Fresh, Fried Okra & Fresh, Fun Photos

Posted on August 17, 2014 by [email protected]

You might remember a TBT I posted a while back titled “Children of the Okra”. It was an old post that I re-shared about an awful experience in the Okra Jungle, helping my dad. I get chills just thinking about that day. I swore, Yes I swore, I would never eat okra again, but somewhere between then and now the thoughts from that day became less frightening and Fried Okra starting sounding appealing again!

A few weeks ago my dad brought over a few bags of okra that had finally decided to produce. Well, I certainly couldn’t pass it up so I decided to conquer my fear of okra and fry up some for dinner. My family was extremely pleased that my fear of okra was gone, because they had been missing my Southern Fried Okra for sometime now!

I got to work right away cutting it up, bagging most for the freezer and saving a bowl for dinner.

My okra batter is pretty basic. But it sure is good ole southern amazing!

What you need:

1 cup corn meal

1/2 flour

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1 cup buttermilk

(0r 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp on vinegar, let set for appx 3 mins)

2 eggs

2 cups of cut okra

What you do:

Get your pan of oil hot and ready. (I use a cast iron Dutch Oven Skillet)

Slightly whisk your cornmeal, flour, salt, and peppers together in bowl.

In a separate bowl mix your milk and eggs together.

Add appx 10 pieces of okra into egg/milk.

Using a metal spoon with holes, scoop up okra and let mixture drain for a second before adding to the dry mixture.

Completely cover in the dry mixture and add to hot oil.

Fry until golden brown and crispy!

Continue until all okra is fried.

You will LOVE this okra! And to make it extra amazing, dip it in some good ole ranch! Yummo!

Don’t get much better than this here is the South!

This week it’s all been about Freshness, including Fresh Photos!

My daughter Lindy Photo taken by Carosello Fete Photography

So to go along with my Fresh, Fried Okra, I wanted to share with you some Fresh, Fun Photos taken by my friend and amazing photographer Erin Wilson.

Erin, from Carosello Blog is a handmade business owner, wife, mom and word mispronouncer. She blogs about her favorite things, cooking, business life, decor, DIY and personal style. She just moved from Oklahoma to Boston-ish and then back down to Arkansas. She has been a big city gal most of her life and now living in a quaint little small town. She just bought a new house and are deep into renovating madness. Erin always love a good cardigan, pink pedicures, liquid eyeliner, hot tea and exploring all things local.

This past week, Erin captured some amazing shoots of my daughter Lindy.

I think I will cry now.

She looks way to grown up in this pictures!

I can’t believe this shots!

My baby isn’t a baby anymore ):

You can also find Erin on Facebook. Head over and show her some Bloggy Love!

Hope everyone enjoys the Freshness this week!

When Love Is Not Enough: The Story of Cowboy Hank JR

Posted on August 13, 2014 by [email protected]

A couple months ago, I wrote a short story titled “The Life of Lola”. It was about my fur-baby who has been my companion for eight years. It was a story of love, hope, and healing. As I finished up the story, I decided I wanted to write about each of my babies. I wanted to write them all the story of their life and then find the perfect time to publish them as a way for me to hold on to each of them forever.

Little did I know life had other plans.

Let me back up five years.

February 15, 2009, my sister asked if me and husby would take her to look at a litter of Shorky’s (shih tzu/yorkie). See her fur-baby had just passed away and my brother in law worked out of state, and she was lonely. She was looking for a new companion.

At that time, we had Lola. She was my dog, my protector. We really wasn’t looking for another fur-baby. Our life was busy, we were constantly on the go with kid activities.

Once we were there, this cute little ball of fur kept climbing in my lap. He was absolutely adorable. And he had eyes that would make you melt. I looked at my husby and he knew. That ball of fur was coming home.

Home is where he came. Where he slept in a basket in my room, where Lola treated him like her long lost son, where he soon stole the hearts of each one of us. And his name became Cowboy Hank JR.

I’m not sure why dogs hold such a special place in my heart. Often times I feel they understand the over- emotional person that I am better than a human. They sense a deep connection I feel for them and they feel for me. I look into their eyes and I see their soul, their heart, their purpose.

