It's Good to be Queen

instafriday

2012-01-27T06:21:00.000-06:00

well my instafriday is pretty lame this week.
i didn't take as many pics as i usually do.

i was looking through papers and found this old photo of avery from when he was three.
look at those sweet baby cheeks!
why oh why do my babies grow up so fast???

this week AJ and avery got to have a special father and son outing.
they went to cheer on the hogs at a razorback basketball game.
woo pig sooie.
they had a blast.

it's really fun to see him start to understand the game and really enjoy watching it.
last friday night the boys and AJ watched The Pistol (pistol pete maravich story).
avery's been dribbling the ball constantly since then. :)

found these beauties at the thrift store yesterday.
look brand new.
i usually don't look at the shoes, but i spotted these and knew that our Ruby needed them.
seriously, they're so awesome, right?

did you watch my vlog yesterday?

so that was fun . . . and nerve wracking.

i felt like i was sending a note that said, "do you like me? yes, no, maybe?"

:)

alrighty friends....thank goodness it's friday....have a great weekend!

my first vlog

2012-01-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

okay.... so...i may regret doing this.
but here it is... my first ever vlog.

excuse my weirdness, looking at the wrong part of the camera, thinking my tattoo was backwards, etc.
this is {very obviously} not edited.
because honestly, i have no idea how to do that.

if you are at work at can't watch the video....it's just basically a bunch of me cleaning out my junk drawer.
i know.
exciiiiiiiiting stuff.
only the best for you guys.
you. are. welcome.

okay don't hate me. keep reading, k?

and p.s. is that what you thought i'd sound like? bet not.

paper hearts ~ a simple little craft

2012-01-25T08:10:00.002-06:00

just brought a little happy to my mantel this week.

i made a stack of hearts while we watched the cosby show on sunday night.

i ran them through my sewing machine to make a simple valentiney garland.

this is seriously easy.

it makes me smile every time i see it. :)

i used extra scrapbook paper and card stock that i had on hand.

if you'd like to do this without sewing you could punch holes in the hearts and string them on red yarn.

happy crafting!

confessions of a slacker mom

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000-06:00

i only make my bed when we have company . . . and even then it's iffy.

i have the boys make their beds about once every two weeks.

i forget to have the boys practice piano until the day of lessons.

i am terrible at working with the boys on spelling words, math facts, etc.

i am likely the most unorganized person in the whole world with regards to printing photos, backing up photos and well.....organizing them.

i pretty much always miss sign ups for activities and either have a late fee or miss the thing all together.

i spit washed some unidentified white spot off our couch yesterday.

at this moment there's a container of molded food in the back of the fridge that i am ignoring.
ignore it and it will go away.

there are enough toys in our van to keep a preschool class entertained for a week.

i never fold the clothes right out of the dryer. they usually sit crumpled up in a basket for a few days before I fold them. then they sit folded for another few days before sawyer tosses them about and mixes them up with the dirty pile and we start the whole thing over again.

now don't you feel better about yourself?
you're welcome. :)

instafriday

2012-01-20T15:34:00.000-06:00

hi.
it's friday afternoon and the house is quiet.
three littles are asleep {meliyah is here} and i'm enjoying some lovely alone time.
also very much looking forward to a weekend with my family all together.

this picture is so grainy because i was so far away...but i love it.
AJ is coaching avery's upwards basketball team.
we are currently spending two nights a week plus two hours on saturday at the gym.
the boys love. it.

this is sawyer's outfit.
every day of the week.
as soon as we walk in the door, he strips his clothes off and finds a cape and a weapon.
not sure why he has to be half naked.
a few days ago, i said, "sawyer, you can be a superhero with your clothes on."
he burst into huge tears and was so upset.
clearly i am wrong about that.

the sky was beautiful this day.
the clouds were moving so fast past the window.
the boys were enthralled.

shooting the window with nerf bullets.

brothers.

tie tuesday.

AJ will be embarrassed that i'm posting this here.

but it's my blog and i can do what i want. :)

i think he's hot and i don't care who knows it.

this girl is a little bundle of J.O.Y.
she grins so. big. aaahhh love her.

we brought home a little friend yesterday.

ford and sawyer are buddies and really adorable together.

they are both such sweet boys.

it's been another great week....just doing normal life.
thankful for God's goodness to us. :)

happy weekend.

p.s. can any of you smart friends out there help me figure out why the reply button isn't working on my comments??

good links.

2012-01-19T16:21:00.004-06:00

things i'm liking around the interwebs these days . . .

love this garland.

i'm wanting to do a garland across the top of ruby's window.

i've been looking for vintage doilies...but this is really fun too.....

ashley at thehandmadehome.net does a free printable every month.
loving these happy number cards.

i've had different baby shoes bookmarked since before ruby was born and i have yet to make any.
these are adorable.

i'm planning to diy a play kitchen for ruby when she gets a little older.
i am excited about that project.
i can't wait to sew a little skirt for it and paint it and just make it adorable.

loving this one that john & sherry made for their girl, clara.

this play kitchen is really pretty.
lovin' that strawberry fabric. also the fridge door with magnets and the chalkboard sides.

well i love just about everything from this space....but i'm really loving that dream banner.
it's has the circus font that i adore and would also be a fun option for ruby's room.

i think ruby needs an adorable tote like this one from sew. craft. create.
it looks really fun to make.

isn't this boyish hoho doll from littlebitfunky fabulous?
she made it using outgrown little boy clothes.
yes, that is awesome in every way.

so..... those are my faveys lately.

what about y'all?? finding anything good?? share, please. :)

mini chocolate chips = healthy

2012-01-18T15:12:00.000-06:00

have you tried these???

they are so good.
and addictive.
i think they're called energy bites.

i can't stop eating them.
i'm convincing myself that they're healthy so that i can eat them as much as i want.
they've got a cup of oatmeal in them for pete's sake.

the boys love them as an afternoon snack.
i like to eat them with my coffee in the morning {and on and off throughout the day . . . shhhhh}

you probably have all of the ingredients except the ground flax seed & mini choc. chips so you could make them right away.
i read that you can substitute some of the ground flax seed for wheat germ.
i think i'll do half and half next time.

yummmmmm.............

chicken tortellini soup

2012-01-17T06:41:00.000-06:00

this soup is so yummy.
my friend liz brought it to us when we had ruby.
it was so great, i had to have the recipe.

we had it for dinner last night...perfect winter night soup.

ya wanna make it?

here's what you need . . .

2Tbs. olive oil

1large yellow onion, chopped

4garlic cloves, minced

1(15 oz) can Rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies)

12cups chicken broth

1traditional rotisserie chicken, boned and cut into bite sized pieces

1/3cup jarred pesto sauce

20oz package fresh, refrigerated cheese tortellini

2(10 oz) bags fresh spinach, chopped

Saltand pepper to taste

{a cheaper option would be cooking your own chicken & making your own broth. obviously that's a bit more time consuming}

i don't love cutting chicken off the bone...who does?

it's pretty grody.

but it is nice to have an excuse for some quiet time in the kitchen.

do you have one of these things?

it is a must have for me.

for onions.

i used the heck of the one we got for our wedding and it finally gave out.

i bought a new one at walmart for like 10 bucks.

i was crying just from cutting the onion into big chunks to put in the chopper.

i put a matchstick in my teeth and it helped immediately.

so crazy.

learned that from the help.

· Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutesor until tender.

· Add the garlic and Rotel and sauté for 10 minutes

· Add the broth and bring to a boil.

· Add the chicken and reduce the heat to low. Stir in the pesto and tortellini and simmer for 5minutes.

· Add the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepperand serve

it makes a ton.

that's an 8 qt. pot and it was nearly full.

it was so yummy....we stuffed ourselves.

yes, our whole family eats this.

we don't make separate meals for the kids...what we eat, they eat.

i would definitely say that spinach is probably not their favorite.

they didn't say so, but they did refill their water glasses about 4 times during dinner.

so i guess that's a clue. :)

but i'm proud of them....they're learning to eat whatever is served to them with a happy heart.

that's a big deal to us.

we want them to be able to eat at anyone's table with a grateful attitude.

we also want them to appreciate all different kinds of foods.

we don't want them to miss out! :)

let me know if you try this. :)

a january weekend

2012-01-16T08:29:00.000-06:00

friday night we had a date night.

we came home by 8:45 because we're old fogies.

we brought dessert home and ate it in bed while watching The Middle.

yes, we lead a glamorous life.

saturday we got to sleep in until, like, 7:30.

it was awesome.

we ate breakfast, lazed around the house and i read blogs until it was time to head to the boys' basketball games.

i did a necessary grocery shopping trip in the afternoon and stocked. up.

it might last through the week.

i go to walmart way too much.

saturday night the boys had a boys' night and watched the broncos.

my little artist avery, made a tim tebow sign for the game.

i left to go have coffee and girl time.

sunday we had church and some friends over for lunch.

i made bbq chicken sandwiches.

in the afternoon i watched netflix, drank hot tea, {are we starting to notice a theme?} & started making an "our home" tab for the blog.

last night we got back to our sunday night ritual of having a "picnic" in the living room & watching a show together.

we usually do afv, this week it was cosby show.

after the boys went to bed we snuggled up on the couch & watched the next three days.

it was really good.

so it was a pretty uneventful weekend but nice to have a lot of relaxing time after the christmas crazies.

ruby is a very good blogging buddy.

so what about you?
what did you do this weekend?

instafriday

2012-01-13T15:37:00.000-06:00

here we go...my weekly pics taken with my instagram app.

i love making these yarn wreaths. that's my kind of therapy.

our second boy, our little finley, decided he was ready to ride his bike without training wheels.
that's something about my fin, you can push him all you want, but when he's ready, he's ready.
he took off and that was that.
he loves it so much he rides every day after school.

i used up some left overs and made us smoothies for breakfast.... frozen berries, juice, fresh spinach and carrots.
yum.
sawyer loves him a "smoovie."

my "beauty" routine....ha ha ha.
i don't wear much make-up...probably should. but i can't be bothered.
i do triple love moroccan oil. that stuff is the best.
it smells amazing, makes your hair blow dry faster, helps it flat iron better and cuts the frizz.

ruby still falls asleep in her carseat.
love this age for that.
around 3 months old she decided she no longer hated the car seat.
thank you ruby, that is very helpful.

i got out our big box of puzzles for sawyer.
i realized i hadn't opened that box since we moved here a year ago.
he's lovin. it.
they were like new toys.
and they have entertained him all week.

love this happy girl.
her thighs are getting so big that she's about to outgrow her jeggs.
you could see her fat rolls through her tights on sunday. :)

where she sleeps . . . with her thumb in her mouth.

my girls.
meliyah loves baby ruby.
i wasn't sure how she would react to her, but she is so sweet and always wants to hold her.

last night was a great winter night.
cozied on the couch with a blanket, some hot tea, chocolate, a fire going, watching netflix and working on the blog.
i'm spoiled.

do you post photos on instagram?

join the instafriday party over here....

and hip hip hooray i'm going on a date tonight!!!

have a lovely weekend....are you all getting a 3 day weekend?

