Udderly Excited about the Fair

Last year about this time we were getting ready to celebrate the Year of Soybeans at the great Indiana State Fair.

And Bennie the Bean was showing up everywhere, even at an Indianapolis Indians game!

While these guys (the giant soybean statues, not the three monkeys in front) will still be at the Fair this year in the new BeangoLand, it's time to moooo-ve on and celebrate the Year of Dairy Cows!

Want to know just how long you have to wait to get your dairy on? Visit the Year of Dairy Cows page here and see the countdown!

I can't wait to see all the great stuff that the Indiana dairy farmers have planned for us this year.

Rumor has it that there are some great new foods being offered this year. The Signature Food contest is happening now over at WFMS - be sure to head over and vote for your favorite treat.

The new Lemon Chiller at the Dairy Bar is definitely going on my "must try list."

I think the Indiana State Fair is still a great deal for individuals and families with a lot of free activities once you are inside the gates. Want an even better deal? Check out this blog post on some discount (even free) admission days at the fair!

There are even some free ticket giveaways out there!

Head over to Indiana's Family of Farmers Facebook page and check out some great State Fair giveaways from some Indiana blogging ladies. They are offering admission tickets AND coupons for the Dairy Bar. Score!

As I have said on her before, my work takes me to the Indiana State Fair almost every day of the 17-day run. It's a long stretch but I love it. I love it more in the beginning, but I do love it.

I'm thinking that I need to paint my nails like this to get me in the mood for the Year of Dairy Cows and the great Indiana State Fair!

Source: loveit.com via Megan on Pinterest

What do you think?

Disclaimer: I don't work for the dairy industry OR the Indiana State Fair. I am active in Indiana's Family of Farmers and do work for Indiana soybean farmers. However, all opinions on this blog are my own. Period.

Flexible I Am Not

I was going to name this post:

What You Need to Know Before Attempting Pilates

But that was a bit long and the name of this post is 100 percent accurate!

I decided to break out one of my new Pilates DVDs late one night last week. I've had the DVDs for more than a month but didn't gain the motivation to use them until my sister - who has had 2 children in the last 4 years - showed me her stomach last week.

Let's just say that if a stranger were asked to look at her stomach and mine and tell us which sister was the mother of two, I'm sure they would pick the wrong sister (me). That girl has some flat abs! I'd be really mad at her but she runs daily so she's worked for them. I've worked for mine too, but unfortunately mine comes from a lack of exercise and a love of Oreos!

So, after polishing off the last of the Oreos, I popped in the Pilates DVD and got to work.

Here's what I learned during my first attempt at Pilates:

1. Buy a cute yoga mat. It will motivate you, I promise.

My yoga mat has butterflies on it. How cool is that? I love butterflies so finding these was a bonus.

2. Watch the workout once before attempting it. I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I could have benefited from a quick watch before actually doing the workout!

3. If you have contacts, wear them - NOT glasses - when doing the workout. I was wearing my glasses and spent half the workout lifting my head so I could actually see the TV. Not conducive to a good workout.

4.Start with a Pilates for Dummies workout if you are as uncoordinated as me.The DVD workout had one lady doing a modified routine for beginners but they didn't show her very much OR she was just cut off on my TV because I don't have a widescreen TV. I spent most of the workout waiting to see what I was supposed to be doing!

5.Study up on Pilates/Yoga terminology before attempting a workout. The lady was talking about core muscles and powerhouse. What?!?

After a not-so-successful first Pilates workout, I definitely learned some important lessons. But I will attempt it again.

What workout DVDs do you like?

Long Live Summer Pool Fun

Summer is in full swing and it's been hot.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "It's summer so, of course, it's hot."

I know summer is supposed to be hot but we've experience above normal temperatures for an extended period with NO rain, so I think I'm allowed to point out that it's been abnormally hot and dry around these parts.

What this has meant for me is lots of time around the pool with my nieces and nephews. I've captured a lot of cute photos of them in all of their wet and wild glory. 

Like this one of the boys making up their own carnival-type game that involved throwing water-soaked balls at my oldest nephew as he stands in the middle of the kiddie pool. Once he was hit, he toppled over like one of those clown figures in the midway game at your local county fair.

These photos scream summer to me.

Do you take more photos during the summer? I definitely do.

If you have captured some fun summer images, be sure to check out Shutterfly's Long Live Summer Photo Contest over on Facebook (http://bit.ly/sweepS) for a chance at some fun prizes, including a grand prize trip to the Bahamas complete with a professional photo shoot!

The multi-week contest runs until August 6 and features weekly photo themes. They even have a "Water Fun" theme! I'm definitely entering one of my photos in that one.

Another cool thing about the contest is that you'll get a gift from Shutterfly JUST for entering. You can find all of the official rules here.

Disclaimer: I did receive compensation from Shutterfly for posting about their contest but, like always, the opinions (and photos) in this post are my own. Whose else's would they be?

Our Version of Toddlers and Tiaras

My sisters decided to try their hands at being stage moms recently by entering my nieces in our county fair's baby contest.

Here the girls practice their poses...

"I'm just a cute, innocent little girl."

The Pouty Lip Pose

Our grandstands at the fairgrounds burnt earlier this year and it was in the upper 90s the day of the baby contest so our local landmark theater hosted the event. 

On most days, this would have been a great alternative to the grandstands.

However, on this day the air conditioner was broken and the place was full. 

It made for some sweaty, cranky babies (and adults).

Still, the girls were adorable.

Abby and her pigtails got a participation ribbon.

JJ waved herself to a 2nd place finish in her class.

My two youngest nephews were in the audience. I have one thing to say about that...

 Thank goodness for iPhones!

One hot baby girl after her turn on the stage. 

Now they really got into the posing when the cameras came out AFTER the contest.

"Here are my knees...I'm so cute."

While we didn't come home with a trophy, we did walk away with one thing clear to all of us.

We will NOT be going on the Toddlers and Tiaras circuit any time soon even if we have two of the cutest little girls ever in our family!

Quick Random Friday Post

My Staycation is quickly drawing to a close. 

Waaaaaahhhhhh!!!!

This is actually the first day I have booted up the laptop since a failed attempt last weekend to connect to the Internet. It's been kind of nice!

I haven't accomplished everything I wanted to this week but it's been a fantastic week.

Several hours spent by the pool.

A trip to Ikea and Jungle Jim's over in Cincinnati.

Several recipes from Pinterest attempted.

Zero hours spent doing Pilates.

I am excited to share more with you but I'm off to enjoy one last afternoon by the pool with some gal pals.

Happy Friday all!