October 2017 - Farm Fresh Style

A Thing for House Plants

Have you heard I like houseplants? Have you been hanging around here long enough to have picked up on that? It’s true, in fact, so true that I’d almost say I have a problem.

So, at last count, I have 32 houseplants. When I say that out loud, it sounds crazy. But when I look around my house, I don’t feel like it’s over run with plants. Now, granted, the other house occupants may have something different to say on that matter! I even have one in the studio and on my desk at work that aren’t even included in that number!

I’ve always had houseplants. I grew up in a house with houseplants. My friends’ parents and grandparents had houseplants. I’m not sure if that is a Dutch culture thing or not, but it was just how it was. So, having plants was normal and just part of life.

I had a lot of plants when we lived in our first home. I recall one large tree-type plant in our living room that a certain little girl loved to get into, even though she knew better. And we moved them to each of our houses with us. But when the second little girlie arrived on the scene, life got a whole lot more crazy and I had a hard time keeping the plants alive and the children tended to, so I let a lot of the plants go…or they simply died of neglect. But the kids are healthy 😉

When we moved into our current home, I started to build up my collection again. I figured I had the girls established enough that they could fend for themselves a bit more 😉 And then, before I knew it, I had 32 plants. You know how it is, right? You grab one here at the grocery store, a friend gives you a cutting from that one, your neighbour offers you some and that one needs to be divided and then you have 30 plus plants before you know it.

So, to be clear, plants still die on me. I can’t do orchids…sorry, Heather, the one you gave me lasted over a year, though… Succulents never survive long…I am trying again and some of them look healthy enough and seem to shoot out little baby succulents like crazy so I divide them up and hope for the best. And don’t even ask about the plants that I have in planters outside…they have to be ‘survival of the fittest’ all summer so by fall they are pretty much a dried up skeleton in a pot.

But how do I keep them alive? Mondays I water. Simple. Occasionally I will empty a half full glass of water in one so not to waste water. And sometimes, I fertilize them. I recently posted on Instagram about my fetish for houseplants and someone { Thanks, Heather!! } let me know that they really only need fertilizer in the Spring and Fall. So, that makes it even easier! And I repot them from time to time, too. But, honestly, there’s no rhyme or reason to how I know when it’s time….usually when the roots are growing out the bottom of the pot…but then again, I know some like to be pot-bound, too….so…really, it’s a gamble.

I’m no plant expert, by any means, but I think part of my apparent success with house plants is that the ones I keep are hardy species. I don’t have anything that is super demanding or has finicky needs, they’ve all long died off. Basically I water them and they make it look like I have a green thumb!

I love what the plants do for the feeling of our home. It’s cozier and has a real lived-in feel and it reminds me of my childhood. And the best part is that I’m passing this onto my girls! We hit up an awesome new store in New Glasgow called Forge { if you are in the area, I highly recommend that you check them out!! And tell them Lori sent you! 😉 } and the girls each picked out a plant to take home! Lena picked out a Venus Fly Trap and Hannah picked out a cactus – see we’ll see how this goes and how long they survive!

So, tell me, do you have plants? Are they thriving or merely surviving? Any favourite kinds? What great tips can you share on keeping them healthy?

To be continued,

Lori

October 27, 2017 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

4 In Life

Tears at A&W

It isn’t often you’d find yourself in tears in the line up at a local fast food restaurant but today was one of those days when I didn’t shed tears alone.

It started out quite causally – he had left his keys when he was grabbing napkins. I handed them to him and he thanked me. Completely normal and expected. I had heard he spoke loudly to a table off to our right moments before, “I’ll be right there, honey”. I had glanced over to see a lady seated, facing away from us but I saw no visible response.

As I handed him his keys, and joked that ‘it’s a long walk home’, he said something along the lines of being pulled in too many directions. I noticed that look in his eye. I told him I had his back. And his response struck me to my core. He said with such depth and emotion, that he was just so busy trying to keep his baby alive. He had turned back to the counter to grab a straw and I saw the fight for control slip away as tears filled his eyes and his chin quivered. I wish I had the words to ease that burden for him, if only for a minute. But he squared his shoulders and took his tray to sat across from his ‘baby’ and I waited in line for my bag of greasy goodness. But, boy, did I struggle to keep the tears from slipping over. I couldn’t make eye contact with any of the ladies behind the counter because I was afraid I’d seem foolish for crying over a few words exchanged with a complete stranger.

I stole a quick glance over again as I made my way out the door. They sat chatting and eating together, the days must be numbered, you could hear the forced normality in his too loud voice. But these moments of a shared meal and chatter mean even more.

