awards

Meeting the International Champion Monroe County, W.V. Lego Robotics Team.

Posted on September 21, 2017 by jolynnpowers

While taking my youngest son to see his 4-H project at the West Virginia State Fair this August, we met a group of inspiring young people from Monroe County. The Boa Constrictor Robotics Team from Union, West Virginia is not only a local and national champion, but a 5th place winner on the world stage for Lego Robotics building.

Yes, you read that properly, 2 dozen kids from one of the poorest counties in the nation placed 5th in the world. The team beat challengers from Korea, China,and Chile, to name only a few of the over 60 nations represented. Monroe County claimed awards and trophies for beating hundreds of well sponsored teams from all over the United States and the World.

Members of the Monroe County 4-H Lego Robotics team at the West Virginia State Fare 2017

The Monroe County 4-H members put on a demonstration in the 4-H/FFA center building at this years State Fair. The same room where all qualified projects are displayed and judged for the best projects at the state level. This team was able to show hundreds of visitors what 4-H can do for kids and what one small community was able to do with some dedicated volunteers.

Christopher was instantly engaged in the robots and the team allowed guests to play with the winning robot named Rook. The team made and displayed several smaller introductory robots also. I could not drag my son away, the visit to see his own project was forgotten and it became a quest to learn more about how to make and drive these machines.

Christopher getting instruction from Boa Constrictor Lego Robotics Team member

Christopher in front of his first year 4-H pillow project that made it to the State Fair Level.

The Lego Robotic program is a wonderful way to show off what is often overlooked in our young people in West Virginia. 4-H members have to do the math and work with their hands, solving problems in real world situations. They develop teams were they learn to build what they need rather than counting on something prefabricated. All things our rural kids already understand. Our kids will need more than one sponsor, unlike other teams who can depend on money from wealthy colleges or business. They will have to develop public speaking skills as they talk to business people, university presidents, churches, banks and farmers to find the over $15,000 dollars it took Monroe County to make their dream come true.

Christopher plays with the first robot the Monroe County team built-in 2016

So with my family and others, an older son who loves to work with his hands, and help from our County extension office, we are now taking on the challenge of getting more young people involved in STEM projects ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and Robots. Our families hope is to increasing the number of children who are exposed to the future of technology and keep that interest growing . Lewis county 4-H is stepping up and following Monroe counties lead and starting their own Robotics team and my family is all for it. Soon we will have our own team,starting our own Lego robotic build and teaching kids about robotics. From the bottom of my heart, I am so proud to see our youth reaching their dreams. I thank them for inspiring a whole state of 4-H members and hope to hear great things about the Monroe county kids as they take on the State, Nation and the World competitions again this years. Best of luck kids….. West Virginia is behind you all the way!

To learn more about 4-H and Lego robotics and STEM projects contact your West Virginia University extension office in your county.

Categories: 4-H, awards, Christopher, Cody, education, Legos, Monroe County, Robotics, STEM | Tags: 4-H, Christopher, education, Lego, Monroe County, Robotics, STEM, West Virginia | 2 Comments

The Versatile Blogger: Sharing the blogs I love

Posted on July 27, 2015 by jolynnpowers

I have some of the best blogger friends, they never stop sharing their support for my little piece of cyber-space. Doug over at Carnivore Confidential a professional Butcher with a witty blog has been so kind to share the Versatile Blogger award with me. We share a passion for all things wild from hunting wild game to spending free time cooking and foraging in the mountains and streams of our prospective Countries of Canada and the U.S. So I have found a few minutes to try to pass along the love and send this award to those I really enjoy reading and sharing time with, hope you like them too!

The rules for the Award are pretty simple….

1st .Thank the person or blog that nominated you…….. Thanks to Carnivore Confidential for thinking of me and my blog about living life slowly and fully every day.

2nd. List 7 things that you may not know about me. This is always hard for me, I forget what it is that I have shared here and what I haven’t. So forgive me if I am repeating things.

1. I raised in a restaurant family… my mother owned a small cafe on the Campus of the University of Colorado (Boulder, Co. USA) where I got to hang out in the summer. This is where I found my love for food and cooking.

2. I lost my father at the young age of 5 to heart problems.

3. I read almost everyday and never go anywhere without a novel tucked into my purse.

quietly reading a book

4. I have tattoos.. from years ago when I was young and wild and will add to them when I am old and wild.

5. My favorite ice cream is Butter Pecan. Really who does not love some kind of ice cream.

6. I started writing this blog while staying home taking care of a 77-year-old cancer Patient and a preschooler..you and this blog were my saving grace.

