whats going on with this blog??

so what am i doing, where am i you ask?? well this poor blog has taken a back seat to facebook, camp fire, work.... kids... just about everything. i wonder if i am really that interesting? ha ha! i have been doing a lot actually and really should document more of it here. for one thing, i am planning a huge concert for my camp fire groups with the potential lunatics (sometime in the spring), you locals are welcome to attend! i am busy selling more candy than i have ever attempted before (super challenging but so worth it!) i am trying to find the time to study for a credential i have been attempting to add to my name for about a decade now... just got to do it finally! i am reading lots of interesting books and cooking some interesting meals... enjoying my friends and family. what else? politics you say? yes, very interested in that right now as well. here are a few interesting photos:


i have dragged liz to candy sales for so many years now, and i always brought art supplies to keep her busy. well she started this "gift with purchase" deal on her own. she draws pictures for the patrons who buy candy and you know what? it's a BIG hit! here she is chatting with a customer (for some reason she wanted him to sign his own picture...???) my kids always amaze me, they are just so interesting (i am sure all parents say that!) i am always surprised at what they come up with.

and my dad and i are completely in love with lizzies drawings...


on a crappy note, the girl scouts decided to move their cookie sale dates up three weeks to overlap with our camp fire candy sales... which has added confusion to many people who don't know the difference between camp fire and girls scouts... my neighbors think they have bought from us already when in fact they bought girls scout cookies instead. it really bums me out when an organization as HUGE and prosperous as the girl scouts can knowingly sabotage another organization that was actually here first and poses no real threat to their survival. why i say??? there has been a long standing agreement not to tread on each others fundraising and all of a sudden the girl scouts decided to run camp fire over this way? doesn't seem very neighborly.
last, i have been taking guitar lessons... sore fingers and nightly practice sessions with acoustical guitars running through my mind... fun stuff!
that's it for now... snow weekend at camp gvl coming soon.

blizzard in green valley lake!

a few photos from the webcam...hoping to make it up there next weekend
 

i hear there may be another storm coming this week so we might get even more snow... love it!!

cali weather

somehow (when we move far far away) i would LOVE to keep our house here in so cal... just to come back for the winters. this is the best time of year here, clean air, storms, rainbows and the beach just down the street. winter, the best time, yes!

Candy Sales in full swing

the rain has really hit us here in so cal and i am LOVING it! bring it on!! we spent most of the weekend out selling candy, still have a lot left so please let me know if you want some!











so this year i have been surprised at how many people either 1) totally ignore the kids (no eye contact) 2) actually glare at the kids or 3) look at the kids as they walk by but don't respond. believe me, kids drive me totally nuts and i understand people don't always want to buy some candy BUT when you see kids in uniform, clearly a part of an organization and bravely asking perfect strangers to help support them, the least you can do is say, "no thank you" geez! alright, enough of that... we are enjoying the rain and working on emily's 4th grade social studies project (a model of the los cerritos wetlands completely and gloriously restored!!) 4 more weeks of candy sales yet to come plus a visit to the mountains and our local so cal island.

Candy Sales

Camp fire candy sales are starting in a few weeks and we are gearing up to spend many weekends out at store/bank selling events. This is such a good experience for kids, to organize the candy, get in uniform and then speak with the public about camp fire (and calculating the money works on math skills). I wasn't sure when i started my group how it would benefit the kids, but i learned quickly that kids are brave enough to speak with strangers, braver than most of us really and learn to speak up, clearly and politely. Educating the community about camp fire (so many people have never heard of camp fire!!) is also important. So if you are local, please support the kids out there who are trying to keep our council open and especially important in this economy, to keep our two camps up and running as well. thanks!!
 

 

happy new year!!

camp gvl
 



















we enjoyed our new years spent at camp gvl!!