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Along the Dirt Road

Along the Dirt Road

Category Archives: everyday stuff

I’m Back

21 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelli in Country Life, everyday stuff

≈ 4 Comments

Have you been wondering where I went?  lol!  Me too.  I actually didn’t plan to take time off from blogging…but I got busy.  You can do that when you are just blogging and not making money at it.  We have had Youth Camp to pack for, go to, come home from and do mounds of laundry…because of.  It’s all totally worth it though.  Our kids love it, and the blessings of God…are second to none.  I am back though, trying to get back on track.

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Are you doing lots of fun and summery things?  People are starting to mention pumpkins and fall around here.  Our weather has been so mild this summer,  you constantly think of fall.  It’s supposed to warm up this week though.  That is good for the swimming pool crowd.

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We are just about to get our fencing done, here on our little farm.  We are so excited to start our little herd.  Farming teaches patience….that is for sure.

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Back in business,

Sigturquoise

Busy Days of Summer

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff

≈ Leave a comment

It’s here.  The phase of summer where the garden is in full swing.  It excites me though.  I feel like I am preserving blessing from Heaven.  It is busy…but in a good way, as I often say.

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I did a little junkin’ yesterday.  It scratched the itch.  It was very thrifty too.  A whole box of goodies for 1 American dollah!  I had to share it with my Dirt Roaders!

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I hope that you have a lovely Wednesday.  We are heading out to pick more beans!  I may just put some on for supper.  I am such a grandma.  😉

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Busy…in a good way,

Kelli

Vacation Days

07 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff

≈ 2 Comments

Happy Monday!  That sounds so much more chipper than I feel.  We are totally wiped out.  Did you have a crazy weekend?  We did. A good kind of crazy…but crazy nonetheless.  Now…it’s time to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer, Good Lord willin’ and the creeks don’t rise.  This is summer vacation, after all.

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Yesterday evening after our church service, our church family came to our home.  We celebrated and laughed and ate.  Then we did it all again…backwards.  lol!  We also sat in the rain off and on.  They are troopers though.  They just sat there…holding their umbrellas and kept right on soaking up the peace.  I was thrilled to hear different ones say those very words.  They loved how peaceful that it is here.  God answered our family’s prayer.  We asked Him for that.  Sometimes…people have been through so much…that if you can just offer them a little peace, it’ goes a long way.  We know that it comes from God.  He just uses us, sometimes, as a tool to help Him.  I want to be sensitive to that.

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On another note, I am feeling the urge to do a little junkin’.  Maybe a little yard sale action or a little antique mall excursion.  We may see if the end of the week holds any of that.  Maybe I will just lay down and take a nap instead.

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I hope that your Monday is fantab and that you get an extra olive on your sub at lunch today.  🙂  I hope that whatever your day holds that you take a minute to count your blessings…and that God fills you with peace.

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Vacation on!

Sigturquoise

p.s. Mister Dirt Road…you are some kind of wonderful.  xo

 

A Peaceful Monday

30 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

In our Fruit of the Spirit workshop…we are studying Peace.  Sometimes…in stretching and growing…you are faced with the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve.  Last week was not peaceful for me.  We had several little issues…that combined, felt like one big issue.  God is faithful though.  Last night in our church service, a dear sister sang these words:

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“Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above

Sweep over my spirit, forever, I pray…in fathomless billows of love.”

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I needed that.  Others needed it too.

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At one point…a minister in our church stood and testified about fighting back.  Sometimes, we have been through so much in life that we feel too weak to fight.  In truth, we are.  With Gods help though, we can do hard things.  “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”  Once we realize that truth…we can throw ourselves under the shadow of His wings and He will help us.  I think that sometimes we are afraid to fight back.  We are terrified that things will only get worse.  God is in control.  He will not test us beyond our limits.  Trusting Him…is a must. It’s also one of the hardest things that we will ever do in this life.  Being a human is hard work, isn’t it?  God is always faithful though.  Even when we aren’t.  Talk about love.

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I hope that your Monday is filled with peace, sweet Dirt Roaders.  I hope that if you are fighting a battle of some sort…that you are encouraged to not give up.  God is always way ahead of us.  When we totally hand our hearts to Him…He blazes the trail for us.

