{Country} Life ... with a front porch view

Back in the Saddle Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Good Afternoon Everyone!

I know I have broke away from blogging for forever now. I think I just got burnt out and needed to focus a little more on providing for my family. I know I have thrown up a few post here and there, but I'd really like to start branching back out and getting in touch with everyone again!

So, what's been going on out there peeps? Anything new and exciting? Leave me a comment and let me know! I feel like I have missed out on so much! I also feel like I have gained so much!

My husband and I have started up a new business! It's pretty exciting! Are any of my fellow bloggers into the paracord? That's what we are doing! I'm loving it so far! I love to challenge of making something new and just having fun!

If you want to check out our page, here's the link: Mid-South Paracord Products

I'm actually hosting a giveaway right now with my good friend Kellie over at Kenli Bows. I'm sure you all remember Kellie. I did a giveaway for her back several months ago! She really loves all the exposure my blog has given her! We make a great team!

If you would like to enter our giveaway for the items pictured above, please go and "like" our Facebook pages Kenli Bow & Mid-South Paracord Products and be sure to share The Giveaway Post on your page! That's all you have to do to be entered! Pretty simple, huh? That's the way we like it!

I'll catch up with you all later in the week! It feels so good to be back!

From my front porch to yours,

New Beginnings - Bring on Summertime!!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I know it's been forever and five days since I last blogged! Early summer is always a real "fuss" around my home! I'm sure most of you understand and are in similar situations!

So, what's new with me??

Logan's winding down another school year! It's so hard to believe my baby will be in 5th grade next year and at a new school! Time sure does fly!! My husband has been working hard on his State Certifications and just got back from another long week away testing! As for me, I'm still doing my Scentsy business thing and I've picked up something new that I can't wait to share with everyone!

I'm now a Distributor for Saba/AMS Health Sciences! They have a variety of products to promote good health and to just overall make people feel better and things like that! So far, I'm really loving it! I joined primarily to be able to start on their energy supplement, A.C.E! It really works! Most people think of it as a weight loss pill which it's not! It will help you lose weight if you take it and are active; but it gives you so much energy that you burn calories and shed unwanted pounds! I've almost been on it for a month and I've lost 6 pounds! I'm pretty sure I'm losing more inches now than anything else because all of my clothes are fitting more loosely than before. It makes me feel so good not to be sleepy during the day and to be able to rest at night without waking up in a fog! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about!!

I will try to introduce some of their products on my blog this week! If you'd be interesting in trying out A.C.E, please let me know! We have 2 pack sample packs that are $2 or you can get a full 60ct bottle for $60. I only take one capsule a day so a bottle will last me 2 months! I think it's a great deal! You basically name your price at $1/capsule. So, if you didn't want a full bottle but wanted more than two, I can hook you up that way as well!

Here's my Facebook page for A.C.E! Please help me spread the word and get new fans!!!

Embrace Your Day with ACE by Demi - Appetite Control & Energy Weight Loss

From my front porch to yours,

It's a Scentsy Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:31:00 +0000

Hello to all my wonderful blog readers. I know it has been a few days since I got a post up. I just wanted to apologize for that! I have been extremely busy working with our Boy Scouts for their Pinewood Derby next weekend and doing family things! I have also been a little under the weather! I wish it would make up it's mind whether it wants to be hot or cold. That would help a lot!!!

I have exciting news!!!! I debated and debate on this for several weeks before I finally made a move, but I'm happy to announce that I'm now an Independent Scentsy Consultant!

I have always loved the Scentsy products and so does many of my family and friends! I will be sure to keep my blog up-to-date with specials and promotions so that everyone can join in and make their homes wickless and safe!

If you want to go and check out my page, here's the link Scentsy Fragrance and here's the link to my facebook page Demi Spencer Independent Scentsy Consultant!

I look forward to seeing everyone around and getting some orders in! The new Spring/Summer catalog starts March 1st! If you'd like to place an order or for me to mail you a catalog, let me know!

From my front porch to yours,

The Blog Worshop: Online Blogging Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Hello friends! I hope you all are having a wonderful day!

My focus in today's post will be about our significance in the blogging community. I'm not sure talking about the things we share, I'm also talking about the things we write and how our image as bloggers come across to our readers and companies that may potentially want to sponsor our blogs. Those are amazing feats for any bloggers. We all dream about being known in some way whether it's for our crafts, our deal seeking, our photography, or just the pure satisfaction in sharing our knowledge with others.

I know that sometimes, I feel like I have hit a brick wall and don't know where to turn. I get discouraged and fear that my blog will sink if I can't come up with something new and refreshing for my readers. Do you ever feel that way? I'm sure that most of you have at some point or the other. In my search for ways and ideas to keep my blog fresh and full of content, I ran across The Blog Workshop.

What is The Blog Workshop you may ask? It is a three day online conference for bloggers and vloggers. The course will provide you with information to help you take your blog/vlog to a higher level and in turn give you a fresh outlook on making your staple in the blogging world! They have a great agenda lined up for everyone {be sure to check out the sneak peek below} as well as some truly awesome speakers from IZEA, Blog-Trends, The Blog Frog and more! You can find out more about the agenda and speakers by clicking the links to view their respected pages!

If you are like me, you don't have time to attend an out of town conference or you may have a job to where it makes it impossible to attend! That's the great thing about The Blog Workshop ... it's 100% online. No driving. No hassles. No fuss. Just you learning how to give your blog that much needed edge! Are you excited yet? I hope that you are! You can register for this event by clicking here!
Now, all you need to do is mark your calendars for the dates of May 17-19, 2013 and attend this amazing event!

Thanks to the Indiegogo Campaign, you can also get discounted tickets for the event! Be sure to check their campaign out if you are interested in attending but need a little help in doing so!

