Loving Fall and Back to School

Let's celebrate the first day of school and Fall. Love me some Fall!
How do I celebrate Fall? Why, I get out the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla, of course.

Fall is back to school, zucchini, football and new shoes! Oh, and new Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley t-shirts.

Today is the first day of school at Lynden Christian School, they are beginning their 100th year, blessed with God's faithfulness over and over. Great start this morning with our mayor, county executive, LHS superintendent and a pastor, all sharing words of best wishes and wisdom for the year.

I have zucchini from Holly,the zucchini fairy and thought of this Zucchini Cake recipe. The recipe is from LC football Coach K. I love getting out the Fall spices. Add the butterscotch chips, cuz they put this cake over the top. It's a winner!

Let's hope the football team is too...


Zucchini Cake
2 beaten eggs
3/4 c. veg. oil
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. baking pwd.
1 tsp. salt
1. tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini- give thanks if you have a food processor, or get out your grater and get busy.

2 1/2 c. flour
1 small pkg. butterscotch chips
Grease 9x13 pan; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Mix dough in order given(not chips) and pour into pan. Sprinkle top with more sugar and cinnamon and the butterscotch chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Who wouldn't love to come home on the first day of school to a home filled with the smell of this cake? Yum!
Now I am off to work at Sole Obsession this afternoon. If you don't have your new Fall shoes yet, stop by, I'll find you somethin'.

Summer is Over

I worked at the museum and at the shoe store this past week. Including Friday evening at the museum during the Mark Twain play. I'm trying to get caught up everywhere.

On Friday Max and I went school shopping. Gotta love guys. We left the house at 9:30, drove to Burlington, shopped and by 11:30 a.m. we were walking into Red Robin to have lunch with shopping completed.

On the way home Max suggested we visit Little Bit, so we made a stop at Grandma Honey and saw that he is doing well. Little Bit looks good and has a buddy in the pasture.

Saturday morning I dove in and did laundry until the floor and counter in the laundry room were once again visible. This was ongoing and all day. I just have 5 pieces left to iron.

I rode my bike to a few yard sales in the neighborhood in the morning and found some goodies. I am going to paint this little chair for my kitchen, $2, what a deal! I did have to ride home and then walk back to pick it up, rather than carry it while biking.

A set of six vintage trays, love the pattern and the colors and they fit in the bike basket.

I scrubbed the bathroom, washed the shower curtain, rugs and mopped twice-summer grime is vanished!

Becky stopped by for some help with a dinner party she was hosting. We made a run to one of my favorite places, the dahlia gardens on the BBLyn Road. The owner told me I could come again with a scissors and go into the field. I am so excited and promise to take my camera.



Then back home for a flurry of vacuuming, dusting, more laundry, mopped the main floor and tried to get all the spider webs knocked down.

Got real with myself, Summer is over, school is starting, so I unpacked my beach bag for the year.

Made a plan with the guys to have dinner on the patio at seven sharp. Yum! Grilled flank steak, ranch potatoes, summer vegetables and grilled corn on the cob. We used the heater, there is a definite chill in the air.

School starts for Max on Monday, I've done the big shop to Target and Costco, he has something to wear, the house is clean. Bring it on, I'm ready!

It's A Wrap

This appetizer looks pretty fancy. Impressive for guests and I used my homegrown figs for the homemade jam. That sounds pretty Martha-like too. So while it is impressive for guests, in reality it was easy peasy for me. Love that!

I used one package of puff pastry and two small rounds of Brie cheese.


I used a small amount of flour on the counter and lightly rolled one sheet of pastry, just enough to blur the lines. Set one brie in the center and top with two large scoops of fig jam. If you don't have fig jam, try another fruit jam.

Mix one egg and one tablespoon water to use as your pastry glue. Bring up the sides and corners of the puff pastry, glue and pressing as you work to create a pouch filled with the Brie and jam. I try to artfully arrange the top of the pastry.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then let set for 40 minutes and serve. I did set out crackers with them but really there is enough pastry that you don't need the crackers. I served the puffs on fig leaves and garnished with fresh figs. Next time I would use more jam.

Day Six at the Fair

Hubby worked, I tried to get some order in the house and napped. In the evening we had stall duty so Max and Jon could go to Motocross(sp.?)at the Fair.

So, we scooped and answered questions, because you know I am so cow knowledgeable. Yes, Jersey milk has more butter fat, but Holsteins make more milk. That is the full extent of my knowledge.

And the best question all week- "Do you move your LVRM sofa here for the fair?"-asked by a serious, middle age woman from Vancouver.

"Oh yea, and then we move it right back, manure, barn smells and all, right back into our home, yep, we're immune to the manure,ma'am. And that is one beautiful, versatile piece of furniture."

Seriously.

"No ma'am, the kids buy a $10 sofa from the thrift store and then we dispose of it properly after the Fair."

Next week I will restore order in my home and at my desk at work, oh and get control of my sixteen year old. The End.

Day Five at the Fair

Jersey Day. FFA Type and Open Class
My cousin's kiddos, Austin and Aric, a couple of winners.

Max and Jon took Miss Flop out to the ring, basically the judge thought she was a nice little heifer, but it was hard to tell as she wouldn't walk.

A Blue ribbon! A number one blue ribbon, yay!

More blue means more green, as in the big bucks!

It was a long day of hurry up and wait.

