Here we are again. A new year. New goals. New beginnings.
I haven’t posted since the beginning of 2021. Those of you that hang out with me on Instagram know that my little brother has been missing since the end of 2020. Life just became different for us and it was harder to try to inspire others. You shouldn’t make your life there though. It isn’t healthy. So I am trying new beginnings. He would have wanted that. ❤️ (Whew…some sentences are just harder to type.)
Life is full of possibilities. It’s full of fresh starts and growth. It’s full of things to look forward to and also long moments of contentment in the here and now. Each day to be celebrated for the gift that it is.
I hope that 2023 truly is your year. I hope that you find that one junkin’ find that has been elusive until now! I hope that you paint your dining room the color of an antique crock. (I plan to!) I hope that your sheep have babies! (Ours too!) I hope that whatever your hopes and dreams are…that you give them to God and He covers them with glitter, as only He can. Here’s to new beginnings, my friends!
Hello there. It’s been a minute. I think l asked last year if people still read blogs. I do occasionally. Maybe I need to blow the dust off of this one. Reconnect with you sweet people.
Yesterday was the first day of winter and it was gorgeous.
Those of you that follow in Instaland…probably already know about the heartache in our family. If not, my little brother has been missing since the 17th of December, 2020. So with all of that we have been trying to learn to live in the midst of it. That’s really what we have to do, isn’t it. As unbelievably hard as that is…it’s vital. I have actually done a little therapy and plan to do more. It was just time. I needed someone to help me physically process. You know what…that is absolutely okay. I don’t care about stigma anymore. Quite frankly, none of us should. Our healthy bodies and minds lead to healthy relationships. That is just wisdom.
Sweet baby brother of mine.
So…I know. That is heavy, but I have always tried to be real with my readers. Knowing that God is sovereign is the only thing that makes it doable. Which is basically all of life. We tend to forget that on occasion.
Rockbridge. Missouri is gorgeous at Christmas!
So the Mr. and I had our 26th wedding anniversary this month. It was so fun! He took me to Rockbridge and then we did some shopping. We laughed a lot and just enjoyed being together so much. I love his perspective. There is something about a man’s perspective that is so refreshing to me. I have been blessed with good men in my life and I don’t take that for granted. Anyway…it’s so fun to have a day to just listen and visit and share. He is one of this life’s biggest blessings to me and I am so grateful.
My sweet man watching the trout fisherman.
Okay so elephant in the room…are you ready for Christmas? I think we mostly are. Maybe a few little things. I’m excited for everyone to open their gifts! I will share a few little Christmas decor shots with you. I kept it simple this year. A country Christmas theme.
That little Tonka is fun!Our daughter made the sweetest gingerbread fellas!A sweet spot in the kitchen. And of course some crocks.
On a slightly different note…the ADR Farmhouse Dishrag business has done so well this year. We give God all of the glory. He’s the one that makes it all possible. I am so grateful to be able to work from home like that. In the new year things may look a tad different. We are tossing around new ideas and I’m so exited. Maybe a new design or two. Here’s a little sneak peek:
Mustard is always my favorite. This new border is so fun!!’
So…from our home to yours, I hope that you have the absolute merriest of Christmases! I hope that you feel the peace of God in all that you do. May the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, bring hope to your heart this season.
Hey Friends!!! I come to you with lots of well wishes for a wonderful holiday! Ours will be a bit different this year…like everything else…but we will still celebrate the Savior of the world.
So this is Christmas…
You know…this year we hung a few wreaths on the fence posts and gate…and decorated a little cedar at the bottom of the hill. It was as much for all the neighbors as for us. It was so fun!
If you look closely you can see the farmhouse through there.
This year has been full of simple things. Basic things. Things of necessity. I’m okay with that. I think that it makes us take a look at what is really important.
The Mister and I celebrated twenty five years this year! We had a Christmas wedding so we always get to take a minute apart this time of year. It was a beautiful night at a trout ranch. The food was so good and the company was even better. Silver Anniversary during a pandemic? Party of two, please.
