Musings from Scotland

I do not typically share our vacations with the world (or my small world who reads this blog) but I felt an overwhelming sense of having to do so due to the location of where I have been so fortunate and blessed to have landed. You know that I have posted before on my love of patina, history, architecture, and their effect on my design style as well as who I am. I could not keep quiet after experiencing not even a full day, in this oh so vividly green and hauntingly beautiful landscape!

I am tagging along on a business conference of my husbands and to be quite honest with you, I would have had quite the explaining to do when it was found out that the set of golf clubs that had been packed in the golf bag had been replaced by... none other than me, had I not been asked to attend.  I only wish that all of my children could experience this but I do not think that they would quite appreciate it as my wizened eyes and heart can of a forty something year old. We did make some last minute plans and our 18 year old son Shane has come along with us. He has been thrown a curve ball in the last few years with his health and we felt that this magical place might boost his spirits.

Although,  I am not sure how his health was affected after experiencing the harrowing drive from the airport in Glasgow to St. Andrews. ( Right now he is passed out in a perpendicular fashion across the pull out couch but we shall see)   Let's just say that the whole driving on the opposite side of the road with the steering wheel on the opposite side of the car did not sit well with my hubby. "Stay left!!!," is our new mantra!! This is not the car we rented, but if truth be told, I would have had no problem traveling in a carriage such as the one we were following led by a team of horses, that is, not on the flatbed of a truck.

Upon stowing our bags at the hotel, ( for it was only 11 am Scotland time when we are arrived) we set out to find lunch and tour the Medieval town of St. Andrews. We traversed cobblestone streets and the whole town eked with patina. 

We passed houses that spanned the hundreds of years of this town's past and reflected the architectural styles of their time period.

And I thought I had a problem with keeping the vines in check on our house...Lovely! This is one committed gardner and one labor nightmare.

We finally arrived at our destination, the ruins of the Cathedral at St. Andrews. When I spoke of haunting beauty earlier???

Do you see what I mean?

 This cathedrals' beginnings hail from the eleven hundreds. We found ourselves captivated by the headstones and read them one after the other. Faceless names but one can only imagine the heartache that these people felt at losing so many children at such young ages, for that seemed to be a pervading theme.

You could not walk up this remaining turret that reminded us of something that came from a Dr. Seuss illustration from the book, Oh the Places You'll Go, full of twisty staircases that lead into the air. We did however get to twist around another tiny circular staircase from another ancient tower that led up and up, where you felt as if you were going nowhere to get a bird's eye view of the town of St. Andrews.

Speaking of birds, the cries of the gulls that inhabit these lofty ruins only lend themselves to the hauntingly beautiful feel of this place. That phrase kept coming back to me!

For the cathedral stands fairly close to the ruins of St. Andrews castle which seems as if it has risen out of the North Sea to forebodingly greet any visitors who were not welcome.

As Scotland is known for it's variable weather, it did not disappoint us and as the rain moved in...

we took cover in one of the hollowed out rooms that are still left standing.

The sunny skies moved back in...then a little more rain for good measure and the magic of this place was cemented as this gorgeous and most vivid rainbow appeared out over the hallowed ground of the Old Links Course at St. Andrews as the day was closing.

Spectacular!

“It feels like Scotland." "Have you ever been?" "Mmmm. Twice. Have you?" "No." "You should. It's your roots. You'll be surprised how much they tug at you when you breathe the air in the Highlands or look out at a lowland loch.”
― Nora Roberts, The MacGregors: Robert & Cybil

Until tomorrow...

Meg

POSTPONED Due To SEVERE WEATHER....oh...and a preview of our many surprises!

 

We didn't mean it literally when we said to "take the plunge with us" and come to our Margarita's in the Barn Party and Summer Sale! We have agonized over that verbage for the last 24 hours with the current forecast for tomorrows' weather! I have googled every weather forecasting apparatus possibility to check out what their report has been, in the hopes that someone will say something different. Looks like it is going to be rough sailing for tomorrow.

On that note, we are sad to say that wearing your Wellies, Hunters, or anything close to that will not keep you out of the deluge of water we will experience should we get the forecasted rain. We do have a rowboat in the pond that might keep one afloat but should the pond merge with the creek behind it, that would be a sinking ship. Along with that factor, we considered the following, all of which helped us come to our decision.

