We Just Can't Get Enough...

So I get an early post in today because I had to tell you about what happened after the Youth Fair last night.

As if we were not completely exhausted yesterday, our club had our monthly meeting last night.  Now other clubs just cancelled their meeting if it was scheduled for Youth Fair week, but not our club.  We got together to share about the week.  We also had a Food Challenge demonstration.

So, the three teams came together again.  This time not to compete but to show the process of the contest.  They also would provide the club a nutritious snack at the end.

The teams were each given the same ingredients (various fruits and yogurt) but different clues so we would have a variety of snack choices.

The Hawaiian Bunch were given the clue: found on a stick.  So they created a dipping sauce with the yogurt and some of the fruit.  Then they found toothpicks to skewer the fruit (blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, grapes and kiwi).  They did a great job with only half their crew and a substitute chef joining them! Thank you Joseph!








Then our World War II Heroes were asked to toss their fruit.  So, they made a fruit salad.  Somehow they got their yogurt to firm up a little so it could be placed in the middle with the fruit surrounding it.  Very clever!







Then our Lone Star Cooking Team were told that their creation "went down smoothly."  So they made a fruit smoothie.  But I think this team needs to change their name to the Happy Face Crew!  Each time they practiced they created a smiley face with their ingredients to decorate.  Last night was no different as they added a kiwi smile to the top of the smoothie!  Very creative!





I can not end this post without talking about how much I love these kids and their parents.  A big thank you goes out to Myra and Brenda who worked so hard to come up with creative ideas for the kids to practice effectively.  Also, a thank you to James who heard the "Clean Up" call and did not go running but came right away to wash the dishes.  Also, to Joseph who came in soon after and did not leave until every dish was clean and dried.  To the adults, Jamie and Tracey, who stayed until everything was back in its place.  Furthermore, we had fun while we worked!  This is just another way our club shows how "to make the best better!"

A Different Ending then Expected

Today's post was going to have a boring title of Youth Fair Part 3...but after what happened today, I wanted to lead this post in a different direction.

I posted a few days ago that sometimes when we go to contests, the prize won is the lesson learned.  Well, unfortunately, today Henry learned a hard lesson.

As I mentioned yesterday, Henry had entered a wooden washer game to the youth fair, along with a train photo.  Well, today we found out the results.

Now I want you to know that I am not going to make this a ranting post about how my son was done wrong.  I have to admit that I prayed a lot about what I would write.  And if I had written this post six hours ago, it might not have been so nice.  I guess that is part of "making the best better" but sometimes it is hard to know what that means.  As a parent, I have learned that the best thing to do is step back and think it through before opening my mouth (or in this case typing a blog).

So, what was the lesson learned?  As I told Henry tonight, sometimes life is not fair (no pun intended!).  And, sometimes the adults in our lives do not always make the right decisions.  No matter what the decision was in this case, or why it was made...the decision has been made.  The real test for us (Henry and his parents) is how we are going to handle that decision.  What choice are we going to make?  Are we going to make a bad choice because of someone else's bad decision?

We can also learn that we can persevere and be better for it.  Being a good sport sometimes means walking away proud for who we are.

Now don't get me wrong...we will work to make things better for the next time.  I have not spoken my last word on this situation.  We will stand up for what is right.  Unfortunately for Henry it will not affect this year, but we can hope that it will help the future for someone else.

So, Henry stood a little taller and will not go to auction tomorrow.  He has already placed a sign on his game to see if an individual will purchase his game.  But, this is where my proud parent smile comes in.  Henry did not let it get him down for long.  He is already planning for next year.  And he is thinking BIG...he wants to make a pool table.  Seriously!!  He has already had me look at plans.  So, watch out world...you have not seen the last of Henry in these contests.  He will continue to persevere to "make the best better" in all that he does.

Also, this is the photo he entered in the contest.  He got a white ribbon but there were many others to choose from and hard to choose as there are no categories or theme for this contest.  All the photos are placed together in one group.  I would hate to be a judge trying to determine if a close up of a chicken was better than a landscape.  Oh how I wish I could talk to someone who makes these decisions!  Even my dear husband told me to join the board to help get things organized....he must have gotten a little crazy while overseas!  LOL!

Youth Fair Part 2

Oh my...what a morning!

Sean actually made his cookies last night and they turned out great!  We just had to get him up to drizzle them with chocolate this morning.

