Bountiful Baskets: Here at last

You may have heard of Bountiful Baskets food co-op before.  I first learned about it last year from my good friend Dani Dooley.  At that time, the closest pick up was in Lacey, WA.  That was a little too far away to make it worthwhile for me.  Recently, another friend started up a branch in our town.  I was so excited that I signed up immediately.  

It works like this:  You sign up for a free account on the website: www.bountifulbaskets.org, then follow the directions to place an order for your town on Monday or Tuesday.  The co-op then pools the money (about $15 per basket) to buy (mostly) local fruits and veggies, then volunteers (sometimes you) distribute them to other co-op members at a designated place and time.

I think this is a wonderful program.  The savings are substantial, and we think it's exciting to see what shows up in our basket each week.  Here's what we got this week:

2 apple-pears

7 large bananas

2# broccoli

1-1/2# carrots

7 ears white corn

4 red bell peppers

1 head of green leaf lettuce

3# new potatoes

7 limes

7 gala apples

2# red seedless grapes

7 large red plums

1 pomegranate

If I were to buy this basket of groceries at the supermarket, in season and on super sale, I would have paid approximately $25.00.  The food is fresh, the savings are great, and I like the idea that there are always things in the basket that are not on my standard list.  Since I refuse to let anything go to waste, I am forced to try new things and expand my family's fresh food palette.

Check the website to see if it has come to a town near you.  I think you'll be glad you did!

Christmas Party!

We went to several Christmas parties this year, but my favorite one was the Ward party at our church.  I swore off mall Santas several years ago after deciding it's not worth waiting in line for 2-1/2 hours with cranky kids, only to find, when we finally get our turn, that they gouge you on the picture prices, and Santa doesn't really have time to listen to what your kids want for Christmas (why else would they have waited so long to talk to you?  Do you think THEY care about the pictures??).  They just snap the picture and herd them through as fast as possible.  No, thank you!

It may be less formal, but I sure do enjoy the atmosphere of the "church Santa" so much more than the mall version.  It is WAY more memorable for my kids, and I am allowed to stand close enough to hear what they are asking Santa for.....(Just because I like to know).  Plus, I always know who's lap my kids are really sitting on, and that's a comfort to me!

Aren't they cute?  Another great thing about the church party this year is that Tom cooked all the food, and he did such a great job!  We had pork loin and roasted baby red potatoes, along with a yummy veggie medley, salad, and freshly baked rolls (Those were ordered in).  Everyone raved about the food.  It made me so proud of him.  He's still got it!

I didn't get a very good picture of Mikey this time, so I'm hoping my friend Dani got a better one, since she was taking pictures of all the kids on Santa's lap that night.  If she did, I'll try to update this.  Danny sat on Santa's lap, but didn't want me to take a picture of it, so I can't post it.  Teenagers are strange that way, aren't they?  Not too old to sit with Santa, but too old for anybody to have proof of it!!