If you would have asked me a few years ago if I would ever consider myself a homesteader, my answer would have been, “What’s a Homesteader”! HaHa

Isn’t it amazing how our perspective for our lives change!

But even though I am living the life as a homesteader, I guess most of the time I just don’t think about it that way.

Now when people ask me how I feel about homesteading, my reaction is, “Wait……I’m a Homesteader?”!

I think there is so many mis-conceptions about homesteading.

People think if you are a homesteader you must live in a shack in the boonies, with no running water, no electricity and bare-foot and pregnant all your life!

When in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

My family lives in a ranch style house, and even though we live in a rural area, we actually live right in town!

We have a  store 3 blocks down the road, and a post office 4 blocks away.

Our local Police and Fire Dept is a 10 minute walk from my house.

So we have clarified that I do not live in the boonies, I do have running water and electricity, and even though I do run around barefooted, I haven’t been pregnant in fourteen years!

And even though I don’t like fixing my hair and putting on make-up everyday (hey my chickens don’t care what I look like!), I do enjoy getting dressed up and going out.  I don’t sew my own clothes, even though I would if I could, my husband can’t live without his Hollister Clothes and hairspray, but we try to always buy them second hand!

We define Homesteading as this:  Living a self-sufficient life (meaning not relying on others to provide our needs).

Be satisfied with what we have, and taking value in learning to grow, raise and make our own food, and other necessities.  It’s so important that our children realize that our food doesn’t just appear at the grocery store.

And most important for me is, not being wasteful.  Trying to preserve what you have.

Some ways I define myself as a homesteader is, I enjoy raising chickens.  I love going out in the morning and gathering eggs.  It brings me such a sense of simplicity.

We also raise meat rabbits and turkeys.  You might say, don’t you feel bad?  Yes sometimes I do, but my son is the one who raises the rabbits and if he didn’t he would just take his gun up the road and come home with a couple he shot anyway.

I make my own laundry and bar soap.  I do enjoy girly smells, but my skin is very sensitive and it cannot always handle what is added to soaps.  Making it myself guarantees I know exactly what I is added.

I love the smell of line-dried laundry.  It makes me think of my momma and growing up!  Sometimes it’s the little things that make you a homesteader.

We try to buy most of our clothing, decor and furniture second-hand or at least on clearance.  I’m not one for wasting money on things that I can get at a discounted price!  That money can buy more chickens!

I also like growing our own fruits and vegetables when I can.  And I love to can my own jellies, syrups, pickles and more.

Being a homesteader doesn’t make me different, it just makes me more aware of how I live!

And of course everyone has to have a Homestead Hound, Right?

I believe the definition for a homesteader is different for everybody.

Don’t think your a homesteader?

Take a look around your life and home.  You might be surprised!

The post Wait…..I’m a Homesteader? appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

I’m so glad that you came back to visit my blog! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest!

For many years I doubted myself on whether or not I was equipping my children, as a homeschooler, with what they needed to succeed in life.

I would say to myself at the end of the day, Did we really just do that for Homeschool today?

I listened to all the people, around me, tell me my children wouldn’t have any socialization, they would feel left out of special events, they wouldn’t have any friends, and most important, I wouldn’t be able to give them what they needed education wise, if I continued schooling them at home.

Boy, I really wish a veteran homeschool parent would have told me back then that there will always be haters, non-believers of homeschooling and lots of misinformation concerning homeschooling in every conversation you will have with those people.

But most of all, I wish someone would have told me, I will ALWAYS doubt myself as a homeschool parent (hey I’m a mom, it’s what we do) and that if God has chosen me to homeschool my children, then God will continue to equip me to finish the journey with my children.

I also fretted so many times about staying on schedule.  Making sure every lesson was completed on time.

I finally learned to throw all schedules out the window and allow the world to be the classroom.

You might be asking, “You mean you don’t do lessons?”.  Actually yes we do, but we also have lots of life lessons as well.  I have learned that there are many kids with book smart, but no life skills.

