2017 Couples Choice Award by Weddingwire!~

We couldn't do it without all of our wonderful couples that we get to serve!~

 

Here's a snippet of our past year. 

All photos by yours truly!~ 

Love & Marriage

At Forrester Farm, we love weddings!~

We love flowers!~ 

We especially love providing flowers for weddings!~

There is something about creating floral arrangements for a wedding that is so much fun and satisfying.  We truly love everything about it.  BUT, more than being a special part of the wedding day, we LOVE seeing marriages thrive!~  The wedding day is amazing.  All the planning and energy that goes into that special day is sometimes daunting.  Magnify that wedding day planning energy into a life time of building a marriage that lasts thru the ups and downs of life... that is truly worth celebrating.

One of our brides was recently asked how married life is going. She said that the following photo taken on her wedding day pretty much summed it up!~ Compromise, learning to live a new life together, sacrificing your interests for the other and vice versa. It's part of what you agree to when you say "I do"!~

At the same time that our bride shared her photo, I had read a 20 year anniversary tribute from a wife to her husband.  I asked permission to share it here....

20 years of marriage sounds old to me, but he makes me feel young. 20 years of laughing hard, crying hard, playing hard and fighting hard. He is my best friend. He is my first choice. He fights for me. He cares for me. He sacrifices for me. He listens to me. He respects me. He is affectionate with me. He cares about the things I care about. He has loved me well, and I would choose him all over again. It's not always beaches and beautiful sunsets, but God has carried us and strengthened and humbled us through any stormy season. Jason, I love you! You make marriage so fun! Thank you for loving me well! Happy anniversary!!

My hope and prayer for all of the couples that we are blessed to provide wedding flowers for would be that they would be able to write their own version of this tribute 20 years down the road. That they would love each other well, that they would continue to be best friends and that they would turn to God for wisdom, strength and humility for all of the seasons of marriage!~

Photo credits: Emilee Mae Photography & Forrester Farm

I vote flowers!~

It's voting day in America. My husband and I went to the polls together. Love seeing our local community stand in line to take a stand for making their opinion count!~  Love that the parking lot was full.  Love that most everyone I saw was heading to work or to work at home after they left left the polls.  As tempting as it might be to put that voting sticker on and grab a free coffee on my way to a free yoga class, there is work to be done and brides to touch base with!~  So the sticker sits on a coffee cup of fading blooms as I do the work that I love. 

Rainy Morning Apple Pie

Because of having a wedding free weekend, I went to bed last night fully intending to go to the Rockford Farmer's Market with my girls this morning.  At 8am while sipping coffee and watching the sprinkles drop from the sky, memories of being a seasonal fresh flower vendor at the market came flooding back.  Spending a full Friday cutting flowers and preparing for the market. Packing as much in the vehicle before going to bed.

Waking and arriving at the market at 7am so as to be set up for the 8am rush. I loved it. My husband and kids loved it. We enjoyed the community and fun of it for 5 great years. Anyhow, back to the pie.... today I was glad that I wasn't setting up for the market in the rain!~

As the rain continued, a craving for apple tart overtook any desire for a healthy breakfast.  Coupled with the fact that our teenagers are beginning to think of where they will move onto for their next phase of life, having them wake up to the smell of fresh baked anything is.... a mothers sweet ploy of incorporating fond memories of home!~

Pulling out my favorite pie crust recipe from the Taste of Home Cookbook, the dough rested in the fridge while I cut up apples.

5 red delicious apples thinly sliced, because that is what we had in the house.

If you make a pie/tart with organic flour and sugar, it must certainly be better for you than if you didn't use organic, right?

So, true confessions. I create my own recipes often (unless I'm making the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or biscotti that my family and friends seem to love).  Today was no exception aside from the crust.  Looking online I found a French Apple Tart recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, and used her recommendation on 1/2 cup sugar and 4 tbsp butter. I placed my creation in the oven at 375 for 45 min. and washed the dishes.

Yes, hand wash. The colors were so much more vivid than the dark sky outside, I had to take a picture :).

45 minutes later, my teens were waking up and there was a fresh baked apple pie dish of deliciousness on the counter to welcome them....

Just add coffee!~