Tag: christmas

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Love

I think this time of year is a powerful reminder of what was, is, and what can be. All of us find ourselves at different places than we were last year. Some of you have moved and are getting accustomed to new environs, establishing new relationships, and building community. Others have moved back to “home” and are reconnecting, reestablishing old relationships and rebuilding a sense of community.

Some of you are welcoming new family members—a new son in law or daughter in law or maybe a new future prospect for marrying into the family. Others are welcoming new children and introducing them to the wonder and awe that is life and life at Christmas. And a few more of us are welcoming grandchildren to their first Christmas’s.

Like many of you, I find myself experiencing life at warp speed. But one thing that is not lost on me is that I am a year older this Christmas and so are most of the important people who are in my life–except Arlo and Nathan our newest grandsons experiencing Christmas for the first time and joining our other grandchildren Kaden, Hadlee and Grayson. It is going to be a lot of fun around the farm this holiday season.

Joelle and I are in that middle spot. We have grandchildren, and children and older parents. It is a beautiful season in life, but a full one. It makes me think about Grandpa Hank. It has been years since he passed away, but what is forever etched in my memory are his eyes. If there ever was a tinkerer or inventor, it was Grandpa Hank. He built a riding lawnmower that could also be used to split wood and another attachment to mow the hillsides. Good old-fashioned ingenuity!

Funny thing about Grandpa Hank, his great grandson Aaron got the “bug” one day and took two riding lawnmowers and found a way to attach them and make an articulating lawnmower that was steered using pulleys and a winch. In many ways Grandpa Hank still lives and his talents and gifts are passed on, just like each of our talents and gifts will be passed on.

But back to Grandpa Hank’s eyes. As dusk was setting on his earthly life, I would watch his interactions with the family—all those little ones running around, stopping by for a hug or the newest little one landing in his lap. His eyes were always focused and taking in the entire scene. I think he was still a big kid, with an even bigger appreciation for life. The wonder and awe of life was not lost on him.

Love is a gift and is best passed on, but we will have to keep our eyes open to be able to not only share our love, but also to receive love. We can love and be loved because a baby boy born on that Christmas morning first loved us.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the most blessed of Holiday seasons,

 

Tristan

Farmer, Health Advocate

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Family

When I think about Christmas, I think about Jesus, His birth and His life and then I think about my wife and children and our parents and our siblings. Christmas, much like Thanksgiving, draws family together. At least in thought, if not in presence.

At the Farm, times have really changed. We only have four children at home now. I think the last time we had four children at home for a Christmas was 1998 and those original 4 kiddos are all married now! Between 1998 and today the old farmhouse has swelled to capacity and shrunk again. The older married ones have another side of the family to navigate now and have to make choices about where to go and when to come or not. I am thankful for FACETIME!

This year, we were blessed to have had all 9 of our children and their families in for an early Christmas last Sunday. It is a rare day, save a wedding, that the entire clan is able to gather together.

In my mind, I wrestle with the past, present and future. The present is both bitter and sweet, for I know that it will be harder to get on their schedules as life marches on, just as it was for our parents when Joelle and I started our family. But when all of their schedules align, like this Christmas, it is so wonderful!

And one day, Joelle and I will be the great grandparents. And with our strength fading and our love increasing, there will be a parade of progeny that comes by the old farmhouse to visit and extend Christmas wishes. And we will talk about chasing cows, or harvesting lettuce early in the morning so we could go swimming later. Or when this one or that one got their first hit or scored their first goal. And Joelle and I will get to hold another crop of Klesick’s for the first time and beam with pride as our pictures are taken.

Family is the gift that matters most. And it is the same this Christmas as it will be next Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tristan Klesick

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Grandparents

I heard John Maxwell share this story when he was talking about grandchildren. He was talking about how he is convinced that intelligence skips a generation, because his grandkids are considerably more intelligent than his children ever were.

Anyway, John’s son was in the audience and just after the session ended his son met him backstage. John of course reassured him, “That was all fun and games and, of course, nothing was meant by those comments.” But his son stopped him, “Dad, I think you might be right.” At this point John is looking a little perplexed. And then his son elaborated, “Grandpa and I had a similar conversation last week about you!”