My children are not exactly like yours.

They do not have the same personalities,  same interests or same abilities.  And I know I don’t live my day to day the same as you might.  So why would our schooling look the same way?

My children may never win a Math Reward, or a Spelling Championship, but I guarantee my son can go kill a rabbit, skin, clean it and cook it without blinking.  I can also guarantee he knows how to hatch chickens and turkeys from eggs, shoot a gun, plant a garden and make a business deal like its nobody’s business lol.

And my daughter, well she can travel to third world countries to show the love of Jesus, not to mention work for the money it takes to go.  She can clean, cook, do laundry, and can fruits and veggies.  She can plan and organize any event and teach any age in our Children’s Ministry at church.

This morning we had just returned from our local rec center, where we played basketball and walked for our PE time, and sat down to start our work for the day when my dad arrived at our house.

For some odd reason my dad picked the most dreariest day to decide to come over and help us build our pen our chickens, turkeys, rabbits  and soon to be goats.  Hey he’s helping, I can’t complain to much!

Well that was the end of “lessons” for the day.  We put our tablets and binders away and went to work with my dad.

Did we really just do that for Homeschool today?

Yep, we did!  My children learned how to build a pen for our animals.

For some that might not be important, but we live in a rural area where livestock is a deal big.  And it’s important that my children learn basic tasks and skills.  I do not want my children to grow up and be dependent on others for everything they need done.

They need to learn to cook, clean, do laundry, grow their own food, make their own products and supply their own needs.

Just overall I want to equip them to be a self-sufficient homesteaders.

Book smart is important, but knowing how to take care of your self is even more important to me.

Don’t put limits on your child’s learning.

Allow them to grow into an independent person by using their strengths!

Even if it’s learning how to build a pen!

It’s not how you learn, it’s the journey that gets  you there!

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I was so blessed and honored to write a featured post for Amanda from Living and Traveling in Africa about my amazing travels to Guatemala.

My family and I have a love for Guatemala Missions and we adore the land and culture.  Amanda asked me a series of questions to help other travelers prepare for travels to Guatemala.

I hope you enjoy my post “Tips When Traveling To……Guatemala”.

*If interested in supporting my family “While Serving God in Guatemala”, in 2015, click here for more information.

The post TIPS WHEN TRAVELING TO….GUATEMALA Guest Post for Living and Traveling in Africa appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

Hi ya’ll! I have been nominated by Sarah Hauer at On The Way Home to be part of the Tour Through BlogLand.  I am so excited that Sarah chose me to participate.  So a Big Southern Thank You Sarah.

Sarah’s blog is dedicated to the adventures of an American family redefining what home is. Sarah says, “Home is where we are all together… Home is where the Military sends us… Home is… where Jesus is alive in our hearts.”  Her blog covers one Catholic Mom’s inspirations, discoveries, perseverance and laughter.

Make sure you drop by and say Hello to Sarah and  read her BlogTour Post from last week!

If you know anything about me at all, you know that I have a love for anything old.  Old Farmhouses, old furniture, old dishes, old quilts.  I find something so nostalgic about having pieces of the past in my home.  Maybe it is because I was raised in an “older” generation family or maybe I just love the memories and stories associated with the pieces I find.  No matter what the reason, the older and more distressed, (or as my friends say, falling apart), they are, the more I am in Love with them.

My husby and I am both have a dream of someday, hopefully sooner than later, of owning an old farmhouse and homestead.  My dream goes a little further though in the fact that after my children are grown, I would love to turn it into a Country B & B.  A place where people could come to rest and relax, with pastures and bright blue skies. Where you travel down an old dirt road and the only sounds you hear are the katydid’s.  Where you leave the noise and the chaos of the world behind and you enjoy a few days of slower pace and southern hospitality.

I love to play hostess.  I enjoy having friends and family over for dinner or just nights of fun.  And I love to decorate.  I think every time someone comes over, something is different.  I change for seasons, and holidays and actually I change decor depending on my mood, which by the way sometimes drives my husby crazy :).

