Winter Weather News

29 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in Country Life, everyday stuff, Farmhouse Style

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Hey guys! How is the weather out there? We, here in Missouri, are never sure about that one. There may be some snow in our winter forecast…but no one is really sure. I need to go to the grocery store…but it will be crazy. If you tell folks in our area that we are going to get one snow flurry…they rush out to buy bottled water. We tend to be a bit dramatic in this neck of the woods.

I have two weather forecasters in my life. One is the Mr. the other one is his mother. They funny thing is…their forecasts never match. She told me that we would get a wintery-mix, he said only rain. I guess that it remains to be seen. That still doesn’t change the fact that I need to rush out, with the masses, and buy fresh fruit and veggies. (Maybe some bottled water too.)

Lest you think that we are all totally crazy, as most small town folk tend to be, let me explain. Where we live…it is hilly. I’m not talking one or two. I’m talking…basically hills everywhere. When it gets icy…it’s pretty much a go…that your are not going anywhere. We live with this…happily. The older I get, the less that being snowed in is a problem. Plus…we have been off in the ditch on the dirt road before and the tow truck was at the top of the….hill…on the black top…and would not come and pull us out, for fear of getting stuck. Um….okay. (Thanks Dad…for trying…by calling us in a favor.) Thankfully…the sweet Lord above…helped us out of that one. So…that explains a little of our small town crazy winter behavior.

I love cozy days at home. It’s pretty blustery out today. I have two good books to read, a rag quilt to get started on, and of course my SAHM jobs. There is actually a load of towels waiting to be lifted to their warm and cozy dryer right now. I had better hop to it.

This Winter Weather News has been brought to you…

by the Farmhouse,

It’s Monday

26 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, Farmhouse Style

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farmhouse style, Monday

Hey Guys! How are you? We are doing pretty good. We have had a bit of some sort of stomach bug over the weekend…but I am pretty hopeful that we are on the upswing. Fingers crossed and prayers said. How is your Monday going so far? I have had my coffee…so it’s getting better.

Are you one of those folks that love Monday? My husband does. I love that about him. It inspires those of us, in our home, that are less enthusiastic about the beginning of the week. You want to know a secret though? After 19 years, I am becoming more like him. I know! It’s crazy. Self-professed Thursday lover…enjoying Monday? You want to hear another secret? He likes the end of the week too! I know that this sounds crazy…but it’s the marriage of an overachiever and a creative type. I love it that we tend to balance each other out and see things from the other person’s point of view. It creates a nice balance. He inspires my work ethic, I inspire him to slow down and enjoy.

Are you banging your head against the computer? Are you thinking…”Why am I reading this?” It will be okay, sweet Dirt Roader. Pour yourself another cup of coffee and jump in. After all…Thursday is right around the corner. 😉

Love from the Farmhouse,

Crafty Cactus

23 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, Gettin' all Crafty

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ball jars, cactus, paint

Okay. That is a bit of a corny title. Hey…it’s Friday. Let’s let our hair down a little. Crafty Cactus can bring much joy to your life and home. Sheesh…I should have been a saleslady. lol! On a side note…I have already been out in the yard, chasing an ornery little bull calf back into the pasture. I loved every minute of it. I’m crazy that way. Ask my mom…I used to want to be a vet. Not the military kind. The animal doctor kind. Farming is close enough. Trust me. Total rabbit trail. Let’s get back to Crafty Cactus.

Sooooo….somewhere on Instagram…I spotted a cute Ball jar, that was painted white. I loved it. I wish I knew where I saw it…because I would totally give her credit. I already had the little cactus friend. I just love how cheery she is in the middle of winter. You have to watch her though. I poked myself yesterday.

This is such an easy project. I hunted up some white paint and after it dried, used a little steel wool on the raised parts of the jar. Easy peasy. I promise. This would look adorable with herbs or any other kind of small plant too.

I will admit that Ball jars are actually a big part of life around here. In the summer, you probably wouldn’t catch me painting one. I use them a lot. When canning is in full swing, I need jars at my disposal. I guess I had better paint while the garden is lying dormant. (Except for the turnips that are out there.)