It was a reality check. The stress of my day fell away. I did the only thing I could do. I offered up two strangers and their struggle to the One who loves them more than anyone, who feels their pain and offers to carry it, along with them, in the palm of His hands.

To be continued,

Lori

October 26, 2017 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

7 In Clear Day Farm/ Makeover

House Beautiful

Three years ago we moved into our ‘new’ home and talked about getting the outside painted. Finally, this summer it happened. And we couldn’t be happier with the results!

Our house is an old home that has a history dating back to 1882. I grew up across the road and spent a lot of time here as a young teenager with the family that called it home during that time period. It’s been white for as long as I can remember.

We knew when we bought it that it needed some freshening up on the outside. There was some of the siding, eaves and fascia that needed some TLC, too. It was all more than we wanted to tackle ourselves. So we hired a neighbour to do the carpentry work for us and a painter friend to tackle the painting. Over the course of the summer, our house was transformed.

The guys we hired to do the work for us were fabulous and I enjoyed having them around. Their workmanship was great and they were friendly, informative and did the job in the best amount of time they could, weather depending, of course. So if you’re local and looking for good guys to get some work done, drop me a line, I’ll happily recommend them. 😉

Here is a picture of it when before we even knew for sure it was going to be ours – at this stage it was a dream and a hope!

This will give you a better sense of the Before:

Here is a progress picture. The back is southern exposure and needed the have the old cedar shakes replaced so new clapboard was installed. There still is a few walls with the shakes that will probably over time get switched out to clapboard, too, but they are still in good shape.

We debated back and forth what to do about the colours of the exterior. We both loved the idea of adding more colour, the simple blue and white palette we had did nothing for either of us. But neither of us were sold on the idea of a colour on the wood siding of the house and still having a white vinyl garage. Finally we settled on grey trim, white body and blue shutters and doors, except the main door, which I wanted bright yellow. The exact colours we used were Stormy Monday for the trim and Newburyport Blue for the shutters, both from Benjamin Moore. The main body was painted in their ‘ben’ line in the basic white right out of the can, nothing added. The door was called Shop Door and it was a FAT Paint Company. Now, I have to add that as much as I love the colour, the fact that it took 5 coats to cover the previous green was rather frustrating.

Ta da!!! Here is the finished product! I love how much more character the exterior has and how much more personality! This colour palette is classic and will stand the test of time.

The day I took the after pictures, we were being invaded by Asian Beetles, there were so many, you can actually see them in the following picture – but I want to show you how awesome the porch looks!! The barn quilt, the new Clear Farm Sign, the hop vine wreath…

This house holds so much history for me. I’m so thankful to call it home. We are making memories here, putting down roots. And now the exterior seems to suit us a whole lot better, too!

To be continued,

Lori

October 25, 2017 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

6 In Country Life/ Our Family

Feeding the Horse Craziness

We have done swimming lessons, we tried soccer, art lessons were a hit but now we’ve zeroed in on what the girls really want to do and you guessed it, it involves horses! We started riding lessons this fall and we all couldn’t be happier with that decision.

The horse crazy has been going on for a while here. And we talked on and off about getting them into lessons. Their friends take lessons, talk about horses and play horse games on the playground at school. They watch horse shows and movies and play horse in yard. And then there’s the fact we have our sweet & sassy little Ebony. So they are in state of constant ‘horse’. Lessons seemed like the logical next step, right?

When we met Lisa, the girls liked her right away and I was impressed with her knowledge and passion for horses. Heidi and Michaela’s recommendation and affection for Lisa helped, too. So we chatted and now we see Lisa weekly at the stable in River John. Guys, it’s awesome.

I love seeing them ride. And they love it, too. They’re learning to control the horse, communicate with the horse via body language and cues. But they are learning so much more. They are learning to care for the horses through grooming, feeding and yes, even shovelling poop. They tack their horses up { with a little help, those saddles are heavy and the horses are tall!! } after a good grooming. Lena has managed to mount on her own. It’s so much more than just how to ride a horse.

My favourite part is the hoof picking. There is so much trust happening in that task. The girls trust Lisa that they can do it. The horses trust the girls that they won’t hurt them. And the girls are trusting those horses that they will just stand there and offer their hooves. It’s hard work, those legs are heavy and the girls are little. But they just go at it, week after week, and each week, they find the task a little easier.

Over the course of the last month, we have seen the girls graduate from just walking the horses around, to trotting. They couldn’t have been happier! They love the speed and motion of a trot. It’s the cutest thing ever. When Lisa told them they could trot, you’d think she offered them the moon.