Questions 1: What are you working on now?

I am a lover of Autumn, or in my parts we call it Fall.  I love the warmth and the colors, and the smells.  But I also want the decor to fit my style. So right now I am working on finishing up my Autumn Decor and coming up with new DIY’s to incorporate into my love for “primitive” style.  I’m also working on new recipes to share my family for the upcoming holidays.  That is really important to me.  I don’t like to use the same thing every year and I enjoy using holiday spices to add a little something extra to a dish.   And I’m getting ready to can green beans, dilly beans and peas.

Question 2: How does my work differ from those of my genre?

I love simplicity.  I don’t like “flashy” and “over the top”. Some may see that as boring, but I see it as beautiful.   I also say that I believe I was born in the wrong era lol.  Of course I’m country, so my work also goes back to my roots whether its cooking, hosting or decorating.  When party planning, I love to incorporate old barns, pieces of wood, hay, natural surroundings, old quilts and burlap.  I find it warm and inviting.  When cooking, it’s all southern,  Your not going to find anything fancy, just old school with a new twist.

Question 3: Why do I write/create what I do?

I love being creative.  I am a very detailed oriented person.  Some may find that as a flaw, but to me its who I am.  I also enjoy working alone.  I see a vision, put a plan into action and go from there.  I enjoy spending time alone or just with my family.  I guess you could say I’m an introvert, but as us country folk call it, homebody.  I get overwhelmed with the fast pace of life.  I enjoy my life slower and taking time to stop and smell the roses.  I hope that within my writing and creating it will help people realize that life flashes by so fast.  They need to remember to enjoy life, not be in such a hurry to the next big thing.  Take the extra time to cook your dinner from scratch.  Don’t rush out and spend a fortune on a piece of furniture when a piece from days gone by will work just the same.

Questions 4: How does your writing/creative process work?

Writing and creating allows me to express myself within my limits. I feel accomplished when I have created something beautiful out of something others would see as junk. I love to write based on my emotions. It helps me stay balanced.  Normally an idea will pop into my head and it takes several days to weeks for it to play out.  But any writing at all helps me to release built up frustrations and stress.

I’ve nominated Leanne of NotFromTheStore  to be featured next on our Blog Land Tour.

You can find her post next Monday at http://ljenkinsnfts.wordpress.com/ and Leanne is pretty new to blogging so make sure you check out her Facebook Page.  It is amazing.

Thank you for letting me share a piece of my home and heart with you!

The post Tour Through BlogLand appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

Today, began the new CO-OP year. For those who haven’t a clue what I am talking about, its our homeschool group that my kiddos attend.

We meet once a week where my kids can “socialize”, you know the world thinks us homeschoolers never socialize, with other homeschoolers as well as participate in classes and sports.

In the past we have had classes in Spanish, French, Sign Language, Quilting, Photography, Scrapbooking, Art, Chemistry, Year Book, PE and so on.

This year my children’s schedules are a bit on the easy side but that’s okay since we have amped up our work at home.

Lindy is taking gymnastics, and this point, (remember I am writing this ahead of time) I haven’t the foggiest (that’s Arkansas talk if you don’t understand that word) idea what other class she is deciding to take.

Keegan believes he should only have to take classes that emphasizes on sports since he takes “other” classes at home. Lol. So his choices are PE and Flag Football.

Even though we have a homeschool group in our own county, we chose to drive 30 minutes away to a larger group that has more choices and activities for the kids. This helps to break up our school week and they meet new and old friends.

Me, on the other hand, is thinking of numerous trips to activities which I will have to shed my yoga pants/capris for something more suitable perhaps.

And before you ask, Yes, I love my yoga pants…..for yoga?

Not so much but they are great for drinking wine in!

But really we enjoy getting out and talking with other homeschoolers and families. But sometimes I’m still thinking of my yoga pants and my couch waiting for me at home.

And when I arrive at home, there they are…..and the wine……sigh.

