3 Day Week-end+rain=R&R

Greetings friends,

I don’t know about you, but I love a shortened work week, there is just something about the extra day off. Of course I’m extremely grateful to all who have and continue to serve to protect us ( and I fell short of taking some home baked goodies to my fav local law enforcement….but I’ll remedy that shortly!)

Another Day In Paradise

Just another day in paradise! (really it's me after a long day of playing in the dirt)

Happy Sunday!

A colleague and I had dinner the other night to catch up  and we had both promised each other the first nice day we had, we’d go celebrate and grab a beer after work.  Ha! Whatever were we thinking? Several of many first nice days came and went and she, like me lives alone on several acres, works full time and well…… when you live in the country, there is always a long list of tasks waiting.  I didn’t need to apologize for not making good on the sunny afternoon lounging over an adult cocktail, as she had the exact same mind set as me.  

Women - the 8th Wonder of the World!

Me in my in my imperfectly perfect place

A few years back, a group of us farm-wives were chatting about our lives and the ever-growing demands on our time, referring to family, jobs outside the home as well as the full time job of in the home and around the farm.  And I’ll never forget the comment one friend said, “I need a wife!!”  Meaning, she wanted a person who would be the behind the scenes fixer, the person who shopped, cooked, cleaned, did laundry, ran errands, and took care of all the details large and small to make life run smoothly.  Basically, to me, it sounded a lot like a personal servant. And I have to tell you it sounded absolutely divine.  The moment she uttered those words, we all stopped talking, looked at her in awe and agreed, we all needed wives!  

A God Kiss

Hello dear friends,

If you have been or are still a follower of the blog, you have noted that it is sadly lacking in current content, mostly a hit or miss event. And I deeply apologize and will strive to do better. And while I have all sorts of words that have been wanting to get said, I’ve been floundering….. big time.  And I miss you and I miss writing regularly.

Gratitude Meter

Oh my gosh…. It’s Sunday evening and the end to a quiet week-end.  I was going to turn on the news ….. and thought yuck!!!  I didn’t want to see or hear about any of the negativity that would be reported on.  So instead I propped my feet up by the fire, poured myself an adult beverage, put on a play list of music, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli and Adele…. blissful!  And decided to write to you instead.

Food, friends and gathering around the table

With the beginning of the New Year I’ve been mindful to take ( and make) the time to spend quality time with family and friends.  Here’s a quick overview, Thursday evening a gathering occurred that was a reunion of work pals and their spouses.  We were a band of very different kinds of people who were either hired (my case) or elected to Executive Officer positions (my guests) and through the good and sometimes not-so-good times at work, we forged a genuine affection for one another.  And after a few years apart, the idea had been put out by a fellow colleague to have  a “reunion” and he suggested going to a restaurant.  While I do love going out to dinner, this event just begged for a quieter setting. And with that,  I suggested that I host a dinner to encourage lingering at the dinner table where we could  enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed fashion.  The other’s eagerly adopted the idea and an impromptu dinner party came together.  It was glorious…I have to admit.  I have some very basics on food that I can fall back on and the menu consisted of Dijon Pork Lion,  Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese,  Apple-cider cranberry sauce, and the guests brought a salad, bread, dessert and wine.  We gathered, shared stories, poked fun at each other and laughed a lot.  It was a beautiful evening.  As everyone was leaving, one said, let’s do this more often…..  it seems as a whole, that we fail to set aside time to celebrate friendships forged by shared experiences.  Alas… another resolution for me!

On Friday, I took the leftovers and shared them with my mom, we played Scrabble and I got beat by my 82 year old mom…..she gloated over the winning.   Lol

Saturday I baked and baked.  I called my daughter Jen and asked if she could take a few photos of me to help submit to a magazine I’m trying out for.  After the quick photo session,  a heart-to-heart chat over coffee with my beautiful girl.  Mom and daughter time is always a blessing.

Chocolate Shortbread, Espresso Chocolate Cake,  Nutella Bread,  Cinnamon roll bread (a few successes, a couple of need to work on the recipes)

My other fav place to write when I'm not parked by the fire

This morning on my way to visiting a new church,  I dropped the yummies off to the Sheriff’s office (they were excited). It’s my way to show my appreciation for their dedication and something that I’ve been doing for several years now. Truth be told, I’m not sure who gets more excited, me getting to bring “baked with love” yummes to them, or them when they see my arms laden with baked goods.

And after church, a cup of tea with some dear friends.  Then a nice phone chat with my sweet man.  Can it get any better….?

And I have to tell you, that connecting with friends and family keeps my “Gratitude Meter” fully charged. The beauty of taking the time to spend with those you care about are the kinds of memories that warms this girl’s heart on a cold winter day.  

I hope your first week-end of the New Year was meaningful and that your Gratitude Meter is fully charged as we begin the new year.

All my best, Gayle

P.S. I’ll be getting the recipes up on the website soon – Good Farm Food ( the Espresso Chocolate cake is already on the Cake of the Month page.)

                                                                                        

Unexpected Lovely Start to 2019

Some serious bliss and indulgence

Greetings and blessings to you on the first day of 2019

Sometimes unexpected quiet days are truly a treasure to cherish and indulge.  For some reason the unplanned day to spend in pj's by the fire just evolved and it feels like a guilty pleasure of pure bliss.  The snow-covered ground with its bone chilling temperatures make me feel grateful to be able to snuggle in the warmth of the sunroom and fireplace.

