So I decided to change the title of my blog. I'm really hoping to get back into blogging and decided that it needed a change. The slow lane equals Amelia county. Everyone and everything is slow here. The drivers, the people checking out at the grocery store, the way people talk. Everything is slow. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Maybe we all need to slow down a little bit and enjoy life a little more. But sometimes, I'm in a hurry. I have two kids pulling on me and wanting juice and snack and my 100% attention but I can't give them that when the cashier at Food Lion is telling me about her mama who is sick and how she had to go grocery shopping at 10pm last night and her dog ran away. Yes, those things are sad and I'm sorry that they are happening to you, but tell the person behind me. Please.  However, if I am kids-free and doing my grocery shopping, I am more than happy to hear about your childhood and every memory that you can possibly think of. I want to get to know the people in Amelia but I just don't have time to chat about your ex-husband's nephew's son's kid who just got a new cat when I have two kids NEEDING a snack! And by the way, can you please drive faster than 25mph because I NEED to get home! After being a city girl for so long, I am still always in a hurry. I want to get home quickly, I do not want to leisurely drive past the same farm I drive past every day and inspect every inch of their yard. Lets step on it and get to the place we need to go!!
So just because we live in Amelia county, it does not mean that OUR  lives are slow and dull. Actually it's quite the opposite. Sometimes I actually do wish our lives were slower and more calm. With preschool, speech therapy, two boys and a husband who works a lot, our schedules are quite full.
 Which is one reason why I wanted to start the blog back up. I have been pinteresting a lot and have so many ideas for new recipes and crafts that I would love to share. Also, I would really love to have some "me" time where I can actually organize all my thoughts and projects instead of just having them all bundled up in my head. I am imagining myself with a cup of coffee sitting in front of the computer typing my blog while my boys play peacefully and quietly downstairs. Haha, sorry I just popped into an alternative universe where I actually can drink one cup of coffee without having to put it in the microwave 100 times to warm it up. Anyways, maybe one day that will come true but for now, I will hopefully write my blog with two kids hanging from my legs and my coffee cup being warmed up in the microwave...again.
Anyways, one of my latest projects has been chore charts for the boys. I have been wanting to order them personalized fancy charts but then realized I could do it myself for free. So since neither of them can read yet, I did pictures instead of words. As of right now, all they have to do is make their bed, brush their teeth, get dressed, set the table and pick up their toys. If they get stickers on all the spots for the entire week, they get $1. Once they accumulate enough money we will introduce them to Dave Ramsay's save, give and spend categories but for  now we will just stick to the basics.






 Underneath the chore charts, you can see a bible verse. That is also a new development. I have started to introduce simple bible verses for the boys to memorize. This weeks verse is "Trust the Lord with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5.
So I'll leave you with a question. We have literally 1 million acorns outside right now. Later today I am going to have the boys go on a hunt for all of them and put them in a bag. And I need to find an age appropriate craft for them to do with them all. I seriously am having a major mind block on ideas for these darn acorns. Anyone have any ideas?

 

acorns, acorns everywhere....

Mice

Number of mice in this past week: 5 FIVE!!!!!!

Chicken Spaghetti

Last night I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti. Have I mentioned how much i adore the Pioneer Woman? Her style of cooking and my style of cooking are very similar-- simple yet stick to your ribs kind of food. If I don't know what to cook one night, her blog and cookbook are the first ones I go to. She's great...if you have never heard of her, look at her blog and then buy her cookbook...you won't regret it!
I had made another version of chicken spaghetti before with velvetta cheese and some other stuff in it and the hubby wasn't a big fan. Anything that may resemble a casserole is not looked at fondly in this house. But sometimes, so-called casseroles are the easiest thing to make with two active little boys. So I decided to try this recipe and was happily surprised. Everyone liked it! With two sons, one of which eats hardly anything and another one who eats ANYTHING....sometimes it's hard to find something that everyone likes ( eh hem, Jack). But it was a success! I added a little bit more cayenne pepper to make it a little more spicy but it wasn't overwhelming. Also, you can make two of them and freeze it for another night-- even better! Although, a little time consuming, it was definitely worth the work. You should try it tonight!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Tomorrow night is my recipe for Chicken Parmesean...it's a favorite in this house and quite delicious....I'll post the recipe tomorrow!

The cooking begins....

When i first started this blog, my desire was to not only talk about adjusting to the country life but also to share recipes and tips from the kitchen. I love to cook. If you know me, you know that I am usually in the kitchen cooking up something. However, I have had a hard time getting motivated to cook in this new kitchen. I don't know if it's the size or the lack of a dishwasher, but it's been hard to get started.So i thought this blog would help kick my butt in gear and get back to doing what i love: making great food for the people I love. Before I start sharing recipes with you, I thought I would let you know about my style of cooking. I am not a gourmet cook. I have three males at home, there is absolutely no gourmet food in this house. My boys like meat and potatoes. I am lucky if I can get them to eat a green. However, I don't do "easy" meals. You would never EVER see a box of Hamburger Helper in this house or a frozen meal from the grocery store. I make hearty, stick to your ribs kind of meals. They are not caloric friendly. If you are looking for healthy recipes, this isn't the place to look. There may be a few thrown in there every now and then but my boys don't do low-fat. However, we do eat local and organic whenever possible and grass-fed beef. Of course, any of my recipes don't require these things--it's just what we prefer.
This weeks line up:
Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti
My Chicken Parmesan
Potato-leek-bacon pizzas
Pot roast with potatoes and veggies
Roast chicken
Chicken potpie
and probably a night of leftovers!!

