Who Would Have Thought?

Ok, I helped judge baked goods at last night's county finals for 4-H. Since my girls were in the Biscuits and Muffins categories, I co-judged Cupcakes and Cookies. Who would think you could mess those up? There was one set of muffins that tasted like, instead of butter or oil, the kid used bacon grease in them. Bleh!

In the Cookie division, one set of cookies looked delicious (large chocolate chips) but tasted... odd. There were thumbprint cookies that tasted salty with the texture of sand. And there were pale, white sugar cookies that also tasted like they were made with bacon grease. And who would have thought that somewhere among the 7 pieces of cupcake I had to eat and the 7 pieces of cookie (well really 8 since I had to have another piece of something to clear out the bacon sugar cookie), something would give me food poisoning.

So, I got 3 hours sleep last night! Up at 5 AM for the craft show. We took lots of pics of our booth. This was a small, very old, community center with NO atmosphere, in a little residential area surrounded by dairy cattle fields. But it was a good "practice run" before our show in the Cato building next month in Knoxville. Before the next show, I want to get some sort of tiered rack (or cookie plate, etc), to put some of the HeartFeltFun Boutique items on, so they aren't boringly sitting on the table. Also since the next show booth will be configured a little differently (though the same size), we are going to have something to hang more of Desiree's bags on, so the dummies don't look so crowded. (Above, panorama of the booth. Left, Dress Dummy 1. Right, Dress Dummy 2. Below left, Tower 1, Below Right, Tower 2.)

The left tower had Diantha's handspun yarns in it, a couple small bags in the bottom shelf, and a quilt on top. The right tower had recycled yarns, a recycled angora/wool sweater pillow in the bottom, and a quilt.

One last picture from the booth: the table.

At one end we had handknitted items and pillowcases, and recycled felted stuff. In the middle we had a couple handbags, and at the far end, baskets with Richard's soaps and some samples. We didn't sell any handmade bags or recycled handcraft items or yarn or handspun yarns. We did sell about $40 worth of soap.

And I had 4 people ask if that was "some of that LYE soap." Who would have thought? LOL!

I came home to find this Urchin child in my yard. I am not quite sure Whose child she is. Certainly not one of MY perfect, well-dressed, clean, well-combed children. ROFLOL. Despite appearances, she was very happy in her wild-child state, bouncing around among the guys trying to fix motorcycles, running in the grass, and playing in the shade.

Makes me happy too.

What We Did and What We're Gonna Do

Yesterday I made homemade salsa at 1AM. Then even Wonder Juggs Woman has to sleep sometime. Up at 8 and fried Cinnamon Crispas to take the the last 4-H meeting of the year. I made enough to fill a 5-quart plastic ice cream bucket. They were light and crispy and good, not greasy at all.

On to the meeting, where we had a Mexican food brunch and drilled the kiddies on questions from the Clover Bowl (which I am still not quite sure what that is, something like a spelling bee I think). Number one son calls me and says, are you heading past where I work? Cause I broke my belt buckle...

Home again, to get said belt buckle. Oh and he left his money on the desk. Oh and his gray cards on the floor... can you bring them? Make everyone use the bathroom while we are home. BACK in the car... up to WM where thank God, Diantha is now old enough to send in the store with a list and money, while I go across the parking lot to the UPS store for soap label coopies. Pick her up and hit the road...

Stop in Farragut at the Super-Duper Grocery to drop off son's stuff. Stop at the Goodwill for baskets. Go into Knoxville to Sam's for bags for the craft shows (I was SO disappointed, they no longer carry white paper bags) and gravy for tonight's hurry-up supper. Oh and school books while they had them. And, Mrs. Ross, your membership is expired...

BACK to Dollar Tree next to WM for tissue paper and stickers. Then HOME! We got home just in time for Des to pull in behind us, and my dh who was now off work for the day to pull in behind her.

Cleaned off the table, where Des laid out and pinned 2 lap quilts. Then she and Diantha bagged up and tagged about 150 soap samples for the show. I spray-painted baskets and made a new soap label and untangled 117 yards of the most tangled handspun yarn (not ours) you ever saw, and cleaned off kitchen counters. Then we made dinner (enchiladas).

After dinner we tagged all my HeartFeltFun shop items for the craft show. Richie sat at the table and wrapped soaps. After that I was too tired to do anything else, and it was after 11 PM anyway, so we called it a night.

Today we have to:

finish wrapping soaps

make muffins for tonight's 4-H regionals

Write recipe for muffins and print for judges

make biscuits for tonight's 4-H regionals

Write & print recipe for biscuits for judges

finish 3 items for the craft show

card wool and alpaca fiber

go get copies of one more soap label

take some samples to the PO

buy a change bank from the bank

call the lady about the craft show tomorrow

find the stand to the other dress dummyfind clothes for the dress dummies

be at the 4-H regionals by 5:30

Judge biscuits, muffins, cookies, and cakes for the regionals

come home and load the car with table, shelves, dummies, totes of merchandise for the craft show tomorrow.

I need some caffeine.