Looks Like we Made it...Home!

Could it really be?  Our last morning at BJP? It has been a week of fun, learning, gaining responsibility (yes the campers set the table for meals, cleaned up after meals, and made their own beds...don't let them fool you) not to mention making lots of new friends.  We have gained skills, friends, and a lifetime of memories.  That is what makes today so difficult.  A week ago we had no idea we would have so much fun!
So we are packed and loaded, cabins are cleaned and what is left?  Food of course.  We have to have our final breakfast of bacon egg and cheese biscuits.  Yum!  After breakfast it was time for awards and the fashion show.  The fashion show is not your typical event.  Counselors model what they find in each of the cabins and let those who left them behind claim their items.  We had a couple of folks who almost left several items behind.
Our experience at Betsy Jeff Penn was not quite done.  Every camper received an award, wether it was super camper, super friend, or just superman each counselor gave someone in their cabin an award that fit them to a T.  After everyone had a chance in the spot light we settled in to view the slide show highlighting our adventures from the week.
When we were done it was time to board the buses and head home.  We hugged our friends, and counselors, promised to be in touch and settled in for the long ride home.  When we arrived we were happy to see our parents, and tell them of our adventures, sometimes so fast that they couldn't understand us.
 We hope everyone had a great time and that you will think about joining us on our adventure again next year.

Can't Believe It's Almost Time to Go Home

  Mother Nature gave us a great morning for our last full day at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp.  We are well into our routine of getting up and getting our cabins cleaned up but today is bitter sweet as it is the last day we will do it like this.  As always our breakfast was hot and filling (french toast sticks and sausage) and we talked about all our activities (including last night's talent show).  Before we knew it it was time to head out for a day full of fun.
  The schedule today included ropes courses, rock wall, canoeing, swimming, and so much more.  It seems like we have had a chance to experience everything and a few more days we could become good at all of it, with the help of our counselors of course.
  Before we knew it it was time for lunch and that gave us all a chance to talk about tonight's dance.  There was talk about clothes, who we would dance with, what kind of games they would have for those who don't dance...there was just a general excitement in the air for the upcoming evening activity that would conclude our last full day of camp.
  But before we could get to that it was time to take one last chance to climb to the top of the rock wall, across the boulder wall, or paddle out to the edges of the lake as we enjoyed the last of our camp activities.
While we were doing that the trekkers returned from their overnight camping trip to Pilot Mountain where they got to put into practice what they learned at camp.
  Before we knew it diner was here and we had the chance to enjoy a great spaghetti meal thanks to the awesome folks who have been preparing our meals all week.  We really need to say thank you for keeping us well feed all week long.
  After dinner it was time for the event of the week, the camp dance.  Damien and company provided awesome music for us to dance and listen to.  There were lots of things outside the rec hall (where the dance was held) to do also.  There were hula hoops, corn hole, and an upright kind of horseshoe game that was pretty cool.  Speaking of cool, the LIT's (Leaders In Training) kept us cool by sweating over ice shaving contraptions, making us all snow cones.  We got a chance to talk with our friends, have fun, and have a great ending to a great week.
  Of course camp would not be complete without a closing camp fire.  After the dance we headed to the campfire site and enjoyed songs, skits, jokes, and most of all our new friends.  As we headed back to our cabins to shower and get ready for bed a few tears were shed.  We will be glad to go home to family and friends, but the friends made at Betsy Jeff Penn, they will stay in our hearts and heads for years to come.

Oh My Goodness! It's Wednesday!

When we woke up this morning things were dry and the temperature had dropped slightly giving our campers a little more energy as they woke up and cleaned their cabins before breakfast.  We are definitely in the routine of what we need to do, so I think it may have slipped by that it is already Wednesday and we are more than halfway through our week of camp at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center.  We've been so busy it snuck right up on us.
After enjoying a breakfast that included waffles and  bacon it was time to hit the dusty trail and check out some more activities.  Our groups will hopefully get the chance to do some of their favorite things like canoeing, horseback riding, and archery at least once if not more than once. Our horseback riders got to get up on the horse and go for a trail ride today which they said was really good.  While our younger campers were enjoying the more traditional options such as canoeing, horseback riding, and archery our older campers got a chance to do something a little special.

