easter-inspired gathering

friends, can you believe easter is just around the corner? i'm quite certain christmas was yesterday. 

with the days quickly passing, it's always such a gift to slow down & truly soak up the special days with our dearest & nearest. 

today i am over at shindig paperie's blog sharing an easter-inspired gathering for the kid at heart. let's stop trying to craft up that pinterest perfection & instead find heart in the paper plates, potluck dishes, candy eggs, laughter & fun this easter season! 

click right here for details on hosting your own simple & easy gathering!

love,

natalie

a new look: blog redesign + changes

hello, sweet friends! 

if you haven't yet noticed, my blog was freshened up just a bit! big hugs to heather of life made lovely for making her magic happen in this space. 

with the launch of freckled hen farmhouse, i wanted a new blog design that spoke to my individual passions & complimented our online general store. i think it's perfect & i hope you love it, too.

i've always viewed my blog as a launch pad for all of our business & personal endeavors. my blog has walked us through dating, marriage, graduating college, uprooting from our community, the purchase of our farm & first home, loss of family members, growth of two businesses & so much more. this space will continue to do just that as we grow & change in our roles as individuals, partners & more.

i am forever grateful for this online journal of our life. i will continue to share snippets of our story & highlights of our general store, garden, farm life, home & more. i hope you'll stick around as we continue to create a good life.

as for changes, there are just a few:

+ you may visit www.nataliecreates.com to visit our shop, our farm & my blog all on one simple page.

+ i have closed my etsy shop & will move our hand-sewn pieces to freckled hen farmhouse. we will continue to offer happy flags & headbands perfect for the farmhouse & farm girl. we hope you love our new designs! 

+ i plan to highlight freckled hen farmhouse from time-to-time with guest posts by luke & products that we use within our own home. we hope it's informative & an enjoyable addition to this space!

thank you all so much! xo.

love,

natalie

home inspiration

as i sit here in the early morning hours with a warm coffee in hand at my old wooden desk purchased secondhand, i thought it might be fun to share some home inspiration with you i have found via instagram. 

as you know, we've been slowly cleaning out every corner of our home & making space to simply live. we are not minimalists. we enjoy well-made goods that make up our home. we appreciate family heirlooms & we value cozy. yet still, there's something about making space that feels just right. 

below are a handful of my favorites... i hope you find a spark of inspiration to fluff up your corners, let go of a little more, add a throw blanket, dust off your favorite stack of cookbooks & really enjoy your home. 

@penelopejune

@burtsbrisplease; @our.littlehouse; @jessica_kesti; @oldjoy

what are some of your favorite instagram accounts for home inspiration? please share!

love,

natalie

list of joys - shine a light

friends, i'm feeling heavy this week. are you? 

with so much political chatter & noise, it only makes sense to grab a cup of warm tea & huddle down. get cozy. encourage the quiet. to create a list of joys & focus our intentions on those rather than the crazy that may surround us.  

today i thought i'd share my list of joys. sometimes it helps to shine a light directly into the darkness.

03.04.16 list of joys

- my quiet time in the morning with a cup of coffee & my daily to-do list

- make-up lunch date with my husband despite a morning full of miscommunications

- the sweet & encouraging ladies at my weekly weight watchers meetings

- phone chats with my dad

- our favorite film festival this weekend & a mini road trip

- a homemade, hubby-made lightbox in my studio

- cottage cheese with grapes (try it!)

- the anticipation of kidding season on the farm

- planting seeds into the cold soil

- the arrival of this book on my doorstep

- late night parenthood binge sessions

- weekly newsletters from 3191

-being brave, stretching ourselves & taking risks

- thursday coffee dates with my dear tribe of closest girlfriends

- my favorite pair of jeans, perfectly worn in

- our growing collection of teas - one chosen every evening & savored

- cheap & delicious thai within walking distance of our studio

- our intentional weekly date nights 

- sunday naps 

- breakfast for dinner

shine a light, sweet friends.

share a list of your joys with us in the comments! 

love,

natalie

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!