© 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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Food, Sponsored

New Year, New Cereal!

This post is sponsored by General Mills, but all opinions are my own.

Mornings are hard. Mornings after the holidays are even harder. The holiday magic is packed away along with the twinkle lights, making the new year feel refreshing, but also a little less cheerful. As a mom, I feel like I’m reliving that feeling as a kid of having to wait a whole year for December to roll around. But now I also see little ways that I can embrace the new year for my family, sprinkling some everyday fun while we gear up to head back to school after the long winter break.

One simple way is to add joy to the morning rush by treating Iris to cereal that I couldn’t have even dreamed of as a kid! Hershey’s Kisses Cereal, Jolly Rancher Cereal, and Trix™ Trolls with Marshmallows Cereal – oh my! These are all-new, fun cereals by General Mills available at Walmart. Iris literally shrieked when she saw that she could have these cereals for breakfast.

Getting Iris out of bed has never been easier and, let’s face it, after the holidays we need all the help we can get. These new cereals bring a little New Year cheer during an otherwise hectic season. Iris (and mom) are pretty stoked to have these sweet cereals as part of our morning routine!

Smiles all around as we’re off to conquer our day! Check ‘em out at Walmart.

DreamWorks Trolls World Tour © 2020 DreamWorks Animation, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
HERSHEY’S KISSES trademark and trade dress, conical configuration and plume device are used under license.
JOLLY RANCHER trademark and trade dress are used under license.

Northwest Arkansas, Sponsored, Travel

Fall At Crystal Bridges

This post is sponsored by Crystal Bridges, but all opinions are my own.

Want to turn your autumn up a notch? Plan a visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of Modern Art this fall. The outside of the museum has always been just as magical as the inside and now, with the Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama and the North Forest Lights, the Crystal Bridges experience has somehow become even more spectacular. Even if you don’t live nearby, I promise you this is more than just a museum and well worth the trip. Just since its opening in 2011, more than 4 million people from 50 states and six out of the seven continents have visited.

Todd and I were lucky enough to experience the North Forest Lights during opening night last Saturday. Even though I knew a little bit about it going in, my expectations were quickly exceeded as we ventured into the woods by way of a scenic path. Arriving just after sunset, we were first greeted by a charming little “village” that included plenty of spots to sit and relax, food options, communal campfire, a cute little gift shop, and a bar… Yes, a BAR in the forest! After grabbing a cup of spiked hot cocoa, we settled down at a small table and nibbled on deliciously gooey grilled cheese and a cozy cup of soup. With the seating nestled in the middle of the five installations, we kept warm with our drinks while surrounded by the twinkle of lights.

We were told not to miss the Whispering Tree (even if there was a line), so that was the first installation we experienced. Visitors are invited to privately engage with the tree group-by-group and, even so, the line moved surprisingly fast. What sounded a little cheesy at first actually ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the night. You walk up to the tree and are instructed to sing into the vintage microphone standing in front of you. I let Todd take the initiative on this one while I stood there and watched the tree twinkle to his voice. The way the tree lit up felt like you were the star in an animated movie. No one can hear you sing or speak to the tree except for the people you’re with, so you don’t have to worry about feeling silly. Instead, you can focus on watching the tree turn into the color of your voice which is assigned by the tree (Todd is totally magenta, by the way).

After grabbing another cup of hot cocoa (because, duh) we walked around to each of the other installations. I was really glad that we were told to stop and stay at each one for at least five to ten minutes so that you get the full experience. There’s music that goes along with each installation which makes it feel like each spot in the woods is giving you its own performance. Along with the Whispering Tree, there’s the the Crystal Grove, The Hearth, Forest Orchestra, and my personal favorite – The Bridge. The Bridge was constructed solely for this exhibit and stretches across an old creek. You can stand and watch from the bridge, where fog rolls past. Lasers and lights give the illusion of water and there’s only one word for it – mesmerizing.

My iPhone photos don’t even come close to doing either experience justice, but ever since our visit I’ve been telling everyone I run into about how the North Forest Lights and Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room are both a must-see. We’re already planning another visit so that we can bring Iris, who I know will be absolutely enchanted. Even if it’s cold outside, it’s worth the journey and besides, the spiked hot cocoa will keep you warm.

Life

The Ultimate Fairy House Garden Birthday Party!