But, I guess I was a little stressed because I woke up around 4am wondering if there was something that needed to be done!  Then I went back to sleep and dreamt the craziest dreams about all the things that could go wrong. I could not even get out of the house because people kept coming to my door.  I kept telling them I had to leave to get to the youth fair but they all insisted they needed me to stay.  Crazy way to start out the day!  Thankfully, that was the most stressful part of the day.

Sean woke up with ease and finished his cookies.  We left with plenty of time to get there.  He even made it up the stairs without dropping his cookies!  Mission accomplished!  He did a great job presenting his coconut macaroons.  We had some good conversations with some of our friends to pass the time and then went up to hear the results.

Sean did not place but was given a white ribbon.  What I thought was awesome was that he did a great job of congratulating the others in the group.  He shook hands...gave high fives and hugs.  I was proud of him once again for being a good sport.

Joseph, one of the other members of our club, competed against him and won second place.  We were able to enjoy a sample of his cookies as we left.

Then we raced home to get finishing touches on Henry's entries for tomorrow's judging.  He entered a photo of a train in fine arts category.  He also entered a wooden washer game in woodworking.  We had to have the photo mounted on a matting board.  We also needed a photo book showing his wood work.  We got it all done just in time to get it to the show in the afternoon.

We will find out how he did tomorrow.  I will post pictures and an update in my part 3 to this week.

But the hard part is over and we survived the excitement.  I would also like to add that our little tag-a-long 4her was a real trooper...he never complained about sitting around in the cold waiting.  He just ate our friends out of snacks and played with who ever crossed his path.  He makes taking a little one to contests look easy! Thank you, Lord!

Youth Fair Part 1

Some might say that this is not a 4H related event; however, our members can only qualify for the youth fair if they attend 4H meetings regularly.  So, here I am to tell you about our day.


Thankfully, Henry made his cheesecake on Monday night so it could set.  All he would need to do is add a few finishing touches this morning.  He did a great job making a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake.  Since he was being judged on Valentine's Day, he decorated the top with fresh raspberries shaped into a heart.  Then he had white chocolate shavings along the sides.

Edward entered in the Peewee division so I was able to help him through his recipe.  He made Blueberry Cream Puffs with fresh custard filling.  He really did a great job following the steps to create his masterpiece.  I did not need to help him very much other than reading the recipe.  This took most of the morning because there were several steps to the process and everything had to cool before filling the puffs.  We finished just in time to get everyone dressed nicely and everything out the door!

Of course then we played the hurry up and wait game!  LOL...what youth contest does not give us a lesson in patience?  The boys practiced what they would say to the judges.  I prayed for them to do well and tried to calm down from the morning excitement.

When they called everyone up to be judged, I was told I could watch Edward.  I thought it was so funny because Edward got so nervous that he forgot everything he practiced to say!!!  He fidgeted and got through the judging in less than a minute without saying much of anything!  Sweet boy!  We will need to work on presentation skills for next time!  But he did present his cream puffs and he was awarded a blue ribbon for his efforts.  I told him next year would not be so easy as he would be judged like the others next time.

Henry was one of the last to be judged.  That is what happens when your name is at the end of the alphabet.  He only had one other person competing in his age group, so he had a 50/50 chance of going to auction.  Although I was not allowed to staying the room when he was being judged, I could see him through the glass.  I could tell that he was having a good presentation but noticed he fed the judges wax paper from the bottom of the cheesecake and he did not have on his glove!  He confirmed this when he spoke to me later.  He said that not putting on the glove might be the deciding factor.  I think he knew at that point that he would need to try again another year.  He was right...he proudly walked away with second place!  However, I don't think he will ever forget to put on his glove and we will need to try harder to remove the wax paper from the bottom of the desert next year!  A hard lesson to learn.

Tonight Sean made his macaroons and we will decorate in the morning.  It will be an early morning as he needs to be at there by 8:30am.  I am sure he will be excited and wake up extra early!

So...to be continued tomorrow with Sean showing his Creamy Coconut Macaroons and Henry will also be entering his washer game and a photo.

The Prize not Mentioned

Yesterday, I spoke about our Food Extravaganza.  Today, I realized what a toll it had on Sean.  Being the oldest it can be tough not doing as well as he had hoped.  In spite of his easygoing attitude yesterday, I realized he was in need of a little help today.  I first told him how proud I was of his hard work.  Then I gave him a little analogy that I thought I would share with all of you.

Going to a 4-H competition is kind of like going fishing.  You begin by gathering your equipment (in this case gathering information and experience).  Then you check to make sure everything is in working condition (practice and assess what needs improvement).  Then you go out and find that perfect spot to catch a fish (competition).

