Deep-fried butter anyone? Or how about chocolate-covered bacon?

If you can dream it, they can deep-fry it at the North Carolina State Fair! And I wouldn't miss it for anything! I love the smell of dirty carnival workers, greasy rickety rides and the deep-fryer!

When one goes to the fair, there are a few musts on the list: cotton candy, funnel cake/elephant ear, deep-fried pickles (mmmmm - my personal favorite), a 50 cent cup of The Peanut Roaster peanuts, a 50 cent SOUR Mt. Olive pickle, a cup of flaming hot freshly-pressed apple cider & the John Deere ice cream. That all goes with a side of "oh my gosh, I am going to vomit"! I was on a personal mission to locate the Funnel Cake Fries this year - take a classic and make it portable?!?! Yes!!! However, I had to settle for a fresh, hot elephant ear with a pool of melted butter on top and smothered in confectioner's sugar (poor me). Christopher always has to get fried seafood (I still don't understand this - seafood at the fair?). He kept talking about a fried oyster sandwich but he ended up with a fried soft-shell crab. And Landon's requests were cotton candy and popcorn. He enjoyed a 50 cent large dill pickle himself (like mother, like son).



Landon rode his first roller coaster with his Daddy (I will admit, I made Christopher ride this with him because I am petrified of roller coasters...even the kiddie ones!) and loved it. He rode a few other things (carousel, race car, train, truck, Wiggle Worm) - all that stayed on the ground. Then he wanted to ride the hot air balloon. Advice to parents: watch the ride before you put your kid on it by themselves!!! So the individual balloons went in circles, the whole ride went in a circle and it went pretty high off the ground (well, high for a 3-year old). And I didn't know any of this until he was strapped in and way over my head spinning in circles. About half way through the ride, he wasn't looking too good. I was trying to cheer him on because I thought at any moment he was going to have a meltdown and I would have to tackle the greasy carnival worker to make him stop the ride so I can get my crying, screaming child off before he's scarred for life. He didn't cry (so thank goodness, I didn't have to tackle the attendant), instead he looked up at me and said "MOMMY, THIS IS NOT FUN!!!". Poor baby! But he survived - and then we took him to get food which always makes him happy!




Sweet Carter slept almost the whole time! And yes, my baby is a thumb-sucker! Again like mother, like son! (But I promise not to put Tabasco and cow poop on his thumb like my Daddy threatened me with!)



Good times! We look forward to next October!!!