DRIVING THE gentle, rolling hills of southwest Bedford County, nature will stop you in your tracks if your spirit is open to its invitation to slow down. Nestled within these hills is the old red barn. Standing like a sentry over the family raised in her midst, she is the quiet gatekeeper of the humans and animals entrusted to her watch.
Mandy Mitchell said, “To me, the barn is her own entity. She was old, and we kind of repurposed her. That barn and this farm, they’re a person to me, and the barn and I kind of resemble each other. We’ve been weathered, and we’ve been through the storms, but we keep that strong exterior and keep pushing through, protecting those that are near and dear to us.”
Mitchell has pushed through challenges and changing seasons, all of which influence her choices today and some of which led to her baking business, fittingly named The Old Red Barn.
After a 16-year career at Jostens, Mitchell changed directions and took a position at Cosmolab, later known as Schwan Cosmetics. When her position there was eliminated, Mitchell didn’t immediately pursue the next job. You might say it pursued her.
Photographing their farm and capturing it in its many moods became a habit. Many people enjoyed her posts on social media that included those shots, and Mitchell was invited to take photos for a local special event. Accepting the invitation put her creative wheels in motion, and Mitchell saw other ways to contribute to such events.
“It actually started with the picture side of it, then catering, then that whole broad spectrum of an event. I could cater, take pictures, and bake the cake. But then I realized the older I got, I would have to narrow the scope,” she said.
The spectrum narrowed to baking, and Mitchell focused on baked goods offered for special occasions and holidays. It gives her what she calls her “egg money.”
“My grandmother would pick me up from school sometimes, and when she did, I’d ask her if we could go to the store. Mawmaw would always say, ‘Let me check my egg money,’” Mitchell said. “Mawmaw raised chickens and sold eggs, which now would be a goldmine. So what I do is my egg money. It’s what I have extra for Christmas presents, and right now, we’ve got both twins getting married this year, so every penny is going to both weddings. I think about Mawmaw every time somebody pays me to do something.”
Mitchell, who also works for Shelbyville Certified Public Accountant David Brown, sees her life verse (Philippians 4:13) threaded throughout the tapestry of her life.
She said, “On the back of my business cards, it says, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’” At the time, I misunderstood that verse. That verse is about contentment with wherever you are in your struggles, highs, or lows. And I think at this point in my life, that’s where I am; I’m content.”
She continued, “I used to have to punch a clock and scramble and do all that stuff because we had little ones.
Now I’m still working, sort of punching a clock with David, and content with where I am. I’ve got an opportunity to make truffles or cakes at the same time I’m coming [to Brown’s], and we’re getting our daily work done. I’m still building relationships. The running joke in the office is there’s not one person who walks through that door or calls on the phone that I don’t know or have a connection to.”
It’s contentment that comes from walking with her husband, Tommy, and daughters, Holli, Matti, and A.J., through life’s more challenging seasons.
“We all realize our contentment comes from being all together, all safe and doing the things that make others happy, showing God’s love, and trying to build others up. The first thing I do every morning is look to see what beauty is outside and listen to the crickets and birds. It’s a peace that I seem to have now. And, of course, that flows to the children and Tommy. Holli is engaged to Nick Brown, and Matti will marry Austin Green, the sons we never had. Each of our children is beautiful and strong, and we’re so proud of them,” Mandy said.
Her plate is always full of something, whether it’s sweets, tax season, or a new calf.
She said, “Tommy and I both farm. We’ve got about 100 head of cattle with mamas and babies and the weddings coming up; it’s always a full plate. I laugh and call myself air traffic control for all things Mitchell.”
Air traffic control aided by The Old Red Barn — life is good. GN
