tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51523780980518950202026-10-25T18:45:24.369-04:00April's Country LifeCome join me in the country as I navigate life as a working mom with an array of critters, kids and husband in tow! You'll find a little of everything - food and parties, kids and craft projects, gardening and outdoor fun, a top-to-bottom house renovation, family and traditions, community and women's issues. Grab your boots and let's get to it!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.comBlogger451125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-54928893592009923522015-07-17T14:01:00.000-04:002015-07-17T14:01:03.070-04:00Farmers Market Friday - Meridian Township Farmers Market
Welcome to Farmers Market Friday!
On this sunny Saturday morning, my daughter had a conference
at Michigan State University which gave my little buddy and I an excuse to
visit the nearby Meridian Township Farmers Market (right behind the Meridian Mall in Okemos, MI) after we dropped her
off.
Both of my kids love to take photos
and actually have a good eye for Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-81967318703264763122015-07-03T11:36:00.000-04:002015-07-03T11:36:00.749-04:004th of July Roundup - Fast Food and Fun Projects
Hosting a last minute get-together for the 4th? A roundup of easy finger foods and simple projects to keep kids entertained! Start with this Blueberry Sparkle Punch - just use red, white and blue sugar crystals to rim the glasses!
Herbed Goat Cheese Cracker Spread
Smoked Salmon Cracker Spread
Finger Foods - use star-shaped cookie cutters!
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-23731075154890529752015-07-02T10:29:00.000-04:002015-07-02T10:29:00.890-04:00My Pinterest Pallet Garden - Year 4
Pallets are all the rage for projects the past couple of
years and my pallet garden has been one of the most visited posts on my
blog. Inspired by a drought, overgrown
field, lack of time, and yes, Pinterest…my pallet garden is still working very
well for me and my over-committed life four years later.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3 (sadly I never got around to a post about Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-42256171667002801472015-06-24T10:22:00.001-04:002015-06-24T10:22:51.193-04:0020 Things to Look for at Michigan Farmers Markets this SummerAs I did not have a chance to get together a new Farmers Market Friday post for you last week, I wanted to share with you this great rundown of Michigan farmers markets. Our own local farmers market has added a new night on Thursdays in conjunction with their summer concerts - I'm hoping to be able to stop by and see my regular "egg lady" and give you a tour!
20 Things to Look for at Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-1808465036820412262015-06-09T14:21:00.001-04:002015-06-09T14:21:22.937-04:00Dining Room Update
This dining room has come a long way in two years. All the way from this...
You can see the beginning of the transformation here. It’s one of those rooms that I only had a
partial vision for and I didn’t really have much to put in there beyond all the
dishes I had stored away. My old dining
room in the other house was too small and really non-functional so we Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-42032197811123423372015-06-08T16:18:00.001-04:002015-06-08T16:18:56.886-04:00Hutch Makeover
It’s only taken me about a year and a half to complete the
hutch remake that I started when we first moved in – that’s not too bad,
right?
At some point in the home renovation process we lost some
momentum – and some inspiration – and finishing some of the design touches were
put aside as we just lived other parts of life a little more fully. I’ve been inspired recently Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-51145541391710669022015-06-05T16:22:00.000-04:002015-06-05T16:22:02.331-04:00Farmers Market Fridays - Nelson's Farm Market
It’s Friday and it’s June so welcome back to Farmers Market
Fridays!
I had the excuse a few weeks
ago to make a day trip that took me past a Farm Market store that I have often
admired
but never had the chance to stop at.
I had some extra time so I stopped for a quick tour and even though it
was really early in the season, I still found some Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-36493806954382566672015-05-02T11:30:00.002-04:002015-05-02T11:30:34.129-04:00eBook Winners!
Good morning, dear readers! I just love these little signs - and the fairy too - that I found visiting a farm market yesterday. Words are a powerful thing and it is a great gift to our children to share powerful stories that teach empathy with our children.
My children have a great love of stories - both written and told - and they thoroughly enjoyed the messages in "Candy and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-86073449099871933552015-04-30T09:59:00.000-04:002015-04-30T09:59:45.715-04:00Last Day for Giveaway Entry and a #TBT Cupcake Recipe
Today is the last day to enter this giveaway for a free copy of the fun children's eBook "Candy and the Cankersaur"! This is a low entry giveaway and I have 10 copies to give away.
Entering is easy - just sign in to Rafflecopter with your email address or Facebook account. Then you have up to 5 options for entering - pick one or enter multiple times. Options include Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-68850202101810984512015-04-14T11:39:00.000-04:002015-04-17T12:46:27.242-04:00Children's eBook Review & Rafflecopter Giveaway!
I've got 10 free copies of the adorable children's ebook "Candy and the Cankersaur" to give away! This cute tale of a bored little girl, her busy dad, her jealous neighbor and her pet dinosaur was a big hit with my 6 year old son. He loves using the Kindle and reading things with his big sister so he was super excited to check out a new story. While some of the words were a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-51217380879895551682015-04-13T16:37:00.000-04:002015-04-13T16:37:29.200-04:00That Chronic Condition Called “Busy”
“Please can somebody
play with me?” came a sweet, soft little voice from below me.
It had been a really hectic day.
The kids and I had been late getting out the
door that morning and as soon as I dropped them off at before-school program I
was stopped on the wrong side of the tracks by a really long, slow train.
That’s about the time I realized I didn't
have Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-54613277681509402622015-03-17T17:13:00.000-04:002015-04-03T09:00:34.276-04:00We Didn't Celebrate St. Patty's. And Its OK
We didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day today.
We didn't even wear green clothes.
No green food. No green hair.
No special themed snacks and goodie bags to take to school to share with their class.
I have no cute, smiling, happy green pictures to share.
