I think that at 61 years old I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! There are so many wonderful dreams to chase! As a third generation farmer and that is not only how my husband and I make a living, but it is how we have made a life! I have always loved to write and create. So when blogging came along I thought I was way too old to jump into that world, but I was building the farmhouse of my dreams in 2016. I figured a blog about building the farmhouse would be only that. As I was thinking of a name for my blog I thought about what I love…..sweets, flowers and home. That is how I decided on Sweet Flower Home. 

Sunflowers bloomed into other opportunities

 I have been told so many times in my life that “you should start a business based on hospitality”. So, finally I decided to do it! I cast a wide net of things that I liked to create and see what stuck. My Farmhouse became the hub of what I write about and post about on social media. As a farmer and loving flowers, I asked my husband if we could grow sunflowers on the farm. He said of course and at first I used them to decorate with and sell stems. But that quickly turned into a Fall Market with handmade vendors and lots of sunflowers and pumpkins. That market was so successful that we then had a Christmas Market with handmade goods and live Christmas Trees, wreaths and poinsettias. We have now hosted multiple markets featuring agricultural goods along with Community Christmas Worship Services.  We even host professional photographers in our Christmas Cottage for photo sessions.  Everything I do I always feel like it is a first!

Hosting other people’s events was what I thought I would be doing, but that’s not what really stuck and not what I loved. What I love is hosting my own events such as Farm To Table dinners and Hospitality Workshops.There are so many ways to show and teach hospitality out of the Farmhouse that we keep trying something new all the time. We hosted a Farm to Table dinner for the first time in November 2021. This was my first dream when I built the Farmhouse.  We have had a variety of workshops such as creating holiday tablescapes, cookie making for kids and flower arranging. We have also hosted organizations for their networking and social activities.

Photography in the farm fields

 What stuck that I never expected was hosting photographers in our farm fields for photo sessions! I underestimated the power of millennials and their desire for professional photography! I feel like I am hosting a party in the sunflower field every night! All the clients come looking beautiful and I get to say hello and welcome to all of them and their photographers! The sunflower field has become a full time backdrop for professional photographers. Which then led to photographers taking photos in our other agricultural fields including wheat, broccoli flowers and cotton. I have loved working with the photography community. This gives us an opportunity to teach people about where our food and fiber comes from and how agriculture plays an important part in all of our lives. Wow! What a great job I have! 

I pursued a creative life more than a creative career. I have always been a maker. Early on in marriage I tried to make a cozy home. I then moved to making life with kids more fun with creative birthdays, holidays, prom proposals, college dorm rooms and weddings. I created spaces in our home where people felt loved and cared for no matter how you ended up on my couch. I colored, I baked, I sewed, I glued, I hammered, I sawed, I took pictures and I created.

It feels like I just started this career , but in reality I have been doing it all along in my life. I’m just now making it an official business so that I can share it with more people.  I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to show hospitality to others through what we are creating at Sweet Flower Home.

Find your people who will surround you with love and encouragement while you chase your passion. The bonus for me in my little business is that with the bit of extra money I earn we use it for our family vacation for all 19 of us! Everyone pitches in, everyone benefits from the family business of chasing Mom’s dreams!

Do you have dreams and passions that you are chasing?  Do you sometimes feel like maybe your dream isn’t the right fit or you don’t possess all the qualities you need to make them come true? Have you taken the time to figure out what your God given gifts are to share with others?  Let me encourage you.  I have felt all those things at some point.  You don’t have to be perfect, just willing.  Take the first step no matter how small to chase your dreams.  They are waiting for you!

Blessings,

Carrie