As someone married to an Eagle Scout, with a Father-In-Law and Brother-In-Law who are Eagle Scouts, when a friend asked me to be a Co-Leader in Daisy Scouts, I immediately jumped at that chance.  To be honest, all new adventures excite me, and I say yes to damn near everything.  I’m working on that.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying my time with these really great 5 and 6 year old girls.  They are just a pleasure. Sara and her friends get so excited when we pick all 16 of them up from Kindergarten, you’d think Strawberry Shortcake herself is waiting for them in the Meeting Center.

I lead this month’s “Friendly & Helpful” meeting, and the girls earned their Yellow Petal.  And hey!  I read all of “Lissy’s Friends” without crying!  Even the part where she makes so many friends, and watches her origami fly away in the wind.  If you think it’s crazy that I cry during “Lissy’s Friends”, you wouldn’t want to watch me read “The Velveteen Rabbit”.  Or how about “Mama’s Saris”?  It’s pitiful.  I don’t even own a Sari!  Or a Rabbit!

Our big craft was to assemble scarves for same age girls who don’t have scarves this winter, and pair them with matching gloves.  I found the pretty pastel gloves for $1 at JoAnn Fabrics, and most of the fleece I already owned.  I thought if I chopped it into pieces, it might stop reproducing in my fabric cabinet.  The girls chose 1 scarf (I pre-sewed the long edges together but left the ends open for fringe), 3 flowers, 2 pieces of fringe, and matching gloves.  They stood with me at my machine and I demonstrated for them how a sewing machine works.  We took our many sets of scarves and gloves and walked them down the hall to a school group collecting such items for a nearby community center with a large after school program for needy kids.  Believe it or not, we sewed 18 scarves in about 40 minutes.  They are all a double layer of polar fleece, and very warm.

2 Daisy Scouts knew how to sew, and with my watchful eye, actually made their own.  Pretty impressive.  I was inspired.  The very next day, I decided it was time.  Sara sat at the machine and made her very own scarf.  She couldn’t believe how easy it was (next we’ll work on her guiding her fabric…step 1 was just working the levers and pushing the pedal).

She looks so beautiful. Have you ever seen kinder eyes than on this child of mine?

We had to make a few adjustments for Kelly to reach the pedal, but in the end, she also made her own scarf (part of it…after 1 seam, she jumped down and informed me that I could finish it for her).

But Kelly was equally proud of making a scarf in her favorite color.  That very day the temperatures plummeted and the snow began to fall, so out into the snow they went.  The scarves are wonderfully soft and thick, and have really protected their lips and cheeks from wind burn.  If you are from a warmer part of the nation, you should know our kids hit the school playground, even with wind chills down in the teens.  Our kids keep snow suits and boots in their cubbies starting at the age of 3. If you want to live here, you must have a hearty attitude about winter weather.

That being said, the winter is actually invigorating if you are properly dressed to enjoy it.  It’s downright miserable if you are not.  And knowing that 18 little girls in this city might play outside more often and stay warmer while doing it?  Now that’s good Daisy Scouting stuff!