The Farm Chicks

VPI Windows

A big priority for us in building our new home is to make it as energy efficient and as well built as possible.  Windows can have a huge impact on just that, so It was really important for us to find the perfect window manufacturer.  VPI Windows in Spokane was our first choice.

Not only are the owners, Burke and Muriel, good friends, they also produce excellent windows that are made right here in our community.  We've even gotten to see them being built, which is pretty wonderful.

The windows will be going in later this week, so production is in full swing.  Prior to production, we had an onsite walk-through to measure each window opening and to determine which ones would open and which ones wouldn't, and the direction in which they'd open.  After that, I met with Greg at VPI to go over which windows would have grids and what style of grid would go in each of those gridded windows.  Since there are 52 windows and because we wanted to be certain everything was just right, there was one last walk-through to make sure all of the windows on the order were just as specified.

It's surprising how much thought can go into this whole process.  I wanted to make sure that each room had windows that made sense all together, as well as looking good when viewing the house as a whole from the outside.  I used our plans to sketch out the grids/no-grids on each of the windows and to help keep everything straight in my mind.

And now, here we are in production.

Here's Dustin cutting the frames:

The glazing stop (the part of the window that holds the glass in place) being applied:

Cutting the sashes:

Jason working on the grids.  (I chose the largest grids possible because I really like them to look chunky rather than thin and wispy):

Spacers being applied: (Material placed between two or more pieces of glass in order to maintain a uniform width between the glass and to prevent sealant distortion.  Since our windows are triple paned, this is really important)

Aaron welding the frames:

Donnie assembling the windows:

 

Ali installing the hardware on the sashes:

Ready to glaze:

The screens being built:

 

The first batch of windows are done!

And the important details:

I can't wait to see these babies installed.

On Being Happy

I wake up every morning and run through a mental checklist.  Colin, kids, responsibilities, the day's events.  And it's usually pretty great.  I have so much to be thankful for and I'm genuinely happy.  But it hasn't always been that way.

Many years ago while living in Alaska, I was involved in an accident that nearly took my life.  It's something that I've never spoken about publicly before but I keep it with me every day.  Two women lost their lives and it was horrific.  It altered my life, much for the worse, for a very long time.  For several weeks after the accident I was unable to make basic decisions, like what to drink or what to wear.  I truly thought I was dead and that somehow I was dreaming I was alive.  And for many years after, I was plagued with guilt for having lived, but was afraid of everything.  Too scared to fly, to cross a bridge, to walk at night.  Everything was hard for me.

And it was no way to live.

As a little girl, I learned how I wanted to live.  I wanted to be a wife, have beautiful children and have a happy life.  I dreamt about it and when times were tough, it got me through.  I always knew there was something wonderful waiting for me someday.

And at some point, I remembered those childhood dreams and stopped living out of fear and slowly began to be happy.

Thank goodness.

And I've been thinking about my happiness a lot lately.  About everything that I love.  It's true that clouds make me smile, carrots bring me joy, and that nothing is greater than those I love.

The other day, after blogging about carrots, I heard from "anonymous" who told me my happiness made them sick, which made me think about it all.

Happiness.  And how it has come to be.  And it just made me more thankful than ever before.  But I especially wanted to say...

Are you happy?  Do you look for the good in every day?

Don't waste your time on the things that bring you down.  Eliminate those things and move on with the good.  Because there's so much good in the world.

Are you surrounded by those you love?  The ones who bring you joy and you would do anything for?

Surround yourself with those wonderful people.

Do good.  And good will come.

Happiness will come.

Plum Morning

It's plum time at Hansen's Orchard, which is something I look forward to all year.  I love plum mornings where I can zip over to the orchard and pick to my heart's content.

Rod and Karen Hansen grow Italian plums (also called Italian Prunes), which are excellent for baking and for jam making.  Use them in your favorite crumble recipe or experiment with them in a pie.  There's no need to skin them.  Simply seed and quarter, and bake bake bake!  (They're tasty as a simple snack too).

And if you go, you should pick some apples too.  You'll be so glad you did.

Electricity

Today we met with our electrician for 5.5 hours.  Oh. My. Gaw.  I had no idea how long that'd take.  And we've built a house before.  Is it like childbirth where you forget how painful things actually are until you're right in the middle of it again?

Things like: we need an outlet there, a light switch here, and so on.  And, let me just mention Colin has an accounting degree.  So. Every. Little. Detail. Is. Not. Lost. On. Him.  He thinks about the square footage a light fixture will illuminate ( x 562 or however many it seems like we'll need) while my mind has already wandered off to... hmm.... what type of frosting is my favorite?  Is it vanilla buttercream or mocha?  Chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa?

