Hi Ladies! You asked how to find your fellow ARWB gals on Twitter, so we are going to have a little Twitter Link-Up fun to make it easier for you.
Link up your Twitter account, follow two people immediately in front of you in the Linky, and then send out a tweet to your new friends using the hashtag. #helloARWBgals
Make sure you are following @ARWomenBloggers!
Arkansas Women Bloggers will gather, grow, and connect during the The Pioneer Woman’s book signing in Rogers, AR, November 16 (#reeinrogers). And, we will meet up the night before for a little fun!
Everyone that knows me, The Park Wife, knows that I love me some Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. We are old Internets friends from way back in the dark ages of blogging. She is genuine, kind, and is always there to help the bloggy world, she is the real deal sistahs. I am so glad that someone like her has had the success she has had, she has worked hard and deserves it.
I went to her cookbook signing in November 2009, stood in line for four hours, met some great women who I am still friends with today.
Oh, and then I got to have coffee with her in Atlanta when I was there with my Country Outfitter gals/my dear friends Amy James and Stephanie McCratic.
As The Pioneer Woman heads to Rogers, AR for the signing of her Holiday Cookbook on November 16, I hope many of you Arkansas Women Blogger gals will be there to welcome her and get some of her books signed. Great Christmas presents!
Here’s the Info:
The Arkansas Women Bloggers will hold a Meet-up beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15 at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, AR. Come hang out for as long as you can. If you are traveling in for this (like my friend Heather and I) Embassy Suites is offering $89 Pioneer Woman Weekend rate, go make a reservation now!
Then, on Saturday, November 16, we will all meet at 10:15 a.m. at the Walmart at 4208 Pleasant Crossing Blvd to stand in line together, visit, and wait to see REE!!!!!!
Please RSVP on the Facebook event invite if you will be able to join us on Friday evening as we need a headcount.
See you in Rogers!
The Park Wife
BTW-we will use the hashtag #reeinrogers, so use it and follow along!
Brittany Little, Miss November 2013
So many times, we sit around and think of the things we wish we had or were in life. We wish we had the perfect job, a big house, a nice new car, perfect children, or even were a bit prettier.
It is amazing how the simple act of stating that you are thankful for something can change your outlook and even your day. You begin to see things differently. You begin to act differently. You begin to be happier each day. You see how many more things are blessings to you.
Instead of being bogged down at work, maybe you are thankful that you have such a great job and get to learn so many new things each day. You are thankful for that car you have that gets you to that job each day. You are thankful for that house that might be small, but full of a lot of love.
What if God only gave you tomorrow what you gave him thanks for today? What would you end up with?
I urge you to sit down and write a list of twenty things you are thankful for. It won’t take long, I promise! You could even blog about it and share with us your post in the comments.
By Amanda Fiveash of The Frugal Greenish Mama
Growing up in Arkansas I always loved autumn. The air was crisp, the beautiful leaves started turning rich colors and the house always smelled delectable. What is it about the cool weather that inspires us to want to cook and bake again? It just feels right.
When I think of fall foods I think of warm bowls of chili, chicken and dumplings or thick and creamy potato soup. While they were always favorites, it’s what was in the oven that I became more excited about! Sometimes we would be blessed with a warm pecan pie, apple pie or something pumpkin that would get us all excited.
Fall just seems to bring us all together. It is a favorite time to have bonfires, hayrides and lots of family and friend get-togethers.
While I enjoy cooking, baking and eating, I enjoy crafting just as much. (Slight confession, maybe not quite as much as eating!) With a new season rolling around, it means time to give our décor a bit of an update. The bright colors of summer are now being replaced with deep, rich hues. Since I am all about being frugal and reusing items I start to see what I have that I can repurpose or update.
The kids picked out a bunch of silk fall flowers on a recent trip to Michaels and although I am not usually a fan of silk, I decided it would be nice as a centerpiece. Now we just needed a vase. I don’t buy vases but usually repurpose something I have on hand.
In the spirit of fall we needed something with more of an earthy feel, which is why I love burlap! I collected some ribbons in fall colors as well as some buttons, burlap and my glue gun.
3. To begin, cut your burlap so that it wraps around the entire vase, overlapping the edges just slightly. Cut the top of the burlap just at the top of the vase.
4. Using your hot glue gun, glue the burlap to the vase and then wrap it around tightly and glue the loose edges down.
5. Along the top edge of the burlap, remove one to two cords so it is slightly frayed.
6. Add a ribbon of yo ur choice and tie a bow for the front of the vase.
7. Then take a piece of jute or cord and thread them through your buttons, knotting them. Use your hot glue gun to glue them in place.
