Monday, December 3, 2018

Simply White

 
No matter how often I try, I just can't get away from CHRISTMAS WHITES. . .I love the way it looks against our already NEUTRAL DECOR. . .and you can't beat it for the WOW factor. . .

I pulled together SHADES OF WHITE among my everyday items. . .with touches of EVERGREENS and COLOR here and there . . .So simple. . .So classic. . .

Throw in an ANGEL or two. . .and. . .


It's PLAIN AND SIMPLE FARMHOUSE at it's best. . .


WISHING YOU FARMHOUSE BLESSINGS 
DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. . .



Thursday, November 29, 2018

Thoughts While Gathering the Greens



The winter lays her fingers cold
On dark and lonely nights
But Christmas it will soon be here
To usher in the light



And when morning breaks and the bells ring out
It is such a joyous sound
To hear them echo in the trees
That are green the whole year 'round


I have begun foraging for evergreen, berries, holly and ivy. . .well, just about anything I can use to decorate the house for Christmas. . .and thinking of all my Christmases past. . .Lately I have been longing for the ones of my childhood. . .the simplicity of them. . .It was a different time. . .a different era. . .but it sure does bring back good memories. . .


Like those of the outings we took about this same time each year to scour the woods and river banks for our decorations. . .no artificial wreaths. . .or plastic Christmas trees back then. . .We created our own unique blend of nature and crafts. . .The days leading up to Christmas meant more to me than all the presents under the tree. . .We did everything as a family. . church, parties, caroling, pot luck dinners. . ..and there were so many secrets as each of us created gifts for the others. . .It was a time to truly share our love for family and friends. . .So very special. . .bringing a smile as my thoughts wander on. . .

Monday, November 19, 2018

Giving Thanks

Forgive me if I point out the obvious. . .Soon it will be the Christmas holidays, and we will all be busy, busy, busy. . .But, just so we won't forget. . .THANKS GIVING does comes first. . .
For a Farmer's Daughter, Harvest is such an important time of the year. . .We have spent months and months with our crops continually on the mind. . .Too much rain. . .Not enough rain. . .Hail. . .Pests. . .Counting the days before frost. . .We worry over our livelihood as if we were a Mother watching her children grow into maturity. . .And then Fall arrives. . .the time of Harvest. . .All the nurturing has been done. . .and we hold our breath until we have those crops harvested and sold, when we can rest easy that bills will be paid in the coming months. . .Each year is a gamble. . .but one that is so fulfilling that we can't wait until Spring planting is near. . .when we gladly start the cycle all over again. . .
Harvest and Thankfulness to this Farmer's Daughter is a web woven together. . .that cannot be--and should not be--broken. . .Another year is almost over, yet I am always so humbled at the bounty that has been provided. . .So. . .will you join me and take a few moments this week to count your blessings. . .one by one. . .for family and friends. . .health and well-being. . .provisions and bounty. . .Then let's offer THANKS for each and every one. . .


I also wish to THANK YOU for following along with us during the year. . .
We do treasure each and every one of you. . .

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS TO ALL. . .



Tuesday, November 13, 2018

A Little Bit of Christmas At The Old Company Store


OUR OLD COMPANY STORE as seen in COUNTRY RUSTIC MAGAZINE
"Ninety-seven. . .ninety-eight. . .ninety-nine. . .one dollar." I was thrilled! With the four dollars I managed to save from my allowance, I had enough money to buy the little plastic cowboys and Indians for my brother, the red suspenders and bow tie for my Dad, and the  sweet-smelling Lily of the Valley cologne for my Mom.  I gathered up the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters and walked alone to the company store with excitement and anticipation in my every step. Even now as I transform that same mercantile into an enchanting Christmas past, it thrills the very depths of my soul. . ."
OUR OLD COMPANY STORE as seen in COUNTRY RUSTIC MAGAZINE 
And so begins my latest article written for COUNTRY RUSTIC MAGAZINE. .which has just hit the stands!!!!   Watch for it. . .because. . .there are some fantastic articles and Christmas ideas for your own traditional Christmas plans. . .Check out these article titles as seen on the Winter Issue cover. . .

We have become a family at the magazine thanks to D J Williams, our editor, who works so very hard to ensure that each magazine issue feels like home to the reader. . .and the best way to do that is to encourage the writers to write more personable themselves. . .to open up and tell their story. . .It's been a wonderful experience. . .and the good news is. . .I'll be writing for them again in 2019!!! and. . .beginning with the Fall Issue 2019, the COUNTRY FARM HOME will be featured each season for a year. . .John and I are so excited about this and I look forward to working with D J once again. . .
So. . .That's the BIG NEWS. . .that and I noticed on the calendar that it's almost Christmas. . .Time for me to start baking. . .and wrapping gifts. . .Where DID this year go?
 



