Baskets in my Laundry Area

Sadly, I do not have a laundry room, it is a laundry closet. For many years, it was also a storage closet, and then I said, okay I am going to try and make this look pleasing. Even if there is a washer and dryer in there. I removed the doors, to open it up for more space, and then cleaned up the shelves, freshened the paint, and displayed my baskets. I have my oil lamps and a little greenery in there too, plus a sampler on the wall. Not perfect, but better, and I enjoy looking at it a lot more when I am doing the wash!

Sweet little shelf from my in-laws home

I have always loved this shelf. When my mother-in-law passed, my father-in-law put her photo and favorite things on it and made it a little shrine. But one day he was ready to let it go, and I said please may I have it? Now it holds antique embroidery hoops, and little quilted art my daughter and I gave each other. And a wooden needlecase with inlaid flowers. I enjoy this shelf everyday as it hangs in our office/art room.

I think it is handmade, and have no idea of it's history. But it means a lot to me.

Illinois State Fair 2009 Basket

Here is my souvenir of the state fair. I had seen them online at the fair website before we even left for our trip and I hunted it down when we got there! They had a special little wooden booth near the dairy building and two of the sweetest women were selling them. We talked "baskets" for a long time. I got one other, a 2008 (last year's on sale) that is a little different in size and accent color. It is now holding my dryer softener sheets. I just love baskets. And quilts, and samplers, and old rockers ....oops I digress. :)

Bringing in the Sheaves

The building with the exhibits from the garden and crops was so neat. There were sheaves of wheat, huge stalks of corn, jars of corn kernels, ears of corn on plates, even paper plates of kernels to judge. There were jars of jam, berry pies, and cakes....and while we were there, a cooking contest of spam recipes was happening in the cooking kitchen. Spam lives on! Gotta love it.

Beautiful workhorses

Went into the Illinois State Fair Coliseum and they were showing and judging workhorses...and most of the handlers were teen-age girls! These horses are not tiny. The girls are mostly tiny. I was so happy to see this. Women interested in farmhorses! And the horses were so magnificent!

Butter Cow and young Lincoln

I totally understand the element of "random" in this photo, but the Illinois State Fair always has a life size cow carved out of pure butter. Yes, really. Since I can ever remember. This year, they added young Abe sitting next to a cow! It was a revolving display including a milking stool and bucket , and sometimes Abe looked as if he was behind the cow's behind......but you gotta love it. A life size butter sculpture from the heart of the dairy belt. I love all things farm!

Illinois State Fair

Tom and I went to the fair last week. Here he is beside a circa 1931 tractor. A barn was devoted to the exhibit of old farm equipment, and it was one of our favorite stops at the fair. The barn also attracted vintage farmers (nicest men you would ever want to meet) and they were swapping stories about their first tractors, etc. Fun!