Spring Break

My "Spring Break" has lasted two weeks.  I really don't know why I say that.  I don't work for the school system nor do I attend school in any way, shape or form.  Still, I have joined the thousands that have experienced the week long break...from drudgery.  There is just something about freshening the house, pruning the garden, and splashing paint here and there.
On the first day of break, we went with Shannon and grandkids to the Livestock Show.  This was a fun time full of icky smells and cute farm animals.  We love the baby pigs.  As we stood in line to see all the newborns, there was a tall marker board listing how many were born and on what day.  The average amount in a litter of pigs is 10-14.  Can you imagine?  Still, they were as cute as could be as they fought for a space close to mama.

We took our lunch and ate on the floor out in the hallway of the arena.  The kids think of it as a picnic area, as we do this every year, and no one took note as we plopped down with all our belongings and spread out the grub.  There were several other families that joined us there.
Tommy flipped the little ones upside down to their delight.

Katherine

Rowan

Jonathan

stroller races

cute boys

Ivy at the pig races

The rodeo offers many attractions for children.  Most cost money, but there are some freebies.  We watched pig races, mutton busters where children cling to sheep for dear life, and went through the agriculture area...where they plant phoney veggies, milk fake cows, and pay for a snack with bogus money.  Cotton candy and lemonade were the real treats we enjoyed.

planting and reaping fake carrots

fake chicks

fake sheep

fake cow

Newborn chick says hi to Luke

Burying Brennan in corn

Later that week, I painted my fireplace as seen in a previous post. I also planted a tiny garden in the backyard as opposed to the large one I dreamed of doing.  When the time came to actually purchase everything we needed, I backed out, realizing it was more than I could handle this year.  So a little one next to the patio will have to do.

And then something possessed me to paint the patio purple.  Me and paint.  No second guessing this time.  It is the perfect color.  Don't you agree?
I also painted three pieces of wood with chalkboard paint and nailed them to the fence for the kids to draw on with colored chalk.  Fun.