Do you ever get those moments where you are struck by a lightening bolt of inspiration to purge all unnecessary belongings?

Last night was one of those nights for me.
After realizing that Spring would be coming to an abrupt end in 8 days, I decided it was now or never for my annual Spring Clean Purge.
Each Spring, I gather up all unnecessary items and I donate them to charity. Last night I collected 5 bags of things. Many of these items were items that I was having a hard time letting go of last year, and lo and behold I never wore them once! Moral of the story: Always trust your gut.
Sometimes, it takes me a while to part with an item. My motto now is if I haven’t worn it in a full calendar year (all types of weather!) it gets donated. BOOM. If you live in Alberta, you can change that to ‘if I haven’t worn it in a full week’. :ninja:
Eric was so inspired by my donation bags, he decided to do his own SCP…

Yes, those are Daffy Duck and Superman ties. [You know who you are.]
It was amusing watching Eric take each item of clothing from his closet and comment on it. One of my favourite comments was: ‘It is so small on me it barely covers my nipples!’
Where does he come up with this stuff? I seriously lost it laughing on a heap of clothes when he said that. I said, ‘Oh come on, it almost covers your belly button at least!’ Needless to say he donated it. I’m sure some 8 year old will be very happy.
Then it was time for more Farmer’s Market prep!

Good times.

My mother-in-law used to be a huge crafter and she would sell all of her goods from her home. The basement would literally be flooded with her crafts and she would be up until the wee hours of the night preparing.
Eric had the prestigious role of being the crafter’s assistant when he was a child. One of the more memorable (and oddly enjoyable tasks) he recalled was picking the dried glue off the table for his mom. :lol:
His resume also boasts potpourri and wreath maker. Not to brag, but my crafting resume boasts trinket box maker, plaster crafter/painter, friendship bracelet maker (variations: Gimp, bead, string), and clay modeler.
Is it any wonder we fell i love? I think not.
Our window seat in the office is the same length as the market table I am buying, so I thought it would be a good place to do a dress rehearsal on!

The troops all lined up!

I also added some ribbon and an Ikea flower that I hacked gently cut apart.

It’s no Martha, but I’ll take it.
I am going to put two rows of flavours in each basket like so…(obviously it will be full for market open!)
Then I made a trial for the tags. Each flavour will have a tag in front of it with the name and description of the Glo Bar. I think I am going to make the print larger for the final tags just so people can read it easily.

I also made myself and TEAM GLO name tags…

After crafting in the office, I decided to craft in the kitchen. Farmer’s Markets are lots of work to prepare for!

I made GLO BALLS!

Yup, yup I was BALLIN’.
Remember when I made my raw chocolate chip cookie balls in May 2009? Well, I used the recipe for inspiration, threw in some new and amazing ingredients, and came out with a few kick-butt flavours!
They are OFF THE HOOK!

I plan on selling GLO BALLS at the Harbourside Oakville Organic Market in addition to the bars (market starts June 19th!).
I will be giving hints to the flavours all week…so stay tuned.
The market orientation went great today! I met some lovely people and I felt much better after seeing the market site and finding out about how it will all operate. The market is held in GORGEOUS downtown Oakville and it honestly could not be a better spot for a Farmers Market! I am so excited. :biggrin:
However, there is one PROBLEM…

[source]
I pass by the Oakville Whole Foods along my journey!!!!
Normally, this isn’t an issue for me seeing as I live 1 hour away from here, but now I am going into the belly of the monster every Saturday for the market.
When in Rome… :lol:

I finally got my paws on some red and green organic kale!

I was all excited to buy frozen cherries to make a Cherry Bomb, but they didn’t have any. I can’t find frozen cherries anywhere!


Mmmm so happy coconut butter is back in my life. Also starring a new appearance by one of my old pasttimes- Canadian Maple Butter. Best thing in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!

