Happy Friday 8/23/19
Happy Friday! It’s been a fun and busy week around here, in large part due to the new resident of the Farmhouse…
Gibbs in our Farmhouse garden
Meet Gibbs Farm Dog Extraordinaire (our kids named him 😉)! He’s 4 or 5 months old and was re-homed from a farm with too many animals. He came to us with a relatively friendly disposition, a familiarity with domestic animals, zero training, a knot on his skull (our vet suspects he was kicked by a horse and is lucky to be alive), and an exclusively outdoor living arrangement (which suits us perfectly!). He’s part Pyraneese, part lab, and part unknown (hound?) and we’re hoping he’ll be a good deterrent for the predators that target our chickens.
Gibbs spent the past few days getting comfortable with us and his new surroundings and we've spent that time getting comfortable with dog poop, stolen sandwiches, and puppy teeth again. Ha! But really, it’s been going pretty well! It’s taken us the better part of 2 years - since the unexpected death of our first pup - to feel emotionally and physically ready for a pup again. But seeing Gibbs follow around after the kids (he wants to be anywhere they are), makes me so happy. We’re excited you’re here, Gibbs!
More from the week:
The incredible Dutch tradition of letting kids loose in the night woods. “Far from the land of helicopter parenting, getting ‘dropped’ in the forest is a beloved scouting tradition”. I’m amazed! (Would I have the guts to drop my own kids off?) (nytimes)
Please someone, buy this house! (Instagram)
This Freakonomics podcast isn’t a usual topic I share in these Friday posts (it’s about crime and abortion) but I can’t stop thinking about it. Hearing how important it is to make kids feel wanted and loved - not just for families but for society (!!!) - left a big impression on me. And quite honestly, it shifted how I interacted with my kids this week. Highly recommend this podcast if you can stomach the heavy stuff. (Freakonomics)
PSA: If you’re in the market for a large rug, this pretty wool flatware from Rejuvenation (my favorite rug source) is on INSANE sale. (rejuvenation)
A 63-year-old expat that’s living by the beach in Mexico for $1,000 a month. (marketwatch)
A charming, whimsical seaside retreat in Australia, transformed by a pair of sisters to enjoy with their families. Hey sis…let’s do this someday, too! (marnie hawson)
Why you should seriously consider making adult sleepovers a thing. (cupcakesandcashmere)
Did you catch this week’s art giveaway here on the blog? It’s still open for a few more hours (4pm PST on 8/23). Go enter!
I’ve always been a proponent of keeping old windows in old houses, but Ashley took it one step further and found old windows to install into her upcoming kitchen remodel. This is going to be a fun reno to watch! (thegoldhive)
One blog note: I’ve decided to add ads to the site. Monetizing blogs is tricky and (strangely) controversial, but I hope you can still enjoy the Grit and Polish with ads running. Honestly Garrett has held me off on this decision for a long time, but I felt like it was time to give it a try. If you have strong feelings about ads or how we’re running this blog (or even if not) I love getting your comments/complaints/kudos/feedback. Thanks for being here!
Have a great weekend!
-Cathy