AJ doesn't but the boys do so at least we get that. :)

home

2012-01-12T21:49:00.000-06:00

a house is so full at christmas.

it feels rather empty and bare now.

but, somehow, i like it.

it still feels cozy. and peaceful.

clean. calm.

it finally feels like winter this week.

even though i am so not a cold weather girl.... i'm actually happy that winter has finally come.

i'm enjoying the hunkering down and cozying up by the fire.

i think i've consumed four cups of hot tea and one hot chocolate today.

i think i've finally found a living room arrangement that i like in here.

it's all focused around the fire, obviously.

you know i pretty much have a love affair with that wood burning stove.

still loving my gallery wall.

i pretty much keep our coffee table clear.

i've got three boys living in this house after all.

do you spy a little ruby girl in that pic? :)

this little pumpkin pie decided she'd prefer to stay awake today thankyouverymuch.

p.s. do you notice something new??

i am very excited about my new, much simpler, domain name. :)

business venture

2012-01-11T13:15:00.000-06:00

i casually mentioned a few weeks ago that i had a business venture on the horizon.
several of you {and my real-life friends} have asked me what that is all about.

well.... a couple of friends and i were {are?} going to join forces and have an antique mall booth.

we have been very excited about this but just found out that the really cool place we wanted to have our booth is full.
boo.

soooo, on to plan b.

we are looking around at other stores.

but then i had the thought today that maybe i should just open an online shop.
there are pros and cons to both.

are you wondering what i plan to sell?

probably a whole bunch of random....

probably some of the wreaths that i like to make.

definitely the hair flowers and flower pins.

and definitely my thrifted finds.

i've had an etsy shop before....so i don't really know.
these are just the thoughts that are rattling around in my brain today. :)

i'll definitely let you all know what i decide to do.

thoughts???

ruby's nursery, updated

2012-01-10T17:29:00.000-06:00

so i thought i'd share how ruby's room has evolved over the past few months since our little girl has taken up residence.

the first change is adding the bassinet.

i love this bassinet.
it is very special to me because my nephew, niece, little sister, and all my children have slept in it.
on the bottom, each of their names and birth dates are written.
now that ruby is too big for it, i moved it into her room.
i'm hoping she will eventually use it to play with her "babies."

of course her head band collection continues to grow. :)
she does need one for every outfit.

on top of her wardrobe i've added a book called "ruby's day" given to her by our friend's sweet mom.

i also added a piece of artwork, made by my sister-in-law, tonya.

she pieces together fabric and even prints on it with her computer.
this picture doesn't do it justice. it's has a really neat layered look and is just fabulous.
i'll let you know when she opens her etsy shop. {hint, hint.}

i also added these sweet baby dresses.

the one on top was my mom's going home from the hospital dress and the one on bottom is ruby's.
my mom said that my sister and i each wore her dress at one time when we were babies.

now that ruby is sleeping in her crib, the pillows were relocated to her toy bench.

yesterday i found this awesome floral print at the thrift store.

i quickly spray painted the frame at hung it up.

i'd like to find some more frames and add to her gallery over time.

yes, that wet wipe tub is tacky but that's real life.

do you see that little stone in the silver dish?

finley found that outside one day and brought it in for her.

he said, "this is a gem for her because she's our precious gem."

*if you'd like to see more nursery pictures and how it came together, click on the "ruby's nursery" tab at the top. :)

christmas happenings recap

2012-01-09T14:58:00.000-06:00

okay i know everyone is so over christmas already....but for memory's sake i want to post a few photos of our christmas merriment.

after we had our own family christmas, we had three more family christmases.

first we had christmas with my mom and david and my niece & nephew.

it was pretty low key but also pretty fun.
we ate pizza and chocolate cake and hung out by the fire.
i didn't take many photos but AJ did capture the aftermath of the gift giving.

a few days before christmas we headed up to kansas to spend time with AJ's family.
we always have such a blast there.
it's a full house and very lively.

there are six grandsons and they have so much fun together.

one of my favorite things we do together is play games.
as soon as the kids go to nap or bed, we grab the snacks and games.
this year it was farkle. we also love settlers of catan and bananagrams.

this was ruby's first trip to kansas.
she was a big hit.

aj loves to show off his daughter.

our 4 year old nephew, coen, was so sweet to her.
precious.

every year the boys sing christmas carols for grandma.

sawyer has taken in his brothers' footsteps and wears a costume every. single. day.
new buzz costume = perfection.

this scarf is now making it's third appearance on the blog...along with the awesomesauce vintage apron from jill.

i like to try on my gifts immediately. :)

on our last day in kansas we got to try out grandpa's four wheeler.
that was my first time to drive a four wheeler.
i have a need for speed. that was fun stuff.

when we got home we had one final christmas celebration with my dad, step mom and little sister.
i made chicken and dumplings. yum.
and again...enjoyed myself too much to pick up a camera.
i need to get better about taking pictures at family gatherings...every photo on this post was taken by someone else.
also, i've gotten in the lazy habit of just taking pictures with my phone and calling it a day.

we did manage to get one picture of that day.
grandaddy and grandmama gave avery an early birthday present.....

if you know my avery, you know that this is the most perfect book for him.

for new years eve we hung out with some of our favorites, had a date night, and played just dance until the clock struck midnight, drawing a curtain on 2011.

what a great year it was. :)

instafriday

2012-01-06T14:09:00.001-06:00

and now for my weekly smattering of phone pics . . .

since we've been married, AJ and i have just given each other stocking gifts at christmas.....but somehow, he always manages to put something extra special in the bottom of mine.

this year he got me this necklace from the vintage pearl and i love it.

it's the layered mother of peal necklace and it is perfect.

my big, handsome nine year old boy got to go pick out a new bike for his birthday.
AJ texted me this picture while they were gone....he said avery was so proud. :)
and by the way, best gift ever, he's been riding around like crazy since he got it.
finley learned to ride without training wheels on the same day. double bonus.
it doesn't hurt that it's been in the 60's this week.
keep it comin' arkansas.

hello cupcakes.

i may never make a cake again.

cupcakes are so so good.

chocolate (with a tad extra oil and a tad undercooked. hate me.) with buttercream frosting. sinful.

praise Jesus, AJ had the monday after new years off.
we played monopoly as a family.
avery calls it monopuly.
we ate candy and enjoyed our boys being old enough to play a game we all enjoy.
monopoly and sports cards are the only things avery asked for for christmas.
sweet boy.

some of ruby's headbands.
when you can make them yourself, why not have one to go with every outfit??

we tried to make the most of the boys' last few days off of school this week.
we busted out the new crayon maker.
it worked great and the boys loved it.
it does require some patience....i was glad we did this during sawyer's nap.

this girl.

head over heels. can't get enough.

more christmas break fun....big foam pit and trampolines at gymnastic joes.

they had a blast and didn't stop moving for an hour straight. it rocked.

we received so many pretty cards this christmas.

i usually put them all up on the fridge so we can see our friends' smiling faces all year long.

i may do this instead.

big boys on first day back at school.
they are half way through first and third grade. wow.
i so enjoyed them being home.
i miss them but i really felt like we made the most of our time off.
i try to have all my stuff done so that i am "on" when they come home and can really focus on them.
that helps a ton.

big girl in the bumbo seat.
she likes to supervise my cooking.
and slobber all over herself and her teething toy.

my mom brought by all her old buttons and some of my grandmas.
this. is. a gold mine.
i lovey love love old buttons.
i have been looking for a jar of them at thrift stores for months.
this is way better because they're my mom and grandmas.
and there was a sweet surprise inside, one of my old hair barrettes. :)
little miss ruby may get to wear it if she ever grows hair.

she also brought me my grandma's sewing stuff.
wooden spools. paper bobbins.
little tiny jars of notions.
this is happy.

there's a wealth of possibilities right there.

now i think i'll go create something in the hour i have left before the impending chaos ensues....

happy weekend friends!!

twenty twelve

2012-01-05T15:07:00.002-06:00

it's a new year.
i love a fresh start.
it's always hard to say goodbye to the fun of the holidays and the joy of having my boys home.
nevertheless, i am looking ahead and choosing to embrace routine and structure again.

this new year's post by edie at life in grace is perfection.
read it, you'll be glad you did.

i have started reading the maximize your mornings ebook from inspired to action.
i am very excited about it.
it's all about how to get up and get going in the morning, before your kids.
it appears to be very practical {i'm only a few pages in} and made for someone with my personality.
which is not a morning person and not type-a.
this seems like a plan that i can actually do.
to goal is to get up and spend time with the Lord and exercise and be ready for your day when your kids wake up.
that sounds awesome.
i'll let you know how it works out for me.
i really want to do all of those things.

also, i am starting up a little memorizing scripture group because i so very badly need to get back to that. God's word is power to those who believe.
i need the accountability.
i am excited and expecting God to do great things in each of us.

okay the boys will be home any minute and i miss them!
happy thursday, friends!

our christmas

2012-01-03T22:43:00.003-06:00

i did get four stockings complete. . . about a day before it was time to pack it all away for next year.
it sure will be nice to open that box in december. :)

a week before christmas we had our christmas morning with our little family at home since we'd be in kansas on christmas.

we did the whole bit, stockings, read the christmas story, cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then presents.

i made pioneer woman's cinnamon rolls.
it was my first time to ever make cinnamon rolls.
they were awesome, obviously.

our tradition is to let the boys open their stockings first thing.

then eat breakfast and read the christmas story from the Bible.

then exchange gifts.

this year we did a couple of family gifts and 2 individual gifts for each child.

i am most happy when all six of us are together.
it was a very happy morning.

i put a lot of pressure on myself to get the boys the exact right gift and it is so unnecessary because they are so happy over any little thing.
they are really joyful little boys and i am so thankful for that.

the wood burning stove {which i am in love with} makes this room so cozy and perfect for family time.
i loved hanging out in my pj's with my family . . . and my coffee.

this year was a very toy story christmas for sawyer.

our budding little artist received lots of drawing stuff this christmas.

even though it felt a little weird to have "christmas" before christmas day, it was actually very helpful to have the celebrations {and therefore shopping, baking, & crafting} spread out a little.

it was a very merry day in this house. :)

okay friends, have a happy wednesday!
today is our last day of christmas break so i'm off to go spend time with my boys!

four months.

2012-01-03T09:55:00.002-06:00

ruby turned four months a couple of days before christmas.

we had some unseasonably warm weather when we got home from kansas so we were able to take her four month pics outside.

ruby jane is such a delight.
she is very smiley and happy.
she has become so content.

she's sleeping well.
during her awake time she likes to lay on her play mat or sit in her papasan chair.
she likes to hold little toys and put them in her mouth.
she blows raspberries.
she rolls up on her side, but not all the way over.
she holds her little hands together nearly all of the time. yes, adorable.

ruby loves to be talked to and really loves to be sung to.
whenever we sing "Jesus loves me" she squeals in delight. :)

ruby smiles really big when we look at her and talk to her.
she sucks on her hands a lot.
she is completely a thumb sucker now...no paci at all.
and when i say thumb, i mean she shoves her entire thumb in her mouth all the way past the knuckle with her fingers open.
being able to self soothe has helped her a ton in sleeping and the car seat.
she rarely cries anymore.

ruby weighs a little over 12 pounds . . . she is a petite little thing.

to say we are all head over heals for her would be an understatement.
she is an absolute joy in our home and we are so very thankful for her.

NINE.

2012-01-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

happy 9th birthday to my sweet new year baby.

i cannot believe how old and big you are.
you are so tall.
it is a joy to watch you become the boy that God created you to be.
you are so kind, so loving, so caring, so creative, so bright, and so much fun to be around.
your joy is infectious.
what a delight it is to be your mama.
i am so thankful that God gave you to us nine years ago today.

i fell in love with you that first moment you were in my arms.
no one else was in the room, it was just you and me and i was undone.
i waited and longed for you, but i had no idea the gift i was about to receive.

you were and are better than i could have imagined.

i love you my courageous warrior.

happy birthday avery jack.

instafriday

2011-12-30T15:08:00.002-06:00

hello friends!

happy christmas week to you all.

i hope you are having lovely holidays.

the holidays are not over until new years, fyi.

at least not for me...even if the mall has taken down all of their decorations. boo.

we keep our tree up until new years simply because it helps ease the post christmas blues.

plus, we still have one more christmas gathering tomorrow.

we like to spread out our holiday cheer. :)

we've had a great week.

we went to kansas to be with AJ's family for christmas.

we got back wednesday night and had a family day yesterday.

