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Remember when I said I didn't want to say goodbye to summer? You see, it flew by before I really had a chance to enjoy it fully. And life doesn't seem like it's going to be slowing down anytime soon. So, Colin and I are heading out for a tiny break, to enjoy summer's warmth one last time. And I need to hear nothing but the sound of silence for a bit, to clear my head, and to return renewed. I'll be back to embrace Autumn and share new posts next week. ♥ Happy weekend ♥
I'm on my way to the Junk Bonanza in Minnesota, hosted by the one and only Ki Nassauer. I'll be doing a book signing with our book, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen, at the Bonanza on Thursday and participating in the Blog Party, along with a bunch of amazing people like Ki, Matthew Mead, Heather Bullard, Nancy Soriano, Jo Packham, Linda of Re-styled Home, Kari (aka Artsy Mama), and Margo (aka Robolady). I hope to see you there!
Huckleberries are a favorite summertime treat of ours. We love heading to Mt. Spokane for an afternoon of picking. This is the time to load up and freeze the extras to enjoy all winter long.
Last week, we awoke to a rare cool and drizzly summer day. We'd been itching to visit Garnet Creek, about two and a half hours away in our neighboring state of Idaho. It's the only place besides India where you can find Star Garnets. So Bongo, Lukie and I decided it was finally time. And by golly, no garnets, no glory we decided. And we hit the open road. Twisting our way into Idaho and through St. Maries, which I love. Being the daughter of a logger, I can't help but feel welcome there!
And through the woods we went
And after a little hike, we arrived. Turns out, a little rain makes a whole lotta mess at Garnet Creek!
We slipped and slopped about and made a big huge mess. But what a time we had! And at the end of the day, Lukie and Bongo both had bags of newfound treasures. And we couldn't have asked for anything more.
There was an estate sale in the heart of farm country this weekend. The sale was run by one of my favorite estate sale companies, Monarch. I really appreciate the descriptions they give in their advertisements because I know they're always accurate. They described this sale as a "digger", which means there will be a TON of things to "dig" for. My neighbor Michelle loves their sales as much as me, so we decided to go together. We also met up with her friend and business partner, Faith, and her daughter. We ran into the Junebug girls there too.
The house, barn, outbuilding, chicken coop, and tents were jammed full. Everything was for sale. The advertisement described thousands of yards of fabric, which was perfect for me, especially because we're working on a shoot at the end of the month and can always use a good assortment. (Plus, I've never met a fabric I didn't like). After a few hours, our trucks were jammed full. We stopped for lunch on the way home and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the trucks with their loads.
Last night, we all headed out to Wildrose Prairie to volunteer at a bike race.
If you're going to race, the prairie is where it's at!
You've heard lots about my prairie that I love. And we are so lucky to live in an area where prairies are found almost everywhere you go. There's my prairie (Peone), and WildRose, and Pleasant Prairie, Five Mile Prairie, Moran Prairie, Orchard Prairie, Half-Moon Prairie, Rathdrum Prairie and Palouse Prairie. Cindy, from Happy Endings, calls Wildrose Prairie home. Our race station was right near her little piece of heaven. I'm in love with her barn.
And when I called Amanda, who just started the blog, Gypsie, to tell her we were on her prairie, she jumped on her amazing new cruiser and paid us a visit. Life on the prairie is good!
We're so happy to announce that we'll be heading to Ki Nassauer's Junk Bonanza in Minnesota, September 17th! We'll be signing copies of our book, The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen, and we'll be taking part in her big blog party that same day.
Ki will be signing her books
And Matthew Mead will be signing his book, Entertaining Simple, as well as his new Halloween magazine
We're really excited to be heading to Minnesota and hope that you'll be able to join in on the fun! We'll have more details on signing times and the blog party soon!
P.S. To read more about Ki and her junk story, click here for part 1, here for part 2, and here for part 3.
We had such a fun time visiting New York and were able to experience so many fun things. We squeezed in some shopping too.....at places like M&J Trimming:
Kate's Paperie, and Purl Soho. But we kept thinking........ we wish you could have experienced the fun too! So, we brought you something back. A little something from all of these stores. And one of you will win it all! To enter, leave a comment on our blog (on this posting), telling us if you've ever been to New York, and if so, what did you love? If not, what would you want to see if you did visit? And then spread the word on your blog (if you have one). It's a New York party, right here and we really hope you win!
