Well, Happy New Year Sugar Pie Darlin’! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I so wanted to do another blog post before Christmas but I had soooo much to get ready for… lots of company comin’, food to cook, places to go, people to see and my little shops to stock!
I wanted to share with y’all my itty-bitty booth at Spring Creek Antique Mall. I had lots of farmy goodies for sale!
I hung these sweet little stocking ornaments on a string of twine over the vintage wood burning stove to ” warm and dry” the frost on the toes.
Guess what?! Right here in my hometown of Branson, Missouri I got to meet Joey and Rory (squeal!!)… hubby and wife country music stars! Their show “A Farmhouse Christmas” was just darling ! It was so fun and they are just as adorable as they look! I also bumped into one of my Sugar Pie Sista’s there too! (Hi honey!) Joey and Rory’s song and video “It’s Important to Me” is one of my favorites! It reveals the essence of the American Dream and honors our American values…God, Family, Country…the things we need to preserve in our nation!! (I think I heard some “Amen’s!” out there!!)
Well, for Christmas our home was bursting at the seams with family and friends for Christmas dinner…25 in all. We had lots of food, an old fashioned sing-along and skits that bubbled with fun and laughter. Then just a few days after Christmas my son JJ, and his adorable wife Tiffany, flew in from California to visit for a week. My heart was so blessed seeing my whole family sitting around the supper table once again! We all gathered every night for a home-cooked meal and played rip-roarin’ games by the crackling fire. It was so fun cooking in the kitchen with all my daughters too!
This is my family! Including my 4 kids, son and daughters-in-love and grand-babies! Having our whole family together doesn’t happen very often so having this photo is precious to this mama! Later this year we will have two more babies to add to the family photo!
We got a light dusting of snow here in the Ozarks! At dusk that evening a few of my kids couldn’t resist breaking out the sleds for a brisk ride down the frosted hill. They didn’t stay out for long because it was soooooo cold!
We had plenty of hot cider and a glowing fire to get ’em toasty warm when they came back inside with their teeth chattering!
In the afternoons we braved the cold and went out to lunch with the gang. Here are my boys J.J. and Dusty! It warms my heart to see that after all these years they are still best buddies!
Here they are back in the day…Dusty trying to console his little brother! (J.J.’ snow-boots crack me up! I think they were the boy-version of Hello Kitty! Ha! They were greatly needed in sunny southern California weather don’t-cha-know! Hee hee!)
Here in Branson one of our favorite places to eat is my dear friend’s restaurant, Danna’s BBQ! It’s been so much fun being with my kids! JJ and Tiff left just two days ago to go back to California and everyone has gone back to work and school… now my house is too quiet! My only consolation is looking forward with excitement to my goals, dreams and adventures of the new year ahead!
A brand New Year is always fun to dream about with a Susan Branch Calendar! I get one every year! She is perfectly adorable! I love her artwork and writing so much…you know what I’m gonna say…I WANNA MARRY IT!
Each brand-spankin’ New Year I so look forward to sitting down (with something yummy to drink of course!) and making a list of my dreams and goals! I take time to really think and pray about the direction the Lord has planned for me. Well, in the last few years I’ve come up with “a word for the year”…a word that sums up my focus, it seems to just pop in my heart. This year my word is…
Yes, BLESSINGS! I really want to be a blessing to everyone that God puts in my path, to you and of course to my family and those I meet along my pathway. Galatians 6:10 says to “be mindful to be a blessing”. You know that old saying “It’s better to give than receive?” Well, I think it’s because it truly fills your heart with sparkling joy when you’ve blessed someone. When you’ve offered comfort and encouragement. When you’ve filled a need or offered a solution. When you’ve brought warmth and love into your home by taking good care of it and your loved ones.
Every day I want to think of ways to be a blessing to my hubby. To be more mindful of the little things that I can do to make him feel loved and appreciated. That includes praying for him and with him.
I also want to be mindful of my blessings. To be in constant thankfulness to the Lord for His goodness. I know that doing so will keep a song in my heart, which will put a happy spring in my step. A thankful mama is a happy mama. A happy mama makes a happy home!
Mother Teresa said “Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor…let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”
I want to speak blessings to everyone I talk to. Our words have the power to lift someones heart or tear it down and crush it. I remember as a little girl hearing the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me”…boy is that untrue! Unkind words and name-calling does hurt! I think we need to live by what our mama’s used to say…”if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” We must keep in mind that we never know the hardships that someone is going through…whether it’s the checker at the grocery store, a neighbor, a relative, a friend, anyone we meet along our path. I want to be thought of as someone who is kind, thoughtful and encouraging, rather than someone who is hurtful, negative and critical. Let’s speak sweet!
“When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need–words that help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.” Ephesians 4:29
In order to be a blessing to my family I have to be careful about my time by not accepting too many obligations and commitments. If I’m too busy tending to my own things then I run the risk of neglecting what really matters…taking care of my family and home…and being the best wife, mama and grammy that I can be! Sometimes we think we can handle a little bit more, here and there…but then after a while we find out that we are stretched to the limit! Way too busy! We feel like we have too many pots on the fire and they’re all bubblin’ over! Things can get messy! Recently, I had to say good-bye to my friends at The Feathered Nest, where I was renting a booth. I began to realize I had too much on my plate. (Even though I don’t have a space there anymore, if you are ever in Ozark, Missouri, I encourage you to stop by The Feathered Nest…it is always filled to the brim with fabulous things to decorate your vintage style home!) I will be keeping my itty-bitty booth at Spring Creek Antique Mall and Tea-room for now, and will see how it goes. I have lots of new ideas for this ol’ blog of mine and I need more time to devote to them…ideas that I hope will be a blessing to you! Things that the Lord has placed on my heart!
Speaking of the Lord…He is the source of our blessings. To honor Him and all that He has done for us, we must not gripe and complain about things. I know that is not easy to do sometimes! Especially when things don’t go as planned…or like when the washing machine breaks down and the laundry is looking like Mount Everest and your child comes in and tells you that for a special event at school they need to wear their “Sunday Best” and they need to bring 4 dozen cookies…today. The dog is barking, the phone is ringing and…oh yeah, and you realize you forgot about your dental appointment, yesterday. We’ve all had those “Calgon take me away” days! (I’ve been married 34 years and have 4 kids…been there…done that…got the T-shirt!) When icky stuff happens, tell yourself that in a month (or 20 years from now) you’ll look back and laugh at this or you’ll have forgotten all about it. Inconvenient things happen. They are a part of life. Tell yourself “This too shall pass”. You know, there are so many people facing tragedies that if they could turn back the hands of time and go back to a day filled with the normal, everyday things of life they gladly would! We need to keep things in perspective and keep looking at the sweet, good, and beautiful that the Lord has brought into our lives. All day long keep thanking the Lord for His blessings.
“If you believe in goodness and if you value the approval of God, fix your minds on the things which are holy and right and pure and beautiful and good. Model your conduct on what you have learned from me, on what I have told you and shown you, and you will find the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8
In order to feel the joy of God’s blessings and to bless others with tender, loving care, anger cannot live in our heart. We need to forgive. Forgiveness is like lifting the dark shades and opening the window to see and feel the warm sunshine and sweet, fresh breeze of a spring day. We are in charge of lifting that shade and opening that window. If there is someone you need to forgive, do it now (ask God to help you)…you will feel so much better. Your heart will then have room for joy, peace and the thrill of hope for a happy future!
Oh yes and we need to cancel the pity-party! This will steal your joy! We cannot be a blessing to anyone if we live in the land of discontentment. We can’t even see our blessings when we feel sorry for ourselves.
Everyday I say this verse out loud: “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24. It’s sets the tone for the day. I also think it’s a good idea to put a smile on our face, as we dab on our lipstick, and think about what we can do to bless others.
And now I want to bless one of my Sugar Pie Darlin’s with a special GIVE-AWAY!! Woo hoo!
Well, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I love everything vintage and farmy! So I thought I would bless one of you with what blesses me! I’ve gathered 6 goodies to bring you a spark of joy!
1. A darling Farm Fresh flour sack towel and hot pad set,(and the cute hanger too!) created by my adorable, dear friends Sara and Abbey of Sweet Magnolia’s Farm! Sara and Abbey advertise here on my Web site and have a wonderful Etsy shop with so many cute farmy things! They also have a blog that I know you would enjoy and they have over 15,000 followers on Pinterest with the most wonderful, inspirational pin-boards ev-ah!! These gals are super duper talented and are my farm-girl-at-heart kindred sisters!
2. One of my favorite things! A chalkboard! I sell this at my little shop in Ozark, Missouri. It is galvanized metal with a cute scallop edge!
3. A vintage style white enamelware candle holder.
4. A cute battery-operated candle…so sweet to tuck in a little corner somewhere for a golden glow.
5. One of my favorite, yummy smelling 1803 candles! “Grandma’s Kitchen”. The little story on the label says: “Grandma’s kitchen is filled with needful things for baking; cookie tins, spices, rolling pins, dough bowls, recipe books and boxes.”
6. The Farmer’s Wife Harvest Cookbook! LOVE IT!! It’s filled with vintage recipes, photos and darling illustrations from back in the day and down on the farm!
As I mentioned before, I LOVE all things vintage and farmy…things that remind me of sweet old fashioned days and ways….so if you would like a chance to win these goodies please share something you do in your home that reflects a vintage way of living to bless your family (like making your own laundry soap, cheese, bread, pies…while wearing a cute apron of course… etc) AND a web site/blog that inspires you to live a vintage life…a web site/blog that thrills your heart with all that is adorable, good, wholesome and old fashioned!! (For me, one of my faves is Susan Branch’s blog!!! Love her!!!) This way everyone will be blessed with ideas, inspiration, and new resources that will bless our hearts! I will announce the winner on January 31!
For lots of New Year inspiration please head over to The Lettered Cottage for the WORD OF THE YEAR linky party! Over 160 bloggers have chosen a heartfelt word to focus on this year…read all about it!
Hay!
(I know, hay is for horses!)
I need to say one more thing!! Follow me on INSTAGRAM!! @sugarpiefarmhouse
AND…if you have a question for me ask me on Facebook! It’s easier for me to answer there!
Well, I want to thank you dear Sugar Pies
for always blessing me with your sweet-as-pie comments!!
I can’t tell you how they lift my heart and make me want to keep blogging!
God bless your darlin’ heart!
Aunt Ruthie
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My German Grandmother was the ultimate “Hausfrau” in my opinion and inspires my daily living with her old recipes which I sometimes cook while wearing her old apron(s)! I think good ol’ comfort food – be it German or American or Italian or whatever – is something “vintage” we can share with our families and continue traditions and pass down the love shared among those who sit around our tables ….
My fave vintage blogger, by the way, is http://littlesusiehomemaker-lilsusiehomaker.blogspot.com/
“Little Susie Homemaker”
We live in a VERY large modern city. It’s where the job is at the moment. So for now it will have to do. However, I like to create the life I had growing up in a very small easy going town…… in our home, for my family. And my kids are always drawn to it. They enjoy the soft easy going music, the home cooked meals {made from scratch as much as possible—even my own mixes and spices and condiments…..just like my great grandmother and sisters use to do}, the smell of fresh laundry being hung on the pipes in the basement in the winter…. or the fresh herbs from the garden in the summer. The city life is always so rushed, and hectic. So when I get those moments to recreate another “world” within our home…..I am so blessed with peace and a family who is calm….even in the midst of a storm.
As for your question of ” What web site/blog that inspires you to live a vintage life…a web site/blog that thrills your heart with all that is adorable, good, wholesome and old fashioned!! ??”
Why that would be THIS one of course! Love it so much. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, your family, and your ideas with so many. I am truly always inspired. Happy New Year to you and yours.
One of the many things I do to bless my family is to make our bread from scratch to include grinding the wheat berries with my Nutrimill. They say it tastes better than store bought which makes this mama happy.
God Bless,
Rebecca
I make my own bread, laundry soap, all my cleaning products, moisturizing lotion {I just did a post on it here ~ http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2013/01/amazing-homemade-lotion.html}, and all my food from scratch. Your blog is the one that inspires me the most! I just LOVE your uplifting spirit and the way you love your husband and family. Our world needs this encouragement right not!
I hang clothes outside to dry. An almost lost art (I’m 27.ha ha). I love to read theprairiehomestead.com so inspiring!
I always appreciate your encouraging and uplifting words. It makes me feel excited to be a joyful wife and mom!
Most times I am domestically challenged, but I always have our home cozy and comfy and decorated. I make a big deal of all the holidays, birthdays and even half birthdays. And we also keep Sunday as the day of rest. We go to church and have lunch with my in laws in one of our houses. We each take a Sunday a month. And that seems to be a vintage way of living right now.
Your blog is my favorite for vintage inspiration. And I also like http://www.laurieannasvintagehome.blogspot.com
Thanks for the opportunity to win such a generous give away!
We actually do quite a few vintage-y things around our “homestead.” Here are two daily items: I fix farm fresh eggs from my little flock of chickens every morning for breakfast, and serve our very own honey as well. Aunt Ruthie, YOUR blog is my go-to, down-home, old-fashioned, happy place to go :) Just like watching the Waltons or Little House on the Prairie..it gives me peace from this outside world ♥ Thanks for inspiring all of us! Bless ya!
LoVe your blog! One thing I do is hang my laundry – my crunchy towels dried in the sunshine makes my heart smile! (And keeps the power bill as low as possible.) And sometimes my son makes homemade laundry soap for me. Cute huh? Honestly, your blog inspires me most to live a vintage way of life. But…I think you want me to name another one….hmm, Old Centennial Farmhouse is a good one. Thank you for all you do!
I love adding vintage touches to make our home feel cozy. After all my Christmas bling was put away for another year I put my Grandma Minnie’s quilt on our dining room table. I always have many battery candles all over the house, they always set the mood for any occasion. I still burn real candles, too because they add a great homey aroma.
Smiles,
Carol
oh thank you thank you for your inspiring,happy thoughts, perfect timing too, I needed ‘Aunt Ruthie wisdom’, and lightheartedness to stay on track! like another ‘friend’ said on here, YOU give us peace from this outside world–bless you! :)
I have to put my vintage inspired apron on whenever I make cookies…my favorite thing to do!
Oops, forgot to add a blog/website…well, mainly yours is the one that inspires me MOST of all…but I also enjoy the Homestead Blessings ladies! http://thewestladies.blogspot.com/
I recently found your blog through Pinterest. Love how it’s inspirational in decorating and the word of God. I love all things vintage. I make my own laundry soap, hand cream and cook from scratch good ole Mexican foods for my family!! Happy new year may you achieve your goals Lord willing. God bless!!
I’m going to start by saying,it’s your blog ,that inspires me, lifts me up and encourage’s me to be a better wife and mommy. I try to bake a lot of yummy’s for my family, and we alway’s have supper at the table, every night, home cooked of course. Aunt Ruthie, could you please kepp me and my children and my hubby in your prayers,he will be deploying today, and my 10 year old is having a hard time with this. Blessing’s Ann
I love cooking for my family! I love to get out my great grandmother’s recipes and remember her cooking the same dishes for my when I was growing up. She was the ultimate vintage granny! I remember going to her house for Sunday dinner as a small child and she had no indoor plumbing and we would have to pluck the chickens we were having for dinner. Talk about fresh country livin’! I love your blog and the inspiration you give to all. Just reading the sweet words you have for all of us is so comforting in a world that is a bit harsh from time to time.
Hi,SOO0…. glad to see you back with all of your words that fill my heart even though I know them. It is still wonderful to have the LORD’S words comming from another person. Can’t explain it, just know how it makes me feel,”Wonderful.”
I can’t remember how I found your blog many years ago, but it is a daily visit for me. This is my first posting.
Susan Branch’s blog has been a blessing in a different way.There I post most of the time.
This isn’t an entry for your give away. I have so many Blessings around this house that I don’t need one more thing. Just stopped by to say I LOVE your Blog & you touch my heart. Blessings, Betty Marie
Dear Aunt Ruthie
First of all, thank you for your words of encouragement and blessings to everyone who reads your blog. I look forward to every new post. You inspire, bless, and make the world a better place. God bless you and your family always!
As far as vintage things I do: I love to bake pies, cookies, and cook every evening for my family. I value taking care of my family, by doing the daily “little” things for them. Warm beds, clean clothes, good meals, being there for them, etc.
Again, thank you.
I make my own bread, laundry soap, all my cleaning products, moisturizing lotion {i just did a post on this at my blog lorialexander.blogspot.com}, and all my food from scratch. Your blog is the one that inspires me the most! I just LOVE your uplifting spirit and the way you love your husband and family. Our world needs this encouragement right not!
P.S. I commented earlier but put a link on my comment so it may be in your spam box! So you don’t need to publish my comment twice.
Thank you for the opportunity to win one of these goodies. Love reading you blog. I make my own “instant” oatmeal packets in a big batch and then portion them out in the smaller ziplock baggies. Lots of recipes for that on-line. The one blog I really enjoy reading is from a family leading a contented life with simple, but very pleasant pictures: pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com.
Hey Aunt Ruthie!!! To start off I’ve found your blog last spring and I’ve read every post from the beginning. I don’t know if this counts but your blog is simply my favorite go to blog for a pick me up. I love how you give biblical references to everyday “womanhood.” Your blog is just so cozy and I love it! I come from a long line of southern ladies so I stick to the tradition of making all our meals from scratch. We live deep in the country where chickens running around the yard is the norm and growing a large garden is a way of life. I’m proud to say that I can all of our vegetables and fruits that we do not consume throughout the summer (I’m only 25). I have 3 small children so I like to keep the house clean and cozy by having things organized, fresh clean sheets on the beds and a hot meal to warm their tummies. There is nothing like getting into fresh clean sheets after a warm bath. In the springtime and early summer we leave the windows cracked a little so we can hear the crickets chirping at night. It reminds me of being with my Grandma. One little thing I like to do is keep handsoap on the sinks with a bottle of lotion right beside it. I take a bottle of bath and body lotion and take an old soap pump and clean it and screw it right into that lotion bottle and put the soap and lotion on the sink. So we can moisturize our hands right after we wash and dry. Last but not least, (this makes me feel old fashioned and comfortable) we go to a little white country church just like the ones you post in some of your pictures. Since I was a child I’ve been in an old country church and that simply “hugs my heart.” I could talk all day. We are going to Branson in June and I can’t wait to go to your shops!!!!!!!!! Thanks for always being there when we need an inspiring lift.
Really needed this inspiration today. I’ve got the post holiday “blah’s” and was having a hard time snapping out of it.
Thanks so much for the wonderful post and thank you for this incredible give-a-way! :)
((Hugs))
Laura
What a wonderful post, Aunt Ruthie! :)
Guess what? My hubby and I met Joey and Rory last Christmas when we saw them perform in New Jersey! They were perfectly adorable, friendly, sweet, and kind not to mention talented! (“That’s important to me” is one of my favorite songs of theirs, too! Dontcha want to go eat at Marcy Jo’s mealhouse? I know if my hubby and I ever get down to TN again, we’ll be going!
I think taking the time to write your blog for all of us is an incredible blessing!
Personally, I like baking things from scratch for my hubby. I know a lot of my friends go out to eat most nights, but I just looking cooking a nice warm supper up to bless my hubby with. :)
I’m not sure how vintage this blog would be considered to be, but it does inspire me- “A Joyful Chaos” is the blog of Mary Ann, who grew up Amish. I love reading the stories she shares growing up, in a family full of love, simplicity, and happiness. Equally amusing are the tales she tells now about her own children growing up. http://ajoyfulchaos.blogspot.com/ I think you will enjoy reading this blog as much as I do!
Thank you very much for the blog giveaway. It is kind and considerate of you. Happy 2013!!
