New market look

This weekend was The Sew Funky Market in Riverside. I changed up my booth a little bit for this show and I loved it.

I have been using a vanity in my display for a while now but that has become Rhi's homeschool desk. I do not like the idea of moving her desk in and out. I have been stressing a bit over what I was gonna do and God provided. Seriously, there is no other explanation for the shelves my husband found me to be sitting at a dumpster begging for my favorite blue Rustoleum Spray paint to coat them.

So we replaced my vanity with a new beautiful shelf. We added some framed chalkboards that are now being sold at markets (not the shop yet). The overall look is so fun. Check it out...well the detail shots because some nerd forgot to take an overall shot of the whole booth. I am not going to name any names but he happens to be a photographer and I'm married to him. I do have an insta-gram photo of it for ya.

Joy in the Chaos

Yes, I have been MIA once again. I feel like life has been one thing after another lately. In a good way though. I have been crazy busy with homeschooling, church, family, friends and business. It feels like I am always telling Steven that after"x,y and z" things will be a lot more relaxed. That the chaos will subside for a short while. I am always wrong.

I am coming to terms with the fact that we are just busy people. In all honesty, I kind of like it. I have friends who have said they need to rescue me from the madness and although I LOVE spending time out with friends, I do not feel the need to be rescued.

The chaos in my home means nothing but good things to me. To me, when family life is super busy, it means we are having fun and enjoying eachother...making memories. Rock-A-Bow has kept me crazy busy, what a blessing that God has given me in this business. Everything in my life that keeps me running around like a chicken with my head cut off shows me that I am blessed beyond measure. I am happy with my chaos. I find joy in my crazy.

This is not to say that I don't get stressed out, trust me, there is stress involved in all of this. Ha! It is ok though. We are happy and functioning. I am enjoying all that is thrown my way. I am not to the point of overwhelmed and if I get there I will be happy to cut out certain things.

I think it is important to know our limits. I also think it is important to fill our days with what we love. I am so blessed to love what I do daily. Not everyone is lucky enough to love what they do. I truly love my job. By job I mean not only Rock-A-Bow but being home with my kids. That's work people. I love my role!

On that note, one of the many things keeping me busy are all of the upcoming markets. First up is Sew Funky. This weekend! Will you be there? Come say hello!

 

What is keeping you busy? Do any of you love to keep busy as much as I do?

Blog Sugar

Where do I even begin sharing about Blog sugar? There is so much to say about it and yet I cannot find the words. Can I just start by saying that God met us there? I know that sounds chessy but it is 100% true.

Blog Sugar is a faith based blogging conference where about 150 bloggers came together to learn, to mingle and be inspired. The mastermind behind Blog Sugar is Rachel over at No. 17, she made it very clear in this post that this was not her event but belonged to God. This proved to be true as we listened to some of the speakers and watched a video about an organization that I plan to share with you all soon. Rachel, along with the other organzizers Andrea and Jen, did an amazing job of planning and following the plan for this event. It was beautiful and fun and inspiring and so much more.

What I took away personally from Blog Sugar?

• Even when I am discouraged over numbers or sales, you all chose to follow me. You choose to listen to me. You have so many options of what blogs to follow and you chose me. For that I am so thankful to you and so inspired to blog more often and more intentionally.
• I am not one dimensional so why should my blog be? You should be seeing all aspects of my life not just the pretty stuff I create.
• It is okay to let somethings slide. Laundry, cough. If I want to run a business and have a happy family, I need to realize that I cannot do it all.
• I need to make sure that I am honoring God in my business, my blog, how I handle customers and even how I deal with competition.

A few of my favorite quotes of the night?

• Look at your goals and what works best for your family and do it all for that. -Maggie at GussySews
• It's not always easy, it's not always fun but it's ALWAYS worth it.- Julie at Joy's Hope
• It doesn't matter the why, it's happening! -Jeanett at LifeReArranged

I left Blog Sugar feeling inspired and lifted up. I feel like this blog has a purpose. It is not my blog but HIS. I will still post about my day to day life. What it is to be a mommy. About what I wore. I will still share the little things. As Julie pointed out, sometimes that is what will light up someones day. BUT I will also be posting about what it means to be a follower of Christ and where my walk has/is taking me.

Now that I have shared all about what I learned I can't figure out where to place the pictures from the night. So let's just add them here.

On top of all that I learned, I got to come together with friends from all over. Some friends I had already met in real life and hang out with regularly. Others I was meeting (in person) for the first time. Regardless, there is something about blog and twitter friends that I cannot explain to people who aren't a part of it. Our friendships are real. Many of them I hold more dearly than some of the friends I see everyday. I love this world I am a part of!

 {April, me and Monick}

 {Me, Monick, Alissa, Kimmie and Lindsey}

 {Nicole, Me, Maggie and Monick}

 {Nicole and I being real with ya!}

 {Me and Ruthanne}

 {Me, Nicole, Julie, Heather, Erin and Alissa}

{The girls from my Blog Sugar Table- Top: Me, Lindsay, Casey, Monick, April Bottom- Nicole and Ashley}

Seriously an amazing group of woman and an amazing event. I linked everyone to their blogs because you are going to want to follow them!

