Alive and Kicking...catching up.

I am still here.

Alive and kicking.

It has been a very long time since my last post....

All that talk about posting more now that summer is here?

Bologna, I know.

This past summer went by in a blaze of glory.

Gone as fast as it came.

As I sit here on the eve before the new school year starts, I am trying to recount the days.

While I can't quite sum it all up into a really exciting and entertaining post, I have been able to gather a list.

A list that may explain my lack of posting....even justify it.

Here it is....
a list...with a few random thoughts thrown in.

--I completed a very satisfying year of work for the first time in a long time.  I'm so grateful for my job and the wonderful people I work with.

--I am recovering from illness and thankfully on the mend....

I am now however finding out that I am arthritic before even hitting 40....

seriously, really.

--We had a wonderful camping trip in the begining of summer vacation.

--A few visits to the beach...not as often as I would have liked but we were there

none-the-less.

--Even after I was on the mend, I continued to neglect my blog and made a point to stay off the computer entirely and focus on the most important things in my life, taking care of my health, devoting time to my family and making precious memories with them.

--My father has continued to recover by the Grace of God.  He is sprouting hair like weeds.

--My daughters best friend was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Lukemia on the day my father was cleared of his cancer.  Yes the lord does work in mysterious ways.

This has been eye opening for my family...we love our childrens friends like family.   My daughter has had a lot of emotion to work through this summer. 

--A fundraiser was held for her and her family, it was amazing to see people come together in our community.

--We redecorated my daughters rooms, because they are growing up too fast, and it was quite hard for me to pack away some of their childhood memorabilia.

--A few college visits for my oldest.

--Celebrated July Fourth and my fathers recovery with a LARGE family party.

--We have torn apart our bathroom and are in the slow moving process of renovating it....

not fun, not fun at all.

--Experienced tremours from our first earthquake.

--We gathered family inside our home and waited out hurricane Irene, that decided to show up along with a few tornadoes....and thank god we were mostly untouched by it.

--Add in a few days in between of floating in our pool, swimming in the creek, chasing fireflies, planting a few garden beds...and that pretty much sums it all up. 

It went by too fast.  I wish we had more time.

Now it all has come to an abrupt end and we're moving into a new season. 

It just so happens to be my most favorite season of all.

A new school year begins tomorrow and I will be back at work.

I am a little melancholy this year.

This school year

My oldest will be starting the first day of her last year of school....a senior.

and

My son will be starting his first day of his first year of school......kindergarten.

Our middle child will be moving into 8th grade.

 

It is all a little bittersweet.

But we are all alive and kicking afterall!

If you've stuck with me then thank you!

I should have a post to share soon.....
I won't say when, but soon.

I hope you all are well!

Take care,
Dee

Tag You're all it!!!

Well hello there Bloggin' Friends

I just wanted to check in with an overdue post....

I have been given Two Sunshine Awards this past month and I would love to recognize those sweet gals who sent me them.  I was offline for the past couple of weeks and then my daughters birthday came up so quickly I had to put her special birthday post up, so I am overdue on a  thank you post, lol. 

First, my sweet friend Linda from Prairie Flower Farm sent me one,  and then I received another from Toni over at The Tattered Cottage.  Thank you both for the award, I appreciate all of your kind words and the time you take to come here.  I also appreciate the beautiful posts that you put up on your own cute blogs and the inspiration you give to me as well. 

I love all my bloggin' buddies, thank you gals!

Now I understand that I have to choose a few people to pass this award on to.  I just don't think that I can follow that rule though, I'm sorry.  While I have graciously accepted this award I want to give it to all of my readers.....I can do that right?  How could I not?

Your visits do bring me Sunshine, and it's even brighter when you take the time to comment! 

So, I am putting the button up here for you all.  I'm sorry if this isn't a part of the rules....

I hope not to upset anyone.

I'm grateful for all of my followers, you all bring me sunshine!

Answered Questions (also overdue)

??????? 
on BLOGGING....

It is funny sometimes, blogging can be such a fun and creative outlet but alot of work goes into each post.  It is very time consuming too.  I don't know how people are able to post every single day or even every couple of days for that matter, it takes me a long time to complete a single post.

I have been asked by several readers if I would be posting more frequently, I thought that was so sweet, but the answer is not really.   I have a family, The Mercantile, a part time job (one day a week), and a house to run so that is not practical for me to do at this point in my life, I just couldn't fit it in any more than I already do and still have fun with it. 