7. One of my first jobs over the summers while still in high school was working in a Butcher shop… yea I was a wrapper and set up girl for a three cutter shop that made its own sausage and brats. Now you see the connection to Doug and his meat tips blog.

3rd. share blogs that you think deserve this award. In my case I shared 10 and just want to say I have more that I love to read but these are ones that I think others should check out.

I read a lot of blogs and I love all of them and I even know some of the larger blogs do not accept awards. So I will not asks any bloggers to pass along the award but want to give a high 5 to a few that I have been really touched by. I want them to know I think a lot of what they do and what they write about. My blog reading covers a wide array subjects and life styles so hopefully you can find some thing that interests you. If any of these bloggers have time it would be great if you can share this award with others so we can read new blogs and make new friends. Just fallow the rules and send it on!

1. Dolly’s blog at Strange Remains is a forensic blog about strange and unusual crimes, tall tales, folk-lore and terrifying true events from our history and our world.

http://strangeremains.com/

2. Jennelle’s blog’s is a wonderful foodie project from another West Virginia blogger.. eat well and explore more of West Virginia my friends at Delicious Portager.

http://www.deliciouspotager.com/

3. Holly’s blog is a photographers view of the world down under… Holly travels Australia taking photos of the magic she see in her world. Take a trip with Red Terrain.

https://redterrain.wordpress.com/

4. Dan’s blog is the same style as mine and you just never know what the topic you will read about from post to post. He shares photos, memories, life tips, and other funny and insightful stories. Check it at out at No Facilities.

http://nofacilities.com/about/

5. Shawn and his wonderful wife are writing about being new to homesteading in Appalachia at Hillbilly’s in Training. So much fun for me to see them battle some of the same battles I fight everyday.

http://hillbilliesintraining.org/about/

6. Willow Creek Farm’s blog is my way of staying in touch with my roots an alpine farm in the mountains of Colorado.

https://willowcreekfarm.wordpress.com/

7. Eddie Two Hawks does not accept awards… but I just cant help but say that if he posted every single day I would try to read his wise, insightful, spiritual, beautiful, posts. They are the quite in an other wise noisy storm.

https://eddietwohawks.wordpress.com/about/

8. Matilda at Simply Grateful House Wife is my kindred spirit in the blogging world. We raise gardens, kids and husbands, with a kind heart and a grateful spirit.

https://simplygratefulhousewife.wordpress.com/about/

9. Want to learn more about gardening and DIY projects then take some advice from Pobet at Town and Country Gardening.

https://survivalfarm.wordpress.com/

10.Debbie and her family of 5 little ones and a hard-working Dad just makes my day every time I read her witty insightful blog… remember Put Your Booger in My Pocket I laugh through every post!

http://putyourboogerinmypocket.com/about/

So there are some of my weekly blogs that I will continue to fallow for as long as they will have me! Thanks Doug it has been a while since I was able to take part in an award and help support some of the other bloggers.

Categories: awards, blogging, writing | Tags: Awards, blogging, Friends, reading, writing | 9 Comments

A Liebster Award nomination

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jolynnpowers

Me like most of my blogging friends, I do not write my blog as a way to get awards or acclaim. I write to make friends, to share great information about topics, places and events that interest me. I also write this blog as a form of a diary. I lost my father young and have always wondered about him and his view of the world and what knowledge he could have shared. So my writing is a way to share with my children and grandchild a little about who I am. So when I get awards, even a simple award, I find it strange and funny.I never think that someone out their likes my stories and finds them worth reading. I want to thank my Friends at Cheese Acres Farm for my nomination for the Leibster Award. Please stop and hit their link to learn more . This award helps show case the blogs that I fallow and helps promote the small blogs with around 200 or less followers. Most of them you will find on Word Press but I do have some blogging friends around the glob that use other blog sites also.With receiving the Liebseter I was given a list of 11 questions to answer about my self and this blog to allow all of you to get to know me better.

1. Have you always lived in the state/ province that you are now in? Answer: No, I grew up at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder Colorado, lived several places including a short time over seas in Germany and ended up in the Appalachian mountains of north central West Virginia and have been here about 20 years.

2. How did I get my farm/ homestead/ blog name? Answer: From a friend, JD Wissinger, who wrote on my Facebook Page that I was a Mountain Mama. We joked that I was a John Denver fan grew up in Colorado and lived in WV making me alot like his songs so it just stuck.

3. Do I or my family eat out much? Do I try to cook while traveling? Answer: No, not unless traveling… but I do love pizza out, and a good seafood meal now and again.

4. What varieties of critters do I own? Answer: Sable rabbits is the only animal that I own for now, but have owned dogs, cats, chickens, horses, goats, mice, turtles, fish, frogs, gerbils, in the past.

