Music To My Ears
1 week ago
30 April 2011
Today was the big day! Two of my favorite neighborhood yard sales, gorgeous weather and my cute Mama to join me: it really was the perfect storm.
You really never know what you're going to find on any given garage sale day - some days it's tons of super nice clothes and other days it's all about home decor. Today, randomly enough started out with diapers. There were a lot of passable yard sales today, maybe in part because there were so many people out shopping that the good stuff was being grabbed up so quickly. But, there were definitely some winners in there too.
I live for the winners!
Here's my haul:
$13 - 2 packs of diapers - $30+ worth of diapers, completely sealed and unopened - don't worry. I hadn't planned on buying diapers today, but the price and size were right. The lady had just stocked up on diapers and her son grew out of them before she could use them all. Score for me! Much to Ryan's chagrin the big pack is the jeans kind. I remember seeing ads for these and thinking it was an SNL digital short. Ah well, she can wear them at home. They're pretty denim-ish-looking too. I'll have to take a picture of Hazel wearing a pair (yes, I just called them a "pair").
$1.00 - two black picture frames - to add to my ever-growing stairway wall gallery
$0.50 - 1 yard pink & white striped upholstery fabric - I'll add it to my stash. Thinking it has a future in the service of our resident lady love.
$1.00 - Girls clothes - speaking of our resident Lady Love, I got her a couple of pairs of Old Navy summer shorts and a fall shirt for a dollar. A lady at another sale threw in the Ralph Lauren dress for free with some jammies for Oliver.
$3.00 - 3 sets of Gap winter jammies - for Oliver next winter. They were in great shape, so even though we won't use them for many moons, they were definitely worth a dollar a pair (plus the pink dress for Hazel above!)
$0.50 - cute pair of red French shoes for Hazel - if I keep buying a pair of shoes/week for Hazel, I'm going to be in big trouble by the end of the summer!
$15 - New bike for Oliver!!!!! - I was just reading in Oliver's preschool newsletter that Bike Day is next week at school. I was relieved to find this one - complete with training wheels - this morning. He was thrilled and has already received a few bike lessons from his Daddy.
$0.50 - a helmet to go with the bike - as modeled by Hazel. It's in great shape!
{Also, a little guessing game - see that big cardboard box in the left side of the photo? A hint: it was delivered yesterday, it's staying outside until we're ready to open it, and it's taller than Oliver. Guesses?}
Free - "Stuart Little" - We stopped by our friends the Shurdens' house today and they wouldn't let me pay for this great little hardback copy of Stuart Little. I almost didn't count it in today's list since it was more of a gift than a find, but it's just so pretty I decided to stick it in.
$1.00 - Brown Steve Madden shoes - for Ryan. Perfect fit, in great shape. And best of all, he loves them!
{There's a little guy sticking his head out of the shoe because he can't wait for you to see what my tuck-n-run find was this week!}
Hazel can't wait either.
And neither can this orange-headed lady!
Okay, here it is - my Tuck-and-Run find of the week:
$5.00 - Plan Toys doll house with furniture and people - for Hazel. Her first dollhouse! Currently retailing on Amazon for $104 without accessories, this was definitely my find of the day. The balcony and some of the furniture need a little wood glue because of their pre-loved condition, but that's no problem.
Hazel was even more thrilled than I anticipated!
Although, she does tend to play with things just like her brother does - less with them and more on them. :)
Fortunately, it's super sturdy. I'm thinking this doll house/lounge chair will be with us for a long time!
What did y'all find this week? Anything great?
29 April 2011
Life can change in an instant.
Yesterday I spent the day at my house with my sister and babes. The bigger kids played outside, the younger ones napped, and our littlest nugget didn't stray too far from his Mama's arms. We chatted about life and (strangely) how death changes everything.
Sort of a dark topic, yes. But it really wasn't intended to be dark. We were just speaking hypothetically - out of the air. We surmised that a family minus one member can never be the same - not completely.
Then 5 o'clock rolled around and it was time for her to go home. We said our "goodbyes" and our "see you tomorrow's" and that was that.
This morning Ryan and I woke up to missed calls on both of our cell phones and our email inboxes full of messages from Rebecca and Caleb, updating us on news we had not yet heard. (WHY don't we make a point to sleep with our cell phones nearby??)
In the night last night baby Rowan (newly 6 weeks old) spiked a 102 fever and Rebecca and Caleb were instructed by his pediatrician to take him directly to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital immediately. (Folks don't mess around with newborns and fevers - NOT a joke!)
