FLASHBACK FRIDAY: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

Bounty From The Bountiful Sprout, A Local Food Co-Op I Helped Launch After Reading This Book

Many moons ago I read an amazing book that answered so many questions about what we eat and why, so I decided to share it as part of my "Year of Reading Dangerously" give-away back in '09.

 WHERE DID WE GO WRONG?

ADDED INCENTIVE

AND THE WINNER IS...

Happy Reading, and EATING!
  

MARKET SEASON

Believe it or not, by December 1st we'd already been to three Christmas markets, and the season hadn't even really begun! Two were markets that daughter Lex was selling her wares at, but the third was one we went to strictly because of it's location in the little town of Fischer, just down the road from the infamous Fischer Dance Hall and Fischer Bowling Club.

This particular event was being held at the old Fischer Store -- a building that has been there since the days when homesteaders drove their oxcarts there once a month, to pick up mail and dry goods.

The post office moved into an ugly-but-new building next door a while back, and I think the store is mainly just open on weekends now. It's more of a museum than a store, though they do have an assortment of vintage-style candies and their own t-shirts for sale. We weren't too excited when we first went inside. If I had to guess, I'd say the prime indoor spots had been set aside for the local, long-time residents, whose wares were nice, but not really what we were looking for. But those tents set up outside? Well, suffice it to say, we were able to cross quite a few things off our shopping lists that day!

Handmade Brooms and Hobby Horses

Tiny Clay Nativity Scenes and Pendants

We topped it all off by sharing a mouthwatering lemon-glazed poppy seed blueberry muffin, at the best little bakery booth ever.  She even had jars of her own special Mexican Hot Chocolate Mix for sale!

So next Christmas, remember -- Fischer Store Christmas Market. It's worth the drive!

CHRISTMAS GOOBER-STYLE

To say we are excited about Christmas this year is a vast understatement. All who celebrate this holiday surely remember how your enjoyment of it waxes and wanes through the years. There's the giddiness of your own childhood memories, when the excitement was almost too much to bear, followed by the disillusioned years. Then comes the joy of having your own kids, nieces, and nephews to recreate the magic for, followed by years of having no little ones in the family at all, and losing your parents one by one. But this? Having your first grandchild finally old enough to really get it, and having the time and resources to spoil him rotten should I choose to do so (don't worry, I won't)? Well, NOTHING quite compares to this! 
 

The first noticeable change was in how I decorated. I started pulling out all the usual characters and placing them in all the usual spots, but when I opened  my huge crate of fragile ornaments I suddenly thought "NO!". Just, no. I refuse to spend this holiday chasing him around saying "No! Don't touch!" In fact, I still remember the shame and remorse I felt when I was about eight years old, and Mom asked me to plug the tree lights in. The plug was right behind the tree, and par for the course, Dad had connected way too many frayed cords, and I got a doozy of a shock when I plugged it in. Which, of course, made me jump, which, of course, knocked the tree over, breaking several of her "most treasured family heirlooms!" How could I forget, when the subject always came up, year after year?

So, nothing fragile went on the tree -- only kid-friendly stuff, and a few fun felty things I ran across at Ace Hardware, like that "Merry Christmas" garland and those fuzzy pink pom poms. I also love all those little white snowmen heads that Nate's mama Holly made for us. Pinch them open and you can hide little surprises in them, like Hershey's Kisses!

Anything fragile is just far enough out of his reach that he will need adult assistance to handle them.

We had our first test run yesterday, and the things he seemed most interested in were the ornaments his mama and Uncle Noonie made when they were in preschool, and that acorn ornament. When I handed it to him and showed him how to open it, he stared at the inside for a moment, then said "I know where we need to go. We need to go that way!", pointing his finger towards the far end of the room. Apparently, to him, it was a compass, and he spent the rest of the afternoon using it as one. Is there anything more amazing than the imaginative mind of a child this age? Now I remember why I love the terrible twos and threes so very much, no matter what anyone else says!

So, what are the favorite holiday activities you've ever done with the littles in your family. I'd love it so much if you would share some of your ideas here or in comments on facebook, regarding outings you liked to take and things you liked to make or bake or do. I'm sooo ready for our "Holiday Fun with Goober" to begin!