AJ's working today and then we get a three day weekend. very happy about that.

soooo....if you're new here, instafriday is my weekly roundup of cell phone pics using the instagram app on my iphone.

you can also do instagram on an ipad.

you can follow my feed at saragood2bqueen

i hardly took any pictures over christmas because i just didn't feel like it.

but i always have my phone handy, so i was able to capture many festive moments that way.

here we are last friday, all loaded up and on our way to kansas.

{clearly i really like that sweatshirt, i think i've posted 3 pictures of me in it in the last week. it's gap kids, 3 bucks from the thrift store. hate me.}

on christmas eve the boys {minus finley who wanted to stay home} and their cousins went with grandma and grandpa to the christmas eve program.

the rest of hung out at the house and watched dog the bounty hunter, obviously.

nothing says preparing your heart for the birth of Christ like the dog the bounty hunter.

i'm the dog, the big bad dog . . .

AJ's sister, Jill, and i painted christmas nails while we watched.

ruby jane ready for christmas church.

oh mercy, she is just yummy.

she loves to hold her hands together.

she is just such a little lady.

one very special moment on christmas day was avery and his great grandmother playing a duet of silent night.

i received several colorful scarves for christmas.

i'm so happy to have those fun pops of color in my otherwise uber boring wardrobe.

this one is from jill and i love it.

lots of car riding time meant lots of crocheting flowers.

i'm so excited about my giant box of thrifted treasures from kansas.

they have the best thrift shop there that has yard sale prices.

that's my kind of shopping. ;)

avery's birthday is on new years.

he got a big lego set for an early bday present from grandma and grandpa.

he worked on it for hours yesterday.

finley even helped out for a little while.

sweet brothers.

ruby is such a happy, happy girl these days.

we cannot get enough of her.

we were at the pediatrician again morning.

i swear, it feels like we have spent half our life there lately.

people always ask me what it's like having four kids and mostly it's no big thing...the one thing i have noticed is the increase in doctor visits and the c-h-o-r-e it was to pack four children for a trip.

oh mercy, that about did me in.

have a lovely weekend and happy new years!!

won't you join us and link up your weekly snapshots?

outakes

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-06:00

we did a very quick photo shoot a few weeks ago to try to get a pic for our christmas card.
our new friend, ali, met us at a barn close to our house to snap the pics.
there were several that are too great not to share, but didn't make the final cut for our card.

you could only see part of this one. . .

it was so cold that morning that we had to be really quick.
we ended up not getting a good one of sawyer, so ali met he and i a few days later to try again.
she got some gems.

yes, he is a looker.

ali is so sweet, not only did she meet us on her lunch break, but she was able to get some amazing smiles out of our sawyer.

plus, she suggested i get in with sawyer for a quick one.

i am so happy she did.

i love it.

i am so. so. so. thankful for that little boy.

thank you ali, for capturing our little family! :)

Merry Christmas to You!

2011-12-25T04:30:00.000-06:00

God's richest blessings to you today. Thank you for reading. I am so blessed by you.

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

~luke 2:10-11

instafriday

2011-12-23T17:59:00.000-06:00

better late than never?
our week in instapics....

the big boys had three days of school this week.
i savored some sawyer and mama time...doin' a little fishing by the fire.
sawyer loves to play games.

i planned to make six stockings this year.

i made one.

i am really hoping i go ahead and make the others after christmas so that i get them done.

i've had the fabric for over a year already.

christmas crafting.

i love crocheting.

i haven't done it in years.

i am learning to make flowers. i love them.

she is cute.
i can hardly stand it.

found a new store, the vintage violet.
doesn't that just sound like a store you need to go to?
it is as awesome as it sounds.
found this ring for...wait for it....two dollars.
yes. please.

i made a quick version of this when i remembered i didn't have a gift for the student teacher.

sister's getting to be such a big girl.

rockin it at fin's class party.

i love target so much.
they make everything so stinkin cute.
i found all the stuff for a movie night basket for friends.
also love that ho ho ho font.

and now, because i just find him so adorable, here is sawyer singing you a little christmas ditty.

merry christmas!!

link up your instapics here....

today

2011-12-22T14:01:00.001-06:00

today is the first day of my big boys' christmas break.
it's been really good.
i slept until baby girl woke me at 7 to eat.
we ate a yummy swedish tea ring for breakfast. {thank you betsy & family :)}
we all piled on the couch and watched the grinch.

i worked all morning to get the fire going...AJ is much better at it and he didn't have time to get it started this morning.
the boys were all cozied around me and i worked on a crochet project while we watched.
so nice to have that time with my boys...especially after the hurry hurry rush of the past month.
it makes me miss our homeschooling days.
even though it's a bit crazy, i am happiest when we're all together under one roof.

i'm done with my christmas shopping.
just have some more projects to finish up.
i've been rolling the laundry through all day...accidentally washed an entire load of clean clothes. awesome.

tomorrow ruby is FOUR months old. wow. hope i remember to take her picture.

okay...guess i better go stoke the fire, throw another load in, and make some more hot fudge sauce. :)

have a lovely day...merry christmas!!!

make this.

2011-12-21T05:45:00.000-06:00

salted. caramel. pretzel. bark.

if you like a salted caramel mocha {don't be scared, try it. you will never be the same} you will love this.

it takes 10 minutes to make, start to finish.
it is amazing. you will die.

click on the link above for the recipe.
try to not eat the entire batch yourself.

put it into cute little bags and everyone will love you forever and ever, amen.

my notes on this recipe:

*the first time i used hershey's special dark chips...oh mercy.
every other time {and there have been many} i have used semi-sweet chips and it's still amazing.

the tags are free printables from jones design company, tied with vintage lace.

*do not be afraid of the sea salt, it's what makes this stuff great.
*i love it best refrigerated.
*i bought the big bag of great value pretzels and it made 3 batches.

you are welcome.

our love story, from his perspective.

2011-12-16T14:02:00.000-06:00

did you read our love story last week?
for our anniversary, AJ gave me the best gift.
he wrote out how our story began . . . from his perspective.
if you follow my twitter you knew this was coming today....so here you go....how we began...take 2. :)

*********************************************************************************

Here’s my take on our LOVE story:

During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I had sworn off all girls. I had seen a short Rich Mullins documentary in May and decided that I liked his way of thinking. I was going to be a Kid Brother of St. Frank and carry on Rich’s legacy of singleness, travelling, living simply, and ministering to people. I decided that me being set on getting married someday was putting God in a box. (This is the part where you snicker to yourself as you recall how foolish 19 year-old boys can be.)

When I got back to campus that fall, I determined that I hadn’t spent enough time with my teammates from the rugby team in the past year. So I filled every weekend with the guys, no girls. Ever. It was awesome. Sometime that semester, Young Life started and I remember that Sara came with her friends for the first time to be a leader. She hadn’t impressed me the first time (Powderpuff; oh, the arrogance) so I didn’t pay much attention to her. But she was funny and I was already friends with her friends, so we got along fine. There’s the whole broken leg thing and the midnight movie thing that you all already know about. I don’t have much to add to that except that it’s funny how someone you barely gave five minutes to one day, could suddenly become incredibly attractive to you. She took care of me and was kind to me and she hooked me without realizing it. Also, I can see why some patients fall for their nurses. :)

Well, obviously, my Rich-for-life plan wasn’t working out. I amended my previous assertion to be that EITHER getting married or to being single put God in a box. I was now willing for Him to lead me wherever He wished. I know, that’s so generous of me. So, fast-forward to January, 1999. I was back playing rugby with a brace on my ankle. We’ll come back to that.

Anyway, I really enjoyed hanging out with Sara at Young Life. All of us would eat dinner before hand and if she was doing dishes, I would “reluctantly” volunteer to dry and put them away; anything to spend a little time with her. She seemed to reciprocate my friendly advances, so I thought maybe I was onto something. I determined that I would begin pursuing her, casually and slowly. That’s how I roll. Plus, I’m deathly afraid of failing, so I wanted to know for sure one way or another before I put myself out there. I had no idea that she was seeing someone else at the time.

One day, after a cold, muddy rugby practice, I came back to the dorm and walked through the common area. Sara was there with some other guy. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I was wearing a secret weapon – a pair of short rugby shorts. It may seem a little creepy for grown men to wear shorts with a one inch inseam as a sports uniform, but I’m pretty sure my bulging leg muscles caught her eye. Plus, it’s Euro, so that makes it cool. I, of course, noticed that she was with some other guy. I was jealous. I had no idea how much I really liked her until that moment. That’s the night I confessed these things to Sara’s friend, who I thought was more my friend than hers. I’m a little slow.

Three days later, that same dear friend said to me, “you should really consider asking Sara out.” I told her that I thought Sara was dating someone. She told me that, miracle of miracles, Sara had just broken up with the guy. I didn’t realize until much later why that was. Again, a little slow. This was Thursday.

The next Wednesday was Young Life. I had a plan to ask her out on the way home. Another leader and good friend of mine, Luke, needed a ride home which would have ruined everything. I told him that I needed a quiet ride home and why. He found another ride and I was grateful. I made some comment to Sara about how, “everyone seems to have left us for some reason. That’s weird.” And off we went. I’m pretty sure I could literally see my heart thumping through my shirt all the way home. We made a bunch of useless small talk because I was too nervous to ask her. I pulled up to her dorm and I thought she would talk a bit but she just hopped right out and was almost two steps away before I blurted, “Sara, I have a question for you!” Smooth.

I asked. She said yes. And I will neither confirm nor deny her allegations that I lingered there until she was out of sight. The rest was history. Except there’s a lot more. Like how we determined early on in our relationship that there would be no cycle of breaking up and getting back together like we’d seen some of our friends do. We were in it. Period. She was committed like a bulldog to us. I liked that about her. Still do. Or how, I had to ask her dad three times for permission to marry her. That was fun. I think I finally wore him down like a four year old asking for candy. Or how her biggest flaw is that she doesn’t have the same confidence in herself that I do. I think that one might go both ways.

It’s been a great 11 years, babe! I am so proud to be yours. Sometimes I feel like I’m married to a rock star. Except for that part where we have a stable marriage and there are no photogs outside of our house at all hours of the day. Other than that, you are a rock star and I am your biggest fan.

instafriday

2011-12-16T08:36:00.001-06:00

roaring fire, mantle lit with lights, cozy blanket on the couch = dreamy.

i loooove her sweet little christmas dress.

with white cable knit tights.

perfection.

have you made the hot fudge sauce yet?

i've already made another batch and just bought ingredients to make more.

i've lost my mind.

i'm nearly done shopping....just a couple of tidbits left to do.

but i am soooo far from done with my projects.

plus i decided to sew SIX stockings.

which we need by tomorrow morning.

and today's our anniversary.

and i have meliyah today.

and i have other projects and baking i need to finish.

and i stayed up til the wee hours of the morning wrapping presents in my closet.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

i got out of the shower one morning this week to find a frothy cup of coffee and Jesus Calling waiting for me.

such a good husband, that man.

and it was exactly what i needed....the caffeine and the book. ;)

i had been dealing with fear the night before and that day's entry was all about fear.

a timely word. . .

okay...must get going on that list.

have a happy friday everyone!!

join the instapartay here....

follow my instafeed @ saragood2bqueen

eleven years ~ our love story

2011-12-15T08:16:00.000-06:00

tomorrow is our eleventh anniversary.
having an anniversary right before christmas is a little bit of a bummer because it's often overshadowed by the holidays.
one year we even forgot our anniversary entirely.
we don't ever get each other gifts....we are lucky to go out...usually we end up celebrating after the new year.
this year i will probably be scrambling to get everything done because we are celebrating christmas on saturday.

in thinking about our anniversary, i realized that i have never written out our love story.
at least how it began . . .

