Cake and Ice Cream

So, Saturday was the last day of the Loudoun County Fair, and we went. We decided to go early to beat the crowds and the heat. I think we got there at around ten. Little did we know, they don't open the rides until 1:00. Ugh. So, we figured we'd walk around and see stuff and eat lunch and by then maybe the rides would be open. Petting zoo, magic show, pony ride, tractors, potty. Well, that killed about an hour. By the time we ate lunch, it was almost noon. Arts and crafts table (macaroni necklace!). Twelve-thirty. Half an hour to go.

We decided to go into the one air conditioned building to get out of the heat and see the arts and crafts and kill some time before getting some ice cream and hitting the "midway." At this point, I must tell you that this was the smallest, saddest fair I have ever been to. The arts and crafts were in a room about half the size of an elementary school cafeteria. Unfortunately, also in that room were the candidates in the 4H cake decorating competition. All on display on a table that was eye-level for a certain Peanut who cannot resist tasty treats. We should have known better than to put her down, but we did, with a "Do NOT touch the cakes" warning. Seconds later, Daphne was face-first in one of the cakes, ruining it completely. We left immediately. Luckily, the cake judging was already over. I hope she stuck her face in a winner.

Daphne cried all the way home. I felt sorta bad for her, but I felt worse for me. I didn't do anything naughty, but I lost my chance at ice cream and the Fun Slide. Maybe there is a Fun Slide at Ocean City. I hope so.

I think Kev felt bad for Daphne too, because he went to the grocery store later that day and came home with a box of pink, green, and brown cones and a bottle of rainbow sprinkles. Finally, today, Daphne made it through the day without getting in trouble, and we all enjoyed a be-sprinkled after dinner ice cream cone. She has been extra challenging lately. Think Veruca Salt. And as much as it pains us to take away priviliges (I had to take away QUINCY this week!), we can't let her act like that. I have high hopes for a good week this week though. I think the cake incident taught her a lesson.

Meanwhile, I got some sewing done this weekend:


Here is the finished pillowcase dress. So easy to make (tutorial here). I also finished all the napkins and made a little beach hat for the Peanut. And at naptime today, I got to go to the mall. By myself. To shop. Thanks to Kev for babysitting, and to my mom and dad for the gift card. It was a good day.

Man. Look at that sweet little girl in that picture. Can you believe someone so sweet and innocent looking could get in so much trouble? What a little stinker.

Now everyone is asleep. I guess I should be sleeping too. Tomorrow is grocery store, laundry, and give-Daphne-a-bath day. And Tuesday, it's supposed to be 98 degrees! August is the worst. Hurry, September!

Indyucky

The place where I am from is often referred to as Kentuckiana since it is an Indiana border town in the greater Louisville area.  We just went there over the last weekend, and this time, it was more like Indyucky.  It was a pretty unpleasant trip as it involved my parents going all around looking at houses that are NINE HOURS away from mine.  Plus, I fell down while I was there and landed on my knee, which is now all bruised.  So, I didn't have a lot of fun.  I did get to eat a Hot Brown, which was very tasty.  It's not something you should eat more than about once every five years unless you are trying to have a heart attack, but it's good.  You can't really go wrong with bread, cheesy sauce and bacon.

Also,  I got a pedicure, which was a nice treat.  Thanks, Kathy.

And I finally got to see my cousin Jeremy's band, which I have been wanting to do for years.  They are really really great, and I would listen to them all the time even if it wasn't my cousin.  You can go and listen to them here.  My favorite songs are Taxi and Howard Hughes, both of which they played at the show.  Thanks, Jeremy. 

I also got to spend time with my grandma, and she got to spend some time with Daphne.  Daphne is 7 and my grandma is 93, and it occurred to me that that adds up to 100.  Daphne enjoyed that fun fact.

Since we got back, we've been having Camp Mom.  I have been ignoring silly things like cleaning and cooking, and have been taking Daphne to do fun stuff like having lunch with Kev, and going to the Loudoun County Fair with friends:

If there were ever two words that were meant to be together, it's "Happy" and "Crepe."  Especially when your happy crepe is full of Nutella and strawberries.

Today, we went to the Art Station to make candles.  This was a really fun project.  Daphne was very proud of her candle, which has owls and dogs and things on it.  I love my candle too, which is all peaceful and sea-glassy:

While we waited for our candles to set, we got some lunch and then Daphne painted me a birthday picture, which I am not allowed to see for a couple weeks.

I will definitely be going back to an adult painting class with some of my friends in the near future...there are wine and chocolate tastings included. 

Next week, Daphne has swimming every day plus a sewing camp.  She has a very rough life.  It's so hard to be seven.

Guess what!  She finally ate some cheese!  We spent some time hanging out in the cheese section of Wegmans the other day, and I let her choose a cheese - ANY cheese - that she was willing to try.  She picked smoked gouda, and loved it.  She gave it a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and asked if I would pack it in her lunches this year.  We are on our way to Cheese City!  Woohoo!  It's the little things.

OK...time to step away from the internet.  Hope to have an owl sweater update soon...

Continued Goings-On

Daphne recently asked me to teach her to knit. Can you imagine how happy this made me? Unfortunately, I don't think I have the patience, and I don't think she has the coordination. Yet. But, the time will come. In the meantime, I decided to start simple and let her play around with some yarn and an embroidery needle. She LOVED it. I will probably turn the finished first project into a little pillow or something. I'll post a picture when I do.

The Under the Sea class wrapped up on Friday with a little fishing outside:


It was a cute class, and my only complaint is the smell of the building. Daphne got to make some really cute crafts, including, on the last day, a picture frame covered in grout and adorned with seashells and glass "jewels" and so forth. It will be perfect for a picture from our trip to the beach later this summer.

Over the weekend, we went with Jeff on a little mini-vacation to the mountains. We stayed at Brookside Cabins:

Went for a ride on Skyline Drive:

And visited Luray Caverns:

It was a nice little change of scenery, and Daphne especially had a great time. And I discovered that you only have to travel about an hour or so south of Leesburg to be in The South, where people sound like the people from home and there are grits and biscuits and gravy a'plenty. Yes.

Jeff heads back to Texas tomorrow, and things here will quiet down for a bit. Daphne has another class next week, but it's only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am still knitting along. The weather is still not unbearable, but the gnats and mosquitos stop us from spending as much time outside as we'd like. This week's Tally Ho kid movie is the Muppet Movie, so we'll be seeing that for sure. And the Loudoun County Fair is coming soon. Summer is continuing to fly by, and soon it will be fall. I can't wait. Bring on the pumpkin patches and apple pies.