Pinned it, Made It! Monday ~ Week 6 ~

It’s Monday and that means it’s time for Pinned it Made it! If you’re new to Pinned it Made it! Monday, let me explain. It’s just a time to share something that we’ve pinned on Pinterest and then actually followed through with, be it a recipe, craft, idea or whatever. It has really motivated me to do something with those wonderful ideas on my many Pinterest boards! I hope it will do the same for you. Won’t you join me this week for Pinned it, Made it! Monday?


I pinned the recipe for homemade fabric softener awhile back and I finally made the time Saturday to mix up a batch. It was really easy and it smells SO good! And how economical!  Fabric softeners are so expensive in the store!

Here’s the pin (originally from The Frugal Girls).

 
What You’ll Need:

• 6 cups HOT water
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}

What You’ll Do:

• Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
• Add the vinegar, and mix well.
• Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
• Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!

**Note from Tammy **   I couldn’t get my conditioner to dissolve completely in the hot water (maybe my water wasn’t hot enough....it was as hot as I could get it coming from the faucet), but I remedied that by pulling out my hand-held blender. It took care of those small flakes of conditioner that didn’t completely dissolve. That made it perfectly smooth!

I put mine in mason jars (just because I love them and think everything looks better in a mason jar) and tied a little raffia bow around the top because everybody knows how much ladies love our pretty packaging, right?

Isn’t that the prettiest blue?

I’d really love to see what you’ve been up to as well!  Won't you join me today?

To participate in Pinned it, Made it! Monday, here are the guidelines:

1) Just do a post about what you’ve pinned and made from Pinterest, then come back over here to Country Girl at Home and link that particular post (not your blog in general) on this post below.

2) I don’t mind if you link up more than one post….multiple entries are fine.

3) You must add my Pinned it, Made it! Monday button on your post or sidebar of your blog linking back to Country Girl at Home. You may get this button code on the page at the top of my blog labeled “Buttons”. Just copy and paste the code into your post.

4) Be supportive and visit blog entries. I do ask that you visit at least one and leave a comment there. And don't forget to leave me one here! :) We all love comments, don’t we? It’s encouraging and uplifting!

5) By linking up and participating, you give me permission to use your entry photo if I decide to feature an entry.

Just grab the button code from the top of my blog on the page entitled buttons and link your post back here.  And don't forget to sign up below!

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There’s still time to sign up for my fall giveaway, if you haven’t done that yet.  You can sign up here.  The drawing will take place early Tuesday morning (August 28th). I will announce the winner by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

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And I have another treat for you! Are you enjoying the Sunporch Chats? Well if you are, come back this Wednesday because I have another guest coming over to my sunporch for a chat!  :)  Annie is a very sweet Christian lady that I know you’ll love.  Many of you may not know her yet as I met her through another avenue in blogland, but she is precious! She loves the Lord and her family and truly practices her faith and compassion everyday and it radiates! You won’t want to miss her visit!

Thank you, my friends, for stopping by! Have a wonderful week! :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ The Simple Life ♥

The Amish and their lifestyle have always intrigued me. I admire their gentleness and simple approach to living life. I like their priorities. They serve the Lord and honor and cherish their families. They choose to live life simply. Sometimes I secretly wish I had that lifestyle. Sure, I’d miss my computer. I already know I can do without TV, because we do it, for the most part. There would be adjustments to make, that's for sure. The Amish really work, but they also take time to play and enjoy their families too.

Just this week, I found this book at the library while there for the kids and I’m taking every moment I can to read snippets from it. It is written in a manner that I can do just that…….just read a few pages when I have a few moments because it was done in journaling form by Amish families. Since it is actually journals and pictures taken by the Amish, it makes it different from the rest of the books about the Amish. 

It’s called A Day in the Life of the Amish. With wit, wisdom and unique personal photos, Amish men, women and young people share a firsthand look at life in the “slow lane”. Sixty three Amish families were asked to keep a diary – all on the same day – of their dawn-to-dusk activities.  They were given a disposable camera to use on any photos they were comfortable taking and told to send the camera back to them and the folks compiling the book would have it developed.  This book is an inside look at the hard work, pleasant play, hearty meals and devout worship of these “plain people”.

