made personal pizzas and it was so much fun.  Daria helped Miss M make hers. They were so sweet to watch.



Then my youngest was back to her old tricks. She is very familiar with the freezer and knows it as the keeper of ice cream and waffles and ice.  We all drink ice water in my house and now Miss M does too.  But hers is in a sippy cup.  She is impatient and independent so she helps herself.



We teach them to love their ice young.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things You Always Bring on Vacation

This is the time of year when I'm busy planning ahead for summer and fall vacations but it's so hard to think about that stuff when winter just won't go.  This past weekend is seems that we turned a corner.



The weather warmed up just in time for Stinkerbelle's team to debut their new uniforms.  Not only did they look sharp, they played well too.

1. My camera - gotta take lot's of pictures
2. A swimsuit - especially if I'm going to the beach
3. A bunch of ziplock bags - they are handy for so many things
4. A good book - actually I'd bring a few.  Reading relaxes me - what better for a vacation?
5. A knitting project or seven - Heaven forbid I should run out of knitting to do although I rarely even make a dent.  It's truly pathetic.
6. An old pillow case for my laundry.
7. A tour book or other guide - I love seeing new things
8. Maps - so I can find my way around without technology.  I'm a little old school.
9. My ipod and ipad - one is for surfing and the other for chilling but both are absolutely essential.
10. Way too many clothes - I tend to pack for all the what if's.  You never know!

Vital Voices and Voices of the Future

Last night I had the incredible privilege to attend the Vital Voices 2013 Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center.  You can put the Kennedy Center on the list of eleventy-million reasons I love living the DC area.

My oldest daughter found out that we could attend for free as part of the Girl Scout delegation and had to go.  Hillary Clinton was going to be there!



Mrs Clinton was a wonderful speaker and it was very cool to see her in person but, surprisingly, the presenter who I enjoyed the most was this guy.  Our Vice President is a wonderful and entertaining speaker.



Did I mention that security was very tight at the Kennedy Center last night.  Secret Service checked my car thouroughly. As I waited for them to finish searching the engine area one agent walked up to my window and asked if I had any bombs in there.  He was grinning so I replied "Nope, I left them home tonight."  That's me, livin' on the edge.

There were many other presenters there last night and you can see most of them in this picture taken at the end of the event, lined up on the stage. On the right, in white is Ann Curry, On the left in the white top is Hillary Clinton with Joe Biden next to her.  The lady next to him with the reddish hair is Diane von Furstenberg.  Some people can make anything look good.  She was wearing a lovely little black dress accessorized with a sling (for her arm recently injured in a skiing accident) in an equally nice black and white print.  Classy!



The focus of the event and of the awards handed out were people working to help women around the world.  There weas a doctor helping women give birth safely in Somalia, a police chief from Brazil who is trying to end domestic violence there, and three brothers working to end human trafficking in India among others.  They were so inspiring. 

As I mentioned, we were there with the Girl Scouts as part of their delegation of Rising Voices.  I'd like to think that I was sitting with our leaders of tomorrow.  Maybe even escorting one of them.



The reason my girl looks so pained in this picture (aside from the usual teen impatience with embarrassing parents) is that she still had to finish packing for a big trip when she got home.  As I'm writing this my daughter is embarking on the trip of a lifetime, the March of the Living.  She will mark Holocaust Remembrance Day in Auschwitz and help to clean a Jewish cemetary in Warsaw.  She is carrying with her letters from 3rd graders at our synagogue to place in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.  It's a trip that she desperately wanted to make and feels deeply about.  I can't wait to hear about the ways that it inspires her and what form that inspiration takes.

Passover Lessons Learned

This was Miss M last year at Passover.



 Here she is this year.



She is wise to the matzah.  She is counting the minutes until the holiday ends.  No, wait, that's me!

Anyway, this year was interesting because it was the first time we're doing Passover in the new kitchen.  We're learning a lot for next year.  Mostly, the issues are organizational.  It's also the first time that I've done a Seder in about 3 years.  Way too long.  I feel like I lost my touch. 

Notes from this year's Seder:

The yummy Carrots with Almonds that nobody got to eat because I forgot them in the microwave.  I didn't remember that they were there until 24 hours later.

I got no Charoset (ceremonial and delicious mixture of apples, walnuts and wine).  Next year I need to make sure that someone is populating my plate while I am in the kitchen.

I need to find the box with my Seder plate.  It's missing since the construction.  Other things are missing too but this is a big one.

Brisket is good.  It also cleans up well and re-heats well.  Win!

I'm sure that there is more that I'm forgetting but this is a good start.  Those damn carrots are still killing me.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Random Things On Your Mind

Random things on my mind.  OMG!  The way things have been going lately I've got nothing but. Eye drops and ear drops for my toddler. Credit cards getting hacked. Snow falling as I freeze my ass of on the bleachers at the forst softball double header of the season.  Toddlers who can dress themselves - and insist on doing so.  And much, much, more.

1. This is what I saw on my way to work yesterday.  What gives?  I love snow.  Love, love, love.  But not in March.  This is just wrong.



2. Why can't people drive sanely in bad weather.  Seriously!  Are you really that excited for work?
3. And stop texting! You freak me out enough when you repeatedly speed up and then stop short of hitting the cars in front of you - IN. THE. SNOW.  Adding the texting to the mix is just sadistic.
4. I have done my Passover shopping but I'm still far from ready for the holiday.  Everyone else is trying out recipes and planning menus.  I am still shaking off my cloak of denial.
5. Pink is awesome.  The girls and I saw her last Thursday night and it was phenomenal!