Hope everyone has a great Homeschooling Year with Yoga Pants and Wine!

The post Homeschool Co-op Classes, Yoga Pants and Wine…. appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

Twelve years ago I stood at my Aunt’s grave. as tears flowed and shadows of uncertainty fall on my momma’s face. I wondered to myself, “Does my momma have regrets?”, “Is there questions she never asked her sister?”, “Are there words she never said?”.   I looked at the grave and back at my momma and I realized those were the same questions I needed to ask myself.

See, as we were burying my Aunt after her loss with cancer, my momma was dying.

She also had cancer and even though at the time I didn’t know how soon it would be, I still knew she would be leaving me soon. Some might say I was being too negative. I say I was preparing my self for the inevitable. I was the baby. I was not ready for my momma to leave. But nothing I said, nothing I did, was going to stop her from dying. If I didn’t prepare myself for her death, it would be her death that would defeat me.
That night, after the funeral, I asked my momma and my three sisters if we could start having mother/daughter outings. Just to spend time together, to connect with each other. So on Friday Nights we all would go out.  Sometimes to eat,  to visit someone or shopping. But mainly to talk and make memories.

I asked a lot of questions.
I wanted to hear stories of her childhood and teenage years.
I wanted to know what it was like when her and my dad married?
Why did they wait til almost 40 to have me?
What was she passionate about?
Did she have any regrets?
We continued this tradition for about six months until the time came when she was too sick to leave the house. Three months later she was gone.
I am so thankful for that opportunity I had to share those moments before it was too late. I have been thinking about that a lot lately. Life is always so busy, moving so fast, that I begin to ponder if I would have an opportunity to share my life with my children. What if tomorrow don’t come for me? Would they know stories from my childhood? Would they know the story about me and their dad? Would they know what I am most passionate about? Would they know that I love them with a love so pure that only a mother can experience?
I really am not so sure. Life becomes stressful, and my days run into nights and it seems to never stop. I decided I didn’t want this moment to pass. If for some reason I never had the chance to talk to them about me, then I wanted to document it for them.
So what do I want my children to know about me?
1) I AM NOT A SUPERHERO! I do not have super powers. I am human. I am not perfect. I am flawed. As a mother I need you to know that I am just a person who makes mistakes daily. Who will always make mistakes. I try my very best when it comes to your life not to make to many messes but I can’t promise it will always be rainbows and butterflies, there will be days of dark clouds and storms but I will love you every day reguardless of the situation.

2) God will always be #1 in my life. No matter how much I love you, and believe me when I say I love you so much it hurts sometimes, God will ALWAYS be at the center of my life. God entrusted me enough to bless me with you all. He gave me life that will continue long after this chapter ends. There was a time that God was not my center. I was mad and angry, so I ran far away from God. But what I realized is that God gives us free will. He doesn’t control us, he loves us and gives us freedom to come to him, and even through the bad, he never left my side. I need you to always make sure God is #1 in your life as well.

3) My heart is filled with compassion. Sometimes I feel like my heart is breaking into a million pieces over the sorrow that I feel for children who have lost their parents to addictions, neglect or abuse. Those children who just want to feel love again and a sense of security. The homeless people on the street with no family or warm bed, that for one reason or another has lost their way, from a failed marriage, a job or even an illness and now they are alone and burdened. For the elderly people, who on their face shows years of hardship. From the cotton fields, to the coal mines, farms and factories they have worked their fingers to the bone to supply a roof over their families head and food on the table. Those same people, much like my daddy who would give you the shirt off his back with no questions asked. For the people in the third world countries who never have the opportunity to freely worship Jesus. Who so many will never know the love that he has for them or hear the stories of his miracles.