Maybe your library has it. I highly recommend it if you love the simple life, are interested in the Amish, and just want to feel refreshed about the things in life that are most important. If your library doesn’t have it, it can be purchased through Amazon.   I think you'll love it!  

If my family is reading this post now, they’re probably getting a little worried because they know how I am when I'm interested or passionate about something  . They’ll be sure that I've decided to become Amish and that I'm making plans to move us to an Amish community. Lol!  :)  But truly, the Amish with their slowing down and simpler lifestyle is something to admire and take to heart, even if we can’t live exactly as they do. They have the basic right idea, don’t you think?

Thanks for stopping by today! I’d also love for you to join me on Pinned it, Made it Monday, which I will have ready for link up Sunday night. (And thanks to all the ladies that have been participating)!

And if you haven't signed up for my fall giveaway.  You can do that a couple of posts below. 

Have a great weekend! Enjoy “the simple life”!

I'm linking up today with Elaine for Sunny Simple Sunday.

♥ Tammy ♥ 

Faithful Friday - "Yes, No, or Wait"

My days have been mixed up this week because our schedule has been different, so Friday really slipped up on me! But…..today is Friday and that means it’s time for Faithful Friday!




As I was riding my bike last night, I was reflecting over the past few months with our family.  As I was thinking, I was remembering the prayers and hopes our family has had and I just felt the Lord gently remind me that even though He doesn't always answer my prayers in the way I (or we) hope or want, He’s in control and not to worry.  And just to trust Him.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.     Philipians 4:6-7

When we pray, don’t we all desire for our requests to be answered in the way we want? I mean it would be nice to hear God answer “Yes”. But….sometimes (often times), His answer is a gentle “No”. Last week, we actually got a “No” answer. And it was a blow because we had hopes. But God really does know best. Sometimes that “No” is a temporary one, because it’s not His timing. And God’s timing is the best because He knows what’s ahead.  And because His timing is what we want for our lives, we still praise God when He answers "No". 

But you know, sometimes I think that the hardest answer I get from the Lord when I pray is “Wait”. Those are the times that I wonder what God is doing. I mean I’ve been praying and waiting a long time, Lord! What are You up to here, Lord? I feel like I’m not getting any direction as to what I should do (or not do). Those are the times that it would be nice if God just would send a big neon sign or something. (Wouldn’t that be great)? And it seems like we’ve been getting a big dose of “Wait” lately. But still even though it’s hard, we praise God in the midst of the “Waits” because we know whatever God has planned for us is much better anyway.

One thing I know, whether the answers to our prayers are yes, no, or wait, God is God. He never leaves us. He cares and He knows best. And that is what we can take comfort in and we can rest assured that we are resting in His arms. And that’s a safe place.

  Do you have something to share for Faithful Friday? We’d love for you to join us. Link up with Joy here and grab the Faithful Friday button while you’re there. We’d love to come visit you too! 

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I’m also linking up with Lois of Walking on Sunshine for Foodie Friends Friday with a recipe from my aunt’s church cookbook. It’s called Mary Jo's Potatoes.  (I have no idea who Mary Jo is.....I guess she's a relative of the lady that submitted the recipe, but I wanted to give her credit).  :)   Jason loves for me to fix this, so we have it fairly often.

Mary Jo's Potatoes

1/2 stick butter, melted
2 Tbsp. diced onions
2 lb. frozen hash browns
8 oz. cheddar cheese (grated or shredded)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. garlic salt


Mix all the above together.  Put into 9" x 13" pan and sprinkle with bacon bits.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.


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If you haven't signed up for my fall giveaway yet, and would like to do so, you can do that here.

