Monday, October 29, 2012

generous tuesday

let's face it.
the holiday's are coming.
and i loooove them.
i'm already thinking of what christmas movies i need to watch come november first.
i need to get a good two months out of those.

i love the whole holiday season...which i pretty much consider november first through january first.
however, i am feeling that little bit of panic about all the stinkin consumerism.
oh mercy...it's hard with kids.

there is part of me that reels at all the generous acts that Christians amp up around the holidays.
i know that sounds bad.
but part of me wants to be fussy and say, we should be serving/giving/loving all year round.
not just at Christmastime so that we can give ourselves a pat on the back for doing something good and making ourselves feel better about our overspending and overindulgence.

on the other hand . . .
better now than never . . .
better something than nothing at all . . .
and good is good.

i do want to encourage myself and others to be serving, giving, pouring out our lives every day of the year . . .

and i also want to encourage you all to be considering how we can truly love like Jesus this holiday season.

i want to tell you about generous tuesday.

we've got black friday and cyber monday . . . and now generous tuesday.
a slowing down and refocusing.
an intentional choice to give generously.

"The simple and powerful idea that Generosity can change a life has inspired Generous Tuesday. It's a day to kick off the holiday giving season that celebrates enriching the lives of others through Generosity.Join us in living generously."

let's keep generosity at the forefront of our minds this holiday season.
sometimes i think generosity of time is the hardest of all.
our pastor always says, "are you spending your time, talents and resources on what matters?"

let's think of ways together that we can do some generous acts on generous tuesday.
i'll be thinking with my family. . . y'all be thinking with yours and we can encourage each other.
deal?

generous tuesday is backed by pure charity.
through pure charity you can:

"SUPPORT THE PROJECTS YOU CARE ABOUT.

SHOP TO GROW YOUR GIVING.

SHARE A LIFESTYLE OF GENEROSITY."

Change the world with Pure Charity! from Pure Charity on Vimeo.

you can browse projects that you want to support and earn money towards your favorite projects just by doing your holiday shopping through pure charity.

just click to your favorite store through the pure charity website and you're earning money to give generously.

i'm excited to start looking through the projects with our kiddos.
i'm looking forward to choosing projects to support and seeing updates and photos of the impact we're making.

i want to be intentional to live. generously.
i want to push myself and challenge myself.
not so that i can say "rah, rah, go me," but so that i can take one step closer to living like Jesus did.
i want to bring that cup of cold water to the thirsty.

i look forward to being challenged by you all and the ways that you live generously.
let's encourage each other, shall we?

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Friday, October 26, 2012

instafriday

do you guys do instagram?

it's definitely my favorite app....pinterest is a close second. ;) {yes, even with my love-hate relationship}

you don't have to have an iphone or android to see all the lovely photos on instagram.

just google around and you can find several websites.

i'm itsgoodtobequeen if you want to follow me. :)

or you can just check back with me every friday for instafriday and i will chatter on about my week and share all my instapics.

okay let's start with last friday...i had a sweet little window of quiet time in the afternoon when Avery was at basketball practice, two littles were napping and finley was reading.

i snuck in a little reading time of my own...curled up on the couch in front of the fire.

doesn't get much better than that.

okay so it wasn't exactly light and fluffy reading but this book is soooo good.

and convicting.

and kicking my tail.

but also encouraging...that God is in process with me and He's continuing a good work in me....even when i feel just sick over myself and my habits that i can't seem to break.

it's a good one. . . a good challenge...i recommend it. :)

let's fast forward to monday......we got several days of indian summer this week and enjoyed the heck out of being outside.

back porch dessert with twinkle lights in october...pretty nice.

sawyer loves to pick out his own outfits.

he's so current in his pattern on pattern.

ha.

the boys have had fall break the second part of this week.

it's fall break for mama too....no homeschool. woo. hoo.

we decided to take advantage of the last sunny, warm day and head up to silver dollar city.

it was perfect weather.

it was so fun to go do something fun and vacationy in the middle of the week.

