State: Day One

After a rather long drive with several stops, we arrived at the U of A Fayetteville campus. Once there, we checked in, received our keys, and hauled our luggage up to our room. Which are very nice, we're staying in the Maple Hill dorms. While the livestock judging team practiced for their competition, the rest of us hung out in one of the living rooms in the dorms.

Upon the completion of their practice, the entire Howard Co. group, (minus Lauren who was participating in State Officer activities) went to the mall to kill some time. We stayed there until around five thirty, then headed over to Mama Z's (an Italian restaurant in Tonitown) for some dinner.

While we ate we discussed several of the things we could do until we returned to Maple Hill. Unanimously, we all decided that we wanted to watch a movie, and the movie was The Great Gatsby. (Which, although it wasn't very true to the book, was still pretty good.)

We returned around nine and are now hanging out until it's time to go to sleep.

Can't wait to see the rest of my brothers and sisters at registration tomorrow!!!

State Begins!

Well peoples, Howard Co. has arrived!

Today begins the annual State O'Rama, the competition that senior AR 4-Hers have been prepping for all year.

There will be competitions, a banquet, dance, State Officer elections, activities at the Jones Center, community service projects, and so much more!

State O'Rama is usually the last full week of July, and it is a week that all 4-Hers get ready for with much anticipation.

The question is though, is Fayetteville ready for this 4-H invasion?

Canning Day

It was raining really hard early today, so my mom told me, "Today would be a good day to make some salsa!"

Since we had thirteen tomatoes just sitting on the counter, I agreed. (There are no longer any tomatoes on the counter.)

We used a really simple, one pint jar recipe (which I doubled to get rid of all the tomatoes).

Recipe:
6 medium tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 tbs. diced cilantro
1 pinch salt
3 pinches pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 tbs. vinegar
2 tbs. bell pepper
3 oz. tomato paste (in addition to doubling all the ingredients, we quadrupled this one. That is, instead of using 3 oz., we used 12)

I sterilized three pint jars, and set up my canning bath before I did anything else. Then I got all of my cooking supplies out.

Mom bought me a set of canning supplies. I love my new toys!

Once I washed all of the veggies, Alex (my brother) and I chopped them all by hand. (Oh, I peeled the tomatoes before chopping them. I stuck them in some boiling water for about three minutes until they split then dunked them in ice water.) Mixed al the ingredients and let it simmer for about five minutes, stirring it constantly. We put the mix into jars (it made a little more than two pints), put the lids on, and dropped the full jars in the canning bath (which is just  large pot of boiling water, where the water covers the jars by about an inch.) Once it boiled, I timed it for fifteen minutes, and once that was done I removed the cans That's all it took and even with all of the cutting we had to do it only took about an hour.   Now I just have to remember to get the pickling supplies next time we go to the store. We have at least ten zucchini squash sitting on our counter waiting for me to get my hands on them.

4-H Kids in the Kitchen

I have spent the past few days at the our counties Extension Homemakers building (in which the majority of Howard Co. 4-H meetings and activities are held) assisting with a cooking class designated towards 4-H juniors. (In 4-H, you are a Cloverbud from ages 5-8, a Junior ages 9-13, and a Senior from 14-19.)

We taught, or were taught basic cooking skills, manners, and how to apply both.

The first day of the class we began by handing out items to all the people who attended. We received wonderful goodies such as cooking supplies (oven mitts, measuring cups a spoons, peelers, cookbooks, etc.) an insulated lunch box, a lunch container, pencils and activity books, among other things.

After going over the basic rules for the workshop we were all given aprons and sent to the kitchen, where the first thing we did was learn how to properly measure ingredients and use knives. (I have to admit, I was a little scared about this, as I am very well acquainted with some of the younger boys who attended the workshop, however, all of us managed to make it out of the session alive.)

Then, we got started on the cooking. The way this worked is that we had several recipes per meal/snack. (Usually three or four recipes per cooking session.) Our first cooking session was a snack session.

We made:

Let me just say before I list the recipes that we slightly altered them to suit our tastes, but these are the original, unaltered versions.

Symphony of Fruit Pizza
1 English Muffin
2 tbs. whipped fat-free strawberry cream cheese
1/3 cp. sliced strawberries
1/4 cp. red grapes, quartered
1/4 cp. canned mandarin oranges, drained.

