lori@farmfreshstyle.ca, Author at Farm Fresh Style

In Adventures/ Country Life

Just Bloom

If you need me to convince you to plan a road trip with your daughter/mother/best friend/sister/significant other/stranger off the street to go wander among rows of flowers, cutting fresh blooms and trying your hand at arranging bouquets, then this is the post for you!!

Just Bloom Flower Farm, run by Emma Cole and her family, { shout out to future flower farmer Pip } is in Middle Musquodoboit and well worth the drive from anywhere you are. The rural setting, nestled among the hills, dales and meandering rivers of the Musquodoboit Valley is picturesque but if you level that up with a dairy farm, some stone walls, lush green lawns and adorable cows, well, it doesn’t get much prettier!! While we strolled flower rows with scissors in hand, Emma chatted with her guests, guiding us in the art of cutting fresh flowers, arranging bouquets and even taking the odd picture, all while keeping an eye on Pip and carry her littlest one, Tilly, tucked in close. Her middle child, Lauchie, was too busy dairy farming with his dad to bother much with us ladies clipping our blooms.

Pip’s little cluster of blooms

Don’t ask me the names of any of these flowers, I couldn’t tell you. Everyone gathered whatever struck their fancy, clipping blooms, stripping stems and tucking them into their various vessels. I took my good old green enamelware coffee pot, it is still my favourite for bouquets. I decided I wanted to do a colour scheme of a deep wines and purples paired with creamy blossoms. Sure the bright pinks and yellows called to me but I was craving something a little softer, a little more subtle. And yes, I had bouquet-envy as I watched everyone else’s colourful clusters start to come together but I stayed the course and I have to say, I’m glad I did.

When Hannah and I got home, we trimmed our blooms and made up our final bouquets, which was fun, too, playing floral designer. Hannah did up a bouquet just to dry for her room, and I love how it looks tucked into a sweet little thrifted pottery vase.

I had fun digging out my camera for the first time in quite some time. It made me realize how much I do enjoy taking pictures and writing and miss it. Thus, you are getting a blog post after all this time!! I love how the arrangements look gathered together on the front porch!

Just Bloom Flower Farms does lots of different events throughout the year. They do cutting garden seedling classes, wreath making, flower subscriptions, the cutting days like what we attended and lots more so I highly recommend giving Just Bloom a follow on Instagram HERE so you don’t miss out!!

Warmly,

Lori

August 13, 2023 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

In Life

Ode to an Elementary School

The end of this school year marks the end of an era. Both my girls have now graduated out of our sweet, local elementary school and I can’t pull myself together. Those hallways have seen my itty bitty babies grow into young women. And I couldn’t be more thankful for that safety net of a school to guide them.

The first day gitters Lena had, convincing her I couldn’t possibly keep her home another year, to Miss Hardie pulling out Hannah’s first wiggly tooth at the Christmas Concert to the friendships that have been forged over the course of the years, there are so many things I have to be thankful for. To the teachers that took special care during the tough times, to the laughter and giggles, to allowing the kids to use them as a growth chart – my heart will forever be grateful. To the teachers that packed up a herd of children and snowshoed and hiked the hills and trails in the backyard – you taught them a love for nature that no book could ever teach. To the brave teachers who let their students bring their pets to school….whether it was lambs, horses or puppies – welcoming their world into your classroom meant so much to those kids.

To my fellow moms who held hands of frightened littles and shared in the joys and anxieties of having kids in school, I love you guys and I’m so thankful that our littles brought us together. I have enjoyed doing life with you all these years. Texting about the fights and getting the scoop on the latest disagreement, I’m so grateful for the open communication I was able to have with you as we navigated these ups and downs. I feel like we grew and learned almost as much as they did. And coffee, so thankful for countless cups of coffee together.

To the teachers who taught so much more than just the curriculum, it is those life lessons that will stick with them far longer than the math and English classes ever will. It is those extra lessons that make this school so very special. You guys make up a fierce team of passionate people who care more about the children themselves than the job and it shows. It shows in everything you do…the way you show up for them in the midst of the struggles and fighting for your rights as a teacher. It shows in the way that you show up for them outside of school hours and find yourself ring side watching them circle around on horseback. It shows in the hugs, the classroom pets, the notes home and Facebook check-ins when life is rough. You care. And we see it and we are thankful for it.

