At the Markets this Past Weekend

This is how I spent much of this past weekend.  Saturday Mike and I and the four youngest were in Craftsbury as a vendor.  

Abby and Sarah set up their own small table and sold handmade ornaments - Abby's made of beads and Sarah's stamped on maple branch slices.  The both sold a lot!

Yesterday I spent the day at a Local Holiday Market in Lowell.  

These were the first fairs we have done for our business in a couple of years primarily because we are plenty busy with our etsy shops alone.  

I wanted to do these this past weekend to be a part of the local communities, support the Art House (a nonprofit that hosts art workshops for children and adults in Craftsbury), and meet people.   Meeting new people, catching up with those I haven't seen for quite some time - that was really nice.  

There was also another great reason to be a vendor at each of these events - to shop from the other vendors!  

The money we made selling our products - much of it - was in turn handed over to local farmers (an organic chicken, organic pork, maple cream, organic beans, salsa, jam), local artists and crafters (cheeseboards, soaps, note cards).   That was the best part of the weekend - coming home with delicious healthy foods and some nice gifts for the holidays.

Now we are back to filling orders at home, getting orders shipped off as fast as we can.

There is skating going on - which is a blessing.

I squeeze in bits of time to read Christmas stories aloud.

My head is filled with all of the things I want to do and I keep pushing them aside, telling myself to come back to the present and keep on doing the next thing while practicing gratitude for all I am able to do.

Bartering

I love to barter.

This time of the year especially, it is a wonderful way to get new things for family members without exchanging  money.

I recently had a wonderful trade with Funny Farm Toy Barn and received these great hand crafted catapults to give to Abraham for Christmas and some handmade soaps.

Do you enjoy bartering either with your local economy or online?

Knitting and Reading

Last night after a very busy day, I sat down and cast on a hat - the pattern was in the new issue of Taproot which arrived the day before.  Of course, I converted the pattern to use straight needles which will mean sewing up the back, but that is ok.  The yarn is really soft, some I found at a Habitat Humanity Restore for 25 cents.

After reading about Renee referring to this book many times, I finally purchased a copy.  There is much to think about and it will take time for me to go through it again and again, discuss it with Mike, and put some of the suggestions into action.  It is about not being on the conveyor belt but instead raising children who have the ability to be leaders no matter what they do with their life.  It is not about trying to achieve status either that is not the focus.  I hope to share more.

For the younger years, the authors suggest it is most important for us as parents, to be learning all the time and to share the excitement with our children.  This will in turn spread the joy of learning to them.  This seems like common sense, but I know I can do better at talking to my children about what excites me.

Joining in with Ginny today.

A Branch for Hanging Stockings

Over the last several years I have downsized our Christmas decorations to just a few - one tote is all - and mostly all that it contains are our ornaments, lights and stockings.  Then we add some new things we may create during the season and some bits from outside brought in - real simple.

Nine stockings, if they are all to be displayed, do take up a lot of space.  This year I have hung them on a birch branch suspended by two branch hooks.

While We Work

There is so much making and packaging to do over the next two weeks.

During this time we ask more of our children.

More help with the cooking and cleaning.  (Isaac is making everyone french toast for lunch as I type)

More patience as my time and focus is spread thin.

I think, though, that they get it - that this is our business - this is how we make our living.

At least I hope they do.

I know that it is important for me to stay positive and cheerful because I want them

to see the many good parts of having one's own business. 

Compromises

This morning it was -4 degrees here.  So cold that even while out to do the morning animal chores the tips of my fingers were uncomfortable for a time.    When I jumped on the back of the rubber bucket to break the ice and water splashed on my boots, ice immediately formed on my shoelaces and then trying to undo them with aching fingers after coming inside was nearly impossible. 

The wonderful part about the cold is the skating.   Friends are over.

 In between preparing lunch and snacks for everyone, tightening skates, putting wood in the wood stove, Mike and I continue to work on our business.  I wood burn and package.  Mike heads down the basement to get some hooks done.  

This life of ours is a series of compromises.  With seven children (which yes we did choose to have a large family) we need a certain level of income to support the basics - our mortgage, keep our old Suburban running, some clothing - specifically shoes as the rest I can usually find at thrift shops, and some other random bills.  But the biggest expense for us is food.  This is a topic I am passionate about - about working towards growing and raising our own and what we cannot (which is the majority but we do a little more each year) we try to buy locally and then finally organic if I can make it work financially.  

 But, I make compromises constantly.  

Keeping up with every one's needs and the needs of our business, time is sometimes at a premium.  So for example, today we had homemade chocolate cake with frosting made of local organic cream (yum!) but the hot cocoa, boxed from the general store.  I know how to make cocoa from scratch.  But I have not had the time to source and purchase the organic powdered milk, organic cocoa, etc.... 

During this holiday season when our business is busy, I will continue to make compromises because for this season snatching moments of time with each other will be more important than being caught up in making every meal from scratch or making every gift by hand.

Home for Thanksgiving

The weather kept us home for Thanksgiving.  With no central heat (the woodstove is our heat source) and very cold temperatures (the animals' water would need refreshing because of freezing), and to top it all of we woke up to 6" of fallen snow Thanksgiving morning - a trip three hour day trip to my aunt's in New Hampshire was not to be.  

Not planning on being home, we resorted to plan B - eggnog, apple pie, sorbet with gingerale, and lasagna - with just the 8 of us.

The outdoors became our playground.  

Isaac worked on my antique sewing machine and made a belt for it with duct tape - it worked!

We played games.

Drank out of wine glasses.

and 

Gave thanks.