fall home tour 4 2015

Welcome! Welcome! And Happy Fall Y’all! Can you believe Autumn is here and the Holiday’s are just around the corner? Squeal!!! Now, this either makes you giddy with joy or…not so much! Here at Sugar Pie Farmhouse we’re going with “giddy with joy”!  I really love the change of Seasons, and while I loved our “Good ol’ Summertime” here in the Ozarks, I’m welcoming with open arms my flickering pumpkin scented candle and filling my home with the sights, sounds and smells of this delicious time of year!

“Ah, Fall! It’s that glorious time of year when the air turns apple-crisp

and the blissful aroma of burning leaves 

and wood smoke swirl heavenward and into our hearts.

Autumn is a breath of fresh air, 

brisk and bursting with an abundance of nostalgic delights

that cause our thoughts to long for the warmth and comforts of home.”

~ From Pumpkin Pickin’ and Hayrides Ebook

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Fall is in the air! In the evenings and early morning hours here in southern Missouri, there’s a sweet-scented chill in the air. Soon folks will be burning leaves, bedding down their gardens and stocking up supplies to prepare for the nurture and nourishment of their families during the shivery-cold days to come.

“As homemakers, fall is the time when our motherly nesting instincts really seem to take over and inspire us to stoke the fires in our hearts for “home sweet home.” It’s the time to spruce up our rooms, clean out closets, reorganize and stock the pantry so that we’re prepared for when the blustery storms of autumn and winter blow in (Brrrrrr!). Then, once all is scrubbed clean, neat and tidy, it’s time to grace our rooms with the simple beauty of  jolly pumpkins, autumn leaves and candle-glow to make it warm, cozy and happy. As mama hens, we love that feeling of being prepared, having all of our needful provisions stocked and ready in our snug homes. And when the icy frost sparkles on our windowpanes, we’ll be simmering hearty soups, and baking old family recipes; scrumptious cookies and delicious pies to bless and nourish your family and mine.” ~ From Pumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides Ebook

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I’ve already begun my Autumn nesting and I’m so excited to bring you, dear sister, into my home to share some decorating ideas and perhaps give you a sweet nudge to gather a few of your own seasonal goodies that will bring the beauty and blessing of Fall into your home.

  • Here is how I always start my fall nesting routine: I start by burning a yummy pumpkin candle! The scrumptious aroma adds a spark of joy to my heart which inspires me to get going. The one pictured above is from Bath & Body Works. I love the title “We Love Pumpkin”! I only buy the BBW candles when they are having their two for one sale. I love their candles, they’re probably one of the best for offering scents that are strong enough to fill a whole house.
  • little women soundtrack2Then I turn on my most favorite music to play during the fall. Whether I’m cleaning, cooking or decorating I love the Little Women Soundtrack  (Affiliate). Listening to this soundtrack you can imagine the scurry of nut-brown leaves sweeping across the deep blue autumn sky in a brisk gust of wind or you can picture the serene grace of the first icy-white snowfall. It will make you want to put a kettle of soup on, tidy up your home and deck the halls with happy little pumpkins! I’ve shared this many times before but I also play a little Christmas music too…it works every time to get me out of a slump and into action!
  • And finally after a little fall cleaning, I pull out my bins of pumpkins, preserved fall leaves, some raffia, strings of lights, and a few farmy goodies like galvanized buckets, white enamelware, ladders and hayforks, and I’m ready to begin!  When I’m nesting I think about how I want my home to feel, smell, sound and look.  I think about ways I can nurture and delight the five scenses of my family to make our home sweet home a blessing.

 

So now I’d love to show you around!

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HAY!! Here’s my front entry-way! I’ve stacked three straw bales (from Walmart) side by side on my buffet and leaned the letters “H-A-Y” against the old barn dutch door and shutters. I found these chippy letters at a flea market. More than likely they came from a Feed and Farm Supply (which make me so happy…You know I love all things farmy!!). I love how the distressed blue paint almost looks like grandpa’s old faded blue jean overalls.

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I added a rusty pitchfork, white pumpkins, a wee little black bird, corn tassles on either side of the letters. I made a bunting by cutting a zig-zag design from a strip of fine-weave burlap then hot-glued it to twine. I also added cafe lights.  I found the frosted cafe lights at Target or you can find them here (affiliate). I plugged the cafe lights into a lamp-dimmer and then into the electrical outlet. The lamp dimmer (affiliate) has a slide control so you can dim the light source so a soft golden glow. These cafe lights are sometimes a little too bright and harsh on the eyes, so I love having the option of softening the light.