AJ and i met at john brown university.
my sophomore year, his freshman year, he coached my powderpuff football team.
if you know me, you know i possess zero athletic ability.
i was on that team because all of my friends were on it and they talked me into it.
honestly i was mostly concerned about looking cute with my pigtails and eye black.
i didn't really notice AJ and he wasn't impressed with me.

fast forward to the next year {my junior year, his sophomore}.
we were young life leaders together and started sloooowly getting to know each other.
i was busying myself dating this guy and that guy and again not really being aware of AJ {sigh....hindsight}.
we were talking more and more at young life and started hanging out with mutual friends.
i remember thinking he was a really great guy but that i could never date him.
he was just tooo nice. {clearly i had some issues}.
little did i know, he liked me and thought i was flirting with him....which frustrated him because he knew i was dating someone.
i had no idea.
at the time, he had a broken foot from rugby and had a big ol' cast on it.
college guys thought it was funny to act like they were going to kick his foot or step on it, etc.
my motherly instincts would kick in and i would always shield his foot.
he liked that and that's when he really started to notice me.

one night, four of us went out to a midnight movie.
we walked into the theatre together and it was nearly full.
i headed off towards the front where there were two seats available...expecting my girlfriend to follow and sit with me.
i look up and there comes AJ, hobbling along on his crutches and sits in the seat next to me.
i'm thinking, what the heck.
the movie was enemy of the state.
whenever there was an especially violent or scary part AJ would reach up to shield my eyes.
ha ha! now that makes me laugh.
however, at the time, i loved it. that felt so protective and sweet.
that was the first time i really took notice of him.
but, i was still completely clueless that he liked me.
some time later, my best friend came into my dorm room late at night and told me that there was someone that liked me but she wasn't supposed to tell me.
of course she did. obviously.
i. was. shocked.
shocked. shocked. shocked.
this was honestly a life changing moment for me.
i knew that the guy i was dating was not God's best for me.
i knew that i was settling and just filling my time.
that night i cried and cried.

i immediately ended the relationship i was in.

i told the Lord, if someone like AJ would like someone like me, i would never settle again.

i never dreamed that AJ would think of me in that way.
he seemed too good for me.
that night i felt the Lord so close...saying this is what I have for you.
it was good and painful at the same time.
God didn't wait for me to have my act together to give me such a gift.
He gave me the gift and that brought me to the right place.

soooo... a few days later AJ drove me home from young life.
right as i was getting out of the car, he asked me out.
later he told me he watched me walk all the way into my dorm.
he was acting like he was making sure that i got in safely, but really he was watching me shake it. ha!

first we went on a double date and he acted really weird.
he was telling jokes and generally not being himself.
i kept telling myself, he's not usually like this.
by the end of the night he pulled himself together and it was good.
he just needed to chill out a bit. ;)
he walked me back to my dorm and as we said goodbye, he said, "we'll do this again, yes?"
i liked that.

a few days later we had ice cream in the park and then hung out outside my dorm talking.

he said hi to every single person that walked by and was so friendly.
i kept thinking, i can't believe i'm with him.

that weekend we went out on what we call our first real date {a week after our double date}.
he planned the whole night out with all of my favorite things.
we ate at this little hole in the wall italian restaurant.

and that was the night it happened. . . magic.
we were sitting across the table from each other, eating these weird, twisty breadsticks, talking and looking right into each other's eyes, and we just knew.

we both remember that moment.
i knew that he was the one i would spend the rest of my life with.

later that night we watched breakfast at tiffany's and he asked me if he could hold my hand.
and that was it.
i was his.

and they lived happily ever after . . .

christmas tree two thousand eleven

2011-12-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

right after thanksgiving we put up our christmas tree.
it's always a family event.
aj gets the tree up and he and i string the lights.
the boys each have their own tin of their special ornaments that they get to put on.

i think they really like getting to have their own ornaments that they can put on wherever they want.
it's fun for them to open them each year and remember when they made them.

this year i was going for a gaudy look. ;)

i like a tree full of stuff.

tinsel garland, every ornament we own, berry picks, pinecones, etc.

we got married at christmas time so we received a bunch of ornaments as gifts.
we have ornaments we've collected over the years.
i stuffed pinecones the boys collected into any empty spaces.
heaven forbid we have an empty space.

in the kitchen i have my tree. . . all bedecked in my beloved antique ornaments.

this year i sprayed the tree with canned snow stuff before i put the ornaments and tinsel on.

i lovey love love antique ornaments.

i've collected them from thrift stores and AJ's mom gave me a couple of boxes last year.

today i'm going to link up with thriftydecorchick for her christmas tree partay...click over to see a whole slew of christmas trees.

merry merry christmas friends!

right now.

2011-12-13T08:36:00.000-06:00

stole this idea from meg.

right now i am . . .

watching: nothing......don't really watch tv during the day. i save that for the evening when i can cuddle my husband. :) we watched the amazing race finale last night. love that show. we also love the middle, person of interest, survivor, and parks and rec.

eating: again nothing...i used to alwaysalwaysalways eat breakfast. since i've had ruby, coffee is my breakfast. probably not the best thing for a nursing mama. oh well, you win some, you lose some.

drinking: half-caff coffee with a titch of raw sugar and frothed peppermint mocha creamer mixed with milk...made by the sweet husband.

wearing: old navy tan sweater, white button up underneath, (seen here) seven sparkly booty jeans from plato's closet, merrells.

avoiding: waking ruby up to get her dressed to take sawyer to his well child check up. i think she'll go in her jammies.

feeling: pretty good. i have a million thoughts swirling in my head. things i need to get done and i am soooo unorganized. but on the whole, i feel pretty low stress...at this moment anyway. excited for fun christmas activities coming up this week. :)

missing: my big boys...gone at school five days a week. i like them. looking forward to christmas break. remind me of this on week two of no school. :)

thankful: for a great life. a faithful husband who continually pursues me. a Jesus who continually pursues me. amazing, encouraging friends. four healthy children. everything i need and a bunch of extras. my cup over.flows.

weather: cold and rainy.

praying: for friends and family who are walking through tough tough tough situations. my heart hurts so much for them.

needing: to work on the mountain of laundry that i see overflowing from my hamper.

thinking: i am excited about a new business venture on the horizon.

dreaming: of a white christmas...how fun would that be?!

loving: christmas time. i love the whole season. parties, lights, food, music, movies.
also, having a wood burning fire place...soooo cozy.

what about you?
what are you doing right now?

hot fudge sauce and a family gift idea

2011-12-12T05:30:00.000-06:00

this is the time of year that my kitchen turns into santa's workshop.
i love making christmas treats to give out as gifts.

last year i made chocolate covered peanut butter crackers. yum.
the boys and i make these pretzel kisses every year.
i used to always make peppermint bark or big ol' pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate & sprinkles.

this year, it's hot fudge sauce.
i got the idea from my friend, erin, who always makes them for her kids' teachers.

i used my mother-in-law's recipe & packaged it into small glass jars.

she gave me the awesome tip of pouring it in the jar right when it's hot, then put the lid on tight and it will seal itself.

it totally worked.

i downloaded the free circus font for the tags and printed them on some scrapbook paper i had in my stash.

i got another brill idea off, you guessed it, pinterest.

Source: homemade.tipjunkie.com via Sara on Pinterest

here's my version....

ice cream cones or bowls, hot fudge sauce, and several different fun toppings, packaged into little bags.

for basket filler, i fed some craft paper through my paper shredder.

and a boxed version....

i think this is a great gift for a family...i know my boys would be pumped to receive something like this.
just a simple little gift to say merry christmas. :)

*pam's hot fudge*

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
12 oz. can evap milk.

heat to boiling & continue to stir until it's thick and smooth.

add a stick o' butter & 1 Tbs. vanilla.
stir still smooth.
pour into jars.

i did a double batch and it made 7, 8oz. jars.

pam's tip . . . for a single batch use a 3qt pot so it doesn't boil over your pan.
bigger batch...bigger pot. you get it.

instafriday

2011-12-09T14:53:00.001-06:00

hey friends.
it's friday and i'm exhausted.
i'm currently eating rainbow berry sour candy to keep myself awake.
all i want to do is take a nap but of course there's no time for that.
i think i will wander downstairs and make some coffee for this chilly afternoon.
i love this time of year even if it is crazytown busy.
trying to take deep breaths, choose not to get overwhelmed {i get overwhelmed pretty easily :/} and talk to Jesus.

sooooo....here are my little snapshots of life this week....

this candle is ah-mazing. go get one...walmart, 5 bucks.
it smells soooo good and fills my entire house with it's goodness. love. it.

last friday's thrift store finds.
chunky sweater cardi for me.
you can't really see it, but it's a navy sweater shirt thing for fin.
christmas sparkle.
wreath forms for future projects. yay and yay.

we had our first snow this week.

just a dusting but it sure was pretty.

oh how i love her in a jumper.
can't get enough.

peppermint tea on a cold afternoon makes me feel so cozy.
favorite mug makes me think of my girl, mel.

love the sparkle of a christmas tree.

thanks for reading, friends.

may your days be merry and bright.......

Noonday Collection Winner!!

2011-12-08T15:57:00.001-06:00

thank you soooo much to everyone who entered, facebooked, tweeted & generally spread the word about our noonday collection giveaway.

congratulations to . . .

Linda

who said: My vote is for the herringbone throw or the cubist bracelet or the mittens are super cute... I love your site and am follower of yours. I hope I win.

yay Linda! email me or leave a comment with your email so i can give you your gift card code!

be sure to like krista's noonday collection facebook page....she'll be posting sneak peeks of new product, styling tips, giveaways and deals.

thank you so much Krista for introducing us to this wonderful company!

okay, so here's a question for you all....when you looked at krista's page did you think she looks a little like me??

well, krista and i met 15 years ago (holy cow i am old) when we were camp counselors together for three summers.
she is the sweetest girl you will ever meet, btw.
anyhow, the campers could never tell us apart.

so, because i know that everyone needs a chuckle at 4:45 in the afternoon...here's a picture of two super cool girls in our matching shortalls & hair ribbons.

don't kill me krista.
happy thursday!!!

a merry mantel

2011-12-06T22:24:00.001-06:00

so i've been busy decking our halls with a bit o' christmas cheer.
i love how cozy a home is during the holidays.

i want to show you our fireplace mantel...so far.
still no stockings because i still haven't made them.
hopefully i'll get that done this year, but i'm not making any promises.

we didn't have a fireplace growing up and i always wanted one, so i really enjoy having a fireplace and mantel to decorate.
the blessed frame is the only thing that was already on the mantle.
i added a dollar store wreath with some scrap ribbon to that.
i grabbed an old chalkboard that i hadn't found a place for to bring some christmas color and dimension.
the garland is two strands, twisted together to make it more substantial
i added in some spray painted pinecones & shiny oval shaped things that i found in the christmas picks section of oops last year.

i pulled these glass thingamabobs from the bookshelf and filled them with some ornaments i got on clearance a couple of years ago and a glade candle i got for free with a coupon.

i plopped this old santa down on a candle pedestal, propped a wooden star next to it and filled a couple apothecary jars with more spray painted pine cones.
there's always hazards to decorating...this time the casualty was the lid to one of those jars....shattered all over the ground. but you know, i'm not striving for perfection here.

i am loving having a wood burning stove.

now that is cozy.

i love how it looks at night...all lit up and festive.

have a fun mantel to share? or need some merry mantel inspiration? check out the holiday home link party today at southern hospitality.

