Labor Day weekend and the wrap up of summer...

This is Labor Day weekend; a weekend where, for many, it is the last "official" weekend of summer. School starts here in Park Rapids next week, although for many of you, it's already started where you live. You aren't supposed to wear white shoes after this weekend (I'm still not sure on the reasoning on that one...but for me, even if I wear white shoes once, they won't be white again...that's what happens when you live in the country on a dirt road with a dirt and gravel driveway!).

For us at the farm and market, this weekend is the busiest and craziest of the year. Yesterday, we couldn't keep up with produce at the market...they had to bring corn in three times, cucumbers and egg plant (I'm still trying to figure THAT one out!) disappeared as fast as we put them out, cabbage and tomatoes were in high demand, as were peppers, carrots, and beets. The dill was gone before noon, and pickling cucumbers vanish pretty much the moment we put them out. Watermelons (especially the yellow ones!) and muskmelons are a sweet addition to many of our customers' menus, and that's just the produce that WE grow! The cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and summer squash didn't move as fast, or maybe it's just that we have an abundance of them right now and are keeping up pretty well. Then, when it came to all our other goodies -- jams, jellies, honey, syrup, salsas, snacks and candy, and all kinds of fun kitchen gadgets -- our employees were running like mad to keep things stocked (but sorry, folks, we're all out of pickled sweet cabbage stuffed peppers for the year now...gotta wait until next year! And if you want any beet balls, there are only two jars left! Hurry in before they're gone.....)

And as crazy as yesterday was for the market (one of our afternoon employees had to be dropped off down the road since her mom couldn't drive close enough to the market!), historically today's sales are about 1/3 higher than yesterday's. It's a fun, busy, and exciting time for us! It's also such a blast seeing customer reunions -- at this time of year, we usually have three or four a week -- customers who grew up together but haven't seen each other for years, sometimes decades. We get our "regular" summer customers coming in one last time to load up on produce before heading home for the summer -- one family comes in each Labor Day weekend with a HUGE cooler they fill up with sweet corn as they head back to Alaska for the winter. Now there is something wrong with THAT picture....heading back to ALASKA for the WINTER???? Anyway!

I am so thankful for the business God has blessed us with. I'm thankful for our loyal customers -- long time ones and new ones. I'm so thankful that, after a slow start this year due to road construction and a cold spring, God has been abundantly blessing our business. But I'm even more thankful for the bounty He's provided from our garden, both for our customers and for us to eat now and save for the winter. I'm even more thankful for the employees God provided for us this year, both at the farm and the market -- they are AWESOME!; for my husband who works so hard and my kids who are following in our footsteps -- mingling and talking with customers (Luke informed some customers yesterday that our prices aren't cheap but they are good!), going with Daddy to pick corn, cucumbers, beans, strawberries, and more. I am thankful for each of you, for your prayers and encouragement as I've been going through health things this summer...and so thankful to God for giving me strength and endurance to get through each day, sometimes minute by minute!

After this weekend, things start to wind down for the year. We'll be closing in two months until next Spring! And while things slow down during the week, we're also gearing up for the fun and crazy Pumpkin Parties that are starting in just four weeks! So many new and exciting things for this year!

Come visit us sometime, whether you're from the area or not. Check out our website and see what you're missing -- www.redwagonfarm.net -- we'd love for you to have a little taste of what God has blessed us with!

And for now, I gotta go...Luke is upstairs laughing at his dreams, and I'm going to have to wake them up soon so we can get going for the day...it's gonna be a busy one!...but I'm gonna let them sleep a bit longer while I go take a shower.

Updates

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but life's been busy! I love this time of year, though. We are crazy busy at the market selling all kinds of stuff, along with so MUCH of our own produce! We have our own carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, shell peas, green and wax beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and more tomatoes, green peppers, egg plant, pickling cucumbers, dill, and have also (finally!) started bringing in the long anticipated melons (muskmelons and passport melons...watermelons will start in a week or less). We had a slow start this year on produce, but God has been so good to us! Even earlier this week when we were wondering what to do about all the beans we have (Tony assured me he didn't plant very much and we probably wouldn't have any to can for ourselves....I've already canned three bushel!), an area school stopped in to order 300 pounds of beans! Minnesota started a program a year back or so that supports schools to buy local produce and can/freeze it for student lunches...the state reimburses the school most if not all of the money...we're caught up on beans, now!

