OK, that’s putting it mildly.  I am ready for winter to pack up its’ snow and go away.  I am ready for daffodils to shoot their stems through the ground, unfurl their leaves and open their sunny yellow faces to the shining sun.  I am ready for robins to hop through my back yard in search of worms.  I am ready to turn some soil and get dirt under my fingernails.

Umm, yeah…  Since we all know none of that is going to happen for at last 2 more months I am going to “make do” and head to the Home and Garden Show next weekend.  Want to go?  I have 4 “Family 4-paks” of tickets to give away!  Info at the end of this post!

Some of this year’s highlights include:

• The expanded Green Zone, a shopping experience in the Garden Market and Marketplace and stroll down Innovation Avenue, which features this year’s hottest products.
• Enjoy four exquisite gardens “Celebrating Iowa” with a variety of state themes including your favorite college mascots.  And, don’t miss the landscaper’s Plant Sale from 5 p.m. to close on Sunday.
• Learn from the professionals at the Lifestyle Theatre, featuring top experts in design, sustainable living, gardening in Iowa and healthy living. Falling in line with the hit ABC show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, WOI-TV will sponsor the new Ty Pennington Do It Yourself Stage.
• Tour the “Rock & Jock House” Showcase Home by Barn Builders.  Inside the house, find sports and rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, some of which will be auctioned off during a silent auction to benefit The Heart Connection Children’s Cancer Programs and Youth Emergency Shelter & Services.
• Stop by the Celebrity Rooms and all new Celebrity Garden to find out how your favorite media personalities decorate.
• Sample and purchase Iowa-made wines at the Iowa Wine Village and stock up on Iowa-made goods at the All-Iowa Store.
• Ten pre-selected contestants will dig for a diamond and other spectacular gemstone prizes provided by Christopher’s Fine Jewelry during the Diamond Dig held on Feb. 13 at the show.
• Dora from Dora the Explorer will entertain children and families during scheduled show appearances.

·          Participate in the following promotions and WIN Big at this year’s show: Show Your Home Some Love Valentine’s Day Card; Wine Your Valentine and Win Big; and Roll the dice and spell G-A-R-D-E-N – win a trip to Ireland.  (Umm, yeah, let’s just save that last bit for me, shall we?)

Summer Baltzer

Also at this year’s Home & Garden Show is Summer Baltzer from HGTV’s Design on a Dime and the TLC show Unhinged. Summer will be hosting 3 presentations: ‘Putting the Great in Great Room’ and ‘Point of Inspiration: A Designer’s Guide to Creating the Ultimate Bedroom Makeover’.

I was offered an interview with Summer but was just too busy to get it scheduled.  She was kind enough to send a few DIY tips my way to share:

Colors for Fabric and Paint

Think eggplant, grape, lilac and other shades of purple. Gray is still the “new black”. Try rich shades of turquoise and blue greens against high contrast white to really make the personality pop. Consider neon accents in vibrant shades of orange, citrus greens and lemon yellows.

Modular Furniture

Take stock of the furniture you have and brainstorm ways to make it more modular. Rather than just a plain coffee table, get one with a lid for extra storage. Or, make an ottoman a place for storage by getting one with an upholstered lid.

Artwork

Add freshness to a space by bringing in new artwork. Rather than paying top dollar, make your own. Get creative with $0.99 acrylic paints, glaze and inexpensive canvas. Take your postcard collection from past vacations and matte and frame those. Not only are the images cool, but there’s a sense of history to them.

Layering Fabrics

Add warmth, texture and personality to a space by layering. Start with a neutral couch and layer on personality with mismatched pillows and throws. Create accent pillows from old clothes, bed sheets, remnant fabric, table cloths, fabric shower curtains, ribbons, etc.

Kitchens

Don’t be afraid to add paint. Some people refuse to paint over wood, but recommend it if old oak is not your thing. Consider open shelving. It can be a great highlight on a richly painted wall and will showcase beautiful dishes you’re normally hiding. And finally, don’t forget the hardware. A shiny new handle is an easy and inexpensive way to spruce up the kitchen.

Details

The Home and Garden Show runs February 11-14, 2010 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines.  Doors open at 10am Thursday, Friday & Sunday; 9am Saturday.

Ticket prices:

• Adults $10
• Children ages 7-12 $7
• Kids 6 and under Free
• Purchase online to save $3 (on adult tickets only)

Contest is closed

Want to go?  Win one of 4 “family 4-paks” of tickets!