Check back and see what I'm cooking tonight!

And the country living begins...

I know I said that I would be better this time around with blogging...and I REALLY thought that i was... but things have been so incredibly hectic around here with moving and then the holidays, I really didn't have a free second. So I promise I will start it back up again. I promise....
Where to even begin? We officially moved in. And although, that may sound exciting, I was none to thrilled to be leaving my lovely granite countertops and stainless steel applianced townhouse to this house or as we like to call it "the cottage" ( now just add a creepy horror movie voice when you say it..." mwahahahaha the cottttttage"). It has taken me awhile to get used to it and I'm still not 100% there. Actually I'm not even 60% there. 50% maybe. Maybe. We moved in the week after Thanksgiving. And there are so many stories to tell that I am sure I won't get them all in this one post.
THE MISSING CHILD
We had moved in. The boys were at mom's house and JJ and I were at "the cottage" (mwahaha) unpacking and such. All of a sudden, I hear JJ talking to someone outside....WHAT. Who the heck could that be? The serial killer coming to kill us already? Or maybe JJ had already started talking to the wild animals? No, it was our neighbor...informing us that their 2 (TWO!!!) year old son was missing. GRRRRREAT. That was just what I needed to hear to calm my fears about this whole country living thing. So JJ calmly informs me to go down the street and ask the mom some questions. Well the mother is frantic ( of course she is) and won't really give me any information....so I just decide to walk through the woods. Now let me set this picture up for you-- I am in black workout pants, tennis shoes ( no socks), a T-shirt ( no bra) tromping through the woods. It wasn't fun. There were thorns and chickens that jumped out at me and just lots of "woodsy" stuff. So finally, JJ and I meet back up in the woods and he has found nothing and I have found nothing. By this time, the cops have been called and are about to bring in their search dogs and the search helicopters...it's becoming a BIG deal. Well about five minutes later, we hear "WE FOUND HIM!!"....oh you ask where he was? oh yeah, he was asleep in the highchair....in the house. Yeah you read that right. In the highchair...fast asleep in the kitchen. Now I know that you have five kids...but come on! Oh well, I guess all this country air can make you a bit forgetful...
THE RABID SQUIRREL
It was our first week in the house. The boys were back from Grandma's house and were upstairs napping. JJ was at work and Abby was still at the kennel. I had run outside to throw something in the trash and left the front door open ( really, for no longer than 7 seconds). When I came back into the house...what was there? A squirrel. In the middle of my family room. Eating a popcorn crumb that Hudson so generously left for him. In my FAMILY ROOM. So what would any city girl do? I screamed, ran back outside and shut the door. When I realized that this would not solve the actual problem and my kids were inside with this (RABID) squirrel...I went back in. All this time, the squirrel paid no attention to me. Just quietly stood there eating some popcorn. So I grabbed two pillows, closed my eyes and shooed that squirrel out of the house. He went quickly and with no argument but I could see it in his eyes that he was evil. I learned my first official lesson of living in the country...always, ALWAYS keep your doors shut.
** Okay, I don't actually know that this squirrel was rabid...but i just know he was. Maybe I am going to become a squirrel whisperer...
THE MICE ( yes plural, MICE)
We had just gotten home from a nice Christmas/New Years vacation at the OBX. We had unpacked and everything was pretty much put away. JJ woke up early the next morning to go to work. After he had left, in my sort of awake, sort of asleep mode...I kept hearing a rustling. I actually didn't think much of it-- I was obviously more in my sleep mode then my awake mode. Then I heard it...squeak squeak squeak. UGHHH...I knew what that meant. Of course, about the same time, Hudson decided that he was going to wake up. I turned a light on, stomped the floor several times to make sure it was no where near me and went into the boys room to quietly tell Hudson to go BACK TO SLEEP. Well, as i was crawling back into my nice, warm bed...I saw it. mouse droppings. IN OUR BED. Which if you put two and two together means that damn mouse was in our bed...while we were in our bed sleeping. I wanted to vomit. I called JJ and began freaking out. He told me to pack up the boys and go to a hotel. I got in the shower because i believed that was the ONLY safe place in our house. Well by the time I got out, the boys were awake and wanted drinks. In the kitchen. Where I knew the mouse was. So I was brave. I opened the fridge door and that darn mouse came darting out from behind the trash can. That's when I lost it. I got up on our dining room chair and called JJ ( yes, you may call this bad parenting that I left my two sons on the floor to fend for themselves-- but, they are boys, they like rodents). The boys then began laughing at me and I kept screaming...THIS IS NOT A FRIENDLY MOUSE...HE DOES NOT SING "HOT DOG HOT DOG HOT DIGGITY DOG!" I told JJ that he HAD TO COME HOME NOW. So being the great husband that he is... he laughed at me....then said he was on his way back home. Now the mouse was in hiding and I was determined to make this the most unfriendly house for a mouse. I cleaned. and cleaned. and cleaned some more. All day long. After dinner and after the boys were in bed, we set some traps, went downstairs and watched a movie. Well it wasn't ten minutes until we heard SNAP! And that was the end of Mickey Mouse #1. JJ felt bad for killing it-- I didn't care, it was out of my house and out of my BED. Well it wasn't even two days later, where I started to find more mouse droppings. Now there weren't a lot...just a little so I kept trying to convince myself that I must have just missed some from the last visitor. Well, I was definitely just in denial because once again, that night, we got another one. Thankfully, we have not had any since then. And if we do-- YOU may be getting a knock on your door from ME telling you I'm moving in ( as long as YOU don't have mice!).

