snow dayzzzzz

we have had *so much snow* this winter.
craziest thing ever.
i guess the groundhog and the persimmon seed were right.
this is a very wintery winter.
especially for the south.
i don't think we've had a good snow in 3 years.
i guess we needed to make up for that.

this current round o' snow.....winter storm maximus, i'm told..... has been so. pretty.
it started while we were in church yesterday and was pretty much a winter wonderland by the time we made our 5 mile trek home.
it's that super powdery, big flakes, with sunny skies...perfect kind of snow.

although a bunch of our fun plans for yesterday were cancelled, it did turn out to be a perfectly lovely day of staying at home and cozying up with my faveys.

today was a sunny day and not too cold so the kids and i decided to take a trek back behind our house for some snowy adventure.

there are woods and a creek behind our house.
the boys kept saying, "it's narnia!"

one of our favorite things is outdoor exploring so this was just bliss.
ruby is happiest outside so she was pumped to be out in the snow.

we tasted a little bit of that perfect looking snow, but not too much since the last big snow we had this winter, finley ate so much of it that he got a stomach ache.
#lessonlearned

we were so excited to make it to the creek.
sawyer really wanted to get in it.
i took that as a teaching moment on why we don't get in creeks in the winter. :)

we spent a good while down there throwing snowballs into the creek.
i had a death grip on the back of ruby's coat but she did still manage to face plant it in the snow once.
luckily, she was so happy out there that it didn't phase her much. :)

this was the best snow day.
the only thing that would have made it better was to have AJ home.
but i cannot complain...it was a really great day.
plus my sweet neighbor took the boys sledding for an hour in the afternoon so they got sledding fun and i got some sweet quiet time.
i'm sure the extra vitamin D today didn't hurt either. :)

and just to give you a smile on this cold winter's night....i am going to humble myself and show you my hot mama snow outfit.

oh yes. hot-tay.
AJ's ginormo pants {no, my legs are not that big} stuffed into my winter boots.
80's-tastic coat.
scarf hanging out.
men's gloves.
not pictured here: my giant bug-eye sunglasses.
i was a sight to behold.
thankfully, only my kids, neighbor kandice & the birds got to see this special look.
......and now the internets. you're welcome. your night is now complete. :)
sweet dreams.....


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i'm a tv star, basically.

i've been wanting to tell y'all about something really fun that i got to do a few weeks ago.

okay you know, the duggars, right?
the big ol' family on 19 kids and counting on TLC?

well they live right down the road from us.
michelle is friends with my friend, kathy, who i work with at rhea lana's {the children's consignment event that i work at a few times a year}.
michelle and her girls have shopped at rhea lana's many times and they have also volunteered at our events.
anyhoooo.....

we got to help them out with a special project a few weeks ago and were filmed for an upcoming show.
so yeah, super fun and nerve wracking at the same time!

a few of us girls from the rhea lana's leadership team worked with the duggars on a big event to raise money for arkansas children's hospital.


this pic is after a long, hot day of working outside so we are sweaty and dusty, but we had to document it.  :)

aj brought the kids up for a little bit to visit me and experience the extravaganza of the event. :)

i can't share any details since the show hasn't aired, but i wanted to tell you so that you could watch on October 22 for our episode which is also the season finale for 19 kids and counting.

i hope i don't look like a total goober but i'm pretty sure i will.

also, i have to say that the duggars are the sweetest people you'll ever meet.
seriously, so genuine.
i loved every last one of them.
it was such a pleasure working with them and getting to know them. :)



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i love pinterest and online shopping.

hi y'all.  :)

it's a homeschool day today.
not much unpacking getting done but that's okay.
all in good time. :)

our first day doing school in the new house has gone great.
and we only have 7 weeks left.
yay. hoo.

news flash: the weather says high of 66 on easter sunday.
i will take it.
yes. please.
it has snowed several days this week so i will take a sunny 66.


in other news, i made this super duper yum crockpot potato soup last weekend.
all six of us loved it so it's a keeper.
it was perfect for a snowy spring day. ha.

i just ordered this shower curtain.

i. love. it. 

like seriously, it makes me so happy.
should a shower curtain make you this happy?
maybe not.
i'm okay with it. :)

do you dig it? free shipping through the end of march, fyi.

okay, gotta get back to the peeps.
finley and i have a date with little house in the big woods.....




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it's a red letter day.

i took a shower and dried & straightened my hair after the kids were awake.
miracle.

i got dressed & put makeup on on a home school day.
miracle.

i packed several boxes while the boys were occupied.
winning.

sawyer entertained himself all morning and didn't ask to watch a show until after 11:00.
biggest miracle ever in the history of ever.

we have a final walk through on our house at noon.
yay. hoo.

i'll bring my camera. :)



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hi, there.

fair warning, this will be all over the place.
i've got thoughts and i want to share them.