Now that Joelle and I have three grandchildren, this Christmas is going to resemble some of those Christmases of old. For me, having grandchildren focuses me on the future, and all those same hopes and dreams we had for our children are coming forth again in this next generation.  After all, Christmas is about the birth of a baby named Jesus.

When I hold one of our grandbabies, life just slows down and a whole bunch of “really” important things get put on the back burner. I just look into their eyes (while I am doing the Grandpa two step) and pray for them, connect with them and let them know they are loved and I am going to be here for them. Always.12313729_1012241812183156_6440637861751532491_n

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Tristan Klesick

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The Week Before Thanksgiving

The next six weeks are going to be brutal! For those of us who are trying to navigate the “Standard American Diet” (aka, S.A.D.) food system by making good food choices, it doesn’t get much harder than Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s! And since the high fat and high sugar groups have hijacked our food system, it can be really hard to eat well. Thankfully, this Thanksgiving can be more successful than ever, if we implement a few simple strategies.

Strategy #1:  Avoid the grocery store! Most of you already are successful at this because you get a box of good delivered—saving both time and money

Strategy #2:  Avoid the middle of the grocery store—saving more time, money, and calories.

Strategy #3:  Practice, Preach and live Portion Control—preventing the “I ate too much” feeling.

Strategy #4:  Think about how good dessert will taste—helping you not eat too much at dinner.

Strategy #5:  Repeat strategies 1, 2 and 3 for dessert—making your own desserts or ordering them from us.

Sure this is a little tongue-and-cheek, but if we don’t have a PLAN for Thanksgiving and this holiday season, it will own us! And at our daily “weigh in” we will be wishing (and feeling) we had a little less to eat. And it won’t be the fruits and vegetables that did us in either! It will have been ourselves (don’t you hate the truth). Really, I am responsible for eating well, no one else. Yep, it comes down to the person in the mirror to make the choices. You can do it!

Holiday Donation Boxes
Consider partnering with us to alleviate hunger this holiday season. It is still not too late to order a Holiday Donation Box. Every week, we partner with you to get healthy produce out to eight food banks in our community, but at Thanksgiving we want to send even more good food to and through our local food banks. We make it ultra-simple: you order, we pack and deliver. And this season we are sending a Matty Ride Christmas CD, titled I would be fine with Christmas as a thank you for partnering with us.

Thank you,

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Tristan Klesick

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A Merry Christmas Story

Merry Christmas

 

A four-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before Christmas dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food.


He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip. Then he paused, and everyone waited … and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, “If I thank God for the broccoli, won’t he know that I’m lying?”

 

Well, I guess that little boy hasn’t tried organic broccoli!  (Smile)  In all seriousness, we are tickled to hear all of the comments that we get from our customers with little ones that beg for seconds of broccoli!  Starting the children off at a young age with a love of vegetables and healthy eating habits will benefit them for a lifetime. Give them the gift that will not go out of style, get tattered or torn or break the first day.  Someday they’ll thank you for it!

 

Have an enjoyable Christmas and don’t forget to slow down enough to remember all of the things that you have to be thankful for and thank the Giver of all good gifts!

 

Your friends at the Klesick Family Farm

 

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Holiday Week Changes

Holiday Week Changes

Alternate Delivery Schedule:

We will be on an alternate delivery schedule the weeks of Christmas and New Years. Please watch your email for your revised delivery day.

Revised Ordering Deadlines:

If you plan to add or change an order for the weeks of Christmas and/or New Years, please note our revised ordering deadlines:

  • Our office will be closed 12/25-26 and 1/1-2 in observance of the holidays.
  • Coffee Orders:Due 5:00 p.m. on Thursday before the holiday week.
  • Bakery Orders:Due noon on Friday before the holiday week.
  • All Other Orders:Due 8:00 a.m. on Sunday of the holiday week.
  • Will You Need to Skip a Delivery?Please let us know as soon as possible.

Orders/changes received after the above deadlines will be scheduled for your subsequent delivery day. Ordering deadlines will revert to normal after the holiday weeks.

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It’s the Week before Christmas!

How does Christmas always sneak up on ME? Every year it seems we just run out of time and before you know it, it’s here! I know for our family, this season has changed. In a simpler season of life, when everyone lived at home, we used to catch a Christmas Eve service, wake up Christmas morning, have our family time and then load up all kiddos and head to the grandparents, both sets. Oh, things were simple during those days.

Now that many of the Klesicks are grown up, two are married and a third is getting married in January, it is anything but simple. Family time is still ultra-important and gift giving has rightfully regulated itself to more time than material, but just trying to find the time with all the different schedules can, quite literally, be a gift in itself.

One good thing about holidays is that they do serve as family gathering days, and most of our family does gather together then. As our family grows and we add new sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and grandchildren, we have found the need to be flexible, especially when we gather. Gathering as a family is still the goal, but when and who can attend are the new variables. Of course, this isn’t a new phenomen, as it has played itself out through the generations, but it is just new to us.

So as our family grows, so does our need for flexibility with meeting places and times. Some years will be less attended for the usual reasons: work schedules, other family obligations, travel plans, etc. This year we are able to gather with our family the week before and everyone will be there (YEAH!!!).

Some things change, while others remain the same, so being flexible around the holidays going forward, will make this and many more Christmases to come just as special.

This year, it will be only a little quieter as we gather up those who still live at home to go to the Christmas Eve service, wake up Christmas morning, have our family time and then load up all the kiddos and head to the grandparents, both sets.

 

tristan-sign

 

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Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men

The frantic nature of our society leaves little room for peace, rest and quietness. We are bombarded with advertising to buy this or that, or messaging that makes us feel inferior if we don't dress this way or drive that car.

After this last week's tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, I am feeling more impressed to hug my children a little longer, tell them I love them a little more often and not let the tug of this world rob my joy, my relationships.  Every night, when our family gathers to pray, our son Stephen prays like clockwork, "Lord, please don't let anyone get hurt tomorrow." Sunday night those words, the same words he prays every night, had a different meaning for me. In my heart, I agreed with him—"Yes, Lord please don't let anyone get hurt tomorrow."
 
And now, the week before Christmas, our country has to reconcile the sadness of these senseless deaths. This tragedy stands in stark contrast to what Christmas should represent. Today Christmas, is not at all about Christmas. It is more about buying happiness, instead of investing in happiness. But really happiness isn't the goal, but rather peace, a deep abiding peace. A peace that says, no matter what is happening all around me, it will be okay. In our communities, in our sphere of influence, in our families there are real needs. Needs like a loss of a loved one, cancer, divorce, deployment, unemployment, medical bills or too many bills that can't be soothed by a gift, but maybe by a hug or true friendship.
 
Ironically, the antidote to the heaviness for many of us, is the reason we are supposed to celebrate Christmas. Some 2000 years ago a gift was given to humanity. A baby whose message was so radical it changed the course of history.  But we have to stop, take a breath and consider what the baby Jesus came to offer—peace (not temporary) and joy (not fleeting). He said to think about how you can please God and love your neighbor as you would like to be loved. Of course, He said more, but can you imagine a society that honored God and also considered others as more important than themselves. There is no room for murder, when we consider pleasing the God who loves us and if we put others comfort, safety and needs before our own.
 
Those families are forever changed—scarred because of what happened. But what is our response? Should we hate this young man or his family? No, there is no hope in that, but we should hate the act of violence and its motives. I believe the response to this tragedy is to pray for those families and that community. And then, take a hard look at our own lives and honor those families, by making sure our loved ones know we love them. I am sure that every one of those families wish that they could redo something from that morning, that week, that year, but they can't and it could haunt them forever. But we can still strengthen, restore or make amends with our family members, no matter how old or young. It doesn't matter if something has placed a wedge in your relationships; work to remove it now, because you still can, because it would be better.
 
