Spring Break…I think I’m in love with you.

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in Gettin' all Crafty, heart and soul

I shall not whine. The sun is shining. It’s almost Spring Break. I. Love. Lovity. Love. Spring Break. It is a whole big bunch of family time for us. Plus…it just feels like it pulls us up out of winter and sets us on our way. (My apologies to all of you winter lovers. I really try…with cozy sweaters and pots of soup…but summer is just my element.) I love you winter…you have your place…but I am so over you.

Because I love you and I am going to leave you for a week, I know…try not to cry, I am going to share a very goofy picture of myself with you today. (You can still follow on Instagram or Facebook.) Now the goofy part…..I need you to realize that I am not talking about the apron. I am talking about my bed head. I am talking about the crazy pose that I was doing while my little son snapped the shot. So pardon the hair. I shall explain more in a minute. (I’m still not sure why I had my arm like that.)

This picture was taken the day after our annual ladies rally at our church. It’s a wonderful night of our area ladies meeting together for worship, fellowship and of course FOOD! By the time that night is over I am ready for a little break. You wouldn’t (or maybe you would) believe everything that goes into that one little night. Matter of fact, that green shirt, is last year’s rally shirt. I must have worn it to bed. Why am I telling you all this? Oh yeah…the apron.

The night of the rally…my sweet friend Valerie walked up to me and handed me a gift. Valerie and I are kindred spirits. We are both artsy kind of gals and there just seems to be an unspoken bond there. We were at a retreat last fall and we were up front swapping each other’s cameras back and forth snappin’ shots…pretty much oblivious to everyone around. You know the kind of friend that I’m talking about. Anywhooooo….this wonderful apron was in that package. She made it herself. It’s made out of a pair of overalls. She even sewed a little heart patch with my name on the front. The strap on the back is made with one of the galluses…so it’s adjustable. How wonderful is that? Pretty wonderful…just like Valerie.

Are you guys ready for Spring Break? Are you ready for summer and tanned skin and flip-flops? I am ready for kids being at home and swimming pools and summer food. Summer food inspires me…probably like no other. I’m ready for our garden too. btw: I forgot to tell you….we are going to get new babies during Spring Break. Easter Eggers. We have five new baby chicks coming…so next fall we will have blue and green eggs. How fun is that!?

I will miss you, Dirt Roaders…while I am out-of-pocket for a bit. “I’ll be back.” 😉 Since I am so crazy in love with Instagram though…you can follow us here. Or if you don’t already, you can follow us on our Facebook page called Along the Dirt Road…here. I am gonna be hanging out with my precious ones. This is one of my favorite times of year. Spring Break…I think that I’m in love with you.

A little bright-eyed girl…

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 4 Comments

Today I have company. A little bright-eyed girl. She must have caught her brother’s germiness. I do not like for her to be under the weather…but I always enjoy a baby in the nest. (The Mr. is nodding…while reading this.)

This little bright-eyed girl who grew under my heart, has always been a gentle soul. She was born in November right on the heels of 9/11. A gentle soul was exactly what this world needed. The first time that I held her in my arms, she was doing this gentle little cooing as if to say “It’s okay Momma…we did it…I’m here.”

A little while ago she was over on the couch playing on the iPad. I could hear screaming. When I asked her what she was playing…she replied “Rag Doll Blaster Deluxe 3.” Okaaaaaay. (The rag dolls were screaming…not her.)

I feel blessed beyond measure to be a mother. I take it very seriously. The Mr. and our children are my heartbeat. They let me know that God is full of mercy and grace and that He definitely will…give beauty for ashes.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I’m gonna stay here with my baby…while she blasts rag dolls. Wish us luck!

Spring Breezes

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

≈ 4 Comments

Today’s blog post is for the dreamers among us. The picture gazers. You are welcome…and don’t ever forget that I love you. 😉

Welcome.

Spring breezes….can you feel them?

Are the birds in your neck of the woods gearing up for spring?

Spring is a time of freshness.

