Easter Savings

Just wanted to let everyone know that our Easter items are 40% off.

  

This includes Mark Roberts Easter Bunny Fairies! 

Featured Favs

This week's Featured Product is our Farmhouse Garden Jam.  Can you say "Yummy"?  This isn't any ordinary jam, it's really more like a  fruit spread.  It's made in open 40 quart pots, slow cooked and hand poured to perfection the old fashioned way by the Mennonites in Northern California.  Each jam has a high fruit concentration with very little added sugar.  Nothing but fruit, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice in each 10 oz. jar.  

We currently have Apricot, Raspberry, and Strawberry-Rhubarb ($10.50 ea.), but once it's gone, it's gone...until next year!
 

What goes better with jam than a fresh baked scone?  Nothing...that's what I say.  I love, love, love scones.  I could eat scones all day.  Did I mention I love scones?  Our Natural Scone Mix just needs butter and water to make 12 delicious triangles of bready-goodness.  And if that's not enough, each package of mix comes wrapped in a darling flour sack kitchen towel ($19.50 ea.).  Pair it with a jar of our jam and you have a great gift and my favorite treat!

If you're gonna eat scones and jam, then you need a steaming cup of tea or coffee.  Don't worry, we've gotcha covered.  Our Breakfast Tea includes 8 tea bags of Organic Assam and Darjeeling tea packaged in a cute little bag ($9.95 ea.).  Not a tea drinker?  Then try our Good Morning Gourmet Coffee; a blend of Ethiopian, Costa Rican and Colombian Supremos, medium-roasted for a rich complex flavor ($10.50 ea.)  It's smooth in the cup with a medium-heavy body.  Just the way I like it...enough flavor so I can add lots of cream!  

...medium-heavy body...sounds like me!...did I mention I love scones?
Happy Wednesday everyone!
~Mary

Monday's with Corrie

Hello Everyone
I'm down here at Speckled Hens and its a beautiful day in downtown Upland.  It's kind of slow due to the pilot they are filming down here for NBC.  They are using some of the store fronts and the street is blocked off.   I think they will be down here today and tomorrow.  Although I don't really recognize any of the actors, it's kind of exciting to see the scenes being filmed and the crew getting everything set up.  One very exciting thing, a crew member came in looking for twinkling lights and asked if we sold any.  We aren't selling any right now but I told him that he might check out CVS.  I was talking to Mary about it and she reminded me about the store lights that we had from our Christmas trees stored in our little storeroom.  She was happy to lend them out and to show the Upland Community Spirit.  You should come down here and check it out (of coarse after you check out the store).

This week I would like to highlight our great assortment of Tea forte.  It's a collection of artfully blended teas, hand-filled silk infusers from the tea gardens of Asia.  Oprah Magazine says "If you are a tea lover, this is as good as it gets!"   Some of the great flavors are Raspberry Nectar, Green Tango, White Ginger Pear and my favorite Black Currant.  They make great gifts or treat yourself (hot or iced).  If you're thinking of stopping by today, remember the street is blocked off but you can park in the back.
See you soon!
~Corrie

God's Provision and Protection

In these times of uncertainty there is one thing we can always depend on and that is our loving Father and His love and mercy.  Even if we find ourselves unemployed or just needing to cut back, lets feel grateful for even the small blessings that we often take for granted, like the hugs and smiles of our children, the birds chirping and new buds growing on our plants, a special friend that is always there, or even a yummy family dinner.

1 Timothy 6:17***Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

**Keep your eyes open for your blessings today**

Your sister in Christ,
~Laurie

Spring Cleaning

The disorganization of my closet has been looming over my head for months now.  Every time I enter it to pick out the day's ensemble, I cringe...and putting away the clean laundry has become a quick-stuff-it-in-and-shut-the-door event.  So I decided if Oprah could do it, so could I, coupled with the fact that the donation people were going to be on my block the next day for pick ups...I had no excuse.

 I have a long skinny walk-in closet.  This is the mess I see when I open the door.  The rest of the closet goes to the left.

