OUTSIDE ON EXPLORER

Yesterday I showed you a representation of the activities available inside Explorer. But that only represents a portion of what is available. There is a whole range of activities outside on deck as well. Because of the cooler weather of this cruise these weren't the activities of primary interest and most times the decks were pretty empty, but on Caribbean cruises these are the most popular places to be.

Several mornings, especially at the beginning of the cruise Jerry and I took advantage of this track on deck 12. Officially its a jogging track, but on this cruise most people walked it. Five laps around the track equaled one mile. It was a nice place to walk. A bit breezy and some days when you rounded the back end of the track, which actually was a t the front of the ship you felt like you were going to be blown off your feet! And it wasn't a warm blast of air either. I think if you look carefully you can see how people were dressed. This picture was actually taken on one of our colder days as we were cruising up the Saguenay River in Quebec. It was the farthest north we went and also it was late afternoon.

Deck 4 is the official walking area when there a lots of joggers aboard ship. With the exception of the very front of the ship you can walk totally around the ship on this deck. At the front you need to go up a flight of stairs to deck 5 walk around to the other side and then head back down a flight back to deck 4 to complete the circuit of the ship. I'm not sure but I think two laps of this deck is a mile. Maybe two and a half laps. Its a pretty walk and you are definitely closer to the water at this level. Also you are a bit more protected from the wind, though not much.

Despite the weather not being tropical, much of the on deck entertainment was still tropical in flavor. I felt so sorry for this band. I think they were all natives of the Caribbean Islands and they played on deck 11 every afternoon we were sailing. So not only was it cold it was breezy. A few afternoons they had a few listeners. Most they were on there own with a random person walking by.

Of course cool weather does not keep some people from enjoying the available water activities. The hot tubs were very popular. Though most times the people using them were sitting in the warm water up to their necks unlike this hardy soul. Just for a temperature check point this picture was taken about five minutes after the first picture of the people in winter coats was! I beleive there are six large hot tubs on deck 11 and three pools. Other than our last day at sea I didn't actually observe anyone swimming in the pools. I did however see two young boys swimming in one of the hot tubs. And I mean swimming. It was a short lap across the tub but they were having fun.

Minature Golf is another popular on board activity. I had hoped to find time t play it, but didn't. Jerry did play in the Mini Golf Tournament. No he didn't win. This is on deck 12 at the aft, back, of the ship. Being at the aft it is somewhat less breezy but there still can be a stiff wind. At those time the sport is referred to as Air Golf. Also from what I hear and can imagine golfing on a ship can be very challenging when there are rough seas. Under those conditions you are never quite sure where your ball will end up after you hit it.

Also challenging on rough seas can be in-line skating. I watched this gentleman for quite awhile. He never fell, but then I'm not sure I ever saw him let go of the side wall. He did seem to be having a good time though.

For the truly adventurous there is the climbing wall. It is built on the back side of one of the massive smoke stacks of the ship. It was not a particularly popular activity on this cruise. No long lines like on the cruises with a younger set. When we came on board I actually thought I might give it a try, because I knew there would be few people there to watch me make a fool of myself. Then I watch a couple of people do it and saw how much upper body strength it took. I could see their arm muscles straining and well I already knew I don't have much upper body strength at all so decided this probably was not an activity for me. I'm also scared to death of heights. Oh well something must be left to the younger set. Jerry being younger actually went up to try it, but just as he got in line they announced the person in front of him would be the last climber. Maybe next cruise.

There also is a full basketball court, several shuffleboard courts and a ping pong table or two scattered around the decks. And the young children have their own private outdoor area complete with pool and hot tub. There really is something for everyone.

Not to be forgotten is one of the favorite activities on any cruise. Reading on deck! It's a bit more challenging to find a place out of the cold wind on a northern cruise, but then on a hot southern cruise you have to look around to find a spot out of the broiling sun. Between the four of us on the cruise I think we finished at least seven books and maybe more, plus another four were begun. Not only did Nancy and I read on deck but she crocheted hats and I worked on knitting my socks. This has got to be the most relaxing part of the whole trip.

So that is it for the out door activities. Of course throughout every day at sea there are organized activities for fun. The Mr Explorer contest is always a favorite among cruisers. There is also line dancing and on warmer trips there are pool contests and water aerobic classes. They may have had those on this trip, but if they did I doubt too many people took part and if you were brave enough to do so you probably won!

By now if anyone is reading these posts you may be tired of my ramblings but I will continue because I am getting great enjoyment out of reflecting and reliving this wonderful trip. I wonder what I will write about next? I think it may be time to visit a port city......tomorrow Sydney, Nova Scotia.

