Tulsa State Fair Winner

This year for the Tulsa State Fair, Emma Jane wanted to enter her sewing in the competitive portion of the fair.  They have an age category for 10 to 13 year olds to enter.  The fair had been going on for about a week before we finally made it.  You aren't told how you placed so you have to go and look for yourself.  When we walked into the arena it took some time to locate her age group and when we found her projects they both were adorned with ribbons. 

She won a first place and a third place!  She was so excited!

This is a quilted pillow she made which earned first place in the pillowcase division.

 

Her lunch pail and place mat earned a third place ribbon behind two very sophisticated quilts.

She just started sewing in March and already has surpassed me.  This has really fueled her energy towards the craft.

When we first arrived at the fair, I heard Lucy say "that girl in red looks like 'sissy'".  I was focused on getting to the exhibit area so I didn't stop to look at what she was talking about.  In typical mom fashion I dragged my five year old by the hand through crowds of people ignoring what she was saying to me.  Then she said it again.  I was once again too distracted to pay her mind.

Finally, upon entering the building to buy the mega ride pass Emma Jane and I saw these banners everywhere with her picture on it.  I said "Emma!  Look!"  

Lucy looked up at me and said, "I told you about five times that I saw sissy but you were so extracted!"  (I am pretty sure she meant distracted, but I didn't correct her because she was feeling pretty superior to me, so I just let it go and told her that I was very sorry for being too extracted.)  She smiled and told me that it was okay but that I should put my listening ears on next time.

The back story:  About two years ago someone came to Emma's school and recruited children to be in print ads for the fair.  We had to sign a release and got into the fair for free.  We were followed around by a photographer and they were photographed for a couple of hours and then set free to have fun.  Then we never saw anything else about it.  Until this year when we walked around and saw these banners.  The person who saw us taking this picture said they had these banners out last year, but I certainly didn't see them.  (And neither did Lucy!)

All in all, it was a very big day for Emma Jane.  She won two ribbon and got to see herself all over the Tulsa State Fair.