Dear mom friends,

I dedicate this beautiful video to you. You are so loved and appreciated.

Post by Sun Gazing.

Fern + Finn: buy discounted name brand children's clothes

My sweet friend Taryn and I have joined forces and have created an IG account selling our children's gently loved clothes, as well as some never before worn items we've found along the way. Fern + Finn will be posting name brand clothes, for both boys and girls,  for your discounted buying pleasures.
You can shop with us on instagram here: @FernandFinn 

NOTE: a big sale is coming up this weekend (Saturday 1pm) with a variety of clothes, many that still have the tags on! Join us, won't you? Visit our sale announcement on IG to find out how you can get 10% off your purchase!

Links Lately:

I've never done a post like this before, but lately I feel like I've been "sharing" a million videos and articles on my personal facebook page, and I'd love to share it all with you, but in a less annoying "pop up on your newsfeed every 5 seconds" kind of way. So, here's a list of some things I've been loving lately:

This post featuring a toddler and his naptime buddy. (pictured above)

This list of things everyone should start making time for again.

This video of a man who saved over 600 children from Nazis and made me ugly cry. 

These wonderful marriage tips for WIVES.

This great list of Childhood Friend perks, as told by the HP crew.

This video of Jimmy Kimmel's 2014 edition of "I told my kids I ate their Halloween candy" 

This amazing time lapse video  and these before and after photos of why women have a ridiculous standard of beauty. 

This sweet video of a baby's reaction to his mother singing, which also made me ugly cry. 

... I ugly cry a lot... what can I say? 

Epic Stitching Giveaway!

 

Hey friends! Today I wanted to tell you about Epic Stitching; a sweet little etsy shop that sells handmade Kumihimo jewelry and cross stitched pieces. Kumihimo is a Japanese Samurai braiding technique, and Mel has it down pat! These bracelets remind me of the friendship bracelets we use to buy for each other when I lived in New Zealand, so they're kind of a sentimental item for me. I decided it would be sort of a sweet idea to get one for myself, my husband (still not use to saying that), and Fern! We got them in the mail, and immediately I was in love. I haven't taken mine off.

Epic Stitching has a variety of colors and sizes. (we kept ours neutral. I like soft tones that can match anything) You could order a bracelet for anyone you know. Mel also has the option to add a clasp to your bracelets if you don't like the traditional knot. I prefer the knot, but Tristan prefers the clasp. She also encourages custom orders, so if you see a bracelet you like, but wish it were in different colors, just ask!

Sweet Mel is so generous! She's decided to host a giveaway for her store! Here is the info:

Giveaway! $25.00 store credit to Epic Stitching Etsy

|| open to International readers

|| custom orders welcome

|| Giveaway ends at midnight on Sunday, November 17th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Life Lately: busy schedules and more change.

Hi friends! I feel a little bit guilty, as all of my posts as of lately have been about giveaways and sponsors and events and lists and pretty things. Although those are all TERRIFIC, and obviously, I wouldn't post them if I didn't love them, I've just been pretty preoccupied and haven't been able to be very present, on a personal level, for you. Our family is going through a lot of changes at the moment. Not only have we gotten married, and moved out of our room mates' house;  I've also recently put my car up for sale, and put in my notice at Cuppies. It's such a bittersweet thing. I've loved loved LOVED working at Cuppies & Joe for the past (nearly) 3 years. The owners of this beautiful cupcake and coffee shop are like family. They're such wonderful examples of the type of business person I want to be, as well as the type of mother, daughter, encourager, and hostess I want to be. These people, along with all of my co-workers have just adopted me as family since the day I started, and continue to do that with every new employee they hire. They've taken such good care of me and blessed our family with so many things; from flat tire fixes to celebrations, they've been there for it all. I'm so sad to not be part of the Cuppies employees, but I'm so happy that I'll always be part of the Cuppies family.

That's the bitter part, now for the sweet part.

Tristan and I have been talking about what I'd like to pursue as a career, and although making coffee is absolutely something I love (and will continue to consume on a daily basis), I have other dreams that will allow me to better provide for my family. After the holiday season, I'll be working towards getting my real estate license. This is something I've always been very interested it, I just never knew where to start. Somehow the stars have aligned and everything is falling into place. God has placed some great women in my life who are taking me under their wings, and letting me learn under them. Which is exactly what I needed.  This career choice will not only provide for my family better financially, but also on a personal level. This will allow me to make my own schedules, and I'll still be able to stay with Fern during the day, and be with my family at night. It's been a very hard year since I went back to work. My schedule is almost exactly opposite of T's.

If you could just say a little prayer for our family, or send happy thoughts, good vibes, Buddha belly rubs, or pennies in wishing wells.. whatever it is that you find helpful... We'd really appreciate it. I'm excited, but so nervous about getting into something I don't know much about. Starting something new after being in a very comfortable position for the last 3 years.

My friend Tillie said something to me the other day that struck me as quite funny. She said "For someone who dislikes change, you handle it so lovely." It actually hadn't occured to me until she said that how much change we've actually gone through this past year. Just our living situation alone. We've had 4 different addresses in the past 12 months. I don't know how much more I can handle, but I have a feeling we're not quite near the end yet. :)
What's that old country song? "The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes".. ("everything chay-ay-ay-nges")

Here's to a more consistent (at least) lifestyle.