Get Back Up

On a daily basis we all struggle with our own amount of difficulty, whether it be financial, relationships, emotional.

Tomorrow is always a new day. And with each new day we all hope it brings bigger and better times into our life.

Tomorrow is 2009!!! Happy New Year.

We all have that feeling of the new year is a new start, a new beginning for us. We hope the coming year we'll see our dreams come true.

In those down moments when those dreams don't seem to be working out just the way we'd planned, we need something to bring us back up.

Please watch the YouTube video in this link. I think it will help us all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MslbhDZoniY
Thanks for visiting,
Tammy

Pssst...God....I am so Thankful...

I don't know if it is age or if it's my nature but I find myself thanking Almighty God for anything and everything I can think of. I don't go around looking for things to thank him for.

For instance, I had a house full of kids tonight. It was loud to say the least. Instead of pulling my hair out and being upset, I sat there thanking God that all these kids were together and they were creating a tight knit family.

My sister-in-law and my brother were at the hospital. Her grandfather isn't doing well. So, their 3 kids and my 3 kids were all here. They range in age from 3 years old to 18 years old!!!

It started out a warm day where the kids that wanted to go outside and play could go out. The ones that didn't want to go out helped make Christmas candy and cookies. We spent the afternoon making a mess of the kitchen and loving every minute of it.

Then, for the first time I can ever remember my husband sat down with the kids and they played monopoly. I took that chance to set in the other room and grab a moment of peace!! During this moment of peace I became overwhelmed with the love that was in my house.

I am thankful for all the noise that is in my house. For some day all these beautiful babies will be grown and live in their own homes with their own noise and my day to day noise will be gone. I am thankful to have the noise as long as it can possibly be here.

The other three kids have gone home now and all three of my kids are in bed. As I wind my day down and settle in to hear the now cold evening beat on my windows with the sleet outside I am thankful to God for this day.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tammy

Hard Winter?

This past week we had an odd experience. We had had a squirrel in our attic since summer and could not figure out how to keep him out.
WELL, last weekend my dad and my nephew were sitting here and my nephew looks at me and says, (with no expression) "There's a squirrel in your living room."
I said, "No, there's not."
He said, "Yeah there is. I just saw the bushy tail."
There definately was a squirrel in our house. It started freaking out and running over furniture and under furniture and went from the living room to the kitchen and freaked out in there. He ran over top my computer monitor about 4 times and I said, "Dad, he's going to tear up my computer."
My dad opened the door and it finally figure out how to get out.

We built an addition on our house several years ago and life took hold and we never got the ceiling in the bedroom finished. It was only insulation. That's how the squirrel got in, in the first place.

We have since tried to close the two places where it keeps getting into the attic. We've tried twice and it still figures out how to get in.

The same day a neighbor across the street had a squirrel in her basement.

The weekend before my dad had shown me a picture of a friends camper closet. They live in campers because they work road construction. They were cleaning and had gone to the closet to get the vaccuum out of the closet and found a large pile of nuts. Then while cleaning under the bed they found nut shells. They too have had a squirrel in their 'home.'

Does anyone know if this is a sign of anything? I would say it's going to be a cold winter and the ground will freeze up enough the squirrels won't be able to get their nuts out. But has anyone ever heard of this being a sign of anything?

Thanks for stopping by,
Tammy

Weekend Family Fun

This past Sunday we took our Girl Scout troop, 4 Brownies(8 yr olds), 3 Cadettes (15yr olds)and 1 Senior (17 yr old) to Abe's Corn Maze in Springfield, IL. We had a blast.
The questions in the maze were all about Abraham Lincoln. It was not only fun but absolutely educational. I learned a few things myself.
The younger girls and the older girls had a blast. It was something that was not expensive, lasted a few hours and a great time.
Thanks to the iWorship Center for putting together a corn maze in the area.
For more information go to my previous post and click on Abe's Corn Maze. I'm sure you'll have a great time.
If you go on a Saturday there are other festivities as well.
Thanks for stopping by,
TAM

Local Fall Events

Fall Events

Beardstown, Illinois

September 27th & 28th 2008

Free Shows Sunday Lady Antebellum

Fulton County, Illinois

Astoria, Bernadot, Crafters Corner, Smithfield, Lewistown and more.

October 4th & 5th and 11th & 12th

Pike County, Illinois.