Did I mention The Blog Workshop also offers grant and scholarship programs? If you would be interested in learning more about these, please follow the links to learn about their grants and scholarships.

I hope to see you all at the conference! I'm stoked and ready to have a blast learning how to make my blog more beneficial to my readers, companies, fellow bloggers and myself!

From my front porch to yours,

Vicks & Honeywell Winter Blues Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:27:00 +0000

Welcome to the Honeywell & Vicks Winter Blues Giveaway. Hosted by Stay a Stay at Home Mom with co-hosts Mom 2 Bed by 8 and Free Makeup and Beauty Samples. Sponsored by Honeywell & Vicks.

One lucky winner will be able to chase away the winter blues this season with a Vicks GermFree Cool Mist Humidifier,
Retail Value $69.99, and a Honeywell Energy Smart 360 Surround Heater, Retail Value $64.99, both must-have products for winter. Read the full review on Stay a Stay at Home Mom here:

Stay Warm and Toasty with Vicks and Honeywell

Enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter below, and make sure you take the time to visit our wonderful sponsors, hosts, and cohosts! Good luck! Giveaway runs from Feb 19 at 12:01am to Mar 12 at 11:59PM EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We are not associated with any of the companies in this giveaway. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, and is compliant with Facebook TOS. To qualify to win, you must fill out the Rafflecopter entry. Must be aged 18+ to enter and win. See Rafflecopter for complete eligibility requirements.

From my front porch to yours,

The Tuesday "Catch-Up"

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:14:00 +0000

Oh my goodness everyone! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone's weekend was absolutely fabulous! I know I have been on a blogging hiatus, but I promise you that I am refreshed and ready to go! I took a break and ended up going to visit my husband while he was away for school, and we took some much needed family time together. It was really hard having him away the week of Valentine's Day so it was wonderful to be able to go to him and have fun in the big city!

We did many things while out in Clarksville. I visited a fun and funky flea market villa with Nathan's mom while he was at school on Friday. I got some really neat items! I'll take a moment and share a few of them with you! I really love how items "find" you! You just have to be in the moment and open your eyes! That's the best part about places like this one, no two booths are the same. Each one has a theme all its own!

Don't you just love the how you never know what to expect when you go shopping in a flea market/thrift store atmosphere? I love all my little finds!

Nathan and I ended up spending our Saturday going to visit a few other stores his mom told me about that I absolutely loved! We also had the opportunity to try out our new camera! That was such an adventure! I will be sure to get those pictures uploaded this week so you all can enjoy our photography!

Before I end today's post, I would like to share with you my amazing Valentine's gift! I was fortunate enough to be able to pick this out myself {even though that was not my intention at first}, but I'm glad Nathan ended up waiting and letting me find this gift ... it's almost too perfect!

I have always loved charm bracelets! This one holds very special meaning to me! I'll take a second and explain the charms to ya! I'll start on the left side: a kitty in honor of our cat Precious, a round bead with the February gemstone in honor of our Wedding Date and Valentine's Day, a love charm in honor of our love, the Celebrate Life charms that came on the bracelet, a little boy charm in honor of Logan, a round Mom charm in honor of me being a mom, and a puppy in honor of our dog Chloe!

This bracelet is absolutely perfect for my life! It sums it all up and there's plenty of room for more charms as our life together expands! In case you are wondering, this bracelet is the Celebrate Life bracelet from the Hallmark Collection. We purchased it at Wal-Mart over at the jewelry counter!

Be sure to come back tomorrow and be part of my huge announcement and career adventure!!!!

From my front porch to yours,

Happy Valentine's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:25:00 +0000

Today, I have decided to take a break from blogging
to allow for some holiday cheer!

I hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!

This is my little buddy Lucas showing off his Valentine Box
we made last night after church!

Here's some pics of Logan opening up his presents this morning!

He was really excited and got some great stuff!!!

This is how I plan on spending my day, curled up with a good book and a movie!

From my front porch to yours,

Valentine Goodies from Hawaii!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:17:00 +0000

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I'm delighted to share with you my gifts that I received from my good friend Miranda. She is a fellow blogger and has quickly become one of my best friends since we became paired together as part of the Valentine Exchange.

You can go check out Miranda's blog here:
Our Nesting Place

Miranda sent me some truly great gifts that I was super stoked to open. It was like Christmas all over again! I think it was more so the thrill of knowing that the gifts were for me, but I didn't know exactly what they were until I opened them!

Let's Take A Peek, Shall We ...

You really have no idea how happy I was to open this box! I love Scentsy! Miranda definitely knew how to make my day! This warmer is so cute and the wax melts she sent me smell so amazing! I love the fact that she even threw in a car freshener! I'm gonna get good use of that with baseball season fast approaching! I'm going to be living in my car before too long, lol!

Here's a close-up of the warmer! I love the rustic look!! Right now, I have it plugged into an outlet in my kitchen of all places! I love the fact that it's petite in size and will fit under my cabinet! I think I'll have to invest in some more of these in the future!

Miranda also sent me some "snacks" from Hawaii! Have Mercy!!! LOL!!!!! Just looking at the wrappers made my mouth water. I haven't tried any of these yet ... I'm trying to hold off and wait for a special occasion! I don't think they'll last much longer! I just love having them set in my kitchen and being able to look at the wrappers. They are so cute! She also wrote me a great little Valentine note!

I love being a blogger and being able to connect with others like this. This was the first exchange I was part of, and I'm really happy that I decided to link up and join in!

Thank you, again, Miranda for the gifts. I will cherish them forever ... well, all except the chocolates of course ;)

I hope everyone has a great day!!!

From my front porch to yours,

Happy Monday!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:50:00 +0000

Happy Monday everyone! By-Golly, it has been one crazy weekend! I have been so incredibly busy that I have just now found time to sit down and enjoy myself! I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend and is ready for Valentine's Day!