Today is also our Airplane Day.  Wanna know what our Airplane Day is?  You can read about that here.  Twenty three years ago today, we became parents for the first time when Colt, then 5 1/2 months, arrived on a plane from South Korea FINALLY to be home where he belonged, with his family that had been waiting and loving him for so long across the miles!  That was a wonderful and beautiful day for us.  We sure do love that boy, well he's a man now.  I'm so thankful that God chose to grow our family the way He did.  That's another one of those "Wait" answers that I spoke about above.  And the "Wait" was definitely worth it!  Happy "Airplane Day" Colt!  We love you!  We're so glad you're our son!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I would LOVE for you to join me for Pinned it, Made it Monday too!  Have a great weekend!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ A Fall Giveaway ♥

Fall is coming! We’ve been having some cooler temperatures here and it’s really putting me in the mood for fall! So…..I thought I’d do a little fall giveaway and since my birthday is next week, I’ll draw out the winner on my birthday, which will be just in time for the winner to decorate in September for fall! I know I’ll be pulling out my fall decorations that first weekend in September! I can’t wait!

I’ve always liked the date of my birthday, August 28th. I have fond memories of that month……..I would get new school clothes, celebrate my birthday, get to go to the Fair, and then fall would come. And we all know after that comes Christmas. So August is a pretty good month, in my opinion. :)

Okay. I know I’ve kept you waited long enough. Are you ready to see what’s going to be included in the fall giveaway?

First of all, there’s an 11 x 14 framed fall stitchery in distressed burnt orange that reads “P is for Pumpkin…..Stitched by my hand….Autumn”. Also included is a cute little gift basket that includes cinnamon-orange spice room spray, refresher oil, and rose hips. And last of all, I’m also including two soaps from Bath & Body Works......one in sweet cinnamon pumpkin and the other in warm apple cider.  (Both smell yummy)!

To enter, just leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite thing about fall. Being a follower on Google will get you another entry. If you’d like to follow by Linky Tools also, I’ll add another entry. New followers are welcomed!  :)  And last of all, by posting about my giveaway on your blog (either in a post or on your sidebar) I'll give you another entry.  Because of shipping costs, only entries from  the U.S. can be accepted.  (I'm so sorry....wish it wasn't so expensive to ship stuff)!  

That’s it. The drawing will take place next Tuesday, August 28th, on my birthday!

And I’d like to just take this time right now to thank each and every person that visits my blog! I sure do appreciate you! I love my followers, new ones and long time ones. Thank you for the comments and for your friendship!

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Today is also my parents' anniversary, so I'd like to wish them both a Happy 53rd Anniversary!  Thanks for being a great example to me in your marriage!  I love you both!   :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Summer and Watermelons ♥

Summer and watermelons………I’m not sure we’ve ever had a summer without watermelons. It’s just one of those things that go together.

 We grew watermelons in our garden this year, and my cousin also sent a few home with us from Alabama when we were there.

Both of my boys love watermelons.

We took one to Colt because he absolutely loves watermelons and always looks forward to the first one he’s able to enjoy each summer. I could tell by the grin on his face that he was glad to see us pull up with it.

And Luke loves them just as much!

Joy even made some watermelon pops. Luke thinks she’s pretty awesome! To make them, she just stuck a craft stick in the green part of the watermelon (by pushing hard) and put it in the freezer inside a freezer bag.

I eat watermelon, but it’s not my favorite thing. I blame that on my mama.  She said she craved them when she was expecting me. Maybe I got too many of them then. :)

Growing up, I remember it being a treat during the summer, after supper, Mama would put newspaper out on the table and haul the watermelon out of the refrigerator and cut it up. We’d salt it up real good and enjoy it for dessert. And there were always the seed spitting contests if we were enjoying our watermelon outside.

What about you? Do you like watermelons? Did you grow watermelons in your garden? Do you have memories of summers with watermelons?

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Stay tuned........coming soon.......a fall giveaway in honor of my birthday!  :) 

Thanks for stopping by!  :) 

♥ Tammy ♥

Pinned it, Made it! Monday ~ Week 5 ~

It’s time for Pinned it, Made it! Monday. Won’t you join me?

On Pinterest, I have a board entitled Love to Learn where I have pinned ideas (mostly for Luke) that make learning fun. I knew when I saw this idea awhile back that he would love it. We could make a game of learning numbers using his cars. And it’s so simple. Here’s the pin from Pinterest:

I didn’t have a poster board on hand but I did have a piece of cardboard, so we used that. It’s nice and sturdy for lots of play too.

