Daybook

For today ~~~~~

Outside my window ~ FALL is here, I haven't been cold in months, I am Cold now!

I am thinking ~ How wonderful God is to give us different seasons to enjoy & look forward to!

I am thankful for ~ fun family times

From the learning rooms ~ school!

From the kitchen ~ Amy was in charge of menu's this week and I don't remember what tonight was!

last night was chicken alfredo!

I am wearing ~ hot pink/white blouse, white t shirt, denim skirt

I am creating ~ way too much at one time...working on a needlepoint project, a cross stitch project, a crocheted afghan, and finishing a smocked baby dress

I am going ~ maybe out to eat lunch with my 4 year old best friend...today her name is Hello Kitty

I am reading ~ the Bible,  studying Proverbs, and a kindle book ~ 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget

I am praying ~ for our children

I am hearing ~ computer sounds, cars driving, heater cutting on

Around the house ~ we had our first fire last night!  It was a cozy evening at home and I anticipate many more to come this fall/winter.

One of my favorite things ~ lots and lots of craft supplies, to go with lots and lots of ideas I find

A few things for the rest of the week ~ Amy's dance classes, grocery shopping, rv trip to a college football/tailgate party

 

A visit other women and read their daybooks please click on the link below!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Skittles

Our lives have been blessed with many little chihuahua's.

Skittles was our daddy dog and the father of the 3 litters that Hershey and Licorice had.

Last night, our kids discovered Skittles in the back yard, he had died.

Needless to say "Miss Animal Planet/Dr. Doolittle" is devastated.

Will is more laid back in his response, but upset all the same.

Our chihuahua family now consists of Hershey (the mama), Chip, Licorice, and Oreo.

And Mack (the old man, undetermined breed of the pack).

l-r Chip, Oreo, Skittles

Weighted Blanket

A gal in our homeschool group put out a plea for anyone who sews ~ I answered.

She wanted a weighted blanket made for her son who has recently (last 6 months or so) been diagnosed with Aspbergers Syndrome, which is in the Autism spectrum.

I had never heard of a weighted blanket but she sent me some information and I decided to try it.

She purchased the fabric & the little weighted pellets (think small plastic rock salt).

She chose navy for one side and a plaid flannel for the other.

I washed both fabrics ahead of time ~ if they were going to shrink at all I wanted it to be before the construction.  This blanket ended up with 8 1/2 pounds of pellets spread throughout the little sections and some polyester fiberfill in each section for some cushey-ness.

Here are some pics of the construction.....

First, the fabrics were ironed and measured to make sure the were the same width.

Then with right sides together, the fabric was sewn on the 2 long sides and across the bottom ~ I think the measurements ended up being 2 yards long and about 43 or 44 inches across.

Then I flipped the whole thing right side out, ironed the seems and then topstitched the edges all the way around to reinforce the seams...then the fun began~

I measured 6 inch intervals across the width of the blanket and marked with white chalk, then sewed.

Next was chalk marking the grid across to determine how many sections would fit on the whole blanket.  Then took the total weight of what they wanted the blanket to be and divided it between each section...are you confused yet?  I was, I got Greg to help me with the weight measurements.

I had my kitchen scale upstairs, to measure the pellets out and drop into row, then add a handful of fiberfill for the cushey-ness And sewed across making one completed row.

The lesson I learned after the first row was to do the pellets first and then the fiberfill ~ it helps hold them so they don't interfere with the needle and sewing (figured this out after I sewed the first row and broke 3 needles in the process)

I did figure out that 3 of my large handfuls equaled the amount needed in each section, so after the first 2 rows I didn't weigh them.  To me the blanket was getting awfully heavy, so the top 3 rows I cut back to 2 handfuls on each section.  The weight was still there but not as "strangling" feeling when it would be pulled up on his abdomen/chest area.

grid marked and first row weighted and sewn

completed blanket

After completing the blanket, it was washed and all the white chalk grid marks disappeared.

From what I understand, the weight of the blanket is supposed to help the children calm down, concentrate, or just relax.

I hope it works!

Truth for Thursdays

I pray that I will always be a help and not a hindrance to my husband!

We pray the Lord will direct our days and our projects & that everything will be pleasing to Him!

Ponderings!

#8 is the most important!

Daybook

For Today...

