a monday post.

we had a wonderfullllll weekend.
it was in the 60's on friday and in the 70's on saturday.
yes, it was dreamy.
such a delightful break in the middle of winter.
on friday i took a nap on a lawn chair while the boys played.
it. was. awesome.
the boys found a dirt heap to play on and they were thrilled.

i was so happy to see them running & playing outdoors.
i didn't even mind all the muddy laundry it created....it was worth it to soak up some much needed vitamin D. :)

 

when aj got back from his run on saturday morning, he took the boys out for a short run. 

they were so excited. 

it's the first thing they said when they woke up..."we get to run with daddy!"

sawyer was so excited i could hardly get him dressed to go. 

it was really sweet. 

those boys are crazy about their daddy.

it was so nice out that we spent a good chunk of the morning outside & even ate lunch at the picnic table.

aj put the swing set up which is a miracle because the boys were trying to climb on it and swing from it while he was screwing the bolts in.

we also worked a bunch on the master bathroom this weekend and it's looking soooo good. 

can't wait to show you the befores and afters when we get it all done. 

and now have a look-see at our weather forecast.

76 on saturday.

aj told me that it's supposed to be in the teens on wednesday or thursday. 

apparently we're supposed to have a "historic snow storm."

i'm actually approaching this week of pending snow without dread....i think it's all the vitamin D i stored up over the weekend. :) 

i'm in a better frame of mind. 

we had to go to walmart today to get groceries before this hits. 

thankfully aj took his lunch break and met us there to help me. 

i am so glad he did.

it was INSANE. 

the forecast is calling for a few inches of ice before the snow.

people around here are pretty gun shy when you say ice because of the ice-storm of 2009.

there were NO grocery carts. 

luckily a lady that was leaving gave me hers.

it was the busiest i think i've ever seen it. 

and a lot of shelves were empty...which you just don't see around here.... being walmart country and all. 

but we made it...an hour later we had a cart full of groceries and full bellies thanks to the deli. 

not the healthiest lunch but it worked. :)

i also managed to sneak a bag of chocolate donuts in the cart without the boys noticing. 

372 points for me. :)

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living room ~ a progress report

i want to show you how our living room is coming along.
you may remember that we moved last month and are currently renting.
we are slowly getting settled and figuring out how to live in a new space.

here's a picture of the living room from before we moved in.

the wood paneling is now painted faded burlap {Olympic premium paint} & trim painted white.

i finally got all the cabinets painted & aj installed them.
this was a happy, happy day.
i was able to unpack the last of the boxes {okay i actually have a couple more, but i'm currently ignoring them} and that felt so good.
these cabinets are giving us some much needed storage underneath as well as housing the electrical components for the tv.

so currently our furniture situation is pretty sad.
we have one lonely couch & a coffee table.
i have been scouring thrift stores for some really fun/funky chairs, but haven't found the perfect thing yet.
i've also been looking online at target, overstock, wal-mart, craig's list, etc.
i'm trying not to spend too much money, but i would like to find some chairs that will last us for a long time.
the couch is a pottery barn slipcovered sofa that i scored off craig's list. woo to the hoo.

also i need to figure out what to do with that big expanse of wall to the left of the cabs.
i don't want to do anything too busy because the shelves are already really busy.

speaking of the shelves....they probably will not remain this way for long.
i really didn't know what to do with them.
right now i feel like they look a little knick-knacky.
here are some close ups.... and by the way this is basically every decorative item i own, all shoved up on these shelves.

those 3 pictures on the bottom shelf of this last picture are each of my 3 boys at 6 months wearing the same overalls. :)

so i'm thinking i want to get some big baskets to disperse throughout to streamline it a bit and I may add in some more books.

and a close up of the mantel. . .

so far i am really happy with this room.
it's definitely a work in progress.

list of to-do's for this room:

1. get some dad-gum curtains
2. paint the wardrobe {not seen, it's behind the couch along the back wall}
3. find chairs
4. find end table
5. put wall art up
6. put up coat hooks by the door
7. get a trunk to coral the boys' shoes
8. get knobs for the cabinet doors
9. update photos
10. whatever else i think of along the way. :) Pin It

monday stuff and a WINNERRRRRRRR

happy monday friends...

we had a wonderful weekend.
i sure do love a weekend.
snow is so much more fun when aj is around.
well, aj is just more fun than I am, basically.
he helped the boys build a snowman and chased them around having a snow ball fight.
he even climbed on the roof to get them each an icicle.
he's a good daddy. :)

i am loving our wood burning stove...it is keeping us toasty warm.
aj is slightly obsessed with keeping a big roaring fire going.

i just found out Chipotle is coming here.
oh my i am so excited!
i cannot wait for those limey chips & bowl of guac.
come quickly please!

now for the winner of the CSN giveaway.......
congrats to. ..