I am sure there are people out there who can....so whats your secret gals? 

Perhaps someday but right now that all takes precedence. . 

I was also recently sent an email by a new follower, Deb, asking for tips on starting her blog. I have been asked similar questions by a few others as well so this post is to answer those questions and a few others.  

 Well, I have to start out by saying that I myself have only blogged for a year now and there are so many more qualified bloggers out there to answer that question but I will certainly let you in on how I run my blog and perhaps some of my readers would like to share some of the things they do to keep their blogs updated regularly and how they continue to post? 

The first thing that I have to do in order to come up with a post is find inspiration.  I for some reason feel that I cannot complete the lengthy task of posting without something truly worthwhile posting about (I hope my readers agree) for instance, a holiday, a milestone, a new fleamarket find or makeover, etc.  If I find a recipe that I like I will tuck it aside in my minds filing cabinet and make a post around a particular recipe or find a recipe that goes into that post.  I don't always include a recipe either.   I don't know what it is but I think that the post might be the backdrop for me.  I hope that makes sense.  There are some great blogs that I read that have recipe blogs as well and I get some great ideas and recipes from them, I guess I just don't feel qualified enough as a cook to post a recipe each time only the tried and true ones I know are good, does that make better sense?  I pick my topic as most people do and run with it really.

Once I have found inspiration I have a notebook that I jot my ideas into.  Remember your english teacher telling you to brainstorm?  That is what I do.  Well creative writing 101.....I have found my inspiration and then I brainstorm from there, whatever comes to mind for me when I am thinking on a particular topic or subject.  Brainstorming can come at any given time too....online at the food store, half-time at a soccer game, while brushing my teeth, shower! 

It's hard to tell the deli clerk that you didn't notice him calling your name because you were thinking how a post on your newly painted flea market find would be a great idea, mmmm, hmmm lil nutty I know!  I have a small notepad I jot things into when that happens, geesh you would have thought I worked for the press hehe, but if I don't jot it down right then and there it will be lost forever since my life moves in fast motion for the most part!

Sometimes posting is all about a feeling, for instance the joy of baking with my young son, or a craft I have completed with my daughter, the melancholy you feel when your child has hit a birthday....oh boy!  Those are simpler posts, things, feelings, and times that I want to remember.  I started this blog as an online diary afterall, those are the things that are closest to my heart and I write about those things first when the opportunity arises. 

Like most bloggers, I take alot of pictures, when something looks pretty; like my tomatoes growing in the garden or the twinkling lights on a christmas tree, clothes drying on the line and flapping in the breeze My neighbors secretly  think I'm crazy, I'm sure.  You would you think the lady next door was loopy too if you saw her following her chickens around with a camera like they were in a fashion photo shoot....mmmmhmmmm!   Anything for the ol' blog though, hehehe!

Sometimes the pictures are the inspiration for a post and sometimes they are just a part of the story.  I also have a collection of vintage images, postcards, books, photos that I like to put into my posts to tell the story, they are like another type of medium to me. 

As far as comments on my posts, well sometimes they are there and sometimes they simply aren't  Sometimes people are too busy.  I don't keep a counter on my blog to see how many have visited, if they want to stop by then they will.  Dont get me wrong...the comments are of course the icing and 

the icing makes the cupcake sweeter, lol. 

There are a few people I know who tried to start a blog but gave up because they thought no one was reading it... don't give up!!  I think that if we post for ourselves first and then share it with others, if they like what we have to say we will hear some feedback most of time and if we don't well then how nice to have recorded it for ourselves and our family to look back on.  Being kind and considerate to others is very important and I don't want to sound selfish when I say that I like presenting something I really enjoy to others and getting positive feedback, but even if I don't I have to find the joy in the process anyway.  That is just how I look at it. 

I understand how easy it is to get wrapped up in just reading and catchin' up on blogs, believe me I could sit here all day reading them if I had the time to but I don't.  You're probably just about fed up with the length of this post already lol!!  I have a few I check in on with my morning coffee most days.  It changes every day but with some I have gone a few weeks before having the time to really read and absorb them the way I want to due to lifes schedules.  Sooner or later I will find a little time to myself and go back and catch up on all the posts I've missed.  Sometimes I will go through a whole month's worth of posts and feel compelled to comment, I like to put my cents in too, maybe a little late, but it's there! 

