Finding Your Inner Princess

The highlights from last week were attending an Achievement Day activity with Nikki, the boys going on Father/Son Campout, and Nikki and I driving to Mesa and back for a family service project.

The theme for the Achievement Day activity (LDS Church program for girls ages 8-11) was to help the girls find their "Inner Princess". There were about 20 girls. They divided us up into groups which attended mini-classes in shifts:

1) There was a class on gratitude where we decorated Thank You cards to take home and use.

2) Next we attended a class about hygiene, nutrition, and our outward appearance which ended with a mini-spa for our hands.

3) Then we went to a class about poise and posture where we discussed sitting lady-like and up straight, and talked about gossip (I liked the teacher's qualifications: Ask yourself "Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?" before speaking.) We discussed crossing our legs at the ankles and not the knees...gotta work on that one.  Then we concluded that class with a mother/daughter team relay walking across the room and back with books balanced on our head.  Nikki and I were the winners hands down.

4) All 20+ girls and their mothers combined for the last class. We were seated at a very long, fancy table in the overflow section between the chapel and the cultural hall with both curtains pulled closed. They taught about dining etiquette and then we practiced by eating a brownie with utensils. It was a very fun activity. We had all dressed up for the activity and each girl left with a tiara.

I must admit that even I was reminded of things I should do like crossing my legs at the ankle and not the knee, not slouching, I always thought the napkin went under the knife/spoon but apparently it goes under the fork, and most importantly of all even if I sport a pony tail, t-shirts, and no make-up at home, I shouldn't leave the house that way to go anywhere like to the park or shopping.  I had different FHE plans last night but Nikki reminded me that she wanted to teach our family etiquette. So we put a linen tablecloth and our nice dishes out last night, Nikki instructed us about etiquette, and Jonny and I filled in the gaps.

When the boys left for the Father/Son campout, Nikki and I rented a car and drove to Mesa. I found a good deal for $44 for a 2-day rental ($34 plus tax/fees). I thought it was a great deal and it made the trip a little more exciting for Nikki. She spent the first night with 2 cousins her age and stayed up until 2am. The next day we drove to my parent's office complex to do some yardwork. The 8-9 year olds painted a citrus tree trunk, we reassembled a wooden bench that had been painted the previous week, then as more cousins showed up, we tackled the big project of cutting down an enormous lantana that had been neglected for years. It's meant to be a small bush but it was higher than the 7' block wall and about 12 feet wide. It was a tangle of thorny branches and only had greenery on the outer 12". So, we had no choice but to cut the bush back down to a 3' square and start over. I was wrestling the bush so that my 16 year old nephews could reach the base of the tangle to cut it back and then I tromped on the cut branches pile to break it down to make it easier to load in the trailer. By the time we were finished, I was bleeding and my legs and arms were a mess of scratches but they have mostly disappeared a few days later.

After that service project, I met with my dad's cousin to collect some genealogy records and left Nikki with my mom for a few hours. So, I accomplished a lot except for actually bonding with Nikki. We were there together but did not have much positive or meaningful conversation. We enjoyed talking on the way to Mesa and then she slept through the whole ride home. I felt bad that I was too exhausted to take her to the movies or something. I was almost too exhausted to drive home but I did anyway. I just called Jonny during the last hour (near midnight) to talk me home.



Grandma Melody sent us home with the ingredients and directions for cupcake cones.  We had fun making them.
Directions:  Prepare cake mix as directed.  Place cones upside down into the cupcake tins filled with batter.  Bake as directed.  Allow them to cool.  Frost and decorate.