Pick Your Own Flowers at Parlee Farms

My oldest daughter and I had an absolute blast picking our own flowers at Parlee Farms this summer! We started out our morning at the farm by visiting the adorable farm animals that live there. We fed baby goats, sheep and bunnies.

After feeding the animals, we took a walk down to the back of the farm to pick our own flowers. The variety of flowers is large and the size of the garden is huge! We enjoyed running through the rows of flowers and picking out the most vibrant colors. Parlee provides you with a bucket and scissors to pick your own flowers or you can bring your own.

When we were all done with picking flowers, we walked back up to the flower stand to weigh our pickings and pay. Last stop on our visit to the farm was at the country shop for some delicious baked goods. We grabbed a few chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins to take home with us. It was the perfect morning activity to do with young children!

For more information, visit their website here.

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Mike and I have been cutting down our own Christmas tree at D.J. Hussey Farm for over five years. I wrote about our first tree hunt on this blog back in 2013. It’s become one of my favorite traditions of ours as a family and this year I was beyond excited to introduce Sloane to the magic.

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D.J. Hussey Farm

A few years ago we discovered D.J. Hussey Farm in Townsend, Massachusetts. D.J. Hussey’s makes the process of finding, cutting down and bringing home your tree simple. When you arrive at the farm, you park up the hill and check in at the barn to grab a tag to mark your tree and wait for a tractor ride to the trees.

The barn is absolutely beautiful and filled with homemade Christmas decor you can purchase or simply admire (I get our Christmas wreath at DJ Hussey’s Farm every year to hang on our front door). The staff is also incredibly helpful and friendly! They have fresh popcorn popping, light refreshments and kid-friendly bathrooms (complete with changing table!).

Christmas Tree Hunt

The tree farm is located at the bottom of the hill. Once you’ve checked in and grabbed a tag to label your Christmas tree, there’s a fun tractor hay ride waiting to take you down to the trees. It was a little snowy and chilly, we bundled up Sloane in this white quilted snow suit (comes in more colors here and here). It covered her from head to toe and worked perfectly to keep her warm!

I love our matching beanies! I’ve linked mine here.

So what was the major difference Christmas tree hunting this year vs. last year (aside from having a baby)? There was SNOW on the ground! In New England, getting snow before Thanksgiving is actually a bit early for us. It was wet outside but it made Sloane’s first tree hunting experience that much more magical – and our Christmas card photo op’s that much better!

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A week before Sloane made her grand arrival, my husband and I went away on a mini baby moon. A baby moon is a trip or vacation for you and your significant other to spend one on one time before your little one is born. His family treated us to a night away at one of New Hampshire’s most historic hotels, the Bedford Village Inn.

The Apartment Suite at the Bedford Village Inn

The Bedford Village Inn is located about 35-40 minutes driving distance away from our house, which is the perfect distance away when you’re 35 weeks pregnant.  The inn originated as a farmhouse and was built in the early 1800s (read more about the history here). Each room of the hotel, including the lobby and bathrooms, is decorated beautifully with detailed colonial decor.

The Bedford Village Inn is one of Southern New Hampshire’s top rated wedding venues. It has also won numerous awards on The Knot for Best of Weddings. When we checked in to the hotel, we received a surprise complimentary upgrade to their Apartment Suite (complete with jacuzzi tub – a preggo’s dream come true!).

The suite was more than enough room for the two of us (if we had known about the upgrade earlier, we most likely would have booked another night!). Each room was so cozy and really felt like a home away from home. The hotel is located down the road from a local grocery store. We picked up a few items and had ourselves a small “happy hour” back at the suite. Happy hour was made up of cheese, crackers, ginger ale for me and craft beer for him, followed by some much needed R&R.

The Dining Room Restaurant

For dinner, we walked to the Dining Room Restaurant. The steak practically melted in my mouth as did the mashed potatoes and veggies. Wearing jeans and sitting at a nice table at 35 weeks pregnant was really uncomfortable. We retreated back to the suite on the early side to enjoy the rest of the amenities the Bedford Village Inn had to offer (including the jacuzzi tub!).

This Jessica Simpson lace maternity top was one of my favorite date night tops. It made me feel like I was wearing a normal, non-maternity shirt (despite the big baby belly!). I purchased this top on clearance at Motherhood Maternity.

Recently, the only place I have found this shirt online is Poshmark.com. I wore several Jessica Simpson maternity tops when I was pregnant and have nothing but good things to say about the brand. I have linked a very similar style (affiliate link) here (if you decide to give it a try, let me know how it looks!).

