So It Begins...

the conversation went a little something like this....

little one...whatever have you done...

i'm pretty mom...and my little smile and head tilt makes it so you won't be mad at me for this...

mom, you really shouldn't have tried curling up with that book you have wanted to read for so long now...

you know i wanted to have a princess haircut...

little one...shouldn't you have waited to go visit grandma for that kind of haircut...

nope....me can do it...mom...

yes....little one....you have done it....

Vintage Summer...

shop update coming this weekend...

*thank you* to the shabby nest for letting me be a part of such a wonderful blog

*thank you* to all who entered for the giveaway; i enjoyed reading all your comments...

winner will be announced thursday morning...

Dreaming....

today i'm dreaming...

{yes, a little about aksel...sigh..} sshhh...

what else am i to think about when i'm staring at 3' snow drifts...

i mean...snow = skier right??

hhmmm...

sigh...

oh...sorry...

i'm also dreaming of days spent like this...

barefoot and free...

drinking in the prairie sun...

feeling the soft summer breeze against my skin...

oh...what joy...

while many are enjoying their first glimmers of spring, i can only dream...

it will be a while yet until those day are a reality here...

so...

i thought maybe a little giveaway would be in order...

just to lift up my spirits and remind me color will visit the prairie again...

i sponsor a wonderful blog...

.... The Shabby Nest ....

she is absolutely amazing when it comes to decorating on a dime...

not to mention super sweet and very talented...

head on over for your chance to win these lovelies...

you have a chance to win all three...

a 2 quart jar, a quart jar, and the tiny, cuter than a baby calf 1/2 pint...

i know...pure bliss...

be sure to let wendy know you stopped by with a comment...

she is also giving you plenty of chances to enter...you know all the blogging, twittering, and facebooking?!?!

hhhmmm.....

go now girls...you only have until tomorrow night to enter....

aksel and i will be waiting for you on your return... ;0)

Winter 2010...

i'm a big fan...

love the olympics...

not sure why...i can't ski to save my life...

can't ice skate...can't snowboard...

can't stand being cold...

sigh...maybe someday...

so i sit in the comfort of my hollister butt fleece...

and watch this...

specifically this man...

....~*~aksel lund svindal~*~...

sigh...

i knew there was a reason i was so drawn to all things norwegian...

anyone up for a little road trip...

better yet anyone out there who could introduce this small town prairie girl to this olympic gold medalist...

suddenly the winter doesn't look so bleak ;0)...

winter eye candy here, here

Weighing In...

the one day tempatures went above 30 degrees we went to work...

the husband raises pure bred gelbvieh bulls...

you can't imagine the paperwork involved...sheesh...

plus i've been working on taxes...

ugh...

you know my love for numbers lately...

well, i'm seriously thinking about giving up on that love...

ok...maybe not...but i think if i look at another number dealing with money lost on the farm i might be sick ;0)....

so back to the gelbvieh bulls...

you know how some families go bowling for a family outing...

well, we're not one of those families...

though the kids have asked if we can take them bowling...

the husband and i just look at each other...

i think i've only bowled once in my life...

not sure we are the best teachers for our children when it comes to bowling...sigh...any volunteers??....

one thing we can teach them about is...

yep...bulls...

so here we are, our family outing....

weighing bulls so we can get the correct paperwork in on time so they can be registered...

the little one joined me on the fence while the boys and husband braved the 12" deep muddy corrals...







my job this time was to write down the number of the tag, name, and weight of the bull...

i would much rather have been trying to herd the bulls onto the scale in the slimy mess of a corral but you know i always do what the husband asks ;0)...so away i wrote and tried to take pictures at the same time...

anyone in need of a gelbvieh bull...

no...well....how about one of these then....

~*shop update and a giveaway coming soon to a prairie near you*~

...think vintage blue, and french farm...

