© 2014 sarahfortune.

HELLO
Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.
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Articles written by: Sarah

Life, Photos

December!

It’s the most wonderful time of yeeeear! And by wonderful, I mean busy as heck. This past week it seems like every minute has been accounted for with plans, but here’s what’s new with us:

+ We started using Blue Apron! We opted for the three meals per week plan (for two people) which is $60 per week. We just received our sixth box and overall we’ve been quite pleased – despite a few shipping hiccups. So far I’m a fan because there are two things I don’t like: meal planning and grocery shopping, and this elevates both of these things. Plus, we’re not picky eaters, but I’m also not an adventurous cook so it’s been fun to try things I normally would never think to make. I’ve been posting some of my adventures with Blue Apron on Snapchat (username: sarah-fortune), which shows my love, as well as my frustrations with the service (I may do a post soon about my full, unsponsored, experience and how to adjust for a kid-friendly portion).

Blue apron

+ We went to The Little Craft Show! I was lucky enough to go to the VIP function the night before opening day, where I snagged a goodie bag full of fun stuff. We went back on Saturday too, where we picked up another few gifts (and maybe some things for myself).

Little Craft Show

Little Craft Show

Little Craft Show

Little Craft Show

+ Iris saw Santa Claus and wrote him a letter too!

Santa 2015

From my VSCO Cam Library

Iris' letter to Santa - Christmas 2015

+ Real life happened: bad moods (her) and wine (me). Annnnd someone got a stomach bug (her). And somebody cleaned it up (me). And guess who got more wine (ME).

Instagram

Instagram

Instagram

Now I just have to pull all my efforts into finishing my Christmas shopping, getting my long to-do list checked off at work before the holiday break, and then I’ll be good and ready for Christmas. PS – I’m posting a few gift ideas of things we love this week, so stay tuned.

Life, Sponsored

The Little Craft Show!

Little Craft Show

If you are anywhere near Northwest Arkansas this weekend, you absolutely cannot miss The Little Craft Show. I’ve taken Iris every year since it began and now, five years later, it’s still my number-one Christmas shopping destination. The booths of various makers and crafters are stocked full of handmade, unique pieces from around the area and beyond. I’m always so proud to live in a community that has so much creativity to offer and this event really lets it shine. See you there?

WHERE & WHEN
Fayetteville Town Center (right on the square!)
15 West Mountain Street
Fayetteville, AR

Friday, December 4th
3-9pm VIP – $95
5-9pm General Admission – $15
CLICK HERE to purchase your tickets!

Saturday, December 5th
9am – 5pm – FREE to attend!

For what it’s worth, we usually go to the Friday night event and then again on Saturday. It’s that good.

The Little Craft Show

Can’t wait to add our photo from this year!

(top images via: Thimblepress, Happy Guppy, Darwin and Delilah, Glitter and Wit, Quiet Clementine, Wild and Free Designs – all of which will be at LCS!)

Life

Holiday Ready

It’s officially the week of Thanksgiving and we’re ready to celebrate! Things I’m excited for:

+ Spending time with family and friends. We’re stretching Thanksgiving this year and partying (re: eating) all week long. On Thursday we’ll be spending the day with Todd’s side of the family, on Friday we’ll be with my side of the family, and then on Saturday we’ll be hanging with friends. My pal Bev and I have already decided to lock ourselves in Iris’ playhouse with a bottle of wine. Sorry, kiddos – mamas will be ready for a break.

+ Having my house smell like a Christmas tree. I love, love, love having a real Christmas tree, mostly for the fresh pine scent, but also for the tradition of picking out just the right one. I’m also completely obsessed with this Roland Pine candle by Soap and Paper Factory. This is the third year that I have bought one – I hope they never ever stop making them because I don’t know what I’ll do. Probably die.

+ Broccoli-cheddar casserole and buttermilk pie. I make the same things every holiday – the casserole is my mom’s recipe and the pie recipe is passed down from my dad. Very southern, very comfort-foody, very much my favorite, but also very unphotogenic food so there will be no photos.