October 18th & 19th

2008 AUMC 3rdA-MAZE-ing Corn Festival

Auburn, Illinois

September 20--21 and September 27--28

Saturday: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday: 12-noon - 6:00 pm

Springfield, IL

Weekends In October

Saturdays 10AM - Dusk

Sundays 2PM to Dusk

Fall Events

Ever wanted something to do on fall weekends but didn't know what was going on in your area? You can help us get those activities listed. Please send us an email letting us know what's going on in your area. It doesn't have to be in Illinois. We hope to build a large database of as many states as you will send us. It can be a craft show, fall festival, annual flea market, burgoo, etc. send us your goings on info@jklcountryprimitives.com or info@countrylivinglifestyle.com

For the most up to date event listings go to http://www.jklcountryprimitives.com and click on Fall Events

Country Barn Star

Americana Barn Star-----/-----Antiqued Barn Star
12" $17.97 -----/-----12" $17.97
18" $20.99-----/----- 18" $20.99
24" $29.97 -----/-----24" 29.97
36" $43.97 -----/-----36" $43.97
42" $49.97-----/-----42" $49.97
48" $57.97 ------/-----48" $57.97
53" $91.97 -----/-----53" $91.97
69" $114.97-----/-----69" $114.97

Looking for a hand made barn star for your indoor or outdoor decorating needs.

We have the perfect stars for you. These are proudly made right here in the USA. They're available in 12", 18", 24", 36", 42", 48", 53", 69" Click on the image or the size to see more information.

Thanks for stopping by,

TAM

The Simple Country Life - Playing in the mud :-)

I just enjoyed life yesterday afternoon. I put my work hat away and put on my mom hat and just enjoyed it.
It was raining and my 3 year old decided to play in the rain/mud hole!! Then my 15 year old and her friend decided to play in the rain.
I remember when I was a child it used to rain often. Now the rain seldom comes without a thunderstorm and lightning.
This was a simple rain. The temperature was just right. Those kids had mud from head to toe and I really enjoyed it. I was at peace watching my kids run around the yard and throw mud at each other. The mess didn't bother me. This is what real life is all about.
Take time to watch the mud fights. Too fast they grow up and turn into people like me; they grow up to WORK. The play time is over. The things that make great memories are over unless you can take the time to watch your kids play in the mud.
Play in the mud today!!
TAM

Work to Live NOT Live to Work

I find my self living to work so that I can make a living and everyone else can live. Does that make sense? Each morning it seems I think about this phrase, or however it actually goes. I want to work so that we can live a full wonderful life. But I do find myself living to work. I don't want to work all the time but the ends don't meet and I can't find a way out.

I have been on the Internet for about 6 years or so. At first I just played like everyone else. Then I decided I would take a course in Medical Transcription. I did. Then I realized I had to have two years of in service before they'd let me work from home. Well, I'm going to work from home. That's just the way it is.

So, I found a wonderful woman that would let me work from home. I started out transcribing things for her and for odd jobs she needed taken care of. There wasn't much work to be had but I got what was there.

As time went on her business grew, new employees were added and I became the Virtual Assistant for her company. I love being a Virtual Assistant. But it doesn't pay well enough to where I don't have to transcribe. So, I'm a Virtual Assistant and a Transcriptionist.

Before all this I ran a full licensed daycare. I liked the kids but the parents are something else. Your day is not over when they're off work. They want to stand around and talk or even worse, sometimes gripe about the way you're not 'raising' their kids for them.

That's when the Medical Transcription course came in. I wanted a way to stay at home with my kids and still provide for the family.

Since the Virtual Assistant pay isn't enough for me to simply be a VA and spend time with my kids, I'm transcribing. But that's hard on your arms and your back and your neck. So, I still run a daycare as well. I only have my sisters kids but still, they're here.

I decided that I wanted to build an online business. Finding a niche was hard. Just because I like something or think something's important doesn't mean more than 10 other people feel that way.

I was, and still am, selling things on eBay. I have a wholesalers license. It's hard to sell on eBay because there's always someone else that will sell it cheaper than I will.

I opened an online store for my Tshirts that I was selling on eBay. I thought, heck, I can sell on eBay, I surely can sell online but not have all those high eBay fees.

Well, that didn't work out very well. I'm having a hard time coming up with the money to drive traffic to my store.

