Fun Photos From Boy Scout Camp

Hi there!  I'M BACK!

I had a wonderful week at Boy Scout Camp for seven days and with 11 boys from our Troop!

There were a total of about 200 boys from all over the State of Maine (and also from Connecticut & New Jersey).  The week before we got to camp, there were over 400 boys there!

There's never a dull moment, that's for sure!

I just had to share some photos from our week.  It was really hard to choose just these ones

because I took over 1,000 photos!  I thought I only took around 500 photos but when I downloaded

them onto my computer when I got home....... wow!

You may be wondering why I take so many photos.  Well, here are the reasons:

1.  Our Boy Scout Troop has a FB page, which I've set up.... Yay!

2.  Parents enjoy looking at them and seeing what went on at camp and what their

son was doing.

3.  And, anyone can view them.  You don't even need a FB account.  Just do a search of "Boy Scout 

Troop 179."

4.  I LOVE taking photos!  It's such a great way to preserve all those

wonderful memories!

5.  It's SO fun!

With the much needed "vacation" that I desperately needed, I'm ready to get back to crafting!

I've been checking out various challenges and I'm ready to go.... once I get all the laundry

done from camp and get some much needed naps!!   :)

I hope you enjoy the photos.  Take a break from crafting and enjoy something different!  :)

The campsite where we stayed.  This is only a portion of the cabins.

Such a beautiful place!  The boys had their pick of cabins and who was bunking

with who!  Some boys even opted to stay alone in their cabin.  

The boys were enjoying some free time and I decided to have fun too and take photos of them

having fun jumping and climbing on the rocks and playing games.

In this photo, I held up my camera and said, "Strike a pose, guys!"  I didn't know what to 

expect...... and this is what they did!  So funny!  Then all I hear is, "Let me see the picture!"

And, "Take another one!"

 

While I was sitting at the picnic table, this was the view that was in front of me.  The

peaceful lake, the mountains and trees with the sun peeking through.  Ahhhhhh!

Love this photo.  We were all headed to the dining hall.  The boys have to carry the

American Flag and our Troop Flag for breakfast and supper for assembly.

I climbed down the steep embankment (at our campsite) to sit on one of the huge rocks by the lake. 

My plan was to read for about an hour, but the view was just too breathtaking and the 

breeze was wonderful, so the photo session began..... 

The view as we entered our campsite.  Off to the far left is our eating area/meeting place, which has a picnic table inside and it's where we stored all our supplies (food items, First Aid Kit, Scout books, water bottles, lanterns, etc).

The first cabin you see after the eating area, is where Linda and I stayed.  And there's one more cabin beyond that where five boys squished into.

The hike to and from our campsite took about 10-15 minutes.

This is a portion of the path.

This is our Troop!  Love the timer on my camera!

Back row: Daniel, Alex, Garrett, Ben, Zach, Malcolm and Peng.

Front row: Linda-Scoutmaster, Airin, Wyatt, Otis, Tristan and Polly (that's me)-Assistant Scoutmaster. 

The beautiful dining hall.  

This is where we gather for assemblies three times each day at the flags, give our site reports,

bless the food and then gather into the dining hall to eat! 

Linda and I, laughing and having a great time! 

The beautiful view at the Waterfront.  The picnic tables were always occupied

at this area to just sit quietly, read the newspaper, snack (the camp store was nearby), watch the swimmers or enjoy the beautiful breeze! 

When they had a dessert that I couldn't eat (there were a lot), I would head to the store 

for the home made molasses cookies (made from a local small business owner).  Oh my word, those

were so delish!!  Yummy!  And every once in awhile I would get a bag of freshly made

popcorn too!

All the boys loved the store!  They had camp supplies, popcorn, freshly baked goodies,

sodas, water, ice creams, camp t-shirts, hoodies, merit badge booklets, various chocolate bars and many more items.

At the Nature Lodge I got to hold a baby snapping turtle.  He was such a cute little thing....

how could I resist?

We also got to see milk snakes, lizards, frogs, various hives, assorted bones and all

sorts of other fun things.  If any boys found a "weird" bug or small creature, they brought

it to the Nature Lodge and helped the instructors search through books to find out 

what it was.

