The Farmhouse Movement.

It seems that, for the past several years, there's been a movement back "to the farmhouse." I was first pulled in by the phenomenon that was "Fixer Upper," where JoJo & Chip Gaines flipped homes and turned ALL kinds of homes into a modern day farmhouse - whether or not the house was founded on literal farmland. 

The movement, though, is about something so much bigger than an actual house. Or the layout and decor of it. It's much more about the concepts, beauty, simplicity, and personality of a well-loved place from days long gone by. Something held snugly in between tales of times gone by and the expectations of all the future offers. A spot that is less about the farm, and more about the house. 

For a lot of us - me included - it's a "back-to-our-roots" movement where families simultaneously move toward more sustainable options and sustainable, healthy connections to one another. Whether we reside in urban city blocks, suburban neighborhoods, or wide open spaces we like to call "the country," we are more mindful of who we love and how we are choosing to live this one life we've been given. We love and lead more intentionally. We prioritize according to what is best for those we love most, instead of what is most "urgent." 

Toward the end of 2018, I realized I'd spent the better part of the year living my life according to the urgent, and not necessarily what (or rather who) is most important. Our family - children, grands, my parents, and friends. I was spending the least amount of time with the ones I love the most. This wasn't intentional...which is my point, I guess. 

I wasn't living intentionally.

I was catering to the to-do lists and the busyness of this season of life. Instead of savoring each morsel of this extraordinary life, I was prisoner to schedules and the clock and the calendar. It wasn't that these things and activities weren't important; they were and ARE. My issue lay with how I organized my time and my abilities. It had to do with taking better control of my schedule and learned to say "no" to the things that weren't necessary, and yet robbed me of time with my loves. 

There weren't any New Year's resolutions for me this year, but there was an intentional pivot. I chose PRESENT as my word of the year. Not as in gift, but as in being present. In the moment. Aware. Present for the important events. The important occasions. The important people. 

I'm trying to stay the course, and stay true to this pivot. Be at all the grands' special events. Cultivate an even deeper relationship with each of our kids. Communicate more. Laugh often. Call friends. Celebrate the everyday as well as the big stuff. 

It's a matter of coming full-circle. Living an authentic lifestyle, where family values come first, ingredients are pure and simple; where we not only know our neighbors, but call them friends, and where spending our time well trumps to-do lists. 

I appreciate the ability to work hard and run a business. I'm proud of my career as a teacher. I'm beyond thankful that I've been blessed to do both over the past several years, and that the business, which is my passion, is doing so well, and that teaching - which is my calling - still fulfills me. Even though it's time to choose - and, of course, I've chosen the B&B, I know that teaching and my students will always be a part of who and what I am. I appreciate all of this...the figurative move toward the simple things.

I also cherish the move toward the literal simple things: mason jars, shiplap, big front porches, open windows, and a good quilt on the bed. I love homemaking and decorating, finding ways to make our home reflect the things we care most about. I love beautiful sunrises and gorgeous sunsets, and love them most from my own front porch. 

I like this farmhouse movement.

This is a movement toward happier homes and healthier families, both literally and figuratively. 

Navigating social media.

A couple of years ago Mike and I jokingly (but also seriously; does that make sense?) said that our brains simply could not handle any more new technology when it comes to social media. I flourished in all that was Facebook, while he held out many years before finally throwing in the towel and creating an account. But the others...Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap Chat, and - now - even Marco Polo, were just too much to keep up with. Never mind the fact that I truly do not think I have the right brain cells to navigate Snap Chat.

It's hysterical watching my students snap all day and work those phones like a boss with one hand, while I deliberate over each and every FB post and carefully and thoughtfully choose each photo for Instagram. I joined Twitter a number of years ago, broke up with it, got back together with it...a few times, but then ended that relationship for good. To quote Taylor Swift, "We are never, ever getting back together!"

A while back when we decided that I would most likely be running the business full time after this school year, and that - if that was going to be the case - then I needed to try to grow it even further, I knew I needed to really throw myself into Instagram and Pinterest. I researched like a doctoral candidate, learning why the heck a hashtag was so almighty important, and how to attract the "right" people to my pins. I have to say, I thought I had come. So. Far.

Until I took an online social media workshop for businesses and realized that I. KNOW. NOTHING.

I learned about Tailwind, which helps you coordinate, schedule and then pin to your boards, and Insta pre-sets so that you're Insta feed looks "uniform and inviting." Now, I realize that some of you probably are laughing at this point and saying, "Oh, she's so funny; she didn't know about TAILWIND?"

Um, no.