The Weekend Recap ...

As for most blue-collar Americans, this month is very very important! We were lucky enough to get our taxes done this year right at the end of January! Thank Goodness for that!!! I'm so happy that it is all done and over with and we have our refund in hand! This gave us some much needed freedom and allowed us to go and purchase some things that we needed!

This is mine and my husband's latest toy! I must admit, we really love our new camera! We got the Nikon CoolPix P510. It is going to be so versatile for us both! Not to mention, it will make for some awesome blog pictures!!!

This is a picture of my baby girl Precious! I'm so in love with my 13 pound kitty!!!

This is my darling Chloe! She was actually my Valentine's Day present the year we got her! I love her to pieces!!!

As you can see, we've already began to make the most of our new camera! I love taking photographs so this adventure is going to be well worth the investment!

This lovely photo is compliments of my dear hubby. He was playing with all the different settings and features on the camera when he figured out how to do this. I really love this picture! It was taken on our honeymoon in St. Louis the week after we got married in 2006!

I finally got on the bandwagon and got a tablet! I couldn't be happier with my purchase! I could never decide exactly which tablet I wanted until I seen this Limited Edition Samsung Galaxy 2 Tablet at Wal-Mart. It was on a really great sale {as was our camera} and also came with a matching case! How could I say no? I mean, come on, it's garnet red ... which also happens to be my birthstone!

Other than the goodies above, we also got so much needed new clothes and a mattress and foundation set for my bed! My poor bed was long overdue for a new mattress!

After a long weekend of shopping and taking care of business, I was pleasantly surprised to come home to a package from my dear friend Miranda! I will be linking up all the goodies she sent to me tomorrow! I can't wait to share my package with everyone!!!

From my front porch to yours,

"And The Nominees Are ..."

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +0000

Good Wednesday Morning to all my friends out there in bloggyland. I hope your week has been a great one so far! Mine has been pretty good and pretty rough all in the same toll. I haven't felt that great this week, but the show must go on!

I was pleasantly surprised to to read my comments this morning and find out that my friend Carolyn over at Prospective has nominated me for the Liebster Award! I am beyond excited!!!

What is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers who are fairly new to the blogging world with less than 200 followers. The award is then passed along to other bloggers of the same criterion.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
Answer the questions that the tagger set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve tagged to answer.
Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
Go to their page and tell them.
No tag backs

11 {Random} Things About Me ...

I love my cowboy boots!
I have a heavy southern drawl!
I enjoy scrapbooking in my spare time. I don't do it much anymore, but I wish I still did!
I'm afraid of snakes! Big time!
I have never lived outside of the state of Tennessee.
I'm addicted to Coke!!!!!
I've had low self-esteem issues all my life ... I'm working on it though ;)
I'm a lover of University of Kentucky football! Go Cats!!
I love to cook!! Yum-Yum!
My daddy gave me the nickname "Frog" when I was little. I still answer to it today!
I have been in love with my hubby since I was like 15'ish!

11 Questions ...

What is your favorite book?
I love the book "Flirting with Forty" by Jane Porter and "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult.

Are you a cat or dog person?
I love both! It would be too hard for me to pick. I have a tabby/calico mix named Precious and a basset hound named Chloe! I love them like they are my children!

Where do you see your self in ten years?
I'd love to be in a bigger house and out of debt! As for my blog, I hope to be well established by then and helping others achieve their dreams!

What is your favorite form of social networking?I love to catch up with all the happenings via Facebook. I pretty much have all my blogging friends on there. It's nice to get a glimpse into their lives outside their blog.

What are you most excited about in 2013?
I am excited for my husband's job role change. He has worked really hard to get to where he is today, and our family is really going to benefit from it! I'm also excited that I get to blog everyday and truly do something that I love! I'm thankful for that every morning when I wake up!

What is your favorite Holiday?
My favorite holiday is a toss up between Christmas and Halloween.

Do you prefer coffee, tea, or neither?
I prefer tea over coffee. I'm more of a hot chocolate kinda girl instead of coffee! Yuck!

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
I enjoy catching up on other blogs when I have time or curling up on the couch with my honey and watching a good movie!

Do you have any weird habits?
Weird habits ... let me see. I drink a Coke pretty much every morning to give me a boost! Does that count? I never make meatloaf the same way twice. We keep our Reese's Cups in the fridge. Oh yeah, I bowl backhanded!

What's your favorite smell?
Hands down ... Honeysuckle!!!

How many siblings do you have?
I have 2 siblings ... both are older brothers!

And now, for my 11 questions ...

What is your #1 pet-peeve?
Who is your biggest inspiration?
What is the best part about blogging {in your opinion}?
What blogs do you read everyday?
What are your must watch TV shows?
What is something you could not live without?
Do you have any children?
What is one thing you want to do before you die?
Describe yourself in one word.
What is your favorite thing to do outdoors?
What is something you wish you owned but never have?

I Nominate Thee ...

Kelsey @ Keeping Up With Kelsey
Laura @ Calm Delight
Bethany @ The Classy Bee
Lauren @ Tennessee Honey
Beth @ Shug in Boots
Kathy @ Sparkles and a Stove
Miranda @ Our Nesting Place
DaLynn @ For the Display of His Splendor
Cortney @ Autumn Sunsets
Rachel @ Floral & Fudge
Chloe @ Rainbows @ Honeysuckle

Congrats to everyone receiving a nomination!!!

From my front porch to yours,

Monday Blues & Funnies {with pics}

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:02:00 +0000

Heidi-Ho to all my lovely bloggy friends. Another Monday is here yet again. Oh, how this weekend just flew by. How was your weekend? Ours was full of running and chaos! We spent Saturday with friends preparing for the boys Pinewood Derby Race for Scouts, and Sunday was our 7 year wedding anniversary. Needless to say, I'm pooped as another Monday rears its head into my southern sky.

