Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Indiana recap.... part 2

If you missed yesterdays post you can go here and read about our trip into Indiana and our first weekend home. 

So on Monday Brayden and I go up and going and drove a little over an hour to our old town we used to live in. We met up with two of my girlfriends Kristen and Gina for lunch. Kristen works at a school so she had a limited amount of time for lunch so we grabbed some Qdoba. Gina is normally off on Mondays so we were able to chat some more once Kristen had to leave. 

A funny story....when the movie Bridesmaids came out us three girls decided to have a girls night and go watch it. We grabbed some dinner first with a few drinks then had the bright idea of going to the Dollar Tree to get snacks. Everything at the theater is overpriced so we thought we would beat the system and stuff it into our purses. We were walking out of the Dollar Tree to my car and Gina lost her footing or something but the next thing I knew she was down on the ground. Kristen and I were dying laughing. This was like a laugh where tears were flowing and you couldn't catch your breath. In the meantime while she was in the middle of falling her phone dialed me. While she was down on the ground I was trying to answer my phone until I saw that it was her. We have all laughed about it so hard still to this day! 
Kristen is on the left and Gina is on the right

Once we left lunch Brayd and I loaded up and headed to his old school. His Kindergarten teacher Mrs. M was the only one who knew we were coming. She opted not to tell anyone so it would be a bigger surprise. When we walked in the front door the principal Mr. F was walking past and did a double take.  He immediately came out and gave Brayden a huge hug. 

Next up was to see Ms. G Brayd's teacher he had last year for 1st grade. Brayd knocked on the door and a kid let us in. Brayd walked right in and said "Hey guys", Ms. G was so surprised she said "Brayden is that really you"?

Right after he walked in they tackled each other

It was the sweetest thing and I had to hold back the tears. If you have followed for very long you will know how much Brayd's old school means to us. All the staff has always been so nice and always treated us like we were part of their family. 

Ms. G needed to get back to class and recess was going to happen in a few minutes. The kids asked if Brayd could come back to play with them. Of course the answer was yes! Next up we went walking downstairs to find Mrs. M. She was not in her room but heard our voices and came out and also grabbed Brayd with a big hug! 


Brayd took both of his teachers fruit snacks so they wouldn't get hungry later! HA HA He is always giving something to someone. He is the most selfless kid ever! Once we were down talking with Mrs. M other staff members had heard we were in the building and they came running to Brayd. He was surrounded by a good six staff members. Then Mrs. M asked if he had gotten to see his best friend Charlie, which we hadn't made it that far yet. So we went looking for Charlie and found him around the corner. To say Charlie was stunned is an understatement. (I am not posting his picture because I didn't ask him mom for permission). It was the cutest thing watching the two boys talk it up for a few minutes. Meanwhile the other kids in the line realized it was Brayden and started yelling out his name and waving. 

Mrs. M did not leave us while we were there. (I don't think she missed him at all! HA HA) We went back to Ms. G room for recess. The kids really enjoyed talking with Brayden. A teacher or two said they could tell he has been living in the south because he has picked up a twang. Once recess was over it was time for us to leave so they could resume class. It was so hard for Brayd to leave. He kept giving Mrs. M and Ms. G hugs and kept talking so he wouldn't have to leave. 


My family is so thankful for these two wonderful ladies. They have shaped the start of Brayds schooling and have set the pace and standard for him. They always believed in him and cared so much. I knew when dropping him off for school they treated him as if they were his mom and he was taken care of and loved. There are not many times that you can know your child is safe and protected. These two ladies are more than just teachers to us, they are close friends and thought of as family. Being a teacher is a hard job. Not only do you have to teach your lesson but you have to figure out how you can teach to 24 different students who learn different ways. These ladies are so special and I am so glad that even being gone for almost one school year that we all still stay in touch. I love that they want to stay up to date on Brayd and even write him letters so he will get his own mail. He talks about them all the time so I know they hold a very special place in his little heart. 

