as the dust settles...

It's a quiet morning here in our home on wheels.  We've been parked at our fairgrounds for a week actively participating our our 4H Fair.  


This is an annual tradition for our family.  We come, we play, we stay.  We do projects and show animals.  We ride rides and eat Fair food.  We get up early and stay up late.  And, mostly, we get dirty.  Seriously, dirty!


{I just realized I should have taken a picture of Ellen's feet before I made her wash them late last night.  She's worn flip flops for days and though she's bathed a few times this week, it doesn't seem to matter.  Everywhere we walk is dusty and by the end of the day feet are ugly!  I think Ellen could have been crowned Grand Champion for dirty feet last night.}


Today is Auction Day.  The day in which all of the hard work pays off.  The 4H kids walk through the auction with their animal.  Friends, family, neighbors and local businesses bid high and pay much for the right to buy the project.   By the end of the day, the barns are empty and 4H kids are happy.


The dust around here will settle tonight.  Tomorrow is the last day of the Fair and the 4H barns will resemble a ghost town.  Memories made blend with echoes of the past.  Gates, cages, tack and pens will return to storage for next year.  And, the ambitious will begin planning for 2012.


As the dust settles in barns and between barns, my spirit settles too.  This morning, Emily hung a whole new set of ribbons on our camper walls... our "Walls of Fame."  My kids are bone deep tired and worn out but equally heart deep happy.  They love this and I love them.  


...and this is why I do what I do and we do 4H.

how to dress a llama...

If you want to dress a llama,

you have to find a llama.

There are lots of llamas

to choose from at the Fair.

If you want to dress a llama at the Fair

you have to, first, choose a costume.

It's very helpful to choose something

that the llama would like to wear.

and in something that you can easily cut up

out of your dad's closet.

If you want to dress a llama,

be sure to pack lots of safety pins

but be very, very careful that you don't

poke yourself and bleed on your costume.

And as you are dressing your llama

don't forget his feet

your llama may not like his spiffy new surgical booties

but it is all about completing the costume, right?

And if you want to dress a llama,

don't forget to dress yourself

because, of course, if your llama is a doctor

he will need a patient

For all your hard work

dressing your llama

you may even place third

in Llama Costume Class at the Fair.

summer pics...

I've asked my friend, Marah, at Memory Lane Photography, to do a family photo session for each season of 2010.  I can't explain why it is so important to me but thankfully my family is willing to go along with my weird ideas... and so is my photographer.

Marah is amazing!  For our summer shoot, she spent almost 2 hours at the fair with us last week.  The kids showed off their projects and we had a blast!  

This was the most fun family photo session we have ever had and what you see here is just a fraction of the number of pictures she took...

Friday's Fave Five... at the County Fair

Once again, I'm linking up to Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.  Each week, Susanne asks us to post the five things we are most thankful for from that week.


Here is my five favorite things from the county fair...

1) AIR CONDITIONING!!  We've had rain, heat indexes of 104 degrees and storms.  I'm so thankful that we can bring our camper to the fair and can have a place to escape the elements... with the heat this week, I've been most thankful for the air conditioning in our camper!

2) 4H AUCTION Each year the 4H kids have the opportunity to auction their animals and make a little money in exchange for their hard work raising the animal.  Eric auctioned his chickens... small breasts and all... and did very well.  He will use this year's auction money to help pay for next year's animals and feed.  

3) FAIR FOOD  This is one of my 2 favorite food stands at our fair.  I'm a fair food snob.  I hate buying food at the carnival stands.  However, I love to spend our fair food money at the local stands that support local not-for-profit organizations.  This one is a local food bank and soup kitchen and the profits from the sale of food during the fair help their organization throughout the year.  Their fresh cheeseburgers are soooo good!

4) THIS MAT My Dad made me and my sisters these mats last year for Christmas.  At the time I thought I liked it but now I know I LOVE it!!  For the first year we haven't had sand burrs in our camper.  I love that all the sand burrs fall between the slats and stay outside!  I've heard several acclamations of "Where did you get that mat?  I want one!"  Thanks again Dad!!

5) CAMPING AT THE FAIR We are so blessed to be able to camp at the fair with friends!  In this picture, our camper is the farthest one that you can see along the row of campers.  Of the other campers, only the pop-up is a family that I don't know well.  The others are filled with friends.  It has been so fun to have the kids play in the evenings together and to be able to run back and forth between the campers.


my one not-favorite-thing....

