Inspiration,Personal

Loving Lately: Fresh Flowers, Podcasts, Fermentations & More

posted on : June 15, 2017
Hello, friends!
How are you doing? How is your summer coming along? Are you taking time to enjoy the season & soak up these gorgeous, long days?
I wanted to check in with you & share a handful of things/lifestyle changes/home routines I am currently loving. I personally love reading suggestions from others so I hope you enjoy this little update.

Loving Lately List…
– Harvesting fresh flowers from the garden… As a little girl, I dreamed of having my own secret garden brimming with blooms. Now every morning or evening that I harvest a fresh bouquet for our neighbors, friends & little shop, I am overcome with thankfulness for this life. 
I’ve been sharing my flower farming journey over on Instagram with the hashtag #freckledhenblooms if you’d like to follow along!
– Mornings & evenings on the patio… We’ve spent years cultivating this cozy little space on our patio & we love it so much. We spend many nights out here eating dinner & many mornings sipping our coffee.
– Finishing books… I finally finished The Underground Railroad. It was a difficult yet important read. I am so grateful to have space for reading in the evening once again. I’m trying out a new book club & excited to start digging deep into When Breath Becomes Air. I’ll let you know what I think!
– Podcasts… I may very well be the very last person to have heard about this specific podcast, Happier by Gretchen Rubin, but I am loving it! I have read all of her books & have thoroughly enjoyed them so it’s such a gift to listen in on her tips & thoughts regarding habits & our overall happiness.
On the topic of podcasts, I’m also giddy to share that there is a new season of Elise Gets Crafty & I am a guest once again! Elise interviewed me in 2014 so it’s exciting to be back on to share an update about our farm & the business! Click here to listen. 
– Dinners from the garden… Once the abundance of the garden has been harvested & washed, I often have a tough time finding creative ways to use it all within our weekly meal plan. This summer I am making an honest effort to use our farm fresh vegetables. Last night I made egg roll bowls with our homegrown cabbage & onions. I also plan to make broccoli & cheese soup later in the week. What creative ideas do you have for using up the abundance of vegetables from the garden during the summer months?
– Fermentations… Tis the season for fermenting! Luke is working on a batch of sauerkraut as I type this (using our amazing kraut lid – I’d highly recommend this tool if you’re a gardener or fermenter!) for adding to brats on buns with a garden salad for dinners. I’m giddy to also be taking a kombucha class this month, too! We’ve made kombucha in the past, but I’ve always struggled with bottling. I’m excited to glean some tips from the experts.

– Natural Deodorant… We had a bit of a scare within my family a couple of weeks ago, which left me re-evaluating all of the products I use in my body care routine. One product I have found & love is Schmidt’s natural deodorant stick (I like the lavender scent!). I’ve been telling all of my friends, but I thought I would tell you, too, ha! It doesn’t completely eliminate sweat like the other weird brands, but I still feel fresh hours later. So far I’ve gardened & went to the river with this deodorant on & I love it. You can find it at most stores now (I think I even saw it at Target!), but here’s a link to Grove Collaborative, which is where I buy mine. You get a whole bunch of freebies when you sign up so that’s fun!  YAY for making conscious decisions, y’all. 

– Hammock season… We hung the hammock & opened the pool for the season! I love spending so much time outside during the summer months. I see many naps in this cozy spot under the tree in my future!
What are you loving lately? Share in the comments!
love,
natalie 

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7 COMMENTS

  1. Lindy~ | 15th Jun 17

    Good morning Natalie! I'm Lindy, from Washington State, and every day at work, (I work as an administrator of anesthesia in a hospital) I check your Instagram, though I am not on it myself, I can't tell you how much happiness your posts bring me! You have a lot of joy in your life and it shows. My boyfriend and I recently broke up, and it's brought me a lot of sadness, so to see your beautiful smile, and the love that you have with Luke, it warms my heart. I live in a beautiful cabin on a river in the woods 😉 I love it! I too find happiness in gardening, and stopping my car (a lot this season) for road side bouquets! Just wanted to say thank you, you bring joy all the way to Washington State 🙂 love, Lindy~

  2. Misti | 15th Jun 17

    I got a chance to listen to you on Elise's podcast—it was great! You have really transformed this site and business tremendously! Do I sense a Magnolia-esque and Floret-esque business of Arkansas coming?

    Keep at it and happy gardening!

    Oh, I've been canning like a fiend and drying a ton of tomatoes! Also, made ginger bug which has replaced my kombucha fermenting desires. I could never keep up with the kombucha and kept letting it die!

  3. Lisa Risse | 16th Jun 17

    Hi – LOVE your pics and posts! Thank you! 🙂
    Can you tell me how you hung the hammock? I'm interested in putting one up on our land this summer. Our teen and preteen kids would LOVE it!
    Thanks, Lisa 🙂

  4. Unknown | 19th Jun 17

    Re: The Underground Railroad… you had me at "difficult but important." I just added it to my list!

  5. Natalie Freeman | 19th Jun 17

    Lisa – We dug two poles into the ground & buried them in cement. We added hooks & hung the hammock! Enjoy!

  6. Anonymous | 21st Jun 17

    Where is your hammock from? Thanks, Peggy

  7. Anonymous | 22nd Jun 17

    It was so fun to hear this update from you. Our imaginations are running wild as we try to guess what the next new business will be.
    Also wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your gracious hospitality at the store and at your home during the April Garden Workshop we attended. We drove from the Dallas, Texas area and it was all well worth the trip! Loving the market basket I purchased, by the way.
    We are here cheering you on!
    Kim and Curt

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