Blog Archives

target clearance.

8/26/2017

Let's be real.

I have made MANY impulse purchases of items from Target that happen to be clearanced.

Usually, those little clearance tags with the red outline call to me from the aisles.

"Look at this amazing throw pillow that needs to be on my couch!"

"Ooooo...an aqua- and coral-colored organizational basket!"

"Matching clothes for the girls!"

This time, though...the clearance called me from my email.

When I saw this cute little cabinet come up on my computer screen.

The one on my computer was actually red...and it was adorable. I thought it would fit perfectly in my teal & red farmhouse kitchen.

But it was $120...even on sale. Mr. Banana Split Yellow cabinet was a nice $89.

So I made my first ONLINE clearance impulse purchase at Target.com.

It came in a nice big box and sat in the living room for a few days.

Then one night, Mr. Farmhouse got home early from checking cows and I said, "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you put something together for me?"

(sigh) "What's that?"

And in that moment, I revealed my amazing clearance purchase of this adorable yellow cabinet for the kitchen.

Mr. Farmhouse was not impressed.

In fact, I think "the ugliest color of yellow I've ever seen" was inserted somewhere in the conversation.

But he loves me.

And so...he put it together.

And moved it into the kitchen for me.

And then he seemed to have an opinion about where the "ugliest color of yellow" cutesy shelf should be placed in the kitchen.

He thought it should be flat along the wall, about two inches over the trim.

I thought it should be placed at an angle to make it look more centered.

So I took it to the Facebook world and posted it on the Farmhouse654 Facebook page.

By an overwhelming majority, the "angled" folks won.

Although the "what if stuff falls behind the cabinet?" folks did have a good point.

However, just like we have been very intentional about the space on top of the coffee bar, we will be intentional about this space too.

The top of the yellow cabinet will be used for our bread basket and a box of Kleenex.

That's it.

I used a few more $6.00 Dollar General baskets in the bottom of the cabinet for some small appliances, like my blender & mixer.

I'll add another one of those baskets to the top shelf in-between my favorite cookbooks and my favorite coffee mugs for potatoes and that will be all!

It's visible, yet organized.

Functional, yet stylish.

Banana Split Yellow, yet adorable.

Happy Almost Weekend, friends. ❤️🏡❤️

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first day of school.

8/23/2017

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Today was day #5 of my school year, but day #1 for the girls.

This year, I have a third grader and a fifth grader.

How.
Did.
That.
Happen???

This year, Claire Bear decided to join Harlee and attend school at the alma mater of Mr. Farmhouse and I.

We knew this would happen eventually.

We wanted them to become Adrian Blackhawks eventually.

But here we are.

Here I am.

I drop them off at 6:30 a.m. to various family members and I drive out of town.

I arrive at school by myself.

I get ready for my day.

I teach.

After school, no children come into my room to tell me about their day.
Nobody asks me for snacks.
Nobody complains that I'm taking too long or that they're ready to go.

I do what I need to do in the peace and quiet.
Too peaceful and too quiet.

I miss them.

I'm so excited for what they are going to do this year.

The ways they'll grow.
The things they'll learn.
The relationships they'll build.

This is a year of many firsts.

Things are changing at the farmhouse and I'm trying hard to embrace it.
To enjoy the transitions and embrace the subtle differences that I'm seeing every day in the girls.

The truth is though...sometimes I'd like to just have them back in kindergarten, sticking their little heads in my classroom door making the sign for "I love you".

Have a great school year, my sweet girls.

You're my most favorite 8 & 10 year olds in the whole wide world.

Oh yeah, and Mattie, you're my favorite 3 year old in the whole wide world, too.

P.S. My mom bought them matching friendship necklaces to help Claire make the transition.

"Best"
"Buds"
"Forever"

Be still my heart.

❤️🏡❤️

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snow day.

8/22/2017

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Today, I was supposed to be posting first day of school pictures from the farmhouse.

The girls were supposed to get up and take pictures on the front porch and have a wonderful first day while I rounded out Day #5 in my own classroom.

And then. The rain came.

On July 27th, both our little town and the town where I teach received a record amount of rain and there was lots of flooding.

People's basements were flooded, there were water rescues happening all over the place.

It was an absolute mess.

Our friend Sharon posted this picture on Facebook that day. She said it was the highest she had seen this water since they moved into this house over 20 years ago.

Well, guess what?

Last night...it happened again.

People have reported between 5 and 12 inches from the time we went to bed last night to when the rain stopped this morning.

