This cute little boy named J.J. was only four years old a month ago…at least that’s what it seemed like to this mama! But alas, time flew by like a shooting star leaving a sparkling trail of days, months, laughter-filled years, scraped knees ‘n’ tears, hugs ‘n’ kisses, bedtime prayers and piggy-back rides, squirt-gun fights, birthday parties, pumpkin hunts and gleeful Christmas mornings. All the while this little boy learned the joy of family traditions.
We cheered for him (“that’s my boy!!”) at his baseball and football games, and through these team sports he learned the hard lessons of commitment and perseverance. We taught him to do his laundry, helped him with his homework, taught him his “please and thank yous” …how to say “I’m sorry” and to do the right thing, no matter what. He gained integrity.
We took him to church every Sunday and enjoyed a thousand meals around our kitchen table. He learned his manners, the importance of family values and to trust God.
These blessed days, months and laughter-filled years are wrapped up into one big happy memory as my son J.J. turns the page on a new chapter in his life-story from boyhood to manhood. My hubby and I have been preparing him to be a man of honor so that one day he would be ready to become a very special girl’s future husband. By the Grace of God…in spite of my many mishaps as a mama… in spite of the days I wish I could do over, to do better…I’m so very thankful for the good man my little boy has become.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
When J.J. was four years old he came into my closet as I was putting my shoes on and looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said “Mama, when you grow down, will you marry me?” (Of course my heart melted like butter on a hot biscuit! Oh honey! If that isn’t the sweetest thing! You can bet your bottom dollar I kissed his sticky face all over!) Well, God had a plan for my sweet little boy…He was raising up a beautiful girl that would become his future wife, the answer to our prayers.
You see, ever since J.J. was just a wee little boy we began to pray for his future spouse, the girl he would someday marry. We prayed that the Lord would bless her, protect her, and raise her up to be a loving, compassionate, and joyful girl with a heart for God.
Around the same time, Tiffany’s parents were also praying for their little girl’s future husband…that He would grow up to be a good man. That he would love her “to the moon and back” and keep his promises. That he would cherish her, protect and provide for her, and most of all that He would love and serve God with his whole heart. 
The Lord brought J.J. and Tiffany together….
They fell in love…
And on a beautiful sunny California day in June, under bright blue skies surrounded by roses and vineyards our prayers for our children were answered.
Tiffany…the morning of her wedding day…preparing to “walk down to her future” with my son.
My daughter Ashley, styling her future sister-in-law’s hair…
My boys, Dusty and J.J. and their proud mama. They’ve been buddies since they were youngin’s…
J.J. and Dusty…in a brotherly bonding moment. (Oh honey!)
J.J. and his amazing friends…his groomsmen…
Tiffany’s prayin’ mama…Rosemeri…
That’s my boy! (And his Best Man, my other boy Dusty)
My Summer Rose…lookin’ all grown up…
My sister Sherry’s daughter Sophia and Tiffany’s cousins…
J.J. has his eyes on his beautiful bride…
They said “I do”
God is good! He answers prayer.
Mr. and Mrs.
I would like to introduce you to my new beautiful daughter-in-love, Tiffany Rose
Adorable!
My beautiful daughters Summer Rose and Ashley
Dusty and Kimmy and soon to arrive Baby Boy Kade!
Ashley, Glen and my adorable blue-eyed grandbaby Johnny!
The Wedding Reception…
J.J and little sister Summer Rose. At the reception all of the bridesmaids changed into their cowgirl boots…including yours truly. Tiffany wore bright yellow boots. I didn’t get a photo of it but I’m sure the photographer did!
Tiffany made these streamers to wave during their exit to begin their honeymoon…
I know that Tiffany’s parents would agree with me that it’s a little easier letting our “babies” go knowing they love each other “this big.”
Thank you Sugar Pies for stopping by to share in this Happily Ever After family celebration. These are the moments when you stand back as a mama with joyful tears and thank the good Lord for His grace and guidance. I give God all of the glory!
Have a wonderful July 4th celebration Sugars!
God Bless your darlin’ hearts!
