Still more schwag...

There are a couple Christmas ornament stands at the Minnesota State Fair, and I just couldn't pass up this little treasure when I saw it:

 

 

A cupcake coach photo frame ornament?!?!? YES! I love personalized ornaments and I have a whole set of sweets-themed ornaments and garland, so this is a PERFECT addition!

Charming

Yes, this is more State Fair loot - a fun find from The International Bazaar, where there is a little stand each year that sells shiny whimsical stuffed animals and fantasy creatures. We have a few mermaids, a seahorse, and a crab, and the husband was really tempted by the dragons this year until I saw this big fella:

 

 

Ssssspectacular! And he's huge! I think he might be too heavy for The Cupcake to drag around much just yet (he's filled with birdseed or something) but I'm in love with the bright green shiny scales, fuzzy felt underbelly, and that little forked tongue. Could ths be the beginning of a baby Britney Spears costume? Toddlers & Tiaras, here we come!

 

 

TC seemed tickled to wrestle with him in her stroller, and she makes an adorable "hissing" noise, but through her nose instead of her mouth, which is hilarious.

 

 

Sssssssstate Fair Fun!

 

 

Free Stuff at the Fair

In addition to THREE blue balloons so far from the DFL booth, we've nabbed a few other well-loved freebies during our State Fair trips, including this joyful little handout from Century Link:

 

That's former Twins player Bert Blyleven on a stick.

I think he's technically a fan, with advertising on the reverse.

And The Cupcake won't stop kissing him.

 

Oh dear...

More Fair Fun...

The "Worlds Biggest Sandbox" was once again a hit...though it was MUCH more crowded and all the toys were broken (just 3 days after opening - boo!), TC didn't seem any less intrigued. The cries of "da-down!" (from her stroller) started as soon as it came into view, and getting her to leave required a lot of negotiating and eventual bribery.

 

FREEDOM! This kid NEVER looks around and cries if we are not in sight. In fact, she seems to revel in her independence.

 

Playin' with the boys...

Systematically destroying other kids' castles brought her great joy...

 

Leaving, however, did not...

(how much do you want to pinch those crabby cheeks?!?!?)

 

 

Fair Time 2012

It's State Fair time again in our corner of the world, and since we live close enough to walk, that means we also live close enough that trying to get nearly anywhere else is kind of a pain during these 12 days, so we just give in and make the fair our primary destination as many days as we can afford to. This morning was our 2nd day/3rd trip this season, and we're planning to go back tonight. While spending the $$ on food kind of kills me, The Cupcake is an avid people watcher and there is no better place. She loves the kids, the lights, the free balloons, and the various chocolate treats. Such as a chocolate creampuff:

 

 

I know some people hate dealing with strollers in crowds, and it's not the most fun to navigate around groups of lolligagers and random stoppers and other awful "drivers," but I love that we have cupholders and a huge basket to stash all our junk in - so we can bring with and use a lot of baby wipes, extra napkins, big camera, diaper bag, sippy cup, and whatever else makes our lives easier. Not to mention it keeps TC confined. I mean safe. :)  And speaking of TC, check how much she has grown from her first trip to the fair last year:

 

to this year:

 

We're only 1/3 into the fair, so there is lots more fun ahead. And it wears our little TC out, so that alone is worth all the tube tops, neck tattoos, and political bickering we have to endure. And the cream puffs aren't bad either.

 

 

Fair Time: Round II! DING!

The kid was in great spirits for her second day at the fair (yes, it's so good we go multiple times. Plus it helps to spread out the walking and overeating). The weather was GORGEOUS - cool, with a light breeze - and it was pretty uncrowded for the fair, we could actually get around okay most of the time even with the stroller.



Food the adults ate this time (less Cupcake-friendly fare, I'm afraid):
teriyaki chicken noodles
blackened Caribbean chicken
a couple of beers in the Bazaar, a milk, and a Sun Drop soda
wild rice cheeseburger
corn on the cob
Sweet Martha's cookies
free sample of sparkling cranberry juice

Stuff I bought:
(much more reserved this time!)



I only spent $6 on "stuff" this time, I couldn't resist these two little sea horses. When she's old enough TC has a few matching mermaid dolls from the same vendor. Maybe next year I'll get the octopus and sting ray :)


Stuff the kid did get to try:
strawberry shake
nitro ice cream sample
sweet corn ice cream
and then there was the chocolate cream puff, clearly the highlight of the evening:




I like to think she was in a state of perfect happiness with her first taste of the creamy chocolate filling:



Holy smokes, those eyes!