I also finally talked with my doctor yesterday about what to do next with all this health stuff. I know so many of you have been praying, and I really appreciate it! Your prayers have helped, and many of my symptoms have gone away or have been greatly reduced. I've learned to recognize (and usually avoid!) many of the triggers as well as things to counter when I'm feeling ishy (that's a word from my MIL, isn't it great?). Getting a couple hours rest, even if it's just quiet solitude, every afternoon is crucial, as is starting the day with prayer, protein, and vitamins! Drinking plenty of water. Not overdoing things (ha!) and cutting back on other things. Anyway, my doc feels that the best thing to do at this point, since things are better, is to just wait it out. If stuff starts happening again in the future, there will be more tests. However, God willing, I won't have to deal with it any more!

I also got an email update on Angela that I'll share with you all.....Angela is back to work for the dentist, she is wearing contact lenses on the eye where the tumor was removed, She will need to have the stitches removed first before she will know if there is any vision lost from the eye, we will know in about four weeks from now. Far as she knows, there is little or no change how she can see out of her eyes at present. Thank you for all of your prayers again.

Tony and I attended a funeral/memorial service for Jane's husband Lowell on Monday. It was definitely more of a memorial service than anything else. There was so much laughter in reminiscing about Lowell, and you could tell from things the family said how much love their was in their home growing up and even now. I learned more things about Lowell that I wish I knew when he was alive (isn't that always the case?) like how he knew so much about plants and flowers -- there was so much I would've asked him, if I only knew! And the shell that used to be home to Lowell's spirit looked so at peace, so relaxed -- after all, he is home now and no longer suffering. One granddaughter did tell her mother that she didn't think he'd be too happy if he knew they put lip stick on him!

My summer Bible study is winding down. My SIL Lori and niece Carrie returned home to Iowa this week, and as she's an integral part of our Bible study group, we usually end when she leaves but will be wrapping up one last chapter next week. What an awesome study on the Harmony of the Gospels! We plan to finish it next year....

Lots of family now. Mark and Beth moved back to Park Rapids (did I write that already?) along with their two youngest Tessa and Steven. Carla and her girls are here right now through this week before closing up their cabin in Canada and heading to new adventures in Rome. Dwight and his business partner along with Juan's son Jose are on their way here after arriving in the States late Monday (early Tuesday) morning. The new house my in-laws are putting up will -- hopefully! -- arrive today to put on the foundation. Things are really happening!

It's also been a blast (usually) enjoying my kids....but that is a whole other blog! There may be time tomorrow to write some more...but after that, hang on tight! Next week is going to be another wild ride as we approach what is usually our biggest day of the year....Labor Day!

And as predicted at our wedding, my love for Tony continues to deepen in ways I never imagined it could. Newly weds are so naive! You think there is no way you could love that wonderful person even more than you do on that day. But then life happens. Kids happen. Ups and downs happen. Health issues come up. Finances go crazy. Things that might break marriages when two people truly are not committed. And when two people truly love each other and are absolutely committed through thick and thin, good and bad, it just deepens love and makes it grow. How I love and appreciate that wonderful man God blessed me with!

And thank you....each one of you....for your prayers and encouragement. And just for being you.

The end of another year and yesterday's Voice of Christmas

There is so much stuff I want to write about in today's blog, but I'm going to save it for another time....a wrap-up of our Christmas "vacation" (I never got as sick as the rest of my fam, but I definitely wasn't well towards the end...and poor Susi and a triple bout with that tummy monster!), the hilarious conversation between Luke and Susanna yesterday afternoon about the Christmas story, more Watkins news, etc., but that can wait a few days.

Yesterday's Voice of Christmas at church was one of the Magi. Ron Whiddon did a superb job telling of "his" travels and dispelling many of the myths (not being at the manger). I'm not sure what last Sunday's was about, since we were gone, but I'm guessing it was probably Joseph, since "Zecchariah," "Elisabeth," and "Mary" all had their turn. I was told that the shepherds added their voice at the Christmas Eve services. Although some may not agree, I've really enjoyed the dramatic edge to "hearing" the "first hand" experiences of some of the people involved in the Christmas story. Of course, it is nothing compared to what really happened over 2000 years ago.