Rowan was greeted at the hospital with a lumbar puncture, several blood draws and too many failed attempts at an IV start for his Mama's liking. It was an alarming, harried couple of hours in the emergency room before they got Rowan admitted and then set to work waiting on the results of all of his tests.
As soon as we got the news we made plans for me to join my sister at the Children's hospital while they waited for results and while Caleb came home to care for the other three children.
And while the night was scary and the morning news was jarring (I'd just planned to wake up to see what Kate Middleton would wear for her wedding day), things are much more stable and relaxed now. While Rowan still has a fever on and off, and he will be kept at the hospital until Sunday for observation, his doctor is rather confident that this little body is just battling a virus and that the antibiotics he is receiving will serve him well and get him back on his feet (er, back?) sooner than later.
Now we just get to wait. And snuggle. And admire that fine upper lip of his.
And praise our Jesus and remember that life can change in an instant.
That life is fragile. And wonderful. And full of surprises.
Thanks to all of you for your concern today and prayers on behalf of our littlest nugget. Now, off to bed for a good night's sleep before a big morning of garage sale-ing with my Mama!
{Rowan's handsome hospital gown made with love by the fine young ladies in my Art of Homemaking class. We made several as a sewing project last month to donate to the Children's Hospital so the babies there could have something more lovely to wear and who knew our own babe would be the first recipient!}
28 April 2011
Peg & Becca are awesomely useful when it comes to putting together unexpected groupings of fabrics. They're like having a design team in your back pocket - with a good eye for color and pattern. Even if you don't have the time to chat with them to make a custom combo, they are always putting together lovely bundles for their shop that are ready-to-buy.
Some of the latest additions to their shop include Desert Bloom by Jane Dixon and Theory by Anthology Fabrics.
They are carrying a good portion of the new Sherbet Pips line by Aneela Hoey {totally planning to make a quilt for Hazel out of this line!}.
And, they have these gorgeous new Crossweaves by Moda that are solid fabric with different fiber colors in the warp and weft {whoa! tossing out the fancy fabric terms!}. I have the last two shown here and I think the purple has a future as a summer frock for Little Miss.
And, if you're looking for some popular favorites, they've got lots of Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms line
Yes, I'm a bit of a fabric nerd. But I have a feeling I'm not alone! Right? RIGHT?!
Well, if I'm not alone and you also consider yourself a fabric nerd (or even a wannabe fabric nerd), you'll be glad to know that SewFreshFabrics is offering the special treat of flat-rate shipping through Sunday, May 8th.
Flat-rate details:
$2.50 US
$5 Canada
$7 International
Just write "FMFship" in the notes to seller at checkout and they will refund your overage after the sale.
This means you pay the same shipping whether you buy one fat quarter or an entire line of Sherbet Pip delight!
Go forth and sew, friends!
{And don't forget to enter the Nourish Baby Organics and Little Town Boutique giveaways that are still going on!}
Hello, friends! It's giveaway day number 2!
Little Town Boutique makes headbands and hair clips and other lovelies for baby girls and their headgear-borrowing mommies. (I am counted among the latter crowd.) I've shared this Etsy shop with y'all this past fall because we were constantly using their headbands for Hazel's bald-and-beautiful noggin.
Jordan (the shop owner) has recently developed some great new designs that are unique and lovely and nicely close-to-the-head for our now one-year-old.
Today I get to give away a Shabby-Chic headband like the one Hazel is wearing to one of y'all. And, Little Town Boutique is offering a really great deal for all y'all as well.
Here's the skinny:
To enter to win the headband, leave a comment telling me your favorite item in the Little Town Boutique shop. {one entry per person, please!}
And the bonus:
If you spend $25 at the Little Town Boutique you will have your choice of a free headband. Choose from the posie, the polka dot rosette, or the baby rosette (my personal fave!). Just leave the item/color/size of the free headband in the message to seller box at checkout {don't put it in your cart}.
OR, if you spend less than $25, you can receive 10% off your entire order using the code "findingmyfeet10" at checkout.
These offers are good through Thursday, May 5th. You may not use them in combination with one another. If you try, you will be swallowed up into a land with no headbands. {i'm serious!}
Happy headgear, friends!
27 April 2011
Hurrah! It's giveaway time again, y'all!
I have four fantastic sponsors this month and they're all going to do you right with giveaways and discounts and lots of things that I love. (Did I mention that I love my sponsors?)
