Operation Baking Gals (Again!)

Last month I wrote about Operation Baking Gals, which is a great program I take part in.  It’s a group of volunteer bakers from around the country who bake and ship homemade treats to military men and woman that are currently deployed in war zones.  I signed up to participate this month, and shipped out the package yesterday.

I fully intended to have the Girl Scout troop help with this package, but time wasn’t on my side.  Sometimes ideas sound great in my head, but when I try to execute them, they go C-R-A-A-A-Z-Y. 

This month I made a batch of Puppy Chow.  No, I did not send dog food.  For those not familiar with it, Puppy Chow is a sweet version of Chex Mix.  It’s super easy to make, but be warned!!!!  It is very addicting.  There are various recipes (check them all out on Pinterest).  I found this one for a Thin Mint version, and that seemed appropriate.  I used the recipe as a guide, and adapted it to use ingredients I could find.

I also included boxes of Girl Scout cookies, plus drink mix packs, peanuts, and gum.  I figured the package would arrive just before Easter, so I included plastic eggs that I filled with candy.   I thought they looked cute, and hopefully it will bring a smile to the face of the recipient.

Some BUNNY is thinking of you

Thin Mint Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

10 cups Rice Cereal (such as Chex)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp mint extract

Pkg Wilton Candy Melts (or any melting chocolate)

Instructions:

In microwave, melt the chocolate for one minute.  Stir, and continue melting every 30 seconds until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the cereal with the melted chocolate.  Add the mint extract.  Fold mixture together until all the cereal is coated.

Add the powdered sugar to a large Ziploc bag.  Spoon in the cereal mixture.  Seal the bag and shake until the sugar is coating the cereal completely.

Pour cereal onto a large piece of wax paper and allow to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

Yum!

Not only is it rewarding to participate in Operation Baking Gals, it's easy too.   The boxes are free from the post office, and you can probably whip up something using ingredients you have in your pantry.  If you are interested in taking part, let me know.  I am thinking of becoming a team leader, and could use a little support.

Until next time....

On My Honor.....

Yesterday was the 101st birthday of Girl Scouting.  It was on March 12, 1912, that Juliette Gordon Low registered 18 girls as the first troop of American Girl Guides (which became the Girl Scouts). 

Four years ago, the monkey came home from a school with a flyer announcing Girl Scout registration night.  I was never a scout (I remember going to one meeting, in a church, but that's it.  I guess it just wasn't for me at the time).  She asked if she could join, and I couldn't see a reason not to.  Registration was pretty cheap ($12) compared to what I heard the boys had to pay.

We went to registration night, which was held in the school's multipurpose room.  It was pure chaos!  Girls of all ages running around, laughing and having fun.  I signed the paperwork, and just as I was handing over the check, I was asked if I would be the leader.  Um...no thanks.  Not interested.  Two weeks past, and the troop still had no leader.  "If you want your daughter to have a troop, you will need to be the leader."  Really?  This is how it's done.  I was pretty ticked off, and just as I was going to say forget it, I looked across the room and saw the Monkey playing with the other girls.  "Yes, I'll do it".  I have since found out that this type of recruitment is called "Volun-told".

First year Daisy -- Kindergarten

I don't regret being a leader at all. In fact, I enjoy it.  Sometimes I think I enjoy scouting a bit more than my daughter.  But I do have a confession to make: Cookie season drives me nuts, and so does some of the political things that happen behind the scenes -- the drama that can happen between leaders and troops.  Sometimes an hour meeting can feel like three hours.  Sometimes I leave a meeting thinking what a disaster it was.  I ask myself  "Did the girls have fun?" or "Did that make sense?".

2nd year Daisy (First Grade).  I love how they don't have any teeth!

I put all those thought away the next week, when the girls come back for the next meeting.  They are full of enthusiasm, and eager to do the next activity.  They LOVE anything related to animals -- learning about them, caring for them, collecting supplies for them.  They LOVE group games -- the goofier the better.  They LOVE snacks -- eating them and making them.

Her first year as a Brownie, and her 2nd cookie season

The Monkey is a very compassionate person.  She has a ton of patience for those younger than her.  In fact, the principal of her school calls her Dr. Megan, and told me that he feels she will be a pediatrician one day.  She cares deeply for her friends, and for those that are in need.  I like to think that her involvement in scouting helped shape that in her.

2nd year Brownie, earning her pottery badge

I'll leave you with the words we say at the beginning of every meeting.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

Having fun at our Holiday Party

Until next time.....

Happy Birthday To You!

I’m saying this a day early --

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN!

I couldn’t be in person to celebrate her birthday, so I did the next best thing I could think of – I shipped her a “party in a box”. 

No party is complete without a cake.  Since I couldn’t figure out how to ship a decorated cake without it arriving in several pieces, I shipped her cake mix and frosting.  No cake would be complete without candles, and you can’t go wrong with festive napkins and plates.

I threw in some other odds and ends: gum, candy, lollipops, and sunglasses (she now lives in the sunny state of Florida.  One must protect their eyes).  I’m pretty sure if the Statue of Liberty celebrated her birthday each year, she would wear this birthday crown.  Hey New York --- think about it.

You can’t have a party without balloons!  I put money in each of these balloons, and used my lung power to fill them up with air.  If you do this, I suggest that you not over-inflate the balloons.   Remember…you need to fit them in a box with all your other goodies.

Lauren will be 19 tomorrow.  Holy crap!  Where did the time go?  I hope you have a good one Lu!

Until next time.....

What Is a Bubby's Buddy?

This is my good looking, and charasmatic cousin, David Charles.  Not many people call him by this name.  We call him Bubby.  That's the name his twin sister Shannon bestowed upon him when she was learning to talk. 

Chillin' and relaxin' in 2009

This is Bubby's family: him mom Mary Kaye, his dad David, and his sisters, Lauren and Shannon.  By all intents and purposes, Mary Kaye is my aunt, but we are more like sisters.  We grew up together (like, literally, we grew up in the same house).  There is only a 10 year age difference between the two of -- in fact, 10 years and 13 days. 

Any one that has been within in ear shot of me knows that I am part of a group called Bubby's Buddies.  The name speaks for itself.  We are a mix of family and friends that work hard throughout the year to help raise awareness and money for autism research.  You see, Bubby was diagnosed with autism when he was three.  I believe that autism doesn't make him different or special.  It simply makes him into the person that you see today.

Who are Bubby's Buddies? 

It's our youngest member....

It's Bubby's Aunt and Uncle....

It's Bubby's cousins (including his favorite!)

It's another little member with a lot of style

It's his cousins who like to goof around

It's a group of adults that run to get their picture taken with Vadar

It's a pretty baby with her Grandpop

It's a group of friends

It's a fantastic group of musicians that DONATE their time to our events.

It's our kids division wing eating champion

These pictures are just a sample of who makes up this group.  I could fill up pages and pages with pictures of family members, friends, and businesses that have supported us since 2007.

What started out as an idea we kicked around while drinking in the back yard has grown into a small roots campaign.  We have all done something in our own way -- we held annual Beef-and-Beers, hosted bowling events, organized 5K Fun Runs, held wing eating contests, hosted happy hours....even turned a birthday party into a fundraising event.  My monkey spent a day selling tattoos and silly bands in her school when she was in first grade, and raised $115!

And we do it all for this guy......

Bubby and his mom