Community

Well the whirlwind of Morton's 50th Golden Pumpkin Festival has finally come to an end and I am slowly recovering. I was unable to do my usual Thankfulness Tuesday post yesterday due to overwhelming fatigue but after an afternoon nap and then 12 hours of sleep last night here I am.

So please bear with me as I try to figure out exactly what day it is...

This photo shows only a portion of our booth about mid morning on the first day, which was actually two spaces wide, and I had to snap quickly between customers. We had two days full of gorgeous sunshine that brought out a beautiful crowd of shoppers. There was a bit of issue with the weather on Friday that caused our director to have to work hard and rearrange the whole schedule {hats off to you Kim for all of your hard work!} but in the end it all worked out perfectly. It was the best show the three of us have ever had. So many of the items that we have spent hours working on sold and that makes us so happy.

Plus I came home with custom orders as well.

But here's the real bonus for me...

I really love the opportunity to be involved in my community in this way. Being up there in the midst of it really is all about community and people coming together for a common goal and to have a good time. At my heart of hearts God programmed me to be a people person and I spend the entire year that I am creating fiber art for this craft faire looking forward to the time I will spend with the different people who will flow in and out of my booth. We always have family and friends who help with the setup and show up to visit, shop and show their loving support year after year, which I cherish more than words can say. If any of you are reading this... Thank You. Then there's the thrill of meeting all the new people that trickle in and out to look and try things on and make purchases or custom order items if we don't have the right size or color they need. I always find myself face to face with and old high school friend or two who has moved away and is home just for the festival and it's so much fun to reconnect. I also gain new knitting and crochet students every year too because they take my business card and show up for lessons and oftentimes we become friends. Although it takes me a good week to recover due to my health issues, I absolutely love every single drop of it all and I wouldn't miss it for the world. I am so thankful that when the smell of pumpkin starts floating on the air I find that God has once again given me the energy and strength I need to be involved in this very special event.

Of course there are also the rides that start on Wednesday before the Craft Faire.

Eric took Gabby and Parker up the first evening and got this picture of Gabby but there are no photos of the little guy. He was very excited about the train... but only watching it. He had no plan to ride it. Maybe next year.

Brandon captured this moment of Hilary and Archer on the merry go round.

I'm always so busy getting ready for the Craft Faire and setting up and then selling that I often have to conserve my energy just for the business at hand. Thankfully they are good about sending me these precious pictures when they snap them.

I hope this post finds each of you enjoying this last true day of Summer in

Good Health and Great Happiness.

I will be back in a few days to share a recipe and show you

what I'm working on for my

Christmas Sale.

For now I leave you with a lovely quote on community and friendship ...

"Alone we can do so little;

together so much."

Helen Keller