Well howdy-do Sugar Pies! I really wanted to get a blog post finished before now but as you will soon see I had more things on my plate than I had time for! It reminds me of Thanksgiving Dinner…the food looks so scrumptious and since a lot of it is only prepared during the Holidays we tend to pile up our plate with too much! I think that’s where the old saying “her eyes are bigger than her stomach” comes from! Well, one of the things I had my “big eyes” on was setting up a little retail space at a beautiful home decor store in Ozark Missouri called The Feathered Nest! This past year the owners Scottie and Randy opened up part of their store to booth rentals. So my sister-in-law Linda and I went in together and rented a little spot in this gorgeous store! It was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but the timing was not right until now. Of course with any new venture comes a lot more work than expected…but it’s fun work!
Come take a look!
The Feathered Nest located at;
1603 South 3rd Street
Ozark, MO 65721
Phone(417) 581-5090
Lot’s of rustic elegance!
The owners of The Feathered Nest, Scottie and Randy, offer decorating and cooking workshops, antique/shopping tours to the surrounding towns and States (Arkansas, Kansas City, Nashville & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, etc.) Scottie and his wife also host an amazing Christmas Home Tour at their home. Scottie is Kin to Abraham Lincoln and has the most fascinating artifacts handed down to him that he even decorated room in his house and titled it the “Abraham Lincoln Room”).
This was Abraham Lincoln’s bed featured in Scottie’s home
(Back to the store…) Every season Randy and Scottie celebrate at the shop with a very festive and magical open house party. But every time you step into The Feathered Nest there is always joyful music playing, it smells good and the staff is always jolly.
Even the Powder Room door is darling!
And here is mine and Linda’s little booth! We have a lot of vintage goodies, as well as newer items. Linda is an amazing crafter, jewelry maker, knitter and makes gorgeous crochet scarves, including a skinny one for a mini tree with a Santa hat topper. A lot of what you see here has already been sold! The Christmas Open House was the first weekend in November and the shop was packed with happy shoppers!
Thankfully I am sharing this booth with Linda so not only is it more fun but we split the rent and the work!
The other thing I’ve been busy with is getting started on my Christmas decorating! But I was stopped in my tracks due to this cute coat stand…formally a front porch post from a darling old Victorian house somewhere…it weighs 80 pounds or more…I strained my back carrying it from my car through my house. It was very unwieldy, not to mention heavy, and as it fish-tailed about I must have twisted something because I had an achin’ back for almost a week! Of course I didn’t think to wait for someone to help me! No! I had ants in my pants and had to decorate with it immediately! I learned my lesson…owie!! Thankfully I’m feeling better every day!
This week I also had the fun of meeting Michelle Duggar of the 19 Kids and Counting TLC show! Michelle and her beautiful family were in Branson, Missouri, where I live and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time! Her husband Jim Bob took our picture! What a beautiful Mama she is! So very gracious, and tenderhearted! I loved chatting with her! She shared about how excited they are for baby #20! Jim Bob and Michelle’s children are just as adorable as they are on their show! I’m inspired by their God-given parenting example as all of their children are lovingly devoted to one another and by the way they reach out to serve people in other parts of the world. It’s so refreshing to see such a wholesome family devoted to God, adhering to high moral values and having a lot of fun in the process! God bless the Duggar Family!
So many exciting things have been happening but now it’s time to turn my heart toward Thanksgiving!
It’s time to begin preparing for that special day and to think about all that I am thankful to God for. I found a scripture a few days ago that seemed to pop off the page…
Psalm 94:19 “In the multitude of my anxious thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!”
Wow! I would venture to say that all of us have an anxious thought…something we’ve worried about…something that makes our heart hurt. But oh my darlin’s! God is here…and in the sweetest most endearing things His comforts cheer and delight our soul if we just look for them! Let’s open our eyes, smell with our nose, listen with our ears the blessings that God and placed all around us. Let us be quick to thank Him!