Now you have created the perfect vase for your centerpiece! Next up is the menu of delicious food!
Amanda was born in Arkansas and although lived in several other states, returned home to put down roots before starting her own family. She is now a Mama to three beautiful children living in Northern Arkansas. Her blog, The Frugal Greenish Mama is an outlet to share her adventures in motherhood from homeschooling, attempting to feed her family more natural foods and her love of crafting.
By Brittany Little of Ramblings of a Little Wife
Hi, I am so very thankful that I was chosen to be November Blogger of the Month. I love that I was chosen with such a great topic for the month, Gratitude. My name is Brittany Little and I blog over at www.ramblingsofalittlewife.com
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I live in Northwest Arkansas and absolutely love it. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. I grew up in a small town, and then moved to Fayetteville to attend the U of A for college. I graduated with a Finance & Banking degree. I always joke that I crunch numbers during the day, and blog at night. Really I do about 99.9% of my blogging at night. Okay, maybe later at night than I should.
I met my husband, Denver, ten years ago. We married on the most gorgeous white beach in Destin, FL, five years later. He owns an Allstate Agency in Springdale and I am truly in “good hands” with him! I don’t think I would be the blogger I am today if it wasn’t for his support and encouragement. He is also a pro at prompting me to take pictures of our meals and trips for my blog.
We don’t have any children YET, but I am sure we will one day soon. We love being married and the best part about not having kids yet, is we are free to travel and see fabulous places.
I love to cook and hope you check out my recipes. I promise I don’t ever post a recipe unless I love it! I also love to read, DIY projects, and spend time with our friends and family. Those are the exact same things I blog about!
I am so excited that I was chosen to be the blogger of the month and I can’t wait to talk about Gratitude. We all have so many things to be thankful for each day.
Please check me out and I would love it if you followed me!
Some great fall recipes, fashion tips and DIY/decorations submitted by members of Arkansas Women Bloggers.
Apple Cider Syrup – Eggs and Herbs
Caramel Apple Crisp – Life of a Lost Muse
Amazing Apple Crisp – Polka Dotty Place
Pumpkin Caramel Spice Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce – Dining with Debbie
Pumpkin Pie with Brown Sugar Bottom – Stacey Valley
Creepy Popcorn Hands – Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen
Turkey Pot Pie – Grace Grits and Gardening
Mason Jar Pumpkin Bread – Home’s Cool
Friday Fancies – Life of a Lost Muse
Leopard Print Inspiration – Pork Chop Tuesday
Fall Must Haves – Polka Dotty Place
Fall Style – Delta Moxie
Mason Jar Vase with Burlap, Lace and Pearls – Eggs and Herbs
Recycled Book Pumpkin – Grace, Grits and Gardening
Fall Decorating (Sort of!) – Dining with Debbie
Halloween Wreath – Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen
Halloween Card – Pork Chop Tuesday
Circle Garland – Polka Dotty Palace
Thanks to everyone who submitted pictures and links for this Fall Favorites Roundup! We will be doing a Holiday Favorites Roundup soon so be watching for the announcement right here on Arkansas Women Bloggers!
#BLOGPHOBIA 4 Do Something Scary
This is my last post as Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Miss October. Thank you for the esteemed Blogger of the Month title. My family, friends, fellow bloggers and colleagues are so proud of me.
This series of #BLOGPHOBIA posts has identified different phobias, when phobias or fears are an issue and my fear of learning to code.
I’m requesting we throw all of that out of the window.
Now, let’s go do something scary. We can do it. And it will make great blogging material.
What will your “something scary” be?
You can find me at DeltaMoxie.com or:
Tumblr: delta moxie (I have ten followers, you could be the 11th!)
Happy Halloween.
By Paige Ray of Approaching Joy
As soon as school started after the summer break, my younger brother and I would figure out which bus line we were supposed to be in and load up for the 30 minute ride to our grandparents’ house in the country. We were jostled down no less than five bumpy country roads only to be unceremoniously dumped off on the side of the dusty lane that led to their house a quarter of a mile away. But at the end of the driveway lay glorious food of all sorts.
Peanut butter sandwiches, cheese and crackers, or simple slices of summer sausage were the components of a normal snack, while ice cream with chocolate sauce was reserved for special days. But there was always food cooking. Sauces would be boiling in pots. Doughs would be rising underneath kitchen towels worn thin. And specifically at the end of summer into the beginning of fall, fresh produce would be on the counter ready to be canned.
