It's a Boy

Daniel Steven Emmitt
born 11:48 pm, October 30, 2007
6 lbs 14 ozs

Update
This is an email from a good friend of the family -

Hi Everyone!
After 9 hours of active labor and an emergency C-Section, Daniel Steven Emmitt entered the world last night, Tuesday, October 30th, at 11:48 PM,weighing in at 6lbs and 14 oz.
I spoke with Beth this morning – she is doing fine but very tired from avery long night. She is recovering in the hospital till Friday, and thebaby is in the ICU. No word yet on the baby’s condition.
They are planningto stay at the Ronald McDonald House at the University of Michigan. Andy will send out an email later today with more details – stay posted. Iwill help supplement his updates with news, if needed – if you would like tobe removed from this list, please let me know. Please continue to keep the Emmitts in your prayers!

Prayers Requested

Today some dear friends of mine, Beth and Andy Emmitt, are traveling down to Ann Arbor, MI to have their first child, affectionately know as Baby Emmitt until it is born and named. Due to some extenuating circumstances and an extremely astute technician, it was discovered that Baby Emmitt has a few issues with its heart that will need to be corrected surgically sometime in the next several days. But those prayers requests will come at that time. Today or tomorrow, whenever the baby is delivered, should be a time of celebration and joy for Beth and Andy as they welcome their son or daughter into this world. They have started a blog to keep everyone up to date. I have added it to my list, but I will also be including some updates and prayer requests here.

Please keep this family in your prayers.

Specific Requests –

- Safe travel down to Ann Arbor this afternoon.
- Thankfulness that Beth did not go into labor early and needed to be transported to Ann Arbor under an emergency setting.
-That healing and development has taken place over the past couple weeks and the baby is born in the best possible shape.
- For a fast, smooth, normal delivery with out any complications.
- That the baby is big (not so great for Mom, but bigger babies do better in surgery) and healthy.
- That Beth and Andy can feel the support from those who are praying for them.
- That Beth and Andy can agree on a name. :)
- That Beth and Andy can enjoy the wonder and excitement of meeting their child and having time to savory these memories without it being clouded by what will come over the next days.

Arial view of the Farmers Market

This is where I spent my Saturday mornings. I am the tan colored gazebo, 3rd on the right.

Pumpkin Bars

I recently had a social function to attend and these days I see social functions as an opportunity to experiment (with recipes, not what ever else is going through your mind).
The theme was autumn and I had left over pumpkin, so I wanted to find a recipe for pumpkin bars, cake, cheese cake or something of the sort. Over the course of a few days I searched for the perfect recipe, which proved to be a bit more difficult then I expected. During this search I had several, random thoughts.

- Evidently Brandy is the liquid libation of choice to go with pumpkin

- Why does every Pumpkin bar recipe have a cream cheese frosting? (I am not a big fan of cream cheese)

- Where is Loren Bennett when you need him (former State Senator and Statewide candidate who was known for giving out his homemade pumpkin butter)

- This recipe calls for ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon – that is a lots of spices, maybe I can just double up on the nutmeg since I have a lifetime supple, then again maybe not.

- Is the Captain considered dark rum? It is darker then Bacardi. Good thing the government only shut down for a few hours or I would not be able to buy some of my ingredients.

- This is the 88th time I have seen this recipe – is there only one type of pumpkin bars?

Finally after much searching I found the recipe I was looking for.

It turned out pretty good – several people gave it thumbs up. My family thinks the frosting is a bit rich, so I might have to do a bit of tweaking, but I am happy with the trial run.

Finally

I finally finished figuring out the price list/order form. I have it all nicely laid out and pretty, but I don't know how to import a document (I will be contacting my tech advisor!) So here is the text of it. I am happy (and excited) to take special orders.


