Harvest fair and Girls' weekend.

 Every year our Stake (a group of neighborhood congregations in our church) does a Harvest Fair. In the past my girls and I have really had fun competing in the cake decorating, canning, and produce competitions. It's fun to say in passing  "my prize winning tomatoes"...""my prize winning chocolate cake"..."my prize winning daughter"...

 This year was a hard year for us. We all had a million places to be that day. Ari had been planning a flower arrangement though for a while, so she made that, I threw some tomatoes on a platter, and we rushed over -just her and me. We were too late to be in the judging, but I was still glad we went.

 My friend entered his wood sculpture. He designs them on a computer, and then, as he puts it, uses "every woodworking tool and machine known to man" to make them become a reality. This is him with his daughters.

 I have another friend who enters a metalworking project every year. Pretty impressive --last time it was chain mail.

 There were pony rides for the kids. 

 These ponies --only as big as large dogs!

 Face painting and kids crafts,

 A one family bluegrass band. I'd heard these guys before at a park concert and they never disappoint! 

 I was so excited to hear "Devil went down to Georgia". Been a while!

 Gardening demo ladies.

 Chick loving girls.

 

 Here was my tomato platter. Fancy. Ish.

 Ari's flower arrangement. She bought the water crystals, and a flashing color changing LED light for the vase with her own money.

We didn't stay long at the Harvest fair, because I was due up the canyon for a girls' weekend. Oh my gosh I needed this! My friend was moving back to California, so one of our group borrowed a cabin for us to stay in for a night as a going away thing. I was so excited to get up there, I drove without thinking right into BYU game traffic and was stuck an hour in Provo. I was not happy. I hated BYU, football, the entire city of Provo, the guy in the car in front of me (you were lucky you weren't a passenger in my car or you wouldn't have escaped my wrath either). 

But I finally made it, and it was worth the wait. I have to give you a tour of the "cabin". It was like going to a parade home. The bathroom was the cutest. In fact we wanted to take the group picture in the bathroom because we all loved it. Weird I know, but do you see that tub and tile? 

 Cutesy bedroom.

 Adorable kitchen with our plethora of snacks.

 Cozy living room.

 We ate (of course), and then furiously played games for hours.

 and I mean furiously!

 We talked and talked, and I loved it. So many stories. I was chatting with one of my friends later, and she commented on how cool it was that the conversation never dragged into gossip and criticism of people. These are nice girls. Of course we didn't go to bed until like 3:00, but it was worth the missed sleep. My sister always says, that talking and talking about your feelings (and listening and listening to them) is not a husband's job, it's for girlfriends. 

 The next day my fantastic friend made crepes for all of us, and we ate them with hot chocolate and herb tea. 

It was raining as I drove back down the canyon for church, but it only made the canyon more beautiful. A great memory.

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Well....I guess the parade got to me after all!

 Well, I thought I was far too lazy to do anything about all of the new colors and ideas from the Parade of Homes, but I guess I underestimated my ability to be swayed like a sheep. I immediately thought my decor was too dark, and originally wanted to paint all of the kitchen cupboards to white, pull the stone off the fireplace and replace it with glass tile, and possibly yank out all of the carpet. I calmed down soon, but there were a few pieces in my house that had been bugging me for a while that the Parade got me to do something about. The first was my headboard. Here's what the before looked like (above). I've since changed the curtains and bedding, but the headboard stayed dark. 

 Here's the after. I painted the copper tile in the center a cream, and the headboard to grey. I went back and forth about antiquing it, but finally went for it with some encouragement from my friend. 

 Here's the glazing up close. I didn't go crazy, just a bit around the edges.

The final bedroom. I was kind of sad about the mirror. I was going to just refinish it to match, but it...got wet... and fell apart. I HAD to buy a new one!

 Next was the desk in the dining room. This is a really old picture! Wow. Jeff's grandpa made this desk by hand, so the pulls needed to stay. 

I just brightened it up a bit. Cream, with antiquing around the edges. I kept the black top, and I'm not sure it was the best decision, but it's done so... Anyway, notice my little toast and protein hot chocolate ritual there? I'm watching "Gambit" on Netflix instant. That was a fun show (It has Snape in it!).

Next I'm recovering the dining room chairs in this fabric. I will show you when they are done. I'm also touching up paint around the house (finally after years living here!).

 We've been getting some amazing weather around here. This sunset was particularly spectacular. 

 So dramatic you ...sky! Geez. Calm down.

 I've been getting in around 30 miles up and down the canyon on my bike on weekends. My friend Sadie says September is the best time of year for biking. I'd stick the end of this year's August onto that. 

 Things have been calming down a little (today anyway) on the Primary visiting front, so I was able to take a little walk in the sunshine.

 When I got to this Virginia creeper, a little mouse grey bird was sitting on top of the railing. He might have been eating the berries, and I wondered if they weren't poisonous like I'd thought. As I got closer, he tensed, but I hoped he'd stay. He took off right when I was opposite him. Made me a little sad.

I got home and picked some of everything in the garden. I steamed some stuff, and left some raw. I always think of Laura Ingall's Pa saying "as long as the garden holds out we can eat like kings!"

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Goodbye summer.

 It's hard to think school starts this week. I feel like I missed most of summer being gone from Utah in July. I know I'm spoiled, and I don't deserve to say that, but I can't help feeling that way anyway. Utah county especially is vintage Americana at its finest in July. Kids and fireworks and parades and pioneers, carnivals, and corn, it all happens in July. At least I got the leftover piece of August that the school district didn't pilfer from us. I've never thought going back to school in August was fair or even moral. September is fall, fall is back to school. Duh.  But we savored.

 Barbecues with friends...

 Cousin and family fun nights.

 Roasting marshmallows.

 Badminton --may be the only time I've played in my life.

 Watching the fields turn gold and shiny platinum blond.

 Clouds of harvest chaff.

I'd drive by this field every morning dropping Tia off at driver's ed, and every morning something new would be happening. One day a little black and white cat was out there hunting and made an amazing picture with the gold, black , and white. I DIDN'T STOP. I'm still kicking myself for not taking that picture. I talk about it so much Tia suggested we kidnap the neighbor's cat and throw it in the field so I can take its picture.

 Best time of year in my yard. 

 These shots were all Tia's. We get a lot of hummingbirds and butterflies around these bushes. Last weekend I actually went and looked at a house in a community with tiny lots and shared parks because I've had it up to my earlobes taking care of my yard. We decided it would be dumb to trade in for less land (for the same prices!) even though I was tempted. Kai said .."wait, we could take our butterfly bushes with us right? ...and our fruit trees? and our strawberries?" Sigh. We're not moving. At least I know he likes it here.

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