1. We have all the cars park in the horse field. Where there is a horse field, there is grass. Grass grows in dirt. What happens when dirt gets really, really wet? It makes mud. What happens when you put a thousand pound vehicle on said mud???

 You don't want to film the driver who gets stuck in the mud.

2. We live on an old farm with really old trees. Said trees have been known to fall after ground gets extremely wet and wind blows. Those said trees have caused us to drive through one of the soggy, mud laden fields in a desperate attempt to circumvent tree that fell across driveway in order to not miss our flight to Paris on our 20th Wedding Anniversary! They have caused me to yell at inanimate objects more times than I would care to admit, as they have fallen time and time again...can you guess where... across the driveway.

3. The gentle pitter patter of rain on a tin roof is delightful...

The pounding of heavy rain on a large barn tin roof is deafening. Imagine trying to carry on stimulating conversation whilst drinking a Margarita under such caphony? 

4. Old barns have majestic cupolas on their roofs. Did you know that cupolas are open so that the barn can ventilate well? Have you been in a barn with blowing rain standing under the cupola???

Make note to self not to do so!

5. Our number one reason is 

 our concern for anyone who might brave the weather to come out to experience such a life altering event.

Unfortunately for all the above reasons we have been forced to postpone the Margarita's in the Barn Event until the next night, Friday the 14th. (so glad Friday is not the 13th!) It was an agonizing decision since our guest list was quite filled but we really could not see hosting the event if the forecasts pan out. (If they don't...have you heard of the Beserkers of Viking fame??? you just might see a red headed woman one in action.

We realize that may preclude some of you from joining us.  Our sincerest apologies, for above all, we want you to be safe! You can always join us during our regular sale hours.  On Friday, we are starting a little earlier at 6 pm. We still have our amazing menu planned with catering by Loraine Houston, some yummy Pomegrante Margaritas, along with the traditional version and some Sangria thrown in for good measure!  Our focus for the evening will continue to be on Designing4Hope and raising friends and funds for this worthy organization!

Our barn rooms are all beautified and we hope that you can still join us and for those of you who could not make it on Thursday, maybe you can join in on the fun now. If anyone knows Mother Nature or Mr. Murphy, of Murphy's Law fame can you please put a good word in for me?

Here is a snapshot of some of the goodies that are awaiting you in the barn!

Plenty of Father's Day gifts!

Swedish and French furniture

Equine inspired decor and art

Beach inspired rooms

Fabulous works of art for an endearing child's room

Fabulous works of art for anywhere!

Appearances by Sevani Botanicals

 and Zoet Bathletier~the whole barn smells simply divine!

A collection of beautiful blue and white plates

Unique displays

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peak! There is much more to be seen. Come support the local artists who work every day to create things of beauty...you can shop at the cookie cutter shops anytime!

If you have not made it out to Life's Patina at Willowbrook Farm yet...come experience it. I am a little biased, but it is well worth the effort! AND you will be supporting Designing 4 Hope, our partner organization for the Summer Sale.

Open Friday from noon-5:00 and then Margarita's in the barn from 6:00-9:00

Saturday from 9:00-5:00

Be safe! All the best~

Meg

Some women like to...I like to weed...

Hello!

 I have been absent from posting because I cannot seem to get myself out of the garden!

My whole family jokes around and totally does not understand why I like to weed or garden for that matter. I have tried to get them to share in my enthusiasm with coaxes like, "Come on, it will be fun!" or "It is so peaceful out here. You can just let your mind wonder." I have tried bribery, paying them and all sorts of cajoling, to no avail. They just do not share in my enthusiasm! Except for my oldest son Christopher, who reads National Audubon Field Guides and the likes for fun. He and his friend Ben have helped out tremendously in all the varied garden areas this year and with the extra helping hands...it shows!

There is something to be said for the sense of accomplishment one feels when the fruits of their labors are so evident. When the seeds unfurl their tiny heads and push through the soil to reveal the beginnings of a new plant...be it vegetable or flower...there are rewards that are measurable. This time of year is so wonderful in that there is never a time during the year that the hard work that you put in last year (and the year before that) is so VISUALLY evident!

Everything is bursting forth in all of its glory!

Each color is so vibrant and varied.

In danger of sounding cliche...it looks as if an artist took a paintbrush and added bold strokes of color to the green landscape creating beautiful displays of interest that will not be repeated in the same designs again this year. 