Sometimes when you go, you have many options and the fish are biting well.  On those days, you cast your line anywhere and get a catch (easy win without any effort).  Other days the chances are slim and you wonder if you will catch anything at all (days when you struggle).  On those days, you might even wonder why you tried at all.  So, you have to make a choice…are you going to give up and go home…or cast that line anyway.

Yesterday Sean chose to cast his line and try for the catch.  This was his first success.  He did not give up.  So now, he had another choice to make.  Was he going to bait his hook and cast deep or send out his line just to say he had gone fishing?  Sean chose to send out a line deep with his best bait.  He did his best and did not hold back in spite of his competition.  This was his next success.

Sometimes when we go fishing, we do not catch a single fish.  One might wonder why anyone would want to ‘waste’ the time.  Nevertheless, I have not met too many fishermen who would miss the chance to go out and enjoy the experience.  Sean took the chance, went out, and enjoyed the experience.  He learned from the experience, and he is a better person because of it.  This was his third success of the day!

If my children learn nothing else from 4-H, then they have gained the prize.  I have learned that as nice as it is to walk away with the ribbon or medal, the experience gained is just as important.  We can pray that our children always do well, but what I truly hope they will learn is that even in our failures there can be something gained.  It reminds me of Thomas Edison…he was asked why he continued to work when he failed so many times to produce the light bulb.  His answer was simple…I haven’t failed, I have learned 10,000 ways that do not work! 

So, to Sean and others who might not have done as well as they expected yesterday…I say cast out your lines again.  Never give up the joy of fishing!  There will be another day when the fish are biting and you catch the big one!  Yesterday, I hope you learned that it is not always the win that helps us to “make the best better!”

Food Extravaganza!!!

Do you know what I love about 4H?  I love how days like today that are crazy busy with events are still enjoyable because I can share them with good friends!

We started out our day at 6am...Sean was making a fresh broccoli salad for the food show that would begin at 10am.  He had never been to a district food show so he was very nervous and wanted everything to be just right.  I was so proud of him as he got everything together and practiced his speech.  He is a senior so he had to give a 5 minute speech on his recipe along with all of the leadership and service opportunities related to the project.  This is what he said about his recipe:

"This is known as my fabulous Broccoli Salad  because it tastes great and it is packed full of nutrients.  To begin with the main ingredient—broccoli, which has 19 nutrients found in its dark green florets.  There are also mushrooms, onions and celery that fall into the vegetable category.  As you can see, there are also mandarin oranges and craisins to add a little fruity sweet and tart contrast to the dish.  I added a little bacon for some extra flavor and pecans from the protein group for a nice crunch as well.  I combined all of these with a light mayonnaise and vinegar dressing to bring it all together.  And what a serving of goodness you will enjoy with 175 calories for each 1 cup serving.  You will have gained vitamins A, C, D, E, K and several B complex vitamins, as well as iron, calcium, folic acid, and fiber.  Even that bacon adds important Vitamin B to the dish! 

Now, when I am not making this great salad, I like to spend time helping my community.  I like to go to the VA clinic and serve lunches to the veterans.  I also provide snacks for care packages that are sent to deployed soldiers.  And, on Wednesday evenings you will find me at the SFA student center serving spaghetti dinner to the college students! 

This fall our club hosted Dustin Ellerman at our club meeting and we invited the entire community to come listen to him.  My family decided to make this a community service opportunity.  We asked everyone to bring 5 cans of food as an admission price.  We collected over 500 items that were donated to the local homeless shelter.  At our county food show, I greeted the contestants and visitors as they entered the building." 

He said this speech a dozen or more times as we made our way to the contest and as he waited for his turn to present to the judges. Parents were not allowed in the judging area but I could beep through the blinds to see him.  He was obviously the youngest one in his category as I recognized the others from past years.  He would have tough competition, but I hoped he would enjoy the experience.

In the mean time, four of our other club members were also presenting to judges.  There was also a group of 14 who would be united into teams at the last minute to compete in a Texas Ag ID contest.  Sean would later join the group as well to compete in this contest.  The members were shown 20 products from Texas and asked to identify and then answer a question related to the product.  

Here are a few examples of the questions they would answer:

The parents all gathered around wishing we were the ones being tested as it was so hard to watch them all go into the rooms awaiting their fate.  We spent most of our morning holding our breath in anticipation. So glad I was not the only one there as we were able to talk and try to take our minds off the other.