Yes, I do believe each dog has a purpose. They are each here for a companion. They are meant to help a lost soul find their way, whatever that may be.

Cowboy arrived into my life right as a storm was headed my way. My family was getting ready to experience rough waters that we had never experienced before. Cowboy, you could say, was my lifeline.

See, when we are experiencing tough times, it is human nature to let it consume us. But if we have something or someone to focus on, it takes some of the struggle of our life away. We look away from the negativity on our own life to find positive purpose in something else. Cowboy was my purpose. A way to redirect my pain away from me and turn it into a positive experience.

Just like Lola, Cowboy became my protector. He loved me in a way that he loved no one else. I guess he knew I would always take care of him, just the same as he took care of me.

Cowboy loved Lola with a passion. As he got a little bigger he would not leave her side. He followed her around, he had to sleep in the same kennel with her at night, and no way was he letting her leave anywhere without him. They were best friends til the end.

Cowboy loved to come to my room with me and lay beside me on the bed, or crawl under the bed and sleep. He had such a sweet heart, but he also had such an ornery side. He hated cats, and it was his life goal to chase everyone of them away. He also made sure everyone knew he controlled the food bowl. (: No one ate until Cowboy approved it!

And oh how he loved to snuggle. And his sweet, sweet kisses.

My love for Cowboy ran deep. Maybe it was because he was only five weeks old when we brought him home, or maybe it was because he picked me to be his companion, I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s because his love help pull me out of dark depression on days when No one else could reach me. All I know is he held a special place in my heart that will last a lifetime.

Earlier this year, Cowboy got sick. I took him to the vet and was told he had bronchitis. After a round of treatment, he seemed to be better. But a month later and he was sick again. Back to Dr Shane we went. This time we tried a new treatment but they didn’t seem to work much. A few weeks later, we were back in the office, but this time the medications didn’t affect Cowboy at all.

I knew that morning, last Wednesday, when I got up that his time was ending soon.

I called the vet one more time and they told me to bring him right in. I told my kiddos to tell him bye, that at his was probably not going to end the way we wanted. I made sure Cowboy told Lola bye, little did Lola know she would never see him again.

Dr Shane wanted to run tests. He called me later to explain that Cowboy’s heart was enlarged and he prayed he would respond to the medication. He wanted to keep him over night, I think more for my benefit so Cowboy wouldn’t die at home. The next morning I got the call I most dreaded. He didn’t make it.

I knew.

I had awoke in the night and knew right away he was gone. So I sat in the dark and prayed. Prayed for peace. Prayed for understanding. Prayed for reassurance that Cowboy was in no more pain.

I made the decision to have him cremated. I needed my baby to be home. I couldn’t bear the thought of never having him close to me again. He was always with me through every laugh and every tear and I needed him to remain beside me. I owed Cowboy that much.

Arrangements were made, and then it was time to tell the kids. They took it better than I expected. Maybe because I had prepared them, but mainly I think they knew they had to be strong for me. They knew I would take it extremely hard, which I did.

I sat alone in my room for several hours, as tears streamed down my face. There was nothing left for me to do. And even though I knew I needed to hug my other fur-babies a little tighter that day, I couldn’t seem to pull myself out of my pain, out of the darkness.

My husby called me from work to see how I was doing. He told me to take the kids to the water park, to relax, to let the sun shine on my face, to not think for a few hours.

I sat at the waterpark that afternoon and cried. I cried for me, I cried for Cowboy, I cried for Lola. As I looked up I saw a cloud that was shaped as a fluffy dog with a curly tail and I cried even harder knowing he was telling me he was okay.

Later that day, as I cried some more, a little butterfly decided to land on my hand and sit there. It didn’t move, it just watched me. Again I know that was Cowboy’s way of letting me know it was okay to let go.

I watched as the little butterfly flew off my hand, only to come back once more, as to say, “Are you sure you will be okay?”, then it was gone again.

This past week has been so hard. I have experienced so many emotions. Sadness that I would not see him again in this life, grateful for being his human, angry for him leaving me, guilt for not doing more to help him and happiness knowing he is running free at the a Rainbow Bridge waiting for me. Many tears have been shed, many prayers have been prayed, many memories have replayed in my mind.