Once we left the school we decided to run past our old home. I had saved this for last in case there were some tears a flying. I am happy to report there was not one tear that shed. It was weird to see how the new owners changed a few things. I do have to say that I loved our first home together and it was bittersweet to drive past it and take pictures, these new owners don't keep it up as well as Todd did on the outside. I might be a bit biased too! :) 

We headed home after our adventure up in our old town. Brayd was on cloud 9 and talked about his day the entire way home. He was excited to tell my mom about his day and everyone he got to see. While he was chatting about his day I had to get ready to have dinner with some girlfriends from school. 



The girls and I decided to meet up at a Mexican restaurant in a neighboring town. These are the ladies that I had lunch with every single day from Junior High all the way to high school. We had our certain spots we sat at for lunch and we sat that way every single day. I have some of the best memories with these ladies and it was so good to see them and catch up. Of course we were friends outside of school too and would do sleep overs and what not. Once we were together I just sat there taking it all in and it was as if nothing had changed. We all just picked up right where we left off even though I had not seen them for years. I can't wait until the next time I go back home so we can get together again! 

 Kimberly and I

Brittany (left) and Courtney (right)

Tuesday was not as busy but we still had a people we were going to see. I had to help dad with a couple of things that morning first. Once I got that out of the way I went back home and picked Brayden up and took him to my Aunt Theresa's and Uncle Joe's place. Aunt T out grew her old shop so they built a new one and I couldn't wait to see it. I was so amazed when I walked into Hollies Eats and Treats


Aunt T makes fresh dog treats and cat treats almost daily. She also has custom signs made for your animals and a lot of other dog and cat supplies. She stays so busy with customers calling her and coming in. She is one of the cheapest around that boards dogs and is getting ready to bring a groomer into her shop a few days a week. She also has some customers that she ships items to out of state. If you think you need something she will ship to you! 


That evening my bestie LB came over with her kids. They were so excited to see the boys. They all played so much together and truly missed each other. While they were playing LB and I were busy making supper for everyone. You could tell the kids had worked up and appetite they ate all of their food at supper. They stayed for a long time that evening and it was hard for them to say bye to the boys. They weren't on Spring Break yet so they weren't going to get to spend much more time together until this summer. 

Monday, March 25, 2013

Weekend Recap in Indiana

I want to thank everyone who filled in for me last week! I hope you will go and check out their blogs, shops, and websites!

I am going to go back and recap last weekend in Indiana. I will be giving recaps most of this week! I had such a fun time and I was able to see so many family and friends. It was one of the best visits ever! If you follow me on instagram (linsw00) then you probably have seen a few of the pictures!


I left last Friday morning. The kids got up with no issue and Todd made us his famous french toast for breakfast. It was a great start to the day. The route we were going Todd ended up following us to almost the state line. The drive is very easy and the views are so pretty. I loved going under the largest McDonalds in the US. I always get excited when I see the arch in Missouri and then I know I am so close to home, it is the home stretch. We were able to make the trip with one stop. We got gas, lunch, and potty breaks all in one stop. It made it so much easier and gave us a little more time to stretch our legs.

Once we got into Indiana we were greeted with cold weather and my mom and dad tackling us. Once I got into the house my younger cousin Conner and my Aunt Sherry were at the house visiting. Right away I was able to see two family members and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Once they left dad went and ran errands and mom and I gave the kids a bath. We squeezed in supper in there too but we just kept it simple. We all went to bed somewhat early.

Saturday my bestie LB arrived at my house at 9:30 AM to start our day of fun! She walked in the door and stood in the kitchen and I took off and we tackled each other. We had not saw each other for FIVE months! It's always our thing when we are together she does my hair and normally she tries something new. So she used her little gadget to make my hair crimpy/beach curls and then she added a couple of braids.


