It’s been quite the year, and we’ve all had to adjust to the myriad of changes. Thankfully our family seems to be constantly be in a state of flux anyway, so we have been up for the challenge! My heart goes out to those that are struggling. I have faith that people are strong and are adaptable, and I’ve seen that strength in so many ways since the craziness started.
The farm has been going strong! Through sickness and health that petite beast of a farm is not stopping for anything! I Just harvested at least a hundred bunches worth of Sweet Annie to dry for wreaths and wrapped bouquets. That would’ve taken forever if it weren’t for my 16 year old nephew, Lucien, that helped out and mowed for me yesterday. I think I’ll keep him and his brother around!
While we navigate all the newness of organizing our lives and finances in order to (down the line) buy our own land and build our own house, our little plot by Vancouver Lake is always a joy for me to keep improving and learning on. I’m starting to understand selling wholesale to different florists are a wonderful avenue for me to take with my business, especially now, as I haven’t had any events this year at all to keep me afloat! The last couple summers I did a lot of pop up tables in Portland, and I miss that so much. It was fun connecting with new people, and gain ‘regulars’. I’ve thought about building a flower cart to have on my property, but after attempting it once I realized how it wasn’t worth my time. I absolutely love the idea, but there’s just not enough traffic. If anyone has ideas for me, I’m all ears! I am considering offering DIY buckets of flowers for those that are having a low key wedding and want to make their own designs, and for those that want a fun get together with friends to make their own bouquets for fun. Their own little workshop! So you will probably see posts in Instagram and changes to my website soon to include that.
It’s that time of the year where I start feeling fatigued, scraped, bug bitten, and sunburned so many times that my body is feeling a bit burnt out. So I try to give myself the grace to relax with my family when I get home, which means less cleaning and cooking and all that home life stuff. And that is very hard for me! I love having a tidy home and trying out new recipes. Thank goodness for Josh, my husband. He’s taken over practically all of that, even sometimes making dinner before he goes to work around 2pm so I don’t have to worry about what to make the kids! Now we are navigating a new homeschool curriculum (Oak Meadows), which we are equally nervous and excited for. Nervous because we have so little time, excited because this curriculum is looking so amazing and perfect for our kids. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Well, hopefully it won’t take another year and a half for me to write more next time! I hope you’re all finding your peace throughout the crazy. Let me know if you need to wonder through my weedy farm to find some flower therapy.
See the tall green plants in the background? That’s the sweet annie I harvested, some were 10 feet tall!