Ten Things Thursday: Ten Reasons to LOVE Farmer's Markets

1. Shopping in the open air...there's something Euro-Romantic about buying vegetables and fresh herbs with the sun shining on your back.
2. People watching! Who knew Green Bay had such diversity?
3. Admiring the creativity of others. Like my friend Bethany who started her own little biz, Larky Park. Check them out!
4. Memories with my son. He loved getting fresh root beer from one of the local breweries. He was a sticky mess afterwards, though!
5. The colors! I loved seeing the piles of tomatoes, carrots, green beans, blueberries, raspberries, bi-color sweet corn....ah. It was a festival for the eyes.
6. Yummy treats. Like, fresh spring rolls from the Thai restaurant, or fresh sliced/fried potato chips, kettle corn, smoothies.  Delish.
7. Walking in the local Broadway shops. I never take the time to go downtown to peruse the boutiques there, and it was neat to see what they look like on the inside! Unique stuff.
8. Meeting up with DH for a family affair. He works only a few miles down Broadway, so it's a great place to meet him on a Wednesday evening.
9. Bartering. I love negotiating. In my mind, open-air markets welcome a little bantering before buying.  It gets my juices flowing.
10. Arriving home with my fresh purchases and challenging myself to a little creativity of my own. Now, what will I do with this large bunch of Sweet Basil I bought for only $1.00? Pesto, Bruschetta, Spaghetti sauce...? The opportunities await.

Happy Shopping!

10 Arguments in My Head about Owning a Family Cabin

We are back from our vacation, and, wow, was it a great one.  Tommy learned to fish, and caught his own blue-gills, we ate in, made s'mores, cooled off on hot days by jumping in off the dock, rode the Wave Runner, spent great time with family, cousins, Auntie and Uncle, played hard, and slept harder.  All week we discussed whether or not we would want our own Cabin to enjoy regularly throughout the year as a family.  So, here are some of the debates going on in my head...I do know one thing, though...I can't wait to do it again next year!  Here's to one more month of summer! Enjoy.

1. Great place to create family memories.
2. Relaxing at home is nothing compared to relaxing up North, on a Lake, in a place that's not home.
3. It's another yard, another home, another of everything that needs maintenance and upkeep.
4. Family vacations will be mostly spent at the Cabin, not exploring this country or world.
5. A great place to retreat with family or friends for uninterrupted, quality time.
6. Why buy when you can rent or borrow and go someplace different/or the same each year?
7. Boating, fishing, tubing, water-skiing, jet-skiing,etc.
8. $$ another mortgage.
9. We could use it as a ministry, a place to serve others in need of rest or solitude.
10. Would feel like we have to "use" it, and if life is busy, might feel as if it wasn't a good investment.

At the Shanty, on a ride to Dairy Queen for some treats after dinner on our last night. It was a great trip, and we are so extremely thankful that we have incredible friends, generous enough to let us use their place for a week.