This is a portion of inside the dining hall.  The camp offices were also located here.

Each campsite had their own "mail box" and I would pick up the daily newspaper

and other notes the camp staff may have included in our box.

Another great view on a beautiful, sunny day. 

The "Canoe Swamp" is held each year.  All the boys look forward to this fun

event!  Two canoes are side by side with adults on the ends of each canoe, trying to 

keep them upright.  Each boy is given a metal bucket (with holes in it).  When the signal is given, the boys

throw water with the buckets into their opponents canoe trying to "swamp" it.  The canoe that

sinks first is outta luck...... because the canoe that didn't sink is the winner!

All the spectators are behind the waterfront fence, wildly cheering their team on.

I added the WRONG photo, as this one shows our Troop losing!  Ugh!

This was actually the ONLY one they lost.  They went on to win the championship for 

this event!

Hope you enjoyed the photos.  I just had to share because it's so fun!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Polly  :)

Merit Badge Day

Good morning!

It's going to be another hot one out there!  It looks like that's the theme across the

country too!  Wow!

Another layout for today.  Not a very dramatic layout either.

Our Boy Scout meetings are quite busy, with a variety of different things going on 

all the time.  With boys advancing, others learning and working on merit badges, sometimes

the latter falls by the wayside.

There were several go-getters in our Troop at the time, who wanted to get the

last of their merit badge requirements finished!  And, since they were having a hard time

getting my undivided attention at the meetings, they all got together and decided

to have a "Merit Badge Day at Polly's House!"

I was skeptical at first, but then went with it, as Andrew needed to complete these

same merit badges too, so he could finally get on with his Eagle Project!

It was their Christmas vacation week and they chose the day.  I just had to be ready to teach!

ALL DAY, we studied, we learned, I taught, and we also squeezed in lots of laughs!!

I ordered pizza for lunch.  By suppertime, we were all on our last bit of energy, totally 

exhausted from brain over-usage!

But, together, we completed the merit badges they needed!  They were now ready to move

on to the next phase of their journey.

I managed to snap these two photos while they were sitting at the dining room table, eating and working.

It was just way too busy to get photos when I was teaching and listening!

We began in the living room, because of what the beginning requirements were, then to the

dining room to work on the computer, then eat and laugh, and we ended up back into the 

living room to finish up!

I'm happy to say that our son, Andrew and one other boy received their Eagle Scout.

One boy remains.  It's a bit more difficult for him as he moved shortly after our 

Merit Badge Day.  But, through other Scouters and word-of-mouth, he was able

to figure out what project he wanted to work on.  We don't always remember to

touch base with him and see how he's progressing.  He has a bit more time, but not much, as it's now

getting "crunch" time, so we shall see.

Supplies used:

Paper (unknown)

Twine

Sharpie Marker

Sketch (unknown)

Obviously, I just pulled various papers and worked on this layout without even

paying attention to what brand of paper it was!  Oh well.

Definitely not the best banner I've done.  I'm really not a fan of these, but I gave

it a whirl!  I think I did much better the second time around.  :)

Have a wonderful day!

Polly  :)

Our "Flat Daddy"

Good morning!

Well, I've hit my breaking point and I'm ready to escape everything for awhile!

I'm so ready to get away and get my mind set on "other things" for a much

needed change.

Looking forward to some everyday laughter and taking tons of photos!

Ok, here's my layout for today.

Before Scott was deployed the military took pictures of everyone and 

gave these "flat daddy's" out to them, mostly for kids to be able to "still be with their dad/mom."

But I treasured this "flat daddy" also..... simply because he is my hubby!

I did a lot of traveling during the time Scott was deployed and "Scott" went

with me in my travels.  He was always in the back seat.  I remember some of

the "looks" I would get and everyone would literally do a "double-take" when

they saw Scott in the backseat!!  Most times he would even be seat belted!  After all,

I didn't want him flying all around back there!  :)

On this occasion, it was Andrew's birthday and Lynn and Dylan came over.  I saw the

opportunity and ran with it!  Even though the bottom photos are blurry, it's still

a precious memory that I will treasure forever.  I love the photo of Dylan with his Grampie!  

