Whew! That's me exhaling a GIANT sigh of relief you guys. Summer was not nearly as refreshing as I had hoped and the grand finale, which sounds like loads of fun but is actually code for nonstop work, was the county fair. Let me tell you a tiny bit about this big event. Our fair is old fashioned and truly wonderful. It has taken place every Labor Day weekend for decades at the fairgrounds in our little mountain community. We have a strong ag culture with lots of local ranchers and farmers and that's reflected in our fair. Barn after barn at our fairgrounds are bursting at the seams with prize heifers, glossy dairy goats and pampered poultry.

The other buildings are jam packed with hundreds of examples of our county's best cookies, jams and pies. Yours truly won a blue ribbon for the most delicious Bourbon Peach Pie. Yep, that's one thing marked off my bucket list. I've always wanted to enter something and win a ribbon. I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw that satin-y blue first place sitting on top of my pie! And, last but certainly not least is the old fashioned midway filled with thrill rides and sinful fair foods including a shocking new addition - Deep Fried Twinkies. I did not try any, but my son did. They will fry anything!

So why is this event so much work? Because we had roughly twenty entries to prepare this year. Four prize rabbits, two beautiful dairy goats, cookies, 4H projects and the aforementioned pie. The weeks before and during fair are a whirlwind frenzy that cannot truly be described.

Suffice is to say, there is not a member of this family (even those who did not personally enter anything) that doesn't let out that giant sigh of relief when the last animal and project is retrieved and we collectively collapse on our couch. Never does the old homestead look more glorious than when we are at last free to enjoy it at the end of fair. It took me an entire week to feel like I had my head above water again. I am still digging out from laundry, dishes, and neglected housework. I'm actually relishing this time when I can look around and say "What needs my attention?" That is NOT something I usually enjoy! And what I'm truly looking forward to, is doing some fall decorating.

Since we had company coming and my front porch was quite honestly horrifying, I'll share with you what I did to beautify the area around the front door. My two littles (who are no longer all that little at 12 & 15) helped me a ton with this project. We started by sweeping and scrubbing (the chickens had been there - that's all I'll say on that subject). Then I pulled everything out of my galvanized planters so I'd have a blank canvas. We also removed all the other items that had previously resided on the porch and sprayed off the cobwebs. Fair always leaves me with a desire to simplify, so that's what we did. And, I have to say I love the uncluttered look. I headed to the local nursery to look for plants that look like late summer and early fall - I'm not quite ready for mums yet. I decided on a combination of lavender, ivy and marigolds.

That way I get a little fall color from the flowers, and can add mums and pumpkins as the season progresses.

 I cannot tell you what a lift this little project gave the front of the house and me! I can already feel the stress of fair fading away!

I smile whenever I go out there now, and more importantly I know that area is tons more welcoming for our friends visiting with us over the next few days!

What simple project can you do to freshen up your place?