Howdy-do gals!
My goodness, it’s hard to believe my daughter just started 5th grade this week! Kids are back in school, the days are still warm but the evenings are cooling down and I just noticed yesterday several leaves peeking through my maple tree have already turned the color of butterscotch! I just picked up a few Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Fresh Balsam candles from Bath and Body Works and I’ve already started burning them! I just couldn’t wait! Their wonderful fragrance has got me in the mood for the change of the season. As soon as school starts, I like to get a head start on ushering in the glories of fall! So this next week I will be pulling out my bins of Autumn leaves, pumpkins, acorns, twigs and branches and begin to festoon my home with the sights, sounds and aromas of fall. It may seem too early for some of you, but I’ve got ants in my pants…I just get so excited when it comes to this time of year! (Why delay the joy?)
Before I get going with my fall decorating I wanted to tell y’all that I just got back from a delightful trip to a few darling Missouri towns that were just dripping with charm! It was our last Hurrah for the Summer. I’m so excited to share with you pictures of my trip….I’ve got lots to show you so go grab something yummy to drink and settle in for a rollicking arm-chair tour of our beautiful small town America…
Our first stop was the quaint town of St. Charles, Missouri. St. Charles is on the banks of the Missouri River, the exact spot where Louis and Clark began their expedition to explore uncharted territory west of the Mississippi back in 1803. It is one of the most documented American adventures. Here in the heart of old town, it truly is Main Street USA! So Disneyland-ish! A canopy of lush trees hung over cobblestone streets and lamplights glowed a festive ” welcome neighbor” to passers-by in front of Centuries old homes and shops. 
Main Street is polka-dotted with Turn-of-The-Century homes, outdoor cafes and quaint shops. Each one is lolli-pop candy for the eyes…the architecture is stunning and whimsical…look at all of the detail, it’s all so sweetly scrumptious!
Don’t you just wonder what the folks who live here are having for dinner tonight? I wonder if there is a pie in the oven? If there is, I bet it’s peach! (my favorite).
I wanted to take this sign home with me…but they said no. (that’s not very nice.)lol
How adorable is this scrapbooking store?! I love the flag garland and rick-rac trim along the roof line!
This dollhouse of a shop is called Cobblestone. It’s filled with all kinds of primitive and colonial goodies….come-on lets go inside!
Oh my! They’re all ready for fall! Cozy pumpkins and cinnamon colored garlands graced every nook and cranny…
I love all of their autumn goodness…now do you see why I’m in the mood for fall?
Summer Rose and I in front of an old fashioned front porch….I love a home painted barn red with white trim! You may notice my hair is way darker and shorter…well, there is a story behind that! The day before our trip, I stopped in a hair salon to see if they had time to give me a color touch up and a quick trim (normally my daughter in California styles my hair)….two hours later I walked out with BLACK hair….yes black…Elvis black. Not the “golden brown” I asked for. Not quite the farm-girl look either. And it was quite a bit shorter than the simple trim that I asked for too. Oh dear. Not good. I could have easily cried, but this wasn’t the first hair-do disaster I’ve had, ( Yes, I’ve had some doozies…just ask my sister Sherry….let’s see, there was the Star Trek Spock haircut…the Poodle-Do and the Brillo Pad Perm…oh boy could I tell you some stories!) I knew that it was a temporary situation. But I was still shocked when I looked in the mirror. I called ahead to my hubby to lament a little and to warn him about it. My hubby (being the funny guy that he is…always trying to make sweet lemonade out of a lemon) sang an Elvis song when I got home ( “she’s a hunka hunka burnin love”). Such a funny boy. He did give me a big hug and reminded me of what I had been telling myself…”it will fade in a few weeks”. I had made up my mind that I wasn’t going to let this spoil my fun. I also knew that I had to keep my chin up for my daughters sake. She is at that pre-teen age and very impressionable, she didn’t need to see me falling apart over something like this. I was honest in letting her know that I did not like it, but that it was temporary and would be over in a matter of a few weeks. Our kids are watching how we react to life situations. Sometimes, for our children’s sake, we need to put our big-girl-pants-on when we would rather melt in a puddle of tears. Hey life goes on….and it is short and precious, and I don’t want to waste a minute of it being depressed, so if it means I have to go around with Elvis hair for a little while….then so be it….I choose to be joyful….. “Thank you…thank you very much”. LoL
Now, back to the charm of St. Charles…..Just across the street from this adorable turn-of-the-century cottage was a darling outdoor cafe called Little Hills….