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Living in the Ozarks we winterize our decks in preparation for the harsh winter so I brought in this rug that I had under our patio furniture. I was going to just roll it up and store it in our basement until next summer but then I had a lightbulb moment! I thought HAY! Why don’t I just use it here in my living room in front of the fireplace!”  And so I did! It works! It gave me a new look and it didn’t cost me anything! Yee to the Haw! The cute trunk that I’m using as a coffee table belonged to my hubby’s great grandmother “Gammy”. Back in the day trunks were used as luggage, especially for long trips. It would be so fun to look back in time to see how Gammy used this one and the places it traveled to!

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On my mantle, I placed two old galvanized buckets on both sides of my barn vent. Then I took a thick handful of raffia and swirled it into a wreath shape, laid in on top of the buckets and added the large white pumpkins. The weight of the pumpkins are what hold the raffia in place. This way you don’t have to fill up the whole bucket with the raffia…it’s a money saving tip!  I then added several more white pumpkins in various sizes. The twig garland is draped just under the mantle ledge and on top of that I layered a lighted twig garland.

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Thankful be. The motto I’m trying to live by every day. This chalkboard reminds me…because I tend to forget sometimes when life gets a little messy. I’m learning that we really don’t have to worry or complain about things because God already has things planned out for us, we just need to be patient, trust, have faith and stay thankful for His everlasting goodness, mercy and love.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

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My little loveseat is covered with two white quilts I bought on sale at T J Maxx. I just tucked the ends into the creases of the cushions to secure it. It was much cheaper than getting it recovered or buying a new one. I added some fun pillows too. The Thankful and gold-striped bow pillow were from Target. The cow pillow was half price from Zazzle (just google “Zazzle cow pillow”). A white tray sits atop Gammy’s trunk, set with vintage brown transferware teacups and a faux pumpkin pie. That pie. It makes me happy!

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I made a simple and primitive table runner out of some muslin I found at Hobby Lobby for 40% off. It’s just cut and tied with twine on both ends. Easy peasy cheapy!

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When all the leaves are off the boughs,

And nuts and apples gathered in,

and cornstalks waiting for the cows,

And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,

Then Mother says, “My children dear,

The fields are brown, and autumn flies;

Thanksgiving Day is near,

We must make our Thanksgiving pies!”

~Author Unknown

DSC08935Come on in into my kitchen!
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While my living room and entry way have more neutral tones of whites and tans, my kitchen brings in the pop of pumpkin-orange. You can see the leaves are already just starting to change outside my kitchen window.

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I fashioned a straw wreath with baby indian corn and corn shucks to doll up  Ol’ Bessie Mae. I got all of the materials at Michaels Craft Store. Did you know that you can use a Hobby Lobby 40% coupon at Michaels? Yes! Michaels honors their competitors coupons! One great advantage of a smart phone is you can look up coupons on the internet right before you check out and always find one for 40% off of one item.  Good to know right? :D

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 I love bringing out this cute ol farmer every fall. I got him at T J Maxx several years ago. He reminds me so much of my own grandpa. Although grandpa didn’t have a beard, he did have a thick white mustache. He also had a large garden and orchard. Grandpa was able to graft 3 different kinds of fruit on one tree! He loved taking us grandkids for walks through his orchard. He told stories and shared his love for The Lord. Then afterward we would sit on the front porch or around the dining table to enjoy grandma’s delicious Italian cookies. I have such happy memories going to grandpa and grandma’s house! When you decorate gather those things that ring joy-bells in your heart!

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Cleaning and restocking the pantry for fall is a must at my house. After the busyness of summertime…with our comings and goings and hosting lots and lots of company, my pantry really got out of control. So I had to go through and discard things that had expired, rearranged cans and jars and take a damp cloth to wipe down all of the shelves. Now, little by little I’ll be stocking it with ingredients for yummy soups and Crockpot meals…and perhaps the makings for a pumpkin pie or two!

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I gussied up my baking center / pantry pass-thru very simply with just some pie baking pumpkins sitting on cake plates and pitchers. Easy no fuss!

