{ Father-Daughter Dance }

A very special evening occurred this past weekend in our household; David and Saylor's first Father-Daughter Dance. This was an event for all the Girl Scout troops in the county area---about 100 girls plus fathers attended. They made it a point to emphasize NO MOMS ALLOWED. They did everything short of tattooing it on our rears. The theme of the dance was "Hollywood Glitz and Glam".

Before I can tell you about the evening, I must start with how super awesome my husband was about this idea. He didn't once give the impression that he dreaded it. In fact, he got into it and started teasing Saylor by practicing his dance moves to Hannah Montana songs. Each time the subject of the dance was brought up, he whooped and hollered with excitement to her delight. He put serious consideration into what he'd wear. He showed genuine excitement over the upcoming evening. Saylor on the other hand, was nervous although she was looking forward to it. She was nervous about dancing in front of others....she can be very very VERY shy about things. She teased her Daddy by asking, "Please don't dance in a way that embarrasses me."
On the day of the event she had stopped walking entirely and replaced walking with an excited skipping as her form of getting from one room of the house to the other. She was happy and looking forward to the night ahead. I asked her if she wanted me to paint her nails and instead of a yes or no answer she merely responded with a, "Yay!" which again must have meant yes. I asked, "Do you want me to put just a tiny bit of blush and gloss on you?"---"Yay!" was her response which included her bouncing up and down and taking great delight in the way her ringlets bounced in unison. So I got out my palest blush, clearest lip gloss, and a little sparkly pink eyeshadow. She begged me for some mascara and I gave in. She was feeling all dolled up and kept smiling at herself in the mirror. Seeing her excitement was so sweet. After a spritz of perfume, my earrings, and her "Pearls", she was ready. My husband looked very handsome, as well. They were a dashing duo.

After the dance, David was ready to wrap up the evening by taking his little girl to IHOP for some late night pancakes. However, she ended up ordering popcorn shrimp. They swung by the house to pick me up. Saylor told me, "Mom, some Dads didn't even dance with their daughters. They just sat there and talked with other dads even though their daughters kept asking them to dance. But, not Daddy. He and I danced EVERY dance except for when we took a break to eat some cake and sweet tea." It doesn't get any better than that in my opinion. My husband said the last song was, What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong. A perfect song to end a memorable occasion. I am so happy the two of them had such a special wonderful evening. I still have memories of my Father-Daughter dance when I was in Girl Scouts. I hope my daughter never forgets this special night.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten
S.W.A.K.

Brownie Howl at the Moon Night

What is cuter than a bunch of Girl Scout Brownies on an Autumn night? ---A bunch of GS Brownies howling at a full moon, that's what! I loved Girls Scouts as a kid and this is my daughter's first year to be Brownie. Going to the GS Howl at the Moon night was so much fun for both her and I. It brought back so many memories of when I was in Girl Scouts. Seeing her learn some of the same campfire songs that I learned was sorta like a right of passage. My Mom was a Girl Scout and so was my Mother-in-law. So many old familiar songs are still being sung today by Brownies across the globe like Bug Juice, Smile in my Pocket, Make New Friends-But Keep The Old . Of course the only one she seems to have remembered frontwards and backwards is a song titled, God Bless My Underwear . Hmmm, that's odd because I don't remember ever learning that one when I was a kid. By the end of the evening, she and about 150 other Girl Scouts had S'mores coursing through their veins and were shining their flashlights into the tree tops as they walked down the wooded path towards our cars. If I had measured my Brownie's smile that evening it would have been 10 feet wide. As we were getting in the car to head back home, she said, "Thank you soooooo much for putting me in Brownies. Can you tell me the story again about how Mema (my Mom), Tita (my Mother-in-law), and you were all once in Girl Scouts?" Of course that melted my heart like a marshmallow over a campfire flame. We sang the God Bless My Underwear song all the way home and when we pulled into the driveway she kept giggling and said, "Oh My Gosh, I can't take this smile off my face. I had so much fun tonight. My cheeks hurt." and then went into another fit of giggles. It doesn't end here. The next morning, a school morning, I walked into her room and woke her up and the very first thing she started singing was the Bug Juice song and started asking me how the lyrics went again. Needless to say, for the past few days we have been singing Girl Scout songs nonstop and all I can think is how super happy I am that I put my daughter into Girl Scouts. I love my lil' Brownie!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

Brownie Oink Moo

Wanna have some fun in the kitchen and cool down on a hot summer day? Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches to the rescue!!!!  I love these brownie cutters because they are perfect for making ice cream sandwiches with an imprinted image such as the cow and pig faces. Just use any brownie mix and bake according to directions. When brownies are done, let them cool slightly before using brownie cutters. Set the cut brownie shapes out to cool completely before adding ice cream. I like to wrap them with freezer paper and place them in the freezer so that they can firm up a bit. These little brownie ice cream sandwiches are a fantabulous treat for any summer day.

---Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K