Madison County Fair Entry Day #2

Yesterday I posted about the first 4-H entry day of non-perishable items.  Fair Entry Day #2 was last Wednesday and that meant everything else went to the fair.  This included 4-H perishable items (baking & flowers) and all open-class items. 

 Yes, this is the back of my van before we left for the fair.  We used two laundry baskets, a wicker basket, a box and a flat to get everything there.  Plus you can not see the front of the van where Cara has a box of flowers between her feet to hold steady and each of the girls is holding vases of flowers.  The morning of the fair is very hectic at our house trying to get everything ready at the last minute.  Cara and Erica each had 5 more items to enter in 4-H.  Cara entered a coffee cake, two recipe box files, marigolds and black-eyed Susan's.  Erica entered rhubarb muffins, peanut butter cookies, a recipe box file, marigolds and black-eyed Susan's.  Cara received 4 purples and 1 blue and Erica received 3 purples and 2 blues.  They both took extra baked goods over to open class and entered an art project.

Ashlin's prize winning cucumbers on on each side of her head and her onions are on  the left .

 The night before entry day Ashlin asked me what she could take to the fair and make money also.  She was not to be disappointed.  She took white onions, two sizes of cucumbers, two art projects  and some of my leftover baked cookies.  She was so excited when she went to the fair on Wednesday night and discovered all of her ribbons.  Ashlin also won a prize for having the best in class cucumbers.  Her prize was a 6-pack of Coke.  Plus she earned $11.50 at the fair.  I also exhibited at the fair in open class.  I took a total of 36 entries: 11 floral exhibits, 2 canning exhibits, 3 gardening products and 20 baked exhibits.  Yes, 20 baked exhibits is a lot of baking.  My baked exhibits included: 4 cakes, 8 kinds of cookies, 3 loaves of bread, 3 kinds of muffins, brownies, and banana bread.  I will not have to bake for quite a while.

This photo is of the sewing prizes that Cara and Erica won at the fair.  I would have posted this photo yesterday, but I spaced off that it was still on my camera.  The girls had an excellent year at the fair, each receiving 12 purples and 3 blues.  They each earned $35.00 in the 4-H part with a few extra dollars in the open class part.  I am so proud of them!!!


Take care,
Michelle

Madison County Fair 4-H Entry Day #1

 Last week was the Madison County Fair.  Cara and Erica are both members of the Needles & Knives 4-H Club.  This is Cara's 2nd year in 4-H and it is Erica's 1st year.  They both worked hard and each exhibited 15 items in 4-H.  This Mom pushed them the whole time to get as many things completed as possible.  At the time, they were both sick of Mom pushing them, but the end results had both girls smiling.

Cara completed three sewing projects for the fair.  In Clothing I she completed these owl covered pajama pants.  They are considered a simple bottom and they were easy to complete with the toughest part being the elastic waist.  Cara had problems feeding the elastic through the casing.  The pajama pants earned Cara best exhibit in the Clothing I sewing project and she received a very nice pair of scissors as a prize.

 For Decorate Your Duds, both Cara and Erica exhibited a t-shirt made with sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol.  The project was easy and both of them received purple ribbons.  They both had to explain to the judge how to complete the project.  Cara's t-shirt gets to go on to the Nebraska State Fair as an exhibit.  Cara was very excited.

 Erica and Cara also both completed scarves that were tie-dyed using dry Kool-Aid mix.  They both received purple ribbons on their scarves.  Erica's scarf gets to go to the Nebraska State Fair.  The judge thought these scarves were so cool!  This judge was my high school bus driver.  She is a great lady, a great judge and a Master Gardner.

 Erica completed three sewing projects.  She completed a wool pincushion which received a purple ribbon.  She also completed this striped yellow bee pillow.  The judge commented how her stripes matched on the edges.  For Erica's pillow exhibit, she received the award for best in Sewing For Fun project.  Erica's prize was a beginner sewing kit and accessories with a tote bag.  She was very excited with her prize!

 Erica also completed this firework patterned laundry bag with a drawstring closure.  She received a purple ribbon. 

 Cara's other two sewing projects were a patchwork pillow with four squares on each side of the pillow and an owl patterned envelope closure pillow.  Both of her pillows received purple ribbons.