Today is the end of yet another year. Since Tony and I have been married, each year that has passed seemed to bring so much new life to our extended families -- babies being born, weddings happening, eleven in our immediate families, even more if you include our cousins -- with an occasional time to say goodbye to a loved one as they went home to be with Jesus. A cousin, an aunt, the toddler-child of some friends.

This year, however, was different. There was only one birth that I'm aware of in our extended families. I was struck at how much "loss" there was. It seems so many of the Christmas letters and notes we received mentioned how one or more loved ones of all ages passed away during 2007. Friends losing parents, siblings, children sometimes to age, sometimes to disease, sometimes to an unbelievable event such as my former boss' teenage son collapsing and dying of heat stroke. They are missed in ways that cannot be explained; there is sorrow knowing they aren't here any more, but wow! They got to spend Christmas WITH the Christ-Child this year! Seeing Him not as that tiny little Baby, but as their personal Savior, their co-heir to God! The eyes filled with love, the scarred hands, feet, and side, the wonderful Lamb that was slain so that we -- I! -- could spend eternity with Triune God!

It doesn't take away the emptiness of not having these dear loved ones nearby, but it does help me rejoice in knowing they are no longer suffering from illness, missing other loved ones that had gone on before. They are no longer here in this fallen world; they are singing praises to Almighty God, circling His throne, and rejoicing as more and more sinners claim the shed blood of Jesus, as more and more believers join them as earthly bodies give way to inevitable death. One day, I'll be with them. I pray that you will, too.

I miss my grandparents; I miss the faces that are no longer worshipping at our church here in Park Rapids; I know many of you ache for loved ones that you can no longer talk to whenever you want to...and I pray that you will be comforted through your loss.

This year also brought continued change with the farm and market -- the responsibilities Tony and I have continue to grow as his parents are turning more and more things over completely to us. It is overwhelming at times, especially as we are raising two young and ACTIVE children during this time, but God gives us the strength and patience needed to get through each day...often only enough, other times even more.

Luke and Susanna continue to cause us both to laugh and me to scream at times, but it is overall such a delight to see them experience so many things first hand. I love especially just listening to their conversations or hearing them break into song. Yesterday they serenaded a full-house at West 40 (local restaurant) with "I'm so happy, so very happy! I have the love of Jesus in my heart!"

My love for my husband continues to grow -- his patience with me and the children amazes me. His love for us, the way he cares for each of us, the times he surprises me with cleaning the kitchen, the countless diapers he changes for Susanna (even the stinky ones!), running around chasing after Luke to help get rid of Luke's ever increasing energy -- even when he's so tired. The things he does to take care of our family. He's the second greatest gift God has given me!

Tonight (he doesn't know this yet), we're going to TRY and get the kids to bed early and have a mini-feast of fondue (beef & chicken, cheese & veggies, and CHOCOLATE with fruit), crab salad, and bubbly. Don't try to call. We won't answer the phone. Hopefully he'll stay awake past 10:00.... (we were up late last night watching "Amazing Grace"). If not, more chocolate for me, yippee!

Thank You, God, for another year of memories. Thank You for the hope of a future yet to come. Thank You for sending Christ. Thank You for a time to reflect on the past.

May each of you have a glorious and blessed new year.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love this time of year. I think I wrote about that a few blogs ago, but it's just a fun time for me. It is just as busy for me, perhaps even busier, than during the summer, but in a much different way. Summertime brings nonstop action, between all the "regular" mom and housewife things (does laundry EVER get caught up??? I'm in the middle of seven loads right now as I type...), and all the things that come with the market and the farm -- scheduling, ordering, working, filling in for employees that can't come in at the last minute (unless I'm already working), paying farm bills, doing paychecks, keeping up with monthly tax reporting, totaling out the day's receipts and getting deposits ready between 3-5 times a week, etc.

