Oh, the cute!

Posted on by Rebekah Warren

Hey ya’ll. I know I haven’t posted in a while, but what better to bring me back to the blogging world than our new, sweet, adorable, perfect, darling beagle pups? I think it’s official; I’ve become one of those people. I am obsessed with my dogs. But you know all those things people say about dogs–about how they’re so loving and loyal, always thrilled to see you, and they really think you’re the greatest? Those things are true. These puppies have changed my mind about dogs. They may be a little stinky after swimming in the pond sometimes, but they love me, and I love them back. They each have their own personality. Jimmy is sweet, jealous, and so smart. Ruby is mischievous, brave, and affectionate. They are a ton of fun, and I have loved becoming a mama to these two. Here’s an idea: let’s share some puppy photos, mostly because it’s Monday. This hasn’t been a particularly bad Monday, but still. Monday. Without further adieu, welcome to Monday Funday, featuring Jimmy and Ruby!

Jimmy: I wonder if Mom will give me more of those “organic” treats. What is organic anyway?
Is it the same as bacon? I love bacon. 

Jimmy: She is always asleep. 

Jimmy: Mom! Ruby ruined my close-up!

Jimmy: Okay, here’s my most charming expression. More treats, right?

Ruby: Well, here’s my most charming expression. I get all the treats! 

Ruby: MOM! You were gone for like three minutes! I thought you  left forever!

Hope these pictures put a smile on your face. Sorry if they made you roll your eyes. If that was the case, you should probably go get a puppy for yourself. 🙂 Have a great week! I’ll be back soon with an update on what else has been going on at the Warren homestead.

xoxo,
Bekah

*cheesy/dumb captions by yours truly–the puppies don’t actually talk or call me Mom, to my disappointment

The Creatures

Posted on by Rebekah Warren
Hi, dear readers! Did you miss me? Hope all is well in your world. Things have been fine around here; just working, occasional fun events, and animal encounters. I don’t know that I fully thought about how living in the country meant living alongside animals.
A few weeks ago we were sitting on the front porch having dinner, and a hummingbird flew by super close to my head—I actually thought it was a bat, because I’m nuts. So, we put hummingbird feeders out the other night. Apparently they like sugar water, and they’re more likely to want it if it’s red. I only had pink food coloring (me, pink? duh), so I was a little worried. But, the next day I came home to a hummingbird flitting around drinking the sugar water! They’re pretty adorable. Not all the animals out here are sweet and tiny, though. The other night, Adam and I were running (more about that in another post), and out of nowhere I hear this weird noise. A deer blew at us! I mean, it just blew out hard and fast and took off! I wasn’t freaked out until I knew what it was and realized a deer had been a few feet from me. Apparently that’s their hey-I’m-right-here-and-you’re-in-my-space-so-I’m-getting-out-of-here-now noise. Of course, Adam knew what it was, wasn’t frightened, and told me to quit being ridiculous. Naturally.
So whatever, a hummingbird, a deer. Well, several weeks ago (and some of you have heard this, so bear with me), I came home from church one night. It was dark out and our pole light isn’t super strong, but I can see to get in the house and all. Well, I was walking up the steps to the back door and opened it, and as I was stepping inside, there was a SNAKE! A SNAKE! Just wriggling around on MY doorstep. Not his doorstep, MY doorstep. So obviously, I tore into the house yelling at the top of my lungs. I mean, I was screaming like the thing had taken my firstborn.
“SNAAAAAKE! There is a snake on the doorstep! Adam Wesley Warren!” He wasn’t concerned. It may be because it’s not uncommon for me to be yelling frantically about something—I need medication, I tell you—but either way, he was taking his sweet time.
After he had finished rummaging around in the refrigerator, he said, “Now, what? You think you saw a snake?”
This only infuriated me. “Uh, yeah. I know I saw a snake; I stepped right over it. Why does he think it’s okay to wriggle around on MY doorstep?! Well, go get it! Are you a crazy person or what?” He gave me a look that plainly conveyed just who he thought the crazy person was and went outside. He came right back in, and admitted that there was indeed a snake and that he had taken care of it.
I went outside to confirm the wriggling had ceased, and he had the nerve to say, “Well, it’s not like it was big or anything.” Now if you see him and ask about this, he will tell you it was no bigger that an earthworm. Do not believe this tall tale. The thing was definitely bigger than an earthworm. I’m sure it was almost a whole foot long! Either way, I don’t care. A nasty snake is a nasty snake, whatever its size, and it is NOT allowed in my home. Or on my doorstep for that matter.
So, I’m now very watchful anytime I’m outside. I think I’d like to get a little gun to carry with me while I’m tromping about the grounds, just in case. Chances are, I’d completely lose it and not keep my head long enough to aim properly, so that may be dangerous, but it’s a thought. I haven’t seen any of those vile creatures since then, but I know they’re out there, waiting for me. Ugh! Hope all of you have lovely, snake-free weekends.