it was just a great family day and we had so much fun.

it's fun to see ruby getting older and being able to enjoy our outings as well.

she did lots of walking around and playing in leaves....and watching her brothers ride rides.

she missed both her naps but was still sweet and happy and smiley.

so thankful that ruby is such a happy girl when we're outside.

the big play sandboxes are one of sawyer's favorite things.

this time the sand was red and sparkly.

and so was ruby's face, dress, mouth and hands. ;)

we finished our fun day with front row seats to a wild west show.

it was so great and the boys loved it.

yesterday morning, sawyer and ruby went to mother's day out so the big boys and i took to the trails.

i am so thankful that we took advantage of that time and didn't just run errands or something lame like that. ;)

we had such a special time with just mama and the big boys.

i really wanted to do something that is harder to do with little ones and a stroller in tow.

we love hiking and exploring so we went to lake fayetteville and just took off into the woods.

i feel alive in the woods and i think my boys do too.

we hiked around and went on any trail we wanted.

we collected a bunch of fall leaves and acorns and talked all about nature.

we sat and stared at the lake and just enjoyed some sweet time together.

so that's our week in a nutshell.

it was a good one. :)

and now our indian summer is gone and a cold snap is here....it feels like winter all of a sudden.

time to get a rick of fire wood.

what have y'all been up to?

link up your instafriday posts here...

happy weekend, friends!

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

fall baby

sissy is fourteen months old today.

she's as sweet and pretty as ever.
she tottles her little self all over the place.
girl has places to go and things to see.

it thrills my soul that she loves the outdoors.
it's her favorite place.
like mama, like daughter.
still can't believe i have a daughter.

we seem to be having indian summer this week.

so thankful for more time to play outside and enjoy fall up close.

ruby is slowwwly but surely getting some more hair.
it's so sweet and soft and has an ever so slight curl to the ends.

yep.
we love her.

happy tuesday, friends.

have a lovely day....

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Monday, October 22, 2012

running tips from a non-athlete

several people have asked me how i got started running, so i thought i'd give my two cents and some tips.

do you think running looks like torture?

do you dry heave and have severe side pains when you try to run?

do you have no time to run?

do you have no motivation to run?

are you uncoordinated and generally un-athletic?

perfect.

you are my people.

these tips are for you. :)

okay so i never intended to be a runner and honestly i am pretty much a fair weather friend of running.

i am going to try my darndest to stick with it over the winter months {i'll keep you updated on that.}

thank goodness for the treadmill.

running never appealed to me because:

1. it just wasn't on my radar

2. whenever i'd see people running they didn't look like they were particularly enjoying themselves.

welp...i married a runner.

only, he wasn't a runner when we got married but he is a natural athlete.

he's always been involved in sports so anything athletic comes pretty easily to him.

again, the opposite of me.

five or six years ago he started running and has run his fair share of half marathons.

he loves it.

he's diligent.

he reads runner's world for fun.

little by little he chipped away at me {in a very non-pressury way} and started convincing me that i could run and enjoy it.

i started running a few years ago and have been pretty off and on with it . . . due largely in part to the fact that i got pregnant and had a baby and see that as 100% excuse to do nothing athletic of any kind for 2 years.

can i get a witness?

this summer i started running again and am actually {cue the angel chorus} enjoying it.

so here are my tips for all you, that-looks-like-zero-fun-but-i-really-need-to-get-in-shape, people like me:

Tip #1: in the words of nike, just do it.

seriously.

put on your running shoes.

put on some sort of running clothes or pajamas or whatever and go run.

put one foot in front of the other and just make yourself do it.

even if you are so sloooowww.

you will at least feel the sense of accomplishment of running.

some people find it helps to run for two minutes, walk one, run two, etc.

for me, i do better if i don't stop running until i'm done.

either way, just get out there and run.

anyone can run, it takes no special skills.

it does take decent knees so if your knees are crap, you may want to try biking. just a thought.