Have you ever thought of the aroma of a Thanksgiving turkey roasting in the oven, or the warmth of a crackling fire or the familiar ticking of the clock at grandma’s house as one of God’s comforts that “cheer and delight our soul”? Or the words spoken with excitement “Time to eat!”…hands held around the table and grace being said…that first bite of mom’s savory stuffing and then Auntie’s creamy pumpkin pie? Comfort. Cheer. Delight.
How about the time spent with loved ones, good conversation shared over a hot cup of tea and fresh baked cookies on a crisp blustery day, where smiles and laughter warm and revive your heart? Or cozy slippers… a cuddly hug from a child… Christmas music… falling leaves waltzing in a gust of wind way up in the sky…. or your family gathered around the dinner table…the smell of the furnace turning on to warm the house on early frosty mornings…these are God’s “comforts to cheer and delight your soul”. These are the things to be thankful for. Thank you Lord!
Have you ever seen a sunrise that took your breath away? I captured this photo just over a week ago from my back porch…
it looked like fire on the mountain. In each sunrise God reminds us of His glory and power and His faithfulness…and that His mercies are new every morning! These are His comforts that “cheer and delight our soul”. God’s Word is a comfort that cheers and delights my soul! We have access to His comfort every day! The Psalms are overflowing with comfort!
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting–a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This Thanksgiving and everyday for that matter, I want to be fully aware of the comforts God has given me to cheer and delight my heart! As in years past, this year I wanted to put together a Thanksgiving Tree as a reminder to me and my family of God’s love, grace, mercy and faithfulness. Here is how I did it:
I started with this pot of branches that I use over and over for different looks throughout the seasons. It’s just a bunch of twigs I collected after an ice storm and put them in a small inexpensive metal container filled with Plaster of Paris. Here I placed the container holding the branches into this bronze urn. I found some crystal string-y things at a floral supply store to add a little sparkle by hanging them on a few limbs. It gives the look of dripping frost. I decided that I wanted to cut out oval shapes from copies of a yellowed vintage cookbook and stamp the words of things that I’m thankful for on them. I didn’t have an oval template so I looked around my house to see what I could use to trace…
I found an oval! This adorable antique little girl in this oval frame is my hubby’s Grandmother. Her name… little Miss Naomi Agatha Madsen. What a dreamy picture of pure sweetness! I will tell you more about her and share one of her recipes in just a bit! Okay! So now I had my oval template!
I also had this very old (about 118 years old!) cookbook to make copies from. I would NEVER cut this old book up, instead I make color copies so my new pages look old!
Look how beautifully aged the pages are! There are so many wonderful things about this vintage cookbook…I have to share what I found before I continue my little tutorial…it’s facinating! Each recipe has a copy of the contributors autograph. These women were the “managers of World’s Fairs, Wives of Governors and other Ladies of Position and Influence”. Copyrighted in 1893
This cookbook is filled with snippets of newspaper and magazine clippings as well as handwritten recipes. This little scrap is actually two tiny pieces that were hand sewn together! There are several of these, and one that is sewn together with a sewing machine! Of course they didn’t have Scotch Tape back then so this gal put her thinking cap on. This one’s a recipe for Raspberry Foam. Interesting!
Here is a receipt written out to Mrs. Creekpaum November 25 1898. The Salesman’s last name is Judd. Mrs. Creekpaum purchased a hose for 15 cents and something else for 35 cents (perhaps this cookbook?)
Here’s a remedy that uses onions for pneumonia. This time she used a straight pin to hold two pieces together.
She also put an “x” next to certain recipes, perhaps ones she liked.
Mrs. Creekpaum also saved this magazine article about Thanksgiving from McCalls magazine 1906
Here’s her recipe for curing 100 pounds of meat!
A song Titled “Mother’s Lullabye” tucked inside
The little snippets inside this cookbook tell a fascinating story of the woman who owned it! There are so many more things tucked inside the pages that paint a picture of a strong caring devoted mother and homemaker! This was a treasure that I found on ebay years ago.
