Slug Bug vs Punch Buggy

Welcome to Free For All Friday! Cheryl here.

Growing up, we called the game Slug Bug. But, in doing some research on the topic some people call it Punch Buggy. Do you know what I'm talking about? The game where when you see a Volkswagen Beetle you scream Slug Bug and punch your sister, brother or friend? Two punches on red. And don't forget to scream, "NO RETURNS!" How many versions of the game exist? I'm sure you all have your own twist on the game.

I don't know why the game is so much fun for me. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my first car was the hand-me-down aqua blue bug with the latch hook rug doors that said "Baja" in red. What a POS! But it got me around and at 16 I didn't care much that the breaker wouldn't hold and I had no tail lights or that when it rained something electrical cut out and it would have to be push-started. Good car memories. Back to the game.

I don't remember getting into any fights over hitting or being hit by someone over the game but when it came the time for my two boys to learn the game I didn't really see the fun in them hitting each other over every Slug Bug we saw driving down the street. And living in the DFW area you see quite a few. So being the diplomatic mom that I am, I turned Slug Bug into a team sport. We're The Ragtop O'Pry Team. When we first started counting, I would pick the boys up from school and the first question would be, "How many bugs did you see?"

They put pressure on me to see more than the day before. And now... I think I may have developed Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. I can't drive past a bug without saying the number that it represents. The first one is always easy. It's number 14 that I screw up on. Is that the 14th one or the 15th? Then I have to replay them in my head. There was the green one driving through the airport, then 6 at the dealership- I am always guaranteed to see at least 2 at the Volkswagen dealership (imagine my happiness when they had 10 of them lined up right out in front so that I could easily count them as I sped by on Highway 183), the blue one, that's 8 and there were the 5 at the mechanics shop on Oak Lawn that's 13 so yes this white ragtop is 14! Whew. I can keep going now. While talking on my cell phone, in mid-sentence I'll say out loud the number of the slug bug that just passed by... So, we were at the soccer game- 18- and the boys played really well. Does that make me crazy?

The Ragtop O'Pry Team has a record for the week days and a record for the weekend. On average during the week, I will see about 20. Yesterday before I got to work I saw 22 and had 32 under my belt by the end of the night. Driving home from our South Texas Thanksgiving holiday we hit our all time high. So in honor of our Derby Give-away, whoever guesses closest to our all time record will win some great travel games for entertaining the troops.

Want to earn a patch? Come back on Monday and tell us how many Slug Bugs your team saw over the weekend. So, starting tomorrow morning through Sunday, count the number of slug bugs you see. You'll earn a patch for participating. If you need some denim to get your patchwork started, we'll include a bag.

How about you? What fun games do you like to play? Or, what is something that makes you crazy? In honor of Free for All Friday, if you have another topic that you need help with from our all-powerful-collective brains give it to us!

Announcements: We've had a fun week of Derby Give-aways. Thanks to everyone who has participated. Claudia is taking a plethora of goodies to the post office tomorrow. So, be on the lookout if you won something.

Yesterday's winner for the book: The Five Love Languages came down to Peggy and Tera. The two were entered into a drawing and Tera was the lucky winner. So of course you want to know the answers right.... Katie and I are both words of affirmation, Claudia is quality time and Heather is acts of service. Great job everyone.

I think we're still waiting on how much money was in Matthew's college fund AND if you haven't mailed us a post card with your address for the RAK box, you should do that! Right now! We were scrambling for some addresses tonight and you could win a RAK in the future.

In closing, maybe counting Volkswagen's doesn't make me crazy but starting to count how many times the toilet seat is up in the ladies room at the office because it's the cleanest place I've ever worked surely does! First stall, seat up, water blue- 3.

Signing off until tomorrow....

HLA Patchwork Fashion Show

Today is another big day in this week of Highlowaha Orientation. Today we will introduce the newcomers to the concept of patchwork denim. For the veterans, today, I will introduce a new patch yielding initiative for our community.

