Monday, March 19, 2012

My Favorite Find: An Interview With Serena Thompson of The Farm Chicks

I've been following The Farm Chicks ever since I first flipped through my Mom's copy of The Farm Chicks In The Kitchen. I'm drawn to the colors, graphics, and styling of everything included under The Farm Chicks umbrella.

Serena Thompson is the woman behind this wonderful company. She classifies herself as an author, entrepreneur, and contributing editor to Country Living Magazine (one of my favorites!). Oh and on top of that, she's also a mom of four! I love that she includes that in her title. It is a small indication of her humble spirit.



Every year she has The Farm Chicks Antiques Show out in Washington, where she's located. I haven't been yet, but it remains high on my bucket list.



We're here today, though, to introduce you to her latest venture. She's started

Mffblog

a site that allows you to share your favorite finds, "shoppes," and events. I've had the opportunity to take a test run and I enjoyed it so much! My favorite part about the whole thing is that you get to share the story behind what you find. There have been so many times where I've walked out with a find that makes me want to jump up and down. Now, you can share that feeling with so many others. I think it's also going to be such a great way to highlight small businesses.

She was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions:

Describe a Farm Chick with three words.
Happy, Creative, and Kind

What goes through your mind as you see people walking around The Farm Chicks Antiques Show every year?
I'm honestly overwhelmed by the whole experience. I've never seen anything like it and it's hard to put into words creating something that you love so much and that it turns out, so many others do too.

I noticed you wear a lot of aprons. Do you have a favorite or one that has a special story?
I do love aprons. They're just so sweet to me. I have a huge collection and each one means something to me. Some were gifts, some I found while out thrifting - they all have a story that I think of when I wear each one.

My blog is titled "Sing and Don't Be Silent" and has become my motto. Do you have a motto that describes your outlook on life?
I love your motto! I don't really have a motto, but I believe in living a happy life and to surround yourself and your family with positive influences. It's so important.

What song has been stuck in your head recently?
Haha. This is an ongoing theme with me. I always have songs playing in my mind and when I hear certain things, it makes me think of a new song.

We all have dreams but they are not always fulfilled. What has been a disappointment you experienced and how did you move on or recover from that?
Sometimes I talk about having a childhood full of struggles. What that experience did for me was to make me incredibly strong and loyal and to be so thankful for what I'm given each day. I think no matter what you're situation, you need to make the most out of it.

What is "My Favorite Find?"
My Favorite Find is sort of like a virtual show-and-tell. It's a site where you can seek, find, and share great shoppes and events like auctions, yard sales, antiques shows and more in your area, and then show-and-tell your finds. Until now, there's been nothing like it.

Who do you hope to reach with "My Favorite Find?"
My goal is to connect the seekers and the finders with the show producers and small business owners of the world. I'm so lucky to have a huge base of readers that are this demographic and we can all build up this amazing site together and create a resource for the world.

What was the inspiration behind "My Favorite Find?"
I was receiving mail from readers all over the world, wanting to know where they could find great local shoppes or events and from others wanting to promote their businesses and shows. Since I couldn't find a resource for them, I knew I needed to create it myself. So I did!

What has been your ultimate "favorite find?"
I once bought a shirt at a yard sale for .10 cents and sold it for $860!

*****

You can read more of Serena's thoughts on her own blog.

Here's what I've shared so far at My Favorite Find. I know I'll be adding more soon!

My mom and I found this Brach's Candy Shop shelf. She's always wanted a candy shelf to use as a display. It needs a lot of work, but we couldn't resist those graphics!


I found these glasses below--$10 for the whole set! I've been watching the first four seasons of Mad Men over my break, so my current inspiration has been straight from the 1960s.


What is your favorite find? Share your find and its story today over at My Favorite Find! Thanks again, Serena!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Tomorrow!

 I have a surprise for tomorrow! Here's a little hint:

The Farm Chicks

Stay tuned!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Going Green

 Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you had a fun day--hopefully you didn't get pinched for forgetting to wear green. Maybe that's just something my family does!

Here's a little bit from our celebration. The unusually warm weather allowed for hyacinth to be brought in from the yard.


Little leprechauns were hiding on top of our table.


We had corned beef, potatoes, and sauerkraut (our preferred version of cabbage) for dinner. Two desserts topped off the meal. Since we were kids, my mom has made green Jello shamrocks. She asked if we wanted them this year, and of course I said yes!


She also made a yummy Guinness cake with a cream cheese frosting.


From our table to yours:


Monday, March 5, 2012

Music Monday: The Band Perry

Today (tonight, rather) is a special edition of Music Monday. Last night, I saw 


The Band Perry 


live in concert for the very first time. Let me tell you, they deserve every bit of their recent success. They are wonderful singers, great entertainers, and humble individuals. 

Wouldn't it be so fun to sing in a band with your brothers?


You can see Kimberly's passion for what she's singing through her expressions.


Neil was on the left side. We needed him closer so we could get a better picture. So cool that he's playing a mandolin. You don't see that a lot. He's the baby of the family like me. I found out today that we're the same age!


Reid is the middle child. I just LOVE his retro look. Definitely a throwback to the 70s. Reminds me of guys on my mom's old record albums. They did actually sing a little Queen!


Brother and sister jam session!


This girl knows how to rock out! I wasn't able to capture it, but they hold poses at the end of their songs. It has such a cool effect and it's not something I've seen before.


They looked like they were having so much fun together the whole night! They had everyone sing one of the last sections of "If I Die Young" and were smiling as they listened. How cool would it be to have people sing back the words that you wrote, knowing they had made a connection with them?


One of my favorite parts of the night was when they sang Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). I was trying to think of words to describe it, and "authentic" kept popping up in my head. You can tell when musicians are connecting with a song, and this one just had this underlying energy to it. It just felt like we were sitting outside on a back porch with them on a hot summer night singing this song together. That's saying something in a hall that was holding thousands of people.

They repeated multiple times how thankful they were to be able to sing for all of us. During the concert, they mentioned that they would stay and sign autographs after the show for whoever wanted to stick around and stay up with them. Let me tell you, that line was HUGE, wrapping all the way back up to the balcony staircases. And did they stay the whole time? You bet. They came through and signed and talked to every fan. I am so impressed by this. Most artists tend to "hide out" after their shows until the majority of the crowd is gone. The Perry siblings graciously walked through and were so friendly and welcoming, like it was their pleasure to meet all of us. Their parents sure did raise them well! I bet they are so proud of the three of them.

I made sure to grab a hug from each brother! Kimberly was as sweet as ever too. She turned back to say "you are most welcome" when I thanked her for coming out and signing autographs for everyone.

So now for the music. I wish I could put every song on here! As I said in my very first Music Monday post which highlighted The Band Perry, their whole debut CD is outstanding. I've had it on repeat for the past month (my own brother has memorized their songs too as a result). They said at the concert that they will be putting out one more single from it. I was happy to find out it is one of my favorites, "Postcard From Paris." There is no video yet, so I encourage you to check it out on your own.


The Band Perry-you know how to get hip to my heart!