INSIDE EXPLORER

I have some extra time tonight so thought I would do another entry about things to do on while on the ship. I don't know how many photos I can place in one entry so I may need to put some photos into a second post well see.

First let me say I have no idea how anyone could ever say that they would get or got bored on a cruise. At least my opinion is there is too much to choose from and there is no way you could do everything. Right now I'm only going to give an idea about what you can do when inside the ship. Outside activities will be a whole other post with photos.

First the Explorer of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean's Voyager Class ships. They were the first ships to have a Royal Promenade right down the center of Deck 5. It is lined on both sides with stores for all types of shopping and several bars for resting and drinking as well as a good stopping place for people watching. Also there is the Promenade Cafe which is open 24 hours for coffee and cookies as well as other goodies like pastries at breakfast and little sandwiches from late morning till midnight. Pizza I believe is available 24 hours as well. There is also a Seattle's Best Coffee shop and a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream counter. These last two area you must pay to get things from, but everything at Promenade Cafe is free. There are always a lot of people wandering through this area. The last night of the cruise they put on a parade here, but more on that later.

Down on Deck 4 is one of the most popular areas of the ship for many people. The Casino Royale. This is were people go to try and win money for a future cruise, shopping in ports or just to simply win money. In my experience they more likely will lose money so it is only good for entertainment purposes and if winning occur that is a nice surprise. There are plenty of slot machines where you can wager any where from $ .02 to $3.00 at a time. Also there are a variety of gaming tables. I will confess to playing the slots for fun of watching the wheels spin, but have never tried or even wanted to try my hand at any of the tables. This is a noisey and brightly lit area of the ship. Unfortunately it is also one of the few areas where smoking is allowed so I don't find it a particularly pleasant place to spend much time.

More enjoyable is the Spa and Hot Whirlpool in the fitness center. This is an adult only pool. It is a wonderful place to relax and let the water jets massage your back or shoulders. There are changing rooms nearby that have both a sauna and a steam room as well as nice "normal sized" showers. Unfortunately because there was so much to do aboard ship I only got to use this whirlpool once. Next to it is an exercise class room and I did go there quite a few mornings for a morning stretch class and once I even tried aerobics. The fitness center is on deck 11.

So we've been to deck 4, 5 and 11. On deck 3 there is an indoor ice rink. I will tell you more about that when I show you pictures from a fabulous show on board. As you can see there can be a lot of stair climbing or you can take one of the many elevators that are located both at the front and the center of the ship. Some of them are enclosed, but quite of them are glass so you can people watch as you go up and down. Four of the elevators go from deck 1 to deck 15. Most only go to deck 12. Decks 13, 14 and 15 are only at the aft (back of the ship).

Usually Jerry and I were only going up or down 4 decks at a time. So often we just took the stairs. Our cabin was on Deck 7 making us centrally located. Deck 3 was as low as you normally went unless you needed to go to the infirmary, which thankfully none of us did, and most often we never went above Deck 12. The Windjammer Cafe was on Deck 11 and that was a climb first thing in the morning for breakfast, but we did it. There were times however when our legs said "no more" or we were on Deck 3 and wanted to go to Deck 14. Then the elevator was very welcome. The dining room is on three decks our table was on Deck 5 so that was another place we took the stairs to. Climbing stairs and walking a lot is important on the ship as you must work off all the extra calories you take in from all the good food they ar costantly feeding you!

The ship also has a well stocked and well used library, an internet room, a movie theater, at least nine bars and a night club. Also there are two card and game rooms as well as a two tiered theater for live performances nightly. These are just the indoor activity areas. Oh I always forget the day spa and beauty salon where you can get various massages, a manicure or pedicure, facials and hair cuts and styles. I don't ever get up there as they are pretty pricey services compared to what I would pay on land.

Well that's an over view of the interior of the ship. I know I've missed something. If and when I remember it I'll include it in a future post.

CRUISIN'

The first official thing that is done aboard ship is the muster drill. This is a mandatory exercise where you practice what to do in the case of a ship board emergency. It entails wearing the ever stylish life vests and finding and going to your cabins muster station. Most of these stations are outside on deck and you get to stand in lines either in very hot or very windy and cold conditions. This trip we were very fortunate. Our muster station was in the dining room. Of course there are questions that come up with that as a gathering point. one being, will we still be sitting in the dining room as the ship goes down while everyone else is on deck getting into life boats? Fortunately we did not have a ship board emergency so this question was not answered.

