Posts Tagged ‘Family and Friends’
LIFE: Thinking Big
When I was little my dad once told me this…
“Small minded people talk about other people.
Medium minded people talk about things.
Big minded people talk about ideas”
So the question stands how are we thinking? I think it’s amazing how we can so quickly get caught up in what people think, or what is the hot new item right now. As we come into the Holiday season I just wanted to pause for a second and ask a simple question. What size is your thinking?
Recently we went camping with Meg’s family and as we were driving away I remember thinking, what have we talked about? I mean we’ve just spent 48 hours with people we love; what did we say? What did we do? How often do we spend time with people we love and when we leave we realize that the sum total of our time was spent talking about the new iphone, or latest gadget, or how bad someone’s style was in the booth next to us. Don’t get me wrong, mumu’s were never meant to be worn in public. But what I am getting at is how quickly we lose the quality of our time.
Related Posts
Vintage Illustrations from Grandma’s Stuff: Part 3
And finally the last piece (but certainly not the LEAST) in our series of illustrations found in Grandma’s stuff is all about BBQ! I’m excited about these since fall is nearly here and the summer has been to hot to enjoy grilling outside. I definitely plan on scheduling a few fall parties to get my grilling/bonfire fix.
Creatives Near You: The Smiths [Smitty Baby]
We first ran into the Smith’s when their loft apartment was featured on a little blog known as Apartment Therapy (no big deal!). Cale and I ooed and awed at a do-it-yourself modern home renovation right here in Oklahoma! After that we were hooked. We started stalking er, umm following the Smith’s blog and found ourselves enjoying their love for family and self-employment so much that we had to use our latest Creatives Near You interview to get to know them a little bit better.
Meridith is a stay-at-home mom who runs Smitty Baby, an online Baby shop. She does pretty much everything, from dreaming up product ideas to actually making them come to life while Jason helps out on the marketing and business side. Jason dabbles in just about anything he drums up in that ginger head of his—but right now he pays the bills mainly from writing bail bonds/bounty hunting, freelance video and music (recording, editing, marketing) via HOLY CLAP! and printing/publishing independent authors.
Q1. How are your personalities alike and how they are different?
A1) For the most part, Jason’s the type A guy and I’m more type B. While he’s busy drawing up plans for his next project, you can find me out on the back deck watching the kid’s swim listening to Kings of Convenience Pandora radio. However, we are both very flexible and low maintenance and tend to enjoy the same things…mainly creating.
Q2) How do you balance a healthy home and running your own business?
A2) Still trying to figure that out. Usually, we just make sure to play catch up with things that got left off last week’s agenda, weather that’s SB orders, time at the park with the kids, or swapping stories with each other.
Read More…
LIFE: Fourth of July Raise the Roof Party 2011
I know we’ve shared some about how much our family enjoys working together but seriously we enjoy helping each other out and bonding over everything from cheesy crafts to chopping wood.
This past holiday weekend you may have been at the lake sipping on your favorite summer time beverage but we actually volunteered to spend our Fourth of July pounding out some aggression while perfecting our farmer tan. No really, we re-roofed our sister and brother-in-law’s roof. In Oklahoma. In July. Now, either we are completely crazy… or we REALLY do love spending time together.
It reminds me of the old saying; “The family that roofs together sticks together!”
And… cusses a lot!
And… is given the tools for cheap marriage counseling!
Fresh & Local: Nowakowski Sweet Corn Farm
Our July Fresh & Local comes a little bit early but I wanted to make sure you had time to take advantage of this seasonal treat (especially for The Fourth)! Last year was my first visit to the Nowakowski Sweet Corn Farm and although it has been a completely insane summer I could not and simply would not miss this yearly opportunity to stock my freezer with fresh sweet corn.
The Nowakowski’s great grand parents originally started in Mcloud, OK in 1948, built a barn in 1951, and were officially established at their current location in 1962. In 1978 they began experimenting with different corn varieties in their garden until they found a favored seed type.
Often called “The Sweet Corn Man”, Greg Nowakowski, is shown with his son Josh and his two grandsons. They help run the family farm from everything to sweet corn, wheat, soy bean, hay, and even a small patch of pumpkins and gords!
The Nowakowski’s own and rent more farm land then they can keep track of. It’s hard to believe that some of the land they have been renting for the past 67 years! Still to this day their “contract” remains the same… an honest word and a good handshake.
LIFE: Stress, Family, Baby Showers…
Last weekend I (Meg) took a little girls road trip with my mom, Aunt, and Grandma for a family baby shower in Arkansas. I’ve never seen a couple more excited to bring a little person into this world. It was a truly a wonderful time to get away, spend time laughing at “when I was a kid” stories and celebrating what life is all about…living.