4) Animal Rescue burdens my heart. Yes I am an animal lover. And yes I know you make fun of me because I show you a thousand pictures a day of all the dogs who need a home, or the ones who have been adopted. Animal neglect and abuse lays heavily on my heart. And yes if there was a way, I would bring them all home. I know you think I’m silly for supporting so many rescues and shelters but what you probably don’t know is how many tears I have cried knowing an animal has been put down for lack of space at a shelter. How my wish is that all shelters would become NO-KILL, that all animals would have a chance to feel love and be loved. And when it’s my time to go, I would like that instead of flowers being sent, that a donation for an adoption would be made in my memory instead. And that I believe with all my heart that animals are sent to us to help us thru a hard time when we are not willing to let anyone else in.

5) Children’s Ministry is my passion. I will always be thankful for the wondeful leaders and teachers who saw a raw gift in me and took a chance on helping me grow as a Children’s Leader. And even though I knew after a season in my life, that full-time ministry was not what God had intended for me in our family, I still love to be involved, creating programs, putting ideas and events to life. Being able to be a part of leading a child to Christ will always be worth the sacrafice of serving an extra service or spending an extra day preparing lessons and activities. Use the gifts and talents God has gave you for his good. And if the season your in is not one to use your gifts, continue growing your faith and your walk with God until a new season approaches.

6) I will never regret Homeschooling you. Being able to teach you about life has been such an incredible blessing. Spending the days beside you as we learn together will be a gift I will always treasure. Watching you each grow into young adults might have been missed if we didn’t take the opportunity in front of us to school at home. I have enjoyed all the field trips we took together. I am not scared of the adults you will become. I know you will succeed at anything you put your minds and hearts to. And I am so proud of who you both are becoming.

7) I would give you the world if I could. Not because I think you deserve it. Not because I think you have earned it, but because I love you enough that I want you to see first hand how unfair and cruel this world can be. Don’t set your eyes on worldly desires but on God and his promises. The world will fail you, but God never will.

8) I loved my life as a child. It was a happy and carefree time with chasing fireflies in the summer and rabbit hunting with my dad in the winter. Watching tornados form the top of the celler and big family dinners and reunions with my aunts, uncles and cousins. Plastic water slides down a hill and pizza/french fries on Friday Nights while watching Full House. My playhouse out back with homemade curtains from my sister and tomato and salt rock soup. Swimming at the Lake, family trips to Dog Patch and weekends spent reading my new books. I may not have had big things or big trips, but I had family and love. Those are the things I remember the most.
9) I knew the first time I saw your father I was going to marry him. We met at a factory job when I was 19. There was something about the way he talked to me, that made me feel safe and content. I felt like I was home with him. It is a love that will last. Not always perfect but by morning the sun is always shining again. I will always be thankful for the love we share, for the home we built and the life we have.

10) I have dreams. My dreams consist of following God’s plan for my life. Of course I have visions or ideas of one day owning a Tea Room, finding an old 1900 Farmhouse to fix up/live in and to own a Dog Sanctuary. I would also love to visit London, Paris, Venice, Maine, Hawaii, Seattle, The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park. But I know as long as I follow God’s plan for my life, I will have no regrets at the end. Just know that you are my dreams. You are my life.

I completely understand if you don’t quite know what to do with all this information right now. But there will come a time in your life when you will be so thankful and grateful that you have my dreams, visions and stories. That there won’t be regrets on knowing what I was like as a child, or why I love animals the way I do, or what did I really think about homeschooling you.
Just know this was from my heart, for you to cherish and love.
I have no regrets in my life. There is no choices I would redo. Each struggle, each heartache, each laugh and tear has formed us to the family we are. Enjoy your life. Love deeply and have no regrets about anything. Remember we are just passing through so make as many memories as you can, serve as many people as God allows you to, and always strive to be better tomorrow than you were today.

The post 10 Things I want my Children to Know about Me appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

sometimes your choice of bread will make all the difference so for our Shredded Chicken BBQ Sandwiches, I like to use Deli Style Hamburger Buns.  Serve with a side of  Homemade Potato Chips and Enjoy!

