GIVE ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKER JACKS...

Most of you know by now that I'm a new Girl Scout Leader. So far, I love it! I love the girls. I love the activities and I love all the fun things we are doing.

Like this weekend we were invited to attend the Angel game.

Nothing like a good ol' baseball game to make it really feel like summer time.

The Angels were kind enough to invite the Girl Scout Troops to not only watch the game but to also walk in a Banner Parade ahead of the game starting.

My girls were so excited about doing this. To be honest I was too.

There were over 700 Girl Scouts that met up in the parking lot of the Angel Stadium waiting to line up with their Troop for the parade.

Each Troop was to carry their Troop Banner. This is our Banner. I was worried about what we were going to have for our banner.

At first the girls were going to make one. They had started on one before I took over. However, it wasn't going to be the best quality and the girls were not happy with how it was going to turn out.

We were lucky enough to have my sister, Maureen, donate the funds to order a professional one made for our Troop.

The girls were so thrilled with this banner and was proud to walk the field holding it.

As we walked into the area where the players walk out onto the field, the excitement grew even greater. We could hear the people cheering on the girls and we couldn't wait to get going.

Once on the field the music started to play loudly, the announcer told everyone the Girl Scouts were on the field and the girls waved to the crowd.

It was so fun to be down on the playing area. This was a first for me. I didn't think it was any big deal but once we were out there and walking by the players who stood on the side watching us, it hit me. This was cool!

We even made shirts for the girls to wear that said TROOP 746 LOVES Anaheim Angels.

Our seats were up in the nose bleed area but that was fine with us. In fact the girls thought it was more fun to sit up high and watch everyone down below us.

One of the mom's bought the girls the big #1 FAN hands.

Even though we were up super high and the players looked pretty small from our seats, the girls still enjoyed watching the game. They would cheer the players and jump and down when a good play was made.

The loved when the Angels struck out the other team.

After walking in the parade, eating tons of junk food, cheering loudly and sadly having the Angels lose the game, it was time to head home.

Tired but happy the girls all said they had a great time and would remember this night for a long, long time.

Between keeping busy with the Girl Scouts and working on getting the Ghost and Legends Tours up and running, I've not been to good on keeping up with my blog. I'm sorry about that.

I do have lots to share with you and will try to be better at posting more often.

WHAT A FUN DAY WE HAD

Some days are more fun then others. Today was one of those fun days for me. I was babysitting my great niece, Trinity. I asked her what she wanted to do today and she asked if she could go to the petting zoo that she had her birthday party at two years ago.

So off we went to Zoomars in San Juan Capistrano.

Trinity loves the big caged area that has free roaming bunnies and guinea pigs. This bunny she is holding was one of our favorites. It was so sweet and loved to be held. Unlike most of the bunnies.



Trinity held this bunny like a baby and fed it that way. The bunny seemed to adore her as much as she adored the bunny.

As much as Trinity loved the bunnies, it was actually the guinea pigs that she really liked the most. She loved feeding them, holding them, naming them and just spending the day with them.

She said she wished she could take them all home with her. I believe her too.

All the guinea pigs seemed to love being held by her. I think they were thrilled she was not one of the little kids that held them so tight they couldn't breathe or dropping them when they were finished holding them.

This black chicken was the only chicken that would let anyone get near enough to pick it up. It seemed to enjoy being pet and cuddled.

I even enjoyed holding him for about a 1/2 hour.

The bunnies and guinea pigs just roam around and enjoy being fed by everyone. You can purchase a basket of food (lettuce, carrots, apples and broccoli) for $2.00.

This little baby guinea pig was Trinity's favorite and she did not want to put him down. She held this little guy for hours. She was so in love with him that we had to stay until closing time just so she could be with him. He never once tried to get away from her.

When she would put him down he would go searching for her. It was so cute.

I loved the bunnies more the guinea pigs. Even though I was did get bit by several of them. They don't bite hard though. So it was ok.

When it was finally time to go (because they were closing down for the night) they dump all the left over food and the bunnies and guinea pigs go running over to get one final snack before being put to bed for the night.

It was a great way for us to say good bye to all our furry friends. I have a feeling we will be going back much sooner then two years this time.

Trinity enjoyed these little guys so much that we didn't go see any of the other animals. They have pigs, horses, goats, lamas, birds and many other animals. Maybe next time we can go spend some time with them.

I'm not sure though. We really did have a lot of fun with the bunnies and guinea pigs so who knows.

We had such a great time laughing, talking and spending the day together with the animals. I think it was the most fun I've had all summer and I've had a great summer!

CANDY CORN CUPCAKE

Sorry I have not been posting as much as I should be. I've been busy working on either Girl Scout stuff or the upcoming Ghost & Legends Tour I'm doing.

While searching for fun ideas to do with the Girl Scouts, I came across this wonderful idea. We will be making these for Halloween for sure! It's easy, fun and I know the girls will love them.



Candy Corn Cupcakes! How clever are these? Super easy to make too.

Just make a white cake (you could even use a mix) and color 1/2 the batter yellow and the other 1/2 orange. Poor the yellow batter into the cupcake pan first then layer with the orange. Bake and top with a buttercream icing.

Since I love making cupcakes and I know the girls in my Troop do too, I think I'm going to start making them every few months.

Last year at Christmas I showed the girls how to make Candy Cane Cupcakes. I wasn't the leader then but I was able to go as a guest and everyone had fun.

