High Five For Friday!!!

I'm so happy that I found this link-up!! I love sharing all the {best} things in my life and the {good} times with my readers!

1. My son Logan. He is the light of my life ... and my silly comedian! This picture was actually taken when my parents carried me out for my birthday lunch! I love how silly he is  :)
2. My precious sleeping Jo-Jo on the way home from Le Bonheur ... thank goodness he was alright and we worried way too much ... like any normal mother and Dee-Dee would do!
3. My silly hubby and Logan. They melt my heart! Love you boys to pieces!!!
4. My baby Precious! She's the queen of my chair, my bed, the couch ... just wherever she chooses to plop down and take a nap! I wouldn't trade her for anything!!
5. My first homemade strawberry cake!!! No store bought cake mixes or icing this time!!! Yay Me!!! I will be sharing the recipe soon :)


As I look back on this collage, I realize how truly lucky and blessed I am!!! Thank you to all my followers for being here with me day after day and making new friendships and growing together!!!

Be sure to link up and let us know how great your week has been!

 

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I will be traveling out of town this weekend to visit with some family coming in from out of state! I will do my very best to update my blog while I'm at my in-laws :) 


From my front porch to yours,

Blog Hopping: "It's Ok" Thursdays

Just thought I'd make another post for I call an end to this day. This is a new blog hop I found today, and I really like the concept :)

It's OK ...

That I blog about life ... some people find it interesting to make new friends they can relate too. 

To say how you feel ... this makes you a better person. 

To cry for no reason ... sometimes we all need a good cry. 

To make mistakes ... it helps us grow! 

To spank your children!!!! That's what kids need today!!!! Rules are meant to be followed!!!!

To sing in the shower ... do what makes you happy :)

To sit up late watching movies with your hubby ... this is our quality time. 

To feel different ... we all have to find ourselves out there in this big ole world!

To let loose for a change! 

To follow your dreams! 

To be scared!

To let go ... we all have to do it at some point in our lives. 

To reconnect with old friends ... they bring out the best in us! 

To remember the past ... sometimes we all need a history lesson! 

To want a future for our children that was way better than the one we had! 

I'll talk to you all in a few hours :)    

From my front porch to yours,

Inspire Me! Thursdays ~ Week #4

Welcome to Inspire Me! Thursdays

Each week I dedicate a day of blogging to showcase some of the best bloggers around and their crafty ideas! This is really a great way to network with others and see what is "hot" in the world of blogging! I hope you will stop in and check out their terrific blogs! You may even feel froggy enough to subscribe to their blogs and follow them to learn more tips and tricks from these great bloggers!

And now for this week's awesome blogs ...

This week has been a real creative one! Many bloggers are in high gear getting their homes all gussied up for Valentine's Day! I can't believe February is almost here! February is not only a big month in our house because of V-Day, but it also is our Anniversary month! This has been the first year I have really gotten on the whole "decorate your house for every holiday" bandwagon. I must admit, I love it!!! It's fun crafting and finding things to do during the day while everyone else is at school and working! 

I have become a HUGE fan of wreaths! I freakin' love them!! My only issue now is convincing myself that I can make one! Does anyone have any simple and easy wreath tutorials you can share with me? If so, leave them in the comments below. Pretty, pretty please  =)

Kathy over at Life on Lakeshore Drive sure does have a pretty wreath on her page! I love the colors she uses and how simple and elegant this wreath looks! Kudos to you Kathy! Click Here to find out all about her wreath!  

Another great wreath comes to us from T'onna over at Navy Wifey Peters. I really love how cute and creative her wreath is! I love the owl element as well! My husband found a mug for Christmas with owls on it and ever since, they have made a statement in our house! Funny how that works, isn't it? Girl, you really know how to rock a wreath! Click Here to swing on over and get the skinny on her awesome creation! 

Cindy over at Skip To My Lou really nailed it when she shared this creation originally done by one of her friends! It's a "Heart" Attack for your child's door on Valentine's Day! Isn't this the cutest thing you ever seen? I cannot wait to attack Logan's door with a gazillion hearts!! This is so simple and so positive!! I really can't get over how much I love this idea!!! Click Here to visit with Cindy and get the scoop on this totally creative Valentine! 

Julie over at Restyle Relove turned this awesome door into a sign that would be perfect in my house no matter what decor look I had going on! Nathan {my dear hubby} has always called me his sunshine! I have various things throughout our home that bare these words! I particularly love this sign for a few reasons:  1) It's pretty;  2) It's functional;  3) The font rocks;  4) It's totally simple to make! Julie has a great tutorial on how to make a sign like this for your very own! You won't never believe how much she paid for the wood door either!!! I'm not going to give it away!!! Click Here to hop on and be amazed!! 

 
My last inspiration for this week comes to us from Debbie from over at Confessions of a Plate Addict. I not only love her Valentine's pillow but I'm also in love with her darlin' staff! Be sure to go view her page and check out her adorable cats! Hrmm... I mean "staff" members!! I cannot tell you how much I laughed and said "Awwww" when I first saw their pictures! They are so cute!!! And so is this pillow! It's just too neat. Can you believe she simply designs tons of pillow covers and uses the same pillow for every holiday/occasion? What a great idea! I would have never thought of doing it that way! Kudos to you Debbie! You definitely know how to save money and make killer decorations! Click Here to learn how to make this pillow cover for yourself and be sure to say hello the all the lovely babies on her page  =)


Check out {My} Kinda Party to learn more about my blog hops and link parties and to see where I'm doing a little front porch sitting at these days!