In addition to not knowing about it, I quickly realized that learning about all of the available technology that is so handily at your fingertips to help you gel your blog and your business website with your Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, is like going down a rabbit hole. A very deep rabbit hole! The last week or so I've found that I'm alternately fascinated and elated with the possibilities, but also bewildered and frustrated. LOL!

However...I feel like I've been "hooked." Now it's not only a challenge to figure it all out, but I'm looking forward to seeing if this can really help a business...and a blog...and a website... 

                                                            G R O W.

Please! All of you that have any tips for me at all, feel free to drop a comment!! 

Hot Springs Getaway

Whispering Pines Tree House

Last year, in January, we had THE sweetest young couple choose Wildernest B&B for their "beginning of the year" getaway. They explained to us that they do this each year, a time to financial plan, have some of the hard conversations, and set both personal and couple goals for the upcoming year.

They very deliberately decided on a place away from home because - we all know - these types of conversations at home often become interrupted, or - dare I say truthfully - even heated? 

My sweet husband and I have taken a cue from them and are taking our "yearly planning" on the road this year. It didn't happen in January, but we are taking this Thursday and Friday off of work and traveling to Hot Springs, Arkansas - just a short hop down the road from us. After taking care of some necessary appointments/duties on Thursday, we'll hit the road and enjoy a couple of nights away to rest, plan, prepare, and set our financial goals for 2019.

This is a first for us, and we will definitely document this time and blog about it in the next few weeks. It doesn't matter if you're newlyweds, married with small children, empty nesters, or enjoying your "Pipe Dreams" like we are - having a PLAN and CONSISTENTLY working it together is just so important.

So...Whispering Pines, we will be tucked away in your part of YOUR piney woods in just a few short days, ready to rest, recharge, and plan. Our mutual couple goal for this year is to live intentionally, move forward with purpose, and take better care of our families, our children, and our grands!

Does anyone relate to this subject? Drop a comment if you want to share! If you'll leave a comment, we'll send you a little takeaway from Hot Springs upon our return!

Many blessings on this Sunday!

REVIEW: Whiskey in a Teacup :)

"Dorothea always said that it was a combination of beauty and strength that made Southern women "whiskey in a teacup." We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we're strong and fiery." 

- Reese Witherspoon

To borrow a line from Jerry McGuire,  Reese had me at HELLO, or - as is the case here - at the front cover! From that point until I slowly turned the last, beautiful page late last night, I was held willing captive, charmed by the casual elegance that embodies each and every carefully selected photo, gorgeous layout, and the "voice" of Reese herself. Almost as though she sat right next to me, having a conversation, one where you meet a soul sister face-to-face for the first time and you know - instantly - that you would be "sisters" for life. 

Whiskey in a Teacup is a book that you want to make your way through slowly because it is just. that. beautiful. And just that well-written. And the attention to detail, y'all...if ever there was a perfect "lifestyle" book for a Southern woman (or a Southern wannabe), this is it. It draws you in and, most nights, my 30 minute reading time would turn into an hour or more because - as much as I wanted to go slowly to savor it - I was equally as excited to get to the next chapter, the next story, the next recipe.

With chapter titles like Hot Rollers, Red Lipstick, and Steel Magnolias, If It's Not Moving, Monogram It, and My Did-Do Language & Notes on Southern Conversation, this gem of a book is all things girly and heart-warming, but also thought-provoking and inspiring. Sandwiched in between these delightful chapters, are also titles like The Family Table, The Beauty of Female Friendships, and Do Gooding - all things I believe in, strive for, root for. 

And bless the person (in this case a girl, but bless anyone) that credits their high school English teacher for her love of books and storytelling enough to give said teacher their VERY OWN SIDEBAR as a tribute! "Her name was Margaret Renkl, and in my junior year of high school she made me love literature." Reese goes on to say how reading Shakespeare and To Kill a Mockingbird, taught her about character analysis, conflicts between characters, narrative structure and "how to compare characters to real people in history." (For you non-teachers who may be reading this, THAT, folks, pretty much sums up the TEKS for a high school English teacher. Kudos to Ms. Renkl!) 

As you can see below, I went through quite a little stack of dainty little tabs, some inserted to remind me of a thought, others to mark a recipe I can't wait to try out. From her heartwarming stories of summers with her grandparents and traditional Christmas photos with her husband and children all the way to her words on manners and common courtesy and giving back when you've been blessed...I loved every single word of every single chapter. 

This is one book that won't be put on a shelf and forgotten. I know I'll return again and again. 