#1. today is the last day to enter the No nonsense leggings giveaway.....just leave a comment here: http://www.itsgoodtobequeen.net/2013/01/i-no-no-nonsense-kind-of-girl.html
super simple.
can't wait to see who the winner is! :)

#2.  i do not love it when perfect strangers comment to me in front of my three precious boys, "you finally got your girl" with a huge smile on their faces.
ummm....how am i supposed to respond to that?
almost as helpful as "wow, you've got your hands full!"
i know they mean well...but i am over the moon for my boys and i don't want them getting the message that they were just tryouts until we got the prize.
no, ma'am.

i do however appreciate when sweet people say, "you've got some good helpers."
yes, i do.
they are blessings and i am so happy to have my hands full with them.

#3 last night at dinner, we're doing highs and lows.
i say that my high is having a really nice, peaceful home school day.
i say that my low is sawyer disobeying and throwing fits.
sawyer says, "that's my high."
awesome.

#4 this post Parenting: It's Never An Interruption  is so good.
it's worth the 5 minutes it will take you to read it.
i've been mulling it over and it was just what i needed to read this week.
convicting and reframing my thoughts.

#5  this little beauty has been sick on and off all winter.
hoping she is building up one heck of an immune system.
is it time for spring yet??
we are ready. ;)

#6 so far our home schooling days are going much better this semester.
we seem to have gotten in a really good groove and we're all enjoying it.
i am thankful.

okay i think that's all for now.

happy tuesday, y'all!
meet me back here tomorrow to find out who has a hot pair of leggings heading their way!


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a tuesday in december

hi.
do you know it's six days until christmas?
six.
wal-mart told me that this morning.
the dang countdown clock.

i am getting really close to being ready . . . shopping wise.
not wrapping or crafting or baking or packing or cleaning wise.
so really not close at all.

also i have no idea what food i'm making for christmas.
do you?
i did pioneer woman's cinnamon rolls last year.
they were so good but i'm thinking i'm going for easy and simple this year.
i think i really need to focus on relaxing and family time and not try to do a million things.

sunday was our anniversary.
twelve years of wedded bliss.
:)

we are goobers.
aunt jill offered to babysit so we could go out on a hot date last night.

and by hot, i mean, me almost falling asleep at dinner, drinking a dr. pepper and mocha to stay awake, running around town doing some christmas shopping, and getting home by 8:45.

we are some crazay cats.

okay friends, i'm off to tackle that list. . . have a great tuesday.


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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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in ten minutes or less

*i feel like a big ol' blog slacker lately. :( boo.
i love writing.
i love this space.

*i am deep in the trenches of rhea lana's children's consignment sale right now.
it takes a lot of time but i really enjoy it and it's how i clothe four children.
also i worked latish tonight and drank too much dr. pepper so now i am awake instead of sleeping which i should be doing....but then i wouldn't be blogging....something's gotta give here peeps.
tonight it's sleep.

*less than two weeks until school starts. i am not ready.
i am working hard to try to get the front room ready before school starts.
it's functioned as a playroom for the year and half that we've lived here.
i am attempting to make it more functional by making it an office/homeschool space/guest room.
i'm liking where it's headed.

*two weeks until ruby turns one.
i am not ready for that either.
time is a jerk.

*we have been watching olympics every night, have you?
i think i've watched more this year than i ever have.

*trying hard to tackle the massive list i have to get done plus also make the most of our last days of summer.
we still have some stuff to cross off our list.
school time came way too fast.
i am not ready for summer to end. at. all. 
summer flies by faster than any other season.
winter always seems to drag on and on. this does not seem fair.
i love summer. i should move south for the winter.
geese are onto something.


okay my ten minutes are up.
time to try to fall asleep again so i am not crazy-town-grumpy mama in the morning.


goodnight!





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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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hello monday

hello big girl {growing so fast} sittin' in the shopping cart. 

hello driving around with the windows down, rockin out in the swagger wagon. 

hello happiest life i could imagine.

hello raised bed.

hello weeds, i'm coming to get you.

hello, lots of hard work with the hope of a big reward.

hello sweatin' it out at SDC with my girl.

hello family day.

hello tuckered out.

hello cheeks.

hello lips.

hello eyelashes.

hello green pool.

hello child labor.

hello nine year old who is too busy to be bothered with finding a matching pair of shoes.

hello dreaming of summer.

hello monday. 

p.s. say hello monday with the lovely lisa leonard.

