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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clear the stage

hey friends...

i heard this song on the radio this morning and i cannot get it out of my head.

it is so, so good.

pondering and praying about what idols i have set up. . . and asking Jesus in His mercy to help me tear them down.

watch this video....surely it moves you too?




okay i have a quiet house for the first time in i don't know how long, so i'm going to go get something done . . . and listen to this song a few more times. ;)





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i {heart} printables.

i love that the interwebs are full of fun and beautiful printables these days.

i have a pin board on pinterest just so i can keep track of the ones i've found.
i thought i'd share some of my favorite places to find printables.

1. joy's hope.

julie is super awesome and often has really great printables that i love.
i used one on my gallery wall.

i love this one that she offers up for free.

check her printable shop {the proceeds raise money for hope for sudan} for even more awesome.
oh also, she gives a tutorial for making your own printables & graphics that i used to make that graphic at the top of this post. :)

2.  jones design company

i lovelovelove emily's style.
her printables are lovely.
she offers some free every now and again and she also has a shop full of gorgeous art prints and more.
she also has a thing called jdc monthly where you can subscribe and get printables {or have her print them} every month.

this is one of my favorite free printables she has offered up.

i also love these {free} printable gift tags.

3. the handmade home

ashley has a really fun style and has tons of fun {free!!} printables.
she even has monthly freebies . . . what a treat!

check her freebies page here.

i printed out this cute tricycle print and popped it into a frame for the boys' bathroom.

also love these number prints . . . so many possibilites.

4. mr. printables. 

okay i just learned about this website but i'm loving what i see!
free printables for kids? yes, please.

now that we're back to part time homeschooling, i really should get this map printed.
love the font.
love the muted colors.
that's a win.

5. living locurto

i have used living locurto several times with great success.
i've printed several of their free printables for gift tags & such and i've also purchased some of their party set printables.

loving this cutie-cute thank you card that's up on their free printables page.

i always print on card stock to give some weight to the prints.

okay so those are some of my favorite places to print art work and cards.

what are your favorite websites for printables? 

please share in the comments.....inquiring minds want to know! :)

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monday funday and lemon basil pesto

it's monday morning and the last week of summer break. 

i think it's gonna be a doozy. 

it's one of those weeks where we have so much on our calendar that it's gonna be tricky to coordinate all the details. 

but we'll make it....we always do. ;)

and hopefully we'll make some memories and have fun along the way. 

so....last week i tweeted/instagrammed a pic of my basil plant & asked for a pesto recipe. 

my friend amy who writes the awesome foodie blog, our everyday dinners, asked to have some of said basil since her plant had died. 

well, basil is the one plant that has flourished this hot summer so i was happy to share. 

amy made lemon basil pesto & shared the recipe on her blog. check it here. 

she was also so sweet to bring us some of the pesto, pasta & fresh parmesan for our dinner! 

yummy. 

i love love love some pesto. 

it's pretty fun that it came from our basil from our garden.

okay, so you should really start reading amy's blog...she posts recipes everyday with great photos. 

remember her blog is where i got the salted caramel pretzel bark that i am obsessed {obsessed} with. 

if i get my wits about me i'm going to make up a big batch of pesto and freeze it in an ice cube tray so we can have pesto all the year long. 

fingers crossed. 

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need wedding inspiration?

remember that aj and i went on a fancy wedding date a few weeks ago?

recently, ashley's photographer posted pics online and they are just so beautiful that i had to share....

even if you don't need wedding inspiration....maybe you just need a little bit of pretty in your afternoon...

click here and here for gorgeous photos of a gorgeous wedding. :)

enjoy!



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monday rambling.

happy monday morning friends!

hope you all had a lovely weekend.
we had lots of family time.
so thankful for that.
after several really busy weeks, i have been craving some down time.

we pretty much swam the entire weekend.
there's a good chance we are all going to be dark as night by the end of summer.
and that is with spraying each other down with sunscreen every time we swim.

yesterday i started reading tim tebow's book, through my eyes.
i got it for AJ for father's day.
he finished it and put it on my nightstand.
ooooh, it's good.
i'm already hooked.

i just finished reading for women only by shaunti feldman.
that wasn't the most fun read in the world, but really, really good.
if you're married, i recommend reading it.
there's also one called for young women only that looks really good for teenage girls.

we've decided to go back to providence for school next year, fyi.
in case you care.
i'm pretty excited about it.
i'm also gonna have to take some other things off my plate which is hard.
but i'm pretty pumped about having more time with my sweet boys.

are y'all looking forward to fourth of july?
i am.
a day for AJ to be off work is a good day in my book.
ours will be pretty low key.
i'm wondering how ruby is going to handle the fireworks.
plus the fact that she will be up four hours past her bedtime.
we shall see. :)

okay, wanna know who the winners are for the dayspring giveaway?

congratulations to . . .

