Howdy Sugar Pies!

I’m back from vacation and so happy to be back home at the Farmhouse! I’m ready to get back into the swing of summer and all of the fun that it brings!

Q and A - Part 3

As promised, here is part three of  my Q and A time!

Q. What makes a wonderful marriage? You and your hubby seem so close and so wonderful with each other. I could rephrase that…what one advice would you have for couples?

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A.  I actually have a couple answers to share:
1.  Pray together and go to church.
I cannot stress the importance of keeping the Lord first and foremost in a marriage. It reinforces your goals and purpose in life as a team. Reading the Word of God reminds us to be loving and to have a servants heart. When my hubby and I have disagreements we end up praying and asking the Lord to make us more loving toward each other. It’s hard to stay upset when we both humble ourselves before the Lord.

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2. Take time to have fun together.
When my kids were small we decided that Friday nights were our date night to keep our romance alive. We hired a very responsible teen gal from our neighborhood to babysit for us.  We would go to dinner, sometimes a movie and sometimes just a drive along the beach or to get an ice-cream cone. It was our chance to talk for a couple of hours without interruptions. Communication is key, you have to make time for it intentionally.I know for a fact this has kept us close.

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3. Live the Golden Rule.
Do for him, what you would like him to do for you. Nurture him, think of ways you can bless him everyday, speak kindly, make him feel special.  Treat your hubby the way you would like to be treated. Plant seeds of kindness and you will reap a harvest of kindness.

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4. Keep looking pretty and smell good for your hubby.
I always do my hair and makeup and dress nice for him (and he does the same for me). Just remember the best cosmetics are a good attitude and a smile!

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5. Find out what makes him feel the most loved…then do that.
I highly recommend reading the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. In this book he identifies five “love languages”, one of which, fills our “Love Tank” and that of our spouse. They are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a quick and easy way he helps us find out which “Language” speaks best to our heart to make us feel loved and cherished. When we find out what our heart yearns for and that of our husband we will know how to fill that need. Gary Chapman has also written The Five Love Languages of Children and The Five Love Languages of Teenagers with insights on how to best nuture our kids.

Q. Will your family be taking a vacation this summer?
A. Well, we just spent two delightful weeks in California and we are thinking of taking a road trip down south…perhaps Pigeon Forge Tennessee…the great Smokey Mountains!  Take a peek at where I’m  hoping to go…..
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Is that amazing or what?!

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I’ve heard all about the charm and delicious apple pie at the Apple Barn Cider Mill and General Store…

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Gotta go see Dolly at Dollywood!

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A quaint little chapel in Dollywood…wouldn’t you just love to sit on that park bench and listen to the stillness of this blissful scene!  I’d like to live there….do you think they’ll let me?

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And I’d love to see this fabulous shop! The Incredible Christmas Place!

Here it is a night…I think I hear a choir singing “Joy To The World”!
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Well, if all goes as planned, I’ll be taking a roadtrip down Dolly’s way!

Q.  Aunt Ruthie, can we pleeeeeeaaaase see your home??? Still waiting and hoping to see more of your beautiful house!

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A. Oh sugar pies, I know! I know! I promise it’s coming soon. I am putting together a digital photo album of my home for the different seasons. I’m thinking of calling it Aunt Ruthie’s Scrapbook.  There just isn’t enough time in a day to do all the fun stuff that I want to do, but the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise,  hopefully it will be ready sometime this summer or early fall.

Q. Where do you find the music for your blog, it’s all so pretty and uplifting?
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A. I use finetune.com….you have to pick out 45 songs before you can add the music player to your blog. I just chose songs from old movies, songs from the 1940’s like Doris Day,  Dinah Shore, Bing Crosby….and I added a little Ozark bluegrass just to keep my toes tappin’! If you hear a song you like, you can see the title and album cover on the Finetune music player on the  sidebar to the right.

Q. Could you please tell where to buy the glass lemon juicer with the white lid you show in this article?
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A. I’ve had this juicer for a very long time, I may have purchased it at Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond…if I see it again I will share the source!