**don't forget to enter my $50 noonday collection giveaway! it ends tonight at midnight...just leave a comment on that post to be entered to win!

weekend recap

2011-12-05T14:36:00.001-06:00

is your life insane right now?
or is it just me?

it actually could be crazier...last year certainly was......what with moving at this time and all.
so glad we're not doing that right now.
i think it just feels so crazy because there's a bunch of stuff on my calendar and i have bought like zero christmas presents.
and i am so unorganized....i need to make a list for goodness sake.

soooo we had a good weekend.
we really enjoyed it...but it was really full so it kinda flew by.

friday night i got to eat and craft with some of my favorite girls.

avery went to a birthday party....he spent about an hour working on the card.
so sweet.
he had to get the football just perfect.

saturday morning our little family went to ride on the santa train.
sawyer had never ridden the big train so we were really excited to see his reaction.
he did not disappoint....he loved it.

i actually love riding the train.
santa and mrs. claus come down the aisle and greet the kids and you get to sing christmas carols as you roll down the tracks.
very polar expressy.

the train whistle was a bit loud for ms. ruby.

she did great and she had everyone oohing and aahing over her. :)

we ate lunch on sam's club samples and then had a date night that night.

on sunday afternoon i made these reindeer cookies for my potter's house girls.

i got the idea off pinterest and changed it up just a bit.
i used a gingerbread cookie mix.
while they were still warm from the oven, i added chocolate covered pretzels, red m&m's and mini reeces pieces.
most of the girls weren't fans of the gingerbread, but our family loves them.

i am having to exercise some serious restraint to keep from eating the whole tub.
i also wrapped little smokies in crescent rolls for their snack.
those were gone in about 5 minutes.

so am i the only person in the free world not doing elf on the shelf?
i thought so.

okay....better go get something, anything accomplished.

stay warm friends....as my husband would say, it's colder than a witch's personality.... ;)

instafriday

2011-12-02T08:46:00.001-06:00

well this week i was lamo-O on taking instagram pics.
i've got three and they're not that great. ha.

to infinity....and beyond!!
sawyer got a buzz for his birthday and he l-o-v-e loves it.
he carries buzz everywhere he goes. so cute.

the fun and funky advent calendar...pre-assembly.

love spending my mornings with this sweet little boy.
love those baby cheeks and sweet smile.

do you instagram? follow my feed... saragood2bqueen

don't forget to put your name in the drawing for the $50 noonday giveaway!!

have a lovely weekend....we're going to do some fun christmasy stuff this weekend. :)

it's december first...

2011-12-01T15:09:00.001-06:00

do you have your advent calendar ready?
if not, you. are. in luck.

for the past few years we've done an advent calendar that i picked up at the christian bookstore.
it wasn't particularly beautiful...but it was full of meaning.
i even blogged about it back in the early days of my blogging.

well, i couldn't find it this year.

i wanted something simple and something to point towards Christ's birth.

i feel like we have to keep reeling it in, you know?
there's so much thought about presents and junk.....
we are constantly striving during this season to draw near to Jesus and to help our kids stay focused on the point of christmas.

anyhow, i searched around on the interwebs and combined a couple of ideas to come up with an advent paper chain.

i used this free printable paper chain template from sara at less ordinary designs.
i love the fun christmas patterns and that it's customizable.
i used the themes and verses from this printable paper chain template i found online.

it was super easy...i printed them out and cut them out with my paper cutter....

.....and stapled to make a chain.

we'll tear off one each day until christmas.
i'm excited about the time we'll have every day to read God's word together.
it will be good for all of us to refocus our attention on
that sweet night so long ago when mary and joseph welcomed our Savior into this world.

what about you guys?? have any great advent calendar ideas to share?
if you haven't done one yet, it's not too late!
you can print this out tonight and do it after dinner!
let me know if you do. :)

{in an effort of full disclosure, i had to lock myself in the bathroom to finish this post. i can hear my kids screaming at each other from in here....good thing we've got some verses to read tonight. i think we need it!}

noonday collection giveaway!!

2011-11-30T08:22:00.001-06:00

i have an awesome giveaway for you today!
i am so excited about it!

my dear friend, krista is an ambassador for noonday collection.
have you heard of noonday yet???!!

here's their mission:

"The purpose of Noonday Collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. You, too, can be a voice for the oppressed!"

how great is that?

and their products are just gorgeous.

so this is how krista described noonday....

"It is a company that creates a pathway out of poverty for vulnerable populations by selling fair trade fashion here in the states. The way God is using this to change the lives of women around the world is amazing! I am wanting women to see how they can purchase a completely unique accessory for themselves or a friend and at the same time help a women half way across the world keep her children instead of giving them up for adoption because she is now earning a fair wage."

ummm...yes, please. love that.
the coolest thing is that krista even got to meet some of the ugandan artisans while she was in uganda getting her son they just adopted last month.
noonday has a relationship with each and every artisan. also, love that.

okay this is from their website:

We advocate for the orphan by:

Providing jobs that create a pathway out of poverty for women. A stable income means a family is less likely to abandon their child.
Help families fundraise for their own adoptions. We give10% of trunk show sales directly to the adoptive family when they host a trunk show.
Aside from donating 10% towards qualified adoptive families, Noonday Collection gives net proceeds towards orphan care and prevention.
The dream: Take YOU on a trip to visit artisans and visit orphans in their distress.

so this is a company we can all get behind, right?

and what a great time of year....when we all want to find meaningful, special gifts for our loved ones.

so sweet krista generously sent me a noonday product to review for you.

she sent me these lovely nesting mittens.

and just in time because it has gotten cold up in here.

now here is my honest to goodness opinion of these mittens....

i love them.

they're super and cozy and warm.
they're made from alpaca wool, so hello, you know they're soft.

also, they're really long, which is fun...cute and practical.

you can pull back the mitten part when you need to do something suuuuper important like texting.

" Every product is fully traceable including where we source, what are in the products, and who actually hand knits the items."

okay raise your hand if you want to win some sassy accessory from noonday.

krista is giving a $50 noonday gift card to one of my readers!
what would you pick from the noonday site....maybe this fancy-pants clutch??

okay here's what you do:

*leave a comment for one entry

*go to krista's noonday page, look around, come back here and tell us which is your favorite item for an extra entry

*become an it's good to be queen follower for an extra entry

*blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveway for extra entries...leave a separate comment for each.

so that's 6 chances to win! leave a separate comment for each.

contest runs through next wednesday dec. 7, at midnight...winner announced next thursday.

gallery wall

2011-11-29T14:24:00.001-06:00

i'm so excited to show you my finished gallery wall!
i love it.
i wish i hadn't drug my feet so much with this project because it is just so dang happy.

so here was our big ol' blank wall before . . .

and here it is all bedecked in frames . . .

yes, we did a little furniture rearranging as well. :)

let's get a closer look, shall we?

so it doesn't look at all like how i had it laid on the ground.
it kind of took on a life of it's own once we started hanging them.
we didn't have any technical formula.
we hung the biggest one up first and then starting hanging the others around it as we went.
i would step back and look at it and then aj would hang the frame where i directed.
it worked out really well and didn't talk long at all.

i actually left a few frames empty for a few days, but i just wanted those suckers up on the wall!

okay, so i'll show you what's in each frame. . .

we'll start with top left.
we've got a pic of the five of us that callie took a couple of years ago.

next to that we have a cheapy cardboard N from hoblob, spray painted black.

next up, i framed a pretty piece of scrapbook paper next to one of ruby's newborn photos.

beside that we hung up a sweet little pic of fin from farmland adventures.
below that is a cutie pic of our 4 year old avery on the beach.

below that is another {i couldn't help myself} adorable newborn pic of ruby.
then i used a glassless frame to house a piece of fun number typography scapbook paper and a wooden number 6.

next to those, i took apart a random piece of artwork, spray painted the mat & framed one of my grandma's handkerchiefs

the big daddy in the middle is a sweet photo that AJ took of avery and i in a ferris wheel a couple of summers ago.

this rad print is from the shop for sharlie, created by julie of joy's hope blog.
love that quote so. much.

another beach pic {already had these on hand} of a 2 year old finley and a 4 year old avery.

below that is a weird size frame that i put some burlap looking scrapbook paper and a couple of 4X6's of our family from two years ago.

for this frame i printed out an adorable picture of sawyer that my father in law took on family vacation two summers ago.
love those chubby little baby hands!

top frame . . . old book page with a little bunting made from yarn & scrapbook paper.
bottom frame.... me and the boys this summer about a week before sister came.

and finally...a little bit o' lovin to spice things up a bit.....taken for our ten year anniversary last december.
{baby ruby's in that picture too, but we didn't know it. ;)}

so there you have it...our very fun, eclectic, inexpensive, can evolve & grow over time, gallery wall. :)

this was such a fun project.
it's kind of addictive.
i'm definitely on the look out for more fun things to frame...magazine pics, fabric, great photos, etc.

what about y'all?
anybody else out there have a gallery wall to share?
i'd love to see. :)

ruby jane ~ 3 months

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-06:00

our sweet girl is three months old.

being a mama is complex, isn't it?
on one hand you're excited to see what they're going to be like, look like, talk like, etc.
and at the very same time, it about tears your heart out to watch them change.

oh mercy, those sweet feet.
i die.

sister loves to hold her hands in front of her.

she's starting to roll to her side.
she loves to be talked to and rewards us with the sweetest sounds.

a few notes about our 3 month old girl.....
*we moved her almost completely over to 3-6 month clothes.
*she's sleeping through the night consistently now
*she's wearing size 2 diapers
*she switches back and forth between her paci and her thumb {mostly only uses her thumb in bed}
*she enjoys looking at hanging toys and batting at them.
*she still loves to be held and be in her moby wrap.
*she is the prettiest, sweetest little girl we've ever laid eyes on. :)

thanksgiving & instafriday

2011-11-25T15:16:00.001-06:00

we had a lovely thanksgiving.
and of course ruby looked adorable in her turkey shirt.

dressing a girl is so. much. fun.

ruby has the sweetest coo and seems to mimic our sounds when we talk to her.

see, she loves her shirt...she's hugging her turkey.

we had a nice house full of people yesterday.
sadly i didn't get a picture of everyone...i guess i was too focused on the food.
because you know i got pics of the food.

i guess you can see where my priorities lie.

and the food was amazing.
turkey, sweet potato casserole {no marshmallows}, cornbread dressing, squash casserole, green bean casserole {obvees}, pies, brownies, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, homemade bread and sweet tea.

and now for a little instafun...my instagram pics for this week . . .

1. baby girl smiling & happy in her carseat. shocking. it lasted for about 5 minutes.
2. more sweet baby girl goodness
3. happy birthday dear sawyer. . .family fun night at fun city for the birthday boy.
4. i needed extra plates for thanksgiving dinner...dollar tree to the rescue. score.

1. pumpkin pancakes on thanksgiving morning...thank you pinterest and my rad husband.
2. cranberry sauce straight from the can, just the way i like it.
i want to see the lines of the can on my cranberry sauce.
no high-falutin whole berry sauce for me thankyouverymuch.
3. my little sister is staying with us for a few days.
we took a walk this morning to get some fresh air and energy out.
4. cutie cutie 3 year old boy loving the park.
we ended up walking a little too far and too long with no stroller.
i wonder what the cars were thinking when they were driving by and i had baby girl on my front and sawyer on my back. yeah. it was awesome.
my back is gonna hate me tomorrow.

happy weekend all!!

ribbon turkey shirt for baby girl

2011-11-23T15:02:00.001-06:00

so it's the day before thanksgivng and i have a million and one things to do today.
of course i'm trying cram way too much into one day, but that's how i roll.

i'm hosting thanksgivng for my family.
i've got a big honkin' turkey thawing in the fridge.
i love to make a turkey on thanksgiving day.
i don't really know what the big deal is about making a turkey.
you shove a couple of sticks of butter up inside him and then a bunch more butter in between the skin and the meat, sprinkle some coarse salt all over...and you and your turkey are golden. :)

i've got several food dishes i need to prepare, clean the house, print out some thankful cards, get the table ready, etc.
plus i decided sister needed a thanksgiving shirt for tomorrow.
and you know me, i have to use what i have on hand.

so i grabbed an extra white onesie & dug around in my ridiculously large stash o' ribbon.
i used the ribbon to make "feathers" and pinned them on in a turkey-ish pattern.

i used a cup i had sitting nearby to trace a body shape for the turkey.

i quick sewed down the ribbons willy-nilly just to hold them in place.

i started out with dark brown minky but had to scrap that when i remembered that sewing minky onto a thin onesie is tor.ture.
so i grabbed some other dark brown fabric i had {courdoroy with polka dots} and used that instead.
i used a little piece of orange ribbon to make a nose & rhinestones for eyes.
you could also use buttons or pearls for eyes, but i decided she's a girl, she needs a little sparkle. :)

i left the edges of the fabric raw because i don't like things looking too perfect.
which, honestly, i couldn't achieve if i tried.

i can't wait to see baby girl in it tomorrow. :)

happy thanksgiving eve!!

gobble. gobble.