~ Serena and Teri
The Giveaway:
One set of daisy buttons, one set of posy buttons, 1/2 yard bright floral French ribbon, 1 yard French floral trim, 1 yard scalloped red flowery ribbon, 1 yard red and white daisy trim from M&J Trimmings .....and.....
2 fat quarters from Purl Soho .....and.....
A vintage mini Buffalo China diner tray and hors d'oeuvre fork from Fishs Eddy .....and.....
3 Kate Spade notepads from Kate's Paperie .....and.....
Cake spice from Penzeys Spices!
You have until Sunday night, July 26th, to enter. We'll announce the winner next week! Hooray!
****UPDATE, Monday, July 27th****
Congratulations to Amanda at Lovin Country Livin! She is the lucky winner of our giveaway, (randomly chosen thanks to random.org). We've just finished reading through all of the comments and loved hearing about your adventures in New York city and of your dreams to visit. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with us! Love, Serena and Teri
When CBS contacted our publicist about having us appear on the Early Show, they indicated that they'd like us to do a barn diving segment somewhere in New York state. So, they all searched around for a great spot for us to go, and Melanie's barn was chosen.
Melanie, her husband Michael, and their sweet son, Max, were so wonderful and welcoming. Michael cooked the most amazing pizza ever, in their super cool outdoor brick pizza oven, and everyone was happy! Their property includes several outbuildings that they're fixing up as well. It was really all just too cute for words.
Weekends for Melanie's family are spent here, at their country home. During the week, they live in the city in a home that just so happens to be a few minutes away from the CBS studios. We were so touched when Melanie and Max showed up to support us for our live segment in the plaza. It was like having family there.
And in addition to being the hostess with the mostess, Melanie is also an accomplished photographer. You can visit her blog here. Melanie, Michael, and Max: Thank you! Thank you! For welcoming us into your home! We loved getting to know you.
Serena and I had a ton of fun in New York! We shopped (Fishs Eddy was my favorite), we ate amazing food (trout at The Harrison in Tribeca...the best!) and spent some quality friend time together!
But, I think the memory that will always stick with me happened at the Minneapolis airport. We were killing time waiting for our next flight and just walking around when all of the sudden we heard some clapping near one of the gates. I assumed that someone was greeting a relative, but quickly realized that we are no longer allowed to do that at the gates. Then the clapping grew into a very loud applause. We stopped to look and saw that four young service men in full uniform were walking through the airport. As travelers stopped to see what was happening they (along with us) realized what was going on and parked their carry-ons and joined in. We clapped to say thank you...to them, to their mothers and their families. Yes, we shopped, ate amazing food and had a great time, but this is the memory that will stick with me the most!
(Serena was only able to capture the final few seconds, but we wanted to share it with you anyhow.)
We're on our way to Philadelphia for an interview with NPR. Neither one of us have been there before. We're looking forward to it! T&S
The view of Central Park from the magazine's offices seems perfectly fitting. They should be able to look out and see beautiful scenery, right? And that's Columbus Circle just below.
This is the main entrance to the tower, with a stunning waterfall at the escalators.
We had a meeting at the Hearst Tower this morning. The Country Living magazine offices are here. The building is stunning and the view from the magazine's floor is amazing.
-Teri & Serena
We finished up at Sterling and have been shopping the Central Market at Grand Central. We love the variety of spices and specialty items!
Sterling has an amazing variety of books in their In-Print library / conference room. It was hard to pull myself away and get back to "work". ~Teri
The front office at Sterling. Our book is on the shelf in the background!
Anwesha and Teri crafting away, here at the Sterling offices. We're working on some fun things... You'll get to see soon!
After a rocky start to our trip to Cornwallville, two hours stuck with a flat tire, we were under way again - thanks to some very kind passers by. Such beautiful country, amazing hosts, and a really great TV crew. All's well that ends well. We're on our way back to the city now, with a new driver, in a car that promises no flat tires. Because that wouldn't be a whole lot of fun! Teri & Serena
Trouble on the way to Cornwallsville. While the TV crew patiently awaits our arrival, our driver, Nassim, is laboring away on a flat tire. Trouble is, the spare won't budge. It sounds like they're sending us another driver. This should make for a longer day than the crew was expecting....
Serena and I tend to think alike so it didn't surprise either one of us that we brought a huge selection of shoes (this isn't even all of them), but neither one of us managed to remember our cell phone charger!
