A week ago, the news buzzed around town about the winter storm that was about to roll in, bringing with it record ice-fall followed by several inches of snow. Fluffy-white snow is welcomed, but ice is another story. Thick layers of slippery ice covering the roads, trees and powerlines is a recipe for danger, so being prepared is a good thing. I, along with most of the townsfolk, rushed to the market to stock up on food, water and other necessities, knowing that in just a few hours the roads would be too hazardous to travel. For me, all of this commotion is very exciting! I love making the necessary preparations and hunkering down before a storm hits. All safe and cozy inside with the fire blazing….soup simmering…. the pantry stocked….making sure we have candles and flashlights ready….you never know if the power will go out (which it did!) it all seems a like a scene from Little House On The Prairie (minus the flashlights of course!).
Laura Ingalls Wilder had experienced many wind-howling blizzards right here in the Ozarks. Just one hour from where I live, in the little town of Mansfield Missouri, sits Laura’s homestead, a place that she and her beloved husband Almanzo, named Rocky Ridge Farm.
Laura’s farm kitchen at Rocky Ridge
Her homeplace is now a museum filled with simple furnishings of a rich life. This is also where she penned all of her Little House On The Prairie books. Oh! If only those walls could talk!
The kitchen table in the Wilder’s kitchen.
How sweet is this embroidered apron of Laura’s? These same apron strings, tied in a bow, hugged her waist as she set about the domestic joys of cooking, cleaning, and gardening. She knew that her simple, everyday tasks were more than just chores that had to be done, her deeds were an essential part of blessing her family. Laura’s apron was her all-purpose companion. I can just imagine, in the twilight of an early summer evening, just as the sultry heat of the day began to cool, and the cicadas in the trees would begin to buzz, she would walk softly across the damp grass, thick with slow-dancing fire-flies, and into her garden to pick juicy, sun-warmed tomatoes and gently place them in the skirt of her apron, that she had gathered at the ends to create a make-shift basket. I’m sure it was those simple summer joys that warmed her heart as the bitter north wind frosted the window panes of her dear white farmhouse.
Well, the winter wind certainly swirled through the Ozark hills this past week, ice clinking against the windows, then the snow fell, fast and hard. Enormous, 3″ snowflakes looked more like cotton balls being thrown from heaven. I think the angels were having a good-hearted snowball fight! 
In the morning, beauty was everywhere.
Crystal trees glowed at dawn.
God’s creation sang of His Glory!
Summer Rose was a happy camper…
sledding down a small hill on the side of our house….
Hooray for Snow Days!
Summer had four happy days off from school. Our power went out for a while and then when it did come back on our heater didn’t work. While we waited for the repair man to come, I kept the kitchen warm by baking an old southern favorite, Buttermilk Pie (I’ll share the recipe in my next post).
Being snowbound gave us a great opportunity to watch a set of DVDs that I recently ordered from Franklin Springs Family Media, called Homestead Blessings. A mother and her three daughters share their skills on making bread, soap and candles. They live in a horse and buggy community in the Appalachian hills of Tennessee. Oh My Goodness!! I love these gals! I so want to go bake with them in their adorable country kitchen!
They are called the West Girls and they live life the old fashioned way, off the land, Little House On The Prairie Style!!! They are full of down-home charm and southern hospitality.
Franklin Springs Family Media produces top quality DVDs that celebrate home and family. Their films highlight families who have built homes of honor. What a wonderful resource for those of us who want to bring honor, integrity, faithfulness, honesty, strength, perseverence, adventure, compassion, grace, and joy into the lives of our family.
Take a peek at these wonderful videos ……
Click here to see a preview of these homespun DVDs by Franklin Springs. What an inspiration these gals are! While you are at the Franklin Springs Web site, check out their other inspiring DVDs. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this company…I just had to share it with y’all!
These adorable West Girls also sing Bluegrass. Click here to see their youtube video “Green Beans In The Garden”, which was also a part of a Franklin Springs DVD titled Inherit The Land.
Thanks for stopping by for some “Little House On The Prairie” Pie!
Summer is back in school…the sun is shining….snow is melting….I’m getting back into the swing of things….and…God is good.
Hugs, Y’all!
RuthAnn
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
A week ago, the news buzzed around town about the winter storm that was about to roll in, bringing with it record ice-fall followed by several inches of snow. Fluffy-white snow is welcomed, but ice is another story. Thick layers of slippery ice covering the roads, trees and powerlines is a recipe for danger, so being prepared is a good thing. I, along with most of the townsfolk, rushed to the market to stock up on food, water and other necessities, knowing that in just a few hours the roads would be too hazardous to travel. For me, all of this commotion is very exciting! I love making the necessary preparations and hunkering down before a storm hits. All safe and cozy inside with the fire blazing….soup simmering…. the pantry stocked….making sure we have candles and flashlights ready….you never know if the power will go out (which it did!) it all seems a like a scene from Little House On The Prairie (minus the flashlights of course!). 
sledding down a small hill on the side of our house….
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