Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Cookies

My son used to be a Cub Scout. This week I graduated from Cub Scouts. I used to be a Cub Scout Pack Committee Member. I used to be the Cub Scout Popcorn Kernel. Now I am the mom of a Boy Scout!

Daniel and Joshua were excited - and a little nervous. I have several photos of the boys and they all look ready to throw up or faint (maybe both?)! The crossover ceremony was great - a big thank you to Greg Arp for his work.

So now that I have a Boy Scout and have graduated, what will I do with all of my free time? As I understand it, Boy Scouts won't require as much of my time. I could put the 2+ hours a week I am getting back to good use and sleep more but most likely I will find numerous activities to fill that time slot.

On another note, I made oatmeal cookies tonight. Instead of butter I used coconut oil. The cookies were TERRIFIC! I used the Quaker Oatmeal cookie recipe and just substituted the butter. Everything else was just as the recipe called for. I highly recommend this substitution for cookies - YUM!

I am working on some lightweight signature swirl shirts tonight - look for photos on Tina's Tie Dye on Facebook. While you are there you can enter the caption contest - it closes on February 28.

Contest Winner

My friend Sharon over at Keen Inspirations sponsored a contest where the winner got a Tina's Tie Dye bag. Imagine my surprise when I learned the winner's name was also Tina! I was even MORE surprised when the other Tina turned out to be a mom at the homeschool co-op I attend.

Here we are! Congratulations Tina and thank you Sharon.

He will ALWAYS be my baby

I tried to explain to my son Daniel that he will always be my baby. He will be 11 tomorrow and he does not get it. It seems like such a simple concept to me - maybe when I was 11 I didn't get it either.

Daniel has a maternal cousin born or the same day. His cousin is also named Daniel. I wish I could say that Daniel was a long time family name and that my brother and I wanted to keep the name going but that would be a lie. I don't think we actually ever talked about baby names. Heck, I was holding out for the name Jackson. Jackson was a masculine name. It was a western name. It was the PERFECT name (in my opinion.) But my husband didn't agree so we named our son Daniel.

I will never forget calling my brother to tell him that my water had broken. My sister-in-law was past her due date and I remember him telling me that she may cry. I called early the next morning to tell him that Daniel had been born. He said, "WHAT!" I replied that we had named the baby Daniel. My brother said that Daniel was the name THEY had picked out if they had a son. I think I said good thing we live 3000 miles apart. Imagine my surprise when I got a call a little later with the news that my sister-in-law was in labor. Now imagine my surprise when I got a call saying that Daniel had been born. Now we call them the double Daniels. I think that they like that!

In our family we don't have big parties for most birthdays. Turning 11 gets you cake and ice cream and a friend overnight. Happy Birthday Daniel - Enjoy your time with Joshua!

CONTEST - Tell your friends

The poster says it all!

Go to Tina's Tie Dye on Facebook to enter. You can click the "Like" button on the sidebar on the left.

Sweetheart Festival 2011

I spent last weekend in Young Harris at the Sweetheart Festival. It was my first show of 2011 and my first indoor show. I can say up front that outdoor shows are easier to set up.

When I arrived at 7 am Saturday morning we found out that Say Yes to the Dress was filming a wedding at the resort where the show was being held. Therefore vendors had to be moved around. I was fortunate I was a luck one who got to stay. My new spot was not nearly as good as I would have liked - but all in all it was a good weekend.

We were able to drive partway up the golf path to unload the van. Thanks to my new hand truck unloading was a piece of cake!

Setting up was more difficult since I was not in a square 10x10 foot spot but had to set up in a hallway. In addition to the festival, there was an art show going on in the resort. My corner had the nicest painting! For a while there were boxes everywhere.

After we unloaded we began by setting up my brand new rack. What a blessing the rack was. I want 3 more!

Finally we got most of our tubs emptied and organized. We had to be creative. Tim fashioned a small table for socks from 4 empty tubs and a tablecloth - great thinking! Space did not allow me to display our Upcycle - maybe next show.

Looking from my hanging rack into the rest of the exhibit area was difficult since the hall was C shaped. I was on the bottom end of the C and the stairs were on the top of the C.

On my floor there was a potter, a jeweler, two candle makers (bad idea to put two vendors with the same product next to each other), a lady who sold shirt savers (adult bibs), a couple who did wood burning and basketry, and me. The main floor of the resort had about 35 other vendors.

My corner was COLD. Not chilly - but cold. I have been warmer in November at outdoor shows with snow on the ground. I figured an indoor show would be warm so I skipped wearing long johns, ski socks, and under armor. I never took off my jacket or scarf on Saturday. I dressed for outdoor temps on Sunday and was able to forgo a jacket until late in the afternoon.

I am looking forward to more shows in 2011. Next time I'll dress for cold and bring clothing to change into if it warms up! One thing I love about art festivals and craft shows is that people are HAPPY to be there. Helping someone to pick out the "perfect" shirt is fun. This is why I love to tie dye - tie dye makes people smile.