And the Winner Is.....

This summer we were delighted with the efforts of the children to enter the Pivot Country Fair. With 140 entries submitted by our family, we came out with the prize for the family with the most entries. Our initial investment was matched and nearly octupled! (Is that a word?!!! LOL) Everyone did well. 

We did photos of the kids with their favorite projects this year.

Breanna's favorite projects consisted of her pinata and some cupcakes she had made. Of all her ribbons, only the green ones do not represent money.

Myles favorite project was of course the one he put the most time into - his popsicle stick house. He had done such a great job of it, painting it and the whole bit, that they could not tell that he used recycled popsicle sticks and so he did not win anything in that category, but we know he deserved it! He did great. Another favorite entry was a drawing he did of a dragon which, by the way, placed first in its category.

Charity's favorite projects included some jewelry, photography, a greeting card and some baking. She is pretty pleased with her winnings as well!

Melodee's favorite projects were of course her angry bird and a popsicle stick house she had built. What I liked about her house was that she put the shingles on (using craft foam) exactly the same way that you would put shingles on a real house! That's what experience does for a person! Great job Melodee!

Beth's favorite projects included her sunset at the farm photo story, her writing and a necklace she had made.

Naomi's favorite project was of course her oil painting. She did some baking as well and decided to have her picture taken consuming it!

So all said and done, there were a LOT of ribbons handed out to these amazing kids! In fact there were so many that they completely covered the entire dining room table and we had to squeeze them closer together to make them all fit. It was hard to get a picture with them all in, so we took photos from a couple of different angles.

Just check out the expressions on the faces of these kids! That is the look of a job well done!!! I am so impressed with their determination to share their talents in this way. There is nothing like the feeling of succeeding at something that was hard, and not just succeeding, but excelling!!! One day, we may look back over our lives covered with ribbons, much like my dining room table. Everything we do with effort and love receives a ribbon, only in life we aren't competing against anyone but ourselves. Sometimes we do things just for show, without putting our heart into it, and the ribbon received is nothing more than 'participant'. I hope, that were my life to be measured in ribbons, there would be few if any green ribbons and hosts and hosts of excellent effort ribbons. Because I fall short, get tired, or forget to do things, my life will most definitely have blue and white ribbons as well, but in my efforts to serve my Father in Heaven, I truly desire to serve Him with my whole effort! The rewards will be much greater for such a life, and the initial investment will be realized way beyond being octupled. I believe it will be immeasurable. 

What a joy it is to see the success of my children, and find that feeling amplified in my own life through their accomplishments. I truly delight in the joy of my children!