And let me just say that our electrician is a gem.  A real keeper.  It's just these darn details.  They're killin' me!

How about kerosene?  That lights nicely, right?

I am, however, looking forward to selecting the light fixtures.  If only that was the only thing I had to do.  Sort of like getting to bake and frost the cake without having to shop for the ingredients first.

My favorite lighting is definitely from Schoolhouse Electric.  I love how they offer inspirational images.  (And that it's made in the U.S.A!)  Here's some I love:

And let me confess, as much as the details make my head feel like it's going to pop off, I'm so so so thankful that it's Colin's thing.  Thank goodness for my guy.  He lights my world.

Meeting Carrot

This evening I took a drive.  I love drives so much.  I thought... Happy little farmhouse... I haven't seen you in a while.  I miss you.  So off I went.

And before too long, I was almost there.  But grrrrrrooooowwwwlll went my stomach. grumble grumble. rrroooarr!  I was so-o-o-o hungry.

And then guess what?  The little farm across the road called out to me.

And I couldn't resist stopping to say hello.  Hello most adorable little tractor in the whole wide world!

Oh! Hello my little farmhouse.  Don't worry.  I'll be right over.

Right after I grab a bag of these little beauties.

Carrot, meet farmhouse.  Farmhouse, meet carrot.

Oh my... you DO taste like sugar.  

And I thought... I'll eat you up, I love you so.  (Just like the Wild Things, of course).

So I did.

And I realized.... I've never met a sugar carrot I didn't like.

Goodbye - Good Buy!

Today I think I sold a truckload of cute things.  And I loved seeing everyone so happy to get a good deal.  And because of the great response, Wednesday will be the final sale day at the store.

Oh boy, there are some super super cute things still to be had!  Cakestands.  Really darling ones too.  Mugs, glassware, dishes, wonderful decorating books, candies, candles, and stocking stuffers galore.  Everything on this final sale day will be 40% off.

Open 11-2.  I hope to see you there!

The Sun and the Rain and the Appleseeds

Today I needed my friends and they dropped everything to come and help me.

Today was a day where I cried about ten times.

The short story is that I'm having to close my little store.  Maintenance issues that I just can't ignore.  And it's the final blow in a series of difficult events there.

And the most important thing I've learned over the years is that when something is detrimental to my business, I have to fix it or move on.  Otherwise, I'd be putting my business at risk.

So, I'm closing things down.  My friends and I will be at the store from 11-2 each day this week and EVERYTHING WILL BE MARKED AT LEAST 30% OFF.

My online store will remain open.

We will be open from 11-2 this week.  All stock and display fixtures will be sold.

And here's the thing.  It could always be worse.  Mr. Blue Sky says that all the time.  And it's true.  I'm so thankful for such good friends who've been there for me and for Colin and the boys loving and supporting me in all of my dreams.  The ones that work and the ones that don't work out.  And you've supported my dreams too.  Thank you for that.  Really really.

And it all reminds me of a song my siblings and I would sing as children, when times were tough, but we were so thankful for what we had.  I love that it's been playing in my mind:

    Oh the Lord is good to us

    and so we thank the Lord

    for giving us the things we need -

    the sun and the rain and the appleseeds...

    The Lord is good to us!

Junk Bonanza Scores

Part of our fun here in Minneapolis has been exploring the Junk Bonanza.  Ki has done such a good job with creating a wonderful show and it has been packed with excited shoppers.  And we've scored things we love!  Here are our finds:

Me: Cutest little old feed sign.  It's super sweet!  hee hee

Heather:  Several letters (I like her H the best), Display sign holders, old pillows.

We *heart* Minnesota.

Cake (and Cupcake!) Flags, Part 2

I got so carried away with the cute little cake flags that I started thinking about other ways to make them, but quicker.  (I love quick and easy crafts!)  Wouldn't they be so cute on cupcakes?  Yes!

And, I have lots of cute tape on hand....

   

Adhere a piece of decorative tape, centered, onto the top of a toothpick.

Fold tape together, over the toothpick, sticky sides together.

 

Snip ends into a flag shape that you love.

And now you have a cute little cupcake flag.

Or two!

The cute tape I used can be found on my website (while supplies last).

Cake Flags!

I've been inspired by a big collection of vintage party supplies I picked up at a recent estate sale.  And it made me wonder... why don't we see any cute little cake flag picks sold in stores any more?  And after making some flag picks, I thought, why not make a banner?  A cake flag banner.

Cut strips of cute paper.

Cut strips into rectangles.

Fold rectangles in half.

Cut into pointy little flags, or any other shape you prefer.  Leaving them as rectangles is cute too!

After I cut the first flag, I found it useful to use it as a pattern for the rest.

Next, cut a piece of string or baker's twine, a few inches longer than the width of the cake.