Toast the English muffin until golden brown. Spread cream cheese on muffin. Arrange fruit on muffin and enjoy! (Serves one)

Veggies & Dip

1 cp. Ranch Dressing
6 cps. assorted fresh vegetables (We used red bell pepper, carrot and celery sticks, and sugar snap peas, cutting up the bell pepper and celery)

Serve vegetables with ranch. (Makes about 6-8 servings)

*Trail Mix
1 cp. small pretzels
1 cp. sunflower seeds
2 cps popcorn, optional
1 cp. toasted oats cereal (we used plain Cheerios)
1 cp. dry fruit
1 cp. fish-shaped cheese crackers

Mix all ingredients and serve.

*Lemonade
1 cp. sugar
2 cps. water
1 1/2 tbs. lemon juice

Warm sugar and 1 cp. water until sugar is dissolved, making a syrup. (Store in refrigerator). Mix 3 to 4 tbs. syrup with lemon juice and remaining water. Pour into an ice filled glass. (Serves one)

Next we had a workshop on the MyPlate method, our personal calorie needs, and how to plan a healthy plate. For more information about the MyPlate method, go to http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Next we made lunch.

*Corner Kick Pita Pockets
1/2 cp. spinach leaves
1/4 cp. cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/4 cp. shredded carrots
1 tbs. mild salsa
1 tbs. fat-free ranch
1 pita pocket
4 oz. extra-lean ground beef
1 cp. cantaloupe, cubed

Combined the first five ingredients, mix well. Cut pita in half and slowly open it with your finger so as not to tear the bread. Divide the beef and veggie mix in half and place each in pocket half. Serve each half with 1/2 cp. cantaloupe. (Serves two)

Barbecue-Bacon Party Spread
2 pkgs. cream cheese (8 oz.)
1/2 cp. barbecue sauce
1 pkg. fully cooked bacon (2.1 oz.), chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1/2 cp. chopped green peppers
3 green onions, sliced
1 cp. shredded cheddar cheese

Spread cream cheese on a platter, drizzle with barbecue sauce. Top with all remaining ingredients. Serve with thin crisp crackers.

Banana Milk Shake
1 ripe banana
1 tbs. sugar
2/3 cp. cold milk
dash of salt

Slice banana into bowl and mash with fork. Add all remaining ingredients. Beat until mixture is foaming. If you like, place a scoop of ice cream in the glass and then pour in the milk shake. Serve.
(Serves one)

Crunchy Munchies
1 1/2 cps. chow mein noodles
1 cp. mini marshmallows
1/2 cp. peanuts
1 cp. butterscotch morsels
1/2 cp. creamy peanut butter

Combine first three ingredients, set aside. Microwave butterscotch and peanut butter on high for one minute or until the butterscotch melts. Pour over noodle mixture, toss to coat.
Drop mixture by tbs. onto waxed-paper lined cookie sheet, chill until firm. Store in refrigerator.  
Yield: 3 dz. cookies.

We concluded Day One by making peanut butter cookies as a group, and then cleaning up the kitchen.

Day Two began with breakfast.

Ready, Set, Go! French Toast
2 1/2 cps. Granny Smith Apples, cored and diced with skin on
3 tsp. Splenda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs. skim milk
2 eggs
2 egg whites
butter flavor cooking oil spray
6 slices whole wheat bread
6 tbs. reduced-calorie syrup

In microwave safe bowl, combined apples, Splenda, and cinnamon. Mix well, and microwave for 1 minute. Beat milk, eggs, and egg white together in a shallow bowl. Spray cooking pan with oil. Place on burner over medium-high heat. Dip bread into egg batter coating lightly but completely on both sides. Place in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides. Place two slices each of toast onto plate, cut in half and serve with apple mix and 2 tbs. syrup. (Serves three)

*Cheese & Fruit Kabobs
1 pkg. (8 oz.)  Colby & Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 16 cubes
16 seedless red grapes
16 small  strawberries
4 kiwi, peeled and quartered
1 4 oz. container vanilla pudding
1 6 oz. container strawberry low-fat yogurt

Arrange one each cheese cube, grape, berry, and kiwi chunk onto 16 small straws or wooden skewers. Serve with pudding and yogurt as dip. (Makes 16 kabobs).

