Bountiful Baskets: Finally a Reality

I believe that my friend Allisha and I started talking about and taking action to have Bountiful Baskets in Green River back in July so you can only imagine the excitement and huge relief we felt on Oct 2nd when it finally happened. A quick overview of what it is: Bountiful Baskets is a food buying Co-op that is all volunteer run. You place your order on the internet and pay $15.00 for a basket of fruits and vegetables. Everyones money is pooled and then used to buy fresh, local, restaurant and grocery store quality produce that is distributed back to all the participants. It is shipped by truck to all the sites. Allisha and I are the site coordinators for Green River. That means we have had to train, do paperwork, deal with miss communication after miss communication and finally have got this wonderful program to our town. It is such a blessing to bring fresh produce that is affordable to our area. We hope that word of it will spread like wild fire so that lots of people can get in on it. Here are the highlights from our first pick up.

Here are our wonderful volunteers (which include husbands) unloading the produce boxes from the truck.
Allisha carrying a 50lb bag of potatoes as if it were a kleenix tissue. The girl can heft two children and a laundry basket with out batting an eyelash. The power of being of mother of 5.

Our produce boxes sorted out into fruit and vegetable piles.

Allie checking everything out.

The baskets that the fruits and veggies will be sorted into. Allisha's mother in law thought they would be hand woven since we are called Bountiful Baskets. I said, "we are trying to offer produce at a discounted rate, not a higher price because we have to spend our spare time weaving baskets." LOL

The distribution begins. This is very organized, well Allisha and I have it very organized. We had some good training experiences and some not so good ones so we took what we liked best and are running a tight ship at our site.

My basket is always bountiful with these two.

Doesn't the lettuce look so beautiful? For fruits we got: apples, grapes, strawberries, a cantaloupe, bananas, and plums and for vegetables we got: lettuce, red peppers, artichokes, cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes. I am happy to report we have eaten a ton of ours already.

A better look at what you get for $15.00

Allisha and I standing by our line of baskets with pride. What a fun thing to be a part of and we are so grateful for everyone that showed up to help and all the enthusiasm that is brewing over this (except from local grocers). Can't please everyone.

Pumpkin Picking

Oh dear I am so far behind on this family blog. This is from Sept 30th. We had a home baseball game and it went really fast which left us with a few minutes of daylight in the evening and I asked Greg if we could PLEASE go out to the pumpkin patch and see if the gates were open to get some pumpkins. So we went and the gate was open and I nearly had a heart attack because of all the beautiful pumpkins. I could have taken a whole semi trailer of them home. Greg would only let me have what would fit in the blazer. Why weren't we in the truck???? Here are the highlights.

Allie didn't like walking around in the patch too much cause it was poky.

She was looking around though for some good ones. She has yet to learn that they are all good.

This is one happy mama right here in her heaven on earth

I spotted this field of giant pumpkins from far. I knew it because of their bright orange color. I wanted to cry. I have always wanted a giant pumpkin. Greg allowed me two and made me feel guilty for wanting two huge ones so I got one huge one and one not so huge.

My pumpkins with the pumpkins.

Look at all of them. I suppose I could take the girls out some time while Greg is in school and see if I could lift one or 17 more.

Take me out to the ball game

Yesterday (Thursday Sept 30) was the last home baseball game of the season and it was a big game to determine the region champs. The girls and I got ourselves ready to go after nap time and headed off. Allie even agreed to wear a baseball cap so she could look like Sarah (her hero-she said). Sarah plays baseball. So off we went. It is more work to go to the game than it is for any of the kids playing baseball I just have to add. I had a baby in a stroller, a diaper bag, a cooler, a blanket, an umbrella and a toddler, not to mention a potty that was left in the car in case it was needed and a folding chair also left in the car in case it was needed. I was simply exhausted by the time the games were done and felt like a human burp cloth but it was great to see the team play together and win both of their games and take the region championship.

Brai trying on the hat.

With Sarah.

Great games team!!!

Daddy's favorite team

A little mid fall cool down

Well our fall temps have been put on hold for the return of summer for a few days leaving us with a need to cool off. I put the girls in their swimming suits and headed down to the park to play in their sprinklers they have for the kids. The cement pad they have to play on is pretty much totally nasty with wood chips and trash (as is the whole park but don't even get me started on that) but the kids didn't mind; I kept most everything out of Brai's mouth and they had a blast cooling off. Here are the highlights.

Only brave enough to stick her toes in.
And fingers

If she has a stick all is right in the world

Brailie walking on all fours to save her little knees.

Where is that water coming from?

Now let's put the stick in the water.

I love this one.

Couldn't get her to look at me for nothing, but I love this one too-I love her hands.

Apple Picking

Our little apple tree in the backyard produced big for us this year. It is supposed to produce 4 different kinds of apples and I think technically it did but only 1 or 2 of some of the varieties. We ended up picking them earlier than we wanted because the birds were getting them and we didn't want them wasted.

Greg gave Brai an apple to eat and now it is her favorite thing. If i am eating an apple in her site better watch out or it is screech fest until she can have it.

Cuties.

She ate 3/4 of this apple

Our pickings. I am going to make some pies and apple sauce I think (if we don't eat them all first.)

Doing her business

I guess Greg and I aren't the only ones that find the bathroom is the only place to get a minute of private reading done.

Allie's bed gets princessified

We bought this canopy to go over Allie's bed when we bought her bed but felt she was too small for it then. Lately she has asked to have her dad put up her, "princess." We got it done over the weekend and she loves it. I even had a nap in it with her the other day. It is super cool. What little girl wouldn't love this.

Video series

Sunday Sept 26th was a busy day in our house. The girls were just alive with excitement-Brailie walking and walking with her train, Allie singing and wanting to play the piano and this little gem-Allie chatting away in her rocking chair. In case you can't understand she is saying, "she sells sea shells by the seashore." We asked her where she learned how to say that. She said, "owl on TV taught me." And they say your kids can't learn anything from TV.

Brailie walking with her train

Brailie walking with her train. This was the first time she had ever done this. She did 2 laps around the couch. She was nothing but smiles.

I am a Child of God by Allie

Here is another piano deut/solo by Allie and mommy.