round & round

My mom gave me this, her wedding band.  It has been home on my right hand for over 20 years.  I love the detail, the modern choice of this independent woman from years ago. She had tucked it away in the jewelry box I often organized for her after she & my dad divorced.  I have loved it always, and had it fitted to wear when my mom passed on.  It has traveled with me from year to year, a reminder of the love that was a part of the choice.  It has been there when my hand has tended to the rebirth of this old farm - painting, pulling weeds and giving a goat a tussle on the head.  It has been there to encourage my Ian onward - applauding his hockey & soccer days, waving him on to Washington, sneaking a ring box to him on the Memorial Union Terrace as he prepared to ask his Emma for her "ever after".  It has been there through hard times - holding my sister's hand this past November as I talked with her in her final hour, pushing back & holding firm through life's waves.  And it has been there through joy - lifting up a brand new kitten born in our barn, readying a hayloft for a wedding, reaching out to my Dave at one more flea market or antique trip.  Round & Round & Round. 

1500 miles to together

                At last💙

💚💙

just be

My mantra for today, for this week, for this year:

"Just be."

brave girl

Let me introduce you to a club, a club that now holds a very special place in my heart....

The Brave Girls Club

When I have needed words of strength, there they were.

When I have needed words of support, given.

When I have needed words of encouragement, found.

As women, we are all members of this club.

At times that are difficult, our courage will get us through.

Brave girl, yes, I will carry that identity with pride.

Brave Girls Club

And he arrives - 2012

The winds bring this new year to us...rolling in from the north with gusto. There is nothing gentle about this arrival, it is with a, "hold onto your hat, I'm here!". So, here we go - hang on, 2012 has arrived. Happy New Year!

picture credit

container-izing

definition:  organizing by putting things in quite adorable containers.

I do this often, well, to be honest, very often.  I love vintage items that can hold stuff -- baskets, bowls, orphaned boxes & drawers.  They each offer the same important purpose, "hold my things". 



So - with no exception  --- Christmas is no more than "out the door on the way home" and here I go making a switch-a-roo on my little old blog.  Creating a new sweet holder for my words & pictures -- containerizing it. I do this with the seasons, sometimes with the change of the wind.  It is just what I am about and who I am...changing, ever changing -- and always finding a sweet holder to scoot my stuff into.  So, here I go again -- I can feel a new year approaching.  So, polka dots it is -- and two columns vs. three.  A new blog container.   Enjoy...

Barn Sale Readiness Underway!

Yes, as described on this dial....the summer has been indeed "warm    hot    very hot"....

but perseverance always wins!

With sweat in our eyes, we hauled out over TEN 33-gallon bags of dirt from the haymow.  Now we are tweaking the space, still struck by the jaw-dropping beauty of this 100 year old beamed loft!

Arriving this morning was this beauty of a Monarch stove...will be "done up" in autumn majesty for the sale!

And here is a teaser from my Saturday buying trip of the smalls coming into the house for prep...

hmmm, what ever could be in those bags? 

All medium to large items go directly to the barn --

where two OVER-FLOWING barn stalls can't take in another item. 

Suddenly I can picture the hayloft awaiting the arrival of shoppers --

"Heartland Style" is the theme!!!

Words borrowed from the September, 2008 Country Home magazine:  "Fields and pastures of green and gold, weathered red barns, tilled brown soil, and clear blue skies make their way inside...It's all so accessible, yet here is artistry inherent in the everyday.  Just as regeneration comes each year to fields outside, materials in a heartland home find rebirth, living many lives and proudly wearing their patina of age."

I

Join us on Saturday & Sunday, October 9 & 10 from 9:00-5:00.

Click on the "Barn Sale" tab on the right for all the details.

To start, you take one step...

• We all have so many first days in our life, and it seems some mix of courage, trepidation, & excitement always are present on those days. And so it is today -- for me, a moment to begin to journal both my story and the story of this farm, Meadowview Farm.  As with all stories, this will unfold slowly -- it is a story of falling in love with a place & a new purpose. It is about finally coming home.