The sun was setting, the crickets were chirping and the air was balmy and warm…the perfect setting for a relaxed evening summer supper. We brought my mother-in-law with us on our trip…her name is Ruth too!
After dinner, we walked down to the river….
Passed the train station….
and came upon an outdoor summer concert. Just beyond the gazebo the Missouri River gently rolled by. Reflecting the setting sun, shimmering like liquid gold. Spectacular!
We spent a little time in St. Louis…..the arch is amazing…you just don’t realize how big it is until you get real close!
Summer wanted to touch it…here she is at the base of it. They have an elevator inside the arch that will take you up to the top so you can view the city on one side and the river on the other.
The St. Louis Arch symbolises the Gateway To The West and faces the Mississippi River…this is the view.
I took this picture out of the window as we were driving through downtown St. Louis. The ivy and flowers flowing down look so lovely…I love that someone took the time to add more beauty to this already stately building.
We headed north….our destination: Hannibal Missouri, birthplace of Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, famous writer of the beloved classics Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. We drove about and hour and a half passed beautiful farms and forests. A summer storm was brewing up a dark sky which made the green fields that much brighter.
We took a picture of this sign for our daughter Ashley…love you pumpkin pie!
Hannibal Missouri….a town that has seen a lot of history! If the mighty Mississippi could talk, I’m sure it could tell some facinating stories!
Mark Twains boyhood home…208 Hill Street. It was established in 1853. Mark Twain wrote about his experiences here and the people he knew, changing their names and embellishing the facts to produce his amusing american adventure stories. The sign says ” Tom Sawyers Fence: Here stood the board fence which Tom Sawyer persuaded his gang to pay him for the privilege of whitewashing. Tom sat by and saw that it was well done.”
Is that Mark Twain peeking through the upstairs window?
Becky Thatcher’s home is right across the street from Mark Twain’s. Becky was the fictional character in Twains book Tom Sawyer, but she was a real person and her true name was Laura Hawkins…a dear friend of Mark’s. As you can see it was in the process of renovation.
How romantic is the last line in this sign…”Tom thought Becky to be the essence of all that is charming in womanhood.” Ahhhh!
We took a tour of the town on the Mark Twain Clopper….
Barney was the name of the horse.
I just love this photo…it would be gorgeous blown up and framed! Look at the detail…just stunning!
It is the Hickory Stick Quilt shop….take a look inside….
Here is Summer, modeling a darling apron made from blue jeans! Love the red rick-rac
They had a pattern for the Lilly Apron which I thought was adorable!
If you are in Hannibal, you just gotta ride on a riverboat on the Mississippi River! It’s a thrilling experience when you think about the history and stories of this famous river! As a little girl, I used to jump rope to a rhyme that went:
Spell Mississippi with a capitol M-i-
Crooked letter-crooked letter -i-
Crooked letter- crooked letter -i-
Hump back-hump back -i
Down the Mississippi where the steam boats push!
(And now I was on the actual Mississippi! So fun!)
The water was a little muddy….it made me think about Mississippi Mud Pie!!
A view of Hannibal from the water.
Oh my goodness! This is the REAL Tom Sawyers Island!! If you’ve read the book or have been to Disneyland, you know what I’m talking about! I had no idea that it actually existed!
Me and Summer on the old Miss!
This is what the banks of the the Mississippi looks like. A close up of Tom’s Island.
