10/12/09

So... here is a "play by play", picture by picture, of getting baked goods ready for the fair. lol

Last night and tonight we have been preparing. We'll start with yesterday. (Remember, you can click on any photo to get a better view...)

Wesley made his chocolate pound cake. Mom helped him with it while I was cutting my cashews into pieces for my brittle. Anything with Wesley is interesting because you have to focus for him and you. lol Mom helped him make sure he had everything in his recipe and when we poured it into two loaf pans (per the directions) I looked up beside the stove to see the two sticks of butter that were supposed to already be in the cake. lol We had to start he whole process over!! (I felt better knowing my Mom, who is an excellent cook/baker, also had issues with forgetting ingredients at times. lol)

Next, I helped Mikayla with her blueberry bread. She was so goofy.

We stopped for a bit to go get Kevin from the airport. He had been in Mexico for 10 days. When we got back to our house we began the process of making Mikayla's divinity... her choice for candies for the fair. I told Kevin I wasn't touching it... I knew it would be difficult.

Hmm.... something isn't right....

Eek.... the humidity last night was too much for the divinity. Talk about sticky!!!

Mikayla said "I didn't know divinity would be THIS hard!" Uh, yeah... that is why we tried to talk you out of it. lol

Can you tell she isn't really thrilled with the goo?

Even after 24 hours this is what we got. We still plated it... not that it looks like separate pieces on the plate. It actually looks like one huge blob. The important thing is that she is sending it in and she did her best. We had no control over the weather. The last two days haven't been the greatest for baking. In fact, we told Mikayla tonight that her divinity wouldn't win anything and to not be disappointed in that. (Kind of like my brittle a couple of years ago...)

Tonight we made her dark chocolate brownies... and they are yummy. We licked the bowl afterwards. Can you tell????

My coconut cashew brittle is OH. MY. GOODNESS. I think I hit the nail on the head with this batch... finally. Y'all just don't know the issues I have had. The best part... I did it ALL BY MYSELF without Kevin's help. hee hee.... yeah, I'm grinnin'. (Oh, and talk about multi-tasking when I was making my brittle.... I was coloring my hair, eating a McDonald's cheeseburger and making this candy all at once. It is called do what you can when you can because the night is crazy. So much for a nutritional night!)

My blueberry muffins. They turned out quite nicely!

Wesley's honey muffins... the third try at the fair. I think this one is a winner... YUMMY.

Wesley's pitiful chocolate pound cake. Well... the recipe said two loaf pans, but we aren't sure what they were thinking. It made mini loaves and they are more pitiful than a Sara Lee pound cake. lol We'll see... haven't tasted this one yet, but maybe the taste will win the judges over. lol

Mikayla's brownies.... not officially cut up, but they were still too warm.

Mikayla's blueberry bread.... MUCH better looking than last years. lol

I entered two scrapbook pages that I didn't photograph. Sorry... one is of our late kitty Ashes... a tribute page to her, and then a double page spread of the kids last summer. We'll see how it goes.

I also entered these jams/conserves/preserves. This is my first year doing any of that. Kevin made me do them. lol I am actually excited that I have entered them. We'll see if the judges like any of them.


And... finally... my photograph. We'll see what the judges think about this one, too. :)


Steve is entering his squash. He wouldn't go out and pick it tonight so I could photograph it. I just don't understand that. :)

As we have talked it over with the kids... this process we have gone through is not about winning, but about the memories made and the joy of a job well done (even if your divinity looks nothing as it should).

I must admit... it would tickle us senseless if we got a little something. Hee hee..... BUT.. if we don't we will be alright, too.

We'll find out our "results" Saturday when we go! If you are going to the NC State Fair see if you can find our stuff!