2011-11-22T14:21:00.001-06:00

the boys are off school all week.
in an effort to be fun mom rather than the crabby, inpatient mom that i've been, i decided to do a thanksgiving craft with the boys.
our morning started off a little rocky....i may or may not have slammed the cabinet doors when a certain pair of brothers started arguing, again.
but thankfully, i got myself under control, took some deep breaths & talked to Jesus.

we all love a craft so i knew the boys would be excited when i pulled out the paper, glue & ribbons.
i found this idea for a turkey on pinterest {of course}.
i decided we could do something similar, using what we had on hand.

i gathered up some scapbook paper, fall-ish colored ribbons, glue & scissors.
the boys were pumped.

we used a bowl to trace out a circle for the turkey's body.
then we cut ribbon pieces for the feathers.
the boys glued the bottom half of the circle down and then i helped them hot glue the feathers in place.
{ignore their dorky outfits...we were still in our jammies. still are, in fact.}

we have several low temp glue guns that the big boys can use if they're careful.
after the "feathers" were in, we made beaks, gobblers, eyes & feet out of scrap paper.

now look how cute they turned out!

so fun.
i hung them on the door in the kitchen so we can enjoy them during our thanksgiving meal.

the boys were very proud and i think they turned out awfully cute.

so easy and so fun....just using stuff you already have around the house.

how about y'all? are you doing any fun thanksgivingy crafts with your kids this week?
have you found anything festive on pinterest?
do tell. :)

happy birthday sawyer d!

2011-11-21T15:56:00.001-06:00

today my baby boy is three.
holey moley....three years just flew right by me.
i swear, i just brought that tiny dark-headed baby boy home from the hosptial.
and what a stinkin' delight that boy has been.
his smile and voice lights up a room.
i am so happy to celebrate him today.

this weekend we had a little party for him.
i wasn't quite sure who to invite.... i wanted to keep it small enough that it was fun for him.
if i invited all of our friends with kids...it would have been insane.
so i kept it to a few of his little friends that he sees and plays with the most often.

it was perfect.
it was probably the easiest and most fun party i have ever done.

we had two activities...playing & cookie decorating.

they happily played outside for a long while {with the dads "supervising."}

when the kids arrived they played in the playroom a bit and then played outside until it was time to decorate cookies.

this party was so simple, but so fun.

*$2 boxes of sugar cookies from the walmart bakery
*homemade frosting {yum}
*tons of sprinkles
*gumdrops
*gummy worms
*skittles
*m&m's (leftover from halloween)
*juiceboxes
*grapes & caramel popcorn for snack
*plates & napkins from walmart
*craft paper to cover the table
*paper cups (from dollar tree) to hold toppings

i got a dollar bag o' balloons from walmart and hung them from the ceiling with thumbtacks.
sawyer loved that.

i think the kids all enjoyed decorating and eating their cookies.
i had clear bags for them to take what they didn't eat home.

we had water, coffee & grownup snacks available as well.

we really enjoyed sawyer's party.
it was fun to visit with friends, was pretty calm and was randomly very little mess.

happy birthday my sweet sawyer daniel!
i love you so!

instafriday

2011-11-18T08:06:00.001-06:00

happy friday before thanksgiving!
are you all busy making thanksgiving plans? figuring out what you're gonna cook?
i love thanksgiving.
i'm making a big ol' turkey and i'm excited about it.
my boys are going to be off school all week.
so next week should be fun and crazy and loud. :)
i'm hoping to do some fun thanksgivingy crafts with the boys.

last weekend sister starting sucking her thumb.

i have mixed feelings about this.
i'm happy that she's able to soothe herself but i also know from. experience. how hard it is to kick that habit.
she only does it in her bed though.
i reeeeeeallly wish she would do it in her carseat....which she hates with. a. passion.
seriously, she acts like it's an instrument of torture.
the boys always fell alseep in their carseat and stayed asleep.
not ruby...she has an opinion about it and it's not a good one.
any tips on this would be bueno.

but look at those sweet feet in church.
with jeggings. yes, adorable.

sawyer and ruby and i had a little play time in the park on monday.
it was a beautiful day.
ruby actually slept the entire time in her car seat which was convenient.
of course that was after she let her opinion be known but was too tired to fight it any longer.

sawyer was so happy that i was climbing and sliding and swinging with him.
i realized that i haven't done that since before i was pregnant with ruby.
that's a long time for a little guy.
i was so happy to be playing with him and enjoying my boy.

on tuesday we had a lunch date with daddy.
mexican food...yum.

i was working on my frame wall and trying different arrangements this week.

aj and i got the frames up on the wall last night.
it looks nothing like the arrangement i had laid out.
hopefully i'll have it done and can show you next week.

have a happy weekend!
i'm probably going to be at the walmarts with all the other crazies trying to buy up my thanksgiving meal ingredients.
should be exciiiitttttinggg.

oh i almost forgot! the winner of the dayspring giveaway!
i used a random number generator and the winner is: laurel!!! congrats!
i'll be sending you an email with your gift code. :)

do you do instagram? follow my instafeed at saragood2bqueen

gallery wall...oh, it's happening.

2011-11-17T15:00:00.001-06:00

so i told you the other day that i want to do a gallery/photo wall in our living room.
i've planned to do it since we moved here almost a year ago.
i think it has seemed overwhelming because of the time it would take to dig out all my frames & go through my pictures & order pictures & figure out art for the other frames.
i think between posting photos of my living room and reading katie's post about her wall of frames, i finally got the kick in the pants i needed to get started.

so right now, the wall of frames is in process.

i dug out all of my frames from my cabinets and laid them out on the floor.
i have a bunch of frames because i never get rid of frames...much like pillows.
also, if any of my friends are getting rid of frames, i always take them.
i know i can always transform them with a can of spray paint. :)

i laid out all the frames and played with them until i came up with an arrangement i liked.

i wasn't sure if i wanted all the frames to be the same color...i.e.: all black or all white.
so, i looked around pinterest at gallery walls and decided that what i liked best was a combination of finishes.
i decided to keep some frames as they are and spray paint the others white.

i decided to try out this Krylon paint & primer in one so that i wouldn't have to mess with sanding.

i had some prints made and will hopefully print out some art prints when my color ink arrives from amazon. {thank you swagbucks! hurry mr. postman}.

my plan is to just get the frames up on the wall as soon as possible and then add the photos and art work and doodads as i can.
i think just having it up on the wall will keep me motivated to get it finished.

i'll keep you posted!

**p.s. today is the last day to enter my $20 dayspring giveaway! it closes tonight at midnight.

wednesday

2011-11-16T07:57:00.001-06:00

cue the hallelujah chorus.

ruby slept through the night last night . . . in her own bed.

and she's 12 weeks old...holy cow, this is flying.

you want to see her adorable birth announcements?

sure you do. :)

they were designed by the uber talented sara luke of less ordinary designs.

i chose a really simple design because i think the photo says it all. ;)

by the way, if you're looking for christmas card designs...you must use sara...she is amazing and talented and flexible..love. her.

plus, she's designed our christmas cards for years and i've always been so pleased.

okay, that's all i've got today.

have a great wednesday, friends!

p.s. have any questions for me? anything you've been dying to know?

ask me in the comments and i'll try to answer tomorrow. :)

living ~ room progress report, part 3

2011-11-14T19:11:00.001-06:00

click here for part one and here for part two.

so it's been a while since i've posted an update on our living room.
i still have zero artwork on the walls.
sad, i know.
i've stalled out in that department.

but, since it's changed a bit since my last post {7 months ago} i thought i'd show an updated version.

the two main changes were adding my awesome craig's list chairs and throwing white sheets up for curtain panels.

i've also changed the shelves up, added a couple of pillows, moved a dresser to behind the couch to act as a landing spot when you come in the door, added a storage bench to coral the boys' eleventybillion shoes, added a side table, painted big bertha gray {sherwin william's rushing river}, and added a small piece of art & coat rack by the back door.

the dresser that's acting as a sofa table/landing spot was the changing table for finley & sawyer's nurseries.
it was made by a sweet friend of ours to match pottery barn specs.

those baskets on the bottom will be perfect for winter boots this year.

i want to do a picture/gallery wall on that back wall and i just need to get. it. done.
if we owned this house, i would probably paint the brick fireplace and mantel.

the curtains are just white, flat sheets hung on a rod.
i'd like to add some other fabric . . . maybe a burlap ruffle...or something with a pattern...not sure.

i whipped up these pillows right before ruby was born with some fabric i found in my stash.
i'd like to add some more to break up the leather couch and add some texture/softness.
i also think a nice throw would help add some texture and interest...i've been on the lookout for one.
something not too big...that i can throw over the arm of the chair.

the doorway to the left is the hallway to the kitchen and front of the house.
to the right is the playroom.
big bertha holds our jackets and outerwear.
ignore that mirror up there....it's just up there b/c i can't decide what to do with it.

i didn't realize how bare this room looks until i see pictures of it.
it definitely needs some more layers and somethinganything on the walls.
but it really is cozy in real life. ;)

so that's our living room right now...hopefully this post will be the motivation i need to get started on that dadgum frame/gallery/photo/whatever wall.

**p.s. don't forget to enter my dayspring giveaway! you have until thursday @ midnight.

it's monday and God is good.

2011-11-13T21:03:00.001-06:00

happy monday morning, friends.
did you all join in the happy day project?
what a brilliant idea that was.
i had a sweet friend tell me that she brought treats to her neighbors after reading my post.
that made my day.
i love the spurring one another on that happens through blogs.
i haven't done the other days yet...but i still want to.

so the. coolest. thing. happened.
i've wanted to get the boys a trampoline for some time.
i knew they would just love it.
i also knew that it would be a fun activity for our potter's house kids.
not long ago avery asked me, "mom, will we ever get a trampoline?"
i said i didn't know and we'd just pray about it.

last saturday i was thinking about it and talking to Jesus about it.
i asked Him, could we please have a trampoline.
i had the thought to put it on freecycle.
i felt silly doing it, but i went ahead and said, okay Lord, it's up to you, it's in your hands.
the next day at church our pastor's wife came up to us and said that she'd just joined freecycle and happened to see our ad.
she said that they had a trampoline that they'd been wanting to pass along for some time.
she said we could come get it anytime.
wow.

our God is so good. so lavish. so sweet.

you know, i pray these kind of prayers all the time.
i figure it can't hurt to ask.
and many times the answer is no or not yet.
however, many times the answer is yes and it comes in a way that i could never dream up if i tried.
i really think there's something to just wholehearted trust in God's goodness.
i cannot count the number of times God has said yes to these kind of prayers of mine.

there's no prayer too little or too big....i think God delights in the asking.