And with that much rain, there has been even more flooding than last time.

And so...

We are using our first "snow day" of the school year in the district where I teach, as well as my kids' district here in Adrian.

On August 22nd.

The first "first day of school snow day" in Adrian's history.

And I am thankful.

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity.

Late nights and early mornings.
Deadlines and assessments.
Dropping the kids off at various locations for daycare every morning before I go to school.
The Solar Eclipse.

Going back to a five-day work week after eight weeks off of school.

The first four days of school have been amazing.
And a little bit exhausting.

So today, the girls and I are soaking up every last minute of summer.

So far, we've had blueberry muffins made by Claire (aren't they cute?), an "Inside Out" movie-viewing party, beaded keychains, a doll slumber party, laundry, and yes...some school work and photography editing.

An unexpected "snow day" at just the right time.

See you tomorrow, third graders. ❤️🏡❤️

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routines & free time.

8/19/2017

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Well, here we are.

I have been in school for 3 days now and the girls start this Tuesday.

Things are about to get crazy.

The last few years, we have figured out that it works really well for the girls to have a morning, afternoon, and bedtime routine.

They don't always stick to the evening routines, 100%, depending on what activities we have going on after school...practices, piano lessons, games.

However, the morning routine has really become a natural way of life during the school year for us.

And as long as the girls get out of bed when they're asked to (that's a whole other situation), it really helps our mornings to run smoothly.

To the right, you'll see what Harlee's Monday routine looks like. We went through together and came up with a list of the things that must get done every morning before school to keep the house under control during the school year.

The two older girls switch back and forth between putting clean dishes away each morning and sweeping the kitchen & dining room (a new chore with all hardwood floors in the farmhouse!).

I've laminated these lists and the girls use a dry-erase marker to mark them every morning. They like the satisfaction of checking off items in a list, just like their mama.

We have done a list like this for every day of the week, including Saturdays. Saturdays also includes what we call a "quick clean" list that we all work on together for an hour or so to get the house spiffied up for a new week.

Sunday has become our "stop day" here at the farmhouse.

I am trying really hard to just have our family enjoy each other through the whole day and just take an hour or so in the evenings to prepare for the next week.

In our world of busy, busy, busy...it's nice to just breathe, breathe, breathe every once in a while.

Just a few years ago, I was trying to squeeze in photography sessions every extra minute I had (including Sunday afternoons) to help pay off debt and to make sure I wasn't disappointing people.

I've learned that no matter how many sessions I squeeze into whatever extra time I have left, people will still be disappointed when I run out of sessions.

And they will still love me.

So it's really okay!

And because I'm choosing to make Sunday afternoons our "stop days", we will spend time watching Harlee play volleyball and then we will have time for fun board games or projects together.

My mom gave me her old Cricut a few years ago for Christmas and I had literally cut ONE project on it since then.

Until the other night, when I needed some letters cut for the focus wall in my classroom.

When I finished this (completely simple and totally amateur) project, I decided to try something a little more complicated.

I found a purple cup in the cabinet that I've been wanting to buy some sort of vinyl decal for and I decided to try it myself to start.

I decided I could always peel it off if it didn't work out.

I found a free SVG image online (I never even would have know what an SVG image was, if it wouldn't have been for my crafting sister-in-law, Tiffany!) and had to do a little modifying to since a few of the letters were way too small and tedious for my novice, fat fingers to navigate just yet.

I also added a little piece of free sunshine clip art I found online.

I set the Cricut to cut and off we went. I switched the vinyl colors when it told me to and I am happy to report that this is what I ended up with!

Can you even believe it?

Yeah, me either.

It looks kind of bumpy because of the light in the picture, but I assure you...it is not.

It looks like a real professional did it.

Thanks for the help, Cricut!

So here is the point of this whole blog post...I'm praying that with our routines in place through the week, we can keep on top of our busy schedule, laundry, dishes, & keeping the rest of the house manageable.

Used my #cricutexplore to cut out some bulletin board letters for my classroom tonight. Had so much fun that I also decorated my #backtoschool cup that sits on my desk each day. #crafting #cricut #vinyldecal #teacher #education #farmhouse654

A post shared by Hannah Newkirk (@farmhouse654) on Aug 10, 2017 at 10:19pm PDT

That way, we'll be free to enjoy each other in the evenings and on the weekends...crafting, and playing outside, and making slime.

Just kidding.
We tried that once.
I am not the "slime-making" kind of mom.