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Love from the Farmhouse,

Sigturquoise

 

The Canisters

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in Culinary Style, everyday stuff, heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

I have yet another confession to make. This has nothing to do with the canisters that my friend Jodi gave me.  It has everything to do with the fact that I ordered the THM (Trim Healthy Mama) book and yet…I had two cookies for breakfast.  I mean seriously, how could I not?  They are those grocery store kind.  The soft sugar cookies with the soft frosting.  Yeah…you know what I’m talking about.  I have always heard…that if you are going to eat something icky…do it at the beginning of the day, so you can burn it off.  Done and done.  It’s called grace, my friends.  I will do better…but I had two cookies…and they were delish.  lol!

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Okay…enough about my caloric intake.  The Canisters.  They are so lovely.  They make my little junkin’ heart go pitter patter.  I decided that you needed so much more than just an Instagram shot of them.  You needed the whole shebang.  You needed a whole post…dedicated to these beauties.  I mean…come on.  Not everyday…a friend walks into your home, with a brown paper bag, full of the canisters that you were coveting were admiring on her counter.  I had actually forgotten about them.  It had been quite a while.  Isn’t that fun!?  It’s so fun in life to be blessed.  It’s also amazing…to bless someone.

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That whole day was amazing.  It was one of those days that you realize the Master orchestrated.  You have a heightened awareness that things are going on that you really cannot see.  You can only feel them.  I love that.  I haven’t done much rearranging at the Farmhouse lately.  We have been busy with the garden and other things.  I am getting the bug though.  The one where I take everything off of my counters and stand back and analyze the sitch.  lol!  (Spell check loved that little word.)

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I hope that you enjoy gazing at the turquoise goodness today.  I cannot get enough of them.  When I find the perfect spot…I will let you know.  I love our kitchen.  It truly is the heart of our home.  That being said…if I don’t love things…they don’t stay in there anymore.  I like the new me.  It must be the Patchouli.  lol!  No…I’m kidding.  It’s the grace of the Almighty…being revealed in my life.  It’s looking to Him, like a little child, with big eyes full of wonder.  It’s a heart full of love…while sitting in a yard swing, surrounded by a handsome husband, wonderful children, chickens, goats and a bull calf.  It’s the mess that I was yesterday…in the muddy garden, picking beans like a wild woman.  It’s all about Him.  He is with us, Dirt Roaders.  Every. Step. Of. The. Way.  He gives beauty for ashes.  I am so undeserving of the blessings that He gives, but He gives them anyway.  It’s true…the power is His, to give and take away.  Lately though, my healing heart longs to focus on what He gives.  My life is really not my own.  I know…so many things that I’m throwing at you at once…but I am learning so much in this season.  Do me a favor?  Ask God to help me…as a student of His.

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Love from the farmyard,

Sigturquoise

 

Back in the Saddle

17 Tuesday Jun 2014

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

≈ 6 Comments

Hey sweet Dirt Roaders!  How are you today?  We are good.  We had a little weekend get away of sorts.  Now I am trying to get back in the saddle again.  Yesterday, I took the day off.  Well, as much as any mother does.  I still did laundry, cooked and a few other things.  Anyway…I thought that I would give you a little Instagram eye candy.  This week is very busy for me…so I’m not sure how many posts I will get up, but we shall see.  😉

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Do you love Instagram?

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I love taking pictures.  It gets my creative wheels turning.

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I have more lotion bars to make, here in a little while.  I just thought that you needed to know that.  😉

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I hope that you have a wonderful day!

Back in the saddle again,

Kelli

A Farmhouse Welcome

13 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, Farmhouse Style

≈ 2 Comments

I quite possibly could have titled another blog post…this very same thing.  Are you okay with that?  Thank you.  You guys know how I roll.  Always changing up a little something.  Since I took the Moroccan print rug back to the laundry room…I decided to show you the entry again.  So today, you get, yet another…Farmhouse Welcome.  I hope that you enjoy.

