Cyber Sisters, fresh eyes and blessings from aFAR

I'm often lamenting the newest trends and pining for the good ol' days but boy oh boy, I'd never have believed the many miracles the Internet would help deliver to my doorstep...

(Besides manic, midnight Ebay winning bids)

Like these adorable monkeys!

I spoke to my "cyber sister," Lori, in Michigan on a Friday afternoon. Talked about her kids week long school break and how to entertain them... I said I'd love to meet them in person; hop in the car and make the 10 hour drive... Sat am she texts me she's on her way with two eager kids!!! Ack, talk about a cleaning frenzy. Our warm weather had brought clients outta the woodwork and my house had been neglected all week. Maybe they could all just sleep on our piles of dirty laundry? So much for perfectly staged vignettes and welcoming warm cookies. Chips n dip, good wine, fresh flowers and clean floors, fridge,  bed n bathrooms were as far as I'd made it when she arrived. You know~ the basics!

It was amazing how well our kids hit it off. 

The girls played dress up, performed Shel Silverstein and crafted... 

The boys played with hotwheels, jumped on beds and watched movies...
(Amidst the chaos of fabric and frames and mommy "crafts.")

Allowing us mommies (too brief) moments to play ourselves. Lori is a hoot and we always laugh til we nearly pee! She's such a great sport and brightened every corner of the farm. She made me finally use my favorite red n cream toile for some window mistreatments!!!!! LOVE how she helped me to carry more color around the room and soften it. I hope to have a finished "after" to show you all (especially you Lori) before long.

Below is an awesome moment when I teased her that the YouTube videos of idiots shot in the head always start with checking to see if the gun is loaded... (She's gonna shoot ME when she sees this!) 

No Lori, I STILL haven't finished hemming any!

She brought many gifts, including her personal tried n true recipe book (unlike me, she can COOK) with a roast (w/the best recipe eva), and her cricut ~way too little time for all our crafty dreams but she quickly made me this sweet farm fresh milk jug to match the mugs she made us all for Christmas!

She even brought a young ROOSTER (for my hens not my pot) that travelled, boxed, on the front seat! Musta been some drive.

Romeo Rooster sings songs I love hearing all day!

More gifts were two pretty blue needlepoints that she used to cover my old chairs. They're sooo pretty and she  helped me tie in more of my kitchen colors (where they'll often be used for extra seating) with my living room...

She had fresh eyes and genius to instantly tack up some extra ticking from my stash where the panels had popped outta my tv cabinet. Grrrrr, that cabinet and book shelves were the most expensive pieces of furniture I'd bought here. Custom made of heavy wood to fit our space and needs. But the panels were held in by cheap plastic clips and the paint was so awful that knotholes quickly bled through! That's not kid dirt you see, but big yellow knots. Who knows when I'll get it emptied n painted... grrr

Of course Jack's watching a tractor dvd

As if all this wasn't enough, while I finished farm chores she cleaned my kitchen and helped kids craft these super caute pipe cleaner rings!

I should back up now.... I first "met" my now sister in a Gardenweb landscaping forum five plus years ago. She'd posted asking for advice on her old farm house that came with few plantings. She mentioned all she was trying to fit in and I found myself immediately relating; big dreams, small kids, horses, chickens, busy hubby. We began emailing about gardens, then kids, then decor. We shared our first blog love - Daisy Cottage. I told her I'd "gone Daisy Cottage on my barn." She understood immediately (unlike my baffled horsey friends). She and I had way more in common than anyone I'd met since moving up here. The magic of the internet and cell phones allowed us to share ideas n inspirations or thrifting outings as tho we were seeing it all together. I can't count how many millions of links we've sent back n forth.

Lori finally came to meet us, alone, almost two years ago.
How brave is that?! I adored Teresa's similar story!
That first visit was crazy. Starting with her botched directions and our twisty back roads. Had to meet the poor flustered girl at an intersection, with a cold Corona, and lead her back to our driveway. To me, she looked waaay younger than I'd expected (where're those wrinkles she mentions?)... I'd bet that to her, we were way more crazy than she'd imagined! Still, it cemented our relationship and we had a blast exploring fun places like Lucketts and my favorite local thrifts. She departed with an overflowing car and we were both re-energized to tackle more DIYs around our farms. I hope one day I can show you her beautiful farm house. She needs a blog, huh?!

Jack loves the ladies and had fun sharing his pony.

The Farmer thought thinks we're crazy. Both with our friendship and especially our blog n craft obsession. He started teasing me that she was really some kid in her parents basement. Lori took that up and told him that she had a secret crafting business, called Poop People Inc., crafting ornaments outta dried horse poops. For Christmas one year she sent him dried poop (really mostly a ball of dried grass for you non horsey folk) covered in glitter glue. He loved it. Yup, she fits right in the family. She just brought him an embroidered trucker's hat that says "Slick Pappy."

Maybe part of my story stems from my somewhat isolated rural location... Part is that I started my family much later than most of my friends who've since moved on to new life phases... Part is that I've always been a "homebody" who preferred quiet time w/a book (or blog) to evening outings or social gatherings. It can be crazy hard to meet new friends when you first have a baby. I felt really lonely some days when I'd see groups of young moms out shopping together...

In any case, I feel sooooo BLESSED that God brought us together. Through the internet. And blogging. Who knew?

Did I mention that Lori's a fantastic photographer!?

Too bad my house wasn't photo ready for her visit.

Okay, this awful picture was taken by a kid after late night of laughing and a blustery morning outside...  

But couldn'tcha almost believe we're real sisters? 

I DO. 

Love ya LOTS Lori!!!!!

"Friends become our chosen family."

How 'bout you?

Have you made a close friend from a chance internet connection?

Or are we just whackos?