28 Friday Jun 2013
Are you crazy about Instagram? I mean how fun is that? I know….pretty fun. Today…I have a ton of craziness going on…but I don’t want to leave you hanging over the weekend….so I’m doing one of my handy dandy phone posts. I thought that I would share a few Instagram pics to brighten your Friday. Hey…it’s Friday…and we can do what we want, right? Well…..okay then! 😉
Have a wonderful weekend, Dirt Roaders….and join me on Instagram….if you dare. 😉
Smiles!
Kelli
26 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in Culinary Style, fluffin' the nest, Yum for the Tum
Aren’t wedding showers fun? Good food…good friends…a chance to laugh your guts out.
If you are the person that gets the honor of throwing the shower, it’s so fun to decorate…because the whole time you have the guest of honor in mind. My sweet friend and fellow foodie Amanda threw this shower for our friend/cousin Danna. I offered our place, along the dirt road, for the party shack.
The chicken salad recipe from mmmMonday! was for the shower. If you missed that recipe…you can find it here. It was delish, along with all of the other food that we had. Of course…we HAD to have food. I mean…what fun would that be…if we didn’t? 😉
(A big” thank you” and “I love you” to my Mr. Thank you for listening to my huge chalkboard idea…and then digging around in your scraps (except the board that was intended for a shelf) and making my idea come to life. I love you more than words…can say.)
You wanna hear something crazy? The day before the wedding shower…our air went out on our main level. Thank the good Lord that it’s still working upstairs, so we have somewhere to go and cool off. (I’m waiting on the guy to come and fix it today.) Our gals are troopers though. We didn’t let a little stuffiness keep us from partying!
Saturday morning, it was quiet at the Farmhouse. I had beans that needed breaking…matter of fact I have some waiting on me now…but I couldn’t resist some quiet shots before the shower.
Isn’t it exciting, getting together and celebrating with friends? I love entertaining here. We have a very kid-friendly farmhouse…so it’ all good…and we can just concentrate on having a good time.
I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Road Sweeties. I hope that your a/c is cranked and you are feeling thankful for it…after reading this post. Thank you for coming by and checking out a few pictures from the shower. After all…if you didn’t…I would be blogging…in vain. 🙂
Smiles!
19 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, Simply...living
Have you ever read that sign…”My house was clean yesterday…sorry you missed it.” Maybe you have one. Well thankfully…yesterday, when I had the itch to revamp the laundry room, I had the good sense to snap a few quick shots with my phone.
Today….my laundry room isn’t dirty…but I’ve been doing laundry…”to beat the band” so everyone’s stacks are on the table. Plus, I have swimmers coming in and out from the pool. So…even though these are cell phone shots…you can be there…yesterday. You are welcome. 😉
See that metal rack? I had a love/hate relationship with it. I loved the extra storage…but I didn’t actually like to see all of the stuff.
Enter: duck cloth
I had just enough downstairs in my craft area for a little curtain. Ahhhh….much better. Plus I love the “farmhousey” that it adds. All love now. No hate. No hate…is good. I’m glad we had this talk. 😉
Of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little pretty to the functional. You guys know how I roll by now. The pressure cooker was my Nanny’s. She is the one that inspired me to start canning in the first place. (She had already inspired my mom.) When she gave it to me it felt as though she was passing the baton. She is precious. I am honored.
Thanks for hanging out in my laundry room with me, Dirt Roaders. At this farmhouse laundry room…you can find anything from soggy swimming clothes to chicken poop tracked in…so cleaning it is never optional.
Smiles!
10 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, Yum for the Tum
Hey Gang! How was your weekend? I’m hoping that it was good and relaxing. Ours was good. A Friday night to relax, a Saturday of family time and a Sunday of worship and rest. Good stuff. So…all of that brings us back around to mmmMonday! I’m so glad that you stopped by to join us. Today we are talking leftovers…for tonight’s supper…me puttering around in the laundry room today and for those of you that follow me on Instagram…the lugging of the dresser from Friday. Good stuff. 😉
Yesterday, while we were at church…I had a pork roast bubblin’ in the ol’ Crock Pot. Then when we got home, (after a stop off at the grocery store for coleslaw…which ended up in a bunch of other stuff because we were all hungry) we had pulled pork. It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. That brings us to tonight’s mmmMonday! meal. Our roast that I used was pretty good sized…so there is plenty left for tonight’s PORK TACOS! Do you love ’em? We do. The Mr. and I were laughing this weekend about the quantity of Mexican food that we eat. We never tire of it. Pass the chips and salsa please.