However, once the Market is closed, my busy-ness (did I spell that right? I'd think grammatically it should be "business," but then that would be a completely different word....) shifts. During the summer, there is no time to keep up with recording checks for our personal or for the farm account, no time for reconciling accounts, etc. I start concentrating on the paperwork side of things -- updating inventory totals, doing more Quicken and Quickbook entering than I ever cared to do, and trying to reconcile everything, make sure it's all catagorized right, tweak our budgets, frantically going through piled up "don't have to deal with this now" paperwork to make sure there isn't anything in there that really should have been dealt with weeks (months?) before. Okay, so I don't really enjoy this part of the busy-ness either, but it is fun to see the bottom line. Did we stay on budget? Did we actually make a profit the past year? Okay, maybe "fun" is the wrong word to use ... the "bottom line" usually isn't something I really want to see.

But something else starts for me first in September and then in October, usually snowballing right after Thanksgiving, and then letting up somewhere mid-to-late December. AWANA starts the Wednesday after school resumes. I'm currently the overall club secretary, something I started transitioning to last year, and it gets crazy at times, but I love that I can work with not only the (usually) adorable children, but also the dozens of AWANA volunteers and the parents of the clubbers. I'll write more about AWANA another time...my posti is already getting long!

The first Sunday in October is the start of our Christmas program practice for the first thru sixth graders. This is my fifth program I directed at Faith Baptist, and I continue to be honored to lead it but even more importantly blessed by working with the 25-50 children that are a part of the program (and the 3-4 adults that help). The first year, we had less than 30 children in the program, but these past couple years, the numbers have been pretty close to four dozen kids. It's a far cry from the 6-12 kids that comprised the Christmas programs I've directed in the six or seven years before moving to Minnesota (although looking back, I'm amazed at how versital those 6-12 kids were, singing songs and solos and doing multiple parts). The end result is always the same -- a show of our glory to God, our thanksgiving to Him for giving us His Son, a celebration of the birth of the most wonderful Gift of all! More about this year's Christmas program another time....(for those of you locally, it will be Sunday, December 16, starting with piano recitals at 5:30 p.m., at Faith Baptist...hope to see you there!).

One of the things I love doing for the Christmas program kids, for my husband and kids, for my brothers and parents and in-laws, for a few close friends, and for me, is baking dozens and dozens, okay, hundreds of Christmas cookies. Literally. Each child gets a bag of assorted cookies from me as a thanks for doing their best, and I try to get cookies to most family members. Spritz, snickerdoodles, thumbprints, decorated sugar cookies, pastel wafers, candy cane cookies, Russian teacakes, pecan tarts, bon bon cookies, peppermint wafers, gingerbread teddy bears, cardamon cookies, and I don't even remember what else. All I know is I have a blast doing it, even though it takes up so much time. But I go crazy in the kitchen baking cookies for about three weeks of each year and have so much joy giving away most everything made! This year, I've had a few little helpers...(don't worry, I make sure their hands are washed each time they drift to their mouth and/or nose....)

Then comes wrapping Christmas presents -- again, I love to give things and have so much fun throughout the year picking things up on sale that I know someone else will really enjoy (although I'm trying to stay much closer to the budget...but I did make Tony do a "gifts given" catagory in our budget this year!).

There is time spent helping my kids learn their (short) lines for the Tiny Tot Christmas program, going over the two songs they sing, but it is such a joy to see and hear them! Practice yesterday was so fun. Susanna was fine until she'd see me then she'd start crying (it took me back to her infant days) -- but she never did say her line or sing with the other kids. Luke, on the other hand, rattled off his line, and during the singing he was that one child who sings louder than anyone...but thankfully on key and with all the right words! Right now, while Susanna is napping, Luke is serenading her with Christmas carols (even though he is supposed to be napping, too!). They ask all the time for Christmas music at nap time and bed time.

It's also busy (and hard!) picking out gifts for each of the children in the Christmas program. I have a budget of $1 per child, and it's hard picking out things they'll enjoy that won't break before they get home -- once that order comes in, then it's sorting things out, packing them up for each child, and getting cookies sorted for each one, too.

There is the time spent on putting up the Christmas trees and decorating them. But those sparkly lights are so beautiful!

