Wild State Fair Foods

Did you visit your state fair or county fair this summer?

What was the wildest food you tried at your state fair or county fair?

What was the strangest state fair or county fair food item you found on a stick?

What was the craziest chocolate-covered food item at your state fair or county fair?

What was your favorite fare at your state fair or county fair? Do you love the cream puffs, corn dogs, snow cones, barbecued ribs, candied popcorn or other fair fare the most?

How about this one? Did you ever try chocolate-covered bacon? Many Midwesterners crow about this crunchy snack. You can even make this Midwestern fair favorite at home.


How to Make Chocolate-Covered Bacon

What's on the state fair menu? From cotton candy to corn dogs, kringles to cream puffs, popcorn to potato pancakes, and roasted ribs to pork rinds, state fair food is a tourist's treat. In the Midwest U.S., chocolate-covered bacon is a state fair staple. CTRL-click here for the recipe, so you can make chocolate-covered bacon at home.

How Did You Spend Your Summer?

How Did You Spend Your Summer?

As school begins again this fall, teachers everywhere will ask pupils to write compositions (or journal entries), detailing how they spent their summer vacations.

How did you spend your summer this year?

Photos copyrighted by Nickers and Ink.

Did you travel? Did you pursue a favorite pastime? What books did you read? What movies did you see? What projects did you complete? With whom did you visit?

Was the summer of 2009 all you had hoped it would be?

These photos detail how we spent our own summer this year:

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(All photos copyrighted by Nickers and Ink, unless otherwise specified.)

Why not leave a comment to describe your own summer of 2009? Or, leave a comment-link to your own blog post about your summer highlights.

Back to School

School starts soon!

It seems as if everyone is gearing up for the first day of school. (How did the summer fly by so fast?) Autumn is knocking on September's door, as the month of August escapes all too quickly.

Soon, textbooks will replace beach towels in backpacks and tote bags. School uniforms will substitute for summer clothing styles.

Schools are preparing to begin.

Students are collecting school supplies. Teachers are sharpening red pencils. Principles are preparing for staff meetings. School bus drivers are learning their daily routes.

Are you ready for the first day of school?

Have you purchased back-to-school clothing, school supplies, book bags, gym uniforms, athletic shoes and the other items your children will need for their return to the classroom?



Basic Back-to-School Supplies for Elementary School Students

What items must 1st through 5th graders have on hand for the first day of school? This slide show reveals the most commonly required school supply items for elementary school students. (CTRL-click on the title image - below - to view the slide show in a new window.)


Additional Back-to-School Boosters:

Here are several helpful hints and fun items, as you prepare for the start of the 2009 - 2010 school year:

Back to School
A Poetic Pondering of Pricey Proportions

Back to School
Efficiency Tips for Adults in School

Back to School Shoes
Putting Your Best Feet Forward

Brown Bag Boosters
Great Options for Teens' School Lunches

Deciding to Hold a Child Back a Grade
One Step Back and Three Jumps Forward

Dorm Form
Seven Secrets to Creating the Dorm Room of Your Dreams

First Chair, Beware
A Limericked Peak at Class Oblique