Country Living Connoisseur - Mindsets that Shape the Life You Are Desiging (Sept 18)


Pull Up a Chair

Some days at the farm feel like trying to drink from a firehose. There are animals that need tending, fences to mend, plants to water, deadlines to meet, and somehow three more things pop up before breakfast. The list never ends — it just grows legs and chases you.

I’ve learned I have two choices on days like these: I can sit in the swirl of stress and let it weigh me down, or I can take one bite of the elephant at a time. One chore, one project, one decision, one breath.

Something shifts when I choose that second option. I stop trying to do it all at once and start seeing the joy in the doing. Feeding the goats becomes a little moment of calm. Gathering eggs feels like a quiet ritual. Pulling weeds reminds me of the beauty hiding under the mess.

It doesn’t make the work go away — but suddenly, it feels less like chaos and more like living. That’s the power of mindset.

Let’s dream it, design it, and live it—together.

With love,
Lane + Jules

The Right Mindset Can Change Everything

Here’s the truth I’ve been learning: our days don’t get lighter just because we wish them to. What does change everything is how we choose to see them. This month’s resource is something special — a Mindset Map + Compass designed to help you reflect, dream, and design a life you love. It’s a keepsake-style printable that will guide you through six powerful mindset shifts and help you visualize where you’re growing next. Here are six small shifts in perspective that open the door to designing a life you love.

  1. One Bite at a Time: Stop staring at the mountain. Pick the next thing and start there. Small steps move you forward faster than overwhelm ever will.
  2. Abundance Thinking: There’s room for your dreams — and for theirs, too. When we stop competing, we start creating.
  3. Curiosity First: Experiment, try, play. Curiosity builds creativity and permits us to do it “wrong” before we do it right.
  4. Seasons of Change: Nature teaches us that nothing blooms all year. Growth happens in cycles — rest, plant, grow, harvest, repeat.
  5. Reframing: Shift your perspective when things don’t go as planned. Challenges can become opportunities when you choose to see them differently.
  6. Progress Over Perfection: Your life isn’t meant to look polished. The unfinished edges and imperfect days are where the honest living happens.

From the Farm Kitchen

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bread

This is the kind of recipe that disappears fast around here. It’s simple, cozy, and works whether you’re feeding family on a weekend morning or putting something special on the table for holidays.

Makes one loaf (Serves 6-8)

Out in the Garden

Looking at a book called Logo Modernism

Plant Now and Forget About it...

Garlic might be the easiest crop you’ll ever grow. Tuck the cloves into the soil in October, mulch them, and then literally leave them alone until spring.

No constant watering, no fussing, no stress — just plant it and let nature do its thing. By early summer, you’ll be pulling up plump, sweet bulbs that taste worlds better than anything from the store.

Low effort, big reward — that’s my kind of gardening. I've gathered some more info on varieties to consider, as well as tips and tricks for planting and success.

A type specimen of Google Fonts

Good Gardeners Kill Plants

The truth no one tells you: good gardeners kill plants. It’s not failure — it’s how we learn. Sometimes we plant in the wrong spot, water too much, forget to water at all, or choose something that simply wasn’t meant to thrive where we are.

Here’s the mindset shift: those “failures” aren’t wasted. Every plant that doesn’t make it teaches you something — about soil, sun, timing, and patience. Growth comes from experimenting, trying again, and knowing that progress matters more than perfection.

Don’t be discouraged when something struggles. Those plants served a purpose — they help you grow right alongside your garden.

The Curated Corner

Today’s corner came together almost by accident. I found this beautiful blue-tipped Murano tulip vase at a thrift store, and it immediately inspired me to head out back to gather some of the last of my bright, cheerful zinnias still blooming here in the city. Their vibrant colors practically danced in the glass.

I paired the vase with a wooden pedestal bowl—another thrifting treasure—and filled it with the day’s harvest: peppers in every shape and shade, heirloom tomatoes, and even a sweet potato fresh from the garden. The mix of flowers and food felt like a little celebration of the season’s abundance.

Behind it all hangs a painting my dad made for each of us in the family, with our names hidden inside the brushstrokes. It’s a piece that carries so many sweet memories.

When I look at this curated corner, it feels alive—full of joy, color, and stories woven from both the past and the present. And that’s the beauty of it: curated corners don’t have to be perfect. You just have to choose one small space and let it bring you joy.

Sneak Peek at Tomorrow's Friday Finds Fall Drop!

Tomorrow, this site is live for the world, but today it's just for you! This first drop is a small one as I am getting revved up and learning about this platform, but each piece has been chosen to complement the season. We priced things reasonably, not antique store style, because we wanted them to be items that you could feel good about purchasing and owning, and we wanted to pass on treasures to others (that is, half the fun of curating in the first place). Each purchase supports rescue animals at Sweet BombDiggity Farms, so that is an extra feel-good bonus. Let me know if you have any questions!

Tuck it in your pocket

“Your life won’t be built in one grand leap — it’s shaped in the tiny, daily shifts of how you choose to think and what you choose to believe. Change your mindset, and the rest starts to bloom.” - Jules Morris

Have a question you'd love me to answer? A project you're proud of? Something inspiring you've seen? I’d love to hear it—and it might just show up in a future newsletter.

We’re building something beautiful here, together.

Now that's BombDiggity!

Here’s to simple joys and big dreams,


360 Bethlehem Lane, La Follette, TN 37766
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Country Living Connoisseur

Design a life you love—one bloom, one barn, one bite at a time. The Country Living Connoisseur newsletter delivers farm-fresh inspiration, vintage charm, and real talk from Sweet Bombdiggity Farms, straight to your inbox every other week.

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