Welcome! Welcome! And Merry Christmas to you all!
I’m so glad you’ve dropped by! Come on in out of the cold, and into my country kitchen where it’s warm and the candles are glowing… I’ve got Orange Spice tea simmering, coffee with all the fixins’, and Hot Cocoa with marshmallows…. and cookies baking in the oven! Make yourself at home and fix what you would like, then sit by the fire and enjoy my Holiday Open House part 1.

I love a collection of farm-fresh white kitchenware. Two of these milk-white pitchers came from Target, one came from Wallmart, another from an antique store, and one I already had…a keepsake from my hubby’s childhood mountain home.

Nestled in this frosted pine wreath are well worn kitchen utensils, that at one time, were used to prepare hand-me-down recipes to delight and nourish loved ones. A flour sifter, slotted spoon, biscuit cutter, hand mixer, pastry cutter, and wooden spoon. Clipped with a clothespin on a sprig of pine, is my children’s great-grandmother’s Christmas cookie recipe in her own handwriting. If that wasn’t sweet enough, I added a couple of glittered cherry-topped muffins and a raisin-buttoned gingerbread man.

I love using chalkboards to announce the joy of the Season!
My sweet little spray of iced pine cones and berries was purchased at Michael’s for $2.50! I hung them in all of my kitchen windows

A fresh Balsam wreath sits at the perfect height on top of my mini pie safe….I love nuzzling my nose in it….and breathing in the woodsy scent….it’s my favorite fragrance in the whole wide world!

I’m am sooooo excited to show you my Christmas present from my hubby…this yummy, farm-style buffet! I found it at one of the cutest vintage shops in Ozark, Missouri…Leola’s Antiques! (Hi Jan and Debra…you girls are as adorable as your shop!) Okay, I know I’ve said it way too many times…but there’s gonna be a weddin’ cuz…..YES! I love it so much I want to marry it! It is so me.

(Seriously, I just might have to bake a wedding cake for this one!)

I painted the knobs cherry-red

(I’m a “red girl” don’t-cha know!).

I’ve got my vintage Christmas tablecloths

piled in an old farm dishpan,

topped with Holiday tea towels.

My little secret for making apples shine

is to spray a little cooking oil (Pam) on a cloth,

then buff the apples until they sparkle!

I also like to have at least one pine tree in my yard,

so I always have fresh greens to bring inside

to decorate for the holidays.

Vintage Christmas aprons all in a row,

underneath pictures of my babies in Christmas jammies.

The old wooden bucket

hanging from my farmhouse water pump,

is filled with candy canes…

Help yourself!

Mrs. Gingerbread and her girls, all sugared and sweet!

“Christmas!

The very word brings joy to our hearts.”

~Joan Winmill Brown

Sugar and spice and everything nice.

The newest addition to my kitchen is the Pete’s Cafe sign. I found it in Lebanon, Missouri. The story goes…Old Pete had a homey little restaurant along Highway 44 on the way to St. Louis. His signs were dotted along the highway beckoning folks to stop in for fresh coffee and pie, no doubt. I’m sure his home-style food was scrumptious and he was a jolly, rosy-cheeked fellow!

This little cupboard was in my daughter’s room. It was filled with books and toys. We just got her a new dresser , so I decided to put it in my kitchen to hold my white-ware… cake stands, mixing bowls and platters. I painted the inside of the doors with chalk-board paint and wrote out a menu for Pete’s wife’s homemade pies. I decided Pete’s last name was Butterworth, and his wife… the sweetest baker in town!

Carolers on top of the Piano…Silent night, Holy night………

“Heap on more wood, the wind is chill,

but let it whistle as it will,

we’ll keep our Christmas merry still!” ~Sir Walter Scott

There’s no place like home for the Holidays.

“Festive decorations are a gift from your heart to the hearts of those who enter your home. They simply and sweetly say, ‘love lives here’ and ‘we were expecting you, welcome!’ ” ~Dolley Carlson
“The holly’s up, the house is all bright.

The tree is ready, The candles alight.

Rejoice and be glad, all children tonight!”
~Carl Cornelius

My heartfelt gratitude to all of you who whispered prayers for my little Summer Rose…as you can see by the smile on her face, she is doing so much better! Praise the Lord! She is down to just one band-aid along her jawline. Big sister Ashley flew out to spend a week with us! We trimmed the tree last night (a family tradition we all look forward to….complete with hot chocolate and cookies, a warm fire and a Christmas movie!) Just before we hung the tinsel and trimmings, Summer delighted us with a puppet show featuring “Little Red Riding Hood”. Oh! Honey!

Can I tell you how happy I am to see that sweet smile!

My son Dusty hanging his favorite ornament…a tiny squirrel in an acorn house. Yes those are branches sticking out of my tree….I went to a Christmas decorating workshop and saw the idea…it gives the tree a wild-woods look. The kids weren’t sold on the idea at first, but it grew on them after a while. It does add drama!


Christmas joy…Summer, Ashley and Kimmy

I hope you enjoyed part one of my Holiday Open House, as you can tell I love festooning my home in celebration of the Greatest Gift Ever Given….Jesus!

Well I’m off to finish up my Christmas shopping…

….see y’all next week for part 2 of my Holiday Open House!

Thanks for stopping by for some Christmas Pie!

Hugs!

RuthAnn

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Greetings gals, I just flew back from sunny California and was greeted by lacy snowflakes (Heaven’s kisses!) as we arrived in Springfield, Missouri. The rooftops on the way home looked as if they were sprinkled with powdered sugar. Ribbons of smoke from red-brick chimneys curled into the flannel-gray sky…. evidence of a cozy fire crackling inside. Winter is in the air. I am thankful for God’s little blessings….and big ones too…

This Thanksgiving brought even more reasons to be grateful than before. My little “pumpkin pie” Summer Rose decided to try out Grandpa’s treadmill and my poor baby slipped and was scraped all over. The treadmill was backed into a corner, so when she fell, her legs were pushed up the wall and her chin and neck were stuck on the sandpaper-like fast moving tread. Fortunately, my brother in law Damon (sister Sherry’s husband) was able to run, grab her and pull her off. We rushed her to the E.R. , where she had her wounds cleansed and dressed. I am so thankful that Damon was in the game room when this happened, or her injuries would have been a lot worse. I am thankful for the Doctors working on Thanksgiving and for their tender care toward my daughter.

My “pumpkin pie” Summer Rose and sweet sister Ashley

The hardest thing about being a mama is seeing my kids hurt. There is nothing more heartbreaking for me. I do not know how people handle these things without the Lord. Truly, I cannot fathom it. I am so thankful the Lord hears our prayers, calms our fears and is in control.

“He who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.” Psalm 32:10

It’s very calming to know God’s mercy surrounds me and my loved ones.

Summer is doing better, she has been to the doctor 2 more times to follow up on her healing wounds and to make sure infection does not set in. I would so apprieciate your prayers for a speedy recovery for her! Poor baby. These are times where, as a mama, I get to pamper, coddle, and comfort my little one with gentleness and understanding….and lots of hugs and ice-cream.

As soon as I get settled, (just a few days) I will be back into the Christmas swing and share all that twinkles, sparkles and shimmers in my home!

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