Yummy! Root Beer Floats

Good Morning Everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone had a good Christmas!! I want to share with you a quick and easy recipe for making root beer today. I never knew it was so simple until I found a bottle of McCormicks Root Beer Concentrate at my local Wal-Mart when I was shopping for Logan's birthday. I have just been waiting for the perfect time to try it out! Last night while we was cooking supper could not have been a better time!

Via McCormick's website

You can find the concentrate in in the same area of your local grocery store that has the vanilla extract and things of that nature. The bottle isn't very big, but it doesn't take much to make a liter of root beer. I think I paid close to $7 by the time I bought the concentrate and Club Soda. It's pretty cost efficient! 

Here's what you will need to make
Homemade Root Beer:
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Root Beer Concentrate 
1 bottle (1 liter) Club Soda     




Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add concentrate; stir until everything is mixed well. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Slowly add Club Soda to root beer mix until well blended. 
*Makes close to 6 cups.



That's it! Now, you have some yummy homemade root beer! It smells wonderful and is very tasty! We would have done the Root Beer Floats, but ours didn't last long enough to get to the ice cream part. If you plan of making some to drink and making some for floats, I suggest buying more than one bottle of Club Soda! The kind I bought was only $1 so it wasn't that bad of a price. 

You can view the recipe on McCormick's Website for homemade Root Beer Floats! 

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as we did. I loved the way it made my kitchen smell. Yum! Yum!

I'd like to end my post for today by sharing some snap shots from Christmas!!!

I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the snow if you were lucky enough to get some over the Christmas holiday! 

It's Christmas Time in Tennessee!

Hello everybody! Happy Monday! Better yet, Happy Christmas Eve! I hope everyone is having a great day and spending it with family and friends.

I have a fun filled day with my family here shortly. My son is excited to open up his presents as we spend Christmas Eve with my parents doing our yearly tradition.

I will talk to everyone on Wednesday! I'll be sure to post some holiday fun photos while I'm on break from blogging :)

Just remember ...

No-one says it better than our buddy Toby the Elf. We have had one amazing holiday season with him this year ... our 1st year ... with our newest addition to our family! We'll be sad to see him go back to the North Pole until next year, but we know he'll be back with us soon!

Pre-Teens & Chaos!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a Happy Saturday! I also hope everyone is ready for Christmas! Today was an eventful day for the Spencer's. We did a little shopping, Logan paid a visit to his grandparents, and my husband and I had a much needed luncheon together! Love me a lunch date!

I know I haven't been blogging long, and I really haven't blogged much about my family at all .. but I do have a question for all you moms out there that have pre-teen boys. My son, Logan, just turned 10 on the 14th of this month. Next year, he will have to go to a new school because his only goes through 4th grade, and he's really had to deal with a lot this year. His best friend left a few weeks before Thanksgiving because his family had to move due to their finances. This really took a toll on my son. Up until July 2011, we had always lived in the country, and he didn't have many friends close by. He has more now but would still rather be cooped up in his room on a video game. My husband and I have tried everything we know to get him more out and involved. He does baseball in the summer, football in the fall, and is in Cub Scouts. So, it's not like he isn't out there participating in things! Does anyone have any ideas on other things we can try? I'm really worried about his social development, and I don't want him to be a loner. I had asked before on CafeMom about social sites for pre-teens, yet no one really took me seriously. I just want my son to have a great childhood ... one full of friends and not full of bullies ... there's enough of them as it is!

Logan is really insecure when it comes to some things. His real dad doesn't have anything to do with him, but he does have a great relationship with my husband so that's a plus. Logan's just real timid and doesn't like the idea of getting hurt. We really have to push him to try new things. I don't mind that he's into video games because he does play some educational ones and games like Minecraft that challenge him to use his brain. I just want him to discover that there's a whole new world out there beyond a controller. We take him out and do things with him, but he just can't wait to come back home thinking he'll be able to go right in there and play. He loves to read and draw and is really good at it! I just need to "tap" all of those inner "greats" out of him. He loves school and doesn't miss at all! Sounds real uncommon for a boy, huh?

We got him a Chicken Soup for the Soul: Pre-Teen Talk the other night at the bookstore. We are hoping this will help him to see that he isn't alone when it comes to things that are going on in his life. I'm sure some of you other moms have been through things like this or are going through them now with your own children. I will take any advice you can give me. I know unlike harsh message boards, blogging moms are more likely to give you real answers and suggestions and not be mean or try to hurt your feelings. I really appreciate that too!

