mmmMonday! Aunt Sandy’s Meatloaf

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul, Yum for the Tum

Hey gang! Hope that mmmMonday! is treating you fine and dandy. I am finally getting around to sharing our meatloaf recipe with you today. I hope that you enjoy it. The girls and I had a blast in the kitchen making it. (Your are welcome…future sons-in-law.)

This meatloaf is very special. After we had been married about four or five years…my husband tells me that his Aunt Sandy made an awesome meatloaf when he was a kid. Now keep in mind that for all this time he had dutifully eaten my attempts at meatloaf. He didn’t put mine down…he just bragged her meatloaf up. Smart wife that I was (am) I gave ol’ Aunt Sandy a ringy ding and asked for the recipe. It was and is very good.

Aunt Sandy went to be with Jesus a few years back and my husband actually preached her funeral. It was such a solemn time…but it was precious when my husband mentioned the things that he remembered that Aunt Sandy used to cook. We don’t realize how important the little things are do we? So…today…this blog post is for you Aunt Sandy. I’m teaching others what you taught me. I’m paying it forward. I’m also teaching it to the girls…so their husbands won’t have to endure bland meatloaf for four or five years. 😉

Aunt Sandy’s Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef

2 eggs

1 envelope of onion soup mix

chopped green, red or yellow pepper

saltine crackers

salt/pepper

Country Bob’s steak sauce (I was out of this so I used Worcestershire…which was fine.)

ketchup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put ground beef in a large bowl that gives you plenty of room for squishing. Beat eggs and then add to beef. Add onion soup mix. You can chop as much green pepper as you like and then add it to the bowl. (Some people may like less or more.) As for adding the crackers…you kind of have to eyeball it. Maybe about half a sleeve and then if it’s still a little too moist add more. You need to crush them up into fine crumbs. (I think that Sandy told me to use oats…and I have done both. Which ever you like is fine. It doesn’t alter the taste.) Salt and pepper….just a dash of both. When adding the Country Bobs…you might just do a couple of tablespoons. You don’t want to add too much moisture. Also…it’s totally okay to leave this out. It’s good both ways. Then……just SQUISH…and squish and squish…until everything is incorporated. Shape into a loaf and then brush ketchup on the top. I do a pretty thick layer. Pop it in the over for forty-five minutes. Take it out…add another layer of ketchup and bake fifteen more minutes. YUMOLA!

I hope that you have a wonderful day! I hope that you make this meatloaf and then have the leftovers on a sandwich the next day. The next time I make it…I’m using three pounds of beef. There were NO leftovers last time. Boo….hoo. Now…go forth…and meatloaf, Sweet Dirt Roaders!

Blue Boy

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul, sCoRiN' some JuNkItY JuNk

≈ 2 Comments

The Blue Boy – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Boy

The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is an oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough. Perhaps Gainsborough’s most famous work, it is thought to be a portrait of Jonathan Buttall …

To me…the Blue Boy was always something that hung in my grandparents farmhouse. I had no idea why….for years. Kids are like that aren’t they? You just know that things are familiar when you are young and don’t really question their presence. Ahhh…the simplicity of youth.

When we built our own home I remembered Blue Boy. He had long since been stashed in a spare bedroom closet in my grandparents brick home in town. They had sold the farm several years before. I actually drove by the farm a few days ago. It will always have a special place in my heart.

So would you like to know why Blue Boy is in my possession? I kind of left that unfinished. Are you wondering why I cherish this print of this little guy in satin clothing? I will tell you why.

When my dad was a teenager…his sister, who is a few years older, had a job. She worked at a department store here in our hometown. I guess since she was making a little money they decided to decorate his bedroom. (Are we seeing some decorating genetics surfacing here?) Low and behold…they painted my dad’s bedroom….navy blue. I wish that I could have seen it…or rather…pictures of it. My aunt purchased the Blue Boy print to hang in his room. ( They were also into spraying gold spots on furniture to “antique” it. I think that it’s great. I love creativity.)

So…there you have it. My Blue Boy print hangs in our entry right now. (I got permission to bring him out to our own farmhouse.) I love his blue duds with the white wall behind. Blue is actually my favorite color. I wonder if Blue Boy influenced me with his shiny blue clothes…all those years ago? Thanks Blue Boy print. You are a treasure…that is probably only worth something…to me.

Thank you for stopping by, Dirt Road Friends! I would love to hear about some of your wonderful or quirky treasures. Your comments DELIGHT me! Leave me a comment or twelve. 😉

Have a wonderful weekend!