From the gift of color and beauty outside, you can create other beautiful vignettes with the materials that you have coaxed, sweated over, fed and coddled.

One of the best things about gardening is using the gifts that the earth gives you to create more gifts of beauty. 

You can even eat what you grow and sometimes drink it!

It does not have to be a large area that you have to take care of. Start small, use pots and planters. Dig in the dirt a little and see if you catch the bug!

It can make your life more beautiful!

Meg

I promise, this will be the last post about the garden until after our next Sale. I have to get my hands out of the dirt and back into the paint! We have some great new pieces that will be finished in time for the Summer Sale. 

Join us on Thursday, June 13th for the Preview Party benefitting Designing 4 Hope

or

Friday, June14th from noon until 5pm

and Saturday, June 14th from 9am until 5 pm

Hotel on the Conner of Bitter and Sweet

I worked in the garden most of the day today with my oldest son and his friend Ben. I noticed two things about the day. One was the beauty of the sky, blue as could be and the green of the grass in contrast. Add to that the flowers that are in bloom and it created that "stop and appreciate the beauty around me" kind of feeling. The second thing that loomed in the background of my appreciation of the beauty around me, was the destruction and devastation that others in our country were experiencing.

How could I be enjoying this gorgeous day when others were witnessing and partaking in something they could not imagine the reality of in their wildest dreams? The unspeakable fear...It made me think of a title of a book that I saw at Barnes and Noble that stopped me in my tracks some time ago,

  The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. 

I remember thinking at that time, "Wow, what a great title for Life."Don't we all live on a corner that has moments both bitter and sweet? 

Today exemplifies that feeling a hundred times over.

For those who have not been affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma and are living surrounded by the beauty of everyday, here are some ways that you can help those who are living through some bitter times. These updates were posted on Ree Drummond's Blog, The Pioneer Woman. Thanks Ree for keeping us informed of how we could help.

Salvation Army
Supporters are encouraged to give online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”

Samaritan’s Purse
Samaritan’s Purse has deployed a team to Moore, Oklahoma and will respond to the current needs in any way they can.

Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, in partnership with Oklahoma Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, is asking that the public support all rescue, recovery and disaster relief efforts with donations of cash to your favorite responding charity. Financial donations will allow disaster relief agencies to purchase whatever items are deemed necessary without resulting in the additional burden of securing warehouse space and volunteers to work donated product.
To make a tax deductible donation to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, go to www.regionalfoodbank.org or call 604-7111 or text FOOD to 32333 to give $10 to relief efforts.

Feeding America
Feeding America will deliver truckloads of food, water and supplies to impacted areas through its network of more than 200 food banks and 61,000 agencies. The organization’s food banks will also set up additional dropoff sites.

Convoy of Hope
International humanitarian relief organization Convoy of Hope is responding to the Moore, Okla. area this morning. Immediately after the devastating tornadoes struck, a Convoy of Hope assessment team was in the area and tractor-trailers were loaded with emergency supplies at Convoy of Hope’s World Distribution Center in Springfield, Missouri.
Those wishing to make a contribution to the OKC and Midwest tornado relief efforts can make a secure online contribution by visiting: http://www.convoyofhope.org. To place a $10 donation on your cellular bill, text the word CONVOY to 50555. Standard text and data rates apply.

UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)
100% of Oklahoma-directed donations will go toward relief efforts.

American Red Cross
People who wish to make a donation can support American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters like the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas as well as disasters big and small throughout the United States by visiting redcross.org, dialing 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Central OK Humane Society (For the pets left homeless and injured.)
Currently greatest need is financial donations to help treat and house lost and injured animals. Current in-kind needs are: Towels, paper towels, bleach, gloves, and crates. All donations can be taken to either Central Park Dog Daycare location (2905 NW 70th and 5420 N. Classen Blvd.) Pet food donations may be taken there as well.

Thank you for sending your love and prayers to Oklahoma. This is our home and it’s hard to see the suffering. ~ Ree

Let's all help the people of Oklahoma in whatever ways we can. May they experience beauty in their lives again soon.

Meg

Designing 4 Hope

 When a child is struck with a major illness it rocks the world of the entire family. Where normalcy once reigned, fear and uncertainty set in. At our past Spring Barn Sale, a shopper told me about an organization that he has worked with called Designing 4 Hope. As the name suggests, this organization redesigns the child's bedroom creating a place for them to" rest, recover, heal and dream." They create an environment designed around the child that helps them to forget about needles, hospitals and their treatments. Once they accomplish this, they take on the rooms of the siblings, who are often lost in the shuffle of the care that is required for their brother or sister.

