Category: 30 Days of Thanksgiving

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 20: Parents

CarolynCares Parents

Today would have been Mom and Dad’s 42nd Anniversary. My dad passed away just shy of his 70th birthday in 2004 after many health issues. I miss him – especially when I could use some advice on how to fix something. I would go bug Dad when he was working in his wood shop, and he taught me the names of all the tools for wood working and for fixing things. That really came in handy when I moved to the farm!

Mom is my second mom. My first mom passed away shortly after I turned 2. My second mom is the only mom I’ve know. I remember when she and dad were dating, how excited I was that I got to stay over at her apartment. I was happy when dad told us that they were going to get married. They married shortly after I turned 4. I remember being at the church, and wearing a pretty dress with little gloves, and really pretty shoes. I loved those shoes.

I am so thankful that my Dad found Mom, and that she was willing to raise us 4 kids. It isn’t easy to jump into a big family! When Jonathan and I were taking Foster Parenting classes this fall, I realized just how difficult that is. I have many fond memories of my childhood. Fighting over who got to hold our baby brother, skating on the ice rink dad made in the back yard, the Birthday cake platter (and getting to choose what kind of cake we wanted), and Christmas traditions that I brought into my own family.

I am thankful that Mom taught me how to cook and bake. She taught me how to make white sauces and gravy when I was in junior high, and caramel rolls and desserts in high school. I still love to cook and bake today, and I love the challenge of finding new ways to do things. I am still amazed by Mom’s ability to make a perfect pie crust without measuring any ingredient, and I have yet to make a lemon filling that is even close to her lemon meringue pie. I’m not sure if I should credit her, or blame her for my love of cookbooks. Love you, Mom! 🙂

I know we don’t express our appreciation for our families nearly enough, so I would like to take this opportunity to tell my mom and siblings how thankful I am for all of you!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 19: Baseball

CarolynCares Baseball

Baseball. America’s pastime. I enjoy watching and listening to sports, but I love when spring training starts, and Twins Baseball is on the air! Even better than listening to them while in the tractor or combine, is seeing them play at Target Field!

The first time I played softball was in 7th grade. I went out for our Jr High team. I had a fairly decent arm, and could run, so I was an outfielder. I loved learning the game, and practicing. Game days, I was always a bundle of nerves. Since I hadn’t played softball prior to 7th grade, I really didn’t know the “proper” way to throw a ball. I threw it sidearm, which got the ball to the target faster, and more accurately. It also caused a pretty nasty case of tendonitis in my elbow. I didn’t play in high school for our team, but I did play church league softball. Those were fun times! I was able to play outfield with my older sister, which is the only time we have been able to play on a team together. We look a lot alike, and often times we would accidentally dress alike for games. Same socks, same shorts, same hairstyle. Used to drive our coach crazy at times.

I attended a small Bible college in the Twin Cities for a year. I was a walk-on, and played college softball. Since my arm wasn’t totally healed (how can you expect me to totally rest my dominate arm?), I mostly was a DH or subbed in the outfield. That would have to be my best college experience. We won our division that year, and the girls got to play in the national tournament. They couldn’t take the whole team, so a couple of us volunteered to stay back since we were bench players. I didn’t mind too much. I lettered anyway.

I am so thankful for the lessons I learned from baseball and softball. I may have had a small part to play in the success of my college team, but as Babe Ruth said in the quote above, “the way a team plays as a whole determines it’s success.” You can be a bench player and have an impact on the success of the team. You can be a starter and have an impact on the success of the team. I think about those lessons when I’m in a meeting with people from varying backgrounds. Some may feel like they don’t have much to contribute, that they are only a bench player, so they keep quiet. Good teammates and coaches work to make everyone feel like they are valuable members of the team. I hope to always be a good teammate.

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 18: Social Media

CarolynCares Social Media

Facebook. Twitter. Blogging. Instagram. Pinterest. Snap Chat. Skype. These are all platforms I use to keep in contact with family and friends all over the world. I am thankful that I can share Facebook messages with family members who live in Mongolia, Italy, and Malaysia. They don’t seem quite so far away when you can communicate almost instantaneously.

Through Twitter, I have met many farmers from the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some I have met in person, some I will meet eventually, and others will only be an online friendship. I have also learned about opportunities to give back, like #foodthanks, where we are encouraged to give Food Thanks this Thanksgiving season. Follow the link to see how you can get involved. I plan on donating a bag of food to our school. They distribute food to needy children every Friday so the kids will have something to eat over the weekend.

You all know how I feel about blogging… 🙂 As much as I love to talk, and to write, this challenge has been…challenging. It really makes me think about why I am thankful for everything I am focusing on. Truth be told, there have been a few things that I had on my list that moved way down on the importance list. After contemplating them, I realized those things were just little things. I may still be thankful for them, but I didn’t want to focus on them this month.

I’m not a super regular Pinner on Pinterest, and I mainly have recipes or food related things there. It is a handy place to keep my online recipes when I’m making larger dinners. I hope to add a few more non-food boards this winter, some photography related, and some farm related.

