Tag: 30 Day Challenge

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 30: Christmas

CarolynCares Christmas

What is your favorite thing about Christmas? For me, it is the memories of Christmases past, and the wonder and excitement as we remember the miracle of Jesus’ birth. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in looking forward that we gloss over the true miracles and wonder of the first Christmas.

Some of my favorite memories are not of the gifts received, but of the traditions we had for decorating. We had one of those huge stereos that were major furniture pieces. We would play Christmas records (you know, the vinyl records that required a record player with a needle) while we put the artificial tree together, strung the lights, and placed the ornaments on the tree. When I hear certain songs, I can smell the dusty plastic of the old tree, and see exactly where it was standing in our living room. We each had the opportunity to pick an album to listen to. My favorite had to be Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians “Twas the Night Before Christmas” – the version with the Norman Rockwell cover.

When I married and had the opportunity to start my own traditions, playing music while decorating is one thing I kept from my childhood. We tried to incorporate some of the traditions from Jonathan’s side as well, such as hanging a large lighted star on the windmill. The lutefisk on Christmas Eve wasn’t one that carried over, though!  Starting new traditions with our daughters wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Not all of my ideas turned out to be great ones. It is fun to hear what they remember most about Christmases when they were younger. Everyone remembers things so differently.

Today we’ll be setting up our Christmas tree. I’ll be playing some of my favorite Christmas CD’s (still a little sad that my favorite album didn’t get remastered for CD release), and probably making a few Christmas cookies for the girls to take back to school. I am thankful for the memories made on days like this. I am also thankful for the December snows, the happy Christmas greetings shared between friends and strangers alike, and the wonder of the Christmas story.

Thank you so much for following along on my 30 Days of Thanksgiving! I’ll still be writing, but not every day. Just for fun, I’ll leave you with this…

Want to see other 30 Day Challenge blogs? Head over to Holly Spangler’s blog to find the link!

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 29: Faith

CarolynCares Faith

I am thankful for the people in my life who have nurtured my faith. My parents were great examples of how to live your faith. There were many times when things didn’t look good financially, but dad would trust and pray, and our needs would always be met. That’s not to say our wants were met, but our needs were.

In my adult life, there have been a few times when life got hard. I could have shut everyone out, and wallowed in the why us, why our family…but Jonathan gently reminded me that everything is in God’s hands. He will take care of us. I still worry, though. I will freely admit that! At the same time, I am confident that some of the good things that have come out of Anna and Jonathan’s MS diagnoses are from God. We were able to get Anna into the Mayo Clinic, and have a really good neurologist and medical team that we trust. She has done well in school, and has been an inspiration to many, even when she has had issues with her physical strength. Jonathan’s MS hasn’t kept him from being a chaperone for junior high and senior high youth gatherings, nor from going on a short term missions project in Tanzania.

I was thinking about how I wanted to write this entry when I was getting ready for the day on Wednesday. Just when I was thinking I knew how I wanted to shape it, I received a phone call from the head clinic in our clinic system. They wanted to know if I could come in at 2:00 that day to have another mammogram to check on a suspicious area that the radiologist found from the mammogram I had on Monday.  I was able to reply that I would be there, but my heart started racing. At that point, all I could do was pray. It was the only thing I could do. Then, I sent Jonathan a text, explaining what I needed to do. My company for the weekend was supposed to be arriving around 3:00, but I couldn’t concentrate enough on my to-do list to accomplish much. The appointment time rolled around, and I had a series of scans taken, as well as an ultrasound. Fortunately, it was just a cyst that will never amount to anything serious. I wanted to hug the ultrasound technician! I got home again after my family had arrived, but they didn’t mind. We had a great Thanksgiving, with even more thanks to God for good health. My prayers are stronger for those women who are fighting breast cancer.