~ Mandy
I try to keep fresh baked goodies, full of love, for my family, I make my own laundry soap, so when the hubby wears his clothes, he can smell, how I help surround him with “love”…but these days, I keep looking to my facebook family and friends, for Blessings…my baby sister’s grandbaby is in the PIC Unit, awaiting Open Heart Surgery, Addie is only 4 months old, so all my thoughts, my daily routine, my Prayers, are for Addie…She defiantly needs some Blessings, and Prayers!!! If I’m lucky enough to win anything, it will be for Addie <3
I like to prepare my meals from scratch. I bake our bread, make our cheese and yogurt. I pray for my family!
I LOVE churning butter! I purchased a hand-crank churn with a beautiful glass jar the screws on, and I make butter. That’s me, the butter-maker. I buy heavy cream anywhere from whole foods, local farms, to Kroger and churn away. I add salt to taste (sea salt specifically), and my family relishes a taste from times gone by. Butter makes us happy.
I am a stay-home mom and I love finding frugal ways of living. I make my own laundry soap, have a recipe blog full of yummy stuff, and love love all things vintage. I collect aprons and just love wearing them around the kitchen. One of my fave blogs is The Farm Chicks. Thanks!
I love to tie on one of my mother’s aprons as it reminds me of her and how she wore an apron every day, whether cooking or not it seemed… I thought all mothers wore aprons from sun up to sundown growing up! I love to bake goodies that make my house smell sweet and comforting!
I love Susan Branch’s blog too! Love all her old dishes! I love to make and decorate sugar cookies for various holidays and parties. I did it with my kids, and now my grand kids! We still use the same kid aprons from my kids for the grand kids! I also have a collection of green depression glass that I like to use for tea parties, etc.
Hi Aunt Ruthie!
I like to make home made cookies, brownies, treats like that to share with family and friends. I love burning “homey” candles and creating a cozy atmosphere in our home.Your blog is an inspiration to me, you share your life, your family and your love for the Lord in a beautiful way. God bless you! What an amazing give a way, bless your heart, I pray that your are blessed greatly in return!
Take care and happy January!
xo
I make many things from scratch-bread and freezer jams are my favorites. As far as websites, yours is my favorite but I also love August Fields.
I long for the simpler days. I decorate my home in all things prim and vintage. I bake for my family at least twice a week. I love for them to walk in and smell the sweet smell of something baking in the oven. It makes memories that they’ll never forget. I also bake goodies and sell them at an antique shop here in our town of Salem, Missour called Gateway to Memories & More. I just love being able to share my fresh baked goods with people. Aside from your blog which I just LOVE, I love browsing a website called Sweet Magnolia’s Farm. They have wonderful vintage goodies like flour sack towels, signs and much more. Many of their items have the Lord woven into them : ) To shop their site, you actually have to go to their Etsy store, you should definitely check it out! Have a blessed day Ruthie!
I need to start finding and collecting vintage-y stuff – so I can create dreams and coziness like you.
My hubby and I have many many times said that we were born in the wrong era. :) I bake my own breads, pies and sweeties. I am a stay at home housewife. I cook homemade meals (my hubby loves and brags on them) Our boys are both grown. Our oldest son still lives here in Kansas and is married & has made us a maw maw & paw paw. Being a maw maw has been one of the best things I’ve ever had the honor of being. I too LOVE chalkboards. We make them often. We also make wooden signs with scripture on them. And yes, I am an apron gal!! Our homes decor is cozy/farmhouse style. My husband and I generally play a couple of rounds of marbles on an old fashioned/homemade marble board after supper in the evenings. So far I haven’t found any other site that I like as well as yours…so Sugar Pie Farmhouse is my very favorite. I enjoy your pictures, scriptures and apparent love for the Lord, family & farmstyle. Which is right up my alley. ~God Bless~ Stormy
First of all, let me say that your blog provides me with inspiration at a different level than most I read. It cements a relationship with God as the prime pivotal point for success at any level, and I want to thank you for that! I am a homeschool mama of 15 years now. When you walk in my back door (where FRIENDS enter!) you are immediately thrown back into time. I have a deep love for antiques and times past. I love the ‘old-fashioned’ way to do most anything, and love to cook from scratch, make my own cleaning supplies and to heal with food and herbal treatments. I work hard to instill in my children the same love and appreciation that I have, holding on tightly to moral values that are quickly disappearing in today’s society. I treasure all things home and family and long to be an inspiration to those who cross my path. Thank you for inspiring ME, Aunt Ruthie!
I like to make homemade cookies, pies, breads and I make my own laundry soap. I got chickens last April so now I like to call myself a “chicken farm girl”. It brings me joy!
Blogs that inspire me is your blog and Prairie Flower Farm.
I have to thank you for this post, it spoke straight to me and the great thing is I was given my word while reading it…..”kindness”. I need to work harder on my words and being kind in my home a lot more than I have been. Thank you so much for speaking on things that are so important for us homemakers, moms and wives to hear and think on.
I do many things vintage (sad it’s call that). I make my own bread from scratch, make my own laundry soap, make my own fabric softner. I don’t buy anything processed. I usually make everything fresh…nothing is bought in a package or a can. I make homemade hot cocoa mix to cream of chicken soup. Makes me happy to see I’m taking care of my family by feeding them good things. I strive to be a proverbs 31 woman. :-) As far as blogs that inspire me…there are too many to mention but I have to say Sugar Pie Farmhouse is at the top of my list along with…. http://aspiring-homemaker.blogspot.com/ Thanks for offering this great giveaway…love it all!!!
Your blog always brings peace, and the love of our Lord. My words every day are “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
I have 3 grandchildren, they always ask for their favorite foods when we have family dinners. Homemade rolls, special dessert and pies are the big ones. On Christmas we always have a birthday party for Jeses, cake and all the trimmings.
I would love to win your darling items. Thank you for a blog that is so filled with God and inspiration.
What I try to do is keep everything simple. I love everything country, rustic and old (this is what is on my blog) and I love anything red in my kitchen….
But what I do is cook most every item from scratch, home-made…meals, bread, cookies, pies sweets…..started out because of food reactions but now has become a way of life. I also love to have young families from our church over for family meals because they don’t have any family near by.
I love your blog and come here often to re-read your post to inspire me on how to do things around the home. I just love your photos of around your place.
Thank you,
Pat
I have always loved to cook and I have a collection of cookbooks the older the better. I love to have things from the past in my house not just for decor but for everyday use. I love placing Gladys Tabor books around so that whenever I have a free moment I can relax with a cup of coffee and read a little. I love using older cookware and have several of my familys that have been passed on to me. With seven grandkids it is hard not to have a great time in the kitchen baking. Having the old vintage gadgets like the hand mixers make it that much funner for the grandkiddles. I will always have a home with vintage things in it whether they were handed down from family or found in a tag sale. Vintage has always been in my heart and heart is where the home is.
I now live by myself since my sweet husband went to live with the Lord and all my little chicks have flown the coop.
I still try to live a simple and farmy life in my little cottage by making my own laundry soap and giving some of it to each of my girls. They’re not converts yet but they will be soon.
The man next door has been shoveling my snow all winter. Just because, he says, so I bake treats for him and his wife as a way of thanking them and they love it
I love, love, love your blog :) You always have such sweet things to share and are always a blessing to me.
Oh! Just some of the words I needed to have on my heart today! Last year brought about so many major changes in my life (moving, child getting married, losing 70 pounds, etc….) I seem like a lost puppy when it comes to finding my focus again. So many wonderful thoughts to ponder today.
THNAK YOU!!
And a very happy new year!
Although we have 2 children that are grown now, & have moved on; it is just my husband & I. Whenever, any problem arises in the family, they call on mom to pray & intercede. It is not that they do not pray, but they know that mom storms the heavens. So I hope in this way, I am a blessing to my family!
This morning, It was rainy and gray. I needed a word of encouragement and I knew you’d share something that would lift us all. I follow your blog and always look forward to each new post. I was raised in the country and we lived simply. Your blog helps me to not forget all the precious memories that I have. God Bless you and yours. Thank You!
Vintage and homey….I guess the best thing is grind my own wheat and make my own whole wheat bread, rolls etc. I love it hot out of the oven with lots of butter! I also have the chickens in my backyard so we have farmfresh eggs everyday….and chickens on my towels, on my pottery bowls on my counter, (one of which is filled with popcorn kernals to make homemade kettle corn, frequently ~smile~), and chickens on my shelves, just in case i miss seeing the ones outside when they aren’t allowed out of the coop.
I also love my aprons and am looking for dresses like gramma used to wear (40s styles) so much fun!
And I burn my candles to remind my self to pray for my hubby and children whenever I see them.
Homey to see and wonderful to smell!
Guess that’s about it.
Thank you for your wonderful blog! You seem to live by the same “rules of life” I do and it is indeed a blessing!
Lovely post! Just what I needed this morning.
I live just up the road from you in Springfield…but my mom’s ‘folks’ are Taney county people from way back. Though we live in the middle of a busy town I like to make a beautiful, simple little life for my son and hubby. I love cooking healthy meals from scratch, reading the classics with my son and making our little home a place of refuge. I am always so inspired when I read your blog. From your words of encouragement…to the sweet little touches you give to your home…to the unapologetic way your give the Glory to our Lord. Thank you for being a blessing!
My daughters and I love making cookies out of my Betty Crocker “Cooky Book” which was published in 1963. Our favorite is the best chocolate chip cookies of 1935-1940. I have not started yet (must use up the detergent that I have) but have bought all the ingredients to make my own laundry soap.
Wishing you and yours of blessed New Year!
I always feel so uplifted after reading your posts. The world needs more ladies like you.
I’m so excited about this give away…I love it all!!!
♥Linsey
I am a country girl living in the city,I try to make our home warm and inviting the way I remember my great grandmothers. I love everything vintage and over the years have collected and filled our home with these treasures . Aunt Ruthie,I love to read about your life on the farm and how you make your house a home, but most of all your love for God when I read the verses along with your stories they fill my heart.
Ah, Aunt Ruthie. Visiting your blog is no doubt like visiting your own home – soooooooo comforting.
I am currently a working mom (still working on getting home) and I get so very discouraged. I desire to stay home but my husband feels I need to work. I have my own office, make good money but what I wouldn’t do to get home!
I love visiting your blog and doing what I can to make my tone happy after a hard day, to bake cookies in my vintage apron and to encourage my family.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your blog. I love your blog best but another one I like is Honey Hill Farm at http://honeyhillfarmshan.blogspot.com/. Shan is just cuddly sweet – like you.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Hi Ruthie!
Oh, I just love your blog. It is a spot of sunshine on a foggy day (like we are having right now.) Thank you for your encouragement and pointing us to the Lord. What a blessing! To make my home cozy, I just like to put small touches around that are “pretties” as my grandma used to say. I have picture frames with Scriptures and little sayings around my kitchen. I love using doilies and placemats. Changing displays for the seasons is also something I do. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen and making meals and sweet treats for my wonderful husband (we are empty-nesters). As far as a blog that inspires me I have several – love yours, Susan Branch and Gooseberry Patch. A few that I “must read” every day, besides those of my friends, are Chickens in the Road and Prairie Flower Farm.
Blessings!
Thank you for these sweet words of encouragement. My heart so needed to hear them today. I have been wanting to meditate more on scripture and these verses were perfect. I love reading your blog, it’s my favorite actually! However if I had to (was forced to) pick another blog to love, I’d pick Susan Branch’s as well. Love Willard!!!! One thing I love to do that’s kind of vintage in my own house is baking old family recipes. Pies from my Grammy that’s since passed or her famous pasta sauce. Thank you again, and I’d love to win your treasures!
There is not a lot of vintage going on in our home right now, mainly because we’re living with my husband’s grandparents for the time being. If there is one thing I used to do and still trying to do, is just simply have supper at the table every night with the TV OFF. We have been trying to turn the TV off more and more. I know it doesn’t seem that vintage, but in this day and age, supper around the table is a rarity with this generation. It has always been a priority for us. One of my favorite vintage websites (besides this one) is also The Farm Chicks (thefarmchicks.typepad.com)
Thanks for reminding us what’s important in life and giving me (personally) some inspiration!
Ruthie…I’ve been following your blog for some time now; I am always excited to see a new posting! I, too, am one of those who thinks I should have been born a generation earlier (I’m 59) Love country farmhouse everything…grew up in the country but now live in a small city; I recently have started making as much of my food from scratch as possible for health reasons. We always had a garden and put away food for winter (homegrown not refined or processed) I have always loved aprons, wear mine every day. I would have to say your blog is my favourite; its such a blessing and so inspiring. There is another blog I follow, a local lady to me, her blog is called The Blessed Hearth. Thank you Ruthie for all you do here for us; we need old time morals and values and to return to the home again and bring God back into our lives. Till next time…..
Cheryl from Canada
Hi, Ruby
You bless my heart ever time. By the way, you live in the best city. I love Branson, MO, use to visit there all the time when I lived in Springfield.
Hugs,
Vanessa
Thank you for today’s blog,..it’s just great, as always.
I am inspired by, and follow, your Sugar Pie Farm House blog, and was so very happy to find it about a year ago. I have followed Susan Branch’s blog since day one, and have long been a fan of her art and inspired by her works. I also follow (and shop) with Nanalulu’s linens and hankerchiefs (lots of vintage ideas, and inspiration). I follow and enjoy many others on FaceBook including Sun Baked Treasures, Distressed Cottage, and Romantically Vintage. Huge source of inspiration and entertainment!
I try my own hand with revisiting years past in my life and home in many ways. I use all my mom’s recipies, and share them with others, so as not to lose the ‘fifties’ feel of home baked goods, and getting the most from the value of the shopping dollar. I use her rolling pin, and many very old bowls and pans. I still have her Betty Crocker cook books from the 50’s. I make my own aprons, and love vintage linens. I make lavender sachets from old lace and fabric for gifts, and to decorate. I hang out the laundry to dry in the good weather. I collect vintage table cloths, and use them on a daily basis, my favorite is my grandmothers. Many a year I did my own gardening and canning, freezing and preserving, including harvesting the grapes from the 50 year old grape arbor in my yard (now gone due to a heavy freeze) to make jam and jelly. I am also well versed in fishing, and the prep of said fish for cooking! Venison as well, having spend many a ‘watch’ out hunting with a bow and or a shotgun, and then doing the skinning and butchering of the meat for the freezer. I love to make my own bread, and baked goods. I also am trying to guide my grandson into playing outside with the ‘old fashioned’ ways of sledding, playing ball, and marbles, instead of being in front of the tv or the computer. Thanks for the chance to win your wonderful goodies, they all look incredible!
Your blog is such a breath of fresh farmy air to my soul. In a world of hurry up and want it now when I visit your blog I can pause, reflect, fill up and recharge. I love Susan Branch stuff also.
We buy local farm fresh eggs, four dozen a week! We buy local made honey and anything else that’s offered local. I love making pies and love homemaking breads and sharing goodies with our neighbors and friends. I love sewing quilts and sipping tea. I love collecting all things vintage and farmy in my house, especially my kitchen. My most recent find is an old dough table with the flour n sugar bins. It’s right in the heart of my kitchen. I too have four children and love to have them by my side in the kitchen creating together.
I love your blog, thank you for sharing.
Your blog, as stated by so many others, is my very favorite! When my facebook feed pops up with another new blog from you, I stop everything and immediately hop on over to see what’s new. Your faith and family-geared way of living is a refreshing change of pace from what we are exposed to these days and it’s like opening the front door to a best friend’s home and visiting with someone who I’ve known forever! We have a 1930’s log cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks as a summer home. Nearly everything inside is vintage and what I love most is using vintage items such as homemade pot holders and sweet dishes from years ago. I did make my own laundry soap last year and now that we’re out, will make another batch soon. One of the blogs I enjoy is: http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca . Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us!
Hay IS for horses, Aunt Ruthie! But, Hey is for farm girls! I enjoy your blog so much–it gives me so much inspiration! From cooking, to decorating, and living for the Lord–you encourage me so much!
Some things I love to do to bring a little bit of vintage living to my family are quilting and sewing clothing! It’s nice to find myself doing things my grandmother’s used to do without thinking about it! And I often find myself thinking about them while I’m doing these little “homemaking” things.
Love, love that old fashioned candle and the cookbook! Must look for those! I also enjoy following you on Pinterest–your photos are great!
In winter I love to make homemade biscuits and soup. Nice and cozy meal when it is cold and snowy outside.
One of my favorite blogs (other than yours!) is Coffee Tea Books and me.
thanks for this Post! I can all of our garden produce. We are sure enjoying it right now! I also cross stitch-currently am finishing up one for each of my grandchildren so they will have something to remember me by in the years to come. We also do not have a furnace.We live in a log cabin in the woods, so we keep warm here in Kansas by a big stone fireplace. A blog i like is http://www.littlehouseontheprairieliving.com. Quite interesting.
Happy New Year, thank you for posting,I have been checking daily since January first for a “new” post!!! As for inspirational blogs, your blog was one the first I came across from Gooseberry Patch website, never heard of home blogs prior! I have mentioned before but must thank you for praying for everyone who leaves comments. I remember you mentioned your prayers some time ago and never forgot. I do the same with my small FB family-friends. We live with all my beloved late grandmother’s antiques, furniture, linens from a Victorian era lady I was named after who helped my grandfather right from Greece to realize his American dream and in turn do for his future generations. She was from Germany, have old silver in pretty white creamers, aprons we use daily by the kitchen, her recipes by hand, as treasures.my daughters learned to cook from my grandmother’s example, generosity. being from Charleston SC, I have so many values to be grateful for…hospitality, always be welcoming, manners and words important, extend kindness….Thank you for this blog, and inspiration in this celebrity, pop culture driven society we live . God Bless!
I love your blog! Just makes me smile!!! :) You are always soo positive and I just love the photos! Thank you for reminding us what life is all about! Hope you have many blessings for the new year!
Hey Ruthie;
Great post. I’d like to thank you for sharing the video of Joey & Rory. It was the first time I heard of them. I loved the song! It is exactly what life is all about.
I live on a farm (previously known as Spruce Creek Farm) and in a two story Victorian Farm house built in 1911. It is a work in progress; it’s in need of some TLC!
Here’s my link to my homemade laundry soap.
http://bcronmiller.blogspot.com/2012/06/laundry-soap-homemade.html
Here is the link to my home-made vanilla extract.
http://bcronmiller.blogspot.com/2012/12/recipe-for-homemade-vaniilla-extract.html
I look forward to your post! Keep up the great work!
Brenda
I love all things vintage especially old cookbooks.
Homemade laundry soap is simple to make and smells wonderful. As far as blogs go, Aunt Ruthie, yours is definitely my favorite. When I read your posts, they always lift me up, encourage me and teach me. Thank you!
Thank you for your words! You give me something to think about each time I read your blog.
The one vintagey thing that I do is cook and bake from scratch (when I have the time). I especially love granny’s recipes…and so does husband. I also have a “thing” for retro aprons!
Aunt Ruthie, your blog inspires me!!!
Love your website. I visit every day. You have a lovely home, I think your pantry is amazing. Thank you for providing such sweet place to visit.
I always look forward to your blog posts. You encourage me and inspire me. I am a stay at home mom and we need that. I also love all your decorating, I am into the same things- vintage-y farmhouse old fashioned goodness. What warms my heart the most is when you speak of our Lord. It’s just goodness here. Thank you! You truly are a blessing and may your New Year be a blessing to you and your family! XO
You ARE a BLESSING! Every blog post is assuring and uplifting. After nearly 25 years, my job was eliminated and I have spent the past 4 months at home. Working outside the home for so long, I wasn’t sure how good I would be at staying home. Well… I love it! We have recently done a kitchen makeover (http://www.tracypcreates.blogspot.com/2012/07/cabinet-transformation.html) and have turned our back patio into an outdoor room (http://www.tracypcreates.blogspot.com/2012/08/come-and-sit-awhile.html), creating my favorite spot to read and visit – when our Northwest weather allows! I love to be HOME. My husband loves it, too, and my 10-year old son recently commented that he loves “all the homemade meals”. Thank you for sharing God’s word, encouraging us and spoiling us with gifts!