Some might say, he was just a dog. I would say no, he was family. He knew me and my moods better than my closet family or friends. He knew when I needed a kiss, or a snuggle or just company as I lay in my room.

See, when you have the love of a dog like I do, you experience a pure and innocent love. There is no judgment, no grudges just plain love and adoration. And that is exactly what I received with Cowboy, and for that I will forever be grateful he chose me.

I told Dr Shane, the day Cowboy left me, all I wanted was to bring my Cowboy home. When my love was not enough to keep him with me here on this Earth,I just needed to bring him home with me forever.

And today he came home to stay.

Last Night

I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.

I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,

“It’s me, I haven’t left you, I’m well, I’m fine, I’m here.”

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea,

You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore.

I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care.

I want to re-assure you, that I’m not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key.

I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said ” it’s me.”

You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair.

I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.

It’s possible for me, to be so near you everyday.

To say to you with certainty, “I never went away.”

You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew…

In the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.

The day is over… I smile and watch you yawning

and say “good-night, God bless, I’ll see you in the morning.”

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,

I’ll rush across to greet you and we’ll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.

Be patient, live your journey out…then come home to be with me.

Author Unknown

*Please Adopt, Don’t Shop and donate to your local rescues and shelters

10 Things I want my Children to Know about Me

Posted on August 11, 2014 by [email protected]

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.

This Momma’s Meandering Mondays #59

Posted on August 11, 2014 by [email protected]

Welcome one and all to This Momma’s Meandering Mondays 59 and I want to offer a great, big thank you in advance to all of you who link up with us!

Now…let’s get the party started and come on in and join the fun by linking up your favorite posts! We had an absolutely awesome week last week! Share the fun and make some new friends, find a new yummy treat, or find a wonderful new craft idea to make. This is a great way to grow in your friendships! But before we start this party…Grab a badge!

Please join me in welcoming our new co-host for the month of August…Miranda from Grace and Gravy!

Miranda is the author behind the blog GraceandGravy with a side of life! She is a Crunchy, Country Mama giving her look on a Homemade Life of Homeschool, Good Eats, (Mis) Adventures, and Living Grace-Filled Everyday! Miranda resides in Arkansas with her sweet husby William that she has been married to for 15 years and a homeschool mama to kiddos Keegan and Lindy. She loves her four-legged, fur babies and they make her life complete. Miranda is passionate about blogging, reading, crafting, cooking, planning/decorating, and learning to be a more self-sufficient Homesteader.

Here is a wonderful guest post that she contributed to my site last week called, “Ten Things I Want My Children to Know About Me“! Such an amazing post from the heart!

Now stop in and say howdy to my linky party partners in fun…

The wonderful Jessica from The Wondering Brain and Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures.

Grab a badge and join the party!

<a href=”http://thismommasramblings.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s608/ssgannett/ThisMommasMeanderingMondays_zps5366bef9.jpg” border=”0″ alt=” photo ThisMommasMeanderingMondays_zps5366bef9.jpg”/></a>Now it is time to introduce our favorite This Momma’s Meanderer’s from last week, and boy oh boy it was a difficult choice! Don’t forget to grab your “I Was Featured” badge of honor! Congratulations to you all!

<a href=”http://thismommasramblings.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s608/ssgannett/MondayHopBadgeFeatured_zpsdfc0f08f.jpg” border=”0″ alt=” photo MondayHopBadgeFeatured_zpsdfc0f08f.jpg”/></a>Miranda’s favorite post came from Crazily Normal with the post “Our First Baby!”
Saying, “I chose this post for my favorite this week because my furbabies are not just pets, they are family. I loved how she acknowledged Leaf as her first baby. And how she explains how well he does with the children.
After losing on of my furbabies this week to the Rainbow Bridge, this post makes me remember to make that time for our pets. They need our love and attention as well.”

Jessica’s favorite post came from Crazily Normal with the post “Our First Baby!”
Saying, ” I have a soft spot for doggies and this one took the cake :). My hubby and I have a red nose pit bull who is such a gentle soul. No matter what, our red nose pit bull is the “first” child. Thanks for sharing the heartfelt post!”