When I heard about this organization, it really struck a chord. For as many of you know who follow this little blog, our son Shane has been dealing with an obscure syndrome that took him from being a healthy athletic teenager who competed on his school's football and wrestling teams his Freshman year to a teenager who could no longer compete athletically let alone stay up for more that a few hours at a time. When he was diagnosed with POTs (Postural orthostatic tachycardia) it was a relief to hear a name to what was causing his health problems. Now that we had a name and knew what we were dealing with, we could tackle it. Three years later, he is still dealing with it and even though we hear that there is an end...it is not in sight and it might be a couple more years until he can regain any sense of normalcy.

After the sale was over, I had time to look up Designing 4 hope and I felt an immediate connection to what they do. Shane's illness does not make him critically ill, it has not required numerous surgeries with prolonged hospital stays. It is a life altering illness and one that causes Shane to be on numerous medications and to spend inordinate amounts of time in his bedroom, either sleeping or just laying down because he feels a heck of lot better when he is in the "postural" position due to the poor circulation issues. I immediately thought of the kids whose lives were being altered and who were coming home from a long hospital stay and were confined to their beds for days and sometimes weeks on end. How great would it be to make a place that was beautiful for them to rest, relax and heal in? A place that if they were confined there, was a place of optimism, light and beauty. Often times a critically ill child causes hardships in the financial arena as well as all the other areas that it affects and there are no funds to put towards creating that space. This is where Designing 4 Hope comes in. 

I reached out to Lori McHale who started Designing 4 Hope and after meeting with her and her husband, how could one not be inspired by what they do there? We are looking forward to partnering with them for our Summer Sale to try and raise both awareness and funds to continue their mission of Hope. Stay tuned to the details but we will be having a kick off party to benefit Designing 4 Hope on June 13th. Put it on your calendar so you can join us in making their mission fruitful!

Thanks for listening!

Meg

Whew!!! What a whirlwind!!

Last minute prep happening before last week's Preview Party for our Spring Barn Sale and Art Show! The party and sale weekend were a ball! Full of friends (old and new), absolutely beautiful weather and   people showing up to see what we are all about! I hope that you had a wonderful time during your visit with us!

One thing that a sale weekend entails is weeks and weeks of before hand preparation. We always think that we have it totally under control and then one week before the event is to take place we are still rushing around like chickens with our heads cut off! Completing tasks like pricing, painting, hammering, hanging, vignetting, unpacking those shipments that were promised for 3 weeks ago, recycling all the trash that comes with them, ( talk to Chris, she calls me the recycling gestapo!) putting final details on the design, planting flowers, making food, herding goats (I will get back to this later). It is a whirlwind to say the least and exhausting but a ton of fun and well worth all the effort!

Friends kick in with their collaborative efforts and we get it all done! Usually, just in the nick of time!

We are even enlisting and training the children of friends...who we have to say are the best helpers ever!!!

Some we are even training to be goat herders, called in to round up errant goats who happened to walk right in the upper barn with some of the Preview Party guests with baaahhhh-d timing! 

Some family members are enlisted as bartenders and have taken up social bantering with the best of them. (Dad)

Others are enlisted to create beautiful skirts for a woman who would rather be shopping for a chippy old cupboard than clothes. (my sister... the woman she is clothing shall remain nameless)

The end result is a venue where people can come and experience what we have tried to create here...a little slice of heaven, surrounded by objects that are well worn or look like they have borrowed design elements from a time in the past, mixed with an eclectic sprinkling of artist's works. All housed in a beautiful old dairy barn where the saying, "they don't make em like they used to," really rings true.

We juggle our "other" lives as we like to call them, while in the middle of all of this and are very thankful to have people who appreciate what we do and who take the time out of their crazy busy days to stop by. We LOVE it and we appreciate each and every one of you!

Chris juggling her other life while trying to get an internet signal. 2 feet thick stone walls really create a problem for wireless service and thus entail the scouting out of spots where you can get service...perfect seat!

We will post later about the organization that we hosted the Preview Party for and fill you in on our next project coming up very shortly...in honor of the big day coming up in May for Moms. Can you guess???

With gratitude and until next time...

Meg