Thank you for sharing your heart and blessings with us! I adore yiur blog and am so inspired with every phrase! I also enjoy CraftyGemIni.blogspot.com which is a blog about a family on a 5 acre farm. Vanessa sews, cooks, bakes, and has an organic garden filled with lucious greens. She shares videos, tutorials and stories about her family’s life on their farm, and is so heart warming to my soul. Her children & husband are blessed to have her as their “gift”! … I try to pattern my life after the Lord’s heart, giving as much as I can. I look for opportunities to wrap someone in love with homemade goodies, a soft word, a wave or a big smile of joy! I too, design & sew crafts. I mostly sew for children, those in my family, my step cchildren, church and friends. I designed, made and gave 100 toys to the “Shoebox” children this year. I don’t have children of my own, so I am always thankful when the Lord sends some my way! God bless you Aunt Ruthie, and may His Light always be the “beacon of your heart”!
Thank you for sharing the link to the song. I really liked it a lot.
And, thank you, for sharing your family, friends, home, and faith with us. You’re an inspiration! I can’t believe how quickly the family is growing. Exciting times.
I’ve been so inspired by your blog! I make my own laundry soap and started a gratitude journal after reading your posts. I try to take delight in taking care of our home and making healthy homemade meals. I either pack my husband a homemade lunch or bring him a hot lunch to work everyday! I know he appreciates it and is so grateful to know that I love to take care of him. I love your blog of course! Susan Branch is also a favorite – and wildflowersandmarbles.blogspot.com, an inspiring blog by a Catholic mom.
Ruthie,
I’m just an older lady (65) who still does things the way my Mother and Grandmothers did. I do make my own laundry soap, which I got from your blog, and I don’t rely on ready made food–well, not very often anyway. My husband and I use wood heat in our home and love to cosy up to the stove on cold winter nights. Our home is decorated in various ways, some of it primative, some Colonial, some outdoorsy, and one room in Steelers motif. Yes, we are big Steelers fans. I still cook holiday dinners and gather the family for their traditional foods. Now, however, some of those foods are altered by allergies and sensitivities, but I just adjust as necessary.
My favorite blog??? Why, yours, of course. So sweet and full of good ideas. Keep up the good work. Betty Lou
We do travel, and have been to Branson 3 times and love it.
Oh, I enjoy your blog posts and updates on your sweet family! One of my favorite quotes of all times is a quote from Elisabeth Elliot’s husband, Jim..”Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” And to accomplish this herculean task I must be grounded in the Word Of God! So every morning I make my first farmgirl priority a meeting with Jesus: my Bible, pen, paper and a cup of coffee! I must have some facetime with my Lord if I want to be able to accomplish whatever He may have for me.Then I am able to be the blessing to my family, friends, neighbors and whomever the Lord puts in my path, that I’ve been called to be! Blessings to you in this brand, spankin’ new 2013!
I’m just a country girl at heart. I love my small little farmstead here in Oklahoma. I have a small flock of chickens and barn kitties, and from time to time you may just find pigs or calves living here. Nothing says love like laundry dried by the sun. I love to make quilts to warm each of my family members. I have four grown children and 3 grandbabies and they all have blankets of love to wrap around them. I found your blog qiute some time ago and have shared it with many others. You are an inspiration to so many and to top it off, you live in one of my most favorite places in the whole wide world. I love the Ozarks, the slower paced life, and the people !!! I hope the new year finds you filled to the brim with “blessings” !!!! God Bless !!!
Such a beautiful post today~~And as I start a new job today it is everything I needed to read and ‘hear’
Bless you!!
I have five kids and my baby boy’s 1st birthday is today!! We have had a rough winter and he is still sick, and we will have to celebrate in doors, but I love him dearly. I think taking care of your kids with a happy heart when they are sick and making homemade chicken soup is the thing I have done lately.
As far as a website, I actually get giddy when I see yours come up in my inbox. I love your faith in God and you inspire me to take my daily chores of a family of 7 and do it with a happy grateful heart.
Thank you!
Rebecca L. Utah age 32
I think it’s important to revisit how things are done both in the home and relationships really often. The beginning of the new year is a wonderful time to do this.
Making detergent from scratch, making homemade cleansers, looking at items that need to be tossed in a new light to see if they can be “repurposed”, and saving seeds to plant more plants/vegetables in our garden is what I’m presently doing. I’ve been reading to learn how to do more things efficiently, save money and to live as honorably to The Lord as possible.
I live in a rural community is Washington State and spend much of my time writing about country living and agriculture. For my home, I do a lot of red-work and boutis work. Both vintage stitching. I love these two art forms, and it makes me feel connected to the women of the past. But, I also bake homemade bread, ferment foods using fermenting pots, make raw cheeses, grow a garden and can. My theory is, that everything old is always new again.
I was raised on the farm and always loved the old weathered look of wood and vintage items. So I enjoy working with my hands and creating rustic wood signs to share and my kids help me with my passion.
What I do for my family is raise a garden and can everything I can get my hands on…I share with them then. I love knowing we are eating healthy and not eating chemicals that are in all the processed foods in the store! That’s why I love Mavis’ blog at http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/. She gardens, pinches pennies, does crafts, cooks and cans!
As I read your blog today, I was overwhelmed with Gods joy. The scriptures are so inspiring. Thank you so much for listening to our Father in heaven. I pray that as you continue to be a blessing to so many of us this year that God will bless you and your family.
Oh, I am so grateful for you! You are constantly reminding me to slow down and be grateful. We live in a large bustling city full of 2 income families who have no time for their kids or friends. We decided when we first got married (19 years ago) that we would be a single income home and that I would stay home with our children. I now homeschool my 11 & 14 year olds. We have recently added chickens to our home and an extensive garden. Bees will be coming in the spring. We don’t go out to eat or wear new clothes as a single income home, but we do have home cooked meals grown in our garden, fresh bread and happy children.
This school year we are calling the “Year of Discovery”. I have pulled out of stringent schooling and am allowing my children to learn and pursue what God has gifted them with. They are discovering who they are and how God has created them. We are busy with fun classes, trips and Scouting events but overall our home is happy and we have dinner every night around our little table.
Doing the right thing isn’t easy. Being the only financially tight family in our circle of friends isn’t easy. When I look at my family though, we are giving them something money can’t every buy. We are breaking the norm and giving them a stable loving family who puts God above all else and who relies on Him for everything.
Thank you, Aunt Ruthie, for your inspiration and rays of sunshine. They always brighten my day. Even my 11 year old son likes to sit on my lap and read your new blog with me. Keep ’em comin’!
Your posts are always such a blessing! I love getting together with extended family too. Praying this summer to be able to fly to SC w/my 3 children to visit their great-grandmother who is almost 96! Also to drive to MN to celebrate my father-in-law’s 75th.
I live in the city (Denver) and have a small yard, but every year the kids and I plant several small veggie & herb garden spots. We’ve also planted 6 fruit trees & raspberry bushes. Hoping they all start producing in the next couple of years so we can make jam.
The homiest blogs I read are yours, Susan Branch’s, and Prairie Flower Farm. Love all the sewing, cooking, and decorating ideas.
At our house we do most things homemade. Must confess that it isn’t to be homey but to save money. I think “having” to do this made it seem much less of a comfort and more of a chore through the years. After being led to your blog, my perspective is changing and God is bringing me joy in the little moments. Have always loved cozy, homey, at grandma’s house type feel in the home so whatever adds to that is a go around here. I have always felt that the Lord Jesus makes the difference in turning a house into a home. Thank you for your blog. It is helping bring me out of the craziness of many kids and responsibilities back to the joy of creating a haven in our home. Perspective changes so much.
I just love reading your posts, you inspire me to get back to what’s really important. Thank you! I like to bake with my kids. This year we want to start baking bread. Nothing yummier than the smell of fresh bread! Posie Gets Cozy is one of my favorites, she has a wonderful way of sharing the simple pleasures in life.
I do lots of different things, but I believe the most important of them is we always sit down and eat dinner together. It’s not easy when we’re all busy, but it’s imperative that we spend the time together at the end of our busy day to re-group as a family.
I love your blog. There is always one “special” sentence that just strikes a note for the day. Your home is beautiful and you can just tell it is filled with love.
I,too, am a Susan Branch reader. I really like reading both of your blogs. I made the laundry detergent(powdered) and shared with my girls. I get so tickled with the “new” mason jar trend. A LOT of us have been using jars for drinking ans storage for YEARS. Growing up in Oklahoma we got a jelly brand called Garden Club. Their jelly comes in a reusable glass, and now I have found it in Kansas at Wal*mart. I am a happy camper!
I guess I still live a vintage life because that is what I know. I still sew clothes and crafts, cook supper every night and am a stay-at-home wife and grandma. I love it.
I just started making my own laudry soap based on your blog post and I love it!! I even found an adorable glass container to put it in. I enjoy baking for my family and others and I love using my grandma’s cookie jar! Everytime I look at it, it takes me back to when we were kids and would run into her house and go straight for the good stuff! :0) I love so many blogs but Homeward Found and Serendipity Redefined have great vintage ideas
I live on the family farm that has been in my family for years. My granddaughter will be sixth generation to be a part of the farm. The farm has changed a lot over the years. My dad and brother have both went to Heaven and my husband and I work off of the farm. We rent out all of the land to another farmer. It is not feasible for us to farm, but we would never give up our land. I still raise steers each year to provide us with beef. We never buy meat in the grocery store. I like to walk out to the steer lot and know I am walking in the same steps my grandparents walked in. I can almost hear and see them sometimes. I hear my dad’s wisdom and words daily. I miss my brother terribly. He was 45 when he died after fighting a long battle with cancer. I always expected him to take care of the farm and I would be the silent partner. Although, I am not very silent. But one must go on. I am blessed to still have a mother who at 77 remains involved and keeps starting over. She lost her husband when he was 67 and then her farm was destroyed by a tornado in 2006 and her only son died in 2011. She remains faithful to the Lord. All of the ways I live my life in a vintage way is because of her.
Thank you for your words of encouragement. Just what I needed today. I’m very tired of giving myself pity parties, and do desperately want bless others. Thank you for being so positive, gentle and encouraging. God bless your life as well!
Aunt Ruthie, you are such an inspiration to me. Love the vintageness of your blog, your decorating and that you aren’t shy about sharing your faith in our Lord. That right there is most of the inspiration to me. It is so refreshing and to know that I live close to you is exciting to me. I live just a couple of hours south of you and feel a kinship with you. I love vintage aprons (have several) and try to incorporate anything vintage into my home. I work fulltime and also have a “booth” that I love. I have seen several blogs with a “word of the year” and really couldn’t think of one until I read this post. Blessing is what I want to be to the people around me. So I guess that will be my word this year. God richly bless you and your family in this wonderful new year.
Just want to thank you for a beautifully written post. So wonderful to start the New Year right and be reminded of what we should be focusing on everyday. I heard this morning that ‘every act of kindness that we can give to a neighbor lets us see the face of God.’. I love to bless my family in any way that I can. I make food from scratch as much as I can because I believe that they can see the love that goes into it. Always good smells comin’ from my kitchen. I am of Italian descent and we spell love F-O-O-D! Even if it is something as simple as making my son a yummy lunch to take to school. To me (and him) brown bagging it means someone packed some ‘love’ into that bag AND he doesn’t have to wait on the long line at school for his lunch. Sometimes I pack extra treats for his friends. They love it. We try to fill our house with laughter. Since he was little we rip out the comics from the newspaper and read them at dinner time just so we can have a little laugh together. We love the old comedian radio shows, even hearing the commercials make us laugh. We also pray together, to me that is the most important way to bless our family. As far as websites with vintage flair yours is the top for inspiring home and family for me. I always go through withdrawal when I am waiting for a new blogpost from you. I have 3 to recommend, though they are not farmhouse vintage in decorating…..sorry. “71toes.blogspot” challenges me to bless my family. Her blog promotes wholesome and good family values and her photography is beautiful. “Samantaleelee.blogspot” is another one that promotes good family value and inspires me. Last but not least is keepnthesunnyside.blogspot. She is a sugarpie sister! She and her family are adorable and she makes so many crafts and home cooking from scratch!
I just started making laundry soap, and I can all of our jams and jellies. Grew a great garfen this summer and put lots in the freezer. We get our meat from the neighbour who raises his animals a they should be, lots of sun and grass. I have a flock of hens for eggs and meat. And, I am learning to make rugs for my floors.I love your blog of course! And one from a young woman in New York, coldantle farm…I hope your year is filled with blessings and joy. PAM
Your web site , Aunt Ruthy is my inspiration. Some how each new blog is something I needed to hear. I try to do things the old fashioned way, like canning, sewing etc., and teaching those things to my children and grandchildren!
oh my such a difficult task to pick a website, I love so many. Yours of course, is a great inspiration, I also love Susan Branch, and I love Retrorenovation too. I also pin on Pinterest from all sorts of people who do vintage. It reminds me of the slower days of the past wher morals did count. I try to live the vintage life by cooking from scratch as much as possible, and have vintage stuff all around me, including photos of family. I have a passion to fill mu home with things that entice the senses and invoke memories of days gone by. I like to tell stories about the family objects. I would love your giveaway to infinity! Everything is gorgeous and would be a joy to behold with all five senses.
Aunt Ruthie,
My three boys and my husband love when i bake from-scratch pies with fresh peaches from our very own precious peach tree! I also love finding adorable baskets to fill with those lovely peaches to give to friends and neighbors. I find daily encouragement from the eloquent, hilarious, humble, and honest blogging of flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com
Wow, I can’t compete with some of the others but I wanted you to know how much I look forward to your posts! I would love one everyday!
It’s funny that you chose Blessings as your topic. It has been a favorite WORD of mine for years but over the past year I have tried to LIVE it. It’s so easy to get down and focus on the negative.
My husband and I weren’t blessed with biological children but instead have what I call, “A Family of the Heart”. In the past we have fostered many children–some for only a short time but they will always be a part of my family. Some had never had a sit down home cooked meal. Even using cloth napkins was a big deal. You know you’ve made an impression when you come home from work to find that the teenagers you thought didn’t care , have cooked their first meal by themselves, set the table with the ‘good dishes”, used cloth napkins and even had place cards that the younger kids made.
Candles were lit and soft music was playing on the stereo. ( this had to be painful for the teens!) cold meat and burnt potatoes never tasted so good! At night they snuggled under my grandmas quilts and were sent off to sleep with a kiss a prayer and sweet dreams.
I love anything vintage and even some of my kids learned to like my “old stuff”. They are all on their own now but some still call me Mom (the best word EVER!) they come for holidays, birthdays and best of all–just cuz!
It’s easy to get down on what you’ve missed or no longer have but my memories and knowing I have maybe made difference in someone’s life is a true blessing.
My greatest joy is my family and doing for them.
I have always felt I was born in the wrong era. The 30s and 40s is where my heart is. Flour sack pillow cases that my grandma made are what I sleep on at night. Washed in the homemade soap I make from the recipe you posted a while back. I Love the smell of soap!
I could go on but my fingers are tired!
You are such an inspiration to me. Your posts come just when I need a lift and your verses are usually what I need to hear at the time. As I struggle with my faith, your words remind me that there is a God. I pray with each new day that my faith will grow and I can live a truly God filled life and be the kind of wife and mother that you are. You are a blessing to me.
I love it when I see an email pop up that you have posted to your blog. It is always so uplifting. I love hearing about your family and looking at your decorations. I would love to have a kitchen/pantry like yours. May God Bless you. Keep posting – Love it!
Love this post! So inspiring. We live in a huge city but I would love to live in the country. I try to keep a little country feel by wearing cute ruffled apron’s when I cook and I do a lot of cooking using many family recipe’s passed down through generations of country cooks. I also try to keep the farm house feel by keeping shelves stacked with bowls, measuring cups and cook books readily available. I keep lots of cute rooster and hen decorations in my kitchen.
Your website is definitely one that inspires vintage love and I too follow Susan Branch. Her calendar hangs in my den and I am now collecting linen kitchen towels, inspired by her blog.
Thank you! Many blessings to you and your family.
Marie
Aunt Ruthie: thanks for the inspiration today! I will say that verse when I get out of bed everyday too! and that “land of discontentment” well that really got to me! Thanks for such inspiration. I love it. Noelle
I lost everything I owned in a massive fire in 2003. That experience launched me into an unexpected direction for a chemistry professor — the pursuit of learning to create beautiful things and restore old things. In the aftermath of the disaster, I learned to make my own cold process soap. Making soap is one of the most rewarding activities I’ve ever done. And my husband, friends and family love the soap! The smells are delicious and there is nothing like good, old-fashioned, handmade soap…
A blog that I absolutely love is “LaurieAnna’s Vintage Home”. Inspiring and beautiful! (Although I really love your blog — a relatively new discovery for me!)
I just arrived home from the hair salon from one of my favorite days of the month where the constant friendly chatter of dear friends echoes off the walls . When I walked in the door , I checked my email and found I had a lovely surprise from Aunt Ruthie. We just finished cleaning and storing the holiday decorations yesterday, so the house looks company ready today. The favorite Christmas gift given this year was the perfectly seasoned , ready to use cast iron skillet given to my soon to be daughter in law. Who doesn’t love that pan of cornbread made in that black wonder pan. Will just throw a log into the wood stove and pour a cuppacoffee and just relish the time with my hubby and the dogs.
I love, love, love your blog, and especially your e-books. I have them both, and study them often. You are an inspiration. I have always tried to make my home…well, homey. I love burning candles, planting a garden, making my own laundry soap, printing out Bible verses and I also keep several chalkboards around for a little inspiration. I am looking forward to making a few “simplify” changes in 2013. Please enter me in your drawing, and I always look forward to reading your posts.
I wear an apron anytime I’m working in my kitchen. It makes me feel tied to the past (by my apron strings!). I recently bought my 20 month old granddaughter an apron with no idea she’d ever wear it but she loved it. She spent the night with me after I gave it to her and wanted to put it on the first thing next morning. During the holidays she stayed with me and I put it on her after I had put mine on and she wouldn’t wear hers. I took it off and she went to where I had my aprons hanging and pointed to one the same color as mine! She wanted her apron to look like Nana’s!
During the holidays we hosted 2 different cookie bakes. 8-10 of got together to bake our fav cookie recipes and then shared them with the other gals in attendance. We had a blast baking together and encouraging each other. Also we had the added wonderful pleasure of sampling the favorite cookies of our friends
Your blog is one of the most inspiring out there. As far as living a country life and living out one’s Christian values, your blog is one of my favorites. I love Susan Branch as well … she also inspires me. And Prairie Flower Farm (http://prairieflowerfarm.blogspot.com) is a real favorite of mine as far as Christian testimony and encouragement, great recipes, country decorating and fun craft ideas.
As for making our home a place where a country life is lived, one thing we do is to minimize the influence of the world by not having television. Oh, we have one to watch movies and DVDs but we do not have cable or any kind of television service so we just don’t have TV as such. It definitely makes for a more peaceful home! I also cook from scratch most of the time and make a lot of things homemade. I do lots of sewing, embroidery, crocheting and other crafts to make gifts and things for our home. And I love country decorating and try to decorate for each season. I find your blog very inspiring for help with that!
Thanks for all you do and for this generous giveaway!