With that being said, load those comments up ladies!!!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Inspire Me! Thursdays ~ Week #2

Welcome to Inspirational Thursdays here at Country Mom Creations! I have found many great blogs for the over the last 2 weeks, and I can't wait to share some of the neat ideas I have found to try out myself! If you are new to my blog, welcome! Let me give you a little insight on how Inspirational Thursdays work. Each Thursday, I will showcase some marvelous ideas or things I'd like to try from other bloggers. This is a win-win situation for us all! It allows me to share things I like, it gives my readers new blogs to read and find their own inspirations from, and it allows bloggers to connect and get maximum exposure all around the board!

I just started this weekly post last Thursday so I hope to be able to grow it and my blog as we go along week by week. If I use your project and/or ideas in my posts on Thursdays, I will be sure to let you know and provide a link to your blog. I'm working on designing a button you can grab and display on your page to let everyone know you were featured on Inspirational Thursdays! Please bare with me as I get all these things done!

Now, let's get on with the sharing!

Snow & Trees Ornament photo curtsey of Alderbery Hill

I just love this snow ornament! It is super cute and very easy to make! It always amazes me how something so simple and elegant can really pack a punch when it comes to decorating! Not to mention, these would make perfect gifts that you can personalize in many ways! Swing on over to Alderberry Hill to get the full scoop on how to make these and be sure to check out all the other fun ideas featured on the blog! 

Christmas Card Garland photo curtsey of Happy Kids, Inc.

 If you are like me, you get a ton of cute Christmas cards every year that you just can't bare to throw away once the New Year has rolled around. I have been known to save a few of my favorite cards every year; but to no surprise, they just get shoved in a drawer and lost until it's time to do spring cleaning! I love the idea of making the cards into garland! This idea rocks in so many ways, and it can be used for more than just Christmas cards! Just think of how many ways you could use this? You can display small drawing from school, use photos, and the list goes on! I'm sure you can think of many ways to use this other than at Christmas time! Be sure to hop on over to Happy Kids, Inc. to learn how to assemble the garland. Take a look around at the other crafty projects listed on the blog while you are there! 

I hope everyone has enjoyed my inspirations for this Thursday! Be sure to stop by next week to see what other "finds" I have ran across while blog hopping! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and  Merry Christmas!

Take time with the ones you love, pray for the ones you've lost and give to those that need it! 

Support Newtown and Sandy Hook

I am so overwhelmed with the amount of bloggers I have found support Newtown and Sandy Hook in their time of need. I love seeing how people from all across the world are willing to take the time to do a good deed especially around the busy holiday season. I have said from the moment my family and I started brainstorming on ways to help ... "This is the right thing to do!" No one should question that or have a problem contributing even if it's just a penny! A handful of spare change can add up fast!

Here's a list of ways you can help and show your support for Newtown and Sandy Hook!

There's a great group of bloggers that have set up the event Cookies & Crafts for Sandy Hook. If you are interested in participating in this blog event or would like to learn about Etsy shop that are donating part of their sales to go to the communities, please visit Crazy for Crust's Blog!

If you are looking for a fun winter craft to do with your kids over Christmas Break, please consider making snowflakes and sending them to support Sandy Hook's Winter Wonderland! The students from Sandy Hook Elementary will be attending a new school soon, and these snowflakes will cover the walls in their new school! It's such a great way to show your support! If you'd like more information about this project, jump on over to All for the Bolys Blog!

The United Way of Western Connecticut has also set up a fund that you can donate to to help out the families and communities effected by the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings. If you can give to this wonderful fun, please consider doing so. For more information and to get all the details on how to donate, please visit the Sandy Hook School Support Fund.

The Connecticut Yankee Council BSA has set up a fund to support the families of the two Cub Scouts killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Pack 170 was deeply effected by the lose of two of their Scouts, siblings of other Scouts, and children of Den Leaders within their pack. I personally emailed their council about this, and a representative from their council is going to hand delivery all cards and things sent for the families to Pack 170. If you would like to send donations or just a card to let the families know they are in your prayers, please visit the Connecticut Yankee Council's Volunteer Page.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and God Bless everyone who has and continues to support the Newtown and Sandy Hook communities! They all need our thoughts and prayers if nothing else!

Talk to everyone soon!

Last Minute Gifts for Kids

Christmas is a whopping 7 days away! Man, where has December gone? Do you have all your gifts covered yet? Thankfully, I have all of my gifts bought and tucked under my tree. Today, I want to share with you a great last minute gift idea for kids:  Handmade Ornaments!

Who doesn't love these? You can make these ornaments for your tree or your kids can make these and wrap them up and presents for loved ones. They are very inexpensive to make and can be personalized in so many ways!

