First Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market = Success!!

I am so excited to tell you about the first ever Scottsbluff Winter Farmer Market. Can I just say that a good time was had by all??

Our first non-profit organization of the season was CAPWN.

Community Action Partnership of Western Nebraska is a Community Action Partnership and member of a national network of over 1,000 community action agencies across America. CAPWN is a non-profit community based health and human services organization that serves low-income, disadvantaged, and those unable to meet their needs through other sources. Check out their website for more information.

The Winter Market held a food drive for CAPWN's food pantry and collected several non-perishable food items along with $136.60 in cash donations! Everyone who donated food to the food drive or gave $1 got their name entered into a drawing for a gift basket compiled of goodies from all the vendors. I think the gift basket was valued around $200. Wow! Elaine Hays of Scottsbluff was the lucky winner! She was ecstatic that she won. It was so much fun delivering the basket to her. She said she had never won anything before in her life.

A BIG thank you goes out to Christina Armstrong of Beeloved Jam who helped with the raffle table along with several students from Morrill High School who volunteered their time to help with the market. Those who gave of their Saturday afternoon were Carlie Sinks, Skyler Manville, Marcus Vacock, Alexis Reynoso, Athena Tarin and Megan Fish. They helped at the raffle table and also helped the vendors carry stuff in to the market and then back out when it was closing time. Many hands make light work! Alexis and Carlie did face painting for a free will donation and all proceeds went to the CAPWN Food Drive. Thanks guys, you did a fantastic job!

Christina Armstrong (Beeloved Jam) and
Skyler Manville (Morrill High School National Honor Society)
manning the raffle booth.
There is the gift basket Elaine won!

Alexius Reynoso painting Tessa Brunner's Face

Alexius, you work just like Dan the Man, with your tongue out!
Dan the Man does that all the time and so does his sisters.
Must be a family trait or something.
Does anyone else in your family do that Alexius?
Maybe I should do a study on that...

Cutie~pie Tessa Brunner showing her true colors. GO BIG RED!
Megan Fish in the background helping with the raffle table.

Marcus Vacock (Morrill High School) sporting a bullet hole painted
by one of the girls doing the face painting.
These kids got bored at times do to the small number of children who
actually came to the market.

Laura's Herbal Apothecary
Can I say that I simply adore the Peppermint Hand Lotion!
mmmmm, smells so fresh and light!

Another sale at the Victory Hill Farm booth!

Bob and Judy Sharp selling Bob's hot rub!
Which by the way, makes a most excellent stocking stuffer
for anyone who likes spicy foods!

Heidi Robertus selling some of her delicious baked goods.
There is one of her signature pumpkin roll cakes in the front.

Sue Maxey and her co-worker at the
Diabetes Care Center @ RWPC information booth.
Did you know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month?


Tina Meier and a couple of boys from the Bluffs Middle School 8th Grade Class
They were having a bake sale to raise money for their class trip to Washington D.C.
(Sorry I didn't get your name boys!)

A Big THANK YOU to everyone who helped support their bake sale.
I think they sold everything except for a couple half dozen cookies!

Nathaniel McGowan manning Ernie Griffiths' booth.
Ernie is the honey guy!



Vicki Brunner of Vic's Festive Expressions and her kid-os!
Check out Vicki's personalized gifts.
I'm thinkin' very unique Christmas presents!

Various personalized candy bars Vicki makes.
Anyone getting married? Look at the wedding one! Ooo la, la!

Adorable Christmas baskets from Vicki.

More from Vicki, what a GREAT idea!

Melanie West from MWest Designs.
Melaine makes beautiful high quality rag rugs...

... and unique tin art.
Love these crosses with antique button embellishments!

Connie and Carolyn Driver of Blue Heeler Glass.
You have got to check out Carolyn's uniquely handmade glass beads.
They are beautiful. I've never seen any like them before.
Connie was also selling some of her art work. This girl is overflowing with talent. She is such a delightful young lady. I truly adore her!

Here's Dan the CSA Man of the Mitchell Valley Farm.
Dan had some great produce!


Beth Everett, who also had some great produce.
Have you tried her squash? It's soooo good!
And be sure to pick up one of her free seed catalogs!

Jane Sedman of Mamma Jane's Artisan Breads
Jane's breads are FANTASTIC!
She sold out as usual! Better get to her booth fast if you want some!

Mary & Mike Armstrong of Creative Bubbles

That's my Aunt Kitty talking with Mary.
My Aunt Kitty and Uncle Dexter came to visit for the weekend
and Aunt Kitty, bless her little pea pickin' heart, helped
Dan the Man and me with the farmers market.
AND... Aunt Kitty bought something from every single vendor.
She is quite the shopper.
Dan the Man said we went home with more stuff than we can with, hee, hee!

