Burn…baby burn!

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Kelli in livin' a little healthy

Hey ya! How is it going? It’s Thurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrsday! 😉 (I know…I know. It says Wednesday at the top…because I’m writing this to you on the night before. 😉 ) Aren’t ya glad. I thought so. So…burn…baby burn? I know….I know. Strange. I just thought that I would share my little aloe vera plant with you today. She is so cute. She deserves her moment of stardom.

When I was a kid, it seemed like mom always kept an aloe plant around. When I was seventeen I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic and wound up with hives. The only thing that would help, in the middle of the night, was to rub that goop out of the aloe plant on the rash. If you have never had hives…count your blessings. I don’t EVER want to go through that again. So…the aloe, has a special little place in my heart.

About a year or so ago, our pastor’s wife gave me a little aloe vera plant. I was so excited. I know, for me, it’s the small things. It has actually done really well. She says that they thrive on neglect. Sounds good to me. 😉

Pretty little aloe.

Are you guys good with house plants? Do they drive you crazy? Were you a kid during the eighties, so they bring back bad memories of hand-made macrame plant hangers and plants that grow all the way around the room? What was up with that anyway? I think that my granny had one like that. It’s kinda sweet if you think about it. Who cares if it’s the in thing or not? See if you can get your plant to grow all the way around the room. She is still excellent with house plants.

I hope that your Thursday is excellent, Dirt Roaders. ~~If you burn yourself…stop by and I will give you a hunk of aloe.~~ Scratch that…just be safe. 😉

Lemon Fresh

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

≈ 2 Comments

Hey friends. Are you crazy busy cleaning out your pantry and all of your cabinets? Yeah…me neither. Not yet anyway. I had to scrub our bathrooms before I could even think about the other. I will get there though. The January Purge…is always nice. That brings me to Lemon Fresh. It’s a little crazy, what I am getting ready to tell you. Hey…I just promised you a friendly little blog…not a sane one.

This is kinda weird. When everyone else is knee-deep in one season of decor…I am already thinking about the next. It’s not something that I talk about…it’s just the way that my mind works. I don’t go ahead and put it into play, I just keep those ideas in the back of my mind. Soooooooo….while everyone was enjoying their Christmas trees and garland, I was thinking about lemons.

I have these wonderful fake lemons. My friend Shanny actually had some and they were so pretty and so “real” that I needed some too. I just kept thinking about them during the Christmas season. Actually…I kept thinking about the freshness of January and all of the things that I love to incorporate into our home during that month. Clean surfaces are one of the main ones after all of the holiday decor. So the lemons, they kept calling to me from down in the basement: “Kelli, come and get us. Put us in a cloche on your breakfast nook table. Put that topiary in a non-Christmas pot, so we can stay there together.” Okaaaaaaaaay…so that is a little scary. Seriously though…I love the brightness and the freshness. Lemon fresh… just says organized and clean to me.

Beautiful inspiration.

Do you anticipate decorating for the next season? I would love to hear all about it.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, Dirt Roadies. Don’t forget the lemons!

mmmMonday!

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Kelli in Yum for the Tum

≈ 4 Comments

Hello! I’m back. You know…I have been thinking. I have kinda been holding out on you all. I have a confession to make. (You will understand mmmMonday! pronto.)

Hi, my name is Kelli and I am a foodie.

Isn’t this a lovely little ramekin that my friend Jerri gave me?

There. Now you know. 😉 I guess in the midst of home decor and chickens and boxwood I had forgotten to mention to you lovelies just how much I love to cook, shop and read FOOD!!! It’s crazy I know because a friend and I even have a little Facebook page called What’s for Supper? One of my favorite ways to spend my lunch time is with a food magazine. There I am munching and reading and planning meals for my little (so precious) family. So….that brings me to something else.

Do you remember when I mentioned that I wanted to add a bit of structure to the blog? Well this is the first phase. We are going to start having mmmMonday! I thought about doing Foodie Friday…but hey, we all need a little inspiration at the first of the week right? Right!