Many of you have asked about what camera I use….I have a couple cameras: This is the one I carry with me in my purse all the time…you just never know when a great photo opp. will arise! I like to be ready! I love this camera so much I’ve already married it! I used it to take all the pictures on my trip. It ‘s small and lightweight, comes in this pretty gold color, and takes fabulous photos…and it’s easy to use! LOVE IT!! It is the Canon Powershot SD880 , you can click here to find it on Amazon…I got it for Christmas last year.
Well, we had a wonderful time exploring parts of our wonderful America! I’m so glad you took the time to stroll down Main Street America with me! Now I’m back home and it’s time to get my nest all comfy and cozy as I look forward to the joys of havest time. Thank you Sugar Pie Sistas for always leaving me such heartwarming comments…I so love that you take a few moments to let me know you like what you see here. It means so much to me!!
Sugar Pie Blessings to y’all!!
Aunt Ruthie
P.S. If you haven’t checked out the Girl-Talk forum, please do! Our Sugar Pie Sisterhood is a wonderful group of gals who are so welcoming, encouraging and full of great ideas to help you make your house a home. They couldn’t be friendlier…..it’s like chatting with a sweet neighbor over the backyard fence!! I am so proud of all of my Sugar Pie Sistas who participate!
Goodness gracious Sugar Pie Sistas, this summer is flying by like the warm gusts of wind that blow across the top of the ridge where my farmhouse sits! My little Summer Rose turns eleven this week and then school starts August 20! The end of summertime is bittersweet for me…you see, while I am anxious for the fall to arrive with all of it’s apple-cider, candy corn and pumpkin wonderfulness, I am also loving the time I get to spend with my little redhead at home….at the lake….reading books on our front porch rocking chairs….discovering new things on our little road trips…growing tomatoes…slurping Popsicles…enjoying the sights and sounds of Silver Dollar City….spending time with family and friends.
Delightfully, this week I decided to savor the best of summer with a little bit of fall and Christmas in mind….
It all started with a bowl of fresh juicy plums kissed with the flavor of summer and the desire to stock my pantry with it’s yummy goodness. Making jam gives me the same delicious domestic feeling that I get from making a pie… it’s just so rewarding to see the finished product…and it’s something that can be shared!
Plump little jars of this scrumptious jam make a perfect hostess gift for Thanksgiving as well as a sweet little down-home treat to bless someone with at Christmastime. It’s comfort and joy in a jar!
I put my favorite fall music on… the soundtrack to Little Women…..tied on a cute apron…..got out my Canning kit, washed the jars and brand new lids in the dishwasher set to sanitize mode. Once they were sterilized, I put the jars in a roasting pan, then into the oven to keep warm until I needed them. I filled the big kettle with water, set it on the stove to get boiling.
With everything laid out, including the sugar and liquid pectin, I was ready to go!
The recipe calls for three pounds of plums, chopped into chunks with the skin on and into the pot to begin cooking down with 7 1/2 cups of sugar . Normally I like to use red plums, but the market didn’t have any, but no worries, the skin has enough red pigment in it to create that rosy color that turns out the most beautiful ruby jam.
Once the fruit is cooked down you heat it up to a full boil, add the pectin and skim the foam off . At that point, it needs to boil hard for one full minute, then you take it off the heat because the cooking is all done! Easy peasy!( By the way I just use the recipe that comes with the Liquid Pectin.)
Out of my warm oven I took my roasting pan full of clean, hot jars to begin filling them with the yummiest jam ev-ah! Make sure to use tongs and a tea towel to handle the jars…they’re hot! Be sure to wipe any drips off the rim with a damp paper towel.
The lids and rings need to sit in a pan of scalding water until it’s time to use them. I use a wand with a magnet on the end to pick them up. Once the jars are filled, the lids placed on and the rings twisted on tight, I put them onto a metal rack where they are lowered into the large kettle filled with boiling water. They need to take a nice bubbly bath for ten minutes.
My favorite sound after I take the jars out of the boiling water is the little “Clink” that happens which tells me that the lids have been properly vacuum sealed and will be safe to store in the pantry for several months. The other test is to take your finger and press the top of the lid, if you can push the dimple up and down then it did not seal properly. Most likely that will not happen if you give it the 10 minute boiling water bath.
