I'm So Vain.....

I nominated myself for one of The Crescat's Blog Awards.  Once voting opens, I would appreciate your vote.

(Photo has nothing whatsoever to do with blog awards, voting or anything else referenced in this post.  I just posted it because I think this is a pretty nice looking dozen eggs; six from our new girls and six from Crockpot  - Drumstick having not laid a good egg in quite a while).

Home From the Fair

The fair closed last night with a really good Demolition Derby and a nice car show. Here are some photo highlights from Thursday (poultry show), Friday (Marty Stuart concert) and Saturday (car show and Demolition Derby):

Lightning McQueen with Oregano and Barbecue, at the livestock show barn

Lightning McQueen waiting to enter the show arena. Oregano won 1st Place and Barbecue won 2nd place in their class.

The smaller of the TWO Ferris Wheels at the fair, neither one of which I rode :(

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives!

Love those old Mopars

Full-size class at the Demolition Derby. Studip lights!

Velvet's feline anatomy exhibit

Lightning McQueen's canine anatomy exhibit

Velvet's horse breeds exhibit

My Bayerische socks

Two Years In A Row

Lightning McQueen and I took a stroll over to the exhibit hall at the fair last night to see whether his and Velvet's 4H projects had won ribbons (and I wanted to see how my socks fared too).

Lightning McQueen:  second place for his exhibit on canine anatomy

Velvet:  first place for exhibit on horse breeds, second place for feline anatomy

I had entered my Bayerische socks:

First place!

Photos to come; we'll be at the fair the next three evenings - tomorrow is Lightning McQueen's poultry show debut, Friday is a concert I've been looking forward to for months, and Saturday is the car show and demolition derby.

See What I Won!

I think this is a great way to describe me.  I was given this award by my new friend the Non-Stop Mom!  She says I'm even busier than she is, and from reading her blog (which you totally ought to do) you will see that she's quite busy indeed.

So now I shall post the rules, and spend some time this evening visiting the other bloggers who won along with me, finding new and interesting blogs to follow!

THE RULES:

*Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

*Tell us seven things about yourself.

*Award fifteen recently discovered new bloggers.

So, seven things about me:

1. I'm really good with a gun.  I qualified Expert with the M16A1, M16A2, and .50 caliber machine gun in the Army, and Marksman with the 9mm pistol.
2. I miss nail polish!  As a Life Pledged member of the Confraternity of Penitents, I have to keep cosmetics to a minimum; pretty polish on my toes is about the only part of that I really regret having to give up.
3. I've had a copy of "The Exorcist" for three years and have yet to watch it.
4. I think there are some important lessons a person could learn from both the Amish and Mormons. That "subsidiarity" thing?  Not just a Catholic concept.  We Catholics fail miserably.  They don't.
5. Sometimes I think about doing things and have to remind myself that I'm mumblemumble years old and people my age don't do that.  That aggravates me, because most of the time I only feel like I'm about 26.
6. I did not ever watch a single episode of "Hill Street Blues".  Not even in reruns.
7. I often wish I'd done things differently at certain points in my life, although all in all I'm content with how things are now.

And here are 15 blogs I really like!  Go spike their stats!

1. A Blunt Analysis - I found this blog NOT by toodling around on the internet, but from the web address written in vinyl stickum letters on the back window of a minivan in a Kroger parking lot. 
2. Habitation of Justice - This guy writes really well.  He gripes about work, not being able to find a soulmate, and geocaching (which is something I'd totally like to try sometime).  I really enjoy his travelogue posts. 
3. Fear Not Little Flock - A really sweet blog written by the wife of a Byzantine Catholic priest.
4. K-9 Knitter - One of my long-time online friends writes this blog about her knitting and fibery adventures, along with stories about training her three Border Collies.
5. LovelyKnits - Another online friend's knitting blog.
6. Martin Family Moments - Catholic homeschooling mom blog.  Good stuff in here.  Her kids are cuties!
7. Sincero Knits - Really talented online (and real-life, as of last May) friend who knits (and should update her blog more often, AHEM)
8. A Mom for Life - the unconventional family - Simple, profound posts from a mother of seven.
9. 11 On My Own - A single-mother blog with a different perspective.
10. Pithless Thoughts - Orthodox home improvement contractor blogs about God, life and everything in between.
11. Adventures of an Orthodox Mom - Not updated frequently, but she's the one paying enough attention to her kids while the rest of us mom-bloggers sit bleary-eyed at the keyboard typing a daily post.
12. The Mumzababe Missive - This is another online friend who blogs about all kinds of things, including knitting and conservative politics.
13. St. Theophan Academy - Orthodox homeschooling mom.  I love the photos in her posts; they are so artfully composed!
14. IndyCar Advocate - Very well-written blog all about IndyCar.  He explains it a lot better than I do, and there's the added bonus of periodic interviews with assorted drivers. A real treat when a new post pops up in my blog reader!
15. Southern Byzantine - "Living at the intersection of Grace, Grits and the Ancient Faith..."

So thank you Amy, for rewarding me with this awesome button on my blog, and hopefully some new readers and commenters. Welcome to my world!