Both of the girls made these fabric table runners to be used as dresser scarves in their rooms.  They completed their table runners at a 4-H project day last winter.  Erica received a purple ribbon and Cara received a blue runner.


On Entry Day #1 the girls had to enter their non-perishable items: sewing items, craft items, posters, etc.  They each brought 10 items to the fair on this day:  Erica received 9 purple ribbons and 1 blue ribbon and Cara received 8 purple ribbons and 2 blue ribbons.  I was very proud of both of them for their accomplishments.  They both had excellent interviews with the judges and explained thoroughly how to make each project.


Take care,
Michelle

My Latest Aww Moment

Do you ever have that moment when you say, "Aww" because you realize that your children are really growing up and you stop to wonder where the years went and when they got so big???


I had one of those moments last Thursday.  Our baby, Justin, went on his first sleepover at a friend's house and spent the whole night.  He didn't even want to come home the next day because he was having so much fun.  The moment just hit me that he is really growing up.  Yes, I realize that he is 4 years old, but was he really big enough to spend the night at a friend's home that was not a grandparent or relative.  I guess he showed me that he is big enough.  


I have a feeling that I'm going to have quite a few of these "Aww" moments in the next few months and years to come.


Take care,
Michelle

Weekend of Concerts

 A few weekends ago, we attended the Divots Summer Concert Series.  Rock bands played on Saturday night and Sunday was the Country Throwdown.  Keith's brother Cory and his wife Jodee (aka. Follow the Leaders) came up to attend with us.  On Saturday, Cory and Jodee were unable to attend so we invited some friends, Steve and Mary to go with us.  We had so much fun.  The first band on Saturday was a ZZ Top cover band called ZZ3, followed by Hairball, followed by the Rudd Band.  Hairball is an 80's cover band and they sound awesome.  They have 3 lead singers that rotate.  Each lead singer dresses like the lead singer of the cover band whose songs they are performing.  Some examples of bands:  Kiss, AC/DC, Prince, Poison, etc.  

 On Sunday, we first listened to some up and coming artists and then we were entertained by Rodney Adkins.  He was good and had the crowd really rocking.

 Then we listened to Gary Allan and ended the evening with some fireworks.

 Jodee was kind enough to share some of these photos with me because I do not take my camera to these events.  My camera is too heavy, I do not like to take a purse inside, and there are too many beverages around to spill on my camera.  Thanks Jodee for sharing.

All of the kids hung out at our house with Cara in charge for the night.  They had fun just like the adults did.  They had pizza and pop and just enjoyed playing.


Take care,
Michelle

Wordless Wednesday

Every time you ask this child to pose for a photo, this is what he does.  He thinks it is so funny.


Take care,
Michelle

Big Bang Boom

 Every year for the last 37 years the City of Norfolk has Big Bang Boom which is a huge fireworks display.  Some years it is celebrated the weekend before, the day of, or the weekend after.  The event is a day of activities at one of the local parks.  Thousands of people attend each year from the City of Norfolk and surrounding communities.  Jusin had been counting the days for a week until the event.  He called it "Bam Boom".

 This year there was a new added feature of lasers to the show.  A huge net screen was on the south side of the lake and provided pictures throughout the show.

 The fireworks are choreographed to music and the show lasted 24 minutes.  The show starts with a few small fireworks while the businesses that sponsor the event are announced to the crowd.

 A huge flag is raised on the south side of the lake and is held up by a crane during the show.

 After the show was over, they had another night of music in the park.  People could stay and listen to the jazz music and wait for some of the traffic to clear out.

Take care,
Michelle

4th of July

Ashlin and Justin waiting patiently for the parade to start.

 With the 4th of July being in the middle of the week, we did not have big plans.  It was a pretty low-key holiday because Daddy had to work the day before and the day after.  We did attend the city's 4th of July parade.  

Please stand up and pay tribute to the flag.

 Keith took Erica down to the parade early because she decided the night before that she wanted to be in the parade.  Keith was pretty sure that he could get her on a NPPD truck to ride through the parade.  Erica is sitting on the truck in the green shirt.