Having word verification on my blog may inhibit some from making comments but it is there for a reason.....
It is really only a matter of typing in a few letters/numbers to verify...that is your choice, I like having it.

I would have to say that one book I think has helped was Blogging for Bliss.  There are some great tutorials in there.  I have also learned so much in the past year by trial and error on how to manipulate my pictures, enhance them and group them...I would in no way be able to teach anyone because like I have said I am an amateur...trial and error.  Don't be afraid to try, and try again.  Good luck to you gals, I can't wait to read your entries and I hope that I was of some help to you.

????????

And a few other questions I have been asked by readers...

The pot rack in my kitchen is actually a shelf from an old wooden shoe rack from an old shoe factory.  I picked it up at a festival for a song, put wrought iron eye hooks into it and hung it from my kitchen ceiling by some wrought iron hangers. 

The door on my kitchen pantry is really a screen door and I painted the Fried Green Tomatoes on it, my favortie movie.  Since the picture was taken it was moved out to my garden though.  I changed the pantry into more of a baking center and will be putting another screen door on, with another saying on it...still thinking on it though.

The quilt hanging in the upstairs landing is from Gooseberry Patch.  I purchase it about two years ago, I'm so sad they aren't selling their goods anymore, but I am still a huge fan of their cookbooks.  So, no I didn't make that quilt, it was purchased.  I wish I was that talented, lol!

My pictures are taken with a Kodak EasyShare Z650 I have had it for several years now.  I think it takes decent pictures but I am only an ameteur and still learning how to use it after almost 3 years lol.  I am just now learning how to use a few programs to enhance my photos, amateur though.

My signs are literally painted at my kitchen table....I am working on finding an inexpensive (fixer upper)shed/outbuilding currently so I can have an out of the way area to fill my orders.  During the holidays they are literally on every flat surface in my house....oh the memories my kids will have of manuevering around signs! 

Yes, my front screen door does slam!  It is creaky and it's the real deal....wood.  All the kids let it slam too, doesn't bother them one bit, you should here it going all summer long, it probably could make someone nuts, I don't mind it (too much) though.

 I know I have been asked several more questions in email and in comments so I will be answering more of them soon.  Anything else I can answer?  I don't want anyone to think that I am ignoring their questions or emails....thank you for taking the time to ask. 

Sharing Some News...

I have openend an ETSY shop for Farmhouse Mercantile.  It has been up for a little while, I am a little cleared out now but I will be adding more signs soon.  You can also search for me as Farmhousecountrygirl.....be sure to HEART me, lol!!

I also now have a Facebook account, I would like to try updating that more frequently between posts with news on the Mercantile or my blog..or whatever inspires me! 

You can search for me on FB as Farmhouse Dee....

Well I am off to finish my next post and I will hopefully get it up in a few more days.   I have some Links and blog buttons to add to my sidebar as well, if you have one let me know. 
I will be putting up a page of my blogging neighbors soon
(see the top pages, they're currently under contruction, but I have plans!)
 

I wish you all wonderful Springtime weather!

Take Care,

Dee

It's my Party! A Giveaway and GBP!!

 My one year Bloggin anniversary party that is!

Yes, yes, it is belated, I know. I turned one when my puter' was down and

I not going to let that steal my thunder though, oh no sireee sir.

Being a whole year old, I have gained so many blessings since starting this blog. I love to read blogs, I follow so many of them but it took me a couple of years to finally decide to start one of my own.

When I decided to start my blog, it actually began as something for myself, something I could look back on in time, like a diary. A diary I could be creative with and make it exactly (most of the time) how I wanted it to look. I always enjoyed writing and picture taking so this would be another creative outlet for me.

I must confess that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing and have learned through trial and error.....many errors! I knew that I wanted to write about life in general.  Holidays, the kids, the house, the garden etc. things that go on each day in our lives.  The funny thing is I wasn't sure that anyone would read what I wrote or why they would want to, but that was alright too and I decided I would not hold back because I wanted to do it, regardless.

I decided that if anyone wanted to come by I would be so happy and welcome them with open arms and if not, it was something I enjoyed showing to friends and family afterall and

we would enjoy it.