Country Roads

Posted on by Rebekah Warren

Hi, friends (and family, because I’m fairly certain it’s mostly my mom and grandma that read this at all).

Today I have a little post about what I’ve learned about driving in the country.

1) People blatantly disregard stop signs. Unless there is someone else at the intersection, but really even both parties just might slow down out of courtesy. 
2) People also blatantly disregard speed limits. Unless you happen to be running late, then you can guarantee there will be a truck hauling a trailer, a giant farm truck, or a tractor. Those vehicles will always be going well under the speed limit and will also take up the whole road so they cannot be passed. 
3) When you’re driving, especially if you’re in a truck, you’re expected to give other drivers the “wave.” This wave is done by lifting up two or three fingers from the steering wheel in a casual manner. You may also nod once while you do it if you’re feeling extra friendly. Surprisingly, I’m pretty good at it, but Adam is still working on it. He gets rejected by the other drivers. 
4) You will see animals, and they will be in the road RIGHT IN YOUR PATH. Some animals I’ve seen include: Squirrels, rabbits, cats, and dogs (duh),  turtles (I helped one across the road), snakes (ew, ew, ew), deer (so, so many), cows (babies and mamas), and a lynx. Yes people. A lynx! Also, driving home alone the other night, I saw what can only be described as the feline version of the Grimm. It was a humongous, black thing that had a cat’s face, but it was HUGE, you guys. I told Adam about it, and he said, “That sounds like a panther. You didn’t see a panther.” He then went on with his life while I contemplated moving because I saw a panther a quarter mile from our house. The next day, he told our neighbor about it (who, by the way, is almost 80 and has lived on this patch of land his entire life and knows what he’s talking about), and he told us, “Well, there have been some sightings in the area recently.” We’re moving tomorrow. 
4.5) Just kidding. We’re not moving. But I hope we don’t get eaten by a panther.
5) You will probably hit an animal, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. I hit a squirrel, and the worst part is, it didn’t die right away! I hit its back half, so it had to drag itself off the road with its little arms! Oh, the humanity! I was very upset and told my grandma, who said, “How’s he going to store nuts for the winter? And he probably had a family… He’s probably still dragging himself around!” Thanks, Grandma. Thanks a lot. 

Remembering Kim

Posted on by Rebekah Warren

Okay, people. Hi. So I had originally meant for this blog to be a happy-go-lucky, lighthearted place (like me! whee!), but it’s also here so I can write, which I love doing and miss doing. Plus, writing helps me breathe sometimes. It helps me sort out thoughts and understand them more thoroughly. So, a warning: Today is a little bit of a sad post, but I’ll consider it writing therapy and get back to happy thoughts next time.

Some of you may have known Kim Green, a sweet lady who lost her battle with cancer December 27, 2011. Kim and her family were basically family to me growing up. She and my dad had been friends since junior high, she was in my parents’ wedding, and I spent a lot of time with her boys when we were young. I grew up calling her Aunt Kim and didn’t realize she wasn’t my blood relative til I was thirteen or something ridiculous. When she passed, it definitely felt like losing an aunt. Kim was feisty. She wasn’t afraid to state her opinion, and I respected her for that. She was very lovely. I always thought she had the prettiest smile. Even in the late stages of her last round of cancer, whenever I saw her she still had a big smile on her face. Kim had a strength that was bigger than anyone I’d ever met. She fought cancer multiple times, and stayed positive until the very end. When she passed, it came as a shock to most of us around her. That sounds kind of silly or even ignorant, because she had cancer. That’s huge. But, she’d won it out before, and I don’t think we truly realized how bad it was this time. It was right in the middle of the winter holidays, and Adam and I were on the road to Alabama for the Church of Christ New Year’s Meeting. Of course, we turned around and came straight home, but it didn’t really hit me until the day of the funeral.