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SONY DSCThe new rug from TJ Maxx is dreamy.  So soft…so antiquey.  (Lol…spell check loves that.)  My husband even commented that he really liked it.  That always makes me happy.  I just love the way that it blends with the blues and grays.  Plus…it was on that back wall in the clearance.  Yeah…you know the one.  😉  Actually…I think that my MIL found it and then I knocked her down and grabbed it and ran to the check-out.  Okay…not really.  She showed it to me.  We oohed and aahed and then I bought it.  We are pretty compatible that way.  We try to help a gal out the whole time we shop.  lol!

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You guys know that I love the simplified look.  I have declared this truth…over and over.  Actually…these days…I love “simple” anywhere I can find it.  It just helps me breathe.  I have come a long way in the last few years.  Trust me…I used to be a lot more complicated.  I guess age has it’s benefits.  Of course…trying to walk with God…cuts down on a lot of fuss too.  He teaches me.  I love that.

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The antique table in our entry belonged to my step-dad’s grandmother.  I love it.  I think that it is perfect for that spot.  The cuckoo clock belonged to my sweet daddy and the little lamp is from Target.  I do believe that lamp is my favorite in our home.  I wouldn’t mind…at all…having the larger size for our night stands.  (Hint…Hint…Mr.)  My husband stood in the aisle at Target…helping me find the right lamp shade.  He is so patient.  He can also read my expression.  It’s probably quite a hoot if you are watching from a distance.  I’m sure that I have a frown of concentration.  When a lamp shade that he tries…looks yucky…sometimes he laughs at my reaction. I am pretty sure that he picked up the gray shade though.  It was love at first sight.  He knows me well.  You know though…come to think of it…when I make suggestions at Harbor Freight…I don’t laugh at his reaction.  I am sure that I am so annoying in that store.  I have no idea what I am doing or saying.  Ha! Next time…I will walk across the street to Krispy Kreme.  🙂

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Well…I have yacked long enough. I hope that you enjoy looking at a Farmhouse Welcome.  It’s one of my favorite places in our home.  Although first impressions can be wrong…I do believe that they are important.  I also hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Father’s Day.  Hug those daddy’s and husband’s tight.  They deserve it.

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Love from our dirt road to yours,

Sigturquoise

Coastal Mantle

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, Farmhouse Style, fluffin' the nest

≈ 5 Comments

Are you guys head over heels for the coastal theme during the summer?  I don’t have a lot of coastal decor.  One starfish, a glass fishing float, (faux) and a collection of shells from my littles.  The relaxation of that theme…soothes me though.  I don’t have my shells sitting out yet.  Usually I have a bowl sitting around somewhere.  I need to dig those out.  Oh wait, I do have a sign that says BEACH on our back door.  Pretty simple.  You know me, I love simple.

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There have been times over the past that I piled a ton of stuff on our mantle.  Then I take it back off.  Simple just calls my name.  I admire other people’s collections…but it just doesn’t work for me.  That is the great thing.  We can all appreciate each other’s style.

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I love to pair woven, summery, baskets with coastal.  The tray basket is actually from Ebay but it’s a Pottery Barn basket.  I love it.  When it came, I was so excited.  It was way bigger than I even imagined.  I love the color of it paired with the light and airy items.  It seems to give a good balance.  When something seems wonky and off balance, I pick at it, move it, and preen it, until it looks right.

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Now that is bugging me.  I’m not sure where I put my shells.  😉  I will be searching high and low.  Don’t you hate that?  Deep breaths Kel…deep breaths.

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I hope that you have enjoyed our little coastal mantle.  It’s refreshing to me.  Not too complicated and it sports a turquoise Ball jar.  Right up my alley.  On a little side note…I spent a big part of the morning in the company of the piano tuner.  What an interesting job.  Now our daughter is good to go.  God’s blessings, well…they make us rich and they add absolutely no sorrow.

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Love from the coastal farmhouse,

Sigturquoise

What Lovely Curtains You Have, Grandmother!

10 Tuesday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, Farmhouse Style, fluffin' the nest

≈ 6 Comments

Remember yesterday, when I told you about the “granny chic” afghan that I found?  Well…there was more.  So much more.  They were just hanging there, in all of their grandmotherly, mustardy, goodness.  I promise…they were surrounded by a heavenly glow and you could hear…”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”  (Kind of a high pitched, open mouthed hum.  Go ahead…try it. 😉 )  Okay…so not really…but I was pretty excited.  There were four panels and four pom pommy tie backs.  All for four dollahs!