Tip #2: set small goals.

start with half a mile.

then aim for one mile, non-stop running.

then one and half, then two.

if you can work your way up to three, you're ready for a 5K.

how cool is that?!

Tip #3: run outside if at all possible.

sometimes, logistically i have to run on our treadmill in the garage.

and it is hard.

but i do it because i want to stay in shape and not lose momentum.

and i have to push with every ounce of my perseverance to run one mile.

when i run outside, i can run three miles and actually enjoy it.

i can distract myself with looking at houses, trees, the sunrise, the beautiful sky, etc.

i get up early and run before AJ leaves for work.

it's darkish still so i carry pepper spray and my phone.

but the breeze on my face and fresh air feel so good and make it so much easier.

Tip #4: have lots of kids so that you never get alone time and therefore crave every minute of peace and quiet you can get. :)

Tip #5: get a cheerleader or two.

this is a huge one.

for me, it's AJ.

he's my biggest fan and he supports me like crazy.

he helps me get up in the morning and helps me make a plan for how far and where i'm going to run.

another option: get running partners.

this would be highly motivational and keep you accountable.

i know many people who credit their running to having running buddies.

i have a crazy schedule & no running friends close, so i run alone, but you may have friends who are available and want to run with you...take advantage of that!

Tip #6: make a plan

halhigdon.com is a great site to customize a running plan for your personal goals.

it's great for people like me who have no idea what they're doing.

thumbs up, hal higdon. i'm a fan.

also figure out what days of the week you can run and try to stick with that and have your people {running partners or personal cheerleader} keep you accountable.

if you miss a day, figure out a way to make up for it so that you don't lose momentum.

ideally i would run 3-4 times a week.

right now, i run twice a week and that works for me.

eventually i'd like to run more, but you know, i've got little ones so i'm giving myself some grace.

Tip #7: sign up for a race

this is huge.

you have a goal.

you want to be ready for that race so you don't look like an idiot in front of your friends.

get a plan for that race {again halhigdon.com is a good resource or just google running plans} and do what the plan says so that you can work up to it.

a race is so fun that you will want to do another one.

there's so much adrenaline and sense of accomplishment.

seriously this is my most important tip.

sign. up. for. a. race.

Tip #8: see results.

okay so this comes once you actually start running but this is a huge motivator for me to keep at it.

two major results for me, i'm in better shape and i've lost weight.

being in better shape = i can run farther and longer and feel good doing it.

that's huge motivation to not stop because i don't want to lose that stamina.

and obviously, losing those stubborn pounds that wanted to hang on for dear life after having four babies is motivation like crazy.

i'd rather not get those bad boys back thankyouverymuch.

my clothes fit better and obviously i feel better about myself.

{in an effort of full disclosure i would also like to say that i quit eating like i was pregnant or nursing so that probably helped too. ;)}

okay peeps, i've shared my pearls of running wisdom.

do y'all have anything to add? any running tips to share? any questions?

let's discuss in the comments.....

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Friday, October 19, 2012

instafriday

this week has been a little more chill.
i need to get better at scheduling.
i know that AJ and i both need at least one night during the week that is just our family at home, nothing going on.
we've had far too many weeks this fall with something going on every single week night.
not good for my sanity, peeps. not good.
this mama needs some space and down time.
thankfully this week has been one of those weeks.

so....i finally decided i needed to get myself in gear and start working with sawyer on preschool stuff.
he loves to do it and i need to make the time for it.

this week, while the big boys were busy doing their school work, sawyer and i pulled out the preschool books.
my little lefty sure is cute learning to write his letters. ;)

speaking of sawyer....this kid has ideas.
he wears a cape or some sort of costume every day of the week.
he wore a trash bag as a cape to walmart last weekend.
this was his outfit of choice on tuesday....

sawyer is very much his own person and i love it.
i love the innocence of three years old.
i remember when avery and finley used to dress up every day.
miss those days, but it sure is fun to get to live it again with sawyer.

tuesday was AJ's birthday so the littles and i took him out to lunch.
i love getting to see him in the middle of the day.
we are so in love. ;)

that night we celebrated his birthday at home with our little family.
i made cheesecake because aj's birthday = cheesecake.
a birthday calls for the best ever cheesecake.