Renata : redeemed pillow

Jennifer: vintage vase

Cherie: chalk board

okay girls...look for an email from me! 

thank you everyone for entering.

didn't win?......

DaySpring is offering ten of their top selling items at 30% off through July 31^st! Stock up on a few of these great gifts. Use this code at checkout: TOP10SUMMER

okay friends....let's make this a great week!

happy monday!

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shabby apple is pretty

have y'all heard of shabby apple?
i am a fan.
like, times one hundred.

so....a few months ago i was searching around for modest and cute bathing suits {no easy task} and i found shabby apple.
love.

vintage inspired swimsuits?
yes. please.

and the dresses.
oh the dresses.
they are gorgeous and womanly and vintagy and i big puffy heart love them.




some of my faves . . .

and they even have a shabby baby line.
look at this dress. i die.

two more favorite things about shabby apple:
1. gorgeous clothes and accessories that are modest.
2. fast and free returns. hello.

would you like to win a $50 gift card to shabby apple?
i thought so.

enter via the awesome rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

p.s. affilate links used in this post.
p.s.s. giveaway closes in one week
p.s.s.s. must have a u.s. address to enter
p.s.s.s.s good luck!





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mama finds

just thought i'd pass along some of my favorite mama things.

#1. seeds family worship.



that video is just a little sampling of the awesomeness that is seeds family worship.
my sis-in-law gave us a cd last summer and we love it.
we listen to it in the car regularly and now we have all memorized a bunch of new scriptures.
scripture . .  .set to music . . . that we all enjoy. . . perfect.

i was just looking on the website and see that they have a ton of neat tools for families.
scripture memory cards and a printable checklist.
that rocks.
we're doing that.

#2 okay this is so girly.
but i think this falls under the mom category, so we're sharing it.

in case you can't read it, it says total effects eye transforming cream.

this stuff actually works.

well it should for how much it costs for that little jar. 

but it is so worth it.

after i had ruby, i really noticed my eyes looking so. old.

i noticed a difference within a week of using this.

now every time i look in the car mirror, i don't gasp in horror at my eye wrinkles.

crisis averted.

at least for now. 

also, i've had it since september and probably used a fourth of the jar.

money well spent, i'd say.

#3 okay this is more of a wifey link but it ties in. 

gotta be a good wife to be a good mom.

anyhow, i'm reading this.

i'm only through chapter two but it's kicking my tail.

good stuff that i'm trying to learn.

old habits die hard. 

okay that's all i have for today.

anyone else have some great mama links or finds that you want to share?

if enough of you are interested, we'll start a mama finds linky. let me know. :)

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(in) real life

happy monday morning to you!


i am super excited that (in) real life is this saturday!
are you going?
you do not have to be a blogger.

women gathering all over the country.
gathering to connect, encourage and create new friendships.
and eat snacks . . . can i get an amen?

register here, then find your city location and rsvp there too.

if you are local, i'd love love love to see you there! how fun would that be?!
if not, find your local (in)RL and connect with some women near you.
i really think it's gonna be awesome.

it starts this friday with a webcast that you can watch in the comfort of your own home.
woo to the hoo.
99% chance i'll be watching in my pj pants with a cup of coffee in hand.

let me know if you're going...i'd love to hear about your experience. :)

"We're bringing an (in)courage conference to life!"




p.s. had to pass this along . . . dayspring has twelve of their most popular items on a special 30% off sale through May 14th.  Use code MD30off at checkout.  click here to see the items: Mother's Day Special- 30% off Select Items




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mother letters

do you need some mama encouragement today?
my friend amber and her husband seth have curated an ebook, called Mother Letters.
what started as a sweet gift from seth to amber has become so much more.
it is encouragement for all of us mamas out there who need to be reminded, again, that we are not alone.
the ebook releases today and i cannot wait to get my hands on it.

