Still having fun!

Believe it or not, I am still having fun at the fair.  Yesterday was long and cold but I’m hoping the weekend will be fast & still more fun.  It’s so hard to keep up with my posts but here I am sliding in yet another fabulous one. 🙂

Highlights:  1) Another cute calf pic – I’m trying to find out if I can have chickens, cows & pygmy goats together with a llama thrown in for protection. (what do you think, Mr T?)  2) I have the most amazing gals working for me in the store 3) We have had a sand sculpturer here working on a sand castle during the fair and it was finished 2 days ago…it really is quite amazing 4) I made a fun “farmgirl” soldered charm here 5) biodiesel fuel intrigues me  6) The  Republicans got themselves in a little trouble this week      …but I’m very excited about our new addition to the presidential election.  Sarah Palin is from the town in Alaska (Wasilla) where I used to live and her family attended the church where we worked.  She was out and on her way by that time we moved there so we only know her parents.  She seems to be an incredible gal who gets things done 7) Berry-Ka-Bob is the place for a great berry smoothie, chocolate covered strawberries & fresh fruit!

Gotta Love the Fair!

#7 is the Winner!

THE WINNER IS WENDY!

This is my 100th post and Congratulations Wendy Girl! You’re the winner of the sweet soldered charm that was mentioned in the last post…I think I can manage getting you your prize soon.  (Are you coming to the fair?)

More Fair Fun and a give-a-way!

Wow!  I’m certainly in a different place right now….and it’s a happy place, even yesterday in the POURING down rain.  I had such a hard time leaving home but I’m loving it here and I certainly will be more than ready to get back home.  My tomatoes and apples should be going crazy and I can’t wait to see my corn, oh, and I really miss Mr. T, but it’s great to talk to him each day…I love my cell phone.

I’ve tried to do some ‘charming’ while I’m here and that’s been a great challenge.  Boy oh Boy!!! I can’t solder here.  I brought all my stuff and it’s just not turning out as good as it should.  Nothing’s as good as it is at home (at home is best)…which leads in to the unveiling of my give-a-way charm.  Talk about a challenge!  I made one the day  I mentioned I would (in the last post) and I lost it (a couple of times, actually, but the last time I never found it!!!), so yesterday I set out to make another and here are the results.

at home is best

This charm features a picture of Annie Oakley – so much country sweetness here!

Today I walked around to capture a few of my fair favs on camera.  I wish there was a way to share some of the incredible scents that fill the air.  If you’ve every been to a county fair, take a moment now…take a deep breath and try to re-capture some of those fragrant memories!  Yum, yum!  I’m kind of doing my own fair food boycott this year, just because I’m spending so much time here (13-14 hr days~12 days in a row) and I don’t want to feel the repercussions (health & financial) :-).  Another favorite is the sounds.  Again, so hard to share.  I can’t even fully capture all of the sights but here are  few.

Just walking through the animal barns I find myself with this constant silly smile.  I love the animals and for
just a couple of you who faithfully read this online journal of mine, it won’t be any surprise that I have (somewhat secretly) wanted a cow for about 8 years.  Several years ago I was introduced to the breed of cow that I am most interested – Irish Dexter!  Just this morning we have had some come in to our beef barns and I really am in love!  (sorry Mr T – we need to talk about this, I know!…we have enough property now).  I met Stephanie briefly and I hope to talk more with her about these small, docile animals that produce great, lean beef and a wonderful milk supply (am I making any headway Mr T????).

There’s something about these animals that makes me melt…silly, and I can’t explain it.

I just met a delightful gal who belongs to what she and her gal-friends call a ‘chicken club’ – She just has 5 or so friends who all have chickens and they do fun things together.  Sounds like they get real creative and have too much fun.

Have a  happy, sunshiny day!

Oh ya!  I almost forgot to give a give-away update.  My next post will be my 100th so in honor of that, the above mentioned charm will be given away.  You just need to leave a comment and if you have a favorite fair memory, mention that too.  I’ll choose a winner tomorrow or the next day.

Fair update!

This is post #98…and post #100 will be a give-a-way!!!!!

I’ve been working so hard at the Fair. I was given a cute little empty building and I gave a request for a fresh coat of paint on the brown paneled walls. The goal: turn it into a souvenir store! My daughter and I have had fun working on this together. We worked for 3 days and then I called in the expert for some final touches. Yesterday was day #1 of Fair and it was fun and long and today is #2 of 12. 😉

My time has been so crazy – leave at about 7ish a.m. ~stop @ Starbucks in the morning for some internet connection, go to the fair and get home 11ish p.m. –

Today I need to make something special for that give-a-way!

Speaking of the Fair…

As a child I grew up going to a one-day fair.  It was so much fun.  Each year I was in 4-H and I would enter things that I had made like clothing and baked goods, and then a few months later I’d get a check in the mail for my ribbons.  WOW!  Those were the days.   ~Today I was able to visit that fair.  It was fun but it literally takes probably 30 minutes to see everything.  The parade was kinda cute and then at 12:00 they serve up a dynamite lunch.  It didn’t take many pics but here are a few.

I met up with my bf from K-9th gr.  We have kept in contact over the years but need to get better at it.

Next year I want to enter the cross-cut saw competition for gals – I came real close today but couldn’t find a suitable partner (I’ve got one already picked out for next year).