Outside my window ~ sunny, cool, autumn weather

I am thinking ~ about relationships

I am thankful for ~ a loving, providing, creative, Christ following Husband

From the learning rooms ~ geometry, zoology, Ancient Roman History, study skills, Bible

From the kitchen ~ cooking from scratch

I am wearing ~ navy skirt, polka dot top, slip on tennies

I am creating ~ finishing baby bibs, needlepoint owl, cross stitch craft store, crocheted granny squares

I am going ~ to enjoy the cool fall days

I am reading ~ The Bible, Brentwood by Grace Livingston Hill, and Practical Suggestions for Mother and Housewife by Marion Mills Miller (kindle book)

I am praying ~ for eyes and hearts to be opened to the truth of the Bible

I am hearing ~ a sermon from Grace Christian Fellowship in Tn. on the computer

Around the house ~ living!  Simple days full of school work, puzzle constructions, crafting, cooking

One of my favorite things ~ open communication

A few things for the rest of the week ~ school, dance, bible study, choir, a friends wedding

To visit other daybooks, please click the link!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

New Week

I've voted and the decision was unanimous.....weekends are toooooo short ~ which also means that week days are toooooo long!  Oh well, such is life!

I got an email on Friday from "Generations with a Vision" about the Family Economics Conference for next year and I hope you can go.  The fact that it will be held in St. Louis is a plus in my book.  Here is the link if anyone else is interested in this information ~ https://www.familyeconomics.com/.  I wanted to attend the one last year but something came up and we weren't able to go.  I've heard Kevin Swanson & Doug Phillips teach/preach/encourage in person and would like to hear RC Sproul Jr. and Joel Salatin.  (just got an email from Greg....he signed us up for this!)

Greg and I started working on a Hummingbird Stained glass piece.  All the pieces are traced, cut, edges polished and ready to be put together.  On this project, I learned how to score the glass and break the individual pieces (its a little un-nerving).  When we ran our errands on Sat., we went into Hobby Lobby and they had the stained glass pieces on sale, so we got 2 more pieces.  Amy is still contemplating her design and Will needs to come up with one also.  I've got a beautiful piece of purple glass just waiting for something to be done with it...but I don't know what yet, I just loved the color!

This week will be a normal week of school, laundry, animal care, cooking, dance lessons, and church activities.  We've also got a wedding to attend on Sat. evening.

Our menu's for this week are.....

Breakfasts ~ eggs, toast, cold cereal, bagels, oatmeal/grits
Lunches ~ sandwiches, pizza, mac and cheese, ramen noodles, leftovers
Dinners ~ Home made pizza, potato soup, pork chops/rice, something mexican, spaghetti

Pizza is tonight and potato soup is Wed. ~ the rest of the dinners will be spread between the remaining days.

Craftwise....I've got many baby bibs upstairs that are cut out and embroidered, ready to be assembled ~ then I will be ready for the next baby showers I am invited to.  I am working on a cross stitch picture of a "Craft/Sewing Store" ~ I started this months ago but put it down in our fair project rush.  I've also started crocheting granny squares to make into a baby or lap quilt.  My friend Jennifer did one for the fair ~ all the middles of the squares are different and then the outer row or 2 are done in white, then they are joined together with white.  She did hers in cotton yarn and it was gorgeous.  I've got lots of cotton yarn and bought a big spool of white on Friday, so my supplies are in place.  This is an easy craft to take in the car and work on or work on while I am waiting through some of Amy's dance classes.

I've come up with some gift basket ideas for holiday giving...now to work on the logistics of them all!  We've greatly toned down our celebrations but still like to "gift" our children/parents with goodies.  And of course, pinterest is a great inspiration for things like this!

Today in Keepers we are going to start on Needlepoint projects.  I am going to use the cross stitch owl pattern that Amy is cross stitching for my needlepoint.  Her future daughters room will be done in Owls (a current LOVE of Amy's)  The pattern is really cute, kind of small, and can be done in any colors.  Her cross stitch is in pinks/purples, don't know yet what the needlepoint colors will be!

Hope everyone has an awesome week!

Its Apple Time!

There is a huge Orchard Farm stand on Hwy 55 in Missouri.

I've been wanting to stop there and explore a little!

We did on Sunday coming home from Katie's house.

And I bought LOTS of apples.

The bags I got were the culls ~ apples that dropped to the ground or may have a spot on them.

