I LOVE the Iowa State Fair! I grew up at county/state fairs and it brings back mostly fond memories for me. My first real internship was in the PR/Marketing department at the Iowa State Fair back in the early....ummm...well it was my first internship..that's all you need to know. Iowa has one of the BEST Fairs around...hands-down. Unfortunately, the older I get and the more kids I have in-tow, the less I find myself there. I think if it were held in early June or maybe late September I'd go lots! But mid-August? HOT! HUMID! HOT! It's worth it though. If you haven't been, or haven't been in awhile - I encourage you to go. If you are a Fair-regular....make a special effort to check out something new this year. There is soooo much - you'll never see it all in a day. So, in honor of our state's GREAT Fair, I have created a sculpture of myself out of butter. (Totally genius idea, Midwest Dairy Association!). Try it for yourself! http://apps.facebook.com/butterfy/

Summer is busy...and hot! Who has time to cook dinner? Not me! So here's a look at one of our simple (and perfect if you ask me) summer meals:

Grimes Sweet Corn

A fresh garden salad with diced cucumbers (that I grew!)And don't forget some of these bad boys! Of course they won't just ripen together...3 here....5 there. Oh well...they are delicious...and I grew them! =-)And fresh canteloupe. I didn't grow this...but purchased from a sweet corn truck that day. YUM!

Happy Birthday to my Mom! She turned 60 (the new 40) on Saturday. I can't believe my Mom is 60! I mean...she looks great, but how can she be 60 when I'm still 25? (ok...so I FEEL like I should be 25). Anyway - to celebrate we took her to her favorite restaurant
The kids were well-behaved (don't worry, they absolutely made up for that the next day) and we all had a wonderful time celebrating the best Mom/Mother-in-Law/Grandma on the planet. No one...I mean NO ONE loves my kids like this woman. She can sew better than anyone I know, is so creative when it comes to painting and creating, taught me the value of sticking up for yourself when you've been wronged and how to shop the clearance racks! She's a gem...and I'm so lucky she's my Mom. Happy Birthday!!!

Here she is with her birthday balloon and dessert, which she shared with all of us (except she told the kids no one could touch her whipped cream - ha!)
Here she is with the man of her dreamsAnd with Granddaughter #2:Here's Grandma and Lauren with the present Lauren chose/bought with her own money at a garage sale. She was soooo proud! Her first choice was a navy blue/marroon bathroom garbage can, but we steered her to a different table at the sale. =-)Me (who needs to apply powder and get a haircut) and my boy (who also needs a haircut) These eyes have NOT been photoshopped...this is the real deal....HUGE baby blues and long lashes...how DO you say no to those?

Who is that nearly-an-adult beautiful girl at my table? Yikes! Here I am with daughter #1 and my little guy:

And my good-lookin' man w/his little girl:Beauty and the beast...oh..wait...that was the next day. This is Beauty and the big boy:

As they say, "A Good Time Was Had By All!"

God Bless America!!