"A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord orgasbord ..."

One of my all time favorite movies is Charlotte's Web.... As a little girl I longed for a little pink runt of my own and dreamed of pushing it around in my doll buggy, swaddling it in blankets just like Charlotte did... It just didn't work out to have a pet pig (or any pet for that matter) so my sisters and I settled for the neighbors kittens. Every summer... we dressed them in our doll clothes and bonnets and carried the poor things around all day playing "house"... we survived through lots of scratches and I can still picture half dressed kitties who managed to escape scampering off to hide. But my childhood dream of owning a little pig is not the only reason that this movie is a favorite... the best part, in my opinion, about this movie is the description of a FAIR! What would summer be without the Fair?? I love the part in the movie where Goose sings to Tempelton the rat telling him all about the fair.... He has visions of hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, hamburgers, snow cones, donuts, watermelon, corn on the cob.... etc... I love the smells at the fair! Well, that is until you get to the rabbit/chicken building. I try to inhale a deep breath just before entering, run in show my kids one or two of the chickens and rabbits as I hold my breath then run for the door gasping for air!! I seriously detest the smell in there! But awwww the other smells are heaven!! It has been a tradition since as long as I can remember to go to the Cache County Fair every August. Most years we try to see the rodeo too. There is this little shack down by the rodeo grounds where they sell "posse burgers." It is a fundraiser booth for the local law enforcement and these burgers are to die for! Each year as the fair approaches I make the decision that once a year it's ok to indulge in a posse burger! I love em! Well since Evan was about four years old I started helping him to enter little items into the fair... we grew up doing 4-H. I remember my mom and several of our friends mom's teaching us skills for 4-H. I loved summer time and having those 4-H classes... we learned to cook indoor and over a fire outdoor too. I remember entering cookies and pigs in a blanket. We learned about gardening and entered produce into the fair. We learned how to do needlepoint and how to sew and entered those items into the fair also. It was always exciting to work so hard and to feel the anticipation... wondering what color ribbon we'd recieve. Yep, the fair brings lots of great memories for me. I love seeing the same sparkle in Evan and Eli's eyes as they find their creation on display at the fair...

Elijah

Evan

This year we decided it might be fun to try a big project, since they are getting older. My sister's were both in town and although they live in the BIG cities of NY and LA the fair is a summer highlight for them too!! So we got our kids together and they worked on making fleece blankets to enter into the fair. It was a big undertaking but turned out to be really fun... the kids were so excited about picking out their fabric and being able to make their very own blankets. They worked hard and it was a time consuming project. We loaded up the kids early the next morning so that they could enter the blankets officially. Well we had a "run in" first thing.... some snippety blue haired lady with her nose in the air told us those blankets did not count as a craft????? She couldn't really explain why but mumbled on about how there is no skill involved in tying knots around fleece.... we reminded her that you first have to cut the fabric just right since there were two pieces of fleece and that little hands had to then cut strips in the fleece all the way around the blanket and then they had to tie them... it took about 5 hours for these kids to complete this project.... She refused to enter the blankets and was very difficult and rude to work with.... she was saying all this in front of our kids who were starting to catch on and wondering why their project may not be accepted!!! we couldn't believe it!! Well my sister Sara gave that lady a piece of her mind and finally that old geezer waved her arm and told us we'd have to enter them as an afghan which they clearly WERE NOT so they'd only be getting a WHITE ribbon!! And then she sort of smiled, I'm telling you she was mean!!...although disappointing after all that work... a white ribbon would do, and that's what my sister told her, she said these kids worked hard, this is not fair but the color of ribbon doesn't matter, the thing that is fun is learning and accomplishing a new task and then being able to display your work! I think the lady might have realized that she was making a big deal about nothing but she still had to win so she just left in a huff!!! At first we were so mad and couldn't believe her but then we started feeling bad for her that she is so miserable! I hope it was just a bad day for her and that she is not that sour everyday!!! anyway here are a few pictures of our proud kids and their projects with the dreaded white ribbons!!:)

Grant

Claire My sisters little girl, decided at the last minute to decorate a denim purse that she purchased at Walmart... she bought two of them and had my little cousin Tristin make one too! They stuck stickers on them... not to take away from this project but seriously it just goes to show that the system is a little screwey... Blue ribbons on these and white on the 5 hour blankets??? I can feel the heat boiling in me now which is ridiculous after all these months... so I'm done talking about it... the kids had fun it was totally fine and doesn't matter but next year we will avoid all blue haired ladies that's for sure!!!

Gabe LOVED the animals at the fair... He can name them all and does the cutest animal sounds. My favorite animal noise that he makes is the goat! He says maaa maaa in his
highest little voice. adorable!!

Since we have horses for neighbors Gabe is quite the little expert on feeding animals. We feed the horses practically everyday!!!...trouble is, he tries to feed chickens, dogs and cats handful of grass too!!!

We bought "all day" passes for the carnival rides. It was especially scary this year for me though because I had recently read an article about the dangers of amusement parks and the research showed that these types of set- up's, that pop up in a day, put together by ex cons...were particularly dangerous!! I had nightmares after I read the article and wondered if I'd EVER let my kids go on another ride, to a playground for that matter... But Glen talked some sense into me and I caved in and they had so much fun going on ride after ride!! What's a mother to do...Can't protect them from everything although, sometimes I think it would be nice to place them inside a glass bubble and put them up high on the shelf for safe keeping!! :)

Eli looks a little bored with this one...

The all time favorite ride!!!

On to the next one....

Gabe loved the lights and seeing all the action!! The best thing was that he was so freaked out by the cotton candy... he didn't want to touch it or eat it! Finally like only a dad can... Glen shoved some in his mouth... Gabe whined and spit it out but then the flavor sunk in and he couldn't get enough, every once in awhile he'd do a whole body shiver because of the texture, then he'd taste it and be fine!! It was hilarious!!

Now you know pretty much EVERY detail of our Cache County Fair experience this year...
We love it!!

I have got to work on LESS details... I know!!! I have one more summer post to get through and then hopefully I can get to fall leaves, pumpkins, and Halloween before Spring....