AJ spent a lot of his birthday evening playing hide and seek with the boys.

he is the best daddy to our kids.

i see him in there reading books to his boys and i stand in the doorway and think, "wow. they have it all."

they have no idea what they have or how good they have it.

do they need anything else in this life?

i am so very thankful for this man.

so thankful that we get him to be ours.

so thankful that our children grow up with a loving, doting, engaged daddy.

and lastly lets have an obligatory fall tree shot....from our yard!

fall in the ozarks is breathtaking.

i need to drive around with my big camera this weekend and take some pictures of the crimson red trees.

they are amazing.

the boys made a big leaf pile under that tree yesterday.

one of my favorite things in all the world is watching all three of my boys play together.

welp, i think it's gonna be a cool, fall day today.

i think i better build a fire.

and wear a sweater and boots.

happy friday y'all!!

{p.s.} thank you so much for reading and commenting......it really means so much. :)

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Thursday, October 18, 2012

thursdays

thursdays are my one morning of the whole week that i have by myself.
i love it.
and i miss my kids.
i know that's silly.
but i am so very thankful for those few hours to jump in and out of the car, drink whatever i want and not have to share, listen to my music, and slooooowly peruse the thrift store and target.
my happy places.
i pretty much always hit up those two places on a thursday morning.

today at the thrift store i found a sweet floral corduroy dress for the rubes.
old navy. $1.47. score.
also, two canvas for 50 cents each.
can't wait to dream up something fun for those bad boys.

target was a mix of looking through the clearance clothes and grabbing snack foods for tomorrow night.
we are hosting my 14 year old sister and her friends for her birthday sleepover.
wish us luck!!

i did find a few clothes for myself, mostly in the $3 range.
i did not try them on, so we'll see....

okay would love to stay and chat but i've got to get this house clean before said party!

happy thursday.....what are y'all up to?

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Monday, October 15, 2012

hello, monday.

we had a lovely weekend.
didn't want it to end.

we had hardly anything on our calendar which was so wonderful.
our week days are so full right now that we feel like we're spinning.
at least i do.
it was such a relief to have some down time this weekend.
we lived it up.

we did mountains of laundry and switched out all of the winter and summer clothes.
this entire basket is full of boy jammies.

i think it's time to pare down.
i rarely buy pajamas....but they seem to multiply because whenever the boys get tshirts from activities, they go in the jammie drawer.

i also got started on getting clothes ready for rhea lana's consignment sale.

i love getting rid of stuff. :)

on saturday morning we went out to farmland adventures again.

i love that place.

if you click the link you'll see fin's pic on the front page of the website. :)

as is pretty much standard lately i forgot my big camera.

that was a bummer because it is so stinkin' gorgeous out there.

{check our pics from last year. }

i did manage to snap a few with my phone.

we weren't sure about going since ruby has been sick for a week now and she's just pitiful.

we were so glad we went though because she is so happy when she's outside.

and it was perfect weather.

i want my own corn box.

that thing is awesome.

it's so pretty out there.

it's in the middle of land and hills and trees as far as you can see.

every time we go out there we are reminded of how much we dream of living out in the country.

i come alive when i'm in the country.

someday. . .

the only sadness was that they didn't have fried twinkies on a stick this year.

break my heart.

i am so grateful that we had a relaxing family weekend.

monday's are always hard after having a weekend all together.

back to reality and i miss my husband already. ;)

okay, time to put on my big girl pants and gitterdone. :)

happy monday, friends....let's make this week a great one!