Once my hair was done we decided to go hit up a movie. We ended up watching Identity Theif and we cracked up the entire time. Once the movie was over we were starving. Well Indiana was playing so we thought we would go to Buffalo Wild Wings. The game was about to start so we were going to make it just on time. Once we got there we couldn't find any seating, not even in the bar area. We decided to leave and we ended up sitting at the bar at Cheddars. We were able to watch the game and had an wonderful burger. We caught up on each other for the past five months. Then she told me about this Blackberry wine from Oliver Winery. Once we finished eating and the game was over we went to the winery tried the Blackberry and came out with 3 bottles to take back to Oklahoma.



We came home and just hung out. She had a program for her kids that night so once she left I went to bed. I ended up getting a migraine so I slept the rest of the night.

I woke up on Sunday feeling great! It was so bitter cold but that wasn't going to stop mom and I from having our girls day. We went to Terre Haute shopping. I found the cutest military jacket and mom bought me the cutest Sperry's. Once we were done at the mall we hit up Kohl's and were in there for a couple of hours. Needless to say she spoiled me and I made out!

Once we were done shopping we were hungry and had plans to meet family members at Chili's. Mom and I made it there first and once our family came they tackled us and it was the best feeling. Sadly I didn't get any pictures. My cousin Stephen and I were to busy talking and gabbing and laughing. It was such a great dinner and I can't wait to do it again and see them again! I miss them already. Stephen's dad brought pictures of my Mamaw and needless to saw the waterworks started for me. They weren't sad tears just happy tears. My Mamaw always was a special lady to me and I just miss her so much. She was so pretty when she was young. What am I saying she was always pretty!

You can catch some of my other pictures on insta. I didn't want to overload you on the first day! Come back tomorrow for my Monday and Tuesday recap!



Sunday, March 24, 2013

It Works

My husband's cousin recently started a new business adventure. So when she was talking about this I knew that I wanted to share all the great things about these products with all of you!  This is perfect right in time for bathing suit season!!! 

Tomorrow I will be back with a recap of our trip to Indiana! It was full of adventure and you do not want to miss it! 






Our wraps tighten, tone and firm. They minimize cellulite appearance while improving skin texture and tightness. They are mess free and very simple to use. Results in as little as 45 minutes and progressive results over 72 hours. Best of all, they are made with all natural ingredients ! They can be used virtually anywhere on the body such as legs, arms, stomach, thighs and chin ! Get your SEXY back in time for summer !

or contact me via email atwrapsbyheather1@yahoo.com

Friday, March 22, 2013

Bama + Ry


My name is Jasmine, nickname Bama, and I am a jewelry wordsmith based in beautiful Portland, OR. My shop combines two of my longtime passions: jewelry and writing. It's the best of both worlds, really. I have been making jewelry on and off since 2002, though I never found quite the right jewelry medium until 2011 when I was introduced to hand stamped jewelry. I have a background in writing, so the idea that I can create a beautiful piece of jewelry that literally speaks to you is enchanting. Each letter is done by hand, so it isn't a perfect art, but when you string the letters together, they form something very meaningful. I believe words are the most powerful things we have. A beautiful or bittersweet phrase is a work of art in and of itself. I try to showcase that with my jewelry.

My husband (Ry) is the other half of everything I do. While he isn't a jewelry maker himself, he is my cheerleader and my best friend. In many ways, this shop was born the moment I miscarried our twins this past February. I've always dreamt of two things: creating for a living and becoming a mother. I've learned, though, that there are things you can control and things you cannot. So, with this shop, Bama + Ry, I'm putting my energy into something that I can control. And, for the rest, I will put my wishes out to the universe and just let.it.go.

I owe every ounce of artistic ability I have to my mother. She is a talent I will never rival. Her creativity, sense of humor, and sweetness show up in my work over and over again. If my jewelry makes you think, however, that's a trait I owe to my father. If, by chance, a bittersweet saying makes you cry, that is my broken mommy heart. I am in repair, and this jewelry is a part of that.

