Rug Hooking Entries for State Fair

I just finished placing my rug hooking entries online for the Kentucky State Fair. I have 3 hooked rugs that will be in the Kentucky State Fair in August, one of which is finished, the other two not so much. The registration cutoff is midnight tomorrow, July 1st. They are then dropped off to the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center by August 15th so I have some time to finish them. I've had rug hooked items in the Fair the last 2 years. I really enjoy entering my rug hooked items. So far I've received two 4th place ribbons and an honorable mention.

I'd like to enter them in the Indiana State Fair as I've always lived in Indiana, but it's a 2-hour drive one way to Indianapolis and just a 15-minute drive to Louisville where the Kentucky State Fair is located. I would have to get the rugs to Indianapolis, make another trip up there to see all the rugs and see if I won any ribbons, and then make a third trip there to pick up my rugs. With gas as high as it is, I can't really justify three 4-hour trips to Indianapolis just to enter my rugs. Maybe one year I'll get to enter them in the Indiana State Fair. But for now, I'm happy to enter them in the Kentucky State Fair. Our local rug hooking guild is made up of members from Kentucky and Indiana and I'm the President. It's always such a thrill to see my rugs on display with all the other great rugs.

Going to the Fair to see the amazing quilts, cross stitched items, crocheted/knitted items and rugs is a really great time. I usually make several trips with family and friends to look at all the displays, photographs, etc. I think someone said last year that there were around 30,000 different entries... amazing!

Anyway, I'm hoping to come home with ribbons this year. We'll just have to wait and see later in August.

Father's Day without Our Dads

My Dad's been gone since 1991. I still miss him like it was yesterday. My significant other just lost his Dad in March of this year.

So we spent the day today at a friend's graduation get-together for her niece. My friend was so nice when Eddie's Dad passed away and brought food to the funeral home. We had a great time at the grad party today and Cathy's food was awesome. She and her Mom (also Cathy) have done some small catering jobs and the food was unbelievable.

We then went over to Eddie's brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner. Eddie's sister-in-law lost her Dad five weeks after Eddie's Dad passed away. It was a rough spring for our family. Eddie's nephews and niece lost both of their grandpas within 5 weeks. So without Eddie's Dad, his sister-in-law's Dad, and my Dad, we all just spent the day together. Eddie's brother and sister-in-law just had a pool put in and even though it was unbelievably hot, we had a good family day together. We needed to be together because it was the first Father's Day without Eddie's Dad Charlie and his sister-in-law's Dad Frank.

So another Father's Day passes, but it was a good one with our family around us.

Time for Everything I Need to Do

I have so much to do, as I'm sure everyone does, but I just can't seem to get motivated to do much of anything anymore. I hook on my rugs, work on my wool felt pillows and other items, and do my stitcheries, but other than that, my motivation is pitiful.

I'm supposed to be getting my house ready to put on the market so I can sell it and move in with my significant other of 18 years. But the problem with that is I have 25 years of "stuff" that I need to downsize to be able to move in with him. He lives in his grandfather's house which is 125 years old. The problem is that he has a house full of stuff and I have a house full of more stuff (way more stuff!!) and I'm having a hard time jumping in there and downsizing my stuff. Because his house is so old, it has little or no storage, because I guess back then they didn't need storage because they had way less things than what we have now. The only closet on the 1st floor is about 15 inches wide... Hello!! That's pretty scary!!

So every weekend I have all this stuff in my mind that I know I need to do, but instead I put it off and really don't get anything done. I have a few "tweaking" things that I need to do my house to get it ready to list, but those involve $$, and I'm not really very flush in that area right now. Who is? I love my significant other, but he wants my house sold before I move in so that debt is gone. Naturally, after all these years together, he waits until the worse time in the history of time for me to try and sell my house!!! Duh. My good friend tells me I should not look at the whole picture of how much I have to do to get ready to move, but should take baby steps, and just look at it as one project at a time. Easier said than done.

Right now my significant other and I are paying 2 sets of bills and we're both strapped for $$. Things would be a lot easier in the money area if I could just sell my place and move over there with him. As I said, his house was his grandfather's home and it needs some work, but after I don't have a mortgage, insurance, utilities, etc., I should be able to help fix it up. At least that part should be fun!!

I'm getting out my notebook right now and starting a list of things that need to be done in order to get my house ready to sell. Maybe I'll just fix up what I can and sell it as it is. As long as I can enough to pay off my mortgage, then at least I'm in the clear and the new owners can fix it up as they wish.

Gotta go. Have writing to do in my notebook!!