How did you spend your weekend? Did you watch the Superbowl? We did. I must say, it was amusing. I wish the commercials would have been a little better. I guess the biggest highlight for me was seeing the trailer for the new Fast & Furious 6! I have waited so long for the sequel that no one believed they were making!

As for the actual game, there was some great moments. I thought it was absolutely grand when all the lights went out! I don't know if we had more fun listening to the game announcers trying to figure out what was going on or reading everyone's Facebook posts!

Then, of course, there was the rivalry between brothers.

And last but not least, the Beyonce performance. I wasn't very impressed. Yep, that's all I'm going to say on that one!

In the words of the MLB League ...

And now ... For your Monday funnies ...

Have a GREAT Monday everyone! I'll catch y'all tomorrow!

From my front porch to yours,

Catch Me @ Kelsey's Place!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 08:49:00 +0000

Good Sunday Morning Everyone! I'm taking a break from Southern Sundays this week and spending the day over at Kelsey's Place! You can go get the behind the scene's scoop on my beginnings and find out why I blog by visiting her at Keeping Up With Kelsey.

Today is also a very special day for me. If you follow me on Facebook, you have probably already noticed that today is mine and my hubby's 7th Wedding Anniversary! I'm so excited about that! We will be celebrating in style by partaking in a Superbowl Party at our friend Jacob's house. It's kinda fun having your Anniversary fall on Superbowl weekend ... it gives you an excuse to throw an awesome party!!

I'll catch ya tomorrow and look forward to reading some fabulous posts about your Superbowl Weekends!

From my front porch to yours,

Special Guest Post with My Girl Kelsey!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Happy Saturday everyone! I have a very dear friend of mine, Kelsey, stopping over from her blog to do a little front porch sitting with y'all today! Please give her a great big ole Country Life Welcome and be sure to stop by her blog! She's fun and full of creativeness and just a doll to talk too!

Take it away Kelsey ...

Hello there readers! My name's Kelsey and I blog over at Keeping Up With Kelsey. I've gotten to know Demi over the past couple of months and she's such a sweetie! The best part, I LOVE spending time with her on her front porch. There's always room for more buddies, we love to just sit around relax, tell stories and laugh at each others stories. She's really become a friendship I've loved to watch grow and I cannot wait to see what her porch has in store for the future!

A little bit about me, well, I grew up on a farm in small town Nebraska. Went to college for Agriculture (yup, they have colleges for that stuff), finished that degree and then started working at an Investment Firm. I felt that I needed a business degree so I started on one. Just now finishing it up, four years and two degrees later... Through it all I found a boy I kinda started getting attached to. His name is Travis, you'll hear a lot about him if you follow me. He lived straight north down the road from my parents about six or seven miles. We decided we kinda like each other a lot so after three years of hanging out exclusively we still going strong. Moved north seven miles and I've lived there ever since!

I'm an organizing freak, a self-proclaimed OCDer, an attempted DIY'er, and an avid couponer. I like to play outside in my garden, read a book or cook when I have a little bit of free time. I've been a believer in the Lord since I was a baby and I believe that volunteering is SUPER rewarding so I find myself in charge of the area youth group, teaching polka dance lessons to teenagers, finding any way to help out the local community and playing in a band with fellow community members in the summer (ya, I'm a band nerd).

Since we live on a farm I often find myself falling in love with the new babies that are born each year, we have a ton of cows, some ponies, a couple kitties and of course, no farm is complete without an old hound barkin all night! Right now we're calving so it's kind of exhausting but the babies are so precious. But, I'd have to admit, my all time favorite part about the farm is the actual farming. Working the ground, planting seeds, spraying the tiny seedlings to keep pesky weeds away, watering in hopes that the drought doesn't kill off our money-makers and then getting to harvest those crops to find a profit is fun for me. I always post a "farming on the four's" post on my blog to keep my followers informed about what's going on around the homestead.

Couponing, well that's a big one for me! I really never had a "I need to stop spending" moment, I'd say it's a way of life I've just learned since I was a little squirt. Anymore, I look at it as a fun challenge. Since I'm with my farm boy he's constantly busy so I find myself alone a lot. Finding yourself alone means finding a hobby, mine's saving money. Best part, I'm not spending money on my hobby. Bonus!

I love to find a good Pinterest project and attempt to re-create it. You'll find a couple on my blog, also I'm working on my list of 101 in 1001. The basic run down of it is this: you find 101 things you want to accomplish in the next 2 1/2 years and you cross them off one by one. I'm slowly getting some finished up but with the summer coming up I'm hoping to accomplish a ton more! Wish me luck!

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me a little bit, if you like me (or find me hilariously weird) swing on over to my blog and keep up with me!

Have a great weekend everyone!

From my front porch to yours,

{About Me} from A to Z

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a Fabulous Friday! Today, I wanted to share a little "get to know me" post. I have read several posts like this on other blogs. I think it is a really neat and creative way to get the inside scoop behind your favorite bloggers!

So, this week, I will be taking a break from my normal H54F post and shaking things up a little bit! Be sure to stay tuned after this week's post to find out who was the winner of my very first giveaway with Kenli Bows! I am so excited to make the announcement!!

I'd like to give a shout-out to Andrea over at {Mostly} Happenstance for sharing this on her blog! Be sure to stop by and pay her a visit!