My jewelry combines my love of words with my love of wearable art, and I want you to know that when you buy, you are supporting a real individual chasing very real dreams. Just like you. Thank you so very much. :)

My Shop: http://www.bamary.etsy.com
Twitter: @bama_ry
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bamaryjewelry


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Big Little Me Giveaway

I love that I am a mom but I am not sure how I would handle a birth for mulitples. I am so excited that I am able to team with this program. 


MBP


Multiple birth is a joyous occasion that is understood and cherished by Little Me. Understanding that expecting a multiple birth is both a magical and a worrisome time in your life; they would like to help you focus on the double, triple, quadruple… adorable smiles and giggles you’ll have coming to you times many!
Little Me is offering a “Welcome to the World” gift after your multiple child birth. To receive your free gift please register for the Multiple Birth Program.
Enjoy!

Welcome to the BIG Little Me Giveaway!

Sponsored by Little Me - Organized by Mom Powered Media

Grand Prize $250 Little Me Gift Certificate

Five winners will receive a $100 Little Me Gift Certificate

Twenty winners will receive a $50 Little Me Gift Certificate

Giveaway ends April 15th at 11:59pm, open to US residents, ages 18+. To enter please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclosure: I received no compensation for this publication. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Country Roots City Living is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact teri@mompoweredmedia.com with questions or to see your business or blog featured on the next big event!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Military Wife Life

Hi everyone! Today I'm filling in for Lindsey as she enjoys some much deserved time away!

I'm Samantha and I blog over at Hooah and Hiccups. I started my blog as a place to deal with the emotional roller coaster that began when my husband deployed to Afghanistan and to our surprise, I was pregnant!
Being pregnant is hard, but being pregnant with your husband's life on the line on a daily basis is even harder. To make matters worse, I was in the hospital twice for pre-term labor, put on bed rest, and diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. Crazy, huh? 
It was during this time that I had to dig down and reach for strength I didn't even know I had. I tried so hard not to worry my husband and to stay strong for the baby. They say babies can feel stress so despite the stress I felt on a daily basis, I tried my hardest to brush it off. 

How did I make it through the hardest time in my life? 
Writing. 
Surrounding myself with family and friends. 
Talking about my feelings. 
And praying. 

I may not be overly religious, but I do believe in the power of prayer and the importance of believing in God's plan. I had no control over my own life at the time, and knew the only way to make it through was to believe the Big Man knew what he was doing. I honestly believe I got pregnant because my husband needed a reason to come home. Our baby was that was reason. 
You can read more about our life and stories over on my blog, and I'd love to get to know you better!
Thanks again Lindsey, xoxo! 



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

Hey kids! As you could tell from my absence yesterday I am in Indiana this week! Sheree is talking about a yummy recipe that I can not wait to try!!!!


Hey everyone! My name is Sheree, and I blog over at The Hartungs. One of my hobbies is baking, and today I'm sharing one of my favorite recipes. My husband does not have a sweet tooth, and most of my baking is lost on him - except for this recipe! For whatever reason, he loves these peanut butter chocolate squares. I hope that you enjoy this dessert as much as we do!

So let's get started, shall we?

STEP 1: Gather your ingredients:
  • 1 package plain white cake mix
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 8 tablespoons margarine, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tablespoons margarine
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
STEP 2: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Using a hand mixer, beat together the cake mix, peanut butter, eggs, and melted butter. 

STEP 3: The mixture will be thick. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Reserve about 1 cup for the topping, and spread the remaining of the peanut butter mixture into the pan with your hands. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty!

STEP 4: In a medium saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and margarine on low-medium heat.

STEP 5: Once the mixture has melted completely, remove from heat. Add vanilla and combine.

STEP 6: Spread the chocolate mixture evening over the peanut butter mixture.

STEP 7: Crumble the remainder of the peanut butter mixture evenly over the chocolate layer. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top layer is a light golden brown. 

STEP 8: Let the dessert cool for approximately 30 minutes.

STEP 9: Once cool, remove the dessert from the dish, and cut into small squares. And then....