Now for a giveaway!! In honor of all things ladylike and Southern, as well as strong and "fiery," I have this beautiful teacup and saucer, very similar to the one on the book cover, that I want to send out to one of YOU! Every time you take a sip from it, or maybe just glance at it on a shelf somewhere in your home, I hope you'll remember that you, too are whiskey in a teacup - beautiful yet strong, delicate yet fiery.

***Click on the Amazon link in the sidebar to order your own copy!!!***

The first lady to comment on this post, this teacup is headed in your direction! 

 

In search of hot coffee.

"Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep." - Fran Dresher

Ah...so much symbolism in that quote, am I right? Both, literally and figuratively!

The at-rest English teacher in me could go on and on about the difficulties of "turning off"  one's social or moral consciousness once it has been awakened to TRUTH. Yeah, I could do that alright, except for one problem.

I'm in search of hot coffee this morning.

LIT.ER.AL.LY. (Haylie & Betsy, if you should ever stumble over this, I know this pronunciation will bring a smile and memories :)

Mike and I must surely have the Worst. Luck. Ever. with coffee pots. I mean, really, it's not a complicated piece of engineered machinery; in fact, it's one of the more simple of the kitchen appliances, correct?

Ummm...apparently noooooootttttt.

We are on the third morning in a row where a less-than-a-year old drip coffee pot (our preference at the moment) leaks out water (through some crevice or space we cannot FIND), making a wet mess all over the counter, and producing a mere cup or so of meh coffee.

I don't know about in YOUR house, but coffee is esteemed and needed and we pretty much expect it to show up before we do! We are both morning people, essentially, but we still have needs. Like, no talking that really means anything of substance until the first cup has been consumed.

It's not the time to tell him about a project I'm introducing that day at school. It's not the hour for him to detail a meeting he'll be participating in later that afternoon. It's certainly not the time for either one of us to "remind" the other of certain B&B chores that need to be done - especially if there is a tight timeline involved. :) LOL. If we venture there, we do so on tiptoes, knowing to expect THE stare or maybe an eye roll, or - our favorite - pretending like you didn't even hear anything at all!

One single cup of perfectly brewed coffee does so much, people! It's crucial. I don't have many vices in this life, but coffee is one of them. A long-time Diet Coke ADDICT, I cold turkey gave it up due to the aspartame a number of years ago. It's not that I CAN'T go without something; it's that coffee is soooo pleasurable as well as necessary. I've "given it up" on several occasions, none of them to any avail.

"Coffee has always been a significant part of my life. For me, it's a chance to start my day and gather my thoughts - it's fuel for my creative process."  - Connor Franta

On school mornings, I set the alarm (and actually get UP) a good 45 minutes before I need to, just to have quiet coffee time on the couch before I start my day. I'd like to be able to say that the time is used for personal devotions or prayer or something equally valuable and essential, but more often than not, it's a simple time. I sit, sip, move very little, but slowly - ever so slowly - my brain begins to wake, I begin to think, and then plan. Then the to-do lists, the checking of the calendar, the updating of the lesson plan, the talking to God, and the soul-felt desires for the day begin to ease their way out of me. THEN...and only then, am I ready to face the day at my best.

I guess we started off our marriage with a traditional Mr. Coffee; to be honest, I just can't remember. But I DO remember when we both realized our coffee pot was one item we both agreed was worth a little money spent. We invested in a Cuisinart brew set with a built-in grinder. Truly, we were both enamored of that machine. It was good to us and gave us good, strong coffee with amazingly ground, fresh bean flavor...until it didn't. I think we probably eaked about 3 years out of that one. In hindsight, I realize that is a fairly good life span for a coffee maker.

By the time this beloved brewer gave up the ghost, Keurig was all the rage. Intrigued by the pods (WHAT? We could EACH have our OWN choice of flavor - in the SAME morning?) It seemed the biggest issue we might face would be - who would get that first cup while the other waited???

It seemed wayyyy too good of a product not to try, so we joined the masses and purchased our first one. And it was magnificent in many ways. Not only could we both enjoy our own preferences, but there was little to no waste; you brewed the cups you wanted and no more. No waste, that is, unless you consider the then-empty pods that needed a final resting spot. By this time, we were living in Northeast Texas, in a small, rural community with no recycling pick-up program like we were accustomed to. Each time we dropped that pod into the trash can, I'm pretty sure a little, tiny piece of us cringed in horror. What kind of world were we leaving behind for our grands?  (Yes, I am absolutely over-dramatizing here; however, it did bother us and the waste is apparent even if we AREN'T tree-huggers.)


