Craft Fair Days. Cow Days & Ham Days in Central Kentucky.

These are the best days for craft fairs, nice cool mornings that turn into warm afternoons, without a hint of rain. Much better than my first experience with being a participant in a craft fair earlier this summer (see July post). We had two of the most beautiful days in Greensburg, Kentucky celebrating all things that go moo.


I wanted to share a few photos of my booth for my friends who like to check out other crafter's booths (I know I do!). I invested in a few more props, taking advantage of store closings in my own town. Sad as that may be (darn the Walmarts!), I'm happy to put the store displays to good use.



I met some really fine folks over the weekend, and especially enjoyed the company of Donna and Julie, of Tennessee and Louisville, respectively. If you ladies are reading this, I miss you already! No one sleeps late like those ladies do.

This coming weekend is Ham Days in the cute town of Lebanon, Kentucky. While my new friends won't be there I know I'll be in good company. Sandi of PrettyBowtique will be there selling her cute hairbows. Sandi's mom, Bea, will join us and she has the most fun purses you can find. And driving all the way down from Lousiville is Denita Cherry and her pal who will have Top Secret Stuff that I'm sure is too die for cute. It'll be a little Etsy Fam Team get together.

I also will be celebrating 5 wonderful years with Mr. Howes, who has been patient with me this entire marriage and then some. I think he's given up trying to figure what I'll do next. We will plan to mark the auspicious occasion with dinner at The Oak Barrel in Lebanon on Friday night.

If you're in the area, come out to Ham Days. It's the largest fair of it's kind in the area. Live music, contests, and fabulous pendants!

Hurricane Ike & Windstream DSL in Kentucky *sigh*

Well, it could be worse, I could be evacuating Galveston in the anticipation of a huge, wet, and windy storm. But instead I'm living in Central Kentucky 45 minutes from the nearest shopping mall and have found myself without DSL.

I'm currently borrowing wi-fi from the allergist office where my daughter gets her weekly allergy shots. They think of everything, and thank goodness for that. Without an internet connection it's difficult to print orders, answer emails, update the online stores, and print shipping labels. So if you don't hear from me in the short term, please know that it's not for a lack of desire. It's for a lack of connectivity. I can still be reached by phone at my 800 number on www.anniehowes.com to answer all your questions regardless of which store you placed your order.

If anyone can enlighten me on why a storm in the gulf would be affecting my internet in Kentucky, I'd really like to hear from you!

Mushi Mushi, I Made Sushi!

Ah, yes, the day has finally come when I've taken the culinary leap of faith where I've taken my craft skills to the kitchen and have rendered not fat, but beauty.

Behold my first sushi experience. A simple start with just the basics: rice, nori, and fresh garden (not my own) cucumber. Known as The Shotgun in these here parts because there's something about the cucumber roll which makes the wasabi explode like fireworks in the back of my nose.

I finally gathered the courage to take the sushi plunge after visiting an international food market while in Indianapolis over Labor Day Weekend. Promptly after popping a Vicodin prescribed for my freshly broken pinkie toe (see previous post), I delved into the project. I figured pouring resin was probably not wise with the pain I was in and the effects of the medication, and besides, if I messed up my sushi roll I could always blame my toe.

So, I've come to the conclusion that if I can make a sushi roll this pretty and this tasty while hobbling around the kitchen on one foot, it can't be all that difficult after all.

The difficult part is getting sushi grade ahi delivered to Central Kentucky. I found this great site and got all excited because I could have 2 lbs of ahi for $35. Then my heart broke when overnight shipping brought the total to $74. But the point is, I could have it if I wanted it badly enough. And that, my friend, brings me great comfort.

What Not to Do While on Holiday.

My stepmom, Linda, throws a heck of a party every Labor Day Weekend and for the very first time I was able to make it to her neck of the woods to marvel in her organization and wallow in her barbecued pork chops and peach pie (the best pie I've ever tasted).

It's always a good time when I visit my parents, but rarely is a party thrown into the visit, so this was a real treat. My daughter and I made the 3.5 hour drive north to Brownsburg, Indiana, a much shorter drive to visit family than we're used to, and were eager to begin our 3-day adventure.

The party was grand, the shopping was great, and the company superb. We visited the butterfly house at the zoo, we got up close and personal with a cicada killing wasp, had lots of fun at Linda's party, and I broke my pinky toe.

How old am I? Old enough to not break a toe, I would think, but I managed to break it in half, even the urgent care wouldn't try to set it. And that was before I could make it to any good crafting stores. And then, because my mind was distracted by the damage I did to my toe, the worst part was that I forgot to take home a slice of peach pie.