But it turned out that you all did come, and that made doing it so much more special. I love reading your comments, I get so excited when I log in and see that someone took the time to do so, really I do! Ask my kids and hubs, I get this excited giggle whenever there are comments on posts! Like a kid who just got a sweet treat.

Now I realize that it is so much more fun to blog when

there are people reading it!

What I have learned in one year's time...

There are some wonderful and encouraging women out there who share supportive, caring and kind words with one another.

That you can share when your washing machine has held your clothing hostage,
complain and they still come back.

You can vent about a magazine and they agree with you and vent too.

You host a party and they'll come with bells on.

You can be sentimental about your children growing up and everyone gets it.

Your online friends also get excited about your fleamarket finds almost as much as you do.

You can take them on field trips with you and they don't get bored.

They aren't sick of looking over picture after picture of your decorations.

They encourage your to do list that is 2 miles long.

You can show them pictures of your breakfast and

they get say it looks yummy.....

They will still read your posts even with the mispelled words and

gramatically incorrect sentences....Oh my!  You can even make words up, lol.

~~~~~~~~

Lets have cupcakes at our party shall we?

In fact.....

This blog of mine is

like a cupcake to me.

It is a little treat that I give myself and
oh so sweet!

And.......

You are all the icing on that cupcake!

You make doing this even more fun for me.

So I've decided that I would host an appropriate giveaway for

My One Year Bloggin' Anniversary!

~A Cupcake Sign~

along with a few other surprise goodies of course!

 

I just ask that you are a follower and leave a comment below. You can have more than one entry by linking to my blog and this giveaway and another entry if you have my button on your sidebar.  Giveaway closes on March 31st.
Winner will be announced on April 1st.
Please check back then to see if you have won,
so you can claim your win!

More exciting news to share....

I got a surprise email earlier this week from one of my

FAVORITE COMPANIES...

Gooseberry Patch!

Farmhouse Country Style is the Friday Feature Blog this week!

So head on over if you have a spare moment to check out the link...

http://gooseberrypatch.typepad.com/blog/2010/03/ff-farmhouse-country-style.html


Thanks for all of your sweet comments and
for coming back again!
I have so enjoyed the past year, I've met some really wonderful people online and even chit chatted with alot of you through email, alot of you have become customers through my sale blog
Farmhousesignshop@blogspot.com

I have a few more plans for my blog this year, hopefully I will get them up and running soon...you'll have to check back to see what transpires though! 

Now go have a cupcake, we're celebratin' here!
xoxo

Take Care now,
Dee

I need your help blogging friends!

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner but I need your help!

Well not me exactly but a good friend of my daughter's....there is a young man she is friends with and he is trying to win a scholarship for college. They are running out of time and I am sure once you read this young man's story you will understand why we are all working tirelessly to vote for him.

**This is now closed, thank you to all of you who voted for our friend, I appreciate your help and the time you took!**

Bobby is a Semifinalist of the High School Football Awards.....a big accomplishment so far. You can read his full story on the link below and there is a video that you can watch too. This sweet young man has overcome some tragic obstacles in his life and is working on a great future, he wants to become a police officer or teacher.

My daughter has spent countless days voting for him with a group of friends and family, I am so proud of her dedication to helping her friend out. My middle daughter has also been running home from school to vote for him as well.  Please take the time to vote for him, it would mean so much to me. You can vote as many times as you like! Of course the more votes the better! Once you go to the link you can click on stories, images, video to get an idea of who this young man is. Just click on the red VOTE button, you will have to put in a verification code and it will tell you if it went through or not. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time than helping a deserving young man out with his future!  Thanks!

Take Care,

Dee

My Most Favorite-ist Blog...Ever...

My Most Favorite-tist Blog

...Eva!

***My Very First

Giveaway too!***

Ok....Here it is girls...

Holla- Farmhouse sistas!!!

I have to give credit where credit is due....and Miss Ruthie it is for You!!!

((sorry, that was so corny, I know....))

I decided that it was time to put it all out there and exclaim my all time favorite blog to the world.....Warm Pie Happy Home, (SugarPie Farmhouse) of course!

It all started way back in the fall of 2007....

