instafriday

helloooo friday.

always good to see you.

welcome, welcome to instafriday....my weekly roundup of instagram pics from the week {i'm itsgoodtobequeen}.

so this was a bit of a slow week for me on instagram.

here is a beauty from wednesday.

yikes.
not cute.
you can see the bags under my eyes.
poor aj came home to a tired, bedraggled mama and 3 kids still in pajamas.
this was our "daddy please come home!" instagram.
it was a long day....some days just go like that.
thankfully, in the words of Anne Shirley, tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it.

also, thankfully, my boys go to a university model school {they attend school two days a week and homeschool the other three} so i do get a break from schooling on tuesdays and thursdays.
and i need it, honestly.
as much as i love having them home those three days, i am also thankfully for the easier pace of tuesdays and thursdays.

on thursday mornings my two littlest go to mother's day out so i have a blessed few hours to be by myself.
i have learned that i need regular alone time so i do always look forward to thursday mornings and the  peaceful afternoons i get if they both nap.
it doesn't last long, but i am thankful for it.

yesterday morning i brought in some new items to the booth and did some styling.

i am loving our booth!
it is so much fun.
i love finding new treasures for it and i love arranging everything.

i am trying to regularly add pictures to the sweet petunia album on my facebook page.
if you want to see what new items i'm adding, just like the page and you'll be updated.
also, if you see something you have to have and you're not local, let me know i'll see what i can do. :)


okay i'm linking up again this week with jeannett at life rearranged for instafriday. :)
join me?



p.s. i'm planning to link up my christmas mantel on monday with the lettered cottage for her holiday link party. i can't wait to see all the pretty mantels!

Pin It

homeschooling with a one year old . . . not for the faint of heart

sigh.
this is my first moment to myself all day.
thankfully avery was sensing that mama was getting loony and offered to play with ruby.
so i am upstairs hiding in my dark room....getting my thoughts out.
i better hurry, this won't last long. ;)

today is our first day homeschooling since ruby has quit her morning nap.
it's been one thing to homeschool with a 3 year old and baby along for the ride.
but a one year old brings a whole new set of challenges. ;)

honestly, the age of one is not my fave.
don't get me wrong, she's as cute and darling as she could possibly be.
and we are oohhing and aahhing over her day and night.

but this is the hardest age for me.
she is on the move from the moment she gets out of her crib until she goes back down.

some of her current favorite activities:

find the teensiest toy in the house and stick it in her mouth.
go up the stairs and head towards her brothers' room with the legos.
unroll the toilet paper.
stick her hands in the toilet if we've neglected to shut the bathroom door.
remove ornaments from the christmas tree and cart them around the house.
open the snack cabinet and dump out the cereal and goldfish.
dig around in/ dump out any and all drawers or cabinets she can get to.

oh my.
she is a doll but she is a whirlwind.

so today was a typical homeschool day in that there were good moments and not so good moments.
we started off well with reading Jesus Calling and doing prayer requests and prayers.
the morning went really well.
the afternoon was a bit dicy with two boys who aren't back in the swing of homework after our thanksgiving break. . . and a mama who is tired and worn out and ready for one single moment to herself. ;)
you win some you lose some.

in the morning, ruby mostly did a lot of wandering around and playing with little toys here and there {and of course getting into things}.
she had play time in her pack n play up in her room for about 20 minutes.
i'm going to try to get that up to about 30 minutes every morning.
when she was starting to get cranky i put her in her high chair with a snack while i did breakfast dishes and cleaned up quickly.
i'm just going to have to be more creative to keep her occupied on our homeschool days.
one year old is just a tricky age because she's not old enough for a lot of activities yet she's reeeally active.
thankfully she's really darn cute.
and those sparkly eyes, sweet smile & breathy laugh sure make the complete exhaustion worth it. ;)


Pin It

generous tuesday

black friday. check.
cyber monday. check.

today is generous tuesday.
let's look outward, shall we?

we're constantly trying to teach this to our kids.
there are opportunities daily to put others first.
if you don't see these opportunities, ask God to make you aware of the needs around you.
and maybe, you need to get your life messed up a bit more. . . just a gentle nudge . . . no judgement here. ;)

today while at a thrift store with my two littlest, there was a little girl who was clearly hurting.
she looked, maybe three years old, and just as full of anger and hatred as anybody i've ever seen.
she followed us around the store cursing at us and trying to hit sawyer.
my heart was/is broken for her.
i wanted to scoop her up in my arms and show her Jesus sweet, tender love for her.
i couldn't do that, but i could call her sweetie and smile at her and look at her with love in my eyes.
i keep thinking of her and praying for her.

i believe Jesus will show us the hurting and bring them right to us, if we're open to it.

