So, the first "major" trick in baton in a thumb flip one spin.  Its attained in steps.  First you learn to roll the baton over your thumb and catch it with your other hand.  Then you learn to roll it over your thumb and catch it with the hand you rolled it over.  Then  you learn to roll it over your thumb and at the precise right second give it a push and it goes up in the air and you catch it.

Then you step back and learn spin technique.  This is placing your foot in front of you just so, and spinning around in a circle and stopping exactly where you started.  This is a lot trickier then it looks.  And gets you dizzy quickly.

Then you learn to add even more height into your thumb toss until its going up in the air above you head about three feet.

Then you add a flourish a whip, a thumb toss, and a spin around in the circle and catch.

Some this comes easy.  Zeria mastered her one spin in about 2 months.  Sam the same.  Jamari did it the first time he tried his one spin.  (stinker)  Kaylin it took about 6 months.  And she wore a bike helmet for a good portion of that cause she was CONVINCED it was going to take her head off.  (It might have too LOL)

Rainee however has been trying since LAST MARCH.   Almost thirteen months or so.   She'd really work at it for a long while, and then get discouraged.  For the last three months its been touching her finger tips and landing BOOM on the floor.  At which point the coach, the mom, and Rainee would let out a sigh.  Coach was even seen stomping her feet like a three year old.  She wanted Rainee to get it soooo badly.

Yesterday coach promised a prize for each of the kids if they could attain certain goals.  Everybody got their prize except Rainee.  She tried and tried and tried.  And no go.

And then the tears came.  She was exhausted, and mad at herself, and well you know the feeling.  She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.  She gave herself asthma.  And then she sucked it up and got up there and tried asthma and all.  And she failed.  So she cried some more.  And got comforted.  Nobody was saying try again.  Rainee was just pushing, pushing, pushing.   We got her out of her leotard that she was having a allergic reaction to.  We fed her lunch.  She cuddled with me a long time just MAD at herself.  And then it was time for her individual lesson. She was back to being in a very good mood.  She tried about 30 one spins.  Yes 30.  DIZZY girl.  Coach would make her stop this time however and take a couple deep slow breathes before each try.  She didn't get it.  *ugh*  So she worked through her two major routines that she'll be doing at state.  And in between times she tried more one spins.  I don't know how many a LOT.  And no no no catch.

It was time for us to leave, and still no one spin.  It would touch her hands and bounce out.  It would touch her arm and roll off.  It was time for the coach to leave, but we could see she was sooooooo close.  And then go figure when I wasn't looking (but the coach was.)  She caught it.  NO WHACK! as it hits the floor.  Just the coach screaming in excitement and spinning Rainee in circles around in her arms and running with her until she got over to where I was sitting.    She did it.  That is one stubborn little turkey.  But I knew that already.  Go Rainee.

Oh and please don't ever tell me baton isn't a sport.  I hear people mock it all the time.  I'd like to see you do a thumb flip one spin.  Or worse a thumb flip two spin like Jamari is trying to master...he's been at it a year and hasn't hit success yet.  Zeria and Samuel both have.  That's a whole nother frustrating story.

But today I just wanta say I'm proud of Rainee Grace for fighting through the asthma, and the hives, to success.

So if your my facebook friend you know I've made some purses with fabric crochet.  Today I got it together to line 3 more.  My goal is to get the rest of my stash that needs to be lined before the end of May. I have five more.  I should be able to do it.  I plan to sale them in July.

I have joined two boards on Ravelry.  Its been a very very long time since I joined anything.  But there into crocheting, and crafting, and its been fun...even if I only finally bit the bullet two days ago and actually posted.

So my first purse is made of Tarn.  Other wise known as recycled t-shirt fabric.

This is a little girls purse, with a small lavendar recyled pocket on the outside.  The color is wonky on it because I took it inside.

The next is a black and white polka-dot purse made out of very fine material.  Its quite light weight.  The pocket on it is black jeans, and the embellishment is a brooch I found at a thrift store for $1.25.  The lining on that one was a booger for some reason.  I had to undo about half of it, and resew it.  (All done by hand.)  I was not happy, but it looks very good, so it was worth it.

The last one's handle is actually a macrame belt that my sister Brittany gave to Zeria.  Zeria didn't want it so I rescued it.   The pocket is once again a pocket from a  pair of dead jeans.

I thought they all three turned out nice. 

Friday we decided to pack up and go for a day hike.

Rob willingly carried our lunch.  Pasta Salad, Chips, and a snack of cheeze and crackers.  Each child carried there own water bottle.  The plan was to hike down to the beach have a nice leasurely lunch, play, relax, and then eventually slowly make our way UP UP UP the trail back to the car.  Its about a mile and a half one way, which is a bit long for Jeremiah's 5 year old legs.  LOL

The trail down was beautiful.  TONS of trilliums blooming everywhere.

And I think Rainee stopped and took pictures of 75% of them.  She got a Cannon camera for her bday and she's just a wee bit shutter happy.  LOL  Okay madly insanely shutter happy.  Every time I saw her she was squatted down taking another picture of a trillium.

The forest was gorgeous, the trail mostly down hill, with a few wobbly roots and rocks, but not bad.  The kids were all in a fantastic mood, and the weather was a balmy 54-55 degrees.   We admired trees, and stumps, and fungus.

Sorry that last ones blurry...it was rather dark under the trees.

  And thoroughly enjoyed ourself.  The last 3/4's of a mile was VERY VERY steep,  and the last 1/4 of a mile gave us a suprise.

The WIND.  COLD wind.

And when we got to the beach.

It just wasn't that appealing for reasons you can see.  And with wind chill it was NASTY!!!

We hid behind a piece of driftwood and quickly ate our lunch.  FREEZING!!!!

Sheltered a bit longer behind this rock and watched some seagulls.  At this point several kids were shivering, and teeth chattering.  Which as you know is the ONLy sign of hypothermia that you get, so we knew we needed to get moving.

So without the break we needed we headed up up up.

One of several rest stops.  This one was still where the wind was, so the kids hid behind this tree.  I had by this time warmed up thanks to climb climb climbin.

Zeria started getting stomache cramps.  And that made her almost in capable of climbing the hill.  Jeremiah made it all the way up the nasty thing on his own steam. 

But we still had a mile of hiking.  And it was cold.  And Jeremiah was officially DONE walking.

Rob took Zeria's water bottle, camera and back pack, and Jeremiah.  Samuel who deserved sainthood that day also took LONG turns carrying Jeremiah.

Rob and I took turns talking, coaxing, and distracting Zeria to the car.   And about a half a mile from the car just to make things complete it started raining.

Yup, not the best adventure planned in this family ever.  ROFL.

And I don't think my kids will be talked into returning there for quite a LONG while.

The good news was, I made it on my own steam, and actually wasn't that tired.  And was barely sore the next day, which made me know I'm very recovered from my surgerys.  *cheers*