Choose Joy

Embracing everyday life…

In a world that often feels hectic, stressful, and full of challenges, finding joy may seem like an elusive pursuit. However, joy is not something that is purely circumstantial or dependent on external factors; it is a mindset and a choice we can make every day. By consciously choosing joy, we can transform our lives, enhance our well-being, and spread positivity to those around us. Though our walk with Christ we can explore the power of choosing joy and discover practical ways to embrace his blessings in our everyday lives.

1. The Power of Perspective:

The way we perceive the world has a profound impact on our experiences. Shifting our perspective towards gratitude and optimism can open doors to joy. By focusing on the good, even in challenging situations, we can reframe our mindset and find joy in unexpected places. Suggestions such as keeping a gratitude journal, praying and read your Bible daily, and practicing positive self-talk can cultivate a joyful perspective.

2. Embracing Mindfulness:

Mindfulness, the practice of being fully present in the moment, is a powerful tool for experiencing joy. When we are fully engaged in what we are doing, whether it's savoring a delicious meal or enjoying a walk in nature, we allow ourselves to truly experience joy. Use mindfulness techniques such as prayer, meditation, deep breathing, and mindful activities to help us connect with the present, and discern God’s direction in our lives.

3. Cultivating Self-Care:

Taking care of ourselves is essential for nurturing joy in our lives. Engaging in activities that bring us pleasure and nourish our well-being can significantly impact our happiness. Explore self-care practices such as dedicated prayer time, physical and mental exercise, healthy eating, restful sleep, creative pursuits, and spending quality time with loved ones. By prioritizing self-care, we can recharge our spiritual and physical batteries. This creates a heart for God’s joy to fill us.

4. Letting Go of Negativity:

To choose joy, it's essential to release negativity and embrace a more positive mindset. Start with being thankful for then focus on letting go of grudges, forgiving ourselves and others, and practicing self-compassion. By decluttering our emotional baggage, we create space for God’s joy to enter our lives and foster healthier relationships with ourselves and others.

5. Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures:

Often, joy can be found in the blessings around us, like the simplest moments of life. Explore the art of finding joy in everyday experiences, whether it's relishing a cup of coffee, taking a walk in nature, listening to music, or spending time with beloved pets. By being present and appreciating the beauty in the small things, God can infuse our lives with joy on a daily basis.

6. Spreading Joy to Others:

Choosing joy is not only a personal endeavor but also an opportunity to make a positive impact on others. Acts of kindness, random acts of generosity, and spreading positivity can create a ripple effect of joy in our communities. Continue to uplift others and show God’s love, and we can create a more joyful and compassionate world together.

In closing, choosing joy is a conscious decision we can make every day. By shifting our perspective, practicing mindfulness, prioritizing self-care, letting go of negativity, finding joy in simple pleasures, and spreading joy to others, we can cultivate a more joyful and fulfilling life. Remember, joy is not found solely in big accomplishments or life-changing events but in the beauty of the present moment. God gives us the power to embrace each moment choosing joy Let it guide you towards a life of happiness, gratitude, inner peace, and a closer walk with him. He’s there with you in every moment.

Holiday JOY

Here’s hoping that your holidays were full of joy. The Little Red Barn was set up for Christmas visitors, and we hope that its cheerful presence was a blessing even for those passing by. A picture perfect country scene, the barn has many photo backdrops that make one of a kind greeting cards! Here are just a few photos.

Our Southern Blessings business that operates The Little Red Barn was represented in the local Calico Rock Christmas parade in December 2022. Decorated in all of its holiday glory, the silver farm truck carried us through the line up on Pepper Sauce and down Main Street. I drove while Mason and friends rode in the back and threw out SB t-shirts and candy to the crowd. Festive and fun holiday music, bright blinking lights, and Christmas blowup characters were everywhere we looked.

We had a blast participating in the parade and plan to make it an annual event!

Below are some additional photos of the barn in all of its holiday glory. We are anxious to share our barn with others! Contact us about booking an event, an overnight stay, or using it for a photo session.

We are making plans now to have a day with Santa in December 2023!

GOD IS GOOD! The Little Red Barn and Southern Blessings serve an audience of ONE, and we pray that God is pleased with our service in 2022. We look forward to what he has planned for us in 2023, and we pray his blessings on you, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

Sincerely,

Owners, Clyde and Nicole Bookout

Ozark Octobers

Happy day to all October birthdays!

Celebrating Ozark October birthdays at The Little Red Barn is a special treat. This is the first of many family party occasions to be hosted at the barn. It made the perfect backdrop for a fall gathering.

My mom, Etta Andrews, celebrated her 75th birthday while my oldest daughter, Cierra Sheets, had her 25th. My middle child, Johnna Cone, celebrated her 22nd while I had my 52nd. All FOUR of us were blessed with many cards, gifts, and birthday wishes at the barn party and throughout the month of October. We are certainly partial to October as a family.

