What a Great Weekend!

Michael was in Frankfort for the Holly Berry Christmas Craft Show and I was in Jackson for the Rose Festival Craft Show on Saturday. Both shows were well attended, with lots of smiling shoppers! I ran out of double chocolate chip cherry cookies at the same time that I ran out of the samples, so the timing was just right.

The root beer cookies were a smashing success, again! I would love to be able to videotape expressions when our clients taste a root beer cookie for the first time. The expressions are priceless! They range from smiles to disbelief! "Wow" is a popular expression, along with "different" and "tastes like root beer!" The disbelief expressions come from clients who cannot believe that we can make a root beer cookie and that it tastes so good!

Since I am from Jackson, my mother helped me at the show. It was fun to see friends and clients and to hang out with Mom for the weekend. I took a snapshot of Mom at the booth. When I find the camera (buried under milk crates and tablecloths from the show), I will post it on the site. We had a great time!

Back to preparations for this weekend's show. I will be in Lansing for Shipshewana on the Road. Michael may join me! Wherever we are, it will be a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving - Popcorn Pancakes

Michael made me incredible popcorn pancakes

for Thanksgiving breakfast!

He ground the popcorn in his new grinder

and out came corn flour.

Creekside Grains has a new mix!

Michael is so talented!

I am so blessed!

Mr. Rooster woke me up with a smile again this morning.

He was exceptionally loud today.

I think he was cheering that he was not a turkey!

Also, I was driving to the office

(we work every day - just less hours today)

and saw at least forty wild turkeys in a front yard.

I know that they were doing the turkey dance,

boldly,

knowing that they are not dinner!

A Six Pack of Beer?

If you knew Michael and me, you would know that we do not drink alcohol. So when he came home from the grocery store today with a six pack of beer, I had to ask. His response was...I am going to drink it and watch football all Thanksgiving Day. Well...since we do not have a television, I knew he was kidding about watching football, and I could not imagine him drinking the six pack!!!

The real truth is that Michael will be inventing new beer breads tomorrow, so he needs beer to put in the beer breads.

I really liked the other story, even if it was not true!

I will update with the beer bread results.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thank You Traverse City

The Artcenter Art and Craft Show at the Park Place Dome was a huge success for Creekside Grains. I do not know how many attended, but lots and lots and lots of people taste tested our root beer cookies and black cherry walnut cookies and double chocolate cherry cookies. We ran out of samples by 7:00 PM on Friday, so Michael made a triple batch for Saturday. We ran out of those samples by 1:00 PM on Saturday. It was a busy, fun, yummy time had by all!

Many clients purchased the cookie mixes for a cookie exchange. Many others purchased mixes for Christmas gifts, Secret Santa and hostess gifts. These mixes make great gifts - everyone has to eat, so make it a fun, unique Creekside Grains mix!

Next Saturday, I will be in Jackson for the Rose Festival Craft Show. Michael will be in Frankfort for the Holly Berry Show. It will be another fun Christmas shopping weekend!

Maya Loves Mega Mint Chocolate Cookies

Maya just ordered a large amount of mega mint cookies.

This is what she emailed to me.

"I bought them to give as hostess gifts, and to a few clients- as I am in sales.
They are by far the BEST cookies ever!
We bought them at the Frankfort Farmer's Market
and were immediately hooked!"

We love happy clients!

Thank you, Maya!

Artcenter Traverse City Craft Show

If you live in the Traverse City area and would like to do some Christmas shopping, join us tonight or tomorrow at the Park Place for the Artcenter Craft Show.

We have three new cookies for you! We also have great Christmas baskets that make wonderful gifts for your friends and family who have everything.

The show will be open tonight from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and tomorrow from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Come join us for Christmas shopping fun!

They All Came Tumbling Down

If you have followed my saga of wood splitting, here's more to add to the saga.

Last week, I came home and took a double take! So far, I have four rows of wood stacked under our car port for the winter. When I looked at the pile, I saw that one row had fallen down! Not only did it fall down, it fell down about eight feet from the pile! It looked like someone had catapulted the wood away from the pile.

The wood looked like dominoes. The wood pieces were leaning very neatly at an angle on the ground. Problem was, they were supposed to be stacked neatly on the pile.

I am not sure why that row fell down. There was half a row in front of it, so the bottom half did not fall, but the top fell far enough for me to wonder how it got that far.

It took some time to fix the row and shore it up again, but piece by piece, I got it all back in line. Now I can go back to filling the rest of the carport for the winter. I only have about eight more rows to go!

I am very grateful for the nice weather we have had lately. It saves so much wood. It will not be long and the wood stove will be running full time to keep us toasty warm in the winter.

What a Week!

Let's see...Shipshewana on the Road last weekend, then home early Monday morning in time to deliver a wholesale order. Take inventory, pack more mixes, then repack the van to drive to Lansing on Tuesday afternoon for a food show on Wednesday. Drive back home on Wednesday night. Take inventory and prepare for the Craft Show at the Park Place Hotel next Friday and Saturday.

In the mean time, pack the van to photograph the Army Recruiters Ball in Grand Rapids on Saturday afternoon and evening.

It feels like Monday, but the calendar says it is Thursday.

I am so confused! Maybe I am tired and have been in the van too many hours this week.

Next week, I will catch up! Oops, cannot do that yet...Thanksgiving weekend, I will do it all over again. This time, I will be in Jackson for the Rose Festival Craft Show! One week later, it will be another Shipshewana on the Road in Lansing.

I look forward to a peaceful week between Christmas and New Year!

Off to Shipshewana

I am on my way to Mt. Pleasant for the weekend. I will be selling mixes at Shipshewana on the Road at Soaring Eagle Casino. Mom is coming up to help. It will be a fun time had by all.

Tomorrow, Michael will be at Immaculate Conception for their craft show.

If you have an hour to shop, come see Michael. If you have an afternoon, come see me!

Have a great weekend!

Laura loves cookies

Laura tried the whole wheat blueberry ginger cookies today.

While she was at it, she decided to make the double chocolate cherry cookies.

With cookie in hand, and smile on face, Laura is a "happy customer!"

We just shipped the
Mega Mint Chocolate Cookies.

I cannot wait to get her reaction!

Thank you, Laura!

What I learned from wood

Yesterday, as I was splitting wood, I studied the structure of the different types of wood. Their structure reminds me of my life.

White oak is very heavy and difficult to split. It seems to hold on to every shred of wood and does not give a clean split. The pieces hold on tight to each other until I force them apart.

Red oak is also very heavy, but easy to split. The pieces separate well, but will burn very hot, even when they are smaller.

Maple is so much lighter than the oaks. It also splits with a clean edge. What I notice most about the maple is the core. The lifeblood of the wood is in the core. It is tight and solid. When I try to split near the core, the core stays intact and the split occurs around the softer edges of the wood outside of the core. Like the oaks, the maple burns very hot.

Walnut is so heavy, with such fine grain. It is so strong. It splits clean like the maple.

Pine is the lightest and easiest to split. It also burns very quickly. I burn pine when I need warmth in a short time.

I like the core of the maple. It reminds me of my core. I want to have a strong inner being (core). When something or someone tries to separate me, my core remains intact and the softer outer edges give. I like to know that my core is strong. I thank God for giving me a core that will stand up to life's pressures.

I like the shreds of the white oak. They remind me of the next layer of my being. They protect the core and the softer edges around the core. They hold me together.

I like the strength of the walnut. Fine grain is packed with power. I would like my muscles to be like the walnut.

I like the smell of the pine and the fast burn of the pine. It is my adrenaline rush when I need it.

Splitting wood is good for me, both inside and out!