It's HOT!

Crafts

Hi.  So I meant to post a little more this week, but it was SO hot!  We had to change our plans a bit.  Instead of riding horses during the afternoon, we waited until later in the evening.  That meant we had all afternoon to swim and do crafts - anything to keep cool.  It was well over 105 degrees every day!  The grass is crunchy and dry and even the cacti are drying up in the Canyon!  That also means no more campfires - well, actual campfires.  We still have campfire, just no fire.  No s'mores either.  Or fireworks.  I want us to be safe, but it will be a sad 4th of July without fireworks!  I've been helping Elena with her swimming a lot and I really think she's getting better.  She can definitely dog paddle!  I'm really starting to like Amy.  I was afraid she might be kind of mean, but she really is nice and brave.  Bugs, hiking, worms, nothing bothers her!  We are all getting along better, but sometimes I think Anna feels left out.  She doesn't like it here very much.  I'm not sure what to do about that.

Gathering supplies for our Sit Upons

First you need two pieces of felt big enough that you can sit on them.

Well, Amy and Meghan and I are going to teach you how to make Sit Upons today.  The girls like that I have a blog and Amy thought it would be fun to share how to make a craft.  Meghan took most of the pictures for us. So here we go!  (If you don't know about Sit Upons, they are little things you put on the ground to "Sit Upon."  It keeps you from getting dirty or wet!)

You'll also need some paper bags.

Sandwich the bags between the felt.  It helps if you punch some holes in
the felt now.  

You'll need a long piece of yarn.

Then you sew the yarn around the felt using
a whipstitch - which means the thread
always goes through the same side.  You can
sew back the other way, going through the
opposite side of the fabric.  It will look
criss-cross if you get it right.

When you're finished, you can decorate it.
Then take it out in the great outdoors and
USE it!  :)

I'll update again sometime this week!
-Makennah


(I apologize for this wonky looking post - I just can't get it all together!  Thanks for reading and commenting - it's been such fun!)

Water Safety

Today was our first full day here at camp.  We had to be at 'flag pole' at 7:30 - before we even got breakfast! We sang our camp song, did the pledges for the Texas and US flags, and said our prayers.  After that, we got to go eat breakfast.  Food here at camp is really great!  For breakfast, you could have scrambled eggs and sausage with toast or cereal.  I'm a picky eater, but even I like that kind of breakfast! 

Cabin 15 girls at Water Safety

Meghan and I show off our swimbands.

After that, we have our morning activities.  Elena, Meghan, and I chose Water       Safety.  Elena helped Meghan and me braid our hair.  I was really glad she knew how to braid, because I was getting it all tangled!  We had to take a swim test this morning.  I earned a purple band - that means I can swim wherever, whenever!  (No, mom, not really.  There still have to be lifeguards around.)  I love to swim, so I knew I could ace that test. Meghan got a yellow band.  I think she got nervous during her test.  Meghan doesn't get to swim a lot in Russia, only when she visits here in the summers.  Meghan has to have a grownup watching if she goes in the deep end, but she is determined that she'll get her purple band by the end of the summer.  But here's the strange part - Elena got a pink band.  That means she can't swim at all!  I think she was embarrassed to tell us that she didn't know how.  She was really upset and scared to take the test, but she was really brave and did it anyway.  Elena will always have to have a grownup in the water with her.  I promised I'd help her out too.  (I'm going to need Elena's help with first aid.  Yikes - all those knots and slings and stuff...)

Cabin 15 flag

After that, we went back to our cabins and got ready for lunch.  In the early afternoon, our whole cabin has Arts and Crafts.  Today we worked really hard on our camp flag.  We decided simple was best.  We also learned some of the SECRET traditions at Camp PDC.  :)  I can't share those here, but it was fun!


In the late afternoon, we get to have free time - which means you can nap, write letters, swim, go horseback riding, play sports, or send emails.  Well, pretty soon it will be time for campfire and lights out.  I really hope Addie doesn't see any scorpions in the showers tonight.  She screamed a LOT last night.  And you know who killed it?  Amy.  I kind of thought that she'd be afraid of bugs.  Ok, I really have to go now, I can hear Anna calling me for campfire.  Talk to y'all soon!

