Well, howdy-do Sugar Pie! I don’t know about you, but I’m sooooooo ready for the sunshine and warm breezes of summertime! Here in Southern Missouri we had a long, cold winter…we even had snow at the beginning of May! So yes indeedy! Bring on the sunshine and pour the sweet tea y’all! I’ve already begun to dream about what I want to do this summer! Here’s the top 11 things on my wish list!
1. Grow my little salad and herb garden in my fun little horsey trough!
Photo Source: Pinterest/ The Farm Chicks
2. Go on a picnic or two (and bring some hand-pies!)
3. Make my favorite Plum Jam! My mouth is already watering!
4. Go on a road trip adventure!
5. Visit Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home in Mansfield, Missouri! (Only 1 hour from where I live!) I’ve been wanting to do this, so I’m putting this on my list!
Photo Source: Williams-Sonoma
6. Try some new pie recipes!
7. Spend time with my adorable grand-babies! Kade, Johnny and my dolly Polly!
AND…welcome the birth of another grand-baby boy due at the end of June!
8. Sit and enjoy God’s amazing creation on the front porch…
9. Enjoy some healthy and refreshing strawberry water (just ice water with strawberry slices –or any fruit– and fresh mint)
10. Read something vintage-y and fun! –My pick is Welcome to the World Baby Girl by Fanny Flagg. This charming, down-home, Southern story revolves around good-hearted “Neighbor Dorothy”, who is a Radio Homemaker in the 1940’s. She cheerfully shares recipes, tips and the goings-on of her quaint and quirky small town life in Southern Missouri! Sounds like my kinda book!
11. I’ll also be writing down my dreams and ideas in this darling Cath Kidston Notebook. This is something that I love to do! (especially in a brand new notebook with fresh clean pages and a smooth writing pen!) I write down decorating ideas, product ideas, craft ideas, drawings of my antique-mall booth displays for the seasons, dreams and goals for the future, tips, quotes, words, anything and everything that inspires me. I found that by getting my ideas on paper I won’t forget them and they are more likely to become a reality. It’s good thing to find a quiet spot to think, reflect and daydream…for me, in the summertime, it’s on my front porch in the early morning or at dusk… just about when the fireflies start to twinkle in the hydrangeas.
Yes, these are very simple things that I’m looking forward to this summer…but don’t you think it’s the simple, sweet things that are such a blessing! How about you? What fun summer things are you looking forward to?
If you need some inspiration my Summer E-book is available again for a short time! I only make it available during the summer months so if you did not get it last year, here’s your chance!
If you’re a Sugar Pie Newbie, 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 a bucket-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! “Watermelon & Fireflies” is just drippin’ with sweet southern nostalgia like honey from a honeycomb!
The photo above 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
*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-bookWatermelon 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 Firefliesmakes 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 Sisters 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…and 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 women-folk of yesteryear 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.
Watermelon and Fireflies is an E-book that you download and read on your computer or ipad. You can print it out and put it in a binder or bind it like I did; After printing it 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 poster-board behind the front and back cover to give it a firmer, hardback feel.
So for a limited time only, I’m offering Watermelon & Fireflies for $9.95… a 50% discount from the original price. This discount will be available during the summer months and will expire on August 15, 2013. 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 sisters 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). Please know that he has a full time job, a wife, a toddler and a baby due at the end of June so it may take a few days for him to get back to you. He helps me with my computer stuff out of the goodness of his heart when he has a few moments to spare!
Summertime is full of so many wonderful blessings! I’m always so thankful for the beauty and down-home simple pleasures that the Lord blesses us with in each season! I’m also so thankful that you stopped by and when you leave me a comment to say hello! I would love to know what fun stuff you are looking forward to this summer! AND I would also love to read about your sweet memories of summer’s past …things you did back in the day that still warm your heart today! Please, oh, please with a cherry on top…do share!!
Have a blessed day honey and may God Bless your darlin’ heart!
Sugar and hugs!
Aunt Ruthie
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My children and I were just watching Little House On The Prairie this afternoon after church…would love to visit that house one day! The strawberry water looks so refreshing! So thankful for the treats and experiences each season brings! Thanks for posting! I’m most looking forward to summer because my little loves will be home with me – I won’t have to rush them out the door in the morning but we get to spend our summer days together! So thankful for that!
