Like Bees To Honey :: Na-Da Farm Barn Sale

So this past Saturday I made my way up North  to the Na-Da Farm Barn Sale, for the third time now.
I love this sale.
LOVE it.
I love the location, Anne Marie's farm which is kind of(but not completely) in the middle of nowhere, I love the size of the sale
(not too big and overwhelming but definitely big enough) and I love the vendors that are there, they really do have some really cool stuff there.

I absolutely love the creativity of the booths and of all of the women there, it is amazing and that is really my most favorite part of all of it.
Like bees to honey, women(and some men) from all over the area are drawn to this Barn Sale for some good old-fashioned handmade shopping.
That makes me happy-- women supporting other women and their handmade and/or small businesses, friends spending the weekend doing something fun together.... I am so happy I was able to go again.

This yarn-bombed tree was not at the Farm but in the town nearby that has some super cute shops we always go to.
This Shop is my favorite one if you ever happen to be in the area... which you probably won't.
I love this tree and think I really need one in my yard... and then I remembered that I don't knit.
Oh well.

Now this camper was at the Barn Sale.... Can you even stand it? It was the cutest thing ever and decorated just as cute on the inside.
I LOVED this lady's booth, I was in love with her stuff... which really wasn't surprising to me because I saw a couple of things
in her booth that I have for sale in my shop, too.
If I was to paint a camper, these would be my colors. They are just HAPPY.

I am a little mad that I did not end up buying one of these potted herbs.
Aren't these adorable?! WHO has the patience to make these things?!
I really wish I did.
I loved the little basil plant and if I was going home that day I definitely would have bought one.
Basil is one of my most favorite smells ever. Like, ever.

A few snapshots of a couple of the booths, it was really too crowded to get many good pictures.
And the ducks? Ahhhh... the ducks were so cute. I think I need a baby duck now.
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And a few more of the most awesome vintage shop ever in town.... I think this might be the third time
now that I have blogged that same picture of the hoop wall(last photo).
I can't get enough of it, I really wish it was in my house, that's some of the best fabric ever.

If there is another one in again in October, we'll be there again!
Seriously if you are anywhere near the area, or not even super close at all, you should go check it out.
Then go to the cute little shops in DeKalb, you won't be disappointed.
Oh--and the next time I am there I want to check out Northern Illinois University, we passed by it twice and I wish we would
have had time to stop.
I bet it would be really beautiful in the Fall.

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Around Here :: On The Porch

For Mother's Day I was surprised with a new porch swing, a new mailbox and house numbers.
I could not have been happier... and I was truly surprised!
I am lucky because my husband truly is thoughtful and gets me things that I really want-- or maybe didn't even know I wanted
but are just perfect for me.
Now the porch swing I have wanted for a while,  we had one at our old house and I loved it.
But the BEST part of all? They were all put up and the job was finished before Eric and the kids surprised me with them.
Yay!

There is nothing better to me than early morning coffee in the Spring on the front porch before the kids get up.
The key word there is BEFORE the kids get up... which is not often that I am up before them... they are early risers and I am...
not so much.
But when I am it is so, so good... and so peaceful.
One of my goals for the summer is to get up earlier so I can have a little time to myself first thing in the morning.

In nice weather the kids play on the porch int he shade, we read here at night before bed and you will find us  eating lunch out there

in the Summer a lot,  picnic-style. 

It's like having an extra little room and I love it.

One of these days I might just do a whole little porch make-over-- get some new pillows and a cushion for the swing, maybe paint

those wicker chairs finally.... that might be on my Summer to-do list...

But for now I am happy with this little spot just as it is.

{ Instagram favorites from the porch this week }

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Hope you all are having a GREAT week.... tomorrow is Friday already and we only have one week left of school...
How is that even possible?! Wow.
Happy Thursday!

A Portrait A Week

Last Wednesday my girl and I spent the whole day together, just the two of us.
She got to pick exactly what she wanted to do... it was all about her, all day long.
It was so, so good.
Lucky for me, I had the whole day to get lots and lots of pictures of her and only a couple of times did I actually ask her to stop and
look at the camera for me.
Just that morning she lost her second front tooth and I have to say, she looks absolutely adorable with both front teeth missing.

This girl is a climber(always has been), a runner, jumper an explorer and a daredevil.
She has a brave, independent spirit that I absolutely adore, she truly is equal parts girly-girl and tomboy.
The best part of our day might have been when we were at the fountains in front of the State Capitol building at the end of the day.
The crowds were gone, there was no one around the fountains so we kicked off our flip-flops and ran around in the green grass.
She dipped her feet in the water and just played.
This is when she is at her absolute happiest; outside, barefoot and getting messy.

Ahhh... I love this girl so, so much.
I'm linking up here at Che & Fidel for the Weekly Portrait Series.

Ten On Ten :: May

Hey there.
Luckily I saw a reminder Thursday nigh, right before I went to bed,  that Friday was the 10th, otherwise I think I totally
would have missed it... why don't I ever know the date?
Seriously, ever since I stopped working several years ago I never keep track of the date.
I kinda took the easy way out today, all iphone this time, which is fine sometimes... and is a good little reminder to myself that
there doesn't always have to be a GREAT shot... sometimes just getting it done is okay. It really is.

8:00ish walking to school

10:00ish :: a good little message
11:00ish :: picked up... for now

12:00ish :: at the parlor, no tattoo for me though... today.