After something like that happens, you jump right back into your daily life; back to work, school, home, and you think about it, but the busyness of life takes over. I was still grieving but you can’t just stop your life and heal yourself; even if you could, it takes time. For some reason, in the last few days she has been weighing heavily on my mind. Even though it’s been over three months since her passing, it sometimes still hurts like it was last week. If I see a car like hers around town, my breath catches. At church services, Adam will sometimes lead the prayer. During his prayers, along with mentioning others who were sick or ailing, he used to pray for another lady and Kim in the same sentence. Now, he does not say Kim’s name. That void is hard to hear. I wish so much that she could see our new home; she was so excited for and proud of us, and I know she would love it.

I loved Kim very much, but I wasn’t prepared for how much her passing would affect me. I’m not this sensitive about it all the time, but I still think of her often. I’m thankful because God has comforted me immensely, and I know He will continue to do so. I’ve learned that it just takes time. I still pray for her family, and my family, and her other loved ones that she left behind. Kim was a very loved woman, and I know many people miss her. If you knew her, or if you know them, I ask that you say a prayer for them, too. People are really good about that at first, but it’s easy to forget people don’t always heal quickly.

Thanks for listening. Again, I apologize for the sad post, but it helped me to get that out. Also, this is my blog and I’ll do what I want! Just kidding. Really, though, I’ll have some fun things to post about next time. I hope everyone is having a great week (tomorrow’s Friday!)

xoxo,
Bekah

Kim and I the day of my college graduation .

Eureka Springs

Posted on by Rebekah Warren

Hi all,

Last week was our spring break, and the way Adam’s days off fell, he had Wednesday through Sunday off as well. We haven’t been on a trip for fun since last August, so we decided to take advantage of the free time and spent Wednesday through Friday in Eureka Springs. Adam had gone once as a child, and I had never been at all, so it was fun to experience a new place. We stayed in an adorable bed and breakfast, and that was a lot of fun. That was the only part of the trip we had planned, which was very different for us. Normally we have tons of things to keep us busy. The point of this trip was relaxation, though, so we stayed in our room a lot, took a couple of leisurely walks around the town, and of course went out for dinner. I even got Adam to take a nap two afternoons in a row. He doesn’t do that unless he’s sick; he’s very much a busybody. I loved every bit of it, and I think even he enjoyed slowing down and having no agenda. I really enjoyed spending time with him without any distractions. It rained the whole time we were there, which contributed to it being such a blank schedule, but I think that worked out for us. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

This was our bedroom in the bed and breakfast. The decor was lovely.
Here is the view from the front room looking through the bedroom into the back 
bathroom. Each living area was divided by sliding doors to be separate. 
This was our breakfast one morning: biscuits and gravy, sausage, eggs with mango salsa, 
fruit, and a blueberry cinnamon bread pudding. Yummo. 
This was the only decent picture I got of the two of us; waiting for a table at Local Flavor.
Rainy street outside the restaurant.
This was a natural spring, called Blue Spring. Very lovely.
I adore pretty buildings filled with books. Few things make me happier.
There is a glimpse into our wonderful trip! We had a great time. We were sad to leave, but we also missed our house! There really is no place like home. Especially when you own and love your home. I hope everyone is having a great week! Things are pretty busy for us the next couple of weeks, but I’ll try to be better about blogging–I’m falling way short on my two posts a week! Oh, and happy Spring. 🙂

Housewarming Love

Posted on by Rebekah Warren
Hi, lovelies!