Then one day I had a brainstorm. I REALLY love country living. So, I decided I would build a membership site all about any kind of information imaginable about Country Living and put it all in one site on the Internet. Again, driving people/traffic to my page smoked that idea for now.

So, I decided to sell Country Primitive decor items. I haven't had any sales on that site but am slowly learning to drive traffic there.

Back to the point. As you can see, I am virtually working 7 jobs just trying to Work To Live. But in turn it causes me to Live to Work. Is there ever a happy medium? Do people really make money online? What am I doing wrong?

The 7 jobs I'm talking about are, Daycare, eBay, VA, Transcriptionist, Online Tshirt Shop, Online Country Living Membership Site, Online Country Primitives Decor. This doesn't count home schooling, Girl Scouts and family.

I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. It's my fault I want to stay home with my kids. It's simply the way I want to do it. I do not want anyone else raising my kids. God gave them to me to raise. I will be here for them.

Is there really a way, in my situation, to work to live and not live to work? Does anyone have any answers for me or even moral support because you're going through the same thing?

I get so depressed because I feel like I'm trying to make money for my kids and family but don't really get to spend any time with them. What sense does that make. But quitting is not an option.

I'm not a quitter. I've often thought about quiting the eBay and the online stores. But one day that could work out and I could be able to stop the rest of these jobs. That would be wonderful.

I'm not above working 8 hours a day. Heck, I work about 14 to 16 now. 8 hours a day would be a blessing for me.

I've not had time to watch TV for about 4 years now. Not that TV is important to me but that's where my family is and I'm in here working.

Okay, my rant is over. I hope your day goes well. God will help me out in one way or another soon, I'm sure.

If you like country primitive decor, stop by my store. You could find the one item you've been looking for. www.jklcountryprimitives.com

Thanks for your time,
TAM

Country Decor

JKL Country Primitives has about 30 new items listed now.

Snowmen, Scarecrows, Christmas, Crows, Americana, Stitcheries, Sheep, Fall

You can take a look at www.jklcountryprimitives.com.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tammy

Looking for something to do on fall weekends?

Ever wanted something to do on fall weekends but didn't know what was going on in your area? You can help us get those activities listed. Please send us an email letting us know what's going on in your area. It can be a craft show, fall festival, annual flea market, burgoo, etc. send us your goings on info@jklcountryprimitives.com

Check the newest listings at http://www.jklcountryprimitives.com/country_primitives_local_events.html

Here is what we have so far.

Illinois

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fall Fun Festival Beardstown, Illinois

Parade Saturday morning.

Lots of food, crafts, rides for the kids.

Free entertainment provided by

Lady Antebellum

September 27th & 28th 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spoon River Drive

Fulton County, Illinois

Astoria, Bernedot, Crafters Corner, Smithfield, Lewistown and more.

October 4th & 5th and 11th & 12th

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pike County Color Drive

Pike County Illinois

October 18th & 19th

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Website Taking Shape

Come visit us at www.jklcountryprimitives.com. We have many new items listed. The site is really taking shape. Handcrafted in the USA is very important to us. If you enjoy country or primitive decor and made in the USA is important to you, come take a look for yourself. We have many more items to get listed. I just talked to the lady that makes the hand made soaps and candles this morning. We hope to get those listed very soon.
Here is a list of what we have to offer at this point.