I may even have to steal a recipe from my MIL once in a while, or Candy (today) or my friend M&M, who is a foodie herself. I might even feature a favorite kitchen gadget along with our recipes. Who knows? We can fly by the seats of our pants…right? I knew that you could do it. 😉

I just want us to grow this year. My goal is to grow spiritually and emotionally and well basically… just in every good direction. We can do that together…right? Of course we can.

While we were partying at Christmas…my cousin’s wife Candy made the MOST awesome Buffalo Chicken Dip. I wanted it to be our first mmmMonday! post. I hope that you enjoy as much as we did.

CANDY’S BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

2 cans of chicken, drained

1 c. of Franks Wing Sauce (original)

cheddar cheese to taste (I just grated as much as I thought we would want.)

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (I just eyeballed this too…maybe like half a cup.)

2 blocks of cream cheese

Directions: Let your cream cheese soften for a bit, then just start mixing everything. Taste….add more of whatever you like. Refrigerate leftovers.

You can serve this dip w/tortilla chips or whatever you like but Ms. Candy serves it with these flat pretzel crisps! YUM! They even come in Buffalo flavor!

*note: The Mr. LOVED this. Your Mr. might too…with Super Bowl parties or whatever coming up.

*note again: (:) ) I love recipes that you can adjust to your own taste. You will find this out on our new little journey. Simple and easy without a lot of fuss…that’s me.

Do you have any appetizers that you want to share? If so, let me know! Have a wonderful mmmMonday! Dirt Roaders. Share some food!

p.s. Candy said that this is delicious served hot too! I would say…pop it in the oven on whatever temp you think..’til it bubbles a little. Use your own judgement…you guys are smart! 😉

Wreathed in Smiles

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

≈ 8 Comments

Hey guys! I just wanted to check in with you for a bit today. I have something so fun to show you. I actually got it back before Christmas. I was DELIGHTED! Have you been seeing those preserved boxwood wreaths all over blogland? Welllllllllll…..I ordered one for myself. I found this one on the Antique Farmhouse site. Have you all ever checked that out? LOVE IT! All things “farmhouse-y.” Anyway…I will go ahead and show you why I am wreathed in smiles.

So fresh and pretty.

I love the cheery green.

It’s perfect with our winter mantle.

I am very pleased with my purchase. Thank you…Antique Farmhouse.

My little junkin’ heart is happy.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Dirt Roaders. You should give Antique Farmhouse a look-see. You might just become wreathed in smiles too.

I haven’t forgotten you!

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff

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Hey friends! One more post before the new year. I have been busy hangin’ out with my family and not having much of schedule. It has been wonderful. BUT….that doesn’t mean that I have forgotten you. It’s funny, since I’ve started blogging, I am constantly seeing things here or there that I want to share. That’s a good thing…right? Right. 😉

This really is… just a little blog in its infancy. Something that friends had suggested and that I never had taken seriously. Then it just kind of fell into place and I gave it some prayer and here we are. I am looking forward to all that we can find to get into in 2013. God is good…to work in our lives the way that He does. I can never thank Him enough.

So now that you know that I haven’t forgotten you, my sweet Dirt Roaders…I will tell you a bit of what has been swirling in my head. Are you ready?

Clean closets

Clean pantries

Clean basements

Organized spaces

Moss and topiaries

House plants

New recipes

Junk…we must NOT forget the junk.

(I know that these things are not rocket science or really anything new…but if I can inspire you to enjoy the mundane on your stretch of the dirt road…I will.)

Am I inspiring you yet? January just does this to me. I’ve also been thinking on more chalkboards and also maybe adding a little more structure to this blog. Maybe like on a certain day throwing a recipe out there for ya? What do you think? I would SO MUCh love to know and hear your comments. I don’t want this little blog to just be about me. I want it to be about US! I would love to hear about things that YOU are interested in at the moment.

This is me…in January.