Frosty Orangeliciousness
1/2 cp. fat-free vanilla ice cream
1/2 cp. orange juice
1 orange, peeled and frozen
1 tps. orange zest, optional

Place all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

Between breakfast and lunch we had a manners lesson and conducted an experiment involving fruit perseveration techniques. We dipped an apple wedge and banana slice into salted water, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and sprite, and left one slice and one wedge 'untreated'. After several hours, we went back and observed the changes that had occurred to each one. It was rather interesting, although I didn't really see the results since I started to clean the kitchen.

Lunch was the last meal that we cooked.

Cool Quesa
cooking oil spray
1 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cp. reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/3 cp. each tomatoes, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and onions, all finely chopped

Spray frying pan with cooking spray and heat for 1 minute on medium. Set aside 2 tbs. cheese. Place 1 tortilla in pan and spread remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle with vegetables and remaining cheese. Top with second tortilla. Press down with spatula to help the cheese melt. Turn over and cook 1 minute. Cut into quarters and enjoy!

*Summer Salsa
5 tomatoes, cored and diced
1 small red onion, peeled and finally chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno
1/4 cp. chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp. cayenne (if you like it spicy)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. lime juice

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before eating.

Spanish Rice
non-stick cooking spray
1 small onion
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups salsa

Saute onion in skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Add rice to skillet and toss with onion. Add salsa and mix with onion and rice. Heat thoroughly. Makes four 1/2 cup servings. 

Bottoms-Up Cherry Limeade
3/4 cup lime juice
Sugar substitute equal to 1 cup of sugar
2 liters lime carbonated water, chilled
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
8 maraschino cherries with stems
8 lime slices

In a large bowl, combine lime juice with sugar substitute. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in carbonated water. For each serving place 1 tbs. cherry juice in a glass with crushed ice. Add about 1 cup of lime juice mix and garnish with cherries and lime slices. Yield: 8 servings.


Later on we were given certificates for the completion of the course, and door prizes were awarded. we received things such as 13x9 inch pans, knife sets, a colander, mixer, breakfast tray, and many other things that could be used in the kitchen. There was one for each of us.

We managed to come out of the workshop virtually unscathed. (I will not name names but a certain blogger did cut herself again.)

The kids had a lot of fun learning and I had a lot of fun assisting. We definitely did not go home hungry, and I hope Howard Co. continues this workshop annually.

Live Without Regrets

Regret:


Feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, esp. a loss or missed opportunity).



Noun


A feeling of sadness, repentance, or disappointment over something that has happened or been done.

Everyone has regrets in their lives, no matter how young or how old. It's how we let those regrets define us that makes us who we are.

It is impossible to go through life without regrets, for we all are human. We all make mistakes. It's how we take those mistakes and learn from them that defines us. For if we choose to wallow in the regret for the rest of our lives, we learn nothing but self-pity. But if we take that mistake that led to the regret and learned something from it that made us better people in the long run, isn't that better? Aren't you glad that you made that mistake then so that both yourself and other people could learn from it?

If you are given the opportunity of a lifetime, and you only had one shot, would you take it? I would, because I don't want to not take it and then regret that choice for the rest of my life.

So I guess what I'm trying to say here is to live with a few regrets as possible. You're going to make mistakes, and truthfully that is one of the few ways that we learn who we are, but don't make to many.

Do what you want. Live how you want. Don't ever apologize for being who you are. Live each day like it's your last, and live it without regrets.

State O'Rama Consumer Judging

At the 4-H State O'Rama, which is usually held in the last full week of July (this year it's the 23-26) you are allowed to participate in one or more activities. This year for my main activity I chose Fashion Revue: Constructed. (Meaning that I'm modeling a dress that I made myself.) When I say main activity that means that I worked for my spot in the competition at State.

I competed at the County level, and placed first, which earned me a spot at District. At District I also placed first, but at District if you place in the top five (this varies depending on the activity) and you are a senior in 4-H (14-19) then you are permitted to go to State in that category. Now, you can also select a secondary activity to participate it at State. (We're up there for the better part of a week, you honestly think that they're going to let us run free for a large amount of time?) My secondary activity this year will be to participate in the Howard Co. Consumer Judging Team.