For Iris’ eighth birthday party this year, she decided to go with a Fairy Garden Party theme. The inspiration came from one of our local bike trails where there’s a little fairy scene that people keep adding to (including Iris). It’s a pretty cute idea so we decided to do the same thing for her party and make fairy houses. Now that Iris and her friends are a bit older, I’ve found that having a dedicated activity is helpful in keeping the kids occupied.

We scoured craft stores, Amazon, and our very own backyard for fairy house making supplies. One of the hardest parts about this party was knowing how much stuff we would need to make and decorate the houses, but I was able to find things like faux flowers, feathers, rocks, bags of fake moss, and glass jewels for pretty cheap. I also grabbed a bunch of plastic dishes from the dollar store so that everything had its own compartment. I got a lot of messages about this party on Instagram, so I went ahead and did a round-up of the party details below!

Fairy House Supplies
– Dirt (I used a fresh bag so that it was a little damp, allowing the props to stand up easily)
– Plastic plant saucers (we filled these up prior to the party)
– Small wooden houses
– Tiny fences
– Butterflies
– Toadstools
– Faux leaves
– Sharpies for coloring & labeling the fairy houses
– Glue Dots to keep the fairy house details in place
– And of course, fairies!

Party Favors
For the party favors the kids got to bring home their fairy house, but we also gave these cute fairy wands with a “Thank You Fairy Much” tag I downloaded from Etsy. We also had fairy wings for guests which I found at the dollar store (it’s helpful that Iris’ birthday is right before Halloween).

Party Decorations & Food
For the decorations, I grabbed some garlands and backdrop fringe at Target. I paired both of those with this cute fairy banner from Amazon. For the pinata, I had to look to eBay to find the toadstool.

For food, I opted for a simple cake and bought a custom fairy topper on Etsy. I also picked up some basic cupcakes from Walmart and added my own toppings. Glitter sprinkles on the white icing and white circles on the red icing to give a toadstool look. I also decided to order a grazing board from The Blonde Kitchen here in NW Arkansas. How cute are the toadstool Babybel cheeses?! The entire board was a hit and almost every bite was eaten. I also ordered custom cookies from our favorite Doss Haus Cookie Co. Aren’t they adorable? Of course, every one of these was eaten too. And I just couldn’t resist these toadstool paper plates to put it all on!

Party Fashion
As for Iris’ outfit, she wore this flower crown and this tulle party dress, and a special pair of wings from Hanna Andersson.

Now here are a few more photos from the party!

Life

Book Character Costume – The Book With No Pictures

What happens when you realize that Book Character Dress Up day at school is TOMORROW? Well, in my case, I ran to the Target pet toy aisle. One of Iris’ favorite books is The Book With No Pictures, so I thought that we could pull that off with just a few simple things and an all-white outfit.

I lucked out and found a pizza cat collar costume, so I pinned a piece of elastic to turn it into its own headband. But really you can grab a pet toy / costume that looks like a pizza (surprisingly, there were several different options at Target) and safety pin it to a headband. Glue on some blue pom poms and you’ve got yourself a “head made out of blueberry pizza!”

Food, Life, Sponsored

Box Tops – A Major Update!

This post is sponsored by General Mills and Nestle™, but all opinions are my own.

And just like THAT school is back in session, but we’ve soaked up the last few delicious moments of summer. Each year when we head back to school, everything has changed just a little bit. The kids are a little taller, their backpacks become a bit heavier, and this year – there’s also an exciting change in the Box Tops For Education world.

Even though school hasn’t been in session for months, we have not taken a break from collecting our beloved Box Tops. If you are anything like me, you keep your eyes peeled for those fun little squares on every package you buy. Before I had Iris, I didn’t realize just how valuable Box Tops can be, but now we collect them as a family knowing the rewards will directly benefit Iris’ school. Iris is always so proud to contribute and I really love that its a simple way to learn about giving back, with an impact she can actually see.

But this is where the change comes in! I personally am ready to party because – you guys – Box Tops are going DIGITAL! No. More. Clipping. You simply download the app, scan your receipt, and see just how much you (and your fellow school friends) have raised. How exciting and easy is that?

We’ll also be stocking up on all of our lunch favorites and after school snacks at Sam’s Club because when you buy one General Mills product, you earn not just one, but 12 Box Tops. Buy 1, Get 12, how awesome is that?! You can also buy participating Nestle™ products as well! So while many things are difficult about going back to school – the clothes shopping, the first day nerves, and the return of (dun dun dun…) homework, at least we have this bit of good news to bring us joy – and to bring our kiddos the extra support they deserve.