Our oldest of campers are in the Trekker group.  This group actually travels to the Dan River to canoe, they sleep out and make their own lunch and dinner while camping then hit Pilot Mountain tomorrow for some hiking and rock climbing.  Reports from the counselors say they had a great time canoeing the river and are looking forward to continuing the adventure.
The next to oldest group are our Adventurers.  This group spent today learning gps systems and prepping the outpost (on camp property) where they would cook their own lunch and dinner and will be sleeping out in tents tonight.  
Back at camp our younger campers enjoyed a lunch of meatball subs, green beans, and cheese sticks.  Before taking a brief break to relax then jumping back into the fun again.  This afternoon some went on a hike to the Beaver Dam while others got a chance to make fossils.  There was boulder climbing and even an opportunity to pick their favorite activity to do again.
  After all that hard work having fun we were all famished.  It was time to head to dinner fortunately and enjoy some teriyaki chicken on rice with stir fried vegetables.  Let's not forget the crowd favorite of banana pudding for dessert.  For the very youngest it was rest time, but they decided to use it wisely and prepared themselves for the main event of the night the talent show.
  Before we could enjoy the talent show we had to find out who won the coveted golden faucet and silver toilet seat awards for the cleanest, and next to cleanest cabins.  In an almost unheard of turn of events Cabin 1 held on to their title as the cleanest cabin in the camp while cabin 6 for the boys had the second cleanest cabins.
The highlight of the evening was needless to say the talent show.  All week our campers have been encouraged to sign up and showcase their various talents.  We had some singers, dancers, even one who solved a Rubic's Cube.  It was a plethora of talent and our campers enjoyed the show, hosted by a few staff characters we might add.
  After the incredible show it was time to head back to the cabins for showers, and to hit the hay.  As their heads hit the pillow I imagine there will be dreams of the adventures to come tomorrow.  Stay tuned for all that our last full day holds.

Mother Nature Can't Rain on Our Parade

  We woke up to a beautiful sunny day this morning to start our third day at Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Center.  Our campers are getting used to the schedule of getting up and cleaning up their cabins for inspection.  Our campers had pancakes and sausage for breakfast, along with a selection of fresh fruit.  For those who like breakfast it was a great way to start the day.
  Then it was time for our activities.  For our younger campers Canoeing, swimming, archery, horseback riding, and rock wall climbing was on the schedule.  For our middle school age campers it was a hike to the beaver dam and compass course thrown into the schedule.  Our older campers worked on team building and ground initiatives while spending a whole lot of time in the canoes today.
  Lunch for our younger folks was the classic pizza along with a side of carrots and celery, and the older campers (they have two seatings of meals so the younger campers eat first then the older campers eat) had chicken sandwiches and tater tots.  Yum Yum all the way around.
  In the afternoon we continued with our activities only breaking for camp store.  Camp store is an awesome time where we can purchase a snack and drink with our camp store funds.  As we enjoy them the entire camp is in the rec hall, playing, talking, dancing, and anything else we can think of.  It is a great time.  We were having so much fun that Mother Nature intervened and let loose with one heck of a Thunderstorm.  Didn't phase us a bit though as we stayed in the rec hall and played games until dinner.
  Dinner tonight was BBQ chicken, green beans, corn bread, mac and cheese, and let's not forget the pudding.  It was a very camper friendly dinner tonight and our campers left with their tummies full and calories to burn on the evening activities.  Mother Nature decided it would be fun to try to play with us one last time.  During flag lowering a thunderstorm warning was issued so we went inside to finish folding our flags and we were even treated to a song from our own Damien Jacobs.  After the highly competitive cabin inspection announcement (Cabin one for the girls received the golden faucet again while cabin 6 for the boys received the silver glitter toilet seat award) it was time to head out to evening activities.
  As it turns out our patience was worth it.  Mother Nature did not let another drop fall on us as we hit the water sports and the pioneer cabin.  At the cabin we played games and made s'mores by roasting our own marshmallows over an open fire.  At water sports we hit the water slip and slide, dizzy bat relay, the pool, and the lake.  It was just the right amount of fun to wear us down and get us in the mood for bed.
  Stay tuned for tomorrow as we climb high and reach for the stars....

Early to Rise, Shine, and Have Fun!

It is officially our first full day of 4-H Camp at Betsy Jeff Penn and it was worth the anticipation.  We started the day the early getting up at 7 am.  For the younger campers they had time to get dressed and head to the dinning hall for breakfast.  For the older ones it mean cabin clean up, trying to prepare for cabin inspections, before heading to breakfast.  This morning's breakfast included biscuits, eggs, and bacon, which had everyone happy.  After breakfast and cleaning the cabins it was time for flag raising and then off to activities.