What is Consumer Judging you may ask? I have absolutely no idea. So I looked up the definition (I'm seriously addicted to search engines), and according to www.buisnessdictionary.com consumer judging is:

Process by which (1) consumers identify their needs, (2) collect information, (3) evaluate alternatives, and (4) make the purchase decision. These actions are determined by psychological and economical factors, and are influenced by environmental factors such as cultural, group, and social values.

In the judging classes I am taking I'm learning to organize my thoughts, defend my decisions with oral reasons, and the principles and standards I should have in order to evaluate consumer products. As a judge, you should always be objective, never subjective. Don't make your decisions based on what you personally believe is the best choice (or what you would pick for yourself), but make your decisions based on the situation and what best fits it. And always make sure you can defend your choices with logic and facts. Saying "I picked it because I thought it was the best one," is clearly unacceptable.
In the actual competition you have several stations with four products at each station. You are not allowed at any given time to converse with your team members, to do so results in immediate disqualification. Each individual will rank the products on his or her scorecard, with the first number being what he or she considers the best buy, and the last number being the worst. (Ex, 4 2 1 3, with 4 being the best and 3 the worst.) They have five minutes at each station. After turning in their scorecards, a member of the team is selected to give oral reasons for the team. He or she explains exactly why the rankings, in order, were chosen.  Points are given based on how the products were ranked on the scorecards, and how the oral reasons are presented.

Here's hoping the Howard County Consumer Judging Team does well this year. I'll update this post after State O'Rama to inform you of our placing.

Teen Leader Conference 2013

I am an avid member of Arkansas 4-H.

Now, for those of you who don't know what 4H is, here's an explanation:

• 4-H is first and foremost, my family. Not the organization, of course, but the people within the organization. I joined when I was about nine or ten, and let me tell you these past seven years in 4-H have been some of the best of my rather short life.
• Second, 4-H is just that: four H's.

1. HEAD
2. HEART
3. HANDS
4. HEALTH 

• Third, it's an organization throughout the USA (I am not sure at this point if it's an international thing, but knowing it, it probably is.) An after school program that specializes in, well, EVERYTHING.

Think I'm exaggerating?
4-H has programs in every field imaginable. I know this because I have participated in almost every single one.
Some of the stuff that's been done over the years is:

• Archery
• Cooking classes
• Babysitting courses
• Anything related to Agriculture (Everything related to Agriculture)  
• Fashion
• Public Speaking
• Shooting Sports
• Animal Showing
• AND SO MUCH MORE

Like I said, 4-H is a national thing. However, for the most part everything we do is limited to county, district and statewide level. We have a lot to do at the national level as well, but so far the farthest I have gone is to state.

One of the things we participate in is TLC, or Teen Leader Conference. It's usually in the middle of June, and it is an annual conference, much like our state competitions.

TLC is a very important part of the year for AR 4Her's. Not only is it educational and fun, but it is during TLC that the Arkansas 4-H holds the annual Ambassador interviews. To be selected as a country Ambassador is one of the highest honors a senior 4Her can receive in their 4H life, second only to being elected as one of the State 4H Officers.


TLC usually goes like this.

TUESDAY

Tuesday is the set up day. All current Ambassadors and State Officers report to The Vines Center (where most, if not all, of the State 4-H camps are held). Their objective is to prepare the Center for TLC delegates. They set up the workshops, prepare the schedules, assign rooms and teams, and so much more. Not really sure what all hoes on during this day, and I'm not to sure I want to know everything.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is the day all delegates (those not currently Ambassadors) arrived. Some arrived early in the morning, that is, the ones who were applying to be 2013-2014 Ambassadors. The rest of us arrived in the afternoon, after lunch.

I don't know exactly what goes on in the interviews for the Ambassadors, since I've never attended one. But, I can tell you what happens to the rest of us delegates.

After our arrival and check-in, we are given a name tag with a group key, a room key to our dorm, a schedule, and a "Who's Who" ballet. Orientation begins around one.

During orientation, we preform rather silly songs, the Code of Conduct is explained through a hilarious video prepared the day before by our Officers and Ambassadors. The rules for TLC are looked over, and we are told what to expect if we do not adhere to them. The first of our to speakers for TLC are introduced, and after a rather fun speech we are dismissed to join our separate groups (there are six with about 20-25+ people in each group) and after about an hour of activities we are free to do whatever we want until dinner. We spend most of the time catching up with our friends, many whom we have not seen for quite some time.