Camp PDC

Hi everyone!  I'm using my free time tonight to catch y'all up to date on what's been going on.  Last week, I was busy packing, packing, packing.  It was tough trying to get all I needed packed into one trunk.  See what I mean?

We left Sunday afternoon and drove part of the way to Camp PDC.  We stayed at this house (my mom called it a B&B) and it was really old fashioned.  I kept thinking that Samantha probably would have really liked it.  I had to say goodbye to Julie that night.  We decided that it would be safer for her to stay at home.  Here we are saying goodbye.  I think she understands.  (Ok, I know she doesn't really understand, she's just a doll!)

We had to get up and drive some more early Monday morning so we could be there to check in that afternoon.  I was starting to get nervous.  Who would help me fix my hair?  What happens if I break my glasses?  What if I get sick?  I wasn't so sure that camp was a good idea.  I thought about telling my mom to TURN AROUND, but I knew we'd already driven a long way.  My mom told me that she cried and cried the first time she went to camp, but then she had a great time.  We finally arrived and I was almost the last one to check into my cabin!  Here's some shots of us moving in.

 Anna and Amy have known each other for a few years.  This is their third year at Camp PDC.  Last year, they met Addie, so they all decided to sleep on the ground floor.

 Meghan asked if I wanted to sleep in the loft with Elena and Emily.  This is Meghan and Emily's first time at camp.  This is Emily's FOURTH year!  She's been coming to camp since she was 5!

The girls of Cabin 15

Amy, Elena, Makennah, Emily

Addie, Meghan, Anna

Well, I need to get to bed.  Tomorrow I have Water Safety classes with Elena and Meghan.  We also have to make our cabin flag and learn some camp traditions.  I miss home, but I'm excited too!

Summer so far...

School's been out for two weeks, but I've been very busy!  First of all, we had to attend a wedding.  We drove about 3 hours and then we stayed with all my cousins (there were 13 kids).  The wedding was really hot because it was outside.  One night, my crazy older cousin decided we should swim at midnight.  It was so dark but the water was really warm.  We only screamed once.  We made a whirlpool that was so strong I kept getting swept away!  After all the cousins left, we went to visit my grandparents.  They have a pool and two kittens, so I was really excited.  When we got there, my mom decided she needed to drive half-way across the country with my aunt, and then FLY home!  I really really really wanted to go, but Mom said that I couldn't fly home.  I stayed with my grandparents and they let me eat lots of chocolate ice cream though, so it was ok.  Mom brought me a giant stained glass coloring book.  We had to go to Dallas to pick her up, so that meant we got to visit AG Dallas.  My grandmother bought me a new church dress and new ballet clothes.  I'd also fallen and bent my glasses, so I got to pick new ones out.  :) Here's a picture of me after we got back to our house.  We've been trying to talk mom into taking that picture of JFK down, but she's not listening.

We're finally back home for awhile.  The strange thing is, when we got home, all my 'sisters' were gone for the summer.  Felicity went to her grandfather's house, Josefina is visiting her sister in Santa Fe, Samantha went to Piney Point with her Grandmary, Kit is with her Aunt Millie in Kentucky, Ruthie is on vacation with her family, and Molly is away at Camp Gowonagin.  I know it'll be awfully quiet around here without them. 
 I'm going to Vacation Bible School this week at our church.  We're pretending to travel to New York City. Today we learned about having faith in Jesus.  I hope I can bring Abbie with me tomorrow! 
The most exciting news is that on Sunday afternoon, I leave for Camp PDC.  Camp PDC is short for Camp Palo Duro Canyon.  I'm very very excited!  I keep packing and repacking my things.  I got my cabin list today.  Here it is:
 Girls 9-10 Cabin 15
Addie J. (Ft. Hood, TX)
Amy M. (Dallas, TX)
Anna T. (Galveston, TX)
Elena A. (San Antonio, TX)
Makennah M. (Parker, TX)
Meghan Y. (Mys Kasmenny, Russia/Lydia, TX)
Samantha P. (Topsannah, TX)
Counselor - Kristin J.

So many girls and such different places!  I don't know how I'll ever wait until Sunday.  I also had to pick my activities today, so I chose Crafts, Water Safety, and Horseback Riding.  I wonder what the other girls in my cabin chose?  Well, I'll update you if anything exciting happens!  I think I'm going to go check again and make sure I remembered to pack bug spray.