I canned 1 batch of apples a day for 3 days. 

Amy helped lots with the peeling and cutting.

2 of my 3 bags were great ~ the 3rd was a little past its prime.

But we've got beautiful jars of apples ready to be made into Apple Crisp, Apple/Cinnamon Muffins or Apple Cake for this fall and winter.

They turned out great!

And I did a cost comparison for my dear Hubby because he always wants to know if its cheaper to do it this was or buy the cans at the grocery...

I figured each of my quart jars would equal 2 cans of apples from the store.

1 bag of apples made 4 quart jars

Each bag cost $6 and 4 new jars/lids/rings equaled $2.67

Total cost $8.67 (would be cheaper if I used jars I already had but I didn't have any empties)

Canned apples are $1.87 each & it would take at least 8 cans to fill my 4 quart jars

Cost is $14.96.

It would have been less than 1/2 price, if I didn't need new jars!

Thats pretty good savings AND I know whats in there ~ no preservatives!

I am linking up with 

http://mysimplecountryliving.blogspot.com/2012/10/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-79.html 

Truth for Thursday

Wisdom comes from the Lord!

2 Corinthians 1:19a  "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."

The following is a chilling example of seeking worldly wisdom instead of Godly wisdom...

Proverbs 1:28-33
 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.  They would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke.  Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.  For the turning away of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them,  But whoever listens to Me will dwell safely, and will be secure without fear of evil."

Value of Wisdom

Proverbs 2:1-7
"My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands withing you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding.  If you see her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.  For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly."

Proverbs 3:13-15
"Happy is the may who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine fold.  She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her."

May we all desire the Lords wisdom and guidance over the worlds and of any man.

Daybook

For Today....

Outside my window ~ its Fall y'all, and I am loving it!

I am thinking ~ about my adult children

I am thankful for ~ answered prayers

From the learning rooms ~ Geometry, Study Skills, Bible Study, learning to can apples (home ec)

From the kitchen ~ learning to can apples, split pea soup for dinner

I am wearing ~ denim skirt, coral t shirt

I am creating ~ working on my 2nd stamped cross stitch bib

I am going ~ to stay home the rest of the week...except for taking Amy to dance & our Wed. night church!

I am reading ~ frugal cookbooks on my kindle, the Bible

I am praying ~ for all our adult children to make wise decisions

I am hearing ~ fingers typing, cars driving, ceiling fan blades turning

Around the house ~ school, reading, crafting, planning for next years fair

One of my favorite things ~ smiles from my grandson

A few things for the rest of the week ~ pretty much the same as "around the house"!

A picture to share ~

my little love ~ Robert!

You can view other daybooks at ~

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-autumn-edition-of-simple-womans.html 

Simple Fun

Last weekend was simple & fun.

We drove to St. Louis & visited with Katie, Bryant, & Robert.

We got to see and tour a house they have put a bid on.

Greg got to offer little tidbits of house advice here and there.

We ate lunch out, went to the woodcraft store, Michaels (never been in a 2 story Michaels mega store ~ lots of girlie fun walking around with my 2 girls), and Whole Foods.

And there was lots of....

Grandboy Fun ~

playing with Grandpa!

Grandma's feeding me a bottle cause Mommy went to take her Algebra midterm!

His onesie says...Grandmas Little Peanut!

Bryant, Robert & Katie in front of the house!

Grandpa was showing Robert the climbing tree!

Grandma is giving me a bath...and I really liked the warm water!

Cross Stitch Freebie I've found on Pinterest!

Stuff

Changes in the temperatures usually bring some sinusy, headachey symptoms.  I woke up about 5:15 with a headache...and it hasn't gotten better ~ argh!  Its hard to accomplish tasks with a nagging headache.  I am thankful that the sinuses aren't kicking in yet.

School today was much better than yesterday.  Some days just aren't good and there are too many issues to deal with ~ yesterday was one of those days.  So, I am thankful for today! 

Our ceiling fan in the living room is looking decidedly fuzzy ~ way too much dust on those fan blades.  Amy & Will have been tasked with cleaning it this afternoon ~ so there will be dust everywhere!  Which means, the sinuses may act up.

