Tales from 4MamaBear

Raising Cubs in a Campground

The life of a former park caretaker

Wait? You mean you have website named Raising Kids in a Campground, but you don’t LIVE there anymore? That’s correct. Spoiler alert! We moved to town. We went from a 200 acre backyard to a one acre lot. We went from trails, a disc golf course, tennis courts, a lake & a 3,000 square foot former farmhouse to sidewalks, a swing set, and our biggest body of water is a birdbath that sits outside our 1,400 square feet home. The six years we spent in the campground shaped our who our family is in so many ways. It made us appreciate family time, simple living, and the freedom to travel. Our lives are richer for the experience. This is my story of how we came to live in BearCountry.

4MamaBear in the Garden

Where love grows

Over 200 different kids of flowering plants live in our backyard. Grab your favorite beverage and join me in the backyard for a look at the cottage garden, the veggie plots, the fruit trees, and hopefully pick up a tip or two to try in your own yard. In 2020 we began selling flower arrangements, strawberry plants and raspberries at the Farmer’s Market. Fast forward a season and we have taken the plunge into full fledged flower farming with a dedicated cutting garden with specialty cut flowers to sell at our curbside stand and at the market.

Shop locally at two farmer’s markets & our farm stand.

4MamaBear Meets 4MamaBearMade

My maker journey

My childhood dream was to be a photographer and professional scrapbook maker. As I got older I felt like I wasn’t artistic enough to make it as a photographer and who ever heard of a professional scrapbook maker? I also loved ceramics and even that medium made me feel like I wouldn’t be a good fit for art school. My pottery always needed to have a function and my photobooks weren’t filled with the typical embellishments. My naive self thought that meant that wasn’t art. I’ve grown up a lot since then and as my art has evolved (yes, I call it that now!) I see that thread of ‘functional’ as a foundation of my work, not a hindrance. I prefer to call myself a designer more often than an artist, but at the core I am creating. It’s how God wired my brain and embracing that has allowed that passion to branch in multiple directions besides photography. Turns out there IS a market for photobook design thanks to going digital. I have spent the last 12 years building a portfolio of books for clients all over the world. In 2016 I picked up some yarn for the first time to make something other than a craft with my kids. My instinct to create kicked in and a new avenue for design was born. Like a painter uses a paint brush, I used a crochet hook and later knitting needles. I rarely followed a pattern, but instead followed my heart. I made art. I made so much of it that I was able to turn it into a business.

4MamaBearMade is the handmade line under the umbrella of my Carrie Pauly Photography & Design business that I started in 2008. I make mostly hats knit from patterns I design, but I also sew with an emphasis on upcycling. Visit my gallery here and my shop here.

Adventure is Calling

Off the beaten path trips

Our family loves to travel. What we don’t love are the crowds that are drawn to many vacation destinations. Since we moved to town we’ve had the privilege to travel to the Pacific Coast, Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons, and the wilds of Alaska. Travel was a huge part of my teens & twenties. We made it a priority to get our kids out in the world as early as possible. Camping as infants, visiting the Boundary Waters by age three. Join us for all things gear, itineraries, packing, photography, & making memories!