Erinn’s Edibles
Offing homemade delights for every occasion

Breads

Varieties -
Amish Friendship Bread
Apple Strudel
Banana
Pumpkin
Zucchini (Seasonal)
Zucchini Carrot Nut (Seasonal)
Prices -
Large Loaf $4.00 each
Small Loaf $2.00 each

Congo Bars
Resembles a chocolate cookie,
only richer and more decadent

.50 cents each $5.50 for 12 $10.00 for 24

Turtle Brownies
Fudge like Brownie smothered in
chocolate, caramel and walnuts

.75 cents each $5.50 for 8 $10.00 for 16

Cookies
Varieties -
Chocolate Chip
Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Deluxe Frosted
Oatmeal Raisin
Oatmeal Scotchies
Peanut Butter
Potato chip
Snickerdoodles

Prices -
$3.00 for 1 dozen (1 variety)
$6.00 for 2 dozen (1 variety)
$8.50 for 3 dozen (1 variety)
$10.00 for 4 dozen (1 variety)

For larger quantities and multiple types of
cookies please contact for pricing information.

Specialty Desserts
Cakes, pies, and other desserts are available for order.

To Order -
Contact Erinn at Erinn’s Edibles
Email - Erinnsedibles@gmail.com
http://erinnsedibles.blogspot.com/

Fitting End

The atmosphere at the market on Saturday was different from previous weeks. There was almost euphoria among the vendors because it was the last week. Comments were being made about free time and sleeping in and things to do on a Saturday. It is certainly a big commitment to be at the market for a season. That all being said I had a good day. I just about sold out of everything. It was a fitting end.

Last Day

Tomorrow will be the last day for the season at the Farmer’s Market in Byron Center – corner of 84th and Byron Center Ave in the parking lot of the post office from 8 am - 1 pm. The weather forecast is still looking good- sunny and around 60 degrees. I am hoping there will be a nice crowd of people who want to go one last time. I got a great start on things last night (I have a commitment tonight which will take about an hour and a half). I have to admit I love the new mixer! I liked it last week, but I will still trying to figure it and its volume capacity, it felt more like a trial run. This week I could just use it, and it was so wonderful. It is a dream, a very expensive dream, but a dream none the less. I will let you know how the weekend goes and then if anything transpires after that. I will be dealing with some family issues over the next several weeks, so there may not be a ton of news.

Only in Michigan

Monday’s high temp – 88 degrees
Wednesday high temp – 48 degrees

Welcome to fall. After dealing with record breaking high temperatures last weekend we have now had our first blast of artic air. And have heard term lake effect thrown around – granted it is lake effect rain. Forecasts for Saturday are around 60 and sunny, which will be lovely for the final week of the farmers market. I am hoping this cooler weather will get people in the mood to buy pumpkins and apples and other fall favorites.

Stifling Saturday

It was a hot Saturday for July. Considering it was October, it was unbelievably warm at the farmers market. The market was pretty slow again, but I was not that surprised, that is just how things are in the fall. I did cut back on my total production and actually did better then the previous week. Part of that had to do with the addition of a second batch of congo bars. I made 48 this week and around noon a family came in and bought all I had left. $9.00 worth of congo bars! That is a bit crazy to me, but since I was on the profiting side, I am not complaining. Next Saturday is the last day of the season.

You be the judge

Capital Investment or Total Indulgence?

I am on the fence.

On top of everything else this week, the mixer I have been watching since July went on sale – the lowest price I have seen, by a significant amount. So I had to make a decision, do I make this large of an investment? And do I really need it?

The model, a KitchenAid Professional 600 series, is the largest stand mixer I could find before moving up to the commercial models (those cost thousands of dollars, even refurbished) So this is the one I was watching. Now I will admit I have wanted a KitchenAid mixer for the past 10-12 years, but it was always one of those - “Sure I’d love to have it, but I don’t really need it and I don’t really have room for it” wants. And I was looking at the basic model in Navy of course. But once I started looking around this summer I discovered that the basic model only had a 4.5 quart bowl and the 600 series has a 6 quart bowl. Which in my world means the difference between making 6 dozen cookies and 13 dozen cookies at one time. So I decided if I was going to make the plunge I was going to go with the big one.

But I teetered back and forth on how much to I really need this? Yes it will save a ton of time and my arm from hurting, but is it worth it? I still am not sure about the answer, but I watched for a big sale, thinking if I could get this on a really good deal I might. Well, the really big sale came this week – of course. I went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth… until I finally decided to get it since it is cheaper then even the refurbished ones on ebay, but would wait to use it, in case I needed to return it. My Mom actually was the one at the store to pick it up for me. Every time I had looked at them they only had 3 color choices, black, stainless steal, and brushed nickel – none of which excited me too much (they don’t even offer Navy as a choice – what is wrong with them?) So my Mom calls me from the store to tell me what they had and as expected they had the 3 neutral colors, but then she said, they do have one red one. Really? Hmm… no choice on that one, I got the Red one!

I really had every intention not to use it for a while, but me getting this mixer and not using it would be like most women getting a new diamond and not wearing it. So I tried it out last night. I love it already. It is going to take a bit of time to figure it all out, but it already saved me a ton of time and cut down on the dishes significantly.

Mixed bag of emotions

Since Labor Day I have vocally been counting down the time until the end of the farmers market with great excitement, but now that I am entering the final 10 days I am having mixed emotions. Now I am going to preface this by saying I am not complaining. Cognitively I know that things could be much worse. I am grateful and thankful for what I do have and know it is a lot more then many. BUT I am tired and weary. I have never had to work so hard to barely survive. I am not drowning, but I am certainly not floating or even have my head above water, just my nose and I know that it will only take the slightest splash or momentary lack of focus for me to go under. Living that close to the edge scares me. Which is why I am concerned about the ending of the farmers market. While I am busy and exhausted most of the time, it is bringing in income and I need to find some way to replace it and I don’t know how right now. I don’t have a plan or a focus or a direction. I’m tired and I just want my life back.

Up until this point I have seen my current situation as a temporary one, but now, as I am nearing on it being like this for a year, I am wondering if things will get better or if this is my life from now on. If it is, it makes me sad, I do not like the person I have had to be this past year. I want to be able relax without feeling guilty, laugh and smile without a worry, and do the things that bring me enjoyment. As a kid, at the neighborhood pool there was a time when the boys thought it was fun to hold you under the water as long as possible, I still have vivid memories of those feelings. Initially you would kick and fight and do what ever you could to get up, but there would be a point, that you just could not fight any more, the air had all been expelled from your lungs, your body goes limp and the urge to breath is gone. Then in that split second before the blackness takes over there is a calm, a peace that washes over you. You see it is at that point that you know you have fought with everything you have, literally every bit of your last breath, and you have resigned to the fact that you can’t win. The force is too big, too strong and too powerful for you to overcome, so it is time to let go. Time to stop fighting, end the struggle and just fade away. (we were kids and did kid things -never had the panic of a real drowning since you knew the boys would let you up and there were lifeguards on duty) Recently I have felt like I am nearing that point, that I just don’t have the fight left in me. That the calm and peace would be welcomed even knowing right beyond that is the darkness. It is not that I don’t believe there a reason for this all, that there are lessons I need to learn and all part of a plan that has been specified for my life. But right now it is not making it any easier to live through and I don’t even know what to hope for anymore.
So for now I will get through the next two weekends and pray that they are successful and then, I don’t know what happens.

Saturday recap

Saturday was a decent day, not great; you can really tell the traffic at the market has slowed down. That is understandable with people getting busy with school activities and sports. I made just a few dollars short of my normal range, but not too bad! I sold out of congo bars by about 10:30 – so I am going to have to make more next week and hope they sell. The pumpkin bread continues to be a hit, so I am glad I had added that. Weather wise it was a nice day, started out a bit chilly – but an unexpected visit from a friend with a mug of hot chocolate was just what I needed! Got me through until the sun was fully out to warm the area. Two more weeks to go – early forecasts are saying another lovely day. Let’s hope that stays true. I am going to cut my numbers a bit this week and hope to sell out.