Last night, my husband and I had a date night, first time in a long time. After a good supper at an authentic German restaurant in down town Park Rapids, we went to one of the local churches that was hosting the annual Park Rapids Classic Chorale Christmas presentation. This is an amazingly gifted group of men and ladies in the region, about 50 or so, led by an outstanding conductor/composer. They sang more than a dozen Christmas songs...almost all "religious" Christmas, well, except for this odd song called "Little Tree." The program featured several traditional Christmas carols as well as some of the newer Christmas songs like "Mary, Did You Know" by Mark Lowry and "Welcome to our World" by Chris Rice. As with every year, they also sang a beautiful rendition of Handel's "Messiah" and ended with a rousing version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." This group of singers is incredible. They perform locally twice a year, and in 2005 they had a concert tour of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. This coming May, they'll be doing a concert tour in Italy, including performances in Florence, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome! Who knew so many talented voices lived in this area? (My father-in-law used to be part of the chorale but enjoys just listening now.) And while Erich Knapp is a fine conductor, he did give all credit for everything coming together so well to Faith Baptist's own organist, Jane Wolff! (she's the pianist and trianglist, or whatever the person who plays the triangle is called.)

I've still not even started on our Christmas letter. Isn't it funny how when you're younger, you don't really appreciate Christmas letters sent from others, but as you (and your relatives and friends) get older, you can't wait to get their Christmas letters and see what all has happened in the past year? At least, that's the way it is for Tony and me. It's incredible seeing all these loved ones who I remember as children who now have children of their own. We love getting photos with the Christmas cards and/or letters, and we tape all the photos up on our main door downstairs. They stay up year round so we can be reminded "face to face" of our loved ones. It's sad having to take them down each year...but it's also exciting to see the photos being replaced with the same faces...a year older.

Even more, I love spending time with family....whether it is my own husband and children, family on my side, or my in-laws (depending on where we spend Christmas). To enjoy the time with them during such a special time of year is something I really cherish. Last year, Tony's sister Carla and her family were able to come home from Uganda for Christmas. Dwight was also here from Guatemala, and all of Paul's family was able to be here, too, including his son Andrew who will be spending his Christmas in Iraq this year. This year, we'll be traveling to Ohio, something we hadn't really planned to do, to spend time around Christmas with some of my family, and especially with my last remaining Grandma who was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. I can't wait to see her again, and I also can't wait to have another holiday get-together with several of my California relatives who moved to Ohio within the past year or more! Ah, that promises to be a fun and lively time! I also hope to be able to spend time with relatives on my mom's side of the family, especially the cousins I spent so much time with growing up.

I think during November and most of December I get to bed even later than during the summer, just trying to get everything done, but in all honesty, there isn't anything I'd want to cut back on or cut out. I love and enjoy so much all the many different things that "must" be done before Christmas (and the Christmas program) arrives.

We don't open presents on Christmas -- instead, taking a wonderful idea from my sister-in-law, we have a birthday party for Jesus and concentrate on celebrating Him, complete with birthday cake and all. Last year was the first year my kids started helping "decorate" the cake (or, in last year's case, star-shaped cupcakes with the help of their cousins). This year, we'll be spending a few hours at a nursing home in Ohio bringing Christmas to the residents there as we sing and tell about Christ's birth.

But you know what else? Even though you may be wondering, my focus really is on glorifying God throughout all this (well, except maybe struggling through all the financial stuff). There is so much that leads up to Christmas each year....but there was only one event throughout history that really lead up to Christmas. The announcement to a young virgin that she was choosen to be the mother to a tiny Baby Who would one day save the world. The uncomfortable journey of a very pregnant young lady on a donkey, of all things!, to a city far from home where her Child would be born not in a nice warm comfortable hospital but in a smelly stable, laid in a manger filled with hay. The angels glorifying God, announcing that precious birth, scaring those shepherds probably close to death, but can you even begin to imagine it? Wow! I cannot wait to hear that angel chorus, with me singing right along, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!

And imagine...all my preparations to make each Christmas so special to those around me is nothing compared to the preparations Jesus is making for me up in heaven. The birthday celebration that is so exciting to prepare for down here on earth is nothing compared to the celebration we'll have one day in the presence of Christ and the Father.

Now...back to the many things I should be getting done (like that Christmas letter....and more Christmas cookies....) while I listen to Christmas songs, yippee!

Pumpkin Party Music

You'll be treated to some down home music when you come on out to Carter's! (you can tell how good it is by the look on my father-in-law's face! -- actually, I think he does enjoy it....) So...whatcha waiting for? Scroll on down the next few blogs, check out the fun we have, and make your travel plans for next year!

