Mrs Egg’s Table

My friend, Jenni, moved to Eureka Springs last year, and just opened up the cutest shop called, The Lovely Ambition Mercantile, and it’s right on Main Street  in downtown historic Eureka Springs.  Jenni approached me about putting some handmade items in her shop and I jumped at the opportunity! Everything with Jenni’s touch just glows. She has a creative eye that can’t be matched.  I knew if I was going to be brave enough put something I made out there for sale, her shop would offer the best odds at success. So I went for it, and delivered my first batch of creative works a couple weekends ago. 

20 minutes after she opened the shop doors for the first time ever, Jenni sent me a text. I made a sale! The first sale was my art! Well that’s just as exciting as it gets. 

Or so I thought. Seeing something I created in a display window just blew my mind. Selling 3 more items the first day of business REALLY blew my mind. Am I really doing this? You betcha. Why not? 

Here are a few things I made and a few pics from my first trip to the shop (Quincy and Kristi A came along and were my support sisters) 

So a week later, I received another order and now my kitchen has transformed into “Santa’s workshop” for the day while I have fun creating. 

Reese is 13!

Happy Birthday, Reese! 

We have a teenager in the house! 

The pictures are out of order on this, but I’m so behind on blog posts, I’m just rolling with it. 

On her birthday, I checked Reese out for lunch and we met up with Aaron at Red Robin (Reese’s choice) for lunch. 

Reese wanted a Poppy cake, because the Willardson love for Trolls is still going strong. She settled for a hot pink blob of a cake that I put flowers on to look like Poppy’s hair. Ok so not all of my homemade cakes are top quality. She loved it anyway! 

For Reese’s Birthday Party, she requested that some friends from school and church come over for make hour own calzones and board games. We ended the night with ice cream and hot cocoa and “mannequin challenge” at Spark cafe on the Bentonville square. 

These kids are so great! 

I introduced the kids to a game that was a huge hit at MY 13th birthday party: the “candy bar game” where dice are rolled and each “doubles” roll earns you time to attempt to unwrap, cut up, and eat a candy bar...using only two butter knives and while wearing oven mitts. They had a good time with it. 

Pictured L-R (back) Simon A, Bradley A, Sam M, (front) Manisha, Emma F, Reese, Finley S, and Quincy.

Tekestrations, perfection, ping pong, the game of things and exploding kittens ruled the game table. These kids are all such good sports and know how to have fun together. On the drive to get ice cream, and after as we took everyone home, they played a few rounds of “competitive listening” (name that tune) and ended with a sing along of greatest showman songs from Sam’s playlist. 

Happy Birthday, Reese! When you were a baby and I would brag about how lucky and happy I am to be your mother, strangers would roll their eyes and say “just wait until she’s a teenager.” 

A teenager you are and I’m still lucky and happy! Mothering you is a treat. I love you! 

Quincy is Eleven!

The Shuggie Bear is eleven! We are so lucky to have this star QB on our team! She is a vibrant, creative, daring, dramatic old soul. She always has a question for you and it’s always a good question. She is a supporter of all handmade art and is confident with her own way of doing everything. She amazes me every day with her boldness and wit. I love this girl! I love that her earrings never ever match. I love that she enjoys school and genuinely likes to learn.  I love her contagious laugh and her direct, unfiltered commentary. Happy Birthday to my very own magical unicorn.

Nativity and Noel

The Christmas season is off to a great start in NWA and the Willy house.  Reese went up and down the lane and personally invited every one of our neighbors to the Nativity and Noel hosted by the Bentonville and Roger’s stakes. We attended Saturday night, and on Friday night, two of our neighbors went with my parents, thanks to Reese’s invitation. 

This was a wonderful event and the efforts of those in charge really showed. The nativities displayed all over the room were beautiful. The live nativity had two sweet mom friends of mine playing Mary each night avdbtheur newborns both made an adorable baby Jesus. The children loved seeing grandpa Hal play a wise man. I think he loved it, too. It was good to see him pal around with Brothers Cabrera and Jensen. I think leaving friends of forty years must be one of the hardest parts about moving to Arkansas. Where they lived before, everyone knew them and they had worked and served abs raised families along side so many peers. They don’t have much of a history of their own here in Arkansas yet, so it was just really really good to see them get involved in an event like this, just like they would have in California. 

The music was good. Really good. The Ozark Mormon chorale was better than I’ve ever heard them before. Crisp. Is that a good word to describe musicians? I think so. They sounded crisp. Everything was just excellent from diction to pitch. It was feast for the ears and heart as the Spirit was felt through testimonies were borne through song. 

The little ones didn’t last. Aaron knew I would love to stay to sing hallelujah chorus (my favorite part of the evening), and generously offered to take the younger three home. I stayed and drove my parents home.

After treats, the girls and my mom and I helped a little with cleanup. Reese and Quincy groaned, but it was good experience for them to be aware of the work that goes into setting up for a large community event. They folded and put away like 300 chairs and were “sore” the next day.   

It wasn’t the right day for it, but it could have been my “honor thy parents” act of service. I grew up with my parents running events like this one. I know the hours they put in. I know they would stay at the church until 1am and not leave until the work was done. I couldn’t get in my car knowing there were 300 chairs to be folded up, when I also knew I had only shown up for the feast and there were wonderful people who had spent an entire weekend working in those gyms to set up, orchestrate, and take down. My parents taught me how to work, so I honored them on Saturday by teaching my girls the same.   

It was a rich evening and everyone there felt the spirit of Christmas. 

Primrose Lane Bunco

My mom hosted the Primrose bunco babes last night. There were 12 of us there but I only managed to get 7 photos. We had an ornament exchange, ate delicious food and laughed and laughed. My mom is such a fun hostess. 

Love Thy Neighbor: Guerilla Decorating

We decided Thelma’s geese needed some holiday cheer. Last night, Thelma told me she lost a brother and a brother in law in the space of four days abs hadn’t felt very festive, this Christmas, but the holiday geese really cracked her up. She’s going to have the kids help her get her lights out this weekend.  Then, when I was picking up gifts for the kids’ teachers, I found tiny Santa hats! Couldn’t resist! Hahaha 

After bunco, Nita, Kathy, Katie, Laura Fogle,    Lady, Mary and I all piled into the fun bus for late night Primrose shenanigans. It was bitter cold but we laughed until we cried adding some Christmas cheer to the port a potty next to J’s house.  The builder, Jim and crew were out laughing and taking pictures before the sun was up. 



This morning, we had a good laugh with Jim. 


We told him to blame this little creep. He replied back with a meme of Cousin Eddie emptying the septic tank 😂

Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals! 

I love my neighbors dearly. We have a lot of fun around here.