She liked it right away, and actually got fussy after a few bites when I stopped sharing!



Yes ma'am, more cream puff filling coming your way...and then the silly kicked in...



She was in QUITE a delightful mood!



She had a fit of the giggles!



I totally understand, chocolate cream puffs make ME happy too...



Then she slowly wound down...



And fell asleep soon after. Another fantastic evening at the fair!

The light at the end of the aisle...

How cool is this?



It's The Cupcake's new nightlight! I fell in love the first day we were at the fair and had to scoop it up (new booth in the grandstand this year!) I had gotten this one at IKEA and was really excited, but it actually puts out too much light, and she stays awake trying to do things, but this one was a softer glow and really fits the watery theme of her mermaids & pirates nursery so well. I haven't decided where to hang it for sure yet, but it makes me super happy:

TC's First Day at the Fair - in Pictures!

I promised more photos, and who knew, I'm actually delivering! I never said the were GOOD photos, but this is not one of those slick mommyblogs where everything is is photoshopped and staged. This is REAL, and in REAL life we have bad hair and a lot of the same photo of a kid in a stroller with spoons in her mouth. So here's a look back at TC's first day at the fair (we went again last night actually). We live walking distance from the fairgrounds. TC probably had no idea this wasn't her usual evening stroll to the zoo...


She was SPELLBOUND watching all the people and activity!


She had her first bite of fair food and first sample of fish - walleye cakes from Giggles Campfire. Her standard reaction to all foods so far is to look horrified, but then beg for more, so we never know what she really thinks of anything :)

Strawberry milkshake, which she seemed to like, but mostly she just wanted to eat the paper cow hat. I never did manage to keep it on her head long enough for a photo. Mom fail.

Then came the ICEE...She had an ICEE once before and LOVED it, so we figured that was a good route to go again. First came awe (you're going to let me touch that?)



She proceeded cautiously (Can I really?)


But quickly decided it was hers (Hey, where did it go?)


If we would have left it within reach, she would have been purple in no time, I think an ICEE would work as well as a cake for a 1st B-day smash party. So we spoon fed instead:


And she was very pleased (GLEE!)


She didn't seem as fond of the lemon Italian ice, but she wasn't going to let it go either (MINE!)


I thought we might be in trouble after all that sugar, but TC was great the whole time - particularly after her final drink: (ZzzZzz)

The Great Minnesota Get Together

The Minnesota State Fair is a BIG deal. Perhaps you gathered that from the State Fair Bridal Shower I helped throw earlier this summer, or maybe you've been there before. If not, you really have to experience it - it is unlike any other fair you've known, it is really like a sub culture of its own. The people watching is amazing. There are 400lb women in tube tops, mullets along side goth kids, hipsters and soccer moms - all floating around sweetly (we are Minnesota Nice, after all), waiting in long lines for overpriced unhealthy food.

Mmmmm, I love it :)

Last year the State Fair had it's ups and downs - literally - as I passed out in the line for sunflower ice cream (and never ended up getting any, boo!). We had just found out that The Cupcake had girl parts at our 20 week ultrasound, and I couldn't really eat much by that point between the nausea and heartburn. I did temporarily forget I wasn't supposed to eat hot dogs and buy a corn dog, and then felt bad when I realized it halfway through (so far, TC shows no ill effects of said corn dog). I wasn't allowed to ride on the sky glider, but I did have a LOT of fun catching up with Ryan. It was at the State Fair that I bought TC the ONE item of clothing I couldn't resist before her birth - seriously, I managed to stay strong in the face of all the beautiful dresses, costumes, and other finery, but I caved when it came to this:



And then guess what?!?!? SHE NEVER WORE IT! I was so crushed! The hoodie said "3-6 months" and silly me, I waited till 3 months to try it on her...and it was WAY too small! New mom fail :(

But that's okay, because I think it might fit an American Girl type doll (oh yes, I am counting on building an American Girl wardrobe and accessory fleet. Might as well mortgage the house now). And guess what? TC got a NEW tie dye garment that DOES fit her, because it is so much easier to size things on outside babies:



