Off and Running, er Sliding, er Skiing er.. . .

I'm heading out to Girl Scout Camp Libbey today with the Green Hats! Woo hoo! And we got 5 or 6 inches of nice, ski-able snow. I'm taking so much junk for 2 days that I look like a bag lady, loading all the crap up. I'm also in charge of breakfast for Friday, so I made a meatloaf, yep meatloaf for then. I'm curious to see if this new recipe passes muster with some great cooks.

I feel so guilty for leaving the family behind that I've been working like crazy getting ready. Most exciting news is that I got all 48 squares for FTD's quilt finished. I showed him a couple of ways we can sew them together and he likes the Barn Raising the best. Yea! I'll sew those together next week. Then it's off to the quilt shop, yet again. I might look for a shop with a faster turn-around. I dropped off my Glowing Pine Tree quilt in early November and haven't heard a word from the shop. I'm even going to bind that one myself, so what's taking so long?

So anywho, I'm also entering a quilt contest through another blog. I'm new to this contesting stuff, but I'll give it a try. Each week they select a theme and we send in pics. This week is snowmen, so here's what I'm sending:


I call this one FTD's Snowman, because he helped pick out the colors. I was hoping I could get him to help with the sewing, since it's 90% squares, but that was a no go. I don't think I still have the designer's name. I'm starting a file of some sort to keep track of designers and stuff. Yeah, right, it's on my to-do list. Right up there with "win a Nobel Prize." So anywho, I'll try to post the links to vote for FTD's Snowman. I'll put it in another post, in case I screw it up, which is likely.

Quilting! Yea!

I try really, really hard not to have too many crafty things going at one time. So I told myself I couldn't start FTD's quilt until the Christmas stuff is put away. Well, most of it is put away.... so I started his log cabin quilt today. It took me several tries to find the colors and sizes I like. I've no idea how long this will take. It's a little tedious doing the same block over and over. I might have to do some pillows or something to break up the monotony.

I've got several projects for my peeps lined up, too. Table decorations for DH's Rotary Club's auction/dinner/dance in February; Green Hat roster and teaching a couple of other girls to use excel; and helping to type up the Green Hat Pocket Songbook should keep me out of trouble while I wait to hear about when I'll start back to work. And next week is "Take the Boys to Doctors Week." That will be a tough one.

And I'm going to camp this week! Woo hoo! The Green Hats are renting one of the Lodges at Libbey for a couple of days this week. Scrabble, Scattergories, snow, singing, and not much else. Sweet. (Oh, yeah, and no laundry or squabbling boys!)

In My Spare Time

As if I don't have enough to do, I'm re-upping with the Girl Scouts. I loved my 7 years of Scouting as a kid, and my 3 years as a Scout professional. Now I'm playing with the Green Hat Society and getting ready to become a trainer again.

I sort of have some concerns about where Girl Scouting is headed. There is no emphasis on "troop team building" which could be a good thing for some girls, but I think we're missing a huge opportunity for most girls. I've always said that we might accidentally put ourselves out of business by teaching girls that they CAN be doctors, lawyers, rangers, pipe fitters, journalists, and astronauts, among many other things. And now that women are, they don't have time to be Scout leaders. Drat!!

So that begs the question why do Dads have time to be Cub and Boy Scout leaders and Moms don't have time to be Girl Scout Leaders? Studies show that even though women are working the same numbers of hours as men, they are still doing most of the housework. Trust me, it's hard work running a household. And it's work for which we do not get paid, nor can we count it towards our retirement benefits. Did I mention that it's WORK?

So, my gentle men friends, pitch in! Do the dishes without being asked! (By the by, 'doing the dishes' also means clean the kitchen up.) Do the laundry! (My Dad always did the laundry. It reached the point that he wouldn't let my Mom because he didn't like the way she folded stuff. My parents were soooooo cool.) Yeah, yeah, I hear ya whining that you do the mowing and shoveling of snow, but that ain't nuthin' compared to the daily needs of a household. Grab that broom, bro! Come on--the young women of this county need for you to pick up the slack. They need time outside just as much as boys do. They need to learn what it means to be decent, hardworking, giving young ladies. They need the support the Elder Aunties of the Tribe have for them and they need the time it takes to learn the lessons.

The Boy Scouts are celebrating their 100th anniversary even as we speak. The Girl Scouts will celebrate our centennial in 2012. Expect this Scout to be there every fun filled step of the way.