Before I go any farther in this cruising adventure I think I need to introduce you to our traveling companions Bob and Nancy. This was their first official cruise. They did have the fortune of traveling on a navy transport ship when they returned from Spain in the 60's (I think that is the correct decade). We had a great time together and there faces, and backs, will show up in future pictures. This picture was taken while we were waiting on deck for "sail away". Nancy was enjoying and clapping along with the music that was being played on deck. Part of the sailing out of the port was going under the Verrazano bridge. I had really wanted to see that since they say the ship just fits or that's what it looks like anyway, but we had early seating for dinner which was supposed to be at 6pm, but they changed to 5:30 so we were already inside at our table when we sailed under it.

I know these pictures aren't very exciting, but at least you know the main characters of this trip now. Next I will take you on a short trip around the ship as the first full day of our trip was spent at sea. Normally this would be a day outdoors by the pool, but on a cruise that goes north in October swimming is not a desirable of an activity. Though there were people in the outdoor hot tubs most days and on our last day at sea I did see a couple of kids and their brave parents in the pool itself. Every afternoon though there was a band that valiantly withstood the cold and played for an almost none existent audience. You will see them later as well.

By for now.

CRUISIN' Part 1

I am working on the photos from our cruise. There are many, too many for posting here, but I am going to pull a few to show as I tell of our journey.

Jerry and I picked up the couple we were traveling with, Bob and Nancy a little after 7 am on Thursday morning, October 9. We had to make a stop by church but then where on our way to Bayonne, New Jersey. Normally I do no like the drive up I-95, but it wasn't too bad. I really like that when you get to the New Jersey Turnpike that the have separate roadways for cars and the trucks. Makes for a much calmer drive in my opinion.

We arrived at the port right around noon and unloaded the luggage. Check-in was very easy and quick and we were given a number for the group we were in to take the shuttle bus to the ship. They were just beginning shuttle service as we were entering into the waiting area. We had our boarding picture taken and got a couple of yummy RCI cookies to tied us over till we were onboard and could get some lunch. It didn't take long till our number was called and we were truly on our way.

We were on board before 1pm and the ship didn't sail till 5pm. Also we couldn't get into our cabins until around 1:30 so we headed up to the Windjammer For the first of many wonderful meals. The Windjammer is a buffet with all types of foods to choose from. As the cruise progressed we ate here most breakfasts and a few lunches. Other meals were eaten in the dining room.

I don't want to go into too much detail right now, because I don't want to bore people who might stop by and be tempted to read this. However, I do want to show you one of the first things I loved about sailing out of Bayonne, NJ. We had the benifits of sailing out of NYC without having to go into NYC, This saved us time and money. Parking in Manhattan, even at the cruise pier is pretty pricey, and I won't even go into the traffic issues. But we did get to seethe Statue of Liberty as we sailed out of the harbor. Also the skyline of New York City. We weren't really this close, in fact we were quite a ways away, but I love what zoom lenses can do!

Before I leave this posting I suppose I really should show a picture of the ship that would become our home away form home for 9 nights. We were 4 of just over 3000 passengers and 1200 crew members. Truly a floating city. She's called The Explorer of the Seas. Isn't she pretty? This picture was actually taken in Sydney, Nova Scotia. There really wasn't anywhere to get a picture of her while in Bayonne as the port there is primarily for commercial shipping. There are no open spaces for picture taking.

So that's it for tonights post. IF you like come back and read as I relive the cruise in word and pictures.

WE'VE BEEN CRUISIN'

I don't have any pictures processed yet. But they will come. We had a fantastic time cruising to Quebec Canada and back and I have lots to share. Right now I've been busy unpacking and catching up on thing at work and here at home. But please come back in a day or two and there will be some things to share.

ITS BEEN A MONTH!

It has been a month since I have posted here. Time continues to fly by. I am thinking that I have been way to busy with too much stuff in my life, but I haven't been bored, that's for sure.

So what have I been doing since the first part of September???? Well lets see.....mainly I guess it's been getting things rolling for the fall activities at church. There's been a picnic, a cleanup day and the Tuesday night dinners have started up again. For all those things I did the food. I've also cooked for the Golden Girls luncheon and have ended up being in charge of the fellowship coffee time between and after our Sunday morning church services. I think I've become the chief cook and bottle washer at the church. For the most part that's okay because I like to cook. Also the Monday morning study group which I teach has started back up and we continue in our Wednesday morning quest to create the needed gift items to be sold at our annual Secret Shop for the children of the church and community. Of course in the midst of all that are the normal activities of payroll, bill paying and newsletter article writing as well as staff, finance and church council meetings.....whew....no wonder I'm tired....and those are only the church work related activities. There's also been a yard sale, I attended and helped out for a day at a quilt show, a good friend got married, and I attended a stamping show.

