The post Celebrating 5 Years of Carolyn CAREs appeared first on Carolyn CAREs.
]]>2015 marked my 5th year of blogging. What better way to celebrate this milestone than to highlight my top 5 posts!
This was a fun post with my top 10 things I love about life on the farm. Even though this post was written a few years ago, the list remains pretty much the same…especially number one!
The expression “Don’t Be a Pringle” means we are all unique, and shouldn’t try to be like everyone else. Agriculture is so diverse, we can’t really be like everyone else, even if we try. It doesn’t matter if what you grow is different than what I grow, or if our methods are different. We are all feeding our communities…after all, if someone is eating, chances are pretty strong that someone had to grow the ingredients that went into that meal.
This post is a little more recent. Last May, I was told ever so gently by my doctor that I needed to make a few changes. I was pre-diabetic, and needed to work on losing weight, getting my blood glucose levels under control, and dropping my triglyceride levels. Since that post was written, I’ve lost a few more pounds, but have a ways to go yet before I hit my goals. I really need to go back and focus on number 5 and find my number 6’s!
I love living in Minnesota, and I love Minnesota winters…most of the time. A few years ago we had multiple polar vortexes that dropped our temperatures to well below zero for days at a time. We raise our crops organically, but have made the decision to raise our pigs in barns because we think they are happier and healthier when kept out of the extreme weather situations like the polar vortexes.
If I had to write this post over again, I probably wouldn’t change it much at all. This post was the first one that was read by more than my mom, I think. It was written about a year after I started blogging, but still says a lot of what I want to say today.
“I will never make anyone feel bad for the food choices they make. We all have different taste in clothes, shoes, cars, TV’s, computers, orange juice, cereal, etc. We don’t tear each other apart for those differences, why do so many feel it is okay to condemn food choices? I see no need to have an us vs them attitude in agriculture. What benefit is that to anyone? I would encourage everyone to have a mixed, balanced diet filled with color…and the occasional deep fried Milky Way on a stick.”
Thank you for celebrating with me, and for riding along on this journey for the last 5 years. Here’s to many more!
**Shout out to Sweet Cheeks Honey and Sartori Cheese for the delicious products in the photo above.
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]]>The post 30 Things I Love – A New 30 Day Blog Challenge! appeared first on Carolyn CAREs.
]]>I can’t believe it is the end of October already! A year ago, I participated in a 30 Day Blog Challenge at the encouragement of Holly Spangler at Farm Progress. Last year’s theme was 30 Days of Thanksgiving. I loved the challenge of writing every day, and of seeking out those things for which I am truly thankful. This year, I decided to jump in as soon as Holly mentioned it. I just couldn’t decide on a theme. I knew I wanted it to be something positive, something that gave me wiggle room to write about random things, and something that would push me to look at my surroundings in a different way. That is when I settled on 30 Things I Love. The photo above may look all sweet and romantic, but don’t be fooled! The things I love are pretty random!
My goal for this series is to introduce you to the things I love, and to give you a little positive thought to start your day. But let’s be honest. I am not a huge planner when it comes to blogging, so some things that I write about may be discovered the day before (like a great coffee shop or bakery), some may be things I have loved for many years (like my family). Part of the fun for me – and I hope for you – are the things I will come up with throughout the month. If something I post reminds you of something you love, please share it in the comments!
If you would like to follow other 30 Day Challenge blogs, all my posts will include a link back to Holly’s post that contains a full list of every participating blogger and a link to their blog. There are many great bloggers participating this year, with a wide variety of themes. I encourage you to check them out!
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