From The Patch

Our FIRST ANNUAL Christmas GUYS night out!

If you haven't received our eNews, and you're not on Facebook, you might not have heard about our first annual Christmas Guys Night Out yet!  We're SO excited about this party - we've got so much going on, and we'd love to see you there!  Here's some details, and for full disclosure check out the flyer!  PLEASE NOTE - despite the name of the event, it is NOT gender exclusive! :)

 

Saturday December 17, 2011  6-8pm

Shop by twinkle light for the evening (it really IS magical!) Enjoy some fun, festive GUY Christmas music while you shop! Come enjoy some home baked treats, dip samples, hot cider, and (if we have time) an appetizer or two! Guess how many peanut butter cups are in the jar, and win a fantastic gift basket! As you shop, look for a domino - if you find one, come pick a present from under the tree! Find the BLACK domino and win a $50 gift card to The Weed Patch! ***NEW*** - rsvp to imcomingtotheparty@theweedpatchstore.com (use the subject line Guys Night Christmas 2011) - you'll be eligible for a drawing from only those who have RSVP'D! ***NEW*** - Complimentary Gift Wrapping Station!  Come buy some great gifts, and take them home ready to go under the tree! ***NEW*** - Wishlist!  Come, bring in the wishlist your gal or friend filled out last week!  You can wander through and  buy the perfect gift - and wrap it here in the store!  :) ***NEW*** - we have SPONSORS this year!  Many thanks to Emory's on Silver Lake and Carolina Smoke BBQ for giving us gift certificates!  We'll be using these as prizes through the evening - they're perfect for a date night, so come for your chance to win one! These events are always SO much fun - bring a friend or six, and spend the evening browsing, having fun, laughing a lot (there's always laughing...), and enjoying the Christmas season with us!

Download the .pdf flyer!

Annual Christmas Girlfriend's Night Out!!!

If you haven't received our eNews, and you're not on Facebook, you might not have heard about our Girlfriend's Night Out yet!  This is an annual event for us, and it is always a TON of fun!  This year, we've got some new twists that should be a blast!  Here's some details, and for full disclosure check out the flyer!  PLEASE NOTE - despite the name of the event, it is NOT gender exclusive! :)

 

Saturday December 10, 2011  6-8pm

Shop by twinkle light for the evening (it really IS magical!) Enjoy some fun, festive Christmas music while you shop! Come enjoy some home baked treats, dip samples, hot cider, and (if we have time) an appetizer or two! Guess how many kisses are in the jar, and win a fantastic gift basket! As you shop, look for a domino - if you find one, come pick a present from under the tree! Find the BLACK domino and win a $50 gift card to The Weed Patch! ***NEW*** - rsvp to imcomingtotheparty@theweedpatchstore.com (use the subject line Girlfriends Night Christmas 2011) - you'll be eligible for a drawing from only those who have RSVP'D! ***NEW*** - Vintage Gift Tag making station!  Come make some awesome vintage style tags for your gifts! ***NEW*** - Wishlist!  Come, fill out your wishlist!  The following week is our first annual GUYS night out (details soon!), and the guys will bring your list in and shop from it - and wrap it here in the store! :) ***NEW*** - we have SPONSORS this year!  Many thanks to Emory's on Silver Lake, Vivendo's Restaurant and Bar, and Papa's Place for give us gift certificates!  We'll be using these as prizes through the evening - they're perfect for a date night, so come for your chance to win one! These events are always SO much fun - bring a friend or six, and spend the evening browsing, having fun, laughing a lot (there's always laughing...), and enjoying the Christmas season with us!

Download the .pdf flyer!

Baby Birds!

Our physical storefront is located in a beautiful and unique shopping center called Country Village, in Bothell Washington.  There's all kinds of animals running around - from hens and roosters to rabbits, ducks and geese to a cage of doves, koi in the ponds, the sometime's seen herons, and more.  Kids of ALL ages love to come see all the animals, walk through the beautiful landscaped Village, hit the shops and the restaurants... well - you get the idea. :)

Last night as we were leaving, one of our neighboring shops (Country Blend) hollered to us from across the stree to come look at something - and to our delight, there was a new nest with tiny baby birds in it!  We got up on a table and zoomed in the video camera and caught the footage below.  We were trying to take pictures too, but needed the flash - and BOY did they go nuts every time that flash went off!

Enjoy!

Bothell Farmers Market at Country Village Shops

Summer is upon us (according to the calendar at least... hopefully the weather will follow suit soon!) and THAT means it's time for the Bothell Farmer's Market here at Country Village Shops!  Check out the official pages for vendor lists and details, but basically you NEED to be here on Fridays throughout the summer! :)  The market hours are "officially" 12pm - 6pm, but really they are generally here and ready earlier than that.

Last week Janene, Ben and I walked through the market and we were very impressed with some of the vendors!  Of COURSE there are flowers, a veggies, plants, and produce... But there was also a brick oven pizza vendor (it smelled AMAZING, and looked perfect), handmade soaps, handmade pottery, handmade (dried) pastas, arts and crafts, and SO much more!  Without further ado, here's some pics from last week - come check THIS week out, support your local vendors and farmers, grab some fantastic deals, and have a blast all at the same time!