Also while we were away, I gave Mike a special dad-to-be present (you can read about it here).

Until Next Time

The next morning we got up and said good-bye to our home away from home. Looking back at our mini baby moon, I am so happy we took the trip when we did. It was nice enjoying a night away just the two of us.

I wish we could have stayed another night at the Bedford Village Inn – I guess we’ll just have to go back again next year!

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If you live in New England, then you’ve certainly noticed that as sunflowers begin to bloom the weather also begins to turn from hot and humid to cool and crisp.  Could this be the reason why sunflowers don’t tend to live very long after they bloom? Maybe.

Sunflowers typically bloom in early September and are gone within 2 weeks. Sadly, my husband and I once started the trip to Colby farm before only to find out mid-way that we were too late. This year was different though! I made it to the field with one of my best friends, both of us with camera bags in tow. 

Colby Farm Sunflower Field Photos

I was 12 weeks pregnant with my daughter when we went, so naturally we needed to take some cute baby bump photos! I am so thankful we were able to capture these special moments from early pregnancy with my first baby.

Dress: Francesca’s.

Overall, we really couldn’t have chosen a more perfect time of day to visit the field and I’m thankful my friend was able to capture some great maternity shots along the way.

Visit Colby Farm 

If you’re in Massachusetts next fall, visit Colby Farmstand at 50 Scotland Rd, Newbury, MA 01951. It’s the perfect location to spend a morning or afternoon with family. But, be sure to charge your camera, cellphones and other devices before you go so you can capture as many photos of the sunflower fields as you like. You won’t be disappointed!

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Here are some other New England travel posts you may enjoy:

• DJ Hussey Christmas Tree Farm
• Airbnb White Mountains Escape in Jackson, NH
• Bedford Village Inn

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Upon waking up this past Sunday morning, Mike and I had every intention of hopping in the car and making the 40 minute drive to the beautiful Tougas Family Farm in Northboro, MA; stuffing our faces with delicious cider donuts and picking 2 giant bags of apples as we did the previous year.

However, fate had a different plan for us this season.

We had spent our Saturday night out-and-about with friends in Salem, eating all sorts of goods and enjoying a few hefty glasses of wine, so it was safe to assume we weren’t exactly up for a Northboro long-haul.

Luckily I date an engineer who performed a high-tech analysis involving extensive research  a google search and found a farm located only half the distance away in Groton, MA called Autumn Hills Orchard.

Autumn Hills Orchard

Autumn Hills Orchard is a quaint farm tucked away off a main road in Groton, MA. The orchard is positioned a top a hill that offers a breath-taking view of the mountains including Mount Monadnock.

I couldn’t believe my eyes, but once more, I couldn’t believe Mike had found this place (kudos to him). We picked so many different types of apples, but my favorite was by far the Ida Red. Naturally we tried a few out…

Where do you typically go to pick the best fall apples?

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Last night my friends and I met up to celebrate our best friend Robin’s 25th birthday at Paint n’ Pour! Within the last year or so, we’ve noticed a TON of places such as these that offer group wine and painting sessions (naturally, being the wino’s that we are, we had been dying to try it).

Paint n’ Pour

Registering online with Paint n’ Pour was easy and convenient; you simply go on their website and select the calendar tab which displays all of the dates and paintings for each class. Saturday, September 7th “Starry Night over Boston” was our painting of choice (sign- up tip: if you’re signing up with a group, just call the studio ahead of time and let them know the number in your party, they’ll set it up so that everyone in your group can sit together!).

As soon as we arrived we checked in and made ourselves comfortable at the designated table for our group.  Everyone was given a set of paint brushes and instructed to grab an apron and paint supplies from the back of the room.  The canvases and other supplies were already set- up and taken care of for us.

It was entertaining, creative and hilarious. If you enjoy drinking wine (or beer) and cracking jokes with a big loud group of women, then this is EXACTLY up your alley! The teachers passed around funky hats and played great music, making it an entertaining experience for all.

FYI, you don’t need to be an artist to take one of these classes!  Throughout the course of the night,  the teacher provides easy step-by-step instructions, so there’s no reason to feel intimidated to try it! There will always be a few Picasso’s in your class- just try not to look at their paintings and drink more wine- you’ll be fine This is a fun, creative experience to share with your closest friends or co- workers while enjoying a tasty glass of wine.

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