I hope that all of your celebrations whether big or small turn out peaceful and happy this year. We have had joy and sadness…but we are going to try our best come Christmas morning to celebrate Jesus.
So this is Christmas.
Love from the Farmhouse,
Kelli
p.s Our daughter and I snuck away for a junking break yesterday. Here’s a sneak peek of what we found:
How are you guys!? We are trying to roll with things…you know. (Insert emoji with eyes bugged out.) It’s been a minute since I have been here so I thought that I would stop by. We aren’t talking Soaps today…lol…just showing you a little of what is going on at the Farmhouse…as the world turns.
So quite awhile back I got the urge to paint our hutch. We have had this piece since around 2001ish maybe. I have always loved the white…and still do, but I have been loving all of the black farmhouse things for awhile now. Plus we have lots of white in our home so I went for it. I love Tricorn by Sherwin Williams, so that is what I used . It’s a true black with a finish that seems very early American to me.
She’s not done. Needs another coat…but so far I am pleased. I left the inside white, since that helps with it not absorbing decor. I’m excited to finish it today.
I’ve also been doing a tiny bit of junking lately. I ran across that rustic shelf at the thrift and I knew that as much as I love the cozy things…it needed to come on home with me. (It probably sounds like I’m avoiding the elephant in the room…also known as Corona. I am. Not because we aren’t aware, our son is quarantined due to being exposed, now, but I figure you guys hear enough about that part of the world turning. We need a break from it now and then.) Junking is a beautiful distraction.
So another fun thing happened this week! A friend of mine found this beautiful Philodendron for me! I loooove it. This particular species is…get this…Hope. Everyone needs a little hope in their lives. She found this one at Home Depot. She’s a pretty good old gal…that Brenda G.
One more sweet thing from our little farm and I will sign off for today. You. Guys. Tomato jam! Whyyyyy didn’t someone tell me? I have been canning for years and never knew. It’s so, so, good. You lay down your cracker…add a smidge of cream cheese, and then a little dollop of tomato jam. Soooooo good! Let me know if you need the link…or I can do a blog post and tell you how I made ours.
(This is a side note. Those of you that order dishrags for the holidays…shop is open. Those popcorn rectangles from the ADR Farmhouse Dishrags collection are my favorite!)
Okay…so I hope that as your world turns on this Friday and holiday weekend…things are good. I’m going to leave you with a little something that I found today:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;” Jeremiah 1:5
It’s not everywhere in this life that we find comfort and assurance like that. God is in control even if people don’t want to admit it. But to know that there was a time when it was only God and us…and no one else knew about us…that is heartwarming and fills me with awe. It’s a beautiful and loving thing to be alone with God.
Hello there, Dirt Roaders! It’s been a minute. I’m just stopping in to see how everyone is faring during this time. I hope and pray that you are hanging in there.
I feel like that we have been using this time to be more intentional. We have had a schedule for most days. All of the kids have homework so we have tried to stay focused with that. More than the homework though I feel like we have grown as a family. We have utilized our home and farming skills more.
Each day at three we have what we call Driver’s Ed. We go for dirt road rides and explore. Most of the roads are well known to us after years of teaching our kids to drive. After the spring rains though we have discovered so many beautiful creeks. It’s balm to weary souls during quarantine. We also have lots of Ag class here. There are always farm chores to do and now mowing. We have Home Economics which consists of house cleaning and cooking. The kids tell me that having a set schedule helps the days to pass better. I’m thankful to be able to help them through this. I feel like God has given us tools to cope and peace through it all.
Are you guys eating take out much? We have tried to limit that. I get an ALDI delivery about every two weeks. We leave them on the porch and wipe them all down with Thieves cleaner before bringing them in. It’s a whole process…but we just want to keep everyone healthy. We have had drive thru things a time or two. Mexican take out once and Domino’s once. I cannot lie. It tasted amazing. lol!
