Busy, busy, busy
So I keep trying to write about this past weekend and, as usual, my attempts have all been thwarted. Either that or I say to myself, ehhhhh, never mind.
This weekend was good for us. We sold more this last fair than any other and I even sold out of about four scents. So I’m working hard this week to get those built back up for the two fairs we have this week, and hopefully also for the rest of the year. I haven’t much time for anything else right now, really.
I was blown away, however, by the size of this fair. A book I bought this weekend that outlines nearly all the fairs for 2006 in the Midwest claims that this past one draws 100,000 people. I’m not surprised really, looking back. I didn’t even get to see all of it. There were about four large sections that were like fairs in themselves. One of my candle competitors had six booths. SIX!! That cost them at least $690 to register - more if they got electricity or were selling any kind of food/drink! I just don’t remember this fair being this big - Mom used to take us when we were little, and I just don’t remember it being this big.
And, you know, this fair I also spent more money than I have at any of the others. First of all, it was the first and only one we’ve had to pay for parking at. It should have been $10 both days but ended up a confusion the first and we just paid for one vehicle, so $5 that day. The second we just brought one vehicle (no Sarah with us) and the place we parked that day charged $10 for it because Steve had the trailer on it. Okay, whatever, either way, it was completely stupid.
So because we paid for parking, it wasn’t like we could get the vehicles and go get cheaper lunch, like we usually do. So we just kind of munched and didn’t eat any real food all day both days: a $1.50 egg roll here, a $4 funnel cake there, the $5 kabobs Steve had to have, etc. Thank goodness we always take a cooler with something to drink!
Then the first day, I bought both Sarah and I scarves (see the picture of her above). They’re so cute and despite the thin material, pretty warm. I needed a scarf anyway, and I usually get her a little something for helping out, so it was all good.
The next day Steve bought me some wooden roses. We kept seeing people the day before walking around with these roses and finally asked about them. I really liked them but figured they were too expensive. Next thing I know Sunday morning, he’s calling me from the wood rose booth (allllll the way on the other side of the fair from us) and asking what color I wanted. I wanted yellow but they were out so he chose red. Red’s okay, but I almost wish I would have insisted he get the peach/white he said was there. But he likes red the best, and it is the color of love, so I’m okay with it. :cute: Later I went down and bought some more to give to Steve’s mom because she watched Eljah ALL WEEKEND for us. They only had purple and blue by that time. But who cares, they’re still wooden!
Also on Sunday I bought a magnetic bracelet. The people that make these all claim they’re good for arthritis and things like that. I have problems like that in my hands, fingers, wrists, etc; so I figure it’s worth a try. I paid a bit more than I’d originally wanted because of the two booths I looked at, one was selling them with magnetic clasps rather than elasticy material (that supposedly won’t break) — I prefer a clasp. So I bought a double strand - mostly it’s magnet but has some little pink beads and silver spacers. Quite cute. I’m so not a bracelet person, I buy them and never wear them, but so far I’ve done good with this. Not sure how well it’s working yet, but we will see.
So that was Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday they had the harvest festival thing for the kids at church. So I took E up in his little “kiddy” (as he says) costume. He was quite cute but the whole thing is really complete mayhem with kids running everywhere and games that aren’t being run the way they’re meant to be. For instance, Elijah thought it was necessary to get in the little put-put golf game and hoard all the golf balls. Most of the time he did this, anyway.
Then after that, we had church at 7 - because there’s “revival” going on, so there’s also church tonight and tomorrow. I directed the cameramen and we ran a VHS tape but mostly we needed camera work for the projection screens. We had way too many kids up there this time though. There was one running the sound board all by himself because the main guy couldn’t make it and during the sermon when he doesn’t have to make adjustments, him and his friend are down on the floor dumping out their candy bags. :eek: I turned around because I saw something out of the corner of my eye and said, “what are you guys, three years old, can you wait until you get home?” I felt like I was babysitting and doing my job. At one point we also had another kid up there I didn’t know and I had to use two kids on camera (three cameras total). It was nuts.
I have to go tomorrow because I think I’ve got to meet my mom and take pictures of the damage on my dad’s car where someone hit him, but I’m hoping not to go tonight. One of those kids I had on camera, granted, is more mature than the others, I think I’ll just leave it in his hands. He’s really the only one that does directing work besides me or the main guy.
This morning, a woman called and woke me up - she’d apparently grabbed my business card at a local restaurant and is coming over Thursday to pick out some candles. This is the first like that - not someone I already know. I need some kind of outdoor shed that’s got electricity to store these things in so people don’t have to come in my house. ‘Cause this means that in addition to everything else I have to do, I’ve gotta clean the house. :P