There are more stories and lots of pictures that I need to post up-- the house does look amazing. My husband did a great job making this house a home. However, I don't have time to take pictures right now but I promise I will soon!!

Thankful...

How do I even begin to start this post. These past couple of months have been extremely stressful for us but I think it is so important to stop and remember how blessed we are. I am thankful for so many things but especially for the men in my life. Firstly my husband. I am so blessed to have a husband who works exceptionally hard and unselfishly to provide for his family. I am thankful that he works his butt off so i can stay home with our boys. I am thankful that I married my best friend and I love him more everyday. Secondly, my sweet boys. I love them more than words can describe. I am thankful That God made me their mother. They make me a better woman everyday. I am thankful for Jack's sweet heart and Hudson's wild spirit.
I wish I could explain how blessed our lives are right now. We can't thank God enough for all he has given us. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Hello Country....

We have made the decision...we are moving to the country. As a completely novice country person, I have decided to chronicle my life in the country ( or as I like to call it, the middle of no where) for your entertainment. I titled this blog "Where did the street lights go?" because I find myself asking that question while we are driving to the middle of no where. Not only are there no street lights, but there are no sidewalks, road lines or even stop lights. As many of you know, I am not a country girl. I enjoy having Target 5 minutes away or running over to my neighbor's house for a quick glass of wine and a play date. However, after living 500 feet from Interstate 95 for the past 4 years, getting out to the country where the only thing you hear and see are your neighbor's livestock is a little appealing to me. However, a few fears have crept into my mind-- for example, there is no delivery of any kind. Want a pizza? Get in your car and drive for 120330042032 miles and bring it home ( and by then it's cold). Forget to get milk at the grocery store? Oh well, you're out of luck unless you want to drive another 13432427347234 miles to the store. Want to take the kids for a walk? you're gonna have to strap on those hiking boots and walk through the woods. I know what you are thinking. We must be crazy to move out to the country with no DELIVERY! right? Well, there are some positives about country living. There is A LOT of land. My children will have acres and acres to run and jump and I won't have to worry about the crazy creeps who may try to snatch them ( I know what you are thinking, crazy creeps still live in the country, and i totally agree, but seriously, there is not another living human around our little house for about 733746132646273 miles so i think we're safe). Also, people in the country ( or country folks as I like to call them) are exceptionally friendly. As you are driving down the road ( no doubt, a dirt road) they wave to you. That's so nice. People in suburbia don't really do that. They have better things to do -- like look at street lights and road lines and stop lights.

Before I get too far into talking about the country life, I guess I should first explain how the heck we decided to move out there. For the past year, JJ has been dying to move out to the country. He had been getting his "country fix" from volunteering at a farm out in Amelia county. About a month ago, they approached us and asked if we would like to live in their cottage on 7 acres for free in exchange for 20 hours a week of work from JJ on the farm. Did you read that correctly? We would get to live somewhere for FREE. No mortgage. No rent. And JJ would get to continue to volunteer at a farm which he already loved doing. How great is that? We knew we couldn't pass up that opportunity. So here we are-- packing up our three bedroom townhouse in the suburbs of Richmond and moving out to a 1 ( ONE!!) bedroom house on 7 acres in Amelia county.

So this was my motivation for starting a blog. I wanted somewhere where I could chronicle all the ups and downs of living the country life. I will share funny stories, recipes, tips and tricks and our day to day life. I hope you'll join us through our country adventure and hopefully enjoy it as much as I think I will.

Here are some pictures of our cute little house ( yes it is little, but remember, it's FREE). Also keep in mind, these are the BEFORE pictures. We have a lot of work to do before it is in move in condition. So stay tuned to see the AFTER pictures and to hear about our lives in the country where there are no street lights....or road lines....or stop lights.