1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

instafriday

2011-11-10T14:08:00.001-06:00

last saturday i started pulling out all of the 3-6 month cold weather clothes for miss ruby.
i may have jumped the gun a bit...she can still wear most of her 0-3 month stuff...but i really just wanted to see it all.
my sweet friend erin has two daughters and is letting ruby wear their baby clothes.
she has awesome taste so it's like christmas morning opening those boxes. :)

i had my potter's house group of fourth grade girl's over on sunday.
we did a lesson on thankfulness.
they wrote out what they're thankful for on fall leaves from the yard.
that's one pretty pile of leaves.

i made meg's cheesecake {actually her friend pam's} this week.
oh my mercy.
it is a-maz-ing.
seriously.
it truly is the best cheesecake ever.
you must make it.
it's fluffy and airy and perfect.
i am not going to lose any more baby weight if i do not quit making desserts!!! aaahhh!!

it POURED one day this week....the one day sawyer and i went out to run errands.
we were soaked.
he loved it. ;)
then i came home, put the littles to bed, poured some hot tea & sat down with my laptop.
it was nice.
i really do savor that small window of time in the afternoons between putting sawyer and ruby down and the big boys coming home.
the house is so quiet and peaceful.
i try to gear myself up for the crazy that is about to happen, come 3:15. ;)

jeannett's taking a week off from instafriday for the happy day project....but i love instafriday so i'm doing it anyway. ;)

happy friday friends......have a lovely weekend....xoxox

dayspring review and giveaway!

2011-11-10T08:03:00.003-06:00

okay, so i've got a review and a giveaway for you today.
so excited.
i love to give stuff away.

when i first saw dayspring's wooden silverware caddy, i was in love.
i think i saw it at the nester a while back.
i just loved how rustic it looked....like something you would find in an old barn or at a cool flea market.

when dayspring gave me the opportunity to review it, i said, sign me up buttercup.

and let me tell you, it's even better in person.

love.
it's sturdy and rustic and i love the contrast between my shiny silverware and the dark wood.
also, love the verse on the front.

"Give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love." Psalm 107:8
well isn't that the truth.
His love is amazing and unfailing and i've seen it so much lately.

i love this season of giving thanks.
honestly, i try to have a heart of gratitude all the time.
but i do love the opportunity for intentional thanksgiving that this season provides us.
we talk a lot about having thankful hearts as a family.
what better time to practice that than now?
this is a great time to have conversations about giving, serving & blessing others.

i love that this sweet verse is sitting right in the center of my table.

not only is this wooden caddy lovely to look at, it's functional too.
how nice to have our silverware & napkins right there within easy reach.

i am so thrilled to be able to offer one of you a $20 credit to dayspring so that you can get some meaningful beauty for your home as well. :)

leave me a comment to be entered to win.
want more chances? blog, tweet, facebook, or become a follower for extra chances.
leave a comment for each way that you spread the word...each extra comment = an extra entry.
giveaway closes next thursday, the 17th....winner announced on friday.

even if you don't win, you can get this caddy for half off!
this month's coupon on the inspired deals page is 50% off the wooden caddy or pedastal with coupon code: table50

**dayspring gave me this product to review....all opinions are my own.

"master" bathroom

2011-11-09T10:34:00.000-06:00

today i thought i'd show you our master bathroom update . . . that we did last february.
i kept waiting to show this room until it was totally finished...i.e. painting & art.
however, we don't know how long we are going to live here, so i thought i'd just go ahead and document what we've done so far.

the master bathroom is teeeeeny.
this house was built in 1980 and they just didn't make master bathroom's the same 30 years ago.
when we moved in the sink had a leak and henceforth, look like this:

ewwww....doesn't really make ya wanna wash your face in it.
plus, there was no storage except the cabinet under the sink.
which is why all that junk is sitting on the counter.

the floor also left something to be desired....30 year old linoleum that was peeling up:

claaaaasy.
isn't that cabinet lovely??

there was one long brass {plastic} towel rack on the wall by the shower and no towel rack by the sink.

because the people that own this house are awesome, they told us we could pick out whatever sink we wanted and basically do whatever we wanted in here.
they are a dream to rent from.

the first thing we did was to rip up the linoleum and put new floor down.
we had left over vinyl faux wood planks from our last house so we used those in both upstairs bathrooms.

also, in the photo above you can see we updated the towel bar to a nicer brushed stainless {not plastic} one.
we chose brushed stainless to match the existing light fixture.
i also painted the trim, glossy white.
{sorry about the lighting, it's a rainy, dark day plus no windows in this bathroom for natural light}

we got a new sink, cabinet, medicine cabinet, towel racks & paper holder off the shelf at lowes.

i looked and looked for shelves to add much needed storage and couldn't find the right thing.
thankfully, my step dad is a cabinet maker {he also made the shelves in our living room} and he made these shelves to custom fit this space.

i bought some natural baskets half off at hobby lobby and our storage issue is solved.
the medicine cabinet also provides additional storage.

so that's our little bathroom update.

anyone else out there have teensy bathrooms that require creative storage?

the happy day project

2011-11-08T07:51:00.001-06:00

i am so excited about the happy day project!

julie {joy's hope} and jeannett {life rearranged} have come up with a fun way to use your blog for good.

i so want this bloggy space of mine to be more than just recording memories and sharing my cheapy crafts and decorating.

if there's a way that God can use it for good, then i'm in.

for the happy day project, there's a fun task for each day of the week and a charity they are going to feature and a free printable each day.

who loves a free printable??

this girl.

check all the details here.

monday's project was to bring a treat to a neighbor.

the big boys and i decided to bring cookies to our ederly neighbors that we have never met.

i am ashamed that we've lived here almost a year and i haven't gone to meet them.

i usually shy away from writing much about how we serve.

i so don't want pride getting in here and messing it up.

but the happy day project got me out of my house and across the street and i'm so glad it did.

i'm hoping i can encourage you to do something as well.

so we met our 95 year old neighbors and they were so sweet.

they ushered us right in and pretty much talked non-stop the entire time we were there. :)

margie gave the boys some of their sugar free cookies.

the boys were so sweet and just sat and listened quietly.

i am so, so glad we did that.

i promised her that we would come back again.

i told the boys we should go over every week and visit them.

i wish that we had got over there sooner.

sometimes i need a push to get out of my comfort zone.

maybe you do too.

so why don't you join in the happy day movement and bless someone this week?

it sure did my heart good and i'm so thankful that julie and jeannett had this idea.

they are using their blogs for good.

if you join in, let me know! i'd love to know what you did. :)

a thankful heart

2011-11-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

just sitting here this morning in my reindeer pajama pants, listening to the rain beat the windows, thinking about how insanely blessed i am.
as i snuggled baby girl this morning, she laid her head on my chest in complete contentment and i could not help but be overcome by how good my life is.
i have always wanted to be a mama.
God said yes and gave me the desire of my heart.
i do not take that for granted.
i don't understand why there are so many mamas in the world who want to hold their babies close and don't get to.
my heart aches for them.
and so . . . i snuggle my babies, and kiss their heads, and stare into their eyes and appreciate every moment with them.
i get to be a mama and that.is.bliss.
i am thankful.

i am so happy.

p.s. those shirts are from snips 'n snails desgins.
p.p.s. are you doing the happy day project?!

instafriday

2011-11-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

happy friday y'all.
time link up your weekly cell phone pics for instafriday. :)
won't you join the fun?

all bundled up and ready to go to the corn maze.
no, she could not be any cuter with those boots, jeggs, ruffled shirt & hat.
yes, i do have my very own dress up doll.

that sweet, little, blush pink hat was the first thing i bought for her when i found out i was having a girl. :)

after our corn maze adventure last week, we went for thai food.
i told you it was the perfect morning.
i love love love thai tea. it is so good.
luckily, my boys think it tastes weird so i don't have to share. :)
the place we went to has the. best. veggie pad thai. yummmm.
the big boys both said they want to go there for their birthday...how crazy is that??

avery adores his little sister.
i think the feeling's mutual.

our dinner from the pinterest challenge.
it was really good...although, i would maybe add some more spices next time.
but it was simple to make and all the boys in this house gobbled it down.
i call that a win.

little sister is the fourth child in this house to wear those jeans.
that makes a mama's heart glad.

i bought this high chair for ten bucks at rhea lana's.
i can't decide what color to paint it...... suggestions???

happy weekend friends!!!

costumes

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

a week before halloween our boys' school had a fall festival.
you know the sort...games, inflatables, pizza, candy, screaming kids, 4000 people in one gym, etc.
it's one of those things that you do for your kids because you love them.

we let our boy's dress up as whatever they wanted.
avery was peter from narnia {costume scored from the thrift store for 5 bucks}.
finley was a runner {he wore aj's hat, medal & number}.
sawyer was a dragon {same costume from last year}.

ruby was a ruby. :)

i have to say it, she was so stinkin' adorable.

on halloween we went to AJ's work to get loaded up on candy before heading out to do a little trick or treating.
you would not believe how much candy is in our house right now.
okay, you probably do, because it's in yours too.

i think this picture is hiiiiilarious.

fin wore a batman costume that some friends left at our house.
beware if you leave something at our house!!

it was a really fun evening despite my aversion to halloween...great weather and we got to hang out with some fun friends.
and bonus, we got to sit in bed eating their candy after they went to sleep. :)

fall pinterest challenge

2011-11-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

y'all know how i love pinterest, right?

i know some people say it's a time suck, but i honestly don't think it is.
i rarely look at it on my computer...mostly i just look at it on my phone when i'm waiting in line, nursing a baby at 4 am, driving...ha ha just kidding. ;)
you get the idea.
i like to pin crafts in the wee hours of the morning when i'm trying not to fall asleep on my baby.
and aj's loving it because i've been making all kinds of desserts lately.
it's actually inspired me to get back in the swing of cooking after having little miss ruby.

anyhow, a couple of blogs i read, young house love & bower power came up with this fun pinterest challenge.
basically to get themselves to stop pinning and start doing.
so there's a group of four bloggers, katie, sherry, ana, & erin who are each doing a project that they've pinned on pinterest. . . . and they're challenging their readers to join in.
you picked something you've pinned on pinterest, do the project & blog about it.
fun, right?

i love a challenge and i love pinterest so i decided to join the party.

i've had this recipe, crock pot italian chicken with potatoes, pinned for a couple of weeks.
i decided this was the week to do it...i've got a pinterest challenge and a cool fall day....perfect!
plus, crock pot meals are my favey because you're done with the meal in the morning and you don't have to mess with it during those whiney-fussy-we're-ready-for-daddy-to-be-home hours.

it's a super simple meal and probably took me 10 minutes to throw in the crock.

the recipe called for italian seasoning...which i misread to be italian seasoning dressing mix...so i hope it's not too salty...we'll see.

nothing better than a picture of raw chicken on your computer screen...yummmm.

you only use 4-6 potatoes and i didn't peel them so it took just a couple of minutes to cut those into chunks and throw them in.

i used a little extra cheese because...well, it's cheese.

my kitchen smells divine right now.
i'll let you know if it tastes as good as it smells.

i am loving having a laptop...even if the lighting striking our imac did cost me a month of stress and $350 extra dollars. it sure is nice to have my recipes right there on the counter.

so there you go, my first pinterest challenge complete. :)

and by the way, don't let pinterest overwhelm you or discourage you.
just pick the projects, recipes, etc. that fit your life and will be a blessing.

our farmland adventure

2011-11-01T23:16:00.000-05:00

a few months ago, i bought a living social deal for farmland adventures.

this past weekend we finally had a free saturday and the weather looked to be perfect so we loaded up the kids and headed out.

it turned out to be the perfect morning.

farmland adventures is a brand new pumpkin patch/corn maze and it will definitely be where we take our kids from now on.

it was extremely well organized, everyone was very friendly, there were a variety of activities, and everything was really spread out so you weren't stumbling onto each other.

