So you may or may not have noticed, I've gotten a little behind in my posting. The holding pattern was mostly due to being preoccupied with the fair season.
It started with the Oklahoma State Fair. For the first time since I was in elementary school, I submitted something in the creative arts competitions. I finally got around to finishing the haunted mansion gingerbread house that I baked last Christmas.
I also slapped together a cake to fit the theme of the fair-- Hometown Oklahoma. 
The best part of the fair was watching how excited my kids were both times we visited. This year E wanted to watch EVERY show. I mean EVERY show-- puppet shows, science magic show, dog tricks, Native American dancing, barrel racing, animal birthing, grocery wars movie, shenanigans, pig racing, etc. 
We even got to duck race, (we lost) and E got to mutton bust. For those unfamiliar with mutton bustin', they load kids onto sheep as if they were bull riding. Then they open the gate and the sheep go running while the kids hang on for their dear life. E was so excited about it. 
I told him to just hold on as tight as he could and then be tough when he fell off. It was so cute. They announced "E Melton, 4-years-old from Oklahoma City, who wants to be a cowboy when he grows up. His hobbies are being a pirate and cake decorating. Is that for real?"
He only made it a few feet out of the gate before he dropped to the ground, but he stood up, dusted himself off, got his ribbon, and walked back over to me where he very quietly admitted that his side hurt a little bit. 
I was so proud of him. I was also so proud of my kids who didn't complain when I made them share all their treats at the fair. 
We had such a fun time.
The weekend after the fair we headed to the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo that E discovered for us. We even brought along a few friends. E was pretty convinced that we were going to end up stranded in the wilderness and we were going to run out of food and so he was going to have to shoot a deer there. -- I do not get this kid's obsession-- In any event, we did not encounter any deer, nor did we get stranded.
We kayaked for the first time,
practiced our casting, 
learned to goose knock (it's exactly what it sounds like), 
shot a bow and arrow, 
ate some dutch oven dessert, and found out we were still too little to shoot the guns (I guess E's deer hunting desire will have to be suppressed for a little while longer--thank goodness).
The final fair we attended in the last few weeks was the Tulsa State Fair --home of the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show. E and I both entered this year. I got distracted and put off starting my overly ambitious cake and so I ended up submitting an incomplete sloppy cake (He's a preview of coming D-list attractions, but I'll post pictures of it when I finally finish).
E, on the other hand, had his cake finished weeks before the fair. He baked and decorated it all by himself. It's probably not surprising that he designed a pirate island. 
Every child that enters gets at least an honorable mention ribbon and a prize package including Legos, a specialty shaped cake pan, TONS of really nice cake decorating accessories, and an easy bake oven. 
The funny thing was all he really wanted was a ribbon, which was presented to him by THE Kerry Vincent (the British judge on the Food Network Challenges). 
We were all so excited for him, particularly his sister.
I'm so happy he had this opportunity and I'm already looking forward to next year. Now to catch up on the laundry, my forever long to-do list, and clean my kitchen after having all this fun.
It started with the Oklahoma State Fair. For the first time since I was in elementary school, I submitted something in the creative arts competitions. I finally got around to finishing the haunted mansion gingerbread house that I baked last Christmas.
I also slapped together a cake to fit the theme of the fair-- Hometown Oklahoma. 
The best part of the fair was watching how excited my kids were both times we visited. This year E wanted to watch EVERY show. I mean EVERY show-- puppet shows, science magic show, dog tricks, Native American dancing, barrel racing, animal birthing, grocery wars movie, shenanigans, pig racing, etc. 
We even got to duck race, (we lost) and E got to mutton bust. For those unfamiliar with mutton bustin', they load kids onto sheep as if they were bull riding. Then they open the gate and the sheep go running while the kids hang on for their dear life. E was so excited about it. 
I told him to just hold on as tight as he could and then be tough when he fell off. It was so cute. They announced "E Melton, 4-years-old from Oklahoma City, who wants to be a cowboy when he grows up. His hobbies are being a pirate and cake decorating. Is that for real?"
He only made it a few feet out of the gate before he dropped to the ground, but he stood up, dusted himself off, got his ribbon, and walked back over to me where he very quietly admitted that his side hurt a little bit. 
I was so proud of him. I was also so proud of my kids who didn't complain when I made them share all their treats at the fair. 
We had such a fun time.The weekend after the fair we headed to the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo that E discovered for us. We even brought along a few friends. E was pretty convinced that we were going to end up stranded in the wilderness and we were going to run out of food and so he was going to have to shoot a deer there. -- I do not get this kid's obsession-- In any event, we did not encounter any deer, nor did we get stranded.
We kayaked for the first time,
practiced our casting, 
learned to goose knock (it's exactly what it sounds like), 
shot a bow and arrow, 
ate some dutch oven dessert, and found out we were still too little to shoot the guns (I guess E's deer hunting desire will have to be suppressed for a little while longer--thank goodness).The final fair we attended in the last few weeks was the Tulsa State Fair --home of the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show. E and I both entered this year. I got distracted and put off starting my overly ambitious cake and so I ended up submitting an incomplete sloppy cake (He's a preview of coming D-list attractions, but I'll post pictures of it when I finally finish).
E, on the other hand, had his cake finished weeks before the fair. He baked and decorated it all by himself. It's probably not surprising that he designed a pirate island. 
Every child that enters gets at least an honorable mention ribbon and a prize package including Legos, a specialty shaped cake pan, TONS of really nice cake decorating accessories, and an easy bake oven. 
The funny thing was all he really wanted was a ribbon, which was presented to him by THE Kerry Vincent (the British judge on the Food Network Challenges). 
We were all so excited for him, particularly his sister.
I'm so happy he had this opportunity and I'm already looking forward to next year. Now to catch up on the laundry, my forever long to-do list, and clean my kitchen after having all this fun.
