week 45: time for fun!
this week on the little dream farm
This weekend is all about F U N!
Chris jetted off to Arizona for a few days to spend time with his dad—so glad they’re getting a bunch of days together.
Meanwhile, back here on the farm the donkeys had both an annual vet appointment and a farrier appointment on Thursday and then Friday.
Overall—and aside from Molly-Max’s hooves—they’re doing absolutely great!
I sent a note to a few ladies who all live nearby to assemble a much-needed ladies night here at the house. Would you believe me if I told you this is the very first time I’ve hosted one since we moved here? What the heck took me so long?!
Around here, “neighbor” is a real loose term. I think generally people here consider neighbors to be people who live even as far as 20 minutes away. So that’s the kind of neighbor ladies night get together I had here Friday.
What’s funny, is as much as I was needing time with some women friends, everyone remarked the same. Their husbands or kids said, “You have to go—you haven’t had a ladies night in forever!” Clearly much overdue for us all, and it was such a wonderful night.
One woman just moved here with her husband more recently and hadn’t had a chance to meet many neighbors. She and I connected through my mini dahlia tuber sale a few weeks back, and so it was a great opportunity for her to be introduced to four other women who are close by. I remember how I felt when we first moved here that each time I got to meet a neighbor it felt a little more like home. It’s nice to be able to extend that warm welcome we received to someone else.
So that was my eventful Friday night!
Saturday was something I’ve had in the works for a while now.
After getting to do a meetup in Atlanta with a few ladies who happen to follow our Instagram account, I’ve been craving all the ways I can meet more of our online friends and followers in real life—or IRL as I guess they say.
I sent a call out a while back to host a local meetup for people who live in/near our county here in NY, and ideally wanted to try and host it while the dahlias were all in bloom and the farm was full and lush in the growing season.
There were a number of things that got in the way of scheduling, and in our group email exchange most the women agreed we could make this weekend work.
So, yesterday four ladies who all live within an hour of the farm came by the house to meet. We all then hopped in our truck and I took them down to the one and only local coffee house and cafe that recently opened up in our village.
I wanted to be able to support the woman who had this dream for such a long time of having that exact space and creating a cozy coffee shop in it—and for all the ladies to be able to try her wonderful food and great drinks.
Weekly, she prepares a menu that she creates, and then mostly utilizes nearby farms and makers to source all her ingredients and works with local bakers and a local dairy, too. She’s really got something good going on!
We had a lovely time hanging out there in her cozy shop and then piled back in the truck to head back to the farm.
It’s not often Molly-Max and Dominic get to meet a handful of ladies all at once, and I always love watching them get to meet new people. They’re sweet and curious and it’s fun to answer questions and talk about their care and get a little taste of what it’s like to actually spend time with them.
It was a very sunny but chilly day and we walked around the farm a little bit, grabbed some photos outside in front of the barn, and then ducked into the house where I started up the first fire of the season in the wood stove to warm everyone up, nosh on some snacks, and hang out with the Furmers for a while.
One woman brought a bottle of non-alcoholic sparking tea (she remembered I don’t drink, which is so insanely kind) and another brought a fresh-baked loaf of her incredible sourdough. We popped open the bottle and since I’ve had a chance to enjoy this sourdough before, I cut the loaf into three and sent the other ladies home with it to enjoy.
After everyone headed home I got all the animals tucked in for the night, brought in a few more logs, and had a relaxing night with all the kitties by the fire.
What an absolutely wonderful weekend to get to fill up the time with so many lovely women. I had a blast and I hope everyone else enjoyed the time together all the same.
The week I did the mini dahlia tuber sale, every time someone came to pick up tubers we’d talk about their garden and where they live and how long they’ve been here, etc.
So many awesome women came by that I asked each one if they’d like to participate in a Spring plant exchange and get together here on the farm in the Spring.
After such a fun weekend I can’t wait to get that in motion and looking forward to this winter season to plan a lot of little fun things like this for next year.
To continue this weekend of fun, I’m taking myself on a coffee date and bopping around to a few antique shops today—we’re surrounded by so many good ones so every now and then I like to make a round and see what I might find!
If it’s been a while since you’ve had a ladies or a guys night or a friends night…maybe this is your sign to throw one together!!
Much love to you, friend!
Y’all have been LOVING these Sarah’s Favorites picks lately and I’ve had so many good chats with those of you who are picking up stuff you really love. Yay!
Sharing a Banana Republic Factory 50% off everything + extra 20% off sale with you today and things I’ve got in my cart for both Chris and I to snag while on sale!
For me: I love Banana Republic Factory for timeless styles you can keep in your wardrobe forever and incredible sales
These jeans that I have in both black and white and worth getting them in denim
Quarter-zip sweatshirt that gives LL Bean vibe but much better price
A classic and timeless herringbone jacket that will never go out of style
For Chris: every good once in a while I stock up on a few new things for Chris—always go-to pants and back when he worked in an office we loved to snag their great dress shirts on sale, too.
*Note: Not all, but most of these links are affiliate links. That’s no matter to you, as it costs you nothing. However, if you make a purchase, we -may- receive a teeny weeny commission.
Sounds like a dream weekend! Glad you have so much fun... and yes - totally jealous that they get to meet Max and Dom!! lol. Also - same weird issue with the BRF links... shoes go to the jeans link
What a wonderful, uplifting weekend xxx