Jeans, Jeans, Jeans!

Holiday Cookies for Inn from the Cold

 On 12/13/13 we gathered in the FACS  room to make three kinds of Holiday Cookies to donate to Inn from the cold. We realized chilled dough would have made things easier but we made delicious cookies none the less. Our favorite part was decorating the sugar cookies. They were beautiful and delicious.

The Lintzer cookie group hard at work.

Decorating sugar cookies!

 Nessa mixing the batter

Big crowd making sugar cookies

 Emma and Maeve contemplating the recipe

 Beautiful cookies

WIAWAKA

OPENING WEEKEND RETREAT at.......

 

WIAWAKA on Lake George - September 28-29  www.wiawaka.org

 

Virtually the entire group came to Wiawaka on Lake George to kick off the year in style.  Wiawaka is has a 110-year history.  It is primarily a Womens Retreat during the summer.  We  have "connections" and were able to stay for the weekend - for the price of a bit of volunteer work to help Wiawaka close their cottages for the winter. THANKS TO WIAWAKA for a great weekend - and the weather was an added bonus.

 

Following is a QUICK sampling of our activities.  There are many more pictures to be shared.  Please Send them to EMMA - she will make another post soon!

 



 After everyone checked into their rooms and began checking out the facilities, we gathered lunch.

I think this means she is enjoying herself!

 
Here we are enjoying our 5-course FORMAL DINNER in the Fuller Dining Room.  A perfect gathering and the food was great.....

 

 ....oh, and let's not forget the Venetian Dessert Table!  KUDOS Barb & Hannah!

Valley Falls - GEOCACHING

Thrills and Skills has enjoyed many GEOCACHING events over the years.  So - why not start out that way again this year!  On October 12th we conquered Valley Falls.  There are about a dozen caches hidden around this town - we got five of them, and met the Cacher who hid them!  Now, that was cool!

 

Here the group is logging their first find of the day!  Just a few prickers stood between the coordinates and the find!  Hmmm - wonder where Cathy, Gretchen and Kathleen are???  

After finding a few around "town" we then found the Valley Falls Rail Trail. just 1/4 mile south of town.  Not paved like others in the area - but a really nice place to do some hiking, or perhaps skiing in the winter.  We found just two more out of eight that are hidden along the trail.

Here are Nessa and Grace - with one of the caches!  Some were kind of empty of good loot - we tried to fill them up with good stuff for the next cacher along the VFRT!

And, after a successful day - here is the crew on the way back to the car!  Nice job ladies - I hope more can come along next time..... 

 

Today some Junior and Elementary members  (and even one of our Seniors) made three different kinds of cookies - oatmeal and raisin, thin mint, and chocolate M&M cookies.  We made them as a donation for the Teen Exchange fundraiser that will be held on April 19th at the 4H Auction.  In addition to the cookies some of our members prepared soil packets for another donation.  The Juniors are donating 2 gardening kits and we helped put them together.

It was a lot of fun getting the Junior members and the Elementary members together for a meeting.  We all miss the interactions of the whole group!

If you can come to the Auction next week at Tamarac, please do!  There are some awesome deals and it is a great fun(d)raiser for 4H!

Care Packages for USS STENNIS

So, the Morton's took all the donated Care Package Items home to sort out over the weekend.  There was a LOT of stuff!  We couldn't believe the generosity of some - SIXTEEN manicure kits in one bag, and MORE! 

Everyone was super generous - THANKS A LOT TO EVERYONE.

To learn more about the USS John C Stennis - visit their website:  http://www.cvn74.navy.mil/about.html 

Meanwhile, Ingrid still needed to write her sailor a letter. 

So, while everyone else started to sort and pack bags, she sat down to write.

Grace had a LITTLE trouble with one bag of Peppermint Patties.  

Meanwhile - David was doling out Jolly Ranchers!

When we were all done - there were 16 (Plus one for Lauren on another ship - I'm not sure which one) all ready to pack into boxes and ship off early Monday!  Each had a letter - lots of goodies, a magazine or two, and a note from Mrs. Morton.   

ENJOY - and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to our special sailors

on the USS STENNIS (plus one!) - and the rest of the crew too!

We are genuinely grateful for your service to the United States.

Be safe - and know we'll be keeping our ears peeled for news of you

as you go around the world serving as you go.

Sincerely,

all of Thrills & Skills (parents & kids)



Thrills and Skills hosted a Winter Fair on December 6th.   This is an opportunity for new 4H'ers to have some of their items judged in a simple - super friendly atmosphere, for different clubs to socialize and share with each other, and to begin to celebrate the Holiday Season. 

(Thanks for the extra pictures Mr. Fountain!)

We had a craft project going on making ornaments on styrofoam balls with recycled holiday fabric.  (Thanks for the great craft idea Mrs. Fountain!)

There were also cookies to decorate - as Nessa so clearly enjoyed.......

 and more importantly - cookies to EAT!  Our mascot, Beibhinn - seems to think this is a SUPER IDEA - along with Maggie and the LoPorto guys!

 Yup - smiles all around!

 Grace and two of our guests are working on SURVIVOR BRACELETS.  How appropriate that the US Flag got into this picture.  We are collecting items and sending 16 sailors on the USS Stennis (an aircraft carrier) Holiday Cheer Packages.  We made each of them a survivor bracelet too.....

 Here Kathleen judges a project that Maeve made - a wreath made from recycled coffee bags. COOL -

 Madison - Mel - Ingrid and Liz enjoyed an evening of socializing - and a bit of judging. THey are all TEEN AMBASSADORS at the County Level.  Nice job girls.

 Here is a really neat YULE LOG brought in to be judged.