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Greenbush Twins & Company
Today I'm talking with Sidney at Greenbush Twins & Company. You can also follow on Facebook.
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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Sydney Greenbush at Greenbush Twins and Company in California. And is it 11 o'clock there? Yes. We just had daylight savings times, you know, so that it would normally be 10, but now it's 11.
00:25
Yeah, so I would say, well, I'm in Minnesota, so I'm two hours ahead of you. So good morning to you and good afternoon to me. Good morning. I am so happy to have you as a guest. I saw you on Facebook, your page, and I was like, hmm, there's a story there. I've got to talk to her. But before we get into it, I always say, how is the weather wherever my guest is? So how's the weather in California today? Oh, it's really windy today, but the winds are supposed to...
00:54
die down. So we have the Santa Ana winds, which are the winds that come from the inland and blow out to the ocean. And they get very strong. You get gassed up to, you know, 60 to 100 miles an hour. So we're all like really ready for them to die down today. I feel like 50 to 60 miles our mile hour and a winds. I can't say it. I feel like 50 to 60 mile per hour winds.
01:23
are a weekly occurrence where we live in Minnesota. So I'm used to it. Yeah. We, and for us, the winds aren't the bad part of it. The bad part of it is when we have obviously the wildfires on top of it. So everybody kind of gets a little anxious because you never know when one's going to pop up or where. Um, and so you're always kind of like got that little bit of guard going. Yeah. Especially after last year, I'm sure you guys are on a swivel.
01:52
Yeah, and so for us that live in this area, we've had a few really bad fires. The last one was obviously the Palisades and the Altadena fire. But years before that, we had the Woolsey and we've had um really bad fires in the 80s and stuff. One year, actually burnt down part of Johnny Carson's home. So it almost becomes a way of life here on the coastline around by Los Angeles because
02:20
It's not if you're going to have a fire, it's when are you going to have another fire? Because it's just the way that eh the vegetation and the habitat kind of the ecosystem is. Well, I'm always astounded at people who want to live in California. My daughter lived there for a few years and she loved it. She loved everything about it. And then she fell in love and moved to New York and now she's in Florida with her husband. So. uh
02:49
Yeah, it's amazing where you'll move for the person you love. So let's just address the elephant in the room. If Sydney's name sounds familiar, it's because she played along with her sister, Carrie on Little House on the Prairie. Right. And Sydney is way more than just that. She has started a new project and I think it's fairly recent, like in the last year. Yeah.
03:18
Well, the, really started in December was the official launch of the website and the ramp up for the book, the seven sisters, lantern of humanity. And so it's all just very fresh for, for me. And it's been an amazing trip so far and I can only imagine what the future holds, you know. Yeah. Are you still riding the new energy high of a new project?
03:46
I am because I keep thinking at some point, you you try and build your audience and I keep thinking at some point, okay, it's going to taper down because it's not quite so new anymore. And it's been about six months that we've been, we've been talking about it. But every day I'm so surprised because I, I log in and then the number has increased and sometimes it's not like a major increase, but it's still that momentum going forward and it hasn't tapered off yet.
04:16
And then I start to get excited and I start thinking, oh, I could do this and I could do that and I could do that. And I'm like, OK, slow down. You got to focus like one one thing at a time. Let's get through the first one first. You know, so. Oh, yes, I woke up this morning and I know I was going to be talking with you. I knew I had to get two podcasts ready to go out for tomorrow. I also have a course that I'm supposed to be taking that someone gifted me about raising quail that I need to sit down and look at.
04:44
And I was like, I can't do all three of these things at the same time this morning. So one thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. And if I don't get them all done, it's OK. Right. Yeah. And see, I'm, you know, I'm easily excited about things that I want to do. And so that's where I really have to manage my focus, because it's easy for me to start something. Right. But the hard part is.
05:11
Seeing it through to completion, right? So I have to remind myself before I get off on another tangent like I really need to do this especially when it comes to like housework because I Really don't like it. So I have to go. Okay. Yeah, you need to really do like your laundry or clean the kitchen You know that kind of stuff that we all have a tendency to put off a little bit but em But it's all good once you know those things about yourself and your personality
05:39
and you acknowledge it, it's much easier to manage it, you know? Absolutely. And housework never ends. So you just do it as it comes up. um So tell me, tell me about, tell me about um Greenbush Twins and Company. Well, Greenbush Twins and Company, the and company really refers to other artists, other collaborators and our our followers, right?
06:08
an idea that none of us can do something completely on our own, that we do need each other and together our differences and our experiences, they make us stronger. Because I might have experience in one area, but when I decided to do like the children's book, that's an area that I didn't have any experience in. But I was willing to, you know, try and take that adventure.
06:37
but you need somebody really that has the experience to help to guide you, to show you the ins and the outs and the dos and the don'ts. And so that's really what Greenbush Twins is meant for. And it's also meant to help support the small batch makers, the smaller artists, people that may not get the...
07:02
notoriety because the marketing may not be in their budget or uh they just haven't got to a platform where they can really, really shine and uh sustainable living and all that stuff. So it's really a platform made to be a hub where, say, if you're looking for a hair product or you're looking for a piece of artwork or something that's uh special, that's handcrafted,
07:31
You can look through the directory that we have, the products that we represent, and you can see if you can uh find what you're looking for. And if you can't, there's a few of the collaborators and artisians that do custom work. So you can reach out to them or we can facilitate reaching out. And uh that's really what it's meant to be. uh Corporate America really doesn't...