Natasha’s favorite post came from Giveaways 4 Mom with the post “5 Things Not to Say to a Large Family!”
Saying, “Some people are unknowingly insensitive and ask completely inappropriate questions. However, they mean no harm. Unfortunately, people are still affected. Lesson learned: Be careful what you say.”

My favorite post came from Re-Do It Yourself Inspirations with the post “Solar Lights: Cutting the Chord!”
What a wonderful idea! I love the lamps that were chosen, to make such unique pieces. You can find so many types, styles, and sizes of lamps to make something different each time and even better, such a wonderful way to accent without killing that hideous power bill! LOL! Thank you so much for sharing!

Congratulations to all of you amazing and wonderful linkers! Don’t forget to grab and display our “Featured” badge!

I am looking for August co-hosts for This Momma’s Meandering Mondays? If interested, please drop me a line at [email protected]. I would love to have you along for the ride! You can also check out my sponsor page for more info.

Now let’s get this party started!

Remember everyone enjoys a little comment love!

Feel free to “meander” by some fellow bloggers and find a new recipe to make for the family, a helpful blogging tip, a funny story to read, and best of all a new friend to make! There are really no rules to follow, only some suggestions to keep in mind…because we are all to enjoy the friendships that come along by doing these few simple and wonderful things…

1. Link up your favorite post…a story, a recipe, a photo, or a helpful tip…As many as you want, that’s right as many as you want!!!!

2. Please follow our Host’s

3. Find some new friends to follow, friendships are what it’s all about!

4. Be sure to leave some comment love, to get it in return.

5. Grab our badge and display on your blog, sharing the love is what it’s all about.

Meander through the links and make some new friends, find some amazing and useful tips, and maybe even a new treat to try!

<a href=”http://thismommasramblings.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s608/ssgannett/ThisMommasMeanderingMondays_zps5366bef9.jpg” border=”0″ alt=” photo ThisMommasMeanderingMondays_zps5366bef9.jpg”/></a>Welcoming you to link up all of your favorite sites for This Momma’s Meandering Mondays 59, for more opportunity to Meander around and share the love! So happy Linking everyone!

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Wine’d Down Wednesday #46

Posted on July 29, 2014 by [email protected]

Welcome to the 46th Week of Wine’d Down Wednesday!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that has been linking with us so far, we are beyond thrilled to have you coming back week after week and just love reading all of your posts! We were all so excited and overjoyed that so many of you want to come and share your awesomeness with us. Keep on sharing and spreading the Wine’d Down love 🙂

Are you interested in joining our fun? Why not co-host with us! We are looking for co-hosts to help spread our wine’d down love! Join us, it’s free! 🙂 If you are interested, email Michelle at [email protected].

Without further a-do- on to the party!

<div align="center"><a href="http://ourthreepeas.com" title="Our Three Peas"><img src="http://ourthreepeas.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/WDW-button200x200.png" alt="Our Three Peas" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

We are so excited you have joined us for a girl’s night out, blog style! So…why Wine’d Down Wednesday? Well, what’s the best kind of party? The kind where wine is served of course! Since we can’t meet our fellow blog friends in person we thought we’d throw a party every week. So grab your wine, link up a recent post, and mingle. Your post doesn’t need to include wine, linking up while drinking wine is completely acceptable and encouraged! We want any of your funniest, heartfelt, absurd, crafty, or delicious posts. As an added bonus, we will also be rotating a different social media outlet each week so you’ll get minglers at all your hangouts.

Our Wine’d Down Wednesday Pinterest board is brimming with all of your amazing posts. Each week we look at all the link ups and each choose the one we like the best! It’s always difficult to each choose just one, but we did and here are our 3 top Wine’d Down favorites for this week:

1. Freeze Ahead Strawberry Burritos // Curly Crafty Mama

2. Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple // Pure Grace Farms

3. Ice Cream ConeCupcakes // Krafts and Kiddos

4. 25 Things I want My Daughter to Know // Seven Graces

Congrats to all that were chosen! We have pinned these in our Wine’d Down Wednesday Pinterest Board.

Follow The Best of Wine’d Down Wednesday Link Party Board by Kristin (Dizzy Busy and Hungry!) on Pinterest

If you were featured, don’t forget to grab our “I’ve been featured on WDW” button!

