A couple weeks ago, I ventured off to North Carolina to meet the duo behind Wildly Co. and see the behind the scenes of how their clothes are manufactured. Wildly Co. is the fifth child of Mike and Hayley Morgan; their first four children are all boys. Insane, right?! Their boys are similar in ages to my girls, so I can (and can’t) imagine what their world is like. Anyhow, I had the privilege of seeing where and how they clothes are manufactured.

They work with Opportunity Threads in Morganton, North Carolina, and I was just blown away by Opportunity Threads. They are a worker-owned company, and they have worker ownership model to build up the company; they pair fair wages, and do things to give back and grow the local community, which was once a bustling place to manufacture clothing. Companies like Levi’s, Hanes, and many others used to manufacture their items in this textile town before they all took off overseas for lower costs. We met Molly and she introduced us to the other employees and owners of the company, saw the factory where all the cutting and sewing goes on, and got to hear her heart for the community and bringing the textile industry back to North Carolina. She explained how all employees potentially have an opportunity to become owners in the company, and it’s not just one person at the top making all the dollars, and all owners gets paid the same (there are now 6 owners in the company). We also got to have lunch (I had sweet tea for the first time!) with the folks over at the Carolina Textile District, and learned more about the ins and outs of the textile industry. I was so intrigued by it all and the hows of getting a textile product manufactured, especially because I love to sew and make clothes. Several years ago, I had an idea for a product, but didn’t know how or where to start to make it happen. Had I known about the Carolina Textile Industry at the time, I might have pursued it. If you ever have a textile product idea, keep Carolina Textile District and Opportunity Threads in your back pocket.

Back to Wildly Co., I’m always interested in couples that go the entrepreneurial route together to pursue a dream because Ben and I always talk about various business dreams and ideas, but we are way too conservative to leave the comforts of the corporate world. Thus, I was eager to learn how Mike and Hayley make it work with 4 kids in tow. Hayley and Mike make such a good team and you could feel their passion for their product, but most importantly they love the people they work with to bring their product to life. It brings them joy to be able to work with a manufacturer that really compensates their employees well, so that these people can earn a living wage for their specialized skill.

The essence of Wildly Co. is to provide ethically made children’s clothing, and they want you to know about the people they partner with to help sew their clothes. They say it perfectly on their site, “We’re not perfect people and Wildly Co. will not always be perfect. We’re working in an industry that has historically been all about the bottom line, at the expense of laborers… we’re working upstream and it’s not always easy. But we want you to hear the heartbeat of this business will go beyond profits and losses, it will always be about people and families.” I love that it’s not about making the buck for them, but mainly about being able to also partner with a company that pays craftsman fairly in their trade, so that those people can also support their families. I think of them like an Everlane (if you don’t know about Everlane, read their “about page”, their bottom line is awesome), but for kids. Wildly Co. providing a quality product at a fair cost for all those involved, from the first person that creates that first pattern, to the person who cuts, then sews, and then to the Morgans who get it packaged off and sent to your door (their kids are involved in helping package things up!).

Besides, having a great heart for their business, their clothes are really cute and well-made too! I even got to see their shirts being sewn, and for this girl who loves sewing, that was so exciting to me. Currently, Wildly Co. has a special “Campfire Collection” going on with some cool goods to get your kids ready for summer (I’d wear that sweatshirt if it came in my size). It definitely looks like the outfit to wear for those lovely summer days of endless play. Also, don’t forget to check out their site for some of the other Wildly Co. staples.

It was only 3 short days in North Carolina, but I left so inspired and my mind spinning with ideas. Not only that, it was so great to get to know others who came along for the Wildly Co. tour, and I was blessed by hearing about their different stories too! I loved hearing the heart of Mike and Hayley’s business, but also was so encouraged by the women at the Influence Creative Women’s Summit. The whole plane ride home I was doodling ideas that were popping up in my head, and then when Ben picked me up from the airport, I word vomited all my ideas on him. HA! When I’m ready to share, I’m sure I’ll word vomit some of those ideas here.

In previous years, we’ve planted a lot of tomato varieties. Our second year, we went bonkers with 29 different varieties! Over the last 8 years, we have learned a lot about what planting and tending approaches work best for us; every summer we learn a little bit more and feel better equipped going into the next year. Believe it or not, last year was one of the least fruitful crops for us, so we’re still very much on the learning curve.

We’ve experimented with a lot of different planting and maintenance methods. This year we opted to go as simple as possible; only 6 plants! We skipped the fish heads, and just planted them as Laurel recommends. This is the first time we’ve purchased her mail-order tomatoes and 2 months into the process, we’ve been extremely pleased.

What was our selection process? In the past, it’s always been about how unique the tomato is. This year, it feels as though the decision-making was a bit more practical. Smaller tomatoes have done historically well for us, so those had to be included. Laurel had some varieties that are labeled as heat-tolerant that I haven’t been able to find at local nurseries (Super Sioux, Dagma’s Perfection, and Fireworks), so we’re experimenting with these. They don’t look as interesting as the blue tomatoes that were released last year, or perhaps some exotic heirloom, but hopefully they’ll fare better in the heat we experience. The 3 other tomato plants have 2 varieties grafted onto one plant; kind of like having a “two-headed” tomato plant. So technically, we have 9 tomato varieties that take up the footprint of only 6!

