Apples and such

So Damon and I just finished peeling, coring, and slicing a bushel of apples he picked while at Morgan's Orchard (here in WV) a couple days ago.  Sorry I don't have any pictures..they were some purdy apples though let me tell you!  We put up a few quart bags of them in the freezer for later use in pies and all other sorts of yummies I'm sure to find recipes for.  We left a dozen apples for snacking and whatever we might want in the next couple of days.  Not sure of the variety..he's been trying to pronounce what he 'thinks' the guy at the orchard place told him they were but *ahem*..not quite believing him cause well..I've never heard of it before!  Plus he can't even pronouce it anyways! 

Oh well..at least they are good!!

I'm thinking of making some blueberry applesauce out of some.  Anyone ever made their own homemade applesauce before?  I've made just about everything else..apple butter, apple jelly, and every baked good under the sun..except applesauce. 

Go figure.

But..its not a hard process (already googled some recipes) and I'm darned set on making some in blueberry flavored form for you..can..guess..who...

Hopefully she'll eat it!  Anyways..speaking of food..don't forget next tuesday (Oct. 2nd) is when Callie and I are hosting the "More Peas, Please!" link up so be thinking of your food situations with your little one..whether they are eating up a storm and asking for more or puckering their lips so tight you can't get them to try one bite!  We'd LOVE for you to link up and share your ideas, tips, tricks, or anything else you have in mind!!



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A Miscellany Mommy Kinda Day!

Linking up with



&

• Our church homecoming was held yesterday and we had a blast as usual!  My picture was snapped once (or twice!) by our own church paparazzi (aka the pastor's wife!).  Here is one I chose to share with y'all..though I feel it is a VERY unflattering picture of myself!  I'm only sharing cause my baby girl was just too cute yesterday in her sunday best!

• A day in the life of a very mobile baby/toddler can wear a momma out!!  Especially when you have several rooms that look like this...



• Any tips on teaching a toddler to pick up after themselves?  And what is a good age to start?  She does some stuff on her own (sometimes)..but she's not really able to understand the whole concept of 'picking up after yourself' yet.

• We've officially figured out what Miss Makayla will be for Halloween this year!  It was a toss up between a kitty cat and a hoot owl..but in the end the kitty won out simply because she's soooo obsessed with kitties (and has been since she was WEE little!).  I found DIY outfits on pinterest for both beforehand..so after we made the decision I picked up some tulle and a black feather boa to recreate our own version!  I can't wait to see how it turns out!



via etsy

• Speaking of pinterest (I know..don't you just love that site?!)..I'm also currently working on a project with a cozy coupe.  We were able to score one for FREE and I'm in the process of recreating it to look something like this....



via 1.bp.blogspot.com

......oh I cannot WAIT to see how it turns out!!!!!!!!!

Something to be thinking about...

Anymore, I have such a hard time figuring out what Makayla will eat.  Most of the time I have more left over from her meals than what actually went into her little tummy.

Such a bummer since she was such a good 'babyfood' eater.

I got to thinking a while back..wouldn't it be great if we could all do a post on what we feed our kids??  Do a link up and then we could all get ideas from fellow bloggers on meal plans and snack ideas for our babies and toddlers.  Sound like a good idea?

Good..I was hoping you'd say "Yes"!

I'm teaming up with Callie over at Through Clouded Glass in early October (the 2nd..to be more precise!) to do a link up for just this subject!

We're calling it "More Peas, Please!"!



We are looking for all you bloggers to share your meal plans for your kids with us in a post.  Whether your a new mom and are contemplating making your baby homemade baby food or are a mom of a toddler and have a picky eater and need some new insight.  Maybe you've got a great little eater on your hands..let us know your secrets!!  Give us your thoughts on the subject!  If you need inspiration..reach out and ask!!  Many who have 'been there done that' would be most happy to share their secrets (and failures!).   No matter where you are in your eating adventure with your little one..we'd love to hear what you have to say about the subject!!

We look forward to reading what you have to say and finding some new ideas on what to feed our little ones!

miscellany on a rainy monday

Linking up   &

• I LOVE watching my girl grow!