We had staked our claim on a small area near the contest rooms early in the day.  I felt as if we had moved in as we had computer to allow younger siblings a chance to watch a movie.  We had our lunch in ice chests and  extra clothes to change into for the afternoon (oh yes...there is more!), not to mention the extra supplies to be mentioned later.  We even had a couch and chair to share between the group of us!  

Our children slowly emerged from their various rooms and we grabbed them up to hear details about how they presented.  Of course they all thought they had done the best job, so we continued to wait for the awards ceremony...and waited...and waited!  LOL...again so glad we were all together to share talk and food.  Katy (our resident artist) even drew portraits of the others on a chalkboard found in the hallway.

The award ceremony took place and the results were as follows:

Food Show

Tori-first place for her nutritious snack!

Taylor-third place for his fruit/vegetable recipe!

We also had Sean, Jaron and Becca compete from our club.  

Ag ID

Senior Team placed 4th

Intermediate Team placed 1st, with Henry placing 2nd as an individual

Sean said he was glad to see the others win.  One of the judges came up to me later and told me that he definitely knew his information but the others competing in his category had been doing this for years and he should feel like he did his best.  What a nice thing to say to a mother!  Sean did well and had a chance to speak in front of strangers and did not stumble...I am so proud!  That is why I like this contest so much...it gives our children a chance to have an interview situation in a low key situation.  It will help them later in life, I am sure.

However, as I hinted at earlier...we were just getting started.

We rushed out of the award ceremony changing clothes as we headed to the next part of the extravaganza!  And grabbing up supply boxes full of kitchen utensils and such!  The afternoon would entail a contest known as Food Challenge.  In this contest, the members would work in teams with various ingredients to create an impromptu recipe and present it to the judges.  The team would work together to let the judges know about their creation, including preparation, nutrients, placement in food groups, safety, and cost.  They showed their team spirit in different ways.  The senior team (Treyton, Katy, Caleb, Justin, David) dressed up as WWII heroes.  The intermediate team (Henry, Brianna, Sarah, Becca, Tori) dressed in Lone Star aprons and wore jeans.  The mixed team (Sean, Naomi, Caitlin, Taylor , James) were known as the Hawaiian Bunch.

And yes, the parents again waited for the teams to go behind closed doors to compete.  They were the last going in to contest and the last to come out!  This time our wait was spent a little more leisurely as we had done all we could to help at this point.  We were sprawled in our area even taking up space on the floor as we talked about anything from new homes to past experiences.  And the younger ones got a little wilder in their play time and thought about how their lunch was not enough to make it until the day was done.  So, we began to think about enjoying dinner together!  

The teams were released from their rooms and we saw their creations...what fun to see the various adaptions to the same ingredients.  Our Intermediate team created a pizza salad.  It smelled great and the team considered eating it...It did look good but I really think they were just hungry!  

Then out came the Senior team  with a very interesting concoction made with jicama.  Never heard of it?  Neither had they but they did a great job of scooping out this starchy tuber to create a bowl.  They used this along with other ingredients to make a dip and then had other vegetables to dip.  I thought it was very creative!  

Finally, at long last...the mixed team emerged with....??  We don't know exactly...they dumped their creation before leaving the judging area. LOL!  Oh, to our disappointment we never saw what they made but the members were not impressed with their ingredients.  They were asked to use scallions, white grapes, soy milk, and almonds to make a dish that would "go down smoothly."  Can you believe that?  We actually found the recipe online when we got home (actually another parent found it).  They were supposed to make Smooth Grape Gazpacho.  And believe it or not that is what our group made but they would not even taste their own recipe!

So we waited a little longer and the results came in for this second round of fun:

Senior Team-placed 2nd

Intermediate-placed 5th

Mixed team did not place!  But once I saw what they were supposed to make and how close they had come...I could not have been prouder of them!  

We took lots of pictures and planned where we would celebrate with MORE food to end our Food Extravaganza.  We ended up at a local place to enjoy a sit down meal together before taking our weary crews back home to recover from the events of the day.  

It was a good day and I hope they all learned from the experience.  I love 4H...even on exhausting days like today.  Who could ask for anything more than a great day with friends...memories that will last a life time!  I know that it made a cold day in February a day to "make the best better!"

Long Overdue

Just as the title says, this new post is long overdue.  The family and I got back from our vacation and fell back into routine just in time for the holidays.  Then I got sick after the new year and I am just starting to feel human again!  YAY!  Actually, I was sick during the entire time we were on vacation but that was because I was having morning sickness.  I know not really 4H news but it will affect the way I continue the remainder of this 4H year and probably the next so I thought I would tell you all now.  Besides, I don't want to think I got fat over the holidays when I start showing you pictures!  LOL!  Then after that stage of fun was over I REALLY got sick!  So needless to say, I have an excuse for not sending out my usual zany posts about 4H.