When I moved to my new home after Jonathan and I were married, I also moved to a new church home. I was welcomed into this new family immediately, which really helped me feel a part of the community as a whole. I am thankful for the many examples of faith that I have seen in our church family. There have been many families touched by tragedies, illness, and brokenness, yet they also have been blessed with faith, hope, and love. Faith that God is walking with them, and will never leave their sides. Hope that things will be better again some day, and the love and support of an extended family of faith.

I am so thankful that when I feel weak, worried, discouraged, or fearful, I have the ability to turn to God in prayer. I am also thankful that when I feel happy, joyful, grateful, or blessed, I have the ability to give credit to God in prayer. My faith is very important to me, and I am so thankful for the people in my life who have helped, and continue to help nurture that faith.

 

Want to see other 30 Day Challenge blogs? Head over to Holly Spangler’s blog to find the link!

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 28: Anna

CarolynCares Anna

Happy Birthday, Anna! Today, on Thanksgiving Day, our oldest turns 23. When she was born, Jonathan’s mom said, “Oh, good. Being born so late in November, she won’t have to worry about celebrating her birthday on Thanksgiving Day.” Her first birthday fell on Thanksgiving that year!

Anna just finished her student teaching, and will be officially be a graduate of Augustana College. She has many interests and talents, and can’t wait to see where God leads her. We are so proud of her!

Anna’s strong faith, and positive attitude have helped to carry her through tough times. Typically, junior high girls are trying to navigate a new school schedule, boys, and hanging out with friends at football games. Anna was dealing with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, and the loss of friendships due to a misunderstanding of what it means to have MS. Her classmates weren’t always very kind to her, but that only made her push harder. She doesn’t want to be defined by this disease. She wants to be known for her sunny personality, her music, and her faith.

Hanging out with Anna is always fun. She has my sense of humor, and her dad’s sense of adventure. Jonathan and Anna have a great bond, and I love that they can have so much fun together. It doesn’t matter if it is the Alpine Slides in Keystone, SD, driving go-carts, jet skiing, or playing Rummy, they will find a way to have a good time.

I am so thankful for Anna! I am thankful for the sunshine she spreads to others, for her heart of compassion, for her stubbornness when she could have just given up. I am thankful for her friends that have seen past her limitations, especially the boy she brought home this weekend. I am thankful that her dreams are becoming her vision. Happy Birthday, sweet Anna! I love you!

Check out Anna’s blog – Smiles Squared

 

Want to see other 30 Day Challenge blogs? Head over to Holly Spangler’s blog to find the link!

30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 27: Thanksgiving

CarolynCares Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day will be here before we know it. The next 24 hours will pass in a whirlwind of cooking, cleaning, and greeting guests. Even though the day can be a little stressful with food preparations and dealing with family dynamics, I think it is important to enjoy the chaos. There are so many people in our communities who will be spending Thanksgiving alone, and many who cannot afford to prepare a full meal.

This year, I was able to donate a bag of food to our school for a program that was started this year. There are about 9 homeless families in our school district. All of the food donated gets sent home to students in need on the last day of school for the week. The food is put in their lockers discretely, to save them from embarrassment or ridicule. This weekend, extra food was sent home to make sure these children would have something to eat over the holiday weekend. This program is helped out by our local Wal-Mart, but in December, our local school families will be encouraged to donate as well. I applaud the teacher who started this program, and I really hope the community will support it by donating money or food to the school. As the prayer says in the graphic above, “For food and raiment Thou dost give, That we in comfort here may live.” I really believe that God works through communities to be his cheerful givers. I am thankful that I was prompted to donate through #FoodThanks. I never would have found out about this program otherwise. I plan on donating at other times during the school year as well.

As for our Thanksgiving plans? We’ll be hosting Thanksgiving this year. All of the family (my side and Jonathan’s side) that live in Minnesota will be there. We’ll have one nervous person at the table this year. Anna is bringing home her boyfriend. He’ll be meeting most of the family on Thursday. He might appreciate a few prayers! We’ll be thinking and praying for family members who are living too far away to join us this year. I am so thankful for all of the members of our family!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 26: Cookbooks

CarolynCares Cookbooks

Some people read novels. I read cookbooks and cooking magazines. There is something so intriguing about new recipes. If a cookbook has good how-to photos, or beautiful photography, they rank higher in my to-read list.