Thursday, November 8, 2018

Another Plain and Simple Home


Simply put. . .We have a second home. . .and I have a new decorating challenge. . .but one I will totally enjoy.
It was back in April when John and I took a few days off to visit Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. . .a town steeped in history, dating back to the early 1700s. . .But, it wasn’t English history that we found. . .It was the history of the French and French Canadians who came to this land west of the Mississippi River to hunt, trap, and later to plant crops. . .The houses were different. . .The culture was different. . .New France was the other Colonial settlement. . .and we fell in love with the town, the countryside, and most of all the people. . .
In June we returned. . .When an opportunity came our way to actually buy one of the early 19th century homes, right in the middle of the historic town, we did not hesitate. . .We signed the papers that day. . .It’s our place to get away and enjoy history again. . .to dress up and play if we want, as we did in Colonial Williamsburg. . .
So. . .I have another home to decorate. . .and to share along the way. . .somewhat different in style. . .but still Plain and Simple. . .

And. . .I have a new blog where you can follow our progress. . .and see a little of the town we’ve grown to love. . .Hope you’ll join me in this newest phase of our lives. . .

By-the-way. . .I have a new companion, too. . .You know how much I loved my Boo, whom I lost back in February. . .I didn’t think I wanted another animal. . .but then. . .this little guy showed up online. . .and I was hooked. . .He is the spitting image of Boo. . .but has his own personality. . .
His name is Mr. B. J. LaShae. . .and you can bet he’ll be a big part of our journey. . .
Hope you’ll join us. . .at  STE. GENEVIEVE JOURNAL

Of course. . .I will continue to share our life at THE COUNTRY FARM HOME. . .There will be plenty to write about there, too. . .We are so blessed to be able to have both places. . .Isn’t LIFE EXCITING?



Friday, October 19, 2018

Lard. . .Lard


A little play on words. . .true. . .but I love this little sign I picked up in Missouri for only $7. . .It is perfect for my FARMHOUSE KITCHEN. . .I remember Grandmother swore by lard for her biscuits and her special recipe for tea cookies. . .Of course, the lard was processed outdoors in a big black 'witche's' pot over an open fire. . .FALL was hog killing time and making lard was just one of the activities surrounding this event. . .Only MEMORIES today. . .






Monday, October 8, 2018

New Floor--Big Difference


We've been planning this floor for months now. . .hoping we could find someone to put it down for us. . .In this part of the country, there's a waiting list for up to two years with the few contractors around. . .This year alone we finished the breezeway porch by ourselves. . .We repainted the checkerboard floor in the keeping room by ourselves. . .We repainted the kitchen cabinets, hung new fans and chandeliers in the kitchen. . .by ourselves. . .We painted and hung new curtains in the bedroom. . .New windows throughout the house. . .plus all the maintenance required for the twelve buildings on our farmstead. . .all by ourselves. . .So you would think we'd get a break and not have to tackle the bathroom floor. . .


Life just doesn't work that way for us. . .but now that it's down, we are very proud of it. . .My goodness. . .just look at how much it added to the bath. . .I absolutely love it. ..


This is the last of this year's big projects. . .I think we ended the list with the best of all. . .AND we can SMILE and say. . .'WE DID IT!. . .Who needs a contractor anyway? . .(grin)


Friday, October 5, 2018

Bringing Out the Woodenware For Fall

 

WOODENWARE and FALL just go together. . .at least for me. . .Their beautiful patina from years and years of use seem to add to the golden browns of the season. . .Not to mention the colors of our cotton fields that reflect the same woodsy feeling. . .and you all know how I love my cotton. . .


Just a couple more shots of our PLAIN AND SIMPLE FARMHOUSE STYLE. . .gearing up for two photo shoots coming soon. . .We finally finished the heavy work. . .and put down a new floor for the bath. . .I'll share later. . .Still so much to do and so little time. . .but I suppose each one of you could say the same. . .Life just gets busier and busier. . .doesn't it?



Wednesday, September 26, 2018

It's Fall, Y'all


Please indulge me. . .It's never FALL for me unless I gather together some favorite collections that remind me of the beautiful trees that are changing their colors to reds, gold, browns and yellows. . .Redware platters and jugs. . .Amber onion bottle and flasks. . .18th century salt horns. . .just to name a few. . .To me, the season calls for them. . .much more than what I find in stores. . .

