To the fair, we went

...okay, this time I promise I'm back to blogging.  I want to say that I had lots of excuses to stay away for so long, but the truth is that after we got moved in (sort of) I just needed to focus on getting our life together.  I did dishes and laundry and put boxes away and painted rooms, and made sure Grey's naps and bedtimes were back on schedule, and started making proper dinners again, and went to bed early and got my tea and a moment of peace early in the morning and was just learning how to live normal again.  Well, now that we're mostly back to normal (the basement/garage screams otherwise with all the still unpacked boxes), and now that I'm taking a writing class (!!more info on that later), I am determined to be back and be back for good.  So in an effort to both update from this past summer AND stay up to date on our current lives, we are going cooky-lookey and I'm posting old & new simultaneously.  So let's start with the fresh:)

On Sept7, we headed out to the Cambria County fair in Ebensburg...and by we, I mean, Bud, Grey, me, Abba (my mom), and Chum (my dad).  It had been raining all week and for that one day, the clouds hung with fog and saturation, but the rain did not fall - so we took a gamble and took our baby to the fair.  The Cambria County fair had been a longstanding tradition in both of our childhoods, so now that we're 'back in town,' we knew we had to take Grey, especially for a visit to see all the animals.  Turns out, we made the right choice:)

Due to the rainy week, the entire parking lot was full of mud pits and slosh, but that didn't deter us.  We marched right up to the fair and joined the masses small group to people brave enough to attempt the weather.  We of course needed to visit with all the animals, which Grey loved...except for the goats that were bleating in his face...that freaked him out a little bit.  But Grey loved it and Brandon has his heart set on getting Booboo into 4H.  Oh, and now Brandon would also like to get our own chickens and goats.  It seems my husband has forgotten one tiny detail...Bullet.  I'm thinking nah on the goats and chickens...unless we have serious Bully training...actually, don't tell my husband I even considered that.  

that's one big horse.

booboo loves chickens.  he's used to them since my aunt & uncle (who live next door to my parents) have chickens

pig time!

smooching, sleeping pigs

Booboo was also big enough to ride some Grade A fair rides, which was hilarious to me.  Dadda took him down the huge potato sack slide (seriously, how "fair" is that?) and he rode all by his big boy self 2 different car/truck rides and as his mom stood by smiling proudly and nervously twitching, he rode a suspended airplane ride.  Most laid-back mom ever or most unsafe mom ever to let her 17 mo old child ride it...you be the judge.

dadda also enjoyed the slide

double steering wheel driving!

After pestering B all night, he and my dad took Boo through one last cow barn while my mom and I ventured through the now very spooky, horror-movie esque fairgrounds to pick up a beloved fair favorite; funnel cake, which of course to a pregnant lady is the creme de la creme of a visit to the manure-stinking, muddy fairgrounds.  Our fair trip actually was a great time despite the chilly weather and muddy boots.  It was always a fall tradition for us growing up, and will now be a tradition for our kids.  Oh how I love history repeating itself:)

Scary Bozo the clown is totally hiding behind that telephone pole - I know it.

July Kindness: 3rd Annual Beer Olympics

We had our third annual Beer Olympics day; the second Saturday in July.  We had lots of people coming back for a second (and even third!) time participating - but also a lot of rookies.  From past experience, we've limited the participants to 32; which gives us 8 teams of 4 players.  Teams are randomly selected during the first event (a massive Sloshball game; aka kickball with booze), except for the reigning champs; their team returns to defend their trophy; aka Das Boot.  New this year was our t-shirt design which was crafted up by American Eagle Screenprinting who always get our shirts done in record-breaking time.  (ps. we seriously love them).  