Friends and family gathered to help us celebrate. Clyde Bookout cooked a wonderfully delicious gumbo with sausage, chicken, and shrimp. It was a huge hit! Karen Andrews brought the two flavored cake, which was baked by her loving mother - a chocolate icing with yellow cake and a chocolate icing with chocolate cake - for the girls. Thanks to the rain the day before, we were able to have a cozy fire built, and there was a nice breeze blowing throughout the day.

You gotta love family no matter what… right? The lady pictured above is my crazy Aunt Christy. LOL She keeps us in stitches through good times and bad. You just never know what she’s going to say or do. She drives me crazy, but I love her to pieces.

Pictured above are Jeremy and Karen Andrews, my younger brother and his wife. Then directly above are Ryan and Cierra Sheets, my daughter and her husband. Cierra is about 6 months pregnant here, so we are looking forward to February!

The birthday crew! Mom, Johnna, Nicki, and Cierra… with Christy’s rabbit ears.

The Little Red Barn is ready for fALL guests!

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us.

We are truly blessed.

God is good.

Bargain Hunting

I’m not cheap! I’m thrifty!

Are you a bargain hunter? Some hate shopping the sales rack, or think it’s a waste of time to dig through the bargain bin. However, pinching pennies has its perks, and there’s a certain satisfaction gained by finding a great deal. You know that special feeling found when you think, “I’ve hit flea market lotto!” or someone on Facebook Marketplace has posted the very thing you can’t live without?

Maybe I’m alone in the frenzy of frugality, but the hunt for the ultimate bargain thrills me. Here’s the most recent example. I have been wanting some Adirondack chairs to place around a fire ring behind the barn. I stopped a roadside display and priced a handmade chair from a local artisan. It was a nice wooden Adirondack chair painted red for outdoor use, perfect for my purpose. I could picture the bright red, sleek chairs in front of my fire pit creating the cozy setting I so desired. Yes, I thought I wanted two! But, I almost spit out my drink of water when he casually said $250… EACH! I quickly tallied my ideal sitting spot would cost over $500, so I politely asked for his business card and left. The dream of my pretty red chairs floated away behind me.

Later that evening, while scrolling through Facebook Marketplace, I saw a set of homemade Adirondack style chairs. These poor things had been abused, painted two different colors, and were scratched and dented badly, but I saw potential! Then the moment of truth, $40 for the pair. BINGO! Although pretty rough looking, they were thick, sturdy, and well put together. (Sounds like they were part of my family!) I messaged the seller, and got the deal. A couple of days later, these beat up beauties were standing guard outside my door.

Then I started their transformation on a sunny Saturday with some 80’s music to keep the party going. I had decided to stick with the color red, and we had some leftover red barn paint that would suit the job fine. First, I scrapped the excess peeling paint from the chairs and knocked off some dirt and cob webs. I flipped the chairs and started painting the bottom boards with a wide, soft brush. The chairs seemed to love the paint, and it glided on thick and smooth. The sunshine helped the coats dry quickly, and by the time I was finished with the second chair’s bottom, the first chair was dry enough to flip. Working on the top side was much more satisfying because I could see the finished product starting to take shape. The project was turning out better than I had even expected.

In closing, I love my sturdy red chairs! The best part is they didn’t break the bank, and I had a personal hand in their transformation going from beasts to beauties. Let’s face it. Just because you spend a fist full of cash on something doesn’t make it any better than another similar item. It only means that you sacrificed more money to get it. In this case, the sacrifice was simply my effort, yet that didn’t feel like a sacrifice at all. On the contrary, it gave me fulfillment and satisfaction knowing that I was the one responsible for the end result. It also felt pretty good saving $460. I’m sure my husband will be thrilled as well. Finally, I encourage you to try some second hand shopping like garage sales, flea markets, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and even online posts. You never know what treasure you might find!

Hay there!

“She thinks my tractor’s sexy…”

End of summer, heat, and fun bring the local hay season to a close. All the late 2022 strong, summer rains helped the Bermuda grow thick and healthy. God surely blessed our area with rain, heavy dew, and plenty of sunshine which make the perfect prescription for lush pastures and great numbers of square bales. The Little Red Barn stood watching as the second cutting brought in a record 718 bales.

This amount was truly an answer to prayer since this year’s fertilizer prices are through the roof. Most area farms chose NOT to fertilize because of the astronomical cost increase. In some cases fertilizer costs has quadrupled.

Because of losing the second cutting in 2021 due to drought, we were certainly anxious to get this year’s much needed surplus in the hay barn. God is good.

Hauling square bales is not for the faint of heart, and finding good hands these days is tough. To be honest, every hauling time is a struggle because even though hauling square bales is hot, miserable work that no one wants to do, it DOES build lots of character. This work quickly weeds out the weak.