We're headed to upstate NY today and with both cells on low battery...time to find a charger. We started with the yellow pages, but since neither one of us knows our way around the city, that didn't work. We asked at the hotel desk and found out there was a Best Buy within walking distance! So we made the trek there only to find it didn't open until 10:00 and so we headed back to the hotel where the concierge gave us instructions on how to get uptown on the subway and then directions to a cellular store. Have I ever mentioned that Serena and I are NOT good with directions? We couldn't find our way out of a paper bag! So much for a leisurely morning at Starbucks. But, somehow these two country girls managed to get uptown, purchased our chargers and back in time to catch our ride.
Dinner with our publicist, Anwesha, and our publishing superwoman, Marisa. Great food, lovely conversation. Off to Cornwalville, NY tomorrow for a full day of filming. Looking forward to seeing beautiful upstate New York!
We've successfully made our way across the country and into "The Big Apple"! We're on our way to our hotel now...more to come!
Follow along with me while I tour Strawberry Hill Farm, located near my home in an area called Greenbluff. It's the beginning of summer and the plantings are just beginning to take off. Farmer Verne explains the benefits of many different veggies, grown in his self-described "nutrition farming" style. I'll return later in the season to show the farm in full production. You can contact Strawberry Hill Farm by calling 509-238-6919. (P.S. I apologize for the sound quality on the video, we're working out the kinks for the future. In the meantime, you'll need to crank your volume to hear Verne's great tips).
We're home from Nantucket and had a wonderful time. Once we arrived, it was no hurrying or scurrying the entire time. Just relaxing, happy, family fun.
We love renting a big house where our families can all be together, and the cousins can have lots of room to play and explore. Wiffle ball games, hide and seek, treasure hunts, perfume making, and bike riding were some of their favorite activities. We even watched a turtle lay her eggs in the yard. Nantucket is beautiful. No doubt about it. Here are some of the things I loved:
We're zipping away to New York City next week to do some taping for CBS - The Early Show as well as some other neat opportunities. It should be a fun adventure. We've had some really memorable times in New York, and we're looking forward to some more.
We'll be appearing live on The Early Show, Tuesday, July 14th.
We should have more details to share next week. We hope you'll be able to tune in!
One of our favorite summer traditions are multiple trips to the berry farms located just minutes from our home. My children really love picking out their berry flat carrier and hopping on the tractor for the ride to the field.
There are always contests they dream up to see who can pick the most or eat the most and everyone leaves with red, strawberry scented fingers and red-ringed lips.
Tips for the trip:
We try to pick in the early morning to avoid the mid-day heat and to avoid "baking" the berries as they sit in the flats.
The boys always end up with strawberry stains on their clothing, but they are easily removed when I pre-treat them before washing with ERA detergent.
Grow your own Patch:
Strawberries are really easy to care for and with some basic care at the end of the season, you can enjoy strawberries fresh from your own garden.
Our family is heading out early in the morning for Nantucket and Boston. I've made sure to load my ipod up on my favorite radio show, This American Life (they have free podcasts, for goodness sake!), for the airplane as well as lots of embroidery supplies to while away the time on the long flight. And I painted my toes Nantucket Red. So, I think I'm all set.
We're really looking forward to meeting up with Colin's brother, Thatcher, and our sister-in-law, Jill. And the boys absolutely love getting to spend time with their cousins. Even though we live so far apart, we get to see each other a lot by planning vacations together. It's the best.
And I love that I can schedule blogs to post while I'm gone, and that's all set up now too. Yahoo!
P.S. If you have any super secret tips or can't miss suggestions for Boston or Nantucket, I'd love to hear them!
P.P.S. Nantucket Red isn't really a nail polish color, but I thought it should be, so I named it. : )
We're back from a whirlwind - action-packed - never-a-dull-moment trip. Happy, spinny, child-like fun.
I tagged along with Colin to Seattle last week. Him: business. Me: Pleasure.
I love staying at the Inn at the Market, where Pike Place is literally steps away from the front door, and in sight from your room.
The market is a lot more quiet this time of year, right before the rush of summer tourists, and the sights are as lovely as ever.
And the clam chowder and crab rolls are a real treat.
I'm aching for spring, and luckily, we awoke to beautiful sunny skies today. Thank goodness. And I'm ready to do some serious junking. With all of the work on the cookbook, and then straight into the work on book 2, we haven't had a lot of time to get out and junk. Can't wait!
