Mountain Rose Herbs was recently awarded the 2008 Co-Op America Peoples Choice Award for Green Business of the Year.

And why is Good Thymes Bath & Body excited about this?  Because Mountain Rose Herbs is our supplier of organic herbs used in our natural bath and body products!  When we discovered Mountain Rose Herbs a few years ago, we were absolutely amazed at the quality and freshness of their herbs, plus the prompt shipment time.  We can truly vouch that their products and service are unsurpassed!  We also appreciate that they offer their herbs in large or small quantities; it helps us to insure product freshness, which is what we are all about.

Mountain Rose Herbs also has a wonderful selection of spices, teas, essential oils, and other supplies.  If you enjoy making your own tea blends, they have all the supplies you need here.

Living on and running a certified organic farm ourselves, we can fully appreciate the meaning of the award that Mountain Rose Herbs has earned!  We are proud of them, and proud to say we have been happy customers of theirs for years!

It has been a year since the night that I woke up to frantic knocking at my door at 4 a.m.  It was our daughter, Shari, with her two children, Elise, who was 5, and Lance, just one, standing, shivering, at our door.  “Our house was broken into, can we stay here, mom?”, Shari told me in tears.

Shari had woken up about 2 a.m. from the sound of an angry voice shouting profanities in her front yard.  Kelley, her husband, was working out of town that week, so Shari was alone with the children that night, and immediately she called the police to report the disturbance.  As she listened from her upstairs bedroom to the angry voice getting louder and closer, she knew that the person had moved onto the front porch attached to the house.  A moment later she heard shattering glass from the picture window breaking, and could hear the screaming voice downstairs inside her house.

Terrified for the safety of her children and herself, she instinctively grabbed a sheet and sleeping bag, her cell phone, and a child under each arm, ran to a window that opened onto the back porch roof, and scooted out the window and onto the roof.  She dialed the police again, was told they were on the way, and to stay put on the roof until help arrived.  The temperature was below freezing, and Shari wrapped the sheet around all of them, dropped the sleeping bag onto the ground to break their fall in case they would have to jump, and held onto her children for dear life, wondering if the angry voice would come upstairs and onto the roof after them.

Those long, terrifying minutes until help arrived felt like hours on that cold rooftop to Shari.  She remembers praying for God to protect her babies, and the kind dispatcher who kept talking on the phone with her.  And being amazed at little Lance, who was 13 months old and spent every waking moment on the move, sitting perfectly still in her lap like a little angel, and not moving a single muscle.  When the police arrived, they first helped Shari and the children off the roof and into a warm squad car, and then went into the house to find the intruder.  Inside, the police found a young male, in his underwear, in the kitchen - sleeping on top of the refrigerator!

In the police reports, it was noted that the intruder was highly intoxicated, and thought he had come home to his own house; found the door locked so broke the window to get into his house, then proceeded to climb onto a stool to climb onto the refrigerator to go to bed in his bed.  He removed his shoes on the porch outside before climbing through the broken window!  Strangely, because he was intoxicated and thought it was his own house, he could not be charged with breaking and entering, only trespassing and damage to property.  It doesn’t seem right that an assault so traumatizing to the victims is lessened for the perpetrator by his state of inebriation, does it?

The intruder who fell asleep on the refrigerator was news on the local radio stations.  The story was told as “news of the weird”, not hardly the violating, traumatizing event that Shari and her children experienced.  Shari, Kelley and the children moved in with us for the following six months, as Shari was too scared to sleep in their own home after the break in.  As often happens to the victims, Shari has suffered from post traumatic stress and anxiety following the incident, but is now healing with the help of cognitive behavior therapy.

When I look for the silver lining in this cloud, I can see some affirming changes that have come from it.  I am so proud of Shari for doing what she had to do to keep her children safe, and the realization for her that she did it instinctively, without thinking, has encouraged and strengthened her as a parent.  She feels certain today that any mom would do the same as what she had to do that night.

Shari and Kelley have relocated and live much closer to us now.  We have watched with amazement at the wondrous hand of God taking care of all the details involved in the relocation; details that had the real estate agents marveling, and stating that it just doesn’t happen this way.  They have a warmer house, a quieter neighborhood, friendlier neighbors, a pretty countryside view, and a big yard for Elise and Lance to play in.  A year after the break in they are closer as a family, and counting their blessings in their new home.

Small area of Little Red Hen during September sale

The Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop brings a twist to the saying, ‘Reduce, reuse, and recycle’; at the Little Red Hen it could be rephrased as, ‘Redecorate, refresh, and revive’.   Owners Kent and Brenda Rydberg have brought the occasional sale concept to Dassel, Minnesota, where their shop is open the last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of each month.

