Puff and Fluff and Hope

27 Wednesday Mar 2013

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

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.

Hey Mr. Painter Man….can I have your drop cloth?

26 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in Gettin' all Crafty

≈ 5 Comments

So you’ve heard me mention Thistlewood Farm before. She is the one that explained the awesomeness of drop cloth drapes. They are amazing. Under forty smack-a-roos! Can you believe it? I owe her some major gratitude. Because of KariAnne……I now go up into our master bedroom…and stand and stare at my new drapes. They are pretty much amazing. What a wonderful Spring Break project…right Mr.? Honey…..honey…did you hear me? 😉

Also…to the MIL…who was right there by my side…until the very end of the drape making…right until my old Singer died a slow death. Then MIL whisked them off to her house and finished the last few stitches. What a woman. Gave birth to the most wonderful man on this earth…and finished my drapes. ( Several years apart. lol!) Give that woman a trophy!

I’m gonna let the pictures do the talking for a bit. You are welcome. (I’m guilty of skimming the wording too. 😉 )

I whisked my camera off of the tripod...then left the tripod right in the way...but it was a good shot...so...there ya have it. ;)

Note to self: When you take your camera off of the tripod…move said tripod…because chances are…it could be a really good shot that you will use anyway.

So…that is the tale of my drop cloth drapes. If you want to know all about how to make them and the scoop on the rods…you can find it here. They are just what I wanted. They are farmhousey…..and that makes me smile. Have a great day, Dirt Road Folks! (If you see a painter walking by…try to bargain with him if he has a clean drop cloth!)

mmmMonday! Tea for Two?

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in Simply...living, Yum for the Tum

≈ 4 Comments

Hey Dirt Roaders! It’s Monday! Yeah…I can hear your shouts of jubilee. Okay maybe not. I felt like a slug when I got out of bed this morning. (Should one admit that?) The rest of my family did too. One of my big clues was when I went into my son’s room to boost him along and found him back in bed “sawing logs.” Crazy little man. You are here to talk tea though…not our sluggish morning routine…right? Okay…so today’s mmmMonday! is all about tea for just two? I think not.

I know that we usually do a food post on mmmMonday! but today as I was browsing though photos…I thought “We never talk about tea.” Tea is a staple where I live. When you sit down to a good ol’ home-cooked meal…it’s usually flanked by a glass of sweet iced tea. When we have friends or family over…there are usually two pitchers of tea freshly made and waiting. (Are you thirsty yet?) I actually have a glass sitting right here beside me now.

A couple of years ago when I started trying to be a little more picky about calories…I had to sweeten my own brew with something other that regular sugar. I know that we aren’t hip on artificial sweeteners…so I will leave that part out. 😉 Just know that it took me a bit to get used to it with something other than the real deal!

So how do I make my sweet tea? I thought that you would never ask.

Kelli’s Sweet Tea

1 gallon sized tea bag (I LOVE…lovity…love those!)

2 cups of sugar

water

Directions:

You can make this in the microwave…but I love making it on the stove. I like to smell it “cooking.” I just fill a big sauce pan with water and pop the tea bag in there. Turn your burner on medium and let it simmer until it starts to come to a boil. (A lady once told me that her mother said that “Boiled tea is spoiled tea.” I do let mine come to a slight boil. Sorry.) When it’s done then pour it in your pitcher with your sugar. I then add water to fill the pitcher. I also run more water over the tea bags in the sauce pan to get all of that tea out of there…and dump it in the pitcher. (A trick that I learned from the MIL.) Stir it up and pour it over ice. Can. You. Say. Heaven?

Well Dirt Roaders…that’s it. Very simple. I’m sure that you all have your own way of making tea…and I would LOVE to hear about it. If you stop out here, along the dirt road though…you are probably going to be offered a glass of mine. Have a wonderful day! Don’t just make enough tea for two…make a whole pitcher! 😉

Does the big W. ever surprise you?

24 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff, fluffin' the nest, Simply...living

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Hey friends. How are you? I know…I know…I usually don’t post on the weekend. I happened to take one of those old lady naps in the evening…and now I am having trouble sleeping. Plus…I happened upon some amazingly cool stuff at Wal-Mart today…and I couldn’t wait to share it with you. Does the big W. ever surprise you like that? You know, not just your basics, but some pretty nifty stuff!

The whole reason that we even went to Wal-Mart was to get a new welcome mat. My Mr. has been painting our exterior doors and we wanted a new mat for the front. I am totally in love with the color that we have chosen for our doors. It’s called Slate Tile. I love the depth that it adds. Anyway…..we decided to park back by the automotive entrance…and head to the rugs. Two perks in this. One…you usually don’t meet up with tons of people who you know…just in case you didn’t dress like you were going to an inaugural ball and two…you get to go right past the CRAFT department. Yes…I can hear your *sigh*! 😉

So…I picked up a lone cart that was left back there, (Hey…at least I didn’t jump on the motorized one.) and zipped right down a craft aisle. What to my wondering eyes did appear….but a little shelf full of wondermous things! Rolls of burlap ribbon and cute little grapevine wreaths. They even had a little chicken wire basket. What chicken farmer’s wife could turn that down?