Just leave a comment telling me about your next DIY project.

For additional entries:

• subscribe to Iowa Geek (and leave a comment telling me you did so)
• follow me on Twitter (click here to follow and leave a comment to let me know- I’ll follow you back!)

Rules:

• This contest is for residents of my fair state only.  (Sorry, but really, no one wants to visit here right now.  Trust me- it’s freezing!)
• Contest ends at noon February 7, 2010;  winners will be drawn that evening (after I get home from Blissdom).
• Disclosure: I was given a 4 pak of tickets to take my family to the Home & Garden Show in exchange for hosting this giveaway.

Great Games

The first thing you notice when you walk into Incredible Pizza is how huge it is.  It sits on the corner of 86th and Douglas where Albertson’s grocery store once was.  The number of games is, well, incredible.  And there was fun for everyone.  Caelan loved the mini merry-go-round while Brenna found the games that required a bit more skill enticing.

Attractions

And then there are the attractions. Bumper cars, race cars, black light mini golf, mini bowling…Plenty to keep you occupied.

Buffet

Of course the place is called Incredible Pizza, so you know there is food.  And not just pizza, but a buffet that included a nice salad bar, tacos, nachos, meatloaf, chicken nuggets, potatoes, soups, cookies and brownies (and more).  Everything we had was really quite good; better than I expected, to be honest.

Where you sit to eat brings more choices than you might imagine.  Our large group was placed in the “family room” which had a TV playing classics like The Beverly Hillbillies and Gilligan’s Island.

The Drive In

Also available are the “gymnasium”: a very large room with cafeteria style tables, the television was playing Blues Clues when I passed; the “diner”, styled like a 50’s diner; and the “drive in” which is dark and plays a classic, Viva Las Vegas was the movie when we visited.

Fun like this doesn’t come cheap, though there are ways to save.  We had purchased two Restaurant.com coupons a while back that saved us $25 on food.  Incredible Pizza also has special deals that combine food and games.  Monday and Tuesday have the best deals and all deals require a buffet purchase.  (FYI these offers are only good at the Urbandale, Iowa location.)

Of course a place like this does birthday parties.  They also have “Mommy (or Daddy) and Me” Monday-Friday.

All in all it was a lot of fun and the girls can’t wait to return.  OK, I’m looking forward to going back, too.

Sassafras Pizza Party Kit

The kit comes with the basics you need + a few fun extras.

• dough mix + yeast
• 6 pizza pans
• pizza sauce
• 6 paper pizza hats
• 5 invitations to join you for your party

You buy the toppings: meats, veggies & cheese.

The dough is easy to mix (hint: if you have a dough hook, use it).  It does require a 45 minute rise and another 15 minutes after you put the dough in the pans.

As for shaping the dough, it’s pretty easy.  Make a ball, flatten it and then work your way slowly around it to stretch.  Don’t pull it too much or you’ll get holes.

Coloring Hats

I handled the dough while the kids decorated their hats.  I liked that the hats were in black & white so the kids could decorate them.  It was a fun way to begin the party.

Making Pizza

The highlight was, of course, creating their pizza masterpieces.

Making Pizzas

And then came the eating!

Eating Pizza

The kids all had a great time and the creating of pizza made them even more excited to eat!

Come enjoy the Official Drink of Halloween tour when it rolls through Des Moines!

Got Chocolate Milk?

Learn the nutritious facts about chocolate milk

Try some tasty new recipes

Take a “famous” milk mustache photo

Sample the chocolate milk

Taste fun Halloween themed recipes- and learn how to make them

Interact with fun museum exhibits

Win fun Halloween prizes

Just a reminder: this is a FREE event!

I hope you will join the girls and I at the Science Center of Iowa next Wednesday.  We’ll be there around 1 pm- after gymnastics!

Pumpkins at the French Market, New Orleans Photo by Infrogmation

Pumpkins are spilling out of bins at farmers markets and grocery stores; pumpkin patches are opening their gates for the pickin’.  Here are a couple ideas besides the traditional Jack-o’-Lantern.  Both recipes came from the October 2009 edition of Family Fun magazine.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Scoop seeds out of pumpkin and rinse well.  Blot dry with paper towel and toss with 1T vegetable oil for each cup of seeds.  Salt to taste.  If you like a bit more spice Cajun seasoning is quite good, too!  Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown; 10-15 minutes.  Cool before serving.

Pumpkin Puree

Begin with a “sugar” or “pie” pumpkin.  These are much smaller than your carving pumpkins and much sweeter. Each pound of pumkin will give you about 1c puree.