It's just so cute!

Pretty simple layout and not a lot of supplies were used or needed, as I wanted to

keep the focal point on the photos and the title.

Supplies used:

Paper: White Cardstock, Other Unknown

Font: Cricut "Stamped"

Sharpie Marker

Circles: Traced with Template and Hand Cut

Here's the close up of the layout title.

Have a wonderful day!

Polly  :)

Truly Blessed - Soul Scrappers Word Challenge WD12

Hi there,

I've been working on a Challenge this afternoon.

I came across this photo and knew this was what I HAD to scrapbook!

I chose the sketch from Creating Keepsakes (Nov 2008 Sketches).

Here's the link to their site:  http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/index.html

Soul Scrappers is having a Word Challenge (WD12).  The deadline is July 26th.

Create a scrapbook page using the word, "Blessed."  Any sketch can be used.

Sounds like fun, right?    Hop on over to their site and check it out.

The link to their site is:  http://soul-scrappers.ning.com/

 Our family gathered together for Andrew's graduation.  It isn't often that we all

get a photo together, let alone with Scott's mother!  That's why this is so special!

In the photo: Scott and I, our two kids, Lynn and Andrew, our grandson, Dylan

and Scott's mother, Prudence.

Once I found the sketch that I liked, next came the colors of paper to use.

All the photos came out with a yellowish, orange tint to them due to the lights

in our gymnasium.  

My personal challenge was to use colors to "tone down" this color.  I'm not

sure if I accomplished that, but I still like how this layout turned out.

Supplies used:

Paper: DCWV

Black Textured Paper: Canson Papercraft

Silver Wire Ribbon

Silver Sheer Ribbon

Misc. Flowers & Leaves

Gems

Yellow Seam Binding Rosette: Hand Made

Orange Felt Flower: Hand Made

Prima Flower

Cheesecloth

Font: Cricut "Stamped"

Ink: A la mode Black & Green

Sharpie Marker

A close up of the grouping of flowers.

I used cheesecloth and silver ribbon under and within the flowers.  I scrunched up the

cheesecloth and rubbed it on black ink and then on green ink, so it wouldn't look so "white."

I used a variety of flowers.  Most are from bouquets that I tore apart so I could create "my own"

flowers.  A Prima flower, leaves and hand made flowers were also used. 

The orange flower is hand made using felt.  I made a batch of these with scraps

of felt that I had and really didn't think I would ever use some of them because some 

were pretty funky colors!

You just never know...... I pulled it out of my stash and ta-dah... it works for me! 

The rosette was hand made using yellow seam binding ribbon.  These are

really fun to make and super easy too!

I used gems for the centers of the single flowers.  I really needed to add some "bling!"  :)

Have a wonderful day!
Thanks for taking a peek at my Blog!
Polly  :)

Best Friends - Let's Scrap Sketch

Good Morning!

I've been working on another sketch from Let's Scrap.  Here's the link to their

site:  http://letsscrap.ning.com/

Here's their sketch:

Below is the direct link to this sketch:

http://letsscrap.ning.com/photo/insm12-1-5-7-12?context=album&albumId=2186252%3AAlbum%3A681669

And here's my take on the sketch (5-7-12):

I was so excited about this layout coming together so quickly!  And the fact that I really

liked how it turned out is even better!  :)

Meet Max and Zoe.  Max is our daughter's dog, who has an extreme amount of energy!

He doesn't miss a sound or an area to sniff through!  He's the funniest dog too!

Max and Zoe are best friends.  They literally play for hours outside and inside!
Talk about entertainment!  There is no shortage of laughing with these two!  

And boy do they sleep well at night! 

Trying to get a picture of Max is challenging because he never stays still
long enough.  He's just way too busy for that.
But in the photo on the bottom right, while they stopped for a "breather" Max
heard another dog barking nearby..... and that got his attention.... and made him
sit still long enough for me to snap this photo.