Some of Mary's adorable Christmas baskets!

And last but certainly not least,
The Green Valley Homesteaders

Bill Snocker

Wynne Buehler

John Jessup

Okay people... if you enjoyed their music,
please let them know by leaving them a tip.
The Green Valley Homesteaders are playing at the Winter Market
solely for tips!
Thanks guys, you are great!

Here is what Kim Grams had to say about the
Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market on Facebook!

"The first one was fantastic. I can't wait for Saturday. BTW, I LOVED the music you had ... nice and festive (but not so obtrusive that I couldn't think or ask questions of vendors)."

Kim Also posted:

"The ScottsbluffWinter FarmersMarket was AWESOME!! I got cheese and meat and herbal stuff for our immune systems. Plus info on some personalized chocolates to order for upcoming events. Yay!"

And Jennifer Reisig, bless her heart posted this:

"I was so excited about the ScottsbluffWinter FarmersMarket, I showed up 2.5 hours early, thinking I was late & had probably missed all the good stuff. It's not until 1-4pm today at the Hampton Inn. A farmers market in the afternoon...now I'm even more excited!"

Next market is November 27th, 1-4pm Hampton Inn Conference Center.
Christina Armstrong has been busy setting up a toy drive for Toys for Tots. Bring a new unwrapped toy or cash donation for the toy drive and your name will be entered into a drawing for a gift basket full of goodies from the vendors.




Hope to see you all there!

Goat Cheese Girl and Country Chicken Girl Get Mooned!

Me, Sarah Pinet and Kevin Mooney

On Friday morning, November 5th, Sarah Pinet, the goat cheese girl and my self did a live interview with Kevin Mooney on KNEB Radio to promote the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market. A BIG thank you goes out to "Mr. Hot Stuff" aka Bob Sharp, one of the vendors who made the connection for us!

Sarah is a bit of a goof like me and I told her that if she wore her Shrek ears I would wear my Groucho Marx glasses. So we show up at the radio station at 7:30 am sporting our most becoming look! Before the interview we chatted a little with Kevin and waited for our turn to go on the air. As the time got closer, I got a little more nervous. I really didn't want to sound like a goof, even though I looked like one.

Just a couple of goofs who know how to have fun!

I could feel a huge lump forming in the back of my throat as we entered the sound booth. Egads, what was I doing? I made sure to come prepared and brought notes so I wouldn't just sit there and say uhh, uhhh, uhhh. We took our seats and the next thing I knew Kevin was introducing us LIVE, ON THE AIR!

Wait, wait, wait... I wasn't ready....

Kevin said something like this...

Kevin: This morning we are going to talk about the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market and with me this morning I have Kathi Manville of the Hampton Inn and Sarah Pinet who is one of the vendors. So Kathi, could you tell us how this all came about?

Meanwhile, Sarah is shaking her head thinking... "oh no, Kevin just made a big boo-boo!"

I am frantically trying to decide how I am going to correct this little mistake without sounding like a doof! "Kathi Manville of the Hampton Inn..." egads, how did that come about?

All the sudden the heat is on me and my heart and head are racing a thousand beats per minutes. Sarah looks at me and gives me a "good luck chuck" look with her Shrek ears on.

Kathi: Well Kevin, I have to correct you by stating that I am not with the Hampton Inn, but instead I am with the Open A Bar 2 Ranch, another vendor who will be participating in the winter market. (BIG GULP! Air, I need AIR! Help I can't breathe!)

Kevin: My apologizes to you, so tell us how this all came about?

Whew, nice recovery Kevin, now we could move on and move on we did.

Uhhh.... One problem... I hadn't rehearsed that question in my head. Good thing that I had already been presented with that question by Katie Bradshaw when she interviewed me for the Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Oh, you didn't see that? Well, here is the link:

Farmer’s market heads indoors for winter

So on goes the interview... I felt like I had a mouth full of bubblegum the size of Texas and also like I had an elephant sitting in my lap. When the first break came and we went to a commercial, I panted like a fish out of water gasping for air! Geez, this was crazy. What did I even say? I prayed to God and asked Him to help me though the next set of questions. Sarah sat there as calm as a june-bug with her little Shrek ears on. I had to take off my Groucho Marx glasses because they kept falling off and the mustache was tickling my upper lip.

The commercial break was over in the blink of an eye, I think it was for a mortuary and I was thinking that I could very well be their next customer if I didn't get my heart under control. I was thinking of the headline... Country Chicken Girl has a heart attack doing morning radio interview.