This recipe was adapted from Buns in my Oven.

Lindsey - thank you SO much for letting me guest post today!
-Sheree 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Hartungs

Hey everyone! I'm on the road traveling to Indiana so the sweet Sheree is going to tell you a little bit about herself. Make sure you come back Tuesday because Sheree is going to be back with a yummy recipe! 


Hey everyone! I'm Sheree from The Hartungs Blog. Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself  :)

When and why did you start your blog? I started my blog last fall. I'm from BC, and my husband and I live in Alberta. With all of my friends and family back home in Vancouver, I started the blog as a way to keep in touch with them. I found that I'd forget to tell them small details about our lives and our marriage, so I wanted a place where I could write about the little details of our lives. I thought a lot about starting a blog last year, and I decided to jump right in in November! I never thought that it would become a hobby of mine. I write about the dates Cade and I go on, or evenings with friends, or new recipes I'm trying. I think that months/years from now, I'll be able to look back and remember the daily lives of our newlywed years.

Describe yourself in three words: organized, genuine, chocoholic (haha)

How long have you been married? Tell us a bit about your husband, Cade: My hubby and I have been married for two years this August. He is determined, hard-working, and sincerely kind-hearted. But my favorite thing about him is his sense of humour! More often than not, he has me doubled over with laughter. I can't believe how fast the past two years have gone! I'm stilling calling ourselves newlyweds...how long should a couple be considered newlyweds? Who knows!

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time? What spare time, haha. My hubby and I are both full-time students, so we're always very busy! If I do have a moment to myself, you'll probably find me baking. I love trying new recipes and experimenting (like mini meatloaves, or mini mint chocolate fudge cheesecakes). But I don't like keeping my baking in my house - otherwise I'll eat it all! Haha. So my friends and family usually get yummy gifts :)

A big thank you to Lindsey for letting me guest post! Hopefully you stop my blog and say hello :)





S.P.D.-Life Long Friendships

Hey kids we are one day closer to Friday! I have such a busy day ahead with packing and running last minute errands! In other exciting news most of you probably have already read that Google Reader is going away as of July 1st. So that means no more GFC don't fret you can still follow me via email or see that little button on the right that reads Bloglovin, click it and follow me there too!

Today I am linking up with Katie and Steph for SPD. This is something that my bestie and I did last year right before I moved. We wanted to do something that we would always remember each other and our friendship. For the longest time I had spotted a tattoo on Pinterest that I fell in love with. I sat on it for the longest time like months and months then I decided I wanted to get it!


The bestie decided to go for her tattoo on her foot. She had a hard time deciding between this one and on other one. I really think hers turned out great. That night was so much fun too! I made her go first so I could watch how much pain she was going to be in! Mine actually didn't hurt.


I will cherish the memories we made that evening! I am so glad to have a friend like her to experience all the fun things we decide to embark on. She is a once in a lifetime friend and I am blessed to be able to call her my best friend since Kindergarten!!


Here is my original pin from my tattoo! 




Source: google.com via Lindsey on Pinterest








Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Loving, Learning, and Growing...Part 1

I've started this post delete then restarted I can't tell you how many times. Hopefully this flows the way I've got it in my head.

 I met my husband when I was 19 getting ready to turn 20. I got engaged when I was 20 and got married a month after turning 21. I met him young but the second I laid eyes on him I was literally speechless and couldn't speak. He was carrying a box into his house and asked me to open up the door for him and I just stared at him then I finally came to and looked like an idiot. We went on to eat pizza that night and then watched part of a movie. I left not long after the movie started because I wanted to play hard to get. We went on a date the next day and had a blast together. We laughed and talked about everything under the sun. He walked me up to my apartment and kissed me in front of my little sofa. That is the one and only time someone has made my legs go weak. We spent the entire weekend together. I was pretty sure the first time I laid my eyes on him he was the man I was going to marry. After that weekend I KNEW I was going to marry this man. 

