Cottage of Memories

Moms R and R

Our church hosts these amazing little afternoons for moms who need a little R and R (rest and relaxation). Many guests have talked about gardening, raising children, encouraging one another, and many other subjects.  Unfortunately I have never been able to attend because I've always worked. 

Well, about 6 months ago, I receive a call from one of the women who plan these events and she said 'hey jill- I hear that you're a great scrap booker and we would love for you to come and teach the ladies a bit about what you do'.  Hmmmmm. How did they know I did that ? That I love this hobby and want to share it with as many people as I know ?  Well, come to find out, my friend Amy ratted me out to the committee and the rest is history. (love you Amy !)  So, on May 6th, I will be conducting an afternoon of play and the ladies will create a little scrapbook entitled ' This is me'. They will have an opportunity to write about some aspects of their lives. . .today. . . What they fear, love, enjoy, believe, collect, etc.

Here is the cover and a couple of pages from my book that is provided as the sample.

Now, go do something to celebrate YOU. Go on . . .do it !

Blessings, Jill

Girl Scouts is a part of me

Hello friends. yes, I'm here - although very busy. What else is new ?

Last week it was all about Girl Scouts for our family. It's that time of year again where the year begins to come to a close and we get ready for next year.  So much is going on. . .especially when you are the co-leader of two very active troops and service unit manager for our area. (I think there are 25 troops in our unit).

First was Friday night, and the Girl Recognition ceremony. This is where every girl in our council who has earned either the Bronze Award, Silver Award or Gold Award is recognized for her acheivements. In addition, there are two scholarships given - the Arlene Johns Memorial Gold Award and The Holly Hammann Award (specific to our council).

I am so proud to say that 6 of the girls in our Junior Troop earned their Bronze Awards, with three girls each working on 2 separate projects. Three girls, including my daughter, organized and planned a 'Box of Blessings' at a local church for families in need of food for Thanksgiving. They planned out the meals they would receive, made centerpieces, organized and designed a recipe book, went grocery shopping for the food that wasn't donated (with the money donated), filled the boxes, and delivered a large portion of them. Our second group of girls created an interest badge, called 'Becoming a Princess'. They visited brownie troops and taught them how to set a table, how to make a party crown, and other aspects of being a princess. They then presented certificates to each participant and congratulated them for finishing the badge. Amy and I are so proud of them. We took them to dinner and then to the award ceremony where they were presented with the awards.

Then, my dear Girl Samantha was presented with the Holly Hammann award. She was very surprized to have won this (I already knew, as I had to make sure she was there) and I was very proud. The fun part about this award is as her parent, I could only suggest the nomination, and 3 other adults and 1 member of her troop had to write a letter of recommendation for her to be eligible. This award will provide her a week of camp at Camp and she has chosen 'Trail Riders'.  She has loved camp since she was a Brownie, and has earned 7 badges so far during the summer. Again, we are so proud of her and her committment to girl scouts and to her community.

Then on Saturday, it was the Annual Meeting / Adult Recognition Ceremony of our Council - Girl Scouts of Western Rivers. This was a very emotional annual meeting and adult recognition, as at the end of this year, we will merge with 3 other councils in our state and become one. Although there are many mixed feelings about the merge, the bottom line is that it is the best thing for the girls we serve. (personally, I am excited!)

At the recognition part of the day, I am humbled to announce that Amy and I won the award for 'Outstanding Leader of the Year' in our council. Amy and I nominated each other, with the agreement to the nominating committee that if we were being considered, it would have to be together, not just one of us. We've been doing this now for 6 years and in reality, we couldn't do what we do without each other. We have different gifts and we work so well together. Our little brownie troop of 3 that we started 6 years ago has grown to 10 and they will be bridging to Cadette next month. Many of these girls we've had since the first year as they learned about our troop and joined.  Then there is our Brownie troop of 5 girls that will be bridging into Juniors, so we have a total of 15 scouts right now.

 

When we were awarded our pins and certificates, it was fun to be able to go up as a team, and really, as sisters. She is an important part of my life and such a blessing - and the little sister I never had. (and I am the big sister she never had as an only child).

So that's what's been going on in our household these past two weeks. Next weekend we are taking the girls camping along with others from our Service Unit to earn the Forestry Badges our council created a couple of years ago. I hope that the weather will be nice, and not snow like it did last night !

Blessings,

Jill

Artfest Part Two - it's all about friends.

As mentioned before, there is just not one word that describes this amazing experience. The beauty of Fort Worden was incredible, and the classes were fun and taught me a lot. But what made the most impact on me from the week, was definately the friendships nurtured and made.