if you're wondering how you can live generously this holiday season, may i suggest  sponsoring a child through compassion?
compassion is an amazing, holistic ministry, to children and families all over the world.
$38 a month is nothing compared to the changing a child's entire life.
when you decide to sponsor, you can choose a child who has been waiting the longest.
there are many children who have been waiting well over a year.
what a blessing it would be for them to find out that they have been chosen!!

you know what is awesome?
they have a compassion catalog.
you can look through it with your children and choose items to buy for children registered in compassion's programs.
you could buy a family live stock.
hello.
life. changing.

you could buy clean water.
you can buy medical care for a year for a baby.
you can buy care for a child waiting for a sponsor.
you can help an entrepreneur start a business.

i could go on and on.
but these are the kinds of gifts i want to give this christmas.

my friend, betsy, said to me once, "if we have anything at all, we have enough to share."
i have thought of that over and over.
she was actually referring to me borrowing some clothes for meliyah, but it relates to every part of life, doesn't it?

how are you living generously this holiday season?
how are you and your family looking outward?

let's share ideas, okay? ;)






Pin It

monday funday

i got approximately 1294 cyber monday emails this morning.

so i guess i better get to shopping. 

did you do black friday? 

i did not. 

i cannot handle that crazy.

and honestly all the people fussing on facebook about how they didn't get the tv they wanted turned my stomach.

let's take one giant step back, people.

geesh.

however, i do think i could be persuaded to go out with some girlfriends if i had coffee and snacks and could just do a lot of people watching. 

i can see how that would be fun...maybe.

i am going to try to do some online shopping today.

it's our last day of no homeschooling so i better make hay while the sun shines.

also, if i can get some christmas shopping done from the comfort of my own home, in my sweat pants, without dragging four kids into a store, that would be awesome.

have y'all decorated for christmas?

we did yesterday and i love how happy and cozy a home looks at christmastime. 

i'll take some pictures for you soon. 

one last thing....if you have Jesus Calling...read it today.
it's so good.
"walk with me along the high road of thanksgiving."
"Rejoice in this day that I have made, for I am your steadfast Companion."

so thankful that Jesus is my steadfast companion.
I need Him so much.

have a great day, friends!

Pin It

instasaturday and stuff

hiya.
we've had a nice week.
it's been so nice to have a break from homeschool and running here and there and everywhere.

the kids and i have done lots of playing and reading books and just spending some relaxed time together.
okay i wouldn't necessarily say that i have relaxed as much as i wanted to...but we have had some great quality time together.

avery built a lego guy.
legos and nerf guns are pretty much the only toy that he plays with anymore.
he builds with legos every single day.
he doesn't use patterns or instructions.
he just thinks of things and build's them.

i've been seeing sweater skirts at stores and i thought to myself, "self, you can make that."
i've had this sweater that i love {hand me down from my friend, erin} but haven't worn it because it was just ill fitting.

on monday night i was going out to dinner with friends so i quickly sewed this into a skirt about half an hour before it was time to leave.
i just cut it straight across under the arm pits, sewed a pocket for elastic, threaded the elastic through, and done.
new skirt for frizeeee.

i saved out the Grimm, Aesop, & Anderson book from a set of Harvard Classics that i put in our flea market booth. 
i thought maybe Avery would be interested in it.
he loves it.
he said it ties for third in his favorite books {along with the Bible and Wonderstruck}.
he read it for hours.

sister wore her first hair clip this week.
for about 5 minutes.

sawyer turned four on wednesday. 

that seems so old for my baby boy.

driving home from lunch on wednesday, avery said he was going to clean out the car.

so that's what he did.

he got three sacks. a throw away sack, a keep and put away sack, and an i don't know what to do with this sack. :)

as soon as we got home we got started. 

what a huge blessing. 

our car looked like a giant trash heap so maybe he was embarrassed. or just wanted a place to walk. :)

either way, i was so thankful that he took the initiative to help out. 

i love my kids.

sweet ruby girl likes to play with her toys and look at her books.
she's changing so much all the time.
one thing that's not changing is how stinkin' adorable/beautiful/cuddly/amazing she is.

my sister in law, tonya, brought some of her beautiful, original fabric art for our booth.
if you're local, you need to come see it.
each piece is one of a kind.
she uses many upcycled materials including vintage fabrics which you know i love.

thanksgiving day with my girlie girl.

we had the most amazing food on thanksgiving.
aj's mom, pam, and i worked together to make the meal.
i made a turkey...in a bag for the first time. it was juicy and delish.
i always stuff a stick of butter inside my bird & rub another one all over the outside.
plus i shove some butter in between the skin and the meat.
when in doubt, add more butter. amen.

also, i made pioneer woman's thanksgiving stuffing.
holy cow.
it was the best stuffing in the history of ever.
so good.
i had 3 helpings.

also i made my step-mom's sweet potato casserole which is like sweet potato flavored candy.
it is southern and awesome and it will make a believer out of any sweet potato hater.

i loved having aj home all day.
can't get enough of that guy.