6. It got me thinking about the difference between a concert and a show.  At a concert they get up there and sing their songs and play their instruments (I'm looking at you Bon Jovi).  They hopefully do a good job.  A show takes the singing and adds artistic content.  Lots of artistic content!  This was a show.  An awesome one.
7.  I cannot believe that spring break is next week.  The school year is just flying by and it's giving me whiplash.
8.  DQ says hello to everyone out there reading the blog.  She is reading over my shoulder.
9.  Snow should not be coating the buds on the trees.  Poor little buds.



10. I can't wait for the Cherry Blossoms to bloom.  The snow had better not ruin them.

At Long Last - Snow!

But only a little bit. We didn't get anywhere near the 8 inches to a foot that they threatened us with.  We got about 2-3 inches before it started drizzling.



The snow was super wet which is really good for making snowballs but no good for anything else. Miss M was not really sure what to make of it.  She came, she saw, she was ready to go back inside and drink homemade hot chocolate. Yum!



I enjoyed watching the snow fall and I really needed the rest that it provided.  Now I'm just as happy to see it go and go it will.  The forecast for the next few days will be in the 40's and 50's.  Spring is certainly on the way.

Ten on Tuesday - Reasons You're Happy it's March

What a difference a week makes.  Last week at this time I was putting together a list of all the reasons I wanted winter to be over now while admitting that was really ok with it sticking around long enough for one more good snow.  Of course I didn't actually think we'd get any snow but you can always dream.

Now I really am ready for winter to be over.  Funny how yet one more bout of sniffles, sore throat, aches etc will change a person's outlook! And just as I'm thinking about how badly I'd love to put flu weather behind me we are finally expecting a snow storm that they are cautiously declaring "could be major." Seriously?



But it is March and that's a step in the right direction.  Today they came out with the prediction for the peak of this years Cherry Blossoms (March 28-30th).  So that would be a great place to start my list of reasons I'm happy it's March.

1. Cherry Blossoms - the parade, the festival, the flowers... I melt!  I swoon!
2. All that green - I really love green and they bring it all out for St Patricks Day.
3. Doubliner Cheddar Cheese - Yum!  They bring out the really good stuff this time of year.

Ack!  I posted too early.  Let's continue because we've got some great stuff planned.  March is a super full month for us!

     4.  P!NK - the big girls and I are seeing her later this month.  Can you say girls night?  Hmmm... I'm thinking of Mexican food before the show.  Now we're talking!
     5.  Rocking the RED - we have tickets to a Caps game this month.  Our first one with Miss M.  I wonder how she'll like it.
     6.  Passover - Ok, I know that sounds a little perverse and it's not entirely accurate.  I don't really love Passover but I do love the Seders.  Cook up a storm, set a beautiful table and fill the house with great people to celebrate with.  Love that!
     7.  Announcements - they'll announce the performers for the Fairfax Fair AKA Celebrate Fairfax sometime this month.  I can't wait to see who it'll be.
     8.   Spring Break - It won't be as stress free this year as usual because DQ will be using the break to get ahead on work she'll miss during her upcoming trip but it's still nice to see the girls chill out and have a little fun.
     9.  Spring knits - March is a great time to start some warm weather knitting.  Perhaps a sweater for a sweet young thing.
     10.  Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms. - and also daffodils and crocus and the reddish blur that is the appearance of buds on the trees.

But first we need to get through the snow storm that is a bit late to the party.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Reasons Why You Are Ready for Winter To Be OVER

The ToT topic this week makes me laugh because it's really not me.  I know a few people who are really ready for Winter to be over even before it starts (and they know who they are) but I'm not one of them.  Truthfully, I'd really like one more good snow.  Please don't hate me for saying that.



That doesn't mean that I'm hoping for an endless Winter.  I do look forward to seeing the buds on the trees and the grass turning green. So here, a little less emphatically, is my list of 10 reasons why I am (mostly) ready for Winter to be over. 

1. I'm sooooo not a fan of Winter coats
2. All the salt from the roads looks nasty on my dark blue car
3. I can't wait to see my bulbs start to push up through the soil.
4. I really want to take Miss M to the park and watch her play on the swings.
5. Softball!!!
6. Flip flops - they go much better with pretty toes than sneakers do.
7. Open up that sunroof!
8. I'll be less nervous about my teen driver without icy roads.
9. No more sniffles - I'm so tired of runny noses
10. Cherry blossoms!

What are you looking forward to?

Powder Puff Camping

I can't really claim ownership of the title.  When we told one of the Troop moms about the lodge we stayed at this past weekend, that's what she called it and she's right.  What else do you call camping in a lodge with heat, a microwave, a dish washer (which we didn't use), and a washer (unused by us) and dryer (only used to dry tie dye shirts)?



We still got out and hiked as part of a service project. We still ate s'mores - but over a fireplace instead of a campfire.



And we got crafty. We made CD campfires, bath salts, t-shirts, henna and more.



It was girls being girls and it was great.  Best of all - it completes my camping obligation until next year.  Camping with scouts is fun but all the potential for bad things makes it really stressful.

ECF - You'd Think it Was Valentines Day Edition

Check out that red sky.  It would've been perfect for Valentines Day but it's actually from earlier in the week. I came home one night and Stinkette shouted as I walked in the door "quick, mom, grab your camera!"  I was happy to oblige.

 

 BTW, there was absolutely no post-processing at all on this one. It was really that red.