Author: The Park Wife

The Park Wife is a tribe builder. She is the founder of Arkansas Women Bloggers
(ARWB), an online community designed to gather,grow, and connect bloggers in our state. Stephanie recently launched her company The Women Bloggers
and expanded her state-focused blog communities into Oklahoma, Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas. Through ARWB, she holds the popular, smaller niche blog conference Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged, submerging
bloggers in an environment that fosters relationships, communication and some
pretty fierce dedication and camaraderie. Considered an old-timer in the blog
world, since 2005 she has written what she hopes is a love letter to her children
on her lifestyle blog, The Park Wife. Raised in the debutante world of Mississippi,
she married her hunky park ranger and moved to Arkansas 15 years ago and has
fallen in love with the state. She loves gardening, porch swings, a beautifully
set table, a delicious meal surrounded by great conversations, their cabin in the
woods and monograming everything that is not nailed down. She is a devoted
wife and fun-loving, homeschool mom to two extraordinarily cool little gentlemen
and is fortunate enough to live on one of Arkansas’s premier state parks.

Rhonda Bramell Halloween Trick or Treat? {Foodie Friday}

By Rhonda Bramell at Bramell, Party of Five

I spent some quality time in the kitchen with my kids last Saturday, on the first day we’ve had some genuine fall temperatures, working on our first Halloween themed treats. Doing so taught me a couple of things. For one, I realize why I’m not a food blogger or photographer. And two, doing anything in the kitchen with three helpers takes twice as long as it should.

With so many eager helpers, I had to choose our recipe wisely. It had to be something fairly easy and with enough steps that everyone could pitch in. After searching my pins on Pinterest, we decided on the Pumpkin Rice Krispies.

The ingredients are mainly those for making traditional Rice Krispies Treats, with a little Halloween flair. (Recipe originally appeared on With Sprinkles On Top.)

3 Tablespoons butter
1 pkg mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
Orange food coloring (I mixed red and yellow)
Black Icing
Mini Tootsie Rolls

Halloween Rice Krispee Treats

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Then add in the marshmallows and melt together. Once smooth, remove the pan from heat. Add in the food coloring to tint marshmallow mixture orange. Immediately stir in the cereal and mix thoroughly.

When it’s cooled enough to touch, form the cereal mixture into 3” balls. Here’s the tricky part: it works best to wet your hands before shaping into the pumpkins; otherwise, the cereal will stick to your hands. Thanks, mom, for teaching me this trick many years ago.

We cut the Tootsie rolls in half, and inserted one half into the top of each treat to look like a stem. I placed the formed treats onto waxed paper to cool. Once completely cooled, I decorated the faces with black gel icing. Then I turned into a wicked witch because I made my kids wait until after dinner to eat them!

Rice Kripie Pumpkins

Rhonda Brammel

Rhonda Bramell lives in Springdale with her family and middle-aged, spoiled dog. In the daytime, she works as the Marketing Manager at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. At night, she spends a lot of time doing laundry, cooking dinner and doing first grade homework. You can find her blogging at www.bramell.blogspot.com to see how being OK at something is good enough.

Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole {Foodie Friday}

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Fall is my favorite time of the year.  The weather cools off and we are finally able to comfortably enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Arkansas.  We love to take weekend canoeing trips, ride our horses into the Ouachita Mountains, and fish on our great lakes.    Our wonderful state has so many beautiful areas, and let me encourage you to explore them all for yourself.  There is a misconception, that while you are camping in the wilderness, you cannot eat good food.  That is soooooooo wrong.  Some of the best meals I have ever eaten were on the side of a river or on an island in the middle of Lake Ouachita.  To improve your camping meals, I would like to share our favorite and easy Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole.

The only cooking utensils you will need are a 9 inch cast iron Dutch Oven (with legs and a lipped lid), a large spoon, a knife, and a Dutch Oven lid lifter (or a hammer works nicely).  We normally use wood to build our cooking fires, but I am demonstrating with charcoal, to make it easier for you to reproduce.  To prepare a hardy amount of breakfast for two people, you will need: ? pound of Petit Jean Hickory Smoked Bacon, 2 large potatoes, ½ white onion, 5 Great Day Farms extra large eggs, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

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Begin by arranging your charcoal briquettes in a pyramid shape (just like you would in a grill) on the ground, in a large clear area.  Ignite the charcoal and you can begin your food preparation.

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Cut your bacon into 1 inch pieces, cut your potatoes into 1 inch cubes, and dice your onion.

When the briquettes are ready, use your Dutch Oven lid lifter to flatten your pyramid out a little, so the Dutch Oven can sit on top of the coals.  Add your bacon to the Dutch Oven and cook completely with the lid removed.  The process of frying the bacon is exactly the same as you would on a stove top.