I think the first Thanksgiving was celebrated quite simply. . .Friends, Family, Food. . .in Thankfulness for the bounty God had provided them. . .Plain and Simple. . .



Monday, September 17, 2018

A Few Accessories for the New Farmhouse Bedroom

STRAW HAT AND ROSES

Here's another SNEAK PEEK of the bedroom. . .
I'm teasing you with accessories. . .just a few. . .

PILLOWS, PILLOWS, PILLOWS

GET READY for this one. . .It's bright and very BOLD. . .

GRAY, WHITE, BLACK, RED

I took my color palette from this rug. . .
Found it. . .Loved it. . .
Now. . .the bedroom is in neutrals. . .with splashes of RED. . .


Won't you be glad when I show you the whole room?
(BIG SMILE. . .)
Life IS an adventure. . .isn't it?


 



Wednesday, September 5, 2018

New Farmhouse Decor for the Bedroom


YOUR WON'T BELIEVE THE CHANGES I'VE MADE TO THE FARMHOUSE BEDROOM. . .with just a little gray paint on one wall. . .a 'new' vintage vanity. . .a change in bed linens. . .and, , ,


different vintage dress for the girls. . .

MORE PEEK SHOTS COMING YOUR WAY SOON. . . .







Friday, August 24, 2018

Farm Animals in the Kitchen

Maybe I have gone a little overboard but it seems everywhere I turn there are barnyard critters--the inanimate kind--to collect. . .and it's sure been fun to do just that. . . Afterall, this IS a farmhouse with a farmyard filled with barns and outbuildings. . .It's true. . .the only animal stock we have is Little Bit, the rescued cat who lives in--and thinks she owns--John's workshop. . .She roams the barns and buildings all day but at 4:00, she's ready for her treat and shows up on schedule. . .John trained her from a kitten to expect a treat at 4:00, so that he can lock her in the shop overnight. . .We have several coyotes roaming around that would love to have HER as a treat. . .  How she knows the time, I have no idea. . .but she never fails.
Other than Little Bit, we have no other domesticated animals. . .We do have Sissy and Fred, the barn owls. . .And then there's Faith. . .the dove I nursed back to health a couple of years ago. . .But even though they fly around and 'talk' to us, they are still wild. . .and take care of themselves. . .
It wasn't always this way. . .There were mules, cows, horses, pigs, oxen, and chickens filling the two barns and the chicken coop. . .and roaming around a large pasture where we now grow our cotton. . .

I sort of miss all the animals of my childhood but not enough to own any now. . .Collecting tin, metal and wood ones are fine with me. . .
I HAVE begun staging other areas of the house for the COUNTRY RUSTIC magazine photo shoot in October. . .We have changed a few things. . .are painting a lot. . .and as I dig out accessories, I'm playing with how to display them. . .So I may share a few quick photos with you along the way, maybe without much of a story, but with lots of ideas. . .The house often looks different in photos than in the actual setting. . .As they say in the interior decorating realm. . .I'll be auditioning them to you. . .

As a side note. . .Yes, it HAS been a long time since I LAST blogged. . .but this Summer has been a whirlwind of unexpected happenings. . .We've had rain, wind, floods. . .and a drought. . .and another flood. . .Then out of the clear blue sky, the opportunity to buy a weekend home in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri popped up. . .but more about that later. . .And next was a mammogram that concerned the doctors. . .and more tests. . .ending with three biopsies. . .Ouch. . .We didn't breath for about a month while that was going on and were all relieved when the biopsies were non-cancerous tissue. . .I will be followed with a mammogram every six months for a while, though. . .I can deal with that. . .
Which brings me to the real reason I'm telling you my story. . .I started to keep it to myself but then decided . ."No. . .Others need to be encouraged". . .to get those mammograms done. . .I am now a believer. . .Radiologists have come a very long way in the last few years in their ability to detect changes which might be pre-cancerous or early cancer. . .In my case, there was NO MASS to see. . .There were only some indicators that there might be a problem. . .Had cancer been found, it would have been so early that the chance of cure was 97%. . .I looked at my own x-rays and believe me, there was nothing there for the untrained eye to see. . .Scary. . .But you sure won't catch me ignoring another mammogram!!!!!!. . .I'll be there with bells on. . .
How about you? . .Please don't ignore having a mammogram done. . .Don't wait until you can feel a lump. . .It's the first step and best detection of very early cancer. . .Your family and friends need you. . .Take care of yourself. . .

from: women welfare foundation
Okay. . .I'll get off my soap box. . .
And, I'll be back soon with snapshots of our projects. . .
Sorry I've been gone so long. . .
The Summer went way too fast. . .



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