Rancher's needs...

i showed my last post to the husband..

i didn't receive the eyeball roll girls....

i got the sideway glance with the comment ~aren't they going to finish it??~

hhhmmmm...

i think i may have to do some work on that man...

since he is not all on board with the chair...

maybe just maybe i can convince him he needs the following....

show him i'm thinking of his needs as a rancher when decorating the home...:0)

this would compliment to the winter wonderland we live in perfectly...

we seem to collect every kind of bull sale, farm implements, seed, fertilizer and soil conservation catalog available; i thought why not give them a gorgeous home...

we couldn't say no to the matching side tables could we...

it seems this prairie girl will be reading a lot of farm catalogs...

why not bring a little stylish glow to that old gelbvieh bull...

oh....i have forgotten that we need a place for the western cowman magazine...

so we have this....

this prairie girl and her rancher *love* benches...we also *love* the look of tolix chairs...

why not place a couple of these side by side with a burlap cushion going the length...oh and maybe some ruffles...sigh...

now how about some wall decor...

we have a passion for wall sconces...

these are fashioned after the old trouble lights we could have a few to light the way when there is trouble in the middle of the night on the farm...

we have to watch the clock closely so we can be online at the right time to place the winning bid on those pure bred heifers, we must have a clock...

but we live in a tiny farmhouse...

not much space for a grandfather clock...

i thought this might do the trick...

a real working wallpaper clock...

what do you think...

will he think twice about giving me the eyeball roll and the sideways glance all in one week?...

do you think he will like how i'm thinking of designing the whole room around his needs?...

i think so too... ;0)

all the rancher's needs can be found here

The Chair...

a couple posts back i showed you a chair...

one that made this prairie girl's heart go pitter patter...

it is still a work in progress...

come to find out she has been covered many, many, many....many....many....times....sigh...

and whoever did the job....well probably used 10,000 boxes of staples...

so it has been a slow process...

i have an idea what i want the chair to look like...

first spotted the style last year when i purchased this amazing book...

stripped down....stark and real...

i feel in love...

i then ran across these photos...oh my...pure bliss...

now if only i can talk mr. prairie into the look...

i'm feeling another eyeball roll coming on...

maybe i better wait until after valentine's day to show him the photos....

book can be found here

not sure where i found the photos...please let me know if you come across them with the source..

Prairie Girl Collection....

dear jen,

my darling daughter has recently been spotted in some of your collections...

what a better fit than Eden's Bouquet for a Prairie Girl?

the wonderful white pin tucks...

linen bloomers....

ruffles fluttering in the cool mountain breeze...

sigh...pure beauty...

this was all before she became a stubborn three year old...

now she feels the need to design her own outfits...

so here is clancey's outfits...

maybe you would consider reassuring this mom that she just might set a new fashion trend??

where do we even begin...hhhmmm....let's see....

the cowboy hat...{not cowgirl...oh no...COWBOY mom! sheesh you would think i would get it right?!?}

the army backpack which does by the way coordinate with the orange sprinkler boots/heifer checking work boots...

the leather COWBOY vest...that is warm enough to wear in below zero tempatures...tried and true prairie girl tested...

but wait....wait for it.....

she has ACCESSORIES...

she has added a wonderful stylish pair of plastic shades...with a hint of fushia pink...just the color every girl needs...

not one...but two leather gloves....that we have no idea where they have been...hence the smelling of them in previous picture...

{all i will say is think farm + corrals + little boys who drop things}

but evidently there were prairie girl worthy...

look at what you can accomplish with that backpack on board...

can free up your hands so you can carry your favorite manners book..

every prairie girl must have good etiquette right?? even if we do learn it from dora...

so what do you think?...

runway worthy...

this mom is worried that i won't be visiting your store much anymore...and i so *loved* the white ruffles...sigh...

btw~ in shop news: faded prairie is being featured here.....

tara has gotten this praire girl to actually snort over a couple of her posts...

{sorry ms. dora your manners book didn't cover that}

she is a beautiful, beach girl who has a way with words...

please be sure to stop in and see the wonderful post she created about my little shop and blog...

tara also owns a wonderful etsy store: Tara's Vintage Kitchen...

you know how i wasn't going to drool anymore...

well that didn't last to long while browsing her one of a kind finds...

also~ there is an unbelieveable giveaway going on right now at Patina Soul all week long!

this girl has really upped the ante when it comes to giveaways..

not to mention a drool worthy blog...

okay that's it...enjoy girls...and have a romantic weekend!!