1:00ish :: t-shirt & yoga pants kinda day(but don't get it twisted, i didn't actually do yoga)
2:00ish another sink full of dishes
3:00ish :: a Rainbow of books on my mantel

There's just a bit of my day in pictures.
Lately I can't get enough of the Hipstamatic app and the first photo is
 taken/edited with the Vintique app.
Next week I have a post planned for my favorite iphone photo apps.
There are so many good ones, I can't get enough!

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Happy Weekend!

A Million Stories

Do you ever feel like your story isn't all that important?

That you don't have anything super exciting to share... and you wonder if anyone really cares anyway?

That maybe because you don't have a hugely successful business, or you don't live abroad... 

or because you haven't been volunteering in an orphanage in another country that what you are

 doing isn't important or interesting?

I feel that way sometimes, but then I remember...

that ALL of our stories are important, all of them.

The big things, the little things, the important and not-so-important things...

all of these little stories make up our lives.

All these little moments, every day make up the story of our lives and become part of our history.

So my story might be boring... but I'm telling it anyway.

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Happy Friday, friends.
Today is the 10th... I'm doing the Ten on Ten project again this month.
You should, too.

Morning Coffee... On A Wednesday

Good morning.
It's Wednesday morning and I am up before the kids having an early morning perfectly hot cup of coffee.
I love it when I get my coffee just exactly right... that happened this morning.
It's funny that as the weather is getting nicer and the sun is rising earlier, I am getting up a little bit earlier.
Slowly, slowly coming out of hibernation.
One of my favorite things about this weather is having coffee out on the front porch again.
So I am going to make this quick because you just know that any time I intend to get up early the kids will be up in no time.
It never fails. Never.

{Best Day Ever}

So we have been looking forward to today for a while, Charlotte and I.
Today Charlotte is taking her "mental health" day and gets to miss school just for the fun of it... for no reason at all and the inner
rebellious child in me loves it. Like, loves it.
My mom never, ever let us miss school unless we were throwing up or really sick so I kind of love letting my kids do it on occasion.
So our plan for today is to go out of town to the museum, eat lunch out, buy new sandals and go to the book store... that's all I know so far.
Who knows what else she will decide to do but it is entirely up to her, just for this one day.
Wouldn't that be the coolest thing ever, as a kid?
I did the same thing with Wyatt back in March(you can read that post here) and he claimed it was the "best day ever".
I told the kids this special day is for doing so well in school and getting good grades and they each get to do it once a year.

{Spring Weather & Lilacs }

This weather is wonderful.
Dreamy.
We have had a rainy Spring but we have also had lots of sunshine and everything is turning so green.
I love it.
Our teeny-tiny lilac bush in our yard has yielded a very small amount of lilacs in the last week, very small... but I absolutely
love lilacs, so I'll take it them.
I wish I had a few huge bouquets so my whole house smelled like lilacs though.
Best smell ever.

 {School Is Almost OUT }

This week has been full of parent meetings, teacher appreciation week, brainstorming for teacher gifts, homework and projects
and trying to remember to send money for something different every day.
The end of the school year is crazy busy.
And that is just for two kids that aren't really in anything at all right now... crazy.
I made four dozen muffins for the teacher's breakfast this morning... and when I was done with those and decided I would make
blueberry muffins for us for breakfast I realized I was out of vegetable oil.
Oh well. That always kinda happens when I am cooking or baking... I'm not exactly the best planner or recipe follower.

So that's it for me this morning... I know two kids that will be down here any minute asking me what's for breakfast.
I have muffins to deliver and a big day with my favorite girl to get ready for!

There are dandelions around here everywhere.
It makes for long walks when the kids have to stop every minute to pick one and blow it to make a wish... but I'm not complaining.
I love dandelions and think it's funny that some people are so uptight about having them in their yard.
Weeds? What? I think not.

Wishing you all a great Wednesday...
Leave me a comment and tell me a bit about what's going on in your world lately.

Florida :: Living The Dream

{First of all,  I have to tell you that although this vacation was awfully dreamy, the "living the dream" part is an inside joke}

A few years ago my sister and I were taking the kids to a big Easter egg hunt and as we were walking up to it there was a family
walking next to us; the dad was snapping around/yelling at the kids and being a super grouch but the second someone he knew walked
up and asked how he was doing his attitude immediately changed;
"Living the dream, buddy, living the dream. Family, great wife...what else could I ask for? Just living the dream..."
Ha!
So now we always say that about our lives, especially on those super crappy days when everything seems to be going wrong;
"Just living the dream, buddy, just living the dream..."

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Now, in Florida we really were living the dream though.
No laundry, no meals to fix, no cleaning up, no breaking up fights, no packing school lunches and no responsibilities!
Our biggest challenges were-- trying not to sleep in too late, what time to head to the beach and what drinks we wanted
to order at dinner.
Bliss.

This was the most relaxing time I have had in years... YEARS.
It was so much fun and even with the whole flying thing I'd go again in a heartbeat(I might just be a little better medicated, that's all).
The five of us laughed like I had not laughed in forever, laughed and cried really, this trip was truly the best therapy ever.

Vacation as therapy? Yes, please!
We are already planning our trip for next April... if we can wait that long.
I miss the colors, the ocean, the water, the sand, the sun and the feeling of total calm and peace.
Who knew a PINK house could be so cute? I am not even a pink kinda girl.