From The Patch

Introducing: Facebook Friends of the Week!

Hey everybody!  If you're not a fan of our facebook page, you really should be!  We do a lot of coupons, sales, and deals all over the place - and we do some on FB that are only open to our FB fans, and this one might just be the reason you start a FB account if you don't already have one!

 

The Details:

• First, LIKE us on Facebook. You can find us at http://www.facebook.com/theweedpatch.
• Second, be sure you're paying attention Monday mornings to what we post so you don't miss it.
• Every MONDAY we'll randomly (using a random number generator) choose 5 people from our "Friends" list.
• For the duration of THAT WEEK ONLY - thru the following SUNDAY - those 5 people will receive 20% off anything they purchase.  They can purchase once, twice, or 100 times - they'll still receive that 20%.
• The following Monday, 5 new friends will be chosen.
• "Featured Friends" will be announced on our FB wall - so check back often, as we will not notify you directly if you win.

The Rules:

• The discount lasts ONLY through those 7 days, no exceptions please.   
• The discount cannot be transferred or shared with another - it is valid only for the people who have their names on that week's list.
• This is good in store and online.
• For our online folk, your order must be placed by 11:59pm PST on Sunday; if it's late, the discount no longer applies.  
• If you're not friends with us on Facebook, then unfortunately you won't be eligible for this promotion.  We do so many other coupons and promotions that we know there will be something else out there for you to save money with.

The (not so) Fine Print:

• Offer is valid ONLY during the week you are selected.  The week starts on Monday morning and ends at 11:59pm the following Sunday.
• Winners will be announced on our FB wall.  It is the responsibility of the winner to pay attention to our wall for that information; we will not contact you directly.  
• It is the responsibility of the winner to use their discount during the period in which it is valid.
• We reserve the right to change the rules or even the promotion itself at any time for any reason. 

We hope that you'll join us on Facebook, and that you'll share us with your friends!  We're excited to get this fun going, so you can look for this to start on Monday September 26th 2011!

Are you friends with us on Facebook yet?
  http://www.facebook.com/theweedpatch

Introducing Savannah Grace Tindall...

Among the last outings as a family of three...

I really wanted to blog tonight.  I had so many things to share with you - new video for our YouTube channel showcasing a bunch of the new fall and halloween; Ben's first day at school (and riding the bus!); other new product arrivals; some killer reasons to "like" us on our Facebook page (yeah, if you haven't done that yet - NOW would be a REALLY good time, as we've got some great new stuff coming down the pipe over there..) .... 

The videos are taking too long to deal with tonight (hey, with a new baby on the way - hopefully NOW - I've gotta get SOME sleep!), the pics of Ben appear to all have been taken on my parent's camera as we were apparently too busy just trying to get him out the door and onto the bus to think about it, I don't have pics yet of the new products ....

But I still wanted to blog.  So I started going through photos from recent months, and I came across these beauties - and then I realized that ... WAIT!  This was one of our last outings as a family of three - and it happened on July 24th!  Geez.  When life gets crazy busy, I guess life gets crazy busy.  Not that we haven't done stuff since then - actually, we've done a TON - but apparently none of it warrented photos, so how boring is that?

If I recall correctly, we were on our way in to the store on 7/24/2011, with Ben in tow.  He had been going with us a LOT those days, and we were really trying to get some down time in with him, so (without telling Janene) I drove us off the beaten path down to a small beach in Edmonds.  Ben recognized this beach, since we had been there before and saw a TRAIN there, so he was pretty dang excited.  We got out of the car and walked up and over the tracks and down to the beach, where Janene plopped herself on a log and Ben and I started the time wading out into the water.  Yep, I don't seem to have pictures of that (although I could have sworn I took some...oh well).  We explored all over, and I finally had to reel him in because I (foolishly) had no shoes on (I had worn my hiking boots that day) and boy - that beach is all rock and no sand, and it's SHARP!

Not nearly ready to be finished, Ben grabbed Janene and said it was time for an adventure - so they went for it (she was better prepared than I, despite no warning...  go figure?). As they waded through the surf, I was able to shoot some pictures - among them some of the only we have of Janene pregnant with the new one, so that was probably good...

I think that every time we've been out somewhere, I have a picture of her bending down to show Ben something tiny.  At the beach it's usually a crab or something; in the forest it's a caterpillar or something else interesting - she is quite in tune with her surroundings, much to Ben's delight.

I don't remember much about the rest of the day, but in looking back I sure am glad that we took that little detour.  Sometime's that the best thing that can happen in a day, you know?

PLEASE vote for us! :)

Hi All!

Every year, here in Washington, there's a little contest called "Best in Western Washington" put on by one of the TV networks.  That time is again here, and we'd love your support!  Please click the link below and vote for us, and let's see if we can make a big splash!

Click this image to vote for us, and thank you in advance!

In other brief news, the blogs may continue to be a bit sporadic this week - Janene's due date for our newest little gift was yesterday the 10th of September, and we're waiting (and praying) that she goes into labor VERY soon (like...tonight?)  We'd appreciate your prayers on that too, and a bit more patience on the blogging as we wait and enjoy this life milestone! :)  And ... yes - it's a girl. :)

~Chris

What's in the Garden (part 2)?

As promised so long ago, here's an overview (part 2) of what's in our veggie garden this year.  As I mentioned in a previous post long ago, we have an awful lot of plants in the garden this year.  Here's a list (part 2) of most of what we planted.  