5. Is their any animals you want but have do not have yet? Answer: yes, I hope to get a puppy next year. My husband wants to get a Germany short hair pointer.

6. What is your favorite season? Answer: Fall in a hardwood forest is breath-taking.

7. Are you a morning or evening person? Answer: nether I am an afternoon person… I don’t like getting up before 7 am and don’t like staying up past 11 pm.

8. Who does that cooking at your house? Answer: Me although I do get help from the family.

9. Are you a go with the flow person or a plan it out kinda person? Answer: I go with the flow baby!

10. How long have you been a blogger? about two years but only one on the WordPress platform.

11. Why did you start your blog? Well for the a couple of reasons, first I wanted to share what my family loved to do and see if I could eventually make a living from it. I also wanted to save the memories we made for the future generations of our family.

My random 11 facts are as fallows.

1. I love classic rock and have seen Pink Floyd in concert.

2. My favorite food is pasta, and it shows.

3. I love to read historical fiction novels.

4. I lead a reading group in our small town.

5. I have always wanted to travel to Ireland.

6. I love farm fresh, eggs.

7. I love second-hand stores.

8. I doodle while talking on the phone.

9. just bought my first ATV last month.

10. I hate folding laundry.

11. my favorite hobby is mushroom hunting.

Now I will share with you 11 blogs that I fallow and love that have around 200 or less followers. So here are some of my favorite undiscovered blogs. I think this list is really more a reflection of when I started following each blog then a favorites list . One of the first blogs I ever followed was Homestead Dad and it is one that I still fallow faithfully.

Molly in the Mountains

Now that I have shared some of my favorite blogs I hope that you take the time to look a few over and find more wonderful people who are writing about their corner of the world.Then the next step is for me to pass this award on to the bloggers listed above and hope that they know how much I enjoy what they do. If they want to pass along the award they just need to fallow these steps.

– Acknowledge the blogger who nominated them and display the award symbol.

– Answer the eleven questions that the nominator gives you.

– Give 11 random facts about yourself.

– Nominate 11 blogs that you think are deserving( that have less than 200 followers) try not to renominated people who have already been given the award.

– Feel free to pass on the this award if you do not have time for it.

– Let all the bloggers know you nominated them.

Give them 11 questions to answer.

So if you feel like you have time to participate in this award here are my eleven questions for you!

1. Where were you born?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What is your favorite season?

4. What is your favorite Hobby ( besides blogging)

5. What kind of home do you live in?

6. What kind of animals do you have?

7. Have you always liked writing ?

8. When did you start blogging?

9. Why did you start blogging?

10. Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert?

11. Are you married or single?

I have found a wonderful group of friends with blogging and I hope you can share some of your favorite blogs too.

Categories: About me, awards, blogging, hobbies | Tags: about me, Awards, blogging, Colorado, Friends, hobbies | 9 Comments

I Accept the “The Versatile Blogger award”

Posted on April 19, 2013 by jolynnpowers

versatile-award This award came as a total shock and I am happy to receive it from Rose at http://forestmtnhike.wordpress.com I am grateful and happy to also pass along the award to others, who like me, are just out their sharing a bit of their wonderful worlds. Thanks Rose you made my day and my family is proud that what you find here is worth reading.

To accept this award and spread the love there are three rules, you must fallow:

1) thank and link to the blog that nominated me for the award in a post.

2) share 7 random facts about myself.

3) Nominate 15 of my favorite versatile bloggers for this award.

Ok, so seven random things about me that you may not already know about ME!

1) I doodle while on the phone and at times draw things all over the whole cover of the phone book.

2) I lived, met and fell in love with my husband in Baumholder, West Germany.

3) I love the color yellow and painted my livingroom and dining room the color of vanilla ice cream.

4) I am a 4-H volunteer and parent.

5) I love to cook and will try anything once….. but will not eat raw coconut, anything with more then 4 arms or legs, or oysters any more… just say’n.

6) helped to start a local book club in my tiny town. I enjoy it very much!

7) Spend almost every weekend helping my husband with his blacksmith business… working with horses is a family passion.

These are my 15 versatile bloggers ….I was hoping to have 15 but I am short a few.

1 www.ruralspin.com

2 www.likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com

3 www.tamingthegoblin.com

4 www.aruraljournal.com

5 www.sweetdaysundertheoaks.wordpress.com

6 www.winterowls.wordpress.com

7 www.kathrinescorner.com

8 www.fulllivesflatbroke.com

9 www.homesteaddad.wordpress.com

These are the people who help and inspire me to continue to write about my rural life . They are great supporters and I am thankful for sharing in their Blog world.