Electrical Excitement

So, bright and early this morning -- 7:00 a.m. to be exact -- a big red van pulled up to our door. It was Mr. Fixit's friend, the electrician. Today was the day that the wiring would commence in the addition. I was excited for the wiring and all - so excited - that I went back to bed for a bit.

Well, wiring is not a quiet job. So, around 7:30 I decided to get up and work on my own list for the day, which included cleaning the house, laundry, paying some bills, mowing our forest - ummm yard - and pulling some weeds. The weed part was somewhat critical in places, because they were as big as my perennials.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. So, I got to answer questions such as, "Where would you like a light switch for the kitchen?" and "What kind of lights would you like over the island?" oh and "How many lights would you like in the hallway?"

My head was swimming! I mean, I never have got to decide where electricity should be placed. How exciting is that?!

The wiring was not finished today, but there has definitely been a dent made in the project!

Back to Cooking

After about a week of eating at the fair -- I am always ready to experiment a bit in the kitchen! The menu of sloppy joes, hot dogs and nachos can get a bit monotonous, so off to cooking I went.

Last night I was super tired, so I coated some pork chops (already in my freezer) made some scalloped potatoes and sliced some cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden. It was all quite yummy - and best of all - there was a bit left over for lunch today!

Tonight I made a sausage and rice casserole. I started with some celery, chopped up some chicken sausage and added a chicken rice mix. It is a really simple one dish meal. We enjoyed a romaine salad, complete with cucumbers and tomatoes. I so love summer produce!!

Tomorrow I am baking Italian chicken, bread crumb coated potatoes and California style vegetables. Of course, since the cucumber plants and tomato plants are still quite happily creating fruit -- I believe we will have a few more slices of these too.

I have already decided that Friday is my pasta night. The jury is still out on which recipe I will land on. I am sorta still in an inventive mode, so I am not sure what I will mix together -- yet =)

Back Again

I have missed you all, but the county fair is just not an 8-5 gig, so it sort of takes all of your time almost like if you had a long time friend come and visit for awhile -- and time just stops. Fair is like that; time does just stop, and I really am wondering what went on in the world during the last 6 days. Anyone?

I do know one thing -- picking up trash, packing up and moving back was a bit on the warm side today. I drank 3 bottles of water before 11 a.m., and I have been guzzling water much of the rest of the day. Crazy hot I tell ya!

So, fair is one of those times that you just never know what you will see or hear. For example, a soon-to-be 6th grader telling me about her ganache that she made for her triple chocolate cake. I am pretty sure that I did not know what a ganache was -- nonethelesss how to make it - when I was in 6th grade! Ahhhh, kids these days!

Or the fact that during the premium sale auction, a random goat comes wandering up to the sale table. I guess the little comedian escaped out of his halter. Don't worry, we cornered him and sent him promptly into the ring -- yup -- sold!!

Life will soon resume some normalcy. Families are headed out for vacations, and I hate to say it, but a new school year is lurking much to close. Thus ends another fair!

Fair Kid Tidbits

Kids say and do the funniest things - and those are things that make the fair memorable! Here are some tidbits, so far, from this year's fair that are sure to make you smile:

*My pig peed on my leg, and I think it went into my mud boot too!

*Do you think there are frogs at the fair?

*We are making these bead bracelets, so that we can get some money to go on rides. Can you buy one, so we can get some money?

*How come they don't give purple ribbons to the animals, because purples are the best you know?

*Mom, I need to eat some ice cream, or else I am going to get really hot!

*Me, "MT how did you get so wet?!" MT, "With water!"

Well - enjoy your Saturday!!

Sisters

There is just a special bond that can not be described as anything other than this: Sisters!

Recently my Mom's sis (who lives on the East coast) came for a week long visit. The tradition is for them to trek to the midwest every other year -- and this was the year! It is so awesome to see them, and honestly, it is like time has not passed at all when we all get together.