When the bacon is cooked, remove it from the Dutch Oven and sit aside.  Try very hard to not eat any of your bacon.  Petit Jean Bacon usually makes the perfect amount of grease, so you do not have to go through the dangerous process of removing any.  Add your potatoes and onions to the Dutch Oven and cover with the lid.  Arrange your briquettes in a single layer and place approximately 9 briquettes on top.

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After 5 minutes, remove the lid and rotate approximately 45?.  This alleviates any hot spots and prevents you from burning your potatoes.  After 10 minutes, remove the lid, stir your potatoes, and replace the lid.  Fifteen minutes into the process, rotate the lid again.  The potatoes should be soft after 20 minutes, but if they are not, you can continue to rotate the lid every 5 minutes and stir every 10 minutes, until they are finished.

When the potatoes are completely cooked, add your bacon to the Dutch Oven and stir gently.  Now, add your 5 eggs.

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Stir gently once more, to break the yolks and replace the lid.  It will take a little over 5 minutes to cook the eggs.  When the eggs are completely done, remove the lid and cover with shredded cheddar cheese.  You can add as much, or as little, as you wish.

Dutch Oven Breakfast Casserole Ashley Ederington
Replace the lid, and after about 5 minutes the cheese will be melted completely.

Yummy! In case you are wondering, a serving is half the contents of the Dutch Oven (a huge portion) and is approximately 675 calories.

Do not let Dutch Oven cooking intimidate you.  If you have any questions, feel free to tweet me at @MrsEderington, and I will help you every step of the way!

run trailAshley Ederinton is a wife, mother, and student.  She loves to run, mountain bike, and swim, hopes to become a marine biologist, and tries to keep God first in her life and in her family.

In the side bar of her blog The Ederington Family she has a quote by Olympic swimmer Dara Torres that says, “They may become harder to achieve, but your dreams can’t stop because you’ve hit a certain age or you’ve had a child.” This quote is a perfect example of Ashley.

Life With Ladybug: A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet

By Shannon Magsam of nwaMotherlode

Boo Mama.

boo mama's bookNo, that’s not a Halloween phrase. Notice I didn’t add any punctuation in there: Boo, mama! Rather, Boo Mama is a person. Specifically, a hilarious blogger/author/storyteller who loves God and making people laugh.

She really brought the funny to the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged Conference and now – a few days after getting home from the conference weekend – I’m reading her book (thanks for the free copy, sponsor Petit Jean Meats!) The book, A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, has already inspired me, just a few sentences into chapter one.

Boo Mama (a.k.a. Sophie Hudson) has this theory about how we remember people: that we typically have one particular “fallback” memory that becomes our mental go-to image when we think about somebody.

I immediately agreed with her theory and a multitude of people marched through my mind – along with all their corresponding go-to images:

* My paternal grandmother, “Nanny” – Waving and smiling at us as we drive away from her house after Sunday dinner. (Alternately, in her rooster print apron pulling a cast iron pot out of the oven.)

* My maternal grandmother “Grandma Kelley” – Frying egg after egg after egg on the stove and artistically stacking them on a huge platter for any of her 11 kids and their families who happened to come by for breakfast.

* My mother – Building, cooking, sanding, mowing, weeding, planting, creating — with her own two hands. I always see her hands. And her face is usually a little red from the exertion.Ladybug pic, goodnight gorilla

* My father – Working on a vehicle, tanned and just a little smudge of motor oil on his face and under his fingernails. He’s either under the hood, under the truck or in the driver’s seat.

* My husband – Laughing. Teasing me with a joke. Or laughing at one of mine. (Alternately: The yep-she’s-mine expression on his face in my favorite picture from our wedding day.)

* My daughter – She’s about 2 years old, wearing a little denim skirt, sleeveless top and white sandals — carrying the book Goodnight, Gorilla around the Little Rock Zoo.

There are so many more people I love and would like to mention, but that’s just a few for now. I think the longer you know someone it’s possible that the go-to image could change, but it does seem to ring true that one strong memory will be the most enduring.

Thanks for the theory, Boo Mama Sophie. I enjoyed that trip down memory lane.

And I have to add that I LOVED your keynote speech at the AWBU conference. I’m impressed by anyone who can quote Bruno Mars and scripture all in one speech.

Treasure indeed.

OK, Arkansas Women Bloggers, what’s your go-to image for certain people in your life? We’d love to read your list!

 blue dress headshot blog

 

Shannon Magsam is a tween mom, married to a newspaperman and the love of her life, and co-founder of nwaMotherlode.com 

 

#AWBU 2013 Recap Posts by YOU~ Link It Up

What an amazing  weekend we had at the beautiful, serene  Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center (go LIKE them on Facebook) at the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged 2013 conference!  We couldn’t possibly capture all of the awesome that occurred in one post here and I have already seen so many today that have pulled at my heart strings, encouraged me, and after a couple of more good nights sleep, motivated me to get going on #awbu 2014!  So, would y’all be so kind as to place your AWBU blog posts here?  That way, we can all peek in on one another’s memories with ease, and it will be that much simpler for us to help convince everybody not to miss AWBU 2014!

