Unmotivated...

I know I haven't blogged in about a month and a half.  I have been debating on whether to put "Country Roads" in retirement so to speak.  I just haven't had motivation to blog.  Don't get me wrong, life has been great!!  It's not that I don't have anything to share, I just don't have the time as of late.  I've been busy with a very active 4 year old, being a wife, being involved in church, and so many other things that when I do have a spare moment to get online I do it for fun (like check Facebook or check the weather).  Blogging has felt like work and not been fun for me for a while.

I'm not going to say goodbye and I'm not closing down the blog.  But I am taking an undetermined amount of time away from blogging.  I hope to be back sometime!  And I'm sure when I do return I'll probably be boring y'all with all kinds of stuff!  Please feel free to reach out to me via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Until then!!

Catch-up

So yeah..been about a month since my last post..again!  Thought I'd just do a little catch up post to let y'all know what's been going on around here!

• Got to see my grandma in Kentucky..finally!  In case you missed the info..she had a stroke and heart attack last month.  Me, my mom, and Makayla made the trip down and stayed over night.  Makayla loved the hotel and the pool..just wished I had brought bathing suits!  Oh well..at least she got a cute UK shirt!  
  
• Things were moving along great..until Monday of this week.  I hurt my back. Bad.  Guys, when I say I was in pain I do mean it!  A pulled muscle is what the doctor said and gave me some muscle relaxers and an anti inflammatory shot.  I'm doing much better but scared to death to do much of anything!  Please pray for me when you pray!  I've had to rethink everything I do, especially when it comes to lifting Makayla.  I am a feared those are days in the past.  :-(
• Speaking of Makayla, while many are signing their tots up for preschool around here for the next school year I have been receiving homeschool catalogs in the mail!  Excited to see how it works for us!  
  
• We can now say that we are debt free!  We paid off our mortgage this week and it's an amazing feeling!!  Praise be to God!
• I've had Netflix for about a month now while I cut our directv down to a smaller package.  Definitely not turning back!  I signed up for a free month of Hulu and am loving it so far!  If this continues we may cancel directv all together.  Yes, they have great service, great selection, etc.  But they also hike up your bill at least once a year too.  I think when we started with them 10 years or so ago we were paying around $70..before I downgraded our package, it was $101.  And that's after we dropped a receiver a couple years ago.  We used to have 3.  You do the math.
• Needing to do some remodeling in our master bath.  Let's just say I already can't wait for it to be done?!  
  
• I love my church family.  Like beyond words.  And I'm excited for our growth and what's to come.  :-) 
• Don't you just love the Duggars?  From Jill's wedding, pregnancy, and new baby, to Jessa's marriage and pregnancy announcement, Josiah being in a courtship, and Anna carrying her 4th..there is never lack of something going on!  Love their values, how they raise their children.  Great role models.  

I'm such a bad blogger!

I promise guys, I do still like to blog!! Just seems like since the beginning of 2015 it has been a nonstop roller coaster ride.  With changes in our church, to my mother-in-law passing away, snowstorms, water problems.  Not to mention the situation as of late. My dear grandma had a stroke and a heart attack just a few days ago.  ~sigh~

But life has been going and hasn't all been bad, I promise!  I've been enjoying my new bible I bought for myself a few months ago, and while I have had some set backs with everything that has gone on around us, I am in the book of 1 Samuel almost in 2 Samuel.

Makayla is and has been fully potty trained, both days and nights, for what seems like forever now.  Potty training was a total breeze with her.  I give God the credit..and waiting until not only her, but until I was ready as well.  Makes a big difference!

I picked a lovely bouquet of spring time daffodils the other day.  My dining room smells so good!

Spring cleaning has begun!!  5 rooms down y'all!!  I'm doing good so far!!

We downsized our television package.  Picked up Netflix.  Love it.  Plus $$ saved. Score!

We have been having the best Fridays ever!  Our church has been having  a fellowship and food Friday each Friday where we gather and eat and fellowship.  It's awesome!!

And tomorrow I'm getting a very long over due haircut.  I cannot wait..I've looked like a lion with a huge mane lately!!  After pictures to come!!

I need to seriously get back into using my "big" camera.  I've barely picked it up since Christmas!  Christmas!!!