Please say this is/will be available in real book format! I would love to hold and flip through the pages of something so adorable.
I, too, love to write anything and everything down in a journal. It’s one of my favorite things in life!
Hugs,
Mandi
I have written a weekly column in a Branson, MO. for 20 years. The columns about my life as a child on the farm North of Kansas City is everyone’s favorite. Recently I was notified by a magazine in North Carolina they were publishing one of my stories, about when all the neighbor ladies came to prepare lunch for men who were putting of shocks of hay in the field.
Recently I finished painting a 32 inch old saw mill blade with a snow scene of a barn and farmhouse with a pond. This will be a birthday gift for my niece who lives on 40 plus acres South of Polo, MO.
These painted blades sell for over $400-Nice gift huh?
You are the “Best”!
What a joyful and colorful blog today!! I like your list of ‘to do’ for summertime! Mine include:
1) Some berry pickin’ with my grandson.
2) A trip to the best BBQ with my honey nearby for Father’s day.
3) Road trip up north to Old McDonald’s farm to see all the new year baby animals with grandsons.
4) Visit oldest grandson who will turn 8 this week!
5) Ride my Harley Davidson Sportster, (yes, old fashioned country lovin’ girls can ride).
6) Help teach daughter in law to can fresh from her garden.
7) Enjoy lots of easy reads on my summer read’s list.
8) Watch some fireworks for our 10th anniversery in July at a local festival.
9) Take long weekends with a Fri. or a Mon. off from work!
10) Porch sittin, clothes hanging’, lemonaid sippin, and make some strawberry shortcake!
Morning….I got so excited to get your ebook that I went straight to that giant pink button…..ready to order and already making some cool drink while it would be printing and realized that I don’t have a paypal acct. Not really interested in opening one…is there another way to pay ,,,?
Thank you for your wonderful blog I always feel uplifted when I visit you……Blessings
I love your blog so much! It makes me so very happy. Even though I was born in Italy I swear I lived in old Country time in the West or South! lol Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful blog family and heart with us. I am about to go purchase your e book! Grace xoox
Great list of “to-do’s” for the summer. We have had a long winter in Wisconsin, as well.
LOVE Fanny Flagg books. Have you read “Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven”? I am reading it for the 3rd time. Just love it. Her books are all so good, and definitely fun summer reads.
Love your post! I would love to visit Laura Ingalls Wilders home. We still watch Little House on the Prairie. Would sure love one of those hand pies and some strawberry water YUM! Your grandkids look all ready for summer including Polly in her watermelon suit, adorable!
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
It’s the Simple Pleasures in life that at the best pleasures in life !
Looks like some wonderful down home simple fun filled summer days.
Enjoy the Fireflies and the thunderstorms two of my favorite summertime happenings !
I got to visit a bit with your sis at TVM… I wondered if you made it out here ..guess not .. but hey your in the best place anyhow !
Sending you Hugs ..
Sara
I so want this book of yours for the graphics alone! Darling. And I want to bind it like you did. I do not have a color printer. Do you know if I can get it printed at Staples or Kinkos? I am obviously not tech savy ;-)
My plans are to be thankful each day of my surroundings and pray, work in my garden, do lots of porch sett’n in the evening after “supper”. Drink plenty of sweet tea and lemon water, make hand pies and your Buttermilk Pie I love. Also I bought Watermelon and Fireflies when you first published it. Printed it off and tied with fabric. I will read that again. Love it. I have not read Fannie Flagg book so am putting that on my list. I too would love to go to Laura Ingalls Wilder home-was born in the Branson area and have never taken the time to go there. Gone by when it was closed also need to get to your flea market booth. Thank you for blog-it is a blessing. The grandbabies- what can a person say. Precious.Blessings
Your blog warms my heart in so many ways!! ! I read the Laura Ingalls books to my sons at bedtime when they were little. I wanted to instill a sense of history in America, and charm and old fashioned values into their world of video games and competitive sports. They really loved hearing about the way life used to be and I think the stories added to their ability to see a world beyond what they were living. II can’t wait for you to visit her home and write a post about it!