 

Color Us Inspired...

We truly hope that you enjoy reading From The Patch, and we thought we'd share with you some of the blogs that we regularly read and enjoy.  Generally both Janene and I read similar blogs - but to make this list a little easier to type out, I'm going to break it down based on which of us suggested it.  Also, we asked (on our Facebook page) for some suggestions from our online friends as to what blogs they like, so we've included some of those here.  Please note that each blog we're sharing is its own entity, and not tied to The Weed Patch in any way; some of the things they share may or may not mesh exactly with our own opinions or beliefs.  Also, these are mostly in no particular order. And now that the little disclaimer is out of the way, on with the fun!

Chris' List:

• http://chiotsrun.com/ – this is one of my favorite blogs – I’m addicted, and read it EVERY day.  It’s inspirational, the photography is insane, it’s informative, and it’s well written...
• http://www.soulemama.com/ – another lovely blog, with fantastic photos and very inspirational “just living life” kinds of posts.  I love this blog.
• http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/farmgirl-connection/  - one of our favorite magazines (for which Janene gives me grief regularly...) – this has links to the various blogs.  I haven’t read ‘em all, and don’t follow them religiously – but they always have good information and are inspirational from a “simple life” perspective. 
• http://www.mygardennursery.com/Heucheras/ - this is a newfound joy for me - anything you've ever wanted to know about Heucheras, from our favorite nursery around!
  
• http://sinfonians-garden.blogspot.com/ - a local (Seattle) square foot gardener, he has lots of great information in there!
  

Janene's List:

• http://artfulparent.typepad.com/  - this is just a FUN blog, at least for us – but the photography is great.  A picture is worth 1000 words, as they say...
• http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/ – Ever hear of Posie Get’s Cozy?  This is it.  Lots of fun stuff, fantastic photography, craft projects...
• http://thepioneerwoman.com/  - well known, beautiful photography, great writing...
• http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/  - this is a collaborative blog – lots of authors – and lots and lots of eye candy and ideas.
• http://creativelittledaisy.typepad.com/ 
• http://treefalldesign.typepad.com/tree_fall/ 
• http://allsorts.typepad.com/ & http://www.allsorts.typepad.com/owlsorts/
• http://simplyrecipes.com/
• http://www.artsymama.blogspot.com/
• http://blog.betzwhite.com/
• http://www.posy.typepad.com/
• http://sweetpaul.typepad.com/
• http://thewritestart.typepad.com/
• http://daisyyellow.squarespace.com/

 

Facebook Friend's List:

• http://swoonstudio.blogspot.com/
• http://smallnotebook.org/ 
• http://www.jpost.com/ for news of the middle east.
• http://www.aholyexperience.com/
• http://www.ordinarycourage.com/ 

 

What are some of your favorite blogs or websites, and why?

Carolina Smoke Turns 2!!!

Hey all you BBQ fans!  This weekend, here at Country Village, our favorite BBQ shop (Carolina Smoke) is having its second birthday party!  Now, if you haven't been there yet, Carolina Smoke has some of the most amazing BBQ ever - and (owner) Dave REALLY knows how to throw a party!  There's gonna be live music, food and drink specials, and more!  Check out http://www.carolinasmoke.com/content/carolina-smoke-bbq-shop-two-year-anniversary for some of the juicy details, and in the meantime - here's a pic to make your mouth water!!!

Janene's favorite is brisket and smoked macaroni - yum!  Chris loves their pulled pork sandwich and corn bread - but really, it's ALL good!  And in addition to wonderful food, they've got brews, and they've got a huge flat screen TV... can you say SPORTS???  This is a seriously sweet spot to come hang out, guys.  And heck - head up there while the women shop - it's the perfect combination!

From their website:

"Carolina Smoke is owned and operated by David Hayward, who originated from Charleston, South Carolina. He moved to the Northwest in 1971 bringing his home-style southern cooking with him. He has been sharing his delicious BBQs with family and friends in Western Washington for 20 years and after rave reviews he decided to start his own business. 

 

The specialty that David brings to his BBQ style is unique. The grill that he uses is not only big enough to serve large parties, but it also grills without gas or charcoal, therefore preserving the food's natural flavor. David uses mesquite, alder, hickory & cherry wood pellets to grill his food which allows for more control of temperature and taste. In addition, the meat, fish and vegetables are fresh and cooked on site. All of this adds up to fresher, cleaner and better tasting BBQ meals from the Carolina Smoke grill."

We really hope you'll make the time to come by Country Village this weekend!  Plan some time for a party up at Carolina Smoke, and then head down to your favorite shops around Country Village!  Here at the store we've still got some Easter left - and that wonderful day is coming up QUICK (so don't wait!)

What's your favorite type of food?