Pumpkin Party Fun

Here are some shots of some of the activities at the pumpkin parties...the crow shoot, the giant pumpkin boats, bow and arrows, etc.

More pumpkin party photos

Here are some more shots....hope you enjoy them!

Pumpkin Party Pictures

Awhile back, I mentioned having a bunch of cool pumpkin party photos I wanted to share with everyone but wasn't able to because I couldn't download from our new (to us) digital camera. Well, I finally got the photos on disk, so enjoy the glimpses of what life is like for us every Saturday in October.....and plan on joining us next year!

Pumpkin Parties!

So I wanted to tell you all about our pumpkin parties and show you a bit of the action before they're done for this year. I think this is about the 13th or 14th year that we've been having "official" pumpkin parties at our Market in Park Rapids.

For those of you who aren't familiar, my husband's family has been farming and selling wonderful produce in this area for over 50 years now. We start off in May each year, opening somewhere around Mother's Day, and sell bedding and garden plants along with tart rhubarb and tender asparagus. From there, we move on to selling cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, strawberries (including u-pick), raspberries, peas (snap and shell), green beans, muskmelons, watermelons (red and yellow), sweet and hot peppers, egg plant, spinach, cabbage, dill, green onions, sweet onions (usually, but not this year), kohlrabi (sometimes), radishes (again, somtimes), beets, beet greens, carrots (occasionally), sweet corn, field corn, and at this time of year we finish up with decorative corn, gourds (big and small, including this year an African wine kettle gourd that weighs upwards of 50 pounds!), squash (at least 8-10 varieties), and pumpkins galore! And when I mean pumpkins galore, I mean pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors -- this year we had pumpkins weighing a few ounces to over 500 pounds; all shades of orange, green, white, etc.; "warty" pumpkins; Cinderella pumpkins, and "Long Island Cheese" pumpkins. (We also raise cattle for beef -- tender, hormone-free, and no worries of e-coli or mad cow's disease!) It makes for a very busy time for us, from about February when Tony and his father start planting seeds in the greenhouses to get seedlings ready until the end of December when Tony is reviewing sales and production and ordering seed for the following year.

However, things start getting less hectic by mid-September, so we like to celebrate fall and all its bounty. And if you've never celebrated with the Carter's, you're missing out! (Remind me to tell you sometimes about past weddings and receptions...I'm kinda thankful I joined the family at the end, but at the same time, it would've been hilarious to see the pigs roped on top of David and Rita's wedding car; Dwight, Tony, and Mark Mag doing the bottle dance; and many other things of which I've only heard about and/or seen photos -- for us, we had a dancing gorilla crash our wedding reception and try to take off with me before Tony could get in the car after our wedding). So you can probably figure that Tony goes all out for these pumpkin parties, too!

I laugh; each year he moans about the work involved and declares "next year we're cutting down! It's too much work!" And yet each year more things get added, things become more elaborate, and we get more and more comments about how "the Carter's continue to out-do themselves."

You'll note the photos I'm going to be posting (not sure where in the blog they'll turn up -- at the top? bottom? Right where I want them to?) -- most of these were taken by my wonderful sister-in-law Lori, the first "outsider" to join the Russ Carter family by marrying Tony's oldest brother Paul(since then, another 6 have willingly joined the family, including the first grandson-in-law, and another 18 have been born into it, and we've had one other donate a body part to the Carter family -- thanks, Jean! More on that in another blog...), and are posted with her permission since I still haven't taken my camera to the store to get the photos transferred to disk.

