To the Fair!

This week. our question is about your knitting... In many communities, "the fair" is a great place to visit and spend time with your family. It's also where many have entered one product or another (jams, cakes, even knitting)...

Oh my! i love the fair! the fair that we have here in town in the Tennessee State Fair. i have special memories of going to the fair with my dad. we always had a great time looking at all the exhibits from the photography to the baking, to the huge pumpkins and watermelons. it is funny that this was one of the questions this year because i have decided to enter some stuff in the fair this year. i am entering some knitting and crochet pojects. i am a little hesitant about leaving my stuff there but i am trying not to worry about it. i think it will be fun. i have always, always wanted to enter somethng in the fair so i am really looking forward to it!

i am hoping for one of these to take home:


Here is the link to the Tennessee State Fair website that contains info about the fair! See you at the fair! September 5-14, 2008.

Well I am back from a wonderful vacation! Before I tell you all about that let me do some catching up!

Before I left for the trip I received a wonderful box from my swap partner for my birthday.

It included whipped body cream in a dreamsickle scent, a body bar in grapefruit (which is one of my favorite scents), and a sample of the "naked" body cream. A big thanks goes out to my swap partner! What a lovely treat!

On the topic of birthday gifts I also received this haul from my friend, Learning from Chavah.

This gift totally included Colinette Jitterbug, an adorable bag that she makes, Kitty Knits, and some squeeze bottles for hand dying! What a wonderful gift! Her birthday is coming up (finally) and I can't wait to give her the gift I got for her. It is killing me not to blog about it but I will wait! Thanks girlie for the wonderful present!

Question #8: What is your favorite supper for a hot summer evening?
This is kind of a toughie. I have 2 really. Both are family recipes that we have perfected over time. One is my dad's fajitas which include his famous grilled chicken (preferably thighs), guacamole, cheese, and fresh pico de gallo! Yum! The second is fresh basil pesto. We started making this when we were growing a lot of basil in the garden but still love it even now! It has so much garlic in it that it is hot! That over orzo pasta with fresh sliced tomatoes on the side! Oh man my mouth is watering! Yum!

Ok so the trip! My friend Elizabeth and I left here last Monday morning and drove to Grayton Beach, FL. It took us about 8.5-9 hours which was a little longer than we had planned but we had a good time so it was not a big deal! The cottage we stayed in belongs to a friend of mine and was just adorable:


This is the living room. There was this room that attached to the kitchen. Then there were two bedrooms, and a bathroom that included a washer and dryer. So cute!

So once we got our stuff in and walked down to the pier for a few minutes we went grocery shopping for food for the week. This was a vacation on a budget and we did a great job! $130 for 3 people breakfast and lunch for 4 days and 2 dinners. We went out twice. Once we went into Panama City, shopped for a little while, and then met a good friend of mine, Anna, who recently moved to the area for dinner.

(Anna and I)

(Anna and her son, Jimmy)
It was so great to see her and her son while having a great seafood meal at Schooners! yumm-o

Each day we spent on the beach. The weather got progressively bad as the week went on to the point that we were not allowed in the water the last 2 days because it was so rough.

One of the state park officials told us that 2 people drowned in Panama City on Wednesday due to the waves and the undertow! Wow! We didn't risk it!

We all did a lot of reading while enjoying listening to the waves roll in. Friday we encountered a rain shower while we were on the beach but we got under our unbrella and waited it out!

here are Elizabeth and I waiting it out! it wasn't too bad! that evening we decided to get some dinner in Destin this time. we ate at Jimmy Buffet's Cheesburger in Paradise. it was ok. i would go back but i would get something different next time! in that same area were tons of outlet stores. i got a new watch at Fossil and i scored some silverware that i have been coveting for a couple of years now! i thought it had been discontinued but it was there! i was so excited!

Isn’t it pretty? I love it!


Here are the 3 vacationers: Leanna in the left chair, me in the right chair, and Elizabth behind us! Looks like we got a bit of color! Woohoo!

Saturday we got up, cleaned and headed out. Elizabeth dropped me off in Birmingham so that I could attend part of the staff training weekend for a youth camp that I am involved in (Happening). It was great to see everyone again! I hitched a ride back with some of the group that was coming this way! Whew!

and now it is Monday and it has not been a great start to the week. Got a speeding ticket on the way to work this morning, had to train someone on the electronic medical record while trying to see 6 patients this morning and doing all of their sports physicals! I am wiped out! not to mention that it is totally hot here and I HATE being HOT!!!! More soon! I hope to have a FO this week!

I am leaving you with a beautiful picture from the beach at sunset! Enjoy!