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Friday, October 12, 2012

instafriday

hello world.
thanks for stopping by my little space on the world wide interwebs. :)

if you're new....instafriday is my weekly roundup of instagram/phone photos over the last week.

this week has been very full and busy...pretty much like this entire fall has gone so far.
mercy.

on tuesday the littles and i went with the wet cement {potter's house} kiddos to farmland adventures.

we had a great time seeing all of our wet cement friends.
the weather was perfect and it was fun to spend time doing something fun with just sawyer and ruby.

sister loved the corn box.
she was so sweet and just sat there running the corn through her hands.
and miracle of all... she left her bow on!

this pic is from later in the afternoon....playing at the big boys' school.
i love her wide legged walk. :)
she is so good at walking and waddles all over the place right now.

we got to do something fun and nerve wracking this week.
can't tell you yet.....all in good time.
basically we're movie stars. ;)

we live in a college town that has a very eclectic and funky vibe.
i drove around down town yesterday and there are vintage stores popping up all over the place.
they are so fun and inspiring.
two thoughts:
1. i want to own one and 2. i want to spend all my money there. :)

i saw these cute yarn candy corns that look so fun to make....looks like it's just yarn wrapped around styrofoam cones.
cute!

sissy l-o-v-e-s a wagon ride.

even when she is snotty and cranky i can put her in the wagon and she's so happy and content.

she bounces up and down and smiles.

we pull her up and down the driveway and all around the yard.

love her.

okay friends...that's my week in a nutshell.
what are y'all up to?

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Thursday, October 11, 2012

a quiet house, timmy riggins, and some wallpaper

hey y'all.
i have a quiet house.
and all God's people said, "amen." :)

i've had some really long and nutso days lately.
the kind of days that feel like they will never end.
the kind where i keep telling myself, "bedtime will come eventually."

when i get a quiet afternoon, it is bliss.
i sure the heck don't take it for granted.
today the big boys are at school and the littles had mother's day out this morning.
now they are both home and napping.
i love thursdays.
i miss my kids when they're gone...even for a few hours....but i do crave these moments.
moments to eat a cupcake and watch friday night lights in peace. :)

soooo, we saw our first christmas commercial last night.
and it made us both really excited. :)
i'm excited to start on christmas crafts and projects and decorating and food!

okay, i have a great link for you all.
rebecca at older and wisor has a whole series called "31 ways to wrap your crap."
i love to read her blog.
she is a hilarious writer and she also has a love for cheap decorating and crafts.
she's my kind of people.
anyhow, i loved that series and i thought you guys would too.
especially with the holidays coming up.

i love wrapping presents.
i've always wanted to work at the mall at one of those gift wrapping counters.
that dream has eluded me. sigh.

anyhow, inspired by rebecca, i had fun wrapping my mom's birthday present last week.
i used wallpaper that i got for free at an estate sale {holla}, and old book page {i keep a stash of those} & topped it with a ribbon bow.

you can make even a box of coffee exciting when you top it with a book page fan. :)

happy thursday, friends!

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Monday, October 8, 2012

so i guess i'm a runner now.

no big deal.
you know, AJ is a running super stud.
he ran track in high school and has ran half marathons for the last five or six years.
i never, ever, thought i would like running.

i've run one 5K before and quit promptly after the race was over.
i've run here and there over the last two years but not much.
plus i was pregnant for a good portion of that time and we all know that i don't do a stitch of exercise when i'm preggers.

i finally started running again towards the end of this summer.
and again, it pretty much felt like torture.
i prayed every time i ran that one day i would love it.
well, i don't think i'm quite to love yet, but ohmyword, i am actually enjoying it.
and that, dear friends, is a miracle.
seriously. wonders never cease.
i am the least athletic girl you will meet.
and somehow, by the grace of God and a really encouraging husband, i am a runner {a really slow runner, but a runner nonetheless :)}.

like, i just ran a race this weekend and i'm planning to run again this week.
and i'm looking forward to it.
i can hardly believe it myself.

i knew that i needed to sign up for a race to get myself motivated to start running again.
i signed up for One Heart for Justice race that was on saturday. {A partnership between titus task, ezekiel rain and other local organizations for Jesus' justice in the areas of adoption and human trafficking}.

and, of course, after weeks of running in 65 degree weather, it was low 40's, feels like 30's.
with a little sleet mixed in for fun.
mercy.