Tony starts planning, oftentimes even the same year, a new and more complex maze that is made of snow fence, straw bales, and corn stalks. Last year he stuck a huge teepee in the middle of the maze, and a few years back he built a bridge in the maze which he incorporates each year now. Many people have the mistaken thought that they can try and find their way through by climbing up and seeing how to get out from there....but please note I said they have the "mistaken thought"! This year's maze is pretty difficult, at least for adults. I've had more adults come in telling me they had to exit from the entrance....while kids continue to zip their way through with little or no problems! I am including a photo of my lovely niece Carrie (Paul and Lori's daughter) and her friend trying to find their way out. You can see a sign in the background, although you may not be able to read it. Tony made up some wooden signs this past year, and this particular one is a Mark Twain quote "It is easier to stay out than get out!" We also hide plastic coins throughout the maze for people to try and find -- if they do find one and turn it in, they get treats. Some kids come just to find the coins, not the way out (even though they get credit for only one coin, regardless of how many they find). Tony's thinking of hiding real coins next year possibly...what do you all think? He also has a quiz that is divided among five stations within the maze with questions about our farm and such. For those who are patient enough to find all the questions and smart enough to answer them all correctly (no, scarecrows are not filled with baloney or with money), again...treats are rewarded.

We have the teepee up again this year -- a couple dear family friends spend time telling "Tales in the Teepee" -- stories the two of them pick, mainly African or Indian fables about animals and safety and other such things often with a scriptural bent. Appropriate and fascinating for all ages.

Last year Tony made up a carpetball table. Now, I've never heard of carpetball until I moved here, but it seems to be a pretty popular game, especially with kids. Similar to bocci ball but on a long rectangular table, each person has five balls (usually billiard balls) which they place anywhere within a certain area on their side of the table. A cue ball is then rolled back and forth, seeing who can knock the other person's balls off first. I should go back and clarify. Tony made a GOURDball table. Yep, we use gourds instead of billiard balls! Another huge hit.

We have a big wooden crow that soaker balls are launched at with a giant sling shot; we have a wooden cut-out cow complete with fake udders for cow milking contests (you'll notice my cutie Luke "milking" the cow); last year Tony also hollowed out a small pond and we give rides in giant pumpkin boats (yes, real giant pumpkins...I think they could probably hold up to about 200 - 250 pounds, but we try to limit it to about 150 pounds); he also made up a really fun, very fast slide this year that is in almost constant use (again, I'm posting a photo of Tony's sister Rita with two of her girls at the bottom of the slide). And last year we started selling concessions -- locally made all-beef hot dogs, two varieties of soup (different each week, from mixes we sell at the Market), chips, pop, coffee, hot cider, and "sweet treats" -- sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins, cupcakes, brownies, rice crispy squares, and whatever else I have time to bake. But my favorite is a new treat this year -- an apple sundae which, if you've not tried yet, you have GOT to stop in a get one!

However, two of the biggest hits for our pumpkin parties are the pumpkin propeller and the wagon ride. The wagon ride starts out as a fun, restful ride on a wagon pulled by a tractor (the oxen that used to pull the wagon died a few years back after living about 20 years)....but then you start to notice scarecrows....that aren't doing their job as a giant crow gets into the corn field, and at some point a gorilla enters the picture. There is usually a huge musical number or two (remember, this is the Carters!) complete with banjos, guitars, ukeleles, and a wash tub, and sometimes bananas and/or silly string enter the picture. I've included a photo of the scarecrow band as well.

Tony thought up the pumpkin propeller years back and improved on it each year until it reached perfection. Complete with bells, wagons, signs, pulleys, etc., it launches pumpkins (although I did see a watermelon fly one time this year) quite a distance while Tony or Rocky the Scarecrow try to catch them. They're usually successful. It amazes me what Tony thinks up and makes, and it scares me because I already see our son doing the same thing....and he's only 3!!

All in all, it's a lot of work, but it's a blast, and we get a great response...we also have people coming from all over the state and some from North Dakota each year. I love that we can offer an alternative this time of year to families who don't celebrate Halloween (like us) while still featuring fall's bounty of pumpkins, gourds, decorative corn, and squash. (We also have apples, but we don't grow them). So if you're in this area, or you want to take a drive this weekend, come on and visit us at the Market! Pumpkin parties are from 10:30 to 5:00 every Saturday in October and often the last Saturday in September. Last chance you have this year!

Love and blessings,

LindaSue

Small print (and solutions)

Okay, so I'm still trying to figure out what is going to work best, and based on my last posting (even BEFORE the comments), I realized the font was waaaaay too small. Sorry about that! But it did inspire the content of this posting (the small font, that is) -- well, that and how people are actually voting on my poll that they want me to post about Watkins! Okay, two of you did, but still!