 

 

 

• Eggplant:
  • Millionaire (1)
• Corn:
  • Bodacious (4)
  • Luscious (4)
  • Peaches & Cream (2)
  • Obsession (2)
• Squash:
  • Crookneck Goldstar (5)
  • Black Jack Zuchinni (1)
  • Spaghetti (1)
  • Fall Gourd Mix (1)
  • Golden Zebra (2)
• Pumpkins:
  • Knucklehead (1)
  • Lumina* (9)
  • Sugar Pie* (9)
  • Jack Be Little* (9)
  • Magic Lantern (1)
• Radishes
  • Watermelon (all from seed, waiting to see what survives)
  • D'Avignon (all from seed, waiting to see what survives)
• Carrots:
  • Atomic Red
  • Petite Sweet
  • Nana
• Herbs:
  • Basil, Genova (1)
  • Basil, Rubin (1)
  • Basil, Sweet (2 plants, 2 seeded)
  • Basil, Italian Large Leaf (1)
• Onions & Leeks:
  • Mexican Sweet Yellow (6)
  • Mexican Sweet White (6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's in YOUR garden right now?

What's in the Garden (part 1)?

As promised so long ago, here's an overview (part 1) of what's in our veggie garden this year.  This list was started WAY back in July.  Some of these things, such as the lettuce, spinach, kohlrabi, etc have been consumed and moved on - in fact I (Chris) have starts ready to transplant for a fall harvest.  And since it's supposed to be almost 90 here this next week (yeah - in September!) we're probably not too late!  

 

 

As I mentioned in a previous post long ago, we have an awful lot of plants in the garden this year.  Here's a list (again, part 1!!!) of most of what we planted, if you're curious at all!  

• Tomatoes:
  • Roma (1)
  • Sungold (3)
  • Sun Sugar (2)
  • Sweet 100 (2)
  • Yellow Pear (1)
  • Better Boy (1)
  • Amana Orange (1)
  • Mortgage Lifter (1)
  • Black Icicle (1)
  • Chocolate Stripes (1)
  • Isis Candy (1)
  • Violet Jasper (1)
  • Pink Icicle (1)
  • Big Beef (1)
  • Amish Paste (1)
• Beans:
  • Caprice (5)
  • Blue Lake (6)
  • Teggia (1)
  • Tongue of Fire (1)
  • Golden Sunshine (1)
  • French Filet Maxibel (1)
• Peppers:
  • Red Beauty (7)
  • Better Bell (1)
  • Anaheim (3)
  • Golden California Wonder [Orange] (1)
  • Santa Fe Grand Hot (1)
  • Jalepeno (1)
• Tomatillos:
  • Toma Verde (4)
  • Purple (1)
• Lettuce & Greens:
  • Leaf Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Kale (3)
  • Salad Mix
  • Swiss Chard (6)
• Cucumbers
  • Marketmore 97 (2)
  • Bush Pickle (4)
  • Fanfare (1)
• Peas: (sugar snap)
• Kohlrabi (which is freakin' delicious!)
• Beets
• Brussel Sprouts (bolted, as we apparently planted it too early - we'll be adding more of these in the next couple of weeks) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon... part 2! :)

A Photo Look at Fall & Halloween 2011

The store has been converted to Fall and Halloween - there's still so much coming, and lots more to do, but you may never notice that with everything that's out and up to look at!  We have more Fall and Halloween then we have had for a very long time - if ever - and it's already selling out!  Here's some photos we snapped so that you can see it all!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT?!?!?!?! It's SEPTEMBER already? GEEZ!

Man, did this summer fly by for everybody else as fast as it did for us?  It sure feels like we just turned around and BAM - summer is over and September is here!  So... where the heck have we been, and what have we been up to?

To start, Janene is nearing the final hours of her pregnancy with our second child - literally.  She's officially due on September 10, but we're anticipating an earlier arrival than that (as in, we spent the whole day running errands so that she could walk and maybe stumble over that edge...).  This has certainly made for an interesting summer, between getting the tent sale up, opening pallets and pallets of freight (thanks to our fantastic employees, spearheaded by one of our newest, Donna - GREAT job guys!), converting the back room to Christmas preview (which really hasn't been finished yet...), to converting the entire store over to Fall and Halloween - all while she has been sick!

That said, the store looks FANTASTIC - I don't honestly remember a time when we've had as much Fall and Halloween as we have this year, and that doesn't even touch the Thanksgiving that hasn't made it to the floor yet.  And it doesn't touch all the stuff that's still on its way in to the store!   Check out tomorrow's post for some pics of the store!

At home, we've been working to get the house ready for our newest addition; we painted Ben's room, painted our room, and still have more to do than we can before baby arrives - but she won't know the difference anyway, so I think we're good.  The garden has literally exploded - another post will touch on all of that - and it has been seriously awesome to be planting and harvesting and eating our harvest.  

We hired two fantastic new gals to work the store - Lynn and Donna, and they are absolutely wonderful.  If you haven't met them yet, come on in and say hello!

We were listed as a resource in Country Living Magazine, and as a result our online sales really took off - thanks to all you fantastic new customers!  It was a fun experience that we (of course) hope to replicate.  The new website didn't make it up in time, in part because Chris' computer died and we had to get that back up and running - that's also one of the (many) reasons that we were a little quiet here on the blog front.

We were also able to bring Janene's childhood piano up from Esther's house, and it's sitting beautifully in our living room - now we get to find someone to tune and repair it - but it's here, and that's a major first step that has given Janene much joy.  Additionally, she's been able to tinker in some art - the first in a very long time - and we're all hoping she can do more of that.

All in all, it has been a busy but wonderful summer, even if parts were a bit stressful.  And now we're going in to Fall - Ben starts preschool on the 7th of September, we'll have a new child in the mix, the store is looking better than it has in a long time, there's tons of great events going on at Country Village, and life just feels good!

How has YOUR summer been?