My sweater stacks were tumbling off  the shelf, and what you can't see is that behind them is a gaping hole in the drywall where my husband fixed the plumbing in the bathroom on the other side of the wall, but never covered the hole.  So every time I took out a sweater, I had to shake out drywall dust from it!

You can see how narrow my closet is and when I get crazy with the shoes, there's no where to walk.

Step 1:  Take it all out - there really is no other way.  I mounded it on my bed and began to sort thru.  I used the rule of thumb - if I haven't worn it in a year (Oprah says 2 years), then out it goes.  And I made an executive decision that I'm not hanging onto anything hoping I'll someday fit back into it...if I lose enough weight to fit back into it, I deserve something new!

I organized my cubbies by item and stacked by color.  The top cubbie is jeans, the next is camis, the next is tanks, the next is t-shirts and the bottom is sleeveless summer tops.  I organized the hanging stuff by color - all wooden hangers because I think they look nice and they don't leave those crazy shoulder nipples on my tops!

The sweater piles are the best!  I covered the hole with a piece of foamcore board.  Someday my husband may actually cover it the way it should be, but I'm not waiting for him today!  I'm on a roll!  So at least I won't have drywall dust on my stuff anymore!  I sorted my sweaters by color.  I noticed I have a lot of purple & green...good to know the next time I go shopping!

Clean floor!  Jackets and skirts hung by color.  The back corner shelves are things I rarely wear; sweatshirts, old clothes for painting or out of season clothing.  That big white box on the left is my wedding dress...why I keep it, I have no idea.  I have 2 grown boys so no one is gonna ever wear it again.  The little suitcase next to it is my Barbies...never getting rid of those!  No way!  I may have a granddaughter some day, afterall!

The piles of stuff to donate!  Success!

And look what I found on the floor underneath my hanging stuff with shoes piled on it!  The ruby and diamond necklace my husband gave me one Valentine's Day.  I must have dropped it sometime - so who knows what you'll find on YOUR closet floor!

I can't tell you enough how energizing it feels to get that closet organized and how happy it makes me every time I open the door!.  It's like a new beginning...

I think I'll go shopping now!

Here's hoping you have a productive and blessed day!
~Mary

Monday's with Corrie

     Okay so I haven't planted that wheel barrel yet but I'm still planning to.  The weather didn't help last week and it looks like its continuing this week.  If anyone has any ideas of what flowers would work best, please let me know.   I did have a chance to do some crafting this past week. I have been working on some St Patrick's day and Easter magnets using bottle caps, cut up pictures, stickers, beads, sequins and of coarse lots of glitter.  Thank you Mary and Laurie for letting me sell them in your store.  Oh what a deal at only $2 a magnet!  I wish my phone was charged so I could take a picture of them.  I will post one as soon as possible.  Have a great week and don't forget, I will be here for Farmer's Market on Thursday night!  Come on down!!!!
~Corrie

God is Good

As I was driving here today I was praising the Lord, listening to Air1 radio and taking in all the snow covered mountains.  I encountered fog, clouds, clear skies, and the sun peeking through.  My drive is from the desert of Apple Valley to Upland and usually takes from 50 minutes to sometimes over an hour depending on weather conditions and traffic. Today was smooth, and I found myself smiling, and thankful for God's provisions; a husband that works very hard to take care of us, three awesome children, siblings that I love and adore and the ability to work with my best friend.

May you take time today to to notice even the tiniest of blessings and give thanks the Lord.

~Laurie

Monday's with Corrie

Today's a beautiful day in downtown Upland.  The sun is shining and its a great day for a walk.  I'm here covering for the "Chicks".  I am actually Laurie's sister Corrie.  We're trying out being open on Monday's, so if your around, come by. . . PLEASE!
There's a cart of flowers in the front so you can't miss it.  They are there to inspire me to plant this rusted old wheel barrel I have in my front yard.  I would love to have it full of colorful spring flowers but for now I will just enjoy the flowers that we carry that don't require any extra work. 

Enjoy your day!
~Corrie