Merry Christmas and I'll take a Chance on You

Greetings friends!

A couple days ago I went to a retirement party of a colleague.  He talked about how he had started his long career.  It began when he walked in and asked for a job, and the man behind the counter said “I’ll  take a chance on you” and started him in a temporary hourly position.  From there on out, as he advanced, again each person of authority said the same, “I’ll take a chance on you”.  And when my friend had advanced to a position where he could be a source of help and guidance to others, he stayed and excelled in his role.  And his parting words to us, his well-wishers, were to reach out and keep trying until you find your niche, and remember to take a chance on others and help your fellow man anytime you can.

Words, Kindness and a Blessed Thanksgiving

Any time I can play outside on the farm, is a great day

I write for a living.  The words I put down on paper in my work life world are well, nothing short of boring….. but they document important actions taken and are referenced for years to come.    What I really love is writing for Home and Harvest Magazine and blogging.   Life has been good and full, but so many distractions pop up that I find myself writing blogs in my mind…. and usually the words rarely make it onto paper.  My passion is to share real life as I see and feel it. For example, this morning I walked outside and smelled the scent of wood smoke which in my mind is a comfort smell that “says home”.  Then the earthy smell of leaves floated up and I felt the warmth of the sun as it radiates not only on my face, but as it seeped into my soul.  I see the clouds resting on the tops of the pines trees and can see the freshly turned soil in the farm fields around me.  Nature has such a calming effect. And if you can’t experience it for yourself, then maybe my words can re-create the scene in your mind’s eye.   These simple things in nature help keep me grounded and sane in an often crazy and chaotic world.

 

Oh the beauty of  a frosty morning

As I navigate in my own world, I am keenly aware of how words spoken and actions taken are mental records that will live on in the memories of other’s that I come into contact with.  As hard as I try, I know I fail and sometimes I am not as gracious as I could be. But I think I have a fairly high success rate in relaying kindness to other too.  When you go through a difficult time that is when you see who your true friends are.  They are your special earth angels.  They are the ones whose actions are the balm to a wounded soul and they offer kind words of solace.  From going through my own difficulties, I know who those people are, they are the ones who daily, weekly or even monthly reached out to me, and they still do six years later.  They are my champions, as I am theirs and our friendship and love have no bounds.  From them I learned to ensure that your good intentions of reaching out to others doesn’t get put aside.   I have learned the difference between true friends and those who are the “fluff kind” of friends, where there really isn’t any substance and their words are empty.    After seeing what true friends look like, I take my role of being a good friend very seriously.  As my oldest daughter and I were talking just  the other day and we both feel we are “works in progress”…..  Ever continuing to improve, while never perfect, we make strides each day to create a better version of who we are.  When you are a healthy version of you, then you have the ability to be able to help others.

And I know that I am truly blessed.  I am thankful for good health, a wonderful man in my life, the love of my family and a few really good friends.  And the other day I came across this saying and have it posted on my work bulletin board to remind me to show compassion when I get weighed down by life….

.  

Today is a blessing from Almighty God

Today will never come again

BE A FRIEND. BE AN INSPIRATION

Encourage someone

Be a Blessing to others

Take time to care

Let the words you speak bring healing and not pain or hurting

And as Maya Angelou said “people may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel”  ~  

 

Simple pleasures in life with someone you love, can it get any better?

Each day we have the opportunity to reach out to family, friends and even strangers and show kindness and caring.  This will be recorded in a person’s mind forever.  Do what you can for them, but remember to take of you as well.

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving.  All my best, Gayle

P.S. A special thank you to those who take the time to comment on my blog, you are a special blessing to me and thank you for taking the time to reach out =) swheatfarmlife@gmail.com

It's Time....

The house is quiet, the beauty of the last glimmers of a warm September afternoon have faded into darkness.  I arrived home from work just early enough to pour myself a glass of wine and take a walk around my little piece of heaven.  My heart is thankful.  I also know it's time........

My mini version of Green Bluff, apples, pears, plums

A favorite view, an iconic barn, farm fields and mountains

I remember this day and this past week from six years ago.  September 23, 2012 was the day that started a catalyst of events that changed the landscape of not only my youngest daughter’s life, but mine as well.  Whether it is someone who left this world due to being unable to cope with depression or in my case, his desire to leave a marriage, the chain of events within that 2 week period would forever alter the paths that Kaitlyn and I were on.  And it pushed us to limits we didn’t know we could survive.  Fast forward six years,  we are both in a good place in our lives now, we are strong, we are happy, content and we each have found a very special someone that complete our lives.  Geographically, we both have different physical landscapes now with me moving to Moscow and Kaitlyn moving to Maryland, but our bond is close no matter the distance.  (Luckily my other sweet earth angel, daughter Jen lives close by -another saving grace)

This was my evening just a couple days ago, Rod cooking dinner for us

As weird as it seems, I've been avoiding writing for a few months, and until this week when a sweet thing happened, I now feel the story has come full circle.  I've had this idea for a book on life, living, cooking, healing ........ but to be honest, I really didn't want to go back to those dark days.  So I put my computer under my bed.... but I guess the Universe has other plans . And this week, I know my journey has ended and I know this is where I needed to be.  I also know  that I can use my words to help, it's time to write. 

With that, I invite you to send me a story of a special life lesson that was pivotal to you. I need to hear other's stories. Feel free to email me at swheatfarmlife@gmail.com.  Plus if I have your permission, I may add these to the book. 

Happy Fall my friends. 

All my best,  Gayle