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Welcome Sugar Pies! I’m so glad you’re here! Fetch a warm mug of something yummy, sit down and relax as I share some good old fashioned Christmas goodness with sweet, adorable you! You know, so many good folks in our beloved USA have experienced such great hardships this year…they have been in my thoughts and prayers. Perhaps you, my dear Sugar Pie are in a place in life where your heart could use a warm hug. I hope you feel my hug as you read my blog today. I hope that the true and glorious Christmas spirit, that comes from our Lord, will fill you with comfort and joy!

 “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope.” Romans 15:13

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It’s always a bit of a challenge to try to think of new ways to decorate with my old things! Lol! This year I did pick up some new pieces to inspire me and I’ll share about those things in a bit. I decided to use my rusty little vintage stove this year to set the theme for my entry way. I’ve had it for many years but I usually use it, at Christmas time, at my Antique Mall booth, to create a charming and homey ambiance. But this year I wanted use it at home to create a cozy cabin feel…with maybe a touch of Little House on the Prairie goodness. Simple and sweet. Warm and cozy.

“Christmas was coming, and the little house was covered with snow. When Pa came in from shoveling, he caught Laura up in a big bear hug against his cold winter coat. His mustache was covered with melting snowflakes.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder~ Christmas in the Big Woods.

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To add some coziness to this old stove I tucked some flickering flame string lights inside and poked a few lightbulbs out of the vent holes so you could see the “fire”.  An old white coffee pot “simmers”  hot cocoa. Then I placed some white birch logs in a bucket right next to the stove. Hanging on the rustic chicken ladder is a black and white buffalo check fleece blanket. I ordered the fabric here.  I did not hem it since I’m just using it for decor.

“In the morning the house was warm from the stove, but when Laura looked out of the window she saw that the ground was covered with soft, thick snow. All along the branches of the trees the snow was piled like feathers, and it lay in mounds along the top of the rail fence, and stood up in great, white balls on top of the gate-posts.” ~ Laura Ingalls WilderIMG_5572

An upside down wooden crate became a table, something that folks would do back in the day, making do with what they had. On top are ironstone mugs filled with “cocoa” and marshmallows, a gingerbread man with raisin eyes, and a vintage lunch bucket filled with fresh popcorn for a sweet treat by the fire.

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Two of my favorite words… comfort and joy! I got this sign at Michaels Craft Store at 40% off! I always use their online 40% coupons! They even honor the ones from Hobby Lobby too! Why pay more if you don’t have to right?

“Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things!” ~ The Sound of Music

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A sled and a bucket of snowballs for an afternoon of good old fashioned fun!

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I can imagine Pa Ingalls building a rustic twig manger like this for Laura and Mary. And then Ma sewing a few scraps of muslin together and stuffing it with lambs wool to form baby Jesus. The body of the baby Jesus is actually made from a nylon stocking and the swaddling blanket is natural muslin. Notice the Cross at the head of the bed to signify why He came. I got this manger several years ago when my kids were little. For every good deed they got to put some straw in the bed in preparation for Christ’s birth. On Christmas morning baby Jesus appeared in the soft, cozy, manger. It’s part of our family memories, so it has to come out every Christmas and makes me smile every time I see it. “Traditions give us memories” ~Doris Williams

“A little child…a shining star…a stable rude…the door ajar.

Yet in that place, so crude, forlorn,

The hope of all the world was born.”

~Author Unknown

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There’s a party at the farmhouse!

” Oh let there be joy

In the old home tonight,

A tree in the window

With soft candle light! ~ Rosiline Guingrich

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“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  2 Corinthians 9:15

To think that Jesus left the glory of Heaven, the throne where He sat as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to come to this earth as a baby, born in a lowly manger, for the SOUL purpose of sacrificing His life for you and me, which was the only way to rescue us from darkness and eternal separation from Him. He loved us so much that He could not bear to live in eternity without us.  And what He went through (for us!) is unfathomable to me. There is no greater love than this.  Such love, such wondrous love. This is what Christmas is all about.

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I love the word Merry! To be Merry is to be jolly… cheerful… light-hearted…carefree…joyful… joyous… festive …happy… gleeful!  Proverbs 17:22 says  “A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”   That’s one of the reasons I love to decorate for Christmas (and  all the seasons for that matter)…it creates a merry…joyful….and festive atmosphere….and that kind of atmosphere is good for us! Beauty inspires! Beauty lifts our spirit! It refreshes us.  It can give us a positive outlook on life. It’s a way of celebrating the glory and blessings of God. IMG_5917 (1)

“Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts.” ~ Joan BrownIMG_5646 (2)

Someone said “The kitchen is the heart of the home”…I agree! Especially at Christmastime! It’s the place where all the warm aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, apple pie, spicy clove and orange pomanders, and sugar cookies swirl throughout the house making each heart swoon and eyes sparkle. It smells like love. The kitchen seems to be the happiest room in the house.