~ Seasons ~ Fall ~

Just A Simple Pumpkin

Sunflower Door Greeter

Punkin Wagon

Miss Kraggle

Happy Pumpkin

Candy Keeper

Prissy Kitty

Harvey and Scratch

Chester Pumpkin

Tall Pumpkin Box

Fall Scarecrow Greeter

Scarecrow Shelf Sitter

Happy Harvest Shelf Sitters

Happy Harvest Scarecrow

~ Outhouse ~

Toilet Paper Outhouse

~ Home Decor ~

Birdhouse Wall Hanging

Birdhouse Plant Stand/Bench

~ Snowmen ~

Patches

Jack Frost

Americana Fat Snowman

Americana Snowman

Snowman Welcome Ladder

Snow Kids

Warm Hearts Snowman Wall Hanging

Country Snowman

~ Saltbox ~

Lighted Dairy Barn Saltbox

~ Americana ~

Americana Checkerboard

Uncle Sam

Prim Freedom for all Flag Wall Hanging

Prim Pledge of Allegiance Stitchery

Primitive Waiting For The Troops

Stacking Bench Set

Sheep Set

Uncle Sam Crow

USA Flag Wall Hanging

Uncle Sam Wall Hanging

Star Candle Shelf

~ Misc. ~

Primitive American Alphabet Stitchery

Primitive Bless Our House Stitchery

Country CrowPrimitive Blessings Sheep

Primitive Star Sheep Set

~ Christmas ~

Holy Family

Primitive Angel With Crow

Rustic Angel

Primitive Stocking Ornies

Primitive Mitten Ornies

Candy Cane Annie

Noel Candy Cane Ladder

Chrissy Ornie Collector

Santa and Black Crow

~ Winter ~

Snow Annie

~ Kitchen ~

Country Kitchen Sitter

Fall Country Primitives

Are you ready to decorate your home for fall? JKL Country Primitives has what you're looking for. We are adding new items daily. Check back often.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tammy

JKL Country Primitives

I've spent the day working on the buy buttons for JKLCountryPrimitives.com. I think I have it figured out!! So, with the grace of God everything that I have listed will have buy buttons. And hopefully I'll find the time to get even more listed by then, as well.

Come on over to http://www.jklcountryprimitives.com and take a look around. We will have something for everyone soon.

Newest Items Added:

Americana Snowman ~ Birdhouse Plant Stand/Bench ~ USA flag wall hanging.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tammy

New Items at JKLCountryPrimitives.com

We have new items at JKLCountryPrimitives.com
And we're frantically working to get many more loaded onto the site. I am adding new things daily and many, many more to go.
If you're looking for country, primitive, snowmen, americana, rustic, raggedy, crows, and many others, JKLCountryPrimitives.com is your answer. The list is endless and we're working as fast as we can to get them listed for you.
Stop by and have a look and check back often.

You can send us an email at info@jklcountryprimitives.com if there's something you've been looking for but don't see it in our store or if you just want to tell us what you think.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tammy

JKL Country Primitives

http://www.jklcountryprimitives.com/ JKL Country Primitives is a reality!!!

I have been working hard all week to get my website put together. Yesterday I purchased the domain. I'm still waiting for the hosting to switch over so the website will actually show up. But by Tuesday all the technical stuff should be finished and the website will be up and running.

YIPPY!!!

We have been working with 3 people, so far, who make hand made items; country, primitives, soaps and candles. And once I get this site up and running, I'm going to get to work making more items to add to the site.

With God's grace this will be a wonderful website for you to find all your favorite country and or primitive items. We are working hard to make sure we add the items that you want on the site. If there is any that you've been looking for but cannot find, we'll do our best to find it and get it added to our site.

We will even have a monthly giveaway! Come check out the site!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tammy

JKL Country Primitives

I've been very busy searching high and low for the best country primitive items to put on my website. I'm hoping the website will be ready in the next week. There will be new items added weekly. There will be a monthly drawing for a free gift. It's exciting to be able to find the products that I know people are searching for and put them all in one spot. I will post the website link as soon as I get it up on the web.

In the meantime, you can send an email to me at info@countrylivinglifestyle.com if you've been looking for an item for your decor that you just can't seem to find. I'll do my best to find it for you and get it on the site.

Thanks for stopping by,

Tammy

Decorating in Americana Style Decor

The Americana home style is considered a country decor. The Americana style decor refers to the fact that you can feel the American spirit that you proudly display. Your patriotic senses come alive in the display of the red, white and blue. The hand made items are meant to rekindle the feelings and memories of days gone by.

The red, white and blue color combination can be found in a multitide of Americana Home Decor items that range from curtains and mantle vingettes to candle sticks and bird houses to wagons and stars to hand made quilts and wall hangings to word plaques and lamps to baskets and crocks. The possibilities are endless.

There are two types of Americana decor, Traditional and primitive. The traditional colors are burgandy, navy and tans. The primitive decor includes burgandies, dark greens, navy blues, stars, barn wood and checked patterns.

Want to turn your decorating dreams into reality?
Home Decorating Made Easy Click Here!

Hand Made Curtains

I have looked for months through all the country magazines to find the perfect curtains for my Americana living room. I would find one and then think about it and find another one. Then I would think about it some more. I would always want two different elements from two different sets of curtians.