When we go, I enjoy watching the girls. But I’m not alone when I’m watching. I usually have some four-legged company, whether it’s a cat or dog. Luke, Flash, Petri or Midget might be by my side or on my lap. There’s a couple other barn cats that tend to be a little more shy, so they won’t make an appearance here quite yet.

I’m quite content to spend some time each week watching the girls circle around the ring. If it makes them happy, then it makes me happy, too. I know this is a slippery slope, its starts off innocently enough and before you know we’ll have a couple of horses in the pasture and we’ll be looking at trailers, trucks and a show schedule. But if this is their thing, that’s fine. And if this horse craziness is just a fad, so be it…but for now, I’ll feed the crazy!

To be continued,

Lori

October 17, 2017 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

8 In Clear Day Farm/ Decorating

IKEA & Farmhouse Style, You Say?

Farmhouse and IKEA aren’t two styles that you would think work together. With our new IKEA that recently opened in Halifax, everyone is pretty excited! So I thought I’d take you on an IKEA tour of our home to show you ways to combine the clean lined look IKEA is known for with my farmhouse style.

It’s always exciting when a new store opens in your area, especially a store like IKEA which is very well-known across the globe. I’ve been seeing, hearing and talking so much about it that I thought I need to do a post about it and how I work products from this popular home store into our home.

Now, some of these items are no longer available, but I did link to the ones that still are so you can easily shop these pieces if you want!

This shelf has a great back story, well, one I love anyway! My friend was heading back east for a visit from Ontario and asked, like a true friend does, if there was anything I needed/wanted at IKEA since she was coming my way. I knew I wanted it, I had my eye on it, she thought I was crazy but now when she sees it, she gets it. It’s the perfect spot for my collection of vintage pottery and a few other little things.

Something else I aquired at IKEA and use weekly is my watering can! I can’t even remember how long I’ve had it but it’s perfect for watering my almost 30 houseplants. And when I’m not using it, I can use it as a vase, too. What’s not to love about a galvinized watering can, right?

These little buckets are so cute and so handy. I’ve stored all sorts of things in them, inside and out, from bath toys to bracelets to plants. I think the ones they currently sell are red { I think I need some, because, well, red…} and silver! They’d be good for decorating for Christmas, too!

I think everyone and their dog has a Bekvam stool. I know you’ve seen it. I got mine unfinished and first painted it black and now it’s glossy red. When the girls were little, they sat at it like a picnic table and watched TV, eating a snack or breakfast. Now, they are much too big to fit so we use it as a step stool in our kitchen to get to the upper cabinets or as an extra seat at the table. I love seeing how everyone finishes them so uniquely that I even started a Pinterest board dedicated solely to the Bekvam stool, which you can see HERE.

We were gifted this angel light many years ago and we have used it ever since as a night light. It’s perfect for taking along for sleepovers, camping trips and overnight stays at hotels. Somewhere along the way, Hannah claimed it as her own. I’m not sure if it was meant for Christmas decorations or not, but it’s a great night light for us. { I love how the green arrow is pointing towards the light – I swear I didn’t plan it that way!! }

These Bekvam spice racks shelves make the perfect spot to store all my mason jars of Miss Mustard Seed Milk paint. I’ve seen them used for so many different things but this works for me. Easy to put together, fun to paint and perfect for storing all sort sof things.

This bird print was an IKEA housewarming gift and so then I got Ribba frame to put it in for the living room. Already it’s hung in a few different spots in the living room, too….I guess I like to switch things up! The stack of birds always makes me smile.

Back in the studio, I have these storage bins that hold my scissors, measuring tape and other little tools that I like to have near by when I’m working at my bench. Pretty sure these were studio-warming gifts from Dave & Christine…

Everytime I thing I’m nearing the end of my list, I realize I have more….Like my curtain rods in the living room, Hannah’s duvet cover, the rug in front of the washer and dryer and the pillow I just bought…and that was before we even had IKEA here in the province!! I can’t even imagine how much more I’ll be buying now that we have one!

Now, I have a wishlist of IKEA items, too. Like I said, I like to switch things up and I have my sights set on the plate wall in my kitchen….and the perfect farmhouse shelf from IKEA….I can’t help it!! Isn’t it perfect? My birthday is coming, after all…hint, hint, Mr. Byrne! Plus, as you wander through IKEA, there is always something that you see that ends up coming home with you! Lena has a little list started, too, which, of course, makes me happy that she is putting thought into her room and what she wants to surround herself with! So, I think there might be a little refresh happening for her, too.

So, tell me, what IKEA products do you have that you love?

To be continued,

Lori

October 14, 2017 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca