♥ This and That ♥

As I mentioned yesterday, my 2 and 3 year old nieces (Ellie and Sydney) were here with us from Thursday until Sunday evening.  It was bustling around here to say the least.  Busy, but fun.  :)

We played inside.

We played outside.

We went to the park, and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream.

We went to church.

And then it was time to go home.  The house is definitely quieter, but I do miss those little bundles of energy.  :)

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Next week my (grown) nephew and his wife (Trey and Shauna) are coming to spend the week with us.  We're all looking forward to it.  We have our week mapped out already!

 

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On another note, since I got my Galaxy 4 S (smartphone), I'm really enjoying it.......maybe a little too much!  I'm really loving Instagram.  To me, it's a little like "mini blogging" - pics with a few words.  So what about you?  Are you on Instagram?  I'd love to follow my blogging friends on there but I can't seem to find many!  Let me know if you are on there and how to find you, and I'd love to be a follower! (My user name is countrygirlathome).

 

 

 

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Something else that's on my mind........Pinned it, Made it! Monday.  It seems like interest in it might be diminishing.  So I need your input.....is this something you enjoy?  Would you enjoy a more general linky party that would be easier to participate in, say, an "At Home" one that you could link up anything pertaining to home/home life?  Or even no linky party at all....and just go back to general posts by me?  I value your thoughts, input, and suggestions!   And what about the Sunporch Chats?

 

What kind of posts do you most enjoy here?

 

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Oh, and Joy and I are counting down the days to being done with Algebra in our homschool.......this Friday!  That will be a day to celebrate! 

 

 

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I know today's post was a rambling bit of this and that but it's what was rolling around in my head today.  Thank you for stopping by.  Have a beautiful day (and evening).  :)

 

♥ Tammy ♥

 



♥ The Winner is....♥

Thank you so much to all who entered my blogging anniversary giveaway and most of all for the sweet comments!

I made sure everyone was given credit for the correct number of entries and.put them in a big Americana basket.

Luke's job was to mix them up really well.  He loved that job.  :)

And then Joy drew out a winner..........

And yes, you get to see here how my kitchen looks most of the time....papers (and books) end up on the bar and refrigerator quite often.  :)

Sandi....A Primitive Skate!   And I just realized that you have been on a winning streak!  Well, I think after the trials you've also had, you are well deserving!  Congratulations, Sandi!  I'll need your address, so I can get your table bench (riser) out to you!  :)

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My heart just breaks and goes out to all the families of Moore, Oklahoma that lost family members in the tornado and even those that endured the tornado devasation.  I know we can count on each other to pray for these families!

Have a great day!

♥ Tammy ♥

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 41 ~

Hello friends!  I'm a little late getting to my Pinned it Made it Monday post.  We've had my 2 and 3 year old nieces with us since last Thursday and just took them back home last night, so it's been busy around here.  :)



Today I'm sharing something that I've actually done before but this one looks different.  It's a very easy project.  If you haven't tried this yet, you should really pick out a favorite picture and give it a try!   All you need is your photo, a board cut to size, modge podge, and some paint.

The original pin:

Mommy Models Blog

I made this one as part of my mama's Mother's Day gift.  This is a photo taken 2 months after we brought Luke home from China (September 2010).  The photo was taken at the very swimming hole at East Lake where my mother played and swam as a child.  And that's Luke playing and picking up shells.  Little did she know that her grandson from China would play in that very same spot one day.  She loved it!

I gave a tutorial on a previous Pinned it Made it Monday here.  For my mom's, I used her favorite shade of blue for the edges of the photo.

So now, won't you join me today?  Link up something you've made/tried from Pinterest.  We wanna see!  :)

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Don't forget about my giveaway.......if you missed it, you can still enter here.  I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow!

 



Have a great week!

 

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Kildeer Babies ♥

Remember our mama kildeer sitting on her eggs in our driveway?   Bless her heart, she stuck with it through a BUNCH of rainy cold days.

Well, we managed to protect them from folks pulling in and out of our driveway, and we were watching them closely counting down the incubation days, so we wouldn't miss them.  I knew they wouldn't stay around long.  On exactly day 28, two babies made their debut into this world.  They chose the perfect day......a Wednesday..... because all my piano students were able to enjoy this lesson in nature with us!

Here they are not long after they were born.....being so still while being photographed by this intrusive human.