Blue Boy says “hello.” There is a fun story behind this picture…for another day.

Spring is a time for motherhood.

Spring breezes carry little birds to new little homes. Wouldn’t this be a sweet little loft if you were a bird?

Brightness makes my heart dance a little jig.

Spring. Clean slate. New growth. Hope and optimisim. Hang on, sweet Dirt Roaders. It’s just around the bend.

mmmMonday! Which came first, the chicken or the egg salad?

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in Yum for the Tum

≈ 4 Comments

Hey guys! How was your weekend? Hopefully well. Ours was filled with me cleaning, helping the Mr. scrub a chicken’s tush…and egg salad. Can you say excitement? I thought that you probably could. 😉 So…the cleaning part would probably bore you…the chicken booty is a story for another day….but the egg salad…it will work for mmMonday! Let’s get crackin’. (You are allowed roll your eyes right here.)

Do you love egg salad? Do you hate egg salad? Are you wondering why I made egg salad? Well….when you have several chickens…you feel the need to eat eggs. We sell eggs and give eggs away, but we feel obligated to eat them too. 😉 I love whizzing by the egg cooler at our grocery store and knowing that I don’t have to buy them because my “little ladies” are working on that at home.

Saturday morning we were being lazy and discussing what we were going to eat. My son mentioned omelets, I mentioned potato salad and my husband mentioned egg salad. His mom used to fix it when he was little. So…while I was talking to the MIL on the phone later in the day, I asked if they wanted to come out for an egg salad sandwich. (I know right? Such a gourmet meal to feed company.) Hey…at least it’s “springy.” lol! (She and I were also wanting to get together and ooh and aah over some things on Pinterest. So the egg salad was a good excuse.) She brought a homemade cheesecake. Can. You. Say. Heaven? (My Mr. is so spoiled…and I get to help reap the benefits.) 😉

Mr. Henry and one of his wives.

It’s kinda crazy. This last week I have made tilapia, beef and noodles and pork loin..but I am sharing the chicken salad with you. I told you that I was interested in making your life easier. I wasn’t joking. I’ve been having another taco hankerin’ too. I may have to fix that this week.

Okay…so my egg salad was this:

Eggs

Light Mayo

Mustard

Salt/Pepper

Relish (I used dill but if you like sweet relish…have at it.) 🙂

Onion

Directions: Boil as many eggs as you think that you will need. I think that I did 19 or 20. Mash the whole eggs (white and yolk) with a fork. I added about 1/2 c. of mayo. Then about 2 tbsp. of mustard. S & P to taste. About 2 tbsp. of relish and about 1/2 of a smallish onion. Serve on bread of your choice.

By now, after two months of mmmMonday! you guys are realizing that I LOVE…lovity..love simple recipes with no brainer directions. This would be a delightful little sandwich for a shower or some kind of little meeting or luncheon. It is so pretty for this time of year. Okay…okay…so I’m kinda crazy and chickens and eggs and by the way…which came first? Was it the chicken….or the egg salad? 😉

Have an awesome day, Dirt Roaders! Why? Because you deserve it!

p.s. What if we added a little pinch of dill and a sprinkle of paprika? There we go! Now we’re cluckin’!

p.p.s. A big hello to the DQ girls from last night! It was so fun to see some of my blog buddies….and that Blizzard was scrumptious!

Chores…galore!

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in Gettin' all Crafty

≈ 2 Comments

Okay…so not really. There are not really chores galore. Sometimes it feels like it though. To be honest sometimes I just don’t want to keep reminding little people of the chores that have their names on them. So…I had an idea. (Words that cause the Mr. to look for an escape hatch!) 😉

I have had this window for years! It used to hang above our mantle back in the days before we could even get Internet out here. (Gasp!) What did I do back then when I didn’t have inspiration from Blogland? I subscribed to way too many magazines. I still love my magazines. I just don’t get ~~twelve~~ as many. I’m keeding! Not twelve…but several. Now I only get three…I think…and one is a food magazine. You are thinking “Hey Kel…sidetracked much?”