So as you can see, life hasn't been all hum drum around here.  Just hard to get our of a rut when a lot hits at once.  I'm so encouraged when I get some comments on here because a lot of the time I feel like nobody reads my blog anymore!!  So please..if your reading..leave me a comment whether you do on here or on Facebook!!  And let me know if there are any topics you'd like me to discuss in the future!!!

Chaos

For the past month, that pretty much sums it up.  It has been nothing but pure chaos around here since the end of January.

The one thing I can say positively about it all is that I know my God is real.  He has been with me and my family through all the things we have dealt with.

We started with some horrible circumstances our church dealt with.  Totally heartbreaking and made me realize sometimes you really don't know people you think you do.  If you wish to know more, please fill free to email me..we still desire a LOT of prayers in this area.

Then on Valentine's day, a day Damon finally had off of work, we went out shopping.  Only to get stuck in a freak ice storm, having to cut our trip out that day way short and try to manage to get home in one piece.  PRAISE be to God, we got home safely. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get home from what is usually a 50-60 minute car ride.

The next day, I made a mad dash to the nearest store which is half an hour away, to get the groceries I wasn't able to pick up the day before.  As soon as I walked in the door and got everything unloaded, we got a phone call.  Nobody had seen Damon's mother that day and she wasn't answering her phone.  Damon rushed to her house, had to have a neighbor call the fire department to get in her house since she had it latched from the inside.  He found her on the floor, she had a stroke.  Still alive, but not in good shape.  The next few days were a blur, as we had to have her transferred to a hospital 1 1/2 hours from us and we were hit with the biggest snowstorm of the season.  Wednesday night, I got the dreaded phone call.  She had passed.

For the next two hours, I had to think, how do I tell my husband his mother is gone?  I prayed.  I cried.  I leaned totally on God.  It felt like ten years went by before he got home.  It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.

He took the rest of the week off work.  We made funeral arrangements and had a very helpful neighbor plow our driveway so we could get in and out from all the snow we received.  We also had water issues this whole time from the extreme cold temperatues.  As if that wasn't enough to deal with, the day before the funeral, we had a dispute about where she was supposed to be buried.  A family cemetery, and we were told her husband (Damon's dad) was buried on the wrong "side" and she couldn't be buried next to him.  They forbade it, in fact.  So, we had her buried next to her sister, and will have her husband moved to be next to her come this spring.

A couple days after the funeral, I took myself and Makayla out for a day to unwind from everything.  Coming home, we made a potty stop at a local restaurant and I got another scare.  Makayla screamed at me that it hurt when she was trying to pee.  She had never done this before and I freaked.  The next day I took her to the doctor to be checked and a couple days later all her labs came back normal, praise God again.
She is totally fine..had developed a little bump in that "area" that didn't show up until a couple days later.

Friends, when I say life has been challenging lately, as you can tell from reading this post, I'm not lying.  I wanted to explain all of this so you would know why I haven't blogged in over a month.  One thing that hasn't changed, is my faith and belief in God. He has been with us through everything.  I have been mentally exhausted from everything and it might be a while until I get totally back into the swing of things.  In the meantime, any and all emails are welcome as are prayers!!!!  I love my readers and have made so many great friendships through blogging.  I hope to be back in full swing soon..love to all who have read this very long post!!

Dinner ideas

I'm a huge fan of Pinterest, for many reasons really.  Craft ideas, homeschooling ideas, home decorating ideas...

And some pretty awesome recipe ideas!

I have more pins related to food than anything else.  But, for me, I am more apt to try new things in our menu rotation. I know some people say they pin a lot but don't actually try the recipe (or craft, or whatever)! People..try out some new things!!  You might be pleasantly surprised!!



Last week I tried two new soups on my family.  First was lasagna soup.  It was super easy and hubby loved it!  Score!  The only thing I would do differently is add some mushrooms next time around.



We also tried chili mac and cheese. Oh boy, this was a HUGE hit guys!  Damon took one bite, looked at me, and said in a voice you know he meant it, "This is good!".  Its a cross of chili and mac and cheese (in case you couldn't tell from the title..ha!).  I added at the end a little bit of cubed velveeta cheese.  It was beyond awesome and will be a staple around here from now on! 