THIS HILL... we climb it several times a day to get to buildings, barns, etc.... the picture of all of our campers was taken from the hill.  The kids love rolling down it, riding their bike down it and running down it.  I don't have quite such a love affair with the hill...

discrimination?

I've shared this on facebook today and I just have to blog it... mostly because I have found it quite humorous all day...


Today was chicken judging day...

and Eric received a blue ribbon for his pen of two broilers...

These lovely birds were not in the running for champion broilers because...

their breasts were too small.


Does that qualify for sexual discrimination?

was lost... now found!

Dontcha just love it when lost items turn up in the most unexpected places?  Take our camera, for instance.  Seriously, who would have ever expected it to be in the mom's purse?  Really!?  So, now if I can just find my brain....


Now that the camera is found, safe and sound, here are a few dog show pictures of Emily and Ebony...

This is the beginning of Ebony's showmanship class...for this event, the 4H students had to be dressed up 

I hate that this picture is blurry but I think it's a great picture of Emily and Ebony in action.

Here the judge is checking Ebony over and asking Emily questions.  Since Ebony is not a pure breed dog and this is not an actual AKC dog show, the judge simply checked to make sure that Emily takes care of Ebony.

This is Emily and Ebony showing in obedience class.  The 4H kids were allowed to change into shorts and their club shirts for this class.  Ebony placed 2nd in the class!

This is Emily and Ebony (in the background) entering the outside ring for the agility class, 2nd place again!

I wish this picture wasn't blurry... (at this point I had almost totally drained the camera battery) but I love this look on Emme's face.  She was having such a great time!

I'll post more fair pictures tomorrow.  I don't claim to be a photographer but I love taking pictures of my kids having fun here at the fair.

Last night, I hired my friend, Marah, to take our summer family pictures here at the fair.  We had so much fun!  You can check out a sneak peek on her blog...

memory lane photography

it's all worth it...

I wish I could post pictures for you of the girls' animal shows yesterday. It was amazing and they both did great.... however, as is typical during fair week, the camera (with pictures on the memory card) is not to be found right now... I'm always missing something during Fair Week and this year I seem to be missing my brain....


The two day dog show was an incredible experience for both Emme and Ebony.  On Saturday, all dressed up, Emily first showed Ebony in showmanship.   Because Ebony is a mix (the nicer name for Mutt...) we didn't expect Emily to place but it was great experience... in a hot... very, very hot tent... but great experience nevertheless. 


After lunch, a much more casually dressed Emme demonstrated obedience with Ebony.  This was a crack up because Ebony is bad at obedience... I think she really doesn't want to be told what to do but she did GREAT!  I don't know if it was because she was so hot and tired or if it was because Emily was having so much fun but either way they placed second!!


Sunday's show was all out side in the hot sun.  We tried to squeeze in as much shade as we could but with his new haircut, Chad's head is a lovely shade of pink today.  


At the last minute, Emily opted to show in all four classes yesterday afternoon.  This made for a long day but it was great experience for Emme and I think she will do better next year because she now understands all of the shows and all of the classes.  At the end of the day, she placed second again in agility!  She had a wonderful time and came back to the camper all laden with prizes and ribbons.


I missed Emme's award show because Ellen showed Horse and Pony last night.  Because of her age, she is led by lead-line on the horse.  She and her "big girl" friend, Julia, and Julia's horse, Lady, did poles, barrels and keyhole riding last night.  And, she came running back to the camper with a plaque and a ribbon excited with her prize!


Seeing Emily's smile during the dog show and Ellen's grin while riding through the poles, I was reminded, anew, of why I do what I do... it's all worth it for me when I see my kids having a blast, doing what they love to do and doing it to the best of their ability.  Those precious smiles are what fuel my fire for 4H.

Friday's Fave Five...

My favorite blogging time of the week has come around again... time to link up with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for another week of Friday's Fave Five.


Here are the five things I am most thankful this week...


1) my kids... I tend to repeat myself often on listing the kids and Chad as my favorite things.  It's really because they are!  This past week, my kids have been amazing.... We've been running around for 4H.  The two older kids have shown a lot of responsibility and maturity in getting their things done and done well.  


2) my friends... this is another I've repeated over the weeks of listing my favorite things.  There was a time, in the not to distant past, when I felt alone... without friends who understood me or my choices in life.  Now, I'm not only blessed with friends but with friends who are willing to walk alongside me and encourage me.  It's only because of His great mercy that I have been blessed with a wide array of friends... different ages, different walks of life, different views but all very precious to me.