The other thing I have to say how much I appreciated was the easy peasy school supply list. Can I please continue to hand over some money and you do the shopping??? Just until Grade 12 – we’ll handle the rest 😉 You have no idea how easy that made our lives and yes, we took it for granted and I’m sorry we did and I’m sorry for myself that this fall I need to do a proper shopping for 2 kids….

These hallways saw it all. The wins in their lives, the losses in their life. And through it all, this school was a consistent place where the girls knew what to expect and what was expected of them. And it grounded them in ways they both needed. As community school, we faced strikes, pandemics, and code blue drills and it was all handled with grace and as well as one could expect. And that shows the kids life skills, too. I am grateful for how you dealt with it all and kept the kids safe and at the forefront.

As the year wraps up and the school doors get closed and locked up for another summer, know just how grateful each and everyone of us parents are for what you offered to our children. You will never be forgotten and you will always be treasured and thought of fondly for how you loved on our babies and taught them so much. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts – THANK YOU!!

Warmly,

Lori

July 3, 2021 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

In Life

OVERCOME – Word of the Year 2021

Guess what time it is? It’s Word of the Year time!!!

The end of December came upon me rather quickly this year and I realized I hadn’t really given much thought to what my word for 2021 would be. And I had a few people ask me and I. Had. No. Idea. None!

So, I did what anyone does these days. I googled it. And I came upon THIS quiz. I love a good quiz so I took it. And low and behold, it gave me a really good word for 2021. OVERCOME

See, there’s been a lot of changes and struggles in the past 2 years in my life. If you know me in real life, you probably know some of what’s been going on, and if you’re a reader here, maybe someday I’ll be in a place to share more. But let’s just say that it’s been tough, I’m good, but yeah, tough. Last year my word was SEEK { which you read about HERE and HERE } so I feel like OVERCOME might be a really thing to spend some time focusing on for the near future.

I had coffee with friends on the last day of 2020. We sat around my living room and talked about some of the plans we have for 2021. It was fun to make a time for deliberate conversation about the coming year. I don’t tend to set goals. Maybe some loose ideas of things I want to do and would like achieve. Nothing concrete.

I shared with them a few of the things that I would like to OVERCOME in the coming year. Personal things that I won’t share here. But this is a year for a lot of potential growth in my life. And I feel like OVERCOME might just spur me on.

And the more I think about OVERCOME, the more I like it. Some things will be up to me to OVERCOME like some of my fears and insecurities but then I think about it globally and think, yeah, this is a great word for 2021.

If you have a Word of the Year, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave your word and a little of the background behind it in the comments!

Warmly,

Lori

January 3, 2021 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

In Adventures/ Blogging/ Life

Seeking – A Recap

Well, guys, 2020 is almost over. Who would’ve predicted what we would go through as a global community when we first launched into 2020!! But today is the last day. We made it.

I’m sitting here, coffee in hand, tree still up but half the decorations knocked off by a cat or two, grateful for all that 2020 has taught me. And I’m looking forward to what 2021 might have instore. I was scrolling Instagram, as one does, when I read a recent post by Emily at Mom Struggling Well { my favourite podcast!! } And I loved her recap of the year, which nudged me to do one of my own, based on THIS post.

For 2020, my Word of the Year was Seek. And I had come up with a list of ways I wanted to Seek. So, an honest review, heart on my sleeve, for you to close out 2020.

SEEK TRUTH – through open, honest conversation and guided talks, I found some truth. Some was easy to accept, some hurt like a bugger.

SEEK POSITIVITY – I choose to surround myself with glass half full people. And I will also pick to see the bright side.

SEEK WELLNESS – I took my health by the horns this year. I moved more, eat better { still love me some sugar though } and came out feeling so much better about this 45 year body I call home.