My favorite cookbooks are the two that our church has published, and one that I put together for my sister-in-law shortly before she married my brother. Those cookbooks contain recipes that have been handed down for a few generations, along with a few “newer” recipes. Around the holidays, I have many cookie, Scandinavian, and German cookbooks that I use. There are always the good, specialty books as well. Scones, muffins, hand pies, bread, grilling, cakes, pressure cookers, crock-pot – oh the possibilities when I open my cupboards!

Jonathan and I belong to a dinner club, where the host sets the theme and assigns different courses to the other members. Talk about a challenge! After making a few recipes, I finally joined Pinterest so I could pin some of these recipes. So far, I think the favorite things that I’ve made have been a Rick Bayless Chocoflan cake, a Bobby Flay Coconut cake, and a tomato basil soup. Can I count Pinterest as a giant cookbook?

I am thankful for many types of cookbooks, and the ability to prepare a variety of foods for my family and friends. Since Thanksgiving is in a few days, I think I had better get a few off of the shelf, and figure out my grocery list!

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 25: Farm Bureau

CarolynCares Farm Bureau

This past weekend I was in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Minnesota Farm Bureau Annual Meeting. I look forward to this meeting every year, and seeing friends from all over the state.

One of the coolest things about attending the Annual Meeting, is to see farmers of every type and every age sharing meals, sharing laughter, and sharing stories. Farm Bureau is one place where Democrats, Republicans, Independents, young farmers, “seasoned” farmers, dairy, beef, pig, turkey, conventional, organic, large, small, hobby, fruit, and vegetable farmers all meet together for one common goal. We all care about our farms and ranches, and we want to be able to pass them on to another generation. We want to learn how best to care for the land, tend to our animals, and meet consumer’s wishes while being able to make enough money to support our families and better our farms.

The delegate session is always interesting. My county in Southwestern Minnesota is very different from my friend’s farm in Northwestern Minnesota. The resolutions passed at their county meetings may not have any bearing on my county, yet we get the chance to debate and vote on the resolutions brought to the voting floor. It is one of the strongest grassroots organizations I know of. Every member has a voice, and has the chance to be heard. I wish our government was like that!

I am thankful for Farm Bureau, the leadership, and staff. They organized an awesome Annual Meeting this year. I came away from the weekend tired, yet excited for the future of Farm Bureau, and the future of Agriculture. I know I have some work to do to help our county continue to grow. It is so reassuring to know that we have a great staff that we can call on for answers to our questions, no matter how big or small.

After this weekend, I am really looking forward to the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Convention in San Antonio in January. I am excited to meet some of my social media friends in person, and to engage with Farm Bureau members from all over the United States and Puerto Rico. Who will I see in San Antonio?

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 24: Christina

CarolynCares Christina

Christina is our middle daughter. She has always had a great imagination, and a love for books. Right now, she is majoring in theater, with the hopes of becoming a costume designer. As I write this, she just finished playing 3 characters in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. I was able to see the production once, and Jonathan was fortunate enough to see it a second time. She was great…the characters she played are ones I think she was born to play. I seemed to have seen her facial expressions and attitudes directed at her sisters when she was growing up. 🙂 I’m looking forward to catching the show when they take it on the road in January, and again in March when they perform with the South Dakota Symphony.

I love when we get together with the girls. Christina is so good at making me laugh. I am amazed at her ability to remember lines from movies, and use them at just the right time to catch me off guard. There have been many times when I have laughed til I cried, or had to spit out my beverage. Trust me, Root Beer out the nose hurts!

When I was looking through photos of Christina to use in this post, I noticed that there were very few photos where she is not smiling, or being funny. This photo made me laugh. It is so typical of the Sunday picnics we used to take in the summer.