I'm not sure what all we talked about, but I know I was talking about all the vendors who were going to be there. I felt like I had been talking for an hour and wasn't sure if I should wrap it up or what? So I started to wrap things up before I had a chance to talk about all the vendors. Then I felt bad because I didn't mention every one. I guess we had a little more time because Kevin said something like, "I see you have a few more vendors coming..." which allowed me to talk about a few more.

As I was talking about the vendors I was reading from a list I had written. All of the sudden I was faced with a gosh darn word I can never pronounce... APOTHECARY. Dang, I knew I couldn't say it and I was kicking myself for not practicing it before I left the house and all the way to the radio station in the car. Now I was going to sound like a doof for sure. But never fear... for Sarah was there... and she calmly spouted forth the word for me. APOTHECARY eloquently rolled off her tongue like a beautiful rose in full bloom. Thank you Sarah!

After the interview Kevin presented us with cool coffee mugs that say "Have you been Mooned on KNEB?" Why yes, we have!!

Country Chicken Girl and Goat Cheese Girl

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 3

I've fallen a little behind on my vendor profiles so I thought I'd better get in gear and do some more.

Here are some more of the vendors who are signed up for
the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market.

Don't know what I'm talking about?
Catch up on what's happening on the links below.

Announcing the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 1

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 2

Meet Vicki Brunner of Vic's Festive Expressions.

Vicki and her daughter, Tessa.

Vicki makes personalized candy bar wrappers which are perfect for stocking stuffers or secret santa gifts. What a great idea! She also makes candy bouquets, gift baskets and seasonal crafts. Vicki can also personalize water bottles for any special event. She has a gazillion great ideas for a number of personalized projects. Stop by her booth and check it out. I am sure you will find the perfect gift for someone on your Christmas list!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meet Robin Wescher of Rockin' Robin Creations.

"He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song..."

I love that song! Can't help but tap my toes just thinking about it! Hee, hee! I'll think of the song now every time I see Robin!

Robin will be selling her handmade warm and cozy fleece blankets, throws and pillows. She also creates beautiful fabric bound photo albums and journals perfect for your treasured family memories. You need to check out her line of hand make greeting cards as well.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meet Margie Murphy of Heirloom Recipes. Margie is from Torrington and is very excited to be a part of the Scottsbluff Winter Market. Let's pray for good weather on the market days so Margie and the other out of town vendors don't have problems getting to market!

Margie is planning on bringing caramel sticky rolls, cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls, banana bread, pumpkin bread and cranberry-orange bread. Margie will also take orders for cheesecakes! Nothing is better than a homemade cheesecake, seriously!

Stock up on some of Margie's sweets, put them in the freezer and you will not have to bake for the holidays!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I must include the Green Valley Homesteaders as well even though they aren't really a vendor, but in a way you could say they are. Wynne Buehler, Bill Snocker and John Jessup filled the market with toe tappin', hand slappin' music at the first market on November 6th.

Bill Snocker, Wynne Buehler and John Jessup

I contacted Wynne about playing at a few of the markets and told him about my dismal entertainment budget ($0) and he said they'd be happy to play at the Market at no cost to us, but would play solely for tips. How cool is that? So if you really like having them there at the market, please, please, please let them know and support them with your generous tips! All tips generously given are graciously received!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's the market dates for the season!

Wednesday Morning Inspiration: November 10, 2010

Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have carved you on the palms of my hands."


Wow, what a truth to contemplate!

A Bird in the Hand is Better Than Two in the Bush

One of my cats, Squeakers, is the worlds best bird hunter. I hate to think about how many birds lose their lives prematurely because of this keen hunting machine. Squeaks is the smallest of all our cats and the most agile. She loves to share her "catches" with us and is constantly bringing LIVE birds into the house through the dog door. Upon entering the house she releases the birds and they fly around and she chases them until Dan the Man or myself finally catch them and release them back outdoors.

This little guy was Squeakers catch of the day this morning. After I caught him and photographed him, he flew away unharmed. I'm sure he flew far, far away, hoping to never have to go though that ordeal again!

Click on the photo for a full screen view, the details are incredible, especially his feathers. And see the little twinkle in his eye, that's not post processed in by the way. Click on your browsers back button to return to the blog.

Holding the little guy in my hand made me think of the saying "A Bird in the Hand is Better Than Two in the Bush."

So I googled the phrase and found this at WiseGeek.com. Thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you.

According to WiseGeek.com:

“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” also sometimes given as, “A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush,” is a proverb saying that it is better to stick with something you already have, rather than pursuing something you may never get. This proverb is a very popular warning, widely used in many English-speaking countries.

The basic warning of “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” is that you must take care not to get too greedy in life. If you are holding a bird in the hand, you have your meal for the evening. You can take that one bird, and be well fed. If instead you let it go to pursue two birds you’ve spied in a bush, you may catch neither, and wind up hungry for the night. This proverb points out that by passing up a sure thing for a more promising possibility, you also run the risk of losing both the sure thing and the promising possibility.