also, it just had a really peaceful environment. {which makes sense after I read about the family that owns and operates it...they love Jesus. so double bonus there. :)}

it was a perfect fall morning, cool enough to feel like fall, but warm enough to not feel chilled or uncomfortable.
first we trekked through the corn maze...we did the mini-maze since we had a stroller and a two year old to contend with.
the scenery was breathtaking.

next the boys played in the corn box.
it's like a giant sandbox filled with corn kernals.
i think they could have played there for hours.
i wish we had a corn box.

i would say this was their favorite activity....but i think all the activities were their favorite.

they had all kinds of measuring cups and bowls for them to play with in the kernels.
sawyer stayed in that same spot and poured and poured.

ruby did this . . . the entire time.

part of our ticket deal was unlimited pony rides.
sawyer was pumped. up.
he loves "horsies" so this was very exciting.

what is so great is that we paid the same amount for the whole thing that it costs to do one pony ride at most events.
and i tell you...this place was worth every cent.

next up.... feeding the farm animals.

this was so fun!
Jesus was blessing us right and left that morning...besides ruby sleeping peacefully through the whole thing, a lady handed us a cup of animal feed that was 3/4 full because her kids were done with it.
that cup lasted us quite a while and the boys had so much fun feeding the goats and cows.

you know how some pumpkin patches or corn maze places are crazy and overstimulating?
this was not like that at all....we really got the sense that they were trying to give families a fun farm experience.
this was our cup o' tea, i tell ya.

after feeding, petting & sitting on the animals, we got in line for the wagon ride.
even the wait was nice because while we were waiting the boys got to play around in the pumpkin patch.
fyi: arkansas is beautiful.

the boys ran and played while AJ and i dreamed about what it would be like to live on land like that.

oh hello hottie.

the wagon ride was awesome.
sawyer said, "that cowboy's gonna give us a ride."
anyone wearing a cowboy hat is a cowboy, the end.
they drove us on a nice, peaceful ride around the land and we got to enjoy the beautiful fall trees in all their autumny color.

after the ride the boys took another pony ride and then they got to hold baby pot bellied pigs.
such a neat experience....although that squealing is nuts!!

the last thing we did was get fried twinkies.
oh yes we did.
oh my mercy, it was heaven on a stick. . . and i don't even like twinkies.
but they dip them in batter and fry them and coat with powdered sugar and you just want to cry, they're so good.

this morning was a gift. . . just one of those times when everything works out so nice.
those are times you hold onto for the other times when everything seems to be chaos & crazy.
it was rejuvenating, for sure.

by the way, this is not a sponsored post at all.....we just loved farmland adventures so much, i had to share. :)

monday this and that

2011-10-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

happy monday.
both my little ones are asleep right now.
it's a monday miracle. :)

we had the. best. day. on saturday...i'll tell you about it soon.

you know what i am so excited about?
tomorrow is november 1st.
i love november 1st.
it means halloween is over and the holidays are officially starting.
i am ready to delve into all the wonderfulness that is fall and thanksgiving and christmas.
i plan on making the most of the next two months.
i'm going to bake stuff i find on pinterest.
i'm going to listen to christmas music.
i'm going to drink peppermint spice mocha creamer in my coffee every single day.
i'm going to buy a rick of firewood off craig's list & get that wood burning stove going.
i'm going to watch the family stone and dream about an old house in the country.
i'm going to be thankful and enjoy these cozy days with my family.

you know what show we are loving right now?
person of interest.
it is so good.
love jim caviezel. love michael emerson.

did you see that emily at jones design company has her november giveaway up today?
she does the. best. giveaways. so thoughtful & lovely.

okay, sister is waking up to eat....have a lovely day friends. :)

instafriday

2011-10-28T15:09:00.000-05:00

it's been several weeks since i've done instafriday.
i've been busy for some reason or another.

you don't have to have an iphone to join instafriday...any cell phone pics will do.
it's just a fun, easy way to document your week in random phone pics.

instagram is probably my favorite app on my phone.
it encourages me to stop and take notice.
instagram has it's own little community... i like that too.

i have so many piled up instapics...i'll just pic and choose for ya. :)

i can see both these trees out my window.
i love fall in the ozarks.
in the last week all of the trees have started turning and it's gorgeous.
i had to restrain myself to just two pictures.
the deep red ones are my fave.

fall kicks.
i have resisted the non-wedge toms for so long because i'm so short.
if i don't have some kind of heel, i feel like i'm the kid sister looking up at all the grownups.
i finally gave in, for comfort's sake.
{but dear blake mycoskie, could you please, pretty please, come up with an in-between the super tall wedge and the flattyflatflat toms? and with a closed toe for the winter, please? thatisallthankyou. }

the littles and i went to a friend's house for a playdate this week.
she sent me home with this happy bucket.
it's perfect for the boys' ginormo collection of cars.

sawyer is a good little shopper.
he loves to go to stores with me.
when we get in the car he says, "okay, let's go to the next store!"
he found a prize at good will. :)
oh my, i love that happy smile. he melts me.

AJ is in this wonderful habit of spoiling me rotten.
i love it.
every morning lately he brings me a {much needed} bowl sized mug o' coffee with aldi pumpkin spice creamer....and a Jesus Calling on the side.
lovely way to start the morning...definitely takes the edge off of those sleepless nights. :)

avery at a friend's mad science party...funny boy.

aj and i had a grown up, all by ourselves, date to a concert for his birthday....needtobreathe...it was awesome.

avery wanted to carve his own pumpkin real bad.
we're trying to let our little boy grow up.

the boys had crazy hair day at school.
i colored their hair with wet chalk.
thank you pinterest.
what problem can't you solve?

a sneaksie peaksie at ruby's fall fest costume.
can you guess??

two months

2011-10-26T15:00:00.001-05:00

my sweet girl is two months old.
she's changed so much already.
she's getting chunkier...or as a friend of ours says, "she's juicy."
she's just a doll baby and i'm so in love.

i am so happy.
having a newborn is soothing for the soul.
i love snuggling with her day and night.
she smells so good.
she seems to be getting used to her life outside the womb now.
she's learning to take some naps in her crib.
she's becoming more laid back.
she has some adorable awake time now where she coos, smiles, & kicks her feet.

sister loves to be held.
i wear her in the moby a lot when we're out and about.

i'm so busy during the day that i often look forward to the night time when i get to snuggle her right up next to me in bed.
i'm cherishing these moments with my sweet baby girl.

stop the world.

2011-10-25T13:49:00.000-05:00

ruby's room is featured on ohdeedoh today!!!!

so excited.

click here to see it. :)

seriously, i'm gonna ride this high all afternoon.

**edited to add...i had no idea they'd already featured ruby's girly chandelier last month. thanks tonya for cluing me in! :)

also, thank you so much ohdeedoh for featuring me. you made my day. :)

snapshots

2011-10-24T08:08:00.003-05:00

it's been crazytown up in here.
i got so excited when i looked at my calendar and for three days this week, it says, "no events."
woo. hoo.
i have enjoyed all the things i've been doing, but it has been busy and hectic and i feel like i've seen aj coming and going.
hoping for a more relaxed week this week.

on thursday morning i was supposed to work at rhea lana's all morning but had to stay home with sawyer who threw up the night before and was acting sickly {side note: he never threw up again. . . weird}.
i was actually just fine with staying home.
i needed a break and i was happy to piddle around the house.

i walked around with my camera and took some random shots.
i like to remember the mundane, ordinary things about our days.

love those sweet, little white pumpkins...a subtle nod to fall.

i like jars.

the pool is closed for the winter.
bittersweet.
we made so many wonderful memories there.
i hope i always remember our summer of being in the pool together every single day.
what a blessing.

back door.

my sweet sister-in-law made this beautiful art for my birthday.
she used vintage sheets and printed the verse on fabric. love it.

living room.
puny boy watching a movie.
let's pan around . . .

laundry waiting to be folded.
six people make a lot o' laundry to be folded & put away.

milk glass.

looking out.

sorry about the grainy photo {it was dark in there}, focus on the sweet sleeping baby.
oh mercy, her cheeks! i can't get over how beautiful she is.

hope you all have a lovely monday.....

sunday inspiration

2011-10-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

this is an excerpt from my favorite daily devotional, Jesus Calling.
i've been mulling over it a lot the past few days.
i thought it might speak to you as well. . .

"The ultimate solution to rebellious tendencies is submission to My authority over you. Intellectually you rejoice in My authority over you. Intellectually you rejoice in My sovereignty, without which the world would be a terrifying place. But when My sovereign will encroaches on your little domain of control, you often react with telltale resentment.
The best response to losses or thwarted hopes is praise: The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Remember that all good things- your possessions, your family and friends, your health and abilities, your time-are gifts from Me. Instead of feeling entitled to all these blessings respond to them with gratitude. "

i've been talking to Jesus about this....asking Him to show me where i'm allowing resentment in my heart...and choosing to replace that with praise.
because i have so very much to be thankful for.

and now i'm going to head over to amazon & use some swagbucks to buy the Jesus Calling for Kids.
i would love to read that with the boys every morning before they leave for school.

my precious gem

2011-10-19T14:54:00.000-05:00

when ruby was just ten days old, sweet callie (callie granderson photography) came over to shoot some newborn pics.

this is the first time we've done newborn pictures...i wish we had them of the boys.

she captured ruby's sweet, sleepy newborn self and i'm so thankful.

i'm so thankful for people with really good cameras and mad photography skillz.

i love these precious photos.
i haven't figured out how i'm going to display them yet.

i look at these photos and i think, "i can't believe that's my daughter."

i'm one blessed girl.

oh mercy. i die.

that cute ruffly goodness and her sweet little pink lips.

callie used items from around my house for props.

i would have never thought of using this old brief case but i love how it turned out.

aj came home for lunch during the shoot and callie was able to get this sweet shot....love.

do you have great ideas for displaying newborn photos? do share.

{thank you callie. i love them.}

what i would say to you if you came over for coffee

2011-10-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

happy tuesday.
life has been a bit hectic lately.
besides the fact that i have four {!!} kids, one of which is a newborn, life has just been b-u-s-y.
october always seems to be a really busy month for us.
i really prefer a slower pace but it is what it is.

i've been working a bunch at rhea lana's consignment sale.
my friend, ashley owns the local franchise and she hosts four sales a year.
it's fun and it's how i clothe my children....but it is a bit crazy, schedule wise.

i've been catching up on my favorite blogs lately.
i love this post from the nester.
it's about being creative with design and not following rules.

lindsey @ the pleated poppy has been showcasing her friend nicole's farm house.
i send the posts to aj at work so he can drool over them as well.
that house is Dreamy with a capital D.

it finally feels like fall today.
it's been in the 80's for a few weeks and finally today it's in the 50's.
yay.
i need to light a candle and boil some water for a hot drink.
i just realized that i talk about the weather a lot on this here blog.
i am 82.

my back is so sore from wearing ruby in the moby for 5 hours a day working at rhea lana's.
baby girl is loves to be held.
she is the most happy when she's all squashed, womb-like, in the moby.

my boys have a fall festival on friday night.
i somehow need to get costumes together by then...hmmm...not sure how/when that's going to happen.

ruby is eight weeks old today. wow.

okay, time to go get the laundry going...have a lovely day......

thank you.

2011-10-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

hi friends.

i want to tell you that it means so much to me that y'all read my blog.
there are a bajillion blogs out there and you choose to read mine.
that blesses my heart.
sometimes i will run into people that tell me they read my blog.
i love. that.
it's not weird at all...i love it.
that's one of the reasons i write.
i really missed it for the almost 3 weeks that i was without computer & internet.
i really enjoy this little space here.
i hope you do as well.

so thank you for coming.
thank you for commenting.
your comments make my whole day....seriously.

and now for a little bit of cuteness.....
{these were taken 3 weeks ago...she's 7 weeks now!!}

do you see her little angel kiss by her mouth?
adorable.

she is getting so big!!!