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, Dirt Roaders. Please be safe. There is a whole new year out there waiting on us. i just wanted you to know today…that I haven’t forgotten you.

Keepin’ my word…

26 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in Gettin' all Crafty

≈ 4 Comments

Hello Friends! Happy…day after Christmas. I hope that all is well on your path today. We are just hanging out and…enjoying. My favorite part of it all. That being said, I didn’t want you to think that I forgot about the chalkboards. Remember when I said that I was making them for Christmas presents and that I would show you later? Well, I’m all about keepin’ my word. So…I’m going to show you the two that I still have that haven’t been given as gifts yet.

An elegant little chalkboard.

I am still amazed by the way that you can transform a picture frame with some chalkboard paint.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders. I hope that if you are in food detox, it’s going well for you. I may check in with you a time or two during the rest of our break. Now, go forth and…relax.

Happy Birthday!

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 6 Comments

Someone very special to us, is having a birthday. Well, it may not be the actual day…but we are celebrating the birth of this special person. We are very thankful, along this stretch of the dirt road, for this birth. On the 25th of December…we have cake at our house and we sing “Happy Birthday.” It is my favorite tradition.

I will be taking a break from this little blog for a few days. I’m going to have fun with my family, cherish them, and celebrate this birthday. Never fear…Dirt Roaders, I will be back. 😉 I have new ideas…fresh ways to decorate for a new year and lots of fun things planned for us. I have some things to tell you about favorite blogs that I follow and wonderful places to order things for your farmhouse or cottage or teepee. (I couldn’t resist. 😉 ) Have I ever told you that I love the freshness of January? I do.

I want to wish you the most blessed Christmas ever… filled with love, from our dirt road to yours. May your days be merry and bright and may the Baby in the manger nestle way down deep in your heart. After all…He did all of this….for you.

Christmas in the woods…

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in fluffin' the nest

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Hey Guys! How are ya? We are doing pretty good. Trying to deal with the crud that is going around in our neck of the woods. It’s the kind that has “stick-to-it-tive-ness.” Yeah..yeah…it’s a hillbilly term, passed down from an older generation. 😉 Anyway…the pictures that I’m going to share with you today all happen to have some sort of tree theme going…thus “Christmas in the Woods.” Idk…ya know? Just go with it. 😉

In the entry.

The first year that we had a real tree, many moons ago, we bought this snow globe. One of our little treasures.

On the front porch.

I hope that you have a wonderful Thursday, Dirt Roadikins. You are the best! Thank you for getting on board with “Christmas in the Woods.” lol!

Christmas Quiet

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in heart and soul

≈ 2 Comments

Hey Sweet Friends! Today…just pictures with very minimal captions. Let’s call it “Christmas Quiet.” Just take a deep breath…and let the pictures do the talking. Jenny, this post is for you.

scuffs = well loved.

pretty little table runner…from Momma’s momma.

pretty little pot.

pretty little birdie.

a treasure from my church girls.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Road family. I hope that you have “Christmas Quiet” in your heart today. (After all…He brought us peace with His birth.)

And breathe…

18 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by Kelli in everyday stuff

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Hey Guys! How are you? I hope that all is well. Are you up to your eyeballs in Christmas stuff? We are. (and breathe…) This is a three program week. (and breathe…) It’s all wonderful…just very busy. btw: A BIG shout out to the Mr. He helped me finish our Christmas shopping yesterday. There has never been a better cart driver or sounding board. He can steady me, like no other. He reminds me to breathe when things are nutty. Matter of fact, I just got a text from him that said something like that. How did I manage to snag him and get him to that Christmas wedding, several years ago? 😉

When it was time to “kiss the bride” at our wedding…my husband to be removed a pair of tiny scissors from his tux pocket and snipped down the mistletoe that was hanging from the arch. He held it over my head and kissed his bride. awwwww….lol!

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Road Elves. I hope that you eat candy canes until your teeth are pink and I hope that you remember to breathe!