This has been such a busy and exciting week getting ready for the inaugural.

Everyone in the family and all of our volunteers have been getting ready for the big weekend. I am especially excited about the Family Day event we are hosting at the U.S. Air Force Museum on Sunday. We really wanted to highlight all the wonderful things in the Miami Valley, our home, and we think the Air Force Museum is such a jewel.

The museum is always free to everyone but we will have lots of extra things on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The emphasis is young people and STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. So there will be great things to do: wind tunnel demonstrations, virtual reality, flight simulators, and Lego fun. I’m in for the paper straw rocket launch!

COSI will be there, too. And I hear there will be some good kid food. We want to promote reading as well, so the Greene County Public Library will also be there to promote Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and children will receive a copy of “Violet the Pilot.” We think this is all a fun way to get our children excited about science and technology. We believe this helps lead to developing interests that will prepare them for 21st century jobs. You’re all invited and we hope you can attend.

Then we will all go home, eat Colonial pizza, and maybe get a little sleep (funny). At the stroke of midnight, in the presence of our family plus a few friends, our son, Justice Pat DeWine, will swear in Mike as the governor of the State of Ohio. Pat will be assisted by our longtime friend, Judge Tom Rose. Then we really will all go to bed because later that day we will head to the Ohio Statehouse for the noon ceremonial swearing-in.

I really wasn’t planning on making any food for this midnight swearing-in, but I just thought that maybe we might need a little midnight snack — maybe just a brownie or one of my salted nut bars. I can’t help myself. Even on one of the most exciting days of our lives, I have to cook just a little.

Salted Nut Bars

Base:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup softened butter

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar and butter. Press into un-greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Topping:

2 cups mixed nuts

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup white corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon water

In a small saucepan, combine chips, corn syrup, butter and water. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle nuts over crust. Pour butterscotch mixture over nuts. Return pan to oven for an additional 10-12 minutes. This is the perfect combination of sweet, salty and crunchy.