Help us bring the farm to Dallas!

I couldn't be more proud of our Urban Acres team (and my hubby!) for putting together this incredible video and campaign.  We're using the Kickstarter website to raise $30,000 by August 5th to build a one-of-a-kind farmstead in the heart of Dallas.  Our current market will move to the new location (still in our beloved neighborhood) and add features such as an open kitchen, Texas cheese counter, chicken coop, and aquaponics greenhouse.  I'm particularly excited about the outdoor patio with the communal farm table!

In case you're not familiar, Kickstarter is an "all-or-nothing" deal, so if we don't get $30,000 pledged by the deadline, we don't get any of the money.  Please, watch this short video and if you feel led to give at all to help us reach our goal, that's great!  You don't have to live in Dallas to contribute. 

And most importantly, thanks to all of you who have supported our dreams throughout the years!

This morning at Urban Acres...

Here are some images from the store this morning...fresh-baked pastries and baguettes from Empire Baking Company, local flowers in repurposed tins, olive oil samples from Texas Olive Ranch, and loads of Texas produce!  We have a fun job.

Food As Gift.

Image: Art House AmericaI'm honored that my essay "Food As Gift" has been included on the Art House America blog today!  I hope you'll meander over and check it out...

While you're there, don't miss the lovely essays "In High Cotton" by Kierstin Casella and "Believing The Seeds of Wonderland" by Alice Smith, two creative and inspiring friends and fellow mamas from Nashville.

"Somehow, my little family’s efforts combined with that of so many others is a gift to the community, a voice shouting over the din of this big city that knowing where your food comes from does matter..." read more

Another beautiful day.

Apparently I'm on a continuing search for beauty here in this big city, and I'm going to find it all! After soaking up the Cedar Ridge Preserve, I recruited my friend Bre {and her baby Jack} to journey with me to the Trinity River Audubon Center to see what we would find there.  It was open wide and centered around a lake.  Very Walden-esque. 

Here we are with our koala babies...

It was rather windy and a bit overcast so we didn't stay too long, but I'd love to return on a beautiful sunny spring day to enjoy the wooded forest path.  It seemed the perfect place to curl up with a journal, waiting for birds and butterflies to make their appearances.

And the best part? Right before leaving, we stopped in the nature center's "Art251" gift shop to peruse the shelves of gifts and handmade items by local artisans.  While I was swooning over a set of large handpainted bird postcards and a baby onesie that said "Small Footprint," Bre called me over: "Look! There's my photo!" Indeed, in the back of the shop, next to a display of locally roasted Oak Cliff Coffee, was a clipped article about our store, Urban Acres, from a past issue of The Dallas Morning News.  The article shows a photo of Bre working the counter while pregnant with Jack.  It was encouraging to meet the director of the store who knew about us and to connect with other like-minded folks in Dallas.

I didn't leave the store empty handed.  In a back corner, there was a display of handmade clay plaques with inspirational sayings on them. I dug through the pile and knew immediately this was the one I wanted:

It's now displayed on my kitchen windowsill where, amidst chaos and disarray and a nonstop agenda, I can always stop and remember - it is another beautiful day.  And I must continue to search for and find the beauty all around me.