We ordered 40 pounds of chicken from Zaycon (per my sisters raving about how great the company is).  It will be boneless, skinless and at $1.69 a pound, cheaper than I can get it at Kroger. It comes tomorrow morning, so I will be busy canning part of it and freezing the rest.  We will have to get more quart size canning jars.  With the pressure canning, it will be convenient to take the jars on rv trips or use them for quick meals during the week. 

We've been trying to stick to our menu plans and work on our budgeting for groceries.  With the prices constantly rising, this is getting a bit tricky some months.  I think we are doing pretty well, but there is always room for improvement.  Amy is getting lots of training in cooking and she is doing some menu planning too! 

Amy has her 2nd paying cupcake job this week!  She loves to bake and loves the challenge.  This week is for a Lego party, so she is making molded chocolate Lego bricks for the cupcake decorations.  They are turning out cute.  Tomorrow, while I am canning...she will be baking! 

I've been "stalking" ebay for a couple of weeks and have found some great stuff.  I've won bids on 2 crewel embroidery kits, a "lot" of cross stitch books, and some hand embroidery transfers.  Everything has been delivered.  Now, I just have to remember how to do crewel embroidery & show Amy how ~ these will be entries for the fair next year.  And, I've told Greg I won't get back on ebay till next month! 

Spaghetti sauce is in the crockpot for dinner tonight, and we are having baked potatoes for lunch today!  We've been enjoying our hot chocolate drinks in the mornings with this cool weather! 

Hope everyone is having an awesome Tuesday!

Busy Weekend

We had a great....but busy weekend.

Friday night, we got everything ready and packed for the craft fair near our home.  Amy & I labeled and priced crocheted dishcloths, hand scrub, watermelon jelly, quilted kindle cases, and smocked dresses.  Will got us the popup tent, a long table, and the clothes rack to hang the dresses on.

Sat. morning dawned way too early for me and we headed to the church to set up.  The morning also dawned damp, windy & very cool (fall decided to really head to Miss. early this year!).  We got everything set up and the guys headed out to buy us some breakfast, after bringing it to us, they headed to Kroger.  The Meat Managers case was stocked, so Greg go some good bargains on meat for our meals that day & to put in our freezer!

Did I mention it was cool, damp and windy.....we were freezing!  We both ended up with jackets on, covered our legs with an extra tablecloth we had and then our boys brought us quilts ~ yes, we were that cold!  When the wind died down, it was much better ~ but the wind didn't die down often.

Overall, we had a good experience selling.  The watermelon jelly was the big seller of the day, it also helped that I had an open jar on a tray with crackers and spoons for tasting the jelly.  I took 12 jars to sell and only came home with 3.  We also sold some crocheted dishcloths and handscrub.  But no dresses...they will be put in our Etsy Shop this week ~~ the name of our shop is Mississippi Peaches.

Sat. evening, Andy and Amy came by to visit and eat dinner on their way back up to the college.  Greg cooked us Gumbo and had his first attempt at making Crab Rangoon.  They were both good, we need to work on the crab rangoon.  All the filling floated out of the wonton wrappers as they were frying ~ which infused the oil with a good flavor but that wasn't what we were hoping for.  And, we watched football.

Sunday was busy with church activities all day.  After worship we decided to head to Sams Club to buy what we needed for the Wed. night church dinner, we are cooking for.  After buying all those goodies, we headed home for the kids to change clothes and then back to the church.  Amy & some gals she did Street Reach with this summer, went to shop for a family they ministered too in Memphis. (The mom has 5 or 6 kids, and our youth rolled newspapers for a local news. office to earn money to buy these children clothes and shoes)  Will, Greg and I, unloaded the car, cleaned out the church refrigerator, sorted our Wed. night stuff, and then worked in the food pantry.  Will headed out to play football with some youth guys from our church.  Then we all had choir practice for the Christmas music we are doing the beginning of Dec.

After being gone all day, Amy & I cooked an easy dinner of Zatarains Steak Stroganoff (used ground beef) and we had a relaxing evening watching "Amazing Race".  Our puppies were excited to be let in the warm house and finding laps to snuggle into.

This will be a busy week with dance classes, getting our chicken order from Zaycon, canning or freezing the chicken, and cooking for the church...........then we are off to St. Louis to visit our family up there.  This Grandma and Grandpa need some Robert loving time!

(Oh, I've started on the weighted blanket ~ I'll have pictures soon.  The little pellets & sewing machine needles don't like each other!)

State Fair Time!

