Hey Friends! How are you?  I hope that you enjoyed your weekend.  We sure did.  Our Christmas lights are up and at ’em.  Hopefully, one of these evenings I can snap a picture for you.  We haven’t drug a real tree home yet…but it’s on the agenda.  Anyway…are you adding red to your home this time of year?  I have been.  Little touches here and there.  I have also added some turquoise sparkle.  Momma likes!  😉 So…let the red begin!

One of my favorites. Peppermint sticks tied with a green velvet ribbon.

I love this plate with the ribbon candy. There is just something wonderful about it.

When I got this sugar mold…I had this in mind. I was so excited that it was finally time!

I hope that you have a wonderful Monday, Dirt Road peeps.  Kick up your heels and spread a little red today!

p.s.  I would love to hear about the going color at your house this year.  Comments welcome!

Hey Guys.  I usually don’t post on the weekends but I wanted to show you the new, little changes to the blog.  Plus, I thought that I would share my gumdrops with you.  I would…literally…if I could, but I can’t.  Sooooo I will share my gumdrops…well…visually.  🙂  They are nestled in a bed of,  you guessed it, Epsom salts.  Do you recognize the butter dish?  Of course you do.  It’s the one that used to have the tiny pumpkins (putka pods) in it.  I just love that little dish.  (Thanks a billion, Shanny!)  I freeze my candy from year to year.  It keeps wonderfully that way.  Of course, I only decorate with it.  We don’t eat the candy that has been in the freezer all of these years. So…I wouldn’t really share these gumdrops if you were here.  I would buy you new ones.  I’m just nice that way.  😉

I hope that you like the new color.  I love…lovity…love it.  (Of course you probably knew that I would.  It’s turquoise after all.  😉

Have fun, Dirt Roaders!  Enjoy that weekend.

Hey Dirt Road Peeps!  We made it to Friday.  High fives and fist pounds all around.  There ya go!  Sooooooooo….who has their Christmas wreath on the door.  I do…I do…pick me…pick me. 😉  But then you probably knew that I would.  I can’t stand to let my door go “nakey.”  It ALWAYS has a wreath on it.  It’s a weakness of mine.  The only time it doesn’t have a wreath on it are those times when we have hurricane like winds up on the hill.  That can be scary.  Mainly because the only body of water that we live close to…is a pond.  It’s just bad- crazy wind sometimes.  Enough to make us give up wreaths on the outsides of the windows.  We like to sleep at night.  Is that so wrong?????  😉 (The wreaths were too noisy.)

Okay…enough babbling.  Sheesh Kel.  Enough already.  Give these poor people a break.  (It’s getting bad folks…I’m talking to myself…in front of you.)  😉  I’m gonna show you a picture of this year’s wreath.  I used my “burlap” wreath from fall, some old ribbon and old ornaments.  I love it. EXCEPT…I didn’t realize that all of the green ones were kinda….all in a row…until I edited this picture.  But…because no one is perfect….I’m not going to fix it and take another picture.  Let’s just say that this is my tribute to a more laid back Christmas than years past.

May you have a wonderful weekend, Dirt Road friends.  I think that we may find our real tree for the kids and put lights outside.  I will let you know how that goes.  Now…go love life…and land’s sakes…leave me a comment.  😉

Ha!  I know..I know…you are thinking…”Did I just read that right?”  “Is this really the title of her post?”  Yes, my friends, you did and it is.  Today I just wanted to put you on to the joys of Epsom salts.  I’m actually talking about using them as “snow” in your home…um…not the other.  Who doesn’t want to transform their home into a winter wonderland?  Who wants to talk about laxatives today? Okay….no hands on either.  Let’s talk snow.

You know a few years ago, someone gave me a bag of that flaky, fake snow that looked kinda like shredded coconut.  I still use it.  It is very pretty.  Then…somewhere I came upon the fact that people use Epsom salts in their apothecary jars.  How awesome is that?  If you are of the branch of people who don’t really know much about Epsom salts,( like I was, I thought that a good foot soak was their only quality) they actually look like big sugar crystals.  They are fairly cheap and make very pretty snow.  Who knew that magnesium sulfate could be so beautiful?  Someone did.

I loved the way that this picture turned out so it’s the only one that I’m posting today. I will share the other jars later.

Have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders.  Let it snow…let it snow…let it snow.

p.s. I mentioned that the salts were fairly cheap.  I paid four and then three dollars at some different places and then saw them at Wal-Mart for like…eighty-eight cents! Next time…I WILL KNOW!  😉

Okay friends.  Here it is.  The moment that you’ve been waiting for.  The little project that I keep mentioning. You see…I had this brainstorm.  Sometimes this is a good thing.  Sometimes…it’s sadly…um…not.  Never fear…this one was good.  It involves our mantle that I love, lovity, love!  It’s old and the paint is chipped and it has tons of character.  It just doesn’t have a fireplace underneath it.  That bothers some people.  It does not bother me.  I usually hang a wreath in the opening.

Enter: Original idea that got tossed.

First I thought that I wanted to have the Mr. cut a piece of plywood and then paint it black.  Then we would glue tons of round pieces of logs on it to make it look like a fireplace with logs stacked in it. (Thank you Pinterest.)  If you haven’t ever seen this you oughta check it out.  It is really very cool.  The only thing was…the lack of a tree that size to cut…which I was not giving up on, but then I had this other idea that was not only easy but awesome, if I do say so myself. (The Mr. probably prayed for a change of heart! lol!)

Enter: Idea that makes my little heart happy.

I am proud to say that I actually thought this one up before I even knew that people do this.  I thought…”Hey why not paint that board with black chalkboard paint and then I could write cute stuff  on it.?”  So…I peeked on Pinterest just to see if people even do this.  THEY DO.  I was really stoked then.  There is so much out there with chalkboards.  Have you guys ever checked out Miss Mustard Seed’s blog?  She is awesome with chalkboards.  Anyway…I hope that you like it.  I love it.  I am very pleased.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, Dirt Roaders.  Now go forth and do projects.

You did it!  It’s Friday.  I will wait a sec while you do your happy dance.  Da dum…dum..dum…dee…dee…dum….. Are ya done?  Okay.  Here we go.  😉  So apothecary jars!  I love them.  So much.  Did I tell you that,  last year…when I was taking my big one off of the hutch that I dropped the lid and it hit me on the head?  OUCHNESS! It then went along on its journey to the floor.  Yeah….no more lid.  Anyway, yesterday I was out and about and I found another one to kinda replace my broken one.  EVERYONE knows that you must have three!  I also happened upon an amazing piece of old ceiling tile.  I will share that with you…when I get it on the wall.  For now…enjoy with me…the newest member of my apothecary jar family.  I shall call her Squatty.  (Okay….I know…but I’m crackin’ myself up with that one. 😉 )

Have a wonderful Friday, Sweet Dirt Roaders!  It’s almost Thanksgiving!