07:57
care about people. They don't care really what they're putting in their products. And this has really uh been shown by like, for example, everybody thought it was so great when we got non-stick pans that were coated in Teflon, right? But then they found that Teflon caused cancer and they knew about it, but they didn't take it off of the market. So it's really an aim at bringing products that don't have those
08:26
conservatives, those toxins, those things that you may not see them affect you today, but down the road, it will have an impact on your health um and try and come back to the more natural holistic living like you saw, you know, even in little house, you know, a lot of things were handmade. And I think that as a community, we will be stronger because we'll be able to
08:54
do things that are more sustainable in the long run. there's, Los Angeles is known for having a huge um garment district. But now you're seeing that there's garment companies that take in, they recycle clothing so that it stays out of the landfills. And there's companies that go to like the fashion district and they um buy all the fabric from the previous year from the fashion shows that didn't get used.
09:23
And they repurpose it, break it down and sell it out to people that sew and create and upcycle. And so that we're not always just making the planet toxic by shoving all this stuff in the landfill that takes so long to break down. Absolutely. I haven't bought new jeans in over five years. I have three pairs of jeans that don't have any holes in them at this point. oh
09:53
And I patch my jeans with the old jeans that do have holes in them that I can't wear anymore. So I know what you're talking about. Right. And it's so stylish now to take those holes and put like patterned fabric underneath it and let it peek through. then that um what normally would be considered like a uh flaw in that actual pair of pants. Now you've actually made it into a fashion statement that, you know,
10:22
can go forward on its own, its own design. So it's really incredible a lot of what the people that are um doing the upcycling and stuff um are doing with fabric. And there's people taking old lamps and making them into plant stands and different things. And I'm always amazed at the creativity of how people repurpose something into something else. I've
10:48
I would be like, I never would have even thought of that, but it works so perfectly the way that they've done it, you know? And so that's the really fun part of the journey is sharing the creativity with other creative individuals. Yes, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing somebody's light shine. Right, yeah, exactly. And I love, you know, trying to help people get their light to shine because
11:17
A lot of people will say that they're not creative, but creativity isn't something you're born with. It's actually a muscle that you exercise. And I think John Cleese one time uh explained it the best that it's like it's a mode of operating. It's like a perspective that you have. It's not anything that you can't learn or do. It takes practice like any other art form, but it's something that is available to everyone. Thank God.
11:46
Otherwise it would be a really boring world. you said back a few minutes ago, kind of like on Little House. So that leads me to a question that I feel comfortable asking you about Little House on the Prairie. Did it inform who you became as an adult in acting as Carrie in that particular timeframe? Did it color who you became?
12:11
Well, I believe that all our experiences kind of color who we are, even if we don't, you know, directly recognize that they did, they even subconsciously have an influence. But yes, it did because we started so young. And when we started Little House, we actually had come off of another movie called Sunshine with Cliff DeYoung and Christina Reigns.
12:39
And having a father that was an actor and a mother that was in a model, a successful model, it kind of gave us an open door that a lot of other people don't have. But we started so young that we really didn't know anything different. We thought everybody did this, that this was like the normal way that you grow up. So when I think back on childhood or I talk to people about their childhood, there are
13:08
certain things that are missing, like there's gaps, because we spent so much time on the studio set or there was birthday parties that we couldn't go to because we were working or my mom used to trade out, because we went to public school when we weren't uh working. so certain years, my sister is in the school photo and certain years it's me because my mom used to take one of us to work and then one of them would stay back for the annual.
13:37
you know, class photo and such. So yeah, directly it shapes a lot of who you are. And then when you're a kid, you see how other people treat other people. And that is a guideline for you too. And the messages in the themes of Little House as we got older and we started reading the books, they resonated also because then you understand, you have a better understanding of the purpose of the whole bigger picture of the show. Yeah.
14:07
Absolutely. I grew up on the East Coast. I grew up in Maine. And I think the fifth or sixth novel book I read when I was seven years old was the first book in the Little House series. And I ended up reading all of them and had no idea that I would end up living in Minnesota. And so when I moved here, I was like, oh, man.
14:34
I live in the state where Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family spent some time. Do you think I've been to any of the places that commemorate that? No, I have not yet. I live half an hour from Mankato, Minnesota. Well, we'll have to change that one time when I'm in, next time I'm in Minnesota. yeah, I would love that. That would be so fun.
14:58
Walnut Grove is actually one of my favorite places to go and when they have Laura Ingalls Wilder days, um every year that the museum has asked me to go, like, just tell me when to be there. I know it's July, but just tell me when. And uh the people in the town are so hospitable. And then you always hear the story of the people that came. It's like their family vacation and they've saved for it all year. And it's a really big event.
15:26
And sometimes the stories are just so incredible because you'll see that um everything in somebody's life is totally breaking apart and they've got these huge things going on. But the one thing that gives them solace and consistency is watching the Little House on the Prairie series and reading the books. And so a lot of times they'll tell you these stories and they make you teary-eyed because to have such a
15:53
profound effect on somebody's life. It's not anything you ever imagined you were capable of doing, you know, so it is it's just really it's hard to articulate the profound that effect it has on the cast as well as uh the fans and we're very appreciative of the fans because we know for all those years that we were
16:19
uh on NBC and the years after if it wasn't for their loyalty and their patronage, we wouldn't be able to do the things that we have done like for the 50th. They took a uh group of the cast member to Monaco and they did a big film festival in Monaco. And you know, when I was like, you know, seven or eight and doing the show, that is not, I mean, I didn't get to go.