So…if you are feeling crafty this weekend, remember Crafty Cactus. She is bright and cheery with a tad of shabby on the side. She is also sporting a bit of this nation’s history…living in a Ball jar. She is quite a gal…that Crafty Cactus.

You have permission to roll your eyeballs. 😉

Love from the Farmhouse,

p.s. After I posted…the lovelies over at Lolly Jane commented on my IG shot. It was them! Their cactus is lovely. Thank you girls for your creativity!

Winter Warmth Farmhouse Style

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, heart and soul

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candles, farmhouse style, tray, warmth, wood

Are you looking for warmth lately? Our weather has actually been very nice for January. I have heard that will end soon. We shall see. We don’t get to control the weather do we? Anyway…I just wanted to share a little warmth with you today, farmhouse style.

I happened upon a beautiful wooden tray at Kirkland’s last weekend. It just said “farmhousey” to me. It was over on the clearance side…which was a huge plus to me. The Mr. gave his okay…and that always makes me feel good about a purchase. The Mr. and I are a team, in every way, so I like for us to be on the same page, especially with purchases. Lands sakes….how did I get off on a Dave Ramseyish rabbit trail? Any….way……..I loved the wooden tray.

Yesterday was a hard day. Several things came up and I decided while I was in the grocery store…to buy myself some flowers. I thought that a bit of cheer at the Farmhouse was definitely in order. I love yellow all year, but especially in the middle of winter. Sometimes you just have to make your own sunshine and create your own warmth.

I also picked up a couple of new candles at TJ Maxx last weekend. If you don’t already know this….that is an amazing place to find candles. I wound up with two of these Paddywax candles for the price that you would normally just pay for one. They are soy….which I adore…and they smell amazing. As you already know, candles are a great way to add warmth to your home. I love the ambiance that they bring.

The light was so good in the dining room this morning. ( I am such a newbie in the photography department…but it’s on my list for this year.) I tried to not doctor these up too much…so that you could feel what I felt. The warmth was incredible.

I hope that wherever you are today, sweet Dirt Roaders, that you feel warmth. Warmth…especially in the times of winter, is a very good thing.

Love from the dirt road,

Three Cheers for Friday!

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, heart and soul

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encouragement, farmhouse style, Friday, grief

It has been established on this blog…that Thursday is my favorite day of the week. It’s true. I’m not sure why. I’m just a little quirky that way. That being said, Friday is a good one too. Today is a day off for the kids and I’m on my second cup of coffee. Actually I have moved on from hot coffee to iced coffee. I’m fixing to clean this farmhouse. 😉

So….three cheers for Friday? I think so. We have some gift cards that we have been saving back…so we may just have take-out tonight. Isn’t that fun!? Thought so. The sun is shining on this Friday…so that is definitely another plus. As you can tell…I’m pretty focused on the simple basics in life. Shelter, food, sunshine.

Lest you think that I’m being a bit too Pollyanna today…this week has had some rough spots. Actually there are several things that we are enduring and do endure on a daily basis. In all of that though…God is there. He is our strength. That was something that I shared on fb this week. Life can be really hard, but God is still there. I learned through the loss of my dad, that focusing on what remains is very important in this life. Being thankful for the simple stuff is crucial. Enjoying the sun on your face or an egg, freshly gathered from the coop…bliss. The hugs of children. Their voices in the other room as I type…they boost my heart. It doesn’t even have to be your own children. Hold someone’s baby. Celebrate the joy of life with others. This kind of outlook doesn’t come without pain and sorrow. It comes after you have endured. I described grief to someone like this recently: “When you start to come out of it, it’s sort of like when a pasture has been burned off. You almost have to squint because of the newness and the brightness of life.” I don’t tell you this to scare you or to bring you down. I just want to encourage someone out there to quiet themselves for just a bit and look into His eyes. You will be overwhelmed with the love that you see.

I will not leave us with furrowed brows and pensive thoughts. It’s Friday and we are stoked! God is good and the sun is out! I have kind of been in crafty mode of late. Yesterday with some hand lettering, and I have also been thinkin’ on a new rag quilt. Maybe one sewn in strips, with sort of a shabby chic farmhousey feel. (Spell check hates all of my made up words.) Who knows? Maybe after I get this house pulled together….I will start a new project. All I know is…that God loves us. He wants us to enjoy the gifts that He gives in this life. I am excited about that.

