It is Tuesday again and time forTuesday Tunes, and also day 9 of the and Ultimate Blogging ChallengeandNablopomo. My selection for today is "Good Riddence (Had the Time of Your Life) performed by Green Dayand here is why. I was up at the butt crack of dawn this morning rushing my daughter to the fairgrounds for judging. She is in 4H. This year she decided to try her hand at the “Foods” project which required her to bake pretzels and also freeze a vegetable. Having never participated in this project myself, I didn’t know what to expect. We were both shitting bricks going in. She had baked her sweet braided pretzels last night and froze a blend of a cauliflower and broccoli following the divine wisdom of Betty Crocker and her 4H manual. God only knows that I had no experience in preserving foods. My idea of getting around frozen food is hitting the local grocery store’s freezer section.
We were there at 8:30 this morning. The judging really wasn’t that bad and in the end my girl took home a blue ribbon for both of her entries. I am so proud of her. I realized today though that 4H isn’t about the ribbons. It isn’t about attending the club meetings or jumping through hoops for a 4H leader that snubs you on the day of judging. It is about learning and accomplishing something you never thought possible. In the end it is all about having the time of your life and learning bits and pieces along the way. Sure it is awesome to have your hard work awarded. It makes all those practice runs worth it.
Over dinner tonight my son and I made a toast to my daughter…to her success. Through laughs and giggles we pronounced her the “master chef” of the family. Sure it really made me mad that the leader would snub my kid. Sure I am proud as punch at her success, but in the end I am happier because through it all she had the time of her life. She gained confidence in her abilities and discovered that other people recognized her skills and accomplishment as well. Sure it’s great to have your mommy, daddy, and brother think you hung the moon and gobble up all your tasty samples but even better when a perfect stranger applauds your contribution. She found something she loved doing. If so, all that worry, shitting bricks, hot kitchens, and the burn on her arm was so worth it!
Beautiful and congrats to your daughter. Tell her I envy her culinary skills - I have been promising myself to learn how to preserve food for ages and still haven't gotten the nerves.
Jessica, freezing veggies was one of the activities in her book and requirements for fair. I was amazed how many of the kids bypassed that requirement and only baked. I learned right along with her how to blanch because I sure had never done it before that. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!
Lisa, they are really good...a little sticky but good!! Just relieved that part is over with and behind us. She still has 3 more projects to be judged that we won't find out the results until the fair opens on the 19th. At least she has them all ready to go and can now relax. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!
Meg, maybe I should share her recipe here. The hardest part is braiding the dough in my opinion although a lot easier than attempting to make a pretzel shape uniform. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!
Congrats to your daughter! That is quite an accomplishment--two blue ribbons! It is always a great-mom-feeling when your youngin' does something they love and are proud of. Way to go. :)
lifewithlorealai, she still has 3 more projects to be judged so hopefully she adds to that total. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!!
All those organizations designed to teach young children life skills are great--4H, Scouting, etc. Too bad they don't learn that at school, but I am glad those organizations are available for kids. That is exciting she won ribbons for her work. We all love recognition, and often that is what helps us decide what to do with our lives. I would love to see the recipe for pretzels she used... :) tm
Ornery's Wife, I will have to post it here. I just wish the people that choose to be leaders actually liked children and were a little more friendlier of people. The leaders she has had seem to be more worried about how impressive they can be to the 4H extension office and the fair board than actually being a help and friend to the kids. It really grinds my gears and pisses me off. They should be kind to EVERYONE and not exclude kids. OK I will get off my soap box. LOL It is a pity that they don't learn things like that in schools. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments! ♥
It is Tuesday again and time for Tuesday Tunes, and also day 9 of the and Ultimate Blogging Challenge and Nablopomo. My selection for today is "Good Riddence (Had the Time of Your Life) performed by Green Day and here is why. I was up at the butt crack of dawn this morning rushing my daughter to the fairgrounds for judging. She is in 4H. This year she decided to try her hand at the “Foods” project which required her to bake pretzels and also freeze a vegetable. Having never participated in this project myself, I didn’t know what to expect. We were both shitting bricks going in. She had baked her sweet braided pretzels last night and froze a blend of a cauliflower and broccoli following the divine wisdom of Betty Crocker and her 4H manual. God only knows that I had no experience in preserving foods. My idea of getting around frozen food is hitting the local grocery store’s freezer section.
Over dinner tonight my son and I made a toast to my daughter…to her success. Through laughs and giggles we pronounced her the “master chef” of the family. Sure it really made me mad that the leader would snub my kid. Sure I am proud as punch at her success, but in the end I am happier because through it all she had the time of her life. She gained confidence in her abilities and discovered that other people recognized her skills and accomplishment as well. Sure it’s great to have your mommy, daddy, and brother think you hung the moon and gobble up all your tasty samples but even better when a perfect stranger applauds your contribution. She found something she loved doing. If so, all that worry, shitting bricks, hot kitchens, and the burn on her arm was so worth it!
Beautiful and congrats to your daughter. Tell her I envy her culinary skills - I have been promising myself to learn how to preserve food for ages and still haven't gotten the nerves.
ReplyDeleteJessica, freezing veggies was one of the activities in her book and requirements for fair. I was amazed how many of the kids bypassed that requirement and only baked. I learned right along with her how to blanch because I sure had never done it before that. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!
DeleteCongrats! That is so awesome!! I think I'd like to try some sweet braided pretzels - sound yummy!
ReplyDeleteLisa, they are really good...a little sticky but good!! Just relieved that part is over with and behind us. She still has 3 more projects to be judged that we won't find out the results until the fair opens on the 19th. At least she has them all ready to go and can now relax. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!
DeleteYEAH! good for her!
ReplyDeleteAudrey, big sigh of relief that part is over! Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!
DeleteI would love to know how to make pretzels!
ReplyDeleteMeg, maybe I should share her recipe here. The hardest part is braiding the dough in my opinion although a lot easier than attempting to make a pretzel shape uniform. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!
DeleteCongrats to your daughter! That is quite an accomplishment--two blue ribbons! It is always a great-mom-feeling when your youngin' does something they love and are proud of. Way to go. :)
ReplyDeleteJust stopping by from UBC
lifewithlorealai, she still has 3 more projects to be judged so hopefully she adds to that total. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments!!
Deletewish we had that program around here. congrats to your little chef!
ReplyDeleteSandra, 4H can be a great thing! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments!
DeleteAll those organizations designed to teach young children life skills are great--4H, Scouting, etc. Too bad they don't learn that at school, but I am glad those organizations are available for kids. That is exciting she won ribbons for her work. We all love recognition, and often that is what helps us decide what to do with our lives. I would love to see the recipe for pretzels she used... :)
ReplyDeletetm
Ornery's Wife, I will have to post it here. I just wish the people that choose to be leaders actually liked children and were a little more friendlier of people. The leaders she has had seem to be more worried about how impressive they can be to the 4H extension office and the fair board than actually being a help and friend to the kids. It really grinds my gears and pisses me off. They should be kind to EVERYONE and not exclude kids. OK I will get off my soap box. LOL It is a pity that they don't learn things like that in schools. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments! ♥
DeleteCongrats to the Girl - you both can be proud
ReplyDeleteGlen, thank you!! I think we are both proud and very relieved that is behind us both. Thank you for stopping in and for your kind comments! ♥
DeleteCongratulations to your daughter for her hard work and for the recognition she deserved for it. Poo on the leaders...we've had that same problem.
ReplyDeleteTerri, not sure what the leader's problem is but not letting her piss on our parade. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments! ♥
Delete