16:44
because I didn't have my passport at the time, but that wasn't anything I ever thought would be an offer for us to do. So it's just amazing. It's special in the truest sense of the word. Yeah. Yep. And the other thing that I would tell you is that in reading the Little House on the Prairie books and watching the show, it colored my perspective and
17:10
I'm sure that's why I live on a 3.1 acre homestead with chickens and a dog and a garden and barn cats, because the stuff that you read when you're a kid, it sticks. It sticks in the back of your head and it, it paints a picture of the things that you could do when you're a grownup. Right. Right. And who doesn't want to have like a Jack or a bandit or
17:35
you know, a raccoon that stays in the barn or a bunny who doesn't want to go riding on bunny all the time, you know, and there's a lot of those connections just not between people on the show, but between, you know, humans and animals and stuff like that. You know, you get kind of like the little lassie theme with with Bandit, you know, where he seems to have this understanding beyond just being a dog, you know.
18:03
uh And those things are really, I think, important to kids to inspire them to use their imagination and think beyond the social restrictions and not everything fits in a little, know, perfectly little neat compartmentalized uh box, you know. So it's important for them to know that there are alternatives out there if you don't want to settle for what is right in front of you. Yep. My bandit is named Maggie and she's a girl dog.
18:33
Mine is named Rios. Rios? Uh huh, Rios. Nice, okay. So tell me about your book. I didn't realize that you had written the book because I glanced at the picture and didn't realize it was your book. Yeah, it's my book and uh it's geared towards children ages two to nine. So it's more, you know, pictures rather than actual uh written word.
19:00
But it's based on the seven angelic virtues and there's the seven sisters each one of them embodies one of the virtues and is named after them and then they're sent to the earth to help the humans because Psyche who is known as the mother of the soul in Greek mythology she was a human and then got turned into a
19:28
or God later, which is a whole another story. she creates the seven sisters and sends them to Earth to help humans learn how to cope and manage. then she gives them the lantern of humanity, which is a beacon and will shine a light when somebody is struggling and lead the sisters to that person to help them uh work through a resolution together. So it um
19:59
It fosters that even though you may have a personal struggle, you're not alone in your struggle. There's others that can help you. And it really kind of uh echoes that through teamwork, ah we can do incredible things and make changes. That's beautiful. Did the book just come out? It's actually being delivered today, believe it or not. So we were taking pre-orders and then...
20:26
We're gonna start uh mailing them out this week. And the first 150 of the books are limited edition series that have an authenticity certificate in the back of it. They're numbered and they have my signature. And then they're in a hard laminated cover for longevity and durability so that uh they won't get bent or tweaked out of shape.
20:56
And then the spines on them are all hand bound and there's beautiful illustrations in uh them. it's been so interesting because when we made the illustrations, I didn't have any experience doing a book and neither did the illustrator that helped me. And so when you do it, you're supposed to use a little extra room so that some of it can fit into the binding.
21:23
And I didn't know that so that we had to go back and rework all the images so that when we bound them, all the um story wasn't in the the seam of the of the book. So I delayed us a little bit, but it's probably going to be better in the in long run, you know. So, yeah, so so excited. I'm very excited to see them with the certificate of authenticity and everything today. And then I'm going to do like an unboxing.
21:53
video so that everybody can kind of open them with me for the first time. I'm so glad you said that because I was just going to ask you if you're going to do that because I would love to see your face when you open that box of books. Yeah, I'm not uh I'm not technically good enough yet to do like a, you know, a Facebook live, but I will do the actual, you know, real video footage so that people can can see it and then.
22:22
Eventually I'll get there. I'll get to where I can do like the podcast and the live and all that stuff. But it just has picked up so much momentum since December that I'm caught a little off guard because I never did all the social media stuff before. So now I'm having to learn it along the way too. Just if you get frustrated, take a breath and walk away from it.
22:51
do something else like dishes by hand because it will give your brain a chance to catch up. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. And there are times like that. And I think that's totally normal for everyone. So I have to remind myself because we always hold ourselves to a super high standard and I know I do. And so a lot of times when I'm trying to do some of the reels, I might have scripted out the keynotes of the dialogue.
23:21
that I want to use or the key points that I want to hit. But I try and keep it a little bit fluid because it's easier for me because as soon as I lock it down and it has to be certain words, I get super tongue-tied. And the more I get tongue-tied, the more frustrated I get. And there are times where I have to do exactly that and go, okay, just take a break for a minute. It's not such a big deal. Like we've got all day to do this, you know.
