CSA Sign Up March 4, 2010

Hi all!

For those that have been hosted at my house in the spring, summer or fall- you know that for the past few years I have subscribed to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Share from a local farm.  Farmers in our area sell their produce, eggs, meat, soap, or whatever they feel like raising/growing/making directly to consumers through a “share” program.  There are so many benefits- fresher produce, organically grown, not extensively processed/packaged, and has not travelled long distances/used the gas or other resources to cover multiple states or even countries.

I’m very excited that the time is here to sign up.  This means my fresh, local, farm-raised box will be arriving on my doorstep in a couple of months.  Typically, June brings really good salad greens and light, sweet herbs and veggies.  Yum!  I love surprises and this way it feels like I get a fun gift each week.

I chose to subscribe to a farm that delivers a box directly to my house.  I leave a cooler on my front porch that is big enough to support the bushel box.  It comes with beans, veggies, squash, salads, and all sorts of other things that I sometimes don’t even know how to use.  But I always figure it out- between recipe searches on the internet and the St. Paul Farmers Market cookbook (thanks to Sweet Diane and the Healy’s for a great wedding gift!)

I’m especially looking forward to cooking lunches for my new clients that include this farm-fresh produce, meat and eggs.  I’m sure that if I get vegetables I am not familiar with, that my clients probably have never eaten it and will be expanding their palates.  I can’t wait!

If you’re interested in researching CSA’s- here is a link I have used to find farms in the past.  http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html

Need an Upper? March 1, 2010

The best $20 I ever spent!

Thanks to my friend Sheila, who recommended this to me, a couple of years ago I bought this book:

I’ll be honest, after the book arrived, it sat around collecting dust as I contemplated my next move.  I finally “rediscovered” it on a cleaning jag one day and had some time to kill, so I logged into the online Strengths Finder test and completed it.

What came next was a big gift.  The test results spit out a report telling me the top 5 things I’m good at, suggested uses of my talents, descriptions of how I operate best that I could totally relate to!  It was so reaffirming and a very positive experience.

Over the past couple years, I’ve pulled the book out often.  My book has stickers representing my 5 strengths affixed to the front cover, so I needn’t rely on my memory to refer to them at a moment’s notice.  My strengths have become a central theme in my work with my coach, and a beacon for me as I strike out on my own and find my niche- the perfect work that utilizes my strengths to the fullest!

If you’re looking for a cheap upper that may just give your glasses a new sheen with which to look out into your world, I highly recommend getting in touch with what you’re AWESOME at!  You may just find yourself using them more often and reaping the rewards that come from those positive experiences!

And, if you take me up on this challenge— please let me know what your strengths are (add a comment or send me an email)- I’d love to compare notes and I’m looking for some opposite-strength partners right now!