Getting ready....

Well, unless something unexpected happens between now and then, we (Carter's Red Wagon Farm Market) are officially opening Friday, May 16! And there is still sooooo much to do!

I've just about wrapped up our website make-over and will post it one day next week when everyone has some free time (we have to upload it at Jon & Julia's house since they have high-speed and we don't). I still have work to do on about 15 pages, but they go by pretty quick. When we do upload the new site, I'll let ya know....please check it out and let us know what you think!

I've been printing out more brochures as the 300 + I already sent to our Chamber of Commerce are gone. We're also doing Customer Appreciation cards this year...one punch for each $10 spent; fill the card ($100) and get $10 off your next purchase. So our printer has been quite busy...along with printing labels to stick on the dried fruit we buy in bulk then package in 8 ounce baggies (I don't know why I never thought of labeling the bags before!).

We have most of our products either in or in route to be delivered early next week...but they still need to be priced and stocked. I have a good idea in my head where I want to have each section in the market (pickled items, salsas, and BBQ sauce; Amish noodles and tomato sauce; jams and jellies; honey and syrups -- maple and fruit; Watkins products; all-natural/organic products; and the ever-popular snack cart). Produce, of course, takes center stage, although that will be a bit scarce in the beginning weeks as we'll only have asparagus then rhubarb along with bedding plants and hanging baskets. I'll be in the market all day tomorrow and as often as I can get in next week to get everything set up!

I'm having a "training day" for all our new market employees -- sit everyone down at one time and go over everything -- expectations, rules, dress code, give 'em the full run down and tour and show 'em what they'll need to do. Of course, with 6 kids between the ages of 12 and 14, I know I'll have to remind them several times about things, but this group of incoming kids seem to be very promising and good at taking the initiative, so I'm hoping everything will work out all right!

Meanwhile, on the home front, the heating element in my stove died for the second time in five years. Arg!!!! And I was gonna bake cookies with the kids this afternoon!!!

We are all fighting some kind of upper respiratory thingy; it's affecting Tony the worst (maybe because he's not able to get the rest he so desperately needs. I'm forever wiping little noses and encouraging them to "blow loud like Daddy!" Yet in the midst of all his running around at all hours of the day and night to make sure things are fine at the farm, Tony still took the time to take the kids to the library today as they were doing story time and projects for Mother's Day. What a man!

Luke and Susanna, meanwhile, have been very excited about the approaching holiday and continue to ask several times a day, "Is it Mother's Day yet?" Last week, both their stories in Sunday School were about Timothy with another story about Mothers. They've informed me they'll be making me breakfast in bed ("Well, Daddy will cook, but we will make it"), but I don't think that'll happen on Mother's Day since we need to leave here by 8:00 for church!

Watkins continues to grow for me...and I'm so thankful for how well the business is going.

And speaking of Watkins, I just had a big delivery from UPS on a party I closed earlier this week...so I gotta go sort everything out and get that delivered since folks are expecting that before Mother's Day!