I do have a picture of some of the prep work for a Woman's Tea our church woman's group hosted yesterday. Yes more baking.....yummy scones.
I made three kinds; plain, currant and raspberry cream. They were all yummy and I wasn't the only one who thought so which was nice. Of course they were served with clotted cream and strawberry preserves. I did make enough so we have some to munch on here at home for breakfast this week.

This week is one filled with much anticipation of the beginning og a much awaited trip which starts early Thursday morning. We will be heading out with some good friends from church for a lovely 9 night cruise to Canada and back. I have been doing some packing planning to get ready for it. I love to cruise and this will be my 5th one, but it will be very different from the other 4 as it will be a cool weather cruise. This presents a few different packing challenges. No shorts or tee shirts but rather cordury pants and turtleneck sweaters. Temps can range from 70 to 35. The word to remeber I keep telling myself it LAYER!

I tried to get everything into one suitcase, but I don't think it's going to work. Between being 9 nights and bulkier clothes I think I will need one big one and a smaller one. Maybe only a hlaf of the smaller one we'll see. Also there need to be day time casual clothing and evening more dressy including two really dressy things for the TWO formal nights. I'm not taking a formal, but do have sparkly dressy items.

Here is what the guest room bed looked like Friday before I began moving items into the actual suitcase.....Yes I am over eager and I alsready have the main suitcase packed.....but that's also becasue my busy schedule doesn't slwo down till we get in the Suburban and head north to New Jersey Thursday morning. I still have to work this week and have activities and meetings every night. Yeah some people never learn. Jerry was smart and started his vacation last Friday!!!!!!!!

SUMMER????

Wow! Where did summer go? It certainly seemed to fly by in a fast paced blur......there was so much I wanted to get done that I just didn't get to. And we didn't even take a real vacation yet. That won't come until mid-October.

It's not as if we didn't do anything fun this summer. There were lots of small things and lots of activity that kept us busy, and that's not counting work. Lets see....Jerry started out the summer with his business trip to Las Vegas and I went to Kansas City for a stamping weekend. Then we spent time in MI, once again more vacation for me as Jerry had to go back to work in Cleveland for 4 days, but we did get to spend the 4th of July holiday at the cabin outside the Soo. Those were the trips out of town.

In and around town we attended a theater festival for a day in Shephardstown, WV with our youngest son. We had out recent trip to Arlington. And of course there were the trips to the County Fair. I visited tow quilt shows in PA; one in Hershey and one in Harrisburg. I also attended a minor league baseball game with both of our sons.

Then there are the fun but working summer activities such as Vacation Bible School week and atrip to Gettysburg, PA. There were funerals and a wedding to attend....

Yes it was a quick summer, but in retrospect it was a fun one and certainly not one that was in any way boring...........

The fall is looking like it will be just as ation packed. Life is FUN! And life is full of variety in amist the daily work. Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given us in it.

TRIP TO ARLINGTON AND BEYOND

Yesterday we visited Arlington National Cemetery. I have been there several times, but this time it a different feeling. This time unlike the others we went to locate and visit the grave of a specific person. The father of my sister-in-law. That give the trip a whole different feel. No longer are you just the tourist wanting the experience of visiting the Kennedy grave sights or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. She took some flowers to the grave and we sat there for a while. I was somewhat amazed considering the size of the cemetery that there were several other groups visiting sites in the same general area.

After some time at the grave sight we did go and do a bit of the more touristy stuff by taking the Tourmobile trip around the cemetery. As part of this tour we visited the a fore mentioned Kennedy site and also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were therehad about 15 minutes before the changing of the guard ast the tomb and so also visited the memorials to the space shuttle Discovery and Challeger astronauts. Between the two of them was a memorial to the soldiers who gave their lives in the early 80's attemping a resucue of the Iranian hostages. We also saw the mast and anchor of the battleship The Maine as in "remember the Maine" of the War of 1812 fame.

The changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier is always a moving event. Not so much in what is done and how it is done, but the spirit and dedication with which this task is undertaken. These guards are not just a tourist attraction by any means. They are truly honoring the soldiers who have given their lives for their county. This tomb has been guarded 24/7 since the mid 1920's. Even when hurricane Isabel came through DC they did not take shelter though they were told they could. They continued 21 steps turn 21 seconds then start again 21 steps.......