Our pork tacos tonight will be pretty basic. Flour tortillas, pork, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro. I like to whip up a little sour cream with lime juice…but the kiddie-poos aren’t too crazy about that. Oh…and cheese! How could I forget the cheese? Tonight it will be a little mixture of cheddar and mozzarella…just cause that is what I have on hand. We also have one last jar of last year’s homemade salsa that we are working on. I am very pleased that we had enough to give away and to last us through the winter. (Lord, please bless those tomato plants this year too. Okay…yes…I pray for our garden…and just maybe…last year I could be seen walking along the tomato plants…praying for them. “Ask and ye shall receive.”) 😉
So…I’m thinking about puttering around out in the laundry room today. I have a large metal rack out there…that things tend to pile up on. I’m wanting to revamp it a tad. I see all of these beautiful laundry rooms on our favorite Pinterest. Also…I never have made my coffee sack curtains. I may have to get on that too. After I made our drop cloth drapes…my poor little sewing machine tried to give up the ghost. I may see if the Mr. will oil her tonight and give her a tune up. I love our laundry room. It’s a good thing…I spend a big part of my life there.
Okay…okay…the lugging. If you follow me on Instagram…you probably remember the dresser that I was going to lug from one side of the family room to the other. Well…it’s done. One of my new…super sweet IG friends also emailed a printable to me and it’s framed and I’m displaying it on the dresser for now. I love it. Thank you, sweet friend. Don’t you love Instagram? I do. I have “met” so many neat people on there. One friend and I found that we have a common love for fall décor. We think that it’s fine that we are already stoked to decorate with pumpkins this year. 😉 Anyway…if you don’t follow me already…I am….yep…you guessed it, Along the Dirt Road. Come and join in on the fun!
Well…I’ve bent your ear long enough. (Strained your eyes…maybe?) I hope that you have a wonderful mmmMonday! Dirt Roaders. May the peace of God…that passes all understanding wrap right around your hearts today. He is amazing…He is love…and He is there for us.
06 Thursday Jun 2013
Posted in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest
Do you ever sit in a chair at your house and look your family room over and think about…where you could move stuff? I do. I am thinking about doing this today. The only problem is…that it’s a thousand pound dresser that I’m talking about. Okay…not really…but I will have to take the drawers out to move it. I don’t want to be blogging tomorrow from a hospital bed…because I’m having hernia surgery.
(This is where it sits now.)
I wasn’t going to tell the Mr. that I was moving it. I was going to surprise him. Why do we wives like to do this? “Hey Babe. Notice anything different?” Maybe it’s more because we don’t want to see the look of utter distress on their faces when we throw our big idea out there. Probably both. Anyway…he gets my blog posts sent to his inbox…so he will know. (Secretly he will be glad that he missed out on this one.) His only job will be to line the drawers back onto their tracks when he gets home. This little chest is persnickety that way.
(Pardon the fall décor. These are old shots. But…it kinda makes me excited to decorate for fall. I know…I have a problem.) 😉
I need to clean today. I am notorious for “piddling” on cleaning day. I think that it gets me in the groove to clean. It also slows me down…cause I have to stand around and think about what I am doing…instead of just firing up the vacuum. (I love to vacuum. Have I ever shared that? Well…now you know.)
(This is where it will go now…if I can accomplish this feat. I will put it where the lamp is. We shall see…I may move it right back!)
Have a wonderful Thursday, Dirt Roaders! The beginning of the weekend!
Smiles!
28 Tuesday May 2013
Posted in fluffin' the nest
Hey guys! How was your holiday? Ours was wonderful. We were busy and then we had time to relax too. The perfect balance. I might actually share some great photos that I was able to capture with my phone…later in the week. Sweet places in the country…where we go to remember our loved ones. Until then, I thought that I would go ahead and show you the couple of tweaks that I made to our mantle for summer. Fun…fun!
Would you believe that I took pictures of our mantle and forgot to take a shot of the whole thing? I will…later. I promise. Our internet has been down and I’ve been dealing with dramatic kids, so it’s just really wonderful that I’m even getting this posted today. I mean…really, what is one to do without Google? Where did we even put that dictionary? No, actually they have done really well. They are pretty creative. 🙂
I thought about making a banner that said SUMMER on it. I have seen some adorable stuff lately. You bloggin’ gals out there, are amazing. Then I remembered this sign that I made last year and decided to just use that and then make a burlap banner.