It’s my sincere prayer that this post will encourage you. I hope that in your time of quarantine that you have grown as a person or a family. We haven’t taken this lightly. There are so many people hurting and grieving and we are not strangers to that. At the first of the year we lost my uncle in a tragic accident and were still reeling from that when this hit. I know that part doesn’t sound very encouraging…but hang on a sec. The Lord gave us enormous peace and so many miracles through all of that. That is just the way that He works.
I hope that your are thriving, my friends. I hope that you are finding a new appreciation for all of the things that you were too rushed to enjoy, before. I hope that each new day inspires you to learn something new or to just pause and breathe in deep. Maybe you found a new love for your lawn chair or porch swing. Maybe you have a new ritual of evening tea and a cozy book. (Dr. Pepper and a cozy book for me. lol!) Whatever you are learning through this…I feel that it will make us better people whenever it’s time to be with people again. I don’t feel that we will take a smile or a handshake for granted.
Let me leave you with this today,
In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 32 verse 27, God says this:
“Behold, I am the Lord God of all flesh: is there anything to hard for me?”
This poor ol’ blog takes a back seat a lot of the time.
Amongst a busy summer and other stuff up to my eyeballs…I don’t always keep up with it. Shamey, shamey, I know my namey.
I could give you a list of excuses a mile long…all true…but how about I just do better? You guys keep checking in…and that is the sweetest!!!
I hope that you all had an amazing summer…full of all of the good stuff. I hope that God spoke to your hearts in new ways to inspire your life. He sure is good about that.
Who would have thought? The girl that struggled through Home Economics can actually sew a bit and crochet! Lol! I know, I know…not a biggie for most people…but Mrs. McGoldrick was impressed when I told her. (Small town life. Our kids go to school with her grands.)
Do you guys have a hobby? Most of my sewing is things that are needed or rag quilts. I actually really enjoy it. Very relaxing to me. Crocheting on the other hand has become a small business and I am so thankful for that!
I began crocheting years ago. I worked for a lady that also had her family working with her. Between them and my friend Jenny, we learned to crochet. I picked it up again years later and really wasn’t all that great. It was all of that counting that I wasn’t interested in. #mathishard
Rewind to last year. I had been making wonky dishrags for my friends and family, bless their hearts, and then I decided to YouTube it up and make them the right way. You know…the exact science. 😉 So from there my little ADR Farmhouse Dishrag business took off. I am so thankful for the way that God just blew the doors off of my/our little business. (Shoutout to the Mr. who mails all of the packages at the P.O.)
It has grown a bit this spring from just dishrags to mug rugs/coasters too. They are a bit reminiscent of what your granny might make…with a bit of farmhouse feel from this era.
You know…when you ask God to cause things to bloom in your life…you never know what He is going to do. I will tell you this though…it will be perfect and timely. It will just fall into place. That is His way.
When you come home at the end of a busy day…cozy is so important. A place to unwind. A place to exhale. A place to “cozy up” as my babies used to say.
A place where you can eat a warm meal or if you don’t feel like cooking…a sandwich to fill your belly. A place where “jammies” as we call them…are the dress code.
It’s so nice to have a favorite spot to take a good book and a cozy throw. Even in the warmer months when the a/c is blasting. Sometimes that is my favorite time to cover up. I grew up with window air, at my dad’s, that would freeze you out. Talk about some good sleeping. Lol! Maybe it was the hum of the air conditioner. It was absolutely cozy…because I had a…wait for it…waterbed! Lol!
One of the coziest homes that I have ever been in was when my mom and stepdad lived in a tiny blue house. It was the most relaxing little place. My room had a fluffy feather bead and it felt like a cloud after a long day. We had a wood stove to warm up by in the winter. My mom has always been good at creating a cozy atmosphere. She takes that with her no matter where she lives. That is one of the many things that I love about her. She knows the importance of cozy.
Along the Dirt Road 