Hi, all!

Welcome! I’m so glad you found us!

I’m Wendy Young, and Farmhouse Therapy is my happy place online. If you want to read how this blog came about on a whim (but not really) check out the story that’s linked towards the bottom of this post.

Here’s what you might like to know:

On the Personal Front

First, I’m a family kinda gal. My most important job on this earth has been as the mom of three (one grad student, one college junior who’s a nursing student and one high school senior). I’ve been married to their dad, my BFF for over 25 years (I’ve known him more than half my life) and we have a 13-year-old rescue dog (Golden Retriever mix) who thinks he’s still a puppy.

I often say, “If it weren’t for coffee, I’d have no personality at all.” I think it’s true. I’m a a java lover, through and through! If you don’t love it, I won’t judge! Mr. Farmhouse doesn’t drink coffee…and we get along just fine! 😉

I’m a City Slicker Living on the Frontier

We live in an area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that’s so rural, it’s considered a “frontier” region for grant-writing purposes. It was a little bit of culture shock moving here more than 20 years ago, and I had no idea how I’d grow to love this town and its people. Speaking of people, there are more trees and wildlife than people where I live. Being in places like Rush Street in Chicago and smack dab in the middle of the Boston Commons makes my heart skip a beat, but nothing says home more than crossing the Mighty Mac bridge these days. There’s something about crossing that bridge that makes your blood pressure drop, your stress melt away and your attitude improve. You should try it, if you’ve never been!

Home Sweet Home

Our home is a simple ranch, and it’s my haven. It has all of it’s original woodwork and it’s still in the same configuration since the day it was built…and since our neighbor’s grandparents built this home, we have the low-down on some interesting facts about it. We’ve also been privy to some super sweet pictures of a young bride on her wedding day, checking out the construction of what would become her home (and ultimately our home)…when there was simple plywood board leading into the house, which had only the foundation and a few walls (no windows, no front steps). I know that this young bride one day became a grandmother and kept licorice in a glass jar in the very kitchen which we now cook and bake. (Mr. Farmhouse does the cooking, I do the baking. It’s a good thing that it worked out this way. Trust me.) I also know a few other SUPER fun stories that make me laugh just thinking about them…and perhaps I’ll share those stories some day! I’ll have to have my neighbors over for coffee (and maybe some licorice) someday soon, to dig a bit deeper! They’re super friendly, so I’m sure they’ll be up for it!

I LOVE knowing the history behind the house we now call home! It makes it all the more special. I think love has always lived in this house.

Spartan Ties

We’ve learned that all of the wood accents and trim in our home were milled up here in the U.P. (that’s short for Upper Peninsula) and it was milled by the same company that has been responsible for the basketball floor at Michigan State University’s (my alma mater!) and the hubster’s alma mater, Central Michigan University. Who knew? In addition to that, this U.P. mill has milled the wood for multiple NBA teams…over 1/3 in the league (including the  Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Philidephia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks among others) and over 100 NCAA basketball teams, including both the hub’s and my alma maters, as stated earlier. (And to think I thought of painting the wood trim! Gasp! I haven’t.)

Northern Exposure

If you’re anywhere near my age, you’ll likely remember the show Northern Exposure. That’s kinda what it’s like where I live! Moose and all. A cute little gift shop in our town has an actual sign outside on the marquis that says, “Report Moose Sightings Here”. It’s the real deal.

I adore the nature and the honest, good-hearted people in these parts! There’s not a stop-light to be found in our entire county, and if you need anything from the grocery store, you’d better get it by 8pm. True story. Lucky for us, if there’s anything you need…you just put a shout-out on facebook and someone from the community will help you out – whether it’s for a cup of sugar for a recipe, or someone local who’s taking their teen to the orthodontist out of town and is willing to pick up your child’s retainer. True story. And that’s a good thing, because the town shuts down pretty early and the nearest big-box store is a bit over an hour away. And you can increase your drive-time, because winters here last a LONG time, and we get a ton of snow!

On the Professional Front

By day, I’m a licensed and practicing child and adolescent therapist. I work with kids, teens and families on such issues as trauma, depression, anxiety, stress management, grief, and a cadre of behavioral issues.

I’m the co-author of BLOOM and author of numerous workbooks for kids and teens. I LOVE what I do…and have known for a very long time that I’m one of the luckiest people in the world, as I’ve never had to work a day in my life because I love it so much. Truly. In fact, my co-workers and I call our little office “The Happiest Place on Earth…next to Disneyland”. And it is. We. Are. Lucky.

I run another little blog and business called Kidlutions: Solutions for Kids, which is clearly tied to my training and experience. It started out as a fun place for me to share tidbits about helping kids, and ended up being far more successful than I had ever imagined or dreamed it would, serving millions of readers worldwide. I’m grateful for every bit of it!

Why this Blog Exists

That’s about it on me, and if you’re still reading…I know you are a persistent soul. Still, you might be wondering…why, oh WHY does this blog exist? I’ve answered that question HERE.

What You’ll Find Here

In this little corner of the world, we’ll be sharing a little of this and a little of that. Farmhouse decor for sure…because it just makes me happy (rustic, chic, glam…the whole gamut), simple living, recipes, DIY, thrifty re-use/repurpose/recycle projects (I love a good thrift sale and second-hand shopping) and gardening (little known fact: I’m a Master Gardener and one of my previous houses was once featured in the Home & Garden Tour…and it was an unseasonably hot and humid…//read sweaty//…day…gasp!)

We’re on the precipice of becoming empty nesters…so I hope to do some more crafty/garden~y things in the near future. From my experience in this bloggy world, I know this much is true…things often start out one way…and take on a whole life of their own.

I’m diving in…this is going to be fun!

Thanks for joining us!