Luke added a few of his own pen marks. I think he was tracing a path.  :)

Luke knows his letters and letter sounds, but he doesn’t recognize his numbers yet, so I knew we needed to work on that. So I measured the board and marked off enough “parking spaces" for the numbers 1-10.

Excuse the sheets in the background.  We're working on our staircase and have our furniture covered.

Now you’ll notice that one side is covered. I realized that I was showing him too many at one time and that we needed to focus on 1-5 before we worked on 6-10, so I told him they were doing construction on that side of the parking lot and we could only park on this side. He was okay with that. :)

We played it many ways. I would ask him to pick a car and park it in a certain parking space. Then I would let him say which one his car wanted to park in. Then when they were all parked, I would make up reasons why they needed to leave, such as “the car parked in parking space number 5 needs to get to work”, or “that motorcycle in parking space number 3 needed to get home and get supper ready”. And so on. He never tired of it. I tired of it long before he did. And he has played with it on his own many times since!

He’s still working on 1-5, so we still have construction on the other side. But I’m promising this when he learns all of them (another pin from Pinterest): A car wash!

So what about you? Have you pinned something on Pinterest and made it or tried it? It can be anything you’ve pinned and actually followed through with, made, or tried………whether that be a recipe, a craft, a sewing project, a photography tip, a home decorating idea, organizational idea, home improvement project, exercise routine, household tips, a purchase, anything!

To participate in Pinned it, Made it! Monday, here are the guidelines:

1) Just do a post about what you’ve pinned and made from Pinterest, then come back over here to Country Girl at Home and link that particular post (not your blog in general) on this post below.

2) I don’t mind if you link up more than one post….multiple entries are fine.

3) You must add my Pinned it, Made it! Monday button on your post or sidebar of your blog linking back to Country Girl at Home. You may get this button code on the page at the top of my blog labeled “Buttons”. Just copy and paste the code into your post.

4) Be supportive and visit blog entries. I do ask that you visit at least one and leave a comment there. And don't forget to leave me one here! :) We all love comments, don’t we? It’s encouraging and uplifting!

5) By linking up and participating, you give me permission to use your entry photo if I decide to feature an entry.

Just grab the button code from the top of my blog on the page entitled buttons and link your post back here.

Thanks for stopping by today, whether you’re participating or just enjoying the pins! Have a great week!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Simplify ♥

Simplify.

I have a sign that hangs in my dining room that says that.

I know it’s not necessarily just talking about things, but more of a slowing down as a lifestyle change, and I gladly embrace that idea.  But still, it got me to thinking the other day.  Dangerous, I know. :)  One day, if/and/or/when we ever move from this house, I know we would downsize. And that led me to another thought. What pieces of furniture mean the most to me? Which ones would I absolutely want to take with me?  

Well…..this is probably number one on the list. Jason has made many things for me (for our home), but this is my absolute favorite. And, big surprise.........it’s red!  Not even sure why it's my favorite; it just is.  :)  It makes me really happy!

Second on my list would be my new Johnston Benchworks furniture, but especially my red-checked couch that I had dreamed about for years!

I’d want to take this with me, but Jason tells me a stove usually stays with the house and that it’s too heavy to move anyway…….but....... we would just have to see about that. :)  I do love my stove!

Those are probably my top picks as far as large pieces of furniture, but these two pieces would be runners up. They’re also special because Jason made them both.  It would be pretty hard to leave without these too.

Am I the only one that ever thinks about such things? What about you? What would you take with you if you downsized?  What are your favorite pieces?

And of course, let me just plug in here and say things are not the most important.  Home is where ever my family is........it's just that my brain started wandering........and then wondering........... what things meant the most to me.  :) And if I was told, I could only take so many pieces of furniture with me, then just what would I take?

I'm linking this post to Elaine's Sunny Simple Life for Sunny Simple Sunday.  :)  Elaine has a wonderful blog.....check it out!  :)

Won't you join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday?  Have you made something lately that you pinned or followed through with an idea from Pinterest?  Come link up and share it with us!  I'll have that post ready for link up Sunday night.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'm so glad to have met new friends this last month here through the Sunporch Chats and I'm always thankful for my long time friends!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  :)
♥ Tammy ♥