Logan made one during Art Class at school. He couldn't wait to get home and hang it on our tree. They made their ornaments from clay which they let dry and then painted. Obviously, this is going to take a couple of days to allow the clay time to dry. Be sure you have a couple of days to spare to allow for drying time and painting time. He has art once a week so his ornament had plenty of time to dry before he painted it. I loved finding it in his backpack last week!

I really think this is a project kids of all ages will enjoy. After all, Logan just turned 10 on Friday and we went to Hobby Lobby after his birthday supper with his grandparents ... and guess where the first place he went was? The craft section. His target ... Crayola Clay. He came home over the weekend and made yet another ornament! This one he hasn't painted yet, but I love how it turned out as well!

The clay we purchased is just the plain grey clay which is what they used at school. You can get other varieties of modeling clay at your local hobby/craft store and even Wal Mart and Target! At our Hobby Lobby, we found several different types of clay in all different colors, but Logan wanted just the basic grey so he could paint it as he desired. I love how he is so artistic!

I hope your kids enjoy this craft project as much as Logan has! Be sure to mark the ornaments if you don't forget with the year so you'll always remember when it was made. If you have more than one child, be sure to make it with their name or initials as well.

Happy Crafting!

See everyone tomorrow!

Prayers for Sandy Hook

Good Morning to my fellow followers. I hope everyone has made the most of the week/weekend that is now behind us. As you have probably noticed, I have not made a blog entry since Thursday. Friday, December 14, 2012, was both a happy and a sad day for myself and my family. I stayed pretty busy planning for my son's birthday party and babysitting my favorite little man Jo-Jo. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I heard about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary.

It's still incredibly hard for me to wrap my mind around what has happened. Here I am, celebrating the fact that my son is 10 and there's 20 kids that won't get another present. 20 kids that won't have Christmas this year. 20 kids that will never see 10 years old. 20 kids that left this Earth as angels way too soon.

Among these 20 kids and the 6 adults that were killed in Sandy Hook, 2 of the 1st graders were fellow Cub Scouts and parents of others were leaders in Pack 170 in Connecticut. This really hits home for me being the Cubmaster of our pack. We are going to find a way to address this during our meeting on Tuesday and let our Scouts know that we need to come together and be there for these families even though we are hundreds of miles away from CT.

I hope that if you are a reader of my blog and have children of your own, you will take the time to sit down with them and talk about what has happened. This is effecting people all across the US and the world. Make sure your children feel safe. If they don't, find a way to make sure that they do!

We are never promised tomorrow. Take time for your children. Don't just push them away and not spend time with them. There are so many children that never get to spend time with mommy and daddy because they are always "too busy" or "can't play" or simply just don't care. And we wonder why our world is in the shape it is. We all take life for granted, (sadly). Let's take this time and change things if we need to and make those little moments count.

From my heart to yours,

And for all those in Newtown/Sandy Hook

May God Bless Us All!

R.I.P. to all the Angels called Home way too soon!

Inspire Me! Thursdays ~ Week #1

Good morning to all! I hope the weather is nice where you are at. It's cold and frosty here in TN. I guess winter is officially here!

I have been reading several craft/homemaking blogs lately and decided that I would devote one day a week of my blogging to inspirations I want to try for myself. Now, you'll be able to check in with me every Thursday to see what inspirations I have found for the week!

Before I get to my inspirations for this week, look who finally arrived from the North Pole to the Spencer residence.

Logan's newest addition to our family! 

Introducing Toby!

Toby flew to the North Pole and got his adoption papers! Yay! 

We are looking forward to a great Christmas with Toby this year and many, many years to follow. I was so excited to see Logan's face when he found out Toby had arrived. Of course, at that moment, he was just an elf... but I think Logan did a great job in picking him a name. Toby's arrival could not have been more perfect! Tomorrow is Logan's 10th Birthday! I'm sure Toby will have a ton of exciting things to tell Santa about over this weekend. Maybe he'll put in a good word for me too! *Fingers Crossed*

Alrighty! Inspiration time! 

I found this neat post on Facebook. I thought it was a great idea and definitely worth sharing. 

A jar full of memories! 

Pretty cool, huh? I thought so too! This is such a clever way to not only be thankful and count your blessings but to also share as a family things that are important to you. Encourage your children to write down things that matter to them as well. By the end of 2013, you should have plenty of things to look back and reflect on!

I have one more inspiration for you today, and it comes from a blog post I have been eyeing all week! I love snow globes! You have no idea! We just bought two new ones this year actually for our Christmas collection! I found this great post on Mom It Forward and fell in love! 