Stem, quarter and remove the seeds from the pumpkin.  Place the pieces skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until tender; about 45 minutes.

Cool.  Scrape pumpkin from the skin of each quarter into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Use immediately or package in 1c portions in freezer bags.  Can be frozen for 3 months.

If you’re in Iowa some of the great locations include:

• Terrace Hill, our governor’s mansion
• Living History Farms
• Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque
• Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
• Amana Heritage Museum
• National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville
• Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn
• Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in Sioux City

It’s easy to find a museum by searching a map or by state (in a drop down box listed below)

Learn more about Museum Day here.

You must print the Museum Day Admission Card.  Each card is good for two people.

Lovely, aren’t we?  They had a nice set up with free chair massages, ice cream shakes and a dietitian.

You may remember that I had three “Got Milk” goodie bags to give away.  These include the “Face of Wellness Report” and will be going to:

Fantastagirl, Elaine & Sara who all need to drink more milk!  Remember the old slogan “it does a body good”? I’m pretty sure it’s true.

OK, on to sights from the fair…

Hot Beef Sundae

If you haven’t tried a Hot Beef Sundae from the Cattleman’s Beef Quarters you must try it!  Real mashed potatoes, tender roast beef, gravy, cheese and a cherry tomato on top.  Delish!

Brenna and Clifford

I wish I could explain why we fight the crowds every year in the Varied Industries building.  I honestly have no reason for it except air conditioning.  And maybe Clifford.  Caelan wanted nothing to do with him…

My Mermaid

Something we always plan for is play in the fountains.  Spare clothing is always packed.  The girls have fun splashing with other kids and we enjoy sitting for a bit in the shade.

A trip to the fair isn’t complete without a stop in the Ag Building.  This year the theme was moon landing. There was also a butter TV playing the footage from the landing.

Butte Astronaut

And, of course, probably the most popular attraction, the butter cow:

Iowa State Fair Butter Cow

Close on the heels of the butter cow is the Champion Big Bull…

That's a Lot of Bull

And the Champion Big Boar.

Big Pig

We don’t do the midway…  Yet.  I know the day will come but I want to avoid it as long as possible.  We do, however, take a turn on the Giant Slide.

Fun for the Entire Family

And Caelan took her first glider ride this year.

Sky Glider

Before we left we made a stop in the Butterfly House.  It’s pretty amazing as the butterflies will just land on you.  They are so big and beautiful.  Brenna freaked out when they flew by her head and when one tried to land on her she had a fit!  Yes, I laughed at her as I tried to calm her down.  She didn’t seem to mind when they landed on me, though.

We spent 8 hours at the fair.  That’s enough until next year!

The park is in our newest development (Prairie Trail) so there is lots of building going on and very few people realize the park is open.  It’s a bit “out of the way” at the moment so it’s often slow.  But it’s a terrific park and I know it won’t remain a secret for long.

Check it out:

Water Fountain and Basketball Court

Picnic Lodge

Great grills- there are two; one enclosed, one open

Play Equipment for All Ages + Swings

The only thing lacking is someplace to go potty.  Just sayin’.

Zeus is a Yorkie and quite used to being overlooked by my sister’s boys.  He’s not a “rough and tumble” dog but a lap dog.  He prefers to sit quietly in a chair beside a calm adult.  So my girls scare him to death.  Apparently two energetic little girls chasing him and yelling isn’t his idea of fun.

One thing he doesn’t mind the girls doing, though, is walking him.  And Caelan has taken on that job with glee.

"Me and Puppy"

Apparently Zeus is now her “best dog” and as she walks him we hear running commentary, “Me and puppy are going this way” and “fast running Zeus!”  It’s so incredibly cute.

Caelan is a rather greedy little girl bad share-er and doesn’t like to let her sister have a turn walking Zeus.  Luckily we have Toby, who is our dog.  He’s over 11 years old and quite gentle.  Which is lucky as he weighs double what Brenna does.

Brenna and Toby

Doug stays close by to help if Toby happens to pull but, mostly, Brenna has it covered.

Like I said my sister won’t dog sit for me; apparently a 90 pound dog is more work than a 9 pound dog.  Or he takes up more room.   But we’ve enjoyed having Zeus this week.  The girls have been taking care of him, feeding and watering him, helping me put him out to potty.

They will miss him when he’s gone.  So much so that we are considering a small dog “of their own” as a Christmas gift…