After our tour of the cemetery we went to find some lunch, but on the way found the relativly new Air Force Memorial. We had seen it from a distance on our way to National Airport and also could see it from Chau's father's grave. It is quite impressive from a distance, but even more so up close. It is huge. And up close you really get the feel of jet plumbs soaring through the sky. It really is magnificant.

After leaving there we did find on the guards recommendation a little dinner about a mile down the road. Definat;ey one of those poverbial hole in the wall type places but the food was good and the prices were definitely right.

All in all it was a wonderful day. Even the weatrher though hot cooperated as the rain that was forcasted for the afternoon never materialized.

So much for another weekend in Washington.......

DPL OLYMPIC REPORT

I guess I never reported on the results of my Debt Proof Living Olympic challenge. I did pretty well. Maybe not a gold medal, but I think a silver one. The only craft supply I purchased during the Olympic time frame was one stamp pad. I did better on the food. I did stick to only purchasing perishables. The freezer was looking pretty empty after the two weeks, but it is full again. I will be working it back down again. I've decided I like shopping only twice a month for the non-perishable products; stocking up on a big trip than working it down over the next few weeks.

Where I fell down was on items not listed on my no spending challenge. I did find several pairs of shoes on sale that I got for the fall. I hadn't gotten any new shoes in about a year and a half and it was time, but that did involve spending money. So that is why I'm only giving myself a silver. I probably could have done without them, but they are walking shoes and they sure are comfortable. My feet are enjoying them.

So what will be my next challenge???? I will think of something. Any suggestions?

CONTENTMENT REVISITED

I haven't spent much time thinking about my word for the year in quite some time. That word was contentment. This morning when I read my devotional though which I get by e-mail evey day this is what it said:

"GOD OF SACRED PRESENCE,
may I know
that contentment is not found
in the place we live
but in the person we are.
Amen."

- Richard Morgan
Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community

From p. 164 of Settling In by Richard Morgan. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books.

So this made me stop and evaluate how I am doing with contentment in 2008. For the most part I think I am doing pretty good....much better than in the past. I am very happy and content where I am in my life at this time and I think this is because I am becoming more content with who I am. I am not perfect. I don't have and can't do everything I would like. But I am content. I still dream about being better, doing better and maybe even having a few of the special things or going a few of the special places that are currently beyond by reach, but I am content with them being dreams for now and see all these things as exciting future possibilities. Whether or not they actually come into being is at the moment not important. That they are still dreams and possibilities is. I don't have to give up dreaming of the future to be content with the moment. That is a lesson I have learned so far this year.

BREAK FROM FAIR NEWS

Just a little break from the pictures and news of the fair....though I do have more. I thought I would report on how I am doing with the DPL Olympic Challenge. There are only a few days left. Fortunately I have been so busy with first the fair and then catching up with everything at home and work that I didn't get done while at the fair that I haven't really had time to do much shopping. Using food from the freezer and pantry has been pretty easy. I have both a big freezer and a big pantry. I have been to the store but only for perishables like bread, fruit and dairy products. I am really liking this way of shopping. I may just try doing one major shopping trip a month where I stock up on meats, fish and chicken and canned and frozen foods. Being sure to get a good selection and then throughout the month I can just shop out of my own freezer. Though I don't get to take advantage of all the sales doing this I think I still will save money because I am not good at shopping sales anyway and I always buy more than I need each trip if I am in store too long. If I only go in to get two or three things when I get the perishables it would be a quick in and out! I'll have to think on this. I actually think I can go another week before I begin scraping the bottom of the barrel on choices.

As for my craft purchases. I have only gotten a spectrum ink pad for this weekends VSN challenges. That's it since August 8 and I am working hard to actually go till September. Then I have a few things I've really been wanting from Papertrey Ink and that will be my September purchases till the end of the month when I go to my ffirst stamp show....all bets are off then, but I will work to be good. I just don't know what to expect anfd I don't want to make promises I can't keep.

So that is how my Olympic challenges have been going. Not totally spending free but pretty darn close.

ANIMALS OF ALL KINDS

What county fair would be complete without animals? We have all kinds at our fair. Some are there to be in competition. Some are there to help their handlers as they compete with others in how they have trained their animals. And some are there simply to be displayed so people can learn about them.

A great deal of care is taken with all the animals that are at the fair. Some are there all week long and others, like the pets come in just for their specific competition day.