"The letters were to be written by mothers, and were designed to share stories, encouragement, or wisdom with other mothers."



   

mother letters is having a link up party today through mother's day to share your mother letter.
share yours or be encouraged by reading those posted there.

this is mine . . .



Dear Mother,

Motherhood is so complex. There is nothing that could have prepared you for this. You just have to walk in it. Sometimes it's so good and sweet and overwhelmingly wonderful that your heart might burst. Other times, it's so lonely and frustrating and just, honestly, irritating.  Being a mama makes your heart hurt so bad in your chest at the thought of your babies ever leaving the safe little bubble that you've created for them. You want to do it right. And perfect. And love them so well. And nurture their soul. And stimulate their mind. And teach them to be great. You also want to let them go enough so that they learn to spread those wings and become who God created them to be. My heart tightens in my chest at the thought of them being hurt in any way. I want to swoop in and protect and just generally be there for them at all times . . . loving them and encouraging them and letting them know that I'm there. Motherhood holds the most extreme joy and intense pain all at the same time. Much like childbirth...pain and joy all intertwined and messy. Being a mama is not for wimps. Part of you is walking around in the world and separating from you more with each passing day.
But it is so, so good.
It is the hardest and most amazing job you will ever do.
It is a good work.
And Jesus is with you every step of the way.

Blessings sweet mama,

Sara


*something wonderful....mother letters gives back. a portion of every ebook sale goes to the Mercy House in Kenya.


p.s wouldn't this ebook be a wonderful mother's day gift or gift for a new mama?

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monday, monday.

are you celebrating president's day today?

aj's work is not. lame.

but, bonus, his parents are here and are big time entertainment for my four children.

we have had a very busy and fun weekend. 

life has been pretty full lately and i am way behind on my blog reading... i have a handful of blogs that i usually read daily and they are so encouraging, inspiring, & lovely.

do you read (in)courage?

are you going to (in)real life??

i am and i'm super pumped.

amber {@ the RunaMuck}, my (in)real life girlfriend writes about it here.

it's coming up in april...i encourage you to find one in your area and attend.
if you are around me....come to our (in)RL and let's chat!
you don't have to be a blogger...just come and let's encourage each other, k?

here's a little vid to get you inspired. :)





let me know if you're coming to the nwarkansas one!

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february first

happy february y'all!

we are enjoying yet another mild-weathered week around here.
have i said that i'm enjoying this winter??? i am. keep it comin'.

sawyer has been loving the tricycle lately.

as soon as we arrive home from anywhere, he jumps out of the car and gets to trikin around the driveway.

we've have been doing a bunch of hanging around the house this week so sawyer has had lots of riding time. 

he wears those boots every single day.

he loves it when we are both wearing boots.

i love that little cutie pie.


speaking of love.... it's the month of loooooove.

i love me some valentines, yes i do.

have you seeeen these awesome mugs from dayspring??

i believe we need them. i mean seriously, right?
love them.

okay also, i want to say thank you for all your sweet comments about my vlog.
you all are the best. :)


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good links.

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. :)






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Noonday Collection Winner!!

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!!!

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noonday collection giveaway!!

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.



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fall pinterest challenge

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.




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stop the world.

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. :) Pin It

watch these.

happy thursday, friends.
just wanted to share a couple of videos with you for your viewing pleasure.

there are so many, many stories from 9/11.
this is one of them.  very touching.




and then, one of my very favorite youtube videos.
just try to listen to this song and not raise your hands.



oh mercy, i love an old hymn sung well. 
that's a little bit of heaven, i tell you.



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fun finds from around the world wide interweb.

thought i'd share some fun things i've spotted around the blogosphere lately. . . 

this kitchen is so dreamy.
i am in love with that island.

{source}

a picture says a thousand words. . . julie is so creative. i love her blog.

{source}

i love this dining room so much i want to cry.
it's just so beautiful!

do you read the reed life?
you should.
shauna takes amazing photos.
and she's real.
i lovey-love-love her daughter's bedroom.
that yellow wrought-iron bed is the best.

this couch is dreamy.
i love the before and the after.

you've probably seen these prints before, but i adore them.

what fun finds have you discovered lately??

please share!

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