One of our favorite places to go find rare fruit trees is Exotica Nursery in Vista, California. This place is a little gem filled with many varieties of exotic fruits. It is even featured in the documentary The Fruit Hunters. We had already been to this nursery prior to watching the film, so when we saw it pop up on screen, we were all, “Hey! Exotica! We’ve been there!” Ben’s really been getting into growing rare fruits (you probably know that already), and even though our backyard already holds about 60 fruit trees, I don’t think he’s slowing down just yet. This particular visit we came home with 2 guava trees, one was a Allahabadi variety, and the other was a diamond guava. The prices there are fairly good, but of course, depending the type of exotic fruit tree you are looking for, it can get more costly.

One of the things we look forward to when visiting Exotica is the tasting table they have ready for visitors to try. This visit we were all able to try mulberry for the first time, and we loved it so much that Ben is now planning to get a mulberry tree at some point. It’s a drought tolerant tree, so we definitely want to get that one in our garden.

Vietnamese Chicken Pho. I’ll never tire of this recipe. It’s so easy, and it even tastes better the next day.

Baked Wontons with Sichuan Red Oil. After making wontons a few times, it’s no longer intimidating and so easy to whip together. A little bit of shallots, garlic, ginger, green onions, together with lean ground turkey make a simply delicious filling. Then, with that red oil sauce… it’s just divine! Beware though, that sauce is not low calorie. Ben was eating it like soup until he realized, and then he said, “Oh my.”

Filipino Chicken Adobo. It’s the one Filipino dish I make, and the girls love it, especially with egg. I usually make with it chicken breast, but this was mainly for the girls, so drumsticks was the meat I had on hand.

Week of 5/25 – 5/29
Monday: Dinner out with family
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Mexican Tacos
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Tilapia Ceviche

Ben’s been working so many late nights that we only get family dinner about once a week. It’s been like this since the beginning of the year, so I’m looking forward to June when his work schedule is a little more balanced. All of us sitting together at the dinner table is something I cherish, so I can’t wait to have more of that again.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

My sister is almost home!!! One more sleep until we see her!

Tonight, Ben and I are going dancing! My friend Hope Leigh is part of the Dance Free Movement, and I can’t wait to join in the Dancing Man Party!

Not that we really need coat wear in Southern California, but I think this would be a fun one to make.

Love this outfit.

Everlane makes the best basic tees. My favorites are their box cut tees and their cotton U-necks (great quality for under $20!). I’m wearing one here. If you try it, and like it, then spread the word to your friends and you can earn $25 credit to shop again.

This blockitechture set is cool. Another wooden block set I know my girls would love.

If you’re looking for a good candle scent, Capri Blue is by far my favorite! I’ve used it for almost 6 years now and it’s the only candle scent I ever burn.

Thankful for sweet children who put up with me and lavish me with grace and forgiveness. I know I’m totally not easy to live with.

Thankful for time to hang out with friends and seeing all our kids play together.

Even after said hang out with friends, I’m grateful for the quiet afterwards so this extroverted introvert can recharge a little.

While, I am running at full speed a lot of the time, and need to work at being more present, I’m thankful for being able to serve my family. Although the constant cooking, cleaning, refereeing, and laundry wear me out, it brings me joy to love this clan of mine. The days feel super tough now, but I know I will miss this later.

I’ve been behind in emails and responding back to comments (#storyofmylife), but I’m hoping to tackle that this weekend. I want you to know I’m thankful for the time you take to comment and I do read each one even though I’m slow to respond back. Happy weekend friends!

I’ve felt a little foggy this week, but I guess I’m kind of mentally checked out and ready for summer. Anyone else?! As I was watering my plants the other night, I was thinking about how I’ve grown (or my lack of growth) these past few years. I even texted with our former pastor to let him know how much I appreciated that he still loved us well despite how slowly Ben and I grow. I’m thankful that my standing before God isn’t dependent on the speed of my growth. What matters is that my dead root was made new because of Jesus. Jesus is my righteousness and I praise Him for that!

I guess we match the pace of our garden, although, even that probably grows a lot of faster than Ben and me. We added some avocado trees over the weekend, more citrus trees will go in this weekend (and I think one more avocado). I’ve been having fun taking colorful pictures of things in our garden (see here). There are so many things growing right now and it makes us so excited to see the various trees fruiting. I’ve mentioned it before, but there are about 60 different trees in our backyard (and he still plans on adding more!). It’s insane! We have a regular, suburban Californian yard, so there really isn’t much space. Ben’s been really creative in how he has planned everything out, and after a few gardening blunders (and lots of dollars later), things are starting to take shape. Whew!

This weekend so many fun things are going on! The biggest thing is that my baby sister comes home on Sunday!!! I’m. So. Freaking. Excited!!! I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since she left us. In the countries she has had access to wi-fi, we texted each other often, but those 3 months in South Africa, we barely heard from her at all. I can’t wait to touch her, hug her, and see her face to face again.

I known she’s grown so much, and she’s coming back a completely different person from when she left. Her love for Jesus and people has undoubtedly multiplied and I can’t wait to hear all her stories and learn from her. She is 10 years younger than me, but she definitely understood grace much sooner than I did (like I said, slow grower over here!). I think I spent a good chunk of my teen and college years trying to look and play the part of the “good Christian girl,” scared of what other people would think of me if they knew the things that were really going on in my heart. My baby sister on the other hand, she understood grace and forgiveness well at such a young age, that she was quick to admit her shortcomings and cling to Jesus. She didn’t trust in herself, but she trusted the cross. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for her here at home! If you want to read some of her posts while on her year long trip, check it out here. Every post of hers makes me weep and encourages my heart to seek God’s kingdom more.