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all over the place

hi friends.

ruby and i had a girls' outing today.
we went to lowe's.
i'm raising her right.
i was so giddy.
it's been too long since i've been in there.
i bought spray paint and wood.
i nearly skipped out of there i was so happy to be doing a project again.

yesterday afternoon i was a used car salesman.
i wheeled and dealed with a woman who wants to buy aj's car.
i got her to a good price and was feeling pretty pleased with myself.
ten minutes later i backed my car into it.
not kidding.
seriously, the timing was nutso.
i was on the phone with aj at the time.
good news, bad news.
bad news: i yelled so loud that he thought i hit a child.
good news: the car was nothing compared to that so he wasn't upset about the cars in the slightest.
thankfully he never gets upset about those types of things.
which is a really good thing because i'm working with about half a brain here peeps.

speaking about pride coming before a fall.
this morning all three boys had dentist appointments.
you've seen our dentist.
it's like a magical dentistry playland.
avery and finley have always been amazing at the dentist.
not one ounce of resistance or fear.
i always felt a bit smug when other kids were wailing or fighting the dentist as my two boys cooperatively sat there and got their teeth cleaned.
then we had sawyer.
oh mercy, that child is psycho about the dentist.
don't you dare put that spinny toothbrush in his mouth.
you might come away with one less finger.
our appointment 6 months ago was a real treat with me sweating, holding a tiny baby ruby who hated her car seat and pretty much laying on top of sawyer to keep him down.
luckily today he didn't actually scream bloody murder.
but he did manage to spit the contents of his mouth out all over the sweet hygenists, kick his feet and clamp his mouth shut.
it. was. awesome.

thank goodness for children...they keep you humble.
and so does backing into your husband's car.


oh also, i wanted to tell you....i totally want to reply to your comments that you leave me.
i've been replying to your comments on my page and have felt so on top of things.
well, now i realize that those don't get emailed to you...i think you actually have to come back here and see if i responded to your comment or question. is that right?
i'm a technical genius.
i can email respond to some of you but some of you are no-reply bloggers.
do you know what that means?
here's tutorial to fix that. :)
thanks!


have a happy thursday!





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i am going to write this post and then take a nap.

last night was a verrrryyyy long night.
in the middle of the night, it seemed like one of the hardest we've had as parents.
but in the light of day, i don't think it's true.
like...i think when avery had the rotavirus as a baby, that was worse.
worse as in, i threw his crib bumper out in the rain because it was soaked in you-know-what.
the last few nights have been rough though, and i'm pretty much running on empty.
but today is a new day and we've got antibiotics and probiotics to show for it. :)

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

am i the only person in america to not be watching downton abbey or reading the hunger games?
yes?
i knew it.

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

a friend recently introduced me to bubbly water....La Croix, to be exact.
and i am officially addicted.
i want to be drinking it all the live long day.
and i pretty much am.
i feel so european.

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

 rhea lana's children's consignment sale is starting up this week.
i'll be working it here and there.
i usually work more during the second sale of the season.
if you're local, you should consign and shop.
you get great $$$$$$$$$ for your clothes & toys & whatnots plus you can get all of your kid shopping done at once for a steal.
and there is really good stuff.
it's not cruddy, i promise. ;)
everyone brings their best items.

if you can't get your act together in time to cosign for this one, there will be another one at the end of april, fyi. :)

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

okay since a post is pretty lame without pics...here are some of little miss ruby girl.
{taken by my father in law}

ruby turned 6 months last thursday and i still have not taken her 6 months pictures.
that's mostly due to the fact that i thought i'd wait until her cold clears up so that she doesn't have snot crusted on her face.

i love her sweet angel kiss by her mouth....i hope it never goes away.

ruby and grandpa.....

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


okay, i really am going to try to take a nap now.
both the little ones are sleeping so i need to make hay while the sun shines.


p.s. thank you guys so much for liking my facebook page...you are the bread to my butter.





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tuesday stream of consciousness

good morning.
happy tuesday.

just checking in to say hi.

just going along in our little world over here.

life.
kids.
basketball practices.
piano lessons.
errands.
chores.
enjoying our friends.

just normal life going on.

ruby was dedicated at our church on sunday.
our friends and family gathered around us and agreed in prayer for her life.
precious.

we had some friends over for super bowl on sunday night.
of course i didn't watch one second of the game.
i watched a couple of commercials but mostly talked and ate.

i made pioneer woman's wing's.....as i do every super bowl.
they are so good and so bad.
we had a bunch of yummy snacky food and the kids ran in and out and all around.
aj had the fireplace going so hot that we had to open the windows.
fun night.

good news: ruby is rolling a bunch now.
bad news: she keeps rolling over to her stomach in her bed and then gets mad because she's on her face and is too tired to turn back over.

i'm going to a PTA meeting today.
isn't that such a mom-ish thing to do?
i'm really feeling like a mom lately. . . even though i've been a mom for 9 years.
it's hard to explain...i guess i'm just feeling older.

we're looking for a house to buy.
we're praying a lot.
trusting the Lord.

valentine's day parties are coming up....i really want to make something super cute and crafty for the boys to pass out.
but i will probably end up just picking out some lame pre-packaged deal and the boys will be happier for it.
i also want to make something sweet for their teachers.
and something fun for ruby to wear.
we'll see what i get done....

okay hope you all followed this crazy randomness.

thanks for reading. :)

p.s. i'm going to make another vlog this week.


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my first vlog

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.


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a january weekend

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?




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instafriday

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?

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