And within just hours later, they were strutting around the yard.

With their cute little legs carrying them as fast as they go, squawking the entire time and with enough instinct to get away from that lady with the camera, they hurried away in the opposite direction of me.  And then mama squawked a series of squawks to guide them back to her.

One was a little shy......choosing to try to hide from me.....

And the other one chose to high step it away from me....as quick as those little legs would go.  :)

They only stayed over night, and then they were off on their own new adventures.  :) 

What a nature lesson God provided for us! 


♥ Tammy ♥

 

♥ Uh-Oh! ♥

............This girl has a smart phone now.  :)

And bless her heart, Joy is being so very patient with teaching me how to navigate it.  :)

Jason actually talked me into it.  I have been resisting for awhile insisting that I wouldn't use it that much when I have a laptop right here.  He said oh I bet you will!  (He has an iPhone provided by his work so he's a pro already).  

Well I hate to admit it, but guess what I've been engrossed in the past couple of days?  :) 

Samsung Galaxy S4

Guess my hubby was right.  :) 

**If you're on Instagram, you can find me on there as countrygirlathome.**

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My 5 year blogging anniversary is going on until next Tuesday, May 21st.  To enter click here.   

 

Thanks for stopping by!  :)

 

♥ Tammy ♥ 

♥ Giveaway Time ♥

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments yesterday on my 5 year blogging anniversary post.  I'm so blessed to have met so many wonderful friends through blogging!

As I promised yesterday, I'm hosting a giveaway in celebration of my 5 year blogging anniversary. 

Are you ready for it?

For my giveaway, Jason made a table bench that's almost identical to the one he made for me that adorns the center of our breakfast table (which I love).  It is painted black and distressed with New England Red.

If you would like to enter my giveaway, there are several ways you can do so......And you can tell me about all the way you are entering on one comment.  I'll be picking the winner this time the old-fashioned way - drawing out a winner by hand.  :)

You will notice there are several ways to follow me on the entries below.  Sadly, Google Followers is supposed to be retiring (as in going away permanently) on July 1st.  In light of this information, I hope you'll follow me on Bloglovin and Linky Followers.  I'm not removing my Google Followers until it's gone, so I still welcome followers there (and thank you to all that already do).   Since I'm not sure which will work out best, I'm leaving both the Bloglovin AND Linky Followers options open.....thank you for following!  :)

Ways to Enter 

 

For ONE entry, leave a comment telling me you'd like to enter.

 

For THREE more entries, follow me on Bloglovin.   (button on my sidebar)

 

For TWO more entries, follow me on Linky Followers.  (button on my sidebar)

 

For ONE more entry, follow me on Goodle Followers. (This will retire on July 1st....but that's ok).

 

For ONE more entry, post my giveaway on the sidebar of your blog.

 

For TWO more entries, do a blog post announcing my giveaway.

 

 

 

A winner will be drawn and announced next Tuesday, May 21st! 

 

Oh, and if you don't have a blog, be sure and leave an email address so I can contact you (otherwise I won't have a way to contact you and I will have to draw another name).

 

 

Thank you!

 

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ 5 Year Blogging Anniversary ♥

In some ways, it feels like the time has just flown since I started blogging, yet at the same time, I feel like I've known many of you forever!  My family hears me talk about blogging friends and they know many of you by name (or blogging name at least).  I've met so many friends through blogging, some that are actually bloggers and others that don't blog but we've come to know each other through emailing back and forth.  I'm thankful for each one of you....and for your friendship! 

Today is my 5 year blogging anniversary!  My first post was written on May 14, 2008.  I look back and see that Colt (my oldest) had just graduated high school the year before (2007), so he was 18, and Joy had just turned 9 years old.  Little Luke wasn't even in the picture then.  We began the journey to bring him home from China in the fall of 2009. Wow!  It's been quite an adventure and I love blogging.  It is something that I look forward to every day!  :)

 If you would like to read my very first blog post, you can click here.

I asked Jason awhile back if he would make something for me to give away for my 5 year blogging anniversary and he has granted my wishes.  However, I can't show it to you today, because I have to put a finishing touch on it.  So please come back tomorrow for the giveaway details.  :)

And again, thank YOU for making Country Girl at Home a part of your day.  I appreciate all the visits, followers, friends, and comments!   Ya'll are wonderful!    :)

♥ Tammy ♥