instafriday

once again i only have a few phone snap shots this week.
this week has been completely nutso.

in an effort to hold onto summer and make memories despite our crazy week, we took to a nearby trail after dinner one night this week.
it was so good to get out of the house and walk with my family.

the hum of cicadas is music to my ears.

the boys found a caterpillar.
it's fun to see all three of them interested in the same thing.

yesterday we had a park/creek play date with the boys' school classes.
my boys spent the entire time in the creek.
it was so great to see them in their element.
"swim in a creek" was one of the last things on our summer list that we hadn't checked off.
since sawyer waded up to his arm pits, we're calling that good.
they found a water snake and ginormo snapping turtle so that was exciting for them.
ha.  having three boys is definitely helping me deal with my fear issues. ;)

also yesterday this happened:

all over ruby.
i was making a bottle so i set her down for a minute so i could have two hands.
i opened the cab to get out my measuring cup and she pulled my big 6 cup glass one down on top of her head.
it had two smaller glass measuring cups inside in.
shattered all over her.
by God's mercy, she only had one tiny cut on her arm.
scary moment.

it was one of those times that i thought, "of course that just happened."
i was so exhausted and having to clean up all these tiny shards of glass and make sure ruby didn't have any little specks on her {she did} and clean up this whole mess when i was already so tired was a bit of a bear.
it was one of those moments that you just have to put on your big girl pants and get it done.
heavens to betsy, i tell you, being a mama is not for wimps.

in other exciting news, we finally converted sawyer's bed to a big boy bed.
yes he is three and half.
we keep our kids in cribs for a way long time.
after moving our oldest into a big boy bed at just over 2, we learned our lesson and the next two boys stayed in until over 3.
best decision ever.

ruby doesn't even know how stinkin' cute she's gonna be this fall.
i found her a whole stack of the most darling clothes at rhea lana's this week.
can't wait to see her in them.....i love having a girl to dress up. :)


happy friday, y'all!





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JOYN

if you've read my blog for long, you may remember our dear friends, dave, mel, micah & levi who moved away to India to follow Jesus' call for them to be His hands and feet there.

while there, they have created two businesses, JOYN  and Dehradun Guitar Company.

dave builds the most amazing custom guitars you've ever seen, in a little shop in a little town in north india.
amazing.
he has these guys...these apprentices....who are learning to build guitars....and learning about Jesus....and starting a whole new life.  so cool.

you may be familiar with JOYN products....they're sold here and there, around the country.
if not.....here's a great video about their work in Rajpur.


120803 JoynFinal 1920x1080 from Edit at Joe's on Vimeo.


the people who create joyn products are also learning about this Jesus guy.
and learning a new trade....gaining a purpose.
their kids are going to school.

by purchasing a JOYN product or DGC guitar....you are doing much more than getting a cute handbag or amazing guitar...you are literally changing lives.

find a retailer here or click on any of the links above.  :)




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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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instafriday

the weather is awesome today.
there is a cool breeze and it's currently 75 degrees.
crazay.
it's almost {almost} getting me ready for fall.
the boys have been playing outside all morning which is awesome.

i've been a busy little bee getting our front room ready for the school year.
it's very much in process right now.
these are a couple of glimpses of what i'm working on for the school area.
it is no where near finished, but i can see the end in sight. ;)

this little boy is an artist.
he draws 2 or 3 pictures every day. at least.
i love to see his creative mind work.

"wook mama! i made a city."
i love little people....one of the best toys invented.
next to legos. nothing can top legos.

so i feel like i'm burning the candle at both ends right now.
i don't do great when i have a bunch of things going on at one time.
so many details to try to keep straight.
i get overwhelmed pretty easily, i think.
i am making sure to do the most important things....play with my kids, make memories with them, spend time with Jesus, and spend time with my husband.
but that does mean that there are a lot of tasks and to-dos floating in the air and i know they're not the most important....but people do depend on you to do things....and there are just tasks that have to be done.  you know?
the world doesn't stop spinning just because i have a lot on my plate.
am i preaching to the choir?
this is just one of those times that i gotta put on my big girl pants and gitter done. ;)


on that note, i'm off to tackle....something.

have a great day!!




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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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instasunday

my favey phone-cam shots from this week......

last weekend we had a family night.

chic-fil-a followed by bowling. 

love that sweet scrunchy smile and propped up baby feet. 

ruby is such a trooper when we take her to crazy places like a dirty bowling alley. 

excuse me, coming through. 

yes, she is. 

absolutely. 100%. 

hang out time on the couch with my busy baby girl. 

she's not so much a sit still kinda girl. 

like mama like daughter. 

the makings of some serious yum. 

vietnamese coffee. 

bad but sooooooo good. 

my favorite afternoon treat these days. 

mama said there'd be days like these. 

we're not all smiles around here, folks.

teething, perhaps??

avery is loving the new basketball goal. 

as in, he plays all day long and takes a break for lunch, loves it. 

so happy for him. 

uh-oh. 

guess it's time to move that mattress down. 

milestones.

on friday AJ took off work and we headed to silver dollar city for the day.

we took my little sister hannah and my parents kept ruby for us. 

it was nice to not have to push around a stroller all day. 

it was also fun to get to go on a ride all together. 

we also did a one hour cave tour....super fun....and a little nerve wracking for this claustrophobic girl. 

i'm really glad we did it.

it was nice to get to spend the day with hannah as well. 

i was shocked that my two youngest boys rode on the american plunge {straight-down log ride.}

avery always loves a roller coaster....the bigger the better.

but this was the first time for the younger boys to do something beyond a kiddie ride. 

so proud of them!

farmer's market.

our boys love to go.

there's so much to see, so many beautiful flowers, wonderful fresh food, musicians, dogs to pet, bugs to look at.......all kinds of fun stuff. 

i love our town. 

so that's my week in a nutshell.

trying to enjoy the last of our weekend. 

sigh...i never want it to end. 

what are y'all up to??

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eleven months

how. is. this. possible? 

tell me that. 

these eleven months have absolutely flown by.
i can hardly believe how big my baby girl is getting.
i know i say that every month.
the first year is such a whirlwind.

our ruby girl continues to be an absolute doll baby. 

so sweet and loving and just plain yummy. 

this past month she started saying "mama."

melt my heart. 

now she says it all the time. 

when i walk into the room she gets a huge grin and squeals and says, "mamaaa."

i love it. 

she is definitely a mama's girl.

she doesn't want me to walk even a few steps away from her. 

when i'm not around she doesn't eat or sleep as well. 

she tolerates other people holding her but mostly she just wants me. 

and i'm just fine with that because i know it won't last forever. 

i am cherishing every single moment. 

ruby's other new word this month is "uh-oh."

pretty cute to hear her say that when she drops something.

baby girl still has no teeth. 

which i am also just fine with because how cute is that gummy smile?!

a few days after ruby turned 11 months, she started pulling all the way up on furniture.

she had been so close for the past month, pulling up on shorter things, but she finally got strong enough to get all the way up to a couch or chair seat. 

two days later she started cruising. 

such a big girl. :)

ruby continues to be completely spoiled by her big brothers. 

they are crazy about her and just so sweet to her. 

they will sit and play little baby toys with her, play peek-a-boo or crawl around with her and tickle her. 

so thankful for the precious, undeserved gift of this baby girl. 

we are head-over-heels in love with her.

ruby jane, you are a treasure. 

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