"In Her Shoes" a conversation with Stephanie of Gypsy Forest

April has been a busy month for me with all this talk about toddler art. But I didn't want to forget about my mama interviews. Today I am talking with Stephanie of Gypsy Forest. I'm so honored to have her in my space today. We've got a lot in common and I enjoy reading her blog for inspiration on a daily basis.  She is also an amazing seamstress an you can check out all her lovely creations in her Etsy shop Gypsy Forest.  Without further adue, please welcome Stephanie!

1.  Your family moves a lot as your blog name implies, can you describe to us using one word each the places you have been. For example I live in Tucson so I would say Saquaros.

We are a bird watching family, so these are the birds that remind of us of each place...

Cordova, Alaska - Stellar Jay

Falmouth, Massachusetts - Piping Plover

Sitka, Alaska - Raven

Superior, Wisconsin - Pileated Woodpecker

Morgan City, Louisiana - Barred Owl

2.  Having to move every few years and having your hubby gone off and on must be hard on your family rhythm.  What do you do to keep things going steadily for you and them?

I’ve always felt that our anchor was sitting down for dinner together. Even when I had a toddler and a nursing baby and a husband away at sea, we did this. Many first and last meals in a house were shared as our family gathered and sat cross legged on the kitchen floor of a house with nothing in it.... but there we were, all together. Yes, that is most definitely the anchor.

3.  I’ve been looking through your recipes and there are so many yummy looking ones. I am particularly fond of your “Hippie cookies that don’t suck”. I love trying healthy cookie recipes and have come upon my fair share of failures.  That being said can you share with us your favorite go to snacks?

air popped popcorn tossed with melted butter, nutritional yeast & a sea salt (you can sub olive oil to make it dairy free)

raw veggies and homemade hummus or bean dip

smoothies (the kids are ever so slowly liking more greens in theirs)

apple slices with almond butter

tamari roasted almonds

and of course those hippie cookies!

4.  Let’s talk a little about your Etsy shop Gypsy Forest. I love that you use organic fabrics and have nature theme. Did you intentionally choose nature patterns for your items?

I guess I do! I choose fabrics that I am personally drawn to, so I suppose that is the common thread in my fabric choices. Organic fabrics have come so far in the last few years in affordability and selection, I’m really happy to offer these in my shop and plan to convert entirely to organic cotton by the end of the year.

5.  I really love looking at your garden posts. You show us just how convenient container gardening can be. Are you able to feed your family mostly from your garden?

Oh goodness, I do really feel as if I share more mishaps than successes in my gardening. We live in a tiny plot of land in a suburban neighborhood. Our yard is shaded by three giant old oak trees. While this is wonderful for shade, it's not for vegetable gardening..... so we built containers and placed them on our driveway. The best advice I have, is don't give up & be grateful for every small success. We eat a lot of salad, greens and tomatoes from our humble garden, but I still buy about 70% of our produce from a local farm.

6.  Your husband is a homebrewer and vintner! What beers and wines do you have in your collection? And do you have any fun flop stories?

Joe & I love IPA’s, which is a bitter hoppy beer. We’ve tried others, but we always come back to it. Joe has a wonderful recipe he’s tweaked throughout the years. Our all time favorite wine is an  Italian Barolo. It’s a deliciously smooth robust red wine and gets even better with age. Our first big flop was the first batch of wine we made. We lived in a drafty old house in Superior, WI. It was so hard to keep the wine at 70 degrees in February when it below zero outside. The wine wasn’t quite done fermenting when we bottled it, resulting in a slightly bubbly shiraz. But you know, it made delicious sangria!

7.  Homeschooling is a big part of your life and that of your children. Did you think about homeschooling before you had children? Do you find that you are learning as much as your children are?

Wow. Yes. Children are amazing teachers and I am so grateful for our days of learning together. Even when it’s crazy and messy and loud. You can read more about our choices to homeschool on my blog, but long story short, we did not plan to homeschool in the beginning. We’re currently in our fifth year of it now, and I can’t imagine doing anything else!

8.  I’ve driven through the deep south several times and as a desert dweller I was a bit shocked. Like being on another planet. What strange encounters have you had? And did you have any preconceived notions about the south before moving there? How have they changed now that you have lived there a while?

What a perfect way to put it! Joe & I both grew up in the northern United States near or in mountains. Moving here was the biggest transition for our family in terms of culture and climate! When we first got here, I was terrified about big bugs and poisonous snakes. The bugs are HUGE! Alligator Gar and stinging fuzzy caterpillars would tie for the strangest encounters we’ve had.

I had no idea what to expect when we came here, I had never been to the south. But like anything, if you arrive with a open mind and heart..... you can’t help but fall in love with it. Louisiana swamps have a mystical magical sort of beauty to them that is unmatched. We love paddling in our kayaks through the bayou and seeing all the birds and frogs and dragonflies. The people down here have the kindest biggest hearts I have ever known. I tell everyone a trip to the south in the spring is well worth it. Subtropical flowers blooming, beautiful weather and amazing birds. It’s my favorite time of year here.

Thank you KC!

 Note: Stephanie wrote her answers in blue and I decided to leave them that way because I felt it added to the cheerfulness of her interview!  

Thank you so much for talking with me Stephanie!