Every time I go on a trip, I remember that I need to tell you about Starbucks oatmeal. There are many times when I arrive at the airport early, without a chance of grabbing breakfast first, or just plain forgetting to grab something. I have fallen in love with Starbucks oatmeal. It's cheap (under $3), healthy, and filling. Oh, and it comes in a cute polka-dotty container. And if you're like me, oatmeal can really be eaten at any time of day, as a great snack. My favorite combo is the oatmeal with a little packet of dried fruit topping and nut topping. I grab a packet of turbinado sugar from the napkin area, and sprinkle it with a little bit of cinnamon too. Healthy, cheap, and widely available. Love it.
Colin and I are off for a few days to someplace warm. I always call these getaways a honeymoon, because it still feels that way, even after all these years. I love this man.
One of the many things about the beautiful area where my sister lives is the accessibility to amazing wild greenery. One of the must-dos on the list during my last visit was to get a bunch of pepper berries and bay leaves for some projects Teri and I are working on. When my son, Lucas, asked me where my sister and I went on my recent visit, I told him, "where the wild pepper berries grow". "That's sounds just like Dr. Seuss!", he said. Now I'm the cool mom.
I'm off to San Francisco for a happy weekend with my big sis, Heather. Of course, no trip is ever set until I've gotten everything just right for Colin and the boys. I overdo it but I really do love it - making everything nice before I leave. Sometimes I wonder why.
I've washed all the slipcovers so they're perfectly clean.
I'm sure when I return, they'll be covered in chocolate or mud or both.
A crock-pot is softly simmering with lemon chicken for their dinner tonight, the freezer is full of homemade casseroles and pies, the fruit bowl is overflowing with tangerines, apples and grapefruit, and healthy snacks like peeled hard-boiled eggs, carrot and celery sticks that are all prepped and ready for them in the fridge should they get a little hungry.
But I'm sure they'll head to Egger's Meats and load up on sausage, bacon, ribs, and steaks and proceed to eat meat and only meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The floor has been mopped with my favorite Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena Cleaner. It's so clean they could eat off it.
I bet they do.
Every last little scrap of clothing has been washed, crisply folded, and neatly put away.
I bet they spend the weekend in their boxers and make ape noises the entire time. In fact, I bet all they speak all weekend is ape.
Good-bye my monkeys. I'll see you soon!
Oh my goodness, I'm gone on vacation and come back to a whole neighborhood of new friends! We didn't plan it this way, but it just happened that our blog went up the day I left on vacation. I'm trying to catch up on all the posts and comments between unpacking and laundry. Thank you for making us feel so welcome! Please bear with me as I venture into the uncharted waters of blogland!
Steve and I had a great time on our little anniversary get-away to Savannah. We loved the history, gardens, architecture, art, people, food and of course shopping. Bless my hubby...he was such a good sport!
Whenever a good friend of mine travels she tries to find a piece of art to bring back home
with her.
Each of her paintings have a story to them and are a
reminder of that trip. I thought it was such a great idea and decided to start my own collection. I was thrilled when I found out that Savannah was home to a very large art community. The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) is located right in the historic part of town where we were staying. After searching many galleries and stores we ended up buying a painting of a beautiful local church from an artist on the street. I had it shipped home. When it arrives, I'll share it with you!
The shopping was incredible! A couple of my favorite stores...
(Sorry, the photos aren't great. When I finally remembered the camera it decided to pour down rain)
@ Home Vintage General on Broughton Street
Love, love, love this store! Everything you would ever want, new and vintage. Liz (the owner) is so creative with her displays. I could have spent the entire day there!
Terra Cotta on Barnard Street
Purveyor of fine apparel, shoes, handbags, jewelry and everything a girl would ever want! I loved how Christine (the owner) used vintage in her displays. If you love Free People clothing...check out this store!
Right next door to Terra Cotta was a great store called Kitchens on the Square. It had every gadget you would ever want. I decided that it was time to replace some of my tired utensils. Seemed like a good
idea until it was time to pack everything up for the flight home...
It was so much fun to explore a part of the country that I'd never been to before. Steve has traveled down south on business and he always said how much he thought I would like it. He knows me well Ü We had a ton of fun, but after ten days we were happy to be heading back home. I woke up this morning, poured myself a cup of coffee and headed out to the back deck to watch the sun rise. It's good to be home!
Welcome! You've found my web journal, where
I talk about my life as a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. When I'm not chasing my four boys around, I'm hard at work running my company,
The Farm Chicks, writing books, and working as a contributing editor for Country Living Magazine.
I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world, and
I'm happy to share my stories and ideas with you.
My name is Serena, and I'm so happy you're here.
P.S. I love hearing from you! Feel free to drop me a note anytime!
The Farm Chicks
P.O. Box 1328
Mead, WA 99021
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