My Garden Nursery

Today we had a wonderful little adventure at a nursery we've driven past hundreds of times but never managed to stop in at - "My Garden", on Bothell-Everett Highway up by Mill Creek.  This was perhaps the most amazing nursery visit we've ever had, and we would highly recommend a visit!

Firstly, the place is just beautiful.  They of COURSE have plants - and lots of them - from indoor house plants to trees and everything in between (we got 4 different kinds of strawberry plants!).  They have garden gnomes, home decor, gifts, garden supplies for everything from starting seeds and up.  

And they have a train table, which pretty much sold Ben.

So WHY were we so incredibly impressed?  I mean, besides all the fantastic product that should be part of any decent nursery?

Simple.  Absolutely first rate, blow your socks of, unheard of customer service.  From the moment we walked in the door we were literally taken care of like we were royalty.  Ben was given carrot seed packets to use in his new veggie garden.  Every question we had was answered immediately - and even some we hadn't thought to ask.  We chatted about everything from gardening to trains, and truly made to feel welcome.  We've NEVER felt so incredibly welcome at a business where we were total strangers.

So if you're in the area, definitely take a moment to check them out.  If you're not in the area... http://www.mygardennursery.com/ is a great place to start!  And don't miss 'em on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/my.garden.nursery!

The Well Dressed Home :: Country Village Bothell Shops

"The Well Dressed Home opened in May 2010, with the passionate desire to help our customers create a warm and loving environment that they can live and grow in. A home that they proudly welcome friends and family, a home that is about them and the life they live."

We think that Gina and her crew have truly met their goal - and we are so excited to have The Well Dressed Home at Country Village!  There is always something new coming in, and it's all beautiful and unique.  Gina's strong background in interior design (she also has an interior design business) is evident with all her displays, and how stunning the store always looks.  Check her out online at http://www.shopthewelldressedhome.com/, and look her up on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Well-Dressed-Home/119010291466138?ref=ts).  She's always got creative, spectacular ideas to help get your own ideas flowing, and we just know you'll love her!  

For now, here are some recent photos from her shop!

A FlowerWorld Outing! :)

Yesterday it was pouring down rain for the most part, but Ben was restless, we needed some fresh air, and it was one of our closest friends' birthdays and we decided we wanted to get her a nice houseplant... and all that adds up to a trip to FlowerWorld!  If you live in this area and haven't been, it's an amazing (and enormous!) place, perfect for taking Ben to wander through on a rainy day.

While there's TONS to see outside, there's also several huge greenhouses and covered areas to explore.  This is quickly becoming one of Ben's FAVORITE places to go (YAY!), which is totally amazingly ok with us, as it's both wonderful exercise for him as well as informative and inspiring for all of us.  We truly love wandering through and looking and learning about all the beautiful plants.  And, until we get plants in to The Weed Patch later this Spring, we're content to wander FlowerWorld. We always seem to end up with a little plant, and this time we got two great houseplants - a Cyclamen and a Medallion Calathea. We love plants so much, and we have just never taken the time to cultivate that love - but one of my favorite blogs (Chiot's Run) has inspired us to make the leap with a fantastic post about the benefits of houseplants.

One of the things that so awesome about FlowerWorld is its size - it's so huge, they provide maps in handy mailboxes around the property!

And there are just SO many different places to explore!  Ben pretty much RUNS everywhere - which is ok right now (at least, they don't seem to mind) because it's still winter, but he's gonna have to learn that won't work once the pace of things really start to pick up!

From house plants to fruit trees and everything in between, FlowerWorld is simply an amazing place to visit.  If you haven't ever been, you simply MUST go once everything starts blooming - but even now, everything is so green and fresh and refreshing, and there's definitely color, if you know where to look... don't forget to stop and smell the (prim) roses! :)

There are SO many things to see and capture the imagination at FlowerWorld, from the (obvious) plants to chickens, peacocks, sheep and goats, a seasonal fruit stand, and more! One of Ben's current favorites is a waterfall pond - with turtles and goldfish.

 

Are you tired yet of winter?  
What's your favorite upcoming plan for the incoming Spring?

It feels like Spring!

Today we took some time to relax, and we went to Flower World here in Snohomish.  We love Flower World - and today was perfect, as there wasn't anybody else there!  Ben ran all over the place - quietly, interestingly enough - and all the staff thought he was quite cute.  We saw so many beautiful plants and trees, and Ben particularly loved the pond with the turtles and fish, as well as all the waterfalls.  Since it was raining, we didn't do much outside today, but inside was enough.  

We initially went to get our creative juices flowing for our new garden this year - last year we loved having our veggie garden so much that this year we're adding several beds, and it's never too early to start planning!  (Actually, some would argue that we're late...)  

We did end up getting a new house plant - we're going to fill the house with plants, as well as the new gardens.  I (Chris) have always loved plants, and in addition to an increase in air quality I'm excited for the relaxing effects that plants have for me.  Even though the wind and rain was a bit cold, today still felt a little like Spring!  

Are you looking foward to Spring this year?  What are you planting in your garden?