Dear Aunt Ruthie,
Thank you so much for being a beautiful example of a Godly wife, mother and grandma! Your blog is always such a blessing and an inspiration to me! The things I do around my home ~ I decorate in an old fashioned and vintage way, I bake my own bread (most of the time), and make my own laundry soap. My husband and I are expecting our first baby in June and I cannot wait to pass on many traditions and beliefs that I hold dear, not to mention starting new traditions as well! One thing that my husband and I have done since day one in our almost six years of marriage is to always eat dinner together at the dinner table.We pray over our meal, catch up on the happenings of the day, and just enjoy each others company. It may not seem like a lot, but many families don’t eat together or take the time to pray together anymore. Thank you so much for the chance at your wonderful giveaway! The blog that always blesses my heart (other than yours) is called ‘Keeping it Cozy’ ~ Everyone should check it out!!
http://keepingitcozy.blogspot.com
We just moved into our new country home here in TN! I am living my dream of heating the house with our wood stove, hanging clothes on the line and hopefully having a garden and chickens this summer! I love all things that have to do with farm life or country living which is why I love your blog and also love ” the country farm home” blog! It will make u feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I love Sara and Abbey and have purchased from them in the past… They truly inspire me.
I just wanted to express how much I love your blog. It is so full of wonderful pictures and stories. I felt I was alone in this world because no one seemed to have the same style as me until I found your blog. I also enjoyed seeing my favorite country music couple Joey & Rory. They are just the best and so down to earth and country. God Bless you in this new year!
I live in the city…but that doesn’t hinder me from wishin’ I was a country girl. I iron my sheets and spray a lavender mist scented spray on them. I love baking and cooking for my loved ones. A favorite of mine is singning Jesus loves me to my sweet grandlittles. blessings to you.
Hi there Aunt Ruthie!
One of my favorite blogs that I follow is An Aspiring Homemaker….She is always showing a simpler, gentler way of life. She shares recipes and gardening tips…LOVE!! I love making my own laundry soap and grinding wheat and making delicous goodies with the fresh ground flour… and of course I am wearing an apron! I collect them and I am absolutely crazy about them..
Blessings to you Aunt Ruthie!!
Amy Jo
I love all things Vintage as well! Especially Vintage Linen. I have a small collection of Vintage Tablecloths, all in different states of “Loving wear” – I so wish they could talk, as I’m sure they have many stories to tell :) !
One of my favorite Blogs is” Prairie Flower Farm”. Linda Stubbs always shares her love of our Lord, her faith, great recipes, encouragement, etc, etc. She is a blessing to me and so many!
Thanks for your words of encouragement, recipes – I so look forward to reading your blogs. Keeps us grounded in the Lord!
I’m on my way to make a “Blessing Jar” for the year – recommended, by Linda Stubbs!
Hugs, Ruthie (too)
I always wear an apron in the kitchen. Yes, I might be a bit messy, but I also just love the power it gives me — like a superhero cape!
I read several homemaking blogs. I have loved Susan Branch for years and I’m so glad she has a blog. Pleasant View Schoolhouse, The Farm Chicks, and Pioneer Woman are also some of my favorites.
Thank you for another wonderful post and giveaway! For good old fashioned values and inspiration, there are three blogs I turn to: yours, of course, Susan Branch and Homestead Revival. I really try to provide my family with a home that feels like a place of refuge. Whether it’s home cooked meals from local, fresh ingredients or a coziness from candles burning or fires in the fireplace, I try to provide the extra touches that give them that old fashioned feeling of home.
I just love reading your blog!! It is so uplifting. I also love country and vintage living. Love to quilt (just learning) there are so many beautiful fabrics to chose from. Also have been doing some home canning!!
Love the giveaway you are offering…very cute!!
Hi Aunt Ruthie, I too love vintage and farmy. I respect the old ways and not only practice some of them, but teach my daughters and granddaughter things like canning, gardening, sewing, cooking and more. we make our own laundry detergent, bar soap and candles. My last home had a wood burning cookstove in the kitchen which I used for heat as well as cooking. I hope to get another soon, and teach the skill of using and maintaining the wood stove onto my family. We enjoy hanging our clothes outside on the clothes line to dry and relish the scent and feel of those clean, sun dried sheets after a productive day.
Life is so good if only people would look ‘back in time’ and learn about simplicity and commit to hard work to obtain anything in life.
Many blessings to you in 2013!
We live in California and live on the edge of a city of close to 100,000 ( in the city limits) with dreams to get a few acres soon. We have 10 chickens and a dog, several varieties of fruit trees and have a large garden. I grew up in Kansas and married a farm boy at heart. I try to cook and bake most things from scratch. I love to share goodies with the neighbors also. I always look forward to seeing what you have to say on your blog. I love all the ephemera photos, ideas and products you share about. It is encouraging to have you always unashamedly talking and sharing about God’s love and his word. Thank you. God bless!
Although we live in So Cal in a tract house, I always try to have touches of the past around. There are pictures of my grandparents and I even have some pieces of my grandmothers Jewel Tea Dishes. We build raised beds a few years ago so we could grow veggies. Love fresh tomatoes!
Thanks for your blog, always love reading it.
I try to do all my cooking with fresh ingredients for my family – using the old tried and true recipes – I love your blog the best!!
Oh my! What a delightful surprise!
Kindred spirits we are indeed.
I know you already mentioned them, BUT I really do wear just the most darling apron all the time and do make my own laundry soap!
And after your blog ~ Susan Branch is my fave!
We LoVe to eat at Dannas when ever we stay in Branson- coming thru in April and can’t wait to see green grass and tulips blooming!
blessings
This past summer I made my first ever homemade Peach Preserves. They turned out great which has only sparked my desire to can more things. I was so proud to give some away to friends and enjoy them with my family.
I love to sew, bake, and make my home cozy for my family and friends. I love the smell of baking snickerdoodles filling my home, and my family eagerly awaiting them coming out of the oven. I love to light candles and have them flickering warmly while laughing and visiting with my family. I try to create that down home warmth in my home so my family feels a safe haven to come to from the cares of the world. I really enjoy 52 Flea and White Spray Paint blogs and their vintage/lovely posts.
Love to decorate in warm cozy vintage. I like lighter warm colors to make it cozy. By far my favorite blogger is Sugar Pie Farmhouse. You are truly the best in reminding me what is really important.
I love to decorate my home with grandma’s quilts and blue canning jars! Letting my chickens out to graze in the corn fields and making pie with the peaches that I canned back in the summer! I love all things “farmy”! Here is a website that I really enjoy, http://www.thefarmchicks.com!
One of my favorite ways of living in a vintage way, besides baking from scratch, is carrying wood in all winter. We live in RI and are able to use a fireplace insert, similar to a woodstove, but with a large glass face to enjoy viewing the flames. It’s an efficient heat source with a blower and provides cozy 70 degree temps in our home.
I like that I get exercise by hauling in lots of wood.
My favorite website for vintage living is One Good Thing by Jillee. I love the recipes for fabric softener, air fresheners, and other do it yourself items.
Home-cookin’ while wearing an apron makes me smile. We have 2 acres but the local laws don’t allow us to keep chickens, but I sure would like to!
I love your blog best for all things vintage and inspiring. I also love Ann over at A Holy Experience. She lives on a farm so the the beauty of farm life shines through (as well as the realities) and her message is important and contageous.
I live in Athens (Greece) so its not possible to have a vintage life in this big city! But I have decorated my kitchen room with red and white gingham and I love making my own cookies, bread and pancakes!!!!
I really love your blog…. it’s so inspiring!!
What a fabulous give away! I love the photo of JJ and Dusty when they were little…makes me smile.
I live on a third generation Dairy Farm north of Seattle. My husband has lived on it his whole life (except college). We raised all three of our DD here and I surround myself and my home in vintage white stoneware in our kitchen and lots of vintage kitchen tools.The girls all grew up listening and getting read to with my vintage school books. I collect them!
I love antiques and all things vintage!
My blog that inspires me? YOURS of course! :)
melody
planning to go and follow you on instagram too.
Just early this morning I thought I haven’t heard from Sugar Pie Farmhouse in awhile, and then later in the morning there it was! Always a blessing to be encouraged by your beautiful blog.
We live outside of Jacksonville, FL city limits in a small town. I tell everyone I live in the country. We have a garden and do composting. For Christmas my eldest son gave my husband a paper shredder. This past weekend we made two garbage bags of shredded paper from the top drawer of our file cabinet. The best part is my daughter raises guinea pigs so now we have “free” bedding for them! I am a city girl at heart so I have had to learn how to live the country life the long, hard way over the past 27 years of marriage. I now appreciate all things “country” and have learned to live a much better way of living than the fast pace of the city. I love your blog for encouraging me on this journey of life:-)
Hi all,
I’m a full-time working Mom so I really would like to be able to say that I make my own butter, laundry soap, etc but truth be told I just don’t have the time. My vintgey way of taking care of my family is to make lunches and dinner as close to homemade as possible.
A blog that I love to check out is Diary of a stay at home mom.
And I love your blog Ruth. It provides me with great inspiration for my own house.
I do make my own laundry soap and I’ve recently figured out how to make my own scrubbies out of crocheted strips of tulle–great for cleaning stuff and so much sturdier than anything storebought. My grandmother used to make tons of them and after she passed, everyone hoarded their stash because noone knew how to make them. I have 3 china cabinets/pie safes full of vintage dishes and glassware that have been passed through many generations and I just love going through all that stuff from time to time. And my favorite blog/website for all things vintage is this one–love the Sugar Pie Farmhouse!
Love, love, love this post! I always have a smile on my face when reading your blogs…..such encouraging words. my favorite thing is to cook with my grandchildren, two girls and two boys……whether it is to mix up a batch of cookies or cook a pot of soup. One by one they’ve grown standing on the stool beside me while I mix, stir, chop, etc. just as I did beside my own grandmother when I was a child. I pray that they hold these memories in their hearts forever.
I love everything Vintage. I have recently started to make my own laundry soap and I love it!!! I love going to antique stores and buying as much as I can afford to decorate my house. I have a few items from my grandmothers that I just cherish! When relaxing or cleaning the house I love to put on music from the 40’s. I am only 39 so I think I was born in the wrong era. My Favorite blogs/websites are of course-YOURS!!! Also I love the Junk Gypsies and The Gooseberry Patch ladies. I am always pulling one of their cookbooks out and trying out a new receipe.
Soooooo glad to see your new post and as ALWAYS it warms my heart and helps me set my focus exactly where it should be! I love to bake for my family of 5. Homemade rolls, cakes, pies, cookies. In moderation of course! I guess another not so “Vintage” way I try and nurture my family is through uplifting words. At least 3-4 times a week I text my teenagers a Bible verse or quote that I hope will uplift them and keep THEIR focus where it should be. High School is tough! Many times they don’t reply but I know they read them. Sometimes I will send them a specific prayer request for a friend or family member as well. Thanks for what you do Ruthie. You are a blessing!
We were inspired to have a homemade Christmas this year. Everyone made all of their gifts, and it truly was the best Christmas we’ve ever had. My husband built me a spinning wheel! It was just amazing! A really wonderful new blog that I’m stuck on is http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/. It’s just a warm and cozy place that encourages me to keep creating and baking for my family.
Hi Ruthie! I enjoy your blog and all the homey vintage things I find there. It’s an escape for me. We live in a suburb/small city, so I can’t do a lot of the farm-type stuff that I would love to do, but I do my bet to always have a home cooked meal for my husband who is a mailman, and always had the whole family around the table when kids were here. I’m getting into canning, and do a lot of homemade vintage decor. Pinterest has been such an inspiration for me, and of course I LOVE your blog and also prairie homestead and pioneer woman-anything that promotes good Christian values that NEVER go out of style. We have young granddbabies now, a 2 and a half year old grandson and a 15 month old granddaughter (who I babysit full-time) so I am really looking forward to having a lot of “old-fashioned” fun with them.
I love your new post ! it makes my day !
You are a nice person and God will thank you for what your are doing.
After your blog, I like so very much Susan Branch ! you and she are a sweet dream in your little world…..
I wish you and your family a wonderful new year.
God bless you
Florence (sophie lorent on FB) from France
I try to be a blessing to my family whether it’s my immediate family or extended family. There are times when a cousin has needed a favor so that she could stretch her time to be a caretaker for her mother and brother. She could not do it all. I feel that is what I am supposed to do.
Love the vintage pictures and looking forward to seeing this cookbook!
We recently bought a a new home on a one acre lot that is zoned rural residential…we can’t wait to start raising a small flock of chickens and growing our own garden. In the meantime, I am decorating our home with as many vintage/farmhouse inspired items as possible. I have a walk-in pantry that is some distance from my kitchen, so I had to get creative in finding a way to transport ingredients from the pantry to the cooking area. I have hung two antique enamel washpans on the wall of the pantry. They give the pantry such an old fashioned, down on the farm feel…and at the same time, they double as containers to transport my recipe ingredients to the kitchen. You can’t get much more vintage than allowing decor to double as something useful and functional in the home! A website that I have grown very fond of is http://www.southernplate.com It is chock full of wonderful down-home recipes, great southern tales, and uplifting words. Blessings!
Having two precious grand children that live with in walking distance of my house is such a blessing. We spend a lot of time together whether it is in the barn with the horses, in the kitchen teaching them how to make bread, pies, cookies and various other things. At nine and ten they can cook better then most adults these days! I have taught them to knit, it’s a hoot but they are getting there! We love walking out back in the woods checking out the beaver dam, the stream with tadpoles in it, we are always on the lookout for the holes in the trees that the woodpeckers make and the stumps that the beavers have left when taking down a tree for their home. Their favorite thing is the little garden that we plant each year, they love picking the cucumbers and eating them right there or feeding a few to the horses that love them, picking the raspberries, growing the small watermelons and in the fall picking the pumpkins! They love hay day when our hay is delivered and we put it up in the loft for the horses, such a sweet smell! So many blessings! Not trying to get brownie points but your blog is my favorite and I look forward to each time that you do a post!!
I try to make things a bit more vintage in my home by baking from scratch. When cooking or baking, I love to wear one of my many pink aprons. :) The blog I love the best to get vintage ideas is pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com
Blessings!
Michelle
Thank you for all the great information, recipes, and inspiration on your website; you certainly inspire me to live a vintage lifestyle! My efforts at vintage living include canning veggies, jelly, jam, sauces, and anything else that can be canned. Plus making homemade bread, soft pretzels, and anything else that can be made with fresh dough. My favorite apron is one with a photo I took of my sister’s Christmas centerpiece arrangement a few years ago. I surprised her by having it put on aprons for the women in our family. May your new year overflow with God’s best.
Your blog is my absolute favorite! I also enjoy Comfy in the Kitchen and Women Living Well blogs. But yours I go back a reread constantly.
I love making my home a warm and safe place for my husband and daughters to come home to. I am always playing soft music–usually a Pandora station–like Bing Crosby, David Nevue, Hymns Radio, or Michael Buble are my go to stations on Pandora. I love Luminara candles. Every day at 4:30 my house lights up with soft “flames.” Love it. I try to make homecook dinners every night. I we keep our children’s schedule light so that we can always have dinner together around the table. And introduce my girls to wholesome TV shows like Brady Bunch, Little House, and Dr. Quinn.
Thank you Aunt Ruthie–you truly feel like a member of my family. And I pray for you often.
Dear Auntie Ruthie,
I was so happy to see your blog post pop up today, that always seems to happen when I need some encouragement! I love all things vintage and love to decorate my home with hand-me-downs and antiques. I’m blessed to be able to stay at home and care for my 2 daughters and our home and I just started making my own laundry soap. There is so much amazing inspiration out there, but I gotta say your blog is my most favorite ;-) I also have found great ideas on Pinterest. I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve for this coming year!!
Thank you for all that you do, you are such a blessing!!!
Hugs,
Erica
You take me back to a simpler, sweeter time. Thank you for reminding us that we need to slow down, appreciate each other and the basics. You just make me think of my favorite person in the world when I was little – my Aunt Lillie May in Tennessee! What a sweet soul and a blessing to me. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Love making hand crafted gifts for family and friends, I get my husband involved, he cuts out the wood and I do the painting( mostly vintage signs) For over 30 years I’ve written the weekly menu on a chalkboard in the kitchen. A home cooked meal is prepared every evening except for Friday nights.(which is now date night) Enjoy making homemade soups, baking and of course wearing aprons. Displaying my mother’s patch work quilts is very special to me especially now that she has dementia and is no longer able to quilt. http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com and susanbranch.com are my fav go to vintage blogs.
Blessings, Karon Jean
I try to make my home more vintage by baking my own bread, making my own laundry soap, by baking and cooking from scratch. My favorite blogs: Sugar Pie Farmhouse, Chickens in the Road and Homestead Revival.
I like to share blessings with my family by having family antiques displayed in our home. My grandmother left behind so many wonderful treasures! And my favorite blog is my own http://www.myoldcokecountyhome.com
Blessings!
How wonderful your family was all together! Your blog is so full of God’s love and inspiration. Thank you for ministering to our hearts. In the summertime, my sweet hubby and kids pick fruit and I make jam. (In my black and white floral apron, of course!) ♥
I have always felt I was an old fashioned girl. Vintage things speak to my heart and I love to use them around my home. I make dinner for my family nightly, hang my sheets out to dry, sew, craft, knit, read and many things that people don’t seem to find time for anymore. Other than this blog, I am inspired by The Farm Chicks blog.
I love to cook for my family like my Mama did…using her pots and pans, of course. I tell my three sweet babies stories about my Mama and how it was growing up in her care. :)
My whole house is filled with white chippy goodness! I LOVE it! I do my very best to bless my family with honest to goodness “real food” made from scratch! I mill my own wheat so homemade bread all warm and buttery with honey on top is a family favorite and always makes me feel like I’m giving my very best to my family.
I promise I’m not brown nosing but I just get plain giddy when I see a new post from you in my in box! Your blog is my absolutely favorite for vintage goodness with a good dose of the warm fuzzies on top! I always leave feeling inspired to be a better wife and mom and to go spiff up a new corner of my house or to pull out my cast iron skillet and mix up a buttery batch of homemade biscuits! By the way the only thing to cook biscuits in is a cast iron skillet!!! Melt butter in it while you’re cutting out your biscuits this makes the bottoms of the biscuits absolutely to die for!!!
By the way we came to Branson a couple of years ago and followed your favorite stops to a T. It was the best family vacation aside from our family addiction to Disney World EVAH! I can’t wait to visit again and to especially check out your little booths! Treasure hunting up there is the best!
Happy New Year to you and your’s and thanks so much for blessing my heart with each and every post!
Hi – Don’t enter me in the give-a-way.. I never win anything!!! I just wanted to thank you for another beautiful post. They are so thoughtful and of such high quality it is TOTALLY OK to just post every now and then……don’t apologize for it, ever {or as you like to say “ev-ah!!” ;) } . they are worth the wait! Your blog is the one that inspires me to be my best – both on the outside and inside. It is so easy to get carried away with all the stuff that is easy for us homemaking-loving ladies to do to show others, but you always remind me that the motivation behind it (out of love for God) is more important!
Ruthie! My heart skips a beat when I see you have a new post and today is no exception! Your encouraging words, beautiful pictures and inspiring ideas just make my day. I may have told you in the past that ever since I first discovered your blog, I DREAM about your kitchen and long for a baking center/pantry like yours. I have ‘hooked’ my daughters on your blog/facebook (You may be familiar with my daughter, Lindsey at “illneverbejunecleaver.blogspot.com’ (which is one of my favorite blogs, by the way:). I’m blessed to have 3 of my 5 children and 11 of my 15 grandchildren living in the same town as me and the other 2 children and 4 grandchildren only an hour away. When we all get together there are 25 of us. One of the ‘vintage ways’ I live is going to church with my children and grandchildren every Sunday and then having everyone over for Sunday dinner. Early Sunday morning I put a roast in the oven with potatoes, onions and carrots and when we walk in after church services what a fragrant welcome home! My children often comment on this as a wonderful memory they have of when they were growing up! Does this mama’s heart a world of good. Now, I just have to let you know that the two blogs I check everyday are YOURS and Susan Branch’s!! Don’t you just adore her? I enjoyed our trip to England with Susan so much, didn’t you? She is very much like you – down to earth and full of goodness! Another blog I like very much that I just found recently is: ‘thecountryfarmhome.blogspot.com’. If you haven’t seen this one, you must check it out. Thank you for continuing to share your world with us. Blessings, Dear Ruthie!!
