happy new year!

On this New Year's Eve, I can hear church bells ringing in the distance...

I'd say 2019 is off to a good start.

From our family to yours, we wish you a happy new year...

a clean slate
fresh beginnings

memories waiting to be made and

dreams waiting to come true.

as the clock strikes midnight,

count your blessings &

hug your dear ones tight!

merry Christmas!

Wishing you a joyful Christmas filled with love, laughter,
magic & memories.

last Christmas...

Today's post is short & sweet...

for far too long I've sadly counted down to our daughter's last Christmas at home.  And here it is...she's a senior now, and you know too well, how time does fly.

Days have been spent trying to make the "perfect" Christmas, wrapped around juggling admissions paperwork, calendering deadlines for college applications, planning college visits,
and general wear & tear on the heart.

And so today my thoughts went back to possibly the best post I've ever read about Christmas.
If you haven't read "Just. Stop." by City Farmgirl Rebekah Teal, do it now. 

Hop over to this link and I'll just bet after you've read it, you will give a sigh of relief. 

We all know what to do...keep it simple, be there, enjoy every moment.
Time flies...whether we're having fun or not.  Let's choose fun!

 

one last Glamp-Out!

Why yes, a camp out in December! And no, our farm is not located somewhere balmy...we're in the Heartland of the USA and already we've had our share of ice, snow, mud, rain, and temperatures as low as 18.

However, this past Sunday...

it. 
was.
64 degrees!


No kidding...it's been a whirlwind of weather ups & downs!  Our son participated in a Boy Scout camp out a couple weeks ago...brrr, those boys were cold!  But Sunday it was like spring.

And that meant just a little more time for glamping! I can't begin to tell you how much fun we've had with our camper, Maizy. Sadly, she spent way too many weeks (nearly all summer) in a camper "spa" while many layers of asphalt were painstakingly scraped from her roof, repairs made to her original aluminum roof, and water lines mended. By the time she came home it was Labor Day weekend. 

And with school beginning in August, there was no time for a get-away...so glamping became a backyard thing for my daughter and me. Even the boys joined in from time-to-time. 

I'm pretty confident that we won't have any more 60-degree days, so now it's time to tuck Maizy into the barn for a cozy winter's nap. But before she was all nestled in, I couldn't resist taking just a few more photos to share. You've already had a peek at her here, but I added a little more since those photos were taken.

Here's what greets me at the door...
(remember that the paint, seating & window fabric were already in place...
I had the fun part!)

Off to the right is the dining table, which turns into a bed.
And the crow's nest up high becomes more (teeny, tiny) room for sleeping.

 Board games are a must and tucked inside this bright red metal picnic basket I found at our local feed store...

are oodles of pint-size games, tiny versions that are just right!

Straight ahead is the kitchen...I can see why folks love tiny houses! I added some retro cookbooks I had on hand, along with a vintage thermos and a night-light I bought years ago (dreams can come true!)

Take a close look at the apron the gal is wearing on the cover of the cookbook...
it's a perfect match for the vintage cherry fabric I found (I'm telling you, this was meant to be!)

Another feed store find...who would have thought I'd find this cake carrier on a trip to get chicken feed and goat treats?  It's just the right shade of red and with cherries, too...I'm pretty sure I was squealing when I saw this!

Here's the sink, complete with pop bottle opener 
(do kids even know what those are?)

More seating that turns into a comfy bed. The cherry fabric was paired with vintage chenille and stitched into my favorite 9-patch pattern for pillows.

 and possibly the world's smallest closet.

I was so in love with this fabric...I had just enough leftover for a little curtain on the door.

And a look in my button box turned up 3 retro buttons that were a match...a little glue, a little elastic and call it done.

And as the end of the day came, I knew it was time to nestle Maizy into a
warm & dry spot for the winter.

But oh, what fun it's been...she just makes me smile!