First things first! So, what is patchwork denim, anyway? Well, the idea came to life in June of 2008 when I was visiting Claudia in Grapevine, Texas. We were spending our day whacking our thoughts and ended up passing by a Girl Scouts of America store. Having Claudia's obsession with the Girl Scouts in mind, we turned around and went back to the store just to look around for a while. We ended up staring at the walls of patches in the store and that is when it hit me! Why can't we, Highlowaha, have our own patch system? That is when the idea was born!


In August, we introduced the idea to the community and encouraged everyone to get a piece of denim (jeans, apron, purse, etc.) and designate it as their HLA Patchwork Denim! Each community member's denim also includes our Troop Number (in true Highlowaha fashion), 218. After choosing their patchwork denim, readers began earning patches by participating in certain Highlowaha events which are deemed "patch yielding events". For example, in this past year, patches have been earned for participating in our Decathlon Olympics, pumpkin carving contest, ornament exchange, and many other events.

This brings us to the present day and our Highlowaha Patchwork Denim Fashion Show! I have received photographs of 8 Highlowaha readers and their Patchwork Denim! Let the Fashion Show begin, ladies!!!

Thank you to each of you for submitting a photo and giving the other readers a look into how GREAT your denim can look when you begin earning patches! Your participation in this fashion show has now earned you a new patch for your denim, and it will be on its way to you soon.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to introduce a new patchwork denim initiative today! As many of you know and others will soon begin to learn, our community is full of dedicated people who are committed to this community. There are times when members of the community truly go above and beyond to give an extra effort to our community. Examples of this would be Cheryl and her generous drawings of Ray for special occasions and Heather's hard work putting together the Awards Show for 2/18. For these members of the community who go "above and beyond" and truly exemplify excellence in our community, we will be giving them the "Bee's Knees" patch. First a little history on Bee's knees.

A bee's pollen-baskets, are located on its tibiae (midsegments of its legs - knees). The phrase "the bee's knees," became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s. "The Bee's Knees" is a term indicating excellence - the highest quality because bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. The allusion is to the concentrated goodness to be found around the bee's knee.

In the same way that a bee provides excellence through the pollen they carry in their knees, we believe that members of this community also provide excellence through the work they contribute to the community. Bees pollinate flowers and we here at Highlowaha like to pollinate our lives through making memories and impacting the lives of those in our community. As recognition of those who are providing excellence, we will periodically recognize a member of the community with the Bees Knees patch which is to be stitched into your patchwork denim around your knee.

A few final notes on patchwork denim before we end for the day...

• Need patchwork denim to get started? Have no fear! We have in our possession 6 denim purses and aprons to be given away today. If today was the perfect motivation you needed to get started on your denim, then you will want to get in on this! Today in the comment section, submit a suggestion of an event for which we could give away a patch in the future! The first 6 people (who still need to start their denim) to suggest a patch idea will be sent their denim! Already have some denim started? Feel free to make a suggestion anyway!
• Year Two Patches: Do you already have some patches that you earned during the first year of our blog? If so, let me know in the comment section today! We will be ordering "Year 2" patches (as pictured to the left) and want to order one for anyone that is going into their second year of earning patches! Just think, newcomers- this time next year you could be earning a year 2 patch!

Signing off until tomorrow...

Patchwork

The World's Longest Pair of Jeans

I feel like today is the start of something big (long and big). It's all part of a master plan... my master plan to engage, challenge, and recognize this growing and committed group of readers. Hopefully you'll agree that the real genius... and fun... of today's creative idea is only just beginning. The real beauty of it will come as the days and months pass. I can say, "genius," without worrying that you'll think I'm boasting, because today's idea is actually a dual brainstorm between me and... Ms. Kolkmeier... Katie, that is. 

But first...

10 Events; 10 Days Winners

1 Champion

2 Days to Go!

Join us for the

VIRTUAL HIGHLOWAHA

Dinner Party

Friday, August 8, 2008

8:00 p.m.

Eat Chinese food (don't forget your fortune cookies),

watch the opening of the Olympic Games,

Be in the drawing for a COOL prize, and

be home for the unveiling of...

