The Fair

Hey friends! I am back with another fun filled update! I was so busy on Sunday and Monday that I didn’t get a chance to sit and write about it all. I’ll start with Sunday. I got up early, it was fair entry day plus the Thank a Farmer event at the fair. I’m pretty sure I mentioned that I hadn’t started any pie prep before Sunday (unlike the cookies that I made a week early!). But I had plenty of time on Sunday to get the pies done. I was going to make muffins and enter them into the competition too but I checked the schedule and am glad I did since they were due this coming Friday as well.

I made two pies: a pear pie and another one of those yummy peanut butter pies with the chocolate graham cracker crust. And friends, I did not take a single picture of either pie! DOH! I think both pies turned out really nice and I am proud of the work I put into them both. Neither pie won a ribbon though. There were lots of entries and I am sure some very seasoned fair competitors. I’ve decided to end my fair competitions though. It’s a lot of work and the leftovers go to waste. I could have picked up my pies but after numerous people have stood over it, taking slices from it, and it sitting out for a few hours I elected to not take mine back. Ewww. So. I think I will go and enjoy the exhibits from now on and take photos of the winners. There’s a lot of competition at this fair and I really like small town fairs where anyone has a chance. Maybe I’ll look at the Anderson County Fair next year. It’s more my speed. Don’t get me wrong. I love the TN Valley Fair! It’s great! But I think I’ll leave the competing to others at this one.

The Thank a Farmer event was good. I got to meet a lot of people and hand out some information about the Farm Bureau alongside some other really nice volunteers. I also handed out some information about my business but I was mostly there to hand out cow fans and other Farm Bureau paraphernalia. Oh. There was a food truck not far from where we were set up and they used locally grown beef for their burgers. I was so hungry I inhaled the burger but it was GOOD! I like my burgers with mustard, onion, and pickles and the burger patty was bigger than the bun! It was exactly what this girl needed.

After the Thank a Farmer event I went on a stroll around the fair. I first went to the Jacob’s building to see about the pie competition. It was well underway by the time I got there. I took some photos and watched as they taste tested all the variety of pies and cakes and breads. Then they went into the back and pulled off a bunch of pies, etc, and gave us updates. Apparently they had a printer snafu and it took a little longer to get results back to us. But they did say the cakes, breads, and pies left out on the table were the winners. I took a peek and that’s when I realized I didn’t win. So I went on my way to the rest of the fair and took a bunch of photos. I had two boys jump in front of me and beg to have their photo taken. I obliged because it was so funny. I actually did a shout out on social media in order to find them so I could send the picture to them. And it worked! LOL.

I took the rest of Sunday to relax. By the time I got home it was near 5PM. All I wanted to do was lay out in the sun and read. So that’s exactly what I did. I have some very funky tan lines from this past summer and I’d like to even them out. I don’t think I accomplished much other than laying out on a quilt in the backyard with the dog. It was exactly what I needed. Then I got a good workout in. Did I mention that I’ve set up a gym in my garage? I was finding it hard to carve out the time to drive to the gym and my nephews had an old weight bench and some weights they weren’t using. So they gave it to me and I have my own gym in the garage now. It’s been buried under the yard sale stuff but I carved out space for it. I have missed working out!

Monday was good too. I went to a networking event at Lifehouse Coffee in Powell. I like that coffee shop and it seems to be a place where people will hold meetings or sit and work. I am going to add it to my weekly stops. I can afford an hour or two once per week to grab a good cup of coffee and work on some paperwork. I really have a lot of things I need to get done (more on that in a minute), but the computer work seems to be pushed to the back of the list. I think a dedicated hour or two per week at a coffee shop will help give me the focus I need.

But. Back to Monday. I met so many amazing people and business owners at the networking event. I even told a local insurance agent I would give them a shout out here. We were discussing my farm-to-table lifestyle brand and what all that encompasses and he said he went to the local brew store and bought a carboy glass jug and goes to the local co-op, Three Rivers, and refills it with water for $.50 per gallon. We were talking about how many cases of plastic bottle water people consume and how many people actually recycle those bottles. And sure, it takes some forethought to do what he does, but there are places to refill all around town. Or if you can’t do the glass carboy plan, buy a Brita pitcher (or two or three) and filter your water that way. Use a reusable bottle to put your water in. It’s the little things that help our lives and our environment. You’ll find more things like this here as I start to ramp up my advocacy business.

So the networking event was great! Then I worked until about 6:30. I was pooped when I got home but I still had a lot to do. I am trying to get better about cleaning up as I go. I spent some time on Sunday rearranging things. Oh. I forgot to mention that Sunday was when my brother and oldest nephew came up and moved my Papaw’s trunk over to the house. I’d found it a few weeks ago as I cleaning out for the yard sale. I say found it because it was buried underneath a bunch of photos that were sitting on top of it. And for the life of me, I don’t recall ever really seeing it. I know it’s been there all these years but I’ve not once looked at it nor looked in it. It was full of good treasures! It now sits in the guest room where I can see it every day.

But, back to all the things. The house has been a disaster since I’m getting ready to launch the antique business plus hosting the yard sale. I’ve decided that this will be the last weekend of the yard sale. They’re a lot of work and I am short on time for other projects. I was going to try to host one more at the end of September, and I still might, but right now I am ready to be done. I have the yard sale this weekend and then I still have to inventory and price all my items for the launch of the antique business. Plus my van is still in the shop! I should have it back this week though.

So. Last night I came home and cooked a bunch of food. I will do big batches of food, eat it all, and then run out of time to prep more. And then I end up eating whatever is in front of me, which isn’t good. So I am trying to be more mindful of this and batch cook a couple times per week. I think it’s mostly because I have these big things on my to-do list: the yard sale and the launch of the antique business. Once these things are off my plate and I have everything organized, it should be routine: purchase inventory, photograph said inventory, and then add to my inventory list. There’s probably some research into what the item is and a write up for the website. Eventually things will be listed on my website, but that will probably come after the launch and event next weekend.

I’ll stop here for today. I could go on and on about things and I’m sure I forgot some details from the past two days. I am really enjoying these short (well, this one isn’t short) posts that summarize what all happened in one day. Or the random thoughts I have about things and life. After the launch and getting things organized and the yard sale wrapped up, I will be spending a lot more time on my advocacy work as well. I’m also in the throes of planning my first Sunday Supper Club. Stay tuned for details on that. And did you notice I have a new webpage all about my services? I don’t think I mentioned that either. And, finally, if you’ve been waiting for a newsletter from me, they’ll start again soon. I really need to get through this yard sale first. Maybe I’ll find the time to send one out this week!

‘til next time
-k
xoxo