Okay! Back to my Thanksgiving Tree! Make copies of vintage pages from a book then trace your shape.
Cut out shapes…I used pinking shears
Stamp your words with Alphabet Stamps found at a craft store or online. You could also print the words on your computer.
I “aged” the edges with a brown sponge ink pad
Punch a hole and slip in a ribbon
Make copies of family photos…include some silly faces!
Keeping with the brown and cream look I changed the photos to Sepia using Picasa.
I also cut them into ovals.
Hang them on the branches!
When my family gathers for the Holidays I know they’ll enjoy looking at our Thanksgiving Tree!
I’m so thankful I live in the USA and for the troops who put their lives on the line for our freedom!
God bless our troops!
I still need to add photos of grandparents and other loved ones, but this gives you the idea! It’s a wonderful and easy way to give that much needed “sense of belonging” to our family.
Being intentionally thankful,
reminding ourselves of God’s blessings
and opening our eyes to His comforts that “cheer and delight our soul”
will make joy-bells ring in our heart.
A thankful heart is a happy heart.
A mama with a happy heart makes a happy home.
As promised here is a little bit about Grandma Naomi Agatha Madsen including a recipe! Born just after the Turn Of The Century, she grew up to be the prayer warrior of the family. She fell asleep every night with an open Bible and prayers for her children and grandchildren fresh on her lips. What a legacy and a priceless gift, to blanket loved ones with warm prayers of goodness, mercy and grace. Oh, that we would do the same, with fervency! If we don’t pray for our loved ones, who will?
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16B
Well, little miss “NoNo” as she was endearingly called, was the baker of many delectable, made-from-scratch, sweet and golden confections. One of which was her spicy, sugared, Gingersnap Cookies. A must-have on our holiday table. I would like to honor her this season by sharing this heirloom recipe ( which she would be thrilled and humbled that you would want it.). These will no doubt comfort, cheer and delight your soul!
Grandma’s Gingersnaps
3/4 cup butter (softened, not melted)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
Mix together above ingredients until well blended, then add:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
Beat all ingredients well. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator or freezer at least an hour (for best results the dough needs to be COLD!!). Then roll into small balls (large marble size). Dip balls into a bowl of white sugar, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 preheated oven for 8 minutes (not a minute more, you want the cookies to be crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.)
Just wait until the buttery-spice aroma of these cookies meander it’s way through each room of your home, it’s so heavenly…you’ll wonder if Angels may have fluttered by.
Well, Sugar Pies I’ve begin stocking my pantry in preparation for Turkey Day! One little thing that I wanted to share with you is this porcelain egg tray. I keep it with my baking supplies and it comes in handy when I need to get some eggs from the fridge, especially on big baking days just before Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s not only cute but it keeps my eggs from rolling around on my counter and from splatting on the floor! I got mine at Crate and Barrel but you can also find similar ones
here. I’m a kitchen gadget girl and this is one of my faves!!
Well darlin’s Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner! Have a HAPPY one Sugar! May your home sparkle with the warmth and goodness that Thanksgiving brings!! Keep a look out for the blessings that God is sending you to comfort, cheer and delight your soul! In fact I would love it if you would share them here in my comment section! Your words could be the very words that blesses another! What comforts, delights and cheers your heart especially this time of year? Do share!!
God Bless your darlin’ hearts!
Aunt Ruthie
Well, Howdy Darlin’s! I’ve been out gathering happy Fall blessings right here in the Ozarks! As much as I enjoy staying home and being delightfully domestic, especially this time of year, I also love to go on exciting adventures! Recently, I went with my sister-in-law Linda down south to Arkansas for some food, fun and flea-marketing! Since it was my birthday she treated me to all kinds of yummy goodness! Wooo-weee! We had a good ol’ time!
Our first stop was the Neighbor’s Mill Bakery and Cafe…
The minute we opened the door the aroma made us swoon “oh my goodness!”
