a little catching up to do

I am so in arrears about posting here, and I blame facebook. I have spent a little too much time tending to my farmville farm (a facebook app) that I haven't paid attention to any of the other parts of my virtual life...and then when I go to my favorite blogs, I see they are not updated, either...could all my virtual friends be tending their virtual farms? ACK!

anyway, now that the kids are back in school, things have gotten way crazy with all the driving around. Dan is doing a great job of getting his grades in shape, though, so I am hoping against all hope that he'll be in position to get his license in October when he qualifies to take the test. Not sure I'll ever be ready to let him go through the cut-in-the-hill during rush hour, but maybe to a practice now and then...that would be great!

Sam spent most of his summer traveling around doing boy scout things. He went to BadinPowel Leadership training, summer camp and Philmont, which is a high adventure backpacking thing in New Mexico. He was pretty tired when he got back, but he's grown up a little, too, I think.

This is Sam at graduation from NYLT (the leadership thing).

Stella missed her boy alot while he was gone this summer. This is a funny picture, because her body appears to be missing, and in reality, she weighs about 300 pounds.

The old dog. It's really hard to get a decent picture of Lucy, the black dog thing doesn't photograph too well, and she moves alot (although not as much as she used to. Sometimes we have to stop and make sure she's still breathing).

this is poor, pitiful Karen, after being forced to pull pork all morning on the fourth of July. she is covered in grease. Okay, i agree, I avoid the pork-pulling like the plague!

Dan is playing goal keeper for the soccer team this fall, which is interesting, since he never played goalie before this year, and only last year came back to soccer after an 8 year haiatus. He's working hard to learn the position though, and will probably get some good varsity time in later in the season.

Haven't had much time for crafting, which is a drag, because I'm driving so much. Not getting home until 9 or so most nights leaves me about pooped out when it comes to sitting down in front of the Huskvarna...but I have done a little knitting, actually designed my own shawl/wrap thing that I've almost finished. If I can only find the camera to photograph it...

Let's go to the FAIR!

Tom and I snuck out the other night and went to the Boone County Fair. I had been once before when the kids were little, during the day. We saw a baby beauty pageant which kind of frightened me, and some really pretty needle work, stuff like that. Boy, at night, though, it really gets cooking (both literally and figuratively!)

We watched the draft horse cinder block pulling competition. Those horses get into it!

And who can pass up the Holy Donuts? This one is a family favorite because Sam earned a whole school years worth of service hours 'working' in this trailer at St. Tim's Oktoberfest. I think the service he provided was eating the donuts before they could get cold. You know, a housekeeping sort of a thing.

Of course there was a game and ride area, but we old people got to skip that. But the Ferris Wheel was purty anyway.

The highlight for Tom and a frighteningly large number of other people was the mini-car demolition derby. The lady behind us was apparently a connoiseur, because she seemed to know an awful lot about the drivers from previous week's fairs and competitions. Whatever!

Oh, the humanity!

This car won the demoliton derby beauty contest. We didnt' stick around long enough to see if being pretty is a benefit in a demoliton derby, however.

I did NOT eat any of this stuff. Okay, I had fried pickles from the next booth over, but I have a feeling that if I had tried either the reeses' cups or the oreos, I would either be back there for my ninety ninth serving, or trying to sell the kids so that I could go back for the 100th.

I have to put in a plug for the incredibly handsome and talented young men who were directing traffic (this is Daniel's friend Erick).

and, of course, the junior horsemanship competition. This young lady was really nice and explained how it works to us city folk (well, suburbanites, anyway.).