TC's first fair - CHECK! More pics to come if I ever have a chance to upload them - and just so I don't forget, here's what we (the whole family) ate (I like to put a list in the scrapbook each year):

Walleye Cakes (TC's first taste of fish, I abstained from these)
Pronto Pup
Free Juice Samples
Caribbean Jerk Chicken
Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Strawberry Milkshake
ICEE (TC LOVES icees)
BBQ Beef Sandwich
Luigi Fries
Lemon Italian Ice
Big Fat Bacon
S'more
A Coke, a Root Beer, and an RC Cola
some kind of beer
Strawberry Smoothie
CinnieSmiths to take home

Stuff I bought:
tie dye dress for TC
AWESOME night light for TC's room
Stamped Metal Ring for myself with TC's name on it

The weather was wonderful, and if I weren't so tired we could have really made a night of it, since SOMEONE was abnormally good:

State Fair Bridal Shower - MORE FOOD!

I may have saved the best for last when it comes to the State Fair food we served, and all the credit here goes to GrammyCupcakes and her support team who spent days peeling potatoes and assembling kebabs. Everything was SO YUMMY! Here's the "rest" of the menu:



Lunch on a stick! Everything that can be is on a stick at the MN State Fair, so beef and chicken kebabs were a wonderful choice. They were marinated in seasoning and grilled to perfection.





Next up was a mashed potato bar with all the fixin's:



"Champion Croissants", lightly toasted:



And my mother's famous turkey salad, clearly "Best in Show":



As usual, there was WAY too much food, so I got to take home a LOT of leftovers :) I forgot the signs for the beverages, but we stuck with the State Fair theme there too - "fresh squeezed lemonade" (not really) and "All the milk you can drink" (and you didn't even have to pay the $0.50!):



And there's some coffee in between there for good measure too :) The beverage dispensers were a great deal at Costco, but the real stars of the beverage station were the cups! Those are official MN State Fair cups, which the staff ever so kindly allowed me to purchase (for a GREAT deal even) when I called and explained the party. Thanks MN State Fair, you are definitely the epitome of Minnesota Nice!



And that brings me to the end of my State Fair Bridal Shower projects - by all accounts it was a rousing success and the bride was quite smitten with her unique and special day. If you missed any of my recaps, you can click on the "StateFair" label to see all of the posts related to this party, and please if you find any of this inspiring, drop me a line

State Fair Bridal Shower - FAIR Bingo!

I'm feeling a little full after all of the recent food posts, so before I get to the main food table I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the bingo game I created for the party. Since we were having a lot of people and didn't want to take up all of the time (and because I couldn't think of a 5 letter word with the categories I wanted) I scaled the board down to 4 X 4 instead of 5 x 5. Each letter in the word F-A-I-R stood for a category, Food, Agriculture, Interests, and Rides.



I created a bingo template on PowerPoint and printed boards with empty squares. Then I scoured Google images for all of my pictures. To ensure all of the boards were different I decided on 16 different choices for each category, which was easy for some (food) but harder for others (rides). Case in point, there was a SkyRide, Sky Glider, and Sky Wheel, all of which look totally different but could be confusing because of the names. I alternated between photos and cartoons and just basically chose images I liked. For the "interest" category I included all of the different things to see and do at the fair that weren't food, rides, or agriculture - everything from Butterheads to the Butterfly House, from FairDo Hair styles to Creative Activities contests, concerts, politics, you name it.



I printed out a bunch of each photo on white cardstock, cut into squares, and then used a glue stick to randomly paste pictures into the squares on my empty bingo cards. It went pretty quickly even though I made over 40 bingo cards.



Each guest received a sheet of colored dot stickers to use as markers, and the caller drew cards from a basket. It was a hit! Guests had fun reliving their fair memories while looking at all of the photos and discussing their favorite fair fun, and winners got a cute little prize from GrammyCupcake:



Canning jars full of candies or nuts and dressed in little gingham frocks. It was very country chic to choose from the giant basket of options:



If I ever learn how to post PDF documents I might come back and add my templates here - but sadly I haven't acquired those skills yet :( In the meantime, I might be willing to share if you email me at Heather@HeathersCreativeLife.com and promise to share a photo of your party! I'd love to hear/see if anyone is using any of these tips for their own State Fair themed event.

Stay tuned for a few more projects and click on the "StateFair" label to see all posts about this bridal shower.