fashionable farminista

I've been going through something recently...a stage? a transformation? a phase? I'm not quite sure what it is, and I can tell you that I honestly thought I was over it, but there's been an interesting turn of events that may just have thrown me right back into it! My family was ready to call the nice people with the white jackets to help me, but now I have some documentation to prove that I'm not crazy! So, what is it? What's been going on?

Well, back in early spring my husband and I decided to put my house on the market (we've since changed our minds for various reasons) and while we were looking at possible places to downsize to, I found the property pictured above. I LOVE this little place! Nine and 1/2 acres, a barn, a couple other outbuildings and a beautiful view.

I envisioned chickens, goats, rows of lavender, grape arbors and both a kitchen garden and a cutting garden. My realtor (yes, it went that far!) asked me if I realized it was an amish farm and I said: "you say amish farm, I say french estate". My husband pointed out that there is no electricity ....or indoor plumbing and it certainly did not qualify as "downsizing", none of which deterred me. To me, it was a blank slate. A space to create, and boy was I into it. My kids reminded me that I'm not a camping kind of girl and I do like my comfort, but I could not shake this. It represents a simpler way of life, open air, growing the food I eat. Putting on overalls, no makeup, a ponytail and a cute pair of boots. None of this has ever been "me". My family kept saying "YOU want THIS? I couldn't explain it, I just kept saying, "I know, I'm going through something...I don't know what it is, but I love it!

Well, as it turns out, I was on the plane headed for Dallas for my trip to market and pulled out a trade magazine. I was a little behind on my reading up on what's going on in the industry and decided to take advantage of the 3 hr flight to catch up. The very first article in the very first publication I opened was titled: "fashionable farminista"! It's a MOVEMENT! My husband was sitting 3 rows behind me so sharing my hysteria was a little tricky. It consisted of a wave of the magazine and an "I'm not crazy, it's a movement" announcement to all within earshot!

Here's what I read: "the popularity of raising chickens, having goats and keeping bees is on the rise, even among city dwellers, and today's flower arrangements are just as likely to come from your own garden as from the supermarket...". The article went on to say the recent recessionary times have caused a value shift from indulgent to pragmatic. It has tapped the roots of our once agrarian society. It has empowered the consumer to find beauty in an everyday object and appreciate the worn patina and antique richness. Farmers markets, going green, and organics give this trend it's modern twist and I am so there...

I'm sad to say though that my amish farm has since been sold to someone else. It is still vacant and I have told my realtor that if no one takes possession of it soon, I will be googling "squatter's rights" and moving in! Just kidding! Did I mention that this one had a fabulous barn that could be a perfect little warehouse for pepperberry's?! I could even upgrade my website to be an online store! This definitely has possibilities. I may have to settle for just the acknowledgement from my husband that if anyone could do it, it would be me...if I had a lot of money (oh yeah, that!).

sorrow

"A rustling of memory, this wing, this fragment. Fallen to earth or rising upward, fast moving as thought. Floating us to that light and timeless home of angels."

I often think about the number of people I have met since I opened 4+ years ago that I never knew, or probably never would have known had it not been for pepperberry's. There are some very special people that I consider favorites of mine for various reasons, least of all, the amount of money they have spent here. Susan Chase was not only one of those people, she was at the top of that list. Her smile lit up a room, her laughter was contagious, she showered me with kindness, encouragement, and support and I will treasure my memories of her.

My deepest sympathy goes out to her family and her friends who are all as lovely and classy as she was. You are all in my prayers.

Juggling Act

I'm not sure when this happened, or how, but I think I joined the circus as the premier juggling act and the pressure is ON to bring my A game. I'm SURE most women have felt this way at one time or another, or possibly, they always feel this way, but sometimes there are just more juggling pins than usual. I'm so there!

Hence, the lack of blogging and newsletter sending. May was a very busy month here {thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!} and things on my personal plate are piling up. It always gets a little tricky when my personal life kicks into high gear for one reason or another!

Here's what you can look forward to at pepperberry's in the coming months. I'm working on a 2 tiered event {as in, something for BOTH sides of the store} for the beginning of July {watch your email}; I'm sneaking in a buying trip later this month to Dallas to spruce things up a bit for immediate delivery, fall and holiday; I'm working on an even BIGGER event {as in, special guest big} for late sept. or early Oct., and I'm working on our big Holiday Reveal event for early Nov. It's all behind the scenes kind of stuff. Lots of phone calls, emails and order checking that needs to be done between customers, the day to day stuff...and my personal life.

The next 8 - 10 weeks will be very busy for me. My son is getting married the end of July and my oldest stepdaughter is having twins...around the end of July, beginning of August. There's been more than a tad of pre wedding and pre baby prep going on already requiring me to be away from the shop a little more than usual. Both events are out of town, so that will be my vacation also! I like to be busy and luckily, crunch time is my favorite time! I hope your summer is off to a great start and you are able to juggle all that summer brings as well!