Be sure to Grab A Button and link up with my blogs and parties!

Let's link up! Show me your creative side!
{Feel free to share this blog hop on your page! Just grab the code at the bottom!}


From my front porch to yours,

Hall Closet Re-Vamp!

It's time for a little more organization around my house! I have had a great time reading about different ideas from other bloggers! You all really do have a great big ole creative side!! I'm also very happy that my last organization post was so well liked by fellow bloggers!

Today's post isn't as grand and snazzy, but it has to do with a small space, and I think that a little organization goes a long way when you need to store multiple items! I did a "before" and "after" of my medicine/body wash/catch-all shelf in my hall closet. It was really a disaster before I got started in there! I threw a lot of things out that were expired which is always a plus and made me feel much better about what I have on hand! 

This is the "before" picture. If you notice, there is an empty spot on the left side of the shelf. This is where I keep small containers filled with little odd -n- end items. I have all my band-aids in one and all of our medical tape, Gauls, wraps, and patches in the other, and then I have one that is empty which works great for holding things I may use up quickly but not need out in the open.

The rest of the items in here are just shoved around and a hot mess! We just "scoot" things our of our way to get to what we need! I knew I needed to clean this space out to hold my new body washes I picked up at Bath and Body Works for my birthday! As it sits in this picture, that wasn't happening!!

 
This is my shelf now! It's more organized and functional! You should see all the bottles neatly aligned in the back! I placed the medicines we use on a more routine basis in the front and all extras in the back. You can see my containers on the side in the picture. I love how they stack on the shelf so easily! I also have a round caddy in here full of nail clippers, beauty items and other things that can be easily transported from room to room if needed. It really is a great time saver!

I was real happy with my project once it was completed! I had been putting off doing this for a while. It's always a great feeling to get rid of things that aren't needed anymore and re-vamp your storage area! I think we all can agree on that!

Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you have organized in your house this week! I would love some more inspiration for my own house!!!


From my front porch to yours,

Blog Hopping & Chaos

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope the weather is better where you are! We are under an Ice Storm Warning for this afternoon so they are letting the kiddos out at 1:00 pm today! I don't really have a blog post planned at this moment. I was going to do a my Valentine Home Crafts yesterday, but I had to make an emergency run to Le Bonheur with my friend's little one! He got a ruler lodged in his throat! So we spent the night in the ER with him!! All is good now :)  He is home and doing well!!!

Until I can get my Valentine blog up and ready to publish, here's a new blog hop I just linked up with!

Share The Love Blog Hop



From my front porch to yours,

Grandma's Chocolate Pie

Do you ever get the craving for something homemade and seriously sweet? If so, you may want to "pin" this recipe for later! It's a super yummy chocolate pie recipe that my family loves and never last longer than 2 days in my house! It does good to cool all the way before someone {usually me} decides to dig in! 

I actually found this recipe on one of those cute pie plates that I picked up our local Goodwill store. I have always loved those pie plates and wanted a collection of my own! I hope to find more on my journeys and hopefully the recipes of them will be as good as this chocolate pie one! 

{Ingredients}
2 cups of sugar
3 heaping tablespoons of flour
3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
3 cups of half & half or milk
3 tablespoons of butter
vanilla (to taste)
3 eggs, separated
1 baked 9" pie shell (I recommend deep dish!)

{Cooking}

• Cook first four ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat until thickened. 
• Whip egg yolks until creamy, add small amount of hot cocoa mixture, stirring constantly.
• Combine 2 mixtures into saucepan, cook until thickened; add butter, vanilla, allow to cool.
• Fill shell with mixture, top with meringue
• Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes 

{Meringue Topping}

• Place egg whites in a glass/ceramic bowl (these work best) with 1/8 teaspoon of salt. 
• Beat at a low speed to begin with slowly adding a small amount of sugar as you mix. 
• Your meringue will begin to thicken and rise the more sugar you add
  (4 tablespoons is recommended).

Tada! A yummy chocolate pie for you and your family! I hope they enjoy it as much as we do! Oh yeah! Be sure to have a slice with a big ole glass of ice cold milk! It hits the spot every time!!!

From my front porch to yours,


You can find me linked up to the following blog hops and link parties!

Southern Sundays Link Party #1

Hello to all my Front Porch Bloggers!

I'd like to welcome you to the first ever Southern Sundays Link Party!


What are Southern Sundays?

Southern Sundays are open to all things southern! You are more that welcome to come and link up {your} southern recipes, creations, photos, etc. It doesn't matter what you link up as long as it is southern or happens in the country! This is a fun way to meet new friends and show {your} southern side!

What are the Rules / Requirements?

Ok, so here's the skinny on my blog hops and link parties. I don't have many rules or special requirements in order for you to link up with me. All I ask is that you show some southern hospitality and follow my blog {as well as my other social outlets} and do the same for any guest co-hosts I may have! I also encourage you to look at other blogs that are linked up and see if any of them strike an interest to ya! If so, follow along and be sure to shoot the blog owner a comment so they know you are there! This will help our blogs grow and get your blog some new traffic as well :)

Check out {My} Hangouts to learn more about my blog hops and link parties and to see where I'm doing a little front porch sitting at these days!

Be sure to Grab A Button and link up with my blogs and parties!


From my front porch to yours,