Three Cheers for Friday!!!

Morning at the Farmhouse

14 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in Country Life, everyday stuff, heart and soul

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farmhouse, farmhouse style, home decor, mercy and grace, mornings

Aren’t we glad that His mercies are new every morning.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

A fresh start each day. Maybe yesterday wasn’t so hot for you. Maybe you went to bed last night thinking…”Tomorrow I will start afresh.” Guess what? You were right. With the dawn of the morning, there are new mercies available. Maybe yesterday was great for you and you just want to continue with that. Whatever the case, I am always thankful for morning at the Farmhouse. I love fresh starts…and giant cups of coffee.

When I was editing the pictures for this post…I decided to not edit out the morning color. We are guilty in Blogland of trying to get the perfect shot. No shadows and a perfect white balance. I love pictures like that myself…but they are not always telling the whole story. Our kitchen this morning was a mixture of shadow and light. It was full of golden pink. I don’t ever want to edit out the creativity of the Master. It was beautiful. I wanted my Dirt Roaders to be able to feel that.

My very favorite thing in this post is the little tongue depressor snow man. Our little guy brought that home from school. I propped it up in the window sill. I heard him telling his dad and showing him where I set it. He was so proud. Oh my heart. There is a bit of irony with the snow man. I have an old apothecary jar for tongue depressors. One day I felt the Lord nudge my heart on that very subject. You know…keeping the ol’ tongue under control and keeping my mouth shut. Maybe the little snowman has more significance than I realized. I love it when God teaches us…with the simple things of this life.

Country life in the morning is a beautiful thing. Everyone wants their breakfast. Our over-enthusiastic rooster, Nacho, is crowing his lungs out. Our steer, Chuck, is very vocal about his need for grain or hay. If you barely open the back door, the goats are greeting you with their song. Children are scurrying around, grabbing backpacks and breakfast. It’s pretty typical. Yesterday, my Mr. was running a little late…so I did the chores. When I came back in, my ears were about frozen. I should have dug out my dad’s old hat with the fuzzy ear flaps. 😉 I did “borrow” my husband’s Muck boots. They were big…but so warm! If you do chores and don’t have any….save your extra dollars. They are worth it! I may have to start saving up for a pair of my own!

I hope that you have a lovely day. If it started out on the wrong foot or wrong side of the bed…just remember: This day is full of mercy and grace. There are mornings everywhere, everyday.

Love from our dirt road to yours,

p.s. A huge thank you to my Mr. and B. You guys are amazing tech support. The new computer is up and running with all of the proper things installed. I appreciate it very much!

Clean Surfaces

13 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, Farmhouse Photography

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cleaning, farmhouse, January, simplify

Do you have the”cleaning out” bug? It usually surfaces with me…big time…in January. It seems like it took a couple of weeks this time though. We have been busy and I just wasn’t super focused on it. That being said…I do love a fresh start. Yesterday was a snow day for our kiddos and I just piddled around and cleaned a bit. I moved things and left clean surfaces. I love that.

Today I was checking Instagram and came across a post by the Nester. Do you follow her? Of course you do. Anyway…I loved what she had to say about “quieting the house.” She mentioned that she likes to put all of the small things away for a few days. I can totally see how that would “quiet” things. Just a pretty, clean, unobstructed view of the main things in the home. I may try a bit of that myself today. I thought that it was fun that I had been practicing “clean surfaces” yesterday, and then came across her post today.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I hope that wherever you are…life is gentle and kind, and that you find the peace of God…residing in your heart.

Love from the (quiet) Farmhouse,

F A R M

09 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in Farmhouse Style, fluffin' the nest

≈ 6 Comments

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bunting, farmhouse style, home decor, mantle, simple, simplify

I know. The title is so eloquent. That’s how I roll. (You guys know that I am kidding. I write these posts…like a conversation. I don’t want you to become bored. I don’t do bored very well myself.) Okaaaaay….back from the rabbit trail. Soooo….yesterday…I picked up some new metal letters. I thought that they would be for one certain spot. They wound up in another. I am very okay with that.