I have enjoyed reading some of your comments regarding great fair-time memories.  Keep your comments coming in and you will be entered into a drawing! {read last post}

p.s. I’m sure proud of my #1 (firstborn) girl.  She transitioning right now.  I’m sad that she’s gonna be an additional 6 hours away but if she’s following the plan that she believes God has for her life then I’m OK with her being that far and farther.  Check out her blog.  I’ve been blessed with two great girls ~ they have a way of getting to this mama’s heart.

Post #95

Just 5 posts away from #100 and a great give-a-way!!!!  I’m not sure what it will be yet 🙂 but I’m heading to the Fair and something along the way will inspire me towards a wonderful ‘country girl’ creation.

This will be my 12th year to work for this fair.  My job title has changed, (since I now live 5+ hours away this is a way to easily transition me out – both, for me and them) so, I’m both excited and nervous but I’ve got to be honest, I really don’t want to leave home.  I’m a bit of a home-body and I don’t think that’s ever going to change (it’s kind of funny though for me because I’ve NEVER been like this before).

This is how I’m going to choose a winner; I’m going to take every comment from now through post #99 (just one comment per post will count) and put those names in the drawing.  Along the way…share a favorite fair memory.

maybe it will look something like this - or maybe not

My new garden gate!

I mentioned that I thought I would be getting a new garden gate.  My friend and neighbor said he wanted to make one for us as part of an exchange (I got the best end of the deal!!!!).  I told him I really liked my weathered garden gate, it’s been faithfully doing its duty for 25 years and I am sentimental about EVERYTHING but I knew that I would be a fool to turn down this offer because I’ve seen his craftsmanship.  He couldn’t just design a gate though, he had to also change the landscape.  He said we needed to look at the whole picture with the garden entrance.   So…after giving a few of his days towards this; hauling in some dirt, scrounging some brick and placing a small amount of sod…here is the before and after.

old gate

new gate

Thanks Pat – what a beautiful job!!!!

He is going to continue making custom gates as he has the time.  He is salvaging old wood and repurposing it into beautiful and very functional garden gates.  Notice on this one that he even put an old door knob on it that is functional.  – I’m going to slip in a pic of another gate that he made and installed last week.

Anyone who lives in the Eastern WA vicinity can order their own custom gate!

A Day Worth Celebrating!!!

Thanks Mom for making the choice to give me life – it’s been a great one.

I'm the wee one!

Based on the generations who’ve gone before me I’m about half way there.

Here are my favorite “Celebration” charms!

the “sing out loud” charm is literally one of my first ones – the ‘cake’ one is from a card I received from Miss AR a couple of years ago (it’s just my charm and not one that I sell)

Here’s a pic of what came sauntering up my driveway last night – my sweet-16-girl is the blondy on the right.

Follow-up from last post {w/camera}!

We went back up on the Huckleberry Mountain Range to pick huckleberries again and I took my camera.  It’s hard to capture the beauty. It’s quiet, still and breathtaking.  We decided that the stress level of picking berries was one step above sleeping.  We found another nice little patch  and picked for probably a couple of hours and got about 9 cups each.  I know this sounds slow but it’s just the nature of picking h.berries.

Extreme Huckleberry Picking

I know I’ve mentioned how blessed I feel to live in this community.  I’ve had family living here for generations on both my grandma and grandpa’s side.  My great, great grandparents homesteaded here in 1896.  My grandma recently passed away.  This is the only place she ever lived in.  My dad lives here and now my family is here.  So when I go up on the mountain and overlook the valley where I live,  I have a sense of pride and ownership and I feel like I’m home!  🙂

My first sighting!

Yesterday was a fun and full day and I didn’t have my camera.  So frustrating!

I mentioned that we were doing a salmon BBQ for our church and community.  Let me back up a little…as of January, my husband and I now pastor a little church in Hunters, WA.  There is a great story to go with that, but to keep it brief, this same church is the church I grew up in as a child…my dad pastored it and my grandpa built the building (with much help) that we meet in.  ~Mr T fishes is Alaska each year and each year we do a salmon BBQ at our church so this year we planned to do it again, at our new church, and we extended it to the community.  On Sundays we average between 40-50 people.  Yesterday we had between 70 & 80 and for the dinner we had 120+.  We were excited about the response and it was wonderful to feel the enthusiasm from others.  I love interacting with the women each week.  There is so much talk about home life, gardens, recipes, etc…   There is such a feeling of community.

In the evening, a friend (I think she might be a closet blogger) and I jumped on our motorcycles to head for the hills for huckleberries.  I had my first sighting for the year.  A few of you reading this blog will understand the ‘passion’ that goes with huckleberry season.  The hard core huckleberriers won’t whisper a word about where their ‘spot’ is and if they do then they might have to kill you so you won’t spread the word.  You’ve got to understand, these berries go for $50+ a gallon.   …anyway, we decided that we needed to find our own ‘spot’.  I wish, wish, wish I’d had my camera.  It was a beautiful adventure.  We did find berries and we need to go back to do some real picking.  We started our ride from her house and actually took logging roads and made our way to my house (hoping all the while that we were in the right place).  The sun was setting as we were on our way home.  Did I mentioned I wished I’d had my camera???   ~Now it’s time to go make sourdough pancakes with huckleberries for breakfast.