A little junkin’ therapy…

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul, sCoRiN' some JuNkItY JuNk

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Do you ever have those crazy times in life where you feel frazzled from your crown to your pinkie toe? Of course you do. You are human. You are flesh and bone. These things happen to us all. We have stuff pile up all at once.

There is a song that says “It won’t rain always.” I think that I have told you that before. Did you need to hear that today? Do you need to know that God loves you? Yes…you. He is very concerned about….you. What a wonderful thing to know.

Sometimes when life seems a little overwhelming…I take a few minutes for myself. I putter around at the thrift store, or like yesterday, I go to the antique mall and pick up something that I found last week…but didn’t buy.

Sometimes we just need some quiet when our souls are overwhelmed. Time to reflect and contemplate. Sometimes we just need to get away and breathe deep…even just for a few minutes.

This morning I ran across this verse in Lamentations: “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” (Chapter 3 vs. 26) I love the encouragement and the promise in that. I also love the “quiet.”

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I hope that you find a quiet place that breathes peace down into your soul. You deserve it….yes…you do.

Beautiful are the feet…

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul, RaMbLiNgs

≈ 2 Comments

I have a confession to make. Hi, my name is Kelli…and I get kind of weirded out by feet. You too? Oh! I am so relieved. I didn’t want to be the only one. There is just one thing though, you see, I had these babies. When they were born I was drawn to their tiny little feet. These babies grew and I still love their feet. Their feet have had many kisses bestowed upon them. Their feet have had many pictures taken of them. I will show you some…just because it’s Friday and feet and Friday both start with F. No…I don’t get it either. Just work with me. 😉

I also have this husband. He has feet. I know…big shocker. This husband is going to say “Babe…why did you put a picture of my foot on your blog?” His feet are extra special too. Not only do they help him as he goes about his day to earn a living for his family…they are beautiful. Would you like for me to explain that? Okay…here goes…”How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.” Romans 10:15 My husband is a minister. He carries the gospel of peace to our Kid’s Church and to the elderly at the high-rise apartments. There is something very beautiful about all of that. Trust me…I am there beside him, to witness what God whispers in his heart…to share.

Guess what? I have feet too! Shocked again? I know, right!? One of my very favorite things about my own feet? The pretty shoes that I can buy to put on them. Ha! Yes…I may not be a foot person, per say, but I have been a shoe lover from day one. You too? We have so much in common. 😉

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Road Sweeties. I hope that your weekend is full to the top with love and joy and peace and if you decide to get a pedicure this weekend…you can know, without a doubt….that I won’t be the one working in the salon. 😉

Happy Easter from our dirt road….to yours!

30 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

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Hey guys! I hope that all is going well for you on this “Easter Eve.” Are you up to your elbows in egg dye? I will be… in just a bit. I’m wondering how it’s gonna go. Our chickens lay all brown eggs. I have never tried to dye a brown egg. We are going to try though. 😉 How’s that for farmhousey?

Are you busy today planning a meal for tomorrow? Are you going to use your heirloom china or do you plan on a quick and easy clean up? They are both wonderful in my opinion. They both have their place.

Maybe you are spending some time today on your Easter frock. Now doesn’t that sound lovely? I love to take pictures of our kids all dressed up in their Easter finery. (I also love to take pictures of them when they are covered in dirt from the garden. Yeah…that’s just the way we moms roll.) Are you going to be rockin’ the sea foam green tomorrow? Or maybe you are going with emerald green…the color of the year.

Thanks for the visit today, Dirt Roaders. I hope that you have a wonderful Easter Sunday. I hope that you spend a beautiful day with your family and eat the most blessed of meals. I hope that you get to delight in little ones running around peeking in the grass for colored eggs. (Watch out for the wonky colored ones…those might be ours.) I hope that if you attend an Easter service, that it is so precious that words cannot explain the depth. Most of all though….my hope for all of us… is that we let the meaning… of the Sacrifice of Easter….nestle way down deep in our hearts…to burn bright all year long.

Easter Blessings…from our dirt road to yours!

Good Friday

29 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

There is an amazing song that our choir sings. It is a very somber song…yet a song of victory. Here are a few lines of it that I wanted to share with you today:

On a hill, as time stood still, He drew His final breath.

With a cry, that shook the sky, my Jesus tasted death.

His finished work has purchased me and paid for every crime.

His flesh was torn, so I’d be born…..twice in one lifetime.

For once upon a cross of loneliness and pain,

My dying Savior’s loss became my priceless gain.

For once upon a cross His lost life saved mine.

