Finding the Best in Midwest Weekend Getaways
Yesterday I got the privilege of getting a sneak peak of Natural Plus Nursery in Clear Lake before their open house to the public! This is the second year in a row that I got to get a glimpse of this years plants, shrubs, and trees, but none the less wonderful! (You can read my thoughts from last year HERE!)
Welcome to Friday in Franklin County! I love the place that I call home and the businesses that are here that I’ve decided to share a piece of it with you every Friday!
First up is Christensen Jewelry and owner Russell Gibson! Russ first got started in jewelry making in high school when he took a metals & jewelry class during his sophomore year at Washington High School in Washington, Iowa. The art teacher did jewelry work on the side and was very involved with everything the kids did. During the class they learned the proper techniques to hand make everything, cut and finish the stones, etc. They were required to produce a minimum of 30 designs before they were allowed to create a piece itself. One semester in this class and Russ was hooked.
Welcome to Friday in Franklin County! I love the place that I call home and the businesses that are here that I’ve decided to share a piece of it with you every Friday!
First up is Christensen Jewelry and owner Russell Gibson! Russ first got started in jewelry making in high school when he took a metals & jewelry class during his sophomore year at Washington High School in Washington, Iowa. The art teacher did jewelry work on the side and was very involved with everything the kids did. During the class they learned the proper techniques to hand make everything, cut and finish the stones, etc. They were required to produce a minimum of 30 designs before they were allowed to create a piece itself. One semester in this class and Russ was hooked.
Last year about this time, I met up with some of the North Iowa Bloggers for one of those wine and painting parties…I’m a terrible painter! Then, I tried my hand at making my own Christmas wreath and was so in love with
the results that I ended up leaving it hanging on my house until the very end of February! So, up until this point I had faired a solid 50/50 on my DIY events/projects, so it was all up in the air when I went to the West Fork Wharf in Sheffield the other night to create a mixed media item with Kelly Gau Studio! I knew that regardless of what my piece of art looked like, I would have a great time because I was with my dear friends (Alicia of Pork Diaries, Laura of Life On Sky View Farms, Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs, & Kids, and Donna of donnahup.com)!
I’ve heard of Live Healthy Iowa and their 10 week challenge for quite some time now, but have never actually participated until now! When Kelli of The Sustainable Couple posed the question of some Iowa bloggers partnering up with The Iowa Food & Family Project and Live Healthy Iowa…I knew I had to be all over this! This was right up my alley…fitness, health, fun, and friendly competition!
Let’s break this down now. What is the Live Healthy Iowa challenge??
“Live Healthy Iowa brings together friends, families, businesses and communities in team-based wellness challenges designed to promote positive lifestyle change. These challenges are proven to change the culture of a company or community, one team at a time!”
Recently, I was able to meet up with a couple of my friends who also happen to be North Iowa Bloggers for a quick lunch! I’m always up for trying something new and I had heard great things about the State Street Deli in Mason City, so we gave it a try!
I’m not a farmer. My husband isn’t a farmer, but we’re impacted and have jobs because of farmers. Reality is that when you support farming, you support much more, and so many more than just the farmer!
I have good news and really good news! The good news is that I’m much better at making a wreath than I was at painting my own painting! The really good news is that the folks at Carlson Tree Farm, rural Coulter Iowa, make it super easy, are super friendly, and super patient!
Last year when the North Iowa Bloggers set the date for making wreaths at the Carlson Tree Farm, I was bummed to see that my schedule was already full with a basketball game (not that I would trade watching my boys for anything), but I was so happy when I didn’t have a scheduling conflict this year!! So, this past Tuesday I headed out to their farm outside of Coulter, Iowa with 4 of my fellow bloggers (Mary of Natural Plus Nursery; Val of Corn, Beans, Pigs, & Kids; Alicia of The Pork Diaries; and Donna of donnahup.com) to see what kind of wreath I could come up with. I’ll be honest that I was excited and yet hesitant because of my debacle trying to do one of those sip & paint classes. A painter I am not, but apparently (with the wonderful help of the Carlson ladies) a wreath maker, I can be!