This week I have made a baked steak and gravy (not a recipe from Pinterest but one hubby shared with me on facebook).  It was definitely good, but a little heavy on the onion side.  I would have preferred mushrooms.  Can you tell we like our mushrooms around here?

Also something I make regularly (and I 'think' I got the recipe from pinterest) is crockpot baked potatoes.  Guys, if you haven't made these, you should do it and now!  All you do is wrap your potatoes that have been coated in oil (I use olive oil) and sprinkled with salt in aluminum foil and put them in the crockpot!  I do mine in a combo of high and low heat (probably 2 hours of each?)..but you seriously can't mess it up.  Just check them every now and then by inserting a knife in one to see if its tender.  So easy and so good! And a great alternative in the summer months when you don't want to heat up the house by using the oven to bake potatoes!  We had them on sunday for dinner.  Smothered with broccoli and cheese sauce, topped with bacon!  You might of seen the picture on facebook if you follow me on there!

Later this week, I'm making some taco soup, courtesy of my friend Natalie over at She Builds Her Home!  I can't wait to try it!

Up new next week, Sausage Potato Spinach Soup and another recipe I found on Facebook, it's a Spicy Italian Crescent Ring! 

My only thing with Pinterest, and I have to admit I just thought of this, is they need a check mark system on it!  So you can check off recipes or crafts that you have tried!  If they did, you guys, you would see a lot of check marks on mine!!  I encourage you to try something new today, whether its from Pinterest or someplace else!  You never know when you might find a new favorite!  :-)

Judging "up" and "down"

This post may not be what you are expecting, but I encourage you to read it through to see what is currently on my mind and heart today.

As I was cleaning I was thinking about how people judge one another.  Now the bible commands us to not judge because God is the ultimate judge of people.  But lets face it, we are guilty of it at one time in our lives of judging someone.  And most of the time we judge them wrongly.

As for judging "up" and "down", let me explain.  Sometimes (and most times when you think of this subject), someone gets judged "down"....

They aren't doing a good enough job.  They could do so much better. 
They aren't pretty enough.
They aren't smart enough.
They don't have enough money.

You see where I'm going with this?  It's a judgement in the negative sense.

But, the more I thought about it, some people judge others "up" as well....

That person has it all together.  They know what they are doing.
They have lots of money.  More than enough to share.
They are the best parent I've seen.  They never make a mistake.

I feel lately like I have been judged "up".  People have been coming to me for various things, like I have all the answers/resources/etc. 

Let me tell you right now, I DON'T.

I'm not rich.  I don't have all the answers.  I'm not a perfect mother.  I don't have a perfect life. 

Yes, I try to strive towards perfection.  The Bible wants us all to. 

Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.

Do I want to help?  Yes!  I love when people come to me, seeking advice.  It actually honors me that someone thinks enough of me to seek me out for help in an area of their life. 

But let me ask this, is that all you use some people for? 

I have feelings just like you or the person next to you does.  While I am honored that you look for advice from me, remember, I am just as human as you are.  And for that matter, the one you may need to turn to may not be me (or whoever you have been turning to). 

We ALL need to turn to God FIRST, in all things.  If we seek Him first and foremost and live for Him and do as He guides, we may not be running to this one or that one so often.

Food for thought.

:-)

A few craft projects!

I'm so excited!  I picked up a few small, inexpensive items, at Hobby Lobby over the weekend to make some little cute craft items in the coming weeks!

You guys KNOW how much I love Hobby Lobby!

They have anything and everything and if you haven't been to one I suggest you find the closest one and go there.  Now!

If you have been to HL, then you know they have these awesome little craft booklets hanging virtually everywhere!  I found this one near the felt and saw a great idea for making a pouch for your Kindle (in my case, or it could be for an IPad, whatever you have basically!).  I saw the cute pink sparkly glitter fabric squares in the area where they sell felt and thought it would be perfect for my Kindle.  Craft project #1!

In the scrapbooking paper aisle, there were tons of Valentine's day papers to choose from.  Simple projects to do with Makayla (aka homemade Valentine's).  Craft project #2!