23:50
And you step away for a second and come back because uh you start thinking like, you know, why can't I do this? Why isn't this easy? And one of things I had to adjust to is like when you use like your uh cell phone to do a video, you're actually seeing yourself in the video as you're talking. And so that can itself can be a distraction. And then you start getting self-conscious and you're like, well,
24:20
Do I really move my hands that much? Do I really make that face? And then all of a sudden you're off track from what you're trying to do and you're like, okay, okay, like just take a minute. absolutely. People think that doing social media, know, doing videos is easy. It's not. I refuse to do them because it does the same thing to me. I get distracted by the phone and I cannot think. And it's been something I've really had to
24:50
adjust to. never realized like I've known people that did like, you know, TikTok videos, and they call them influencers and that kind of stuff. And I was like, Oh, yeah, great. But I really never realized how labor intensive it is, how detailed it is. Like when you get into the marketing of it, how you can break it down into different demographics and stuff. And it's just way more
25:18
uh technical than I ever gave it credit for. So to all the people that do social media and run their own sites and their own pages, you have kudos from me because it's way more work than anybody ever gives, probably gives you credit for, you know? It is. And it's funny because I don't, I do two podcasts. It's easy because I don't go on video ever.
25:46
So I don't get distracted. get to focus on the person I'm talking to. And it works great. And I keep thinking I really should do video. I don't want to. Probably never will. We'll see what happens. So I have one more question about the Green Bush Twins and Company project that you're in the middle of, the beginning of. um Is it just California artisans or is it nationwide?
26:14
No, it's nationwide and eventually I'd like to be, you know, worldwide. um Really, we're all just uh human beings. It doesn't matter if we live uh in Europe or if we live in the United States or if we live in South America. We're all just humans trying to get along and do our thing. And so it started here in California because I am here, but it's not
26:43
uh restricted to anyone. I really want it to be an open format where everyone is welcome, every voice matters, when we get to the part where we can share stories and uh experiences, then we can get there too. uh And it's really making those human connections. uh We as a society have
27:08
lost some of our human connection, right? Because everything's um online now. And although you can connect with people visually and auditorially, m you lose that touch and that feel. So eventually we'll go out and I'll do um site, like we can call them site visits, but um public appearances in different places and.
27:34
help to bring people into that area. And if anybody ever wants to be involved in the site beyond just being in like a joiner of the community, like if you make things and you think you've got something that you want to propose to the site, by all means contact me, you know, because that's really what it's meant for. Like it's to shine a light on those individuals that may be
28:02
uh can't reach out to a lot of people but have stuff that they believe in or they want to promote or they want to show you that there's an alternative uh product that you don't have to necessarily use the stuff that Big Pharma or corporate America tells you is what is proper to be used. love that you're doing this, Sydney. Thank you for doing it.
28:32
And I love the concept of your book and I will tell you why. The reason why is because the last probably five or six years have been scary and chaotic and weird and there is still light in the world. And I think that you are like one of the brightest lights shining in it right now. Oh, thank you so much. That's sweet. But I agree with you. I've seen that too. When I was a
29:00
a kid, you know, we were always talking about the golden rule. And sometimes you ask kids today and you ask them, do you know what the golden rule is? And they'll say, oh, yeah, that's Bitcoin. And they don't they don't have those little sayings and phrases that we had um growing up. And so it's really to to try and show the younger generation that even if something looks scary or looks different,
29:27
It's not something to be feared. doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. You know, it could be a great thing, but you won't know until you, you know, try. um so, yeah, it's really something that has come around because of my time on Little House, but it's kind of the same um lessons and morals, but in a fresh uh format, you know.
29:56
There, for some reason I lost you. Oh, you can hear me now? I said, I here's an older, an old saying for you too. Don't hide your light under a bushel. That's right. That's right. That's a good one. I like that one. Yeah, I'm 56. My mom is 79 and my mom had all kinds. She's still with us by the way. But when I was a kid growing up, she had all kinds of sayings like that. And I remember all of them.
30:23
And I will say them around my grown kids. And they're like, that's so old fashioned. It's it's funny because you and I are the same age. I'll be I'll be 56 in May. But yeah, you you you say that to people and then you go, oh, my God, I sound like my mother. Where did that come from? Well, I love my mom, so I'm OK with sounding like my mom. And my dad had sayings, too. He's still with us as well. He's 82.
30:51
I insulted him the other day because I said he was 83 and he was like, I am not. I was like, well, I just gave you back a year of your life then. but, but if you're lucky enough to have parents that share things like don't hide your light under a bushel and do onto others, it's, it's a great thing. Oh yeah. I mean, I, a lot of those little things are
31:18
Because the way Seven Sisters was set up was to be a series of seven different books. so obviously the first one is easiest because it deals with envy and greed, which are really common themes. then that's some of the later stories are going to be, know, don't be afraid to be you. Don't be afraid to be different. know, not everybody has to be the same thing. And we're actually better when we're different, you know.
31:47
So if you come up with any other good things, send them to me. Variety is the spice of life, my dear. That's one for you. Yeah, that's a good one too. All right. Sydney, this was a joy. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Where can people find you? Well, you can always contact me through the website, is greenbishtwins.com.
32:12
or you can email me at info, I N F O at greenbushtwins.com. And both of those come straight to me. Okay. Fantastic. And your green bush twins and company on Facebook as well. Right. And Facebook, Instagram, and in LinkedIn, think we have LinkedIn too. All right. Fabulous. Um, as always, people can find me at a tiny homestead podcast.com and
32:38
Sidney, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. Oh, you too. And thank you for reaching out to me. Thank you for having the time. I really appreciate it. All right. Thanks.
View all episodes
By Mary E LewisToday I'm talking with Sidney at Greenbush Twins & Company. You can also follow on Facebook.