Here are some pictures of what can be seen at our fair. It is a very small representation as I don't want to bore anyone to death here and I would like you to come back and visit again.

We have lots of cows and cattle at our fair. They are among my favorite animals to visit with. I love their eyes. Last year it was decided that we should have a milking parlor where fair goers could come and learn where the milk they drink comes from. Yes you would be amazed how many people don't stop to think that milk is not simply produced at a bottling plant and then shipped to their local store. this picture shows the use of milking machines, but several times during the day they bring in a couple of cows and let the public attempt to milk them the old fashioned way. That is alway fun to watch. You just don't want to sit too close....if you know what I mean.

I think the goats are my favorite animal at the fair. Of course I am somewhat biased as when my kids, no pun intended for those who know about goats, were in 4-H they worked with goats. No we did not keep any in our suburban backyard, but friends from 4-H who had small farms let our kids work and learn with theirs. They are amazingly smart animals and very very friendly. When you go down to the goat barn all you have to do is look into their pen and they will come right over to you wanting to nuzzle. When we worked with goats they were all dairy goats. Now however they have branched out and there are meat goat clubs. I am happy to have been only with dairy goats.

When you visit the "livestock" barns there will be animals belonging to 4-Her's as well as regular adult farmers. But the pet shows are limited to 4-Her's. There isa regular pet show for all types of pets and then also special handling and agility shows for dogs and their owners. I love watching the dogs go through their paces with their handlers on the agility course. Some are amazing and very focused on the task at hand. Others....well lets just say to the chagrin of their handlers they get caught up in just being dogs and getting sidetracked when an interesting scent in the straw catches their attention. That would have been Mr. Snuggles, our dog. But then he was a beagle and I don't remember seeing any beagles in this competition. If there was a smell he just had to follow it.....

Right outside the 4-H building the department of natural resources from MD and a private animal rescue group had a display of various raptors and birds of prey. They had various types of hawks, falcons and owls. I fell in love with a cute little screech owl. He was only about 6 inches tall, but the lighting was not good where they had him and so I had to settle for picture of this barn owl. There was a lot of information here not only on the birds themselves but also what needed to be done to protect them.

This is only a small selection of the animals at our fair. Of course there were chickens, ducks, roosters, sheep, pigs, horses and bunnies. All those things that go into making a fair a fair.

SOME ENTRIES AND AWARDS

Time for a bit of bragging.....I did very well with my entries at the fair this year. Here are a few of the items I entered. I won't bore anyone with all 34 items I entered. Of course I'm showing you the ones the judges liked and chose to give first or second place ribbons to. Yes there were items that got lower placings. A few only received Honorable Mentioned or nothing at all.

All of these projects were entered in the Home Arts building. I entered in five of the departments there. I forget how many departments there are in the whole building I think around 12 and thats with not breaking down the Baked Goods area into its various areas like cakes, cookies, breads, etc.

The first picture though of a quilt was actually entered in the Dolls, Toys and Miniatures department. It is a doll house scale quilt for a twin size bed. Doll house scale means that 1 inch on the quilt equates to 1 foot in real life. The quilt measures approximately 5 inches wide by 7 inches tall. I entered three other items in this department and received a second blue ribbon and two red ones (2nd place).

The second picture is probably the item and ribbon I was most proud of. I have never been able to get the hang of crocheting. I've tried multiple times and it just has never worked for me. I decided three weeks ago it was time I just hunkered down and figured it out. So with the help of Crocheting for Dummies from the library I kept at it till I came up with this table mat. Eventually it will be one of four and be renamed a placemat. I decided to enter it and see what happened and low and behold I got a blue ribbon. It was in the beginner project category, but hey a blue is a blue! I think the fact that I used a yarn called Peaches and Cream (or is it Sugar and Cream???) helped. It's a very firm yarn and so when crocheted there is no give and it doesn't stretch. While sitting at the information booth in the 4-H building during the week I did get two more completed except for the fringe so one more to go and I have placemats!

The third picture here is of one of my baby quilts. The ribbon doesn't show in the picture since the quilt was lying flat on a table, but it was a blue. This blue totally blew me away! I never dreamed I would get any ribbon at all on a baby quilt since that is the category where about 30 people enter. They are just so easy and quick to make. The judges wrote a comment on the back of the tag that they really liked the fabric color choices and placements. I've done a lot of baby quilts using the Winnie the Pooh fabric that is the focal point of the quilt. I will be so sad when the fabric is gone. IT is one of the few fabrics that I purchased a lot of when I found it cause I loved it! And I'm really glad I did.

