Time for my monthly gushing over Girl Scouts.

Bear with me.

BUT —

If you’ve felt even a twinge of an urge to become a troop leader, I encourage you to act on it. This is the most rewarding volunteer work I’ve yet encountered. Spending time with these girls, watching them grow and flourish in confidence — it makes me feel all warm and mushy on a regular basis.

Last weekend, our Service Unit held its annual Fall Carnival, which is always a lot of fun.

Last year, our troop manned the cakewalk booth. This year, we decided to put together a nail salon.

The girls — mine and those from other troops — loved it.

There’s nothing like sitting in a chair, getting your nails painted pretty colors and being fussed over. Watching them giggle and preen made my day. Every little girl needs to be made to feel special (by someone other than her family members), and I hope we accomplished that last Saturday.

A big thanks to Kristina (Moody Mom) and my co-leader Amy Webb for all their help. We painted teeny little nails for two hours straight!

Here’s a photo of some of my girls at our booth. (A few hadn’t arrived yet. Note the E-man, who couldn’t resist putting his own spin on my pictures.)

Waiting for the carnival to begin!