First of all, my dear friend Ali. She is an amazing woman with amazing talent and a humble heart. We talked so much on the drive up to Portland - hardly able to contain our excitement for the destination that was ahead. She was even game to stop in Salem at my favorite Goodwill outlet thrift store. Everything you purchase, you pay for 'by the pound'. We found some great old books to use in our classes, she found a fun globe bank for Simon and I came away with a bit of lace and a great brown jacket from CJ Banks.  Here is a photo of one of the bins,  (you have to be game for digging through junk in order to find treasures),  along with the price chart that hangs from the ceiling.

After leaving Salem, we headed up North to the Portland Airport to pick up Dona. I had never met her, but she and Ali are friends. We immediately went to lunch at Red Robin, and the beginning of a new friendship was created. Dona is an amazing artist and faithful journaler as well as a great photographer. I came to admire her over the weekend for her talent and commitment in all of those areas. 

I loved seeing how her classes fit her and the amazing art that came out. Her paintings on clay canvas were simply beautiful. Dona - I can't wait to go again next year and laugh as hard as we did this time. If laughing burns calories, I think I burned thousands over the weekend.

The only photo I have of Dona is the three of us on the beach the day we were leaving.

Next are my new friends Janine, Morag, and Amy Lee who happen to be my room mates. The thing about signing up thinking that you are going alone (I didn't know Ali was going when I sent in my registration) is that you put yourself out there and vulnerable by choosing a shared dorm room. I really had no idea what this meant, other than I would be sharing a room with a person or people I didn't know. There ended up being 4 of us to a room with 8 bunk beds. We each got a top and bottom bunk, which was wonderful for our extra class supplies and luggage. When I came in to the room, all other roomies had laid claim to their beds, so I was right by the door. I didn't mind one bit. I think they took one look at my pink luggage, pink rolling tote and pink bedspread and wondered who in the world this crazy for pink lady was. They immediately nick named me 'pinky'. What they thought was so funny though, is that I never actually wore pink clothes, except for my pj's. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other a bit through lots of talking and giggles on the first night. Again, I think I burned a thousand calories that night. I wish I had gotten a photo of the four of us, but the week got away with out it. I am so sorry you guys - hopefully we will all return next year and snap a photo. (BTW - Morag is from England and brings Cadbury Chocolate - so we'll be fighting for her next year as a roomie !) You were all a delight to meet and share the space with.

And then Stephanie. My first forever friend who I met on the internet. Who would have known that one little e-mail would start this amazing friendship. I knew from the moment we met that we had a kinship - something that brought us together. It's so hard to explain. Like a long lost sister or best friend. I immediately felt like I could tell her my life story and she'd love me like we'd known each other for years.  She had originally posted on the message board that she was going to purchase towels and bedding in Seattle and then leave it at the fort since it was too large and bulky to bring on the plane. No way -momma Jill wouldn't stand for that. So i told her I'd be happy to bring an extra blanket or two and some clean towels and to save her money. She was the inspiration for making all of those ephemera packs for trades. In return, I received a lovely package of papers and millinery flowers perfect for me. There were sheets on old banking ledgers and bank records as well as some other goodness. It will be hard to use it. I can't wait for our paths to cross again in blog -land and at Artfest in the future.

And then Amy (from Texas) who happened to be one of Stephanies roomies. I didn't meet her until one of the later meals, but from the beginning, she too was a woman I knew would become a friend.

And Debbie - my coffee girl. She was so sweet to offer fresh pressed Starbucks with cream and sugar every morning. I was so blessed to have met her as a dorm-mate. She makes amazingly good coffee and art ! I loved the lamp shade she made in her 'gut instincts' class.  Yep - she made it out of guts.

And Julie - another dorm mate who I got to know a bit during meals and in the hallways. A beautiful woman with a big heart.

In the photo below, there is: Julie, me, Stephanie and Amy.

And certainly not least, I had the opportunity to meet the talented and wonderful Emily. She is hilarious ! and she brought part of her beautiful family with her (mick and yindi). What a delight it was for me to be able to see and touch some of the art she made and was so passionate about. And again, I forgot the photo opportunity we had, so it will have to wait until next year. (or until they visit Eugene - hint, hint)

There were other women I met and friends made that I will never forget, but these are the 10 women who made the biggest impression on my heart from the weekend.

This was truely an amazing weekend. God Bless you all.

Jill

Home from Artfest

Wow.

That is the word that immediately comes to mind after this amazing week at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA after attending my first year at Artfest.

The happiness in all of the classrooms and meeting places were evident by the hugs and smiles and shear energy that abounded from everyone. I don't remember ever seeing anyone frustrated or sad. Just emotional over the experience.

In a nutshell, the highlights for me were driving to PT with old and new friends, meeting Stephanie in person, who I met through the yahoo group, meeting new friends (amy and julie), the coffee provided in my dorm every morning from my new friend Debbie, and the enjoyment of learning new techniques in every class I took.

I am headed off to work in just a few, so I will post more photos tonight of all the goodness, but for laughs, here is a photo I took while we were on the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. Hmmm. I wonder if there really was a reason for the armed coast guard to be escorting us !

Blessings, Jill