Dee

yay for you! i'll be emailing you shortly. :)

btw...i used a random number generator....

 fyi. . .  i looked through each entry and if you accidentally left one comment when you could have left 2, then i adjusted the number and i deleted the accidental double entries. 

alrighty, everyone have a wonderful evening. 
thanks for reading! :) Pin It

don't forget!

tonight's the last night to sign up for the CSN giveaway...scroll down & leave me a comment to enter!
winner will be announced tomorrow. :)
goodnight peeps. . . Pin It

party for an 8 year old

last week we had a birthday party for our 8 year old boy.
to keep it simple & low-stress & loads of fun, we decided to have it at Boingo Bounce.
we just invited the boys in his class at school....again, keeping it simple & low-stress.
they had a ball.

avery chose a lego theme.
he loves the legos. and so do i.
i think legos are the best invention ever.

i used living lucurto for all the printables....love that site.
cupcakes...from sam's.

 yummy jelly beans. orange crush & berry blue. mmmmmm.

avery wanted to use one of his lego creations to decorate the table. :)

the goody bags were a sack of lego candy that you can actually build with.......very fun. 
{got it and the jelly beans at the bulk candy store, fyi.}

do you notice my boys' shirts match the party colors?
clearance off of clearance at old navy. :)

it was a very easy, laid-back party & we all had a great time.  :) Pin It

*snow day today*

we actually got a good amount of snow for the boys to play in.
so glad we got some more winter essentials yesterday.
i like for my boys to be bundled up good.
if we're going to take the time to bundle them up, i want them to be warm!
actually it's probably just their sissy southern mama who wants to be cozy-warm at all times. ;)

 

oh my, i love those eyelashes.

 

 the pine trees are flocked! so pretty.

i told them to hug. 

finley is clearly not into it. 

and another shot of the front of our house...

brrrrr! it was cold out there.
i think i'm going to send the boys back out this afternoon.

i told aj that when we're retired, we're getting an RV and going to florida for the winter. 
is it sad that when i was reading a book about hibernation to finley, i was daydreaming about how it would be sooooooo very nice to get to hibernate for the winter?
it'd be perfect, we could pop out for Christmas and then go back in until Spring.
sounds like a good plan to me. :) Pin It

thoughts & a giveaway

this morning as i was reading finley's assignment sheet, i read this note from his teacher:

"In Ecclesiastes, God's Word reminds us that there is a time for 'every event under heaven.' Some seasons of our lives can seem very long, but in hindsight, they are just the blink of an eye.  I pray God will help me to understand 'what time it is,' to focus my heart on the moment at hand, and to accept (and even embrace) that time with gratitude, rather than longing for another.  Enjoy this time with your young children!"

 that was so good for me to read.
i spend so much of january and february longing for spring and just dealing with winter.
i feel like i'm on hold.
i really don't want my emotions and happiness to be dependent on my circumstances.
i don't want to go into my days thinking, it's cold, i'm miserable.
yuck, that's a sissy way to live.
her note helped me to refocus and embrace this day to spend with my children.
i get the joy of teaching them, watching them learn & learning myself.
what a gift.

apparently we're supposed to get a bunch of snow in the middle of the night tonight which doesn't bode well for school & mother's day out tomorrow.
in an effort to choose joy, we went to walmart & stocked up on yummy food.
we also got avery a new pair of snow boots & coveralls for finley.
now each boy has snow boots & coveralls so they are ready to go.
and i am ready to go with my happy heart. :)

okay.....now on to the giveway! 35 points for you if you've stayed with me through all that!

