Farm Fresh….how I love those words! Anything fresh-from-the-farm just fills my heart with pure joy….fresh eggs, fresh milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh jams and jellies, buttermilk biscuits, hot-out-of-the-oven, and a golden-crusted fresh baked pie of course!
Just imagine…chickens cluckin’ in the barnyard,
pecking corn on the ground, a mighty-proud rooster perched on a white rail fence, crowing at the sunrise… fluffy-yellow chicks scurrying to catch up to big-mama hen….cows-a-mooin‘…farmer-a-whistlin’… his aproned-wife ringin’ the dinner bell…time for a hearty country breakfast…scrambled eggs, hickory-smoked bacon, biscuits ‘n’ gravy, grits, homemade strawberry jam and biscuits, a sweet slice of last night’s apple pie and good strong coffee. Ahhh…gimme that country life!
We can learn a lot about life by observing the farmer. When a farmer wants to have a harvest of corn he has to plant the seed. He can have sacks of seed in the barn, but until he plants it, it won’t do him any good. Once the seed is planted, he has to nurture, water and tend his cornfield in order for it to grow. The same is true for our home and families. If we want to harvest a happy home with strong family relationships we must sow seeds of love, understanding, forgiveness, goodness, and grace. We need to plan ahead to create happy memories and create a home our family wants to come home to. Like the farmer, we sometimes have to be self-sacrificing for the benefit of our loved ones to reap a harvest of blessings.
“…For whatever a man sows, that and only that is what he will reap.” Galatians 6:7
We can’t all live on a farm, but we can incorporate a “Farm-girl” attitude in the way we approach life! Remember my story of Beulah? She lived her life with Gumption, Grit, and Grace. That is the farm-girl way. (you can read Beulah’s story here “A Little Gumption Goes A Long Way”
We can dress “farm-girl vintage” like my dear, adorable and sassy friend Catiena (we used to be chatty next-door neighbors when I lived in California!).
We can decorate our homes with old-fashioned goodness….glass milk bottles, old white enamel dishpans, creamy pitchers, vintage linens, well-worn breadboards, old coffee pots and bread boxes, canning jars, and white-washed picnic baskets, just to name a few! Things that remind us of the good-old-days. Wholesome days. Honest-to-goodness, breath-of-fresh-air days. It’s good for you to surround yourself with sweet little reminders of farm-fresh beauty because beauty inspires!
We can fill our homes with kind and loving words, tenderness, patience, a gracious nurturing spirit, comfort, encouragement, guidance, cleanliness and order, joyful music, fresh nourishing food and homemade treats. We can say Grace at the table for God’s provision. We can take our family to Church on Sundays, to instill in their hearts truth, hope, and joy. These are all the things that will make our family feel safe, loved and cherished. It’s really all about back-to-basics homemaking. Simple and sweet.
The home should be a warm sanctuary
from the storms of life
for each member of the family.
~ GiGi Graham Tchividjian, daughter of Billy Graham
I love the Rascal Flatts song “Mayberry”, the lyrics go like this….
Sometimes it feels like this world is spinning faster
than it did in the old days
so naturally we have more natural disasters
from the strain of a fast pace
Sunday was the day of rest
Now it’s more a day for progress
and we can’t slow down
because more is best
It’s all an endless process
Well, I miss Mayberry
sitting on the porch drinking ice cold Cherry-Coke
Where everything is black and white
Picking on a Six String
Where people pass by and you call them by their first name
watching the clouds roll by…
One of the reasons I love living in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri (Branson) is the down-home Mayberry feel. Old town Main street has quaint little diners, a real 5 and Dime general store that dates back to the 1940’s, a barber shop, shoe store, drug store and lots of other shops in between. Folks say a friendly “howdy” as you walk by, and you almost expect to see good old Deputy Barney whistling down the street. I live just ten minutes from town on an old homestead, surrounded by neighboring farms, and in the spring and summer, I can hear an old rooster cock-a-doodlin’ across the valley. I may not live on a working farm, but I’m a farm-girl at heart.
I love bringing that same wholesome goodness into my home. I think I got kicked by old Bessie the cow because I started painting and decorating everything in shades of Milk-White! I was ready for simplicity, and a cleaner, fresher look! What I call Fresh Farm Style! The beadboard above my stove mantel used to be Red until I gave it a fresh coat of Swiss Coffee White from Home Depot!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this bit of farm-fresh goodness!
If you did, leave a comment and let me know!
I always appreciate the time y’all take to leave me words of encouragement,
they mean more to me than you’ll know!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs and Blessings!
Aunt Ruthie
Yippee! Oh how I love the start of a new year! Fresh beginnings…new experiences…exciting adventures! Happy 2009 gals!
I just got back from spending time with my four wonderful kids (serious San Diego Charger fans!) What a joy to have them all together! (Two live in California and the other two live in my hometown, Branson, Missouri…..of course Summer Rose doesn’t have a choice, she’s only ten!). You can believe I savored every moment with them!
But now I am back home and I’m very excited about some new things that I’ve been working on regarding Warm Pie, Happy Home. I won’t spill the beans just yet, but hopefully I will be ready to announce something in a few weeks! Until then, I have a lot of Christmas decorations to take down and put away! Which, by the way, I actually like to do. It’s very refreshing to clear away the sparkly clutter, pack it all up, put it away…dust, clean and rearrange things for a fresh new look.
This is also the time I love to sit and write down my priorities, goals and dreams for the new year. I have come to realize that we need to live each moment on purpose. Making the most of every day. Live fully alive! Make healthy and joyful choices. We only have one life, let’s not waste a minute of it…let’s not miss out on the blessings!
