So. The cat is out of the bag, so to speak. In case you don’t follow me on social media, you might be surprised to know that I have been offered my own TV show here in Knoxville by a local TV station-WATE News Channel 6. It’s the same station that I do my twice monthly segments on their lifestyle show, Living East Tennessee. This is one of the biggest reasons, other than planning my 50th birthday party, that I have mainly been hectic and not posting here as much. I skipped a week of updates and other blog posts because it was all happening so fast!!

So. What have I been doing these past couple of weeks? Planning the aforementioned party and discussing and planning the upcoming TV show. It’s title is Life on the Farmstead (with the Chicken Librarian). The first episode airs on August 8th and I am planning a watch party. A few weeks ago I was driving to the studio to prerecord a couple of segments for Living East TN’s upcoming 4th of July show. On the way there, I was talking to myself, as one does, about how I wish I could do this everyday (record my own TV show). It’s like I spoke it into existence. After we were done taping (it was just the cameraman, host, producer, and me in the studio that day) I said something to them all about how I wish I could do this all the time. And then it was a whirlwind from there. The producer said she’d like to pitch the idea to her boss. I didn’t think much of it. People say things all the time! But the next day she texted me and said that he had given her the green light! We set up a lunch meeting for a couple of days later and we discussed details. We were mostly on the same page about everything, without having discussed many details beforehand. But I’ve also been a guest on the show for over a year so she pretty much gets my aesthetic and my purpose. We set up a timeline and scheduled our first show’s taping and then went in different directions to make things happen.

The first taping was held up due to some red tape, as things do. We pushed our taping date back by a few weeks. Then we got the all clear and that’s when the real planning started. I had a meeting with the producer last week and then she and our cameraman did a scouting visit on Wednesday and then I announced that it was actually happening!! It’s been such a whirlwind. All that work I’ve been putting into the house and farmstead wasn’t just for my birthday party. It all started because we were originally scheduled to film at the beginning of July!

I have a lot to do now that a TV crew will be at my house on a regular basis. The premise behind the show is to build a farmstead but also showcase my talents with teaching others how to make and do. We’ll follow the seasons as we plan and execute the episodes. We’ll visit local businesses, farm markets, farms. There will be a heavy emphasis on agriculture and farm to table, seasonal living. I am really excited to bring all of this home to east TN and to a wider audience as well. Who knows where this can go. I have BIG dreams, y’all.

In other news, as if that weren’t enough, I did turn 50 a couple of weeks ago. It’s been such a whirlwind (did I mention that yet?). I threw myself a party and 20 people showed up for me! Or maybe it was for Anna Lee, since we celebrated her too. I put together a grazing table and had some fancy mocktails. We sat around and chitchatted and then had the most divine cake made by my sister-in-law’s BFF. I knew she was making the cake, but everything else was a total surprise! Y’all. She made a blueberry lemon cake with homemade blueberry jam as the filling. And candied lemons on top. So good! It was so nice to gather everyone together and catch up. I wish I had more time to spend with everyone individually and collectively. That’s one thing I miss about the north-I entertained way more than I do now. But it’s up to me to put things together and invite people. I’ve got some ideas on hosting some events. Stay tuned for that!

I think other than these two big events, mostly I’ve been working. And having meetings with other entrepreneurs. I had a good time in Pigeon Forge and had some good things come from that event. Stay tuned for more details there. Same with the other meetings. Lots of things really moving forward and a lot of support from the local community.

One thing I’ve been struggling with, and working on too, is setting my goals and action steps. If you know me, you’ll know I love to work towards goals. I like defining them and then setting out steps on how I am going to achieve them. I like structure. I’m not rigid and try to keep my perfectionistic tendencies at bay, but I do like structure, goals, and having things organized. Admittedly, I have been creating my own chaos lately so I had to sit myself down and have a long discussion about it. It seems to be working. I finally feel like I am no longer in survival mode. I operated out of survival mode most of my adult life and now I can say I am officially done with that season of life. I’m in hustle mode, but I am actually surviving. Now I am working towards thriving mode. And the TV show will definitely help with that!

Oh! I almost forgot! I registered my entries for the upcoming TN Valley Fair here in Knoxville! I entered for 2 pies, my chocolate chip cookies, and photography! Watch out Knoxville! Here I come. LOL.

I think that’s where we’ll end today. I have been keeping some really long hours lately, between working for money, planning for parties and TV shows, and just the normal day-to-day life of an entrepreneur, so my brain is a bit muddled at the moment. I know as soon as I hit publish I will think of a million things to tell you. I will make note and get back to you next week on everything I left out!

I hope you’ll join me on this crazy ride! Tell me what your big dream is. Speak it out loud so the universe will hear it and bring it to fruition.

‘til next time
-k
xoxo