My final picture is of two items a baby bib and a Christmas stocking that I entered in the Accessories Department. Notice the white ribbon on the stocking this is one of my Honorable Mentioned ribbons. The interesting thing about this is that I entered the same type of Christmas Stocking in the Arts and Crafts Building. The only difference was that I used green pre-quilted fabric for that one and it received a blue ribbon! Just goes to show that judging is not an exact science and everything depend on what items you are competing against and what the judges like! Does that bother me? Heck no! It's just a county fair and really all the ribbon gives me as a warm fuzzy feeling and some bragging rights.

As for those bragging rights I am done for now! Aren't you glad????? Tomorrow come back to see some animals! What is a fair without animals?

RODEO AT THE FAIR

Sunday afternoon we had fun at the fair. No volunteering or work that day just plain fun! It was a beautiful day outside and we decided to enjoy it by watching the J Bar W Ranch's Battle of the Beast. It was basically an afternoon of bull riding and barrel racing with a little additional fun in the form of Bull Hockey and Ram Busting.

I have a few pictures here to share with you. The first is one of the gals in the barrel riding competition. There were 6 or 7 competing for the fasted time riding their horse in a clover leaf pattern around three barrels. These were some tight turns they had to make on their horses. I think the winner ran the course in 13.75 seconds. You can see here the horse really hugging the barrel as he went around it. They are allowed to bump the barrel, but can not knock it over. Also they must go around the barrels in the correct direction for it to count.

Next are a few of the cowboys riding the bulls. They needed to stay on the bull for 8 seconds to score any points and also they are holding on with one hand. The other hand must remain free and cannot touch anything in those 8 seconds. All this while the bull is letting them know they are not very happy about having someone on their back. There was one bull however who didn't seem to care one way or the other. His rider stayed on for 8 secs with no problems whatsoever, but it was not a good thing. Since the bull was so calm the rider did not score many points. Rider is scored based on his ride and bull is scored based on his bucking and causing the rider problems.

So those were the professional competitions. You may ask what Bull Hockey is???? I could just say it is not something you would ever find me wanting to play!!!!! Basically barrels are put up at the two ends of the arena. These are the goals. There are two teams of two players each. These teams are competing against each other and score points by getting the puck through the goal line between the barrels. The catch is the puck is a bull. The players are on foot and need to entice the bull to go though their respective goals. Things got pretty interesting at times and there was a fair amount of climbing of fences when the players themselves were chased by the bull.

Now this last event that I have pictures of is something I might consider doing. Unfortunately it is for children only. Ram busting is sort of like bronco busting except as the name says the kids are riding a ram rather than a horse. It was a really cute event. The kids had to stay on the back of the ram for 4 seconds I think it was. The ram just troted around, but because of its wool I think it is a pretty slippery ride and several of the kids just slid right off as soon as the ram began to move. A few however hung on for dear life seemingly having the time of their life. This little boy was only three years old and is the son of one of the rodeo cowboys. Evidently this event is considered to be the first training event for future cowboys. It looked like even at three he already had had a lot of practice. The other kids who rode were just ordinary kids. The tended to lie down across the length of the rams back and with their arms tightly wrapped around it's neck. To cute! They also had helmets on for safety.

Well tomorrow I will have some more fair pictures to show you. It really is a fun week.

DPL DAY 5

So far so good....having this challenge has saved me from making unthoughtout purchases multiple times already. Grocery shopping as planned has only been for perishables such as dairy, bread and produce items. All main entree items are coming from freezer and or pantry. Of course after 17 days of eating out of the freezer there probably will be a major restocking trip necessary, but that is good as it will mean that I will have new stuff in my freezer and maybe I can just plan to do this once a month. I think I spend more wisely when doing one major trip rather than multiple smaller ones.

Also, though I have been tempted in the area of craft spending (Creative Memories has a wonderfully tempting booth at the county fair) I remind myself to flex my saving muscles and have been able to resist. Of course I have been drooling over the new SU catalog that is out, but I have not and will not place an order till sometime in September and hopefully by then some of the "I really need that set!" will have worn off.......

So with this have I saved and money for the savings account...I do have two checks that will make there way there on Friday. That feels real good. So on to the next few days....and hopefully keeping up the good work...........

DPL OLYMPICS

It's been two days of the DPL Olympics and for me anyway so far so good. Of course being at our county fair two days has really helped the food purchase temptations. We haven't been home to eat and have been eating courtesy of the county fair, or at least I have. One of the benifits of working with 4-H; they feed you. What DH has done for food while at the fair has been up to him.

