market/soccer saturday

ahhhhhh.....the opening of the muskegon farmers market warmed my heart today. even though i knew most of the produce wasn't local i was able to purchase spring lettuce (clipped yesterday) and carrots and potatoes that had been stored through the winter by a local farmer. i also found my way back to the market to buy some brats from creswick farms for dinner tonight. i've already got the buns rising and can't wait to eat them up!




it was all i could do not to buy a bunch of flowers. however, i did hold back since i haven't quite figured out our budget for flowers and what i would like to do yet - but, they were soooo wonderful to see.


one of the tough things about having all three kids playing soccer is that they all play at different times, fields, and even cities depending on the week. i'm not sure i'm going to be able to make it to a single one of lilly's games this year. fortunately dave is her coach and so he is at all her games!


the boys playing out on their fields. caleb's team lost 3-2, luke's team won 4-2 and lilly's team also won 6-2 this week. way to go!!!

the long wait is over!

it has been a long - hard - snowy - wet - cold - winter! and although we have had some nice days over the last several weeks and the grass is turning greener and buds are popping up all over the place and the daffodils, tulips and (my favorite) lilly of the valley are beginning to bloom. the most significant sign to the end of winter is the opening of the farmers market. YEAH!!! tomorrow is the opening day for the muskegon farmers market!! i can't wait to walk the aisles and smell the fresh cut flowers and see all the produce (although it may be few). i can't wait for the week to come that i won't have to grace the doors of a meijers - I AM SOOOO EXCITED!

on a similar note, i am planning on putting in my garden next week. i am already planning on doubling the amount of space i did last year and having one plot specifically for herbs and the rest mostly for tomatoes and then cucumbers, zucchini, squash. my goal is to can as many tomatoes as i possibly can by the end of summer to hopefully get our family through another LONG winter.

so, if you live in the muskegon area go out and support the local farmers market tomorrow!

milk run musings

i was making my weekly "milk run" this past week and realized something, that i thought, was pretty funny. **side note: for those of you who don't know, we joined a cow/herd sharing program at the beginning of the year. what this means; we are part owners of a cow/herd on a dairy farm which allows us to obtain raw milk (as a by-product of the cows) directly from the farm. **

on to the funny observation...
the farm we go to is Green Pastures Farm and Grassfields (where we buy all our eggs & meat) in coopersville. now, this is a very convenient stop for me since i work in allendale three days a week and drive straight through coopersville. if you've ever driven down 68th street (coopersville exit) you are immediately aware of a couple of things, first, the smell - mostly due to the trash dump and second, the farmland. now, i drive this drive ALL the time and it wasn't until yesterday on my milk run that i observed something else upon passing another dairy farm (i don't even remember the name) in which i could see all the cows under a large pavilion one right next to the other eating out of troughs. no idea how many of them were crowded in the space - but it struck me. i didn't get more than a mile further down the road when i came upon another farm (not sure of the name or what they do with their cows) but they too were eating out of troughs, however had more room to move and a hay pile in the center of their "pen" to choose to eat from as well as a pavilion to walk under and lay down. hmmm, i thought as i made the turn to our farm and then i literally laughed out loud as i looked and saw "our" cows grazing in the pastures eating grass, walking around, laying around. i'm pretty sure they were enjoying the day :) in that split second i realized, again, that we are making the right choice for our family and how grateful i am to have this as an option.

so, not sure if you think we are crazy or not but if anyone is looking for more info i'd be happy to answer any questions or at the very least tell you more about our experience.