Tonight Hubby and I went to a very sweet wedding, in a pretty setting, with yummy eats and libations. It was so nice to see my friend Jeffey so happy with his bride.

Day Four at the Fair

Max's day started early. Max and Jon clean and repack stalls, milk, wash all their animals and then he comes home for a shower and breakfast. Then it's back to the Fair to get ready for Holstein Open Class show.

Every year my camera picks up on the grease molecules floating around the Fair from all the deep fat frying going on. It can ruin a good picture.

Max and Brooke have been showing together for years. She is in 4-H and got first in Fit and Show this year. Now that Max is in FFA they aren't showing at the same time unless it's Open Class. I got a picture for old times sake today. Don't they look sharp?

Then it was over to the Swine barn for FFA Swine Fit and Show. Jon and Jesse were in the same class and both got to come back in the ring for finals. Jesse won champion.

Then it was Max's turn. He got a blue. Not at the top but did well. His pig got in six fights and they had to use the boards each time.

After the showing we had lunch and I zipped home to take a nap. Also did laundry.

Then the fun really got going for the day.
We went to the Foreigner concert with Bill and Jodi.

I asked Jodi what she thought would happen if I ran up to the front and took some pictures. She pointed out several security guys that she thought would come after me. About five minutes later I told her I was going for it. I had a plan, I saw Christie (a friend of Sam's) working security, so I went to her and asked her to take a close up. She told me to go for it and go up front myself. I got some good shots.

Old rockers!

On the left is Mick Jones, he is the only original band member. Bill and Fred were pleasantly surprised how good they sounded.

Fun times for sure, if nothing else watching all of the old rockers in the crowd was a hoot. Double Vision, Urgent, JukeBox Hero and other favorites brought back fun memories.

Tomorrow is Jersey Show day, I'm just waiting for the washer to get the show clothes finished and then I am off to bed.

Day Three at the Fair

FFA Swine Type show was today. Yep, it's about as exciting as the pictures show. Meatwad won a blue and even better we think we have a buyer for the little guy.
I made a sign for his stall- "Lean Pork for Sale".
While Jon and Max showed their pigs I did barn duty in the dairy barn. Scooped a lot of manure and even wiped some heifer bums today!





Later Max got a blue for the Holstein heifer, showing FFA Type.
Then he came home and got sick... heat, exhaustion, nerves etc. etc.
Cool shower, a quick nap and dinner and he went back for barn duty.
Hubby's parents and brother came over today and we had dinner on the patio. Now I just have to iron his show clothes and go to bed.
Another early morning tomorrow. I have a nap planned for the afternoon.

Day Two at the Fair

Day 2 of the Fair.
I watched a bit of 4-H Fit & Show and then met up with my friend, Emilyn. She milked a cow and got the squeeze and pull down pat.

Emilyn won a blue ribbon at the Fair. She entered her tea set collection in the Hobby barn. Her brother's Lego Eiffel Tower also won a blue ribbon.

At this point of the day we were on top of the world.

Not superstitious but we were riding in #13. And the luck did run out...

Em and I went home, had a break and then Hubby and I picked up Emilyn and we went back to the Fair, where she met up with her Dad and brother.
Fitting and Showing for FFA
This is the show where the kids get judged on how well the animal is trained, how clean the animal is and how they show it. Lots of technique etc.
Getting ready is kind of a hurry up and wait thing. Jesse helped Max and Jon. Their animals were clean, pedicured, ears triple checked for being clean, tails ratted, styled and sprayed, guys changed into full uniform, pressed and ready. Kassie came for morale support.

Auntie Shelly keeping Max relaxed before he goes into the ring.

Grandpa and Grandma always come to support Max, Uncle Darryl and Aunt Judy always come too. Max has many fans in the stands every year.

His first place streak is broken, Max placed third this year. The judge told him, "you just didn't catch my fancy."

That's okay. What goes up, must come down.

This leetle Piggy Went NoWhere

Okay, so here is the deal. The heifer with Jersey Flop, is still flopping... Everyone tries to help, they all have ideas, to no avail. She just flops and stays. Aric thought he could do it, he is ten and it's his first 4-H year. We were laughin'. People made calls, adults came out to the ring, but no cure. Thankfully, Max is still smiling.


Not smiling about the pig though...she didn't make weight. This is really bad as now no little piggy going to market, no big bucks for Max and a homeless pig on Saturday evening. Not sure what we are going to do about that yet.

Tuesday is Fitting and Show for Max... the pressure is on. Luckily he is not using Miss Flop for Fit and Show.
See you at the FAIR!

Going for the Blue Ribbons

The fig jam is a hit. I will be posting some recipes that use fig jam after the Fair. In the meantime I just couldn't put the jam in the cupboard, the color is just too pretty. So, a jam vignette in the kitchen.


I am a bit busy this week at the Fair.
I am Max's encourager, laundress and sanity this week.
This is the list of what Max is entering in the Fair:
One Jersey cow.
Two Jersey heifers.
One Holstein heifer.
One pig. Whoa, what were we thinking? Now I have to go to the Swine barn, I like the Dairy barn, thank you very much. A new venture...

This is the list of what I am not entering in the Fair:
One jar of fig jam.
One jar of strawberry fig conserve.

Apparently they have rules against the open kettle/wax seal method of jam making. Becky and I were very disappointed. I may sneak it in and display it anyway. Becky had already spent (in her mind) the possible first place $3 premium. No blue ribbons for us.

We're not bitter or anything...