The Results!!!

Category: Derelict Footwear

Forty-five minutes to grab as many pictures as possible of the items on our scavenger hunt list. Two teams.  Two phones.  Off we went to discover as much as we could at the Sherburne County Fair.

Category: Mommy or A's ribbon winning item

Category: Most Unique Lego Project

Category: Sitting at the Sherburne Fair History Building

Category: Someone you know.  We know these sheep. They are owned by good friends from church.  Great job on the Purple ribbons!

Category: A fish

Category: Mommy or A's ribbon winning item

Category: Milkshake booth

Category: Something carved from a chainsaw....that's 'You-know-who' on the log!

TWO categories!: A wrecked car, A classic car

Category: Favorite 4-H project

Category: Weirdest Artwork

Category: A person with a four-legged animal

THE RESULTS:

A and Mommy worked together looking for the items on our list.  We were doing pretty good for a while until we came to the Open Class building.  Since we both entered items into the exhibit, we got severely side-tracked looking for all our items to see if they had prize ribbons on them.  We were pleased to see several winning ribbons on our items.  L, my lovely blondie, was off on her own finding the items.  She worked so hard and did not slow down.  I am happy to report that L, my lovely blondie, WON the photo scavenger hunt hands down.

Fair Time!

Today we plan to check out the Sherburne County Fair.  We will see if A or Mommy won any ribbons for our open class entries.  For our Summer Vacation Grab Bag the girls drew a Photo Scavenger Hunt out of the bag.  So, we will combine the Fair and a Scavenger Hunt into ONE! 
Here's THE LIST:

Photo Scavenger Hunt at the Sherburne County Fair

>Milkshake Booth

>A person with a four-legged animal

>Petting an animal at the petting barn

>Someone you know

>Derelict footwear

>Mom or Amy’s ribbon winning item

>Purple ribbon winning item

>A homemade item in a jar

>Weirdest artwork in the art display

>Favorite 4-H project

>In front of a food vendor advertising something crazy or different

>Something carved by a chain saw

>An alpaca

>Largest tractor

>A classic car

>A military veteran 

>Most unique lego project

>A wrecked car

>A fish

>Yourself sitting at the history of the Sherburne County Fair building

>A miniature

Wish us luck!!!

Summer Vacation Staycation by A & Mommy

Well, since PJ, G, and L are off in the wild blue yonder, we decided to make a SUMMER VACATION GRAB BAG.  Every night we will draw a slip from the bag that tells an activity that we can do.  Today's activity was "Write a blog post on the blog," so here we are.  

When Mommy asked me what we should write about, I said, "Camp!"  I am going to camp this Sunday.  I am so excited, and it is SOOOO hard to be patient.  When we asked Daddy, he said, "We should write about which type of motorcycle is the best."  We just laughed.  Mom wanted to write about our county fair entries and how she has been spending hours online trying to find good curriculums for her third and fourth grade class this fall.  We decided to write about our summer staycation.  

Today, Mommy and I picked beans from the garden and talked about if Mom should use her hardly-grown beets or hardly-grown carrots for the county fair division, "Smallest Vegetable in Show."

 Mom's also going to enter some of her AMAZING strawberry-rhubarb jam and her sauerkraut (I personally think sauerkraut is gross).

I made a doll crazy quilt for the county fair.  Umm...I made a lot of other entries, BUT, I decided not to take a picture of them.

Mom and I made cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal bread today. It's STUPENDOUS!  In the first picture, I was saying through my teeth, "This bread is getting really hot on my hands!"  Then I started to cut with an electric knife that I personally think sounds like a chainsaw!

That's all for now! -the Youngest Child and her mom

Summer is (Finally) Here!

Our garden is under two shade trees, but it is still growing well: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Beets, Tomatoes, Beans, Zucchini, Cucumbers, and Marigolds.

Lizzy and Gretchen at Eagle Lake today

Peter John with his cousin from Colorado

Everyone had to make their own castle with found rocks for decoration

 It feels good to enjoy warm weather. We are preparing for a busy few weeks ahead.  The month of June flew by because of all the non-stop action.  We moved the end of May, Peter John and Lizzy enjoyed a week at  Bible Camp, Ethan and I went to CO for TLI meetings, and we attended a Larson Family Reunion the last weekend in June.  In the midst of all the busyness, by Grandma Beverlee Frank passed away here in town.  She had been suffering congestive heart failure, kidney failure, and diabetes.  It was hard on the kids since they were separated from us when it happened (Ethan and I were in CO at the time), but God comforted us all and we were reunited.  The funeral was very uplifting as we thought about Grandma being in heaven with Jesus.  That made it joyous, though we were grieving.  The girls and I sang "Blessed Assurance" at her funeral, and the whole congregation sang many Gospel songs that brought comfort and hope.  We finished the funeral with a special piece that my sisters and dad sang together called "I've Got A Mansion."  Grandma loved country music and especially country Gospel music.  This was a great way to end, thinking about heaven and God's blessings to those who belong to Him.

The Fair Is Fun! We Like to Go to One!

Here are some snapshots from the County Fair this week.

Big Tractors are always a hit!

I think we spent most of our time at the Children's Barnyard petting the animals. The kids are now convinced they want a puppy, chicks, and rabbits for pets.

Peter John did some milking of the goat again (he tries it every year). Success!!

Lizzy at the sheep barn.

Amy loved the sheep.