<div align="center"><a href="http://ourthreepeas.com" title="Our Three Peas"><img src="http://ourthreepeas.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/WDW-feature-button-new.jpg" alt="Our Three Peas" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Now come and meet your amazing hosts!

Michelle at Our Three Peas: twitter// Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin’ //Google+

Chastity at My Rays of Sunshine: twitter// Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin’ //Google+

Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry: twitter// Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin’ //Google+

Cathy at Three Kids and a Fish: twitter// Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin’ //Google+

Come Meet Our Fabulous Co-Host!

We are so excited to have Miranda from Grace and Gravy as our co-host! This southern mom to three, loves to write all about her family, her homeschooling journey and also shares her amazing recipes along the way. Come stop by and give her some wine’d down love by visiting her blog, and on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, and on bloglovin‘!

Now for the rules!

1. Follow your hosts and co-host in any way you can.

2. Visit 2-3 other blogs. It’s not a party if you’re not mingling!!

3. Link up to THREE recent post. No posts to other linkups, reviews, or giveaways please. We will only feature you once each week though.

4. Help us spread the word about this party by displaying our button on your post or sidebar.

5. Tweet and spread the word, if you feel so inclined

6. Use the hash tag #wineddown when sharing about us!

Got your wine ready??? Not yet? Ok, we’ll wait…….Got it now? Great! Let’s get our links on!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wake Up Wednesday #26

Posted on July 22, 2014 by [email protected]

Tweet #wakeupwednesdaylinky

Welcome to the 26th week of

Wake Up Wednesday “Linky”

30 Blogs – 1 Party

Giveaway

We are so excited to have you all party with us.

Thank you so much to all those who participate in our party.

Last week we had 393 awesome linkups!

Wake Up and be happy, get excited and have fun with us!

We want to be inspired, entertained, laugh and have a good time!

The hop is hosted and posted on 30 different blogs!

Your link will appear on the blogs of

Sew Crafty Angel, Cuddlebug Cuties,

God’s Growing Garden, A Peek Into My Paradise,

Mice in the Kitchen, Epic Mommy Adventures,

Natalie Loves Beauty, A Kitchen Hoor,

Probably Crafting, Heidi’s Wanderings,

Far From Normal, Teach Inspire Love Raise,

Desperate Houselife, Cristina’s Beauty Box ,

Crafty Brooklyn Army Wife, Organized Chaos,

Three Kids and a Fish, Grow It Girl, Grace and Gravy

Sewing for Sophia, Chaos & Kiddos:

Mommy’s Survival Guide The Organized Dream,

Row House Blog Relaxed Thairapy,

Vintage Mama’s Cottage Candle Wicks and Carrot Sticks

Look by Liz

Notes from Heidi

Interested in Co-Hosting Wake Up Wednesday?

Fill out this form and Angel will be in touch with you?

This weeks

Featured Bloggers

Announcing the Arrival of Our Little Guy + Birth Story

from Married Filing Jointly

So if you follow me on Instagram this is old news but for those who don’t I am SO HAPPY to FINALLY announce our little guy, “E” arrived last Wednesday, 6/25. He was 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20.5 inches long with a full head of hair! He is perfect in every way! I am SO incredibly thankful to God that He blessed us with this little guy- it was quite the delivery but “E” was totally, completely worth it!

Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt Pops

from More Than A Mom Of Three

Summer itself screams for creamy, ice cold treats to make a really authentic summer day. Sticky hands and happy smiles are the reward these delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt Pops. Kids and adults will love them, the kids can help making them too. Creamy, sweet, and tangy they satisfy a sweet tooth without overindulging it. Just perfect for a hot afternoon treat. Beautiful enough to serve or bring to any summer BBQ or pool party get together.

English Muffins

from The Pink Recipe Box

English Muffins | www.pinkrecipebox.com

English muffins are one of the very first types of bread that I ever attempted, which is why I always have a soft spot for them. For years I adored English muffins – whether they came from the supermarket out of a packet or in the form of a McMuffin from McDonalds, but it wasn’t until I made my own that I fell completely head over heels in love with them.

Thankful Thursday – Pond Tour 2014

from Gail-Friends

This week, we’ll be touring Becky’s garden again. This is my third post about her beautiful yard, so be sure to check out the two previous posts to see more of this lovely yard. Today we’ll be looking at the potting area, and you’re going to love it.