Yesterday, the kids and I went to the .....
and had a great time with some of our Keepers at Home group friends.

Overall, we were pleased with the ribbons we won ~ but honestly were puzzled about many ribbons we saw.  And there were a several projects that we couldn't find.  One project I couldn't find of mine was a pair of hand quilted potholders.  The fair project head honcho lady looked it up and then called me ~ it seems it was disqualified because they didn't think it was quilted or put in the right category...sure fits the hand quilted misc. category to me.  She is going to check into it and let me know.  And we could not find Amy's Pink quilted John Deere Bag she made this summer or a cross stitch project she had done.  Mrs. Head Honcho Lady did tell me they had changed some of the fair judges this year and these were "pickier" about awarding ribbons.  My response...go back to the old judges!

Some ladies that quilt are probably going to be very disappointed with their ribbons.  There are always gorgeous quilts hanging up with just red ribbons on them.  One yesterday had individual squares hand embroidered and then made into the the quilt ~ she deserved a blue.  We saw many items like that, more red ribbons that we had ever seen before, and some of the reds were on our items.  But, we learn more and more every year.  It would help if the judges would give us some feedback as to why an item got a white or red instead of a blue.

Amy & Will were excited to pick out their projects and see the ribbons.  Amy had 30+ projects entered and Will had 14 (which may not sound like a lot...but last year he had 2).  They are both working on a new project each for next year already.  Amy is into Owls & there are lots of cool owl projects & directions on Pinterest.  She found a cute one to cross stitch & started on that.  Will is working on his 3rd needlepoint quilt square pattern ~ this one is name Carpenters Wheel, which is appropriate since he likes wood working.  All the quilt squares in this series are stitched in red, lt. green, dark green, & white.  We are just backing these with white felt when done and adding a ribbon hanger.  Both of these projects were free ~ since we already had the fabric, floss, canvas & yarn!

Here are some pictures of our displayed items...

"Sew" is a decoration for our sewing/craft room

Chicken done in Chicken Scratch

Tablecloth for Amy's hope chest ~ hand embroidered

Roberts Baby quilt got a blue ribbon!

Wills stenciled stool

Amy's Snow painted sign...Will's cross stitched owl

Amy's cupcake cross stitch...Will's needlepoint quilt square

Greg's Nativity Set

Will's glass etching

The kids hiked through the games, vendors, and hawkers to find their deep fried candy bar seller.  They came back chocolatey & happy!  And Amy saved me a bite to enjoy!

Then we headed to Hobby Lobby...because the fair will be back in 51 weeks!

I am also sharing this post at ~

http://mysimplecountryliving.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-country-homemaker-hop-40.html
and
http://deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/2012/10/farmgirl-friday-blog-hop-77.html

Truth for Thursdays

All truth and nothing but the truth!.....

The Bible is the Living Word of God ~ it was applicable 2000 years ago and its applicable NOW~

This is so true!  I am thankfully blessed!

Our Week ~ so far!

Things have been remarkably calm this week ~ which is a blessing after the busy chaos of the last 2 weeks.

  On Sat., we were able to work outside for several hours...we got the bushes on the corner obliterated (yeah!), 1/2 the yard cut & edged, bushes in front of the house trimmed, and lots of branches chipped and the mulch spread.  We were so grimy when we got done.  Even though it was only 2:30, I decided to shower and put on my comfy night clothes.  Then everyone else decided that was a great idea.  So the rest of the afternoon/evening was very relaxed, comfortable, and cozy.

Sunday we woke up to lots of rain and much cooler temperatures.  The weather outside feels awesome!  Its time for fall.  We had a great morning of study & worship at church then home for lunch.  Amy & I prepared our side dish and dessert contribution for the Mens Meeting at church for Sunday night and then we left our guys at home and went to a baby shower for a friend at church.  The guys had their meeting & then everyone was home for the night.  While they were gone, Amy & I watched "Bye Bye Birdie" off our Amazon account.  I hadn't seen that movie in years!  But still remembered alot of the music because we did it as a play with our choral group in high school!

Monday & Tuesday, we got our school work completed.  Got some kidney beans cooked/canned.  Finished a birthday quilt for a little friend.  Started another birthday quilt.  Am working on/studying/contemplating a "weighted quilt" for a friend whose son has Aspbergers Syndrome.  She found the quilt online (& recommended by her dr.) and they are quite expensive ~ $150 + for the size she needs.  We can make it for much cheaper...now to get up the courage to start this!  It doesn't look too hard, its just something new.

