what’s better than a girls’ weekend, my friends?
last weekend my mom & aunt roxie surprised my grandma with a fun girls’ weekend to branson in honor of her first wedding anniversary without grandpa.
you & i both know this, loss is just so hard. in the most ordinary & simple moments, i think of grandpa & fight back the tears. yet in our grief, we are reminded to soak up every bit of life’s goodness so i jumped at the opportunity to spend a weekend with my favorite people.
oh y’all, we shopped! we also treated ourselves to pedicures & enjoyed dinner at the keeter center – an amazing farm to table restaurant at the college of the ozarks. we cried & we equal parts laughed. we made some sweet memories & lordy, we took our share of selfies.
as annie dillard said so well, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
love,
natalie
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| ring by the mosaic butterfly, cuff by mountain girl melodies, paper beads by noonday collection |
currently…
+ anxiously awaiting the start of roots festival – our favorite fayetteville music festival full of all things folk & food
+ loving the cooler weather but mourning the loss of summer
+ dreaming big & choosing fabrics for the winter natalie creates collection of headbands & happy flags. so many fun collaborations & surprises!
+ eating lots of salads (this one is a new favorite!) & getting serious about #nataliegetsfit
+ canning tomatoes like it’s my job
+ soaking up as much pool time as possible before we close the swimming hole for the season!
+ reading for the love & wanting to bottle up every single word.
+ reminding myself to simply breathe.
what are you currently doing/savoring/reading/enjoying?
love,
natalie
on saturday, we celebrated my farmer’s birthday with a backyard barbecue!
we grilled brats & paired them with homemade sauerkraut. we cut up vegetables from the garden, made a caprese salad & shared kettle chips with guests. our guests brought along side dishes & we filled up a wheelbarrow with beer. it was such a good night!
this little get-together cost us next to nothing, but it was so much fun! i pulled together rusty, chippy bits from around our home & paired it with goodies from my party closet – paper goods & party decorations i keep for home celebrations.
we had a dessert table & drink bar on our back patio. i purchased a chocolate cake from the local bakery & put together s’more ingredients for the fire pit in our backyard.
i found this old campfire marshmallow tin at a yard sale this past summer & we have already put it to great use. it’s one of my favorite vintage finds.
i got the hog cups from shindig paperie & decorated the tabletops with zinnias from our flower garden.
it was such a simple party filled with good food & great company in celebration of the best guy!
love,
natalie
p.s. for more simple & inexpensive party ideas, check out my blog post here.