At that time I didn't even know what a blog was til I stumbled upon Aunt Ruthies blog...Warm Pie Hapy Home. I was searching for some thanksgiving decorations and up came these cute lil pilgrims and indian figures in my search list. Up popped cute little pictures of these figurines dancing around on Miss Ruthie's kitchen counters...oh they were so very cute and I wanted them, but wait, what is that...oh, do you see just how cute the rest of her kitchen is...oh, there's more pictures...oh my, should I be reading this? This is someone's home...Is she writing to a dear friend and had I an unsuspecting visitor have stumbled upon this personal message she sent to them? Too tempting. I must read it....personal message regarding blessings from god? How beautiful and uplifting...Oh wait she's offering pie too???? I scratched the web address onto a piece of paper and shut my puter down for the night.

The next day I asked my puter savy hubby what is a blog hon? Hubs- Oh just something people do, like an online diary of sorts? Me-"Is it personal, like can anyone read them?" Hubs-"No, silly if it were personal do you think it would be on the internet?" Me-He,he. (now giddy over the fact that I was allowed to go back for some more pie :o) ) "Guess not silly!" Off he went to work and I jumped back onto my puter to find that cute blog. We'll over the next few (yes) hours I went over and over her blog and read all the previous posts and oooohhhed over her pictures of her home. I loved her style and could see that we shared a common thread in decorating our homes with a lil whimsy...

The message that she sent with each post was so very uplifting, positive, reassuring, and loving. I could see that this woman was on a mission! I hopped off the puter so refreshed by her messages and dedication to her family. Every day from then on I would check her blog while drinking my morning coffee. Miss Ruthie's blog became part of my morning routine....what a day when there was a new post to read...oh, heaven! Always, I walked away from my puter feeling so refreshed and ready to get to being a better homemaker and mother! The funny thing about all of it was how often she would send a message that seemed to tailor fit just what I needed to hear that day or week....gotta love that!

I want to share, with you, her blog because I truly enjoy it as so many of her other followers do that post on her new Sugar Pie Farmhouse message board (wheww that was long!). She started a sisterhood where women from all over post advice, positive messages, recipes and most of all friendship, all with a common likeness for Sugarpie Farmhouse. Before I knew it, Aunt Ruthie inspired me to start a blog of my very own and she was the first person to leave a comment on my blog! I couldn't do another post without mentioning all of this!

Every woman I have come across in this lifetime would love

and truly benefit from her blog.

Now......
At risk of being a total copy cat, geesh! I have to tell you that she has the cutest lil' stove in her kitchen and from the moment I laid eyes on it....I wanted one! Yup, I'm a poser and I don't care who knows. From that moment on I made it my mission to "get me one of those".

Well, about a year ago, I was finally able to locate one...I walked into an antique store off the beaten path and low and behold there it sat in all it's rusty glory my "Lil chef oven"! I had been searching for it since I first saw it on WarmPie in 2007. I was afraid to take my eyes off of it, fearing someone else would spot my treasure (even though there were only 2 other's in the store) and steal it out from under me. I played with the little knobs, opened the oven door to find all the pots and pans left behind from the little chef that once played with it long ago. Turning it around I couldn't find a tag anywhere on it....Oh no what if it is simply out of my budget? Could I contain myself and stay in control.....would I? Reluctantly, I pulled my eyes off of it for a second checking back only once as I approached the dealers counter. I tried to hide my excitment and as casually as I possbily could I said "how much are you asking for the rusty old stove there in the corner" as if I didn't like the fact that it was used and old. Hmmm, he said, I'll take $12 dollars for that one, it has been sittin for sometime. Oh glory! I wanted to jump up to the ceiling instead I cassually muttered an "Ok that'll do." I handed him the money and hit the road, me and my lil stove.

Once home, my hubs asked what in the world I wanted an old childs stove for....Are you kiddin me, I exclaimed, look at this baby! Ummmm, can you say ADORABLE! Gleefully, I reached into the lil oven door and pulled out all the utensils a little chef could possibly need. I imagined the chubby little hands that must have touched that stove with the same excitement I felt....only then it was shiny new. I loved the imprefections on my lil stove..bent burners, lil rust spots and another dent or two and it would stay exactly the way I had found it. I gave it a wiping down, and placed it on my counter.

Don't you know that lil stove still attracts children even in it's old age now and is played with often by my two younger children? While making dinner we slide it to the edge of the counter on particularly crazy nights and as a treat they get to play with it. It is a great distraction for them while I make their dinner. My son makes dinner in the little pots and pans and bakes it up. He takes good care of it and knows that it must sit where I place it and go back on the counter when finished. I love my lil stove!