So for the very few of you that don't know, I signed up with Watkins over a year ago, mainly to fill a void in our town after our local Watkins lady remarried and stopped selling. I was pleasantly surprised at how well business took off...and even more satisfied with how much I love the products! And I'm honestly not saying that because I sell Watkins.... I'll write more about other Watkins products and stuff in the future, but going back to the first paragraph, about the small print and the comments and all...


My cousin Liz is a bit older than me, not that much older than me, but enough to realize that when I got engaged, she is actually older than my now-husband (okay, that's a reminder of an email she sent me telling how she was surprised I was getting married to a guy who was so old...then realized she was actually two weeks older than he was, so he really wasn't that old). ANYWAY! Liz commented something about her eye sight as she gets older (I don't remember precisely at this time what the comment was, but it was along those lines, and bear with me, cuz I have another comment about memory, but I'm already off on too many tangents!). See, at the beginning of this year, I realized that I was starting to have to hold things with smaller print at arms length so I could read it easier. I was horrified! Was I getting old? Well, yes, I turned 40 in June, but that's beside the point. Who really wants to admit they're getting old? On a lark, and because I like to try the different things Watkins makes so I can give personal testimonials, I decided to try their Eye Care Plus supplement for a month, see if it really did make a difference. I honestly didn't notice anything, but then again, I honestly wasn't paying attention (reminder...follow up on above tangent on memory).


So I was hosting a party in May, and as I was talking about the supplements and how much my kids love the Children's Chewable vitamins, as usual, I started reading off some of the fruits and vegetables contained in them (all kinds of things most kids won't touch, but my kids really love, like asparagus, beets, and a bunch of other stuff), I realized I wasn't holding the bottle away from me AND I was seeing everything quite clearly! That, of course, segued into an "oh my goodness, guess what I just realized and what I have to talk about next!" I sold six bottles of Eye Care Plus that night (and three of the Children's Chewables...). The Eye Care Plus really has made a difference in replacing my potential need for bifocals (at least for now) and once again, I don't feel too old (except when I try to keep up with my kids!). Some of the testimonials I've read about the product also talks about helping astigmatism as well as near and far sightedness. I just know I'm really sold on it.


Watkins' supplements are really great. Another one of my favorites (and one I use ALOT) is Linimax. Linimax is a musculo-skeletal supplement that contains, among other things, glucosamine. And where glucosamine usually takes one to two months to kick in and start relieving pain for arthritis sufferers, Linimax starts working (at least for me and several others I recommended it for) within a day or two. I love seeing friends of mine who have started taking Linimax stop walking with that painful limp when you first get up and start walking again (another personal testimonial -- I have bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees, and going back to that age thing, I noticed late last year that when I stand up after playing on the floor with my kids or sitting in one position for quite awhile, my hips are pretty stiff and awkward moving for the first few minutes. However, I don't have any problems since I've started taking Linimax...well, except for when I'm working at the Market for nine hours walking constantly on the cement floor without gettting a chance to sit down, like at the pumpkin parties....and by the following morning, stiffness and soreness is gone). Again, some of the testimonials I've read on Linimax talks about improvement and in some cases completely pain free for individuals with "achy" problems (including degenerative disks, torn tendons, fibromyalgia, and arthritis).


Okay, the memory thing! Watkins also has a supplement called Brain Plus that is supposed to help with memory; it has ginkgo biloba and other stuff in it that is great for "bringing back your memory while preventing against age-related mental decline" -- so, since I tend to forget stuff sometimes, I thought I'd get some and try that, too! Maybe add another personal testimonial to my collection...but (and don't laugh at me!) I keep forgetting to take it. Seriously.


So anyway, check out my Watkins website http://www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter and look at some of the supplements and other great things for yourself. (Supplement information can be found under "home remedies" then "supplements for all lifestyles" -- supplement names may vary slightly in Canada.) I'll write more in the future about some of the other great products, like their chemical-free cleaning line, their awesome 2007 holiday gift line, and their other long-time favorites!


And while I'll keep the font at a more reasonable size, do consider giving Eye Care Plus a try (you can order anything right one line)...and I promise I'll remember to take my Brain Plus!


Love and blessings,
LindaSue

PS - I hope I remember to tell you about our fun adventure after church today! Well, not TELLING you today, but maybe tomorrow or Tuesday....