If I were a bettin' girl, I would bet that you never thought you would see another post from this country girl. It has been months since I have even paid a lick of attention to the old blog, and with very good reason. You see, I was introduced to two vices in the last six months - Photoshop Elements and a strong love affair with Pinterest.
Pinterest, oh how I love you. I find it difficult, however, to truly appreciate all of the crafts you have to offer me - what, with being two hours away from a decent craft store. Actually, just to the left of my computer sits a list a mile long of craft necessities I plan to pick up tomorrow during my GIRLS DAY OUT (Shout out Tosha and Tyra!). I cannot wait to start my quilts, Christmas goodie boxes, burlap table decoration, etc. Pinterest truly is amazing. My husband cannot get enough of the fact that every night is a new recipe. Almost always, it incorporates cream cheese. Gosh, Pinterest.
And Photoshop - oh Photoshop - how did I ever survive without you. A dear friend of mine set me up last spring with the program - and I have become obsessed. I have made decorative labels for organization, Christmas cards, birthday invitations, home decor, weekly menu calendars, etc, that are to die for.
So yes, I haven't cared much about the blog. Truly, if you have been introduced to either of these vices, you know why.
Happy Pinning!

Photoshop creations:  Craft Fair, here I come!


Boys Bathroom

I have this Menu Planner framed
and hanging in my kitchen. I use
a dry erase marker to fill it in, and
it wipes clean.

Christmas Cards

Invitations are big right now -
everything from weddings to
birthdays. 

Ladies Love Country Boys

I read a book to my eldest son, H, that makes me think about his daddy every time I read it:

Sun's up, Mornin's Here - Up and At 'Em Engineer

For the last couple of weeks, us on the Eastern Plains of Colorado have been experiencing a heat wave - for middle March at least. Talk to ANY farmer, and they will tell you that they are already behind in their plantin'. Makes little sense, I know, as planting doesn't even begin until middle April. But these ole' boys (my 31 year old hubby included), gets an itchin' they just catch scratch when it heats up. Gotta rip the ground, fill sprinkler tracks, strip-till - can't leave the tractor to use the bathroom, much less anything else. (As a side note, they don't leave the tractor to pee, they just jump out on the steps to relieve themselves. Hey, it is all fertilizer, right?) Sometimes this way of life is daunting. My honey do list grows longer and longer, my hubby's attention span to anything but farming shorter and shorter. I complain some about it, but the truth is this - I love that you cannot be country and lazy.

City dwellers, don't be offended, but there is something extra manly about the farmer. They, for one, can actually fix things. I love a man who can change my car's oil, fix a tractor, help doctor a calf and love his family all with the same hands. These hands are rough and calloused - but with these come strength rare in few men these days. 

These farmers - alpha men, really - are what men should be. Men who respect the soil and all it has to offer. Men who see life as precious - especially when seeing calf after calf birthed in the Spring. Men who don't take for granted God's gifts of the sun's warmth and essential rains. Men who, at the end of the day, know that despite all of their hard work, they could still lose a crop to anything from a hail storm to insects - and rely on God for their daily provision.

I think it fitting that so many metaphor's used in Scripture refer to farming and working with the earth. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). This way of life is God's way of life - He did, after all, create every stitch of it.

So as capri's are pulled out of storage and sprinklers turn on, take a minute to thank the One who created, and the ones' who continue to work to feed ya'll. I know I once took them for granted - see that you don't.  

Forgive my selfishness

I have been dangerously selfish this morning. As a strong Christian woman, I should feel some remorse for my thought, but I don't. As I smelled the aroma of the fruits of a new recipe waft in my kitchen, this tiny whisper of a thought took root:

I am not going to share this.

Uncouth, I know. What woman would find such a treasure and refuse to share it? After all, Pinterest is just screaming for this recipe. But, no, I will not. And I will tell you why.

A woman just needs to keep some things to herself. A woman's secret is to be honored and treasured. How, thus, am I supposed to wow people with my recipes, crafts and writings if I divulge every treasure I find? How, I ask, am I supposed to dazzle guests with homemade delicacies if I just shared the recipe with them days before? No, I will not. I will rise to the challenge of Martha Stewart (minus the crazy), if it kills me.