Aunt Ruthie
P.S. The songs playing during this blog post were part of the Wedding music. Carrie Underwood’s “Mama’s Song” was played while Tiffany’s mama and I were being seated. And Scotty McCreery’s “I Love You This Big” was the song J.J. picked out for our Mama and Son dance. (I get all teary eyed everytime I hear it now!)
It’s almost that time again…when the warm summer sunshine will beckon us outdoors to taste the cherry tomatoes fresh-picked from the vine. The bees will be buzzin’ in the jasmine, the kids will be squealin’ under cool water sprinklers, sweet tea will be singin’ our name and front porch rockers will be swayin’ with the rythym of the crickets on sultry summer evenings. Yes, the good Ol’ summertime is finally here! So now is the perfect time to plan for an abundance of summer joy to make sure we soak up every sweet drop of this season’s goodness!
I am welcoming the start of Summer in Sunny Californy! My son J.J. is getting married in just a few days to his sweetheart Tiffany Rose and so we are in the thick of happy celebrating! But just before we left my “Farmhouse in the Ozarks” I spent some time culling the fruit from my peach trees. I learned that when a peach tree is loaded with fruit you have to thin it out by removing some of the peaches so that the ones remaining will have room to grow big, sweet and juicy. Also, if the branches have too much fruit it can weigh the branch down and possibly cause it to break. I didn’t like culling my trees because all of the baby peaches looked perfect and so cute! (boo hoo!) I felt like I was throwing away good fruit, but in order to have the juiciest-best end result, it had to be done. It reminded me of our every day life and how we need to say “no” to too many activities, even good and cute ones, so that we will have room for the sweetest and juiciest best in our lives.
So as you are planning out your summer days and creating your Summer To-Do list, be sure to make room for what is the sweetest and juiciest best…
…Like making memories with family and friends, enjoying things like…
A backyard cookout…
A trip to an amusement park with the kids… (this is a photo of little Ol’ me in the straw hat standing next to my two brothers. My mom is holding my sister Sherry. We were on the Mark Twain Riverboat at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Even at such a young age, Walt Disney had captivated my heart!)
A visit to see Grandma and Grandpa down on the farm…
Canning jars of summer goodness…
Relaxing under a shady tree… (this is my mom on the left chatting with her friends in the afternoon breeze)
A drive into town to get ice cream…
A family picnic…
Photo: Acme Party Box Company
Eating supper outdoors…
A family camping trip…
Enjoying a “Mayberry” kinda day…
Photo: Pottery Barn
Eating watermelon and catching fireflies…Hey! Speaking of which… if you didn’t get a copy of my Summer e-book (titled Watermelon And Fireflies) last year, I am offering it again for a limited time!
My E-book, Watermelon & Fireflies, is a sun-drenched, farm fresh, sweet-as-corn-on-the-cob adventure to the good ol’ summertime! It’s jam-packed with buckets-full of fun ideas! Although there are recipes it’s way more than a cookbook! Each page is decorated in full color with vintage images, photos, charming quotes and of course 51 farm fresh ideas including family fun tips, recipes, decorating ideas, encouragement for homemakers and so much more! Darlins’, ”Watermelon & Fireflies” is just drippin’ with sweet southern nostalgia like honey from a honeycomb!
Here is just a sampling of the 50 pages of pure, all-American nostalgia! If you don’t have it yet, I can’t wait for you to see all of the ideas I’ve gathered to bless your heart! Here are just a few of the idea titles…(there are 51 ideas!);
- Breakfast in a Bucket
- Rise and Shine!
- Come and Get it!
- Sunshine Fresh
- Diner Pie
- Meet Me At The Fair!
- Gathering Joy!
- Farm-girl Treasure Hunt
- Dreamy Strawberry Butter
- Jingle Bells in July
- Fresh Farm Style
- Have a Summer Pie Party
- Golden Moments
- Yankee Doodle Macaroni Salad
- Sweet Wonderful You!
- Have a Cow! (moo!)
- Fresh as a Daisy
- A Splashing Good Time!
- Going on a Picnic!
Plus so many more! I’ve even included my recipe for Oh My Stars! Fresh Peach Pie…it’s my favorite pie EV-AH and everyones favorite! When you taste it you’ll squeal “OH MY STARS!”