Dinner is a banquet given in honor of the 2013 Teen Star award winners. After the banquet there is a presentation of the actual awards to the recipients. Dress is formal, and it is one of the highlights of TLC. Afterwards, with about an hour in between them, we hold a talent show. To preform, you must apply with a video of your talent, and attendance to practice is mandatory, otherwise you are not permitted to preform. During Teen Star we have talent presentations between groups of award winners. The evening has been a full one, and we are very tired by this time. We hang out until curfew at eleven.

THURSDAY

Thursday is a full day that is comprised mostly of workshops that cover topics such as dance, Debate, community service, Internet safety, and world affairs. The intention is that the Delegates take what they learn from the workshops back to their individual counties and teach it to the people there.

Each workshop is about an hour long, with 15 minute breaks, lunch, and a recess in between. They are taught by the Ambassadors and Officers, with supervision from the attending adults. The groups that we are placed in are an attempt to meet new people. You are hardly ever placed in the same group with people from your county, and most of them end up being people you haven't met yet. I was lucky. Two of the people in my group this year were from my county, and another was a good friend of mine from Union Co. 4-H (of which I have been declared an honorary member by all of my friends there).

On Thursday at dinner, just when we thought all the workshops were done, we were proved wrong. Given a slip of paper at the door, we were separated based on the symbol on that slip, into three groups. Three groups, which we learned, represented the Upper, Middle, and lower classes. While the State Officers gave a speech about hunger and poverty in the world, some changes were made. An Upper Class "family" (all those sitting at that table) lost their jobs and had to move to lower class. A boy in a girl in Lower Class got married and went to work for the Upper Class, serving them their dinner. I was in the Middle Class, and after my "mother" received a promotion we were moved to the Upper Class.

The Upper Class had their dinner brought to them. The Middle Class had to get their food for themselves, and the Lower Class was served bowls of rice that they had to share and eat with their fingers. Which grossed many of them out since they had had no idea of what was happening and, because they were sitting on the floor had leaned on it and touched it with their hands. No Germ-X was given to them. Many of them used their name cards to scoop the rice. We in the Middle and Upper Classes were not permitted to share with the Lower. I felt rather sick at the reality, because that is the way it is for many families especially in Third World Countries. I didn't eat much that night.

Once the announcement of what dinner was to be for each individual class, one of the Lower Class men snuck around our current President, and stole a bunch of bananas which he then distributed to the masses. VIVE REVOLTION! 

The highlight of Thursday is the dance that starts at nine. Remember the "Who's Who" ballet? The completely filled out ballet is our admission ticket into the dance, or alternatively the movie held in the auditorium. We put people down for things like "Most 4H Spirit, Most Likely to be Remembered, Funniest, Best Smile, Biggest Redneck, Biggest Flirt, Mr. & Mrs. 4-H" with a female and a male for each category. We spend the next part of the two hours, "Cranking that Lion King" among other dances, including some country ones, but leaning more toward pop line dances. One tradition we have is that the Officers lead us in the "YMCA".

After the dance ends, it's curfew and we all head back to our rooms. Typically, we stay up very late on the last night talking and hanging with our roomies. Hey, most of us don't drive ourselves home, so we sleep in the car. I know I did. 

FRIDAY

Friday is always starts with coffee. And is very sad, as we say goodbye to all of our friends. It's especially sad for those of us who are graduating and this was their last TLC. Most of us packed before we hit the sack, so we could spend as much time as possible with our friends.

We eat breakfast, clean the dorms, and go to our closing assembly for final remarks, a slideshow, and our final speaker. Once we are dismissed, well, we head home.


One last thing I would like to mention before I end this post. The slideshow is always awesome. And you are supposed to laugh at the ridiculous pictures, and to shout out the names of the people who are doing something that looks stupid. It's an unspoken tradition. 4-H is filled with trigger happy camera people. One of them being Caitlyn Kinder and whoever she allowed to use her camera, as evidenced by the fact that they took nearly 1,000 pictures over the course of four days. Don't believe me? Check out this link:

https://www.facebook.com/arkansas4h/photos_stream

Also, if you want to know more about 4-H, since this post was just about TLC, check out this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdyKxZvpy4M