Pumpkin Painting/Carving/Decorating Class-Great Farm fun

I always get a little nervous just before a class.  Remember, our farm is where we live, and I want people who come to our place to feel that #1-the farm is sustainability managed and done well; #2-that people are provided a service that is worth their hard earned money; #3 that the environment

where we are having the class is safe, comfortable, friendly; #4 that I have anticipated all their wants and needs to perform the class; #5 and that I have set myself up with what I need to teach the class.

Each time I think it will get easier and easier but it doesn't.  

Getting together all the items needed for the participants takes days of shopping and planning.  Getting the location where the class will be taught takes days to get clean, organized and supplies there.  (I use the locations of the classes daily in our normal farming business, so I usually have to wait to the last minute to do the super cleaning and pick up).  Snacks are either purchased or made the day before.  Printed materials are organized, or created a few days ahead and printed.  

Door prizes are purchased all through the year as I see items that I feel will be fun to give away-or we use produce or items I have grown or made myself.

So the Pumpkin, Painting, Carving, Decorating class was set for this past Saturday, October 22nd from 10-12Noon.  I was so excited because we had several new people to our farm classes and my daughter Celli and grand daughter Carli were coming the day before and staying to help me with the class too.  Celli is so much better at certain crafts, such as painting, so she brought all her acrylic paints to demo and help out with that part of the class.

Once the class got going, it just was so much fun seeing the people get involved in picking, cleaning, carving out their pumpkins.  

Several decided to spray paint their pumpkins with glitter, gold, bronze paint.  One person painted polka dots on their pumpkin.  Some just left it white or orange.

The next phase of the class was taking them out into our flower gardens to let them select and cut their own flowers.  The day before, I decided to cut handfuls of hydrangeas and mums and they were placed at each table to use in addition to the cut flowers they selected themselves.

The creative part was so inspiring to see as each lady work on making their pumpkin exactly what they wanted.

Their happy faces reflect another successful class from our little Windmill Farm here in Gridley.  I guess I just need to stop worrying so much ahead of time.

Future classes here at the farm are November 9th-Learn to Make Fresh Gnocchi, a home made pasta out of potatoes. 6-8pm. $25.00 and that will be held in our house kitchen.  I am not sure whether we have enough pomegranates to have the Pom Press Class, still deciding.  And the 2 Holiday Fresh Wreath Making Classes December 7th and 8th are full but I have started a waiting list in case anyone decides to not attend.  That will be it for 2016!!!