CarolynCares Christina L

I am so thankful for Christina and the sunshine and laughter she brings to the family. Life isn’t always easy, nor is it always fair. That is something not lost on a middle child. I love that she is becoming her own hero.

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 23: Beaches

CarolynCares Beaches

Ahh. There is nothing quite like the serenity of sitting on a beach, toes dug into the warm sand, and waves lapping the shore. Even when waves are crazy, as they were when we were in Hawaii in 2012, the beach still holds some magic. Maybe it’s the rhythms of the waves, maybe it’s the smell of the salty air, or maybe it is as simple as just being on vacation.

I am not a swimmer. I have a fear of water that is over my head, and I get nervous in lakes and oceans. Yet, I love to fish, and I love sitting on the beach by the ocean. As much as I love keeping up on social media, there is something to be said for unplugging and just relaxing.

I am thankful that we have had opportunities to relax on beaches from Hawaii to our local lake. A beach doesn’t have to be on the list of Top 10 Beaches in the World to enjoy it. I am also thankful that I live in a state with over 10,000 lakes to enjoy! Even just thinking about sitting on the beach is making me feel warmer. As I write this, there is a dusting of snow on the ground, and it is the coldest it has been since last winter. 🙂

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 22: Technology

CarolynCares Technology

Have you ever driven past a field and noticed that the person driving the tractor didn’t have their hands on the steering wheel? Look for a globe similar to the one on the left, and you will know that they are using AutoSteer technology.

Jonathan and I have been using the AutoSteer system for about 5 years. We like to use the same wheel tracks for planting, dragging, rotary hoeing, and cultivating to reduce soil compaction. This system allows us to do that. If you look at the right hand photo, you will see lines on the monitor. We are able to skip lines when we’re working so we don’t have to turn as tight. The dark blue areas are where we’ve been, and the gray is where we need to go yet. The system allows us to record every pass in the fields, so we can keep records of planting dates, and weed control dates.

The GreenStar system works on our combine, and uses the same globe and monitor. We are able to record our yields…when the yield monitor is working…as well as use the AutoSteer. This year, I was very thankful for the whole guidance system. We had a wind storm that blew many acres of corn down in our county, including ours. Being able to set the combine on a line and not worry about staying on the row made harvesting the downed corn a lot easier! Some of my friends and family will think I’m mostly thankful for the AutoSteer so that I can text, Tweet, and Facebook. Really, that is just the icing on the cake.

 

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30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 21: OATF

What? No photo? I totally failed on this one. I brought my camera along to our first Organic Advisory Task Force meeting, and I forgot to ask for a group photo.

So, what is the OATF, and why am I thankful for them?

The Organic Advisory Task Force is a group of 15 individuals from around the state of Minnesota who meet a couple of times a year to discuss the organic industry in our state. We then advise the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and the University of Minnesota on policy and research issues. The group is made up of farmers, processors, distributors, certifying agencies, University faculty, a non-profit general farm organization representing farmers, and the public.

The coolest thing about this group, besides the people, is that farmers get to hear from consumers (processors, distributors and the public) as well as the certifying agencies and the faculty, and everyone else gets to hear from the farmers. I love how we all come together with the goal of finding a consensus on the issues facing the organic industry. I am thankful for the opportunities that we have to share with each other, and the friendships that are made.

On Tuesday, the new 3 year term began. We were able to hear from a Deputy Commissioner of Ag and Deans from the University of Minnesota. We also had a chance to share what the concerns are in the area we represent. We had some really good discussions! One thing that was made clear to the Deans, is that with funding sources shrinking all the time, that they hire faculty that is friendly towards organic agriculture. We realize the importance of shared research and resources, and know that there are many research areas that benefit both organic and conventional agriculture. We are not a group of extremists that are hell bent on taking down anyone. We focus on ways to support and educate what the organic farming and food system is about.

I am thankful for all of the members of this Task Force, and I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to serve as their chair.

 

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