It was my memory of canning that got me super excited… and a little scared… when the Mister told me he wanted to use the tomatoes that we got at the farmers’ market to make homemade pasta sauce and then can them so we could have some to eat later on in the fall and winter.
I was comfortable with the pasta sauce: this is something we do fairly often. The thought of making a batch big enough to feed thirty people? Slightly intimidating but doable. It was the actual canning part that freaked me out:
“Isn’t that something that only kitchen pros do?”
“We don’t have any special equipment!!”
“What happens if we do it wrong and die of botulism?!?!?!?!”
(As you can tell by my use of exclamation marks, I got more concerned the more I thought about it.)
He convinced me that this was doable so we went about making something similar to this Tomato Sauce recipe. (Remember the other day when I mentioned that the Mister regards a recipe as a suggestion?)
This was the first time I had ever poached tomatoes (is that the right term?) so the “boil quickly, throw into ice water, watch the “skin” come off the tomato” process was kind of amazing.
Then we squeezed the tomatoes into the fancy French sieve (a chinoise, if you’re taking arduous notes) so that all the juice went through (and could be used with the fruit of the tomato) but the seeds stayed behind.
I think it’s kind of beautiful.
After that we started the actual tomato sauce process… at which point I went to another part of the house to do blog work and stayed busy until the Mister let me know that he was ready to can.
Here’s the thing about the canning process: It’s fairly straight-forward procedure.
You stick whatever you want in a can, place the sealer lid (it’s got something resembling a wax ring) on top, and then loosely screw on the outer lid. You then stick the cans into a boiling pot of water until the can “cooks” (i.e. seals), and then you take them out.
What isn’t so straight forward is the fact that while “cooking” the cans sound like a space ship before lift-off. (Scariest kitchen noise ever.) Also scary- botulism exists. The phrase “killer cans” still frightens me out. Check out these two links if this is something you’re interested in:
Canning 101: Home Canned Tomatoes
How to Can Tomatoes At Home Safely
After carefully taking the jars out of the pot and placing them onto the counter, we sat and waited. I was so proud of my Mister when we head the “pop” of the jars sealing and telling us that these were good to go.
Have any of you guys ever tried canning anything?
(I’m going to assume no one reading has ever gotten botulism and survived, but if you have please share!)
What’s the most adventurous you’ve been in the kitchen lately?
Paige Ray blogs at Approaching Joy where she focuses on living local, sharing inspiration and telling her story. Hailing from the south Arkansas town of Hope, she currently resides with the Mister in Northwest Arkansas where she works as Director of Membership and Marketing a The Jones Center in Springdale. Not only does she can tomatoes and shop the Farmers Market, she takes some pretty awesome photographs as well.
Written by Tiffany S.
Hello, my name is Tiffany and I have Misophonia, otherwise known as the phobia of sound. Me and my frenemy “Miso” go way back, all the way back to my childhood, to be exact. I know that a lot of people don’t know what it is so I’ll give you the basic rundown.
Misophonia is a neurological disorder, in which a person feels anxiety (sometimes even rage) in response to certain common sounds. It is also sometimes known as Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome. Some of these “trigger sounds” include coughing, sneezing, scratching, breathing, repetitive tapping of a pencil, music boxes, snoring….and a whole lot of others that can be classified as normal, everyday sounds.
While no one knows the exact cause of Misophonia, it is thought to be caused by a connection between the limbic & auditory systems, aka the part of the brain responsible for behavior/emotion & the parts responsible for hearing. As I mentioned above, I’ve had “Miso” since I was a little kid. The first triggers I can remember reacting to are music boxes, the sound of a ceiling fan & snoring. I seriously have to leave the room sometimes. It’s hard to explain the feeling that comes over me — my body wants to twitch and I get this panicked feeling like I have to get away. Things like dripping water or fingernail clacking will send me out of a room lickity split.
Sadly, at this point in medical history, there is not yet a cure since this is still considered a ‘new’ disorder. The most common way I deal with is it is to leave the room where the trigger is. In cases that I can’t leave, I sometimes have to take panic attack medication to ease the tension. There are no proven coping strategies out there and, in reading up on it, I find that people deal with it in a wide array of ways.
I run into people who think I am ‘freaking out over a little problem’ but they don’t understand what it is that I’m going through. These noises will fill your mind until you cannot hear anything else; where all you can focus on is that noise. It’s a scary situation. I am grateful, however, to know what it is that is ‘wrong with me’. I feel better knowing that I can explain why I behave the way I do sometimes. For the most part, people have been very understanding.