Tuesday my Church Connect Group, is having a Family Pool Party.  We are all bringing finger foods to eat.  I decided to make a Variety Pinwheel Platter to take.  I will add  the basic pinwheel, Bacon Ranch Pinwheel, Southwest Pinwheel and a Basil, Pesto Pinwheel.  Be checking back for those great recipes!

I also decided to make Kid-Friendly Sushi, which is just Turkey and Cheese Roll Ups that I cut like Sushi.  So much fun!  And I think I will also make Mini Apple Pies for a quick bite size dessert.  Can’t wait for a fun-filled night with friends!

Wednesday’s are also so rushed before I have to have the kiddos at Youth Group, so this week its Fast and Friendly Tacos.  No frills, just plain ole beef tacos with a side of rice and beans.  Can’t get with easier than that.

For Thursday I decided to cook a larger meal with the past couple nights before that wasn’t “big dinners”.  I chose Roasted Lemon Pepper Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes, Mac-n-Cheese and maybe a loaf of homemade bread!

Friday is Take Out Night!  This Momma needs a break (:

Saturday is quick and easy around here, so its Subs and Pasta Salad!

Chalkboard Image courtesy of Google Images

The post Whats Cookin with GraceandGravy: Meal Planning Week #3 appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

I love parties!

I love planning parties, decorating for parties, and hosting parties.

During the year, we don’t buy our kiddos a lot of extra except what they need, such as new shoes, clothes, items for an activity and ect.  So when their birthdays come around, I always want to make them special.  I will just say for the record, that yes I sometimes always  go overboard.  It drives the husby crazy!

But I also like to host birthday parties for family and friends as well.  And when I plan birthdays for them I have to stick to a budget.  I will say it’s not always easy.

My two great nieces turned four and five a few weeks back.  they came to stay with us for a few days the week of their birthdays, which happens to be two days apart from each other, and I wanted to make it special for them.

Since I have been tutoring this summer, I happened to have two of the kiddos at my house that day, whom my nieces know from church.  I thought wouldn’t it be fun to throw them a small birthday party!  Of course my mind started spinning as I got to planning.  Even though I wanted to make it special, I also needed to keep it small, in the budget and on a time schedule.

My daughter Lindy started looking for leftover party supplies I keep stashed around the house while I started on cakepops.  I prefer making cakepops for small parties.  They are fast, easy and so much fun.  I make my cake and icing homemade and I had white chocolate and sprinkles on hand from all the baking I do so I was out no expense.

Lindy found green and yellow streamers that a friend had gave to me, that I thought would make a great background.  Next we  found a roll of leftover pink tablecloth from a church fundraiser last year.  I also found a teal tablecloth that was leftover from Lindy’s birthday last month,  that we used for a table runner.

It was starting to come together and so far I hadn’t spent anything.

I realized that we didn’t have plates, forks and napkins so I ran to the store to pick those up  and found the cute yellow striped straws for .50.  I left the store with my supplies and only spent $4.00 plus tax.  When I got back home I placed the forks in a cute pink bucket, finished the cake pops and decided on strawberry lemonade to drink.  I mixed together half a package of sugar-free lemonade koolaid and 1/2 pack of sugar-free strawberry  koolaid, added a lemon slice on the side and “voila” we had party punch.

Instead of using party cups, I used these cute plasic hug juice containers that I save and reuse.  they were perfect with the yellow striped straws.

At Lindys party, we had photo props, so I pulled those out, put them in a cute bucket, added a couple frames that I had picked up at a thrift store several months back and hadn’t used and we had a really cute photo booth.

I used a couple cute colored bowls for goldfish and gumballs, also left from Lindy’s party.

I placed the cakepops on a cake stand and we were almost ready.

The last thing we needed was party hats.  I found a few pieces of leftover scrapbook paper that I had used for a craft and elastic string I had bought for another project I am working on, and we made these cute, tall party hats.

The kiddos love them!

Meet Jessie!  Look at that sweet face!

It was fast, threw together all before 1 pm.  It was cheap, spent appx $4.50 total and it was fun!

