Many of us have been inspired by shows like This Old House, Flea Market Flips, and all the Martha Stewart shows. There are also many amazing DIY bloggers showing us their projects through beautiful photos and thorough tutorials. I recently had the privilege of talking to one of our local Hudson Valley DIY bloggers, Brooke Fedigan, from befedagain.com. Looking through her blog, you will notice the heart and soul she pours into her home and family, and in writing her blog.
How and when did you start your blog?
I started my blog in 2013. I've always been inspired by Martha Stewart and what you can do to improve your home and life. The last (and hopefully last!) time we moved, I really wanted a farm house. The 200-year-old farm house we bought needed a lot of work. As I was working on the home one project at a time, I decided to document them, which eventually became the blog.
What are some of your favorite projects?
My favorite project was when we painted the American flag on the side of our barn. That project was quite a lot of work. But after completing it, I feel like I'm truly enjoying small town American and country living.
I also get asked a lot about refinishing furniture. You can see my blog post "Flea Market Flip", where I refinished an old, chewed up coffee table. I really like how it turned out! For another project, I redid two chairs I found at Goodwill. I painted the legs myself, and had a professional to reupholster them. Certain things are best done by a specialty professional and now my office looks bright and inviting.
I notice you also love to cook. What are some of your favorite recipes?
Now that it's summer, I enjoy something light like a salad. I like to add a simple, refreshing dressing to my salads like my avacado ranch dressing. I love pairing this salad with a fresh corn chowder. My guacamole recipe on the blog is also pretty popular. And there are many recipes for ice creams and sorbets on the blog for those hot summer days.
How does your family enjoy living in the Hudson Valley? What are your favorite places in Dutchess County?
We moved to our farm house partly for the quality of the schools. My kids have really prospered here at the Arlington Schools. When I had my son Mac, he had low blood sugar, low calcium, and a high bilirubin. The doctors at Vassar Hospital were great and nursed Mac back to health. I now chair a triathlon to help raise money for the NICU unit at Vassar Hospital, which has raised more than $200,000 so far.
We love living in Dutchess County and there are so many options for family activities. In the summer our kids love to go to the Splash Down Beach water park in Fishkill. We also love visiting the Rocking Horse Ranch over in Highland. Our favorite restaurants are the Mill Hose Brewing Company and Crew in Poughkeepsie, although the kids probably would say they love Red Robin the best.
There are some amazing consignment shops and antique shops close to where we live, that I can probably visit every week and just wander around for hours. You can see a list of my favorite shops on my blog under B's Favorites.
If you want to follow Brooke's journey, you can find her at Befedagain.com
