It didn't take long.  Back just school just a couple of weeks and already a cold has swept through the clan.  Anneliese brought it home first, shared it with her baby brother and dad, and then….. after a week had gone by and I was feeling pretty relieved that I hadn't gotten it… I got it.  Not only did I get it, but I got it worse than anyone else.

I have waaaaaay too much to get done before this baby gets here.  I just don't have time for this!  Good grief, the clock is ticking!  I can't be sick!!

I didn't get much done toward all of the projects I want to finish before this baby gets here,  but I managed to stand up long enough to get a little bit more done on my mosaic back splash.  I'm just about half of the way around the area that I'm working with in framing it out right now. 

Next weekend:  Fall Apple Picking!!!! 

75 and sunny in New York - a beautiful day for a fall fiber festival!  It was another great year at the Fingerlakes Fiber Arts Festival, and as always, they just keep growing and improving.   This is an annual pilgrimage that my mother in law and I take every year, and we always have a great time.  It's been fun to watch the festival develop over the last 7 years into what it is today.

Part of our routine is to always stop at Sauders in Seneca Falls.  It's kind of a general store type of place with lots of bulk foods and fresh produce from the Mennonite farms in the area.  I only took a picture of the outside because I won't take pictures inside the Mennonite or Amish stores out of respect to them.  I love that store though!  I stock up on all my canning supplies, and treats like birch beer and things that I can't get at home at Sauders.  If you are ever out that way, you've got to stop.  It's very simple and basic, but awesome!

When you walk into the festival at the Hemlock Fair Grounds, this is what you now see first: 

All those tents are fiber vendors, plant growers, bee keepers products, alpaca farms, food vendors and more!  The first year that I attended, there was nothing but a single lemonade and pretzel stand in the pasture areas outside of the barns.  Even last year, there were no more than 5 or so of these tents!!  See how they're growing!!  Whoever is in charge of putting this thing together is doing a fabulous job!

After a stop at the ladies room first (it's a long drive) our first stop is into the large barn where you see this as you walk in:

I love looking at the vintage wheels and getting lots of inspiration and ideas from the various vendors and visitors showing off their wares! 

And you can always visit with none other than Jonathan and Sheila Bosworth of the Journey Wheel fame when you stop in.  Both are very friendly and patient as they give mini-lessons on using Jonathan's Journey Wheel, and hand made drop spindles.

From there, we cross the pasture and move on to the smaller barns.  This year even featured live bluegrass!  That was a very nice touch!

There are sheep shearing demonstrations:

You can visit with some of the fiber 'donors' and get to meet the animals who produced the beautiful yarns and rovings that you are purchasing:

View even MORE great fibers and goodies in the outer barns: 

And if you just get too pooped to keep walking, or too loaded down with wool to make it back to the car, you can hitch a ride around the grounds:

I was absolutely exhausted after a long day of walking around, but I wouldn't miss it for anything.  There's so much here that I didn't picture! Demonstrations, flock dog demonstrations, and so much more!  If you have the opportunity, make a weekend of it and go.  Definitely worth every minute and a great get away for the fiber enthusiast!

OH, and before I forget… I spoke of how much the festival has grown and changed over the years, but I forgot to mention my favorite evidence of growth:  The variety of visitors!!  For a long time, it has been a haven for middle aged women, and a few sad husbands who spent their time leaning against the walls waiting for the mrs. to move on.  They looked decidedly bored.  This year, there were more male visitors and vendors working the booths, and a much wider variety of visitors on a larger scale as well!  You still had the middle aged women, and you still had the Amish and Mennonite families attending, but right alongside them you had the bus full of seniors being dropped off, and a pretty good amount of young women and young people with body modifications, full body tattoos, dreadlocks and the like!  I loved seeing people from all ages and all backgrounds and interests gathering together for a common craft.  That was the most exciting part of all for me!

I'm already excited for next year! 

I wouldn't have expected it in the middle of September in Central New York, but we had a scorcher this weekend that totally robbed me of any level of productivity at all!!

We actually had temps in the mid to high 80's, with nearly 100% humidity!!  I couldn't move.  I couldn't breathe.  I just felt sticky and hot and heavy.  It was miserable… and so, I got just about nothing at all done this weekend.

On Saturday, I did manage to get a couple more skeins of the black baby alpaca spun up that I'm working on for that custom job, but Sunday - completely shot.

As I approach the finish line of this pregnancy, I just don't have weekends to lose like that!  There's just too much to do to get ready!  I've got an unbelievable amount of 'stuff' to get done before this baby arrives!

Since I accomplished nothing but laying around and feeling like a beached whale this weekend, I may as well share my 1st & 2nd trimester pictures with you.  I'm a smidge into the 3rd trimester now, but I'll save that for later. 

Oh, and I'm in that phase where I'm just having the greatest dreams now too!  Why, just this last week, Dick Cheney married Mike and I, Meatloaf performed at my daughters school and I shared a photo album with him of when we met in the 90's, and Mel Gibson asked me to be the midwife for the baby he had on the way!  AWESOME!!

Hopefully next weekend will be much nicer….. it's time for the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival again!!