Photo courtesy of Mom It Forward.com

Click Here to go check out the post on Mom It Forward.com and view all the steps to assemble your very on snow globes!

This project is so great because you can adapt it to any season on holiday. You don't have to strictly make these just for Christmas! I love multi-purpose crafts :)

Before I wrap up my blog for the day, I'd like to share with you my dining room table scheme; all decked out in holiday decor! I was so thrilled to actually be able to clean off my table last night and get it all put together. It seems like here lately my table is more of a catch-all than anything! Never fear, it is now and tidy and ready to entertain Logan's friends on Saturday when we have his party! 

My Santa Suit tablecloth, Mr. & Mrs. Claus salt/pepper shakers and dish,
and my little festive wire tree from the Dollar Store! 

I hope you all have enjoyed my inspirations for this Thursday! Can't wait to share more with you next week!

Happy Holiday from my home to yours!

Show Your Pride ~ Team Stockings

Whew! It has been such a long weekend! Christmas will be here before you know it. Thankfully, all my present are bought, thanks to a whole weekend of shopping and not blogging! I have so many great things to share with everyone ... I honestly have no idea where to begin!

This post is all about stockings! I have a few that I put out every year but only one of them is ever fully on Christmas morning, Logan's of course. My husband found this neat stocking that was made like a hoodie sweatshirt while we were shopping at Big Lots. He was so excited to show me because it is Kentucky Blue (for those of you that don't know, we are die hard Kentucky Wildcats fans). So, being crafty and in the holiday mood, I was like okie dokie, let's get it and I'll make it into a Kentucky stocking!

The stocking before I added anything to it. I really like these "as is". They are totally cute!

The back of the stocking. See the hoodie at the top? Way cute!

White glitter craft glue from Wal Mart for the writing.

Ah, perfect! Not bad for a first time stocking!

I'm really happy with the way this turned out! The white glitter glue really dried to a nice finish and made the whole stocking sparkle!

Our Big Lots had these stockings in red and blue. You can use any stocking that you like. You can even you a plain one to add your favorite team logo too. This is all about creativity and what you want to do with your stocking!

I'm sure you could also incorporate different elements on to your stocking as well. You can use different colors of glitter glue or even sew fabric that has your team logo onto the stocking. You may even want to use things that you have like stickers or something of that nature to decorate your stocking.

Always remember, the best craft projects start with a little imagination. Don't be scared to try something! If it's not what you hoped for at first, don't get discouraged ... tackle it again with what you have in play!

I hope everyone has a great week! Be on the lookout for more fun craft ideas! Oh yeah, before I forget! Be sure to stop back in on Sunday for my first Southern Sundays post! I will be sharing my favorite recipes!

Countdown to Christmas

This year, I have been looking for new ways to get my family in the Christmas spirit all month long. I must admit, Pinterest has played a huge part in my craziness this year as well! I have found a ton of ideas for things to do this year as well as crafts to try next year. I am so addicted!

My project this Christmas is a great alternative I found to the traditional advent calendar. My fellow blogger friend Amy has posted a Christmas bucket over on her blog (which I found via Pinterest) that I instantly fell in love with!

Amy's Blog -- feel free to go and check out her blog and be sure to check out her bucket! She is so creative!

I must admit, my little basket isn't a snazzy as hers, but I quickly threw this together just to see how much fun my soon to be 10 year old son would have opening different things each day leading up to Christmas. So far, he's had a blast with this countdown project so next year, I will be able to add a little more detail to our basket! Ah, a new Spencer family tradition in the works!

This is my completed basket! I think it turned out great for a first time project!

To start out, I went to our local Dollar General and purchased a little Christmas basket along with a cheap roll of wrapping paper. I also cut out squares of construction paper in both red and green to write my messages on for the envelope days.

These are the items I bought for my gifts to include in my basket. The smaller things I wrapped just like a present and placed them in my basket. The Gingerbread House was put up in a safe place until Logan opened the envelope for this project. Luckily for him, it was what he opened on day three! He was so excited!

Here's another shot of the small gifts I purchased. You can do as many gifts as you want and as many envelopes as you want. I just chose to get a few small items this year as a trial run. Next year, my basket will have more gifts, I'm sure, and less envelopes. I got a coloring book, a reindeer paper chain craft, and a pack of Holiday Tic-Tacs.

These are the messages I wrote on the construction paper for Logan to open for each day that he didn't chose a present for the basket. I will include a complete list of things you can include in my blog post.