I couldn't resist sharing this pic of the sisters, reconnecting and sharing stories of the past two years. The only thing better is having ice cream too! Actually, we did enjoy yummy ice cream, while swapping porch stories. Three cheers for all the sisters!

Dress Up Girls

Going back to pre-school, I think the best part was the box of dress up clothes. I realize now that they were cast off prom dresses, tired Halloween costumes, an elderly person's overalls and hats collected from all kinds of places -- but the pretend adventures we would have!

This thought popped through my mind, as I think about these dress up clothes -- and these girls. My nieces acquired the "Belle" and other "princess" dress up clothes from my cousins. Last summer Mr. Fixit and I went to visit our east coast fam, and packed up the too small dress up clothes.

Well, we decided that my Mom and Dad absolutely needed these clothes at their house! Long story short -- this is the first thing that the girls run for when they arrive for a visit to Grandma's. So, I thought it would be perfect to photograph the dress up girls. Let's hope they do not outgrow them too fast!!

Moving Day

Today is the day - we are off to fair places, we are off and away! Well, we will soon be off to fair places -- after we get the office packed and loaded.

It is a day of great anticipation, and the fair is quite near. It almost feels like the night before Christmas -- did you remember every gift, treat and clean every corner? The cleaning part will happen tonight, as a sea of "elves" or fair volunteers decends upon the fairgrounds to assemble, set up and decorate exhibit areas. It is quite the transformation.

So, that is what the excitement will be for today! Come visit us and check out the fun!

Toadly Froggy

Lots of big and little amphibian guests have been hopping around lately - and it makes driving into the carport at night an eagle eye adventure! These little guys sure do love the cool concrete, and can often be found hiding in a corner, or hopping across the concrete pad.

I have honestly never seen so many toads? frogs? in my life -- they seem quite happy here. I actually can't tell the difference between a frog or a toad, so I have decided that both are welcome. I will report one piece of good news though -- there are very few mosquitos out here -- and I am thanking the amphibian contingent for doing their part =).

With three ponds, a chorus of ribbets and croaks can be heard echoing in the night. It is a nice serenade, and peaceful too!

Windows, Doors and a Deck - Oh My!

Well, it certainly was a hot one, but that did not stop the construction crew and Mr. Fixit from installing windows and doors today! The treated lumber was even delivered for the deck. It was totally green (with envy) to be built into the most fabulous deck!

I arrived home from work around 4:00 p.m., just as the construction crew was wrapping it up for the day. So, I helped Mr. Fixit measure and hold the deck cross beams as he nailed them into place - with this rather impressive air nail gun. Oh .... my .... gosh - you should see how fast this contraption spits out nails! There is no mercy on any board, I tell ya!

We called it quits after the cross beam project, as it was hot, and Mr. Fixit had to head in to town for a bit of work. The plan is to finish the deck this weekend, and perhaps place some tape around the window exteriors, in anticipation of the Monday siding project. Then it will definitely look like a house!

A Tasty Cake

The wedding happened over two months ago, and Mr. Fixit and I were missing an important "piece" of the wedding reception -- the cake. It's not that we did not have a cake, it's just that the entire cake was gobbled up by guests! So, here is the story:

Some elf friends of mine helped me bake and decorate nearly 925 cookies for the festive event. The guest list showed 376 attendees, so we thought that 900 cookies would be the perfect solution. After all, who can resist delicious sugar cookies?

The cookies, snack mix, mints and buffet dinner were enjoyed by all the guests. Then we decided to do the ceremonial cutting of the cake. Mr. Fixit and I each enjoyed one delicious bite. Soon the toasts and dance happened - then before we knew it - the night had disappeared, as did the cake!

It appears that our guests had the munchies and finished off the cake for us. We were a little forlorn at not being able to enjoy some more bites, and jokingly shared this with our fabulous cake lady - Cindy Casper.

Well, she totally surprised us this week with not only a new cake to enjoy now, but also a smaller version for us to freeze for the ceremonial first anniversary! Thank you Cindy, and a photo has been added for you to check out her talent!