• I've been working on a couple small projects.  First one is hard to show in pictures..but trust me..it looks sooo pretty!!  I painted Makayla's closet door the same color I painted her dresser (dark brown) and GLITTERIZED it!  I just blew some iridescent glitter onto the paint while it was wet and coated with some poly when it was all dry to give it a nice shine!  I love the way it turned out!  I still have to paint the hardware on the door knob.  The glass knob is new but we had to use some parts off of the old knob to make it work.  Confusing..I know.  But my only thing now is I know the trim would make everything look so much better if I painted it too but oh...my...gosh.  I SO don't want to get into a project of that magnitude!   Anyways..whaddya think?

you can't really see the glitteriness in this pic...

better in this one..but lots of glare from the camera flash..like I said..hard to show in pictures!  :-/

• We were at the Tamarack last week over in Beckley for a job fair they were holding and Makayla spotted these cute, homemade owls!!  Well..I said thats good..mommy can make them WAY cheaper than the $27 price tag that the big ones had on them!  Mine turned out rather well!  I only spent around $9 on material and I can still make many, many more!

• I've still been baking.  ALOT.  Its been a good stress reliever for me lately.  Not so good for my waistline.  :-(  I've made homemade oreos, peanut butter cup smores bars, pumpkin cinnamon roll sheet cake, and no bake cookies in the past probably 2 weeks.  I know..thats ALOT!  Its always fun to experiment with new recipes though, right?! 
• I want to de-clutter my house in the worst way right now.  I just got done cleaning (dusting, sweeping, mopping) so I feel 'some' better.  But I still have alot of clutter that needs cleared up. 
• I also need to finish my fall decorating!  I have some up but not all of it.  I'll do a post on that once its complete. 
• I cleaned our church parsonage last week and found they had a huge leak in the roof and some of the ceiling had collapsed in one of the bedrooms.  I hated to break the news to the church members..but at least now they can get things fixed before it gets any worse.  I guess it was a blessing in disguise!
• Speaking of blessings..I've been able to witness to someone near and dear to me here lately.  Its been going really well too!!  Pray for me that God will use me and give me the right words to say to this person.  Ultimately..I'm hoping this person accepts Jesus into his/her heart no matter who witnesses to them. 

And we'll end on that happy note!



Fear



from 9/11

Fear is something this day is associated with alot.  For the first time in a long time, our nation felt unsafe.  Unsecure.  We all felt fear in our hearts this day 11 years ago. 

But we, as a nation, overcame.

Fear is what I've been feeling lately.  A lot.  Being on our last week of unemployment and now going into having an extension of benefits, its scary.  I have been afraid for a long time now.  Afraid we won't be able to pay our bills.  That we won't be able to stay here in the hometown both me and Damon both grew up in.  That we'll be so far away from family if we have to move we'll only see one another a couple times a year. 

Fear of the unknown.

I have to hold it together though..for the sake of my precious little girl.  She doesn't know whats going on right now (thank God)..she's too little to understand.  Her only worries are that of getting her strawberry milk and how much playtime she can squeeze in before naptime and bedtime.  If only life were that simple...

God told us that life wouldn't be easy and that we'd go through trials.  But I'm reminded that after every storm..there is a rainbow.  If not a rainbow..there is light.  The storm eventually ends.  It may last longer than we thought in the beginning, but all storms comes to an end.  Sometimes seeing God when your in the storm is hard.  The wind and the rain can make him seem like he's not there..because our vision gets distracted/distorted from the storms fierceness.  But in reality..he's right there beside us.  He never wavers.  He is always there.  He never moves.  



So as I await for my 'rainbow' to come..I pray.  I pray that God's will is done.  I pray for others..because thats what we as Christians are to do.  I pray for myself.  I pray for the sick and the lost.  I pray for my loved ones.  Prayer is the one thing right now that nobody can take from me.  It can't be 'unemployed'..because it is my right as a Christian. 

And God is my hope and strength as I endure this storm of life just a little bit longer...

A "PR" Day!

So I just got an idea.

How many of you out there would be interested in participating in a prayer request/praise report day (hence "PR" Day!) featured right here on Country Roads?  I was just thinking how I, along with so many of my friends, have prayer requests they pass along and also how we all love to hear praise reports when God answers our prayers!  Wouldn't it be a great idea for us to all link up at one place and write a post (or leave a comment here if your not a blogger) on what you have need of or if you have something wonderful to share?! 

I think its a pretty good idea..if I do say so myself!  ;-)

I thought it might bring a good sense of community to us bloggers and for us to be able to help one another as well as rejoice with one another.  Anyways..let me know what you think!!

The Past Few Days...

In the past few days...

• My mom and dad's cat passed away.

• Makayla took her first steps!

• I've been baking like a mad woman.

• I've had a major meltdown about Damon's job situation.

• God has given me hope!

• I made a dress!

• A friend had her baby girl..Lillian.

• Another friend announced she's having a sweet baby girl.

• I've been holding my 'fur' babies a little closer.

That pretty much sums up what's been going on around here lately!   Its been a mix of emotions..both high and low.  But we have to take the good with the bad.  :-)