A - Available or married? Married {He's my high school sweetie! We are celebrating 7 years of marriage on Sunday!}
B - Book? I don't have anything on my reading list currently. I love "Flirting with Forty" by Jane Porter and "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult.
C - Cake or Pie? I love both, honestly! Strawberry Cake and Chocolate Pie
D - Drink of Choice? Definitely Coke! It's like coffee to me!!
E - Essential Item? My HTC Droid Incredible 4G and my laptop
F - Favorite Color? It's a toss-up: Purple and Pink
G - Game to play or watch? Monopoly
H - Hometown? Rutherford, TN
I - Indulgence? I love to sleep in and can't resist Reese's Mini-Cups and a Coke {even though I'll get heartburn}
J - Job? I just blog. I hope to make a career out of it!
K - Kids and names? I have one son who is currently 10. His name is Logan.
L - Life is incomplete without? I couldn't live without my family, friends, my dog and my cat!
M - Music group or singer? My favorite bands are Matchbox 20 and 3 Doors Down. I also love Reba and Garth. Got to get back to those good ole country roots... Then again, there's Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and a ton more :)
N - Number of siblings? I have two older brothers; one of which watches over me from Heaven
O - Oranges or apples? Hrmm.. I guess apples.
P - Phobias/Fears? I absolutely hate snakes. Period! I'm also afraid of death. I don't want to grow old and die. It makes me cry just to think about it.
Q - Favorite Quote? "You'll either get over it or get under it. One of the two."
R - Reason to Smile? The fact that I wake up each day to my hubby and my baby boy. I also can't forget those other 5 rugrats that call me Dee-Dee. I'd be one unhappy camper without them.
S - Season? I like Summertime but any season suits me. There's something great about them all!
T - Tattoos? I'd love to have one but I'm way too chicken to get one. I don't like pain at all!!
U - Unknown fact about me? I'm really shy and I have a lot of talent. I don't have a great confidence in myself and I'm always judging myself and being too hard on myself. Just ask my husband!! {I'm working on this though... never fear!}
V - Vegetable you love? I love any vegetables really.
W - Worst habit? I drink way to many sodas and I don't take care of myself like I should sometimes.
X - X-Rays you've had? I've had a few X-Rays on my leg from when I was younger. That's it!
Y - Your favorite food? Um, dang, you would ask me something hard at the end, lol! My favorite food is chicken. I make a lot of awesome crockpot meals with chicken.
Z - Zodiac? Capricorn :)

Be sure to leave a link to your blog in the comments if you share this on your blog, and I'll stop by and check it out!

Drum Roll Please ......

The winner of the Kenli Bows Giveaway is

Belinda Burton

@mommato5boys

Congratulations to Belinda and Thank You to everyone who entered helping make my first giveaway fun and successful!!

From my front porch to yours,

Inspire Me! Thursdays ~ Week #6

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Inspire Me! Thursdays

Each week I dedicate a day of blogging to showcase some of the best bloggers around and their crafty ideas! This is really a great way to network with others and see what is "hot" in the world of blogging! I hope you will stop in and check out their terrific blogs! You may even feel froggy enough to subscribe to their blogs and follow them to learn more tips and tricks from these great bloggers!

And now for this week's awesome blogs ...

If you are looking for some super-duper organization tips, Kathy at Sparkles and a Stove has compiled a great list to help get you started in the right direction. I love this post so much! Click Here to swing on over to her blog and check it out!

Mmmm! Mmmm! Don't these look yummy? I'm sure they do if you love mashed potatoes! I can't wait to try these out! Kim over at Sunflower Supper Club has shared a killer recipe for Loaded Mashed Potatoes! If you have a big family, I think this will be a hit! Click Here to cruise on over to her blog and get the scoop on this dish!

Oh yes, you read the picture correctly, Birthday Cake Fudge! Tash over at The Velvet Moon Baker got my attention right from the start! This fudge looks so good. I just want to devour it right now! I can't wait at all!!! Ok, calm down my friends and breathe, hehe. Click Here to jump on over to her blog and get the deets on the fudge!

Check out {My} Kinda Party to learn more about my blog hops and link parties and to see where I'm doing a little front porch sitting at these days!

Be sure to Grab A Button and link up with my blogs and parties!

Let's link up! Show me your creative side!
{Feel free to share this blog hop on your page! Just grab the code at the bottom!}

From my front porch to yours,

Wordless Wednesdays @ Country Life

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Sometimes the sky contains such beautiful colors that you just have to share them ...

Even in the dead of night!

How is your Wednesday looking? I hope you are having a wonderful day ... not an ole gloomy rainy day like it has started off here.

Boo for being up at 2 am with the threat of severe weather and tornadoes! Yep you heard me right, tornadoes and it's almost the first week in February!! Got to love Tennessee and 75 degree temps today!

Have you entered my first giveaway yet? If not, there's still time! You have until midnight on Thursday, December 31, 2013 to get those entries in!

Click Here to hop on over to the Kenli Bows Giveaway post!

I'd like to say a BIG "thank-you" to Kellie over at Kenli Bows for allowing me to host this great giveaway!

From my front porch to yours,

Valentine Crafts & Home Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 01:15:00 +0000

Hello everyone and Happy Tuesday! Well, it's official, Valentine's Day is just around the corner! I must admit, I love Valentine's Day!! Blogging has really brought out my creative side, and I'm so excited to share my Valentine's decor with everyone.

I really, really love this hanging heart! I picked it up at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. It has such a country feel and looks fabulous on my front door! It even has a little iron key hanging from the ribbon on the front! It's way too cute! Hobby Lobby really had some great decor items that are perfect for indoor or outdoor use. I love the store so much! We go there when we have time to look around and really enjoy a day out!