Q. I would love to hear more about your journey to Missouri. Why you picked it. How long you had planned it before you made the move.
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A. To make a long story short….We came to Branson one year on vacation…it was a  glorious golden week in Autumn. We went to Silver Dollar City, an adorable theme park set in period of the 1800’s.  It was sweater-weather….the  cool air was crisp and sweet, the leaves had just begun to turn the colors of pumpkin, butterscotch and cranberry,  and the sky blazed a gorgeous backdrop of bright periwinkle blue.  We were feasting on tart sliced apples drizzled with hot caramel sauce (yum!) and the sweet sounds of  Southern Gospel music rang joy-bells all around us . That moment felt so heavenly! The sights…the sounds…the tastes…the smells!  I turned to my hubby and said wouldn’t it be so great if we could raise our kids in this wonderful, wholesome, delightful, atmosphere! I loved the old fashioned values of this little town of Branson! And I was so amazed that this public theme park allowed Gospel music! ( I found out later the owners are Christians!) Well, without knowing it I planted a seed in his heart. Within one year we were planning to move to Branson Missouri! It so happened that my husband’s family’s line of business, home building and real estate market, had fallen flat. We needed to find a new line of work….

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My father-in-law and my hubby had flown to Branson to see about the  possibility building homes there. Only,  they ended up buying a motel and a Live Music Theater. We were going to run the Theater and oversee the motel. All of a sudden we were in “Show Business”!   We found a cast of talented artists and opened The Great American Wild Wild West Show, with singing cowboys and dancing cowgirls and a horse named Buckshot!  It was a fun time for sure! I got to be the buyer nad visual merchandiser for our Old Fashioned General Store during the hours my kids were at school. We ran this business for three years, then when the market turned around in California, my father in law asked us to come back to California and build homes again for his company.  I had just found out I was expecting a baby (Miss Summer Rose) at age 40 and so the thought of moving back, closer to family, sounded like a good idea. It was a bitter-sweet time, we loved Branson but felt God was calling us back to the West Coast. It  turned out to be a God-thing, because my hubby got to spend three years at his dad’s side everyday building the business back up when shortly thereafter, my father in law passed away from cancer. My hubby would not have had that time with his dad–his best friend— if we had not moved back.wilderness-church

During the past ten years we went back to Branson for our Summer vacations. And everytime we would say to ourselves “This place is so amazing…why aren’t we living here!”.  It was just never the right time…until our two of our kids got married and J.J. started College.  In 2006 we felt God calling us back to the Ozarks. Along with my brother and sister-in-law we purchased 400 acres, with gorgeous views of the Ozark hills and have developed it into 5 acre lots that we are currently selling. I do miss my family, but we are fortunate to be able to fly back a few times a year. And of course since I live in Branson now–one of the Entertainment capitols of the  U. S.– we get lots of family coming out to visit us!

Q. Can you tell me the red lipstick that you use and what is your favorite perfume?
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A. I have a couple red lipsticks that I use….one is LOLA the color is Cherry Bomb. (Click the word Lola and you’ll find it on Amazon). It comes with a cute little pop-up mirror. It’s a true Cherry color…not orange-y.

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The other is Estee Lauder Crystal Lipstick: the color is Passion Fruit. (available on Amazon) It’s more of a softer sheer red.

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I also always use a lip-liner with my lipstick. There are some gals that can whip out their gloss and swipe it on without even looking….I wish I could do that! I have to define my lips with a pencil or it just doesn’t look right on me. I use Mac lip-liner (pencil) in the colors Brick and Beet.

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My favorite perfume is Jessica McClintock.  I’m really picky when it comes to fragrances…some can give me a headache.  Years ago a waitress up in Lake Tahoe was wearing it …she smelled so clean and fresh, I asked her what perfume she was wearing, she told me it was Jessica McClintock….that very day I went to get some! I get more compliments when I wear it…someone  is always telling me that I smell good! I love that! Other than Bobbi Brown Beach, this is the only fragrance I wear…it’s that wonderful!
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I also LOVE Bobbi Brown’s Beach Cologne and lotion (available on amazon).  I’ve just recently discovered Bobbi Brown Beach Cologne and I love it! It smells like summer! The first time I smelled it, wonderful memories of summer vacations to Catalina Island came flooding in, as special scents always do!  It has the fragrance of sun-tan lotion mixed with the freshness of a sea breeze.  This has become my new summer perfume. I love the companion lotion too! Wearing it reminds me of the blessings of the good ol summertime! It makes me feel happy!

Believe it or not, I still have questions left! So at some point down the road  I will be bringing you part four!

But for now, I have to tend to my home, my tomato and basil plants, work on some Sugar Pie projects, get ready for company and have lots of summertime fun with my sweet Summer Rose!

Please know that I read all of your precious comments, and as I do I pray for you! I so appreciate it when you say hello, it’s what keeps me doing this blog, so keep’em comin’ ! I also love reading where y’all are from!

Y’all are always welcome at my Sugar Pie Farmhouse! (Yee Haw!)

Aunt Ruthie

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