Life and Pecans

March 17, 2013 ~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Lately I have really been missing my grandfather who passed in November. Lily is working on her Ancestor Detector merit badge for American Heritage Girls so I have been able to share some of the memories I have of him and my grandmother. In the quiet of the night I find my mind returning to the words of the pastor at Dobb’s funeral service. He compared human life to that of a pecan. Let me attempt to explain.

The pastor talked about the things we remember most about Dobb: his smile that looked like he was up to something; the way he walked; his chuckle before he showed up the grand-kids; the phrases he used in his everyday speech. (I always think about the way he smelled, his rugged hands; the way he could never just sit still.) When we think of Dobb we think of his outward earthly body. After 93 years that body gave out.

A pecan has two main parts, the shell and the meat. The shell is a small part of what makes up a pecan. We are able to distinguish a pecan from other nuts by its shell. The shell has an important role of holding the meat. But, we throw the shell away and savor the meat. The meat of the pecan is the most important part of the pecan.

Now for the analogy: The human body is like the shell of a pecan. We use it to distinguish one person from another. Its role is to hold the meat (the soul of a person) for a time. Dobb’s body has been discarded and we are left with the meat, who he really was. While we remember the outward body, we can “savor” who he was! His hands were rugged because of his work ethic; he could not sit still because he was always tinkering about; his love for gardening merged with his generosity when he knowingly planted more than he could ever eat so he would have enough to share; his love for reading the bible that was a reflection of his heart and desire to know God better. Thankfully, we know that he had a personal relationship with Christ and his soul lives on.

If we apply this to ourselves, how concerned are we with the shell of our body that will one day be discarded compared to the time we spend concerned with the soul that is within us?

Chocolate Marshmallows

March 6, 2013March 26, 2015 ~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

OH MY!!! I had no idea how good these were going to be. Yes, I know that chocolate is the answer to all of life’s questions and nothing beats a marshmallow when a sugar craving hits, but who knew these were all that. I could have eaten the whole batch.

Thankfully for my daughter, we made these for her to take to a Father/Daughter Dance with her American Heritage Girl Troop so I was able to contain myself. I had seen these over at Pinterest (my favorite site) but had never actually made them. I figured it could not be that hard so I gave it a try.

The concept seems pretty easy – insert stick, dip in melted chocolate and cover in sprinkles. However, I did learn a few thing.

1) Inserting the craft stick is harder than it seems. To overcome this, I used a toothpick. I inserted the toothpick all the way through the marshmallow first then inserted the stick. The toothpick became quite gummy so for the batch I used a bunch of toothpicks.

2) You don’t want the chocolate to pool at the bottom of the marshmallow when they are drying. This takes a little patience to allow the chocolate to drain back into the dipping bowl before you put sprinkles on them. This also made these take longer than anticipated.

3) This used a LOT of sprinkles. While I realize my daughter was the one putting the sprinkles on more sprinkles is always better, so next time I need a new bottle before I make these.

Our Flag, #12

February 4, 2013July 15, 2015 ~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Did you know that there are 13 folds when an American Flag is properly folded? Each fold symbolizes something. Learn the meaning of each fold and use it in a flag ceremony.

A few years back I heard the meanings of each fold as the flag was folded. It was a very moving experience for me, as I watched a group of military personal fold the flag. So when I saw this badge requirement I was excited to look it up with the hopes of including it at one of our ceremonies.

The first thing I learned is that Federal Flag code does not dictate the meaning behind the folds. But rather this has evolved over time to represent the religious principles that our nation was founded on.

Symbols for the Folds of the Flag

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature; as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace, as well as in times of war, for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first-born.

The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

Home Care and Repair, #7

January 7, 2013March 20, 2014 ~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Build a simple wooden birdfeeder, birdhouse or other project using pre-cut wood (either from a kit or cut by an adult). Learn to use sandpaper, a hammer and nails.

This requirement is a lot easier than it may seem. Check with the local home improvement store to learn about their children’s program.

Lowe’s call theirs Build and Grow. Twice a month they host an event where they provide a project kit and the tools needed to complete. And they are free, but may require registration as supplies are limited. At the time of this blog entry Lowe’s says “Build and Grow kid’s clinics are a great way to help build confidence! Bring the kids into any Lowe’s store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project.”

Home Depot calls theirs Kid Workshop. These are offered once a month. And are set up similar to Lowe’s. Home Depot’s website says “FREE hands-on workshops designed for children ages 5 – 12 offered the 1st Saturday of every month at all The Home Depot stores All kids get to keep their craft and receive a FREE Kids Workshop Apron, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement.9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety along with instilling a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

If your schedule does not allow you to attend on of the free workshops, check with your local store to see if they have kits available for sale.

American Heritage Girls

December 17, 2012March 14, 2014 ~ Life of Momma B ~ Leave a comment

Have you heard about American Heritage Girls?

I grew up in Girl Scouts and I enjoyed the time I did. However, as a mother of a young girl, Lily B, I was very disappointed in her Girl Scout experience. I considered changing troops only to realize the problems I saw were not isolated to a single troop, rather they were the result of the local scouting culture. Lily’s local troops were horrible. Her scout leader verbally abused her daughter in front of other scouts and put the health and safety of the girls in jeopardy. I personally reported the issue to the local scout council, only to see this lady promoted within to become the local trainer. I realized there had to be a better option. In my search, I came across American Heritage Girls.

January of 2011, while at a Superbowl Party, I was asked by Gary’s Boy Scout Leader if I had heard of American Heritage Girls and if I would consider starting a troop. Well that was the push I needed, and long story short I am now a proud AHG Leader.

So What is it? Well, everyone that answer is different.

For Lily, it is the opportunity to spend time with other girls and having while learning new things. She is excited about the camping and time she gets to spend outdoors, along with the many merit badges she can (and does) earn. Lily enjoys the many service projects, where she can make a difference in the lives of others.
For me as a parent, it is a Christ-centered group. I love the Christian emphasis. We aim to teach our girls to be women of God. AHG does this through devotions. Our troop sets aside a small amount of time at each meeting for devotions and prayer. The leaders are committed to praying for the girls and families. I love the environment! Where can you find this many girls without the drama that goes with girls of any age.
As a leader, I can tell you all of the organization lines, but it has become my passion. I love seeing the girls grow. In the year and a half since our troop started, I have seen the girls blossom. I have also grown in this time and am excited to see how God will use me on this journey with American Heritage Girls.

Now go to www.ahgonline.org to learn more. Then head back here and read more of my story.

As a momma, I realized that there are few badge work helps and resources for the girls to use to earn their merit badges. So I started developing some for our troop, and will be posting a new one each week. Check back next Monday for the first of many.