Content Seeds Collective
https://www.homesteadliving.com/subscribe/ref/41/
https://homesteadliving.com/the-old-fashioned-on-purpose-planner/ref/41/
www.patreon.com/atinyhomestead
If you'd like to support me in growing this podcast, like, share, subscribe or leave a comment.
Or just buy me a coffee
https://buymeacoffee.com/lewismaryes
00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Sydney Greenbush at Greenbush Twins and Company in California. And is it 11 o'clock there? Yes. We just had daylight savings times, you know, so that it would normally be 10, but now it's 11.
00:25
Yeah, so I would say, well, I'm in Minnesota, so I'm two hours ahead of you. So good morning to you and good afternoon to me. Good morning. I am so happy to have you as a guest. I saw you on Facebook, your page, and I was like, hmm, there's a story there. I've got to talk to her. But before we get into it, I always say, how is the weather wherever my guest is? So how's the weather in California today? Oh, it's really windy today, but the winds are supposed to...
00:54
die down. So we have the Santa Ana winds, which are the winds that come from the inland and blow out to the ocean. And they get very strong. You get gassed up to, you know, 60 to 100 miles an hour. So we're all like really ready for them to die down today. I feel like 50 to 60 miles our mile hour and a winds. I can't say it. I feel like 50 to 60 mile per hour winds.
01:23
are a weekly occurrence where we live in Minnesota. So I'm used to it. Yeah. We, and for us, the winds aren't the bad part of it. The bad part of it is when we have obviously the wildfires on top of it. So everybody kind of gets a little anxious because you never know when one's going to pop up or where. Um, and so you're always kind of like got that little bit of guard going. Yeah. Especially after last year, I'm sure you guys are on a swivel.
01:52
Yeah, and so for us that live in this area, we've had a few really bad fires. The last one was obviously the Palisades and the Altadena fire. But years before that, we had the Woolsey and we've had um really bad fires in the 80s and stuff. One year, actually burnt down part of Johnny Carson's home. So it almost becomes a way of life here on the coastline around by Los Angeles because
02:20
It's not if you're going to have a fire, it's when are you going to have another fire? Because it's just the way that eh the vegetation and the habitat kind of the ecosystem is. Well, I'm always astounded at people who want to live in California. My daughter lived there for a few years and she loved it. She loved everything about it. And then she fell in love and moved to New York and now she's in Florida with her husband. So. uh
02:49
Yeah, it's amazing where you'll move for the person you love. So let's just address the elephant in the room. If Sydney's name sounds familiar, it's because she played along with her sister, Carrie on Little House on the Prairie. Right. And Sydney is way more than just that. She has started a new project and I think it's fairly recent, like in the last year. Yeah.
03:18
Well, the, really started in December was the official launch of the website and the ramp up for the book, the seven sisters, lantern of humanity. And so it's all just very fresh for, for me. And it's been an amazing trip so far and I can only imagine what the future holds, you know. Yeah. Are you still riding the new energy high of a new project?
03:46
I am because I keep thinking at some point, you you try and build your audience and I keep thinking at some point, okay, it's going to taper down because it's not quite so new anymore. And it's been about six months that we've been, we've been talking about it. But every day I'm so surprised because I, I log in and then the number has increased and sometimes it's not like a major increase, but it's still that momentum going forward and it hasn't tapered off yet.
04:16
And then I start to get excited and I start thinking, oh, I could do this and I could do that and I could do that. And I'm like, OK, slow down. You got to focus like one one thing at a time. Let's get through the first one first. You know, so. Oh, yes, I woke up this morning and I know I was going to be talking with you. I knew I had to get two podcasts ready to go out for tomorrow. I also have a course that I'm supposed to be taking that someone gifted me about raising quail that I need to sit down and look at.
04:44
And I was like, I can't do all three of these things at the same time this morning. So one thing and then the next thing and then the next thing. And if I don't get them all done, it's OK. Right. Yeah. And see, I'm, you know, I'm easily excited about things that I want to do. And so that's where I really have to manage my focus, because it's easy for me to start something. Right. But the hard part is.
05:11
Seeing it through to completion, right? So I have to remind myself before I get off on another tangent like I really need to do this especially when it comes to like housework because I Really don't like it. So I have to go. Okay. Yeah, you need to really do like your laundry or clean the kitchen You know that kind of stuff that we all have a tendency to put off a little bit but em But it's all good once you know those things about yourself and your personality
05:39
and you acknowledge it, it's much easier to manage it, you know? Absolutely. And housework never ends. So you just do it as it comes up. um So tell me, tell me about, tell me about um Greenbush Twins and Company. Well, Greenbush Twins and Company, the and company really refers to other artists, other collaborators and our our followers, right?
06:08
an idea that none of us can do something completely on our own, that we do need each other and together our differences and our experiences, they make us stronger. Because I might have experience in one area, but when I decided to do like the children's book, that's an area that I didn't have any experience in. But I was willing to, you know, try and take that adventure.
06:37
but you need somebody really that has the experience to help to guide you, to show you the ins and the outs and the dos and the don'ts. And so that's really what Greenbush Twins is meant for. And it's also meant to help support the small batch makers, the smaller artists, people that may not get the...