Y'all are probably (hopefully!) familiar with Nourish Baby Organics by now. If not, you're missing out! Melissa (of The Nourished Nest) is actually a local (to me) small business owner and Mama of two sweet babes. She built her organic bath product business from the ground up when her oldest was a new babe suffering from eczema and now has her products on the shelves of many retailers (including our local Whole Foods stores)!
I'm so excited about her giveaway today because she's giving away my very favorite product she sells - the organic lavender oil. (Seriously, we have one in every bathroom and I try to keep one handy for baby shower gifts too.)
Remember these photos of Hazel (sometimes known as "Crazel" in our house) in the bath? That was when we first started loving lavender soaks and we have added oil to every bath since. (Last night Oliver smelled so good at bedtime. Mmm...)
Actually, Melissa is giving away more than just the oil. She's giving away an entire Organic Lavender Gift Set. This includes an 8oz. lavender wash, a 4oz. lavender oil and a 2oz. lavender balm. So much yummy.
For the giveaway, two ways to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling me either:
a. your bedtime routine with your babes, or
b. what you like to do on a rainy day
2. For an extra entry, tweet about this giveaway! Just be sure to include @RaechelMyers and @NBOrganics in your tweet. (and, of course, a link to the giveaway!) Leave a comment saying you did it.
And, if the giveaway isn't enough, a mini-giveaway for everyone:
Melissa is offering a free set of Organic Bath Teas with every purchase in her online store. Just enter "findingmyfeet" in the notes at checkout and she'll include the 6-bag set in your package for free. Think Mother's Day gifts!
I think we may have found just the thing to do on a rainy day!
26 April 2011
Alright, so I knew not to expect much from Easter weekend garage sales, but since we had eager-to-hit-the-sales family in town, I figured we'd give it a whirl.
At least this week the weather was warm (70+ degrees when I got up at 6:45) and it wasn't raining!
I only bought four things but I had a blast tromping around Franklin with my Aunt & Uncle and cousin, so it was well worth the trip. Here's the run-down of my haul:
$0.50 - purple Crocs for Haze - they're size 6/7, so it will be a while still, but they were in fantastic shape, so I was glad to spend fifty cents now in favor of not spending $20-$30 later when I wanted them.
$5.00 - 2 white, rectangular lamp shades - for my bedroom. I love me some right angles!
Free - unopened box of sidewalk chalk from Target. The lady with the lamp shades threw it in with my $5.00 purchase. Guess what Oliver and Hazel got in their Easter basket! :)
$1.00 - pair of Banana Republic jeans - they'll never fit me, but the denim was so soft and they were 'wide leg', so I couldn't resist picking them up in the name of fabric. I've been looking for some good fabric to make these pants for Hazel and you just can't beat $1 for a yard's worth of good denim!
No tuck-and-run item this week. You can't force it. And, it's going to be pretty tough to beat $2 for a video monitor set (which we are LOVING!).
The good news is that next weekend is my subdivision's neighborhood-wide sale (yay!) and another one of my favorite neighborhoods for yard sales is having a big sale too. It's going to be good, y'all! I can just feel it!
What about you? Any great finds this weekend?
25 April 2011
We had a lovely Easter Sunday. A quiet breakfast with an Easter basket for the kids to open (filled with books, drawing pads, Little People, yogurt melts and a Cars spinning toothbrush).
Then church. Quite possibly one of my favorite church services all year (though Christmas Eve service comes mighty close!)
We made several attempts at a family photo before we finally got one that we could be happy with. (I do regret that I wore jeans to church on Easter Sunday. I was working in the nursery during the Sunday School hour and dresses just don't cut it when you're sitting on the floor playing with puzzles.)
(I also noticed that Oliver is wearing the same shirt in the same spot as when I snapped this photo of him last fall.)
While I snapped photos of the folks I love, Ryan held Hazel and Oliver climbed a tree. Obviously Hazel didn't get the memo about tilting your chin. I'm going to have to pull her aside next time to let her know. :)
We enjoyed the sunny walk to our car downtown,
then made our way to Grandma's house for Easter lunch.
Caleb drew a big dragon for us to proudly stomp on as we came into the house (an old Christian tradition representing Christ's victory over Satan).
You can imagine how much this activity delighted the young boys in the house!
After lunch, the kids played outside and we had a lovely time playing and chatting and walking with our much-loved out-of-town family. Mmm, it was so nice to have them here.
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'"
"For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth."
and at the last he will stand upon the earth."
{John 11:25-26 & Job 19:25}
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