Kent and Brenda, both professional painters, spend weeks before each sale repairing, repainting and refinishing used, and often very unique pieces of furniture.  Each month the store is stocked with wonderful and unique pieces of furniture, vintage collectibles, hand-crafted items, and both new and gently used home accessories.  About fifteen gals, who all happen to be ‘collectors, decorators and thrifters’, bring items for consignment and help the Rydbergs’ keep the inventory replenished and interesting.

Each month a theme is chosen, lending additional fun and intrigue to each sale.  For example, in June there was a bridal theme, showcasing vintage wedding dresses, and wedding punch along with wedding cake was served as a treat to customers.  In July a patriotic theme was present, and August was back to school, with a school room set up so charmingly nostalgic that it made you want to stand up and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in the corner.

After having attended occasional sales of this kind for years such as Second Hand Rose, Three Sisters, Barn Chix, and This ‘N That, in Buffalo, Minnesota, the Little Red Hen in Dassel has become my favorite.  It is evident that many hours are spent each month prior to a sale rearranging and decorating the entire shop, down to the smallest details.  The top-notch decorating expertise of the gals involved in this venture inspires customers to return each month for ideas, bargains, and of course, for socializing.  There is always free coffee, punch, and treats, door prizes, and even a baby corner where mothers can set sleeping infants in their car seats while they browse.

If you want to redecorate, refresh, and revive your home without breaking the bank, visit the Little Red Hen Home Comforts shop, or sign up for a decorating class held at the Little Red Hen.  ‘Decorating on a Dime’ is a fun and popular decorating class offered by consignee and gifted decorator, Deb Halonen.  Call D-C Community Education to sign up for this popular class at (320)286-4120.

Little Red Hen Home Comforts  ~  261 Atlantic Ave W, Dassel, MN  ~ 320-275-9725

October Sales ~ October 23, 24, 25   9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

November Sales ~
Holiday Open House - November 7 - 8       9 a.m - 6 p.m.
Regular Sales - November 20, 21, 22      9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

December Sales ~ December 11, 12, 13 (held earlier than usual)     9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Map to Little Red Hen:  http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Dassel&state=MN&address=261+Atlantic+Ave+W&zipcode=55325

Denise at Manganese waterfalls

A year ago today, my sister Denise went for an evening walk and never came home.  She was struck by a vehicle while walking on a narrow road not far from her home, and never regained consciousness before she died a short time later.  She left behind her husband, Roy, and five children; David, Brent, Keith, Alan, and Annika.  Accepting such an unexpected tragedy and loss seems inconceivable at first, but I have found comfort and solace from THE LIST she had hanging on her refrigerator all that summer.  Let me tell you about her list………

First of all, seven years ago Denise and her family moved from her home town in Minnesota, to Roy’s home town in Upper Michigan, to pursue a dream of opening their own bakery.  Along with Roy’s parents, they opened a bakery, and the long grueling hours they worked to get the bakery off the ground were incredible; twelve to sixteen hours a day, six days a week for those first few years.  Tired or not, they persisted and built a reputable business which continues today, known as Roy’s Pasties & Bakery.

After five years of working at the bakery, Denise decided to pursue some of her own dreams; she got a part time job working at the public library, which she absolutely loved, and was able to spend more time with her family and friends.  Though she had lived in Michigan for six years, most of that time was spent working at the bakery, so last summer she decided to experience the beauty and pleasures of Michigan like a tourist.  She wrote herself a list of the places she wanted to go, the things she wanted to do, and set out to do them. This is what she had written on her list:

Goals to Do this Summer
pick strawberries
pick blueberries
go fishing
Great Sand Bay
Bete Grise
agate hunting
gentle hikes
Watch a sunset over Lake Superior
camp/cabin at McClains Park
agate hunting with Laura
find the waterfalls with Annika

One by one she tackled her list with enthusiasm, and by the end of summer Denise had almost everything crossed off her list, proof to herself that she had accomplished those simple pleasures she had wished for. The weekend before Labor Day she went camping with her family at McClains Park, and there she watched the sun setting on Lake Superior; those were the last goals left on her list.  After returning home from camping, Denise took down her completed list and tossed it into the waste basket.  After her unexpected death just a few days later, her family retrieved the crumpled list and lovingly hung it once more on the refrigerator, as evidence for all of us that Denise had indeed, finished her list.

When I look at her list, I find a miracle and a gift.  This list of simple pleasures meant so much to Denise that she had pictures taken to chronicle most of the events; and each picture shows her with a happy, contented expression. God in His wisdom gave Denise the gift of time to finish her list.  But much more so, this list is a gift to us, her family, to know that the last summer of her life was filled with precious moments and memories of simple pleasures that she thoroughly enjoyed.  I miss my sister Denise so much, but I have found peace with her death through her last gift to us, her simple list.