Thanks to a few hardworking family members and some friends, the bales are in the barn. We could hardly believe the Bevill’s hay baler’s counter when it read 718.

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Now The Little Red Barn’s field is cut and cleared. It awaits future guests and events.

We have added some FALL FLAIR with mums and pumpkins. The setting will make the perfect backdrop for Fall photos or an Autumn wedding.

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FALLing in Love at The Little Red Barn is so easy. Come by and take a look for yourself. Our many amenities will surprise you!

FALLing for you…

Fall is our favorite time of year!

September means the start of FALL, and that’s our favorite time of year. Autumn in the Ozarks comes to life with God’s paintbrush as the leaves turn and the landscape changes. The chilly evenings and sunny days bring some of the most breathtaking views along scenic Arkansas Highway 5. This backdrop is home to The Little Red Barn.

FALL WEDDINGS are our thing! Let TLRB help you make your special day an amazing collage of fall colors with haybales, pumpkins, and much more. Let the vintage barn be your rustic backdrop or have an intimate ceremony inside with its warm cedar walls complementing your theme. All furniture is removed for indoor weddings, so feel free to decorate any way you’d like.

Any wedding package comes with FREE access to the decorations closet where you can find signage, stands, wooden slabs, lanterns, candle holders., etc Use the white fairy light and tule cascade wall to make a formal backdrop for the ceremony or for the wedding cake. Add the His and Hers white and gold velour chairs for a country chic touch. Make it unique and your own!

How about a FUN reception? Have a party under the stars or put up an event tent. What’s your vision? Here’s a different idea… Let TLRB host a bonfire reception where you and your guests can let your hair down, maybe dance, listen to good music or visit and gaze at the stars. Make memories YOUR way at The Little Red Barn.

We are already making FALL arrangements and appointments. FALL decor is going up, so your party can go down! Call us today for information and bookings.

The cozy front patio of TLRB awaits visitors.

The kitchenette includes Keurig coffee maker, microwave, mini-fridge, & dishes!

Fall wedding? This rustic venue is sure to please with its many amenities and options at a reasonable rate.

Let’s get it started…

It all began with LOVE. This was our old hay barn in 2016 that became the place where our hearts joined as one. That’s right! My husband and I were married in front of this little red barn. This was the original barn, the way it all started.

We had always loved its rustic look and country setting that put it smack dab in the middle of our 21-acre hay field. It was a two-story hay storage barn for us at the time. Little did we know then what was in store for this Izard county icon.

In January of 2021, the little barn was destroyed by a massive oak tree that stood behind it. The tree was uprooted during a storm and crushed the 1940’s wooden structure. We were devastated, with no insurance coverage, and no money for reconstruction; the barn sat beneath the tree for months until finally being cut up for firewood.

The fragments left looked irreparable, but God had a plan for this little jewel. A local craftsman said he could fix her up if only to store hay again. The idea of repair thrilled us, but the price tag was scary. We decided to stick to the bare minimum. Anything able to be repurposed was saved. Original boards, hardware, gates, and latches, all were saved with reuse in mind. Several family members worked evenings and off days. Rough lumber was brought in from a nearby sawmill, and the labor of love was all worth it when the rafters were mended and straightened; then the patched roof made it seen whole again.

It was then that we realized her true beauty, and we started to see her potential. We started to dream and “what if,” so we prayed. It wasn’t just an old barn anymore, she became our dream. We had always loved her, now we wanted to make her beautiful and share her with others.

God blessed us, so we were able to floor her, then came the native cedar staircase to access the loft instead of the old ladder through the floor. There was new fencing added and the driveway widened. We added a back deck, kitchen counter space, sliding barn doors, and electricity. Now she had outlets, lights, and a ceiling fan.

But… no bathroom. What would we do without one? If we wanted guests, we had to figure it out… Instead of using the barn’s space for a restroom, we added an outdoor facility for his and her toilet and sink - restrooms. The cute structure is rustic with hardwood slabs for the walls and a tin roof and a small front porch where the entrances are. Today, the rain barrel feeds both and is working well, but in the near future, we hope there will be a well drilled.

Added after the fact was a beautiful bridge connecting the back of the property to the restrooms. Solar lighting gives it a friendly glow at night. Recently, my husband built me a large swing from a cedar plank; it hangs out of a nearby tree and gives a clear view of the bridge and the field.

This is why we call it our work of HEART. Love is where it started, and love is what kept it in our hearts when we thought it was a lost cause, a pile of splinter rubble to the beautiful blessing she is today. Her story of transformation is posted in pictures on her wall. It commemorates her resurrection, but her story continues to unfold as visitors become part of her life. We hope the journey of love lives through her as she brings people together in joy.

God is good. Psalm 37:4