I have wanted your summer book for the last 2 summers. I purchased it today and can’t wait to print out like you did yours. I am going to download to a jumpdrive and take to Office Depot.
Thank you for discounting the price! It’s a red letter day.lol
Love your ideas Aunt Ruthie! You are always an inspiration!
Hi Ruthie, I love your blog! Look so forward to it—especially the encouragement in the Lord. :o) My plans so far, Lord willing, are to go to the mountains in western North Carolina, where I grew up, to my friend of 54 years—we met in the 3rd grade. We will be working on her daughter and son-n-law’s organic farm. The land has been in the family for generations. What a blessing! Then my husband and I will be traveling to Cherokee, N.C. to visit friends of 45 years—our friend and my husband worked as bag-boys in high school. In July we plan to go to Jekeyl Island with our children and their sweet families. Then, again, in July, I will be driving my sisters and our mother on our yearly trip to the mountains of N.C. to see relatives. All of this of course is according to the Lord’s will. :o) I bought your Watermelon & Fireflies e-book when it first came out and love, love it! Hope you have a blessed and fun summer! Thank you for your blog!
God Bless
Deborah :o)
Just purchased my copy! I look forward to printing it, binding it with sweet farmy embellishments and settling down on the back porch for a read. I know it’s going to be just fabulous!!!
Hugs & Sugar~
♥Linsey
Your grandkids are too cute! I can tell you, if anyone is thinking of getting the Watermelon & Fireflies e-book, DO IT. It is well worth it! I love re-visiting it, it’s a delight and will make your heart smile.
Thanks for the post, Ruthann! Inspirational and heart warming as always!
Love your blog! I grew up in SW Missouri and have been to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s house several times. Absolutely love to visit there! Our summer includes lots of reading outdoors, family ball games, playing with kittens, working in the garden, running through the sprinkler, fireworks, watermelon, late evening strolls, and fireflies. A bit of Heaven on earth!
Thanks for sharing your To-Do list!! (and adding all of those cute pictures…I just love all the pictures you add!!) And that little baby girl is precious!! We are getting ready for summer over here…scrambling around trying to get finished with “camps” and things. I sat on the back porch and read through my copy of Watermelon and Fireflies the other day and made my first batch of cucumber salad!! Anyway….my list of “want to do’s” include:
* A road trip to Black Mesa. I’ve never visited the panhandle of Oklahoma and I’ve lived here my whole life!
* A “Little House on the Prairie Week” where we make homemade butter, can applesauce and do other pioneer activities while we’re dressed in our pioneer best :)
* Big ‘ol 4th of July cookout with fireworks and potluck dishes.
* Celebrate my baby boy turning 5 and my baby girl turning 3.
* Go to Six Flags (My kids earned free tickets for reading during the school year)
* Learn to can the veggies My Sweet is growing in the backyard!
Hope you have a happy, blessed summer!!
The neighborhood I grew up in had around 65 houses and in the center of it all was, to us kids, a very large playground with 2 sets of swings, a slide, monkey bars, 2 concrete picnic tables and the best part a pool. Since there was no lifeguard our parents had to accompany kids under 13. So if one parent was willing to go every kid from the surrounding houses went along too. Oh the fun we had playing Sharks & Minnows and Marco Polo. There was also one social a month like a watermelon slice party, homemade ice cream party and just before the end of August one house would host a neighborhood picnic where everyone brought a covered dish and homemade cake for a cakewalk. Once I turned13 and could go to the pool without a parent I would go there as soon as I woke up and stayed all day until just before dinner when I would head home to catch Gidget on tv. After dinner I would head back to the pool to hang out till it closed at 10:00. It was awesome!
I have to read welcome to the world! I love vintage memories. Your list is great for ideas. I want to go to Laura’s home place too. We are in Branson right now. Maybe I can talk the family into going to Mansfield. They like SDC too much though. :) I’m hoping u still have u booth open in Ozark, Mo. I have been waiting months to visit the tea room the feathered nest and leolas. Please excuse my typin. I’m usin the iPod and its so small. As always I enjoyed visiting and can’t wait for it new post.