Happy New Year, Aunt Ruthie !! Happy 2013 !! Your newsletter is like sunshine on a cloudy day … and it’s a rainy, gray day here in Texas …
I enjoy baking bread and desserts from my Missouri grandmother’s recipes, she was a blue-ribbon winner many years at county fairs and other competitions.
But my very favorite hobby is quilting, and I feel a real connection to the past when I quilt. I have several of my grandmother’s quilts that I treasure, and the special memories of her teaching me how to sew, embroider, and quilt. I’m so lucky to have that, and the appreciation she gave me for beautiful handcrafts. I’m trying to pass that on to my daughters … and hopefully to future grandchildren !
Happy New Year sweet Ruthann! I was so thrilled to read 2 more babies will be added to your family tree this year! It’s growing leaps and bounds! I always look forward to your inspiring posts and encouragement! You make my heart sing! If you still lived a couple blocks away, you would hear it! Heehee! As you know one of my favorite things vintage is making my own laundry soap. Just makes me a happy girl when I do! Your blog is my all time favorite, ev~er! I will pass on your WONDERFUL giveaway since I have won in the past. Lucky me! Have a blessed day Ruthann and hope to see you this year with a trip back to Cali. Love ya tons! Maryjane xox
I simply jump for joy when I receive your posts. I absolutely adore your blog and have downloaded both of your books! Love the sweet pictures that remind us all of great days. My favorite vintage things are aprons and vintage dishes. I also have a Jack’s Cookie Jar that we sold cookies from when my parents owned a little country store as I was growing up. Precious memories!
Dear Ruthie, Well I have to say that my all time favorite blog that Always makes me feel inspired and full of down home goodness is yours, Yep Sugar pie farmhouse! Im slightly addicted , Ive probably been through your archives a dozen times..and you have a long list in the archives. I am from Kentucky and come from a very close knit family. We value family time. Both Grandparents lived close to My Dad and Mom and so I grew up helping my Mother and Grandmothers in the home, especially the kitchen. My Grandmothers ( I call them both mamaw) were always very big on setting the table for supper.A fresh table cloth was ironed and put on the table every time. They didn’t want to do buffet style meal, they had to put the food in big serving bowls on the table. I have to admit I dont do this all the time at every meal but because my famly really taught me the value of family meal time , This is one thing I do in my home on sundays to give my family that same old fashioned Sunday dinner feel. The table is set , Iced tea in my Mamaws pitcher and the table cloth ironed and on the table.
I have to prepair a lot the night before because we go to church on sundays and it makes it easier. I Love Tradition. We also have a night when we watch old shows with our little boy. Andy Griffith is one of our favs and Dick Van Dyke. I Love that my child actually loves these older shows now and looks forward to family TV night. We have Pop corn and cuddle up together. He loves to make popcorn on the stove top in a big pot, as he says. It takes a little longer but he calls it the old time way like his mamaw used to do it ;) hee hee, I love that) One other thing I like to do is tell my little one stories that my grandparents told me about their life growing up. He gets so wrapped up in them and will ask to hear more or to tell it again. Oh how I Love all things family. Only one of my grandparents is still with us. My son calls her Mam. and my Dad went to heaven back in 2007, so there’s not as many around the table for family dinners anymore and thats really hard.I am Thankful that God Blessed me with such a wonderful family and I am carring on so many of the traditions they started.
Hugs and Blessings to you Ruthie :)
I cook wholesome meals, mostly made from starch, the way real meals were intended. Baking from starch too, it’s real! Please add my name too!
Oops forgot to add … I enjoy a lot of blogs out there, but I have to truly say that YOURS IS probably the MOST inspiring and positive that I read ! I always feel like I’ve been on a visit to a good friend’s house !
I also really enjoy Chickens in the Road, Prairie Homestead, Susan Branch, Jamie Cooks It Up, Joy the Baker, Flamingo Toes … and too many great quilting blogs to count …
I love all that is homespun. We are a homeschooling family and enjoy working along together sipping on hot chocolate on cold mornings. I feel blessed to be able to spend time with my family and to have the chance to create a warm, loving home for my husband and little ones. I am off to take our warm pumpkin bread out of the oven. Yum!
I love to cook family recipes in my grandmother’s apron. It makes it even better when I serve the food in the bowls that were used by my grandmother and my mother. My favorite vintage blogs is yours! Really! It is so inspiring and full of warmth and encouragement to homemakers.
I am a huge Susan Branch fan too…. I always read her blog! :-)
I love to fill my home with coziness and love! Nothing like yummy candles burning and something delicious cooking!
Hello! I really enjoy canning, and making hoomemade perogies with my gramas help & old german mennonite recipe of course…gardening,farming,and everything crafty & fun are also my favorite things to do! You asked for a website, I dont have one but I have a blog & Facebook page Called “beaver Creek homestead” Would love ya’ll to visit me:)
Blessings
I do not have a website but I have truly enjoyed receiving your email and reading your blog. You are a real inspiration to women in an era where being a housewife is rarely heard of. Women today are pulled into the work force to provide more “things” for the family instead of the love that a stay at home mom brings. Keep up the good work. Happy New Year.
Hi Ruthie,
Love your site. And you are so right about Susan Branch. I have all her books, calenders, willard letters,etc. We do want to marry her.
I was brought up on a farm so I feel I have always been vintage. Always doing some needlework, baking playing with the four Grand daughters, and paying lots of attention to Richard.
What a nice giveaway, and what a wonderful family you have.
Nancy Jo
I have been following your blog since you started and love it so much! I really needed your inspiration today. It’s funny how God works in our lives, even uses the internet to reach us through wonderful people like you. How blessed we are! I have many, many blogs that I like but I love Susan Branch, thelittleredhenathome.blogspot.com, applevalleygirl.blogspot.ca, and thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com. I make my own laundry soap, sew aprons and pillow cases and love having a lit candle and good smells from the kitchen. Again, thank you Aunt Ruthie for your wonderful blog!
Auntie Ruthie,
What a beautiful web site you have here, and we are neighbors….. kind of =) I live in Clever, about 45 mins – an hour from Branson. And most specially, we are sisters in Christ.
You have a Beautiful family and a Beautiful home ~~ have a Blessed evening ~~ dawn
oh yes! i adore susan branch.
i make our bread, laundry soap, bath soap and lots of other things all while wearing an apron, hehe. love being a stay at home mom!
happy new year!!
Is it vintage to say I still cook dinner for my family?! Kinda seems like it these days. I guess one vintage thing I do is wear aprons. So many people don’t anymore and it used to be such a typical thing to wear aprons. I enjoy your blog very much. You didn’t say who was having babies this year! How exciting for you all! Happy New Year!
I love to make homemade pies and found a great cookbook that has one of the pictures from your site as the cover page, so of course I need to put on a ruffled apron when I bake! I also make my own laundry soap when I am able to. The smell is so fresh and clean & it is so inexpensive to make.
I also love to collect vintage items since I was little from my grandparents (memories of my grandma in her apron always cooking something). Now from thrift stores and garage sales. I just was given a china dish set from my great uncle that serves 12 plus all the extra serving platters, casserole dish, saucers, cups and teapot. I can not wait to use it! I look to your blog, pintrest and Facebook as well as the Sweet Magnolia’s and others you have listed. A new favorite is the Time Warp Wife, she has lots of cool things to look at, read & ideas about how families should be & not just in vintage pictures (though I love those too).
I have really enjoyed your blog this year and share your values. I also have been married for 34 years, and have six children, and eight grandchildren. My vintagey idea is to repurpose old items and use them daily around my home. Old measuring cups and kitchen utensils which are still useful, and because of their age and history is a wonderful reminder of how we need to cherish our days, because they pass swiftly. I love Susan Branch, also, along with Posiegetscozy.blogspot.com Blessings!
I love anything vintage. Aprons, tablecloths, nicknacks. I always wear an apron when I’m in the kitchen. My Italian grandmother Louise made so many aprons when I was growing up and I still have a few of hers. I have always made homemade meals and goodies for my family and enjoy crafts, sewing and crocheting. Love your Blog!! Susan Branch is also one of my favorites…
Aunt Ruthie, What a blessing this post was for me to read!! I have been in a bit of a woe-is-me rut lately and reading your posts always helps me get a little perspective. I have 4 young children at home and we homeschool so I have lots of those “Calgon” moments now. I also know that I will miss those moments someday!!
What do I do to give my home a homey-vintage-farmhousey feel? I have several old vintage family photos on display in our house. I decorate with antiques, especially in my kitchen! We garden in the summertime and teaching myself how to can veggies. I’m always burning a yummy scented candle or scentsy in my house to make it feel cozy. As for my favorite blogs…I love YOURS most. I also love Susan Branch’s blog, Gooseberry Patch and The Pioneer Woman :)
I love Vintage and love making home made pie crust with just my hands…and now I teach my two grand girls the same and we all wear vintage aprons….I also now have a Vintage Booth in our small town…
Love your Sugar Pie Farmhouse …the music also makes me smile..
……Thanks Nancy
I,too, love Susan Branch and subscribe to her blog. And, of course, I look forward to all your posts, we just need more of them! At home, I love to fill the house with the aroma of fresh baked goodies for my hard working husband. Just this weekend I tried my hand at a dark chocolate pudding with fresh whipped cream, oh my. And, each weekday I make a lunch for him to take (he’s a teacher) and love to include a great man-sized sandwich along with a few special treats like a handful Hershey kisses. Just a little something to make the day go by knowing someone is thinking of him and appreciating him.
Thank you for your blog. I try to “bless” my hubby by making his favorite, homemade soup. I love the blog “Posie gets Cozy”.
Thank you Aunt Ruthie for your post today. I loved reading your blog.You are such a blessing to so many.
I make my own laundry detergent.I found the recipe over at (The Beehive Cottage). I also love to cook from scratch for my family. I have 8 grandchildren and I love spending time with each one of them. I also love to read Susan’s blog.I have her calendar too. Praying you will have a blessed New Year.
Oh my, I so love your blog :-) I have decorated my house in vintage stuff mixed w/ newer items (i.e. electronics, a few newer pieces of furniture, etc.). I also wear my vintage aprons everyday – LOVE THEM!!! I love the blog Sweet Vintage of Mine!!
Aunt Ruthie,This is a great giveaway, thanks for the chance to win! Some of the things that we do in our home that would be considered vintage are composting and gardening. We also love to do thing as a family such as going to pick apples! We had such a good wholesome time.The next day I spent my time in the kitchen making apple pie filling and then canning it for later! Yum! I am thankful to have easy treats for my family put away as well as gifts for friends.
I take pictures of everything. I’ve kept all my kids’ toys in the attic.
I have Christmas ornaments at least as old as I am, some older. I love the vintage ones. My kitchen is black and white – I love that it looks cottage-y. We live in a small house with huge oak trees; I’m sure that they are very vintage! ;-)
Hi, Aunt Ruthie. I just started following your blog. Actually, I found your recipe for snow ice cream, and started looking around your blog. I have to tell you I loved it. I have often been told that I was born in the wrong era. I love to cook and bake from scratch. I try and make all of our bread. Before I was married this June my mom had a grain mill I would use to grind my own wheat flour. Now every now and then I get a little freshly ground flour from her, and bake up the best bread in the world. I love to crochet, and sew. My favorite things to sew are aprons and historical costumes. I participate in a historical reenactment every year. Before I was married, my sister and I had a little cabin we lived in durning the summer and as far into winter as we could stand. We used oil lamps and candles for light, and it was heated by a wood burning cookstove. Yes, we both learned how to cook on it. My goals for this year is to start my own garden, and get some chickens, so I can once again have some fresh eggs.
This year at Christmas I tried my hand at homemade candles. They were a success! Love your blog!
Your blog gives me inspiration! I cannot wait until you publish new stuff! I love anything vintage, especially clothes and jewelry. I do make my own laundry soap, softener, and window cleaner. This year I want to simplify and be more frugal. Blessings to all!
LOVE IT!! LOVE you, Love the blog…love whatever is coming.
I like to buy and USE vintage items like cloth napkins, tea towels, hot pads. I wear my pretty ruffled cobbler aprons, I bought from the amish store in Jamesport, Mo. As for the domestic blog… I enjoy visiting http://thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/ , hope will too! By the way I bought the Cutest tea towel from your gals, red gingham ruffles, it reads “Sweet tea and Jesus” …..these are a few of my favorite things. :)
I collect old aprons and love to wear them when baking. I have my grandmother’s cookbook from home economics when she was a little girl and it has her writing in it. I also have one special book from her where you will always find a little cocoa or flour still in the book. It also has markers from the newspapers. Its the theatre listing of what is on at all the old movie houses. There were so many in those days as it was common to leave dinner and go to the movies on a Wednesday night just get that free dish they gave away. So many memories from those books.
I was so inspired by your blog today – I am relatively new to your website and I just love it. I’m not very creative so I depend on people like you and, your and my favorite, Susan Branch, to give me ideas. I try to give my grandkids the old fashioned way of doing things – cooking from scratch, etc., but their favorite is sitting at the kitchen table, with cloth tablecloth and napkins, good dishes and wine glasses for their sparkling juice – they think that is the greatest thing and I never miss a blog from Susan Branch. She is incredible and I am loving your website!!! I am going to count my blessings every day and also be a blessing to all I meet. Thank you for this opportunity and keep on giving us your magic!
Thank you for the lovely give-away! I’m not sure this is very vintage, but I like to decorate for the holidays and make our home a place of comfort. Now that we’ve moved past Christmas and New Year’s I’ve gotten out some snowmen and winter decor as well as the start of Valentine’s. The red cheers me up when it is cold and dark outside. We also have a card table up that is devoted to a jigsaw puzzle. There are many blogs that I enjoy and that offer a good variety. One that seems vintage is Small Things (gsheller.com.) I especially enjoy Yarn Along on Wednesdays where people share knitting and crocheting projects in progress as well as books being read. Thank you for another thoughtful post! I hope I can find time to read more of others’ comments.
I spent many years wishing for a farm was was blessed with one ten years ago after our lives changed in a most dramatic way…finally we were able to live out our dreams! Our farm is very old and vintagey…from the old farmhouse to the barns and outhouse. We raise dairy and meat goats, make our own artesian cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Our vegetables and fruits all come from our own farm just like my great-grandparents did years ago. The first thing I do every morning is put on one of my vintage aprons, gather my milk buckets and go out to milk my girls in the pre-dawn sky, waiting for the day to start. Chickens need to be fed, eggs need to be gathered in my apron of course, again, just like grandma used to do.
My laundry is hung out on the line and the herbs dry over the sink…all of these little things bless my family in such a sweet, old fashioned way. While the milk is straining, the coffee brewing, and fresh eggs are frying…I can read your posts and feel uplifted, knowing my nostalgic ways are blessing my family in more ways than I can possibly imagine. Thank you for your wonderful blogs and Happy New Year…may you continue to bless people!
I make my own candles, my own laundry soap and my own cleaners to scrub my farmhouse of course, while wearing a homemade apron!!!!
To reflect on a vintage way of life ~ a simplier time, we’ve no cable/satelite televison. Meals are all homemade many from recipes two generations old from my polish grandmother/Busia. No matter the season or day of the week you will always find a pot of coffee on and fresh baked goodies to savor. We sit together to read, talk, and reminesce. But first and foremost I must mention that the great influence of home centered life was taugh to me by my mother who has passed, and her mother before. On March 26, 2011 I lost my eldest son tragically, since then so many of lifes pleasures at times have been with great struggles such as cooking/baking, gardening and most significant of all the holidays. Each time I feel too grief struck to go on, I take a moment to pray and then think what would my momma do or my Busia? Through the grace of God I am renewed to go on. This Christmas was indeed a struggle, the second when my dear boy wouldn’t be home. I prayed and then thought again what would all those who influenced me and who have passed, “What would they want me to do in this sad state?” Well it was very hard but for my mom and dad, grandparents, sister and brother and my beloved son who have all passed, I did it all. Through tears at times such as pulling out my sons first ornament or a family cookie recipe there was this incredible sense of peace within, it was incredible. Blog influence? Well sister you are to me a great and divine source of inspiration. Your blog is rich in so many wonderful ways and spiritually I walk away from each post lighter in my step. Yes other blogs inspire me in a multitude of creative ways but yours feeds my soul often times beyond words. Bless you,Lori
I love to cook for my family. And I love to visit the Pioneer Womans blogs.
A friend of mine found your site and then introduced it to me. The day I read it for the first time was just the advice and example I was looking for. I was in a rut. Working full time with children, hurrying home to cook, and going to bed exhausted every night. I didn’t think I was making a difference. When I read your blog that evening I was inspired to change my attitude about things. I put on my vintage apron, pearls, lit a candle, turned on music, and did my evening chores with a smile on my face. My daughter noticed and now if I don’t wear my pearls, she will ask me where they are. Yes, you were and are the inspiration I needed and the reminder that I am the glue that keeps my home happy.
It’s nice to meet you Aunt Ruthie, I loved reading your blogpost today and would love to be entered in your sweet giveaway. Olde fashioned things I do to bless my family: Well; I Hang laundry on the clothesline on warm sunny days, sell fresh eggs from our sweet hens, arrange bouquets of zinnias and wildflowers in antique fruit jars to grace our farmhouse table, grow fruits and vegetables,, bake homemade bread and sweet rolls, decorate with antiques, and love all things vintage and old fashioned. I’m from Arkansas so we’re neighbors! I look forward to getting to know you better in the future… Lea
I garden and can the produce from it. In fact canning soup beans while I’m checking out your site. Love your site and thanks for the great giveaway.
Sweet Ruthie . . . what a blessing you are . . . a warm place on a cold wintery day! I so love your word of the year . . . “Blessings”. As you can tell by the name of my blog and my business, this word has had a major effect on me. I named my business Past Blessings (which turned to Past Blessings Farm once we bought an old farm) because I wanted to bring back the blessings of the past . . . skills and ideas of the past, morals and values of yesterday and sweet memories that I so want to incorporate into the day to day lives we lead today. That being said, I too have taken the word “blessings” to be a word I focus on all the time . . . to be a blessing to my family, to my friends and to all I come into contact with. A blog I follow is http://www.forgottenwayfarms.com/forgotten-way-blog.html. My sweet friend Abby Jo and her husband Daniel homestead “off the grid” in Northern Idaho. She chronicles her simple life and ways she practically finds to bless her family each day. They are a sweet Christian family with 5 kids seeking a life that is simple and focused on the Lord. And, to top it all off . . . this sweet little gal looks just like Libby from the Waltons! Thanks again for your wonderful blog . . . you are such a blessing!
Hugs & Blessings,
Brenda (Past Blessings Farm)
I use my outdoor clothesline whenever possible, we garden and can and preserve, gather our own organic eggs, and I love to wear my aprons–I have a collection of them. I love antiques and vintage items and old cookbooks. I truly look forward to your blog each time you post. Thanks for the opportunity to win some wonderful gifts.
I loved all you wrote especially the scriptures. I try to make meals for my husband and I basic and from scratch. There is just something about sitting at the table together for a home cooked dinner. One of the vintage blogs I love is http://www.cozylittlehouse.com Brenda is just one of the sweetest people in her writings.
