weekend in photos

this weekend was spent at home doing what we do best - a balance of work & play. 

i thought it might be fun to snap a handful of shots throughout our weekend & share them with you.

breadmaking & homemade pizzas, early morning walks, weekend naps & muffins for our people. birthday celebrations, matinee play at the local theater, a double date & fresh new kitchen tile.

jadeite, warm mugs of coffee, taxes, braids & late night cuddles with a movie.

wishing you the very best week!

share your weekend with us! i'd love to read. 

love,

natalie

chicken pot pie

we're all crossing our fingers down here for a snow day. it's in the forecast & we're hoping it dips down just enough for a few flurries. in celebration of cold winter days, i thought i'd share my new favorite- chicken pot pie from skinny kitchen!

some days just call for a little comfort food & this dish is sure to hit the spot. 

happy wintry wednesday, friends! let me know if you try out this dish!

love,

natalie

a day of healthy meals

i've been struggling to get back on track after a decadent weekend of valentine's day feasts & chocolates. in an effort to be more intentional about what i eat & stay accountable, i decided to take a snapshot of every thing i ate on tuesday. 

i am currently on weight watchers & really love it. below you'll find my meals along with my estimated smart points for each meal/snack (i am allotted 30 smart points a day). for those with questions - click here to learn weight watcher's approach & how they determine an individual's daily smart points allowance. 

1. breakfast 6sp: crispy oats cereal with almond milk, blueberries & half a banana + coffee with cream

2. lunch 8sp: turkey wrap with mini pretzels, sweet baby bell peppers & lots of lime-infused water

3. snack 3sp: vanilla greek yogurt with blueberries

4. dinner 8sp: crockpot chicken masala (made with light coconut milk) on cauliflower rice with a side salad & homemade salad dressing

5. snack (not shown) 4sp: two hershey miniatures 

how do you approach your health journey & meals? i'd love to read your favorite snacks & your biggest successes! please share!

love,

natalie

p.s. this is not a sponsored weight watchers post. i simply love sharing my health journey with you in an effort to inspire & remind you that you're not alone. xo!

at home in arkansas seed swap gathering

friends, i squealed out loud when the spring issue of at home in arkansas landed on my doorstep! it is such a gorgeous magazine & an absolute treat to be featured!

click here to read the full article (our feature starts on page 31)! inside you'll find my tips on hosting a seed swap with your fellow gardening girlfriends! 

big hugs & thanks to the amazing at home in arkansas crew... they are indeed a dream team & such a gift to our community! thank you to amy of euna mae's, heather of life made lovely & janna wilson for their goods & talents. you girls are the best! 

love,

natalie

a celebratory weekend at home

this weekend was such a treat. 

we celebrated valentine's day early on saturday with coffee at one of our favorite stops & surprise dinner reservations in a town nearby. 

luke spoiled me this year with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in brown paper packaging from flora & a box of colorful macarons from a downtown macaron shop. i treated him to local coffee roasted by our friends, two nice button-up shirts & a gift card to his favorite coffee shop. sweet & simple gestures on this extra special day. 

i also managed to tackle a handful of areas within our home that were in need of extra attention. 

i reorganized our canning closet & purged our guest bedroom closet. i also tackled our china cabinet, letting go of a few dishes & only displaying items that get the most use within our home. my office is even getting a little fluffing with a new desk & the addition of woven sheer curtains.

it feels so good to make space in our home to just live & enjoy each other. i can promise you, i'm no minimalist. i love beautiful things, cozy corners, a stack of well-worn blankets & family heirlooms, but the act of purging & reorganizing is such a refresher to the space we love dearly. 

a celebratory weekend spent at home was just what we needed. it feels so good to start our monday having spent a little time picking up & planning for the week ahead.

wishing you all the best in the week ahead!

how was your weekend? are you tackling those organizational & purging projects? please share!

love,

natalie

valentine's day cookie baking

i must say, thank you all so much for sharing in our excitement of freckled hen farmhouse! we are so giddy to share in this adventure with you & we can't thank you enough for your support! 

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on wednesday afternoon, i picked up my sweet nephew from preschool for a little valentine's day date. these are the very best moments.

we picked up a box of store-bought cookie mix along with a tub of icing & festive napkins. we spent the afternoon baking & decorating cookies while chatting about school, tractors & his recent camping trip.

as we sat down, he said, "aunt natalie, are we having a party?!" the very best party, sweet ollie pop!

how will you celebrate this sweet & simple holiday with loved ones? please share your plans!

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i am over at shindig paperie's blog today sharing a fun diy to decorate those plain ol' matchboxes with cute scraps of wrapping paper! they're the perfect addition to a candle for your people on valentine's day! click here for the details. xo!

love,

natalie

freckled hen farmhouse... a general store!

friends, i am so excited to share our big news! 

join us in welcoming our new business venture, freckled hen farmhouse, an online general store brimming with home provisions & quality farm supplies, to open this march!

sign up for our newsletter here & be the first to grab exclusive discounts, learn our story & share in our favorite seasonal recipes!

we have had a dream of opening our own store, one that reflected both our passions & lifestyle, for quite some time. back in the fall, we met in a small cabin in the middle of the woods to envision just how this dream might take shape. friends, it's happening & we are thrilled that we have been gifted the opportunity to live out this adventure with you! 

freckled hen farmhouse is an extension of our quiet lives on the farm. our little shop is reminiscent of the mom & pop mercantile your loved ones may have frequented as children! we have curated a variety of quality goods for both the home & farm that are inspired by the past yet sure to last for generations to come. 

within our online shop you are sure to find wooden-handled garden tools, four-season seeds, all-natural jams, bulk goods & flours, tabletop provisions, heirloom-inspired recipe boxes, farmers' market baskets, artisanal bread baking supplies & so much more! 

unlike the general stores of our yesteryear, we are offering a wide variety of provisions online exclusively. of course, we want to meet you & offer up that cozy experience in-person so we are giddy to also share that we have a small studio space located in downtown fayetteville, arkansas where we will host monthly pop-up shops & gatherings! 

we cannot wait to share our knowledge of farming along with our favorite seasonal recipes & hand-picked homesteading goods with you! stay connected as we reveal new provisions headed to the shop in march! follow us on instagram @thefreckledhenfarmhouse & sign-up for our newsletter!

love,

luke & natalie