 The kids and I all entered some of our projects into the County Fair Open Class Exhibit again. Each of the kids got at least one blue ribbon for their work, and they will be able to earn some money from the fair for placing first, second, or third.  It is so fun to see what other people have produced also.  Here is the rundown of our prizes:

 Peter John:

pen drawing - 1st

pencil drawing - 1st

wood construction (toothpick) - 1st

Knex construction - 1st

Lego construction - 2nd

 Amy:

crayon drawing - 1st

weaving - 2nd

color pencil drawing - 3rd

 Gretchen:

freehand painting - 1st

crayon drawing - 1st

stamping - 1st

watercolor painting - 1st

crochet booties - 1st

molasses cookies - 2nd

pencil drawing - 2nd

cross stitch embroidery - 2nd

Lizzy:

beaded bracelet - 1st

pencil drawing - 1st

watercolor painting - 3rd

construction paper and pen drawing - 3rd

Elysia:

watercolor painting - 1st

pencil drawing - 1st

crochet baby bonnet - 2nd

pumpkin muffins - 2nd

canned goods:

cucumbers, sliced, sour - 1st

rhubarb jelly - 1st

strawberry-rhubarb jam - 1st

pumpkin - 2nd

strawberry-rhubarb sauce - 3rd

3 bean salad - 3rd

fresh produce:

pickling cucumbers - 1st

beets - 1st

green beans - 1st

Hot Season

 Despite the sweltering heat of the last two weeks, we are keeping busy at the Larson household.  We returned from our staff meeting in Colorado and are back to summer duties: kids' activities, gardening, housework, and support raising for our mission work. 

 Fishing at Orwell Dam with our friend, Sylvia.

 Grandma bought us some flowers to plant around the house.  Amy is my gardening helper.

Ethan, Gretchen, and Amy canoeing at Homestead Point in Bottineau.

On the way back from Colorado we drove to Bottineau, ND where Ethan's parents live and work this summer.  Lizzy and Amy were staying with them and enjoying "Grandma and Grandpa time."  We decided to stay an extra night so we could enjoy the land that Luther grew up on in the Turtle Mountains.  Ethan's dad and uncles still own some of the homestead so they enjoy camping in the wilderness there with lakes, woods, and plenty of ATV trails.  We had a blast picnicking that day along with canoeing, riding ATVs, and of course doing some work on the land.  Last fall, Ethan took two of the oldest kids along to the land to build a small road bridge over a culvert along the dirt road that was being destroyed by a slough and beavers.  There is always something to do up there to improve things, and it ties the generations together.  We love that.

Newspapers!

Peter John and Gretchen have been earning some of their own money on local paper routes.  It has been lots of work for Mom and Dad, too, helping them get set up, make decisions, and solve problems.  My friend Angie's kids have paper routes and it has instilled a great work ethic in them and given them some of their own spending cash.  When Ethan was growing up, he and his siblings had paper routes, too, so this is nothing new for his family.  It has been a great way for them to get to know some neighbors who seem to really like these two kiddos.  

Most of this week we had temps in the 90s plus high humidity. Those days were definitely a trial. The kids lacked the motivation to go out and do it.  Their dad had them wet a cap and put ice in it before placing it on their heads, plus they had plenty of water in a bottle to carry with them.  I am so proud of them for persevering through some tough days.  They survived!  Lots of prayers were going up to God for them from Mommy.  Today we had a great rainfall and break in the heat with cool weather in the 60s!  What a relief!

Ribbons!

We had so much fun at the WOT County Fair last week. Last year my friend, Angie, told me about an opportunity to earn money by entering items into the fair. Angie's kids have entered for many years and won several ribbons. We decided to give it a try, and the kids and I all entered some of our hard work into the Open Exhibition where they give ribbons and awards to the first, second, and third place in each category. The kids entered several of their artwork pieces as well as woodwork, legos, and sewing (Gretchen). For the first time ever, I entered some of the crochet pieces I have done as well as fresh vegetables from my garden. I also entered two of the preserves I have made this summer: pickled sweet beets and rhubarb jelly. We were so surprised by the results!

Wednesday was the official day to enter all your items. It was SO hot that day (about 95 degrees and humid). The lady at the counter who received our items told me I did not enter some of my vegetables correctly. For example, for yellow beans, you must have 10 beans to display, and I had only 5 beans. I decided to go home and return later with the correct number of vegetables and the proper way to display. I had to cut off the green tops of the onions and the greens off the beets. After some more work, we returned, and all was entered. If I ever enter again, I will know a little better how things need to be done, and I will remember to bring plates to display them on! (I forgot this year and had to borrow from the fair ladies).

Here are the results from the items we won ribbons on. Gretchen and Peter John were in the same category for age. Lizzy and Amy were in another category together for age (up to age 7):
Gretchen -
blue, apron sewing
blue, Father's Day poem
blue, watercolor
red, colored pencil drawing
white, Sacajawea poster

Peter John -
blue, woodwork
blue, pencil drawing
blue, colored pencil drawing
blue, freehand painting

Lizzy -
blue, pen drawing
blue, pencil drawing
blue, finger paint
blue, watercolor
red, crayon drawing
red, marker drawing ladybug poem
white, freehand painting

Amy - She entered only one item and was so proud to receive a red ribbon for her pencil drawing!

Elysia -
blue, crochet baby poncho
blue, crochet infant sweater
blue, crochet baby afghan
blue, fresh beets
blue, canned rhubarb jelly
red, crochet baby booties
red, canned sweet pickled beets
white, beans, yellow
white, crochet baby bonnet
white, white onions