Welcome to the Country!

Ultimate Blog Party 2010(For my regular readers -I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Party this week – which is kind of like a huge Open House for other bloggers to come and look around. Sure wish I had more time to spiff the place up a bit – but you know the wild few weeks we’ve had around here! So – I’ll guess they’ll have to take me the way I am – but don’t worry Mom – I did get a towel thrown over the unmentionables drying in the bathroom!)

Hey thanks for stopping by!

We’re pretty informal around here – so slip your shoes off and come on in.

You might notice our turn of the century farmhouse – we moved in it ten years ago, gutted it and put it back together. We’ve only been moved in a year and half – so we’re still settling in. (Yes –  none of the trim is up yet – and there’s still no pictures on the wall – oh well!!)

You may also notice a lot of books sitting  around – both my hubby and I are official bibliophiles – Half-Price Books is a dangerous place for us!

TheKingsHere 091Speaking of my husband – let me introduce you to my sweetheart – Jan.

We met and started dating when I had just finished college.

A funny story – when we started dating, I would be talking to my mom on the phone telling her all about the things I was doing with Jan – and she just assumed it was a girl.

When one of my sisters told her the truth – that he was a very eligible good-looking single guy at church – my folks dropped everything and came down the next weekend to meet him! He passed inspection – still does! 🙂

We will celebrate 20 years of marriage in August. I am one blessed woman.

We have five kids – three are teenagers – two are almost teens. Yeah – life is crazy around here at times – and the food we go through!! Wow!

I do like to share recipes  – but they’re nothing fancy – just good home-cooking that is tried and true. We have lots of company – so I’m often “feeding the multitudes”. (Last week we hosted nine extra cousins, an aunt and a grandpa and grandma for seven days – next week my entire family will be here for a long weekend to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.)

I use very large pots, have a well-stocked pantry and three freezers. Food is big here.

You might have noticed the view by now – we live in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Iowa. Our nearest neighbors are Amish – so a buggy going by on the gravel road or even pulling into the driveway is pretty common.

We like to sit in the sun room and do our home schooling every day – with windows on three sides we can watch our world while doing Chemistry and diagramming sentences.

If you hang around long enough I hope you will notice that my faith is very important to me. My relationship with Jesus is the center of my life and I sometimes share what He’s taught me.

I love thrift stores, reading fiction, and old quilts.

I love chocolate so much that I started a separate chocolate blog.

I don’t like broken appliances, being sick and cooked spinach.

Besides my kids, my faith, and what I’m cooking, I also write about our adventures, funny happenings, and our life in rural America – “where we live in the comfort of our blue jeans and cotton tees”.

Thanks for stopping by – stay as long as you wish! The water is warm in the tea kettle and my daughter’s keep the cookie jar full.

If you’ve got time – hike the back trails we have on the property, do a little fishing, or just sit and enjoy the quiet.

Before you go – don’t forget to grab a dozen eggs from the fridge to take home with you – those chickens are really laying right now!

Come back soon!

Melinda

45 thoughts on “Welcome to the Country!”

  1. I envy the school environment your kids enjoy. What a stark contrast to the “energy saving” windowless cement brick of public education.

    You have a beautiful space.

    Blessings,
    Angie

    Like

    Reply

  2. I love Half Price Books! It isn’t a store – it’s a little slice of heaven on earth. I’m visiting from UBP – isn’t this a blast?

    Like

    Reply

  3. Congrats on 20 years! My husband and I just celebrated 7.

    I’m a book lover as well, though it’s the library for me. 🙂

    Stopping in from the party!

    Like

    Reply

  4. Hey, I saw your post at UBP and had to stop by….obvious reason. I love the philosophy and life style of jeans and cotton jeans. I jokingly call it my uniform. I can see from reading your post that we have a lot in common. I also hate cooked spinach and am a follower of Jesus Christ. Anyway, I’ll try not to sound too stockerish but you seem like quite the kindred spirit. Good meeting/reading you and I look forward to following your blog!

    Like

    Reply

  9. Wow, I am so glad I found your blog from the UBP. We seem to have a good bit in common. I think my blog wants to be like your blog when it grows up! I’ll defintely be digging into your posts.

    Like

    Reply

  12. 20 years is terrific! We’re at 8 now and it’s still wonderful. I love the story about how your parents dropped everything when they realized “Jan” isn’t necessarily a girl’s name! Ha! Thanks for stopping by today!

    Like

    Reply

  16. Hi, Melinda! Thank you for stopping by my blog! I love visiting Amish country. I miss being in the countryside of America, but hope to move back someplace in the countryside after our mission service is finished! Have a blessed day.