Now with all that said, I must say that does not mean we have not had 4H events!  Thankfully, my dear husband came home in time to help me with projects.  And the Christmas break sure helped me out also.  So, now that I am back I wanted to give the highlights of the last month.  This will get me back on track I won't leave any of the events out.  This blog was intended to help me keep track of our 4H year after all!  So let's do the time warp thing and zip back a few weeks to the second week of December!

 The family and I arrived home as scheduled and we enjoyed a day of rest before our first ever Computer Science project meeting.  Michael is our computer guru so I begged him to take this on.  He is only home for a short time so we are fully taking advantage of his expertise.  The first meting (December 13) Michael talked to the 4Hers about the basics of the computer.  We had a good group of 4Hers attending so it made it more interesting for everyone to share what they knew and Michael was able to guide those in error in the right direction.  He is great at this and doesn't even realize it!  So we had the first meeting to see how it would all work and then made our plans to meet again after the holidays.  We have now met two other times with the joy of taking a computer apart on one occasion.  We now have 5 regulars who attend meetings but others are welcome at anytime.  We are hoping to have the group do a power point presentation of all they have learned for a meeting before the end of the year.

 Then, our club met on December 15th at a local nursing home.  We sang carols in the dining room and then wandered from hall to hall singing carols and passing out Christmas cards.  What a wonderful way to spread some cheer.  It was meant to be a community outreach and service opportunity, but I think we were touched by their remarks to us more than we could ever imagine.  It was just a good experience for everyone.  I hope that we are able to work more with the nursing homes.  The elderly need us to show them we care and we learn so much from them in return.

After the holidays, we began another new project.  This was relates to our efforts in Wildlife. This project is called Wildlife Habitat Education Program (in further postings will be called WHEP)  Last fall when I  posted all the animals and plants, this was an FFA contest that 4H was allowed to participate.  However, this new project is strictly a 4H project and it shows.  The material is much easier and direct to the subject.  There are also divisions for ages, so the younger 4Hers do not compete with the older members.  The information becomes progressively more challenging for the different age groups.  We have really enjoyed learning a new approach to wildlife and are looking forward to a contest in March.  I will post more on this when we begin work on specific animals next week.  We have had a great advantage as Katie's grandmother has generously taken the time to create lessons for us.  I am so thankful for her help!

Sean attended the County Council meeting.   He is very excited because next month he is in charge of taking snacks for the group...food is very important for a teenage boy!  He is doing such a great job of getting the information to the club...he takes his job very seriously.

Speaking of food...We also began practicing for the Food Challenge that will take place next month.  If you have never heard of this contest, it is probably because it is a recent addition to what we now call "Food Extravaganza."  Just as it sounds, we try to place as many food & nutrition related contests all on one day.  I am sure someone higher up thought this was a great idea.  When I post on it later you will see that it is quite exhausting!  In the Food Challenge, the 4Hers are given a list of food and a clue to the recipe they are supposed to create.  They are in teams of 3-5 members and they must make their creation and then present it to a group of judges.  They must also present themselves to the judges as a group, know the cost per serving, nutritional value and preparation including safety.  The entire groups must work together to present (no slackers in this contest).  They are also judged on their creativity.  It is also a good idea to try to match the original recipe but not necessary.

We had our monthly photography meeting at the park this month.  We learned about taking nature shots and headed out into the park to try our skills.  It was a fun way to spend a nice Texas winter day!  The overcast weather made for some great shots.  We also showed off some great train pictures which was the assignment given to the group last month.  This was to encourage the members to enter the District and State contest at the end of the month.  Looking forward to seeing how the judges like their artwork.

Last week we ended with our monthly club meeting.  It was a short one, which was nice since I was feeling so sick.  The boys did a great job presenting project reports.  Katie also gave a great presentation about free gifts to be given out to better everyone.  Henry followed this up with a game we call, "Kindness Bingo."  The free gifts found on the board included:  smile, helping someone, bringing snacks, etc.  The person with a bingo was awarded with a prize.  The members seemed to enjoy going around giving free gifts to all who remained at the CEO.

So as you can see, we enjoyed another month of 4H.  We are looking forward to what this new year brings.  There are many contests to prepare for in the next two months.  I am back and ready to share our further adventures to "make the best better!"