Hello there. It’s been a minute. I think l asked last year if people still read blogs. I do occasionally. Maybe I need to blow the dust off of this one. Reconnect with you sweet people.
Yesterday was the first day of winter and it was gorgeous.
Those of you that follow in Instaland…probably already know about the heartache in our family. If not, my little brother has been missing since the 17th of December, 2020. So with all of that we have been trying to learn to live in the midst of it. That’s really what we have to do, isn’t it. As unbelievably hard as that is…it’s vital. I have actually done a little therapy and plan to do more. It was just time. I needed someone to help me physically process. You know what…that is absolutely okay. I don’t care about stigma anymore. Quite frankly, none of us should. Our healthy bodies and minds lead to healthy relationships. That is just wisdom.
Sweet baby brother of mine.
So…I know. That is heavy, but I have always tried to be real with my readers. Knowing that God is sovereign is the only thing that makes it doable. Which is basically all of life. We tend to forget that on occasion.
Rockbridge. Missouri is gorgeous at Christmas!
So the Mr. and I had our 26th wedding anniversary this month. It was so fun! He took me to Rockbridge and then we did some shopping. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed being together so much. I love his perspective. There is something about a man’s perspective that is so refreshing to me. I have been blessed with good men in my life and I don’t take that for granted. Anyway…it’s so fun to have a day to just listen and visit and share. He is one of this life’s biggest blessings to me and I am so grateful.
My sweet man watching the trout fisherman.
Okay so elephant in the room…are you ready for Christmas? I think we mostly are. Maybe a few little things. I’m excited for everyone to open their gifts! I will share a few little Christmas decor shots with you. I kept it simple this year. A country Christmas theme.
That little Tonka is fun!Our daughter made the sweetest gingerbread fellas!A sweet spot in the kitchen. And of course some crocks.
On a slightly different note…the ADR Farmhouse Dishrag business has done so well this year. We give God all of the glory. He’s the one that makes it all possible. I am so grateful to be able to work from home like that. In the new year things may look a tad different. We are tossing around new ideas and I’m so exited. Maybe a new design or two. Here’s a little sneak peek:
Mustard is always my favorite. This new border is so fun!!’
So…from our home to yours, I hope that you have the absolute merriest of Christmases! I hope that you feel the peace of God in all that you do. May the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, bring hope to your heart this season.
Hey Friends!!! I come to you with lots of well wishes for a wonderful holiday! Ours will be a bit different this year…like everything else…but we will still celebrate the Savior of the world.
So this is Christmas…
You know…this year we hung a few wreaths on the fence posts and gate…and decorated a little cedar at the bottom of the hill. It was as much for all the neighbors as for us. It was so fun!
If you look closely you can see the farmhouse through there.
This year has been full of simple things. Basic things. Things of necessity. I’m okay with that. I think that it makes us take a look at what is really important.
The Mister and I celebrated twenty five years this year! We had a Christmas wedding so we always get to take a minute apart this time of year. It was a beautiful night at a trout ranch. The food was so good and the company was even better. Silver Anniversary during a pandemic? Party of two, please.
I hope that all of your celebrations whether big or small turn out peaceful and happy this year. We have had joy and sadness…but we are going to try our best come Christmas morning to celebrate Jesus.
So this is Christmas.
Love from the Farmhouse,
Kelli
p.s Our daughter and I snuck away for a junking break yesterday. Here’s a sneak peek of what we found:
How are you guys!? We are trying to roll with things…you know. (Insert emoji with eyes bugged out.) It’s been a minute since I have been here so I thought that I would stop by. We aren’t talking Soaps today…lol…just showing you a little of what is going on at the Farmhouse…as the world turns.
So quite awhile back I got the urge to paint our hutch. We have had this piece since around 2001ish maybe. I have always loved the white…and still do, but I have been loving all of the black farmhouse things for awhile now. Plus we have lots of white in our home so I went for it. I love Tricorn by Sherwin Williams, so that is what I used . It’s a true black with a finish that seems very early American to me.
She’s not done. Needs another coat…but so far I am pleased. I left the inside white, since that helps with it not absorbing decor. I’m excited to finish it today.
I’ve also been doing a tiny bit of junking lately. I ran across that rustic shelf at the thrift and I knew that as much as I love the cozy things…it needed to come on home with me. (It probably sounds like I’m avoiding the elephant in the room…also known as Corona. I am. Not because we aren’t aware, our son is quarantined due to being exposed, now, but I figure you guys hear enough about that part of the world turning. We need a break from it now and then.) Junking is a beautiful distraction.
So another fun thing happened this week! A friend of mine found this beautiful Philodendron for me! I loooove it. This particular species is…get this…Hope. Everyone needs a little hope in their lives. She found this one at Home Depot. She’s a pretty good old gal…that Brenda G.
One more sweet thing from our little farm and I will sign off for today. You. Guys. Tomato jam! Whyyyyy didn’t someone tell me? I have been canning for years and never knew. It’s so, so, good. You lay down your cracker…add a smidge of cream cheese, and then a little dollop of tomato jam. Soooooo good! Let me know if you need the link…or I can do a blog post and tell you how I made ours.
(This is a side note. Those of you that order dishrags for the holidays…shop is open. Those popcorn rectangles from the ADR Farmhouse Dishrags collection are my favorite!)