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“On Saturdays, when Ma made the bread, Mary and Laura each had a little piece of dough to make into a little loaf. They might have a bit of cookie dough, too, to make little cookies, and once Laura even made a pie in her patty-pan.”  Little House in the Big Woods- Laura Ingalls WilderIMG_5911

“Ma was busy all day long cooking good things for Christmas. She baked bread and apple pies, and filled the big jar with cookies, Laura and Mary got to lick the spoon.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder~ Christmas in the Big Woods.

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Cookie mixes in jars, ready to make a quick batch of sweet treats or to give as gifts!

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars

and open a jar of it every month.” ~ Harlan Miller

“The whole house smelled good, with the sweet and spicy smells from the kitchen, and the smell of the hickory logs burning with clear, bright flames in the fireplace, and the smell of a clove-apple beside Grandma’s mending basket on the table. The sunshine came in through the sparkling window panes, and everything was large and spacious and clean.”  Little House in the Big Woods- Laura Ingalls WilderIMG_5841

I bought this Farmhouse Christmas sign at a local home decor store in October. It was exactly what I was looking for.  As I was walking toward the door to leave, two couples walked into the store and one of the men saw the sign I was holding and scolded me in a Bah-Humbug sort of way way, “It’s not even Halloween yet! Why would you be buying Christmas things! That’s ridiculous! And we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet!”  Oopsie! I think someone put their grumpy-pants on this mornin’ I thought.  Lol!   His wife smiled and rolled her eyes and said “don’t mind him, his bark is bigger than his bite!” Although he was a bit gruff, it kinda made me laugh! Little did he know I’d been listening to Christmas music since August! Hee Hee! I smiled and replied, “Well, if I don’t buy it now, it won’t be here if I wait.” (Perhaps he’d never seen something at a store that made his heart leap for joy, but then decided against buying it…but then couldn’t stop thinking about it …so went back to the store to get it, only to find it had been sold. Yeah, this ain’t Mama’s first rodeo! Lol!)  I pushed open the door to leave and turned back with a smile a chuckle and said “Merry Christmas!” Lol! His wife and the other couple roared with laughter. I’m pretty sure I saw a glimmer of a smile on him too. Bless his heart.

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Well, I’m very glad that I bought my Farmhouse Christmas sign when I did, goes perfectly with my vintage milk glass roosters!

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There’s something about old enamel dish-pans that I can’t resist. Maybe it’s because of the farm-wife stories it could tell, like the hundreds of times it was used to wash dishes after a hearty meal, or when it was filled with green beans to snap or corn cobs to husk while sitting on the front porch in the cool of a summer day. Or the sweet little babies that were bathed in warm soapy water until they were squeaky clean and ready for a nap, or perhaps it was filled with a layer of  soft hay to protect the fresh eggs gathered from the hen house. Well, during this festive season it has a new purpose… to hold this wee little pine tree underneath the heartfelt chalk-art sentiment of Comfort and Joy.IMG_5900

“The holly’s up, the house is bright,

the tree is ready, the candles alight. “~German Carol

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“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk by the fire…it is the time for home.” ~Dame Sitwell

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I’m dreaming of a white Christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your Christmases be white! ~Irving Berlin 1942

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If you love Little House on the Prairie goodness here’s a children’s picture book that I love so much I want to live inside of it! I bought the whole series for my daughter Summer when she was little. The illustrations are dreamy! You can find it here in this affiliate link!

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Are these the cutest Little House Paper Dolls or what? I loved playing with paper dolls when I was a little girl. You can find them here in this affiliate link!

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One last Little House goodie that is so fun is this adorable coloring book for adults and kids. It’s filled with the most charming and homey illustrations. What fun Christmas gift!  Click here to check it out.

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Well, Sugar Pie, the best thing to decorate your home with is love!

With love as your centerpiece, your home will sparkle with joy!

Whether plain or fancy,

I think we should decorate in a way

that brings joy into our heart!

Have a blessed Christmas season,

and be sure to say hello in the comments below!

I love hearing from you!

Bless your family. Make home sweet.

Aunt Ruthie

 

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