+ Enjoying our very organized closets. I spent this past Sunday (and I mean all day Sunday) going through and organizing my closet and Iris’ closet. Mine only took about an hour and hers… well, she has a ridiculous amount of clothes so it took FOREVER. I’m not sure how long this whole organized thing will last, but it sure feels good to reach into a drawer and not pull out a pair of leggings that are two sizes too small. While I’m donating a ton of stuff, I also have a nice little stack of clothes that I’ll be selling over on my Instagram shop in the coming weeks.

+ Freshly Picked Black Tuesday Sale. Tonight I’m giving away a pair of soft-soled Freshly Picked moccasins on Instagram. If you aren’t a winner, don’t be too sad. They’re having a big Black TUESDAY sale tomorrow morning (11/24) and will be 25% off select styles in the shop (with even bigger discounts on apparel).

+ Time. Very thankful to have a nice chunk of days off from the daily grind. I’m sure I’ll be very ready to send Iris back to school next week, but until then – I’ll soaking up every minute.

Giveaway

Freshly Picked Giveaway!

I’ve been a customer (and lover) of Freshly Picked for nearly three years now. Back when Iris was just over a year old, I treated her (okay, ME) to the sienna suede moccasins. This was back when Freshly Picked was still relativity small, but their moccasins were as adorably perfect as they are now.

In these little moccs, Iris has taken some of her first steps, has walked down the aisle as a flower girl, and has celebrated some of her very first birthdays. The footprints worn in on each pair hold so many memories that I know I’ll look back on years from now. I had always thought that the moccasins were great for the baby stage, but wouldn’t be very practical when Iris got older. I was wrong. Even though they might not be perfect for long walks on rainy days, I’m surprised at how great they are for the wild life of a toddler too. I think she wears her FP moccasins now more than she did when she was a baby. She can put them on by herself, they are comfy, and of course they are mom approved because we all know how cute they look in an Instagram photo.

This month Freshly Picked sent Iris a pair of moccasins in a blush pink. She’s old enough to love them for herself now, so she helped pick out the color. This delivery was bittersweet though, because Iris is now in the very last size of the soft sole moccasins. Thankfully, FP has introduced a line for older babes, which I have no doubt we will transition to when the time comes.

Now comes the fun part – I get to give away a pair of soft soled moccasins to one of my readers! Entering is easy (and hosted over on my Instagram account):

+ Follow @sarahfortune and @freshlypicked on Instagram
+ Tag a friend in the comments on the contest photo (enter as many times as you’d like)

Rules: Sorry, open to US residents only. You cannot have won a Freshly Picked giveaway within the last 60 days. One winner will be selected via random.org and will get to pick one pair of moccasins (soft soled only). Contest ends Monday, November 23 at 10:00 pm Central. Good luck!

Life

Hello From November

“Whoa! Slow down little lady.” – What Iris said to me recently as I filled my wine glass. And that’s what I’m saying to this month right now. I can’t believe we’re already halfway through November! Christmas will be here before we know it. I just hope December doesn’t go as fast, but I’m sure it will. Here’s a short update on what we’ve been up to lately.

Razorback basketball season has officially started! We have season tickets, so we try to go to as many games as we can. It’s always tricky with Iris, but it’s getting easier (the ice cream bribe at half-time seems to work pretty well).

A film crew recently came to Fayetteville to do a piece on Iris’ CVS birthday party. It’s for a UK show about funny kids, but there’s a chance it could air in the US too. I’ll keep ya posted. Iris did great… mostly. For some reason during the interview segment, she kept grabbing my BOOB! I have no idea what that was about. She has never done anything like that, so.. really lovely that she decided to get all hands-on when the camera was rolling. Hopefully they’ll edit that out, but I’m sure my face will be beet-red (or make that CVS red).

Iris and I had an afternoon date on Saturday. We ate at our favorite local restaurant and then went shopping along the town square.

Todd built (from scratch!) Iris an amazing playhouse for her fourth birthday. He has worked nearly every day on it, but as of this weekend it’s officially finished. Now comes the fun part – decorating it and moving in some toys! I’ll give you guys the grand tour soon.

We went to “Bring Your Parents to School Night” at Iris’ Montessori school. Iris showed us some of the work she’s been doing lately: Moveable alphabet, pink tower, and stroking work.

That’s all for now… Stayed tuned though because tomorrow I’ll let you know about a giveaway that I’m hosting!