In my younger mommy days I would have felt horribly ashamed to neglect my children by not celebrating such any holiday. IAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-20743965029582769132015-01-25T09:06:00.003-05:002015-04-03T09:00:14.897-04:00Living with Intention in Relationships
I remember being small and often visiting an elderly couple
who always had an awkward silence between them.
They never referred to each other in terms of endearment. They never touched. They rarely looked directly at each other. Their recliners were side by side with a
small table between and it might as well have been a brick wall.
It was not the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-61058398151339511602015-01-15T10:45:00.000-05:002015-04-03T08:59:53.534-04:00Living with Intention: Part 1
One of my absolute favorite quotes that I have repeated to myself a million times over since I discovered it when I was a teenager!
I’m here! Happy very belated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year – ouch has it really
been that long since I’ve posted?! If
you follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Google+ then you’ll know that I’m still
alive and sharing content on those Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-85839232986667003562014-09-26T12:06:00.005-04:002015-04-03T08:59:09.313-04:00Binder Park Zoo Trip
We are lucky to have great zoos of all sizes in Michigan. One of my favorites is Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. I've been to this zoo several times and it never disappoints. My children's schools and daycare usually take annual field trips so I try to make that one of the field trips I take with them.
On this field trip, we started out with a special up close Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-63133960906962599982014-09-25T10:06:00.003-04:002014-09-26T12:12:40.812-04:00Where does the time go?
The past month has flown by and here is a little of the insanity that has been keeping me distracted... First, there was the start of school...including the usual round of appointments that go with lining up all the paperwork and health appointments, yadda yadda.
Then there was this whole birthday deal which involved glamping - yes, that is a birthday invite shaped like a tent. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-43958859857460340122014-09-09T16:29:00.000-04:002014-09-26T12:12:55.406-04:00Happy Birthday to My Baby Girl!
It's amazing how fast life moves.
Really, it feels like just a blink sometimes.
One day not so long ago, we were going through the roller-coaster of emotions of trying to get pregnant.
At 34 weeks, in the middle of the night, I started bleeding and having contractions with a terrible fever.
After a terrifying week in the hospital Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-33339428135588096352014-08-29T12:50:00.001-04:002014-08-29T12:50:59.940-04:00Farmers Market Friday
Happy Friday! It has been a really long couple of weeks around here so I am so eager for the long weekend at home. Of course, the project list is a mile long but I have been distracted with the mission of putting up all the seasonal goodies that are abundant (and free or close to it!) this time of year.
Tomorrow the kids have requested to hit the local blueberry patch one Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-53397126872955124212014-08-25T13:52:00.003-04:002014-08-29T13:00:40.833-04:00My Baby is Moving On
Today, this little guy graduates preschool.
With a lot more hair,
a pair of dimples that only come out when he gives his most charming grin,
and an awesome sense of humor.
He's pounds heavier,
feet taller,
knows a lot of big words
(and a couple naughty ones, bad momma),
is sweet and caring,
and is super smart.
He's still my snuggler and loves to Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-55249806257930740102014-08-22T16:17:00.000-04:002014-08-22T16:17:02.508-04:00All Dogs Go to Heaven
RIP Apollo
October 2002 - August 18, 2014
On Monday we laid to rest our friend.
Our guardian.
A king.
A giver of kisses and receiver of hugs and tears.
A lion who defended his family.
One of our first babies before our human babies.
A silly goof and cuddle buddy.
The best babysitter.
Our tears are not yet dried.
We still Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-51574424875807771062014-08-15T15:36:00.000-04:002014-08-29T12:57:44.771-04:00Farmers Market Friday
Here in Michigan, this is the best time to start hitting the farmers markets.
Nearly every community has one and there is the widest array of ripe produce available at this time.
On our recent trips we have scored golden beets (which we had never tried before), a variety of lettuce, red raspberries, honey, eggs, baked goods, rhubarb, blueberries, peaches, apples, tomatoes,Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-11769752679197114422014-08-14T15:17:00.003-04:002014-08-29T12:57:25.456-04:00Trying to Re-Balance
Part II…click here for Part I
We spent this summer catching up on the fun things and
re-balancing life.
Sitting around the
bonfire with good friends, new and old,
and talking about our country lives and
telling stories of our youths.
A weekend
at the cabin getting to know new friends better –
with a dozen happy, dirty
kids sifting through the sand Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-24974668412548420832014-08-12T14:05:00.003-04:002014-08-29T12:58:10.689-04:00What Blog?
I have certainly been neglectful this summer.
Life has come at a dizzying pace
and I have
been doing my best to just stay upright.
And to work in a little fun when we have that moment to breathe.
The kids stuck with us during a hectic (long, boring for them) summer of house
renovations last summer so we finally delivered on our promise
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-52523219624678555132014-07-02T14:09:00.001-04:002014-08-29T12:58:31.340-04:00Please Respect Veterans When Using Fireworks
While you celebrate this
photo credit: sunsurfr via photopin cc
Don't forget about this
photo credit: Truthout.org via photopin cc
Growing up, the pyrotechnics at our family gatherings were something we all looked forward to and there are many funny stories - well, funny because no one got really hurt. Like the time we were sitting on the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5152378098051895020.post-19003137354098199882014-07-01T06:30:00.000-04:002014-08-29T12:58:50.202-04:00Summer Party Recipe Roundup
Are you still looking for goodies to impress your 4th of July crowd? I've rounded up a few tasty recipes sure to be a hit whether you are feeding your own family, hosting a party or need a fabulous potluck dish.
Blueberry Sparkle Punch
Dip the rim in a mix of white sugar, red and blue decorator sugars!
Strawberry Butter Fluff Dessert
Citrus Bars
Brown Sugar Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13365337032512997277noreply@blogger.com0