Supplies used:
Paper: DCWV, Other
Ribbons, Flowers
EK Success Border Punch
Stickles
Recycled "Flower Parts"
Cricut
Font: Cricut "Stamped"

A close up of the various ribbons and the flowers.

These flowers were so cute!  I bought bouquets of flowers at a Dollar Store and as always, 

I tear them apart when I get home.  There are all kinds of "different" pieces to each flower.  

Did you know that there are little, clear plastic "flowers" in between the layers of the whole flower?

I decided to keep them and possibly recycle them.  I didn't use them on this layout, but

I have them for just in case I want to use something different.

These were fun!  I simply twisted up the ribbon tightly and then let go of it and

let it unwind naturally and glued it in place.

Here's a "miscellaneous" piece.  That green, plastic flower shape is found on

the bottom of the whole flower, which I guess, the flower "sits" on and the stem is 

connected underneath.  I knew I wanted to use it because it was so cool!

So, I covered it with Stickles, let it dry and attached the knotted ribbon.

Not bad!  I like the results!  Glad I kept those random pieces.

Have a wonderful day!

Polly  :)

Revival of the Band Uniform

Hi there!

I have a great sketch for you to try.  This is such a great sketch to work with!  The photos fit so easily without banging my head trying to figure out how to fit the photos on the page!

It's from http://letsscrap.ning.com/

There's a lot to see on their site and their sketch gallery is great!

This is the direct link to their sketch in the gallery

http://letsscrap.ning.com/photo/5-2-12/next?context=album&albumId=2186252%3AAlbum%3A681669  

And here's what I created from the sketch (5-5-12).

I'll explain the photos a bit.  First of all, these Band Uniforms have so much history and

many miles on them.  They've been a part of our school for so many people who played in the Band. Well, our school was "getting rid" of them all and Andrew and his friend,

Duncan, wanted a piece of this wonderful history so they each grabbed a jacket.

They wanted to wear them everywhere!  They did look pretty sharp with them on!

Well, they were asked to play Taps at a ceremony honoring Veterans and they knew exactly

what they were wearing!  The old band uniforms and their Aviators!

These two boys have been friends since they began school.  And now they are Seniors!

My, the time flies!

Anyways, since we were by the Lake, it was SO cold!  They had to 

keep hopping in Andrew's pick up to keep their instruments warm and warm up their hands 

so they could play!

And, they did a fabulous job! 

It was great to be a part of this with them.  Of course, I had a blast snapping

an extreme amount of photos!  Memories to preserve, right?  :)

Supplies used:

Paper: DCWV

Sizzix Music Note Die

Sizzix

Cricut

Folder Tabs: Hot Off the Press

Hings & Brads

Font: Cricut "Stamped"

The font was used with my Cricut.  This is the font that seems to fit

with any layout I create.  It's such a fun font and slim too, which makes it

easier to fit lengthy titles on the page!  

Since I had a lot to say, as usual, I ran out of room and ended up writing on the back of this journaling

block, so I just added a hinge with brads and now it can be flipped up to reveal the rest

of my journaling. 

I've had this Sizzix Die for a number of years and this the first time I've

used it.  At least I had it to use on this layout, which was quite fitting.

Have a wonderful day!

Polly  :)

Comfortably Sleeping

Hi there,

I hope your July 4th weekend festivities were FUN!

I had a pretty good weekend.

Enjoyed only a few of the events going on, but still had fun, worked in my garden and got a 

nasty sunburn on my neck.  Ouch!

Here's a cool picture of our dog.  This is how she sleeps most of the time,

with her head propped up against something (a chair, the banister, the couch, etc).  

I would think she would get a kink in her neck from sleeping like this!  

But she does this all the time.

Supplies used:

Paper (unknown)

Title: Cricut "Stamped" Font

Lei Flowers

Buttons, Embroidery Floss 

These flowers are from a Lei that was purchased at a local Dollar Store.

I tear it all apart, keeping the flowers and throw out the rest.

I added buttons to the center of the flowers with embroidery floss.

The strip of paper above the flowers was just folded randomly to create

a little interest on the layout.

A close up of the Font used with my Cricut.

Have a wonderful day!

Polly  :)