beer olympics is a family affair:)

registration table pda.  how inapprop:) hah

After teams are assigned, face painting (and sometimes hair painting) ensues and surprisingly no one puts up a fight about what we decide to plaster on their face (it could have something to do with the past few drinks they've already chugged in Sloshball).   Our teams this year (pre-designed by Tasha and I while we laugh hysterically the night before thinking them up):
Team Potter (as in Harry Potter's lightening bolt on the forehead) - reigning champs
Team Nerd Herd (as in facepainted glasses and freckles)
Team Jersey (as in super spiked hair/giant snookie poof and painted on 6-packs)
Team Toddlers & Tiaras (as in painted on eyeshadow and blush)
Team Smiley (as in giant smiley face drawn over their entire face, hahhhha)
Team Kate Middleton (as in a crown across the forehead)
Team Kiesel (as in a huge Brett Kiesel - from the steelers- beard painted)
Team  El Tigre (as in black and orange tiger stripes painted on the cheeks)

team jersey helping to paint up team toddlers & tiaras

Booboo spent his day with my mom, helping her ref and taking long naps.

ref abba and ref booboo

team Jersey getting ready to GTL

The day is then completed with a variety of team games that award points to the teams depending on which place they come in at the end of each competition.  The days events include
Beer Pong tournament
Dingbat Relay Race
Monkey Chug
Anchorman
Flip Cup tournament
Bong Races tournament
Beer Duel
Final Obstacle Course

Throughout the day, players can also challenge other participants to a pound-off which is a glorified chugging contest.  5 extra points is awarded to the team of the faster chugger.

i'll ref it, but that doesn't mean I think its a good idea

At the end of the day though, it seems the reigning champs could not be overthrown.  It came down to only a few points.  Looks like Team Potter will be returning again for Beer Olympics 2012.  

Besides the day being filled with a lot of fun and a ridiculous amount of booze consumption; it is not an easy task to pull off.  In our third year, we are still picking up tips to use for next year and ways to make it better.  If you are thinking of planning something similar; here are some of the reasons I think ours has been successful in the past:

1. The end goal is not to see how wasted everyone can get.  The end goal is to raise money for a well-deserving cause (in our case, it is the Make-A-Wish foundation).  Everyone knows they are coming to drink, but that the amount they gave to participate also goes to help support others in need.  I really think this is the reason that in 3 years we haven't had any violence or disrespect occur despite serious intoxication and bringing together groups of people that don't know each other at the start of the day.  This year, after paying for the tshirts and the four kegs; we still managed to raise $365 that has been donated to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

2. One of the party hosts stays sober and refs (aka me).  Okay, so last year was because I was still nursing and this year I was pregnant; but moving forward I will probably always ref instead of play.  first, I know all the rules inside and out.  second, i also have an unofficial authority about me as one of the hosts; which means my word is the final word when it comes to deciding the photo finish for the dingbat relay or whether a keg stand over 10 seconds should be worth more.

3. Our rules are hyper-specific and written out.  there is no bigger whiner when it comes to nitpicking rules than the drunk.  everyone has their own version of beer pong rules; we get that.  but at our beer olympics the rules are written out and we try to cover every tiny nuance that drunky mcdrunkerson is going to challenge.  

4. there is food.  a lot of food.  all participants (or the participants' moms) are encouraged to bring something to share for the day.  so we supply the hot dogs, kraut, and buns and our food tables overflow with treats from almost all the other participants ranging from cookies to pasta salad to pulled pork sandwiches.  

5. there are scheduled breaks.  we schedule a break directly after our fourth (and most difficult) event; the Anchorman.  The break lasts for a minimum of a half hour (sometimes longer) and the second break happens right before the final obstacle course.  At the start of the day, participants whine over scheduled breaks, but when the time rolls around - people just lay all over the ground and stuff meat pies in their mouths and chug water.

6. we have a waiver.  not kidding.  all participants must sign off on it waiving and releasing us from any injuries or sickness incurred during the day.  Plus it outlines that each person is in charge of their own health and is expected to recognize when enough is enough.

7. we have semi-sober observers.  these observers not only act as refs, but also can step in as substitutes if a team loses a player (for a variety of reasons).  Brandon's parents have had to make an extra keg run for two years in a row, when we've realized half of the way through the day that we'll shortly kick the last keg.

8. we have an awards ceremony.  it doesn't matter how old you get or that the award is for having the most beer on your shirt at the end of the day.  everyone appreciates being recognized.

9. we do not tolerate extreme heckling, excessive name-calling, or disrespectful behavior.  there are no warnings.  you act like an idiot and someone will be called to pick you up and you will not be invited back.  its just how we roll.

