Category : Life

This past weekend we had a rare lull in plans, so I decided to set a few small goals for myself. Rather than close out my weekend with nothing to show for it (besides a few empty beer bottles and less episodes of The Leftovers to watch), I was in the mood to check things off my to-do list.

#1 Refinish our ugly bedroom dresser – CHECK!

I recently made one of my most grown-up purchases to date: a new headboard. I’ve bought a couple new cars and a house in my lifetime, but nothing makes mefeel more like a grown-up than purchasing non-hand-me-down furniture.

Unfortunately, I had no idea the downward spiral it would lead to. All of the sudden our headboard didn’t match our bedding or our dresser. Then when I brought home the re-finishing paint color, it didn’t match our walls. THEN if I paint our walls (white is the only option at this point), it won’t match our cream curtains. Oh, and I might as well get a couple new nightstands too. All of this because I just had to have a new headboard.

But for now, at least I have a somewhat less ugly dresser…
That, at the end of the day, is still a hand-me-down from grandma.

BEFORE

AFTER
(I used chalk paint, a wax finish, & knobs from Amazon)

#2 Write my St. Louis trip recap for the blog – CHECK!

And check it out. I’m helping ExploreStLouis.com giveaway a trip to their city! There’s still time to enter – all you have to do is leave a comment on the post.

#3 Figure out how the hell Snapchat works – I can’t believe it, but CHECK!

Follow me at: sarah-fortune for behind the scenes of mom-life with Iris (I’m so behind that @sarahfortune is already taken).

Well, that’s all I accomplished, but I’m pretty proud of myself.
Oh, except for those beer bottles. I did manage to empty a few of those too. Cheers!

One of my most favorite local events happens every July – The Firefly Fling at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. This was our third year in a row attending and it was just as magical and adorable as ever (but also pretty dang hot). After three years, I’ve become a pro at preparing for the Fling: Get there right when it opens to claim a prime blanket spot, bring a cooler (with kid juice and adult juice), lots of snacks, glow sticks, and fairy wings. Not only can you explore the beautiful gardens, but there are lots of kid friendly performers and little activity stations set up all around. Last year we had about twenty friends in our crew, but this year it was just our little family on our blanket, but we still had a blast. Here’s our evening in photos.

It’s been a while since I’ve taken the time to write a lengthy blog post, so here’s what we’ve all been up to lately:

ME:
● We’re about halfway through the summer and I’m already so antsy for another vacation. The only downfall in taking our beach vacation in May is that ours was over way too quick and instead of looking forward to the beach all summer, I now get to watch the rest of the world play in the ocean via Instagram. Todd and I are starting to plan a few weekend road trips here and there, so hopefully that will get me by until next year. In the next couple of months we’re headed to Branson, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Man… We must REALLY love Missouri. I also have a few work trips scheduled, like Detroit, here in a couple weeks. I’ve never been, but am excited to visit a new city for the first time. I just realized how close it is to Windsor, so I’m going to try to hop over over to visit Canada for the first time too.
● I was recently super excited to find out that I won second place in the Homeaway Postcards from the Past contest! I submitted this blog post as my entry and, what do ya know, I ended up winning a $500 Visa gift card! Perfect timing, as that will come in handy for one of our weekend getaways.
● As of this month, I’ve been back at my job for two years! Other than an internship, it was my first real job out of college. I tried to leave once and ended up coming back. As cheesy as it is, I’m so grateful to have a job that I look forward to every day.

FAMILY:
● This summer Iris gets to participate in different camps every week at her Montessori school. Yoga camp, farm camp, gross motor skills camp, art camp, camping camp (my favorite just because I like saying it), etc. So far her favorite new skills are husking corn and kicking a soccer ball. Maybe I’ll see if she can do both at the same time. Iris is also still going to gymnastics once a week and loving it. And I’m loving that I finally found leotards that aren’t the tackiest things I’ve ever seen.
● It’s been over a year since Todd and friends started a new business, Flyer Homes Real Estate Company. It’s been exciting to watch it do so well in just the first year. Between owning two companies, brewing beer, being a dad, building us a swing and porch, playing in a band, Todd is staying pretty busy. And obviously very awesome.
● My mom just moved to a cute little house within walking distance of the Fayetteville town square.
● My dad is two-thirds of the way through his chemo. Go, dad. Go!

LOCALLY:
● I’m loving the new Cardamon & Curry restaurant. We got a sneak peek before the official opening and it’s already one of our new favorites. I’m also still obsessed with one of the owners’ other restaurants, Woodstone Craft Pizza. I love the T.H.I.S.S.S pizza to eat and the Cucumber Cooler cocktail to drink. I only wish they served it in BUCKETS.
● I just signed on as a blog sponsor of The Jones Center and am excited to explore the facilities with Iris. Where else can you swim in the winter and ice skate in the summer around here?
● We went to our third Firefly Fling at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. I’ll post the magical photos soon.
● It’s been so extremely hot lately. We’ve been staying cool by finding fun things to do indoors. Bowling? Check. Day drinking? Check. Movie theater? Check. I’ve always been a summer-lover, but I am definitely ready for fall.

That’s it for now folks!