Snap Chat is reserved for communicating with my daughters. Sometimes it is a series of goofy faces, or it may be a “does this look okay together” question. Yes, I ask my youngest daughter clothes questions all the time. She has a great eye, and she knows my style better than I do.

I really haven’t used Skype much in the last year. When Jonathan and Laura were in Tanzania, we would communicate through Skype, but it was voice only. Skype is nice to see family members in real time at Christmas. I’m hoping we’ll be able to see my brother’s family in Italy, and our German exchange daughter over the holidays.

I am a horrible letter writer, and I’m really bad at sending birthday cards, so I am thankful for the ability to keep in contact with family and friends so easily through social media!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 17: Bonfires

CarolynCares Bonfire

Bonfires in the summer are fun. Bonfires in the fall, when the air turns cool, are awesome. We like to have fires in the summer, roast marshmallows, and eat s’mores.  It usually signals a small break in the action on the farm.

In October, the high school youth group from our church gets together for a hayride and bonfire. We welcome in the fall by roasting hot dogs, and marshmallows over an open fire. We huddle around cups of hot chocolate, and eat s’mores while having devotions or talking about the year ahead. It is a time of fellowship, shared around the warmth of a fire.

Sometimes, we need to get together with fellow believers, fellow farmers, friends, family. It is when we spend time together with others like ourselves that we become a brighter flame, able to warm up those around us. I will be traveling to meetings starting this next week, where I will have the opportunity to hang out with people who will help to spread the warmth of agriculture. The first meeting will be with the Organic Advisory Task Force, where members of many sectors of organics will work towards a common goal of advising the Commissioner of Agriculture, and the University of Minnesota on the issues surrounding organic agriculture. The second meeting will be the Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, where I have the privilege of being a voting delegate for my county. I always feel excited about farming, and about what we’re doing on our farm when I get together with these groups. The many ideas, and the fellowship help to ignite the fires in the members. We may all be individuals, but it is totally awesome to see what can happen when we all come together as one.

What ignites the fire in you? Who do you like to hang out with around a bonfire?

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 16: Laura

CarolynCares Laura

Laura is the youngest of our daughters. She is in her second year of college, living in the same town as her sisters, which is awesome!

Laura was pretty much born with a smile on her face. She was a little stinker, but then would look at us with her huge blue eyes as if to say, “who, me?” Before she could walk, she would tackle her sisters to get their attention. While we had to be firm with her, there were many times when we were secretly laughing at her antics. When she was about 18 months old, I was working in the kitchen while the girls were playing in their rooms. One of her sisters came to me and said that Laura was being naughty. Suddenly, I caught a whiff of Desitin, a diaper rash cream. When I walked into Laura’s room, there she was, stripped down to her diaper, rubbing this cream all over her body, and in between her toes. For those of you that have never used a diaper rash cream, this stuff is pretty difficult to just wash off. It is made to repel liquids. It took a few baths to clean her up. We had to scrub the tub in between baths, otherwise it would be super slippery. That was one time where we had to be firm, yet were laughing when she was out of earshot.

Laura covered in Desitin - even between the toes
Laura covered in Desitin – even between the toes

I really wouldn’t trade any of these moments for anything. I like to tease the girls that they are the cause of my gray hair, but really, they were pretty sweet girls growing up.

Laura has such a compassionate heart, and really hates when people judge others based on appearance. She is very protective of her oldest sister, and her dad, and gets really annoyed when people judge them because of the limps they have due to their MS.

Now that Laura is in college, we like to get together to shop. Well, we’ve always liked to shop together. She is so fun to hang out with. I look forward to trips to the Twin Cities with her. She has a good eye for style, and is a great bargain hunter. Days when we can laugh, and forget about the stresses of life are the best days.

There are times when I wish Laura was still little enough to crawl up onto my lap, but I am so thankful for the woman she is becoming. I love you, baby girl!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 15: Pongo

CarolynCares Pongo

Pongo is our Rat Terrier. We got him as a puppy, for a two week trial period…four years ago. For our daughter Laura and I, it was pretty much love at first sight.

I got my first pet shortly after Jonathan and I were married. She was a beautiful shade of gray, so I named her Smokey. That was when we found out I have asthma, and that I’m very allergic to cats. After a trip to the ER, and a shot of adrenaline, Smokey became an outside cat.

We’ve had a few dogs in the 25 years that we’ve been married. I still miss my first dog – a Border Collie that would climb trees to fetch her favorite stick, or climb ladders if we were working in the barn loft.

Pongo is the smallest dog we’ve owned, and by far the cuddliest. He is also the first dog that has been allowed in the house for more than an hour at a time. He likes to jump up on my lap when I’m sitting at the computer, which really makes it difficult to type! We trained him early on that barking in the house is not allowed. He will whine and run to the door when he sees a squirrel outside, then start barking as soon as he’s out the door. He’s a very good farm dog as well. True to his breed, he catches and kills mice around the grain bins when he finds them. Fortunately, he doesn’t bring them up to the house like the cats do!