What Do You Do?

Once people learn that I work in a career called, "youth development," the next question frequently asked is - "What exactly do you do?" So, to help everyone get a clear understanding, let's take a look at what I did today.

I started the day off like any other Monday, with staff conference. We mapped out what our schedules and plans looked like for the week, and then -- well, we started working on items. I cut out the stencils that will (hopefully - if my idea works as well as it seems to in my mind) become painted trails to different attractions at the fairgrounds. I later purchased plastic spray bottles, to use for my "washable" paint option involving diluted tempra paint. The jury is still out on this one - but I will let you know how it works after tomorrow's experiment.

I burned about 345 photos to 32 CD's for teen delegates and volunteers who recently returned from a Washington, DC Citizenship experience. Thirty-three copies of photos arrived from Senator Pat Roberts and Representative Lynn Jenkins offices, so I created labels for each of the photos with the names of everyone in each photo.

Then it was off to meet with a marketing firm about the development of commercial and a website to promote our state-wide youth program.

I returned and had an unexpected visit from a parent and teen, regarding her specific health circumstances as it pertained to the teen program. Meanwhile, I received a phone call on my cell phone from a business seeking a reference for another teen who was applying for her first out of high school job. Hard to believe that I have known this young adult for 11 years!

At noon, I dashed off to a meeting regarding program planning with another co-worker and zipped over to purchase some paint for a project tomorrow. I am still searching for paintbrushes - I know I moved some out here somewhere!

The afternoon brought time to enter report data for the quarter, gather ice cream buckets, fabric and paper for tomorrow's committee meeting. This committee of youth will be creating decorations for the upcoming fashion revue, and I do hope they are bringing their own paint!

An afternoon phone call came from an adult requesting a reference letter for a job he is applying for, and another phone call came from a volunteer inquiring about policy clarification on program involvement. Other random questions included, can paint be used on a banner exhibit and what type of hanger is required on a 2-dimensional work of art?

So, what exactly does one do in the career of youth development? Well, each day is different, and trying to describe the details is like trying to nail jello to a wall. But, sometimes the planets align, and the young person you have worked with for 11 years has made it to the "adult" world, and is using the skills that you helped her learn. That is what this career is all about!

Under Construction

Life on the home front is ever changing - for example, yesterday I had a fully carpeted office, and today - there is a brand new closet in the corner!

Mr. Fixit is converting his bachelor-pad house into our married home. I must say, that I am excited to see the finished product - which likely is 3 or 4 months away yet! In the meantime, I have definitely given the vacuum a workout (I think I might be able to pot a plant or two in the amount of dust that I have sucked up during this construction process.), and I am about to empty the second can of furniture polish. =)

The construction project includes a kitchen, bathroom, a couple of bedrooms, laundry room, safe room and dining room. All are beginning to take shape, and once the windows arrive -- siding will be flying up with lighting speed! So, not much longer - I hope - and the outside of the addition will start to look like the outside of the existing house.

In the meantime, I get to select a kitchen stove and refrigerator, plus chase after a few more dust bunnies. Pictures coming soon!

The Hitchhiker Cat

Mr. Fixit headed off to work in his trusty white pick-up truck.

After arriving to his work location, another co-worker spied a four-legged furry friend hiding underneath the truck. After Mr. Fixit viewed the feline, he realized that the kitten actually belonged to us. Well, not to worry -- a pursuit to catch the cat ensued!

The little kitten dashed off, however, and was long out of human reach - so it was decided that the kitten could freely roam the park grounds.

Overnight, or meanwhile - someone must have heard or saw the homeless kitten foraging at the park, so animal control was called. The frightened, black kitten was hiding in a bush, while the officer was attempting to bait it with canned cat food.

We offered to collect our kitten, and take her home - but, alas, we could not get the kitten from animal control. Instead we would need to head to the humane society, and pay a fee of $81 to reclaim our farm cat!