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I’m a big fan of the Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks! And I love to display them for the seasons. This one “Autumn in a Jiffy” is their newest Fall cookbook! The illustrations are darling and at the bottom of each page they share such great tips! But the best part are the recipes and cute little stories that go with them! I found my cookbook at Cracker Barrel but you can find it here too.

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I love vintage elements from yesteryear like this old general store produce scale given to me by my inlaws.

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More vintage goodies…a metal cake, bread and pie safe, farm table, a well worn wash pan and a Farm Journal’s Complete Pie Cookbook 1965. My vignette story is “Mama’s fixin’ to make an apple pie tonight!”

“If you were to ask what is most important in a home, I would say happy memories.” ~Lilian Gish

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The sweet little pumpkins you see are from my own pumpkin patch.  My pumpkin harvest didn’t do too well this year, but I did get to gather a few treasures to bring inside. A couple years ago I painted the Granny’s Apple Farm sign to sell in my booth, but it never sold. So I took it home and here it stays. I like to imagine a cute little granny with her farm apron on in charge of her lush grove of crisp, sweet, apple trees. Perfect for pie makin’!

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“When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be in the kitchen,

because it was warm, and that’s where my mother was.”

~ Dolly Parton

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“The cheerful joyous season,

The Autumn time is come.

With song and shout we welcome

The Golden Harvest Home.”

~Author Unknown

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More Cafe lights!! Hee Hee! I found these with the white cord on Amazon here (affiliate). I also used the lamp dimmer here too for a softer glow. The white vintage milk buckets are filled with real and faux fall leaves.

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Once again I took an 8″ strip of muslin the length of my mantle, folded it in half and cut out triangles along the edge and temporarily secured it to the mantle top with thick glue dots, which I can just peel off later when I want to. See that cozy golden glow on the bulbs? That’s what that lamp dimmer will do for ya! It also works on lamps too of course! It’s so nice to be able to dim the bright lights a bit to relax in front of the fire or to watch a movie.

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Photo from my  Pumpkin’ Pickin’ & Hayrides Fall Ebook

And there you are sweet Sugar Pies! I hope you enjoyed your time with me and were able to find an idea or two to take with you! If you would like more Fall themed inspiration be sure to check out my Ebook Pumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides if you haven’t already.

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“Fun family traditions are what homemade memories are made of… they are what make families stronger and closer. We want our children and grandchildren to look back with endearing fondness on our celebrations and happy moments spent together. Fall is jam-packed with all kinds of things to do with our families…bringing smiles, giggles and warmth to our loved one’s hearts to last a lifetime! Because life is so busy and full of demands, we must be purposeful about making the time to do fun things together or sadly those opportunities will slip away. So, let’s make the most of our happy autumn days and fill them with bountiful moments to treasure!”  ~Aunt Ruthie From Pumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides

1coverPumpkin Pickin’ & Hayrides…96 Jam-packed pages! It’s a wagonload of harvest-time ideas to cozy-up your home, fun family traditions, yummy recipes, and nostalgic delights to warm and bless your heart.

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I also have some fall decorating and yummy Autumn recipe videos too!

Come see and check them out here!

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I share a super easy and super cute table runner idea!

And lots of other tips!

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I share my yummy Hot Caramel Apple Cider crock-pot style and my most favorite pumpkin dessert EV-AH!!

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Each video ends with our Cup ‘n Saucer chat together!

Please know that my heart is to provide you, dear sister, with encouragement to make your home a place your family loves to be. As a wife of 37 years (did I just say 37 years?? Yikes! I thought I WAS 37!! :D) and a Mama to 4 amazing kids and Grammy Honey to 5 adorable grandkids, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to make home sweet. I certainly don’t know it all…far from it. I’m still learning and growing and I’m so happy to share what I do know with you! Our lives are so very busy these days and with all the fun sources of information on the internet through Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs, Instagram and now Periscope, the fact that you are here reading this just thrills my heart. That you would take the time to visit me, thank you so very much! And for those of you who leave a comment even to just say Hi, blesses me all the more! ( If you’re reading this on your email and would like to leave a comment please go to the website here and do so there, otherwise I may not see it…and that would be so sad!!)

May  you  have a wonderful, cozy, delicious Fall season!

God bless your darlin’ heart!

Aunt Ruthie

P.S. If you’ve joined Periscope you can follow me and watch live videos here: @sugarpiefarm

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