Skamania County Fair 2012

This was our fourth year at Skamania County Fair.  With three kids in 4-H it is very busy but we love it!  This year Madeline in her 4th 4-H year showed poultry, Michael in his 3rd 4-H year showed rabbits, and Marah in her 2nd 4-H year showed rabbits and poultry.  Naomi will join them next year and we are all ready jokingly calling her the chicken whisperer.

Rabbit Breed Judging ~ Silver Fox

Rabbit Breed Judgin ~ Mini Rex

Primary Rabbit Showmanship

I always love seeing all the little girls all dressed up for showmanship.  Their hair is so cute!

Junior Rabbit Showmanship

Primary Poultry Showmanship

There is always one group of primaries that are chatting away.  The
little girl on the very end was so cute and her chicken was
large fowl and she handled it so well considering her size.  

Junior Poultry Showmanship.  Madeline is showing a
Mille Fleur Belgian Bearded  D'Uccle Bantam Hen.  She has been
her showmanship bird for a while now.   Maddy has trained her well.

Champion Junior Showman

Showmanship for Master Poultry Showman

Master Poultry Showman!!!!!  She cried, I cried!

Small Animal Round Robin.  All the winners of each small animal
come together and compete for  Small Animal Round Robin
Master Showman.  Animals include poultry, pigeons, rabbits, cavies, and novelty goats.

Small Animal Round Robin.  Madeline placed third.

Small Animal Round Robin

Showing Novelty Goats

There was cage cleaning every morning

Primary Poster Champion

Junior Poster Champion

Watching her siblings

Madeline's poster

Michael's Mini Rex rabbit Thunder took Reserve in breed judging.

Madeline's showmanship bird

The kids all did a ton of projects in the exhibit hall.  They did
Garden boxes, entered eggs, made jams and jellies, bread, did LEGO crafts,
and other art projects!  This is Marah with her garden box project, she also did a
poster that went with it titled "Parts of a Plant"

Michael made a LEGO model of the fairgrounds.  Unfortunately I can't find a picture of it!  He worked so hard for well over a month and studied the fairgrounds on google maps so he got everything just right!  He got a Judge's Choice award and was really excited.

31 Days of Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Homemade Hamburger Buns Recipe 

I just did my monthly meal plan and a facebook friend asked me to share it.  In an attempt to not have to buy groceries this month I went through and inventoried everything I had in the house.  I did not inventory the flours, baking supplies, spices etc as those are staples and I usually always have those in my pantry.

Canning

Here is the list of what I had on hand and the quantities to work with in random order.  Well actually it is order of small freezer to garage pantry to large freezer but only I would know that.
Pepperoni
Mozarella
Bacon 3- half packages (I cut these in half and we only eat a half at a time)
Pasta Sauce-7 meals worth
Rice- Brown
Beans- Red, Pinto, White, Black
Lentils
Tortillas
Pasta- 6 packages
Tomato soup- 1
Hamburger- 15 (these are small little frozen rounds, 1 is a less meat meal and 2 is a large meat meal)
Cken breasts- 3
Rabbit- 1 whole
Chicken- 6 whole
Salmon- 4 meals worth
Oats
Applesauce and apple butter
Pears and pear butter and pear sauce
Frozen- strawberries, grn beans, corn, chicken broth 1, ham broth 1

My Go To Break Recipe for Loaf, Rolls, or Cinnamon Rolls

Breakfasts 

These will be the same 7 meals on a weekly rotation.  Sides will be whatever fruit, etc happens to be there.  I can all summer long so there is a lot of pear sauce, apple sauce, canned pears, and frozen fruits for smoothies, etc.

Oatmeal and Pears
Scrambled Eggs with toast
Pancakes and applesauce
Smoothies and Toast
Cream of Wheat or Oatmeal
Eggs and biscuits (eggs will be either flat eggs, scrambled, or omelets)
Leftover Pancakes (I make a quadruple batch and freeze the leftovers)

Carmel Pecan Sticky Rolls Recipe

Lunch

These will also be the same 7 meals on a weekly rotation.  Side will be vegis and dip, hummus.  Also I only make these if there are no dinner leftovers!

Sandwiches- PBJ, PBH, egg salad, tuna, whatever we have that week.
Potatoes with ranch, cheese, toppings
Sandwiches
Noodles (with butter and garlic, or with meatless sauce)
Leftover Day- This is all the leftovers in the fridge
Sandwiches
Leftover Soup or Chili- If I make a large pot once a week there will be lunch for all 6 of us as well

Pressure Canned Pinto Beans

Dinner 

I write out my dinners on a blank monthly calendar I printed off in word.  I fill my meals in making sure to note what days we are out late, Joe is not home, or we are out all morning/afternoon so I can use the crock pot.  I also do not pick a specific way to cook some items so that I can choose depening on what we feel like when the day comes.  For example a whole chicken will just say "whole chicken" and day of I may choose to crock pot it, bbq it, or roast it in the oven.  Sides for dinner are decided when that day depending on what I have on hand.  If I plan it right all breads, rolls, buns, etc will be made day before or that morning.  Meatless meals are marked with an *

Week 1
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup*
Whole Chicken
Pasta
Taco Pie
Black Bean Chili*
Salmon

Week 2
Bean Burgers*
White Bean Soup (made with Ham stock from the freezer)
Pizza
Chicken Pot Pie (in place of crust I put dumplings on top)
Sloppy Joes
Spicy Rice and Beans*
Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice*

Week 3
Tacos
Chili and Cornbread
Chili on Potatoes
Pasta
Taco Pie
Chili Casserole
Salmon

Week 4
Whole Chicken
Chicken and Rice Soup
Pasta
Chicken Pot Pie
Waffles and Bacon
Black Beans and Rice*
Lentil Sloppy Joes*

Week 5
Lentil Soup with bacon
Breakfast Burritos*
Polenta and Spicy Beans*
Pasta

Want to see another meal planning post?  Check out "A Month of Meals"