 Later that night we had our annual fireworks display in the street in front of our house.  Some of the neighbors joined us for the event with some of their fireworks.

 Ashlin had so much fun this year lighting fireworks.

I went to the Dollar Tree and picked up some glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets for the event.  They were a hit with the kids.


Take care,
Michelle

Music in the Park

 The Norfolk Noon Rotary Club is promoting a new event in Norfolk for the summer months.  They are sponsoring Music in the Park once a month during the summer.  They are trying to model this event after Omaha's Jazz on the Green.

 The first night was held a few weeks ago and we went to see what it was all about.  We took along some crackers and snacks and two bottles of wine.  Normally, you can not drink in our public parks, but the city council gave the go ahead on alcohol being consumed for these music events.

 The first night was attended by about 500 citizens and it was so much fun.  People were seen having picnics with food and beverages and enjoying a night of relaxation and music.

 Cara and Erica helped their friends, Reilly and Charli, collect donations for the two bands that played and for the club to sponsor more music events.  Reilly and Charli's grandfather, Stan, was one of the chairmen for the event.

 The girls enjoying some snacks and listening to some music.

 Knowing someone in charge also allowed them access to the stage after the event to sing and goof around for awhile.

We cannot wait for the next Music in the Park in July.  Next time we will make sure to get their early and to come more prepared with food and drinks.


Take care,
Michelle

Ashlin's T-ball

 This is Ashlin's first year to play City Rec girls' t-ball.  She is finally old enough to play after watching her sisters play softball for years.  You must be 7 years old to play in our girls City Rec program.

 Ashlin is playing on the Fraternal Order of Police #15 royal blue team.  Each game she has shown improvement in her fielding and batting.  Really the only time that she has complained about playing is the other night when she was tired and the temperature was in the upper 90's.

 She likes to play first base or pitcher because then she gets in on the action and has a chance to get base runners out.

 She has one week of games left in her first season of playing.  It was been a good experience for her and one that I hope she continues.

Take care,
Michelle

Memorial Aquaventure Park

 The City of Norfolk opened a new water park on June 15th.  The bond issue to build a new pool failed once before passing the next time.  Included in the bond issue was a renovation of the City's football field, renovation of the City's baseball field, and the demolition of the old pool and the building of a new water park.  The City of Norfolk has two pools, but they were both built in the early 1970's; therefore, both pools were not in the best conditions.

 Citizens could purchase pool season passes early and then be entered into a drawing to be one of the first 10 families to enter the park and go down the slides first.  Our family was one of those first 10 families.  We arrived at the pool at 11:45 a.m. on the day of the opening and we were allowed to enter the park 5 minutes before the public.

 The new water park has many features which include:  a body slide, a tube slide, a regular swimming pool with two diving boards (a high dive and a low dive), a zero depth entry wave pool, and two kiddie features.

 This is Keith shooting out of the body slide.

 Ashlin tried the body slide also, but she sat up instead of laying down which decreases your speed.

 Ashlin loves the lily pad crossing.

 Cara and Erica tried the tube slide first.  The tube slide is covered and the best feature is the multi-colored neon rings.  These neon rings provide the tubers rings of light as they travel down the slide.

 Justin is too short to ride the slides, therefore, he heads straight for the kiddie features.  He loves the fish slide in the zero depth entry pool.  But he also loves the giant octopus kiddie water feature.  The octopus has a tube slide and two regular slides for the little ones.

 The new pool has numerous lounge chairs for visitors.  Some chairs are in the sun for sunbathers and some chairs are in the shade under these giant canopies.  

 The wave pool has become a family favorite.  There are tubes to ride the waves in or you can jump waves.  Justin has to be watched at all times because he doesn't always realize how high the waves will be.  He can not go past the 3ft. mark on the side of the pool.

Ashlin loves going off the high dive.  The new water park has about 15 lifeguards on duty at one time.  They are everywhere which makes you feel safer.  We have been to the water park many times in the two weeks that it has been open.  The swimming locker rooms and concession stand will also serve a dual purpose as locker rooms and concession stand for football and baseball games.  This has been a huge improvement to the City of Norfolk.


Take care,
Michelle