07:02
notoriety because the marketing may not be in their budget or uh they just haven't got to a platform where they can really, really shine and uh sustainable living and all that stuff. So it's really a platform made to be a hub where, say, if you're looking for a hair product or you're looking for a piece of artwork or something that's uh special, that's handcrafted,
07:31
You can look through the directory that we have, the products that we represent, and you can see if you can uh find what you're looking for. And if you can't, there's a few of the collaborators and artisians that do custom work. So you can reach out to them or we can facilitate reaching out. And uh that's really what it's meant to be. uh Corporate America really doesn't...
07:57
care about people. They don't care really what they're putting in their products. And this has really uh been shown by like, for example, everybody thought it was so great when we got non-stick pans that were coated in Teflon, right? But then they found that Teflon caused cancer and they knew about it, but they didn't take it off of the market. So it's really an aim at bringing products that don't have those
08:26
conservatives, those toxins, those things that you may not see them affect you today, but down the road, it will have an impact on your health um and try and come back to the more natural holistic living like you saw, you know, even in little house, you know, a lot of things were handmade. And I think that as a community, we will be stronger because we'll be able to
08:54
do things that are more sustainable in the long run. there's, Los Angeles is known for having a huge um garment district. But now you're seeing that there's garment companies that take in, they recycle clothing so that it stays out of the landfills. And there's companies that go to like the fashion district and they um buy all the fabric from the previous year from the fashion shows that didn't get used.
09:23
And they repurpose it, break it down and sell it out to people that sew and create and upcycle. And so that we're not always just making the planet toxic by shoving all this stuff in the landfill that takes so long to break down. Absolutely. I haven't bought new jeans in over five years. I have three pairs of jeans that don't have any holes in them at this point. oh
09:53
And I patch my jeans with the old jeans that do have holes in them that I can't wear anymore. So I know what you're talking about. Right. And it's so stylish now to take those holes and put like patterned fabric underneath it and let it peek through. then that um what normally would be considered like a uh flaw in that actual pair of pants. Now you've actually made it into a fashion statement that, you know,
10:22
can go forward on its own, its own design. So it's really incredible a lot of what the people that are um doing the upcycling and stuff um are doing with fabric. And there's people taking old lamps and making them into plant stands and different things. And I'm always amazed at the creativity of how people repurpose something into something else. I've
10:48
I would be like, I never would have even thought of that, but it works so perfectly the way that they've done it, you know? And so that's the really fun part of the journey is sharing the creativity with other creative individuals. Yes, there is nothing more beautiful than seeing somebody's light shine. Right, yeah, exactly. And I love, you know, trying to help people get their light to shine because
11:17
A lot of people will say that they're not creative, but creativity isn't something you're born with. It's actually a muscle that you exercise. And I think John Cleese one time uh explained it the best that it's like it's a mode of operating. It's like a perspective that you have. It's not anything that you can't learn or do. It takes practice like any other art form, but it's something that is available to everyone. Thank God.
11:46
Otherwise it would be a really boring world. you said back a few minutes ago, kind of like on Little House. So that leads me to a question that I feel comfortable asking you about Little House on the Prairie. Did it inform who you became as an adult in acting as Carrie in that particular timeframe? Did it color who you became?
12:11
Well, I believe that all our experiences kind of color who we are, even if we don't, you know, directly recognize that they did, they even subconsciously have an influence. But yes, it did because we started so young. And when we started Little House, we actually had come off of another movie called Sunshine with Cliff DeYoung and Christina Reigns.
12:39
And having a father that was an actor and a mother that was in a model, a successful model, it kind of gave us an open door that a lot of other people don't have. But we started so young that we really didn't know anything different. We thought everybody did this, that this was like the normal way that you grow up. So when I think back on childhood or I talk to people about their childhood, there are
13:08
certain things that are missing, like there's gaps, because we spent so much time on the studio set or there was birthday parties that we couldn't go to because we were working or my mom used to trade out, because we went to public school when we weren't uh working. so certain years, my sister is in the school photo and certain years it's me because my mom used to take one of us to work and then one of them would stay back for the annual.
13:37
you know, class photo and such. So yeah, directly it shapes a lot of who you are. And then when you're a kid, you see how other people treat other people. And that is a guideline for you too. And the messages in the themes of Little House as we got older and we started reading the books, they resonated also because then you understand, you have a better understanding of the purpose of the whole bigger picture of the show. Yeah.
14:07
Absolutely. I grew up on the East Coast. I grew up in Maine. And I think the fifth or sixth novel book I read when I was seven years old was the first book in the Little House series. And I ended up reading all of them and had no idea that I would end up living in Minnesota. And so when I moved here, I was like, oh, man.
14:34
I live in the state where Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family spent some time. Do you think I've been to any of the places that commemorate that? No, I have not yet. I live half an hour from Mankato, Minnesota. Well, we'll have to change that one time when I'm in, next time I'm in Minnesota. yeah, I would love that. That would be so fun.
14:58
Walnut Grove is actually one of my favorite places to go and when they have Laura Ingalls Wilder days, um every year that the museum has asked me to go, like, just tell me when to be there. I know it's July, but just tell me when. And uh the people in the town are so hospitable. And then you always hear the story of the people that came. It's like their family vacation and they've saved for it all year. And it's a really big event.