10. we fully support team spirit and team bonding, especially for new friends that just meet as they are getting their faces painted alike.  our favorite is the day after when our newsfeed is filled with new friendships due to beer olympics.

Dining room transformation Part Une

It should come as a surprise to no one that reads my blog that I am quite bossy.  I'm the oldest daughter, a teacher to the core, and a Virgo; which I'm pretty sure certifies me as the bossiest person I know.  By my very good luck, this happens to suit my husband just fine, as a Libra, making decisions is a long, arduous process and he will be the first to say that interior design is about the hardest decisions for him to make.  Here is what we see when we both walk into a room.

Brandon:  sees exactly what the room looks like.  the wall colors are a permanent thing.  The floor is the floor, just as it is.  The room is the type of room determined by whatever furniture is currently placed in it.  It is what it appears to be.

Tabitha:   sees chair rails where there is none and colors on walls that are white.  Floors ripped up and walls torn down.  Making sitting rooms into dining rooms and living rooms into playrooms.  I see pins that I've pinned on pinterest slipping into place.

So, for a variety of unknown reasons, the first room to get a make-over in our house was our dining room.  It could have been because B was anxious to try something he's never done before (put up wainscoting) or because our new dining room table was due to arrive in a few days.  But whatever the case, we got a'crackin on that room first.  The room we bought in our new house was set up as an extra sitting room.  When we came to check out the house, they had a reclining chair and some books set up.  The floors were carpeted, the walls were white, and the trim is stained wood. There are glass doors that lead to an outside patio and a small tile threshold.  There is also a small closet on the side (not pictured).

When we first saw it, B saw a sitting room with carpet and a tile threshold.  But I saw a dining room, located conveniently off of the kitchen....with hardwood floors and wainscoting (which I obviously am obsessed with - what with as many times as I've typed it in this post).  Deep purple walls and white trim.  Our long dining room table perpindicular to the window which will be flanked in two tall built-ins that will hold all the pretty platters and glass bowls we got for our wedding (that have been stashed and hidden in cupboards in the past).  And in that closet - a little bar for quick drinks after dinner parties.

You may be shouting at your computer:  goodness, can't you make it easy on him?  To which I reply, please, do you not know me?  Go big or don't do it...that's how I roll.

The roles in our house are:  I have the vision and my husband has the muscles.  Which means that wainscoting that didn't exist before will be installed by my handsome, handy hubs.  And the white walls will go to River Rouge (or as my husband grunts "Purple?" as I hand him the color swatch at Sherwin Williams).  But as has been proven in his experience, the mumma knows best.  So he shrugs and hands the paint chip over to the cashier.  Purple it is...he isn't a fan to start because he can't picture it, but once its up, it wins him over.  Like I usually do:)

So my husband (and our dads) got to pulling up the carpet, painting the walls, installing the wainscoting (which turned out to be a huge pain in the behind since there are EIGHT outlets in that room that all need re-wired and pulled through cut pieces of wainscoting...oops, unforeseen pain in the neck; my bad), re-painting the wainscoting, laying the hardwood (your welcome, Mother Earth - we used Bamboo), and painting the trim white (I helped with that one).  It was hard and took a very long time.  Please don't think this is a weekend project - it wasn't.  And my husband slaved away because he's afraid of me loves me very very much.  So after a lot of work and time, and even more splinters, we transformed our new dining room to look like this:

We are still missing the built-ins (which are being handicrafted by my dad, thank you!) and some much needed wall accessories (still in Erie).  We also need to get a new light fixture (something about that ceiling fan makes me think of a strange version of neck roulette while eating dinner...?  ahh, sorry for the weird visual).  And then finish up the bar/closet...but after adding in our new dining room table (from Ashley Furniture for those that are wondering), she is starting to look pretty darn beautiful.  In fact, I think I kind of have a little crush on our dining room because I catch myself staring in at her from the kitchen with a totally creepy smile on my face.

ps. thank you to my husband (and Dad and Rudy) who seriously put up with my insane ideas and visions way better than I deserve.  I know how lucky I am to have men in my life that both trust my judgement AND know how to use things that scare me; like nail guns and table saws.