As for the craft spending temptations tonight I had to throw away a Michael's add which included a 40 % off coupon, a JoAnn's ad which not only had a 40% off coupon but advertisings for all sorts of great craft items, and a Keepsake Quilting Catalog which had more goodies shown than one can dream of. But throw them all away (actually recycle) I did. Even at 40% off I will not succumb. There will be more coupons and more goodies when I need them, not when I Would be temped to use them just because they are there.

So though day 2 I am a winner! Only 15 days to go..........

I am starting a new line of thought here for the next few weeks. Mary Hunt, the author of Everyday Cheapskate which is a daily e-mail I receive that gives hints and help on living a debt free life, is having a DPL or Debt Proof Living Olympics beginning on Aug 8. It will run during the Olympic games in Beijing. I have signed on for this challenge of stretching my fiscal muscles and will be chronicling my efforts here.

If you are interested in learning how to live within your financial means and/or receive help on getting out of debt check out Mary's Blog.

Here are my goals as written when I signed up for the DPL:
"Count me in….I commit to now craft spending for 17 days, Lord help me!, and no groceries except for perishables. Everything else comes out of pantry. I will use this time to take stock of what I already have and use it. I will also journal my endeavors on my BLOG Life Out My Window. I am also going to resist the urge to run out and stock up now. If I find I need it I can still get it till Friday, but no stocking up in advance. I think that would defeat the purpose. At least for me."

So I guess on Friday I will be saying with new meaning.....Let the games begin!

BACK TO FLOWERS AND FRIENDS!

It's been a while since I have posted here. Life has been rather crazy. We've been to MI and I have spent a week with 100 little kids in Vacation Bible School. But life does eventually calm down to where one can take time to stop and smell the roses. In my case I don't have any roses but I can stop to look at my Black Eyed Susans. I say look rather than smell as I don't think that they have any scent.

I am not a gardener in any sense of the word. I have a purple thumb in fact. Normally anything green and growing I can kill in a few months if not weeks. My father and my grandfather where marvelous gardeners, but that family gene missed me. I am no good ant gardening and I do not enjoy it. However a few years ago I purchased some Black Eyed Susan plants from Costco. I got them one because they are the star flower of Maryland; two I sort of share their name; and three I think they are pretty. They have managed to stay alive over the past few years, though they are somewhat scrawny looking. Despite that I thougt I would take a picture or two of them to share. I really do think they are pretty.

Also I have a picture of a friend of mine. He (or she) is a regular guest in our yard. Every once in a while he/she has a buddy and they are so fun to watch as they frolic in our yard chasing each other back and forth. But his morning when I looked out our back patio door he/she was just sitting so very peacefully not too far from the door. I could not resist getting my camera to grab a picture. Such big beautiful eyes and he/she seemed to be totally relaxed.

We also had our resident squirrel begging for peanuts at the back door. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that. He/she was so cute sitting on his hind legs and peering in the glass door. I really do think he was begging. But alsa by the time I got the camera and turned it on he had given up and moved on. Obviously this squirrel does not know our family. We do not feed wild life. Nor pets for that matter. Mr. Snuggles, Nick and Pattie could all attest to that. We loved them dearly, but begging got them no where with us..........

Well so much for a day of flowers and friend. You know it really is amazing what you can find in your own yard if you just take the time to look.

YUMMY!

I am hooked on these cookies. They are so yummy! I keep telling myself since they have peanuts and peanut butter that they are good for me also....now please don't anyone break that illusion bubble please!!!!!!

These are the cookies that won a million $'s for a friend of mine in the Pillsbury Bake Off in April. I'm glad they don't cost me a million to make. I do them pretty good, but I do have to admit when Carolyn makes them they are better.

If you would like to try your hand at them you can find the recipe here. One suggestion, stick to the recipe as written. I tried substituting chunky peanut butter in the filling because that is what I had on hand. The filling was not as creamy and I think that is what makes these cookies so awesome...crispy outside and creamy inside. ENJOY!

TIME PASSES BY!

Time just continues to fly by....I can hardly believe that it is July let alone the middle of July very soon. I have so many pictures I have been taking and so little time to post anything here. This is a photo I took while waiting for my flight out of Kansas City airport back at the end of June. I love sunsets and always try to photograph them with little success. I am, however, very pleased with the ease with which my new camera captured this image and really excited when I saw the plane taking off in the middle of it. There are many beautiful things in life, but few match the splendor of God's artwork!