Once upon a cross…once and for all time.

Don’t despair Dirt Roaders. He rose again. He’s alive.

Much love from our stretch of the dirt road.

Puff and Fluff and Hope

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

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

≈ 7 Comments

Sometimes in life, after a long, cold winter a tiny bit of hope is born. It looks so fragile. It looks so tender and tiny. It’s really not. Hope has an amazing will to live. The Creator of all has placed something very determined….in hope.

If you are barely hanging on…I want to encourage you. The tiniest flicker of hope can kindle a huge flame. If you can scratch up… just a bit…down inside your heart, it will grow and grow.

Hope is a gift. Do you feel it….when you hold a newborn or when you see your flowers poking their sweet little heads up out of the cold earth? Or how about when you get an amazing DIY idea to snazz up your home a tad? Do you feel it then also? I thought so.

Sometimes in Blogland…it seems like everyone is doing just fine. Hopefully…(There’s that word again.) it’s true. Just in case it’s not…I want you to know that there is always…always hope. There is always more to come. There is a Creator that does amazing things…and I will tell you like I tell my kids…He thinks that you are amazing.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I hope that you are filled with hope from the tippy top of your sweet heads….down to the soles of your feet. You deserve it…..you are an amazing creation.

p.s. To my MIL: You are doing a wonderful job taking care of Papaw. Thank you for always hanging onto hope. It encourages the whole family to watch you live your life that way. You are a good woman. 🙂 I love you.

Simplicity….lovely.

21 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul, Simply...living

≈ 2 Comments

By now…if you read my posts very often…I’m sure that you have figured something out about me. Simplicity, to me, is lovely. I find beauty and peace in the simple things in life. Too often I find myself overwhelmed by…too much. I find delight in open spaces and beautiful old trees. I love the smell of freshly plowed dirt and delight in a new sprout coming up from the earth. Those things just seem especially close to the Father…you know? Of course you do.

Sometimes in blogging…I feel a little pressured to join the status quo. Then I realize that it just wouldn’t be me. Don’t get me wrong. I am in love with the blogs of others. Plus…they too all have their own personal stamp. I think that I just feel, at times,that I need to go above and beyond what I really love, and that would be a shame. If anything…I want your experience here at Along the Dirt Road to be real. Being real…is very important to me. Ask anyone who knows me, whatcha see…is whatcha get. 😉 Sometimes …simplicity.

My very favorite of all of these pictures. Notice the beautiful color and the wonderful curtains in the windows.

During Spring Break…we were on our way home and I asked my husband if we could take a little detour. He was fine with that…good man that he is. This little detour…tugged at my heart in an amazing way. The lovely simplicity of it all is beautiful. Maybe I just have an old soul. ( I do seem to really hit it off with the elderly.)

Have a wonderful evening, sweet Dirt Roaders. It’s supposed to snow here…so I have a big pot of beans bubbling on the stove. Cornbread and fried potatoes to be made later. I’m going to enjoy the lovely simplicity of it all. I hope that you find a way to do the same.

Nests warm this momma’s heart…

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

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

≈ 2 Comments

Aren’t nests wonderful? A tiny little home for raising young. Sometimes perched on a branch…sometimes crafted in the wreath on our front door. (There was some craziness with that…when Momma Bird flew in the door a time or two.) There is just something about sweet little nests that warm this momma’s heart.

My husband teases me at night about getting all snuggled up in my “nest.” Hey…when you have a really great mattress…you look forward to time spent in your nest. I don’t notice him complaining. I do notice him snoring. “Babe…turn over on your side…you are snoring!”

When our babies are on break from school I am known to say that I have all of my babies in the nest. I LOVE SUMMER VACATION! I just had to yell that at you. I love babies chirping around here all day long. I enjoyed the Mr. and I having a full nest during Spring Break too.

You know…I just thought…my maiden name is Finch. Maybe…that is what this is all about. Okay…so I’m cracking myself up with that one.

While we were on Spring Break…I asked my little daughter to cut some burlap strips for me. She did a wonderful job…and I have had this little burlap nest idea bubbling for a while. That’s about all that there is to it. Cut the strips…form a little nest. I added a tad of moss to the bottom and then some pretty faux eggs.

I’m going to enjoy my nest, Dirt Roaders. It warms the “momma’s heart” in me. Far too soon…the babies fly away and make their own. Thank You Father…for the wisdom to enjoy them now…while keeping our eyes directed toward the future. I love You!

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

08 Friday Mar 2013

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

≈ 6 Comments

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.