Stars & Stripes

Katie earned her Stars & Stripes Award through American Heritage Girls.  Her project was updating our church’s playground.  It was a big project in addition to all if the other requirements.

Today we were able to celebrate her award and all of her accomplishments along the way.  Her youth minister, troop unit leader, and the children’s minister (since she served the children’s program through this project and over the past several years), and mentor all spoke about her growth.  When the open opportunity to speak about her came, so many people came forward—adults who have seen her love their girls, her peers who spoke of how she is a wonderful friend, and younger girls who look up to her and appreciate that she sees them. I didn’t take a single picture during the ceremony, wanting to soak it all up.

Then we had our party.  In the midst of the process of getting her project approved, there were gaps of time in which we waited awhile, and as mom, I was to step back and let the project be hers anyway, so I’d been planning the party in fits and spurts for months.

I ran across the ‘build your own trail mix bar,’ and she loved it—it fit well with her troop experiences and was fun too.

The cake table—we had a chocolate sheet cake (via Sam’s), I made a vanilla cake, and Katie made the vegan cupcakes for those who needed them.

Close up of the cake I made—Captain America style, per her request

The cake we ordered

A fruit basket (with star cutout fruits) , punch, and water

Each of the tables had a centerpiece based around her favorite badge from each of the badge frontiers.  The photo board of her project and various mementoes are in the background—there are too many faces of girls whose families would prefer us not to post, so no close up of that table here.

Centerpieces in preparation—clockwise from 10 o’clock, Our Flag, cake decorating, creative writing, camping, book adventurer, and astronomy. Each had a label describing why that was her favorite.

Her favor was a SWAP

Here is the explanation of those SWAPS, since not everyone knows what they are!

Congratulations Katie-Girl!  You did it!

Love always,

Mama