If your party theme for Halloween will be ghost, you can make them super easy too.

I think these are darling too but I still love the candy corn one more.

HALLOWEEN CRAFTS

I can't believe I'm dreaming of Halloween already. Where did this year go to?

I was looking around on line and found some darling items. However, the prices are not darling!

I think these would be so easy to make and I think I'm going to give it a try this year.

I love these pumpkins! They are so pretty. They would look great no matter what your decor was this year. Spooky, vintage, elegant or even as quiet touches of Halloween.

You can purchase these for $195 at Horchow or you could go to the craft store and pick up some black embellishments for a few dollars and stick them on your own real or fake pumpkin.

I'm going to make these with the fake pumpkins so I can keep them for years to come.

This would be darling on any Halloween table. I love the bones in between the serving plates and the shinny skull on top.

This is $98 at Horchow which is way to much for me to buy.

Again, I believe for a few dollars you can make this yourself. Get some wooden plates from Home Depo and paint them black. Get some bones from the craft store (or even the dollar store) and spray paint them silver. Glue them to the plates and add a skull that you have painted silver and added glitter to the top and you are set.

I may even drill a hole in the wooded parts and put a dowel down the center to make it more sturdy.

No matter if you buy these or make your own I'm sure they will be the hit of your Halloween decorations.

FREE TICKETS FOR TWO TO MUSEUM OF YOUR CHOICE

Just thought I would pass along this free offer. It's Museum Day on September 25, 2010 and you can get two free tickets to the museum of your choice just by clicking here.

I hope you all take advantage of this and go to a museum near you.

OLD HISTORIC LOCATIONS

In 1894 The Capistrano Train Depot was build. It is the oldest Spanish Colonial Revival station in Southern California.

It was converted to a restaurant in 1975 and still functions as an Amtrak stop.

Of course this building is now said to be Haunted. Many people who have eaten at the restaurant claimed they saw faces and bodies of ghost that show up in their pictures. Sounds have been reported coming from the restrooms even though no one is in there.

Staff have reported being touched, called to and pushed but when they turn around, no one is there.



This was the actual jail cell from 1860. It is said to also be haunted. Many prisoners died in here as they waited for their release. Several committed suicide.

The cell is said to open and close on it's own, even though the doors are pretty heavy. Also, sounds of talking has been heard, yet when you get closer to the cell, it stops.



I can't help but think about all the people who spent time in this cell. What were their crimes? Did they receive a fair trial back in those days?

This is a picture of Polonia Montanez, who was the mid wife and also known as the Rain Maker, that I wrote about in yesterdays post.

This is the old adobe, where she lived. It was built in 1794 and is now open to the public for tours. Be sure to read my post from yesterday to learn more.

It's very interesting inside. As I walked through I couldn't help but think about old lady Montanez and what her life inside here may have been.

There are no windows anywhere in this house. Just three doors and two rooms. No kitchen and no bathroom.

In the one main room you would have found the living quarters. Here is where guest would have been greeted. Meals would have been eaten, clothes would have been washed and meals eaten.

I wonder how many meals she ate alone. Was she a happy woman or was she lonely? It is known she was a woman of God and spent a lot of days and nights in prayer and teaching the children about God and how to pray.

There is a bed in the main room though back when Montanez lived there it wouldn't have been. It would have been in the 2nd room, the sleeping quarters.

The 2nd room is now being used as a display area with photos and stories of the old adobe and Montanez live.

Look how thick the walls are. They help to keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There is no fireplace to warm up when it got cold and other then opening the doors there was no way to cool the place down on the long hot summer days.

I love the old wooden doors.

While I have heard many ghost stories about this adobe home, I did not hear or see anything. I can tell you that I felt a strange feeling of sadness while I was in here though.

This is the original outhouse that was built for the adobe. No, I did not open the door to go inside.

This house is now the O'Neill Museum.

The house was originally constructed as a four room house with no bath or kitchen. About 1895 a bath was created in the back bedroom, closets were made from space in the front bedroom and other alterations were made. In 1920 the kitchen was added although it still did not include a stove.



In 1976 the house was donated to the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society and it is now open for self guided tours.

The Society restored the house and furnished it with period furniture.

I do not believe any of the furniture or items belonged to any of the family members who ever lived in the house.

However, there are many wonderful items of historical value in the house. Like this piano.

I love the old wood floors and the old sewing machine. Look at the three old sewing baskets.

The chest is also a wonderful item.

The bedroom has a beautiful bed with old hats and the closet is full of clothes that are over 100 years old.

I love the lamp that is on the side table next to the bed.

While all of these items are from different places they are authentic pieces with stories behind each item.



The kitchen has a newer feel to it. Since it was built 50 years later then the rest of the house it seems more modern.

However, there is still no stove or oven and no refrigerator.

One thing I did notice about the house is there was no fireplace. I wonder how they kept warm in the cold winter days.



I love the old bath tub and the toilet with the chain handle and the tank hung high. There is no shower here.

While I know this house is said to be haunted and many people have been scared away from here, I didn't feel anything but warmth and happiness here.

Perhaps it's because this house reminds me of the house I grew up in. It wasn't as old as this one but it was an old wooden house with hard wood floors and a big porch.

The funny thing is, growing up I hated that house. I wanted to live in a newer stucco house.

Kids, what do they know?