I blame Pinterest. I adore it, don't get me wrong, but a blame it nonetheless. I pin an incredible idea for my keeping. But my friend sees the pin and pins it too. And her friend pins it, and her friend pins it. Before I know it, my incredible find has become the norm. I don't like the norm. I like "wow, this woman is amazing. How does she do it all?"

I searched the verses of Proverbs 31 - the Wife of Noble Character - and found nothing condemning me for not sharing some of my finds. Though, if I am being honest, I might want to start memorizing my scripture on the cost of Pride.... but that is for another post.

So dear friends, and random strangers, nothing to find in the recipe section today. Just these sage words of advice: Want to appear to have it all together? Treasure a few secrets of your own.

Valentine's Day

Cookies for H's preschool class? Check. Valentines for H's class, friends, and family? Check. Valentines for my two sweet little boys? Check.
 Hmm... seems to me, on this day of love, there has been someone largely overlooked in this family. Who could that be? Oh, right... my man!
So, the other day, we were skimming the Plains Dealer, and noticed a section devoted to romantic quips from lovers placed in the advertising section. Most featured some type of poem - and believe me, I use the term poem loosely. Nevertheless, it got me to thinking. After nearly seven years of marriage and two kids, I haven't given enough attention to making sure my man knows how much I love him. Thus, the following "POEM." Keep in mind, I am no Whitman.

Ode to Cory

I love your inaccurate speech,

and the way you chomp on the food that you eat.

The same old t-shirts and the jeans worn thread bare-

still add to your charm - though laundry is a scare.

I love your giggles when watching late night TV,

And the way you hold our boys on the end of your knee.

Pawn Stars, Gold Rush and Wipe Out are a bore,

But I'll watch them for you, because you I adore.

You work tirelessly to provide for you little family,

I'll love you forever - my darling Cory.

A lesson in baking

I had every intention today to post in my recipe section. I was so excited about a new pie crust recipe I learned while watching the Food Network this weekend - a recipe which included the word "easy."
Well let me tell you what, I will NOT be posting anything in the recipe section today. Instead, I will be listing the do's and do not's of pie baking. These are tried and true, believe you me.

Do Not's
1. DO NOT believe a from-scratch pie recipe is ever going to be easy. The people who tell you this will have to answer to a Higher Authority for their lies at a later date.
2. DO NOT bake when young children are awake and in your hair. No loving words will come out of your mouth.
3. DO NOT plan on impressing anyone with your pie - enough said.

Now for the Do's
1. DO have a couple (or a dozen) frozen, from-the-store pie crusts hiding in your freezer.
2. DO, if you insist on from-scratch recipes, plan on doing a lattice-work top crust. It hides flaws and can be assembled in pieces that have broken off of your crust.
3. DO - and this one is VERY important - have a bottle of wine and a straw on hand. VERY IMPORTANT.
4. DO - no matter how hard it was - tell people it was easy to make. It makes you look like Martha Stewart when they cannot themselves make a pie to save their lives.

That concludes my lesson in pie baking today.

Oh, and Bible Study group: I have a delightful homemade apple pie I am bringing for our treat tonight. It was SO easy to make. I just followed the recipe. I didn't throw a fit while I made it, didn't yell at my children - no, no, no. I had it all together. 

Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either.

And the road begins....

A friend of mine, and fellow blogger, suggested that I take up blogging this week - after she insisted I learn to quilt. As I can barely thread a needle, I thought this was the logical first step.

To sum myself up quickly, I am a Dirt Road Diva. I live on a rather large farm - which boasts land rich in corn, alfalfa, and wheat, and is home to a couple-hundred head of cattle. My nearest neighbor lives over a mile away, and the only noises I hear at night are the howlings of coyotes and the occasional moo of a cow.

A far cry from my upbringing it is. I was raised a towny - where I could get Sonic ANY time I wanted, and the closest Walmart wasn't 40 miles away. I was what one may call preppy, and a tad spoiled. One might refer to me as a Diva. Hmm... mention that.

Now, I am a fish out of water. I roll my eyes at the old adage "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." I did, and He laughed. I told Him I wanted a career where I could wear pencil skirts and pumps - instead, he made me a country wife and mom. Thank God for unanswered prayers.

So, through this blog I hope you will join me on the road of life - a little dusty, sometimes a little lonely, but always leading me home.