TEA PARTY

We didn't go to the Mother/Daughter tea that our Service Unit had because the girls voted they would rather have a Tea Party at my house. They also voted that they wanted it to be girls only. No adults.

They showed up looking so cute. They were dressed in darling dresses, some with hats.

The table was decorated with real china and silver. The china was 100 years old.

The girls were all on their best behaviors and we even had a lesson in manners.

We also talked about the proper way to behave at a tea and eating in general.

We started off our tea with warm, mini cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven.

Then we had three kinds of tea sandwiches, fresh strawberries, carrot and celery with ranch dressing for dipping.

There was also, multi colored cheese fish crackers, white covered pretzels, cherry tomatoes and rather then tea, we had tea pots full of fruit punch and pink lemon aid.

The girls learned the proper way to pass food. How to be polite if there is something they didn't wish to eat. To wait before digging in until everyone is served.

It was so nice to see these great girls behaving in such a way that they would surely attract attention while eating out. Not because they were misbehaving. Rather, they would be noticed because of how well they acted.

We did have several laughs too.

For dessert we had, mini cookies with pink icing, mini eclairs, white cake and German chocolate cake.

Once everyone was full and were all finished eating, they went out to the living room to practice their skit they will be doing at camp.

They also all got goodie bags. Fun patches will also be given at our next meeting.

Here are a few shots of the table. .

Each napkin had a sterling silver tea pot napkin ring from my collection. The girls each got to take home a flower shape cookie.

The flowers that adorned the table were a mix of flowers I had received from some of the girls for my birthday.

Each girl used a different tea cup from my collection. All of the tea cups were near 100 years old.

It was fun getting dressed up and acting like grown ups.

STAR GAZING ~ FOR REAL THIS TIME

Our first try at Star Gazing didn't work out to well. The sky was to overcast to see anything. So, we tried again.

Back to the Great Park in Irvine we went.  This night turned out to be a great night.

Of course the girls wanted to go on the Carousel a few times.

Then, after playing for awhile, we went over to the field where the big telescopes were set up.

I was not allowed to take photos there as it would disrupt every one's night vision and they wouldn't be able to see anything.

But, we all got to see Saturn! Even the rings were clear. In fact, it was so clear that it appeared to be fake. Of course it wasn't though.

I remember seeing it one other time and I thought the same thing then too.

Each girl, had questions to ask and once they got their answers, they had to tell the others the answers. This way, I knew they were listening and actually learning something about Star Gazing.

After being amazed with Saturn and learning about stars, planets and the moon, we all went to the big orange hot air balloon and went way up in the sky.

Almost everyone was bit scared but everyone was brave and went any way.

We went up 400 feet. Which, is much higher then it sounds.

Some of the girls were not scared at all but still enjoyed acting like they were.

Some of the riders were terrified.

Once we started to come down, the wind kicked up and was blowing us side to side, giving us quite a wild ride.

Once down on the ground, everyone was happy we were safe and made it back to Earth with no injuries.

Having family along for the night was a lot of fun. It gave everyone a chance to get to know each other a little better and the girls loved showing their family what girl scouts is about.

SWAPS AND A PARTY

SWAPS are little things made by the girls to exchange with other girl scouts.

They are made from scraps of items and represent a way for the girls to show kindness to other girl scouts.

Since we are going camping on June 3rd, we made some SWAPS to bring.

The girls love doing any kind of crafts. These were quick and easy little crafts and the girls had fun making them.

They were all told to make 6 SWAPS at home to bring to camp so they can exchange with the girls in our troop.

They were given whatever items they wanted from my box of scraps. They were also told they could use things at home.

Each SWAP must have a pin attached to the back so they can be pinned on a vest, hat or jacket. They can also keep them in a box or scrapbook.

They should be made with the theme of Girl Scouts, camping or the theme of our camp Under the Sea.

After making the SWAPS, the girls surprised Michelle and me with a little birthday party! How sweet!

They brought cards and gifts and even had cake for us! Thank you girls!!! I know you made my day and I'm sure Michelle feels the same way.

Then it was time for the girls who sold Cookies to get their rewards/prizes. Boy oh boy, they got lots of things this year!

The girls all agreed they are going to work super hard at the upcoming Fall Product Sale and Cookie Sale next year. They all want to break the record of selling 500 boxes each that our girls did this year.

BRONZE AWARD PROJECT

One part of working towards our Bronze Award is doing a project where the girls do something that will continue on, even once they are done doing their part.

The girls decided to help animals as their Bronze Award projects.

We have been learning about how to take care of pets at home.

Learning about animals in the Wild Life.

Learning about endangered animals.

Just about every aspect of animals has been studied.

For the BIG project, the girls decided to help find homes for dogs.

We worked with the rescue group, A Wish For Animals and at a Dog Adoption.

The girls took care of the dogs and spoke to the potential families looking to adopt a dog.

They played with the dogs.

They held the dogs.

They walked the dogs to give them exercise and to let them go potty. Yes, they even picked up after them when they went.

There were several dogs that were scared and shy. Some not wanting to even come out of the crates.

Knowing that if they didn't come out and socialize, they most likely would not get adopted, the girls got those dogs to not only come out of the crate, they got them to run around and play.

It took a long time to get some of the dogs to open up and trust people. After all, some of these dogs were abused by their prior owners.

By the time we were finished with the adoption, all of the dogs were better at letting people hold them and play with them. Even the staff from the rescue group was highly impressed at how well the girls worked with the dogs.

The girls spoke to several families looking at the dogs and explained the temperament of each dog to them. Helping them to pick out the right dog for their family.

Of course, all the hard work they were doing, seemed more like play to the girls. They loved being around the dogs.

It was great to see how the girls interacted with the dogs. They were so loving and patient with them.

They never once complained about working the long hours they did or at having to do any of the work.

Because the girls got all the dogs out playing and having fun, they attracted more customers to their area and therefore, more dogs were adopted.

By the end of the day, the dogs were tired, the girls were tired and they had found 9 homes for the dogs.

It was a great day. A day 9 families will remember always. It was the day they got their new family member.

Those 9 families will continue to have love and companion for years to come. Those 9 dogs will live long and happy lives.

The girls and the rescue have agreed to work together again helping more dogs and family find each other.

I'm very proud of the girls and how well they were with the dogs, the people and how mature they all acted.