These cute little hearts I purchased at Dollar Tree. They are pink in color and full of glitter! I love all the sparkles! I got a pack of 5 of the hearts in various sizes for $1.00! Can't beat that deal!! I knew instantly what I wanted to do with them. I purchased the little owls, ladybugs and frogs in a craft pack at Hobby Lobby for $3.00, and then I got some red and baby blue glitter glue at Wal-Mart to decorate the hearts with. It didn't take me very long to decorate these hearts and make them totally adorable! I must caution everyone ... it does take a couple of days for the glitter glue to dry. So make sure the glue is completely dry before you hang your hearts up for decorations. Otherwise, the glue will run!

This is what my finished wall looks like now that the hearts are up! I really love it. When you walk into our house, this is the first thing you see! Before I added the hearts, all I had up on this wall was my cute mirror and our clock. It looked so plan. I love the blast of color that is up there now! I don't really anticipate on taking these down once Valentine's Day is over. I think they might stay up a little longer! If you notice, at first I had one empty heart with no writing. After a few days of having this up, I discovered what I wanted to write on the heart so now it looks different.

This is what my hearts look like now! I love them so much. One has our name, our wedding year and the other has the names of our 2 four-legged friends; adding their names on the last heart really completed the look! My dear hubby and son even loves the hearts!

Ah, another project in the books :)

The is my last decor project. I also purchased a red fringe heart at the Dollar Tree. At first, I didn't know how I was going to attach it to my hook. Then, I found some cute pink ribbon with black polka-dots at Wal-Mart. It totally worked! I love how it looks hanging on my utility door. I love how it's so simple to turn inexpensive items into great decor pieces for your home!

I hope you all love the projects! Feel free to share yours with me on Thursday during my Inspire Me! Thursdays link-up!

From my front porch to yours,

Blogathon Bash Time

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Happy Saturday Lovelies!
This weekend I'm participating in
The Biannual Blogathon Bash!

This event is held twice a year to help bloggers grow their blog and clean up their to do list! Click the link above if you are interested in signing up ... there's still time! Blogger focus their weekend {as much of the 72 hour time frame as they can donate} to taking a "time-out" for their blog. You can use this time to clean out your inbox, catch up on replies, finish up giveaways that have ended, etc... You basically use this time to do what needs to be done or what you have been putting off!

My Blogathon "To-Do" List

Write and schedule a few blog posts to have on hand.
Email monthly sponsors about participating in a giveaway.
Finish working on my advertising page.
Check blog for post comments and make replies.
Update {My} Friends page.
Post Facebook/Twitter shout-outs.
Make a sidebar area for Giveaways.
Work on updating layout
Check out Google sites and update AdSense.
Fix a calender for upcoming guest posts.
Clean out email account.
Do a little work on Bloggy Moms/SITS

Well, this is all I can think of for now! I'm sure I will update and add in some other things as I remember them!

Good Luck to everyone participating! I look forward to reading your updates!!!

My Blogathon "To-Do" List Update!!

Well, I did end up getting some posts scheduled! I need to get a few more end, but I'm waiting to hear from some guest posters first! I also figured out how to schedule my Linky Lists! Oh Yeah!!!! Score!!!!!
I still need to email my monthly sponsors. I have been so busy replying to other emails that I haven't gotten to this yet!
I fine-tuned my advertising page a little bit. I'm happy with it for now until I get some other things under my belt.
I do believe I have all my comments answered! Yay!!!!!!
I have the word document for {my} friends page ready, I just have to copy/paste!!!
My Facebook/Twitter shout-outs are out for the month ... I may sneak another one in *wink, wink*
Sighs, I still have to do my giveaways in my sidebar! I did end up making and posting a new spot for Spotlight Advertisers. That's always a plus!!!
Ick, layout is still the same (except for what I added). I will constantly work on this, I'm sure!
I did a little looking at Google, but I didn't make any changes yet!
Calender DONE! I am so happy!!! You have no idea!!!
Email Account all nice and clear and organized! Go Me!!!
I still haven't found time to get over to Bloggy Moms/SITS ... I ended up finding more sites to go to instead! Oh well, nothing like more networking!

I must say, I had a great time during the Blogathon! I met a ton of people in the last day ... that was the only real time I had to work. It was relaxing and fun and I really enjoyed it!

I also won a blog design. I am really stoked about that! It's going to be great to have a custom design!! So, at the end of the day, it was all worth it! I can't wait to do it all again!!!

From my front porch to yours,

"Give Him Some" Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 06:42:00 +0000

I'm super excited to be participating in the "Give Him Some" Giveaway! This is a pretty awesome giveaway, and I know it will make someone a very happy, happy winner!

Good Luck to everyone entering!

Welcome to the "Give Him Some" Giveaway, hosted by Stay a Stay at Home Mom and co-hosted by Mamal Diane and Mom to Bed by 8. Wondering what you should get your hubby this Valentine's Day? Well, they say that the key to a man's heart lies in his stomach, so this year, why not give him something unique to eat that he will really love!

Here's your chance to tempt his taste-buds with:

(4) Sirloin Buffalo Steaks (shipped on dry ice, ready to cook or freeze) Retail Value $28.99

(2) Bags of Jerky - Teriyaki Buffalo
(2) Bags of Jerky - Chicken Hot Wings Style
(2) Bags of Jerky - BBQ Turkey
(2) Bags of Jerky - Peppered Beef Retail Value ($6 a bag) $48

$50 Amazon.com Gift Code For anything his heart desires ...

Give him a great treat and make him happy! And tell him to skip the flowers and give you jewelry this year! You deserve it!

Wondering about the fabulous company behind the jerky and the buffalo steaks? Well, the company is Jerky Direct, home of the $12 business opportunity. If you are looking for a way to make money at home, check them out. New distributors can get started for less than the cost of a pizza. (and it tastes a whole lot better too!)