  For our younger campers the day was filled with arts and crafts, pool time, horseback riding, archery, kick ball, and the boulder wall.  For our older youth who are adventurers and treckkers, the day was filled with canoeing, team building, orienteering, and much much more.  Now don't think that our campers were so busy that they didn't have time to make friends.  At every turn there was something new pairing them with a partner and letting them explore the fun of this adventure together.
  During lunch break our campers enjoyed chicken strips and home fries.  There were some very happy folks with very full stomachs at the end of the meal.  After lunch campers got a chance to rest before going on to the afternoon activities.  Can you imagine the excitement for the first time archer who hit the target or the child who rode a horse for the first time?  It was definitely a day of adventures.
After all this fun it was time for dinner.  Usually Tuesday is taco night, but it was moved to Monday and our youth had a fiesta with the food.  Making their own nachos, soft tacos, hard tacos, and then there was the brownie for desert.  Yum!
After dinner there was a little time to let the meal settle before we all met at the flag pole.  There they announced the winners of the cabin inspection.  Please note that this is a highly competitive event each day and the campers do everything they can to win the golden faucet award.  Today the girls in cabin one received the award while cabin 6 walked away with the silver toilet seat for second place.
Then it was time for the event of the night...water sports.  Our younger campers got a chance to do the dizzy bat relay, water slide, pool, and lake swimming tonight.  Sure enough just enough to wear them out fully.  Our next older youth hit the boulder wall and the pioneer cabin for s'mores at campfire.  Our oldest campers spent their time working on the rock wall seeing who could make it to the top.
After all of that exercise, and fun, it was time to head back to the cabins for showers and to change.  Guaranteed our campers will get a good night's sleep after all their activity today.  Tomorrow we will introduce a couple of new activities for each group as they learn to work together to have an even better time at camp.

Looks Like We Made It

If you were a 4-H camper today it probably seemed like an eternity to get from the Robeson County Cooperative Extension Center to Betsy Jeff Penn 4-H Camp for our very first day of camp.  In all reality it only took us three hours with a stop or two on the way.
Our first stop was in Richmond County to pick up some 4-H campers then on to Asheboro where they have a Golden Coral and we took a moment to stop and eat lunch.  After or stomachs were full we got back on our bus and headed for camp.
You could feel the excitement in the air as our campers moved into their cabins and made new friends immediately.  After getting settled in it was time to hit the field and play some games.  Rock, paper, scissors, tag is always a favorite and in big groups can cause a wee bit of confusion as we found out today.  The you got a chance to work on team building skills all while having fun.
Our outdoor picnic was incredible.  We had hot dogs with all the trimmings, baked beans, potato chips, watermelon, and chocolate chip cookies.
After filling our stomachs we hit the Rec Hall for a few introductions of staff to campers.  We had lots of fun as the staff members had creative ways of introducing themselves.  We not only learned more about our family away from home but danced with them.  That's right we got up and danced.  After a ball in the rec hall you would think our day might be done?  Oh no, don't think that.
Next it was time to head for the campfire.  We had skits, fire, and fun as we enjoyed a traditional camping experience.
When campfire was over it was time to head to our cabins and hit the showers.  once we got cleaned up it was time to hit the hay as they say.  Tomorrow starts early with a 7 am wake up call and we all need a good night's sleep after an exciting first day.  Stay tuned for tomorrow as we get crafty with our first full day and a list of activities




a half mile long.

Very Sweet Ending

It came up so fast....but alas here it is our last day of 4-H Jr. Chef Academy.  Still lots to do on our last day so we jumped right in.   We started our day with a look back in history.  Ok we didn't go to far back to talk about the things we learned and liked over the last two days.  Then it was time to split into groups and get our stuff going.  In the kitchen we worked with Mrs. Janice on making our lunch, chicken nuggets and home fries (made from real chicken and real potatoes).  In the auditorium we learned about whole foods and the importance of eating things that aren't processed all the time.
While working with our health department folks we got to play a game and then watch Colton as he made a smoothie.  It was made with yogurt, berries, milk, and ice.  It was some kind of good and good for us.  After we had snack and switched groups it was time for our Food Network Competition.  Miss Shea Ann made teams by drawing names out of a hat.  Then each team drew a number.  Our team went to the table to find the recipe we would make and the ingredients.  We then had a half hour to put it all together.  We found out it took a whole lot of team work to make it come together but we made it work.  Our recipes included: Twix Apple Salad, Strawberry Icebox Cake, Refrigerator Chocolate eclair, Strawberry cheesecake bites, and Oreo Brownies.  All of the recipes can be found on the 4-H Pinterest page as well as in the google drive recipe folder linked to the end of this post.
  After working together to make our creations we hit the kitchen for lunch.  We had our chicken nuggets, green beans, and home fries.  All of it was delicious and we enjoyed that we made it ourselves.
After we got done we headed to the auditorium to meet with our first Food Network judge.  We presented our recipes and talked about what we learned putting them together.  It was difficult but we really enjoyed doing it.  Mrs. Christy seemed very pleased with our presentations.  Mrs. T came in and taste tested everything.  Her eyes rolled into her head a couple of times so we think that was a really good sign.
After all of that it was time to split up and work with Mrs. Janice in the kitchen and Miss Shea Ann in the Auditorium.  While we were with Mrs. Janice we learned about puff pastry and made some along with filling and chocolate topping.  Our puff pastry was also known as an eclair and we got to sample them, they were delicious.