I've realized that I spent too many years in the old house trying to manage the home, keep up with my small business, and being a teacher...without spending enough of my time and energy making memories with my babies.

It's time.

Happy Weekend, friends! Make it a good one! ❤️?❤️

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first day of school eve.

8/15/2017

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10:01 p.m. and I am nowhere near climbing in bed.

Tomorrow is the first day of school.

I'm starting my 13th (and-a-half) year in the classroom and the excitement and nervousness that I feel the night before beginning a new school year never changes.

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Full of anticipation.

Joy.

Enthusiasm.

And if we're being honest...some anxiety.

You see...I know that I've had a few months "off".

I know that seems like a long time.

I should be rested and refreshed.

I've even heard people say, "Must be nice to have a two-month vacation!"

And it is.

But I can tell you that over that two-month "vacation" teachers everywhere have been attending conferences, researching new teaching strategies, and preparing for the impending school year.

And for the next ten months, those teachers will pour their hearts and souls into the children in their classrooms.

In the next few weeks, teachers everywhere will welcome children into their rooms with so many needs.

Behavioral challenges, academic struggles, hungry bellies, and broken hearts.

And for the entire school year, day-in and day-out, those teachers will use their precious time, their energy, and their money to make sure that they are being all that they can be to their students. No pressure, right?

I'm literally sitting at my dining room table right now, reviewing my lesson plans for tomorrow and making sure that I'm completely ready for when that first student walks through my door tomorrow.

Teachers everywhere...this is our time.

All of our planning and preparation and worrying and fretting is getting ready to pay off in a big way.

Let's do this.

Happy First Day of School! ❤️🏡❤️

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dear third grade parent.

8/14/2017

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"Dear Third Grade Parent" is the way I start numerous letters through the school year.

Field trip notes,
notes about grade cards and school events,
and notes including class announcements.

Before the school year begins though, there are different types of things coming to mind when I think about writing a letter to my future students' parents.

Dear Third Grade Parent,

Your child is important to me. I will work as hard as I can to make sure that she knows that. There will be days that he feels tired of school or he might get frustrated with a task in our class. There will be days that she might get her feelings hurt by a friend or not be happy with feedback she received. I will make sure your child knows that at the end of the day, regardless of his effort or behavior or interactions with others in our classroom...he is still loved for and cared for. No matter her academic or athletic ability...she will know that she belongs in our room and we are thankful to have her here.

We are a team. Please, please, PLEASE hear me on this. I am on your side. I am on your child's side. Every school year, at some point, a difficult conversation will come up. Your child will say or do something that is not appropriate. He will neglect to do his homework. She will make an unkind remark to another student at recess. He will rush through his work without putting forth his best effort. It will happen. Children make mistakes. Teachers make mistakes. Parents make mistakes. We all make mistakes. We have to work together so your students knows that we are fighting for him or her. We expect that he will try hard and be kind and treat others the way he wants to be treated. We expect that she will be responsible and persistent and loving towards others. You know your child better than anyone. You know what makes him tick and what makes her shut down. You are your child's number 1 cheerleader and biggest advocate. Let's team up and help your child to stretch and grow this year. When we expect this TOGETHER, our kids WILL rise up to meet our expectations. Please back me up at home and I promise that I will back you up in the classroom.

There is power in the words and actions of a child in a public school setting. Your child has the ability to change the world with his words. He can encourage and inspire his classmates. She can motivate and include her peers. By being an example of acceptance and humility, your child has the power to be a difference-maker in his school...even at age 8 or 9. Please talk with your child about showing mercy and kindness. I will work hard to build a community of friendship and inclusion in our classroom through the day, but please build on this culture in your home...around the dinner table, in your vehicle, and after ballgames. Remind them that some of their friends might be hurting because of situations at home. They might be feeling left out on the playground, even if nobody is excluding them on purpose. Let's strive to raise kids who are kind and compassionate and who invite other children into their circle.

I am human. Yes, I am a teacher. I have been doing this a long time. I have a degree that says I know how to do this job, but I am human. I mess up. I have a bad day every once in a while. I work hard to meet the needs of every individual student and I still miss the mark sometimes. I forget to do things. I am married and a mother myself. Sometimes, if we're being honest, our mornings do not run as smoothly as I wish they would. Every once in a while, I might still be thinking about something that happened at home when I greet my students in the morning. I should be able to separate my personal life from my school life, but I am human. However, I can promise you this. I will love your child as if he or she were my own. I will worry about him and fret about her. I will see things at WalMart that remind me of my students and make impulse purchases on my grocery trip just to see them smile the next morning. I will have sleepless nights this school year, thinking about whether some of my students are being fed or given appropriate shelter. I will buy book after book on Amazon until I can crack the code of what makes your child love reading. Sometimes, I will find something out about a student and I will contemplate inviting that child to come be a part of our family.