Hi Ruthie, My vintage way of living is I love a clean and tidy house, but it must be welcoming and cozy. That’s the way my grandmother’s house always was and I loved, loved, loved going to visit her and living with her part of my growing up years. She made cleaning look like a priviledge and fun instead of a drudgery. We could always put our feet up on the couch or chair…always cozy :o) It’s truly hard to pick just one blog as the most inspirational. In all honesty yours and Susan Branch Blog run a close race. I so appreciate, though, how you always encourage us in the Lord! To me that’s the most important. I also have a new one—my daughter’s new blog, only a few weeks old—Linen and Purple Designs. Is it alright if I have 3 favorites? :o) Thank you for taking the time to encourage others. God bless you.
I love reading your blog Aunt Ruthie, but I have to say that my all-time favorite blog is Susan Branch. Love how she replies to the girlfriends who post comments.’
I too love vintage (especially linens and Christmas stuff), recipes, and the like. I have a glass butter churn (old, vintagey) with w wooden paddle, but I have never tried my hand at making butter. I will give it a try!
No prize or gift could equal the precious gift of just reading your blog. Next time I’m in the Ozarks, I’m going to visit your shop. I love your stuff but I love your testimony and words of wisdom even more.
Ahhh Ruthie, though I cannot boast of being a ‘vintage’ crafter nor a ‘from scratch’ gal in the kitchen, I “do “have a vintage heart…..how I love everything about your little sugarpiefarmhouse; a beautiful, Godly post for me to enjoy this day! I too follow Susan Branch and also enjoy another blog daily called Homespun Heart. Thank you for bringing the blessings to my table this day Ruthie — this little sweet spot is most definitely a lovely comfort and joy!
God Bless, Barbra
Let’s see….I’ve been knitting dishclothes using an adorable french waffle knit pattern. Of course, I love Sugarpie Farmhouse – have it for my home page :-) I also love Posie Gets Cozy at http://www.rosylittlethings.typepad.com and Turkey Feathers at http://www.turkeyfeathers.typepad.com. Thank you for the inspiring post. I was reminded of the late Norma Zimmer (of Lawrence Welk fame). I read her biography last year and was struck by the fact with all her beauty, talent, and fame, and difficult upbringing, her greatest desire was to “be a blessing”. In fact before she would perform, her prayer was always, “May I be a blessing to someone tonight”.
Much love to you, Aunt Ruthie~
I LOVE to bake for my family. I am beginning to master the art of yeast dough. I am also taking the time to bake with my 6 yr old granddaughter. I hope we are making memories that she will remember and that she will someday bake with her grandchild too.
Baking for my grandsons. They love Easy Apple Dumplings.
I enjoy The Pioneer Woman site. I found the dumplings on Ree’s
site.
One day the littlest grandson said, Nannie you are so country. I
took it as a compliment, as it was intended. We have fun on the
pond, sledding, paintball and walking the trails in the woods. When
they are at home their entertainment is all electronic. When they
are at Nannie’s I try to show them what I did as a child. They love the pond, it provides hours of entertainment.
I really enjoy your site, your home is so inviting.
One of the things I enjoy making is strawberry jam. I love using my canning kit that I just bought. I have also made a batch of dill pickles! I also like to make desserts from scratch especially pies. I have to say that your blog is my inspiration…I love it!
Wow, I needed this post today! I was definitely having a little pity party this morning, after I got off the scale! :)
Seriously, your post made my day and I thank you!
Vintage is probably one of the most used words in our home! We love vintage everything and I try to make our lives reflect that love. I cook and bake almost everything from scratch, hang laundry, grow a lot of our own organic food, we are getting hens this spring for eggs, we read vintage childrens books all the time, play with vintage toys, read vintage magazines-goodness-see I told you we use the world “vintage” a lot!!!!
Besides your blog, I enjoy visiting Pleasant View Schoolhouse for some vintage style homemaking inspiration and On Just a Couple Acres for homesteading inspiration.
Thank you for the chance to win those adorable prizes! Wish me luck! :)
Blessings,
Johanna
I found your blog through one of my others and I have dearly love it. We usually come to Branson once a year only this year we had to cancel because of my hubby falling and in a nursing home. I love vintage and do a lot of vintage hand embroidery patterns. I was raised on a farm and your blog makes me think of my childhood growing up. I will be back and for my favorite blogs I follow people who like vintage things. Have a wonderful day.
Your blog is so uplifting for me. I just love the old-fashioned ways of doing things and it’s nice to know that you and your other readers feel the same way. I make my own laundry soap. I love to make homemade bread to serve with Shepherd’s Pie or soup or chili.
I like vintage Christmas ornaments and aprons. A blog that I am in love with and would like to share with your readers is: http://gogingham.com I really love Sara’s ideas for saving money on food and travel.
Thanks for your old-fashioned blog. I bake bread and during the winter especially make a lot of homemade soup. Cozy and warming on a cold winter’s day.
Oh Aunt Ruthie,
You are a darlin!!!! Your blog is definitely the sweetest that inspires me to do better, be better, seek better! I mean it….you touch so many with your warm, wholesome, GENUINE, kind, giving heart. THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US!
I guess I would have to say wearing aprons is one of my favs! Love it!
Big hugs to you,
You are so precious! God really lives in you!
Tanya
Dearest Aunt Ruthie!
I’ve followed your blog for a few years now, and I LoVe it!! One of my faves, and I wait impatiently for each new post. I am not a stay-home mom, although I wish I was, and I often run short on time for getting housework and laundry done well every day. One thing I do is I have made our laundry soap for about 4 yeas now. I also enjoy making bread by hand, making noodles, and cookies. I light candles when I get home from work to remind me to pray for peace in our home, and I enjoy hanging clothes to dry (when it isn’t foggy/rainy/snowy like it is now). besides your wonderful blog, I also enjoy reading “The Prairie Homestead dot com”. P.S. I have seen Joey and Rory live in concert and met them after the first stop on their “Farmhouse Christmas” tour in 2011. Joey grew up in a small farm town about 30 miles from where I live, and in the same county that my mama was raised in. LOVE their music!
I so enjoy reading your posts. They are always so uplifting. I have enjoyed for the past 25 years now working to make my house a cozy home for my family. Home cooked meals and homemade cookies are two ways I enjoy showing love to my family in a “vintage” way. I have recently stumbled on thistlewoodfarms.com blog. I think you would enjoy reading this one.
My sweet mother has made me several aprons from vintage patterns. After learning the hard way, ruining a couple of shirts with grease stains, I have begun to wear them :)
I put away the Christmas decor last weekend and pulled out a quilt my grandmother made for me when I was a girl. The quilt is being used to cover a vintage chair that belonged to my grandmother and I have sat in it this week by the fire and enjoyed reading a few good books.
Your blog is the one I go to for all things vintage.
By the way, I needed to hear what you said about forgiveness. Have held on to a situation for several months that I needed to let go of. You are the Best!!
I make my own laundry soap and household cleaners. Plus I recently started sewing fabric napkins to use all the time. I love having candle light and wonderful uplifting music playing in my home. I enjoy reading Time-Warp Wife. She is definitely a good encourager when it comes to being a Godly wife. Just like I enjoy reading your blog, Aunt Ruthie, for the same reasons.
Thank you for the heart-inspiring words. They are copied into my vintage notebook, a gift from a friend, by Cath Kidston. (http://www.amazon.com/Kidston-NotebookCATH-NOTEBOOK-Mar-14-2012-Hardcover/dp/B008KWRBSE/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1357790527&sr=8-14&keywords=cath+kidston+notebook)
Anyhoo, the gals in my Bible study sometimes laugh and call me Donna Reed. I can’t help it. The most vintage thing I do is turn on Deano, tie the most darling apron around my waist, and then, in the five-inch heels I always wear (yes, I’ve even painted in them… they make me feel utterly girly and are just plain ol’ fun), I sway and close my eyes and cook and do dishes by hand. Happiness swoons right along with me! :)
This is a fun vintage blog that I love: http://cherryhillcottage.typepad.com/cherryhill_cottage/
I agree, Susan Branch floats in and makes me dreamy and nostalgic, and inspires me to create and have fun with friends!
Your giveaway items are some of my favorite things to long for! Seriously. Thank you. I’m encouraged!
Been following your beautiful blog for years now. You lift my spirits every time I check in with you! You have the gift of inspiring others. Thank you!
I am bringing back the apron to school. I have a wonderful Grandma volunteer who made me a wonderful handmade apron. Well I am a bit of a CURVEY girl so she made it a bit ample in the bosom for me. I can fit about 3 of my friends in there as well. I love it, I just pinned it up and made it work. I love vintage and wonderful treasures and people tell me that the strain their necks looking at all of the things in my home.
I really enjoy your blog
My best friend is Ruthie so my son has his very own Auntie Ruthie
I love to hang my bedding outside to dry. There is nothing like the smell of sunshine on sheets and pillow cases. Home cooked meals from scratch every evening and on the weekends I usually have a pie or cake in the oven in case company stops by on Sunday after church.
I “put up” fruits and vegetables for my family to enjoy year round and also love to bake pies from scratch. I get my vintage fix by visiting your blog, Aunt Ruthie! I also love Serena at The Farm Chicks. Thank you for the inspiring words. They seem to come just when I need them, and this post was no exception. Happy New Year!
My way of doing things vintage and old fashioned stem from my dear mom. She always made her own pie crusts, cakes, etc and inspired me to do the same. She has dementia now and can no longer do these things. I enjoy making all her special things that she so loved to make for us when we were kids. I cook for my church on Wednesday nights and enjoy making meals the old fashioned way, from scratch. Pies and cakes are fun too using my mom’s recipes. And of course, your blog is precious and I thoroughly enjoy reading it. Blessings to you and your family!
Hi Aunt Ruthie! I have enjoyed reading your post. I always look forward to the encouragement I find in your posts. I have to say, my number one homemaking blog that I go to for inspiration is YOURS! This is my first stop. I have gotten a lot of great ideas for other blogs to read form the comments here.
I am going back to basics and learning how to do some things that have been lost by my generation, I think. I have started baking homemade bread instead of buying, and we love it. I’m also making homemade laundry soap using Aunt Ruthie’s recipe. And I am hoping to learn some more “lost arts” throughout the year.
Thank you for the great blog and the giveaway!
My home is filled with vintage items. I just love the old fashioned touch. I also hang my laundry outside on the clothesline that my Dad made me. :) I make homemade bread and other goodies for my family and cook from scratch most of the time. I love taking care of my family and my home.
Thank you for entering me in your amazing giveaway. I just love your blog and look forward to each new post.
I try to make all my goodies from scratch. I love blessing my family with treats! I don’t have a website to share as yours is my absolute favorite! I am going to check out Susan’s. Thanks for the chance! Blessings!
I hang my wash uot all year long( I live in Northern NY). I also love Susan Branch.
Wonderful Idea for a giveaway!
We live out in the country, about 15 miles out. We raise free range chickens, and grow the corn to feed them. We still shell the corn with an old sheller. I’ve seen them in the antique mall for 100.00 or more, and ours is still in production :-) ( and we occasionally eat a chicken or two….SO much better than store bought!!)
I love the Homespun Heart blog. Monica is so creative and sweet. The way she loves her family will inspire you!
I absolutely LOVE your blog. You are such an inspiration to me and I’m sure many others!!! I like baking breads, pizza and cookies from scratch just like my nana used to do. I also love reading vintage cookbooks, it brings me back to a much simpler time.
May God bless you and your lovely family!!!
I love your blog…I always get excited when there’s a new post :) I try to live a vintage life by reading lots of vintage books/cookbooks to inspire me…and wear aprons of course! I also have lots of vintage items around my house.
One of my favorite websites (besides yours, obviously) for the vintage life is gooseberrypatch.com’s blog. Great resource!
Have a blessed day, and thank you for the opportunity!
Love your blog…for years now actually! My husband and I have returned to many of the “old ways” in our “old age” (we’re both in our 50’s). lol We built our empty nester home to look like a home built in the 1940’s and love it! It is simply put as a time in our lives to slow down and focus on what we want to do with our days remaining on this earth.
Living just outside the city limits of a small town, we have two small garden spots in which we grow food to can/freeze for the winter. We have a few chickens (all named) that eat all natural feed and scraps that supply us with wonderful fresh eggs to eat and cook with. I love to bake/cook while wearing a smock type apron purchased about 12 years ago while visiting my husband’s parents in Texas. Last but not least, we make our own laundry soap (inspired by your blog some time ago) and have inspired others to do the same. Mary Janes Farm website, blog, and magazine inspire me to try/continue living a more “vintage” life style. Your blog has also been instrumental in more ways than one. Not only by incorporating the “product(s)” of a vintage life style but the heart as well. Your blogs and the quoting of scripture reminds me to live life biblically. Biblical womanhood is something that appears to be vintage in today’s society. Thank you for always pointing us toward the Lord.
P.S. When your email comes, I can’t hardly wait until the time comes where I can grab a mug of coffee, sit, read, and ponder for a quite moment.
I try as much as possible to eat dinner with my family every night. I do wear a cute apron when I bake!! I also make it a point to change out my decor with the seasons. Even my eleven year old son enjoys this! Great post and give away! You are truly a blessing and I love reading your new year post!
I have to say your blog is my favorite, I love all the ideas you post! I am blessed to have many blue Ball Mason jars, some of which were my grandma’s and some belonged to my great-grandmothers! I use them for storing things in, and have them displayed on top of my cabinets. I also have my great-Grandma’s enamel bucket and two enamel ladles, she didn’t have running water and kept a bucket of water and ladles on the kitchen counter for drinking. I remember doing that when I was a child, and I made sure to claim them when they were being put out on the trash pile! I was also lucky to claim her rocking chair, which had been water damaged and was going to be thrown away. My husband stripped it, repaired it and stained it, getting it finished before the birth of our first child. My father was rocked in it, I was rocked in it, and now all three of my kiddos have been rocked in it. It’s a blessed keepsake!
Happy New Year Aunt Ruthie! We are so similar in family dynamics. I have 3 grown boys, 3 grand babies and one daughter still in high school. One thing we have taken to doing around our household is everything simplier. Whenever possible the old fashion way, hand crank. I can’t remember the last time I bought a prepared box of anything. Mostly all food preparation is done from scratch. I’ve even taken to making my own pasta. This past Thanksgiving all my kids were home and my grand babies (6-1/2, 5 & 3) had the best time helping me make all the food.
Hello and Happy New Year, Aunt Ruthie! I just love your blog! I love how you decorate with a vintage flair, but keep modern sensibilties. And to be able to proudly share your faith in God is sometimes just the “light shining brightly on the hill” that I need to see and read! Thank you!
Some of my favorite things to do to bless my family is to try and bring the liturgical year of the Church into our home – either with decorating for the “holy -days” such as Easter and Christmas and to also incorporate special foods or activities for each season. With 5 children, I have plenty of opportunities to share our love of the Lord with them while doing a deep spring cleaning for Easter, sharing how we “clean” up our lives and souls with God’s love, or with celebrating their Saint’s name day with special home cooked meals reminiscent of that particular saint. For example, for my son, we might have home made angel’s food cake on St. Michael’s day, since he was named after that wonderful angel!
By making these events and decor part of our daily life, I hope to bring Christ and His blessings to not only us, but to our friends and family that share those days with us. I love being able to be part of His creation, creating in a small way with my family.
For help with finding relevant meals on special liturgical feasts (and fasts!), I look to Catholic Cuisine for help. They share recipes and the whys and hows for different feast days.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, your faith and your family. God bless!
I am slowly turning my “traditional”, “builder grade” kitchen into a “farmhouse” kitchen, with lots of white, some fun antiques, some galvanized metal tins, and my beloved white/barnwood hutch. (that I found at a garage sale years ago for $60!) Yes, even here in “glamorous” Southern California, vintage style is alive and well!
One of my favorite vintage blogs is yours, Aunt Ruthie, and I also love Funky Junk Interiors!
Thanks for your wonderful words and your great inspiration!
I do many things vintage (sad it’s call that). I make my own bread from scratch, make my own laundry soap, make my own fabric softner. I don’t buy anything processed. I usually make everything fresh…nothing is bought in a package or a can. I make homemade hot cocoa mix to cream of chicken soup. Makes me happy to see I’m taking care of my family by feeding them good things. I strive to be a proverbs 31 woman. :-) As far as blogs that inspire me…there are too many to mention but I have to say Sugar Pie Farmhouse is at the top of my list along with…. aspiring-homemaker. Thanks for offering this great giveaway…love it all!!!
Aunt Ruthie,
Around my home I try to bring in the love of the Lord and make my family see and feel how much they mean to me with little visual hints all over. I will write a verse on a chalkboard for them to see or put a little note on my girls’ wipeoff boards in their rooms to find later. I think this is a “vintage” thing to do because sharing our feelings with one another seems like a lost ‘art’ unfortunately. But I am constantly reminding my family how much I love them and kissing and hugging on them!
I, too love Susan Branch! I get her newsletter the Willard each time and follow her blog. And I get a new calendar each January! She is so joyful, yay Susan!
I made homemade dill pickles with cucumbers out of our garden last summer! Your blog is darlin’! I am from the south so I talk a lot like you!
Thanks for the opportunity for the giveaway! Your family is beautiful too!
I make jams, jellies &.preserves for my family & friends. My precious Nana taught me, & I treasure those memories every time I’m canning!!
Love your blog! Happy New Year Ruthie!
Your ideas give me inspiration for decorating my home! I love anything vintage with fresh flowers. =)
I grew up on a Dairy farm in the late 60’s..and enjoyed it.
I dont make soap, but I enjoy looking at all handmade items on blogs, its so interesting!
Everyone in our family is always sad to see the Christmas tree come down. The sparkle and glow of the lights warms the soul on cold winter nights. So a few years back, I created “Winter Tree” for January. I bought a little three foot pine and decorated it with white lights and wintery decorations. I have snowflakes, icicles, snowmen, etc. . . We loved Winter Tree so much and didn’t want to put it away; So, for February I made “Love Tree”. It was decorated of course with all things lovey dovey and valentiney. I place an antique aluminum tray at the base of the tree with some note papers and pens. Our family writes “love notes” to each other the whole month of February. My son is happy to come home from school and find he has “mail” under the Love Tree. Those beautiful words of love, praise, and encouragement, written to him from MaMa and Daddy are so special to him. They spell love and security to a child. Top it off with some homemade cookies and some milk after a cold walk home from the bus stop and it’s a winner! One February we had a group of friends over for dinner after church. Our family wrote each guest a Love Tree note. Following dessert, we passed the little antique tray around the table and let each guest find their note. Our friends were so moved by this simple act of love – they still fondly recall that dinner. Winter Tree and Love Tree are mainstays during the cold winter months following Christmas. We have come to enjoy and appreciate them so much. It’s funny how traditions get started. It really doesn’t cost alot of money to make things special in your home, for your family. It just takes a little love, and the willingness to give of yourself and your time. May God Bless You on your journey of creating traditions for your family.
Hey Aunt Ruthie! I luv ur site!! Look forward to every new post :)
At our home the thing we do that might be “vintage” sadly, is I cook homemade meals ( including homemade biscuits and for snack we pop our own popcorn on stove top-no microwave stuff, please :)
I like to read over and look at pics on homeliving.blogspot.com “Lady Lydia” is very sweet and a lovely example to us ladies, as well as you are!