20 Attributes of Pride: Examining Ego, Hindrance & Deliverance from My Salt, His Light

I recently attended a mind-blowing bible study on the topic of “Pride”. It’s amazing how we hear a word like pride, and automatically think of others – and not ourselves.

Homemade Dog Shampoo Recipe

from My Frugal Adventures

So over the weekend it was time for our dog to get his bath. Usually my husband is in charge of this process but I happened to be in the bathroom and I was looking at the shampoo he picked up awhile back at the pet store and I was like what?!

Tote Bag for Summer

from Stone Cottage Adventures

This tote was inspired by Ren’s Tote-ally Thankful for our Teachers post at The Inspired Wren!

She has a wonderful FREE Lined Canvas Tote Tutorial! Thanks, Ren!

Homemade Espresso Drinks (Lattes, etc) – No Fancy Machine Needed!from Thrifty N Woman

This cold weather is causing me to seek some solice in a warm, cozy cup of coffee. Well, more accurately, a creamy foamy latte (hazelnut is my flavor of choice this morning). I worked my way through college as a Barista, and have not stopped whipping up espresso drinks since. Now my family and neighbors are the ones drinking my lattes.

5 Ways to Experience His Presence

from Faithful Feat

In this world of go, go, go and do, do, do, it’s easy to drift far from the One who holds us secure. The One who goes before us, stands at our right hand and has the ability to keep us from being shaken.

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Adding your link to this blog hop gives Sew Crafty Angel permission to share your posts and pictures via social media and as features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts. Note- All features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts will be linked back to the original source .Social media features are linked back to the linky party.

Angel

An InLinkz Link-up

Baked Granola & Peaches

Posted on July 18, 2014 by [email protected]

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!

Summer Dates on a Budget: Local Aquatic Park

Posted on July 14, 2014 by [email protected]

Welcome Back!

I am so glad you decided to join me again for our series on “Summer Dates on a Budget”.

Everyone loves getting to spend a few hours alone with the husby, boyfriend, or partner, without having to eat your food cold because you fed the baby first, or wiping food out of your hair that your 2 year old threw at you, or in my case having 2 nosey teenagers listen to your every word that I’m trying to say to my husby :/ How romantic is that!

Our emotional, mental and physical (: health strives for these outings alone. But I know that for most of the time, money is tight and the last place you think to spend it is on your self. Right?

There is always diapers to buy, water bill to pay, school supplies to think about, not to mention that for some reason these little people in our house think they need to eat 3 times a day (:

If you are having some of those same thoughts I just mentioned, then you come to the right place, because I am going to give you another Summer Date Idea on a Budget.

And if you have missed my last 2 posts in the series, I hope you will catch up.

*Click on picture to take you to link Have you heard the old saying “While the kids are away, the parents will play”?

Well thats exactly what my husby and I did!

A couple weeks ago while K and L were away at church camp, husby and I took advantage of the alone time and had a summer date. You might be saying, “Well, why did you have a date if you were home alone?” This is my thought, sometimes you need to do things that you don’t normally do. Take advantage of having a night alone and go somewhere or do something together to laugh and have fun.

If I stayed home, this is what would have happened……

1) I would have cooked dinner

2) Then I would have cleaned up the kitchen

3) After taking the kitchen towels I just used to the laundry room, I would notice the laundry piling up and automatically started laundry

4) Of course the dryer would have been full of dry clothes so I would have to fold them and put them away.

Do you catch my drift? There is always something at home that needs to be done and there would have been alone time alright, but it would be me alone doing housework and the husby alone doing whatever :/ Not a very romantic night in my book!

So we chose to a have a date night at our local aquatic park instead! I think it was a definite win-win for me!

I know, I know, aquatic parks can be expensive, especially if your whole family is in tow. If my family of four takes a day to enjoy the park, we leave spending no less than $50. Ekkk That is a chunk out of our weekly budget. But out local water park offers “family nights” certain days of the week from 5-8 pm. Perfect time for us, and the best thing is its only $3 a person on those nights! SCORE!

So I put swimsuit on, packed the sunscreen and beach towels and we were ready to get our swim on! Our Aquatic Park just opened last year. It’s not extremely big but they do have an awesome lazy river I love to float on!

