Maine Women's Fund Luncheon

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to speak at the Maine Women's Fund Leadership Luncheon in Portland, ME.

Though I generally consider myself to be a behind-the-scenes kind of a person, I was honored to be asked to represent Women, Work, and Community for the event and to speak about our (Madder Root's) experience in receiving a mini-grant through the Maine Women's Fund.

Plus, it was a chance to get dressed up - a rare occurrence these days!

Here I am with Jane Searles, my friend and mentor. She's the regional manager for the Bangor Region of WWC.

Janyce and Jane Searles of WWC

Here are some of the women from WWC at our table. Jane won the table prize, which was a coaster from the artist Ann Taintor. Darn! I missed it by one seat!

Front: Karen, Jane, Janyce, Gigi; Back: Alyra, Gilda, Jenn, Cyndi

The mini-grant we received helped us purchase advertising space in the MOF&G, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's newspaper to let people know we were going to be at the Common Ground Fair. We blogged about it, briefly, here.

I'm learning about how to make an MP3, so if that turns out well, I'll record my speech and post it.

In the meantime, I'd like to thank Jane Searles and Eloise Vitelli of Women, Work and Community for asking me to speak and Sonya Tomlinson of Maine Women's Fund and Peter Munro for helping me with my speech and supporting me through the process.

This post doesn't even touch upon how inspiring the event was. I'll save that for next time. I will say, though, I was honored to share the stage with many powerful, courageous, and creative women.

We also sent out packages to our friends at Minka in Kennebunkport, ME, Treats, in Wiscasset, ME, and Under The Dogwood Tree in Southwest Harbor, ME this past week. We hope, if you're in any of these areas, you'll stop by and say hello for us!

You can also follow us on our facebook page or contact us through our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a great one!

Pizza Palooza

After a few months of slacking off making homemade pizza, it was on the menu twice this week. The first was kale pesto pizza with tomatoes, onion, and kalamata olives. Gotta love that green-green kale!

Kale Pesto Pizza Ready for the Oven

Fiddleheads (tips of ferns) are in season for just a short time in Maine and are a sure sign of spring. Got some at the Orono Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Fiddleheads

BF and I grilled them with just a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and onions. Everything tastes that much better on the grill!

Fiddleheads and Onions on the Grill

 Then we topped the pizza dough with a homemade red sauce, the fiddleheads, onions, and some feta cheese. Simple, but so yummy!

Pizza Topped with Fiddleheads, Onions, and Feta

Here's the pizza fresh out of the oven. (It didn't last long). The fiddleheads look dark, but they had a nice, grilled taste, with a crispy freshness that's hard to describe in words. Simple ingredients. Big flavor!

Fiddlehead Pizza Fresh from the Oven

Got a favorite pizza recipe to share? Let us know about it in the comment section or on our facebook page.

Last week, we sent a couple packages of tea towels, napkins, and produce bags out to Casual Interiors, in Boothbay Harbor, ME and Lisa-Marie's Made in Maine. Her stores are in Bath and Portland, ME. You can also find us online at our Etsy shop.

This week, Janyce will be speaking at the Maine Women's Fund Leadership luncheon in Portland, ME on Thursday. Should be a fun time! More about that in next week's post.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Peaceful Bike Ride

Something peaceful about starting the day with a bike ride. I always love the fog lifting off the river.

Didn't see any deer this morning. Usually, they're in the fields or on the bike path. I've learned to "snort" to get them to move out of the way. Otherwise, they just stand there staring.

Nothing much new in the gardens. Still waiting for the lupine to bloom.

 Anyway, off to do some sewing. We're getting ready to send out some orders this week. We'll post those on our facebook page, once they've gone out. You can also find us any time at our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Vibrancy

The word for the day: vibrancy. It's spring. The sun's out and warm. The plants are growing in leaps and bounds. Some have bloomed, adding color to the yard's palette. Bees are buzzing. Lawn mowers are revving up. Gardens are being dug (at least at my house!). Nice to be able to get some yard work done this weekend before the mosquitoes and black flies join in the fray. Here are some pictures from the week:

Bleeding Heart's bloomed.

Herbs from the local greenhouse.

Shallots are in the ground.

Astilbe's gaining foliage.

We sent a big package of towels, napkins, and produce bags to Conklin's Maine Mercantile last week. We also heard that Lisa Marie's Made in Maine has expanded their Bath store, so we hope you'll stop in to say hello for us. Janyce was also invited to speak at a Maine Women's Fund leadership luncheon on May 23, 2013 so stay tuned for more news about that.

If you'd like to know more about us, please check out our facebook page or stop by our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!