Then I picked up a bottle of black fine glitter.  My main purpose for this?  Damaged heels, as in my high heel church shoes.  I plan on using the glitter, some mod podge, and a clear coat to seal it all.  Look for before and after pictures in the near future.  Craft project #3!

And lastly, craft project #4!  A plain pink t-shirt and an Eiffel tower iron on.  Makayla is really into anything Eiffel tower right now, so this was a no brainer!  Cheap and easy!

Are you doing any Valentine's crafts?  Care to share, I would love to hear all about it!!

New Year, New Meaning

2015.  Its really hard to believe its 2015 already, isn't it?  Time seems like it just flies.  And time has a way of getting away from us.  From me.

Having a very active toddler and being a stay at home mom, some people would think I have all the time in the world.  Not true.  While yes, I'm not bound to a job that takes me away from my home or my family, I have a job at home that is never-ending.  Dishes, laundry, cooking, house work, toddler to teach/raise/discipline/keep safe/guide, husband to tend to as well. 

Sometimes it's hard to keep it all in focus.  Its hard to make time to do the things just for me.  Like read my Bible.  Like have time for Bible study.  Time for things for 'me'. 

After coming across a picture on Facebook (yup, you read right!) of a Bible that belonged to Jessa Duggar-Sewald (from 19 Kids and Counting in case you don't follow, she just got married to Ben Sewald in November), I was very intrigued.  It was a Bible I had never quite seen before.  It was just set up differently, same format (King James Version which is the only type I'll have in my home), but different.  I did some research and found it was a Hebrew-Greek Study Bible, KJV. 

I had never heard of this Bible before!  It was something that just 'stuck' in my head.  After Damon got his new Bible for Christmas, I decided maybe it was time that I got myself a new Bible as well.  I got to thinking about it, and I had actually never purchased my own Bible before.  They have all been given to me as gifts.  Loved them all, but it was time for something that's just 'mine'.

I received it in the mail this week and already am loving it.  I also bought a Bible devotion/journal and I hope to really get into God's word and have Him open my eyes up.  I hope to learn more.  I hope to get stronger. 

What Bible do you read regularly and do you have a devotion you follow?  Care to share?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Christmas Recap

I've been a total slacker with this blog..again for the millionth time..I'm so sorry!!  I hope I can do better in the new year!

Which I never got around to posting about our Christmas!  It was great.  Makayla was just really into everything Christmas.  Baby Jesus, opening presents, listening to the story of Christ's birth.  You name it, she loved it!  I think this was really her first 'big' year of really getting into the Christmas spirit and realizing what its all about! 

I'll do a post over on the other blog all about her (if you didn't know, I made another blog just about Makayla and if you'd like to follow it just let me know!) with tons of pictures.  But our Christmas consisted of having Christmas Eve at our house with my parents for the first 'half'.  We opened presents from them (and vise versa) and I had a big appetizer spread which I LOVE doing every year!  This year we had shrimp chimichungas, coconut shrimp with mango salsa, bbq little smokies, cheesy crab and artichoke dip, chips and dip, peanut butter balls, cookies, and cinnamon pecans!  It was quite the spread!  Some of the things were new (the chimichungas and the crab dip) and were kind of big fails..but the only way you find out is if you try it out right?!  Better luck next year!  Ha!

After they left (with a huge wind storm that blew through right at the same time, it was scary!  Thankfully nothing was damaged/no power outages/etc.), we read the story of Christ's birth from the Bible.  This is a new tradition we started after we had Makayla and I just love it.  We stress to her why we celebrate Christmas and what its all about and I do believe she understands already! 

After we did our reading, we started opening the gifts!  I mostly got shots of paper flying and blurry pictures..haha!  But that's all apart of the fun, right?  We had a great time!  Damon's favorite gift was his new large print Scolfield Study Bible and mine was, well, I had a lot to be honest!  Makayla's was probably all her new Frozen stuff.  You know the girl loves all things Frozen!

 

Damon and his bible!

 

New purse, yay!

 

A new tracfone!

 

 

Christmas Day, we opened up our stockings and then headed to my parent's house for dinner.  Afterwards we went to visit Damon's mom for a bit before coming home and recouperating from the past couple days activities! 

 

 

Looking forward to Christmas 2015 already!