After than Mrs. T came in and we did our last lesson with her.  We made our own snack and put in the fridge while we got out on the floor and danced.  Just practicing what she preaches which is that physical movement is good.  After we got done with her lesson we enjoyed our snack and graduated pickle school.  Mrs. Janice gave each of us certificates and we get to take our pickles home today!  Miss Shea Ann also announced the winner of the Food Network Competition.  She said we did so well on the presentations, putting the recipes together, and our overall creativity of our food that the judges could not determine a clear cut winner.  So instead of giving us all first place ribbons she gave us champion ribbons which she said she does not give out for anything that is less then extraordinary.
after all of we made some extraordinary dishes according to everyone.
We split up again and part stayed with Miss Shea Ann to play games the other part worked with Mrs. Janice in the kitchen.  As parents arrived we got to try our creations and enjoyed them all.  It was a great day as we headed home with our cookbooks, pickles, deserts, frisbee, hacky sacks, and a mind full of memories.
If you would like to access our recipes from this week please click on this link.  Recipes can be downloaded and printed.

Old Fashioned Yummy!

  It was bright and early as we boarded our vans and headed to Clemmons, NC for day 4 of 4-H Jr. Chef Academy.  Today we were headed to a cookie factory.  Not just any cookie factory but the factory where they make Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookies.  The cookie recipe has been passed down for generations in the family and each and every cookie is still made by hand.  What made this tour even sweeter was that we got to sample each and every cookie flavor, 6 in all, along our tour.
  Our first stop was to see the cookies being rolled our and cut.  In the back of the big room they also have the ovens where the cookies are baked.  It was really neat and we figured out these ladies have some serious arm muscles because they roll out lots of cookies each day.  At this stop we tasted their number one best seller, the ginger cookie.
We then ventured back to where the cookie orders come in.  Our tour guide told us at Christmas time it is very very busy back here.  We learned about the different equipment and how many cookies they sell (its a whole bunch) at various times of the year.  At this stop we tested the black walnut cookie.
We then travelled behind the back doors of the store area and went to the heart of this cookie factory to meet Big Bertha.  Big Bertha is the mixer that they make the cookie dough in.  Folks come to the plant at three in the morning to start the process of making cookie dough.  they couldn't tell us how much of the ingredients they use, but we know its a lot.  At this stop we got to taste the butterscotch cookies (which we think may have been Miss Shea Ann's favorite).
From the dough mixing room we travelled down the hall to see the cookie packing room.  This was so cool because one lady had been doing this so long she could tell by the feel of the cookies if she had the right amount that she was packing in special napkins and wrapping to place in the tins.  They do thousands of orders and some for famous people too who really like their cookies like Quincy Jones and Neil Diamond.  At this stop we tested the chocolate cookies.
A little further down the hall we learned about the history of the company which started at Mrs Hanes' mother's home and grew and grew.  We learned about the cookie cutters and the Moravian star.  It was really neat to see the old timey ovens they used to make the cookies in and learn how they use different cookie cutters for different cookies.  At this stop we tested the kid favorite, the sugar cookie.
  From there we went to the shipping area.  We learned how they pack the cookies for shipping and minimum breakage.  We also learned that they have to make sure the ginger cookies are packed by themselves because they are so strong they will over power the other cookies.  Here we tried the last flavor, lemon.  It was so lemony without being tart.  Lots of folks said it was their favorite.   At that point it was time to say good bye to our tour guide and pick up our cookie orders on the way out the door.  It was a great day and we couldn't wait to tell our parents about the trip, right after lunch.
  We headed to Old Salem for lunch.  While we were checking out old timey things why not an old time town.  We did a walking tour and got to see a bakery where they use a wood oven to make bread, cookies, and cakes.  We talked with the baker and learned lots about what he does.  After our walking tour we headed to the Tavern in Old Salem.   This is a really cool restaurant.  It is family owned and operated.  The owner meet us at the door and told us about the history of the restaurant.  The kitchen in actually in the basement and they send the food upstairs using a series of dumbwaiters.  Its really cool.  George Washington even slept next door to the Tavern when he came to Old Salem to see an irrigation system the town had devised to get water from a local spring into the town. The owner of the restaurant's son is the chef and the entire family works at the restaurant.  The waiters wear period costumes and the hamburgers we had were the biggest and most wonderful burgers we have ever had.  After a great lunch at the Tavern it was time to head back to Robeson County.  We had a great time and can't wait to share our stories.  We hope to have one more as tomorrow is our final day and will be bittersweet.