We had a lovely, long, chatty lunch yesterday at Chick Fil A with some homeschool friends!  I love being able to use my cfa coupons...yesterdays lunch cost $1.98 for 3 of us ~ highly affordable.  This morning, we are going to pick up our first Chicken order from Zaycon ~ 40 pounds.  Then I need to buy some quart jars because some of the chicken will be canned, the rest frozen.  Dinner out tonight before church with the Tapleys ~ the Daddy's in both families are busy with work.  And tomorrow morning, we are hitting the Mississippi State Fair grounds to check on all our entries, hopefully see lots of blue ribbons, & Amy and Will are looking forward to their once a year deep fried candy bar!

We are loving the Fall weather, night falling earlier, leaves falling from trees, more relaxed crafting time, sweet fellowship at church, special hugs from friends, warm dinners from the crock pot, free books on Kindle, free ideas on pinterest, and time to be together!

Looking forward to doing our first craft fair this weekend!  Smocked dresses, crocheted dish cloths, toy stuffed owls!  Should be fun.  And looking forward to our visit with Katie, Bryant, and Robert next weekend!  We are going to meander through Arkansas on our way to St. Louis, looking at the Lords autumn splashes of color!

More tomorrow, after we go to the fair!

(good thing I checked my Zaycon receipt ~ the delivery date is next wed. not today! Maybe today was the last day to order and thats why it stuck in my head)

Mission Completed

Our 2012 Fair Projects Mission is completed~ whew!  We cut that one a little too close.  Got to the fairgrounds at 2:15 and they stopped taking entries at 5.  I have grand plans to be more organized next year, but I had those same plans for this year too.  I did have 2 handquilted entries ~ a table runner and a wall hanging ~ that I got the binding on Friday morning.  Greg framed, and attached hangers and wires to the back of our cross stitch projects on Thursday night.  It took hours to write out all the tags and do the inventory sheets...thats where I want to streamline for next year ~ just have to figure out how.

I will say, this was the most "enjoyable" drop off I have ever experienced.  And, I had the lady that usually, in my experience, is less than accommodating.  I did try really hard to get all the labels correctly affixed and the inventory sheet in order (mostly) ~ for all 4 of us.  They were appreciative of that fact.  She did have a few words of advice for me on different items, things I didn't know.  It was nice to hear that they liked the items I entered.  They were complimentary to Will on everything. And Amy's lady, who checked her in, was thrilled with her entries.  I do like it when the kids have a good experience, it encourages them for next year!

Over all, we entered well over 100 items between the 4 of us.  And yes, we are still crafting.  Greg spent  Sat. evening and yesterday after church painting his Walter Anderson prints from the museum on the coast.  I started cross stitching on a picture that I put down many months ago ~ to work on baby gifts and fair entries.  Amy found a cute owl picture to cross stitch.  And I've got to find a project for Will to work on.  Since the last 2 days have been rainy, its easy to sit and work on these goodies!

I may try labeling as we finish crafting this year and see if that makes the job any easier ~ and then pray they don't change any of the class or entry numbers with the new fair book.  Its really kinda of "unfair" that the fair book doesn't come out for the current year until the beginning of Sept.  It does put the rush onto the last minute.

There are crafts that I won't worry about for next year.  I just don't enjoy them and it makes the crafting seem more like work.  And there are a couple that I want to add to my entries next year...we didn't get needlepunch embroidery done, I want to do a crewel embroidery (have a bid on ebay for a small kit), and I would like to learn tatting.  My favorite things to do are cross stitch, hand embroidery, machine emb., smocking, and the quilting categories.  I had fun doing the stained glass with Greg and want to do that again.  And also, the wood working categories.

And, what do we do with all the stuff when we get it back...some is gifts, some if for our home, some is for Amy's hopechest, some for Will's future home (I don't guess boys have a hopechest...he has a box!), and some small items go in our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Thurs. morning, we will hit the fairgrounds to check on all the entries, see which got award ribbons and take lots of pictures.  Its fun to see everyones projects, get inspiration/ideas for next year, and fellowship with our friends.  This is one homeschool field trip that I look forward to every year!

Happy crafting!