Meet Silly Maddie!

Instead of games we let them draw with chalk on the driveway, have fun with the photo booth and watch a movie.

They had a blast.  Happy Birthday Girls!

I got to thinking, I know other bloggers must have amazing party ideas as well.

So I got with some fellow blogging friends and we shared ideas.

Dawn from  HomemakingHacks has an amazing post on….

Creating your own party decor will help make your party a success! The best news is that it’s probably a lot easier and less expensive than you think! With the help of basics and simple color coordination, you can make all different types of matching party goodies in under an hour.

I am so in love with the tape bunting around the jars!  So adorable! And so creative!

Another idea I love comes from Katelyn from What’s Up Fagan’s

Several years ago, I decided not to just throw a birthday party for my daughter, I decided that she needed to do it with me. And not just her, the rest of her siblings needed to help too. It was a perfect way to teach them responsibility, kindness, even organization. I knew my children would have the motivation to help with such a great reward so I went to work. As they have gotten older, they help more and I do less and less.

Being a homeschool momma, I am all about my kiddos being independent and learning life skills at an early age.  Love this!

And make sure to drop by and check out Crystal’s Birthday Parties on a Tight Budget from  Crystal and Co.

If you’re like a lot of party-lovin’ moms, you practically drool over fabulous pictures of designer birthday celebrations with gorgeous fondant cakes that START at one hundred dollars…and then reality hits: not in the budget this time. But do you know you can host an awesome kid’s birthday party on a really tight budget? It’s possible! Read on for some of my favorite money saving suggestions.

Thanks Crystal for the Awesome Ideas!

I hope you have enjoyed all of the amazing tips to help you stay on budget for your next party.

And make sure you check out each of these amazing blogs!

The post Birthday Party on a Budget appeared first on GraceandGravy with a side of life!.

Do you have local festivals?

Our county (which consists of 5 small, mainly rural, towns) hosts The Peach Festival, every July, that has been ongoing 1938! Wow! It’s actually the oldest festival in the state of Arkansas. I feel honored to be a part of such amazing history every year.

And did I mention food?

Just like county fairs, our festivals have some of the best food around!  Funnel Cakes, Fried Pies, Foot Long Corn Dogs, and Snow Cones, you can pretty much find it all here.

Photo Courtesy of The Peach Festival Board

The Peach Festival will start next week, so to get in the “Peachy” spirit I decided to start experimenting with peach recipes.

I love peaches! I love the sweet, juicy taste that runs down your chin as you take a big bite (: In fact I don’t think I have came across a single peach dish that I haven’t loved!

If you have read my bio, then you know I’m a crunchy girl. Technically I love the Earth, try to eat organic as much as possible and I make a lot of our soaps and cleaners. I’m also a vegetarian so I eat a lot of granola.

I really like making my own so I can determine exactly what I am adding to it.  So I wanted to share this super easy Baked Granola and Peaches recipe with you today.

Baked Granola & Peaches

What you need:

4 fresh peaches

For Granola:

1  cups oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 brown sugar

1/8 cup oil

1/2 cup homemade or organic maple syrup

What you do:

1) Cut your peaches in half and remove pit.

2) Spoon a small amount of peach out to make room for granola.

3) Mix the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and oil together and then add in maple syrup.

4) Spoon granola onto each peach half.

5) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay peaches on.

6) Bake peaches at 350 for appx 15-20 mins or until peaches are soft.

Another option for Granola:

If you want granola for later, spread evenly on lined cookie sheet and bake.  Store in a dry container.

Super easy and super delish!  Great for breakfast, brunch or a mid-afternoon snack.

You can top with cream (pictured) if you desire.  This cream consists of heavy whipping cream which I mixed until it become creamed.  I’m not a cream snob (:  I enjoy my Ready Whip and Cool Whip just like anybody else!  Ice Cream is also very good on top of the warm peaches!

Pick your Pleasure and Enjoy!

And don’t miss The Peach Festival Blog Post coming soon!

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