[Insert loooooong day of cleaning the house top to bottom with Eric].
I’m off to balance out the day’s chores with some relaxation, dinner, friends, and a few brews! Hope you have a great night! See you in the AM.
Wow – you have been busy! It always feel so good to do a sping clean!!
ooooh and those glo balls look fantastic! I can’t wait to hear all about your market adventures :)
Wow what an exciting day! The market’s opening is so close!!! :D and those Glo Balls look delicious!! You’re gonna have just as much coming up with all different flavors for those as you did for the Glo Bars! Oh, and those ties cracked me up. I’m sure he had a “legit” reason to why he had them. ;) haha
I live in Niagara falls, ON and every few months I make a special trip to the Oakville Whole Foods! It is heaven! My friends think I’m insane! Can you tell me the details about the Farmers Market, where it is and the time. I would LOVE to come try your bars!
Thanks so much!
Here are the deets! http://oakvilleorganicmarket.com/
would love to meet you! :)
Thanks for the details.
Like Katie I live in Niagara Falls (small world) but getting to the Oakville Farmer’s market this summer is going to be tough as I busy most of my Saturdays. Ironically I am going to be camping up your way (Blue Springs Scout Reserve on 6th line Acton) this Saturday (19th) and my day will not allow a trip off site. Oh well I have until the end of October to get out to your stall. All the best on your new venture.
oh, my… gimp bracelets = summer camp!! :)
those glo balls… look fabulous! I can’t wait to hear about your market adventures either!
daffy & superman. good move. ;)
Those glo balls look amazing! I can’t wait to hear about your first day at the market!
I can’t find frozen cherries anywhere either! Maybe they just aren’t sold in Canada!? :(
I know I don’t get it! :( If WF doesn’t have them I don’t know who will…
Totally wondering whats inside your balls (twss) HAHAHA but really, can’t wait to hear what goes into them :) They look so yummy!!
maybe we could call them ‘RAW BALLS…that’s what she said’
lmaooo
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ;P
The balls look amazing, those will sell really well. I absolutely love whole foods and get sucked in every time I drive by.
I need to do a cleaning of our closets as well!
I live in Ottawa, and can’t find frozen cherries here either!! Let us know if you end up finding a store in Canada that carries them. I have also been wanting to try the cherry bomb!!!!!
Isn’t it torture!? I’m resorting to pitting and then freezing some fresh cherries. Oh my, that sounds crazier than I thought!
I didn’t even think frozen organic cherries existed. So, tonight I just pitted 1/3 cup of fresh ones (as per your recipe for the cherry bomb oats) and threw them in the freezer….no kidding, it took a mere 3 minutes. :)
Once exams are over..I am pulling an Ange..and purging my crap. CAN’T WAIT!
You’ll feel like a new woman!
I LOVE purging clutter no matter what time of year it is!!
Love donating to charities, if I could only remember to put them out on my front porch when the truck says they’re gonna be in our neighborhood….ugh! It is a good feeling to get rid of stuff….my motto as well, if ain’t worn in a year, regardless of season, get rid of it, someone else is bound to wear it!
We have a little deli near my office that has all organic stuff in their grocery area for sale to the public and I discovered the Dr. Kracker crackers….OMG, I keep them in stock!
I had one tonight as an appetizer with the garlic scape pesto and it was BLISS
I love it when we go through our closets. I am of the same mind set 12 months or its out. When my husband tries on shirts that are a little too small for him he always flexes his arms and tells me where the beach is HAHAHA!
lollll yup Eric’s done that before too. It’s funny, guys seem to take pride when things are too small for them???
Yeah they would never see or hear us showing off how tight our clothes are fitting on us lol
you are positively the cutest person ever! love all the arts and crafts you got goin’ on on that resume :) i’m a huge fan of spring cleaning too…it makes me feel so LIGHT when i get all of my junk out of my home!
Aren’t farmer’s markets the best??? Have fun once you start! Wish I lived nearby, although the NYC farmer;s market system is awesome so I can’t complain! :)
I can’t find frozen cherries anywhere in Ottawa either :( The other day I got excited because I thought I had finally found some… it turns out they were cranberries, lol!
Cherries are cheap at No Frills this week though so I plan on buying a bunch, pitting them and then freezing them for future use!
5 bags is impressive! I love pruging. I feel so much better afterwards! The farmers market setup looks great. Enjoy!
Good luck at your Farmer’s market! Have fun in my home town!
I’m hoping to come home this summer so hopefully I’ll get a chance to stop by and pick up your awesome bars :)
Kay…I`m gonna pick a date and come visit you at the market…with my man! :D We are gonna make a trip out of it…aka..whole foods and market..hehe!