The Washington State Fair

Last weekend we finally made it down to the Washington State Fair (formerly Puyallup fair).  I've been wanting to go for at least the last 3 years and we never made it for one reason or another.  It was fun to go to a big fair because it reminded me of the one I miss every August in Illinois.  We saw fun things like a guy carving statues out of tree trunks with only a chainsaw and the 4-H dog exhibition.  We could've seen Carly Rae Jepson and Hot Chelle Rae in concert if we had tickets.  There were a ton of hot tub/fireplace/grill dealers set up on site, which seemed odd.  I guess we could've brought home some pretty large and expensive goodies.  There probably would have been more to see if it wasn't rainy and cold. 

We had a totally off keto night and devoured everything in sight.  We had corn fritters with honey butter, fried butter with raspberry sauce, fried clams and fries, roasted corn on the cob, an elephant ear, and a fried Twinkie.  It was glorious, though there was quite a bit of guilt afterwards.  I would love to check this fair out again next year when it's less rainy and possibly during the day when there is potential for sunshine because fairs are fun!

Boots

This is a fairly random post topic, but I had to share.  I think Seattle's constant overcast skies and drizzle made me a boot person.  I don't recall ever wanting/owning a pair of boots in the past, but I bought two pairs now thanks to Zappos(the best shoe store for wide feet people like me)!

I got tired of my feet being wet on my walk to work, so I purchased the Bogs linen rainboot in plum.  I can't get over how cute they are in person.  I love the pattern and that they have a little cutout to help pull them on.

These Gabriella Rocha Deke boots are my new favorite pair of shoes.  They keep my feet dry, look nice, and are comfy too!  I love them so much that I broke my own rule of not buying skinny jeans just so I wouldn't have to tuck my usual bootcut jeans into them.  If I could marry a pair of shoes, these would be a front runner for my heart.

Making a Crochet Pattern

 

I've crocheted several amigurumi from patterns for friends so I thought making an African Grey parrot for a friend would be no big deal.  Unfortunately, there are only a handful of free parrot patterns available on Ravelry and most were too cartoony for my liking.  I decided to make my own pattern after studying a few other bird patterns thinking it would be a piece of cake.  Wrong.  I'm currently on iteration number three of the body and not even close to having a sample I'm happy with.  The first body was about as long as my pointer finger and was way too small.  The second body was about 1.5 times as big as the first body and shaped kind of like a zucchini, but still all wrong.  I went crazy and tried starting at the "butt end" of the bird this time and it's working out a little better, but not a ton.  I've been working on this since the end of June and have had to take several extended breaks out of sheer frustration.  I can't imagine what's going to happen when it's time to work on the tail and the wings since those are the parts I thought would be complicated(not the body).  I guess the point is I wasn't expecting this to be so difficult and frustrating, but at the same time that's to be expected with trial and error.  Hopefully one day you'll see my completed bird here.  Until then, here's uncompleted body #3.

Jalapeno Poppers

Sometimes I think the older I get the more my tastes change.  I'm not a fan of spicy food, but Jeff has slowly introduced me to more and more of it that I like.  His most recent introduction is homemade jalapeno poppers.  I'm happy to say my taste buds are in love with them(as long as they're not burning off).

You  need:

• 15 - 20 jalapenos(cut in half and cleaned)
• 1 package cream cheese
• 1 package bacon(cut in half)

Wash, cut in half, and clean out each jalapeno.  Stuff each half with a spoonful of cream cheese.  Wrap each in bacon and secure with a toothpick or two.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until bacon crisps.  Remove from oven, let cool, and enjoy.