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Was your grandma rockin’ the pom poms back in the day? (On her curtains…not as a cheerleader.)  One of my Instagram friends said that the farmhouse that she grew up in, in the seventies, had curtains like this.  They are so fun.  The color is what drew me in, I must confess. You know, yellow + me = love.

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I usually try to give you guys crisp and clear pictures to look at.  Today, in honor of the era that these curtains were born, we are being a little foggy and hazy.  I hope that you enjoy.  They just make me smile, child of the seventies and eighties that I am.

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The Mr.’s first reaction…was about like our girls reaction at the thrift.  I think that they all thought that I was crazy.  Then I proceeded to wash them, dry them and drafted the husband into helping me hang them.  (He is so sweet.) I put one in the laundry room and the rest in the girl’s room.  That evening when we came back home and the one in the laundry room greeted us, I could tell that my husband was won over by her glowing goodness.  Thank you, Grandma…for your lovely curtains, whoever you are.

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Love from the seventies,

Sigturquoise

Thrift Store Score, Canning and Shameless Addiction

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Kelli in Culinary Style, everyday stuff, sCoRiN' some JuNkItY JuNk

≈ 4 Comments

Hey guys!  How are you?  We are doing good.  I feel like we had some productive time off…in lots of ways and now I am glad to be back into the swing of things.  It has been very rainy (and a tad dreary) here…but I don’t want to complain.  As much as I love summer sun…I know that our garden and the pond can use the rain. I’m choosing to be mature.  😉

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Speaking of rain, my lands.  The girls and I went, Saturday, to help clean our area youth camp.  It was raining so hard that I thought that I was going to have to pull over.  We got our work done and then on the way back, we hit the thrift.  It was so fun.  I happened upon some things to go with our “grandma’s house in the summer” theme.  This afghan was just sitting there waiting for me in it’s sea foam and mustard loveliness. I have been totally floored by some of the beauties that I have seen on Instagram.  We can never have enough blankets and throws around here.  We love them.  Besides this…I found another goodie that I CANNOT wait to share with you later in the week.  Eeeeep!

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In other news, the first canning of the season has started.  My Pa Pa gave us some cherries from his tree.  They were so good and sour.  I know that may sound crazy to some…but when you mix sour cherries with sugar and make jelly…YUM!  It was so fun to make something to add to the jelly cabinet.  Canning is one of my favorite things to do.  It’s so amazing to me to be able to eat from your own “cans” throughout the year.  It makes me feel very “Proverbs 31ish.”  I was very thankful for the cherries.  Our baby trees aren’t putting off much fruit yet.  Someday!

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Last…but certainly not least, my shameless addiction.  Every morning now, I have iced coffee.  I used to not like it but then I found a recipe online and I look forward to it every morning.  I have tweaked it a little, so that it is more calorie friendly.  I can’t remember where the recipe came from or I would give credit for it.  It may be in my Pins…I’m just not sure.  Anyway…here is the recipe.  You are welcome.  😉

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Kelli’s Ice Coffee


 

Fill a mason jar to the top with ice.

Add three packets of Stevia to a small measuring cup and set it under the Keurig.

Brew Kcup of your choice on smallest setting. (This makes it concentrated.)

Stir Stevia and concentrated coffee.

Pour over the top of ice.

Add 1/2 c. to a c. of almond milk.

Stir and enjoy.

(The next day, get up and make again.)


 

Have a wonderful Monday, Dirt Roaders.  God loves you!

Sigturquoise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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alongthedirtroad

Kelli

Kelli

Welcome to our stretch of the dirt road! It is filled with junkin' trips, culinary experiments and anything to "fluff the nest" which is our farmhouse. I love home decor that fits my family. I love a simplicity that we can live in. Maybe that is why the country life is so appealing to us. It's a place to breathe deep...and enjoy the journey. Join us! We would love to have you. (You might even see a chicken or two.)

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alongthedirtroad

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