3) my church... last Sunday our church had a big church picnic after the morning service.  Once again, I was moved at how God blesses me.  He heard my prayers for a home church where Chad and I could grow in our faith and our children could as well.  As He always does, He blessed above and beyond what I could have imagined.  Yesterday I spent the day with a new friend from church.  It did my heart good to hear her testimony of how our church has met her needs and the needs of her children.  


4) 4H... This time of year, I become very overwhelmed with all that 4H entails.  However, if I allow myself to take a step back and see all that 4H offers my children... I realize, anew, how much I love that my kids are involved in it.  We have an awesome 4H club with an incredible leader who takes a personal interest in each project the kids work on.  She's amazing and we are blessed to be part of 4H with her!


5)  my God... I can not list my faves each week without thanking the One who gives me blessings.  I love the way He works in my heart and in my life and I love, even more, the way he works in the hearts and lives of my children!

and the results are in...

I would love to promise that this is the last 4H judging results post for 2010.  However... there are a few more things to be judged... such as dog and chickens.  For the next few days, though, all results are in...  So sorry for those of you who are bored to tears...




Emily


miscellaneous crafts...

                                                           (blue honor)


mock dog show...

                                            (75% on obedience, 100% on showmanship)


update on Eric...

                                                    (chosen to be reserve champ)

and on the second day...

Our second... and thankfully last... day of 4H general project judging is wrapping up.  One more project to be judged and a mock dog show tonight and then... a few days reprieve before Fair.


Here's mid-second day wrap up (once again, please don't feel like you have to read this post if you really don't care how my kids have done with 4H this year....).


Eric...


fine arts...

          (this one was judged yesterday but we found out today that it is Grand Champion)


Collections...

                                                     (Grand Champion)


Miscellaneous Crafts...

                                                      (blue ribbon)


Emily...


Miscellaneous Crafts...

                                                     (blue honor)


The kids are thrilled with their results.  I'm thrilled with their hard work.  Often there is a lot of excitement when they sign up for a project in January.  The excitement then trickles down until there is little-to-no excitement for their project when it's time for judging.  This year, I was impressed at how diligent they were in doing a good job finishing their projects for fair.

at the end of day one...

*** disclaimer... for those of you who are not close friends or family and who really don't care how my kids did on their 4H projects, feel free to stop reading now....


...fini... finished... all done... turned in today.  Phew!  All 4H projects were turned in this morning and this mom exhaled loudly.  Feels so good to be finished!


Here is how the kids at the end of day one...


Eric...

                                            (blue honor ribbon~potentially champion)

                                                              (blue ribbon)

                                                             (blue ribbon)

                                                          (blue honors ribbon)


Emily...

                                                             (blue ribbon)

                                                                (blue ribbon)

                                                                (blue ribbon)


... stayed tuned... results from second day of judging coming tomorrow...

you might be a 4H mom if...

My sister has shared with me that she is envious of our laid-back schedule during the school year.  One of the joys of homeschooling, for me, is the fact that our school days can be relaxed and laid-back.  The longer I homeschool (just finished year 8), the less I rely on the clock and calendar and the more relaxed I become.  Summer, though, is another story...


Actually, I don't feel like we've even experienced summer yet... you know those long lazy days of summer with nothing to do....  We finished school in mid-May and immediately began 4H projects.  This is when the tables are turned.... While my sister blogs about camping trips and days at their local beach... we are swimming in 4H... meetings here and there, practices, chores, and projects galore!


Our 4H projects are due on Monday and our local Fair begins the following Saturday.  I will be posting much about 4H in the next few weeks... including how well my kids did on their projects.  Until then, though, here's a tribute to my fellow 4H moms...


You might be a 4H mom...

...if you have spent more time in your vehicle in the past 3 weeks than in your own home... you might be a 4H mom.

... if your dog automatically walks out the door to your truck for the many, many dog training meetings she is used to going to... you might be a 4H mom.

... if you have a box of finished projects safely tucked away... you might be a 4H mom.

... if this is what your cart at Hobby Lobby looks like... you might be a 4H mom.

... if your table looks like this... 

... or your ottoman looks like this...

... or if your kitchen looks like this... you might be a 4H mom!




...I've heard it said that 4H builds character in your children.  I'd like to politely disagree with that statement.  I think 4H has built more character in me than in my children... patience, patience and more patience!