HIGHLOWAHA's

NEXT BIG EVENT

*Announcement will be posted at 9:00 CST*

*****************************************************************

Let me warn you... equipment is necessary for this past time. To participate you'll need one old, ready-to-be-retired pair of jeans, BUT... that still fit! Don't have a pair of jeans? You'll want to pick up a pair. No need for an expensive pair of designer jeans. A simple pair of Levi's, Gap, or even Walmart jeans will work. Why? With a little time, a lot of fun, and some effort on your part... the jeans will be covered in... PATCHES.

Was it spotting the World's Longest Pair of jeans in Lucky Jeans that prompted the idea? Or , was it unexpectedly passing by the Girl Scout store and going inside to admire the wall of patches? Hard to know. But, the eureka moment looked something like that old commercial for Reeses Cups - peanut butter bumps into chocolate and the PERFECT treat is born.

Instead... jeans meet patches and the perfect idea is born. Highlowaha readers (men and women alike) will have chances to earn patches for all kinds of fun highlowaha shenanigans. Display your earned patches on your specially chosen jeans and then wear the jeans at Taste of USA: Philadelphia and other fun events sure to be forthcoming. If girl scouts, boy scouts, the military, police officers, and fire fighters - to name a few - can all earn patches in recognition of their accomplishments, then why can't we?

Some important points to get us started...

• We are troop/squad #218. February 18 (2/18) is the date of the first highlowaha post, so #218 it is. I have an extra set of numbers to the first person who posts a description of his/her newly appointed Patchwork Jeans.
• Highlowaha readers can recommend activities for which patches can be earned. Simply propose your idea via email (highlowaha@me.mac) or "Comments." We'll formalize and then post to the general readership.
• In the true spirit of scouting, earning a patch should require sustained effort. So, for instance... you might earn a Reading Raynbow Book Club patch, but only if you participate in at least three of the four books discussed in a year (that's an example. No decision has been made about # of books).
• Chairs of special projects (Christmas project and Book Club) earn a patch just for chairing. The extra work involved in leading a project justifies the award of the patch. Sue, Maureen, Brian, Julie, and Melanie... your inaugural patches are on their way to you.
• Much like scouting, "officially" earned highlowaha patches will go on the front of your jeans and other personal favorites (but not highlowaha) sanctioned will go on the back of your jeans. Katie (the bean counter) and I will take responsibility for ordering patches and getting them to you. Patches cost approximately $1.00 each. We are working toward setting up a Pay Pal account, to make transactions easy-peasie. 
• Below is a picture of me wearing my jeans. Notice where the numbers are placed (we would like that to be uniform on each person's jeans). I decided I earned the ice cream patch for eating ice cream every day in the whole month of July and the letter patch came for organizing Peanut and the Shell (really it is so you can get the vision for Patchwork).

Some announcements and then you can dig through your closet for an official pair of "HLA Patchwork" jeans.

Announcements:

• Don't miss today's posts. Today marks the first post about our HLA Holiday Project. Be sure to click on the icon, which will take you directly to the blog spot. The group has three questions they are posing to we the readers. http://mrhelpinghand.blogspot.com/
• Project Make Your Mark: I feel some momentum building for this project. Thanks. If you are new to the site and don't know what I am talking about, check Tuesday's post. We are trying to solicit 100 stories of 100 inspiring teachers to surprise 100 unsuspecting teachers from around the country. Helping is easy. Jot your story on paper. Mail it to me (with $5.00) at Claudia Beeny, 4012 Harvestwood Court, Grapevine, Texas, 76051. See Tuesday's (8/5) post for even more detail.
• Philadelphia here we come. Saturday, September 6, 10:30-4:00. So far we have commitments from Heidi, Tera, and Amy. Whose the next to RSVP, "YES!!!"
• Did you notice the cool green shirt I was wearing in the picture up top? It goes to the next person who RSVPs, "yes" to meeting us in Philly.

Signing off until tomorrow...