We got married in July 2003. We had planned to have our moment and just us two see each other and I replay that day in my mind all the time. It was so beautiful and surreal, I couldn't believe I was about to marry my best friend. 


I don't want to come across that our marriage has been all rainbows and unicorns because it hasn't. We both got married really young; like I said before I had just turned 21 and he was 23. We still were getting to know who WE were as an adult and then we put our lives together so we had this marriage to marinate together. When people say your first year of marriage is hard they are not kidding. Our first few years of marriage was hard. We have been through so much together ups and downs. There was a time I didn't think our marriage was going to make it. 


If you would have told me then that we would end up taking a leap of faith where we would just have each other and nobody else to count on, I would not have believed you. If you would have told me that I would live apart from my husband for a few months I would have laughed. Throughout all of our ups and downs I feel this has made our marriage stronger and what it is today. We have had to rely on trust, faith,  and strength from one another. He is my teammate, cheerleader, partner, best friend, love of my life, father to my children, and my husband.


My love grows for this man every day. I am so blessed to have him in my life and to be able to call him my husband. There is not one thing that I would change about what we have been through because that has shaped us for who we are today.

**To be continued......


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Just Because...Everyone needs a sweet treat



This is not the most pretty presentation but when I went back to take a picture of it once they had cooled they were gone! This is the easiest dessert to make and it is fun to make with kids too!

Ingredients
1 can of crescent rolls
Marshmallows
Chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Coat pan with non-stick cooking spray. Roll out the crescent rolls so they are lying open and flat. Take some chocolate chips (as many or as little) and spread them on the crescent roll. Then take some marshmallows and place them over the chocolate chips. Roll the crescent rolls up so they are completely shut then bake them for about 7 minutes. Let cool then enjoy! 


Monday, March 11, 2013

Weekend Wrap Up

Hey everyone! I hope your weekend was fantastic! You will see my weekend in a recap of pictures! Did you pretties do anything fun this weekend? 

 Gannon's new UnderArmour shoes we got this weekend.

1. Fanta to make Tinto
2. DVD players for the car
3. Gannon laying on Daisy and Ollie
4. Sporting my IU sweatshirt Big 10 Champs!




Friday, March 8, 2013

My inspiration

Thank you all for bearing with me this week. I started feeling more human on Tuesday so I have taken the rest of the week to catch up on house stuff and what not. There has been so much going on behind the scene it is crazy. More on that next week. (Don't you hate when people do that and leave you hanging?)

Today I want to wish my parents HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! They have been together for 45 years and married for 39 years. Mom and dad met while mom was a junior in high school and dad was a senior in high school. Mom was working at the drive in movie theater and dad had come in. Needless to say the rest is history. They got engaged Christmas Eve of my moms senior year but waited seven years to get married. Why did they wait you ask, well dad went to college to be a school teacher and so mom worked for them to make money while dad went and got his education. 

Mom started to plan their wedding once then they decided to postpone until dad had found a job and what not. They got married and dad was hired at the school in my hometown, they spent their honeymoon in the next town with the mall shopping for school clothes for dad to start work that next week. They have never had a "real" honeymoon, I hope that one day they will actually take a real one. We've gone on vacations but they have NEVER been on a vacation with just them. 

Growing up I always knew I wanted to marry a man like my daddy. In my eyes my daddy is strong and can do no wrong. He was and still is a wonderful provider for our family. He is the man that puts himself last and mom and I first for anything we would ever need. He provided a beautiful home for me to grow up in. Him and mom showed me what a marriage and true love really is. I am not saying that they have a perfect marriage where they never fight but I can say I never heard them fight or remember them fighting when growing up. I do remember them showing me what unconditional love is. 

I've been taught to pick my battles with my significant other. I have also learned that marriage is hardwork and it takes teamwork with open communication amongst many other things. I hope that I can grow old with my best friend and have something half as special as my parents do, if I do then I will call that a success in my book! 



I love you mom and daddy! I hope you have a wonderful Anniversary!