Squeakers, the bird hunter

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 2

Here are some of the vendors who are signed up for
the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market.

Don't know what I'm talking about?
Catch up on what's happening on the links below.

Announcing the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 1



And now for some new faces...

Meet Laura Whelchel of Laura's Herbal Apothecary
Click here to check out her great website

Laura is from Harrisburg and will be offering 100% goat milk soap, lotion, body butter, lip balm, FUDGE, herbal tinctures, organic soap nuts, handcrafted face clothes and wooden soap holders.

Laura is new to the Scottsbluff Farmer's Market and we are excited to welcome her aboard!

Read more about Laura on her website.
Who We Are - Laura's Herbal Apothecary


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Meet Chuck & Carolyn Driver of Blue Heeler Glass
Click here to check out their website

Chuck & Carolyn along with their daughter Connie, are regular vendors at the Morrill Farmers Market. They have some of the most beautiful and truly unique glass beads I have ever seen. What a talented family the three of them are. They will be offering their beautiful handmade art glass lampwork beads along with home made breads. Insider tip: the bread is often still hot from the oven!! If I close my eyes and think back to the Morrill market, I can smell Carolyn's bread!

You can also check out their beads at their Esty Shop
Beautifully simple components by bluhealer on Esty



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Meet Melanie West of MWestDesigns

Melanie is from Lisco and will be offering handcrafted rag rugs and and unique tin art. Melanie is also new to the Scottsbluff Farmers Market and we are very excited to see her wares!

You can check out Melanie's unique rag rugs and tin art on her Esty store.

Melaine also has a blog, MWestDesigns.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~




Meet Leanne Knox of Lyman. Leanne is also a newbie to the farmers markets. Leanne has participated in many craft fairs in the past, but after giving the craft show thing a break, she is ready to start selling her wares again and is excited to be participating the Winter Farmers Market.

Leanne will be offering handcrafted dolls, kitchen items and various crafts along with handcrafted furniture. Leanne also is a wonderful baker and will be offering various homemade goodies such as PIES, cakes, caramel apples, fudge, BUTTERBALLS, breads and cookies.

I have eaten many of Leanne's dishes and can personally testify that she is a wonderful cook!!!



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



You know, I haven't even mentioned that we are a vendor.


So... meet Dan & Kathi Manville of the Open A Bar 2 Ranch.
Yes, Dan the Man is actually going to work the Winter Market! (hee, hee)
They will be offering their all-natural beef, farm fresh eggs, baked goods (have you tried Kathi's "Death by Chocolate Cake" or the "Darn Good Chocolate Cake"?) along with some of Kathi's Primitive Folk Art.

Check out their website
Open A Bar 2 Ranch, LLC

and Kathi's Store on Ebay
(which desperately needs some more goods in it!)
Sassy Cat Folk Art Studio
or this link for some pictures of Kathi's previous work
Some of Kathi's Folk Art


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Did you know that the Winter Market is on Facebook?
User name: ScottsbluffWinter FarmersMarket
Become a friend to keep posted on market happenings!



Well, that's all I have time for now. I have to make two cakes for the computer club for Skyler. He always volunteers me to make the desserts, at least he has faith in me in that department, other wise, according to his thinking, I am so misinformed on the ways of the world! hee, hee. Typical teenage boy...

Oh Skyler also said that "the only thing the computer club does is meet in the computer room and that is why they are the computer club." The club has nothing to do with computers? I wonder what exactly it is that they do then? Do they just meet every once in a while so they can have an excuse for me to make dessert for them??? Hmmm...

Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market, Meet the Vendors, Part 1

Here are some of the vendors who are signed up for the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Catch up on what's happening on the link below.

Announcing the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market

Click here to read more about Sarah and the Victory Hill Farm.

Click here to read more about Styria Bakery.

Bob Sharp and his Outrageous Spice Rub
Surface of the Sun (SOS)

Judy Meter & Heidi Robertus
These Ladies know how to bake some delicious treats!


Read about Bob, Judy & Heidi in this previous post.
They are both summer market vendors.

Bob Sharp and Judy Meter & Heidi Robertus



Christina Armstrong Beeloved Jam

Read about Christina in this post
Christina Armstrong and her Beeloved Jam!

Mary & Mike Armstrong
Creative Bubbles

Read about Mike & Mary here
Mary Armstrong and her Creative Bubbles

Jane Sedman
Mamma Jane's Artisan Breads

Click here to read more about Jane in this post.

Ernest Griffiths
E Bee Honey

Click here to read more about Ernie in this post.

There are even MORE vendors
but I need to take a break...

to be continued.