Thank you for all that you shared and for all the ways you jumped into AWBU with total FABULOUSNESS!

Share your AWBU post below – be sure to link directly to the post rather than your homepage!  (You can put your blog name in parentheses after your name)



Back to School Lunches {Foodie Friday}

by Amy James, Our Everyday Dinners

I’m not that Pinterest mom. I should be the mom who packs cute bento boxes full of healthy and fun lunches for my children. I’m a food blogger, for goodness sake! But I’m not that mom. I’m the mom who sends a peanut butter sandwich, some chips, a cookie, and sometimes a tube of yogurt (gasp!).

See, I’ve had kids in school for 6 years now, and I’ve probably spent hundreds of dollars on fruits and vegetables that have been thrown away. And now that I have all 3 kids in school, that’s a lot money in the trash can. I’d rather send my kids a lunch they will eat, and then focus on a healthy breakfast, dinner, and snacks.
I try to get creative sometimes, but I focus on what they like. I always pack a napkin with a smiley face or heart, a water bottle, and a cookie. Everyone needs a little dessert in the cafeteria!

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Here are some of their favorite lunches that do not include sandwiches:
• peanut butter and crackers, strawberries, cheese cubes
• homemade lunchables: ham, cheese, crackers, grapes
• soup in a thermos with crackers, fruit on the side
• brown rice in a thermos, baby carrots on the side, ranch for dipping
• cheese tortelinni in a thermos
• Caesar salad (dressing and croutons on the side), crackers, fruit
• dry cereal (milk in a thermos), banana
• almonds, cheese cubes, yogurt, pretzels

 

amyjamesAmy James, Our Everyday Dinners, is a wife, mother, home cook, amateur gardener, and MBA who blogs at Our Everyday Dinners. Our Everyday Dinners chronicles Amy’s success and struggles in the kitchen preparing healthy and delicious dinners for her family of 5, which includes her husband, John, and children, Kate, Abby, and Alex.

Our Everyday Dinners has been featured on iVillage, PBS, Dole.com, Tasty Kitchen, KNWA, Yummly, BlogHer, FoxNewsEdge, Parents Playground, Motherlode, Arkansas Women Bloggers, and numerous blogs.

Company’s Coming! Clean Up Your Online House! #AWBU 2013

by Angie Albright
A Growing Season
@AngieAlbright @AGrowingSeason

Am I the only one who, when I find out that company is coming, rushes around my house to make things presentable? I try to keep things in order around my house (mostly unsuccessfully), but when I know I’m about to have visitors, I tend to see things a little differently. Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged is just days away, and for those of you attending, you’re about to get lots of visitors to your online house. Some of those visitors may even be representatives of the brands sponsoring AWBU or interacting with participants during the conference. Are you company-ready?

What follows are a few suggestions to help you polish up your online presence as well as help you prepare for all these new visitors.

Your Blog

  •  What is the post any visitor will see first when she lands on your website? Is it a favorite? Is it a really solid one? You’ll have the opportunity to make lots of good first impressions in just a few days, so make sure your top post is one that shines and that you’re proud of (and if that means re-posting a favorite that really represents who you are, then do it!).
  • This will sound a little nuts, but listen anyway. Look around your blog. Where is your name? I read lots of great blogs but often have to dig around to find whose words I am reading. Do us a favor and make sure your name is right up front on the home page. We want to connect with you!
  • Are any of your ads or sidebar images outdated? Freshen up any information or images on your homepage. Consider adding a picture of you toward the top of the sidebar so any new visitor will immediately connect the blog to the person she’s just met.
  • Make sure the link to your blog is on the ARWB website and that you are a registered member!