I am thankful that our friends asked us to take Pongo for that two week trial. No matter how bad I think my day may be going, he is always happy to see me in the morning, and he never loses his enthusiasm. Some days it would be nice to forget all your cares, run around the yard at top speed, then take a nap. Sweet is the life of a dog…

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 14: Sunsets

CarolynCares Sunsets

One of the things I love about living where I do are the wide open views. I love to run out to the edge of the yard and watch the brilliant colors as they constantly change while the sun is sinking. This fall, there have been breathtaking sunsets, where I’ve paused just to drink it all in.

Some think that it is cliche to take photos of sunrises and sunsets, but I disagree. Our goddaughter’s Chinese name meant Beautiful Colors in the Sky. Her favorite colors were purple and pink. After she was killed in a bus accident, I think about her every time the sunset is full of purples and pinks. Sometimes I take photos of those sunsets, and other times I just pause and watch. I think some professional photographers forget that some of us find inspiration and joy in sunsets. It is not cliche if it means something to you.

I am thankful for beautiful sunsets that make me pause, and appreciate the painting God is putting on display for us.

I know I may be biased that my Minnesota sunsets are the best, but I have a couple of friends from North Dakota who would beg to differ! Head over to [j.l.d.] photograph blog to see her sunsets, then check out the Pinke Post for more.

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 13: Baking

CarolynCares Baking

I love baking, and I’m so thankful for that talent! I used to save the heavy baking for the holidays, but this year, I tried something new. Starting at the beginning of July, I was a vendor at the brand new Central Park Market in our town. It is a farmer’s market with the usual produce stands, along with baked goods, jams & jellies, home decor, a meal served by a non-profit group, and live music. All baked goods sold at the farmers market need to be made from scratch. I loved the challenge of baking four dozen caramel rolls at a time, and trying different scone and pound cake recipes. Baking became my therapy. If my day started out rough, or I woke up feeling grumpy, I would just start baking. By the time I was done, my mood would be considerably better. There were times when I was running behind (I really think that is a gene I inherited from my Grandma – she was late to pretty much everything), and stressed myself out with how long packaging was taking, but by the end of the night, all that was forgotten. It’s pretty impossible to stay grumpy or frazzled when you are in the midst of a festive atmosphere!

The Market ended in early October, and to be honest, I haven’t done much baking beside the caramel rolls that go to Jonathan’s Sunday School class every week. That may have more to do with harvest happening than with being tired of baking. I have been planning out what types of cookies I want to make for Christmas, and contemplating what goodies I should make for Thanksgiving weekend. Our oldest daughter is bringing home a boy to meet the family over Thanksgiving. We will also be celebrating her birthday, which falls on Thanksgiving day this year. When that happens, we sometimes replace the traditional pies with birthday cake, or a dessert of her choice. Just thinking about the dessert possibilities is making me happy!

During the Advent season this year, I plan on baking treats to give to some of the older members of our congregation. Good things do come to those who bake, but better things come to those who share!

Want to read more 30 Day Challenge blogs? Head over to Holly Spangler’s blog, and check out her list of current blog challenge participants.

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 12: AgChat

AgChatFoundationLogo_RGB

Some of you may be thinking “what in the world is AgChat, and why is Carolyn thankful for that?” AgChat is the reason I joined Twitter. I have made many friends from all over the world by participating in Twitter #AgChat conversations on Tuesday evenings.

There is much more to the AgChat Foundation than just the weekly Twitter chats. In February, I attended a regional conference where I was able to meet some of the people I had been communicating with over social media. You could choose from different presentations on improving your blogging, photography, Facebook fan pages, Twitter, and more. The networking and learning sessions were great for encouraging us to tell our stories using more than one social media platform. The Portland Regional Conference is coming up, so if you live in the Pacific Northwest, I encourage you to check it out!

The AgChat Foundation also encourages us to give back when possible. Next week starts the annual #FoodThanks celebration. This year, we have been asked to show our appreciation for good food, and to those who grow it, by using the #FoodThanks hashtag while sharing photos of food or recipes online. I plan on pledging to donate a bag of food this holiday season. For more ideas on how to share your Food Thanks this holiday season, check out the #FoodThanks website.

I am really thankful that my friend, Emily, introduced me to the AgChat Foundation. I am thankful for all of the people I have met while participating in the AgChats on Tuesdays (and #FoodChat on the 3rd Tuesday). Thanks to you all for putting up with me!

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 11: Veterans

Every day I am thankful for my freedoms, and thankful for those who have fought to keep us free.

Jonathan and I have had the privilege of visiting monuments dedicated to our military in Washington DC, and in Hawaii. Visiting those sites always leaves me in tears. I have taken photos, or pencil rubs of my uncle, Johnny Ulfers’ name on the Vietnam wall with every visit, starting in high school. The USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor is very moving. When we were there in 2012, two survivors were signing books and telling their stories to visitors.

My youngest brother is currently serving in the Army. We pray for his safety, and for his family, as they deal with the stresses of military life. My sister-in-law is retired from the Army, but is still very involved by participating in spouse support groups, and encouraging my brother. I love them all so much, and appreciate their willingness to serve.

CarolynCares Pearl Harbor

CarolynCares POW flag

CarolynCares Thank You