SEEK PEACE – a quiet cup of coffee, a still wander in the dark, knowing that God is in control, I’m so thankful for the peace of 2020, in the midst of so much chaos.

SEEK GOD – the irony of this, churches closed and so it was up to me to seek time and space out for God. Worship music, podcasts and Christian people in my life helped me with this throughout 2020

SEEK HEALING – this one stopped me in my tracks this morning. I feel like it should say forgiveness….and I have to admit, there’s so much more work that needs to be done here. There are things that need to be healed, forgiven.

SEEK NATURE – I feel so fortunate to be able to have spent so much time in nature. Walking in my yard, exploring beaches around this part of the province and beyond, and hiking so many trails. I feel like my mental health benefitted greatly from seeking nature in 2020.

SEEK GRATITUDE – so much to be thankful for and I certainly am. Provision, guidance, opportunity, I had it good this year in many ways and I am grateful, so very thankful.

SEEK LAUGHTER – I laughed a lot. But there was lots of tears, too. It was not the easiest year in some ways. But there was laughter and good times.

SEEK CREATIVITY – usually I would have rocked this but I didn’t feel like I did a ton of creative things this year. I need to clean up my studio space and fix that. It feeds my soul.

SEEK ADVENTURE – ohhhh, there were adventures of all sorts. Waterfalls, hikes, beaches, vacation – lots of adventures and I hope to continue that in 2021

SEEK JOY – my favourite, always. I found joy. In many ways, places and with many of the people in my life. There is no end to the joy to be found.

I know that everyone had different battles to fight throughout the year. It was a year of loss as a community due to the mass shootings, COVID and the changes that brought to our ordinary life. Everyone did the best they could despite it all. Fortunately, we have a new year stretching out in front of us, let’s make the best of it.

Warmly,

Lori

December 31, 2020 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

In Life

Christmas 2020

It’s been a weird Holiday. I’m not going to lie. A COVID Christmas is not ideal. There was some added stress, but also some freedom. If there was a year that traditions fell through the cracks, 2020 is it.

I, of course, had intentions of doing lots of writing. I had blog posts planned. I even had some written, but due to technical issues, my Light Tour post has disappeared and soon so will the lights I was featuring. And did you notice there was no fourth Sunday of Advent post? It was half written in my head. And did you catch the Christmas house tour? No? Right, that’s because I never wrote or really photographed one…. but here’s our tree!

But I’m cutting myself a lot of slack over it. Giving myself some grace. We all deserve a little…or a lot…of extra grace this season. I did a great job of shopping for the girls. They loved their gifts. They were my main focus early on in the shopping game because if things got shut down again, I needed them to have gifts under the tree. Did I do a great job shopping for anyone else? Nope, not really. Cutting myself some slack over it. None of blog posts that I intended? Giving myself grace. Was the house decorated the way I intended? Nope. Grace. Did I mail a single card? No – giving some slack. Christmas baking? No – grace { and less pounds to lose later }

But you know what does matter? Singing Christmas carols loudly with the girls. Cooking my first Christmas dinner ever and pulling up some extra chairs around my tiny table. The look of awe as the girls opened gifts they didn’t expect. A muddy hike to a waterfall with zero notice. Sitting wrapped up in a snuggly blanket under the glow of Christmas lights. Visiting my friends to lend a hand with the chaos a new baby brings. Being ok enough to be alone on Christmas for a while and treating yourself to a solo trip to the beach.

Christmas 2020 will be one for the books. It will be memorable for lots of reasons. I hope that you have found some peace, joy and love this season, in the midst of the weirdness and chaos of life and a global pandemic. We still needed to celebrate the birth of the Saviour and that doesn’t need to happen in a church packed to the rafters. It can happen in the still of your home. It can happen listening to carols in the car. The baby Jesus wasn’t born in ideal circumstances either. So, give yourself a little room to grieve what you expected to happen and find ways to appreciate the season regardless. It may be Boxing Day, but it doesn’t mean that Christmas has to end.

Merry Belated Christmas from our home to yours.

Warmly,

Lori

December 26, 2020 By lori@farmfreshstyle.ca

Older Posts