Gals, we need to put that spring back in our step! Take a good look at ourselves and make the decision to enjoy our life and find ways to bless our family, our home, our friends and those we meet on the pathway of life. Realize that “Today is the day that the Lord has made….rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24). Here are just a few tips that are good for you and will help you to ring in a HAPPY new year……
1.) Turn our hearts back home. If you have lost your spark for homemaking or have gotten too busy with outside things and your home has become a cluttered, discouraging, unwelcoming place, take heart! The good news is you have the power to change all that by choosing a “happy mother-hen” attitude…..
It’s your nest! If you don’t take care of it who will? Gals, it’s up to us to clean and feather our nest to make it comfy and cozy for our dear ones…. and it’s up to us to protect it! We need to remove the thorns ( cluttered chaos and sour attitudes), make it a safe, nurturing and happy place. It’s a grand feeling after you scrub, doll up and sweeten the hen house! And it’s good for you (not to mention everyone else!). So put on your “happy mother-hen attitude” and take charge of blessing your home! Your Chickie’s depend on you to do this.
Just start one room at a time. Once you get going your nesting instinct will kick in and little by little your home will begin to glow with your loving touches. You’ll enjoy the wonderful feeling of… an organized closet…a crock pot simmering a hot meal…a sparkling clean kitchen….fresh cookies in the cookie jar…a tidy refrigerator filled with nutritious foods….clean sheets on the bed….fresh flowers in an old jelly jar! You’ll find ways to make your home enjoyable! When you bless your home, you are blessing your family.
2. Try something new! Is there something you have been wanting to try? Photography? Music lessons? Writing? Painting? How about cooking a new dish? Bake a pie? Re-arrange your furniture? Paint your bedroom? Read a book? Write a book? Make plans to git-r-done!
3. Slow down to savor the sweet things in your life. Make time everyday for rest and reflection, even if it’s for 15 minutes. (If you don’t have 15 minutes, then you have too many pots on the stove!) Sit down with a cup of tea….take four deep breaths… think about the good things in your life and thank God for them. Write them down. Go for a walk. Be on the look-out for beauty and things that bring a smile to your face. Smiling makes you irresistible! It also helps to relieve stress and bring sweetness into your busy life. You have to be intentional about this, so stop and smell those roses!
4. Guard your heart. Forgive the people who have hurt you. It’s not good for you to hang on to past hurts. It will turn you into a bitter old lady—-Ew! Scary! “To forgive is to set a prisoner free
and discover the prisoner was you.”
~Roy Lessin
To forgive is not a feeling, it is a choice. You have to choose to forgive. Ask God to help you with this. 
Another way to guard your heart is to be in control of your thoughts. Sweep out all negative thinking. If you want to be a happier person, think happier thoughts. The Bible says “whatsoever a man thinks, so is he.” It takes practice! I always tell myself to “practice being the gracious woman you want to be.”
Be careful with the things you watch, read or listen to. If it’s does not edify your soul don’t fill your mind with it. (Garbage in…garbage out.)
Surround yourself with positive people (happy friends). Limit your time with Toxic people (negative people who bring you down). Be gracious and kind to them, pray for them, but establish your boundaries so you’ll know when to say “well, I better get going..”. Yes, sugar-pie, guard your heart, it’s good for you.
5. Gather goodness. Read uplifting books, especially the Bible. Be creative. Listen to happy-land music (music that hugs your heart!). Watch heartwarming Hallmark movies, Little House On The Prairie, Andy Griffith show, I Love Lucy or the Walton’s. Bring a little old fashioned goodness back into your life!
6. Take good care of yourself. Buy some yummy shower gel for an aromatic shower or bath…Philosophy sells scents like Red Velvet Cake, Sweet Creamy Frosting, Strawberry Shortcake and lots of others. Every gal needs a little pampering! It’s good for you! Keep a small tube of scrumptious lotion or your fave perfume in your purse to refresh your sweetness when you’re out and about.
Get a new “do”! A new shade of lipstick! (go wild and wear red!) Go ahead, add some blush, eyeshadow and liner! Beautify your beautiful self. Look perky and you’ll feel perky! Listen, I’m the make-up queen, I know about this!
Drink lots of water. We’ve heard this for a hundred years, but do we do it? No. But this year we are going to aren’t we!! Did you know that by drinking enough water we will actually look younger?! When our skin is hydrated, it looks plump, dewy and radiant. Think about what a plum looks like when it dries up…a prune! Oh dear!
Water helps to flush out toxins, it helps to combat fatigue, headaches and back pain. It helps in losing weight by flushing out the by-products of fat breakdown. Our blood is 83% water, muscles are 75% water, brain 74% water and bones 22% water, so if we don’t get enough water our body cannot function well and ailments will set in. Water gives us energy, and allows our body to absorb vitamins. If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. So, go get some water, add a wedge of lemon and drink up! It’s good for you!
7. Plan for fun! It’s good for you to have something to look forward to. Plan a road trip with your girlfriends….or at the very least, make a date to have lunch at a Tea Room, go antique browsing…..take a cooking or craft class…try out a new restaurant….go on a hike….go for coffee…visit a museum…have some friends over for a pie party! Think of something that sounds like fun and go do that with some “happy friends.”
I am holding up my glass of water (in a pretty crystal goblet) and I say “Cheers to a joyful and healthy New Year!”
Thanks for stopping by for some “Good For You” pie!
Hugs!
Ruthann
Farm Fresh….how I love those words! 
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