Thanks for your blog and the time you spend pulling it together! I always leave encouraged :)
First I want to say thank you for always encouraging and showing the Love of CHRIST!!!!!!!!!! My heart is all about old, rustic and vintage. Anything that reminds me of my grandparents farm. :) I want my children to have wonderful memories of HOME!!! My favorite blog is ofcourse sugarpiefarmhouse. Couldn’t get any better than that. :) I always have candles burning so the sweet cozy smell will hit them when the walk in the door. Always in the kitchen baking something for my 4 blessings, 5 including my sweet man! Ofcourse I have my apron on. :) I have made my laundry detergent, home made ice cream on the front porch. We have chickens, goats and a sweet pig named Homer!!! We garden as well. I want my kids to have the work ethic and to be able to learn how to be self sufficient. Sorry, I could go on and on! Love your blog and thankful for you and your inspiring God sent words. When I see you have a new one I get my self a cup of something hot and wrap up in a cozy blanket. Thank you Aunt Ruthie for blessing others. P.S. I found a page on fb called The Old Red Farmhouse. She is great!! Thought you might want to check it out.
Oh yeah, one of my childrens favorite things is home made bread. In fact there are two loaves rising right now. Would love to be able to share with you. They love to warm a slice up and put a slab of butter each morning!! Blessings.
Dear Aunt Ruthie,
I want to thank you so much for your beautiful blog and honest to goodness way of giving so much love.Your blog has blessed me in days when I was dealing with my auto immune disease.The joy and happiness coming through had me smiling alot.I am in remission now and I have used so many of your suggestions.My daughter is now making her own laundry soap,which she just loves to bits.Thanks for bringing so much happiness into my life.May our Lord of love always bless your family.
Grace
Hi Aunt Ruthie,
I love everything old!! My husband and I have collected so many things through the years. We live in an old farmhouse which is the perfect spot for our vintage items. Your blog has been an inspiration to me for a few years now and I am always happy to pass it on to new friends. Thank you for the time and effort you spend – such a blessing to all your viewers.
Nothing makes my day like reading one of your posts. I wish you posted every day LOL!!!! From the bottom of my heart, your blog is my absolute favorite. I am one of those working moms, so I don’t get to do as much stuff from “scratch” as I would like. I live on a farm in MO. We have a big garden and I do lots of canning. I make my own jams and jellies. I hope that when my kids are grown and have homes of their own they will remember “home” as a place they want to return to. Thanks for sharing the love of Jesus with us. I belong to Him, and I’m so thankful. Blessings to you Aunt Ruthie!!
Hi Aunt Ruthie, you are my absolute favorite blog tied with The Old Centenial Farmhouse:) I don’t know if this counts but I when I was growing up, we always helped my Ma take care of her Mother, my Grandma. Whether it was making and taking her meals, doing her wash, doing chores for her. Well now it’s my parent’s turn. My Ma is 88 and Pop will be 94 and they’ve been married 71 years this last December 6th (they were married the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked). So of course I grew up on Big Band Music, even though I’m 48:) and I love to throw on a vintage apron, put on my 40s music and make some meals to take over to their apartment, while I’m cooking for my hubby and kid’s. I love doing something for my parent’s and returning the blessings they gave me through the years. And hoping I pass this down to my two teenager’s as well! Thank you for the chance to win something !! And for always blessing my day with your blog :)
Hi Ruthie,
I used to love to cook and bake from scratch. Decorate my home in a vintagey way, take care of my family, etc. I have lost that spark since my husband of 33 yrs passed away Dec 29th 2011. Im trying to get it back but its very difficult, I use to feel very blessed, now I just fell lost. It was our dream to move east and find a farmhouse to retire in.
I love reading your blog for inspiration. I also love to read Susan Branchs blog, she also has a way of writing and sharing that it very inspiring.
I enjoy vintage things also. I make my own jams and I bake from scratch. I bake with my granddaughters and have made them aprons to wear. I enjoy your blog very much. It always makes me smile. I also enjoy Susan Branch. Her blog is also inspiring and beautiful like yours. Thanks for doing the give-away.
Would love to win!!!
YOU inspire me Aunt Ruthie!!!! Your words always touch my heart and I am a better wife and Mama because of your encouraging words. Thank you!! I try and make a warm comforting meal for my family every night and if that doesn’t happen because of a busy schedule, we try and come together at the end of the day and share a dessert. It’s something small but we connect as a family daily and I hope my family holds close this time together as preciously as I do. I also read the blog, “Living on cloverlane”-Sarah is inspiring to me as a mother. Thanks Aunt Ruthie!!
My go to solution for creating an inviting home is always have fresh flowers in as many rooms as possible. I LOVE flowers and they make great little accents for beside tables, kitchen sinks and window seals.
The Farm Chicks @ farmchicks.com offers great ideas for creating a vintage style home.
Thank you so much for your wonderful update. I always look forward to a new post from you. I am surrounded by inherited items from my Grandmother and my mother. I love each item. I have plates, glassware, wall pictures, glass figurines, quilts, doilies, and a multitude of other keepsakes. I love your home and décor. I enjoy watching your family grow up and the new grandbabies. (I am up to 15 grandchildren and have 3 ‘greats,’ with another ‘great’ on the way in April!) Life is good!
My choice of blogs is yours, of course. I have followed you for years. Used to be “Betty in Oklahoma,” but moved 2 years ago near the majority of our grandkids, just outside of Memphis in a small community – but more COUNTRY than I have ever lived in. We love it. Branson is STILL our favorite place to visit.
BETTY in TENNESSEE (Keep up the great work!!)
I’m a vintage girl at heart. I love a warm home that smells good. I love baking and aprons. Anything that makes a shelter from a cold world is a blessing. Thanks for a beautiful post and such a generous giveaway.
I love to bake fresh bread. I love how it tastes and it makes the house smell heavenly! We love to have it with honey from our neighbor’s bees. One of my goals for this year is to learn how to make sourdough. Oh! And one farmy website I love is Mary Jane’s farm. There are six different farm girl blogs associated with Mary Jane’s farm. Lots of good farmy inspirations to get your farm girl creative juices flowing! http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/
Love, love, love your blog. So inspiring and warm.
Blessings! <3
First time visiting thanks to my a friend who needed to hear the words you wrote on this blog! Love all you wrote and very inspiring! Thank you and God Bless, Barb
Ruthann,
Being a Military Wife for the past 24 years, I carry a vintage way of living and blessing my Family in my *Spirit*. At times we are able to be surrounded by our lovely vintage treasures, and at times they must remain in storage. At times our Family is complete with my Husband home safe and sound, and at times he is far away where only a prayer and a happy thought can unite us. The houses we live in, the Countries we live in or the islands we live on are varied. So it is most important to me to carry vintage and lovely blessings in my *Spirit* so that I can create a HOME any place the Military sends us. Home is where ever my Husband and Children are. And vintage home making is carried from place to place in my spirit, so I can bless my family.
My favorite vintage source?…SugarPie Farmhouse. It began blessing my heart when we lived in Tennessee and it is now blessing my heart in Hawaii. And I will carry all of its loving words and inspirational messages with me where ever we are asked to go.
Many Blessings RuthAnn,
Laura :)
Hi Aunt Ruthie! We live out in the country on 2 acres of land. We have a large garden area, currently 30 chickens, and an orchard of apples, apricot, and peach trees. Lots of canning and cooking goes on in our home, the man of the house being just as involved. I adore my family, especially those grandbabies! We make holiday’s and birthday’s special events, usually hosted in our home. When time allows, I love to sew for my grandchildren, currently working on some blankets for a new grandson coming in early February!! I started wearing my homemade aprons several years ago, and I tell you I feel like I’m not dressed now if I don’t have one on. Making memories and carrying on traditions, I believe, is something my family all appreciates. So blessed to be home, and able to do these wonderful things. Susan Branch’s blog is a favorite of mine too, and I also love Raising Jane Journal, and this sweet one called Sugar Pie Farmhouse. ♥
Hi Aunt Ruthie :-)
I am always inspired and uplifted reading your blog and Susan Branch’s blog as well. I’m not able to do as much as I would like the way they did in “olden times”, but I love vintage things and antiques and have a little Etsy shop to sell the fun things I find that I can manage to part with! I did use your recipe to make laundry soap a couple of weeks ago with my girls, and it is just wonderful, it smells so clean and makes things feel much more homey while doing laundry! I am blessed to be able to work at home to care for my family!
Hi Aunt Ruthie, what a blessing this blog was to me and I am sure other women. I have had this on my mind this year as my daughter is about to become a new mom, I remember the verse about the older women teaching the younger women and have really taken this to be my goal not for this year but from now on. I would love to win any of your gifts, they are so Cute! my daughter and I make our own laundry soap and now are making hand soap. I am a candle fanatic,, so my home always smell good!! thank you for this ,, bible study blog,, really appreciate, God bless you and your family.
Ruthie you have been an incredible blessing in my life and I want to thank you! I love your blog, your love for the good Lord and for your sweet family, all of which are an encouragement to those like me who wish for more peace, serenity and grace. Outside of your own wonderful blog, I enjoy reading CobblestoneFarms.blogspot.com and Rareandbeautifultreasures.com. Both ladies inspire me to follow hard after God and love the life they’ve been blessed with. Thank you for your efforts Ruthie – you make an incredibly wonderful difference in so many of our lives! God’s best, Amy
Your blog is my inspiration, it’s such a blessing to share the same “vintage” family values! We raise our own chickens for fresh eggs and plant a garden and do canning…among other things! We are now empty nesters that are truly blessed with 9 “grandblessings” that keep a smile on our face! Thank you for such a blessing you are Aunt Ruthie!!
What a wonderful post, as always!
We do lots of things to try and keep a vintage feel or a connection to loved ones, from baking from scratch to using my aunt and grandmother’s recipes to decorating with vintage things…aprons too. Oh, and TELLING stories of our loved ones, grandparents, cousins, just good memories of growing up! Memories from “The House that Built Me”. ;)
YOUR blog is my fav!
Thanks for being a blessing!
I collect rainwater and rinse my little girl’s hair with it. Mine, too!
Well, now that I’ve gone back to work it is definately harder to fit in those fun little touches, but I still try to bake goodies from sratch as much as possible, and I strive to make my home cozy and appealing to my family.
Your blog is my bestest vintage, homey-inspiring blog!
HI! One of the vintagey things we do, is display a pair of Raggedy Ann and Andy ragdolls somewhere in the house. There’s a little old lady who has been making and selling them for YEARS off of hwy 301 down here in FL. My Daddy never took the time to stop and buy one for me when I was little, so I made a point to buy them for my baby girl. Now Ann and Andy can be found on our fireplace mantle, or even relaxing in a big bowl in the middle of kitchen table. Unless, of course baby girl has them off playing somewhere..As for a vintage website, I love thevintagehousewife.com I want all her clothes!
Hi!
I love to light yummy and botanical candles each late afternoon to make our home more relaxed and inviting! I also enjoy keeping a flock of hens in our suburban but large backyard… our family and friends can be nourished by down home ‘farm fresh’ eggs. We all ‘fight’ over who gets to gather eggs each day. Our hens lay a rainbow of colored eggs making them even more special…knowing my cooking or baking contains nourishment from our own family flock just makes it taste that much better. Somehow we feel much more a part of sustainable living which is a big bonus!
Wonderful post Aunt Ruthie!! I always say encouragement goes a long way….. We can make or break relationships!! I want to not only make them, but nurture them as well…
There are many vintage things I do, I wouldn’t know where to begin!! I will share something that my mailman said to me the other day. I had gone out to check the mail and in a hurry left on my black, white, & green damask apron that says in rhinestones “Queen of Everything”. The postman asked if my children made it for me & then said it was nice!! Lol…. I’ve never had that kind of compliment!! It’s pretty funny now that I think about it!!! ~smile~ I guess that’s how it is down here in South Georgia!
And of course my favorite Vintage Website would have to be you darling!! I’ve been reading your posts for a long time. I just recently made my blog and am seeing how this goes for me. Please stop by when you get a chance… Have a wonderful weekend!
P.S. I named my blog after our dear Aunt Frieda who is 96 & still going strong. She drives herself around town & smiles & giggles more than anyone I know!
What a sweet post! I make all of my own baked goods, and don’t use many processed foods in my cooking. My family doesn’t even really like baked goods that are not homemade at this point. My fave vintage blog is…..yours!! Happy new year!
Hi Aunt Ruthie, love your blog as always. You are an inspiration to me and so many!! Cooking a meal from scratch is so fulfilling and decorating the house for my hubby and me is a joy. Your blog is a blessing – it’s the best. Thank you for thinking of us – your reader family.
Aunt Ruthie,
Your New Year Blessing post is just that for me. I feel inspired to be more positive in my outlook. That verse too, is one I like to start my day with, but probably need to act upon more.
Susan Branch’s blog is the first on my tool bar. I can’t wait till her England book is finished! I limit myself on blogs, because they are so interesting, I could easily forget my chores. I have three other “farmhouse” blogs besides yours marked, and three others that are “unique in themselves”, one of which I have already mentioned. Another is a lovely one, written by Carolyn Aiken. She lives on Prince Edward Island, where I dream of visiting with my daughter to see Anne of Green Gable’s world. Her house and gardens inspire me…she takes tea, cooks, and decorates beautifully.
As for me, I live on ten acres, and have chickens, and an Australian Shepherd. My husband and I raise a small garden and have planted an orchard. We derive our joy from the simple pleasures of everyday life. He teaches school, and we spend our summers picking blackberries that grow on our land, then we make jelly and pickles together, and can and freeze the surplus from the garden.
God bless you as you bless others,
Rebecca
Hi there,Yeeehaw to the Lord above and all ya sistas!!!! Happy New Year!!! lLOVE,LOVE this blog! It’s one of your best EVA !! ha, Love the pictures sooo much! Especially the farmhouse with the blessings! Your words are fantastic and uplifting and a great reminder of how each of us needs to live our life! Out for now,from one country girl to the next! God bless us all everyone!Cindy Lou Hoo! Don’t ya just LOVE the grinch!
Hi Ruthie, well, I love to bake. I love the smell of warm home made bread straight from the oven. (Which I made today!) As for a blog, you are it!! I love all your spiritual filled thoughts you share. Your home is so warm and inviting. Please continue to share with us. Thank You, for the oportunity to win one of your wonderful gifts.
my word for this year is “WITH”, as in “Emmanual, God with us”. With us all the time and in all circumstances. I have gone through a lot of health issues and it is a comfort to remember that God is with me, no matter what!
The word “WITH” also inspires me to be “with” whatever I am doing. Whether that is talking WITH my husband or children or working on a project. I tend to be easily distracted. :)
My favorite blogs….besides yours? Well, I love The Shabby Nest, A Bowlful of Lemons, The Confident Mom, Organizing made Fun…
I just made my 2nd batch of laundry soap! The first lasted us about 6 months. I have taken one of my dh’s aunt’s gravy ladles and put it in the glass laundry soap jar and use that to measure out the soap. So much prettier than a plastic scoop! Plus, it makes me think of his (our) aunt!
Thank you, Aunt Ruthie, for being a blessing to us!
Carol
Love reading your blog! It is encouraging and uplifting. I bake my own bread, cook from scratch, can and I crochet and sew! I work in my tiny mobile home kitchen with my apron on…either the country print or the vintage red gingham which belonged to my husbands aunt. I love vintage stuff! Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you Aunt Ruthie for the inspiration and encouragement constantly cooked up for us! I have always been a stay at home mummy so now with an empty nest I am learning how to adjust to this with my hubby of 34 years! I have been blessed with three grandbabies! the apples of my eyes! From a very early age I embraced the fact that I could change the atmosphere at home! I was a climate controller, with God’s enabling! I wanted the family to come home and be able to breathe out worry and stress of the day and breathe in God’s goodness, fresh baking and a cozy clean home! I am drinking from my saucer, ’cause my cup is overflowng! My heart overflows with thankfulness. I have been totally blessed beyond measure with your Blog. Thank you for the inspiration and encouragement. We are defnitely sisters in different nations! I also have been hugely blessed by Common Ground Blog, Cooking up Faith and All things Home. I love my collection of aprons and I am always doing the rounds of thrift shops to hunt down (along with other vintage treasures), aprons from the past. I have always lived by the beach but my home has always been all things farmy!!! Country by the Coast maybe!!!!
I have to join many others and say I love your blog and have enjoyed it for many years! Recently I found the blog, down to earth by Rhonda Hetzel of Australia, which is inspiring me to live more simply. One of my goals this year is to learn soap-making, using Rhonda’s easy directions. Another goal for the year is to learn to knit socks. I enjoy grinding wheat and making bread, making kombucha and kefir, gardening, making laundry soap and cleaning supplies. I would love to eventually have a chemical-free home. Thanks for your blog. How often I have thought after reading it, “I needed that”!
I make my own jams and jellies each summer and fall, and i can pasta sauce for quick family meals – using my Grandma’s recipe! Yum! One blog that inspires me to live simply and enjoy the season of life god has us in right now is Blissfully Content. You can find the blog here:
http://theblissfullycontentlife.blogspot.com/
I love your blog! I’m always looking forward to your encouraging words! Please enter me in your giveaway!
Fantastic blog !!!! Give thanks and praise to God!,Glory be! This is definitely one of your BEST BLOGS! I look forward to your blogs and your pictures you used are fANTASTIC!!! we all have to count the blessings all around us!!! I so look forward to the new year!!
Love your blog …. definitely one of my favorites. I love my family and love my Lord and love taking care of my home. I just made homemade bread and homemade soup for this cold winter evening.
I love to make quilts. I do make my own laundry soap (sure wish I could find Ivory soap flakes in the stores so I could make my own liquid hand soap like I used to!). I also like to bake my own bread and pies.
Your is seriously the best vintage blog I read! I love your call to be thankful and joyful and you are a good mentor for me in many “departments” of life.
I do read AHolyExperience.com as she has some vintage quilts, books, furniture, etc and I also read Beeinmybonnet.blogspot.com for occasional sewing inspiration.
Thank you for the opportunity to win these very fun items…so adorable! Thank you for your words of inspiration on this post. It is so important to focus on the Lord’s blessings each day! May He bless you in every way each day!
I work 40 + hours per week and teach SS. I have a gorgeous and sweet husband and two beautiful little girls ages 9 and 14. My life stays pretty darn busy! In order to keep everyone’s mind on praying I have painted a large chalkboard on my pocket door in my old time kitchen. At the top of the board is written “Our Prayer Wall”, then listed is names of people who are on our prayer list. The chalk is beside the door so it is easy for anyone to add a specific prayer request to the wall. It is a constant reminder not only to pray for others but to know that God answers our prayers. Names are removed and new ones are added as God works in their lives.
My favorite website is http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com — I know this isn’t what you are looking for but because I am so busy I only have a few sites that I follow and yours is the one I have chosen to follow for vintage ideas, recipes, decorating ideas, etc. There are times when I find myself three websites or more over by clicking on a link but I always start at http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com
Love you Aunt Ruthie!!!
-Shelly Mattingly, Lebanon Junction, KY
Happy new year aunt Ruthie!! :) Blessings. I love it. You are already a blessing to us all; more than you’ll ever know. For that, I thank you… I just love vintage everything! I don’t dress vintage ($ or at least not real vintage $) but I try to buy all my decor and stuff vintage/a vintage look. I am also a classic movie/music addict. On a side note I think the best thing about my love for vintage is, showing my sisters that pop culture is not everything. I love when they seek alternatives vintage or not. Does that make sense? It does in my head. Anyhoo, my fave vintage inspired blogs are:
Of course Sugar Pie Farmhouse & Pinterest, The Vintage Housewife, Vixen Vintage, Va-Voom Vintage, The Beehive Cottage, Life in a Pink House, The Rockabilly Socialite, Tea at Trianon, Titillating Tidbits About the Life and Times of Marie Antoinette, Glamour Daze, Everyday is a Holiday, Bobby Pin Blog, The Fancy Farmgirl, French Country Cottage, and so many more… I wish I could list them all but these were off the top of my head in no particular order :)
I forgot to add a very awesome gal to my list. She isn’t vintage-y but she is such an inspirational young lady. Charisma Star, that gal is spreading the word of God like wildfire. Her light is so bright you just feel the warmth of the Lord coming from her. Her makeup tutorials on youtube (Charisma Star Tv) are super cool too. Check out her twitter (Charis Amber Lincoln) or facebook. Her and her hubby are to adorable :)
*too
Hi Aunt Ruthie!