I figured it up on the way home and my little shopping spree cost us about thirteen dollars. (As far as my sashay through the craft department goes.) How fun is that? I actually had two rolls of burlap ribbon…but I could live without the original color. The apple green had to come home with me.

and……

Thanks for coming along on our Wal-Mart trip, Dirt Roaders. Sometimes the big W. surprises me. What a fun little trip! By the way…I was sweet and let the Mr. pick out the rug. He did great. I love it when we do this. It may or may not be exactly what I would have picked…but I love it even more…because he picked it. He is my sweetheart. 😉

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!

mmmMonday! It’s back to being good…

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in livin' a little healthy, Yum for the Tum

≈ 2 Comments

Hey Friends! How is life treatin’ ya? We are doing good. We had a wonderful Spring Break. Just what we all needed. We had a bit of time away and then we came home and just chilled each day. WON-DER-FUL! I also got quite a few DIY things done around here…you know…blogging material for the future. I cannot wait to show you some of the things that we accomplished! All of that being said…I have a confession to make:

I started out on Spring Break…trying to make good food choices. I even used the treadmill on the morning that we were leaving. I’m not sure when the “throw caution to the wind” hit me. It could have been between raspberry jelly donuts at Krispy Kreme or while I was standing in line at HuHot. Anyway…now it’s crunch time. I am back to being good. (Insert frowny face.)

So today…on this mmmMonday! I am going to post a picture that inspires me to eat smart. When it’s time to get back to being good…I ~~don’t~~ do struggle a tad at first. I am a veggie kind of girl…but carbs make me feel all warm and cozy inside. lol! So…..without further babbling…here is my inspiration.

My secret weapons on salad? Balsamic vinegar with a drizzle of oil or lemon juice and a drizzle of oil. I also sprinkle a tad of sea salt and some freshly cracked pepper. I snack on air popped popcorn. I don’t eat it dry…I add a sliver of butter to a dab of olive oil and salt of course. (Not too heavy on the salt…all things in moderation you know.)

I love to eat. I grew up in a family that associated eating with happiness. I don’t think that is a bad thing, after all…what do we see in scripture during times of jubilee? Moderation is the key. We can do that can’t we? Of course we can…because we are Dirt Roaders! We can eat things that are good for us and get up off of our fannies and work! (Are you inspired yet? Have I inspired me yet? I think so.) Okay…we can do this “thang.” 😉 It’s back to being good…and we can handle it.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I missed you. For those of you that are on Instagram…you could probably tell. I soaked up the time with my family though. We just enjoyed being together so much. God is good…to put it in our hearts to enjoy moments with our children. Far too soon…they are grown. Okay….now…go forth and make healthy choices!

p.s. I am becoming an Instagram nut. You can find me there….alongthedirtroad. 😉

p.p.s If you notice the badge missing off of my salad picture…um…I forgot it. 😉

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.

A little bright-eyed girl…

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 4 Comments

Today I have company. A little bright-eyed girl. She must have caught her brother’s germiness. I do not like for her to be under the weather…but I always enjoy a baby in the nest. (The Mr. is nodding…while reading this.)

This little bright-eyed girl who grew under my heart, has always been a gentle soul. She was born in November right on the heels of 9/11. A gentle soul was exactly what this world needed. The first time that I held her in my arms, she was doing this gentle little cooing as if to say “It’s okay Momma…we did it…I’m here.”

A little while ago she was over on the couch playing on the iPad. I could hear screaming. When I asked her what she was playing…she replied “Rag Doll Blaster Deluxe 3.” Okaaaaaay. (The rag dolls were screaming…not her.)

I feel blessed beyond measure to be a mother. I take it very seriously. The Mr. and our children are my heartbeat. They let me know that God is full of mercy and grace and that He definitely will…give beauty for ashes.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I’m gonna stay here with my baby…while she blasts rag dolls. Wish us luck!

Spring Breezes

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

≈ 4 Comments

Today’s blog post is for the dreamers among us. The picture gazers. You are welcome…and don’t ever forget that I love you. 😉

Welcome.

Spring breezes….can you feel them?

Are the birds in your neck of the woods gearing up for spring?

Spring is a time of freshness.

Blue Boy says “hello.” There is a fun story behind this picture…for another day.

Spring is a time for motherhood.

Spring breezes carry little birds to new little homes. Wouldn’t this be a sweet little loft if you were a bird?

Brightness makes my heart dance a little jig.

Spring. Clean slate. New growth. Hope and optimisim. Hang on, sweet Dirt Roaders. It’s just around the bend.