CSN stores have offered up another gift certificate to my lovely readers! yay!!!

you could get a beautiful shower curtain like i did. . .

or these adorable salt & pepper shakers. . .

or you could put it towards something bigger like a swing set! 
i was checking around and they have awesome prices on their swing sets {like starting at $150!!} plus free shipping.
i love love love some free shipping.
anything that keeps me from dragging 3 kids through a store is a good thing.
especially on a large item like that.

okay, so here are the deets....

the prize is a $45 dollar gift certificate to be used at any of CSN's 200+online stores.

to enter:

*just leave me a comment and you're entered! 

*if you want an extra chance....

become a follower and leave a separate comment.

*and one more chance....

post about this giveaway on facebook or twitter & leave another separate comment.

so there you go, 3 chances to enter.
contest will close sunday night & winner announced monday.  :)

go team!!! Pin It

why i love thrift stores, volume no. 437.

so you know i had to leave behind my beloved chalkboard when we moved.
okay so beloved is a bit over-dramatic . . . but you get the point. i really, really liked it.
and it took a bit of effort to make it. 
i've been trying to figure out a new solution.
if we had flat walls {and we weren't renting} i would just paint a whole wall w/ chalkboard paint.

i had this old chalkboard {seen here} that was a little worse for the wear.
i've been looking for a fun frame on clearance or at thrift stores to attach to it.
when we were in kansas for new years, aj's sisters and i went to this awesome thrift store called the etcetera shop.
it is awesome and has garage sale prices.  love it.
anyhoooooo.....
i found this awesome frame for 3 bucks.

 it had the measurements written on the back so i was pretty sure my chalkboard would fit.
aj just had to trim off about 6 inches and then it fit perfectly!

i love how it is all chippy & naturally antiqued.
love the blue-gray accent stripe.
love that i didn't have to do a thing to it.

i have it propped up with this wooden caddy i got at goodwill in the fall.
it's perfect for holding the eraser & chalk. :)

while i was painting {and painting and painting} the cabinets for the living room, i gave this little cabinet a fresh coat of paint.
we've had it since we got married and it was looking pretty sad.
i had bleached it for all it was worth and it still looked like a toddler had smeared greasy hands all over it.
it makes me so happy with it's fresh coat of paint.

stay tuned tomorrow for a giveaway!!! :) Pin It

this is not good.

i bought this big ol' jar of cheese puffs for avery's birthday party.
and look how many are left.
and that's after avery, sawyer & i ate a bunch for lunch today.
i have no willpower when it comes to chips, especially cheesy chips. . . which is why i never keep them stocked at home.
they are so addicting!!!
they have zero nutritional value so i feel guilty eating them. . . but. . .
they are so so good!
so there is my confession....maybe now that i have shared this with the world wide interweb, i will not eat the whole jar in one sitting.
maybe. Pin It

oh winter. . .

we've had a weird, mild winter.
we had such a hot, hot summer that i kept saying "i bet we'll have a mild winter."
i should have been a meteorologist.
we had our first snow this week.
it wasn't much....not even enough to build a snowman.
but it's something and it's fun for the boys.

i am not a cold weather girl.
i am happy for the snow because it gets the boys outside & playing.
i prefer to be inside with hot chocolate.

the favorite item to play on was our yard ornament.
a.k.a. aj's broken down car.
yes, we live in arkansas and we have a broken down car in our yard.
ha ha ha ha ha.

it may not have been much snow but it is co-o-o-old!
like 10 degrees. no bueno.

i'm still painting the shelves for the living room.

it will be so worth it when i'm done.
and i'm almost done.
both sides are installed. ....just have to finish up a few shelves.
can't wait to show you the finished product!

and by the way . . .
i haven't gotten out of my pajamas all week.
that is how i feel about winter.
that is all. :) Pin It

might as well think about valentine's day. . .

hello friends.
i don't have much to say today.
it's january.
january and february seem like the longest months of the year to me.
valentines seems like a fun thing to look forward to.
i know a lot of people think it's hokey but i really like it.
i love red and i love love. :)
so here are some fun things that are making me smile . . . 

{love this pillow}

{do you have some left over red felt??? this is so bright and happy.}

{we made these last year}

{what a fun platter for valentine's day!}

and one of my very favorite part of valentine's {besides the part where i get to go on a hot date with my man} is these:

{oh red hots....how i love you}

anyone have any great valentines ideas to share with me?? 

any tips for avoiding the winter blahs???

i'm all ears. :)

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