More info on the $12 Business Opportunity

Enter to win by filling out the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway runs from Jan 26 at 12:01am to Feb 15 at 11:59PM EST. a Rafflecopter giveaway The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We are not associated with any of the companies in this giveaway. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. This promotion is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, and is compliant with Facebook TOS. To qualify to win, you must fill out the Rafflecopter entry. Must be aged 18+ to enter and win. See Rafflecopter for complete eligibility requirements.

From my front porch to yours,

High 5 For Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:46:00 +0000

Wow! I can hardly believe it is Friday again! This week has flown by! I hope everyone has something great planned for this weekend!! Last Friday, I found H54F over at my friend Lauren's blog. I really had a great time participating in her link-up so I'm back again this week sharing my highlights from the week. If you have never been over to her blog, you can find her direct link at the bottom of my post.

Before I jump into this week's favorites, I'd like to take a minute and share some of Country Life's fabulous sponsors with you! I've been swapping ads with these ladies for a few weeks now, and I love all the new visitors and friends that have stopped by for some front porch sitting! Please take a minute to swing by their place and show them some great southern hospitality!

Laura @ Calm Delight and Jessica @ Forever and a Day are two of my newest friends and are extremely talented bloggers! I'm in the process of working with them on some blog collaborations. Be sure to keep your eye out for those in the near future!!

Kelsey @ Keeping up with Kelsey and Chloe @ Rainbows & Honeysuckle are some of the first girls I met when I started blogging. They have terrific blogs as well! I'm sure you've seen me mention Kelsey's name on here once or twice already! Chloe is expecting a little one soon so be patient if she's MIA!! I will be helping her during her down-time by hosting a guest post soon! If you'd like to do the same, hop on over to her blog and shoot her an email!

My ad swap sponsors this month are Becca @ Faith Love & Babies, Natasha @ Serenity You and Jamie @ Just Stuff for Fun! I've enjoyed having these ladies link up with me this month, and I hope they'll be with me for many more months to come!

Hello Friday :) It's time to share your joys!

1// My lovely family on the hubby's side! This picture was taken during our trip to Clarksville this past weekend. We had a really great time! We are hoping to make this a yearly tradition!!!
2// My honey and our little clown Lucas. They were all sacked out in the chair making silly faces at me and looking at dinosaur books.
3// My Valentine's Day hanging heart! I finally got the ribbon attached to it!! I will be sharing this along with my other Valentine decor in a post next week. Be on the lookout!!
4// Have you entered my first ever giveaway yet? If not, what are you waiting for? This bow is handmade by one of my good friends Kellie over at Kenli Bows!! She has a ton of options at great prices! Click Here to navigate on over to my blog post featuring the giveaway.
5// I had the prettiest icicles on my mailbox this morning! I just had the share this most perfect picture!
6// My baby boy makes me so proud each and every day! This is a picture of Logan from Awards Day last Friday at school. He received the Terrific Kid Award and Golden Honor Roll Award for having straight A's! This is the 3rd 6-weeks he's received the Golden Honor Roll Award. He loves school!!
7// My newest makeup purchases! I have been wanting to try a BB Cream for a long time now. I picked up the Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream in the light/medium shade. I must say, I'm not disappointed. I love how it makes my skin feel and how it clears up my complexion!! Yay! I'm also digging my new mascara, The Rocket Volume Express from Maybelline. There's nothing like a few good beauty finds!

Ok, yes, before you ask, I know that's seven things! I just couldn't choose between them! I guess it's okay to break the rules every now and again!! *wink, wink*

** I'm linking up with Lauren again this week over @ From My Grey Desk **

What have been your highlights from the week? Comment below and leave the link to your blog, I'll swing over and check out what's going on in your neck of the woods!

From my front porch to yours,

Inspire Me! Thursdays ~ Week #5

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 06:38:00 +0000

Welcome to Inspire Me! Thursdays

Before I dive into this week's inspirations, I'd like to share a sale that's going on over at my friend Lori's Etsy shop for Windsor Hills Wicks & Lather. Lori runs a kick-butt business and has some of the best smelling products ever! You can find out what products she has in her End of Season Sale by Clicking Here! Be sure to place your orders soon, at the prices she has listed, she won't have this inventory very long!!

You can also link up here to Windsor Hills Wicks & Lather's Facebook page! Lori updates it regularly and you never know, she may have some more items on sale soon! Be on the lookout for a giveaway from Windsor Hills on my blog in the near future!!

And now for this week's awesome blogs ...

If you are looking for the perfect Valentine decor for your home, Kathy over at Sparkles and a Stove can show you how to get a great look for your craft letters using your favorite patterns! I'm thinking about making more than one set for my house. The possibilities are endless! You can change the paper and make them fit any theme in your home! How perfect is this? Click Here to swing on over to her blog and check out her tutorial for these letters!

This week I have two great craft projects from Sparkles and a Stove! Kathy really does have some great ideas, and this is another one that is simple and totally adorable! These Valentine blocks speak for themselves! I really love the colors and the use of pretty elements. Kudos to you Kathy! Click Here to learn how to make these crafty blocks for your home.

How cute is this? Wouldn't you love to display it in your home? Diana over at Project Inspire makes some pretty awesome Subway Art! The best part about this awesome Subway Art is that it is printable! Yes, you heard me correctly! Printable!! I don't think I need to say much more. Click Here to navigate on over to Diana's blog and print it out to display in your home! This would also make a great gift idea ... as would all the Valentine projects featured this week!!!

I love to make meatloaf. My family loves to come home and smell meatloaf cooking in the oven! Tasha over at Living a Saucey Life has taken my knowledge of meatloaf making to a whole new level! I can't wait to try out her recipe. It looks so delicious! Click Here to hop on over to her blog and learn her secrets to the perfect meatloaf! You will not be disappointed!