This sign and banner were both very easy. The sign is just made from leftovers that we had around the house. I found the board out in the Mr.’s garage and we had the white and red paint. I used my handy-dandy stencils. The banner is just made from garden twine and a roll of French striped burlap. I didn’t even sew it. I just ironed it and folded the top edge down over the twine and hot glued it. Easy peasey!
I left the lemons. I love them with the boxwood. Such a fun pop of color in our family room.
I hope that your Memorial Day was special, Dirt Roaders. Maybe later in the week I can show you some of the sweetness of our holiday. Of course, it was out along the dirt road. You never get very far from one in the Ozarks…and that is just fine with me.
23 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Culinary Style, fluffin' the nest
Are you a mover and a shaker? Let me explain the question. Are you one of those people who start out cleaning and then start moving things around? Maybe you move things around and then clean. Sometimes I do this for inspiration and sometimes I do it because it just needs to be done. (When things don’t “feel” right…I move them until they find their permanent home.)
This week was one of those times. I had never found a good spot for the little (junkin’) German canisters that I bought. Then it dawned on me. They might fit…where I keep my cooking utensils, olive oil and s & P. I was so excited when they did. I wanted them on the counter…where I could see them all the time…but I didn’t want more stuff on the counter. Did I lose ya? No? I knew I wouldn’t. You are Dirt Roaders after all. You can track a rabbit…down any trail. 😉
Okay…so…then this package came in the mail. It was from Pick Your Plum. Do you know about them? Oh. My. Goodness. The best baker’s twine…in the history of ever. It’s so pretty…I didn’t even want to open it for a few days. Then I decided that I wanted it in my kitchen…not in the craft room in the basement. I mean…I wouldn’t be able to gaze upon it. (btw: Pick Your Plum is not paying me to say this…I am because I was so pleased with their product.) Anyway….I don’t have one of those twine holder thingies…so I used my Martha Stewart over the cabinet towel rack and some garden twine. It works for me.
Sooo…..then I noticed that I still had daffodils on our farmhouse table in the dining room. (They were fake…by the way.) Now…that being said…if you still have some out…wonderful. It’s still spring and if you want to leave yours out all year…I respect that. It’s your house…live it up the way that you want. I just had the itch to change mine up. So, what does any self-respecting foodie do when she needs fresh “flowers?” Herbs of course. I love the way that the oregano and spearmint pop against the white. Adorbs.
Last…but not least I decided that my olive bucket needed something in it. My sweet Mr. and our kids gave it to me for Mother’s Day. I love…lovity…love it. So, I stuck some lavender in it. Impressive…I know. 😉
Well…those are just a few little things. They don’t actually make me happy because life is not about stuff. Blessings, like the grace of God, the strong hugs from my husband and the sweet snuggles of my children truly make me happy. These few little things, that I have for now, they just make me smile.
25 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in fluffin' the nest, Simply...living
I seriously do not know what my deal is with lemons. I have been crushing on them…since…well…Christmas. Remember when everyone was talking Christmas décor and I was planning what I was going to do after the tree came down? I was thinking on…you guessed it, lemons.
(Just a side note: I love Christmas. I love the Christ of Christmas. I love the message of Christmas. It’s the frenzy that makes me long for January.)
So…as soon as the New Year rolled around…I had these big, wonderful faux (Let’s call them faux…because fake just sounds so…well…fake.) lemons under a cloche and on our breakfast nook table. My kitchen sink faces that way so I could look at these wonderful “faux” lemons often.
Maybe it is because Ol’ Man Winter has been creaking around and not getting in any type of a hurry. The length of winter makes me long for the bright and cheery. Bright and cheery is good. It makes me feel…well…bright and cheery.
So…what was I talking about today? Ahhh yes! The mantle. The urn thingys were picked up at a yard sale. I was so excited that they had two. I had been wanting two of something to put on each side for a while now. Junkin’ really pays off if you love that kind of thing. I love…lovity…love that kind of thing, as you know.
I thought that the little urns were the perfect place for my lemons. I love the look of a little boxwood (faux) in there with them. I am crazy about white but I love bursts of color in there too. Cheery…ya know? 😉
Have a great day, Dirt Roaders! Our Spring/Summer mantle isn’t fancy. It’s actually pretty plain and simple. I like décor that makes me want to take a deep summery breath. How about you?