Fresh baked breads of every kind, muffins, and cupcakes were stacked in neat little rows begging to be tasted.
And taste we did!
These were the yummiest pumpkin muffins I have ever tasted! The middle was filled with cream cheese frosting.
Yeah, we had one of those don’t-cha- know!
Inside felt like a big ol’ barn. Lots of wood beams and rusty corrugated metal.
We chose to share this little room off to the side with these sweet Mennonite gals.
Delicious homemade Tomato Basil Soup and Three cheese Pizza was my choice for lunch.
It’s so fun having a sister-in-law that loves the same things I do!
Here’s the cute bathroom…take a look at the mirror…it’s a vintage fireplace mantle! What a great idea!
After we shared one of those aMaZiNg pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting filling, we headed out to the Junk-shun Barn and to a few other antique/flea markets. I can’t believe I forgot to take pictures! I guess we were just havin’ too much fun! I did find a darling handbag from the 1950’s in like-new condition for $12! I need a vintage outfit to go with it now! I think I’ll call my vintage fashion-ista expert, my dear friend Cat from The Vintage Housewife who dresses in the cutest vintage clothes daily! I’ll get some tips from her…she knows a lot about vintage fashion…she’s aDoRaBlE!
We worked up quite an appetite and ended up at this darlin’ little Amish Bakery called The Homey Hearth for my Birthday dessert …the pumpkin muffin didn’t count :D
We shared a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie….my oh my!! Scrumptious!!
AND a slice of Chocolate Meringue Pie! YUM!
The Amish Bakery was the perfect spot to relax and chat like girls do!
That evening my hubby took our family to Big Cedar Lodge for my birthday dinner. If you ever come to Branson, Missouri this is the place to stay, or at the very least go visit the grounds and have a meal…it is breathtaking and oh so charming!!
The sun setting on the lake…
The winding road has two quaint waterfalls that you drive through...
The guests were provided with a campfire cookout…
and a romantic buggy ride as the sun set.
The restaurant that we dined at feels like an old cabin in the woods…
Rustic decor and a huge rock fireplace…
And another cozy one on the other end of the room…
My son Dusty and daughter in law Kimmy and grandson Kade came! Since this was a special occasion, little Kade wore his bow tie! Kimmy’s friend had the great idea of taking a little white Onesie and sewed a wee little bow tie to it. Kade looked so adorable and handsome in it with his little suspender pants!
I love being with my family! Of course I missed my other son J.J. and daughter in law Tiffany who live in California, and my daughter Ashley, her hubby Glen and my other wonderful grandson Johnny who lives in Kansas now. They are always in my heart and prayers. I treasure the times when we can all be together.
Just this past weekend I gathered more Harvest time blessings…
One of our family traditions is to visit the pumpkin patch.
We’ve done this since my kids were babies. Now I have the fun of going with my grand babies!
Dusty (my web site designer son) Kimmy (amazing mama) and Kade Austin, grammy’s sweet boy.
My little pumpkin in his farmer boy overalls!
Hmmm…which pumpkin should I pick? Oh, I see the perfect one!!
Summer Rose found one!
Such sweetness that boy! Kade is two months…fresh from Heaven!
Kade did not want to be the Scare Crow! Oh honey! Grammy will make it all better!
“There is music in the meadows, in the air– Autumn is here…”
~William Stanley Braithwaite
“Summer’s loss seems little, dear, on days like these.”
~ Ernest Dowson
“October…the artist’s paradise of wonder and beauty.
Harvest at its fullest.
Getting in the corn.
Stacking the wood for the long winter.
The falling leaves in a silent benediction,
like blessings that have fallen upon us all year long”.
~ George Matthew Adams
“October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came–
The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples, And leaves of every name.”
~George Cooper
Hayride
Let’s climb on the wagon, sit on a bale of hay
We’ll be laughing and a singing it’s a glorious day!
Chores are all done we can say with pride
Start up the tractor we’re going on a hayride!