15:26
And sometimes the stories are just so incredible because you'll see that um everything in somebody's life is totally breaking apart and they've got these huge things going on. But the one thing that gives them solace and consistency is watching the Little House on the Prairie series and reading the books. And so a lot of times they'll tell you these stories and they make you teary-eyed because to have such a
15:53
profound effect on somebody's life. It's not anything you ever imagined you were capable of doing, you know, so it is it's just really it's hard to articulate the profound that effect it has on the cast as well as uh the fans and we're very appreciative of the fans because we know for all those years that we were
16:19
uh on NBC and the years after if it wasn't for their loyalty and their patronage, we wouldn't be able to do the things that we have done like for the 50th. They took a uh group of the cast member to Monaco and they did a big film festival in Monaco. And you know, when I was like, you know, seven or eight and doing the show, that is not, I mean, I didn't get to go.
16:44
because I didn't have my passport at the time, but that wasn't anything I ever thought would be an offer for us to do. So it's just amazing. It's special in the truest sense of the word. Yeah. Yep. And the other thing that I would tell you is that in reading the Little House on the Prairie books and watching the show, it colored my perspective and
17:10
I'm sure that's why I live on a 3.1 acre homestead with chickens and a dog and a garden and barn cats, because the stuff that you read when you're a kid, it sticks. It sticks in the back of your head and it, it paints a picture of the things that you could do when you're a grownup. Right. Right. And who doesn't want to have like a Jack or a bandit or
17:35
you know, a raccoon that stays in the barn or a bunny who doesn't want to go riding on bunny all the time, you know, and there's a lot of those connections just not between people on the show, but between, you know, humans and animals and stuff like that. You know, you get kind of like the little lassie theme with with Bandit, you know, where he seems to have this understanding beyond just being a dog, you know.
18:03
uh And those things are really, I think, important to kids to inspire them to use their imagination and think beyond the social restrictions and not everything fits in a little, know, perfectly little neat compartmentalized uh box, you know. So it's important for them to know that there are alternatives out there if you don't want to settle for what is right in front of you. Yep. My bandit is named Maggie and she's a girl dog.
18:33
Mine is named Rios. Rios? Uh huh, Rios. Nice, okay. So tell me about your book. I didn't realize that you had written the book because I glanced at the picture and didn't realize it was your book. Yeah, it's my book and uh it's geared towards children ages two to nine. So it's more, you know, pictures rather than actual uh written word.
19:00
But it's based on the seven angelic virtues and there's the seven sisters each one of them embodies one of the virtues and is named after them and then they're sent to the earth to help the humans because Psyche who is known as the mother of the soul in Greek mythology she was a human and then got turned into a
19:28
or God later, which is a whole another story. she creates the seven sisters and sends them to Earth to help humans learn how to cope and manage. then she gives them the lantern of humanity, which is a beacon and will shine a light when somebody is struggling and lead the sisters to that person to help them uh work through a resolution together. So it um
19:59
It fosters that even though you may have a personal struggle, you're not alone in your struggle. There's others that can help you. And it really kind of uh echoes that through teamwork, ah we can do incredible things and make changes. That's beautiful. Did the book just come out? It's actually being delivered today, believe it or not. So we were taking pre-orders and then...
20:26
We're gonna start uh mailing them out this week. And the first 150 of the books are limited edition series that have an authenticity certificate in the back of it. They're numbered and they have my signature. And then they're in a hard laminated cover for longevity and durability so that uh they won't get bent or tweaked out of shape.
20:56
And then the spines on them are all hand bound and there's beautiful illustrations in uh them. it's been so interesting because when we made the illustrations, I didn't have any experience doing a book and neither did the illustrator that helped me. And so when you do it, you're supposed to use a little extra room so that some of it can fit into the binding.
21:23
And I didn't know that so that we had to go back and rework all the images so that when we bound them, all the um story wasn't in the the seam of the of the book. So I delayed us a little bit, but it's probably going to be better in the in long run, you know. So, yeah, so so excited. I'm very excited to see them with the certificate of authenticity and everything today. And then I'm going to do like an unboxing.
21:53
video so that everybody can kind of open them with me for the first time. I'm so glad you said that because I was just going to ask you if you're going to do that because I would love to see your face when you open that box of books. Yeah, I'm not uh I'm not technically good enough yet to do like a, you know, a Facebook live, but I will do the actual, you know, real video footage so that people can can see it and then.
22:22
Eventually I'll get there. I'll get to where I can do like the podcast and the live and all that stuff. But it just has picked up so much momentum since December that I'm caught a little off guard because I never did all the social media stuff before. So now I'm having to learn it along the way too. Just if you get frustrated, take a breath and walk away from it.
22:51
do something else like dishes by hand because it will give your brain a chance to catch up. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. And there are times like that. And I think that's totally normal for everyone. So I have to remind myself because we always hold ourselves to a super high standard and I know I do. And so a lot of times when I'm trying to do some of the reels, I might have scripted out the keynotes of the dialogue.
23:21
that I want to use or the key points that I want to hit. But I try and keep it a little bit fluid because it's easier for me because as soon as I lock it down and it has to be certain words, I get super tongue-tied. And the more I get tongue-tied, the more frustrated I get. And there are times where I have to do exactly that and go, okay, just take a break for a minute. It's not such a big deal. Like we've got all day to do this, you know.
