Apartment Therapy Inspiration.

When I was perusing Apartment Therapy today I came across this post. I love so many things about this room.

• The Quote on the top of the newspaper page on the wall.
• The blue drawer on the bottom of the bed.
• The Head/Sideboards that are padded.
• The rustic wood paneling.
• The lighting.
• And EVERY part of the bed--bedding, pillows, it looks perfect.

I've got this image saved for future reference--I'm thinking it would make an excellent inspiration photo for a guest bedroom. What do you think?

Proposal Images.

These are the final seven I submitted for a call for proposals at a gallery in Bloomington. Let's hope I make it through the initial review.

Farmhouse Cafe Interview.

This is my favorite place to sit--the inviting porch!


I just got a call from the owner of The Farmhouse Cafe--Mr. Mike Nickels--I'd just put Joe down for a nap, I had dogs chewing on giant bones at my feet, I had just sat down for the first time today-- I wasn't expecting his call at that moment--needless to say I was caught off guard. But I did manage to remember a fragment of the bulk of the questions I'd wanted to ask him.

Come to find out The Farmhouse Cafe started as just an old house that sat on some property he owned. He rented it out for long-term rentals and was sick of seeing it trashed repeatedly because he always liked the structure. An idea was brewing in the back of his head. He already had the Flower and Herb Barn next door so he decided it might be nice to have a place where the customers from the greenhouse could come over and have a glass of tea and maybe some dessert--thus, The Farmhouse Cafe was born.

In the Cafe and the Herb Barn, as well as the Flower shop in Nashville there are so many wonderful accessories for sale. I asked him what he looked for in those items to sell and he said garden themes and a sense of whimsy were very important. He accomplished that as well as finding unique, nostalgic, vintage-y pieces that make my heart swoon.

Lastly I asked him if he had any advice for somebody wanting to start their own business--being that he has started quite a few enterprises, with such varied themes that I could be my male counterpart (from a camp, to a flower shop, to a cafe), I figured he was the person to ask. He said LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION--which I find amusing because The Farmhouse Cafe is tucked way off the main road, but is always packed full of people. He said a willingness to provide quality is a good draw as well (I'm a big believer in that). He said you should be service oriented, customer friendly, and have a definite sense of stick-to-itiveness. All these things I'm going to take to heart.

I'm glad he called--I wish I would've been a bit more pulled together with my questions, but as I said I was (a) caught off guard, and (b) nervous. I'm The Farmhouse Cafe's biggest fan, and I am urging you very strongly to take a trip to Bean Blossom at your earliest convenience. You'll have the best meal of your life, and you'll be surrounded by lovingly tended greenhouse goods that you can stroll through lazily as your food digests. You won't be disappointed.

Here is The Farmhouse Cafe's website: http://farmhousecafeandtearoom.com/

New Beginnings.

Barn Southeast of Bloomfield, Indiana.

Joe is over 9 months old now. That means almost eighteen months ago I first jumped into this crazy mess that is entrepreneurship. Where my business is currently is a far cry from what I thought it would be by this time, but instead of looking at it as a negative, I'm turning it into a jumping off point. Joe is getting more independent, and a lot more cooperative (she is currently taking a nap by me just laying her down instead of being rocked--a big step for both of us), so I am letting the business come back into the light a bit.

The Gallivanting Girl has been a lifelong dream. Selling my art, traveling the county roads looking for a story or a photograph or a great antique, all with auction and yardsale fodder in the back of my truck. I'm finally getting there. I'm so excited to be able to say--yep, I'm living my dreams. This house, this farm, my husband, my daughter, all of it has seemed to be right out of my journal as a kid. I wrote about every piece of my dream life and now it's a reality. How great is that? Now all I need is to make The Gallivanting Girl into what I always wrote it to be.

Yesterday I wrote down a bit of a re-vamp list of things I need to start doing in order to help push myself forward. I printed it out, along with an amazing inspirational quote I found and tacked them up on my newly cleaned off desk. Joe and I are going to be two very busy girls from here on out. I've got projects lined up, and auctions to check out, and photographs to edit. It's going to be magnificent.

I'll write more later, hopefully, but I've got a touch of housework to finish up with before Joe wakes up. Just thought I'd write a quick post letting everybody know that I'm finally getting a true chance at getting my business off the ground--and I've got VERY high hopes.

Homemade Chicken Tenders and Hot Fudge Pie.

First off, I'm sorry for the cruddy pictures it was storming last night, so poor lighting, sorry.

I'm proud to say that it has been many a month since I've fixed a pre-packaged meal. Everything I've made lately has been from scratch--although the ranch dressing in the picture is store bought--soon enough I'll be making homemade of that too. Last night's meal was homemade chicken tenders, Italian bread (from the bakery) with Mozzarella, Feta, Garlic, and Parmesan, and green beans. The tenders were really good for something I just whipped up sans-recipe. Definitely going to make them again soon.

All I did was grate some wheat french bread that I got at the bakery with a box grater, mixed that with some salt and pepper, and then took the cut up breast meat, dipped it in egg, and covered it with the crumb mixture. Then I seared it in a pan that was coated with melted butter (a few minutes on each side), and finally put them in the oven for 20 minutes on 375--just that easy.My husband is one of those people who LOVES pre-packaged food. This has been an interesting journey with him. As you can see in the background he actually saves hot mustard sauce from McDonalds to use at home--he's a sad case. He has taken to this new lifestyle fairly well--except for a few frozen pizzas he has stashed in the freezer, and a few other junk food items here and there he's sort of on the same path as me.I can honestly say I feel amazing. I've been losing weight--although Joe breast feeding is a main cause of that. And Joe's breast feeding is a main reason for me eating better. It's pretty sobering to think--wow, whatever I eat is going to nourish my kid, so I better make it count. I eat my 'recommended daily servings' of fruits and vegetables, lots of dairy products, and plenty of water. If that's all it takes to feel great, then I'm sticking to it even after Joe is weaned. She's got a great appetite for food already too--she eats our meals right off my plate every night.

Now picture this: HOT FUDGE PIE--sounds amazing right? What if I told you it's super easy to make too. I've got your attention right? Well to start let me apologize for the picture. My husband and I demolished this pie before it even cooled. This is all that's left, but I imagine I'll get better pictures soon because I know I'm going to make this sucker again.This recipe I stumbled upon on accident when I clicked on the blog aviedesigns.blogspot.com. It's super easy and I highly recommend it. Here's the post. Hot Fudge Pie:
2 Eggs
1/4 Cup Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup of Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 Stick of Butter, melted
1 Pie Crust

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake 25-30 minutes (now here I had to adjust-my crust looked perfect at 27 minutes but the pie was still not set, so I just turned off the oven and let the pie rest in it while it cooled down for about 10-15 minutes and it turned out perfect). That's it--perfect pie--ta-dah!

Open-Class Projects.

Here are the photos I'm entering tomorrow. I printed them at home, but I think they turned out okay. I'm still as nervous as can be. I'm definitely going to practice more with the printer and various papers to get more confident with my finished prints. So, what do you think?

The Farmhouse Cafe Pictures.

I still haven't gotten a chance to talk with the owner of The Farmhouse Cafe, but I can't wait to show you these any longer. The Cafe is located in Bean Blossom, Indiana and after an amazing meal the best thing to do is go and walk the grounds which also houses a Flower and Herb Barn and Gardens. Here is a little photo montage of my last visit. Enjoy.