 This was the original Keurig and, I'm proud to say, still brews amazing cups of coffee for the guests up at The Cabin, here at the B&B. Since it was first generation, it was simple to operate - three buttons, no clock, no extra bells or whistles - just good, hot coffee, one cup at a time. We would probably STILL be using that model if we hadn't been lured by all of the hype and attention that the next generation of Keurig was receiving. It would not only allow you to brew that one, single cup, but it gave you the option of brewing a POT as well!

The best of both worlds! HOW could this NOT be the perfect coffee machine for our home?

It's still really unclear to me why we didn't along with this Keurig, but there was - and is  - absolutely no love lost between the three of us. We tried...oh, we tried! The single cup portion worked fairly well, even though it was rare that you'd ever get a full cup. The pot side - well, we could never get it to brew a pot as rich and as flavorful as what we liked. We added new water filters. To our machine AND to our faucet:) We experimented with flavors and brands and brew strengths. I think - at the end of the day - it was all of those BUTTONS...and the set of directions that felt more like the next Great American Novel wanna be than a simple manual on how to make a pot of coffee. We grew disenchanted after more than a few struggles and gave this one to our son, Jordan and his wife, Elizabeth, who took it home and proceeded (if I'm not mistaken, they are STILL using it) to brew coffee, day and night, pot and cup, for like ever and ever and ever....

We were back on the hunt. By this time, our lives are quite busy. Both of us have crazy schedules, Mike with his territory sales and traveling, me with teaching, and both of us with trying to grow a healthy and successful B&B business. We decided on the KISS method of purchase for this go around - keep it simple, stupid!

Back to Mr. Coffee we went. Twelve cup pot, on and off switch. It did have a clock, which was really, really awesome while it remembered to turn itself on the mornings we had it set to start automatically. Needless to say, that feature didn't last, but we've hung in. "Making" the coffee the night before means measuring out our desired cups (based on how we feel at night, which does NOT always equate to how we'll feel about it in the mornings, sadly...), adding water, and then going to bed with a hope and a prayer.

This has worked really well for the better part of a year.

No more.

This morning this machine brewed its last cup. We will be putting it out of its misery (and ours) today. I will go to Target (YES, I said TARGET, which means driving to Texarkana, perimeter shopping AND cruising each and every aisle as if I have no where to go tomorrow...because I DON'T!  Chick-fil-A and Starbucks may or may not also be involved in this trip:) and purchase yet another coffee maker. Hopefully one that will be everything we dream of, which - at this point - is not a whole lot other than hot, dependable, with as few buttons as possible.

If you're still reading, you are a GOOD person. Or a BORED person. Either way, thank you lots and, if you have a coffee maker that you adore, PLEASE drop a comment, either here or on FB or Insta!

Caffeine-deprived but grateful & blessed,

Staci

The Pioneer Woman - my Shero!

Ree Drummond may very well be my favorite #girlboss ever! I have to say, finally visiting Pawhuska after a decade of reading her blog and of watching her cooking show on Food Network these past several years, I was dubious as to whether or not all the hype would live up to my enormous expectations.

Well, um...it did.

Her show’s catch phrase is “Welcome to my frontier!”

We definitely felt the welcome!

Now, more than ever, I am in awe of what this seemingly simple Oklahoma-living, kid-raising, Marlboro Man- loving cook, wife, mom, and business owner has accomplished with such grace, poise, and low-key fanfare. You walk into The Mercantile (known fondly as “The Merc”) and instantly feel as though you’ve stepped into the home of a very close friend. From the gift wrap counter, to the colorfully displayed shelves of dishes, novelties, and linens, to the friendly sales clerks dressed in sharp, black-button down shirts with the now-famous strands of PW’s signature turquoise beads - it all bathes you in a warm, fuzzy feeling of belonging, of truly being a part of her frontier.

Mom and I both picked up this first issue of her new magazine. Y’all. You NEED to stop by your local Walmart and pick up your very own copy! It has been a very long time since I have read a magazine from cover to cover, but that is exactly what I did with this one. The articles are relevant, the editorials are heartfelt, and the pictures are just pure Americana. And in today’s climate - who doesn’t need a bit of THIS in their life?

Just this weekend my niece referred to me as a “fan girl,” and I guess - even though I am a full grown, soon-to-be 50 year old, I am indeed a fan girl. There is something to be respected about a person with a dream that is totally centered around her family, her principles, and her desire to leave a positive imprint on the world around her that completely inspires me.

Maybe - from one transplanted gal to another - there is something about her that further encourages me to press further on my passion here at the B&B. To take heart that great things take great time to create, to nourish, and then to flourish.