Scary Goals

I'm a big believer in scary goals. The ones that make  you want to throw up. The kind that call your sanity into question. This week I need one of these monsters chasing me, because a big goal chase means big movement. We are at an apex for the year, sitting on the top of a hill right before the roller coaster goes plunging down the drop. Since we are only a month and some change away from our end of the year vacation, we are getting ready to kick it into high gear and finish strong.

Over the next seven days I plan to make, decorate, and list 100 custom greenery items. This breaks down to about 14 items a day. We will see you at dawn goal monster, prepare for a botanical battle. 

Buckle up the big bloomers.....

My mom always made us wear our seatbelts, and I think its because she loves us. (Us, is me, my sister, and brother) Or by the time we could talk back she had put in so much time and money losing us was not an option. This is often how I feel about certain flowers.

Today Gerty ( the van)  and I were headed into the farmers market with a load of the cutest sunflowers. I was in a hurry and loaded up the lot with less than perfect precision. (The engineer was at work, so this left me to my own devises and when that happens the end goal is usually just make it all fit. ) So I roared out of the driveway and up our gravel road without any problem, it was only when I transition to the pavement that I realized that I had not buckled in the big headed blooms in the back. I heard a rush of water and looked down at my feet to see a small river approach from the back seat. I'd like to say I was upset, as I'm a perfect flower butler, but all I could think of was, "thats why you always leave a note." from Arrested Development.

So in a fit of giggles I jumped out of the car and snatched up the now soaked sunflowers and combined them with some more obedient babies and wrangled the whole mess into a seatbelt. I checked my rearview mirror to see if anyone had witnessed my departure from sanity, only to have my reflection portray me with a crown of mocking sunflowers. I was so busted, I laughed until tears ran down my face and the guy behind me honked. So if you drive around with anything or anyone that has a head bigger than their stem make them buckle up. This service announcement has been brought to you by the lady with a river in her car. 

Law abiding peonies

In the beginning.....

Our story starts out like any other over a vat of macaroni and cheese. In 2005 Matthew and I meet in the kitchen at the Rock Springs 4-H center. I was unsuccessfully scrapping extra thick cheese laden pasta from a industrial steam kettle. Matthew told me that the Great Wall of China is held together with mortar made from rice (a starch, not unlike pasta) and this mortar was so strong, that the bricks would often disintegrate before the pasta-like mortar did. I laughed so hard, I snorted. 

Fast forward four years and on a brisk fall day Matthew took me back to camp and after a peaceful walk, he dropped to one knee and asked me to be his wife. I was so overwhelmed with joy, I was for once in my life rendered speechless. A very quick year later we stood in the same dinning hall, surrounded by our friends and family, and promised to be together forever. Since that day we have been on so many amazing adventures together one of which has been starting our business together. 

We started Cook's Market in 2010 as a way to get out of debt. We both worked full time jobs, and gardened on the side. Sometimes we would stay up all night prepping for the weekend farmer's markets, only to be rained out the next day. The good stuff and the bad stuff made our marriage and business stronger, and eventually all the hard work paid off.  In April of 2012 we drove away from the tax man's office screaming WE ARE DEBT FREE!!!! (If you have had this privilege you can relate to our joy. If you are in the middle of that battle hang in there you can do it. If you are contemplating the journey we strongly recommend Dave Ramsey.)

During our get out of debt phase we realized we loved being farmers, bakers, flower pickers, and general creative people. So we decided to stick with it, and are working everyday to turn Cook's Market into premier Kansas farm, where you can be inspired with tasty food, gorgeous flowers, and ingredient worthy produce. 

A pretty perfect moment.....