Success!

I was off the gird for a couple of days while I took a trip down to Martha's Vineyard with some friends from college. Before I left, I participated in a Farmer's Market a couple of towns over. I found out about it via Twitter. There is a really great network of local farmers and farmers markets that communicate with and for each other via all sorts of social networking sites. I love that about living on the Seacoast. Plus, I get a mental picture of an old-man farmer on his iPhone typing with one finger, cute, right?

Back to Sunday's farmer's market. It was a blast and the weather was perfect- no rain this time!

Everyone was so incredibly nice and kind; the customers, the famers, and the market manager. It's a smallish market and they are trying to increase traffic by hosting different events every now and again. I really enjoy the farmer's market as a venue. It is obviously less saturated than a craft fair and the personalities that come through are very easy going and helpful. I met a number of folks and was able to engage in some chit-chat with many of them. I even made a few sales, but better than that, I feel like I made some good contacts. It's hard to get your name and your products out there. It's a slow and steady process, but every step seems to be a step in the right direction. I left for the Vineyard feeling pleased with how it went and thinking up new ways in which to continue to get my items out there.

Breakfast

I'm exhausted after a fun-filled weekend with friends. We engaged in lot's of local activities and did our part to stimulate the local economy. Farmers markets, local festivals, dinner at the best lobster pound, and trips to the beach. Before they embarked on their five hour trip back to the city, I made one last meal for us to enjoy together. I picked up some sticky Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Saturday's market and used it for french toast this morning. I've done this before with another local cinnamon swirl bread, but this loaf surpassed all others. It was gooey and sweet and the perfect thickness. Add a side of bacon and use the maple syrup that you helped to boil down back in the spring and all is well with the world.

Sights

Not much happening here, which is a lovely feeling. Thought that I'd share some recent sights with you instead.

A Better Day

At the end of a harder day of teaching in NYC, I used to look at my assistant teacher and tell her that tomorrow would be a better day. It was in part to boost our spirits and in part to convince her to come back the next day. Working in special ed has its very defeating days and it is on those days that you need reminding of the remarkably successful days. Yesterday was one of the first defeating days of my crafting career. As I drifted off to sleep last night, I silently reminded myself that tomorrow would be a better day.

Today has lived up to that mantra. I just needed

to regroup. And it hasn't exactly been exciting, but it has been just what I needed. A trip to the local farm for some fresh fruits and veggies. Since having company here over the 4th, I have been eating like crap. Today, I took full advantage of using my fresh ingredients and spent a couple of hours cooking. I love how I feel when I am prepping meals and really investing in the food that I am putting in to my body. Especially after sustaining on french fries and fried food this last week. While cooking, I caught up on my favorite Sunday morning news shows and listened to a favorite political podcast. And after this, I look forward to sitting on the porch reading Maine Magazine. Have you read this magazine? It is gorgeous. Stunning really. It is filled amazing photographs of the Maine I want to live in.

Replenish

Today didn't go as planned and I am ok with it. When drifting off to sleep last night, I made a mental list of things I wanted to get done today; my first day of vacation. Things that involved emptying the dishwasher, cleaning the living room, making my bed, mopping the bathroom floor, and hopefully go strawberry picking. Things that I have completely overlooked over the last two weeks of school. And then I woke up. At 10:30. TEN-THIRTY! I don't sleep until 10:30. If I sleep in, I sleep until 7:00, maybe 7:30. But that wasn't the case today. So, my plans went out the window. I was so befuddled by waking up so late that I wasn't sure whether or not to eat breakfast or lunch.

As a result, I threw my

plans out the window. I ate some lunchfast, lingered over coffee, went to the library, and instead of picking strawberries I stopped by a local farm and picked up a quart of strawberries that someone else picked.

It's still early in the day, but I am fairly certain that the dishwasher isn't going to get emptied before bedtime.

As a side note, I am making quick progress on one of the baby sweaters that is in the

que. Remind me to tell you the story about this great yarn.

Farmer's Market

Last Thursday our local Farmer's Market started up again! Today I took a few photos of the goings on....

Golden Maple Syrup

Roving blankets from Riverslea Farm

Handmade fireplace brooms

The crew team from PEA.