You would think with it being family night that it would be extremely over crowded. But that wasn’t the case. In fact, we got lounge chairs right away, laid our towels on them, and because it was so hot decided to get in the lazy river right away.

After floating for quite sometime, we headed back to our lounge chairs to relax. And you know what was amazing, no kiddo’s yelling, “Mom watch me slid!”, or “Mom I’m starvinggg.” for the hundredth time, or worrying that your kids have drowned while the lifeguard wasn’t watching. Yes, I’m one of those paranoid moms :/

After relaxing, I decided I was starvingggg! LOL So off we went to the concession stand to see how much junk food we could find! No judgement, its Date Night!

Yum! Pretzels with cheese, corn dogs and Pina Colada Slush Puppies! This is the life! And we only spent $6 for food!

After we ate, we went back to play. Husby even talked me into going down the slids! It must be love, because I’m not a slid kinda girl (:

Overall it was a great night! And really, 3 hours at a water park is long enough for me. But it was a great time to relax and be with the husby. And all together we only spent $12! Wow! Cheap Date huh!

I encourage you to check out your local aquatic parks and pools. See what specials they have going on! Remember as long as you are having fun together, thats all that matters. And I got a nice tan as a bonus (:

Summer Dates on a Budget: Farmer’s Market Morning Date

Posted on June 18, 2014 by [email protected]

My husby and I love to have day nights (or mornings).

For many years when our kiddos were small, getting away for a day or night out together was almost obsolute. As our kids have gotten older, it is very important to us at least once a month to get away even for a few hours.

When your kids are small, you are so busy with their wants and needs that it consumes all of you. There is no time for your hobbies or activities and your day in and day out schedules rotates around them and them only.

I realized at some point during this journey, that my husby’s and mine conversions consisted only about our children. I think that was a wake up moment for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my children with all my heart. But my world should not revolve around them. My world and life should revolve around God, then my marriage.

I thought to myself, if husby and I don’t have any alone time together having fun, finding out what we each like now that we are older, then will we even have anything to talk about when the kiddo’s leave home? Will we know anymore what little things make us smile? Will we be able to sit down to dinner and have a conversion just about us?

To be quite honest, I don’t think so.

That was when it became my goal, my passion, my desire to have Date Nights just to find out who we are are as indivduals, not the mom and dad of Keegan and Lindy, but who Miranda and William are as people and fall in love all over again.

If you are anything like us, and you live month to month on a strict budget with not a lot of wiggle room, then finding extra money to have a day or night just for the two of you can be hard to come by. I understand that after bills, groceries and children needs, there isn’t always a lot of money left over for dates so I am sharing some “Summer Dates on a Budget” Ideas that I have put together that we like to do and have fun with.

________________________________________________________

Farmer’s Market Morning Date

Who said Date Night had to be at Night?

My husby is a morning person. He is so used to getting up when the roosters crow for work, that he funtions so much better in the morning than the afternoon.

And evening, Well just forget that! LOL ! That is when you find him zonked out of the couch!

Me?

Well I won’t lie. I am not a morning person at all. I can do mid morning, but please roosters, just let me sleep. But by evening my mind has been going in twelve different directions all day so I’m no good to anyone at that point.

So last week my husby told me he was taking Saturday off. The kids had been going non-stop all week long with friends and family. This is not normally something we let them do, but my sister was in from Texas and they wanted to spend a lot of time with her last week. And Lindy has been helping a friend from church at her and her husbands dr office to help raise funds for Guatemala Mission Trip.

It seemed like they were not home but a few hours last week at the most.

I decided that since the kiddo’s had been enjoying their week with friends and family, then husby and I needed some fun time together.

I was really looking for something fun that wouldn’t cost much, when I thought “How about the Farner’s Market?”

Well why not.

Our Farmer’s Market is fairly new. There is booths with veggies and fruits straight from the gardens, jams/jellies and salsa, homemade items and even live music.

Farmer’s Market might have not been your first thought for a date, but it was early, the weather was beautiful, we could walk around main street holding hands and the items we bought were groceries for the week so we didn’t spend extra money for an activity.