Did I want valances or long curtains? I wanted one and my husband preferred the other.

So, I found a solution. I'm going to make my curtians. I think I've made every pair of curtains that have been in my home. Either that or I got them at a yard sale!!

So, we're going to have long curtains with a valance at the top. They're going to be small checks, maroon and 'dirty' white and I'm going to applique dark blue stars on them.

Once I get them done I'll post a picture on my blog.

I'm going to make curtains for my daughters room too but they're not country! They will be a neon flower pattern. She picked it out. It won't be country but it will be cute for her.

Does anyone else make their own curtains? Why do you make them? Is it the cost? Is it the style that you can't find, like me?

Thanks for stopping by the country.
TAM

Country Living at Hummingbird Ridge

I visited this beautiful country home this past weekend where this lady makes hand made lye soaps, soy candles and tarts, lip balm along with other items.

She calls her company Hummingbird Ridge. Her name was Linda Drinkwater and she enjoys making these items and sharing her knowledge of the all natural ingredients in them. She travels around to craft shows and markets, selling her items. She thoroughly enjoys hearing the stories of the people that buy from her. She says that people talk about when their grandmother made soap. It makes her feel good to bring those memories back for them.

She showed me her garden where she grows her own corn, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and more. She also showed me the herbs that she grows in another little place on her property.

I saw the hummingbirds swarming her hummingbird feeder and thought about the tranquility her home creates for her.

She told me the story of her country business. She takes her time, doing research to make sure that her customers get only top quality all natural ingredients in their products. Some of the herbs that go into her soaps are grown right there on the Hummingbird Ridge farm.

While spending the day with Linda I asked her about selling her products online. She said she had tried a time or two but didn't know much about using websites and the like. She said that her time was better spent researching and working on making the products themselves. I would really like to help Linda and Hummingbird Ridge expand her business to the Internet so that even more people can enjoy this wonderful woman's products.

Very soon I plan to have a place on my website where you can purchase Hummingbird Ridge products. Check back on my blog often to get the link to the store. The woman, the company and the products I was lucky enough to have experience this past weekend are too good to keep to myself.

What does Country Living mean to you?

Country living means different things to each of us. To me it means enjoying nature and the simple life. It means taking notice of the things God has created for us to enjoy. And it means Americana and cabin or cottage decor.

I would like to know what it means to you. Go ahead and drop us a line with a little caption of what country means to you. You can leave a few lines or an entire story if you'd like.

Here is just a small list of the things that come to mind for Country Living.

Americana ~ Quilts ~ Rustic ~ Stars ~ Baskets ~ Antiques ~ Crocks ~ Gardens ~ Fresh Cut Flowers ~ Harvest Tables ~ Fireplaces ~ Log Homes ~ Rocking Chairs on front porches ~ Barn Siding Furnishings ~ Candles ~ Curtains ~ Cedar ~ Crafts ~ Hardwood Floors ~ Hand Made Lye Soap ~ Grandma's Recipes ~ Washboards ~ Antlers ~ Bird houses ~ Benches ~ Old Ladders ~ Braided Rugs ~ Canning ~ Harvest ~ Shutters ~ Black and White pictures ~ Cedar Chests ~

Taking Country Living To The Next Level

Whether you are in the stages of making your home country, moving to the country and want help decorating it or you live in the country and you want to know how to make something easier, faster, or work more efficiently, I'm setting out to answer the questions every Country Living person wants answered.

But I have a problem. I'm not 100% sure what you want to know. So, if you send me your questions and comments I can get you the information to help you take country living to the next level.

Send us a question or comment to info@countrylivinglifestyle.com or post it on this blog and we'll get the information you area looking for.

Thanks for stopping by,
TAM

Building a Cabin from 100% Recycled Material

I read an article in the June/July 2008 edition of Mother Earth News last night about a couple from South Carolina that build a Cabin from Recycled Material. It is a small cabin that is very 'simple' looking. But it looks like 'home.'

They got the 4x4s and the 6x6s from their barn, just lying around and that they dug up from old fence posts. The stud walls came from old lumber torn out from a previous remodel.

They wanted the old rustic, brownish, fresh-cut lumber look but had no idea how to acquire that look. An man down the stret was tearing down an old barn and told them they could have what they wanted. They even traded lumber for the floor joists, which are 2-inch thick tongue and groover pine boards. Even the steps are recycled.