Social Media

  • You will probably end up with a number of new Facebook friend requests. If your profile pic isn’t a picture of a clearly recognizable you, consider swapping it out for one that is, at least for the duration of the conference. If someone wants to engage with you but doesn’t see your face, she may not remember who is making the friend request! Also make sure that a link to your blog is included in the “About” section of your profile. Same goes for Twitter. Put a picture of yourself in your profile and make sure you have a link to your blog as well.
  • If you have a Facebook fan page, does your cover photo make a good first impression or represent your professional identity and blog well? As with checking your blog posts, check to see what your last few status updates are. Is it your best stuff? Would a quick glance at your latest postings there tell a visitor who you are and what kind of work you do?
  • Twitter is the social media channel that dominates conferences and professional events. I am at my limit of those I can follow (2,000) until I have closer to 2,000 followers myself. You will want to follow lots of folks you’re meeting, so clear out the junk so you have the capacity to do all the following you want! JustUnfollow.com is a great website and smart phone app for helping you manage your Twitter contacts. You can quickly identify who you can stop following based on any number of criteria.
  • Hashtags: Most of the third-party social media tools like HootSuite or Tweetdeck allow you to add “streams” to your profile. Add a stream for #AWBU so you can watch the action from the get-go. For the Instagram lovers among us, the “Explore” tab also offers a search for hashtags. Facebook is using hashtags now, but as with Instagram, you have to put the hashtagged phrase into the search field to pull up the feed.
  • Use the hashtag in your posts about the conference! It does a couple of important things: it shows our sponsors and others that we are indeed influencers and know how to generate a good buzz around an idea, product, or event. It will also help you find other attendees to follow. You’ll have fun scrolling through the #AWBU stream on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram after the conference is over.

Once you’ve done these things, forget about all that and just have fun connecting with new and old friends, learning from each other, and enjoying the weekend getaway!

New Balance Arkansas 5K

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Are you ready to run a 5K? How about walk it?  Or, you could hit the course and cheer on your fellow social media sistahs? New Balance Arkansas (go like them on Facebook) will sponsor the first #AWBU 5k Race on  Sunday morning of the conference at 6:30 a.m.

There will be some fun along the way, of course, we are ARWB! So, be prepared.

New Balance Arkansas is providing some incredible awards for the top 3  race time winners and the top 3 social media superstar winners. Yes, awards for Tweeting and Instagraming, what a wonderful world!

In addition, they will be on hand during the Handmade Marketplace to do fittings for anyone who would like to find the best fit and best shoe for you.

In preparation, I need some info. Remember, if you do not want to head out on the course, we could always use volunteers, that is how this stuff happens!

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Special thanks to Lisa Mullis and Ashley Ederington for being race directors and making it all happen!

It’s your life, run with it!

New Balance of Arkansas 30 Second Ad from Bryan Stafford on Vimeo.

P. Allen Smith To Sign Books at #AWBU

I know, I know….seriously, how can #AWBU get any more awesome? Easy, AWBU attendees have the opportunity to purchase P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes from the Garden from us at ARWB, and he will sign it at the Kick-Off Reception Friday night.  Um…yes, it’s true, it’s true!

You can go here and find out more about the contents of the book. I own it and use it often. And, as someone who has mostly been a grower of food, this book has helped me along the way in becoming a preparer of food too. If you do not garden, head out to the Farmer’s Market, grab some Arkansas Grown produce, and try some new recipes.  It is also a beautiful book, the photographs are gorgeous. A great Christmas present idea.

There is even more incentive to purchase it, the proceeds from book sales will be for ARWB members in need to attend the conference through an #AWBU Scholarship.

You can preorder it (we only have 45) and we will have it ready for Allen to sign Friday evening at #AWBU Kick-Off Reception. The cost for this wonderful book with proceeds to help your fellow blogger gals is only $30.  When they are sold out, we will not be able to get any more.  So, do it now!




P. Allen Smith to Kick-Off #AWBU 2013

PAllenWe are beyond thrilled to announce that award-winning designer, gardening and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith will kick off Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged 2013 on Friday, September 6 at Ferncliff Conference Center. Many of you know P. Allen Smith from watching his public television programs, P. Allen Smith ‘s Garden Home and P. Allen Smith’s Garden to Table, and the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. There are also some of us lucky gals that have been able to hang out with him at his home, Moss Mountain Farm, for the day during Bean2Blog.

My mission at ARWB has always been to create community and to help you be better bloggers/social media superstars which I hope has helped to better your lives.  Allen is the perfect person to kick off this extraordinary social media conference weekend because he is also in the business of helping people live better lives.  And, his vision is quiet beautiful and always rooted in Arkansas.

He also understands social media and our impact: According to P. Allen Smith,  “Social media has caused a huge paradigm shift in how business is conducted on our planet. The social web has created a new era of instantaneous business where bloggers are today’s up-to-the-minute voice. Businesses want to tap these bloggers to spread positive word-of-mouth about their products.” Smith continued “Bloggers are very influential because they become product evangelists or influencers giving marketers instantaneous feedback on exclusive previews, product testing, marketing plans, customer services audits, etc. The blogger’s opinions become actionable items that businesses can employ immediately thus better serving consumers. In this scenario, everybody wins.”

If you have not registered for the conference, go now! There are only a few more days left before registration ends!

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For more information, contact The Park Wife and yes, I am jumping up and down with excitement that Allen will be there. In celebration, I am going to make a dish from P. Allen Smith’s Seasonal Recipes From the Garden book while wearing my Heritage Poultry Conservancy t-shirt.