One booth was selling homemde blueberry yougurt pops, Yum! We each bought one, found a bench and sat down and listened to the bluegrass/folk music that was playing.

So relaxing!

What was also great, was husby helped me decide what to fix for dinner that week by what fresh fruits/veggies we were buying. We ended up with squash, zucchini, green tomatoes (ummm fried green tomatoes), kale, mustard greens, fresh lavender, fresh basil, onions, green beans, potatoes and homemade wheat bread.

With all that we decided on grilled chicken with grilled poatoes and veggies with homemade bread, boneless bbq ribs with mustard greens, kale, fried green tomatoes and corn bread, a chicken/spinach pasta dish with fresh basil, zucchini and squash added in pasta with fresh green beans on the side and taco night with all the fresh veggies and kale as toppings (maybe not traditional, but hey it works). And we could use the rest of the homemade bread for sandwiches and make homemade kale chips for the side! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

I didn’t forget about the lavender i bought. That will be made into something something special to share! (:

After the Farmer’s Market, we walked around town, just talking and holding hands, enjoying being with each other.

We stopped at a couple thrift stores for any “thrifty finds, and since we had splurged with the blueberry/yogurt pops at the Farmer’s Market, we settled for a light brunch at a local restaurant (if you have a local coffee shop, stop in there for a light breakfast).

It might have only been a few short hours, but it was a great Morning Date! We had woke up feeling great from a good night’s rest and I wasn’t cranky (yes i get cranky) from the stress of a full day. I do believe there will be many more morning dates in our future.

Remember, having a day out with the one you love, doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. We spent a total of $20, for brunch and our thrifty finds, and we spent $20 at the Farmer’s Market which came out of our grocery budget.

Find an activity you both enjoy and build from it.

Be checking back for more posts of “Summer Dates on a Budget.”

Love Miranda

Freedom at it’s finest….And potato salad too!

Posted on May 28, 2014 by [email protected]

Memorial Day……

What a special day we have the opportunity to experience. A day to give thanks where needed, remember the ones who have lost their life for us to live ours and a time to reflect how differently each of us would be without the ultimate sacrifice that someone paid in our place.

For me, this is a humbling day. I looked and reminisced through old photographs of family members who have proudly and bravely fought for my freedom as well as yours. Many who are still serving today.

I would be lying to you though if I said I didn’t enjoy the other aspect of Memorial Day….Grilling/Cookouts/Picnics!

I love getting together with friends and family and sharing memories. This year we chose to have our family cookout on Sunday after church so we could enjoy Memorial Day making other memories.

No cookout in my family is complete without my Momma’s Potato Salad. I know everyone has a special version but for me I have always loved this southern style potato salad this more than any other I have tasted. I am so thankful for the freedom I have to share this special recipe with you today.

Here’s what it consists of…

5 lbs of Russet Potato’s scrubbed and boiled with peelings on until they have cracked and Potato’s are soft. (Make it 10 lbs if your feeding a large group of 15 or more.)

Mix together (or if you like chunky like me, use your potato masher and slighty mash leaving big chucnks of potatoes, with the peeled potatoes….

Appx 1/8 cup of mustard ( A little more if you like more of a mustard taste)

1 – 1 1/2 cups mayo or miracle whip

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1/2 onion diced

About an 1/8 cup of pickle relish

4-6 boiled eggs chopped up

I love adding about 1 tsp of paprika on top, but that is completely optional. You can serve warm, yum yum or chill in fridge til time for your celebration. Either way you will not be disappointed!

So on Monday, we decided to spend the day as a family at our favorite Amusement Park. Even though its about a 2 1/2 hr drive each way, we enjoy going at least once a month to have fun and relax. Yesterday, we decided to take our great nieces Maddie and Jessie with us. We love them sweet angels so much and we take advantage of every opportunity we have to spend time with them. Of the innocence of childhood. (Sigh)

Silver Dollar City, in Branson, Missouri, is the most family oriented amusement park I have ever been too. From the rides to fit all ages, amazing Festivals and Shows, old homesteads, the school that teaches history lessons of the park and area and The Wilderness Church that still operates every Sunday Morning and you can even have Weddings in! I never get tired of making memories at SDC!

I hope you had an amazing Memorial Day as well. Enjoy your freedom!