Sparkling little jam-jars all in a row gives me a happy heart!
“You have to look for the joy. Look for the light of God that is hitting your life, and you will find sparkles you didn’t know were there. “~ Barbara Johnson
I cut squares of cheesecloth, secured them with a rubber band then tied with twine for an Old Fashioned homespun look. Very inexpensive…were talkin’ pennies! When I get ready to give these jars away, I’ll make a little tea-stained tag embellished with a little white glitter just to add a frosty little sparkle!
Here’s the thing… (as Monk would say–love that guy!)…When making this jam I decided to sneak in a little more fruit than what the recipe called for, because then I could fill a few more jars…yeah-well, don’t do that. Unless you would rather have a topping for your ice-cream, yogurt or pancakes. The taste will still be fabulous but it will come out more syrup-y than jam-y. But not to worry if that happens, I found out (by google-ing for advice) that you just dump the jam back into the pot, bring it to a full boil again and add a little more sugar (1/2 cup) and another packet of pectin, boil for one full minute and you are done. Yes, it is a bit of a hassle, because you have to sterilize the jars again (in the dishwasher if you have a sanitize mode) and you have to use new lids ( but you can re-use the rings). I went for it because I wanted jam not syrup and I wanted to see if the solution worked. It really didn’t take that long–the longest part was waiting for the dishwasher to do it’s job, plus Summer Rose came to my rescue and helped fill the jars again. We had it done in no time! And as you can see in the picture above, it worked! Yay!
If you haven’t tried making jam before, why not get a girlfriend and make it together! It’s always easier and more fun to cook with a sista! The end result will make your heart leap for joy! Look how pretty these babies are! I’ve listed the supplies you will need with a link to Amazon if you can’t find them in your area.
Here are the little gadgets that you’ll need:
Norpro7 piece canning set click here
Graniteware21 1/2 quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack click here
Ball Fruit Gel Pectin
In the midst of stirring the bubbly hot jam, I was thinking about the women, back-in-the-day, who would spend days harvesting and putting-up dozens of jars filled with preserves and produce from their gardens, farms and orchards. They would labor hours over a hot wood stove, in the heat of August and September, working hard to get the job done before the fruits and tender vegetables spoiled. They had to chop the wood for the stove and fetch the water from the well or spring and lug the heavy buckets up to the house. I can’t imagine having to do this while taking care of little ones and all of their everyday chores and responsiblilites! But preserving their harvest was not an option. They knew that come winter, when the cutting north wind would blizzard it’s way across the prairie, this was the only way they could insure their children’s tummies would be warm and well fed. I’m sure there were days when they didn’t feel like doing it, but it was a matter of survival. A Mama’s got to do what needs to be done for the well being of her family…whether she feels like it or not. That is the Farm woman’s mode of operation.
A couple of scriptures came to my mind as I pondered the gumption, grit and grace of these women….
“Every wise woman builds her house; a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1
“She looketh well to the ways of her household.” Proverbs 31:27
Oh my, as homemakers we have such an important job to do in building up our home! Of course, providing for the physical needs of our family is one of the ways we take care of our home, but everything we do will either build it up or tear it down. We will either be making happy memories or sad ones. That is a huge responsibility! I listed some of the ways we can build up our home for the good of our family, here are just a few: Pray for and with our family…say grace before every meal and prayers at bedtime….be encouraging…nurturing…speak with kindness…be forgiving…say you’re sorry…show appreciation…
develop a servants heart by thinking of ways that you can bless your husband and children every day…keeping seasonal traditions alive and fun…creating time for family togetherness…cherish each moment…give your children a sense of belonging…laugh a lot…count your blessings and be joyful about them…find 10 things to be thankful about every day and then thank God for them…be creative, make do with what you have…..create a “Happy Home Atmosphere”….take care of your house…keep it tidy and in order (now, I’m not talking about Model Home perfect! We have to live in our homes, and they get messy, when they do we clean it)…. make it a place your family loves to come home to….make it safe emotionally and physically…. cozy and comforting… peaceful….joyful…..sprinkle love in everything you do….bake some treats….make something your very own “specialty” that your family loves and looks forward to and one day you’ll hear them say “my mom make the best___________” …be emotionally available to your hubby and kids…give out lots of hugs and back rubs…
Love your hubby, tell him he is your hero, let him know you adore him and appreciate him…..Keep your faith strong by reading God’s Word together…go to church…use your womanly touch to bring beauty into your home….keep your home pure and wholesome…guard what comes into your home via the Internet, books, T.V., movies, video games, music… fill it with goodness… honor… honesty…. perseverance … compassion for those in need… Make choices for the good of your family even if it means saying “no” to your children and outside requests…prepare and plan ahead …stay balanced and keep God first.