There is also the subject

of my kitchen pantry...

If you see Miss Ruthie's pantry you will know that it is worth bloggin about! It is huge!

I have a much smaller version that I have in my kitchen. I had spotted the screen door on the pantry long ago in an issue of country living and placed it into my LOVE THIS binder (more on that in another post) I knew that I would be putting this up in my kitchen, but Miss Ruthie inspired my shelves for sure.

They remind me of the kind you would find in an old General Store. This area of my kitchen once was a little used baking center now better used better suited as our pantry to house all of the food you try to stock up on when you have a family of five.

Not to mention the cute

chalkboards, chore chart's I made and recipes...

All inspired by Aunt Ruthie!

Now, with all of that said, I have to tell you one last time that you must see Aunt Ruthie's blog and Sugar Pie Farmhouse forum if you haven't yet had the pleasure. I bet you'll be happy you did.

I want to show you something that I have made in celebration of Miss Ruthie's Blog and sugarpiefarmhouse.com, as I stated in my about me profile section of my blog, I make country signs and this one was made especially with her in mind. This is a rather plain sign done in an antiqued cream and red to go with alot of different decors. The giveaway is for the sign only.

If you do follow my blog and like this sign, please leave a comment on this post below. I would like to know about your most favorite blog and why it is your favorite. I will hold a drawing on June 10th for this giveaway...picking a follower's name out of a bowl. I will announce the winner on June 12th.

Of Course, Miss Ruthie if you are readin' this, by all means, let me know! This sign is a gift for you as well....no comment needed!

Go get some pie girls and enjoy your day!

For SugarPie Farmhouse, click below.

http://forums.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/index.php?act=idx

Take Care Gals,

Dee

Thank you to the Sugar Pie Farmhouse sistas!

I have to say thank you to the Sugar Pie sistas who helped me to customize this blog....and I even logged in for the very first time I tried without a problem!! Whoo hooo! Wow things are really lookin up for this here blog of mine! I am so pleased with the background that I found on the scrappin blogs site....there were soooo many to choose from and the directions on how to use them were so very detailed and easy. So, thanks to all of you who took the time to answer (what I thought was) a silly question on how to customize a blog....I am now over my embarrassment of my computer illiteracy. I am on the path of righteous learning! Let the posting being at Farmhouse Country Style! Let me know what you all think of this new background if you can...

First Blog Entry Ever

Okay, here it finally is. My first official blogger entry ever...I have been a dedicated blog reader for quite a while now and I am wondering just what it is that I will be posting in my very first entry. I should start off by saying that I always look forward to reading my favorite blogs the way I anticipate the latest release of my favorite magazines each month. I get refreshed and energized from them with new ideas. the pictures and articles are really motivating. When I log into these blogs after a couple of days (sometimes weeks) I am even disappointed when there are no updated blog entries that occur from time to time when one is off living their life. Yes, this is my stay at home momminess I find my blog reading to be an indulgence right up there with eating chocolates, I enjoy it. I am a pretty simple person and easily pleased. It is the little things that make me a happy girl.

Now, with all of that said, I have to explain my intentions for this blog of mine. I hope to make this a sort of online diary of the things that I love, and even some of the things that I don't love so much. I think it will be neat to be able to go back into my blog a year or two from now and read an entry from a particular holiday or even a regular ordinary day and recall what it was that inspired me to post about it. Remembering how I decorated my Christmas tree that one year with all of those handmade ornaments that took hours upon hours to complete (yes I have done this several times and not didn't even take a picture before passing them to a friend). There was also a few parties I had for my children that would have been so nice to be able to post about, the fairy tea party for my middle child, S.L., all those handmade fairy wings and chocolate wands or the cowboy party for my son, J.D., when I made those goody bags of cowboy cookies and we crafted sheriff stars. Yes, I roll like that. I hope to also post some simple things in my life that I greatly appreciate. My daughter doing homework silently at the kitchen table, painting my kitchen a new color, a great recipe that I tried and loved. All the things that I like about the blogs that I read myself.

Well now that I have rambled on for two paragraphs, I will try to get up and runnin by posting a few times a week...we'll see how that goes with a family to run.