For those of you that loved the burlap/french grain sack stripe bunting…don’t be alarmed. I still have it. Actually, I still have a roll of that burlap. I can make another. Right now though…I love the very simple, plain, yet a bit wonky, letter bunting of sorts. My family liked it too. That is the huge plus with me. I will give you a mental picture…. The family sitting around in the…family room, visiting, doing homework and such. The Mr. is in his Papa Bear’s Chair, I am up piddling around with these letters and twine on the mantle, and the kids and us are talking. It just kinda happened. I kept moving the letters, inserting burlap, taking burlap away, and listening to their comments. My husband liked it plain. I did too. He gets me.

Would you like to know the main thing that bothered me? There are only four letters in the word farm. I know. It comes from years of hearing the odd numbers of decor, shouted from the mountain tops. You know what? Now days…I don’t care. Much. ha! I am even known, now, to just put….two….of something together. I know. Horror. I’m keeding…I’m keeding. You know what? I am older and I pray for wisdom. I don’t buy into the rules of decor as much. If you love it…do it! I will proudly display my four letters. FARMHOUSE might have been a bit of overkill and the simplicity of FARM is really what we have. A few goats, a few chickens, a few cows and calves, and a few acres. It is a farm. Pure and simple.

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend…full of blessing counting. We really don’t have to look very far for those, do we?

Love from the FARM,

Throwing Stuff in the Yard

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest

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home decor, organizing

Do you want to throw stuff in the yard in January? I do. Actually…all year, at different times, I get the urge to open the front door and throw things out into the yard. What’s up with that? lol!

Actually, I do know what causes it. It’s the part of me that craves peace and smooth surfaces. It’s almost like…in my mind…there is this sensor that goes off…when I have too much surrounding me in the decor department. I don’t do well in that. It drives me crazy. I know. I need therapy. 😉

When we built this farmhouse, several moons ago…there wasn’t a whole lot in here. I loved that. I wouldn’t even buy stuff at the junk store or go to yard sales for the longest. I was content to have just enough. Packing and moving will do that to a person. I still tend to clean out and give things away…regularly. Very rarely do people leave the Farmhouse…without some sort of little trinket or handmade goodie. I love that. It’s a win/win.

Do you have the “Throwing Stuff in the Yard” bug? I love fresh starts and open spaces. It seems like it frees up my time and energy. I find beauty there.

Happy Wednesday, Dirt Roaders!

Fresh and New

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, heart and soul, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Hey Guys! Happy Monday of a new year! Is that excting? Fresh and new? I think so too. I really do. I am excited about what God is going to do for us here at Along the Dirt Road this year. I have been giving it serious thought and prayer. He and I have been looking it over together, and I think that moving forward with this blog is the thing to do. You all are so gracious to drop by for a bit. I love that. I love to share the love of God and family with you.

So today…to get us started…I am going to share a little tid bit with you. Here it is:

If you struggle with the gloom of winter…houseplants help. I know. Rocket Science.

You may say, “Kel…I do not have a green thumb.” Don’t worry, sweet Dirt Roader. There are plants out there…made for those with the most black thumbs of all. They are called succulents. They are everywhere. Wal-Mart would love to sell you one. They require little care and they put a tad of green in your world…when everything else is brown and gray.

It is my secret for combating the after Christmas blues. I organize our home and tend my houseplants until spring. I know. I am a real wild woman. lol! It does help though. A bit of green in the house perks my spirit. That…and my faux lemons. I need to get those out. (If you are a lover of the long, cold, winter…you already think that I am crazy.) It’s not really that I despise winter. I love the coziness that comes with it. It’s just that I am a child of the summer. I love the growing things.

That brings us back to this blog. May it grow and stretch and cause us to do the very same. The main reason that I am in this…is just in case someone who needs a tad of hope..happens by. I want to be here…holding the love of Christ out to them. It may be wrapped in a post about soup. It may be wrapped in a post about farm chores or new baby calves. It may be in a post about crafting or cleaning. Whatever we do here this year, I want the love of Christ to be at the very center. Along the Dirt Road is a place of fresh and new. A place about growth and birth. I am so glad that you are here.

Love from the Farmhouse,