Third Grade Parent, we have about 36 weeks together this year.

Let's work together and make this the best year that we can for your student.

You support me and I will support you, as we support your sweet boy or girl.

Let's give her our very best every single day.

And let's encourage him to give his best every single day, too.

We can do this.

Love,
Mrs. Newkirk

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local artist spotlight: rashall's charming creations

8/13/2017

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My friend Rashall over at Rashall's Charming Creations is super-talented.

She makes these signs and sells them at vendor fairs.

I kept seeing them on Facebook and meaning to get one from her and never did.

Then we bought the farmhouse.

I had some very specific ideas about what type of art I wanted to put in certain places in the house and what message I wanted to send when people entered our home.

She helped me make my vision a reality through her custom work and I've also purchased some of her premade signs to display!

The song Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli just speaks to me.

I knew I wanted to display the lyrics to the chorus of this song in the Gathering Room.
Rashall made it happen!

I have always loved the story of Ruth in the Bible and have admired her for her commitment to her mother-in-law, Naomi.

Ruth's husband passes away and yet she stays with Naomi.

She commits to staying with Naomi instead of going back to her own family no matter what.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16

When I saw this sign on Rashall's Facebook page, I knew I had to have it.

You can see the pictures that I displayed beside the sign in our bedroom in the photo below.

The picture on the bottom is one of our engagement photos. We were young... barely 17 & 18.

Even then, we knew we would share a lifelong commitment to each other.

The top image is one of our maternity photos when I was expecting our last baby girl. At that point, we had been together for over 14 years.

Now, we're grown.
Raising three beautiful girls.
Living in the farmhouse.

Mr. Farmhouse loves to plant beans, bale hay, and feed cows.

I first heard Paul Harvey's "So God Made a Farmer" on a Dodge Commercial during the Super Bowl a few years ago.

It reminded me of my grandpa.
My dad.
Mr. Farmhouse.

So I asked Rashall (again) to create something that would bring these words to mind.

And she did.

I had originally put it in the living room, but I just don't feel like that's where it will end up.

I think I'll display it with some pictures of all my favorite farmers in the hallway.

Or maybe not. We'll see. I'll let you know when I decide!

Finally. This "tribe" sign.

I have so many members of my tribe.

My family.
My girlfriends from high school.
My besties since birth.
My sisters-in-laws.

Church friends. Elementary school friends. Work friends. College friends.

Build a tribe of supporters that can walk through this crazy life with you.

Find your tribe and love them hard.

Thanks again, Rashall.

Be sure to check out Rashall's work right here!

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overwhelmed.

8/12/2017

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Well, I haven't blogged for five days.

This is the longest I've gone without sharing my thoughts on the ol' blog and I can tell you exactly why.

Over the last few days, I have become extremely overwhelmed as the school year begins.

This is normal for (I would dare to guess) 99% of teachers.

There is always one more thing to be done.

Putting a classroom together.
Preparing curriculum.
Staff meetings.
Making copies.
Cutting out letters.
Meeting with the teaching team.

And in the whole scheme of life, all of these things are normal and wonderful and necessary.

But this year, I'm having a hard time with it all.

We're having some curriculum changes.

I didn't get into school as early as I would have hoped.

I focused on the farmhouse all summer.

We've gone from letting the girls stay up later and sleep in, to school year bedtime and waking up early.

I know that I have these feelings every year and that on Monday night when my darling little third graders walk through the door on "Back-to-School Night", that I will be fine.

I will be ready.

But for now, I will enjoy this last full weekend at home with my family before the school year takes off in full swing.

Make it a good one, friends.

Take some time to breathe and rest over the next few years.

Happy (Almost) School Year. ❤️?❤️

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back to school.

8/6/2017

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It's starting.

Another summer almost gone.

Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up and head to my classroom to prepare for the 2017-2018 school year.
My 13th year in the teacher's chair.
And my first year without either of my girls in the same building as me.

I am usually completely ready to go back to work when August rolls around.

This year, with the house sale & purchase,
a three-year-old who doesn't sleep much,
and lots of changes coming at school in the fall...
I've haven't felt as prepared to head back.