Rhi's First Day of Preschool

So, the day came. The day I had been stressing over, fearing, dreading yet oddly excited for. Rhiannon's first day of preschool. Yesterday was her very first day of being homeschooled.

Now, I know that I am not leaving my daughter at a school, I don't have to drop her off and say goodbye. Even so, today was so emotional for me. My baby girl is growing up. The harsh reality that she will not be little forever is very present.

My fears subsided a bit when Rhiannon took to everything pretty quickly. She is a bit, umm, easily distracted I guess would be the best way to explain her. But she stayed pretty focused. I am still scared about how I will do as a teacher. Her education is in my hands and that frightens me but she is quite the little student.

This week we are focusing on the letter A. We are having so much fun with it. However, at the end of our school day, while wrapping up and reviewing, I asked Rhiannon "What did you learn about today?" and she responded proudly "The Letter M!". Hmm. Cracked me up.

Here are a few more pictures of her first day. Such sweet memories.

 Coloring and practicing the sound of the letter A.

 Music time. The Ants go Marching On. With Maracas of course.

 Baby Brother insisted on being involved.

Pre-School Eve

Last year I stumbled upon this post. I didn't know Erin yet or how amazing she was, I just knew that one day I wanted to have a back to school eve celebration, to make it a tradition. I hadn't thought about school or when we would start but I knew that these dinners would take place.

Fast forward to today. It is Rhiannon's first day of pre-school. She has been excited for the last two weeks about this day but last night really seemed to prep her. Her excitement has exscalated. She has not stopped asking questions about what school will be like...and I am pretty sure my name is forever changed to Teacher.

I knew the dinner would be fun. It is always fun to celebrate milestones, I did not know how huge of an impact it would have on my soon to be student. For that I am especially grateful for Erin and her sharing this idea (as well as some decor) with me. You need to check out all of her back to school eves. 2008, 2010, and 2011.

Oh yes, and here is a recap of our night.

We set the dining area up all cutesy. I wanted Rhi to feel really special. It was her night to celebrate after all.

We borrowed this super cute map and a crown from Erin and I also borrowed the idea of a bookpage table runner from her.

 

Here is our table all done up. Simple Table cloth, bookpage runner and little centerpieces. I kept it east, tissue poms (left over from Talon's birthday party) on top of some glass bowls filled with crayons. Finished the look off with some old books and flashcards with Rhiannon's initials. Simple but cute.

 For dinner, I asked Rhi what she wanted for dinner. Salad and Cake was her answer. I went with that and added her favorite pasta dish and garlic bread. She insisted that we have yummy drinks, which means Cherry Limeaid. So we had that out of twirly straws of course.

Now to let the classes begin...AH!

The Threadery Announcement!

About a month or so, my friend Nicole and I let you in on a little secret we had been keeping. Today, I would like to formally introduce you to The Threadery.

The Threadery is quickly approaching. Nicole and I have been busy, busy, busy and working hard to make sure that this market is going to be fun and full of amazing product. We have quite the bunch of vendors lined up for you. Have you been dying for the announcement of who will be there? I know I have been going insane wanting to blurt it all out. So, drum roll please...

The Threadery Vendors are:

A Handcrafted Home
Bethadee Zoo
Eisley Rae Etsy/BigCartel
Fairly Fabulous Etsy/BigCartel
Fleeting Beauty
Happy Bee Boutique
LillyBug Lane
Little Wellies
Make it Cozee
Mama Matryoshka
Moxxie Essential Care
Nature Mamma
Olive Blue Etsy/BigCartel
Polka Dots & Poppies
Rags to Stitches
Rellas Bellas
Rock-A-Bow
This Little Piggie

Click on the vendors names to check out their shops. Make a shopping list ahead of time so you know what you are looking for when you come shop with us :)

Personalize Your Style

Let me start off by saying that being a mommy is by far the most amazing and rewarding job I have ever had. It is my most favored role, that and being a wife. But being a mommy often means less time for "me". It is rare that I get to do things for me and when I do, I bring my kids along. I love taking my kids everywhere I go but it often means that I will be rushed and probably a little frustrated when I do things like, let's say, shop.

That is why I am especially excited to share this upcoming event with you. Nordstrom Fashion Island and Alissa from RagsToStitches have teamed up to bring you Personalize Your Style, a trend show and shopping event.

At this event, we will get to meet with their personal stylist and take a look at all of the hottest trends, learn how to maximize our wardrobes and get this, if you go on Wednesday morning they will have arts & crafts and movies to entertain our kids! That's right folks, a little piece of time just for mama!

Alissa has asked 6 bloggers to team up with her and Nordstrom for this fab event. I am so honored to be one of the 6 bloggers that she has chosen. And I am super excited to invite you all to come learn how to transition your wardrobes with me.

The event is taking place on Tuesday Sept 20th at 6pm and Wednesday Sept 21st and 10am. I will be at the Tuesday evening event and would love to meet you there but feel free to attend the Wednesday morning if that fits your schedule better.

Oh, by the way, the event is free!!! You heard me right. Nordstrom Fashion Island is offering this to all of you for FREE!

So head over here and register for the event. Please let me know if you are attending. I would love to meet up with you.

The event will be held once a month through the end of the year and possibly longer depending on the outcome. SO let's make this month a huge success. This is definitely an event I would like to stick around!