We have been so busy lately with trying to juggle Green Couch Design blog, graphic design services, products and life (oh, yes that thing too!) it seems we’ve forgotten to take time out to remember why we wondered down this crazy path of self-employment.
CNY: Christopher and Jess [MIDWESTMEDIA]
Have you ever met a couple or maybe you know someone that never seems to realize just how talented and creative they are? This is the Hunt household, they are some of those people that seem to live life in a completely awesome way and still give you the “well our life is just nuts” line all the time. Don’t get me wrong they are real, very real, and that’s what makes them so much fun. Meg and I are so proud to introduce to you Christopher; Creative Director at Midwestmedia & Marketing, Jess; Hunt household “CEO”, and their two sons Sullivan, and Sawyer. Get ready for some oohs and ahh’s because these kids are cute!
Q) How do you balance a healthy home and running your own business?
A) When you run your own business you don’t have to be at the office by a certain time. This allows me (Christopher) to help Jess with breakfast and other “dad duties” in the morning. Even if I am busy with work I try to pause in the evening and make time for dinner, baths, bedtime books, etc.
There are times when I get into a real creative zone and I appreciate the fact Jess lets me do my work. It means a lot to me to have that kind of support at home. Self-employment has it’s own set of stresses, but the opportunity to create work that truly represents me is something that I just really believe in.
Q) How are your personalities alike and how are they different?
A) Christopher tends to be focused on the big picture, what is the long term plan while I (Jess) am much more focused on the day to day (due to the kids). I am an extremely independent person and a realist while he tends to be the worrier.
In the end we both like the same types of shows, same music, enjoy the same type of events, etc. We are both fun, carefree, and fairly easy going people.
Q) In what ways does your approach to life and work complement each other?
A) We both have the same values and our big picture is the same. Family comes first. We only work to live. I’m not going to take away from life, to work.
Q) Chris, has becoming a dad changed the way you look at film and your creative process?
A) I have a lot more patience when I am shooting kids than before, obviously that comes from being a dad. Another weird thing is that when I am watching a movie or TV show I find myself relating to parents now, which kinda freaks me out. Now if there is a film or TV show that features violence with kids I can’t get past it and I have to just turn it off. I’m sure one day I’ll be able to watch a movie again.
walkabout – a portrait of my son. from christopher hunt on Vimeo.
Read More…
Date on a Dime: 16 Again
Meet Tim & Anna
Our latest guest blogging couple and dear friends are currently somewhere between Virginia and California (We’re not really sure when they will get to whichever one they are going to). They love to have fun and they love being in love…almost as much as we do. So we thought they would be the perfect pair to head up our ‘Love on a Dime’ series which deals with keeping the romance alive, when you don’t have much more than a couple of quarters and you’re on your last gallon of gas.
So, without further ado, we hope you enjoy them and their antics… Cheers and here’s to love!
What can a man do to woo his woman, and what can a woman spring on her man which says, “I know you’re busy & we’re broke, but I still love you & wanted to do something a little special just to break the routine of you breaking wind on the couch while I talk to my girlfriend on the phone.”
Here’s an option. Why not go back in time, to the awkwardness of teenage years & make yourself feel better that while you now may no longer have the highest source of disposable income as teens are claimed to have, you at least have grown out of your gangly walk, don’t have to laugh at everything the other person says or worry that your pants will become an instant tent if she touches you, and you can both see one another’s complexion without a layer of zits blocking the view.
A teen date not only refreshes the zing in a relationship, but also helps you see how far you’ve developed in the years you’ve been together. 
Creatives Near You: Justin & Audrey [Shop Good]
On a little side street in down town Oklahoma City is a wonderful little community of restaurants and one SHOP GOOD, no really that’s it’s name SHOP GOOD. You may have never heard of the 9th Street District in OKC, or the little shop called SHOP GOOD, but it’s home for these two justice minded shop owners with a passion for good quality products with good quality values.
Meet Justin & Audrey, a husband and wife team and co-creators of SHOP GOOD. With a heart to provide their city with an accessible, eclectic and fun outlet for thoughtful shopping there store is a place where every purchase benefits a deserving community development project. From screen printing their own T’s to fun accessories SHOP GOOD is the place where every purchase truly counts.
We are so pleased to introduce our good friends and FIRST Creatives Near You couple!
Read More…
LIFE: Welcome Home
Kids art is the best. They are not afraid to draw (or speak) exactly what they think. They put their innocence right out there on the table for all the world to see and in moments like these…it’s the most precious, most perfect piece of art we’ve ever seen.
High class design in overalls. It's the simple life of a farm through the eyes of a couple of crazy designers. We call ourselves Green Couch Design and we are Bringing Design Home.
Recent Posts