So I'm browsing around the internet and reading some of my favorite blogs when I came across {what I like to call} lemon heaven! Dorothy over at Crazy for Crust has lemon fever! She has featured so many lemon desserts that my mouth is watering like crazy! Click Here to go check out all her yummy treats! Your taste buds will thank you later!

Check out {My} Kinda Party to learn more about my blog hops and link parties and to see where I'm doing a little front porch sitting at these days!

Be sure to Grab A Button and link up with my blogs and parties!

Let's link up! Show me your creative side!
{Feel free to share this blog hop on your page! Just grab the code at the bottom!}

From my front porch to yours,

Kenli Bows Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:43:00 +0000

Merry Wednesday everyone! I'm very excited that you are all here with me today for my first ever blog giveaway! My friend Kellie over at Kenli Bows makes some awesome hair bows! She's got great prices too! I'm happy to have her as a friend and was very, very pleased with my first purchase from her! She was generous enough to let me host a giveaway to one of my lucky readers! Kudos to you Kellie!

{Here's the hair bow that one lucky reader will win via our giveaway!}

To enter the giveaway, simply complete the form below! We would love for you to share our giveaway with all your friends too! Be sure to come back each day and maximize your entries!! I will announce the winner on my blog and email the lucky winner on Friday, February 1, 2013!!!

Good luck to everyone! Hope you have a blast with our giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

From my front porch to yours,

Homemade Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:45:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone's MLK Day was nice and that you got to spend it with your families. I know my son was out of school so we had a fun pajama day! I had a great trip over the weekend. As most of you know, we went out of town to visit family. It was a nice change from our small town living!

The weather here was nice over the weekend {thankfully} but now it has gone back to dreadfully cold! Burrr! So, I decided to make homemade soup for supper. It really hit the spot and was amazing!

{Ingredients}

1 lb ground beef
a big can of Tomato Juice
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
1 can Cut Green Beans
1 can Whole White Potatoes
1 can Sliced Carrots
1 can Mixed Vegetables
1/2 tablespoon sugar
salt & pepper to taste

As you can see, I used mostly store brand vegetables. If you have fresh veggies left from your garden that you froze, you can just those too. You can also cook potatoes until tender and then slice them up. I used a can of whole potatoes instead because we were out and this was a last minute supper decision. We wanted something quick and simple. I just sliced the whole ones up because it was much cheaper to buy them whole than to buy the sliced ones! If you have any other favorite veggies, throw them in as well!

Once you get your ground beef cooked and drained, all you have to do is mix the ingredients in with it and cook until boiling. Then, reduce the heat and just keep an eye on it until you are happy with how well it looks! I waited until it started to boil before I added my sugar, salt and pepper. This soup is so yummy and hits the spot on a cold night!

I hope everyone has a great day and here's wishing to warmer weather! =)

From my front porch to yours,

Smoked Tenderloin & Ranch Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Happy Sunday Everyone! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week! Today, I'd like to share with you a great recipe for those who like to grill! We do a lot of grilling at our house. I prefer the grill over the oven any day! I'm also very lucky to have a husband that will grill no matter what the weather is like! We've grilled plenty of times in the snow!!

First and foremost, let me introduce you to the best kitchen tool ever! It's a Pampered Chef slicer. I love this for cutting potatoes! It works great when I make Ranch potatoes :) Yum! Yum!

This is what my Ranch potatoes look like when I first throw them into the crockpot. I normally make these in the oven but I wanted to try something different! You will need to slice enough potatoes for your family and add butter and Ranch Dip Mix (seasoning) throughout the crockpot. I normally use a stick of butter to keep the potatoes from drying out.

This is what your potatoes will look like when they are finished! If you cook them in the oven, it will take about an hour. Be sure to cover your dish with aluminum foil for oven cooking. If you fix them in the crockpot, it takes approximately 3 to 5 hours depending on how many potatoes you use! I cook mine on low until all the potatoes are fork tender. Then, you can just switch it to warm and wait until the rest of your meal is done!

This is my hubby's masterpiece! He has become quite the griller! He smoked this pork tenderloin for about 6 hours on our big grill! We use McCormick's Pork Rub on the outside of the tenderloin to give it a nice crunch! The rub holds all the flavors in the meat nicely and makes it so tender that you can cut the meat with a butter knife! Be sure you cook it with the fat side up if you are going to be placing it on the grill! A tip from Mr. Grill-Extraordinaire himself!

This is a very yummy meal and requires a little work but not so much that it is overwhelming!

Be sure to check out my Southern Sundays Link Party and link up all your southern creations!!

Have a great day everyone! I'll see you all tomorrow :)

From my front porch to yours,

You can find me linked up to the following blog hops and link parties!

Southern Sundays Link Party #2

noreply@blogger.com (Demi Spencer) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Hello to all my Front Porch Bloggers!

I'd like to welcome you to Southern Sundays Link Party!

What are Southern Sundays?

Southern Sundays are open to all things southern! You are more that welcome to come and link up {your} southern recipes, creations, photos, etc. It doesn't matter what you link up as long as it is southern or happens in the country! This is a fun way to meet new friends and show {your} southern side!

What are the Rules / Requirements?

Ok, so here's the skinny on my blog hops and link parties. I don't have many rules or special requirements in order for you to link up with me. All I ask is that you show some southern hospitality and follow my blog {as well as my other social outlets} and do the same for any guest co-hosts I may have! I also encourage you to look at other blogs that are linked up and see if any of them strike an interest to ya! If so, follow along and be sure to shoot the blog owner a comment so they know you are there! This will help our blogs grow and get your blog some new traffic as well :)

Check out {My} Kinda Party to learn more about my blog hops and link parties and to see where I'm doing a little front porch sitting at these days!

Be sure to Grab A Button and link up with my blogs and parties!

From my front porch to yours,