Where Beauty is Created...

so it's finally done enough that i dare share...

now remember...

my house is over a hundred years old...

i wish this space looked as beautiful as tracey's and jeanne's...

but...sigh...i married a farmer...

so i keep dreaming ;0)...

and i create here...

don't you just love these metal stencils...

sigh...*thank you tracey*...

did you notice my string holder...

it is an old copper funnel...i think i may have to hang it somewhere...but right now it sits on my vintage paper cutter...

little corner that holds my supplies for my mixed media and altered art...{..have some projects to share from my artist classes soon..}

this counter was built by mr. prairie...*love it...oh and mr. prairie too...*

it goes the length of the room...is just the right height...and is fabulous when cutting fabric..

the rod for my drop cloth curtain is metal pipe...

*love it*...*thank you brother in law*

no pictures of what is hidden behind the curtain...

didn't want to scare you away...

seriously...scary...

just a few vintage clock faces to keep me company...

these came from the barnhouse boys...

will have to show you what i intend to do with them...think altered art...meets industrial farm...

speaking of barnhouse boys...would anyone like to join me may 8th for their opening...

so want to go...

sigh...mr. prairie can't go with me...

not sure i want him to go...he is soooo practical...which translates into *no fun on shopping trips*

so...let me know...

so that is where i create...

it still needs some work...but right now this prairie girl is happy...

Sentimental Journey...

when i started my journey i didn't realize...

the wonderful people i would encounter...

in the blogging world and those that would venture to the middle of nowhere to visit my little boutique...

it has became a sentimental journey...

a journey of discovery...

discovery of friends...

discovery of my true self...

i am amazed and deeply humbled by the comments left during my recent giveaway...

i thought i would share a few that touched this prairie girls soul...



*Just adore the farmhouse chic look! I think a lot of it has to do with my love of peeling paint --everything is just so much more interesting with visible layers! I like to imagine the story behind each coat of paint... :) {Rebecca}

*I LOVE the Number Four Tote! I like how appealing the simplicity of it is. I love how all her pictures are a like a breath of fresh air! Simple, classic...it's my kinda style. :) {Pamela...the lucky winner!! Congrats}

*I would LOVE those clock faces just because I have been wanting some:)...I love the vintage feel ~ it has history, looks and feels inviting in your home for your family and guests...I do love Kristin's shop and her blog! {Martha, sweet sweet girl!!}

*Is it possible for me to express how much I love this shop? I wish I could take the essence of this shop, paint it all over my dorm and then take a nap in a haystack that will, of course, magically appear... {kate}

these are just a few that will be carried within this prairie girls heart along her sentimental journey...

*thank you to all who entered and stopped by...I appreciate each and every comment you left*

photograph can be found here

On the Prairie...

would you join me on the prairie...

for sunshine...

for gentle breezes...

for gentler times....

photos can be found {here}

*i showed mr. prairie my last post...sigh...i got the eyeball roll; not that i expected any different ;0) a girl can dream can she not? maybe now he won't think my newest ideas to extreme....reverse psychology or something like that ;0)*

Much Love..

dear mr. prairie,

have i mentioned my *love* for you?

oh...i'm so glad you feel the same...

you know valentine's is coming up?

also my birthday...

well next month....but who's counting right?

just a couple things on my list this year...

how about this...

oh...can you imagine how happy i could make you with a fridge like this...

i might just have the desire to cook...

with a fridge where i could see if the food was starting to mold...

not that it ever happens now...

i'm just saying...

imagine...

finding molded food...

wife turning up her nose...

gagging...

dialing the memorized phone number of the fast food joint across town...

like i said just imagine cause that never happens...

hhhmmm....

wouldn't it be such a nice sight...

the table...{correction} a table...

set with this...

*thank you in advance for making this valentines and birthday the very best*

much love,

your prairie girl

valentines and birthday lists can be found here