Okay…so I hope that as your world turns on this Friday and holiday weekend…things are good. I’m going to leave you with a little something that I found today:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” Jeremiah 1:5
It’s not everywhere in this life that we find comfort and assurance like that. God is in control even if people don’t want to admit it. But to know that there was a time when it was only God and us…and no one else knew about us…that is heartwarming and fills me with awe. It’s a beautiful and loving thing to be alone with God.
Hello there, Dirt Roaders! It’s been a minute. I’m just stopping in to see how everyone is faring during this time. I hope and pray that you are hanging in there.
I feel like that we have been using this time to be more intentional. We have had a schedule for most days. All of the kids have homework so we have tried to stay focused with that. More than the homework though I feel like we have grown as a family. We have utilized our home and farming skills more.
Each day at three we have what we call Driver’s Ed. We go for dirt road rides and explore. Most of the roads are well known to us after years of teaching our kids to drive. After the spring rains though we have discovered so many beautiful creeks. It’s balm to weary souls during quarantine. We also have lots of Ag class here. There are always farm chores to do and now mowing. We have Home Economics which consists of house cleaning and cooking. The kids tell me that having a set schedule helps the days to pass better. I’m thankful to be able to help them through this. I feel like God has given us tools to cope and peace through it all.
Are you guys eating take out much? We have tried to limit that. I get an ALDI delivery about every two weeks. We leave them on the porch and wipe them all down with Thieves cleaner before bringing them in. It’s a whole process…but we just want to keep everyone healthy. We have had drive thru things a time or two. Mexican take out once and Domino’s once. I cannot lie. It tasted amazing. lol!
It’s my sincere prayer that this post will encourage you. I hope that in your time of quarantine that you have grown as a person or a family. We haven’t taken this lightly. There are so many people hurting and grieving and we are not strangers to that. At the first of the year we lost my uncle in a tragic accident and were still reeling from that when this hit. I know that part doesn’t sound very encouraging…but hang on a sec. The Lord gave us enormous peace and so many miracles through all of that. That is just the way that He works.
I hope that your are thriving, my friends. I hope that you are finding a new appreciation for all of the things that you were too rushed to enjoy, before. I hope that each new day inspires you to learn something new or to just pause and breathe in deep. Maybe you found a new love for your lawn chair or porch swing. Maybe you have a new ritual of evening tea and a cozy book. (Dr. Pepper and a cozy book for me. lol!) Whatever you are learning through this…I feel that it will make us better people whenever it’s time to be with people again. I don’t feel that we will take a smile or a handshake for granted.
Let me leave you with this today,
In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 32 verse 27, God says this:
“Behold, I am the Lord God of all flesh: is there anything to hard for me?”
Do you all have a hobby? Crocheting started as a hobby for me. A stress reliever of sorts. Then it turned into a small business. I am so thankful for that. The life of a maker…is the life for me.
It took me a while to find my niche, but I always knew that it was something along the creating lines. From the time that I was a little girl…I have always been happiest and more at peace with anything creative. Art class was my favorite. The smells and the atmosphere always nourished a part of my soul. The art easel in kindergarten and the smoothness of the tempera paints…soothed a part of me.
If I could encourage you today…find your niche. You know you…better than anyone and we can all make something in this life. It may not be art. It may be music or math or food. We are all so different. Isn’t that wonderful!?Just look inside and find what God intended for you to be. He made just one of YOU…jam packed full of gifts and potential. He’s sweet like that.
I have been trying to upload on here for a while and it’s not been working out. I’m going to do a little trial run and see how it goes today. Thanks for your patience, Dirt Roaders.
I feel like that I might do a blog post with this title once a year. Maybe not. Maybe I just use that phrase often. But here we go. Back in the saddle again. Another school year. The cozy months are upon us.
I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a tad bit excited. I have already dreamed a little about big, bubbling, pots of chili. I know…totally crazy in light of the temps. I won’t cook that yet. Mister Dirt Road wouldn’t love that. He thinks that chili is strictly for fall and winter unless you’re having a Sonic Coney Dog. lol!
I’m always excited to get outside a little more on the farm, once the August and September heat passes. Then when that first little nip is in the air? Do you love it too? For all of my self proclaimed summer lovin’ ways….fall pulls one over on me every year.
Are you guys meal planners for this time of year? I need to post my mom’s deer stir fry recipe. I promised that on IG, so I may just do a whole blog post the next time that I make it. Then…when the men or the ladies or the kiddos bring in that big deer…you will have a great recipe. It is sooooo good and I hadn’t made it for ages until the other night. It was great! Mom won’t care to share her secret. Maybe she needs to be featured on here. That would be fun.
We will chat soon. Praying that your babies and ours have an amazing year. May the Lord shine down on the path of all of us.
This poor ol’ blog takes a back seat a lot of the time.
Amongst a busy summer and other stuff up to my eyeballs…I don’t always keep up with it. Shamey, shamey, I know my namey.
I could give you a list of excuses a mile long…all true…but how about I just do better? You guys keep checking in…and that is the sweetest!!!
I hope that you all had an amazing summer…full of all of the good stuff. I hope that God spoke to your hearts in new ways to inspire your life. He sure is good about that.
Along the Dirt Road 