I love your blog, attitude, love and your amazing home! I love the way you have decorated it. You are my inspiration!
By keeping our schedule as “simple” as possible I hope to have a more vintage home. I try not to let the expectations of the world dictate us into thinking we have to be busy or doing at all times to be living.
Your wonderful blog is very inspiring to me as does Home Sanctuary because both of you ladies keep the Lord first and foremost. http://www.homesanctuary.com/
Have a blessed 2013!
I desire a simple lifestyle that our foremothers wouldve lived. (Not quite so hard though ;) I’m very much a farm girl at heart!! However, my husband is a city guy through and through.
I guess the way that I live life in a vintage way is to make our pies from scratch. I also sometimes make our own hamburger buns and breadsticks. My great-grandmother was a farm wife/mom. Their little farmhouse is still standing in Bartlesville and I LOVE taking trips there with my mom. I love hearing about her life and the way she lived. I sooo wish I couldve met her, sat at her feet with a notepad and pen and took notes like a mad woman =)
I have a few of her aprons that I’ve folded in a basket. The basket sits next to my cookbooks and a little sign that reads, “Celebrate family, friends, and traditions” I also have one of her mugs out next to it. It’s my inspiration to live a more simplified and vintage-y life =)
I don’t read a ton of blogs, just a select few. I’ve come across several that were so inspiring, but unfortunately I didn’t save them. Honestly, your blog is my vintage living inspiration! I love your ideas, your heart, and your love for our Lord. I’m giddy with excitement when I get the email with your newest post! Keep up the great work!!
I will say, my MIL has a nice blog in which she shares some vintage thoughts and decorating styles! http://www.carolsheirloomcollection.blogspot.com
Hi Ruthie,
I love Susan’s blog too! She is one of my favorites! Well I always have since I first got married in 1978 decorated little tables around the house with pictures from every event in our life that meant so much to us. And every holiday I change out the pictures with other little items baby shoes or suitcase, something to go with the month and our favorite picture of the month. It always makes us smile and talk about the good times together! Thanks for being an inspiration to all of us homemakers!!
It is so important for our foster kids to feel like they are an important part of our family. Since many (if not most) come from homes where food was scarce, I always make it a point to have an after-school snack waiting for them when they get off the bus. Whether it’s a cup of hot cocoa and cookies or just-made brownies and milk, they always say thank you and have reminded me countless times how much it means to them.
Love your blog. You are such an inspiration to me as a mother to a 4yr old and 22mth old. I have taken your advice and pray over their laundry and while cooking our meals. Not such a chore when you use it as a time to reflect and pray for blessings for your loved ones! Thanks you for sharing!
Love your blog! Thanks for your inspiration. I like to cook my meals from scratch — especially with produce from our own garden or hunting trips. I love to knit washcloths for the kitchen, too. The simple joys just are so satisfying.
Oh my goodness, you asked what blog inspires me? Well, not to sound like a brown-noser :) but yours seriously is the one I love to visit more than anything. It reminds me of a country magazine- full of quaint little stories, always full of encouragement for mothers, pictures that I could look at over and over again. Truly, your blog is my favorite. But coming in second is The Pioneer Woman/Ree Drummond. I love trying her country style recipes, looking at her pictures and reading her little stories too.
The things I do around my little country home are simple- I love having a fire going in our woodstove, even though clicking on the heat is so much easier than starting a fire- there’s really nothing that compares to the coziness that comes with a fire in a woodstove. I love to play old fashioned hymns on our piano, and hearing my kids humming/singing along. I started reading The Swiss Family Robinson to my kids at nice- one chapter at a time. I love lighting a candle at night- there’s just something inviting and warm that you feel when you see a little candle lit. I love eating dinner around the table as a family and asking the kids about their day at school. I love waking up in the morning, having my quiet time with the Lord, feeling refreshed and renewed afterward, then putting on a cute apron and working around the house to Godly music.
Those are just a few things I like to do around here. :)
Hello, Aunt Ruthie! I was so excited to see your new blog post. Your blog is one of my favorites. I just love all of the scriptures that you incorporate into each post. God’s word, through you, always touches my homemaking heart. What a wonderful way to start the New Year!
Something I love to do that is “vintage” (I suppose, although it seems sad to say…) is to put a pot roast with all of the trimmings in the oven or crock-pot before our family heads off to Sunday School and church on Sunday morning. It’s wonderful to come home to a warm, yummy smelling house and not have to fight the crowds at restaurants after all the churches in town let out on Sunday afternoons!
I find that I really don’t have time to keep up with too many blogs, what with raising three kiddos, but a couple of others that I’m always sure to check are:
Susan Branch’s http://www.susanbranch.com/ and,
Serena’s Farm Chicks Blog http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/
I’ll be anxiously awaiting next post! I know how much work you must put into each one, and hope you know just how much it is appreciated. May God bless you!
Thank you for the beautiful words to begin the New Year. They spoke to my heart this morning. God Bless you.
Thanks for the chance at the sweet vintage style items. You’re a blessing each time I visit your blog. I love to bake and plan tea parties for the special women in my life. I use many items that are dear to me because they once belonged to my grandmothers.
(And of course, I wear one of their aprons the whole time.)
I am inspired by Linda at Prairie Flower Farms, she embraces everyone she meets (in person and online) with grace and sweetness – just like you! Blessings to you in this new year.
I LOVE your blog! I try to make dinner time special. I use pretty dishes, napkins and once in a while I light a candle. Even if my guys don’t really notice..I enjoy it!!! :)
Hello!!! I try to attend church every Sunday, I think that’s pretty vintage because not everyone does this:) Also I just came across the Dashing Dish Blog! She is as sweet as pie and making them with less calories, woo hoo!!! Along with great biblical references! Just love her, check it out soooo good!
God Bless you Ruthie:)
I was so excited to see your word this year. That is my word also. I have a canning jar and I put a star on the outside of it with the word blessing. Next to it is a basket filled with strips of paper and a pen. Any time any one in our family feels the Lord has blessed them with a special blessing they are to write it on the piece of paper with their name and date. Next year at Christmas we will read how the good Lord had blessed us that year. I can’t wait to read them all. I also make a home cooked supper every night. Nothing compares to a home cooked meal and what better way can I show my appreciation to my husband for working so hard for our family. Thanks Aunt Ruthie your words are truly a blessing.
Hi Aunt Ruthie, great post with good insight. Love getting back to old fashioned values and keeping my home warm and inviting for my family. I love baking bread and homemade soups. Making pies and filling my kitchen with the smell of cinnamon and apples warms my soul. I have always valued the family table and spending quality time with my family. I believe we need to return to some of the values that have been lost through the years. I am now a grandma and like you treasure those grandbabies and hope to be a godly example in their lives. I’ve created a blog “Surviving Motherhood” at kathy-motherhood.blogspot.com in which I’m going to be sharing many of my experiences and ideas I learned while raising my children as a working mom. I would love it if you would check it out and help me get started. My goal is to help the younger women along in their journey as mothers and wives. This is a new experience for me and with God’s help I’m hoping it will be one that will benefit other women as well.
Well Howdie Miss Aunt Ruthie!!
I have been following you since 2009.
First with Lavenderridge blog then White Weathered Hutch.
I have watched your wee ones grow…..
Adored your kitchen from afar…… especially your large pantry……
And those Aprons…….Oh how down home
are they…… just soooo sweet……..just like you……Well now you are having one heck of a giveaway….
I would be so honoured to win……. Now remember to enter me…
Love Ya
From Canada
What a wonderful post! I love it find a new post of yours in my e-mail!
I love, love vintage and probably the way I show it the most is that I have my dining room done in the fabulous 50’s style. It is my favorite room in our home!
Where vintage blogs are concerned, I have 2 faves. Yours and Susan Branch! I collect Susan Branch just like I’ve now been doing with Aunt Ruthie books! :) I have to say that both Susan and you were born with an extra measure of the “happy gene” :) and I love it! You blogs are always sunshiny & cheerful, uplifting & encouraging. I could go on & on……………
Thanks for being you! :)
Hello!! I must say As much as I do love your wonderful Christmas and fall decor (talk about cuteness overload) I look forward to this NEW YEAR post the most! What we do at home that I think is “Vintage” – We pray and read the bible together, and just like my Mom and Grandmother before me I love to welcome folks into my home and feed them ;-) A great blog is http://avirtuouswoman.org/ Thanks for all the sweet inspiration!
Your blog is indeed uplifting — it has refreshed my heart and gone right into the bones…wink!
I do small little vintage things all day long. Such as trying to keep the manners flowing – homemade meals from scratch – hanging the laundry clothes out on the line to dry, which help save the $$$.. I’ll be dropping in again and again — thanks for all the side tips and all your IDEAS..
Hugs..
THANK YOU so much … I needed a sweet blessing today and you provided above and beyond.
I love that you talked about Galatians and being mindful of our blessings……
Each morning my daughter and I text each to “be a blessing”…..
I am always in a hurry ~ busy doing all kinds of things or perhaps mostly runnng in circles.
Even slowing down to read my fav blogs is a chore….today I purposed that I would…..and stopped at yours and was blessed…thank you so much
We pray before every meal. And we make it a point to eat together as a family.
I love your blog; thanks for all the encouragement!
I soooo love your blog posts-they are so inspiring, thank you so much for doing them! Something vintage I do is most our meals are from scratch…and I use deer meat in my cooking:). We also heat with pellets on our home… and lastly I hand wash dishes, we live in a very old home and a dishwasher is out of the question due to the make up of the kitchen, so it’s handwashing we do :)!
Hi aunt Ruthie
I love your blog, so much of it rings true and I love homemaking and all things vintage. I have learned to listen when the Lord gives me a nudge, one of the things like to do is be neighborly at work, at church,and in my neighborhood where ever God prompts me. My go to blessing when I hear someone is sick or needs some uplifting is to take them some chicken (soup) with homemade noodles you can’t really call it soup its so thick and yummy. I have this recipe down to a science I make up a big batch and freeze the base so when I get that nudge from God I can defrost the base make a quick batch of noodles and deliver it quick as a wink, I also add lots of prayers and blessings for the recipient while rolling out those noodles with my mamas old rolling pin…( every time I use that rolling pin I thank God for giving me a mom who loved God first and blessed everyone she met).
Blessings to you Ruthie as you bless others…
I have been a stay at home mom since a month before our first son was born. I am grateful to have been able to stay home with all three of our children now going on almost 16 years now. In order to stay sane on the days where it felt that a shower was a luxury let alone talking to a friend I have been grateful for the many blogs out there to live vicariously through. But not only that but to also witness that I am not alone in my daily happenings. One of my favorite blogs that I have always made time to visit daily has been the http://www.lemonademakinmama.com Sasha has truly been a life saver for this tired weary mama some days! :) Thank you for this chance at such a fun giveaway!!
Ruthie, thank you so much for all the uplifting, inspirational words of encouragement. I love to come to your site and pour over the stories, lift decorating ideas from you and gaze at the pictures that bring back memories or inspire. When I’m feeling a little down, I come “home” to your site and go through older blogs for encouragement and a lift or look at the lovely ebook that I downloaded this past summer that always brings back memories and inspires as well.. I make my own powerdered laundry soap and grow my own vegetables in our garden. Another favorite blog and website is http://www.maryjanesfarm.org or http://thebeehivecottage.blogspot.com. Thank you for being such a blessings to so many. May God abundanty bless you and your precious, growing family. Cheryl
Aunt Ruthie, you always touch my heart with your posts. Being a working mama is often a trying time. Would love to put home cooked meals on the table every night. But I usually only end up getting 3.. One blog that I’m fond of is The Country Cook. She has great meal ideas that are quick and easy.. I have a whole wall with vintage kitchen utensils… graters, whisks, wooden spoons and pastry blenders etc. I absolutely LOVE your blog. I’m so glad I stumbled upon it about 2 years ago! Thank you for this give away.. You are so kind. Blessings to you and your family.
There is just something so satisfying about making things your family needs. Or at least using the most natural things you can find! And cooking real, sit down at the table meals means so much. Thanks for your encouragement!
Oh, vintage, sweet vintage! The name takes on different meanings for me. It’s honoring the past in our little cottage-filled with items that hold deep meaning to our families. Waking up in the bed my Nana was born in, looking at her handwriting every day in my kitchen – her famous brownie recipe, framed, opening her Hoosier and taking out dishes – some new, some thrifted, some belonging to my Mam Mam. It’s taking pleasure in the simple things – the smell of coffee brewing, the privilege of packing my boys’ lunches, sitting down to dinner every night with my favorite people. It’s a decorating style, it’s a lifestyle, it’s home! One of my favorite blogs is http://www.jerusalemgreer.com.
Hi Aunt Ruthie! I can’t even begin to tell you how much I absolutely adore your blog and inspires me in so many ways! I’m going to start out each day reminding myself that it is the day the Lord has made. As far as what I do I make all my own cleaning supplies. I am starting to make my own bread and yogurt and is there anything better than tying on a pretty apron to get ready to go about your chores??? My 9 year old has taken to wearing my mom’s old apron and I just love it! I love reading Peggy at Hidden Haven Homestead Too. She has a homestead and a woodstove and at times feels as though she was born a century too late. http://hiddenhavenhomesteadtoo.blogspot.com/
I love old tea cups and use them. I also love to prep food items in old dishes. AND lastly I LOVE and use old linens all around the house. T
Thank you Aunt Ruthie for the opportunity at those fabulous gifts!
I love your blog, it is so positive! I always read and re-read past “New Years” posts that you have written all throughout the year. They keep me focused and are filled with wonderful wisdom and verses.
I would love a chance to win one of these wonderful prizes, thank you for offering!
Every morning I make breakfast for my girls and put on some nice music so that the day gets off to a good start.
Love this giveaway! While I’m a modern gal, I’m also very traditional. I love to put on an apron, some jazz and go about my housework. Baking bread is my ultimate favorite! It makes the house smell divine! :)
Besides your website, I also really like Dear Lissy, found at http://dearlissy.blogspot.com/
Hope I win!!! :)
I just found your blog this morning and I am “blessed” already! A blessing to others is my goal and dream for the new year too.
What a sweet give away…I know whoever receives it will be “blessed”!
I will be back!
I always look forward to your posts. I follow you through Reader. I have now started using some of my grandmother’s vintage aprons and linens because of the inspiration received from your blog. I know that when you bless others the blessings come back tenfold. You are a VERY blessed lady. Thank you for adding bright lights to my day.
I adore anything and everything vintage…I try to make my home as homey as possible with yummy smelling candles, roaring fires in the wintertime, homemade dinners, swinging ’40’s music, sweet sentimental pictures and things all around me. I have vintage aprons and have made my own soaps. I have reminders about remembering to be thankful to our dear Lord for everything and to keep our house worshiping and honoring Him. Your blog is one of my favorites. I adore Meg Duerksen’s “Whatever” blog – she used to attend “Mothers of Preschoolers” a long time ago with me. She is a sweetheart and always has a great attitude about being a wife and mom. She keeps it real. http://www.megduerksen.typepad.com You’ll love her, too!
Hello Aunt Ruthie!
I love your sweet little old site especially the beautiful graphics.Most of my homemakers skills came from my Grandma Dorothy I spent my freshman year high school on my grandparents dairy farm. My grandma was the queen of her home. She taught me how to make bread, canning everything she grew in her garden or orchard but by far she taught me about the lords love. We sat together on sundays and watched Billy Grahams sermon his site still inspires me to be the very best mother and grandmother I can be. When ever I pull a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven or join hands around the table with my family for a home cooked meal I thank God for Grandma Dorothy. My favorite site is Billy Graham.org where there is always good news. God Bless SweetiePieFarmhouse.com
Our old-fashioned ways include a home-cooked meal around the dinner table every evening. This is a non-negotiable at our home. We have four kids from teenagers down to toddler so keeping the dinner commitment isn’t always easy. However, Aunt Ruthie, it is a hill I will die on:) Dinner time feeds our bellies and our souls. As for blogs, in all seriousness, your blog would be number one for vintage love. One of my favorites for food and recipes would be Pioneer Woman (along with the rest of the world:). Thank you for your Titus 2 ministry. Blessings!
What a wonderful way to begin the year! Thank you!
Me, again! I love to cook and fill our home with repurposed items. I find inspiration from my favorite blog, Tongue in Cheek! Thank you for your wonderful inspirational thoughts.
Thank you Aunt Ruthie for a great blog. I like to bring in firewood for the cold evenings and keep a warm fire going until it’s time to hit the hay. I, of course, love your blog but also follow many others. One I find inspiring is: http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/ great ideas for decorating. I also love Sweet Magnolia Farms and Mary Jane’s “The Beehive Cottage, both of which I’m sure I got from you Aunt Ruthie. Well, I think it’s about time to go start my fire, it’s getting chilly.
Thank You…Hugs
Just stumbled upon your website/blog and I’m so glad I did!!! LOVE it already! Thank you!
Hello! I hope I am not too late for the give-away! I LOVE your blog and have been reading it for a long time. Your words and pictures are a true inspiration for me.
I like to go fetch the fresh eggs from our chicken coop and bake yummy muffins for my family (carrots are my favourite), wearing my home-sewn vintage-feel apron of course!
Besides your blog, I also like to visit this beautiful place: themurmuringcottage.tumblr.com.
Have a great day!
What a completly inspiring blog on this day! I love ti when I read something that I totally needed for the day to be right! I am going to share this with some of my wonderful church friends tonight! Thanks
I need some advice on how to proceed with an idea that I have. I have several generations of aprons that I want to display and am just not sure how to proceed. My great grandmother’s apron is very long and almost touches the floor and I just discovered a pocket on the front. Granny’s apron was made by her sister in law with a beautiful applique design of a lady wearing a bonnet, and is also very long compared to modern day aprons. My mom’s aprons are much shorter and are quite practical except for the white organdy one. I have collected a few of my own. There is no good spot where they would not be where folks would not knock them off the wall if hung on pegs. My kitchen is smaller only about 12 X15 with doors on 2 walls . I also have some of my great grandmother’s dresses , but do not want to cut anything up for curtains or chair covers….. Any ideas on ways to honor these other ladies in my present day world.?
Aunt Ruthie,
Thank you for your encouraging posts, you ARE a blessing! I listened to the song you shared and it actually teared me up. I love it! I’m not even a big country music fan, I listen to KLove, but it was really good.
I pray you have an amazing year! much love, Rachel
I want to say that I have been following you blog fom the very start. It is truely lovely. However I cannot help but notice that since fa*ebook, tw*tter and pinter*st came along it is not quite so great…… Of course there may be other reasons for this – real life and those you hold dear coming first, as of course they should. I just want to say, you brought me to God and to reading the bible by showing your life and how you live it. Please do not give up on that…… Where I am, there will be others………
I always enjoy reading your Blog updates and trying your recipes. We bought berries to make the handpies, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet as my husband is out of town and I don’t want him to miss out. I just wanted to say, “Thank you,” for encouraging me to be a godly woman in my home first, my Church and in my community. It is great to see that other women are still striving to do this in the post-feminist-movement days.
AND: Where did you get those adorable black-faced sheep ornaments on the tree in your shop? I showed sheep in 4-H at my County Fair and the Iowa State Fair until I graduated highschool. We always showed a hamp-suffolk cross that was black-faced, but I’m hard pressed to find decor in anything but white-faced sheep. Would love to know where you found them.
:)
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