I haven't felt ready.

I haven't even really felt excited (so unlike me!).

Until this weekend.

Yesterday, the Lord gave us the gift of a cool, rainy Saturday.

Mr. Farmhouse was stuck at home with no farming tasks to complete in the rain.
The girls were stuck inside.

And I had a list.

I had made a list of every single thing in the farmhouse that I wanted to complete before I went back to work Monday..

We blared some old country music and everybody jumped in.

By the late afternoon, the house was looking so good.

With every task marked off that list, I could breathe a little easier.

And today after church and after the most precious newborn photography session, the girls and I took the plunge.

The school supply plunge.

We headed to the store and we knocked out those school supply lists.

And when we got home and were sitting around the table eating pork chops, yummy steamed vegetables, and leftover cornbread from yesterday's lunch...I realized that I am ready.

We laughed together and told stories and ate far too much food.

And then we sorted all the school supplies out on the floor and shared our excitement together.

(Sidenote: They are completely my children and love office supplies as much as I do!)

I even bought a package of my favorite pens to celebrate the occasion.

I'll be waiting until I make it to Target to buy my Greenroom notebook for this year.

Bic Cristal pens & Greenroom notebooks are my very FAVORITE.

And so...

On the evening of the first day of school, August 16th, I will do a live giveaway of a package of my favorite pens and a Greenroom notebook!

To be entered..."Like" my Farmhouse654 Facebook Page and "Comment" with your favorite school supply! 🤓

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it's a good day to have a good day.

8/5/2017

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Yesterday, my bestie and I went out to do some shopping for our classrooms.

She teachers fourth.

I teach third.

We both are heading back to school soon and decided to hit the teacher sale at Mardel.

I believe that I'm heading into the school year that has snuck up on me faster than any year before.

This summer, through the home selling and buying process and the moving situation, we just haven't felt very "settled" in the farmhouse until the last few weeks.

And now that we FINALLY feel like this is home, BOOM...it's time to go back to school.

ANYway, so as I said...the bestie and I were headed to Mardel to do some school shopping.

As we walked in, I also noticed that the home decor section was marked down...50% off.

I felt like I should probably check it out.
I mean...it was half-off.
HALF.

Besides, I knew I probably needed to purchase some more wall art for the farmhouse. (Read that last sentence with sarcasm.)

I meandered around and found some great items for the farmhouse.

My three favorite purchases were a clearance "you & me" sign for the master bedroom, a sign that says "Be Kind...it's that easy.", and a sign for my classroom that said "It's a good day to have a good day."

I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in our circumstances that we struggle to find the positive side of life.

I see it every day on social media.

There are some people on my Facebook Newsfeed who seem to struggle to find anything good to say about their day...every single day.

My heart is filled with sadness for these people, as they can't find any good in their circumstances.

I also see the opposite side of the spectrum on my Facebook and Instagram feed.

People who are struggling through really big life hurdles...chronic illness, a cancer diagnosis, the loss of a close family member. And yet, their words are encouraging and inspiring and uplifting.

I want my students to know when they walk into our classroom that EVERY day is a good day to have a good day.

Yes, we will have struggles.

A house sale or purchase doesn't go as planned.
The air conditioning goes out in your Yukon.
The car you purchased to save you money is having transmission problems.
Your three-year-old has decided that she doesn't like sleep anymore.

(These are all hypothetical situations, of course.)

But even when life seems to hit, we have a choice in how we deal with it all.

We can smile and persevere.
Or we can frown and complain.

We can show kindness to family, friends, and strangers.
Or we can be cranky and negative.

Let's just try over the next few weeks, no matter what road we are walking on right now in our personal lives...to have a good day.
To find the good in the world.
To BE the good in the world.

Happy Weekend, friends.

Make it a good one. ❤️🏡❤️

There's a Hobby Lobby right beside Mardel, so of course we had to run in there to see what we could find.

I can't believe I found more items to buy, but this great "Gather Together" sign was in the new fall line.

The "Fresh Eggs" sign and the beef cuts plate were in the new farmhouse line and fit perfectly in our kitchen, as we eat our own farm fresh eggs and butcher our own beef.

The farmhouse rug looks great in front of our kitchen sink...even though I didn't think about how dirty a white rug would get on the farm.

I also got a new-to-me window that my mom purchased for our dining room. I had another window on the piano that I decided would fit better in our bedroom, so I needed to fill the spot. Mom delivered, as usual!

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