They furnished it with items they had already purchased form yard sales.


Let me know what you want to see in my blog. If it's something that you can't seem to find I'll find the information for you.

Drop us a line at info@countrylivinglifestyle.com

Thanks for stopping by,
TAM

Country Living Weekends

Sitting in the back yard with a large glass of iced tea, soaking up the breeze on a hot summer day is what comes to mind when I think about country living weekends.

Weekends are a time to relax and a time for the country living work that needs to be done. The gardens need tending, the chicken fence needs mending. The laundry needs washing and hung on the line to dry. The rugs need taken outside and beaten clean. It all comes with the lifestyle.

What comes to mind when you think of a country lifestyle weekend?

Thanks for stopping by,
TAM

Sled Riding

When I was a little girl we didn't have much money but we sure had a lot of fun.

I remember when it would snow and we would wait until it was dark and take a car hood and hook it to the back of the truck. We would get blankets and put hot cocoa in a thermas and go sled riding.

The best memories I have are from living in the country. I have lived in town now for quite a few years and I long to be back in the country. I don't care for the snakes but love the peace I feel when I'm in the country.

My dad still lives in the house we were all raised in. Many times when it's someone's birthday we'll go back to the family farm and have a wiener roast. It may not seem like much to many but it's everything to us. We have wiener roasts just because we want to be in the woods.

Country life is much simpler yet much more full of life. The finer things in life are experienced in the country.

We'd love to hear your country stories and memories.

Thanks for stopping by,
Horsebratt

Country Living Decorating

What makes a home look country?

To some it is sunflowers and roosters. To others it's antlers and fishing. To others it might be apples and bird houses.

A country home is really what makes you feel country. That's what's so neat about decorating your home with a country theme. It's what's in the mind of the persons living there.

There are so many different styles to decorate your country lifestyle. Here's a list of just a few.

- Sunflowers - Apples - Chickens - Roosters -

- Americana - Antlers - Fishing - Bear -

- Moose - Canoes - Antiques -

- Bird Houses -Grapevine and Twigs -

And you can decorate just about anything you can think of...

- Mailbox - Sheets - Curtains - Rugs - Walls -

- Wall art - Suncatchers - Lamps and Lampshades - Dishes

- Canisters - Clocks - Salt and Pepper Shakers -

- Silverware - Crocks - Tablecloths - Shower Curtains -

- Toothbrush holder - Soap Dish - Soap Dispenser -

- Pillows - Throws - Table Runners -

- Mantle - Quilts - Old Wooden Crates -

- Dish Towels - Cookie Jars - Candles - Candle Holders -

The options are endless. If you have a country home picture you'd like to share with us we'd love to see it.

Thanks for visiting our blog today.

Horesbratt

Mayonnaise Cake!!

While trying to figure out what to post to my blog today I was thinking about when I was young and we would go to the neighbors house and we would all bake. The main thing I remember baking with Edith was Mayonnaise Cake.

If you've never eaten Mayonnaise Cake I'm sure you're saying YUK! It is definately one of those things where the expression 'don't knock it until you try it' comes in.

About the neighbors: Wayne and Edith Cameron lived about a quarter of a mile down the road from our house. They were brother and sister and I think the only children left from a big family. They lived on a corner in this huge farm house. I remember the bushes in the front of the house. They surrounded the front porch. They were bleeding hearts, if I remember correctly. I remember the huge barn on the family farm. They were elderly and we all really enjoyed going to their house and baking with Edith.

EDITH'S MAYONNAISE CAKE

4 tbsp Cocoa rounded, not heaping

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Water

1 cup Miracle Whip

2 cups of Flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Baking Soda

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Optional: Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar after it cools.

Personal Note* I do not like Miracle Whip at all. But, I love this cake. Try it and let me know what you thought of it. It is the most moist, delicious cake you'll probably ever eat.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Horsebratt (TAM)

Country Living Lifestyle Website

I wanted to share with you a picture from the loft of the cabin we stayed at in Missouri. The ceilings were lined with cedar. The smell was so fresh and clean like nature. It truly took us to a place we'd never been, yet a place we felt completely at home.

http://www.countrylivinglifestyle.com

Here is the link to my coming website. I am currently working on building a page for you to ask me what you want to know about most when it come to country living.



Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was one single place we could all go to find the information we so desire about country living? A place where we can truly give you the answers you want without the time of searching all those pages on the internet?

I am working on an email address that I cannot seem to get to work. But you are welcome to let me know what you want to know through my blog. Tell me what you want to know, see and learn about country living.

Once my site is up and running I'll continue to post to my blog and will have a much better idea of what you really want to know, see and learn.

Thanks for stopping by,
Horsebratt (TAM)

Stained Glass 6 Pane Window Country Craft

I have spent some quality time looking through magazines at what I want to decorate my house like/with.

I ran across this gorgeous old window that was made into a decoration. You take the wooden frame of a 6 pane window. There were stained glass hearts, one hung in each pane. It was really nice. Does anyone know how hard it would be to make one of those?

I've ran across several things that I think could very easily be inexpensive do it yourself projects. I haven't hooked my scanner up to the computer yet but will do that soon and hopefully put some of those projects on my blog for everyone to see. And hopefully other people will send pictures of other country crafts that would be inexpensive and easy do it yourself projects.

Thanks for visiting my blog.
Talk to you soon,
Tam

Decorate Your Home Country

How To Decorate Your Home Using The Country Home Decorating Style

How To Decorate Your Home Using The Country Home Decorating Style

Author: Jude Wright

There are many styles of decorating one's home. One of the most popular ones today is "country home decorating." Country home decorating involves a casual friendly lifestyle, much like the country lifestyle is often about.



To make your home reflect country home decorating, you should have each room of your home incorporate the theme. The main elements of this theme are the following:



- Using harmonious colors that do not clash with each other in your rooms, which helps to make the whole scheme come together.



- Achieving balance with the main pieces of furniture you place in your rooms;



- Carefully placing each piece of furniture so that the purpose it was made for can be fully utilized and you gain the most benefit from owning it.



You want the rooms to exhibit simplicity and restfulness, much like what the country life revolves around. This is why you should only have the pieces of furniture in a room that you truly will use. You also should not use many colors. In addition, the color scheme you use should be based on the same family; you should not mix shades, as this will totally distort the image of country home decorating.



Your home should also provide an atmosphere with quality objects that have good shapes and color-combinations. You should take your time in furnishing your home with the "right items," as rushing on what items to put in your home will likely lead to wrong choices and wasted money. After some time, you'll learn what pieces of furniture and furnishings you aren't using, and can therefore get rid of and replace with pieces that have colors and shapes that are congruous with your room's theme and are provide a more useful purpose.



You should make sure that the lighting fixtures and picture frames all blend in well with the style of furniture you furnish your home with. You should also hang appropriate pictures that match up with your furniture style as well.



It's very important to have a unified theme when you're decorating the interior of your home using a country home decorating style.



Another main element of country home decorating is that warmth and charm are evident in all the furnishings. Using natural-tone furniture, like oak or pine, constructing your floors from natural wood, flagstone, or tile, and using wood blinds or cafe curtains with checkered or floral patterns can help show this element of warmth and charm you'd expect to find in a country home setting.



Other main elements you want to emphasize in your country home include comfortable sofas and recliners, open fires in fireplaces, many books, and the lighting where you have as much sunlight as possible during the day and many lamps that provide good reading light at night.



A country home emphasizes simplicity, balance, good harmony amongst all the furnishings of a room, and the warmth and charm that such elements bring to the room. Using natural-toned furniture like oak and pine and natural substances to create your floors, like natural wood or flagstone, will also add to the country home atmosphere. When these elements are combined together in a pleasing manner, you'll experience the country warmth, charm, and tranquility in your home.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/how-to-decorate-your-home-using-the-country-home-decorating-style-411549.html

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Log Cabin Living

We recently took a vacation to Missouri to float the Current River. We stayed in a cabin off the beaten path called Hidden Haven.

With all the technology of today, cell phones, televisions, computers and fast paced life this was a piece of what God intended life to be like.

It's truly relaxing to be in a place like a country home or cabin. It gives you time to slow down and really enjoy the finer things of life like nature and each other.

I welcome you to share your country living stories with us. Send us your country pictures if you wish.

Thanks for visiting. I hope to hear from you soon,
Horsebratt (The nickname my daddy gave me when I was a tiny child)