This weekend was a wonderful one. The weather was fabulous, especially for an Oklahoma winter, and we had our first housewarming party with my side of the family. My grandma cooked Mexican food (yummo beef and chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice), and my Aunt Bea made guacamole, salsa and cream cheese dip, and spinach dip. All of the food was delicious (Mexican food is my fave), and I ate copious amounts of all of it. After everyone had their fill of food, we explored the outside of the house so that my great-aunts could exclaim over every little thing, such as the storm cellar (“Oh, how nice!”), the unfinished pole barn (“Well, look at this, Phyllis!” “Oh, yes, Louise, we need one of these!”), and the open pasture (“How preeetty!”). Mom learned how to drive the tractor, and the guys checked out the pond. Once everyone was reassured that the outside of the house was up to par, we headed back inside to eat cake.


Can I just talk about something here? Seriously, aside from popcorn, chocolate birthday cake that you get from the Wal-Mart or Reasor’s bakeries is the best thing that has ever happened to this earth. Sounds silly, but I LOVE that chocolate cake. I love the moist cakey part. I love the too-sweet buttercream icing that comes in all different colors and stains your teeth. I love that there is always enough left over to eat for a week straight and to add about forty inches to my waistline. And, obviously, I love it enough to devote an entire paragraph to it on my blog. [End obsessive cake rant.]


So, we all headed back inside to eat cake.. Glorious, delicious, chocolatey cake. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m really done talking about it. Then we opened gifts. Adam, because he is spoiled, was a bit bummed because all we got was “woman” stuff; kitchen goodies, bath towels, and more kitchen goodies. He’ll get over it. Overall, it was a lovely afternoon, and we were so happy to have family over to see our new place. I now know why it’s called a “housewarming” party. Having everyone there immediately made the house feel like home, and we really enjoyed it.

Here are a couple of highlights:
The cake. It said “Home Sweet Home” and featured a mini John Deere since Adam just bought one. So cute.
Here’s me holding my beloved cake, while my bestie, Valorie, is teaching my Pappy how to photobomb. Probably the funniest moment of the day and one reason I completely adore Valorie. 
Here is Pappy photobombing all by himself. 
My beautiful new Kitchen Aid mixer, complete with fingerprints, a gift from my parents.
Me making awkward faces (this is the best picture; I promise the others were much worse) while my handsome husband sits there in a fancy cutoff shirt being charming and probably secretly regretting marrying such an awkward person. Just kidding. He adores me and all of my awkward ways. Oh, and for the record–he wasn’t supposed to make it to the party because he was moving stuff. Otherwise, I’d have had him in at least a short-sleeved t-shirt. Sheesh.
The sun is supposed to shine all week long, and I plan to bask in it as much as I can. Hope you have a great week!
xoxo,
Bekah

Introducing…

Posted on by Rebekah Warren

Welcome to my blog, Love in the Country! 

I’m starting this blog for a few different reasons. What probably gave me the most incentive is that I graduated college with an English degree last May, and for the first time in my life, I am not writing on a regular basis. It was nice to take a break, and not stress about fulfilling writing requirements and meeting assignment deadlines, but I have found that I really miss it. Blogging isn’t the type of writing that I have been used to doing, but I am excited to get back into the swing of it in some form. My goal is to post at least twice a week, even if it’s a short post about my latest music or food obsessions. Even if no one reads this, I will be happy to get my thoughts down on paper. Or, um, screen. (Plus I can write sentences like that last one and no one will care!)

Another reason I’m finally joining the blogging world is to document my life and all of its ordinary, beautiful moments. I think this will help me look at life more closely and see the magic in everyday moments, which I’m excited to do. I have always been terrible at keeping a diary or journal, but I think this will be a little different, not to mention I can post pictures super easily.

I am also hoping that my family and friends will visit this blog from time to time and that it will be an easy way to connect with them and keep them updated. It’s easy to forget to do that when things get busy.

Lastly, my wonderful husband of three years (I know people always say that about their spouses–I hope–but seriously, he is more than I could ask for) and I just bought our first house. It’s an adorable little house on ten acres with woods and a pond, and we love it. I was raised in a small town, but have never been more than 5 minutes from a Wal-Mart, so I’m excited to see how it’ll be living in the country. I’m sure there are lots of people who wouldn’t call our place “country,” but it’s definitely out there for me. I hope to post pictures and write about making our house into a home. 

Thank you for reading! I am so excited about this little blog, and hope you’ll enjoy it.

xoxo,
Bekah