Almost always, peace comes when we offer peace, hope comes when offer hope, and forgiveness comes when we forgive. I think the best gifts this Christmas are the ones that money can't secure. I am sure that each of us can plant some "seeds" of peace, hope or forgiveness as gifts and begin to strengthen or rebuild our relationships. It will take work, maybe some humility or actual forgiveness, but the reward of restoring or beginning to restore a relationship is a gift that, sadly, is no longer available to those families in Newtown, but is to us.
 
Can we honor those families by building, restoring or living "I love you" this Christmas?
 
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This Christmas, leave the running around to us!

Let us help you get some names checked off your Christmas shopping list this holiday season. Food is just one of those universal gifts that everybody enjoys. Even those people that are just hard to find something for will be pleased with a gift of produce or a food gift basket. Even more, gifts from Klesick Family Farm send the message of care for the recipient (organic), our communities (local), and our environment (sustainable practices). For delivery the week of Christmas, orders need to be received by 12/16.

Produce Gift Boxes


A delivery of healthy organic produce makes a thoughtful gift! You can have us deliver a one-time gift of one of our standard produce boxes or give away a month’s worth of deliveries to be enjoyed throughout the season. We can either make the delivery for you (subject to our delivery area) or we can deliver the box to you so that you can give it away yourself. When placing your order please specify which box you would like to give.

Gift Baskets
All gift baskets come in a decorative 7.5” x 10” x 3.5 “ chocolate scroll print tray and packaged up in a clear cello bag, tied up with a ribbon. Eco-friendly gift card included…just let us know if you want a message sent with your gift!

  • Gift Basket  –  Fruit Medley


Contains a beautiful assortment of fresh organic fruit. A perfect gift idea for the office! Unique and a refreshing change from the usual holiday sweets!

Contains an assortment of the following: Northwest pears*, Granny Smith apples*, Pink Lady Apples*, Ruby Grapefruit, Satsumas, Bananas, and Kiwi.

  • Gift Basket –  Coffee Break*


A special holiday selection, with a sampling of two Camano Island Coffee Roasters’ delicious holiday blends, the Papua New Guinea Coffee is a delightful blend of light, medium, and dark roast beans,  the Midnight Holiday Blend is a special, extra dark roast Brazil. A delicious array of handmade cookies from Renee at the Breadfarm finishes out this charming basket. Perfect to for the coffee lover in your life, or treat the office break room!

Note: coffee is drip grind.

Contains:  1/2 lb. Holiday Blend Papua New Guinea coffee, 1/2  lb. Holiday Blend Midnight Dark  Coffee, 1 Biscotti Sampler 6-pack, 6 oz bag of Cocoa Niblets,  8-pack of Cranberry-Pistachio cookies.

  • Gift Basket  –  Snack Time


Packed full of organic goodies…this one is meant for munching! Tasty snacks, but without the sugar load, so you can feel good about giving this one to families with small kiddos. Note: the candied pepitas are pumpkin seeds tossed with a small amount of organic cane sugar, cayenne and allspice, mild…and addicting!

Contains: 12 oz. bag of CB’s Peanuts*, 8 oz. bag of Pistachios from Terra Firma Farm, 6-oz bag of candied pepitas from Breadfarm*, 24 oz jar of peach –apple nectar, 6.4 oz bag whole wheat crackers from Breadfarm*, and we had to include a 24 oz jar of peanut butter* from the Breadfarm –it’s the best EVER.

* Denotes items grown, and/or produced in the Pacific Northwest

Other Gifts

  • Holiday Cookie Box – $30.00
A variety of Breadfarm’s most popular holiday favorites, including Cocoa Nib shortbread, Lemon Crumiri, Hazelnut Espresso, Almond & Chocolate Biscotti, Cranberry-Pistachio cookies and Double Chocolate Ginger Spice.
  • Holiday Wreath $45

Beautifully handmade wreaths from Sunrise Holly Farm on Camano Island. A combination of several different types of English hollies combined with silver tip holly, cedar sprigs, red berries, and a red bow. A festive treat for yourself or as a gift!