    Like

    Reply

  18. Hey thanks for stopping by with some UBP love. This is my first and I’m having a blast. I’m gonna mosey on over to your chocolate blog now too only because this addict is drooling just thinking about it. Hope to see you around again soon.

    Like

    Reply

  21. Hi!
    Thanks for stopping by my blog, your comment made me giggle!
    I loved reading about you and I want to read more of your entries so Im adding you to my reader!!

    Like

    Reply

  25. Hi Melinda!
    Am LOVING your sense-of-humor! The comment about getting a towel thrown over the “unmentionables” had me grinning ear-to-ear! Thanks sooo very much for stopping by my blog in the name of this year’s Ultimate Block Party.
    And you’re are correct: we do share many commonalities! Am a book junkie myself, well…when I get a chance that is, with working around a husband and 3 children 6 and younger!
    And it sounds like Jan is one blessed man! Pre-congrats on the 20 years! What a testimony to the grace of our Father!!! For i know it is only through Him such a feat is accomplished! As I share with ANYONE who asks (and some who don’t! LOL), it’s that promise I made before God that’s all that holds me up in our marriage sometimes. It’s like that for us all. Only a fool to think it (marriage) a cake walk. Unfortunately, am thinking we have alot of fools out there, for our Pastor shared some HORRIFYING new statistics from the pulpit recently: divorce rate now 60%!!!!! That means one’s marriage is more likely to fail then succeed! O.k., sorry, got off on a rant there 😉 Am just tickled pink to see a fellow brother and sister making it work! And 50 years???? So unheard of these days. 😦 PLEASE pass along my congrats to your parents. 🙂
    Home-cookin’??? You share recipes??? Ahhhhh….am crazy about some “comfort food”!!! I do believe I’m going to have to “follow you”/subscribe to your blog!
    My how God has blessed you and your family! The setting/scene you painted while involved in a day of homeschool…sheer bliss. 🙂
    Sorry to go on….but it’s not often one finds like-mindedness. So when it happens…all kinds of “stuff” comes pouring through for you know the other person is going to understand/relate!
    God bless you and keep you!

    Like

    Reply

  27. Hi! VIsiting from the UBP. I’m like you – I LOVE to cook, but nothing fancy (most of the time, anyway)! Glad to have found your blog – hope you’ll come visit me too. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  28. hi- just stumbled on your blog, it feels so peaceful! glad to have found a fellow believer and homeschooling mom. i live in asia and we have already raised 4 kids; then my husband and i were blessed almost 4 years ago with a new little one to raise for God. your life sounds like mine was about 25 years ago! i will continue to follow your peaceful life!

    Like

    Reply

  30. Hi there! Coming through from UBP..love your blog and homeschooling..I’d like to homeschool my kids and currently doing my research on that:) Will be back to read some more..Have a blessed sabbath:)

    Maopa:)

    Like

    Reply

  31. So pleased to discover your blog on the UBP! I am a fellow homeschooling mom, adore my farming/country roots near the Amish, and chocolate… well, how can a resist a gal who dedicates a separate blog to chocolate?! Following you on Twitter and looking forward to getting to know you! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  34. Oh, I love it! You sound like a wonderful hospitable family! I’m all about the good old homestyle cooking. Nothing fancy around here either, but I think my husband agree, that though my cooking isn’t fancy, it is very good!

    I enjoyed getting to know you, and hope to stop by again!

    Like

    Reply

  35. ???!

    Nice to meet you! 😀 Just stopping by from the party to say howdy. Love your blog.

    Have a great weekend and happy UBP! 😀 And hope to see you stop by sometime!!

    ?????!

    Like

    Reply

  40. Stopping by from the UBP #2010. I have 2 teenagers (daughters) & I hate cooked spinach to, but my oldest loves it. Sometimes I think she was switched at birth. (haha)

    Like

    Reply

  41. What a lovely story.
    Love your blog and really enjoyed my visit.
    I think this is my 3rd year. Not sure but really enjoy meeting new bloggers.
    Great prizes this year! I hope you win one..or two.
    I was late too but fashionable late for the UBP 2010.

    Like

    Reply

  44. Returning your visit from the UBP, thanks for stopping by my blog. I always like to see the blogs of other homeschoooling families, and it seems like there are a lot of us on the blog hop.

    Like

    Reply

  45. Stopping by from UBP

    I can relate regarding the food.

    I just came home from grocery shopping with a HUGE bag of oranges and told everyone that if they were gone in one day, I’ll have a ciniption fit!

    BTW- I homeschool, too!

    Have a great blog-hopping time!

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment