More Bread...and Streamers

A few weeks ago, these cute girls came over for Mutual and I taught them to make artisan bread.  We had a lot of fun and the bread turned out great...the girls loved it.  Well, this week at church, we announced that the activity would be at our house again and the girls wanted to know if we could make bread again!  Sure, why not!?!  So, tonight, we did.  We made eight 1 pound loaves!  They were all beautiful - each lovingly crafted by a beautiful young woman (and two leaders)!

We also did a handwriting analysis project where we followed some instructions given by the lady who will do the analysis and tell us what it all means.  I'm really excited to find out more about why I write the way I do.  I just had to grab this picture...

I had been cleaning the island and I looked over at the table and each one of the girls had their head hung low and tipped to the side.  It was quite the sight and I just knew I had to capture it.  Too bad they all lifted their heads up a little just as I snapped the picture!

After that, we did a craft project where the girls each had a clear glass plate and a piece of vinyl in the Young Women value color that had the words of the value cut out in a simple, but cute font, in a circle.  I wish I'd taken pictures of the girls holding them!  After they were done adhering the vinyl to the back of the plate, they filled them up with cookies and then had to tell which value they had and which other girl in the group personified that value. Then, they gave the plate with the cookies to that girl.  It was a fun activity and I think the girls really liked it.

I'm glad that we've started doing some of the activities at our house.  I think it helps the girls get to know me better and see that I'm a real person - not just a robot that goes to work every day and just teaches them a lesson on Sundays and periodically makes it to Mutual night during the week.  It seems that they have a lot of fun when they come here.  I have always wanted kids and since I've never been able to have any, I just take them where I can get them and if it's through the Young Women of my ward, so be it.  I've just wanted to have laughter (and tears, if needed) and fun in my home and these girls certainly bring that.  A couple of them also brought this last night....

Yes, we got "streamered"!  Around 8:45 last night, someone rang the doorbell about 8 times really quick.  I had been working on some chores around the house prepping for tonight and was only in my "Gs".  I quickly threw on my shirt that I'd just taken off a bit ago and went to the door.  I looked through the peephole...I couldn't see anyone.  Since I had no pants on, I opened the door just a little and again, nobody.  So, since I didn't see anyone, I opened the door all the way and there were these two little blue balloons on my door.  There was no note with them and I was quite puzzled.  I went back inside.  Still a little puzzled, I went back and looked outside again.  Still didn't see anything except one more balloon.  Hmm....weird!

When I went outside this morning to go to work, I could see what had really occurred.  There were balloons in the plants, on the windows, streamers in the plants and in the tree, on the trucks, etc.  We'd been streamered!  I cleaned up the balloons and removed the streamers from my truck and left to go to work.  As I drove away from the house, I caught a glimpse of balloons flying out of the bed of my truck!  It was funny and I just smiled as I drove down the road to work.  And I will just say...streamers are way better than toilet paper - much, much easier to clean up...and FAR BETTER than eggs!