Where can I find your plum preserve recipe.
Howdy-ho aunt Ruthie!
I am looking forward to some easy weekends filled with resting and reading God’s Word mixed in with some thought-provoking books like gods at war by Kyle Idleman. Want to have a few outside dinner parties and possibly a outdoor movie night for family friends. Gonna help our daughter and her little family move into a new home in Pendleton, Oregon as well as help our 21 year old son move into his first bought home. Yay! Yes, that means this summer will be our first season with an empty nest! Which is why I’m so looking forward to those nice, restful weekends! :)
Hope that your summer is all that you’re planning for and that God blesses your socks off this summer! :)
Beautiful book, with such lovely pictures. This is my first year in Colorado so I hope to enjoy all the state has to offer. I also want to spend precious time with my son. Blessings to you and your’s!
Hi,
Can I pay for your book for a friend and let her download it?
Thanks!
Liz
Ahhh! Summer breezes, summer dresses, iced tea, camping under a tree. I love summer too. I’m looking forward to juicy watermelon, picnics with my family (don’t forget the broccoli salad!), fireworks displays, and the local fireman’s carnivals in all the small towns in our area. (Beach Haven carnival has *the* best homemade doughnuts for only fifty cents each. Yum! I can’t wait!)
I’ve always wanted to see the Rocky Ridge house- I hope you’ll post some photos and tell us a little bit about it in a blog post after you’ve done the tour! Next summer, we are planning a trip to the Adirondacks in New York State and Almonzo (Laura’s hubby) grew up in that area and his family homestead is open to visit- we will definitely make it a stop.
God bless you, Aunt Ruthie, for all your encouragement and kindness! You inspire so many of us. :)
LOVE that book! Haven’t read in years. Might need to pull it out for another read!
Hi Sweet Aunt Ruthie!
I just loved this summer time post! First of all…congrats on Miss Polly! What a sweetheart! I now have 2 grandbabies and one more coming in August! Lily-Jo and Tripp are my heart’s delight! I know you are excited for your new one in June!
Andddddddd I just ordered my Welcome to the World Baby Girl book! Was needing a book to start for my summertime fun! I also have my copy of Watermelons and Fireflies sitting nice and close to me on my nightstand and porch table! Love love love it!
You are a darlin’!
Heading to your countryside in July! Family Reunion at Rockwood Condos over on Indian Point! Any great ideas for fun?????????
Big hugs to you!
Tanya
Hi Aunt Ruthie, we just returned from our first visit to Branson! it is beautiful, we really enjoyed and relaxed just with all the rolling hills and beauty of the country! We did a lot of what you suggested on your top 10 list. We ate and ate! really beautiful part of the country I had never seen before. Cant wait to go back and catch a few shows we missed. I want to live at Silver Dollar City!!
Oh my! Aunt Ruthie you MUST go to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s homestead! When my daughter was in 3rd grade homeschool we did an entire year curriculum featuring the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” series so, as a year end finale, we drove from Atlanta, GA to Mansfield Missouri to let our daughter see the homestead. We still talk about that trip! We went to town and to the cemetery as well. (I remember seeing Rose Wilder’s grave there) anyhow, it is a must see if you love those books. It puts a personal touch on the whole thing!
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WHERE IS YOUR MUSIC? I LOVED IT!
Congratulations on your new grand babies!
They are all adorable!!
Your e-book sounds great!!
Im glad you are doing well!!
Love the picture of Rocky Ridge, home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almanzo. If I ever visit the Show Me State, it is definitely on my list. Somewhere on the property is a little stone house given to Laura and Almanzo by their daughter Rose. She thought they would be more comfortable in a modern house that was easier to heat and maintain. The Wilders lived there for a while, but eventually moved back to the main house. I gather Laura and her daughter didn’t get along well in later years. Rose, who was a journalist and published author, has long been rumored to be the actual author of the Little House books; working from Laura’s rough drafts.
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LOVE your summer ebook! It is so pretty, and I keep “flipping” through it over and over!
Have you been to the Spring Planting Festival at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds? (www.rareseeds.com) It is also in Mansfield. And oh, is it ever a good time! Check it out if you get a chance.