So the window had long since retired into our garage and then down to the basement. I have painted lots of glass in picture frames for chalkboards and I have even painted a mirror. The only difference is…I usually use spray chalkboard paint. Well…Wally World (that is what Ozarkians call Wal-Mart. I don’t know. Your guess is a good as mine.) was out of my usual spray so the Mr. picked up some chalkboard paint in the can. I do have to tell you that I am not super-pleased with the finish. We did exactly what the instructions said..down to the knapp on the roller. It was very grainy, like as in… too grainy. It will work…but I LOVE…LOVITY…LOVE the results that I have with spray chalkboard paint. That was just a word to the wise…for free!

In case you are wondering…these are not my hairy arms and man hands. I just thought that I would clear that up. They belong to my sweet hubby that got roped into doing the trim work on my chalkboard. He has a steady hand and when we paint, I am the “roller” and he is the “trimmer.” I think that it has something to do with the level of patience in each person. I will let you figure that one out. Anyway…he is so precious. He is so longsuffering during my projects. When I get that wild look in my eye…he listens when the idea is finally birthed. (I think that he enjoys the excitement too…way down deep.) He is WONDERFUL! (He also reads this blog. Hi Babe!) Hee hee!

Okay…so while all of this painting and drying was going on…I decided that we needed a banner to brighten up the chore chart. If we were gonna have chores galore…then we needed to have some pizzazz around it. I got the kids busy on a project too. If you read the blog you probably remember the mustaches that the kids came up with. Aren’t my children precious? Why…thank you. 😉

I found those adorable little bags at TJMaxx. I knew that I would need them for something. I just didn’t know what. Do you guys do that? It just kinda jumps out and slaps ya and you have to take it home? ME TOO! How exciting! No wonder that we are friends! (Yes…that is Dawn in a Mrs. Meyers bottle. Have you smelled the Honeysuckle dish soap by Mrs. Meyers? Wonderful! So wonderful..it’s all gone!) Okay…I have got to get back to the part about having chores galore. I am ping-ponging today!

I have seen stuff like this all over blogland. KariAnne over at Thistlewood Farms….has an AMAZING one! It’s breathtaking. Pinterest also has some fun ideas for stuff like this. Does Pinterest make you giddy? Isn’t it fun? Did you know…that I dreamed up my chalkboard mantle…and THEN looked on Pinterest and there they were? THEN the BHG magazine for that month had one in it! Talk about excited!

Now it’s time to let it dry. The hard part. Is that the hard part for you? Now can you guess who the impatient one is? (Thank you God…for giving us balance in our home. I really appreciate it. I love You for it too!)

I really think that “Hug family” softens the chore chart a tad. Mothers do things like that. Mothers are funny creatures.

Their new chalkboard chart hangs in the upstairs hallway, between their bedrooms and their bathroom. I think that is a good place to remind you of what needs doing. Our kids do other things besides this…but I thought that it would hurt to have a few basics “set in stone.” (Or paint and chalk.)

I am a firm believer in adding fun to anything that you do. I learned as a child that if…while I was carrying in wood and feeding the dog, singing to the top of my lungs made chores more enjoyable. I really rock the house on cleaning day. I’M KIDDING! I do like to try to put a little “happy” in whatever we are doing though. I have parents with twinkly eyes…that love to have fun. It’s genetic.

So..that is our chalkboard chart for our chores. We don’t really have chores galore…but it was catchy…don’tcha think? btw: You really do need a horse and a giraffe under your chart. It doesn’t show…but under that digital frame is a whole bookshelf of Schleich animals. Do your kids love those? Our younger ones do. (I think that their dad likes them too!…Hi Honey. ;)) They are sure to take their money when it’s time to hit the feed store. (That’s where they sell them here.)

Have a wonderful weekend, Dirt Road Friends! This post was a tad long and a tad scattered. Maybe it will make you feel kinda crazy and your day will not only be work…but FUN work. Now…go forth and ENJOY!