garden prep

i have really let my garden plot go this winter, with my new job and more gym time on the schedule, it's been hard to get over there. i have even thought about letting it go...once again....but just like last year i am hanging on to it for another year. i realized i could get my camp fire kids to help, which was the reason i took the plot in the first place. how had i forgotten my original plan, to teach the kids and get them some hands on experience growing vegetables? so last monday, i invited my older group and a few other camp fire kids to help me get ready for spring planting. i am always looking for new ways to earn beads and looking through my vintage camp fire book, i found 8 beads we could earn together. 

we started out with a ton of weeds and harvested beets and fennel...



carrots found mixed in with weeds, kids LOVE to find them (note to self: throw carrot seeds randomly throughout the year to keep kids excited at weeding)



prepping the beds with manure



more weeding (there was a black widow spider in that shed back there, had to act calm and cool when i was really thinking, holy crap!!)



my beets had really gone to town over the winter and most were too gigantic to eat. we sent the good ones to the food bank



the crew at the end of the morning, lots of smiles and excitement for next months tomato planting... can't wait!!

peaceful

finding a quiet moment during a weekend with a mile long "to do" list

snapshots

making collars

growing up in camp fire, i remember clearly making my indian collar and gown with my mom. it was a long process of planning then making then elaborately decorating and embellishing both pieces. my mom went crazy with the details and made sure all the girls in our group had gorgeous gowns. when we started this fifth year as a group, i realized that next year the girls would no longer wear the vests. it hit me then that they would be making collars and gowns this year, graduating up into the higher levels of camp fire. how did this happen so fast? we just flew through five years (side note, this blog was started when i became a leader so 5 years of blogging has flown by as well!) lets just say there were many teary eyed moms (and a dad) working with their daughters at the collar making workshop. you could feel the excitement in the room radiating off these grown up girls while they worked on something they have been waiting years to make.  

she wore it home and would have slept with it on had i let her.