Linda said…
“I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Summer day than to relax in a cooling afternoon breeze with an iced cold glass of sweet tea, a jar of yummy ”Farm Wife Banana Pudding” and Ruthann’s new e-book Watermelon and Fireflies. Jam-packed with the best that Sugar Pie Farmhouse has to offer, it’s a joy to read and sparks the imagination quicker than fireflies at sunset. It is charming, homey and conveys in the sweetest possible terms Ruthann’s love for home and family and it will inspire you to make the most of this summer with your family. It’s at the top of my summer reading list.”
Linda Lee
Sister-in-Law to sweet Ruthann
Marla Said…
“What an incredibly delightful read! From the beautifully decorated pages to the precious stories and funny anecdotes, Watermelon and Fireflies makes your heart sing and reminds you of all of the beauty of sweet summertime. Aunt Ruthie shares so many of her wonderful and creative ideas that inspire one to not let the season go by without “making a memory.” I’m excited to purchase this southern jewel for each of my grandmas, aunts, mom and sister and look forward to taking a little walk down memory lane with the women who were such an integral part of the summers of my childhood. Thank you Ruthann for sharing your amazing heart with your Sugar Pie Sistas!
Marla Robison (Editor)
Your Kindred Sista
Also included are 14 of my Sugar Pie Sistas Summertime ideas and sweet memories of summer’s past. When I read these I could almost feel the warm summer breeze flow across my face and taste the fresh blueberry pie! And I could almost hear Grandma hummin’ an old hymn as she hung her linens out on the line…the wind snappin’ the sheets…the bees a-buzzin’.
I think you’ll find that Watermelon & Fireflies will remind you of an old fashioned country church picnic. The background graphics resemble homey kitchen tablecloths and the recipes are like the dishes the women-folk would proudly set on the long tables, pot-luck style under the breezy shade of an old oak tree. The activities and ideas are family-friendly, easy on the pocket-book, and are sure to create many heartwarming memories and traditions.
Since this is an E-book, you can download it immediately to read it on your computer.
If you’re interested in printing the E-Book, I highly recommend going down to your local Staples, Office Depot or UPS store and have them print the PDF document for you. Last summer when I first released this e-book, there were a few gals who experienced issues with printing. The primary reason for this is the size of the PDF file (there’s just so much fun stuff!). Some computers and printers just can’t process such large files, so you may run into printing errors.
You can put your copy of “Watermelon and Fireflies” in a binder or bind it like I did; After printing it out on quality Premium paper, I put the pages inside plastic Sheet Protectors and then tied them together with 3 strips of wide gingham ribbon. If you cut the ribbon at a slant it’s easy to thread it through each hole and tie a double knot to secure it
Tied together with ribbons adds to the vintage, down-on-the-farm look. I also slipped a sheet of posterboard behind the front and back cover to give it a firmer, hardback feel.
50% Discount to all my Sistas!
For a limited time only, I’m going to give all my Sugar Pie Sistas a 50% discount on my E-Book, Watermelon & Fireflies. This discount will be available during the next 4 weeks and will expire on June 30th, 2011. To get your copy and to receive the 50% discount click here or click the giant pink button below. Once you’ve purchased the E-Book, you’ll receive an email with all the download instructions.
Just so there’s no confusion, I want all my sistas to know that this is a PDF document that you can download to your computer. This is NOT a printed book that you’ll be receiving by mail. Due to the fact that this is a digital download, I won’t be able to accept any refunds. If you have any questions about your download you can contact my son Dusty at (auntruthie@sugarpiefarmhouse.com). Understand that he has a full time job and a baby on the way so it may take a few days for him to get back to you.
Little Aunt Ruthie
So Sugar Pies, pour a tall glass of something ice-cold and yummy to drink. Relax and settle yourself into a comfy spot as you embark on this armchair adventure filled with delightful vintage charm and old fashioned fun! Make your summer the sweetest and juiciest best!
Sugar Pies, I’ll be back home in Branson June 20, then shortly after that I’ll be sharing some photos of the Wedding, so until then have a blessed few weeks!
God Bless your darlin’ hearts!
Aunt Ruthie
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