Tie ends to wooden skewers.  (Toothpicks are shown here, but I discovered they were too small for this project).  You'll need to break the skewers in half.  Clean up the jagged skewer edges with a pair of junky old scissors or garden snippers.

Arrange the flags, sandwiched over the string, in a pattern you love and then glue into place.

Place into your cake.  Isn't it so cute?  Do you still want to add more?

Okay! Here goes... add little individual ones, made with toothpicks, onto the sides!

So sweet.  But do we need a little more still?

Sprinkles! That's the ticket!

Now you're all complete.

Post Edit:

Special thanks to blog reader, Rachel, who pointed out some very similar (but much cuter) cake flags on etsy.  (They call them Cake Buntings).  You can find them here.  I LOVE them and think the multiple layers are amazing!  Thank you for the tip, Rachel!

Post Edit #2: The cake plate is from Rosanna, Inc.

Annie Mae

Dear Annie Mae,

I loved watching you fly this weekend.

  

  

You make me smile.

Love,

Auntie Serena

P.S. This poem reminds me of you, partly because you're as cute as a little bugs ear.  I love you, inches and inches and inches (to infinity).

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school. The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool. A crumb of cake would be a feast And last you seven days at least, A flea would be a frightening beast If you were one inch tall. If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door, And it would take about a month to get down to the store. A bit of fluff would be your bed, You'd swing upon a spider's thread, And wear a thimble on your head If you were one inch tall. You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum. You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb. You'd run from people's feet in fright, To move a pen would take all night, (This poem took fourteen years to write-- 'Cause I'm just one inch tall). ~Shel Silverstein

Fresh Start

This time of year is my fresh start.  When I try to focus on what I've been doing, how I've been doing it, and think about how I can be better.  A better parent, better organizer, and so on.

Phew!  Being a mom is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and of course, the most rewarding.  And I do stop and think OFTEN about what a blessing my family is.  I feel like this is what I was meant to be and I want to try and be the best I can.  Because I think a happy family is the key to a happy life.

And even though I'm not into New Year's resolutions, this time of year is sort of just that for me.  But sometimes, life can prove challenging.  Like yesterday.

Get Micah off to school.

Take Bongo and Lukie to school.

Meet cabinet maker at the building site.

Meet electrician at the building site.

Meet cabinet maker at my house.

Zip to The Farm Chicks store.

Mad-rush back to pick up Bongo and Lukie.

Take Micah to guitar lessons.

Get house ready for a last-minute house showing.

Attend open house at school.

Prepare dinner.

Go over homework and complete new year forms.

Good night.

eek.

And today it all starts again.

Last night, I told Colin that I think I'm becoming a better parent.  And I think year after year, I start to feel more and more like I know what I'm doing.

At least I'm doing the very best that I can.

And that makes me happy.

Back to School

All of the boys are back in school today.  It was quite a weekend, and we celebrated it all with my Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast this morning.

On Friday, Micah got all settled in to his middle school locker.  Middle school is such a change from the elementary school our family has had kids enrolled in for the last 15 years!

And it was freshmen weekend at Cody's University.  He's all moved into his dorm room and thinking life is pretty cool.

Time sure does fly.

Lukie, Bongo and I are off to elementary school this morning and then the house will be deafeningly silent.

And as much as I know that the silence is good and our boys are growing up just like they're supposed to............

                                          

                         Well, I still get choked up at this time of year.

Post Edit:

The Cinnamon Roll recipe is in my first book: The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen

The Creative Connection Event

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is from women interested in starting their own business.  I'm happy to be speaking at The Creative Connection in Minneapolis, on just that very subject:  How to Launch a Business.  If you're looking for inspiration and useful information, The Creative Connection is the place to be.  I hope to see you there!

Windows

We met our good friend, Burke, at the construction site last night.  Burke owns VPI Home Solutions and is the window manufacturer for all of the windows in our new home.  I love knowing that all of our windows will be made right here, in Spokane.  The number of options is really overwhelming and it's such a nice feeling having someone we trust walking us through it all.

  

And of course, Craig was there too.

We've chosen triple pane windows with a really high R Value for maximum heat resistance.  I'm still deciding on which windows will have grids and which won't, but otherwise, we're just about all set.

Next week, the roof will be going on and all of the cabinetry will be laid out.

Home sweet home progress.  September 1, 2010.

Testing

I love this time of year when the season begins to change and I start thinking about baking like crazy.  It was really chilly here yesterday, which definitely made me set my sights on the kitchen.

I've got a couple of recipes I've been wanting to tackle and have been getting lots of requests for one in particular.  So, today's the day!

P.S. Isn't my little notebook cute?  They'll be available soon in my website store and The Farm Chicks Store in Spokane too.