and so I whisper: June 2012

June 26, 2012

fall-winter 2012/13 striped scarves

I have been packing and shipping fall-winter orders since last week and taking photos of all the accessories we made for this season.

These striped scarves finished with a pom-pom are some of my favorites.

June 24, 2012

encampment

The end of another Girl Scouts year.

This weekend I accompanied my daughter to her year end Girl Scouts encampment at White Rock Camp in West Virginia. Until the last day we did not know exactly the details of the trip, but managed to get directions and pack the necessary things for us to have a good time in the woods.

Even though my daughter's troop wasn't coordinated, the troop hosting the camp was very organized and diligent in making us feel at home. The site was beautiful, clean and perfect for the girls in her troop to experience camping, play games, roast marshmallows...

Lucky for me, on Saturday evening they had planned a tai chi-yoga fusion class that was the perfect end to a hot day.

camp's main building

our lodge

the mesh kits drying

The primary mission of the Girl Scouts is to empower girls to be strong, independent, free-thinking women. This is why I have always encouraged my girl to continue in Girl Scouts, even though sometimes the meetings and activities interfere with school work on week nights.

Unfortunately, this year both of us are extremely disappointed {especially my daughter}.

Why? Well, when in the year the Girls Scouts celebrate 100th years, the activities planned for a group of 10 girls only include a visit to a wax museum, to Whole Foods, see the stars in Alexandria, and be on line all day at the National Book Fair, you start to question yourself if this is really empowering your girl into being a strong, independent, free-thinking woman...

Some of the lessons she did learn {the hard way}:

Good leaders know they don't know everything, and that they should listen and accept different points of view.

Good leaders are open to change. Change is one of life's most obvious factors, yet remains one of the most strongly resisted. She learned that effective leaders recognize the value of change and accept it. Yet all too often, it's much more comfortable to ignore the inevitability of change and to keep things the way they've always been and just tell others that their word is the last word, because they are the leaders.

Good leaders go the extra mile. Even though she experienced the complete opposite of this, she now knows the difference it can make, especially when people listen to what others have to say and how they feel about sensitive issues. She learned that raising your voice will not make people listen to you.

Time is of essence. Do not commit yourself if you will not do a good job!! This is perhaps one of the most important lessons. I always tell her that as hard as it is to say NO sometimes, it is better to do it honestly than to say YES and then not be able to deliver a good job.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend in your neck of the woods!

June 22, 2012

cake baking Friday

Baked this morning a cake for a birthday party my kids are going this afternoon.

It is very hot around here these days, so I thought a beach theme would be nice.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Enjoy the good weather!

rolled fondant to cover the cake

tiny sand buckets

watercolor for the bunting

June 15, 2012

graduation hamburger cake

I made this cake for my daughter this morning.
She graduated from 6th. Grade yesterday and has a party at a friend's house this afternoon.
She wanted to bring a cake... a "mommy made cake"
{all Instagram photos} You can now follow me on Instagram under the name petitsfournier and see what is happening on a more daily basis.

Have a wonderful Father's Day Weekend!!!