Please hand up the apple cider and that basket, me oh my!
It has sandwiches and goodies and my granny’s pumpkin pie!
Grandpa’s dozing in the corner, tired because the day is done
After having fun for hours we sit and watch the setting sun
All is well, all is dear, sharing joy with our family near
We thank the Lord for all His blessings and such cozy Autumn cheer.
~Karen Rupprecht & Pam Minor
“Tis the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
Oh the fun of the Corn Maze!
Grandpa strolling Kade through the Corn Maze…precious!
The Perfect Pumpkin indeed! What a happy day this was!
To all of the mama’s out there, I just want to encourage you to keep up the good work! Keep putting forth the effort to make family life happy. With all of the challenges you face in raising your family, they are worth it! The seeds of love and joy that you plant today in your family will someday bring you a bountiful harvest of more love and joy. Pick at least one tradition you can do with your family each season. Something you’ll all look forward to each year. Take pictures! Celebrate the seasons! Make it part of who you are as a family. “Our family enjoys_____ each fall…that is what we do”. When I was growing up my dad made pancakes every Saturday morning. It’s the little things done with love that make happy memories.
As a mama of four, I know there are days when you feel like pulling your hair out! Trust. Me. I. Know! (see what I mean in the picture above…Ashley has always been EXTRA creative!!)…
(and here…Summer helped herself to some pie) I just want to tell ya, hang in there darlin’! Our children are only with us for a season…make the most of that season! Before you know it they’ll be off living life on their own, hopefully with warm memories of home.
Three of my children are married now and on their own. In the past two weeks my “harvest” came in from the seeds I planted years ago…a harvest that blessed the socks off of this mama’s heart…
My son J.J., age 24, who is newly married living in California sent me this text out of the blue. “Mommas homemade smell good recipe” along with a picture of orange peels, cinnamon, and cloves simmering on the stove. I couldn’t believe it!! My rough and tumble boy actually noticed that in years past (before yummy-smelling candles) I would simmer these ingredients to make my house smell good. He remembered! What?? That was a heartfelt harvest right there! Yay!! I love that he wanted his house to smell like “home”!
Then for my birthday, my other son Dusty wrote words that I will treasure for the rest of my life…“Momma, I love you so much! Having only raised Kade for a few months, I realize how much you did for me in those early years, not to mention once I grew up! When I go to Heaven, I’m going to give God a hug and thank Him for picking you as my mom! I love you…your baby boy.” Oh. boy. I needed a tissue for that bountiful Harvest of Joy.
I got another text from my daughter Ashley who lives in Kansas…it’s a picture of a scarf she is crocheting for me…she just learned how to do this a month ago and already she’s wanting to make something for me. I’m so proud of the woman, mother and wife that she is! Another harvest!
Lastly, my youngest daughter Summer came home from school the other day and with a hug she said ‘Mom, I just love coming home.” Oh honey! I love this harvest!
***
I share these “harvests of joy” with you not to pat myself on the back…goodness no! I’m the first to tell you that I’ve made my share of mistakes, things I wish I could go back and do over. Things I cringe at. But thankfully the good news is the Grace and Mercy of God stepped in and covered me, smoothed over my faults, and filled in the gaps. God is right here to help you along this motherhood journey, just ask Him!
***
I share these with you to give you hope. To let you know how very important it is to find ways to bring joy into your home-life and to do everything with love and lots of prayer and in due season you will reap a heart-warming harvest! Be the mama your kids need you to be. Create the home that your family feels loved in. Whatever you plant that is what you will harvest.
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.
At the right time we will harvest a good crop
if we don’t give up, or quit.
Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance,
let us work for the benefit of all,
starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.” Galatians 6:9
***
Thank you Sugar Pies for stopping by for some Harvest Joy Pie!
As always I so appreciate your comments! I wish I could get back to all of you, but please know that you are loved and that I pray for you by name. God bless your darlin’ hearts!
Aunt Ruthie
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