The start of our journey

 I love 4-H!  I remember when I was 8 and my mom told me I was going to  join  the Crawford Cloverites 4-H club with the neighbor girl, Diana.  I was so excited just to get to go somewhere.  When I was a kid, we didn't go anywhere. We lived on a farm, 4 and a half miles from town, and you went to school, came home, and that's it.  Sat. we went to piano lessons and the store, Sunday you went to Church and Sunday School and maybe for an afternoon drive. The only other place we ever went was to the grandparents house.  So to get to go somewhere on a weeknight and have fun was so exciting.  Not only did I join, it wasn't long before my mom was one of the Community Leaders.  We really got into it then, with cooking, sewing, beef projects, people to people,  and leadership, just to name a few.  Our summers were spent going to project meetings, home ec. contests, livestock judging contests, and of course, the Crawford County Fair.    My sisters Kay and Lorri had no choice, when they got old enough they joined to.  I was in 4-H  for 11 years!  So I couldn't wait until my own kids were old enough to join, and in Hepler, they let them join at age 6.  So my oldest son, Jeremy joined as soon as he turned 6.   And before long, I was community leader of the Hepler Hustlers 4-H club. By the time, all four kids got done,  I had a kid in 4-H for 26 years!  I had serious 4-H withdrawals after my last one aged out.  I also had to give up the Community Leader job then too.  (but that's another post) Now,  I can't wait until the grandkids get old enough.  To  help lessen my withdrawals of being involved in the County Fair I have taken up competing myself in the open class. Oh, I always did enter some things, but helping my four kids and the other kids in the club with their projects left little time to work on my own exhibits.  But now I can spend my time on my own exhibits.  Because one side affect from all those years of 4-H both as a child and as a parent is my love of competition. My friends call it an addiction.  Whatever.  Anyway every summer  I take things  different county fairs.  This summer i only did two, Bourbon and Crawford.  All together, I won 15 blue ribbons, 13 red ribbons and one Reserve Champion.  ( I also got some whites, but i don't want to talk about them.)  I had so much fun.  Now on to the State Fair!  I pre-entered 5 exhibits.  Can't Wait!!  Picture above is one of my favorite exhibits, my wool purse.  Its going to Hutchison in September. Wish me luck!