The Weblog

The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:

Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!



 
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Positively 4th Street


I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes…
(Positively 4th Street-Bob Dylan)

For no other reason, today, except that I think these lyrics are beautiful, and I am in a Dylan kind of way, this morning…

Go ahead…spin some Dylan, and thank me, always for setting the tone of your day.

It’s Tuesday, it’s sunny, and it’s going to be a warm 52 degrees!! Perfectly inspiring for ordering from this perfectly inspired little local market of love!!

Oh, and you know…it’s climbing to be quite a market, this week! You don’t want to miss out on all of this positive vibing local goodness…we are open until tomorrow at 8am. Don’t linger, and don’t forget…

Another fun tidbit about the song that I chose for you, today? It’s the song that I put on replay, endless amounts of play, when I am on the cusp of making business decisions. And, the Jerry Garcia version is the one that I listened to, constantly, on the night that I put Cosmic Charlie into action, 9 seasons ago. What’s the song that sends you into action? We all have a song…

Okay! Groove it out…get your orders ready!

And…on a follow up to the chipmunk adventure of yesterday. The little intruder had trapped himself into my powder room trash can, must of scared himself into a sad farewell, and was then disposed of in the fields…so long…

Now…let’s get this Tuesday underway…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Monday Drag


That’s it…the feeling you get as you begin to wake up, and remember that you are not slowly waking up on a lazy Sunday. You are crash waking, right into a full blown Monday.

Make the transition a bit easier by vowing to take a few minutes to place an order with us! All of your local goods, in one place, with simple clicks of the keys!

I’m sitting here, coffee in one hand, my hair a mess, a million things on my Monday list of musts, and a chipmunk trapped in my lovely little powder room.

But, what am I going to do? Order. I know my week, at a glance, and once again, it’s a bit crazy. To make it less crazy, I need to simplify by getting some food ordered!!

Follow my lead…and please, throw me some tips on getting the chipmunk out of my life, and powder room…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Happy March!


Here we are, entering into a new month, the bridge into spring but with such wind, rain, and cold, that I just want to throw blankets on, and seek out comfort!

While I listen to the wind, I am going to place my weekly orders, to put the sunshine back into the days!

Keep your sunshine going strong by turning on with our market!

Also, my products are all out of vacation mode!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Hello, Tuesday!!


Just a reminder, before the day gets away from you, that we are open, for the week, until tomorrow at 8am!!

Spend a little time, today, to make sure you don’t miss out on all that this little market has to offer…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Sunday's Best


Every day is just like the rest but Sunday’s best…
(Sunday’s Best-Elvis Costello)

Sunday really is the best day of the week. It’s one of those days that when you wake up, you first are freaking out because you think you overslept. Then, your brain finally kicks in to let you know that it’s still the weekend. But, not just the weekend, and not like Saturday.

Sunday is all it’s own to do with it what you will. Some Sundays, I am a total bum, hide out, drink coffee, watch mindless tv, take a million naps, and linger in the kitchen, working on a recipe or two. Tinge the whole day with music, rumpled clothes, and messy hair.

Other Sundays I am all about the crazy organization of my life. If I know I have a super busy week, ahead, I do everything that I can, on Sunday, to ensure that I pull the week off. That means house cleaning, planning/prepping dinners, making a detailed list for each day to come. Sometimes my own relaxation comes from this kind of Sunday craze.

And, while I am getting my life all worked out, I make sure to sit and place my market order at this little local market of love.

If I know my ordering is taken care of, I can mark that task off of my Sunday list.

Why not give yourself that same sense of accomplishment? Go ahead…take a little time, today, out of your Sunday, to make it the best…

On a side note…my products are all on Vacation Mode for this week. I have back to back events that started, last night. On Thursday, both of your market managers will be involved with Empty Bowls. Our combined business of Hippie and the Farmer will be offering two of the soup selections for the evening. And, yours truly, will be the evening’s bread baker, once again, and that means I will be busy baking for that. I had to take time off, this week, from you, my lovelies.

But, I will return, for next week’s ordering!!

Okay…make your Sunday the best!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Hello To Another Week!


We are live, we love your love, and we want to fill your ordering needs!

Show your local love!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

And Just Like That...


…it’s Wednesday!!

This means that you have until 8am to get your orders in!! It’s been kind of a crazy week of work, the weather has been so kind to us all, and the week just sort of got away from me. Do you feel the same?

If so, take a bit of time out of your morning, to look at the market, and let us take care of the rest. You enjoy the rest of the week, and let us worry about getting you ready with all of our local goodness…

Go ahead…make your life, your week, your days easier…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Your 2018 Love In-Be In!


Hello, little local market of love customers, vendors, staff of the YMCA!!

We war well into this new year, and well into amazing market weeks of sales, thanks to our customers who keep us strong, and the staff of the YMCA, who keeps our finances all in shape, and gives us free housing of our market!!

Without this winning combination, we would be toast!!

Our market held it’s yearly meeting, this past Monday evening, to access the market, it’s vendors, it’s amazing success story, and to plan our plan into the future.

One of the things that I wanted to touch on, but got sidetracked, was how we have made the physical side of the market, AKA the pickup night at the YMCA, become more green!!

In the past 3-4 months, your market managers have been using the new features of the market site to go paperless at pick up!! We used to line the shelves with a print out for each customer, a basket, and a whole lot of time, money, and wastefulness in paper.

We now can check in vendors, check in customers, and check off the exit of each customer, all on our smart phones!! We no longer have a huge paper trail, a whole lot of ink usage for all of the print outs, and a whole lot of wasted paper that customers left behind.

Also, going into season 6, we no longer need individual baskets, papers, and stuff. We can breeze through our cyber reports, grab each item for each customer, and send them on their way with no paperwork!!

What does this mean for you? The environment? The market?

As a customer, we are adamant that we never charge you a table fee!! Most online markets charge a table fee to the customer. With going totally green, and paperless, we cut or costs WAY THE HECK DOWN!!! No more replacing printing paper and ink cartridges. Keeping things on the inexpensive side for you!!

No more large amounts of waste and trash with paper, ink cartridges…we love our environment, and want to treat it with healthy respect!!

The market runs so much more efficiently as we check each customer out with our phones!! The front desk keeps your names in the computer, with your totals!! They do a simple check out, and send you on your way. If you need a receipt, they can provide one!! If you need a detailed list of your order, you can print your own list off of your order, on the market site!!

We thank you in your support of this market, and all that we do to keep the cost down for you, the customer!!

Mark and I are totally volunteers, again, keeping your cost down, and we love that we can keep it green, in our new way to check you out!!

Now, go…order…love the love of this market…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

A Lovely New Week!


We are opening for another lovely week of market orders, and customer love…

Go ahead…don’t be shy…we love your local love!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Turn On Your Lovelight!!


And, get your orders in, on this love filled day of Valentine’s Day!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

8am is your cut off time…make the love connection…