24 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in fluffin' the nest, sCoRiN' some JuNkItY JuNk
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time…you have figured out that I am all about junkin’ for a bargain. That means…going out and looking for great cast offs that “fluff the nest.” Not everyone loves this style…and I respect that. It is however…me. I love to take a “well-loved” something home and incorporate it into our everyday lives. I think that there is something to be said about finding worth in the cast offs. After all…I was one and Someone found worth in me.
So…last Friday I was out junkin’ with the moms. (Mine and his.) We went to this yard sale and we were fixing to leave and this guy pulls up with a pick-up load of wonderful junk. My mom spotted this little chest of drawers. (When I was a little girl…I thought that it was “chesterdrawers”… all one word. My apologies to you Chesters out there.) Well…it was pretty chilly out and no one wanted to get back out and ask him how much he wanted. When we finally did….I think that he said fifteen dollars. We then, drove on to our next sale.
Do you ever drive away and think “Why didn’t I buy that?” Well…I kept saying that and the moms kept telling me to turn around. I didn’t and we kept junkin’. Why oh why did I leave that little farmhousey chest behind?
One the way back to drop my mom off, I drove by the sale again. It was still there. They had the little chest out trying to clean it up. (btw: Did you know that a little ammonia and water is great for cleaning up old painted furniture? Especially if it’s a little mildewy from storage.) So…I stopped…jumped out and asked the lady, doing the cleaning, how much she wanted for it. After much thought…she said ten dollars. (On the inside…I’m flipping out…and the wheels are turning.) I told her that I would take it and I called the Mr. about transporting it home after work. It wouldn’t fit in my Expedition. (Although, my mom stuffed a ginormous wreath in there.)
FYI: Did you know that if a long strand of steel wool is hung in a keyhole on a chest…and you just grab it without thinking that it will slice right through your index finger like the slimmest of razor blades? It will. Been there…bled that. All better.
I almost forgot to tell you that I put up with much heckling from the moms when I got back in the truck. They had been talking about me while I was out there wheeling and dealing. They both already knew that my wheels were turning and I was dreaming about the little chippy chest living with us. Am I THAT transparent? I believe so. 🙂
Have a wonderful middle of the week, Dirt Roaders. I hope that you enjoyed the junkin’ trip with us. Oh…one more thing. The added bonus that came with the chest? It had been an olive green in a former life. How wonderful is that? Olive underneath and chippy white on top. This is where the rub (steel wool) came in. Yes…you may roll your eyes.
11 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest
Hey Gang! How is Thursday working out for you? Hopefully….perfect. Today…I just had to share something with you. Yep. You guessed it….my new Lemon Button fern. She is so very pretty. If you follow me on Instagram (alongthedirtroad) you can probably already tell that I’m in love with this little plant. I just had to share it with you today.
If you have read my blog much, you know that we have discussed the fact that for so very long I didn’t have real house plants. Born in the late seventies…when terrariums where making a splash and house plants were all the rage, by the time I got married and had my own home…that seemed so old school. I mean, come on. Ha!
Then I started to get older and more wise (hopefully) and turned into my mother. (Okay, I just admitted that on the world-wide web.) I found out that having living green things around is actually a method of relaxation. For several years now, I have had happy little plants in our home. I enjoy watering them and watching them grow.
Who knew? Mom knew. Moms are smart that way. Thanks Mom.
So are you wondering how I came upon Lovely Lady Lemon Button? (Just kidding, I don’t name them.) Well okay then. Friday night, my daughter and I had to run into town for a bit. While I was there I got a call from a certain husband. He told me in a sad little voice that he forgot to pick up turkey tags for both he and our son. They needed them before sunup the next morning.
Enter: Lemon Button Fern
When we walked through the front doors of Wal-Mart, there she sat in all of her green glory. She begged to come home with us. My daughter couldn’t hear her little voice…but I could. “Please Ma’am…you look like good folks. Can I please come home with you. I don’t drink much and I am really quiet.” What? Your purchases don’t talk to you? Okay…mine don’t either…but I was really excited. She was only five American dollahs. 😉 That makes it all good.
So there you have it Dirt Roaders. The tale of my lemon button love. Ain’t she a beaut? I think so too. Have a wonderful rest of the……my favorite day of the week.
p.s. Mr. Husband…..I will do errands for you…anytime…for a small fee. HA!
By Rana Renee Dimmick
Along the Dirt Road 