aj's sister, tonya and her husband, dana have 3 boys and a girl as well.
six little boy cousins.
they love each other dearly.
and they are louder than you could imagine.
so thankful they have so much fun together.

tonya also brought stacks of vintage linens from kansas for the booth.
we have very similar taste so she is a great personal shopper. :)

tonya and i went and crammed the booth full of her art and loads of vintage items.
seriously, i am loving this booth.
you may get sick of me talking about it. ;)

it was fun to see the booth much more full and cluttery...just the way i wanted it.
i plan to add more stuff every few days so it will stay fresh.
i am also looking for another shelving unit or dresser to use for display.

we are calling the booth, sweet petunia, because that is what my daddy has called me my whole life.
it's who i am. ;)


okay friends, i'm going to go sit by the fire and enjoy this peaceful saturday afternoon.

happy weekend, y'all!




Pin It

tuesday.

hello tuesday.

hello holiday week. :)

my kids are home all week.

we have no homeschool to do. {woot. woot.}

we have a break from our running and schedules. 

i am thankful for that.

we have a whole bunch of AJ's family coming in. 

it will be fun and lively and i can't wait. 

it will also ease the pain of the fact that AJ has to work on friday. 

lame. 

welp, i missed instafriday so i thought i'd share some instas from the past week or so. 

hello sleeping angel.

oh, my, i love her so.

we got to have a double date with our besties.

erin and i both wore denim and red pants. 

we are so cool.

watching a holiday movie while i clean or cook is my favorite. 

the house in the family stone is my dream house.

beautiful, old, cozy, collected. love it. 

i am a sucker for a beautiful set design. 

i spy a cutie patootie.

sawyer had a thanksgiving feast at mother's day out. 

he came home with a half dozen turkey crafts. so cute.

we added a bunch of great finds to the booth this weekend.

i put an album on my itsgoodtobequeen facebook page with photos of items in the booth.

i will be updating it regularly.

soooooo, if you want to see all the vintage and handmade awesomeness, like my facebook page and you'll be updated when i add new stuff. 

which will be often.

because i can't tear myself away. :)

a couple of my favorites.....

vintage shiny brites. 

one of the few things i collect are vintage christmas ornaments.

they are so happy.

box full of vintage trims. 

many of them are still in the package, unopened.

vintage reader's digests. 

so pretty for decorating and also great books to read!

vintage purple velvet, tufted pillow. 

amazing condition. 

this is an amazing find. 

okay friends...have a lovely day! 

Pin It

our little side business

we have had the best time getting our flea market booth up and running.
it's meant for some late nights but we are both so pumped that it's been fun.

on wednesday, the littles went to a special mother's day out so the big boys came with me while i painted  and set up the booth.

they were so good.
they sat in the booth next to us and did their homework.
they kept telling me what a good job i was doing. :)
they're such sweet boys.

on thursday AJ and i got to have a daytime, set up the booth with starbucks, date. :)

yes, i was slightly over-the-top excited.
calm down, sara.
date + coffee + this guy = good times.

so we got it all set up and i thought. . . okay. . . that's a start.

i wasn't really sure how much stuff i needed.
we decided to just get stuff in there and see where we need to go from there.
and looking at it, we realized we need a whole lot more.

well woo hoo, mama gets to go shoppin!!
and woo hoo, mama gets to do more crafts.
win. win.

okay, so i'll show you what we've got in there for now....but rest assured, we'll be adding a whole lot more.
and i'll keep you updated as we do.
don't you worry your pretty little head.

it was hard to part with that yarn wreath.
you know i love a yarn wreath.

who needs a vintage pennant?
everyone. that's who.

also, could barely part with these little antlers.
they are amazing in every way.
but the booth needed them so i released them.

okay. are you near northwest  arkansas?
come have a look see.
all my treasures. tell them i sent you. :)


Pin It

a kitchen update

i did a little kitchen rearranging yesterday.

it's looked pretty much the same as it did the last time i showed you in april.

we've had this same wall o' white plates since our last house and i have just gotten tired of it.

i've had in my mind for months now to move the chalkboard to this wall so i finally did it.
as in, starting pulling white plates off the wall while the kids were eating lunch.
i love love love this chalkboard i made with a vintage frame but the scale has been off on that other wall.
it works so much better here.

i was going to put the white plates in the booth but i loved the way they looked all stacked up so i decided to keep them.
at least for now.

a little milk glass and acorns never hurt anybody.

found this plate yesterday while thrifting.
it had to come home with me.
it is awesome in every way.

 i  still need to figure out something to go on the right wall but i did find an awesome woven tray for the back wall.
the tray was also found while thrifting....intended for the booth but i just couldn't part with it.

can you blame me?
the texture, the subtle arrows, the vintage dreaminess of it all....this may become a problem....

i love a quick rearrange that makes me like a room so much more....but i wish i wouldn't take so long to make changes!

every single item on that table is thrifted.
i call that a success. :)





Pin It