The great news is we don’t have to be perfect! It’s not about being the “perfect little homemaker”. It’s about loving and taking care of the family and home God has intrusted to us. And God will help us in this great task if we ask Him and honor His Word. Be a mama hen and protect your home and family!
Then I thought about the things that would tear down the home, here are just a few: anger…selfishness…neglect… constant complaining …. bickering…bitterness… resentment… ridicule… self-pity …carelessness…substance abuse (any kind of abuse)… unhealthy lifestyle … infidelity…discontentment…lack of morals….laziness…putting other things before God and family…foul language… speech that does not honor God and family….taking blessings for granted…a dirty environment…disrespect…lack of appreciation…being emotionally unavailable…not showing affection…being too busy to care for home and family…unwholesome movies, Internet sites, books, music, video games…. overspending….envy…gossip…disregarding God’s Word…not being thankful for what you have…just to name a few.
Stocking our pantry with food to nourish our family is one way to build up our home, but we also need to stock tender-loving care into the hearts and souls of our loved ones. It’s not about perfection (Goodness knows I am far from that!) as I said before, it’s about loving and nurturing the family and home that God has intrusted to us. Building up our home has to happen intentionally….on purpose, with planning. That is what I am striving to do and I know all of you (my Sugar Pie Sistas) are too! It’s not always easy. We may not always feel motivated to do the things that need to be done to care for our home, but just like the women before us in years past, as they prepared their harvest in primitive and difficult conditions (without our modern conveniences), taking care of our family, physically, emotionally and spiritually, is not an option and should not depend on how we feel (that is if we want the best for them…and of course we do!). So gals, be encouraged, although our job as homemaker is one of the hardest jobs there is, it’s also the most important! Keep up the good work you are doing!
“A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman–who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls…..a woman who reverantly and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised! Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates (of the city)!” Proverbs 31:10,30,31 (Amplified Version)
Dear Lord, please help me to remember to take the time to bestow the kisses today that I want loved ones to remember tomorrow. ~Jennifer Thomas
Speaking of Pantries…..
I received a very delightful email from the author of this beautiful and nostalgic book, The Pantry-It’s History And Modern Uses. The author, Catherine Pond is a freelance writer and has written articles for Victoria magazine, Old House Interiors, New England Home and many others. She sent me her beautiful book, which I am thrilled about! It’s a history of the pantry in American homes. It’s full of charming pictures, vintage kitchen advertisements, sentimental stories , homey quotes, and a reminiscent look back at the American homemaker and her kitchen pantry. Here’s a peek…
Here is a picture of Catherine…isn’t she so adorable with her farm-girl apron on cradling a box of baby chicks! Oh Honey!
For several years Catherine lived in an ancestral 1813 Federal home in a New England village. Now she lives on her Kentucky farm with her hubby and three children and has plans to build their dream home and pantry! Her book is available at her web site and blog at catherinepond.com….please visit her and give her some Sugar Pie Blessings…tell her that Aunt Ruthie sent ya!
No other place can be so dear,
So full of charm, delight and cheer,
As home, when those within it strive
To keep it nourished and alive.
~Esther C. Randall
Sugar Pie Blessings to all of my sistas!
Aunt Ruthie
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