Two sisters who hadn’t seen each other in two years had the amazing opportunity last week to not only finally get to be together but to do it in style!
When Shaw Floors reached out to us recently to discuss a potential partnership we were absolutely thrilled for many reasons not the least of which was that it meant we would finally be together again. Reunited and it feels so good!
We arrived as guests of Shaw at the beautiful Barnsley Garden Resort in Georgia and immediately fell in love with it’s charming cottages and picturesque grounds. It really helped to offset the scorching temperatures and humidity, at least for the Oregon sister.
The entire resort is made up of cottages and each one is just beautiful. Especially when you have lovely gifts waiting for you when you walk through the door.
Later that evening, we made our way to the Barnsley Mansion ruins where Shaw had arranged for us to have dinner.
We so wish we could fully capture just how amazing this place really is.
The Barnsley family story is like something out of a historic fiction novel. Romance, grief, bravery and loss. In fact, the story of this family and their incredible mansion was used as the inspiration for Margaret Mitchell’s ‘Gone With the Wind.’
Walking through those empty rooms you couldn’t help but feel the spirit of this indomitable family.
As the sun began to set, we made our way to the back lawn where we dined in the most incredible setting we could have imagined. It was truly magical.
And check out the clever place settings Shaw created. A table runner made of carpet, wood flooring squares as our chargers and hardwood floor samples with our placecards and menus printed on them.
After dark, the mansion was lit up and we were all treated to a wonderful time of hearing the entire history of the mansion told to us by a masterful storyteller and musician.
The next day we visited the Shaw Floors Headquarters in Dalton, GA and learned all about the humble beginnings of this amazing company.
We were given a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how their products come together and even a peek at the new 2017 lines. There are some seriously awesome options coming next year!
Then we were ushered into a room where we were given the chance to be a little naughty.
While we spend most of our days as moms telling everyone in our households to be extra careful not to spill anything on the carpet, we were actually told that we HAD to spill red juice all over those beautiful carpet samples.
Honestly all of us in the room felt strangely liberated which may mean that we need to get out more!
Now a picture just won’t do this justice so we made a little video for you so you can truly see how amazing the new R2X technology is in the Lifeguard line of Shaw Carpets.
It’s amazing that something so wrong could be so right!
But of all the things we did this past week, what we cherished the most was the rare time to just be together as sisters.
We had 5 whole days together.
5 days of talking about only the things that we would understand. 5 days of laughing. 5 days of dreaming and planning for the future of At the Picket Fence. And friends, let me tell you that we came home with renewed energy and passion for this amazing community. We have so much coming up in the next few months (particularly the release of our first book ‘Life in Season’!!) and we can’t wait to share it all with you!
With lots of love,
What a beautiful place to have sister time! Rest, relax, learn, laugh and renew!
Thank you Linda!
It makes me so happy to see you two together….Glad you had some great times together in that beautiful place…will have to look up this resort…definitely my kind of place…..Dalton, GA is such a quaint town…we gothre for tournaments once a year…and I will be shopping for new carpet in the near future and love that new Shaw technology!….Have a great weekend!
Thank you so much sweet friend! <3
so lucky!!!They need to make a girls’ weekend package and market it!I live in FL and haven’t seen my Idaho- living sister in several years- we would kill for a retreat like this to spend time together!
That is an awesome idea Polly!! I hope you and your sister get some time together soon…it really is so important! 🙂
2 yrs without seeing each other…wow and this beautiful pic of you two together is the first pic I have seen that you really do look like Sisters!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful trip!
Awww…yes we definitely look (and sound!) alike when we’re together! Thank you so much for your kind words Jeanie!
So happy that you two got to spend time together, in person!! I will have to look up Barnsley Gardens, I love a good historical fiction book.
Thank you so much Julia!
What a beautiful place to have sister time together! It was good to see you two together again! I ordered your book and cannot wait to have it in my hands. You both are an inspiration.
Vicki in Alabama
Vicki you have no idea how much it means to us that you ordered our book already! I seriously have tears in my eyes as I type this because it is just so humbling to have the support of our amazing community here. Blessings to you!
How amazing!! Loved all the details and that table setting…unbelievable! Such wonderful connections with flooring. And LOVED that video…SERIOUSLY that carpet technology! Wow!
Isn’t that carpet amazing Leslie?? It was so fun to do that test!
Wow!!! I had no idea you blog not in the same town!!!! Yet it’s all done so cohesively. What a fabulous setting indeed. Great you were able to go on this fabulous trip. The ruins are still breathtaking.
Looking forward to more good stuff on your blog. Great cute outfits photo of you two!!
WOWWWWWWW! What an honor ~ and delight~ to be included in this amazing event…and two loving BFF sisters together – it honestly doesn’t get better than that, does it?
You two look beautiful – your inner glow of loving joy shows through!
Now you cannot – simply CAN NOT go as long getting together next time. That is just tragic! ♥♥
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful “Sister Time” in such an absolutely beautiful place!!
By the way, where do you each live? Why has it been two years since you’ve seen each other, if you don’t mind?
I love “At the Picket Fence”! You two are so amazing! I’m so envious of your talent!!
Susie Patterson
Hi Susie! Thank you so much for your kind words! Heather lives in the Atlanta area and I (Vanessa) live in Oregon. The last two years have been a bit crazy to try and coordinate traveling to see each other and it’s pretty expensive to get our entire family together in one location but we definitely don’t plan on going so long again. 🙂