23:50
And you step away for a second and come back because uh you start thinking like, you know, why can't I do this? Why isn't this easy? And one of things I had to adjust to is like when you use like your uh cell phone to do a video, you're actually seeing yourself in the video as you're talking. And so that can itself can be a distraction. And then you start getting self-conscious and you're like, well,
24:20
Do I really move my hands that much? Do I really make that face? And then all of a sudden you're off track from what you're trying to do and you're like, okay, okay, like just take a minute. absolutely. People think that doing social media, know, doing videos is easy. It's not. I refuse to do them because it does the same thing to me. I get distracted by the phone and I cannot think. And it's been something I've really had to
24:50
adjust to. never realized like I've known people that did like, you know, TikTok videos, and they call them influencers and that kind of stuff. And I was like, Oh, yeah, great. But I really never realized how labor intensive it is, how detailed it is. Like when you get into the marketing of it, how you can break it down into different demographics and stuff. And it's just way more
25:18
uh technical than I ever gave it credit for. So to all the people that do social media and run their own sites and their own pages, you have kudos from me because it's way more work than anybody ever gives, probably gives you credit for, you know? It is. And it's funny because I don't, I do two podcasts. It's easy because I don't go on video ever.
25:46
So I don't get distracted. get to focus on the person I'm talking to. And it works great. And I keep thinking I really should do video. I don't want to. Probably never will. We'll see what happens. So I have one more question about the Green Bush Twins and Company project that you're in the middle of, the beginning of. um Is it just California artisans or is it nationwide?
26:14
No, it's nationwide and eventually I'd like to be, you know, worldwide. um Really, we're all just uh human beings. It doesn't matter if we live uh in Europe or if we live in the United States or if we live in South America. We're all just humans trying to get along and do our thing. And so it started here in California because I am here, but it's not
26:43
uh restricted to anyone. I really want it to be an open format where everyone is welcome, every voice matters, when we get to the part where we can share stories and uh experiences, then we can get there too. uh And it's really making those human connections. uh We as a society have
27:08
lost some of our human connection, right? Because everything's um online now. And although you can connect with people visually and auditorially, m you lose that touch and that feel. So eventually we'll go out and I'll do um site, like we can call them site visits, but um public appearances in different places and.
27:34
help to bring people into that area. And if anybody ever wants to be involved in the site beyond just being in like a joiner of the community, like if you make things and you think you've got something that you want to propose to the site, by all means contact me, you know, because that's really what it's meant for. Like it's to shine a light on those individuals that may be
28:02
uh can't reach out to a lot of people but have stuff that they believe in or they want to promote or they want to show you that there's an alternative uh product that you don't have to necessarily use the stuff that Big Pharma or corporate America tells you is what is proper to be used. love that you're doing this, Sydney. Thank you for doing it.
28:32
And I love the concept of your book and I will tell you why. The reason why is because the last probably five or six years have been scary and chaotic and weird and there is still light in the world. And I think that you are like one of the brightest lights shining in it right now. Oh, thank you so much. That's sweet. But I agree with you. I've seen that too. When I was a
29:00
a kid, you know, we were always talking about the golden rule. And sometimes you ask kids today and you ask them, do you know what the golden rule is? And they'll say, oh, yeah, that's Bitcoin. And they don't they don't have those little sayings and phrases that we had um growing up. And so it's really to to try and show the younger generation that even if something looks scary or looks different,
29:27
It's not something to be feared. doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. You know, it could be a great thing, but you won't know until you, you know, try. um so, yeah, it's really something that has come around because of my time on Little House, but it's kind of the same um lessons and morals, but in a fresh uh format, you know.
29:56
There, for some reason I lost you. Oh, you can hear me now? I said, I here's an older, an old saying for you too. Don't hide your light under a bushel. That's right. That's right. That's a good one. I like that one. Yeah, I'm 56. My mom is 79 and my mom had all kinds. She's still with us by the way. But when I was a kid growing up, she had all kinds of sayings like that. And I remember all of them.
30:23
And I will say them around my grown kids. And they're like, that's so old fashioned. It's it's funny because you and I are the same age. I'll be I'll be 56 in May. But yeah, you you you say that to people and then you go, oh, my God, I sound like my mother. Where did that come from? Well, I love my mom, so I'm OK with sounding like my mom. And my dad had sayings, too. He's still with us as well. He's 82.
30:51
I insulted him the other day because I said he was 83 and he was like, I am not. I was like, well, I just gave you back a year of your life then. but, but if you're lucky enough to have parents that share things like don't hide your light under a bushel and do onto others, it's, it's a great thing. Oh yeah. I mean, I, a lot of those little things are
31:18
Because the way Seven Sisters was set up was to be a series of seven different books. so obviously the first one is easiest because it deals with envy and greed, which are really common themes. then that's some of the later stories are going to be, know, don't be afraid to be you. Don't be afraid to be different. know, not everybody has to be the same thing. And we're actually better when we're different, you know.
31:47
So if you come up with any other good things, send them to me. Variety is the spice of life, my dear. That's one for you. Yeah, that's a good one too. All right. Sydney, this was a joy. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. Where can people find you? Well, you can always contact me through the website, is greenbishtwins.com.
32:12
or you can email me at info, I N F O at greenbushtwins.com. And both of those come straight to me. Okay. Fantastic. And your green bush twins and company on Facebook as well. Right. And Facebook, Instagram, and in LinkedIn, think we have LinkedIn too. All right. Fabulous. Um, as always, people can find me at a tiny homestead podcast.com and
32:38
Sidney, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend. Oh, you too. And thank you for reaching out to me. Thank you for having the time. I really appreciate it. All right. Thanks.