As you can see, this is pretty simple to assemble. I put mine together in under an hour! Here's some different things you may wish to include in your basket or bucket or whatever you use to place your creation in! Be as creative as you want! This project is totally up to you!

The ideas listed below do not have to be new items. You can wrap up things you already own as far as favorite Christmas movies and books. You may also want to consider wrapping one or two favorites and purchasing one new to add to your collection! The possibilities are endless as far as what you can create!

Also, if you have more than one child, you may want to add a some ideas they can work on together as well as some things each child can get for that day's project. You can put as little or as much into this as you wish!


Gift Ideas:

• Christmas movies
• Christmas books
• Christmas crafts
• Gingerbread house
• Christmas coloring book

 Envelope Ideas:

• Bake Christmas cookies
• Go look at Christmas lights
• Make homemade ornaments
• Wrap presents as a family
• Mail Christmas cards
• Take a family Christmas picture
• Watch a Christmas movie together
• Write a letter to Santa
• Make a Christmas cake or cupcakes

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Be sure to add your own creative touches when putting this project together for your family! I hope you children love it as much as my son has! Be sure to let me know how yours turns out!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Elf on the Shelf

Good morning to all my fellow blog readers! I hope everyone is having a great week! Christmas time is fast approaching here at the Spencer house. Actually, birthday time and Christmas time are fast approaching ... my little man Logan will be 10 in a few days ... I cannot believe he's almost a teenager!

I'm sure most of you have heard of this, but some of you may be in the dark like I was! I had noticed a ton of people of my Facebook make posts recently and post pictures of Elf on the Shelf. At first, I thought it was just something silly people were doing for Christmas this year. Then, Logan came home from school yesterday all excited because their teacher had bought one for their classroom. He was talking about the story and how they got to adopt the Elf and name her. Well, like any good mom, off to the internet I go to try to find a great deal on an Elf on the Shelf for my son.

I was bummed to learn that I missed out on a killer sale a few weeks ago, but I was happy to know I could try out my new EBates account and get cashback from shopping at Target. That's always a plus! Now, we just have to wait for our very own Elf on the Shelf to arrive at our door. I will be sure to post pics and let you know what Logan decides to name his elf!

Here's a picture of the little guy:

You can also go to Target's website if you'd like to learn more about the tradition and purchase one of your own. I think these would be a great gift idea for any child that loves Christmas!

Click Here to purchase Elf on the Shelf

If you have an account with EBates, be sure to shop at Target via their site and earn 2% cash back on your purchase!

Oh yeah! When you purchase Elf on the Shelf from Target, you get FREE SHIPPING! It's a special they are running for adopting on of the sweet little elves! You can also choose from different elves (both boys and girls).

Have a great day everyone! Please comment below and let me know if you have one of these at your home! I can't wait to get ours in!

Great Holiday Deals

If you are like me, you probably still have some holiday shopping left to do. I always say I'm not going to put it off until the very end, but time always escapes me.

I ran across these sites which offer a great selection of deals for online shopping! Free Shipping is a major selling point right now for most of us who will be sending purchases out as gifts! Take a look around, you may find some great deals on items you have been looking for!

EBATES
* with EBates, you can also install the tracker toolbar to alert you if you favorite shopping sites are offering cashback for shopping with them via EBates!

Mr. Rebates

You may also want to check out Swag Bucks, a fun way to earn "bucks" for surfing the internet. Why not get rewarded for something you do on a daily basis anyways?

Swag Bucks

If you are a trendy person and like to stay on top of what is new and hot, you may want to check out No More Rack. They offer a selection of goods each day at dramatic discounts. If you are interested in learning more or would like to sign up, click the link below.

No More Rack

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

The Life of a Stay at Home Mom

Hi y'all and welcome to my blog! This is my first post so bare with me as I learn more about blogger.

My name is Demetria ... I go by Demi mostly or as all the little kiddos call me ... Dee Dee! I'm a 28 year old stay at home mom, wife and small business owner. I'm also President of TBM Mom & TBM Plaza which are work at home organizations that support moms, dads and families no matter what their life situation. If you'd like to know more about what we do, please check out the following link: TBM Plaza.

Let me see ... a little more about me ... I'm a small town country girl, and I love my roots in the south! I'm married to a great man ... Nathan ... and we have one son together ... Logan ... we hope to have more kids soon!

I created this blog to share my loves, passions and just general things I'm interested in. I hope to meet other mom followers to share things with along with others that just find my blog intriguing. I look forward to meeting some new friend very soon!

Be sure to look for some Christmas blogs to come in the upcoming weeks!

Have a great weekend everyone!